Checking Out the “Cheaper” Competition

We recently had someone tell us, “You know, I can get copy just as good as yours, for less than half the price.”

Naturally, we asked where such a deal was available. The answer was “At Elance, of course.”

We had heard horror stories before, about copy from Elance or similar freelancer sites. But this time, we decided to see for ourselves just what the deal was. So we signed up for an account and posted a job: a few 1000-word articles on a subject which would require a decent amount of research. We offered to pay $15-$20 per article, and specified that we only wanted native American English writers. We also decided in advance that we were only going to consider writers who had received a rating of at least 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Are Website “Terms of Service ” Binding on You?

Fast Facts on Electronic Cigarettes

• The first “smokeless cigarette” was actually invented in the 1960s, but it wasn’t until the 21st century when the “modern” e-cigarette was designed in China. It quickly became popular there, before being exported to Europe and then around the world.
• Attempts to regulate electronic cigarettes have created a crazy and confusing quilt of local, state and federal laws. In a few countries they’re banned completely, in several like Australia only e-cigarettes containing nicotine are banned, and Britain is planning to regulate them as “medical devices” within a few years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which was given the right to regulate e-cigs as “tobacco products,” is expected to issue their new proposals shortly. The most common regulations currently in effect around the world ban the sale or use of ecigs by those under the age of 18 in many jurisdictions.

Setting Your Wedding Budget – Oh, Lordy!

Planning a wedding is easy. Planning a wedding on a budget is not. One of the major challenges practically any bride will face is trimming her ideal wedding down to something that fits within a realistic budget. Let’s take a look at how to go about setting a wedding budget while still holding a wedding you will look back on fondly.

Stop

The first thing you need to do when planning your wedding is…stop! You should not purchase, reserve or place a deposit on anything wedding-related until you have a budget in place. The last thing you want to do on a whim is drop 80 percent of your budget on a reception hall with a stunning view looking out over the ocean. While the view will be amazing, you are going to be wearing flip flops and eating McDonalds, since you only have a little bit of money left. Slow down, plan and then spend your budget carefully.

Las Vegas Buffets

Even if you’ve never been to Vegas before, you’ve certainly heard stories of Las Vegas Buffets – the never-ending food and the impossible-to-believe prices. Well, unlimited steak and eggs for $1.99 is sadly a thing of the past. But the never-ending food is still there, and the good news is that because of the higher prices, the quality of buffets in Las Vegas is better than ever.

Before getting into a list of the best Las Vegas buffets, there are a few things you should know. Buffet lines can get very, very long – and the better buffets may actually cost you more than a meal at a fine restaurant back home. There are some easy ways to avoid the lines and to lessen the dent in your wallet, though:  the food selection is very often the same for lunch and for dinner – but lunch prices are usually lower.