Payday Loan Lowdown

–By Sushma Pradhan

Ants are good citizens, they place group interests first. - Clarence Day

Ants build hills that last for years and prosper for generations too. How do we build our house instead? Like the Grasshoppers, in fact most of us believe in living a life of a grasshopper. I am sure you must have heard the story of the ant and the grasshopper.

In case no then I will let you know in a nutshell. The ant slogs day after day in the scorching heat to prepare for the upcoming winters, on the other hand the grasshopper, hops, and jumps, enjoys, and thinks that the ant is a fool.

Now when the winter is here, the ants are happy and gay, whereas the grasshopper is sad and stiff in the deathbed, due to severe cold. We humans at times, tend to behave as the grasshoppers and forget that the future may be bleak and gloomy. We tend to care for the future and live only for the present.

We tend to believe that ‘I am the one, I rule the world.’ I would say incorrect, how very incorrect. Have you looked at the ants minutely? They are tiny but yes! Definitely not dumb. There are ample of lessons to be learnt from this tiny creature.

1. United we stand: The first lesson that we definitely need to learn from the world of ant is the unity. The collective behavior that is so much a part of the ant world is a successful image of a self-organization in a large-scale. This trait of the ants help them a great deal in finding food and help them supply with the food that can suffice their entire colony, throughout the trying times.

2. Adaptation to the environment: The colonies of ants are very quick in adapting themselves to their environment. In a condition where one or more ants fail to carry out their duties, there is no mismanagement of work. The most important point however here remains the least intrusion of the top-down control.

3. Logistics: The natural application of the ant world is the food-furnishing algorithm. A small example with a vast difference by adapting the ant logistics was tremendously felt by the Southwest Airlines. This airline used the ant intelligence to restructure their cargo operations. On following the ant structure, the company saved around ten million dollars a year.  Their smart moves made them cut down on freight transfer rates and slash the workload for people carrying cargo. The result was, the airline still made money even if the plane was partially loaded.

4. Traffic Rules: The ants are known to adhere to strict traffic laws. However, in the ant world, there are no traffic violations, and there are no issues of tickets either.

Because, number one, such circumstances does not arise here at all and number two, the ants do not believe in violation. A study carried out by the Princeton University of New Jersey, researchers have revealed that the ants create lanes, which efficiently manage and flows the swarm of ants quickly.

The ant use pheromones to create their path and follow a rule that is simple and socially acceptable in their world. Theirs is three-lane traffic, the two outside lane for the outgoing ants and the middle one for the returning ones.

It is time that we humans learnt a lesson or two on traffic rules from the ants. We all know rules are to be followed but once when we are stuck in the traffic jam then, then it is, Traffic Rules! Huh!

5. Its Ant and not Aint: That is right there is no place for ‘I’ in the ant world. Be it for traffic or any other job, genetically they have inherited the behavior of moving continuously. For the ants, it is very important to do their job and mostly importantly do it well too. The colony’s benefit is their target and focus and perhaps this is the most important trait in them that drives them to do their work with utmost sincerity. Nevertheless, with us, we have to accept that we do tend to be selfish at times.

6. A never-ending quest: If one observes ants minutely, one will find that they overcome various obstacles to reach for their food and bring it back to the colony. Similarly, noticing these finer details of the ant to fight every hardship through their undying effort, many software companies have developed highly sensitive software that not just copes with the varied conditions but is also fast, automatic than the traditional ones.

If ants are such busy workers, how come they find time to go to all the picnics? - Marie Dressler

7. A highly effective networking: It is so right, they sniff, and they invade and they are all over, crawling and feasting over the food, which they merrily drag away from right under our nose. Apart from the menace, have you ever thought how is it they sniff the food so soon? Ants efficiently use the method of tracking their food back through the help of pheromone, a chemical that attracts other ants. The ant that returns first to the nest informs the other ants about the food and thereby retreats to the spot by the help of the pheromone marked path.  In fact, this is a strong computing system.

8. Telecommunications: Eric Bonabeau, a leader who has excelled in the field of swarm intelligence believes in applying the ant concept to the human world of problems such as telecommunications routing.
Bonabeau says that routing is essential because mostly the large-scale telecommunication networks are not fully connected for cost effectiveness, therefore the messages have to be guided to make them reach their destination. Instead, he started using virtual ants and made them leave virtual pheromone at the nodes of the network to optimize the routes used by the message. This technique in fact created wonders to the telecommunications.

9. Self-organization: Human beings need to learn this quality and earn from it too. We tend to have a centralized mindset. If you check out the way ant build highways, bridges, nests, chains and furthermore even complex activities like the defense mechanism, foraging, cleaning and nest care, it is completely different and amazing, this is so because they are self-organized and carry out their work through interactions, both direct and indirect.

10. Constructively Strong: Now let us look at their constructive excellence, ants are known to build anthills that last generation after generation, whereas we humans build a home that hardly last a generation.

The ants may be tiny but their feats are amazing. If you destroy their nest and force them migrate to a new place, the ants will do so efficiently. However, the key point here is, in case you repeat your act of destroying the nest again, you will find that this time they are not only efficient but also quicker than before in building one.

Greetings! Welcome to the 9th edition of the Carnival of Budgeting. We have received 18 posts for this edition. I hope our readers will find these useful and interesting. Here are the posts in the order they were received.

Raj Dash presents Bootstrapper » Building a Web 2.0 Business From Scratch posted at Bootstrapper. Reflections upon setting up a web 2.0 business with limited funds.

The Skilled Investor presents 18 Low Cost S&P 500 Index Mutual Funds posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog. Measured by invested assets, the S&P 500 index is the most common index fund benchmark in the U.S. The S&P 500 tracks about 75% of publicly traded U.S. equity market asset value.

Allen Taylor presents Making Big Money By Looking At The Seasons Of Investment posted at Investing World Today. All forms of investment markets have “seasons” just like the very predictable weather patterns of spring, summer, fall and winter.

Tim Ramsey presents Student Debt Relief - How To Get Yourself Out Of Student Debt posted at My Debt Relief Blog. In this article you will find out how to get yourself out of student debt the smart way.

Thomas Humes presents Millionaire Mind - Think Like A Millionaire posted at Wealth Building World. Millionaires, multi millionaires and billionaires have a unique way of looking at money. Learn about it and apply it to your own thinking.

Tushar presents Getting the best deal on Airfares posted at Life of a Resident Alien…. Flexibility in your travel plans will go a long way in helping you find a better price on airline tickets. Here’s a look at some of the considerations.

Andy presents 10 Reasons why I Love to Budget posted at moneywalks. 10 reasons why Andy loves to keep budgeting.

Adam Parker presents Creating a Zero-based budget posted at Compelled By Reality. Adam says, One of the things that has helped in this mindset shift of managing the finances given me was to create a “Zero-based budget.” Well, “what is a zero-based budget?” you might ask. I’m glad you asked. I asked myself this same question when I first heard of it.

Stephanie presents What Are the Biggest Dangers to a Healthy Budget? posted at Work at Home in Progress. Some habits are worse for sticking to a budget than others.

David presents Do Budgets Really Work? A Few Tips for Your Budget posted at Money Under 30. Four out of five personal finance pundits say a budget is the only way to trim spending and save cash. Unfortunately, four out of five “real” people might disagree.

Matthew Paulson presents The Ten Truths of Frugal Grocery Shopping posted at Getting Green. Unless you plan on eating out for every meal in your life in hopes of having a heart attack by age 40, chances are you’re going to need to make a weekly trip to your local Hy-Vee, Wal-Mart, or whatever grocery store happens to be prevalent in your area.

Tushar presents You are in financial trouble if… posted at Life of a Resident Alien…. In today’s financial world, you can’t be caught napping. “Float” — the time it takes a transaction to clear your account — has all but disappeared, and financial services are eager to penalize any lapses, such as a bounced check or an over-limit transaction, with hefty fees.

Steve Faber presents - It Always Costs More Than You Think - Things to Remember When Budgeting posted at Debt Free. There’s no such thing as a free lunch…or puppy. Almost everything costs more money in the long run than you think it’s going to at the outset. We’re all guilty of this kind of financial wishful thinking.

Ruth Mitchell presents Art is Universal posted at Buy Outside the Box. Small entrepreneurs can get the blues too. Always keep something inspirational in your back pocket to get you out of it.

Warren Wong presents Why Not To Drive posted at Personal Development for INTJs. These days, practically everyone has a car. In fact, people buy a car when they’re 16 and don’t have the money for it, which is extremely reckless since you should [[save money while you’re young]]. In general, people seem to expect you to have a car (especially in California) as soon as you can afford it.

Steve Faber presents It Always Costs More Than You Think - Things to Remember When Budgeting posted at Debt Solution. There’s no such thing as a free lunch…or puppy. Almost everything costs more money in the long run than you think it’s going to at the outset. We’re all guilty of this kind of financial wishful thinking. Here are some ways that things you buy always seem to cost just a bit more than you bargained for.

R.Pettinger presents How to Pay Off Your Mortgage Early posted at Mortgage Blog. How to Pay off your mortgage early.

Abdulrasool Sumar presents Good Credit Scores Can Save Money on Mortgages, Home Equity Line of Credit & Auto Loans posted at Consolidate Debt. “What if you could invest that money in a simple mutual fund that covered the entire stock market and left it until you were approaching retirement?” Historically these funds have earned on average 10 percent per year. Investing even $100 per month of money saved, thanks to a better score, over the course of 40 years adds up to over $559,500.”

That concludes the 9th edition of the Carnival of Budgeting. Next edition of this carnival will be hosted here on 06 July, 2007. You can submit your posts here.

Greeting, Payday Loan Lowdown brings 8th edition of the Carnival of Budgeting. We have received 10 posts for this edition. Here are the posts in the order they were received.

Roshawn Watson presents Be Your Own CFO (Part 1): The Dreaded “B-word”… posted at Watson Inc. Most would not erect a building without architectural plans or drive across country without a map. Similarly, it is an absurdity to try to reach financial goals (i.e. retiring with dignity and having substantial sums to give away) without living on a budget.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Test Your Buyer’s IQ: Quit Wasting Money On Costly Crap posted at The Digerati Life. Do these ideas and inventions really deserve our money? Or can we as consumers see through the hype well enough to know that cheaper alternatives do exist and are preferred over those newfangled, hot offerings that are advertised by our retailers?

Trent presents Financial Preparations For A Second Child posted at The Simple Dollar. Trent shares his experience about financial preparations for a second child.

Jane Chin presents Couples: Joint or Separate Bank Accounts posted at Jane Chin. Couples who pool salaries versus those who keep separate bank accounts.

Abdulrasool presents Can Debt Negotiation Ruin Your Credit? posted at Debt Consolidation. Debt Negotiation companies will charge you enormous amounts of fees by using the following tactics: -> Large upfront “down payment” type fee -> Fee based on amount of debt you owe or # of creditors you owe to -> Fee based on the amount of debt that a creditor is willing to wipe away.

Edithyeung presents 7 Habits of Highly Effective Money Managers posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act.. Money can’t work hard for you unless you are in control of the money. Money is like a child. The child can be easily tamed if you spend time to teach and nurture them. Otherwise, they can easily take over your life.

Larry Russell presents The kind of financial advisor you need — A Tip from The Skilled Investor posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog. Good or bad, financial advisors are expensive. If you need a financial advisor’s help and you carefully select a good financial advisor, the value of the personal finance and investment advice that you receive might easily repay the advisor cost.

Ruby presents 25 Ways to Make Money Quickly and Easily (and Legally)! posted at Advice and Rants. How can you earn some extra money easily and quickly? You may be broke, debt, and desperate to make some money quickly, or you may be unable to work full-time (maybe because you’re a student like me?). Don’t worry, there are ways to make money quickly, easily, and without robbing a bank.

Alfaking presents Budget Day posted at Alfa King Memories. Last year everyone was happy with the income tax incentives as the Minister announced exemption of some 40 000 taxpayers from direct taxation. What ensued afterwards is only to make one lament on the decisions.

Raj Dash presents Bootstrapper » Bootstrapping Your Business Cash Flow posted at Bootstrapper. Bootstrapping your cash flow is part of budgeting for a business.

That concludes the 8th edition of the Carnival of Budgeting. Next edition of this carnival will be hosted here on 24 June, 2007. You can submit your posts here.

Greetings! The 7th edition of the Carnival of Budgeting is live. We have received 11 posts for this edition. I hope our readers will enjoy the posts. A link back to this carnival would be appreciated.

David Butler presents Find Amazon items at half price or less posted at Nimisis.com - For Sports, Software, Technology…. Unfortunately Amazon doesn’t have a search form that lets visitors find the most discounted items… so this site was set up to do just that.

Praveen presents My Simple Trading System: Six Steps for Lottery Winners posted at My Simple Trading System. Develop relationships with professionals who can help you with things such as taxes, financial and estate planning, and insurance.

Abdulrasool presents The Dark Sides of Debt Consolidation posted at Debt Consolidation. When paying off their debts, consumers have their minds on only 1 thing, and that is the monthly payments. Some debt consolidation companies will therefore lower your current monthly payments, which is nice, but they will also stretch your payback period.

Stephanie presents What Are the Biggest Dangers to a Healthy Budget? posted at Work at Home in Progress. Little mistakes can add up fast and destroy an otherwise healthy budget.

Bill presents How To SAVE A Million Dollars posted at Ask Uncle Bill. Jonathan Clements of the Wall Street Journal writes some pretty good stuff. Pretty good as in real good compared to most writers who write on finance topics. Here is one on how to save a million.

Raj Dash presents Worthwhile Free Applications For Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs posted at Bootstrapper. During the past two years, there’s been an explosion of new applications - both web browser-based and old-school downloadable. Both have their merits, with web-based apps offering the ability to share files, sometimes to even collaborate remotely in real time.

The Skilled Investor presents THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog. Lawrence Russell and Company released of a free version of its VeriPlan™ lifetime personal financial planning software application. This free version of VeriPlan is the most powerful personal financial planning software that is available for free use by individuals and their families. The free version of VeriPlan can be downloaded from the Internet via The Skilled Investor website.

Tushar presents Credit Score Breakup and ways to boost it posted at Life of a Resident Alien…. Avoid applying on your own for a lot of loans and credit cards, particularly in a short period. And avoid excessive card-hopping.

Gustav S presents The Money Tree : Is like to play with Marbles. posted at success-is-in-you.com. Some simple rules as when you play with marbles can really make the difference in your financial life.

Jason Elder presents What Is Bankruptcy Furniture posted at A Bankruptcy Lawyer’s Blog. Bankruptcy takes a toll on every aspect of your life. People often rent furniture rather than buy it because it can be less expensive at the time or they just like to trade in the furniture after a while rather than buy it.

Kristine McKinley presents The Fastest Way to Pay Off Debt posted at Financial Tips for WAHMs. There’s some debate among financial planners as to the best way to pay down debt. Some say paying the highest interest rate debt first is the best way; others say paying the smallest balance first is the best way.

That concludes the 7th edition of the Carnival of Budgeting. Keep submitting your posts to the future editions of this carnival. Don’t forget to mention this carnival on your blogs. Thanks.