New Jersey can be somewhat expensive compared to living in other states around the country. Our taxes are relatively high, and perhaps higher because we chose to live in a rural part of the State where there are no big businesses to help with local taxes. And with “retirement” years ahead, if there will be such a thing for us, one is naturally concerned.
I just did an online quiz at Bills IQ to help me decide whether or not we are handling our finances well, and whether we need help with Debt consolidation, as we have a few bills and debts due to various life circumstances that seem to be common these days for many, including a period of time that my husband was unemployed…and another spell of that that will start in November if he doesn’t find a new job soon. Our grade after doing the quiz was a “B”, which isn’t terrible, but I know we could use some improvement, and BillsIQ seemed to provide some helpful solutions, including Debt help and resources for Debt relief. Maybe you’ll want to take the simple quiz they provide, it’s easy to do, and you’re provided with some options to decide what help might be best for you. You can chose one of these opportunities, or skip on to see your score. If you need the help, then check out the services they offer.
For now, I think we’re okay, but our wonderful Lord knows what the future holds, and we know He’ll show the way through the valleys.
Here’s an attempt at a little Haiku, which is a form of Japanese “poetry”, 3 lines - 1 with 5 syllables, the next with 7, then the third, 5 again. It often speaks of nature, seasons, etc.
Fall of life is here,
Know not what the future holds, Bills IQ is near.
As much as I love where I live in New Jersey, there are times when my husband and I get frustrated about certain things…like taxes, and such. We’ve even had moments when we’re ready to put a for sale sign out in front of our little lakefront cabin, but here we stay, so far anyway. It was nice to stumble on this article written by a travel consultant to remind me of the GOOD things about New Jersey.
Why New Jersey is the Best State to Live In
By: Frank Dalotto
Often the butt of jokes from visitors from neighboring states, and negative stereotyping from TV shows like the Sopranos, despite all of that, New Jersey continues to attract people looking for good paying jobs, quality health care and education, awesome leisure activities, and a great place to raise kids.
I am quick to acknowledge that New Jersey is not an inexpensive state to live in. The definition of best does not mean cheap or inexpensive.
While you may be paying more, New Jersey has the nation’s best state and municipal services contributing to an infrastructure that supports a safe environment and a variety of quality of life services.
As a wise old man once told me You get what you pay for.
The Top Five Reasons Why New Jersey is the Best State to Live In.
1. Health Care
By almost any measure, NJ is at the top of any list in states with the best healthcare. Ranked #1 in lowest (best) population under served by primary care physicians and ranked 7th in lowest infant mortality rate in 48 states. Source: AARP. Ranked 8th out of 50 states in number of Physicians/1000. Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2004 2006 Data. And just across the river in NYC and Philadelphia, New Jersey residents have access to some of the best medical institutions and doctors in the world.
2. Low Crime Rate
Ranked 4th in property crime and 13th in violent crime out of 31 states east of the Mississippi River. Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2004 2006 Data. And when you consider that New Jersey has the highest population density in the U.S., New Jersey is a very safe place to live and is a credit to the state and the municipalities in crime protection and law enforcement.
3. Student Education Grades K-12
New Jersey stands tall when it comes to education; New Jersey is Ranked #1 out of 50 states in Grade 8 to High School graduation rates; Source: National Board and Educational Testing Policy and Ranked #4 in the lowest (best) Student/Teacher ratio. Source: IES National Center for Education Statistics.
4. Entertainment
New Jersey is a Mecca for entertainment. Because of the states small size, world class entertainment is in easy reach of most New Jersey residents. There are major entertainment venues throughout the state as well as the hotel casinos, and the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, [Note from site owner: wasn’t too happy when Atlantic City became a Casino haven, a gaudy blemish on the otherwise beautiful Jersey Shore, but that’s just me.] New Jersey is a magnet for world class entertainment. New Jersey also has 2 NFL teams, a NBA team, and a NHL Team. And with New York City and Philadelphia, just across the river with Broadway shows and major entertainment venues, the entertainment options for New Jersey residents are unbeatable.
5. Geographic DiversityWith outstanding beaches like Wildwood [picture below at sunrise] being the best on the East Coast, beautiful hills and mountains in Northwest NJ [the area where we live also pictured], and quaint Victorian towns like Cape May, New Jersey’s diverse geography is easily accessible within an hour s drive from almost any place in the state. National Geographic magazine has called New Jersey America in Miniature.
Author Resource:-> Frank Dalotto is a freelance writer and travel consultant. His specialty is writing articles about New Jersey travel, including attractions, events, and restaurant reviews. Frank is the owner and editor of http://www.new-jersey-leisure-guide.com/ New Jersey Leisure Guide and a travel consultant for Leisure Travel Mart.
When my husband and I were driving to our daughter’s apartment to celebrate birthdays this past weekend, we noticed that there are more motor cycles than usual on the highways, and commented to each other that the trend may be because of the high price of gas. Of course, it was also a sunny, beautiful day, so maybe it was just for fun!
I do know that for those of you who love to ride your Harley, and hate to leave it behind when you go on vacation, there is hope! Thanks to EagleRider, the pioneers of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle rental concept, you may just be able to plan Adventure Tours, like guided tours, or tours you plan yourself using a rented motorcycle when you vacation. Or maybe you have a destination you want to reach, and want to rent a Motorcycle to get there, and then leave it behind, there may be a way to do that.
Personally, my only motorcycle experience has been riding on the back of someone else’s bike, but my husband owned a motorcycle, and would love the Eaglerider concept. He’s an early-to-bed type of guy, so I’ll have to show him tomorrow…but if you’re reading this, why don’t you visit now and sign up for their newsletter to keep up with the latest.
I have always heard that the prices of oil and gasoline in our State are lower than other parts of the country (you could have fooled me!) because we have so many refineries here. With the price of oil being such a big topic these days, I was curious, so did a little looking around.
First, I wanted to know if New Jersey really has a large number of oil refineries. I came across a site a government site, the Energy Information Administration, which has a list of the top oil refineries in the US and ranks them by production. I saw, if I counted correctly, 6 refineries in NJ in the list of approximately 150, but was surprised to see how many other States in the USA have refineries.
We have driven by the refineries on the NJ Turnpike all of or lives, which you have to drive when you come into NJ from out of state and land at Newark Airport. It’s no wonder you may think that the Garden State is really and industrial State.
Yes, our prices may be a LITTLE lower than some places, but believe me, we’re feeling the pinch not only when we drive, but when we heat our house, as we heat with oil. The wood stove is going to be put to good use come this winter.
Well friends, I don’t think I’ll ever be “The Next Food Network Star” like our friend in the previous post, but maybe I have a chance in the “Great American Seafood Cook off? What do you think? If you want to check out the winners for 2004 - 2007, and see whether you…or I…have a chance, click on the “Cook off” link above and visit this fabulous site!
At first I was going to share a very simple, delicious Tilapia recipe, then realized that this isn’t a truly seafood, as it’s more common in fresh water, sometimes found in brackish water, so, I’m going with another. It’s real easy to make, healthy, and you don’t have to eat this piping hot, here’s what I do:
In a skillet (I love my cast iron skillet) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and with about a teaspoon of olive oil, lightly fry a small chopped onion and a few cloves of chopped garlic.
In another pot, cook up some whole wheat pasta…if you want to TOP it with the seafood mixture, cook any of the “long” pastas, linguine, spaghetti, etc. -OR- if you want to TOSS the seafood mixture with pasta, cook up some whole wheat penne, or similar pasta of your choice, there’s so many fun pasta shapes!
Back to the skillet, add a 1 lb package of that ever versatile imitation crab meat, don’t cook this long, quickly add a few tablespoons of white wine and a few tablespoons of lemon juice. Sprinkle about a tablespoon of Italian Seasoning to taste (we like a lot of whatever spice is in many recipes) and toss the mixture well.
Turn off the heat.
Chop up about 2 tomatoes and toss in the skillet.
When the pasta is done, drain, then return to pot, stir in about a teaspoon of olive oil, couple tablespoons of non-fat liquid butter, then add some herb seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash garlic & herb) to the pasta and toss well.
Now, either toss or top your pasta with the seafood mixture, and serve.
You may add sea salt to taste if you desire.
So there you have it? What ideas do you have? Think you have a winning recipe? Do you have a good source for domestic seafood? I suppose that’s a bit easier for those of us that live near the ocean, where our seafood can be local and fresh. Comment if you like, and be sure to check out the contest, it looks like fun. I had fun browsing the site as well!
Congratulations, Aaron McCargo, Jr., on winning “The Next Food Network Star”…I borrowed your picture from this site…please visit for more info. about Aaron.
This is my first season following the competition, and it won’t be my last, what great fun! I have to say that for much of the series, my husband and I thought Lisa Garza was going to win…she was my hubby’s favorite to win…hmm, wonder why, the cute squinty eyes? The charming personality? I don’t blame him:-) But tonight (okay, I’m a day late, we Tivo’d the show and watched it tonight) when each one was making their introductions, it struck me that she already had so much going for her, a husband who is an Executive Chef, a fashion business of her own, and more. Sorry Lisa, please know you did a GREAT job, and we loved you, but it’s just kind of neat that a humble guy from New Jersey won, so you go “Big Daddy”, we’re looking forward to seeing what you cook up for The Food Network next week, and by the way, Venison isn’t all that bad.
Adam, hey Adam Gertler, I don’t want to forget you, we loved the chicken/beer recipe, and the idea of using ideas shared from people by email, then using a webcam, GREAT idea! Really liked that too. Hope to see something like that on Food Network soon!
We have taken half of our vacation, as you already know if you follow this blog, and will be taking the other half in September, if all goes as planned…that meaning if we can afford it after they install our new septic system in the next month or so. Yes, we still have those in this rural part of NJ. As baby boomers who have raised their children, we can vacation off season and save, plus use sites like HotelsCombined.com to search for hotels with the best rates.
This site has a tool that you can use to compare hotel rates, and these days we are all looking for the best rate, aren’t we, because just driving to your destination can cost a lot with gas prices as they are. Getting back to that comparison tool…it actually searches 30 sites at once! This is an award-winning site, and well worth a look-see if you are planning a trip.
New Jersey can be somewhat expensive compared to living in other states around the country. Our taxes are relatively high, and perhaps higher because we chose to live in a rural part of the State where there are no big businesses to help with local taxes. And with “retirement” years ahead, if there will be such a thing for us, one is naturally concerned.
Congratulations, Aaron McCargo, Jr., on winning “The Next Food Network Star”…I borrowed your picture from 