Public Awareness Annoucements

Do this get your attention? The idea of living above the influence means that you are leading a healthy lifestyle without drugs and alcohol. The above the influence advertisement campaign is directly marketed at teenagers, but also gets the attention of adults. Even though parents have been through the difficulty of teen years as well, times do change and pressure seems different. I just need to ask, do the ads really help?

It is important that the campaign does not advertise any sort of fun that can be associated with drugs and alcohol, but instead market how destructive the behaviors can be. Abusing a substance can lead to failing yourself, school, losing trust from your parents and friends, and eventually losing hope. What needs to be remembered is that there can always be a way out, and for this reason, I like the ad campaign.

I am hoping that the campaign will start advertising the destructive behavior of suicide. There is a lot of literature on drinking and driving and how addiction can ruin a life, but what about when someone feels as though all hope is gone? It would be really great to see this addition to the team.

Another way that the campaign can be increased is spreading awareness throughout college campuses as well. Maybe the campaign could have speakers that talk nationwide to various high schools and colleges so that there can be a personal effect on what the campaign is trying to accomplish.

Would you go to a campaign like this?

In respone to Laurie Whalen

"What are the different ways you do or have heard to save money?"

 Laurie talks about different ways that people save money, particularly with groceries. I have to say that I am a bargain shopper. Why buy something at full price when it is bound to go on the sale rack (i.e. electronics, clothes, etc.)? I became a more frugal shopper once I realized the value of a dollar and how far that can go, especially when you are a college student.

Some people believe that one has to just buy a few good pieces of clothes for example instead of having a closet full of items that one rarely likes. When it comes to items such as electronics, one must buy something that is affordable, practical, and has a good value. Hopefully you aren't going to buy a BMW when your kitchen appliances are on their last leg... but who knows. Some people think differently than I do.

Since I am always on the hunt for a good bargain, here are some websites that I have come across of that have saved me a few bucks:

•  glasses: zennioptical.com
• shoes: shoedazzle.com, justfab.com
• magazines: type into google, "Free magazine subscriptions" (I got a free 1 year subscription for W and Cosmopolitan magazines
• city coupons: groupon.com
• housewares: ikea.com

These are just a few of the websites that come to mind. It is exciting to receive a deal on something when you were planning on spending more. As Laurie mentioned in her blog, cutting coupons is a great way to save. Take the fifteen minutes to browse the Sunday newspaper and you could save some dough!