The Most Flattering Swimsuits for Women Over 50

We have all been to the beach or local swimming pool and seen what people are wearing these days. It’s frightening what some people call swimsuits and are willing to go out in public wearing. Here are some tips for picking the right swimsuit for you.

1.  Bathing Suits for Your Body Type: No matter how skinny a woman was in the 60s or 70s, she’s going to need to put more thought into what she wears to the beach, in this brave new world. Fortunately, women have the internet to see them through this ordeal. Do a web search for bathing suits or search for the national retail chain stores and browse in the privacy of your own home. Then when you find something that you like, catch the name and stock number and hit the store. This will save you some time as well as possible uncomfortable situations dealing with the salesperson.
2. Swimsuit Type Tips: It is extremely important to get swimwear in a good color that flatters one’s skin tone. Brilliant blues (electric blue, cobalt blue, teal, perky navy) and deeper, darker pinks (magenta, fuchsia, coral) are almost always flattering. Both black and white can look sickly against pale skin, but they are often great colors once a woman gets a bit of a tan.

A swimsuit’s fabric must be good. Anything shiny will show fatty bulges, while a good camouflaging print (floral, swirl, leopard) will hide many flaws. Or, a gal can try hiding tummy imperfections with ruching or slightly-textured fabric.

After 40, most women need swimsuit tops that provide good support. Large breasts need a bathing suit with a built-in bra and thicker straps. Smaller breasts need a perfect fit and, sometimes, a built-in push-up.

• Swimwear Necklines: When a woman reaches a certain age, the neckline of her swimsuit becomes more important than ever. It’s easy to cover oversized hips, stomachs, and backsides with sarongs, when out of the water.

So with these easy tips, hit the beach or pool. The weather is beautiful, wish you were here.

Photo Credit: Photobucket

States that have the Highest Life Expectancy

Who lives the longest and where do they live?  A new study gives us some insight.  According to a new study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, women’s life expectancies are improving at a slower rate than men’s across the country.  Between 1989 and 2009, the researchers found that men’s life expectancy increased by an average of 4.6 years. But women’s life expectancy only increased by an average of 2.7 years.  Today, men’s average life expectancy is 81.6 years and the women’s average life expectancy is 86, according to the study.  The study also found the following:

1. The researchers also found that, for women, the divide between the counties with the highest life expectancies and those with lowest life expectancies is growing. In 1989, the gap used to be 8.7 years. But in 2009, the gap was 11.7 years — 85.8 years on average for women in Collier county in Florida, and 74.1 years on average for women in McDowell county, West Virginia.
2. The gap between the longest and shortest life expectancies for men was 15.5 years in the study, but the researchers reported that the gap hasn’t even grown by a year between 1989 and 2009. In Marin, Calif., the men’s average life expectancy is 81.6, and in Quitman and Tunica, Miss., the average life expectancy for men is 66.1.
3. The study also shows that black Americans’ life expectancies are improving much faster than those of white Americans. In 1989, the life expectancy for a black male was 63.8, compared to 72.5 for a white male.
4. On a county-wide level, La Paz county in Arizona had the worst improvement in life expectancy for males, with men actually living 1.5 years less on average in 2009 than they did in 1989. For women, Fayette county in Alabama had the worst improvement, with women living 1.9 years less on average in 2009 than they did in 1989.
5. The county with the best improvement in life expectancy, on the other hand, was New York, New York, with men living an average of 13.6 more years in 2009 than they did in 1989 and women living an average of 7.2 more years in 2009 than they did in 1989.
6. Many of the counties with the lowest life expectancies in the country are in Mississippi, according to the research.

Photo Credit:  Photobucket

How to Organize a Successful Yard Sale

‘Tis that time of year when the weather is nice enough to have a garage or yard sale.  Here are some tips on planning for and having a successful yard sale.

Set the Date

• Estimate how much time you think it will take to get your sale ready. Now triple that, and set your sale date for a convenient weekend afterward.
• Conventional small-town wisdom, where your buyer pool is limited, is to plan your yard sale for the first weekend of a month. Buyers on fixed incomes will be the most flush at that time. It doesn’t seem to matter as much in a larger city.
• Once you’ve set the date, go ahead and get a permit if your city requires it. You might forget once you get busy preparing for the sale.

Gather the Merchandise

• Except for large items, go ahead and corral the things you’re sure about selling into one area, a garage or seldom used room if possible. They’ll be out of your way, physically and mentally, while you deal with the iffy items.
• For the items you’re unsure about selling, ask yourself these questions:
• If I didn’t already own it, would I buy it again today?
• Do I care what happens to it or who buys it? If you’re worried about who gets it, you aren’t ready to part with it.
• If I regret selling it, can it be replaced?

Price the Merchandise

• Pick up some neon-colored price stickers. Some come preprinted with various prices.
• If you aren’t using preprinted stickers, use a Sharpie®, or something similar, so the price is easy to read.
• Price everything. Make it easy for your customers to buy. It’s annoying to have to ask for a price on everything of interest, and some shoppers just won’t bother.
• Don’t rely on complicated systems, where customers have to refer to a price chart that may be obscured by the crowd. Even if the view isn’t blocked, they’ll drive you crazy asking for prices anyway. It will take more prep time, but you’ll be glad things are less hectic on the day of the sale.
• If you’re selling something with some value, but you aren’t sure how much, do a completed item search on eBay.  Then, price it for a little less.
• Don’t overprice.
• Don’t expect to get what you paid for something unless you bought it at a yard sale. If you want top dollar, sell it on eBay with a reserve or put it in a consignment shop.
• Be aware that people will expect to haggle. Think about the lowest amount you’re willing to take, and then price 10 – 20% higher on things with value.
• Write the word “Firm” on tags of large items if you aren’t willing to negotiate. Some will ask anyway, but not as many.
• Place ads in your local newspaper and on Craigslist. Serious shoppers plan in advance. If your sale starts on Friday, start your newspaper ad on Thursday. If the sale is Saturday, start the ad on Friday. Start your Craigslist ad a couple of days in advance. Spend the extra money and list your prime merchandise. Don’t forget your address, the date, and the starting times.
• Signs are just as important as your newspaper listing. Use neon-colored poster board and thick, thick black lettering. Place them at main intersections near your neighborhood, and at all the turns leading to your house. Point the way with thick, black arrows. Put your signs out the night before the sale.

Set Up the Sale

• If you’re having the sale in a garage, start setting up a few days in advance. If you’re having it outside, have everything ready and get up early.
• Expect to have shoppers show up while you’re setting up outside, well before your starting time. Send them away if they bug you, but know that early birds usually come to buy, and they still have all their money in their pockets.
• Other than folding tables, don’t display merchandise on anything you don’t want to sell. It seems to be understood that folding tables aren’t up for grabs, but drag a table out of the dining room and shoppers will drive you crazy asking if it’s for sale.
• Arrange things logically. Put all the books in one place, all the clothes, all the dishes, etc.
• Display any valuable items close to the house, or close to the inside door if the sale is in a garage, where you can keep an eye on them.
• If the sale is in your garage, try to remove anything not for sale. If that isn’t possible, rope them off and use “Not for Sale” signs.
• If the sale is in the yard, use “Not for Sale” signs or stickers on any statuary, lawn ornaments, planters, etc.

During the Sale

• Make sure you have plenty of ones, at least one roll of quarters, and a handful each of dimes and nickels to start.
• Unless you have a designated cashier, with no other duties, who sits at a designated table, do not use a money box. Otherwise, you will accidentally leave that box unattended at some point during the hectic day.
• If you have no designated cashier, wear a fanny pack or apron with large pockets. The apron is best. You don’t have to worry about a zipper and it helps shoppers identify the proprietor of the sale.
• Have some plastic grocery bags handy for shoppers who purchase multiple items, newspapers too if you have them. It’s fine to give them a bag and some paper and let them pack the merchandise themselves.
• Say hello and smile. Shoppers will know who is running the sale when they have questions and get ready to pay.
• After you greet people, leave them alone and let them shop. They are on the hunt and don’t have time to chat. If someone is really eyeing something, it’s okay to drift that way in case of questions, but resist the urge to try to sell.

Photo Credit: Photobucket