Inexpensive Cat Toys

All cat households require a steady supply of cat toys, since they have the ability to keep your feline friends happy and stimulated throughout the day.

While you can save money on your cat's toys by using coupons from Discountrue.com and other helpful websites, the prices are constantly rising and pet parents often feel the pinch. If you do not wish to be one of the owners who consistently lavishes their pets with the most expensive toys, read on to learn more about some more inexpensive options. 

Cardboard Boxes 

Every cat owner has experienced the awkward moment that occurs when they purchase new toys for their pet, only to watch them derive more enjoyment from the packaging. Instead of waiting for this moment to take place, cut out the middleman and provide your cat with cardboard boxes to play with. Cats love using these boxes as makeshift forts, so be prepared for a lot of jumping and hiding.

Three fluffy meows!

Pipe Cleaners 

Pipe cleaners typically cost less than $5 and have the ability to keep your pet entertained for hours at a time. These cleaners can be bent into a variety of alignments that will allow your pet to play a variety of games. They are easily lost around the house, however, so be sure to buy plenty of replacements.

Balls 

Such a simple option, but one that often goes completely ignored by cat lovers everywhere. Have you ever seen a cat fail to enjoy playing with a ball? Many cat breeds even love to play fetch and you will be hard pressed to find a cat that doesn't find some level of happiness from playing the balls that you graciously provide. You can also make a ball for your cat at home, with materials that are already on hand. Just use tin foil and watch your cat entertain itself for hours at a tune. 

Feathers 

If you are providing your cat with feathers, it is best to sterilize them well. While you can spend big on cat toys that come with feathers, you can find them just as easily by going outside and taking a walk. Your cat will love to swat feathers around and is sure to have an absolute blast "killing" them. One rule of thumb when it comes to providing your cat with feathers: the bigger the feathers, the more your cat will enjoy playing with them. 

99 Cent Stores 

Heading to your local 99 cent store is a great option for pet owners who are looking to provide a large quantity of toys for their playful pet, without destroying their budget. Your cat is not going to care if you purchased the toys from an expensive pet store chain or a discount market, as long as they are well chosen and fun to play with.

 

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Mix Rustic and Urban in This Canadian Getaway

If Canada is on your vision board for an eventual visit, you have a few different options to put on your radar that are worthy of checking out for your next vacation. The country boasts multiple LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations that are off the beaten path and worth considering for both short getaways and lengthier bouts of travel. One of these is British Columbia’s Salt Spring Island, known for its creative atmosphere and mash-up of rustic and urban. 

Located in the Strait of Georgia, Salt Spring is the largest of the Southern Gulf Islands. While this area offers plenty of secluded spots such as quiet and picturesque beaches where you can take a break from the hubbub of civilization, it also offers art museums and other activities, and is a short distance from Victoria via a ferry ride. The atmosphere is LGBTQ-friendly in part due to the active group Gay and Lesbians of Salt Spring Island, or GLOSSI, which is helpful in promoting businesses that are gay-friendly and owned. 

Nature lovers will enjoy the hikes through the forest where fairy doors adorn trees and rocks along the trek up Mount Erskine. Accommodations include a slew of charming bed and breakfasts dotted throughout the town such as The Hastings House Country House Hotel, a Sussex-style structure set on a sizeable waterfront estate. Learn more about Salt Spring Island along with other LGBT-friendly travel destinations by clicking on the following infographic. 



 

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Ultimate Tips How to Travel Cheap

If you don‘t sleep on a bag of money, but you want to see the world, today I am going to give you some ultimate tips how to travel everywhere and keep yourself in a budget and even save some money. These tips are easy to follow and they are going to give you an instant chance to book your dream plane tickets at a much smaller cost. So let me begin and let’s learn how to see the world within these few easy tips!

Follow Travel Professionals

There are some people, who actually travel for a living! So you can try to follow their journeys and also learn how to travel cheaper and easier. There are many special blogs that have articles about these adventures and also easy ways how to catch extremely cheap plane tickets and hotel reservations. Usually, these blogs tend to search for these cheap tickets and share it too. So just follow these traveling experts and you can travel much cheaper as well!

Use Coupons

It sounds weird, but booking hotels and tickets with the help of coupons is as possible as shopping for groceries or clothing! There are special coupons for many hotels that let you enjoy a much cheaper stay in high-class hotels all around the globe. All you need to do is to find these coupons somewhere, right? So you can search for it at hotel’s website, or at special coupon’s website. For instance, at ChameleonJohn. Just by simply looking through for some hotels or airlines you will be gifted with many coupons to use and reduce any price tag within a few seconds.

Do Couchsurfing 
One of the most ultimate ways to travel really cheap and reduce all your expenses is to use a service of Couchsurfing platform. Along with it, you won’t need to pay hundreds of dollars for a poor quality hotel room – you will get a cozy bed at almost zero cost! Couchsurfing is great because with it everyone can experience much more too. You can even find new friends in a country you are visiting and make your whole traveling experience perfect up to the notch!

Travel off-Season

If you really want to see that country, but you don’t care about the timing, then travel in it off the season. For instance, for travel to the Caribbean, save money by booking during hurricane season in the fall (but also consider buying travel insurance and closely follow the weather before you trip, and you should be fine). This is how you can still see all the beauty of the region and save tons of money. Also, traveling off-season means that you won’t need to deal with huge masses of tourists everywhere and enjoy better customer service too.

Volunteer

You can also use volunteering as a way to travel and experience the most of a country in a short period of time. By volunteering, you might be gifted with a privilege of free accommodation, food and transportation in a country. So all you need to do is to find a cheap plane ticket and you are all set. Also, in this way you can learn about social problems and help local people as much as you can. It will definitely improve your whole traveling experience to perfection and make you never forget about that time.

 

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Saying Goodbye *

Death at any time and by any means is an occasion of ultimate sadness. But death that comes so suddenly with a reason so unnecessary makes it all the more melancholy with perhaps no closure in sight.

It was with a truly broken heart that I attended the funeral service for my good friend Shyam’s Dad, who unfortunately passed away last week. The reason for his untimely demise was as vile as it was shocking and it shook me to the very core when I initially found out. My shock settled into disbelief followed by anger and finally utter sadness. I was truly lost for words for what could one possibly say to make the situation any better if not bearable?

The funeral service was beautiful and the eulogy and video presentation depicted a religious man, husband and father of good standing; much loved and well-respected by his family, friends and community. There was so much I wanted to say to my dear friend Shyam but my thoughts and words were choked by tears of despair and sadness for her unspeakable loss.

Now that I am more composed, I do want her to know just how sorry I am for her loss and I do believe that good things come to those who wait. With that, I hope she finds the will; patience and strength to keep her head up in this time of darkness and let justice and peace take their course. Take comfort in the beautiful memories shared over the years with your beloved Dad and be proud knowing that he did an amazing job in raising a wonderful loving daughter and friend in you.

Farewell Uncle Duncan and may your soul rest in eternal peace …

 

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Travel the World on a Limited Budget

Have you had more than enough of the limited scenery and sights that your home town has to offer you? You don't necessarily want to say "Sayonara" to your old alma mater, but you're certainly willing to explore other parts of the world. If you're coming up on your yearly vacation, you should be planning a trip to some new part of the world that your eyes have never seen before. It's the best way to keep you motivated on your work as you move ever closer to your desired goal.

Pick a Spot, Any Spot

Where do you want to go? Thanks to the rapid advancement of technology in the last few decades, you can pretty much just pick a spot, any spot. You can pick a favorite place that has always been high on your list of desired destinations. Or you can simply pick a name that sounds good, than research it on the Internet to see what the place actually looks like. No matter how you get your inspiration, once you've got it, it's time to put in the leg work that will make your vacation dream come alive.

Picking Your Ideal Vacation Destination

Are you ready to choose your ideal vacation destination? Perhaps a location "South of the Border" is what you crave. If so, you can make use of the magical powers of the Internet to help you get there. You can simply log on to your favorite travel reservation site, click a few buttons, and voila! Your reservation is made, and you can begin planning out all of the activities you wish to engage in once you arrive safely at your destination.

A wealth of information concerning hotel reservations and airline fares will be laid out directly in front of your eyes. It has been well and truly said that, "With the Internet, all things are possible", and nothing proves it quite like the brave new world of travel that has been placed at our fingertips. This is truly a great age to be alive.

Hipmunk's Handy Travel Guide Will Get You Up To Speed

For example, if the sunny beaches of tropical Southern Mexico are what you desire to experience this year on your vacation, you'll need Hipmunk's handy FAQ guide to staying in Cancun. This is an indispensable resource that is guaranteed to make your stay in hot Cancun a memorable one. Whether you're an aficionado of the night club scene, or just an old soft touch who craves nothing more than a relaxing day at the beach, Hipmunk can set you straight when it comes to finding all of the best sites in Cancun and beyond.

Hipmunk: Your Ultimate Travel Reservation Authority

Hipmunk is a website that has been specifically designed and engineered to play the part of your one stop travel authority. From your hotel reservations to your airline fare, as well as all points in between, Hipmunk is the travel site that allows you to pick your spot and name your price. Never before in all the history of mankind has there been a website that is quicker to navigate and more fun to use. No matter where your journey may take you, you can rely on Hipmunk to help get you safely there.

This article was contributed by Fiona Moriarty of Hipmunk.

 

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Visiting Cannes, French Riviera

According to B who has stayed in a cosy French hotel in Cannes a few years back when he was there for work, most of the hotels in Cannes are tiny and costly. So when we visited Cannes city in the beautiful French Riviera back in October 2013, the first thing we did upon arrival was to find ‘his hotel’ so he could show me the cosy but costly hotel he stayed in.

Waiting for the train

Heading to Cannes, France

 

Apparently ‘his hotel’ was still around and of course, evidence of me seeing the hotel in person was done via a snapshot! Too bad I couldn’t go inside to take more photos but I pretty much got the idea just by looking at the hotel from the outside.

Hotels in Cannes

B and his hotel!

Mariuca in Cannes

 

The last cosy but costly hotel I can recall staying in was the Hotel in London during our European Escapade 2010. Although tiny, it was still a wonderful snug hotel with friendly staff, good service and an excellent location as well, which played more importance than our need for a spacious room when we made our booking. 

If you’re planning to visit Europe any time soon, say Paris in France for example; worry no more about costly hotels in Europe! Whether it’s a 3-star hotel in France or a 4-star hotel in France, you are bound to find suitable accommodation at extremely reasonable rates, when vacationing in Europe. And when I say reasonable, I mean less than €100 for a 4-star hotel!

When and if I finally get to set foot in the city of romance Paris, I’d definitely be looking at these great deals too. Great hotel deals are always around online. You just have to look for them starting with the 3-star and 4-star stylish and charming QUALYS-HOTEL collection I mentioned earlier. 

By the way, our day out in Cannes was a hot and humid affair. I got tricked by the weather forecast and arrived in Cannes in sweater and jeans. Although it did get cooler later in the day, I told B that if we get to visit Cannes again during the same wet month of October, I’m just going to confidently wear something skimpy LOL!

Exploring Cannes

Cinema Cannes

B in Cannes

Am I doing it right?

Lovely Cannes souvenir store where I got myself a snow-globe

Al fresco dining in Cannes

Shopping & Dining at Rue Meynadier

Hanging out with Pinocchio

 

I’m leaving you with a few more photos of our Cannes visit. Next, I’ll probably blog about my romantic lovey-dovey lunch with B at Le Caveau 30 French seafood restaurant in Cannes. Until my next post, Merry Christmas to those celebrating and Happy holidays to the rest!

Yeah .. 'What about YOU?'

Cannes Carousel

Heading to the beach

Tourists in Train

Fun in the sun

Artist at work

A different kind of artist at work!

 

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