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For working parents, finding a reliable person to care for your child is vitally important for your peace of mind to know that your child is being taken care of while you are away. Sitters can sometimes be hard to find when you move to a new place where you don’t know anyone, or suddenly find yourself needing child care on short notice. Here are a few suggestions for finding reliable child care in your area.

Ask Family or Friends

Sometimes the first and best option is to try and work out a babysitting arrangement with a family member. This works sometimes if you have a family member that works an opposite shift that can watch your child and trade when it’s time for them to go to work. If this is not an option you can always ask who babysits for them. Get some names and contact numbers to see if they are available. Ask for rates and if they are available during holidays and school vacations.

Check Out DayCare Centers

Daycare centers are plentiful in large and small towns because everybody has to work and there is always a need for good child care. You can do a search based on your zip code for centers in your area. Be aware though that this is a more expensive option as they tend to charge by the week and costs can be high, especially if you have more than one child. Daycare centers offer transportation services to and from school for older kids.

Babysitting Jobs Through UrbanSitter

Apps like Urbansitter connect parents looking for child care with trusted babysitters and nannies from their community. It’s like a social network for parents and caregivers. Other parents leave reviews so you can feel confident that the person you are booking is reliable and trustworthy.

Before deciding on a sitter, read the reviews left by the other parents who used that person. The site also checks the background of each sitter through local and global verification organizations. Becoming a member is easy. Just sign up with your information and post babysitting jobs through UrbanSitter. You can search, book, and pay using their app.

The cost of child care can easily consume one parent’s entire salary for the month. It may seem like a good idea for one parent to stay home to take care of the kids, but there are limitations … Read the rest

If you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe’s, you have the benefit of a constantly changing, creative and always fun selection of items at one of the quirkiest food store chains in the country. There are all kinds of reasons to love TJ’s.

Prices are competitive throughout the store, and unlike the mega-chains, you don’t need to buy enough food for an army if you want to save money. They accept third-party coupons although you might have a hard time finding some of the national brands since TJ’s has their own. The selection is constantly changing and being updated to match the season as well as the preferences of customers. Heck, you can even buy beautiful fresh flowers and plants.

What’s more, both customers and staff members receive the royal treatment. Getting help at TJ’s is actually a pleasure. You might even find yourself engaged in a lengthy conversation about your various choices of trader joe’s trail mix with a knowledgeable and cheerful associate.

If you plan to be serving appetizers anytime soon or just want to restock your pantry, making a TJ’s run is a must. That’s because they not only have delicious wines at preposterously affordable prices but also stock a wide selection of cheeses from all over the world, also priced to sell.

Even the signage at your local Trader Joe’s has that unique human flair. That’s because each is hand-designed by a member of the store’s crew.
Even if you don’t know what you need but just want a break from the norm, take a trip to TJ’s. You’ll love the trader joe’s trail mix , the free samples and the ongoing bag raffle that encourages you to use cloth bags. You may never visit a boring big box market again.… Read the rest

Buying and selling a vehicle is something that most people look forward to with pride and much anticipation. They ponder the question, where can I sell my car in Los Angeles? When you go to a dealership to browse for a new car, keep in mind the options that you have for the old one. The salesman will politely inform you of a trade in price, but usually it is not as much as you might get if you sell it yourself. This is the type of decision that you will make to get the most for your old car.

After going to the dealer to learn what they will give you as a trade in on your car, check out these options when asking yourself where can I sell my car in Los Angeles

• eBay: You can list your car on ebay, but there is a listing fee, and a final value fee for this service. Uploading a picture of your car is simple.
• Craigslist: This service is a little different in that there is no listing fee, and the car will get less exposure.
• Auto Trader: With this service you can sell or trade your car. There is a fee to list your vehicle, but it only lasts for a certain period of time.
• You can place an ad in your local newspaper. This method may result in slow responses, but you can choose to sell or trade.
• If you choose to use one of these options, compare the price that you requested to the price that the dealership offered. Add in all of the fees that it would incur to see where you would get the better value for your old car.

Selling your vehicle using any of these avenues will mean that you will possibly get your asking price, but getting the car to the buyer may be expensive, and all of the extra fees will result in a larger sum to pay out. Selling the car may mean that you will have money left over once you make the down payment on another car. Whether you are selling or trading in your old car, you want to get the best value for it. Trade-ins at dealerships will normally bring in less money even though you are getting a substantial down payment. Consider the value of your car before you sell or trade.… Read the rest

Although the origins of chili are unclear, most people agree that the first person to describe it in writing was J.C. Clopper, a 19th-century Texan. Often thought to be exclusively a savory and spicy stew of meat, tomatoes and sometimes beans, chili has long been a staple at family events and tailgate parties not only in the southwestern U.S. but across the country.

Yet this is not the whole story of this uniquely American dish. Cooks have tweaked it in numerous ways to reflect their own tastes. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that even those who don’t eat meat have adapted chili to suit their preferences. With its sassy mixture of beans, tomatoes, seasonings, peppers and sometimes meat substitutes, vegetarian chili has taken its place as an equally delicious way to enjoy this Mexican-inspired stew.

Whether or not it contains beef or venison, chili has traditionally been simmered for many hours, lovingly stirred by its preparer until it looks and tastes just right. Other connoisseurs have found ways to make it using the slow cookers that gained popularity in the 1970s, enabling the food to basically make itself over several hours while the busy cook worked or attended to other responsibilities. In recent years, another preparation method, the pressure cooker, has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Now safer and easier to use than ever, this kitchen device is making it possible for time-conscious people to prepare pressure cooker vegetarian chili in a matter of minutes.

No doubt, there are probably those who enjoy fussing over a hot stove for several hours, stirring and tweaking the proportions in their spicy tomato and bean stew. However, many harried cooks simply don’t have the time, yet they still want to prepare a delicious, filling and healthy dinner. Unlike the slow cooker, pressure cookers allow for nutrients to remain locked in the chili because cooking is done quickly and under pressure. The bottom line is the ultimate result: delicious pressure cooker vegetarian chili that rivals anything that may have been slowly simmered for eight hours on the stovetop.

Now that many of us are choosing to make meatless entrees at least a part of our weekly meal plans, this is a flavorful and simple choice that your whole family will love. Whether you eat it at home or take it to your next football extravaganza, it’s sure to be a zesty hit.… Read the rest