Grab Bag Recovery Mode:

It’s not how you start….It’s not how you finish…. It’s how you recover. 

Perform this relatively simple test every year to make sure you’re recovery rate is where you want it to be. As my 7th grade History teacher explained, ” We don’t know what we don’t know until we know we don’t know. And they only way to really know is to test.”

So listen to Mr. Jackson’s wise words and test your recovery rate here at RealAge.com. Your heart will thank you.

You’re as young as you’re recovery rate says you are.

Grab Bag Elective Teacher:

Clever and popular software/internet tutorial site Lynda.com may be next on my list for a membership. For $25 a month (cheaper if you commit to a year) you can take as many classes (in your pj’s) as you want.

Lynda.com offers tutorials on everything from iMovie basics to adding “glowy” highlights to your movies to Excel spreadsheet basics (now there’s one I don’t really want to do but should).

The classes range from the most basic to very advanced. They’ve branched out to offerings that  show you how to properly use PayPal, how to sell stuff on eBay, even how to set up an online store to sell your widgets and gizmos. Fantastic! Here’s an overview of classes you can take that improve your skills with your digital camera:

What’s so great is that the classes on Lynda.com are not attempting to “teach you Photoshop“. That program is so ridiculously huge it would take 4 semesters to cover it all.

Instead, they often offer task-specific classes, so you’re learning only what you need to in any given class. Hallelujah.

Here’e just a few of the 1,100+ offerings on Lynda.com:

Click here to see all they have to offer:

Lynda.com

Grab Bag Bid Tip:

It’s getting more difficult to find a really innovative approach on the internet these days, but a year ago, a FRICKING BRILLIANT guy launched QuiBids.com. This auction site sells new, unused, factory items like iPads, laptop computers, flat screen TVs, golf clubs, fire pits, and loads more, all for a FRACTION of the retail price…. I’m talking $30 for a brand new iPad2. Sometimes less.

WHAT???

How? Well, you pre-pay for a pack of bids. Each bid costs 60¢, and you don’t get the money back if you don’t win the item. But, what’s a few bids at 60¢ compared to the chance to get an iPad or a flat screen for pennies on the dollar? It’s allure is undeniable.. and it’s fascinating to just watch….I will tell you right now, this site is the crack addiction of the internet.

And according to my calculations, QuiBids is making BANK. All auctions open at 1¢, and can only be increased by 1¢ per bid. So, calculating that all bids rise at 1¢ increments, by the time the bid is at $15, Quibids has pulled in $900 for a $525 iPad2. Flipping genius. It’s the lottery model: The relatively inexpensive loss of the buy-in by many benefits the huge windfall of one.

And there are so many smart marketing layers to this guy’s business model, frankly I’m jealous.

Like this one, of which I will avail myself right now… if you chose to sign up, please click THIS LINK. I’ll get some free bids added to my account. Do the same with your friends, and you’ll get some free bids, too.

Here’s an article from HowLifeWorks.com:

How To Buy New Must-Have Products For Next To Nothing

The Internet has generated some interesting new ways to shop over the past few years. There’s no shortage of websites offering deals – everything from daily deals to members-only private sales. But, when it comes to real jaw-dropping deals, there’s one company that seems to have figured out a way to really deliver.  And, it must be working for its customers because the company has been around for years and more and more people are using it.

The company is called QuiBids and they auction the hottest, most in-demand electronics like Apple iPads and iPods, MAC and PC notebooks, HDTV’s as well as other items like gift cards from the top retailers.  Like other online retailers, everything they sell is brand new with manufacturer’s warrantees.  But, unlike other sites, the prices people pay are nowhere near retail.

How low are the prices?  Well, here are some recent winning bids that we verified QuiBids customers have paid for items:

• $33.84 for a new Apple iPad 32 GB (retail $600)
• $22.10 for a new Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera (retail $1070)
• $61.73 for a Apple MacBook Pro (retail $1800)
• $24.02 for a Sumsung 46” LED HDTV (retail $1945)

Our first reaction on seeing these prices was disbelief.  After all, how could QuiBids possible afford to sell these items for so little – surely they must be losing a lot of money.

That’s where their unique business model comes into play.  You see, whenever a prospective buyer places a bid for an item on QuiBids, the company collects a small fee from the bidder. The fee to bid is only about 60 cents, but based on the volume of sales and bids, the company is able to collect enough to make up for the ridiculous prices the items sell for.

For the auction winner, the true cost of the item is slightly higher than their winning bid price because they have also spent a little for their bids, but this amount is usually modest, and the savings still work out to be spectacular in most cases.

But, best of all, participating in the QuiBids auction is incredibly fun. Because each bid costs a little to place, shoppers can strategize when to place their bids.  Each auction has a strict time limit.  When you place your bid, the system adds a little time to the auction to see if any other bids come in.  If you have the winning bid when the clock runs out – you win the item for that price.  According to QuiBids CEO Matt Beckham, “Thousands of new customers are trying QuiBids every day – so we must be doing something right.”

But, the best part of QuiBids may be the “Buy Now” feature.  This allows bidders who did not win an auction to still buy the product they want and apply the cost of the bids they placed as a discount on the regular product price.  So, you still get the item and the bids you placed previously in the auction don’t cost you anything!

Today, it’s more important than ever to seek out the best possible deals on must-have items and QuiBids seems to have figured out a way to give savvy shoppers the opportunity to nab products at ridiculously low prices. Add in the excitement of the auction, and the fact that their “Buy Now” feature means that you can’t ever pay too much – and it means there is simply no reason not to try it out for yourself.

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Grab Bag Wow Moment:

Hyper-realist painters such as  Roberto Bernardi, Eric Christensen and Steve Mills produced these incredible works. Remember, they ARE NOT PHOTOGRAPHS.