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Valentine's Day Gifting Ideas

Recently I realized that  Love is deaf. You can't just tell someone you love them...you have to SHOW IT! How true!!  I am much more happy when the love for me is expressed in the form of gifts along with some nice word. Ha ha ha ha ha... And now you, you don't be a liar... you also love it when you receive that special, unique gift from your beloved!!! Real problem is where to get that special, unique gift???  They either turn out to be costly or just something ordinary. With this notion in my mind and knowing that Valentines day is not far away, I cruised a DIY way... do it yourself way. Sharing these ideas with you....

Glittery Photo Vase

Material:-
1- Glass bottle
2- Plastic sticks 5 to 6 (you canuse old broom sticks)
3- Foam sheet red & golden
4- Mount board 
5- Heart stickers
6- Acrylic color Golden
7- Sticking tape
8- Red ribbon bow

Method:- 
First take a plain glass bottle. Paint it with golden acrylic paint and leave it for some time to dry.
Till the time the bottle dries, on a foam sheet draw shape of the heart. We will need at least 8 pieces from red &  8 pieces from the golden foam sheet.
Stick or paste the  foam hearts on the plastic sticks. Arrange the plastic sticks with hearts one by one inside the bottle. Cut out the 5 to 6 rectangles shapes from the mount board.  You can paste the photos on these rectangles. Once the photos are stuck to the rectangles, stick these on the plastic stick. You can decorate it with color tapes if you like.
Then tie a bow at the neck of the bottle and stick heart shaped 3D stickers on the bottle. You may also write a message on a colored paper and stick it around the body of the bottle.
Your gift is ready for your beloved!

Love That Chimes...Wind Chime

Material:- 
1- Small red color basket 
2- Woolen thread 
3- Small bell 8 bunch (every bunch have 3 bells)
4- Heart stickers (multi colored)
5- Red & golden foam sheets

Method:-
Take a small basket. Color it red with acrylic colors. If you get a readily colored red basket, nothing like it. Make a hole in the center of the basket and pass a red woolen thread through it. It is for hanging the Love Wind Chime. Now make eight holes  at the edge of the basket, at regular intervals. Pass red thread through these eight holes on the edges.
Cut the threads at different lengths. I have used a descending order for the thread length. Now stick the heart shaped stickers on these threads at regular intervals. You cam use the sea shells as well. At the end of the thread tie  a bunch of "ghungharus" or a small bell or colorful feathers.

Cut heart shape from red and golden foam sheets. Let the size, of these hearts, be bigger than the stickers that we have pasted on periphery. Hang the golden heart below the red heart using the red thread. Hang this in the center of the basket.
Wind chime is ready to dish out the love tunes!!!

These two ideas are just a beginning for your creative side to pop out...I am sure you will give a special touch to it to make it a signature Valentine's Day Gift! 

Wish you a very happy Valentine's Day! Live every moment, laugh every day and love beyond words!!!

Go Cashless...The New Age Mantra!!!

The whole nation was stunned on our PM's announcement of withdrawal of the legal tender, now SBNs (specified Bank notes ) of Rs. 500/- & 1000/- denominations from 09th Nov'16. The subsequent caps on drawing out money from Banks & ATMs running out of lower denominations left the common man to find new avenues for spending /purchasing basic necessities. However, there may be some difficulties for a couple of months. But this inconvenience shall be temporary and definitely for short-term.

POST DEMONISIATION the next BIG question which the nation faced was :
1. WHICH DIGITAL PAYMENT OPTION SHOULD BE USED?
2. WILL IT BE USER FRIENDLY?
3. WILL IT BE SAFE ?
4. WILL IT BE CONVENIENT? 

So here’s a list of Digital Payments which you can opt for making a transaction without cash:
1. Debit Cards
2. Credit Cards
2. RTGS/NEFT
3. UPI
4. USSD
5. E WALLETS
6. IMPS

1. Debit Cards: They are popularly known as Plastic money. Banks provide customers with debit cards for every savings, current or overseas accounts they open. It’s used for accessing your Savings account in any Bank through any ATMs.You can even deposit and withdraw as per your convenience without standing in long queues. 

When a debit card swipe happens, the money comes directly out of the customer’s bank account and is immediately transferred to the merchant. Instant payments with instantly available cash in customers account. Debit card users receive monthly statements which give them an idea about their card spends and ATM transactions, helping them track and plan their expenses.

2. Credit cards : You can apply for credit card through any Bank. The Bank you apply carefully screens your application and then a credit limit is set based on your financial capability and other parameters like income levels, educational qualifications, age etc. Credit cards act as a help to manage short term cash flow by allowing you to make purchases without using your own money. A credit card may be used for purchases in person or over the phone or online.Credit cards incur interest on daily outstanding balances on purchases & cash advance transactions.

3.RTGS/NEFT :RTGS and NEFT are  fund transfers for the benefit of the customers which allow accounts holders in the banks to electronically transfer the funds intra-bank. In the case of RTGS, settlement in on 'Real Time' basis whereas in case of NEFT the settlement in on batch basis and net basis. The minimum limit for RTGS is Rs. 2 lacs whereas NEFT doesn’t have any minimum limit. The charges applicable are bare minimum Inward transactions no charges & outward transactions say for 02 to 05 lakhs it should be around Rs. 30/- per transaction & for NEFT outward transactions cost upto 02 lacs should be 15 +service tax.

*Please note that the timings of both RTGS and NEFT at the bank can vary depending on the customer timings of the bank branches.

3. UPI : UPI is a payment system that allows money transfer between any two bank accounts by using a smartphone without the hassle of typing credit card details, IFSC code, or net banking passwords. You can download the app from Play Store and create a virtual address. Further add your bank account details set M-Pin. The per transaction limit is Rs.1 lakh.

4. USSD : USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) There are times when we don’t have access to internet, and this is exactly when USSD-based mobile banking can be used . Essentially, it will work on a basic phone with black-and-white display and on smartphones. According to the RBI, the USSD payment method can be used for sending money as low as Re 1, and as much as Rs 5,000 per transaction. 
5. E-WALLETS :E-wallet is a type of pre-paid account wherein you can store your money for any future online transaction. An E-wallet is protected with a password. With the help of an E-wallet,one can make payments for groceries, online purchases, and flight tickets etc. 
6. IMPS : Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) is an instant real time inter-bank electronic fund transfer i.e it works 24 X 7 using mobiles. Using this you will now be able to receive or send money even on Sundays and Bank Holidays or late at night. For fund transfer facility both the sender & beneficiary must be registered under IMPS. There is no minimum limit for IMPS. The maximum limit is set based on your bank.

THERE IS NO SINGLE 'BEST' PAYMENT OPTION FOR EVERYONE AND FOR ALL TRANSACTIONS. HOWEVER, YOU COULD TRY TO PICK A PAYMENT OPTION SUITABLE FOR YOUR PURPOSE DEPENDING ON THE COST & TIME FACTOR !!!

  !!!! Go Cashless Go Digital !!!!


Being Santa Claus...

Just a week ago, the carol singing and the jingling jangling bells filled the atmosphere with lots of energy and fun. Christmas, apart from marking birth of Jesus Christ, also reminds us of Santa Claus in forms of gifts and goodies. Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man wearing a red coat with white fur collar, red trousers, and black leather belt and boots who carries a bag full of gifts for children. Hey, ho... Hey, ho... Hey, ho!!! The call itself brings a deluge of happy memories to the mind.

There is no easy or direct answer when a child questions the existence of Santa in real life. However, many situations in our life make us believe that Santa is somewhere in some form helping us in our hard times. When your maid suddenly informs about her "chutti" during an important function at home, the maid next door comes to the rescue. For me she is no less than a Santa!!!

The other day, one of my friend met a everyday life Santa Clause.  She was at her aunt’s place celebrating her birthday. My friend had toiled hard to please her elderly aunt. She was pretty tired at the end of the day. It was her uncle who persuaded her husband to stay back at their house over the nigth. Her husband agreed and after a long time, my friend slept peacefully not fretting about cleaning up the kitchen, getting up in morning and again starting the routine work…. Cherry on top was…. a hot cup of coffee in her hands, right in the morning :-) For her, her uncle turned out to be a real life Santa!!!  

Sometimes, we also get the opportunity to be a Santa Clause in someone's life. My friend’s maid lost her pair of spectacles and was struggling to do the household work.  On inquiring with her maid, she learnt that she had just bought her pair in the month of October.  Now she had no money to buy one more. My friend took her to the optician and bought her new specs.  The joy on the face of my friend made her look like a smiling Santa, so very content..from within!!! 

I had the privilege of becoming a Santa in our building's Christmas party. All the little ones had put up their wishes on the Christmas tree and were eagerly waiting to see Santa Claus fulfilling them.  All kids were so thrilled in seeing Santa. Believe me, some were not!!!  Most of it was probably that kids of a younger age are justifiably freaked out about a big creepy looking man in a bright red suit with a deeply suspicious, maniacal laugh. Hey, ho... Hey, ho....!!! There was high level of inquisitions to know the real face behind Santa.  Santa’s arrival was marked by the bell sound. Everybody clicked selfies with Santa... and that was ME!!!  I, The Santa, distributed chocolates to all the children. The immense satisfaction that I felt deep within, cannot be quantified nor be expressed in mortal words. One needs to live through it!!!  

So lets all become Santa for others and spread goodwill and cheer to make the world a better place!! 

Wishing my near and dear ones and our blog readers, patrons... a Very Happy & fulfilled New Year 2017!!! Hey, ho.... Hey, ho....Hey, ho!!!