How to Re-Engage in Your Interests After a Move

The effects of moving can be farther reaching than you might realize. Not only are you uprooting yourself and family from home, neighborhood, schools, family, friends and work but also the clubs and special interest groups of which you and they were a part.

Thank goodness for online access and the wealth of information that is available at the click of a key! Regardless of your interest or hobby, there are bound to be chapters or groups meeting not too far from where you've moved.

Ten Great Ways to Save on Groceries

Grocery shopping is that chore you do each week, whether you feel like it or not. For most it never fails to surprise them how much it costs to feed a family of four. We've put together a list of ways to save that might help you put your grocery budget back on track.

1. Buy Store Brands. Store brands tend to be less expensive yet on par or above par for quality. There are large manufacturers that produce foods for both the high end brands and the store brands at the same facility under different labels. The only difference is the package and price!
2. Buy Your Protein in Bulk. You will save 20 to 50 percent on larger packages of chicken and beef when buying more at a time. Just separate and freeze what you don't use right away.

The Reality of Television

The little boxy black and white televisions of the early part of the 20th century have disappeared. In their place are sleek flat-screen and plasma sets that can be hung on the wall like paintings. Times have changed, yet it's not only the design of the television set that has metamorphosed into sleek and sexy high tech toys - the joy of every household and man cave.

The programming available on your personal TV has changed. It, too, has become slick and sleek and sexy. Back in the 1950s, 60s and 70s a television set was something that brought the family together - in one room. Households did not have more than one, and viewing was for adults as well as for young children. Every show was PG fun! On the opposite side of the universe is the viewing that holds multiple ratings with a majority of them not suitable for younger audiences.

Today's Expectations
Today television is not as simple. Technology and design aside, the programming that is presented has become a little stale and predictable. Look over your TV Guide or flip through your channels and you are greeted with the same genres redundantly. News shows (most of which rely on sensationalism), soap operas (daytime and evening), reality shows (nothing is private or sacred anymore), half-hour comedies (a few show some promise, but not more than a few) kids' cartoons and talk shows.

Do you or your family have a favorite show? We welcome your opinion of what you consider to be solid programming. Please tweet us on Twitter @MBMMoves.

The Options for Viewing
The options are pretty diverse. Depending on in which area you live, you can choose:

• Cable TV. You are generally limited to a cable company that serves your area, therefore there is a monopoly and no healthy competition as far as program packages and pricing is concerned.
• Satellite Dish. Along with cable, this accounts for about 85 percent of households. The really big downside (and this is shared with cable TV as well) is its dependency on weather. When it's raining or storming outside be prepared to miss part of your show, usually at a crucial moment!
• The Other Options. Viewing is also offered through your telephone and internet service providers and websites such as: Hulu, Netflix and network site streaming of local programming.

When all else fails, there is always the original concept: the antenna. With an antenna you can receive some of the local channels that come through fairly clearly. With the poor quality of viewing, though, very often the best choice is a movie via Netflix or the big red box outside of your grocery store.

MBM Moving Systems reviews, you may find, are better than the current viewing on television!

We have lots more television information that continues in Part Two of The Reality of Television.