4th Annual Jesse's Dream Show (hosted by the Hope Mills Cruzers)

Congratulations to Mrs. Hulon for winning the

Ai insurance Gas Card Drawing



Mrs. Hulon and Roger Melvin



 

 

 

A Special "Thank You" to the Hope Mills Cruzers and First Baptist Church of Hope Mills for allowing us to be a part of this incredible event.

The Worst Ads of 2010

By Austin Carr  (originally posted on fastcompany.com)


     It seems advertisers are hell-bent on making the commercial breaks that separate fans from Mad Men and Jersey Shore the longest, most excruciating minutes of our lives. In the last year, we've suffered through Progressive's painful spokeswoman Flo squawking about insurance and awkward State Farm ads that remind us in depressing terms just how bankrupt we all are from the recession ("Our real national past-time? Saving money!").


     Thankfully, The Consumerist has been keeping track. Out today are their nominations for the Worst Ads of 2010, a list of some of the most mind-blowingly stupid commercials plaguing America's airwaves. We've pulled a collection of some of the worst--head here to vote for your favorites, er, least favorites rather.


ABSOLUTE WORST AD IN AMERICA


Staples: "Wow! That's a Low Price!"


Why: Wow! That's a loud yell! About a dumb joke! And no one's actually buying anything! And hey! Now another guy is yelling!




Progressive: "Flo Dishes Out Discounts"


Why: ... With a side of botulism! Or at least it feels like it when everyone's wacky aunt attempts to make insurance fun 'n' quirky!





Honda - Mr. Opportunity - "Paparazzi"


Why: The hack-y cartoon character that looks like he stepped out of the funny papers in 1970 wouldn't be so bad if he was just the embodiment of a good pun. Missed opportunity.





Quiznos: "Singimals -- Starring Kittens"


Why: So, wait. The sandwiches are made of cat food? There's actual cat in them? Confused. Not hungry.





State Farm - "Pocket Agent"


Why: The dynamic between these two is just terribly awkward. I don't want a State Farm agent, and I certainly don't want one in my pocket.





MOST GRATING PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN


1-800 Dentist: The last woman on Earth you'd want in the elevator with you


Why: It's impossible to watch without cringing.






5-Hour Energy: Mr. "Do You Know What 2:30 Feels Like?"


Why: For an ad showing how groggy we feel at 2:30, this spokesperson is pretty perky, jumping from one cubicle to the next. If I worked with this guy, I'd chug a bottle of 5-Hour and slap him in the face.





McDonald's: The "Not Until I've Had My Coffee" jerkface


Why: Joke's on him when he's an obese diabetes-suffering Grimace-lookalike by age 35.





Wendy's: That "Pico De Gallo!" loudmouth


Why: "You know when it's real" is Wendy's tagline. Too bad this back-and-forth between two of the fast food chain's employees feels totally fake and, well, annoying.


Nationwide Insurance: The World's Greatest Spokesperson In the World


Why: The crappy cousin and poor rip-off of the Dos Equis and Old Spice guys.

20 Life Lessons A Wise Man Would Share

No One is Perfect. The quicker this is realized the faster you can get on with being excellent. Start every morning ready to fight harder than you did the day before and run further than you ever imagine.

Avoid over explaining yourself. Be confident with who you are.

Keep balance in your life. Write down what’s most important to you and show up. Sometimes we tend to do the things that are most important to us when it’s written down.

Play the hand you were dealt. Have the courage to face challenges head on it builds character. Start looking for a way through instead of a way out.

Be a student of life. Learn something new every day. The day you stop learning is the day you become obsolete so keep learning.

No Excuses. Stop making excuses replace them with ways to do better. Excuses are a waste of time and energy.

Let others know where you Stand. Be uncompromising and be up front when someone steps on your core values.

Never be afraid of a challenge. You put on your shoes like every other man. Now it comes down to who wants it more.

Service to others. Small, simple or important be a volunteer and give the very best of you.

Work like hell. Everyone has a job to do so do it. Cross every “T” and dot every “I”.

Discover You. Find your passion, life purpose, and take action.

Don’t take it Personal. Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself self confidence shows that you’re comfortable in your own skin.

Manage your time. Our situation and environment is ever changing so be careful not to confuse the things that are urgent with the things that are important. Look for time wasters and eliminate them.

Ask for help. Life can be tough remember you never have to do it alone.

Do your homework. Know what you getting into before you start. Doing your homework reduces uncertainty and fear.

Day Dream Often. On the weekend when you are relaxing embrace a day dream. During the week take action to preserve your dreams.

Be A HERO. Cultivate a healthy dose of forgiveness and set someone free. Learn to forgive others and stop carrying those bags of hate, guilt or regret.

Stay One Step Ahead. Be proactive, Take the initiative, Brainstorm with the big picture in mind.

Self Love. Become your own priority. Strive to be the you, you want to be.

Finish what you started. Avoid the urge to stray.

People are Likely to Waste Money on Money Saving Gadgets

It’s as if being frugal means its ok or even necessary to waste money on gimmick products that claim to save you money. Perhaps, people who are historically conservative with their money feel as it is their obligation to purchase products like a plastic cap that keep soda cans slightly fresher or a gadget to help you squeeze the last drop of toothpaste from an empty tube. After all, “frugalites” have a reputation to maintain. However, will these types of products produce long-term savings? Alternatively, will they simply be something we use a few times and eventually throw or give away?

In my opinion, such “cheapskate accessories” tend to conflict with the theory of cheapskates. A typical cheapskate would just use their fingers to get toothpaste out of a tube or would not open a can of pop if they knew they were not going to finish it. Generally, such products barely work as well as they are advertised and often are trying to fill a product gap that doesn’t even exist.
Here are a few of such of such gimmick items and what I foresee as their actual value:

•Bottle Top – Bottle tops are intended to turn your can of pop into a bottle, which is suppose to prevent spills and extend the life of pop. Will somebody who purchases this actually make the effort every time a can of pop is open to put on this plastic cap? Will it even be clean from the last time? Will they even know where they put it? Finally, if you’re in the habit of not finishing your pop, then consider buying less and purchasing something that already has a cap, like drinks in a bottle (brilliant!).
•Pasta Boat – The pasta boat is supposed to change the way we make pasta by allowing us to cook, strain, serve and steam pasta all in one plastic device. While this may sound appealing, let us first remember microwaving and eating out of plastic is not advised. Second, what is wrong with the strainer we have already purchased?
•Pedi Paws – For all of us with dogs, the Pedi Paw is supposed to be the pet nail trimming solution that we cannot live without. This device is designed to actually file your pet’s nails, which will save you trips to the groomer. While this product may work on the occasional (extremely chill) dog, most of us realize a motorized device to trip their nails is humorous. Again, use the clipper you already have or you will likely waste $20 on a filer that you try once and store.
If a device is intended to save you money, that alone doesn’t automatically justify it as a smart purchase.

-originally posted by milkyourmoney.com

Luckiest People on Earth (bought insurance the next day)

I think I may be a little late to tout the benefits of Priceline, but having recently used it for the first time a month ago and again last week, I am not sure if I will ever make another reservation the traditional way—it actually does work, I’m proof.
On a recent trip to New York City, my wife and I saved $50 on a room naming our price on Priceline and again saved another $60 on a recent hotel room for a wedding near Austin, TX just last week. When I say we saved money, I actually mean if we were to go to the hotel’s website and reserve the same room or even use another site like hotels.com to reserve the same room, we would not have gotten the rate we did.
How does Priceline work? Well, basically, the commercials are accurate; you simply name your price. However, it can be a little scary because you don’t get to name your hotel, rather, you name the area you would like your hotel to be in (generally this is narrowed down to small sections of cities) and you name how many star hotel you are looking for. After choosing the following two options, you submit your proposal and wait to see if any Hotel’s accept your offer, if they do, then a deal has been made. If not, you can try again by offering more money or lowering your star preference or even expanding the area you would like to stay in.
It’s actually kind of a fun process, I like to start out a few weeks in advance by really low balling my offers just in case I am able to sneak in a great deal, but I generally have found that I get better deals by waiting till close to the date I actually want to be there. Perhaps the logic is that the room would be empty anyways so they might as well fill it, even if they don’t get as much for it.
The only hesitation I think you should have with Priceline is if you are going to be rooming with more than two people. My experience is that they do not guarantee rooms with two beds, but you can request this with your hotel after the reservation have been made through Priceline. But, this is only a request and may mean you might not actually get the extra bed. So, if you are traveling with three or more people, Priceline may not be your best option. On the other hand, if you are a couple traveling, Priceline will save you money and likely get you into a hotel nicer than you were originally seeking out. (posted originally by MilkYourMoney.com)

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27 Great Tips for Around the House

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Some of you may have heard of these before but we couldn’t resist letting our readers know of a few extremely helpful tips that could not only save you money but could even save your life!
Peel a banana from the bottom and you won’t have to pick the little ’stringy things’ off of it.That’s how the primates do it.

Banana Ripening: Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store.If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

Cheese: Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.It will stay fresh much longer and not mold

Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating raw.

Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.

Beef: Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.

Eggs: To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a coupleof spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream inand then beat them up.

Mint Brownies: Make brownies as directed.Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies.Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.

Garlic: Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a lighttaste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want astronger taste of garlic.

Quick Dessert: Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert.Simply chop them up with a food chopper.Peel, core and slice a few apples.Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples.Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream.

Reheat Pizza: Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza.

Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done for an easy clean up.

Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Reheating refrigerated bread: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

Newspaper weeds away: Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go over with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

Broken Glass: Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily.

No More Mosquitoes: Place a dryer sheet in your pocket.It will keep the mosquitoes away.

Squirrel Away: To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.

Flexible vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

Reducing Static Cling: Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and-ta da! — static is gone.

Measuring Cups: Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

Foggy Windshield: Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

Reopening envelope: If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It seals easily.

Conditioner: Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs (or your face). It’s a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair…

Goodbye Fruit Flies: To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it ½’ with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

Get Rid of Ants: Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it ‘home,’ can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! (Also try dry Grits, when the ants eat the dry grits, the fluid in their stomachs will cause the grits to expand blowing up the ants and the colony.)

Clothes Dryers: Even though you clean the lint itself from the dryer lint trap, you must also clean the mesh part with hot soapy water and a brush (may use tooth brush also) every 6 months or so. Dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh. That’s what burns out the heating unit. You can’t SEE the film, but it’s there. It’s what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free-that nice fragrance too, this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire and potentially burn your house down with it! By washing it, you can save electricity and help your dryer live longer.

Of course we haven’t tried ALL of these but they are worth a try. I know I have seen that information before about cleaning your dryer vent thoroughly. Takes just a few seconds and they pay off is priceless.

Make the Intelligent Choice and let the professionals at Ai insurance save you money today. Call (910) 223-3066 or visit us online at www.aiins.us