Owning a car can be really expensive. From the initial cash you shell out when purchasing the car itself to the periodic maintenance and checkups.

For most car-enthusiasts, expenses don't stop from the actual purchase.  There is a wide variety of after-market parts and accessories that are too hard to ignore – audio/video system upgrades, paint color change, magwheels, and engine modifications (which also includes performance enhancements like turbo kits, wirings, brakes, lowering system, exhaust, etc.). Exterior accessories may also involve installation of flarings, customized skirts and front grills, headers, spoilers, HIDs, and depending on the owner's choice, conversions go even Japanese or European domestic market inspired.

Car modification is not really a bad thing especially if you have the budget to indulge into after-market parts. But for not-so-into-car-modification individuals, there are some more important things that we need to consider to enjoy and have a hassle-free driving.

For me, one of the most important accessories is my promotional windshield sun shade. I don’t have a designated parking slot in the office so I park just anywhere which, most of the time, is located in an open lot. My sun shield makes it easier to enter the car even after it's been parked under the burning heat of the sun.

Motivators has a lot of promotional products intended for cars. We have a wide selection of customized car care products which includes car wash kits, car cargo boxes to help one organize his/her things inside the trunk, and accessories from license plate frames to air fresheners. Also, make sure to always have a roadside emergency kit in your car, especially during long drives. You never know when you'll need it!

Coffee is normally part of some people's everyday routine. Some start their day with a cup, others just can't get enough and consume it throughout the day. Some take it at breakfast; some drink it for breakfast. No matter what, coffee drinkers just can't pass a day without having a cup or two.

Coffee has two main substances that have been found to be very good for the body:  caffeine and antioxidants. Caffeine acts as a stimulant. It restores mental alertness and increases focus. It's also scientifically proven to reduce physical fatigue and gives a temporary energy boost that also helps elevate a person's mood.

Antioxidants are substances that help protect one's cells against the effect of free-radicals. Free-radicals are molecules produced when your body breaks down food you eat or by environmental exposures like tobacco smoke, radiation and pollution. Antioxidants also enhance the immune system to help prevent sickness. That's why coffee is considered a super food; it has a high level of antioxidants which, based on research, is key to a healthy diet.

Coffee can be enjoyed just anytime and anywhere. With so many promotional mugs and tumblers available on Motivators' site, one can choose a container according to how he/she prefers to enjoy their caffeine addiction. We also have coffee packs and pouches which are good corporate giveaways; they may help your employees stay alert and focused on their everyday tasks. Just remember, anything excessive is not good so just keep your coffee intake moderate.

It’s true that water bottles can cure most illnesses, but don’t take it literally.

Harmful body toxins have the ability to enter our body through a number of different ways, especially in the food we eat. Water washes out most body toxins that when left within our system can cause discomfort or harm. I believe that people who take more than 8 glasses of water a day have a healthier body system.

That’s how a custom water bottle helps you. Having a water bottle handy always can make it easier for one to drink up, get refreshed and continuously cleanse their body system anytime. Fewer toxins in your body mean less build-up of harmful bacteria that normally cause ailments.

Also, did you know that by the time a person feels thirsty, his/her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount? And anything more than 1 percent loss of body fluids could result in dizziness, headaches and even heart palpitations. Always have your promotional water bottle within reach to keep you constantly hydrated.

Aside from the good effect that it has on you, having a water bottle also helps in saving our environment. It discourages the act of consistently buying, using and disposing plastic bottled water. By the way, did you know that a single plastic water bottle can take up to 500 years to decompose? But that’s something I'll discuss in another blog...

Birthdays are always exciting. While some may not admit it, most individuals actually look forward to their birthdays. April is my birth month. I’ll be turning 33 this year.

My birthday happens every 29th day of April. It may be the last weekend of the month, but the celebration normally starts on the first weekend. I have different sets of friends so as much as I want to have one big party on my birthday, it’s not advisable since it will be very stressful to jump from one table to another just to attend to different groups of friends/family. I feel like one night is not enough to catch up and talk/laugh about the same usual jokes/funny moments that we keep on talking about over and over and yet still laugh about endlessly. Besides, not all of my friends are alcohol drinkers. So I would normally spend time with them over coffee.

Some weekends of the month may also be allotted to "surprise" parties/gatherings. Well, they're supposed to be surprises, but how could they still be when a friend whom I didn’t get a chance to talk to for almost a year suddenly calls with excuses like, "I need to borrow something" or "can you accompany me to..."?

The awkward moment when I need to pretend that I’m buying their alibis, moments when I need to look totally surprised to see friends waiting for me at the place where I was told that I needed to be. (Oh well, I still love it :)).

Anyway, this year, I might just change everything. I noticed that as I aged, the clubbing, partying and the never-ending line of custom shot glasses filled with different boozes just don't entice me anymore. This year, celebration will only happen on just one weekend -- good thing the 29th will fall on a Sunday. It’ll be just family on that day. Friends? Maybe some other day, but definitely no party, just a simple dinner or coffee will do. Besides, I’m trying to save up to buy another car.

So, no more four-weekend birthday celebration for me, no more drink-till-you-drop nights, no more lavish spending, just a simple yet memorable day with the family. Anyways, being with the family just makes everything complete. Oh, I may still accept surprise parties though.

I've been experiencing a lot of back pain lately. Some people say it's a sign of getting old, others say it's a result of my daily activities. Either way, it’s not a wonderful feeling doing your chores with a painful back.

Upon doing some research, I found that it may be true that back pains are associated with the things we do every day, like working nine hours a day at your desk. Did you know that sitting puts 40% more pressure on your spine than standing? It puts so much pressure on your back that it begins to hurt. Sitting at a 135-degree angle can reduce compression on the discs in the spine, so lean back slightly every now and then. You can put a pillow on your chair positioned right on your lower back. This will give you a good angle to support your lower back when you lean backwards.

And since most of your time is spent in front of your desk, you tend to be physically less active. Try to allot at least 30 minutes in a day to exercise. Bring out your running shoes, promotional towel and water bottle. A good 30-minute walk and some stretching every day will help ease the tension on your bones.

For women, back pains are usually associated with carrying a heavy shoulder bag. To combat the pain, pack only the things that you need every day into your bag. For example, you can remove coins and loose change as it adds up quickly. Some bags are heavy even when empty, and that’s because of the styles and designs – beads, studs, and metals that manufacturers puts in to make it more stylish. Motivators has a lot of totes and non-woven bags that weigh less and are easier to carry. These also come with different colors and designs so you can still feel stylish.

Did you know that stress is also related to back pain? When you’re stressed, your whole body clenches up, including the muscles in your neck and back. If this happens very often, it will lead to pain. When at work, grab a stress reliever. This will help you relax your mind and your body and hopefully ease pain.

Drinking plenty of water also helps in minimizing and preventing back pains. Back muscles frequently spasm when denied proper amount of fluid. Always bring with you your water bottle. You can never get too much water in your system. If the pain is no longer tolerable, you might want to give your chiropractor a visit; he or she can help you with more advance ways to relieve pain and discomfort.  Who knows?  You might even get a free spine keychain purchased from Motivators!

My work here in prep requires a lot of computations and calculations. I’m not completely comfortable using the calculator installed on my computer because I don’t like the idea of changing screens every time I need to get the figures from my sheet.

Good thing I have my ever-reliable promotional calculator handy always. It has a big screen to make viewing easier, large buttons for my fat fingers that makes computing easy (sometimes I don't even have to look at the numbers!), and of course a more accurate result than doing the math in my head (I sometimes don’t trust my math).

My calculator also has a dual-power feature which automatically uses solar power when I’m in a bright room or outdoors. This saves battery which makes it a very eco-friendly device.

I believe that whatever field you're in -- whether it's accounting, sales, IT, industrial, medical, graphics etc. -- numbers and computations are going to be part of what you do. Good thing Motivators has a variety of promotional calculators, available in many different sizes, which make adding and subtracting easier and a lot of fun!

Grocery shopping is one of the biggest budget eaters for everyone. We allot a big percentage of expenses for food and other home/kitchen needs. Here are some ways to stick to your grocery budget and prevent over-spending on not-so-important items and food.

1. Analyze the goods you normally consume on a weekly basis. Make a weekly groceries visit instead of a daily trip. This will help you save gasoline, time and energy. Mark your promotional calendars with your scheduled grocery activity.
2. Make a weekly food plan for the family. Set a specific budget per meal. Make sure it’ll be healthy and balanced with nutrients the whole family needs.
3. Always be ready with your pens and promotional notebooks. List all your grocery needs on a weekly plan.
   
   

   

4. When going to the grocery store, always bring your calculator. Compare prices of the items and see how much money you’ll be able to save.
   
   

   

5. Look up and down at the store's displayed items. More expensive products are normally placed at eye-level to easily be seen and reached by consumers. Cheaper priced items can be found either on the higher or lower part of the display cabinets.
6. Although going to purchase groceries can be a good bonding activity for the family, teach your kids not to pick up unnecessary goodies that can make you exceed your budget. Instead of buying chips and candies, buy them fruits which are healthier and more nutritious.
7. Save all your leftover change in coin banks. You’ll be surprised how much money you’ve collected once you completely fill them up!
   
   

Staying within your grocery budget can be tough, especially when you’re just starting, but as the weeks go by and you get the hang of it, you’ll soon realize how much you can save. The money you've saved can even be used to buy something special to reward yourself for a job well done.

Stress relievers are so underrated. They’re just normally neglected. Some people tend to ignore them thinking they're toys that serve no purpose; dust magnets.

I love stress relievers. How could you not adore a round stress ball that smiles at you the moment you arrive at the office in the morning?

How could you disregard a turtle stress reliever that reminds you to slow down when everything seems to be really fast and things are getting unorganized?

There’s also the apple stress reliever that'll help keep the doctor away: 

Or, you can always go for orange, pineapple or strawberry stress relievers as your dessert alternative.  I'm not saying you should eat it; what I'm trying to point out is that it’s a good way to remind one’s self that fruits are better than other after-meal treats like chocolates, ice cream, etc.

We also have a lot of house stress relievers to remind you that after a whole day’s work, you have your family and loved ones waiting for you at home.

My whole point is that stress relievers are so effective in soothing one's physical and mental stress.  They come in different shapes, sizes, appearances and themes. You can choose to squeeze them to help you de-stress.  Even just looking at them makes one’s bad mood turn unto something brighter, cheerful and positive.

The 2011 NBA lockout officially started on July 01, 2011. All pre-season games and the first four weeks of the 2011-2012 season through November 30 2011 have already been cancelled.

During lockouts like this (by the way, this is the fourth lockout in the history of the NBA), teams cannot sign, trade or negotiate a contract with players. Players cannot access team facilities, trainers, even team staff. This has left a lot of individuals jobless. The main reason for this is the different stands between the owners and the players regarding revenue sharing and salary cap structure.

Because of the lockout, hundreds of millions of revenues were lost, and lots of people were affected. Some players have signed contracts to play with other countries with an option to return to NBA as soon as the lockout ends.

But what about those small players who are unable to get a contract with other basketball clubs? What about those individuals who rely on the “game” for their income, like those involved with court maintenance, club staff, etc.?  What about the income that could have been generated on each and every game held? What about those promotional items that could have been given to the fans during live games -- balloons, shirts, caps, basketballs, etc.?  Those could have generated income as well.

You see, issues like these don't just affect the players and the owners.  They also affect the people that work on the sidelines to make the games possible. The only thing that we can wish for now is for all the parties to come up with a fair and just resolution and hopefully start the NBA season as soon as possible.

Promotional items are actually everywhere. That’s what I realized when I started working for Motivators. Before, I didn't notice that a lot of things I use day in and day out are items given by companies for promotions (I love free stuff :)).

From the moment I wake up in the morning, I come into contact with promotional products.  I turn off my promotional alarm clock, get out of bed, put on slippers I received from a local footwear store, and dry myself off after a shower with a promotional towel from a hotel my friend works for.  Even my lunch box is imprinted with a company name! 

I believe that promotional giveaways are the best way to make your brand memorable.  The people who use the items act as advertisers without knowing it. I, for example, use a really huge umbrella given by a local bank. Friends were amazed how three adults can actually fit underneath the promotional umbrella without getting wet on a rainy day. They saw the name of the bank were I got the umbrella from and actually considered opening an account with that institution (just to get a free umbrella, nice!). 

Try hanging out in a local coffee shop; observe the people that walk in and out of the store. You will notice a lot of promotional items that they have with them, from bags to key chains, to umbrellas and lanyards, even pens tucked in their shirt pockets. Everyone becomes a product endorser unknowingly. So if you’re thinking of a great way to promote your products/services, browse through Motivators.com; we have a ton of promotional items that will help you boost your brand exposure.