Happiness doesnt have to cost a lot...

As the saying goes, the best things in life are free. Here are some easy and affordable ways to be happy. Happiness means different things to different people, but most of us try to fill our lives with this quality as much as possible. Of course, retailers and marketers the world over have used this basic tendency to unmercifully manipulate consumers with a promise of happiness that will come with the purchase of their products.  However, everyone knows that while goods and services can certainly improve the quality of our lives, they can't really provide lasting happiness. Here are some ways that you can make yourself happier that don't cost a whole lot of money. Board Games and Puzzles In a world of electronic gaming, it's still fun to pull out an old board game and play it with family or friends. Monopoly, checkers, chess, Risk, Twister, Operation, Trivial Pursuit, Life and Battleship are always good for a few hours of fun once in a while. Working on a jigsaw puzzle with your family can provide a welcome break from the daily stress many people experience in life. Exercise Although this may sound trite, numerous studies have shown that people who exercise regularly are generally happier and more relaxed than those who don't. You don't have to pay for a gym membership in order to walk, run, jog or do push ups and sit ups. Even doing heavy household chores such as digging post holes for a fence or repairing the roof can be a good way to get a little exercise. Gardening Although you may need to part with a few dollars in order to buy seeds, planting a garden can be a very satisfying endeavour. It also doesn't have to cost a lot because chances are you already have a lot of the tools you need in your shed or garage. Working with the soil can help you to reconnect with nature and decompress from a hard day at work. Of course, if you are able to reap a material harvest from your garden you will also be happy about the free, healthy produce that resulted from your efforts. Finish Those Projects It can be depressing at times when we think of all of those little things around the house or garden that we'd like to do that we just don't seem to be able to get around to. You can take some time to map out your family tree, create a scrapbook or frame some family photos. Even mundane tasks like organizing your garage can help you feel like you have your life slightly more in order. Start a Journal or Diary Writing down your feelings and events can help you to organize your thinking and make connections about how events in your life affect how you feel and think. It can also allow you to unload unresolved stress and other issues onto paper and perhaps leave it there, if only for a while. Adopt a Pet Animal shelters are full of creatures that need a loving home. Of course, having a pet will entail some expenses. Vet bills, pet food, pet toys and other accessories do cost money, but studies have shown that people with pets often live longer and have a greater overall levels of happiness. Read a Book Pay a visit to your library and take advantage of the world of literature that it has available to you. Try wading into the works of Shakespeare or Milton if you're up for a challenge, but anything that gets you away from a digital electronic screen for a while can be constructive. Even the smallest library has a wide variety of books to choose from, so you should have no trouble finding something that interests you. The Bottom Line There are many fun activities you can partake in that are either completely free or extremely affordable. Thanks to research many of these things, like adopting a pet, have been proven to increase happiness. Some of these activities involve you taking a break by yourself, while others are a great way to spend some time with your family. As the saying goes, "the best things in life are free."

Listening to Complainers Is Bad for Your Brain

Do you hate it when people complain?

It turns out there's a good reason: Listening to too much complaining is bad for your brain in multiple ways, according to Trevor Blake, a serial entrepreneur and author of 'Three Simple Steps: A Map to Success in Business and Life'. In the book, he describes how neuroscientists have learned to measure brain activity when faced with various stimuli, including a long gripe session.

"The brain works more like a muscle than we thought," Blake says. "So if you're pinned in a corner for too long listening to someone being negative, you're more likely to behave that way as well."

Even worse, being exposed to too much complaining can actually make you dumb. Research shows that exposure to 30 minutes or more of negativity--including viewing such material on TV--actually peels away neurons in the brain's hippocampus. "That's the part of your brain you need for problem solving," he says. "Basically, it turns your brain to mush."

But if you're running a company, don't you need to hear about anything that may have gone wrong? "There's a big difference between bringing your attention to something that's awry and a complaint," Blake says. "Typically, people who are complaining don't want a solution; they just want you to join in the indignity of the whole thing. You can almost hear brains clink when six people get together and start saying, 'Isn't it terrible?'

This will damage your brain even if you're just passively listening. And if you try to change their behaviour, you'll become the target of the complaint."

So, how do you defend yourself and your brain from all the negativity? Blake recommends the following tactics:

1. Get some distance
"My father was a chain smoker," Blake confides. "I tried to change his habit, but it's not easy to do that." Blake knew secondhand smoke could damage his own lungs as well. "My only recourse was to distance myself."

You should look at complaining in the same way, he says. "The approach I've always taken with complaining is to think of it as the same as passive smoking." Your brain will thank you if you get yourself away from the complainer, if you can.

2. Ask the complainer to fix the problem
Sometimes getting distance isn't an option. If you can't easily walk away, a second strategy is to ask the complainer to fix the problem.

"Try to get the person who's complaining to take responsibility for a solution," Blake says. "I typically respond to a complaint with, 'What are you going to do about it?'" Many complainers walk away huffily at that point, because he hasn't given them what they wanted, Blake reports. But some may actually try to solve the problem.

3. Shields up!
When you're trapped listening to a complaint, you can use mental techniques to block out the griping and save your neurons. Blake favors one used by the late Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros during a match against Jack Nicklaus--a match the crowd wanted Ballesteros to lose. "He was having difficulty handling the hostility of the crowd," Blake says. "So he imagined a bell jar that no one could see descending from the sky to protect him."

Major League Baseball pitchers can sometimes be seen mouthing "Shields on!" as they stride to the mound, he says. He adds that his own imaginary defence is "more like a Harry Potter invisibility cloak."

A related strategy is to mentally retreat to your imagined favourite spot, somewhere you'd go if you could wave a magic wand.

"For me, it was a ribbon of beautiful white sugary sand that extended out in a horseshoe shape from a private island," Blake says. "I would take myself to my private retreat while people were ranting and raving. I could smile at them and nod in all the right places and meanwhile take myself for a walk on my private beach."

Blake first saw the picture of the island in a magazine, and the image stuck with him. Eventually, he got a chance to try it for real. "It turned out the island was for rent, and it was the same one I'd seen," he says. "So I rented it for a week. And I got to take that walk."

Reducing your bills

What can you do to bring down the cost of the bills that can be relied on to eat away at your hard earned money, every single month? Rather than moving house and leaving no forwarding address or just throwing up your hands in despair, consider some of these tips

Water bills
As you are already aware, the less water you use the less your bill will be. So instead of simply just showering for shorter periods and looking for basic ways to reduce your water usage manually – why not invest some time in ensuring your household becomes more water friendly?

You can pay around $150 for a plumber to come to your house, install water saving shower heads and tap nozzles throughout your home in less than 1 hour. These little devices simply restrict the flow of water to your taps and ensure that you still get good pressure, while not losing hundreds of litres per second. In some states there are also subsidies for doing so, so be sure to check with your states water website for deals and specials.

Another great idea is to consider investing in newer water efficient appliances. Things like dishwashers and washing machines have come a long way in recent years, so if are running an older washing machine – perhaps the upfront investment of a new machine would repay itself within the year with the water savings?

Electricity bills
The key to saving money on electricity bills is better household planning. Look to ensure that all of your household lighting is using energy efficient light bulbs. Awful as they are, those little bulbs can cut your lighting costs by over 50% over the course of a year.

Another idea is to resist the use of lighting. How often do we put a light on when in the bathroom when really it isn’t that dark? Look to change your habits .

Also, when it comes to electricity, our heating and cooling of a house can quickly drive the bill sky high. Look to use fans and natural breezes in the summer, while insulating and wearing warmer clothes in winter to avoid the over usage of heating/cooling systems.

Have you considered solar power panels? Despite the initial set up cost, it is worth investigating whether the installation of solar panels will offset enough of your quarterly bill to firstly pay for itself and then reduce the ongoing usage charges.

Home phone, mobile and internet bills
With the amount of mobile phones we now have in our life, is a home phone really necessary? Perhaps look to scrap the landline in favour of using your mobile instead.

When it comes to mobiles, the trick is to avoid the upsell we all get from the sales person in the telecoms shop. Do you really need all that data? All that free time and chat that is included? People often sign up to high paying contracts that are rather unnecessary.

Now the cost of an internet connection is a tricky one. If you pay too little, you often get unreliability. If you pay too much, you end up with super faster internet and a download limit you never reach. The trick is to find an in between plan and look to get it as cheap as possible. Avoid bundling to ‘save money’ on things like the home phone and focus on finding an internet connection that has a low cost per month with a lightning fast download speed.

Gas bills
Gas is often used on stoves/cook tops and for heating hot water. Did you know that most Australian’s still have a water heating tank? These tanks are on 24/7 and the gas is always keeping the water warm. Instead look for a gas hot water system that heats the water ‘on the go’ – e.g. it lights up and warms the water only as you need it. A small investment to stop you using gas all day and night.

If, despite all your efforts, the bills are still a challenge, do consider calling the companies who supply you. They are usually open to setting up payment plans or reviewing your current agreement.