Live Debt Free

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Managing Gods Money Review

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Thanks, Matt. Your book is in the mail today.

I wanted to send you a few more details on the book review and giveaway.

If you need some inspiration, here are some basic questions to get you started on your review:

  • What did you like about Managing God’s Money and why?
  • What did you learn?
  • What was most impactful to you?
  • How do you think the book would be helpful to your readers?

We would like to ask that you post your review on your blog within one month after receiving the book in the mail.  Please send me an email as soon as you know when your blog post will be up. If I haven’t heard from you within a month after sending the book, I will follow up to see when you plan to post the review.

To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please include this information at the bottom of your review: Eternal Perspective Ministries provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review.

I’ve attached an image of the book to include with your post, along with this paragraph:

Managing God’s Money is available from your local Christian bookstore and from online retailers, as well as from Eternal Perspective Ministries (www.epm.org), a nonprofit ministry founded by author Randy Alcorn.

I’ve also attached a Q&A with Randy on the book. You are welcome to include any or all of it with your post if you like.

You may have your own way of conducting a giveaway on your blog, and that is fine. But here is some sample wording as a guideline:

Eternal Perspective Ministries is also giving away copies of Managing God’s Money to three readers! To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post by (date one week after the post goes up). Please only enter once and leave a valid email address and do not enter for family and friends. The winners will be randomly selected on (date the day after the giveaway closes) and notified by the email left in the comments. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification or we will select another winner.

EPM would ask that you handle the details of randomly selecting and contacting the winners by email for their mailing addresses. For giveaways on our own site, I use a random number generator (www.random.org/integers/) to generate three random numbers and select the winners. Once you’ve contacted the winners and have their mailing addresses, you can then pass on the names and addresses to me, and we will ship the books out.

Finally, we would ask that you also post your review on Christianbook.com and Amazon. With your review, include the line: Eternal Perspective Ministries provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. We will also be posting your review on our website, www.epm.org.

Please do let me know if you have any questions at all. Thank you again for your partnership!

With blessing,

Stephanie Anderson  l  Promotions Director

How Much Toothpaste Is Enough?

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When I was living in the dorms of Central Michigan University back in the mid-90’s I remember my friend (Michele L.) chastising me for the extraneous toothpaste slathered on my brush. I always scoffed at her scolding . . . until recently.

Too much toothpaste

Several factors led the realization that I have always used way too much toothpaste: my holistic dentist, the $6 price tag for my natural toothpaste, and of course my friend Michele.

Basically, I have been awash in poor toothpaste stewardship my entire toothbrushing life – but don’t blame me, blame Aquafresh.

Why do we use so much?

In a word, marketing.

Remember the Aquafresh commercials instructing us to, not only use an entire brush full, but to gob it on in beautiful bendy layers. Raise your hand if you ever tried getting that perfect Aquafresh-ish bed of curvy goodness on your brush. How the heck did the do that?!

Kudos to them for a great marketing campaign, but seriously . . . how much do we really need to use?

How much toothpaste is enough?

After much experimentation I believe I have found the perfect amount of toothpaste per use.

How much toothpaste

Try it yourself using various amounts until you arrive at your choicest gob, which I bet is less than you’re using now.

You’ll be surprised how little you need and how far the paste goes when amounts are reduced. The scant looking quantity in the photo produces plenty of lather, especially if you’re using a traditional fluoride toothpaste (they’re very frothy). If you prefer a fluoride free “health store” toothpaste as I do, your lather is less but still sufficient.

As an aside: it’s also easy to make your own homemade toothpaste and homemade mouthwash.

Do we need toothpaste at all?

As I eluded to earlier my holistic dentist was part of the reason I cut back. In a recent visit he told me toothpaste is unnecessary. That piqued my interest so I tried it out; here’s what I discovered:

  1. it’s true: you don’t need toothpaste, using a brush and water alone cleans your teeth
  2. breath test: while it does get the plaque off, brushing without paste doesn’t cut breath the same
  3. Do both: I find it best to brush with paste when I want fresh breath and without when I’m just looking for a quick cleaning.
Try brushing without paste and tell us what you think. I think you’ll come to the same conclusion I did – sometimes it’s needed, sometimes . . . not so much.

Michele was right

So there you have it – the answer to the age old question, “How much toothpaste per use is enough?”

What do you know . . . Michele was right all along!

Note: Be sure to brush at least twice and floss at least once each day, it is the best dental insurance you can employ.

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PS… don’t tell Aquafresh we’re rebelling against their beautiful layers of gleaming Aquafreshiness, it will only lead to a new and improved marketing campaign that might just pull the wool over our eyes for another several decades.

My 2011 NCAA Tournament Picks

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Every year I join at least one NCAA tourney bracket as a way to make the tournament more interesting.  It’s fun, and it’s free – which is the best kind of fun!

Here is an image of my picks.  If you want to see them in greater detail, click the image and download them in .pdf format.

Enjoy, and don’t forget to talk trash in the comments!

GO BLUE!

Enjoy, and don’t forget to talk trash in the comments!

GO BLUE