Andy Dufresne at Zero Hedge just posted the above chart from StockCharts.com of the 10 Year Treasury Note and S&P index (see his post here). Please note on the chart how the 10 Year (in red) peaks before the market peaks and bottoms before the market bottoms, with a lag of 3 to 4 months. If the 10 Year is now rolling over and the same correlation holds true as the chart shows, the market should bottom in the Fall. The good news is that mortgage rates will drop, since rates are tied to the 10 Year Note.

photo credit: oskay

How often have you heard someone tell you how much he or she paid for their prescription glasses? How often have you told someone how much you paid?  These statements never seem to suggest that the glasses were cheaper than expected.  In response to the high cost of glasses, buying glasses online is becoming commonplace, with price being the primary driver for the increasing success of this option.

I am not going to tell you to or not to buy your glasses online, but I am going to provide you with some points to consider before hitting the submit button on your next online eyeglass order.  So, caveat emptor (buyer beware).

Eyeglasses require a prescription. This prescription will include measurements that will allow each eye of the patient to see as clear as possible at distance or near or for both distance and near.   Some patients may require other specialized features that are prescribed to aid the eyes in working together (you will need to include these values in your online order).  Prescriptions typically include an expiration date, a date specified either by state regulations and/or the prescribing doctor.   This is it – there is rarely inclusion of other information that is necessary to fabricate the pair of glasses.  This additional information is typically gathered by the optician when eyeglasses are being ordered.  So, if you are going to order glasses online, you should know more about this ‘additional information’.

Pupillary distance (pd): The pd is the distance between your eyes and is used to place the optical center of the lenses in front of your pupils.   Here are four points about this value to consider when ordering glasses online:

1. The measurement for the pd may be done simply with a ruler or a device called a pupilometer.   If you have your pd from your optician or eye doctor, you can use these values.  But if you have to measure the pd at home, you will need a ruler marked in millimeters.  The process to measure pd requires that the ‘patient’ be effectively looking at distance.  This is done by measuring each eye separately and not by simply having the ‘patient’ look  at the person taking the measurement and recording a single value.  This would be a near measurement and will not account for differences between the right and left eyes.  If the measurement taken is of the near pd, the distance pd will be underestimated by up to 3 mm.  (A common way determine where to place the center of the lenses is to properly mark the location of the pupils relative to a pair of eyeglass lenses and then measure these marks for the right and left eye.) 
2. PDs are typically measured for each eye, as the face is often asymmetric, with the difference between the eyes as much as 4 millimeters (mm).  Since the pd can be different for each eye, you should question how accurate your glasses will be if the online form only has space for a single value and you know that the pd for your right eye is different than the left eye.  If you can only enter a single value, this means that your glasses will be fabricated as if the pd for each eye is the same.
3. If the pd used to fabricate your eyeglases is incorrect – it doesn’t match your actual measurement – then prism is induced.  This induced prism has the effect of making your eyes work harder, especially if your eyes already struggle to work together.  The amount of prism induced is a direct function of  the strength of your prescription and the amount that the pd is incorrect.  If you have a high prescription, it is especially important that the pd is correct.
4. PD is especially important when ordering no-line bifocals (also called progressive addition lenses), since the channel that connects the distance vision zone to the near vision zone in these lenses is narrow.  If the pd used to prepare the glasses is incorrect for one or both eyes, you will not be looking through the clearest portions of the lens, resulting in less than optimal vision or even unacceptable, blurry vision.

Fitting height. Fitting height is the measurement of the distance from the bottom of the lens to either the middle of the pupil for no line bifocals or, for bifocals with lines, to another location, such as the lower lid margin.  Why is this measurement important?  If this measurement is incorrect, you will not be able to comfortably access the portion of the lens that you need to use for distance, intermediate or near.  You will have to compensate by lifting your head up or down to a less than optimal position to see well.  Here are a couple of points to consider when placing your online order for bifocal glasses.

1. The fitting height is dependent on the frame and the way that the frame fits on the face.  It is not a value that is dependent only on the frame.  If the online ordering form does not ask for the fitting height of the glasses, then the glasses will be fabricated based on an average value for fitting height for the specific frame.  Take a look at a few faces and see how different just one variable that effects fitting height – nose bridge width – differs among people.  If the fitting height is too high, you will have to drop your head to see clearly.  If the fitting height is too low, you will have to tip your head back to see clearly and may even run out of lens to see clearly at near.  The accuracy in preparing the correct fitting height is more important for glasses that do not have nose pads, since the only way to adjust the fit of these glasses is to wear the glasses lower or higher on your nose.  Frames with nosepads have more room for adjustment, increasing the chance that errors in fitting height can be compensated for without compromising the way that the frames were intended to fit on your face .
2. Let’s suppose that you possess the frame that you will be ordering online or have a reasonable facsimile.  For no-line bifocals, the fitting height is measured from the bottom of the lens to the pupil center.  This is not a measurement that you will likely get correct without some training, as the accuracy of the measurement is very dependent on head position during the measurement and proper identification of the bottom of the lens.

There are other issues to consider when ordering glasses online – including prescription verification and lens and coating options – I will discuss these in a future post.

Ordering a pair of glasses is typically done following an eye exam at the doctor’s office or a nearby retail location.  I suspect that the frequency of eye exams is less for people who have switched to ordering eyeglasses online (the online sites that I visited did not require proof of a current eyeglass prescription).  The recommended frequency is generally every two years, with an eye exam recommended more often with increasing age and for children, in the presence of underlying health concerns or if the person is at a greater risk of eye disease.  Since you may be saving money by buying your eyeglasses online, you ought to consider taking these savings and apply them to regular exams.

As a result, we’ve seen the rise of social sites such as Digg and StumbleUpon, we’ve been introduced to new groundbreaking productivity systems such as GTD and ZTD, and we’ve witnessed the uprising of a new psychological condition commonly referred to as ADD.

With so much information, it often seems like there’s just not enough time in a day.  Daily tasks such as dishes, laundry, and cleaning are much harder to “make time for.”  Unfortunately, our pocketbook suffers too.

Proper management of our finances takes time.  Coupon-clipping takes time.  Price-comparisons take time.  Budgeting takes time.  You get the point.  These things, unfortunately, often take a backseat to other things in our lives, simply because we feel that we don’t have time.

While I certainly agree that it often feels this way, this post is aimed at tossing these feelings aside.  There are ways to have more time and I intend to show you what they are.  Follow the tips in this article, set aside time for managing your finances, and you’ll be rockin’ in no time.

Eliminate Distractions

The first thing you MUST do is eliminate unnecessary distractions from your life.  Distractions eat up your time–more time than you would think.

When you get distracted, not only do you lose the time during which you participate in the distraction, but it also takes you time to recover and refocus on your task at hand.  A 5-minute distraction to check your email may, in fact, cost you 15 minutes by the time you have finished and regained your focus on your REAL work.

Here are a few quick ideas that may help you eliminate distractions:

• If you work in an office, wear headphones while you work.  If a little background music doesn’t distract you, then play some music through your headphones.  Otherwise, just leave the headphones on sans music.  It still looks like you are listening to music, and this sends a clear picture to coworkers that you are busy and should not be disturbed.
• If you work at home, set up a home office and USE IT.  Don’t just work on your couch while watching television.  Don’t work in your kitchen or dining room while you take breaks between household chores.  Set up an actual home office in a room that is free from distractions (no television, etc.) and do your work in there.  When you are done or take a break, THEN you can do other things around the house.
• Take breaks, but not too frequently.  Breaks are good for productivity.  They give us time to refresh and reflect.  But just as too much water can be unhealthy if taken in excess, breaks can be detrimental to our productivity if not used sparingly.  Taking a break every half hour will do nothing but break our focus, while a break every one to two hours may be beneficial by giving us time to recollect and refocus.

Carefully Manage Your Social Networks

Social networks have several advantages and therefore I believe it’s important to participate in them.  However, anytime you become involved in a new social network, there are risks.

The primary risk I’m referring to is having ALL of your free time sucked away by the social network gods.  When using social networks, it’s important to practice proper time-management and organizational skills; otherwise you may be in trouble.  Think about why you want to participate in social networks to begin with, and make sure your actions agree with your objectives.

Here are some additional tips for managing your time on social networks:

• Twitter – Turn on device updates for the people you REALLY want to hear from.  If you are following 10,000 twitterers, that’s fine.  But there’s no possible way you can keep up with them all.  Choose your top 5 or 10 people and turn on device updates for them.  Keep track of them using your mobile phone or device and only visit the Twitter website for administrative purposes.
• Facebook – When people send you application invites, DON’T ACCEPT.  While there are some useful Facebook applications, the vast majority of them are nothing but timesinks.  I’m not saying, “don’t have fun.”  If there’s a game on Facebook you REALLY enjoy, then sign up for it if you want.  But be aware of the risks.  Be vigilant and allow yourself X number of minutes per day to play.  Don’t allow yourself to exceed this limit.
• Myspace – In my opinion, don’t even use Myspace.  At all.  Almost everybody I know is on Facebook now, and Myspace has always just seemed more difficult to use (and thus, more time-consuming).  If you use Myspace, at least be aware of the time you spend there, and ask yourself if  you really need to belong to multiple social networks when Facebook offers everything you really need.

Use Subscriptions to Your Advantage

One of the great things about the Internet is the quantity and quality of options that it gives you in regards to subscribing to your favorite content.

On one hand, you have RSS (my personal preference), which allows you to use your favorite RSS client to receive updates from all of your favorite content providers in one place.  On the other hand, you have email newsletter subscriptions.  This option works great for people who prefer the simplicity of email and may be uncomfortable with the idea of RSS.

Both of these options, and their derivatives thereof, work great as filters for “good” content, because you can subscribe to the content that you genuinely enjoy and simply ignore the rest.

Here are some tips for saving time with your subscriptions management:

• RSS Feeds – I recommend using Google Reader.  Choose your top 10 or 20 blogs (or whatever number works for you) and subscribe to them.  Cut out all the rest.  Allow yourself X number of minutes per day to read and comment on your subscriptions, and don’t exceed that limit.
• Email – Clean up your inbox.  Make a daily or weekly habit of it.  Unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer wish to receive.  Set up spam filters, or use GMail, which provides an excellent spam filter right out of the box.

Sometimes You Just Have to Prioritize

If you’ve tried all the above and STILL feel you just don’t have enough time, then there’s only one thing left to do: prioritize.

As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes there just simply isn’t enough time to do everything you want to do.  In these cases, we have to prioritize–we must make a sacrifice so that we give up some things that we like, in order to have time for things we REALLY like.

Here’s an anecdotal example from my own life.  I like to ride motorcycles and fly airplanes.  Unfortunately, flying lessons are expensive.

Therefore, in the spring, when the weather begins to warm up and everybody is getting out their motorcycles for the new season, I’m probably going to be looking for a buyer for my own motorcycle.  That’s right, I’m going to sell one of my most prized possessions.  Why?  So I can afford to do the thing I MOST want to do, which is fly.  Sometimes, unfortunately, this is the only way.

Ask the Readers

How have you managed information overload in your own life?  Since doing so, have you noticed a significant increase in the time you have available to do the things you REALLY enjoy?  Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

This carnival really featured some great articles.  Here are some of my favorites:

• Make Your Own Debt Reduction Plan from Destroy Debt
• What to Do When Relatives Ask for Loans from Free Money Finance
• How to Eliminate Your Debt (Without Spending More) from Words of the Shadow’s Kin
• A Penny Saved is More Than a Penny Earned from Little People Wealth

I hope you enjoy the content from this carnival.  It’s one of the best I’ve seen in a while!

1. It’s absolutely the simplest way to overcome your paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle.  Simply notice how much you are spending each month and budget $5 or $10 less for the following months.  Set this money aside as “padding” and eventually you’ll have a significant chunk of “extra” cash in your account.
2. It allows you to optimize your spending.  When you track your expenses, it will likely be blatantly obvious where the majority of your spending money is going.  For me, this has traditionally been eating out.  Simply notice these activities that are sucking up all of your money, identify a “fix”, and commit to it.  One of my previous fixes was to spend $100 less per month on restaurant food.  It worked.
3. It gives you control over your finances.  It’s impossible to have control over your money when you don’t know where it’s going.  Tracking your expenses is the ONLY way to finally get a handle on your finances.  This control gives you the freedom to do whatever you want with your money.  Want to finally afford those dance lessons you’ve been dreaming about?  Simply notice an expense you can afford to cut, take action, and apply that money to your new lessons.  It’s as simple as that.
4. It helps you avoid unnecessary overdraft fees. How many times have you overdrawn your checking account because you forgot about an outstanding check that had not been processed?  Chances are, if you are living paycheck to paycheck, you’ve done this once or twice.  It’s not fun getting hit with random $25 charges that could have been avoided.  If you track your expenses, this won’t happen.  Easy money.
5. It identifies ways in which you can save more money. How many of us have said that we would save more money, if only we made more?  Well, if you aren’t already tracking your expenses, I bet you CAN save more money than you already do, even though you might not yet realize it.  It’s easy to save more money.  Take a look at your expenses over the past several months, identify an expense to cut (cutting even $5 from that expense can make a significant difference), and set aside that amount every month for savings.  For example, maybe I could budget $10 less for gas every month, and apply that $10 to my savings account.  One way I could realize this goal would be to work from home once or twice a week.  Or maybe I could consolidate my grocery errands.  You get the idea.  How could it be any easier?

There you have it: 5 reasons why YOU should be tracking your expenses right now.  Can you think of anymore reasons?  I’d be delighted to hear your ideas in the comments section.  Thanks for reading!