With the 90 degree temperatures upon us it will be time to hit the beaches or swimming pools. It is also the time of the year to find the perfect swim suit.

Swim suits are now available for all body types, apple or pear, big busted or flat chested. There is a perfect suit out there to fit us all. Or is there?

In the beginning of time swim suits covered most of the body. All of these included a skirt. I am a firm believer that all fashion trends have a way of returning. I have moved into the skirted-look.

Even though my weight is maintaining (thanks to Weight Watchers), my skin seems to be taking a life of its own. I cannot find a way to fight the all-powerful forces of gravity. I have accepted what I cannot change……my age.

The bikini has always been popular with those with the perfect 10 bodies. Even some with the not-so-perfect bodies choose to wear them. Just because the two pieces fit doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot in the middle or rear we would rather not see.

The Miracle suit does just as it says it can do…..make you look 5 to 10 pounds lighter. All of the fat is squashed and has to go someplace, usually your upper back. After lounging on the beach or at the pool with a few frozen fruity drinks, the real miracle is getting that suit back on after you have gone to the bathroom. It’s kind of the same principle of wearing shoes all day that are a little tight. Once you take your shoes off after standing all day those feet spread out and don’t want to go back into those shoes. I think the same thing happens with that Miracle suit. And if for some reason you may have taken a dip in the pool, you will pull a muscle in your back trying to pull that suit up.

The beaches in Europe find sun worshiper’s in Speedo’s and thongs. Some wear a thong Speedo. Not all of the European fashion trends are legal on United States’ beaches. As Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing.”

My suit of choice the past few years has been the tankini. This is the best of both worlds. It has that “two-piece” feel along with providing coverage. I purchase them as separates and mix and match tops and bottoms.

Nez still has her swimsuit she bought from B. Lemann and Bros. many, many, many years ago. She still puts it on occasionally and of course it still fits. We don’t let her get too far into the waves when the water is rough just in case it has dry-rotted. We would really hate to lose the suit as it is almost ready for the archives of the ASHA Museum.

My life lesson is to always splurge on the cover-up. That is the most important part of the beach apparel, along with a co-coordinating hat, super sunscreen, an ice chest with cold beverages and Weight Watcher approved snacks and a good book. Sometimes I bring my fishing rod when the fish are biting.

It’s graduation time at colleges across the country. If you have children graduating from college, you’re probably excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for them. But once your last child leaves home, and you become an “empty nester,” you also may find some good opportunities for yourself — opportunities to improve your financial situation.

In fact, your empty nester status may help you make progress toward what are likely some key financial goals at this stage of your life: Getting rid of debt and accelerating your savings for retirement.

What steps should you consider? For starters, you could downsize your home by moving into a smaller, less expensive one. If you make a profit on the sale of your home, you could use it to invest for retirement and clear up debts. Of course, you may be emotionally attached to your home and neighborhood, but downsizing may be a good financial option to consider at some point.

Here are a few other suggestions for taking advantage of your empty nest:

• “Max out” on your retirement plans. If you now have money no longer needed for your children’s college education, use these funds to help save for retirement. Try to fully fund your traditional or Roth IRA, and put as much as you can possibly afford into your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. If you still have money available after “maxing out” on these accounts, look for other retirement savings vehicles.

• Increase your investments for other goals. Up until now, part of your investment strategy — perhaps a large part — was aimed at building enough resources to help your children pay for college. Since that need has now been met, you may be free to boost your investment toward other goals, such as travel, a vacation home, charitable giving, funding for a small business you hope to operate after you retire — the list could go on and on. And since you are probably entering your peak earning years, you may be able to add substantially to the investments designed to help you achieve these various objectives.

• Reduce your credit card debt. If you have more disposable income available now, try to pay off your high-rate credit cards. By freeing up this money, you can save and invest more.

• Evaluate your insurance needs. When you purchased your life insurance, you may have factored in enough coverage to pay off your mortgage, send your kids to college and provide some retirement funds for your spouse. But if your kids are through school, your mortgage is nearly paid off and your spouse has accumulated some money in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, you may not need the same amount of life and disability coverage. Any money you can save on insurance can be used to help fund your IRA, 401(k) or other investments.

As an empty nester, you will miss your children, but you’ll also find that you have greater freedom to pursue your hobbies or other interests. And by taking the steps described above, you can help yourself move closer to reaching your financial objectives as well.

 

Hello from the Pressbox during this month of honoring all of the Mother’s out there...Happy Mothers Day! As we get closer to the summer months, high school sports have been completed. The ACHS Lady Bulldogs finished as the Class A State Runner Up. The Lady Dogs lost 3-1 to Ouchaita Christian in Sulphur. Congrats to the Lady Dogs and Coach Darrell Landry. The Dogs will say goodbye to Seniors Ashlyn Grisaffe, Alison Falcon, Ali Bouchereau, Kristen Guercio, Michelle Prejeant and Katie Ginalonni. The team returns a solid nuclues next season with Nancy Guillot, Annie Ourso, Alayna Falcon, Anna Lasseigne, Aimee Guillot and Maggie Schexnayder. The Bulldog Baseball team lost 8-1 to the eventual state champion in Northlake Christian. Coach Todd Landry and the Dogs lost in the Quarters for the 2nd consecutive season. They will say goodbye to Seniors Tyler Kleibert, Scott Charleville and Ross Noel. The Bulldogs return several starters led by Charles Caballero, Taylor Marcello, Jessie Pizzalato and Jordan Landry.

The LSU baseball team just wrapped up the SEC title by going 20-10 in the league and garnered the #1 seed in the SEC Tourney to be played May 20-24 in Hoover Alabama. With a win or two, I think LSU will be a top 8 national seed and host a Super Regional if they get out of their regional in Baton Rouge. The Tigers have never advanced to Omaha while playing away from Baton Rouge in the Super Regionals. Pitcher Louis Coleman will be the Pitcher of the Year and Reliever Matty Ott will be the Relief pitcher and Freshmen of the Year as well. The Hitter of the Year will probably go to Kent Matthes of Alabama with 20 plus homeruns. Coach Paul Manaeri will be the Coach of the Year. I like the Tigers to make it to Omaha and finish strong, with some luck, they have the team to win it all...stay tuned.

The Saints went with the safe pick in Malcom Jenkins, defensive back from Ohio State. Jenkins can play corner and safety which makes him very valuable. Coach Sean Payton toyed with the idea of choosing Jenkins’ teammate Beanie Wells, a bruising running back, but went with defense. The Saints are an early pick to suprise some people in the NFL with an improved defense, more on that later.

Congrats to DHS boys track team for a 3rd place finish at the State Track Meet. Coach Gerald Cayet’s team placed very well with victories in some sprints and relays plus some points in the jumps as well. I would like to wish good luck to Coach Gary Adkins as he will be moving on as the head football coach @ Donaldsonville High. Coach Adkins has been a good friend and very cooperative during his 5 years as the head man.

For the months of June and July, I will combine article due to very slow time in sports. August is right around the corner, plenty of football predictions with the Tigers, Jags, Saints, Bulldogs and Tigers to come. Have a safe summer and stay cool. Comments and Stories can be sent to troyleboeuf@hotmail.com

Tune in to KKAY 1590 AM for all of your local sports or visit the web at
www.kkay1590.com

Shop Keepers and attendants used to know our name, our preferences; even our business and we found security in catching up briefly as we completed our purchases. Those friendly exchanges benefited both parties, as our tastes and needs were noticed service became tailored to us personally. In the age of box stores, national chains and self-check out lines, online may be the new place to shop today where everybody knows your name.

Email Marketing is the most successful way of taking advantage of this opportunity to develop personal relationships with customers. Direct electronic communications from a business to its customer, email marketing includes newsletters, promotional announcements, event invitations, coupons and special offers. The saving grace of email marketing is the mutual interest of you and the customer.

Email marketing is not Spam. Customers must choose to receive communications from your business, and businesses are required to provide a double opt-in method of subscription so only those folks who want to hear from you, do. Well mannered businesses also offer an unsubscribe option with every communication, never wanting to overstay their welcome.

The friendly shopkeeper knows the art of timing — your customers should feel taken care of but never hassled. Good email marketing is part of a long range campaign with deliberately scheduled communications to customers at respectable intervals. Newsletters should be prompt and can be monthly, but allow people the option of a quarterly distribution. Sale or important business announcements should be occasional and relevant not just to the event but to the customer. (Dog owners do not want coupons for cat food.)

Statistics show 86% of customers choose to receive emails from businesses they use. With an average return on investment of around $45.00 on the dollar for businesses, email marketing is proving a highly effective, low cost profit generator.

Easy to establish, create and distribute to a range of customers regularly, and simple to maintain over a long period of time, email campaigns are essential to quality personal service today. Easy to track so businesses can adjust quickly to suit customer tastes and trends, email marketing allows you to develop a personal understanding of you customers’ interests and speak to them directly. With the added benefit of allowing the customer to participate at their leisure.

The 21st century market is revealing certain truths about the business-customer relationship. People want to feel attended to when spending money. Even Wal-Mart learned the art of neighborhood groceries with warm lighting and wooden shelves. We humans like a friendly familiarity to our lives, even the consumer side.

Email marketing lets you do 21st century business the old fashioned way:

• Communicating directly with your customers about what interests them
• Presenting your business identity as a reliable, charming storefront always there
just when needed
• Bringing the customer into the business regularly by letting them actively participate
in their relationship with you
• And most importantly, tracking your customers’ habits and interests, so you are always offering better service.

Take a moment to develop the personal service your business provides in the future. Email marketing is the best way to maintain quality relationships with customers and establish new ones. Your marketing agent can show you simple ways to start communicating with your customers through email and bring your business charm to the inbox.

To read other informative articles like this, join the dezinSOURCE mailing list at www.dezinSOURCE.com. dezinSOURCE is a free e-newsletter provided as a service of Dezins – Web and Multi-Media Marketing (www.dezins.com.)