No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline : North America.

Executive First is Air Canada’s international business class product, updated during the carrier’s Project XM upgrade. These cabins are available on nearly all widebody aircraft.

Executive First feature electronic flat beds, in a 1–1–1 or 1–2–1 herringbone configuration with a 21-inch seat width and a 6-foot-3-inch seat pitch. The configuration is similar in layout to Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class Suite and Air New Zealand’s Business Premier Class. Entertainment is personal AVOD (Audio Video On Demand), while music is provided by XM Satellite Radio. Self-service bar areas and mood lighting are available on all B777-300ER and B777-200LR aircraft.

Return flights, Toronto to London cost about USD 4300 on Air Canada’s Executive First class as of 2011.

Air New Zealand

No.7 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline.
No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline : Australia/Pacific.

Business Premier is the highest available class on Air New Zealand flights. The seating is configured in a herringbone layout in a 1-2-1 configuration, allowing direct access for every passenger to an aisle. Each seat is 22 inches wide leather and comes with an ottoman footrest that doubles as a visitor seat. The seat converts to a full length lie-flat bed, for which a pillow, duvet and sheet are provided.

Each seat comes with a large tray table, multiple stowage bins, a cocktail tray, a bottle holder, in-seat power, three reading lights, and an AVOD system with a 10.4-inch monitor. On the 777-300ER, each seat also has USB and iPod connectivity, and a larger 12.1-inch touchscreen monitor.

Return flights, Auckland to London cost about USD 8300 on Air New Zealand’s Business Premier as of 2011.

ANA

No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline Ground Services.
No.2 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Transpacific Airline.

Return flights, Tokyo to London cost from about USD 14,000 on ANA’s Business Class as of 2011.

Introduced in 2009, the “Inspiration of Japan” cabin features included fully-lie-flat-bed business class seats (the first for a Japanese airline), a nearly enclosed first class suite seats, a new AVOD in-flight entertainment system (based on Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s eX2 technology with iPod connectivity, in-seat shopping and meal ordering as well as premium cabin touchscreen consoles) as well as improvements to its in-flight service.

Since February 2010 ANA offers women’s only lavatories on international flights.

Return flights, Tokyo to London cost from about USD 32,000 on ANA’s First Class as of 2011.

Asiana

No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline.
No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline Cabin Staff.
No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline Ground Services.
No.2 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline : Asia.

The space between seats in business class is 58 inches, and they are elongated to 165 degrees. The size of personal LCD monitors is 15.4 inches diagonally, slightly larger than the previous 15 inches. The audio and video on demand (AVOD) system of the in-flight entertainment program has also been upgraded, with better resolution and faster speed.

Return flight, Seoul to Los Angeles cost from about USD 5800 on Asiana’s Business Class as of 2011.

Return flight, Seoul to Los Angeles cost from about USD 8400 on Asiana’s First Class as of 2011.

British Airways

No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge.

Club World is the long-haul business class product on British Airways 767, 777 and 747 aircraft, and the only class on its two Airbus A318 aircraft. Passengers have access to departure lounges at most airports and an exclusive arrivals lounge at London Heathrow Terminal 5. The Club World cabin provides a 20 in wide, 6 ft long fully flat bed. There are 24 old generation Club World seats fitted on Boeing 767-300ER aircraft but these aircraft will be replaced by the Boeing 787 which will feature the Next-Generation Club World cabin from 2012 onwards.

Return flights, London to Singapore cost from about USD 5000 on British Airway’s Club World as of 2011.

First is the long-haul first class service on British Airways and is offered only on Boeing 747 and Boeing 777 aircraft. There are 14 private “demi-cabins” per aircraft, each with a 6 ft 6 in bed, a 15 inch wide in-flight entertainment screen, in-seat power for laptops and personal phones. Menus are upgraded from Club World, and offer greater choice and quality.

Return flights, London to Singapore cost from about USD 8200 on British Airway’s First Class as of 2011.

Cathay Pacific

No.4 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline.
No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline Inflight Entertainment.
No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Transpacific Airline.
No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best First Class Airline.
No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge.
No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best First Class Airline Seat.
No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline : Asia.

After receiving extensive criticism for its high-walled herring-bone configuration business class seating on long-haul flights, which many passengers felt was too narrow and confined, Cathay Pacific embarked on a total redesign of business class seating. The new design is more conventional, emphasizing the passenger’s sense of personal space while also retaining privacy.

The new business class seats will be fitted into all new Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 777-300ER deliveries, with existing A330-300 and 777-300ER aircraft to be upgraded to the new seating and cabin by February 2013. However,the current Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340 aircraft will not be upgraded to the new seating and cabin due to the impending retirement of those planes.

Return flights, Hong Kong to London cost from about USD 5900 on Cathay Pacific’s Business Class as of 2011.

The New First Class seats can be converted into a fully lie-flat bed measuring 36 × 81 in. The new seats include a massage function, a personal closet, an ottoman for stowage or guest seating, and an adjustable 17 in 16:9 PTV.

Return flights, Hong Kong to London cost from about USD 9700 on Cathay Pacific’s First Class as of 2011.

Continental Airlines

No.2 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Transatlantic Airline.
No.2 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline : North America.

The new BusinessFirst seats have a six-way adjustable head rest, an individual overhead reading light and an adjustable seat light allowing customers to read in bed without disturbing their neighbor and a privacy shell that allows for seclusion from other travelers. BusinessFirst customers also receive one of the highest crew to passenger ratios (1:8) among all international business class products.

The new BusinessFirst seats are featured on all of Continental’s Boeing 777s and Boeing 757-200′s. Installation on the Boeing 767 fleet will follow in 2011. The anticipated completion of the roll-out across Continental’s entire international fleet is August 2012. In addition, all 787 deliveries will have the seats installed.

Continental considers BusinessFirst to be its signature onboard product, and the service is a frequent subject of advertising campaigns. Customers seated in the BusinessFirst cabin on longhaul flights from the United States to Europe, Asia, select cities in South America, and the Middle East receive special ground services, including EliteAccess priority bag service at check-in, expedited security screening (where available), access to Continental’s Presidents Club or affiliated Star Alliance lounges, personalized Continental Concierge service, and dedicated boarding procedures.

Entertainment is offered at each individual seat, and passengers on Boeing 777 and 757 aircraft have access to a new Audio-Video On Demand system with touch-screen controls. Customers also are provided headphones, a large pillow, wool blanket, and amenity kit prior to departure. Upon arrival, BusinessFirst customers have access to shower facilities and arrival lounges at most airports.

Return flights, New Jersey to London cost from about USD 3200 on Continental Airline’s BusinessFirst as of 2011.

Delta Air Lines

No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline : North America.

Designed by Thompson Aero Seating and manufactured by Contour Aerospace Limited, these sleeper suites (Vantage) use a space-saving design, with the bottom ends of the seats extending under the armrests of the suites in front when in the full horizontal flat bed position. This allows for minimal reduction in capacity compared to most other sleeper suite products, particularly with the 767′s narrower fuselage. The suites will be arranged in a 1-2-1 layout, with a total capacity of 40 BusinessElite suites.

Return flights, New York to London cost from about USD 3200 on Delta Airline’s BusinesElite as of 2011.

Emirates

No.10 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline.
No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline Inflight Entertainment.
No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline : Middle East.

Business class on Boeing 777-200LRs, Boeing 777-300s and 29 of 39 3-class Boeing 777-300ERs as well as 5 of 14 2-class 777-300ERs feature seats with a 60 in pitch that recline to 79 in long, angled lie-flat beds. Amenities include massage function, privacy partition, winged headrest with six-way movement, two individual reading lights and an overhead light per seat, in-seat power supply, USB Ports and an RCA socket for laptop connection, over 600 channels of entertainment on ICE, shown on a 17 in wide TV screen.

On Airbus A380-800 aircraft, the seats recline to form a fully flat bed and are equipped with personal mini-bars. Business class passengers also have access to an on-board bar at the rear of the aircraft. Business class passengers have the ability to customize and save seat and in-flight entertainment settings to a memory key for re-use on future flights.

Return flights, Dubai to London cost from about USD 3600 on Emirates’s Business Class as of 2011.

The full suite options comes complete with closing doors to ensure privacy, a mini-bar, a coat rack and storage. They also feature the ICE system on a 23 in LCD screen. The seat converts into a 6 ft 7 in fully flat bed. Private suites are available on all A380-800, A340-500, Boeing 777-200LR aircraft, as well as 27 of 39 3-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

On its newly delivered A380-800, first class features private suites, two shower-equipped lavatories and spa, and access to the first/business class bar area and lounge. Premium class seating is located on the entire upper deck of A380-800 aircraft.

Return flights, Dubai to London cost from about USD 8100 on Emirates’s First Class Suite as of 2011.

Etihad

No.6 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline.
No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best First Class Airline.
No.3 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Business Class Airline.
No.1 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best First Class Airline Catering.
No.2 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best First Class Airline Seat.
No.2 of Skytrax 2011 World’s Best Airline : Middle East.

Business class is known as the Pearl Zone. The Pearl Business Class seats recline to 180 degrees into a fully flat 6’1″ business bed. It has an 88″ pitch and direct access to the aisle for plenty space and privacy. Each self-contained seat is equipped with individual lighting and a reading light. The Pearl Business seats each has a 15″ personal LCD screen. In-flight telephone service is also offered from inside the aircraft. There is also a built-in massage facility.

Return flights, Abu Dhabu to London cost from about USD 3800 on Etihad’s Pearl Business Class as of 2011.

First class is known as the Diamond Zone. The Diamond First Class Suites have seats that rotate 180 degrees and recline into 6’8″ flat beds. Each Diamond Suite has a privacy shell that ensures maximum privacy and direct access to the aisles; within this space there are a coatroom, a mini-bar, a fold-and-swivel meal table, an integrated personal mirror, a magazine rack, a reading light and a desk lamp. Each Diamond seat has pneumatic lumbar support, a six-way movement headrest and a built-in massage facility. Each Diamond Suite has a 23″ personal LCD. The Diamond First Class Zone will be changed throughout the long-haul fleet with new suites and changed toilets.

Return flights, Abu Dhabu to London cost from about USD 8100 on Etihad’s Diamond First Class as of 2011.

Iberia

Iberia Business Plus seat which reclines into lie-flat seats within a rigid pod gives you personal space of up to 6 ft 3 in long by 25 in wide. They have a dual adjustable back cushion with a massage function, adjustable head rests and arm rests, and extendable leg rests. A digital system memorizes the passenger’s preferred seat settings. The Business Plus section also features individual touch-screen entertainment and communications systems. Passengers can send SMS and e-mail messages anywhere in the world in under 15 seconds, and speak on an individual satellite telephone.

Return flights, Madrid to New York cost from about USD 3600 on Iberia’s Business Plus as of 2011.

Japan Airlines

The Executive Class Seasons seat reclines to 171 degrees and has a 15.4 inch personal TV screen. The business class cabin also features the “Sky Gallery,” one wall of the cabin shows a a photographic exhibition that will be regularly changed over the year. The first exhibit, in collaboration with Fuji Film, will be a series of photographs of forests in Japan entitled ‘Forest Forever’. The gallery will be located directly opposite a self-service bar counter, where passengers can enjoy snacks and beverages at anytime. Eight JAL Suites and 77 JAL Shell Flat Neo Seat are installed in each Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Return flights, Tokyo to London cost from about USD 10,730 on Japan Airline’s Executive Class Seasons as of 2011.

The suitse in JAL First Class are 20% more spacious than the airline’s previous seat in first class and only suites are available in the JAL First Class cabin set in a 1-2-1 configuration. The suite includes a seat upholstered in gray leather which converts into a full-flat bed. In the 180 degrees position, the seat combines with an ottoman located at the opposite end of the compartment to create one of the largest and widest, most comfortable sleeping areas in first class. When the seat is in the upright position, the ottoman can be used as a seat for a guest. The sliding table can be placed between the seat and ottoman. Passengers, seated in the pair of suites who are traveling together can lower privacy partitions located between them. Each suite comes with Bose noise-cancelling headphones and a personal 19-inch personal TV screen and stowage spaces for bags and small items and a laptop power point. Those in the suites can also whatever they like off the menu whenever they would like with choices of Japanese or Western full-course menus. For sleeping a cabin attendant can place a Tempur-Pedic mattress on the seat bed along with a down comforter and a pillow a well as offer special JAL loungewear.

Return flights, Tokyo to London cost from about USD 32,000 on Japan Airline’s First Class Suite as of 2011.

Jet Airways

Premiere class on the Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 777-300ER international fleet has a fully flat bed with AVOD entertainment. Seats are configured in a herringbone pattern (1-2-1 on the Boeing 777-300ER, and 1-1-1 on the Airbus A330-200), with each seat offering direct access to the aisle. Each Première Seat has a 15.4-inch flat screen LCD TV with AVOD. USB ports and in-seat laptop power are provided. All seats are standard recliner business-class seats with a few newer aircraft with electronic recline and massager.

Return flights, Mumbai to London cost from about USD 3600 on Jet Airway’s Premiere Class as of 2011.

First class is available on all Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. All seats convert to a fully flat bed, similar to Singapore Airlines first class seat but much smaller. It was the twenty-second airline in the world to have private suites. All seats in First have a 23-inch widescreen LCD monitor with audio-video on-demand systems (AVOD), BOSE noise cancelling headphones, in seat power supply, and USB ports.

Return flights, Mumbai to London cost from about USD 5800 on Jet Airway’s First Class as of 2011.

Kingfisher

The international Kingfisher First has full flat-bed seats with a 180 degree recline, with a seat pitch of 78 in, and a seat width of 20-24.54 in. Passengers are given Merino wool blankets, a Salvatore Ferragamo toiletry kit, a pyjama to change into, five-course meals and alcoholic beverages. Also available are in-seat massagers, chargers and USB connectors.

Every Kingfisher First seat has a 17 inch widescreen personal television with AVOD touchscreen controls and offers 357 hours of programming content spread over 36 channels, including Hollywood and Bollywood movies along with 16 channels of live TV, so passengers can watch their favorite TV programs live. There is also a collection of interactive games, a jukebox with customizable playlists and Kingfisher Radio. Passengers are given BOSE noise cancellation headphones.

The service on board the Kingfisher First cabins includes a social area comprising a full-fledged bar staffed with a bartender, a break-out seating area just nearby fitted with two couches and bar stools, a full-fledged chef on board the aircraft and any-time dining. A turn-down service includes the conversion of the seat into a fully-flat bed and an air-hostess making the bed when the passenger is ready to sleep.

Both Kingfisher First and Kingfisher classes feature mood lighting on the Airbus A330-200 with light schemes corresponding to the time of day and flight position.

Return flights, Mumbai to London cost from about USD 3600 on Kingfisher’s First as of 2011.

Being frugal means being sparing, prudently saving and not wasteful. On the other hand, there’s this other word called cheap defined as being stingy or miserly. An example. It’s frugal when you spend $30 on a good quality dress than $10 on one from a discount store that falls apart after a few washings.

Below are 49 frugal habits that you can use in your lives to prepare for the moments that matter.

Home

(If you buy things you don’t need, you’ll soon sell things you need)

1. Always use both sides of computer printer paper if possible.



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2. Replace all your house’s incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. It lasts 10 times longer, uses 75% less energy and produces 75% less heat than incandescent bulbs.



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3. Turn off lights, TV, etc. when not in use. Even if it is 5 minutes, it adds up.



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4. Instead of buying new ones, repaint furniture.



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5. Declutter your house every year and give away old but usable items like clothes and books to relief centers, red cross, thrift stores, etc. Not getting money back reminds you to be more careful with what you buy in the future.



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6. Use the non-donatable towels, t-shirts, and other absorbent fabrics in place of paper towels and disposable cloths for wiping up spills, polishing furniture, washing windows and cleaning bathrooms.



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7. Clean mirrors with old newspapers. It works much better than fabrics.



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8. Line dry your laundry if it’s less than 10 pieces of clothing and if there is space to spare in your home. It’s not that hard to take a few minutes to hang them up. You’ll save a lot in electricity, plus your clothes last longer.



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9. Buy tupperware. It lasts forever.



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10. Never throw away a bag before its time. Produce bags for clean stuff. Grocery bags for dog walks. The new style ziplock bags last about a year. Just wash and dry them.



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11. Don’t buy bottled water. Drink home filtered or boiled water from your kitchen.



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12. Soak jam jars in hot soapy water, peel off the labels and reuse them for storing bits and pieces.



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13. Eat homecooked. Not only will you save money, but you will also be healthier. When you cook, you can control the amount of fat and sugar in your meals.



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14. Stock up for the homecooked days of the week. Write up a grocery list and walk through the grocery store to compare the best value for money brands instead.



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Mall

(Don’t save what is left after spending; spend what is left after saving)

15. Meet your friends or date for breakfast or lunch. Dinner is always the most expensive meal if you’re eating out.



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16. Use only PREPAID credit cards. Cut up all other credit cards. The average American household with at least 1 credit card has more than $8,940 in credit card debt.



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17. Shop with cash. Withdraw a certain amount of money that you can afford to spend for the month and spend it until it’s gone.



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18. Don’t shop. Don’t go to the mall or other shopping area or department store to look around and shop. Go to a store if you know what you need, and then get out. Many times people go shopping, with a vague idea of what they want, and get caught up buying much more.



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19. Watch movies on movie day when tickets are cheapest. That’s about $5 a day, and assuming moderate 52 weeks of doing so, that’s another $260 in your pocket. I’d use it for a nice bottle of wine, dinner at a good restaurant and buy those gorgeous shoes flat out in cash.



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20. Watch only movies rated “Fresh” in rotten tomatoes or above 7/10 in imdb. Download the rest.



21. Make your own popcorn, caramel coat ‘em poppers as much as you want, put it into a brown paper bag, and take it to the cinema.



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22. Always ask “Is this the best price you can give me?” once before paying to places you are a regular to like the mechanic, clothes boutique, hair salon, etc.



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23. And if the price is too high, bargain it down. $15 too much for a vacuum cleaner? Throw in that electric screwdriver for an even twenty.



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24. Try making it a habit to only buy quality clothes that are on sale or clearance.



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25. If you know that a birthday is coming up, you can buy a gift on sale instead of spending more at the last minute.



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26. Coupons work well for brand-name shoppers who use them consistently, but you can save by purchasing store brands, too.



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Travel

(Beware of little expenses; A small leak can sink a large ship)

27. If you live in a developed city, try using public transportation.



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28. If you have a cruise control and there isn’t a whole lot of traffic, use it. It keeps the speed constant and you don’t have to accelerate.



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29. Refuel your car either early in the mornings or late in the evening. Early as in before 9am and late as in after 9pm. The reason lies in petrol becoming denser at lower temperatures. The pumps measure the volume of fuel that you pump, not the actual density and as a result you get better petrol price economy.



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30. We all deserve a get-a-way every once in a while. Making careful planning ahead always helps reduce cost and it’s also less stressful. You get cheaper rates for flights and hotels when booking ahead.



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31. If you love traveling like I do, try to stay with friends or relatives. If you wanna make new ones and learn other cultures, I highly recommend registering for this super duper cool site.



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32. Consider train travel.



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33. Shop around for car rental rates if it is more convenient and efficient than public transport.



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Personal

(The borrower becomes the lender’s slave)

34. Practice preventive maintenance. Get your health, dental checkups regularly. Service your car regularly. Keep your house gutters clean. You will head off any possible minor problems before they become expensive problems. Create a maintenance checklist that you can attach to the item. For important things like your car’s oil changes or tune-ups, put them where you can see them.



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35. Keep track of your cashflow. I highly recommend Wesabe.



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36. Alternate your smoking habit. For example, if you smoke after every meal, skip breakfast, do lunch, skip dinner. Best of all, quit smoking. Savings go by the thousands each year if you stop. Here are 11 steps you can get started on.



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37. Plan your family carefully. Use a condom at all times. It’s a 50 cent solution to not have more kids than you can afford and ensuring your family a better quality of life.



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38. You don’t need to spend $100 on your hair when you can dye it at home for $10.



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39. Switch to a cheaper mobile phone plan that suits your needs.



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40. Frock exchange. This is more for the fashion+cost conscious ladies. Exchange your clothes with your friends. Keep things fresh.



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41. Keep on trying till you find a hairstylist that suits your style that charges reasonably. It’s even better if you are comfortable cutting your own hair.



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42. With the wealth of information and entertainment online, do you really need magazine subscriptions? With all the news online, do you really need a newspaper subscription?



43. Use Skype for long distance conversations. Or any other IM that has video chat functionality.



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44. Don’t buy a new one, if the old one is still running fine. I still don’t have an iPhone because my Motorola v3i works just fine.



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45. If you can complete your errands by walking, walk. It’s like killing 2 birds with a stone.



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46. If the gym fees are reasonable and it motivates you to work out then by all means carry on. If not, you can always jog around your housing area, swim if you live in an apartment with a pool or near a beach. You can even make use of the stairway!



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47. The only loans that you should keep is a mortgage and a partial car loan, although you should try to avoid the last one by just having enough savings. Pay the car loan off asap. Never forget that the only reason loans and credit exist is that the providers expect to make money. Your money.



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48. Stop online impulse buys. Realize that online buying can be way too easy (you don’t even have to go to a store) and therefore, we make too many impulse buys. Buy online if you really need something and it’ll save you money, but beware the impulse buy.



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49. Pay your bills on time. Even if you only pay a bill a few days late, your account may have already received a late fee.



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Wedding cakes
An enourmous directory

Wine tasting. Evaluating the color, aroma, flavor and feel as it touches each part of the mouth. To assess the quality, maturity for drinking and detect the flaws if any. Professional wine tasters and sommeliers around the world attend all 4 types of win tasting events. Each event will have its own significance in preparation and highlights. There is also a standard order and process to follow during tasting.

Types of Wine Tasting Events

Blind Tasting

An example. 2 glasses. 1 is Coca Cola. 1 is Pepsi. Taste and judge. The same technique is used in wine tasting too. It helps to ensure impartial judgment of a wine. Certain blind tasting events include black wine glasses as well to mask the color of the wine. A taster’s judgment can easily be influenced when geographic origin, price, reputation, producer, vintage, color and other details are made known.

Vertical Tasting

Different vintages of the same wine type from the same winery are tasted. The point is to differentiate the taste of the same wine from different years.

Horizontal Tasting

The wines are all from the same vintage but are from different wineries. Keeping wine variety or type and wine region the same helps emphasize differences in winery styles.

Flight Tasting

Wines presented for the intention of sampling and comparison of certain features. For example, several wines from the same region and vintage would comprise a flight or several wines from the same variety but different regions. Tasting organizers are responsible for the selection of flights to enable tasters to easily highlight the similarities and differences of the wine presented.

Tasting Order

Tasting order is important in maintaining the accuracy of the taster’s assessment. Heavier or sweeter wines dominate lighter ones. The tasting order should be like :

• Sparkling Wines
• Light White Wines
• Heavy White Wines
• Rose Wines
• Light Red Wines
• Heavy Red Wines
• Sweet Wines

Appearance and nose alone is sufficient to determine the order of the wines that should be assessed in. Heavier wines are deeper in color and more overwhelming to the nose. Sweeter wines are denser and will leave legs down the inside of the glass when swirled.

Tasting Process

The 5 basic steps in wine tasting (also known as the 5s) are :

• See
• Swirl
• Sniff
• Sip
• Savor

The 6 characters looked at are :

Clarity

The color is better judged when put against a white background. Clues to grape variety and whether the wine was aged in wood through the color.

Varietal Character

Varietal character describes how much a wine presents its inherent grape aromas.

Intergration

A wine taster also looks for integration of the non-grape components of the wine like acid, tannin, alcohol, etc. When a wine is well balanced, the wine is said to have achieved a harmonious fusion.

Expressiveness

Expressiveness is the quality the wine possesses when its aromas and flavors are well-defined and clearly projected. Overhandling the wine bottle can disturb its expressiveness.

Complexity

The complexity of the wine is affected by many factors, one of which may be the multiplicity of its flavors.

Connectedness

The connectedness of the wine, a rather abstract and difficult to ascertain quality, is how connected is the bond between the wine and the land where it comes from.

Pausing to experience a wine’s bouquet aids the wine taster in anticipating the wine’s flavors and focusing the palate. Once inside the mouth, the aromatics are further liberated by exposure to body heat, received by the interior pathway and delivered to the olfactory epithelium. It is here that the complex taste experience characteristic of a wine actually commences.

Thoroughly tasting a wine involves perception of its array of taste and mouthfeel attributes, which involve the combination of textures, flavors, and overall “structure”. Following appreciation of its olfactory characteristics, the wine taster savors a wine by holding it in the mouths for a few seconds to saturate the taste buds. Taste buds are also found in the larynx; therefore an extended sip or draw, in which the wine is allowed pass slowly through the mouth and past the epiglottis, presents the connoisseur with the fullest gustatory profile available to the human palate.

The acts of pausing and focusing through each step distinguishes wine tasting from simple quaffing. Through this process, the full array of aromatic molecules is captured and interpreted by approximately 15 million highly-specific sensory receptors. When tasting several wines in succession, however, key aspects of this fuller experience (length and finish, or aftertaste) must necessarily be sacrificed through expectoration.

A spittoon is usually prepared for the wine tasters to spit out the wine after tasting it. The reason is to prevent alcohol from affecting the consumer’s judgment. At formal tastings where dozens of wine are prepared, tasters will usually spit out the wine after assessing the quality.

Wine Tasting Events by Cities, Worldwide
Beer and spirit tasting as well