Have a wonderful Fourth of July! I hope you can get out and enjoy some quality time with your family and friends!

Today I was talking with a friend about cola and how different it tastes from a can, to plastic bottle to a glass bottle. As we were talking he mentioned that Pepsi had come out with a new All Natural Cola. After searching the Pepsi Co website a bit I found a news feed that talks about it.

As part of the company's “Refresh Everything” campaign, Pepsi is reinvigorating its beverage lineup with the introduction of three new products. Pepsi Natural, Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback , all sweetened with natural sugar, will be hitting the beverage aisle this March and April.

An all-new premium cola, Pepsi Natural is made with all-natural ingredients, including lightly sparkling water, natural sugar, natural caramel and kola nut extract. The amber-hued cola gets its color from natural caramel and natural apple extract. From the amount of bubbles to the foam that rises to the top of beverage when it's poured, Pepsi Natural offers a brand-new cola experience.

I am excited to try this and luckily they are selling it near where I live. Pepsi Natural is packaged in a sleek 12-oz. glass bottle and is available in single-serve and 4-packs initially in the premium and/or natural food aisles of retail outlets in the following ten regional markets; Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas and New York.

There a ton of creams out there that say they can take care of cellulite but if it were that easy we would all have perfect behinds and legs. Everyone wants the easy way out, the easy cure all, thats why so many people buy into the creams but really the only way to beat cellulite is EXERCISE.

A study found that 75% of women who did just 20 minutes each of cardio and strength training three days a week  saw a dramatic reduction in dimpling after two months.

As I made my way to Starbucks this morning, I was ready to order my regular coffee and doughnut when I noticed the coffee sign was different. I asked the lady about it and she said "yes today is the premiere of the new healthier food options". So I politely asked what they were and on the glass case where the food is was a new sign that read - No Artificial Trans Fats, No  Artificial Flavors, No Artificial Dyes and No High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Along with these changes they have added some new menu items, such as Bluberry Oat Bar, Banana Walnut Bread, Marshmallow Dream Bar, and the best part - the Farmers Market Salad - it sounds amazing, with blue cheese, almonds, cranberries, and apples on a bed of romaine lettuce with all natural balsamic vinaigrette and only 300 calories.

Bringing the same passion Starbucks has in serving customers some of the best coffee in the world, the company went back to the kitchen and started from scratch. Starbucks baked and tasted hundreds of recipes to make its food more as nature intended, cutting out all artificial flavors, dyes and high fructose corn syrup, as well as artificial preservatives wherever possible.

I am so impressed by these changes, it makes me feel better knowing that Im not ingesting all that artificial junk. Get out and enjoy some - Real Food. Simply Delicious.

Wardrobe malfunctions seem to come at the most inopportune times. Making it difficult to fix quickly. But Wisebread has come up with a list of ways to repair those unsightly wardrobe malfunctions using tools and items you are surrounded by daily at work or at home.

One of the most fascinating quick fixes is using a a staple to repair broken hook and eyelet fasteners, but Sharon(the Frugal Duchess) can help you put together a survival kit for fashion emergencies.

Here is the complete article; Cheap and Easy Repairs for Wardrobe Malfunctions.

For more great tips on living large on a small budget dig around Wisebread, its a great site full of frugal living tips and tricks.

1. Use Coupons ~ Not always is this easy, but its worth it to try. Here are a few sites to try: Restaurant.com offers gift certificates at a discounted price but there are restrictions. Use your Entertainment book - BOGO deals.

2. Don't order drinks ~ Soda and alcohol can really up the bill . Stick with free water.

3. Split a meal with someone ~ This saves you from eating too much and also saves you from carrying around the dreaded box of left overs, that rarely get eaten.

4. Go early and enjoy the early bird specials or happy hour ~ You can get the normal menu items for almost half off.

5. If dining with kids, try places that kids eat free ~ Applebees and Ihop are among the many that offer free kids meals with an adult purchase.

6. Skip the dessert and appetizer ~ Desserts are a huge money maker for restaurants. If you are really craving a dessert, stop at the market on the way home to pick up something fabulous.

7. Order Take Out ~ This will save you from shelling out money for drinks and a tip, which adds up fast.

We each have our 'little things' we can't live without. What are yours? Now lets turn that around and find the things we 'can' live without. In these tough economic times we have to continually be thinking of ways to save money. Below are a handful of ways to help you save money every month.

1. Get rid of the land line ~ Most everyone these days owns a cell phone, why not disconnect your land line and save approximately $25.00 a month for the monthly service and fees. You can save a bunch more if you tend to make out of state calls. That's where the cell phone comes in hand, most contracts don't charge extra for out of state, as long as you stay within your minutes.

2. Disconnect the cable ~ Yesterday I mentioned 5 Sites to Watch TV W/O Cable. Cable on average costs about $35-$50 every month.

3. Cancel you gym membership ~ Even if you only do it for the summer months, get outside and enjoy the weather and nature by running, riding your bike or hiking. If you want to cancel for good, try out some new exercise DVDs when the cooler weather hits. Average savings of $100 for a family of 4.

4. Cut out the weekly trip to your favorite restaurant ~ Try cutting back on eating out. Its tough but the amount you spend for a family of 4 is outrageous. Average savings is $40 weekly at a local chain.

5. Brown bag it ~ Take your lunch to work with you. Saving you about $6 every day = $30 a week, $120 every month.

If you combined all of these your total monthly savings would be approximately $445.00. Wow! That's a savings of over $5,000 in a year.

One of our colleagues has launched him and his family on an Epic Journey across the country in the next three weeks. It will be a great chance for him and his family to spend time together. My wife and myself are also joining the rest of my side of the family for a week at the beach next week. Summer is a great time for family vacations, memories that can last a lifetime.

Family vacations are a great way to spend an extended amount of time with your kids and to help them see and experience everything this life has to offer. Family vacations can also be nightmares of planning and exhaustion, of backseat fighting and the incessant, never ending question of 'are we there yet?'. Here are some tips from us here at HackALife to help 'crazy proof' your family vacation, so that you can enjoy the time you have with your family.

1. Confirm your vacation reservation, including hotel, air, car, train, dining and activity reservations. A few phone calls before you leave can save you from vacation stress later on.

2.Pack as light as possible or consider shipping large bags, golf and ski equipment to your destination. There are services that will pick up bags at your home or at the office and deliver them to your destination by the required date.

3. Pack your camera and video equipment at least 24 hours before leaving your house. This way you can make sure that all the necessary batteries have been charged.

4.If you are flying, pack a small carry-on bag of essentials you can't be without in case your bags get delayed.
If you are driving, make sure that you have a road atlas handy. You can also look up driving directions online before you go and find out approximate driving times.

5. Bring along individual refillable water bottles. These can be refilled at the hotel and at attraction water fountains. A family of four could easily spend $20 or more a day buying water.

Hopefully these tips can help you and your family enjoy the vacation experience. Happy Trails!

I have had a few friends tell me that they have decided to go without cable TV, due to the high cost and hard economic times. At first I thought that would be hard but as different ones have told me, there are many options on the internet. And most all of us has a computer or two in our house, making watching tv on the computer not so hard to do.

1. Splash Cast Media - SplashCast allows you to watch your favorite TV shows where you already spend your time online: in Facebook and MySpace. This is a fundamentally new way to watch TV.

2. Hulu - Finally, TV on your terms. Watch your favorite videos right from your browser, anytime, for free. With full episodes of TV shows both current and classic, full-length movies, web originals, and clips of just about everything, Hulu is the place to watch and enjoy premium videos from the biggest names in entertainment.

3. ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX - All offer free full length episodes from shows that air on their stations.

4. FreeTube - A service that lets you watch live Internet TV channels online for free without the need for any special hardware, software or subscription service. We are a completely free alternative to cable or satellite television that lets you watch tv channels and tv shows online using just your browser.

5. Jump TV - Offers complete end-to-end solutions for delivering premium sports, international and variety programming worldwide through the internet to consumers' televisions or computers.

Yep its definitely summer, you can feel it in the warmth of the air and the see it in the constant sweat collecting on the armpits of many a shirt. What better way to help combat the sweat than to make your own deodorant.

Over at Instructables.com they have a step by step instructional guide to help you make your own deodorant, using just a few simple ingredients.

This is perfect for those with allergic reactions to the chemicals in the store bought deodorant or for those with sensitive skin. Whats nice about making your own is that the ingredients are almost all already in your cupboard.

You start by picking out your favorite scent in an essential oil, something that wont be too strong or cause sensitivity. Then after you mix the ingredients you use your old deodorant container and fill it up and let it sit for a day or two. It really seems like an easy project and well worth it.

They claim it takes only 5 minutes, I guess I have to try it out to see if it sincerely will only take 5.