Today I will continue my discussion on new years resoloutions. I am going to talk about going to church(Dont roll your eyes, I can see you through my screen, you know who you are....lol).It made the top ten,so apparently it is worth discussing. I have been fortunate to be an active part of a church all of my life,and for this I am very thankful. So the question that is in my mind isnt why go to church but why not? If you dont go to church will you go to hell? Absoloutely not, that is absurd. If you are a christian and beleive in God, is going to church a requirement? No, it is not. Well, why go then? This is an excellent question and I will try to answer it to the best of my ability. I am soo thankful that we have freedom of religion in this country,and we dont have to do what we dont want to do. Religion, or lack therof, is never forced on us. It is up to us, and no one else whether we want to follow God or not and attend church. We are all born with free will,this is true. We are also born with a hole in our hearts,that we , as people, are constantly looking for things to fill, whether it be material posessions,drugs or alcohol,sex, knowledge,etc. These things may fill the void for a short time,only leaving you wanting more.material things of this world can only satisfy for a short amount of time. This leads me to my first reason why we should go to church,and that is to be closer to God,to meet with him, and allow him to fill a void that can only be satisfied through spiritual, not material means. What did you say? if I were to look up hellion in the dictionary, your picture would be there? You've done too many wrong things in your past, and dont feel you would be welcomed? My friend, that is where the love of God steps in,it is unconditional, as all love should be.
My second reason for going to church is simply that we need to be around good people. Positive people who we know we can go to for anything,whether it be a shoulder to cry on or prayer. Have you heard the saying you are or you become who you hang around? If you hang around eagles, you'll become an eagle, if you squawk with the turkies,yep, you guessed it, eventually you will get served up for Thanksgiving dinner(ok, that was a really bad analogy, pardon me.....lol), but you get it, or at least I hope you do.People need people, good people. Not people who are going to drag them down, but rather, build them up. Several years ago, i went through a really, I mean, really rough time in my life. I am soo thankful for the freidnships that were formed through that very difficult time in my life, friendships that i have still to this day. Friendships that were found at my local church,not at a local bar, or at the shopping mall. I hope you get my point.
My third and final reason is rest. Im not talking about the physical rest. I am talking about the "I need a break or I just might pull all of my hair out or kick and scream until i turn blue in the face kind of rest". You know, a mental break. Moms mental health day, i like to call it....lol. Matthew 11:28 says "Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest". I know for me, personally,when I go to church(and I always go....lol), it really sets the week off on a positive note for me. I leave feeling refreshed,renewed, and like i can take on the world. It really helps my attitude and destresses me. It affects the way I treat my family,it affects every part of my life, on a positive level. And in most cases, its free childcare....roflol (I am totally kidding, although that is a definate plus ). Not only do I notice how it affects me, but I also notice the positive effects it has on my family as well.
So, if you have been thinking about going, then what are you waiting for? I dont normally do this, Im not sure if anyone even reads this, but if you need help finding a church in your local area, i would be more than happy to help,just leave me a comment or something.
Have a great week, see you next time................
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Please Stop, we dont have to do this.
Just some things that are on my heart very heavily today. I am sad. We have a new president. I am excited about that, and i have no doubt that he will do some good things. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him. He is in my prayers. Let me explain why i am sad. There are two issues i am very strongly against and dont support, and that is gay rights(marriage) and abortion. Dont get me wrong,I love gay people, I just dont agree with their lifestyle. I have a few gay friends/aquaintances. But thats another story. One of Obamas top agendas is to make abortion legal, and to overturn Roe vs wade,etc. I read somewhere, and it may or may not be accurate, that this is indeed one of his top priorities,and it could have been hogwash(as far as his prorities go). Here is my personal opinion as far as the abortion thing goes. Number one if you do not want to get pregnant,then dont have sex. If you are going to have sex, then you need to accept the things that may or may not happen when you do.The more partners you have, the greater the risk.Thats as far as I will go with that. I could go as far as to discuss what God intended sex to be for and whom he intended it to be for in the first place, but Im just not going to go there.....lol.
Number 2 , abortion is murder,plain and simple. I know there is talk about sending the troops home,as well as talk about how many lives have been lost,etc.These soldiers did not die in vain,they died fighting for their country, and will never be forgotten.And lets not forget all of the innocent Iraqui men, women, and children that have died as well. But with all do respect, President Obama,have you considered how much innocent blood will be shed if abortion does in fact become legal,or easier to obtain? I realize it is already going on,but consider how much more will occur if that happens. Add it up, and eventually it will equal out to be more lives than all of the casualties in every war we have ever fought,and then some combined!!!! How is that any different? At least the soldiers were given a chance to live, and make the choice to serve and die for their country. Millions of precious babies wont even get the chance to make that choice. Those babies could have been the doctor who found the cure for cancer,or dare I even say it, the next commander in chief. They could have been the soldier who found Bin Laden. Or maybe it didnt even occur to you, that perhaps the person who was supposed to find Bin Laden didnt even get the chance to be born, because his or her mom aborted him several years ago. Something to think about.
Ok, I am crying now..............
I will close with this,a letter from an aborted child. I didnt write this, wish i had, I am not sure who the author is:
.
I am in Heaven now, sitting on God' lap. He loves me and cries with me; for my heart has been broken. I so wanted to be your little girl.
I don't quite understand what has happened. I was so excited when I began realizing my existence. I was in a dark, yet comfortable place.
I saw I had fingers and toes. I was pretty far along in my developing, yet not near ready to leave my surroundings. I spent most of my time thinking or sleeping.
Even from my earliest days, I felt a special bonding between you and me. Sometimes I heard you crying and I cried with you. Sometimes you would yell or scream, then cry. I heard Daddy yelling back. I was sad, and hoped you would be better soon. I wondered why you cried so much.
One day you cried almost all of the day. I hurt for you. I couldn't imagine why you were so unhappy. That same day, the most horrible thing happened. A very mean monster came into that warm, comfortable place I was in.
I was so scared, I began screaming, but you never once tried to help me. Maybe you never heard me. The monster got closer and closer as I was screaming and screaming, " Mommy, Mommy, help me please; Mommy, help me."
Complete terror is all I felt. I screamed and screamed until I thought I couldn't anymore.Then the monster started ripping my arm off. It hurt so bad; the pain I can never explain. It didn't stop. Oh, how I begged it to stop. I screamed in horror as it ripped my leg off.
Though I was in such complete pain, I was dying. I knew I would never see your face or hear you say how much you love me.
I wanted to make all your tears go away. I had so many plans to make you happy. Now I couldn't; all my dreams were shattered. Though I was in utter pain and horror, I felt the pain of my heart breaking, above all.
I wanted more than anything to be your daughter. No use now, for I was dying a painful death. I could only imagine the terrible things that they had done to you.
I wanted to tell you that I love you before I was gone, but I didn't know the words you could understand. And soon, I no longer had the breath to say them; I was dead. I felt myself rising.
I was being carried by a huge angel into a big beautiful place. I was still crying, but the physical pain was gone.
The angel took me to God and set me on His lap. He said He loved me, and He was my Father. Then I was happy. I asked Him what the thing was that killed me.
He answered, "Abortion. I am sorry, my child; for I know how it feels." I don't know what abortion is; I guess that's the name of the monster.
I'm writing to say that I love you and to tell you how much I wanted to be your little girl. I tried very hard to live. I wanted to live. I had the will, but I couldn't; the monster was too powerful. It sucked my arm and legs off and finally got all of me. It was impossible to live. I just wanted you to know I tried to stay with you. I didn't want to die.
Also, Mommy, please watch out for that abortion monster.
Mommy, I love you and I would hate for you to go through the kind of pain I did. Please be careful .
Mama, I only want to tell you that I forgive you and love you. Dont suffer for me. I also want to ask you for a small favor. Tell the expecting mothers that what they have in their wombs is a baby that only wants to make them happy
I love you mama
Love,
Your baby
Number 2 , abortion is murder,plain and simple. I know there is talk about sending the troops home,as well as talk about how many lives have been lost,etc.These soldiers did not die in vain,they died fighting for their country, and will never be forgotten.And lets not forget all of the innocent Iraqui men, women, and children that have died as well. But with all do respect, President Obama,have you considered how much innocent blood will be shed if abortion does in fact become legal,or easier to obtain? I realize it is already going on,but consider how much more will occur if that happens. Add it up, and eventually it will equal out to be more lives than all of the casualties in every war we have ever fought,and then some combined!!!! How is that any different? At least the soldiers were given a chance to live, and make the choice to serve and die for their country. Millions of precious babies wont even get the chance to make that choice. Those babies could have been the doctor who found the cure for cancer,or dare I even say it, the next commander in chief. They could have been the soldier who found Bin Laden. Or maybe it didnt even occur to you, that perhaps the person who was supposed to find Bin Laden didnt even get the chance to be born, because his or her mom aborted him several years ago. Something to think about.
Ok, I am crying now..............
I will close with this,a letter from an aborted child. I didnt write this, wish i had, I am not sure who the author is:
.
I am in Heaven now, sitting on God' lap. He loves me and cries with me; for my heart has been broken. I so wanted to be your little girl.
I don't quite understand what has happened. I was so excited when I began realizing my existence. I was in a dark, yet comfortable place.
I saw I had fingers and toes. I was pretty far along in my developing, yet not near ready to leave my surroundings. I spent most of my time thinking or sleeping.
Even from my earliest days, I felt a special bonding between you and me. Sometimes I heard you crying and I cried with you. Sometimes you would yell or scream, then cry. I heard Daddy yelling back. I was sad, and hoped you would be better soon. I wondered why you cried so much.
One day you cried almost all of the day. I hurt for you. I couldn't imagine why you were so unhappy. That same day, the most horrible thing happened. A very mean monster came into that warm, comfortable place I was in.
I was so scared, I began screaming, but you never once tried to help me. Maybe you never heard me. The monster got closer and closer as I was screaming and screaming, " Mommy, Mommy, help me please; Mommy, help me."
Complete terror is all I felt. I screamed and screamed until I thought I couldn't anymore.Then the monster started ripping my arm off. It hurt so bad; the pain I can never explain. It didn't stop. Oh, how I begged it to stop. I screamed in horror as it ripped my leg off.
Though I was in such complete pain, I was dying. I knew I would never see your face or hear you say how much you love me.
I wanted to make all your tears go away. I had so many plans to make you happy. Now I couldn't; all my dreams were shattered. Though I was in utter pain and horror, I felt the pain of my heart breaking, above all.
I wanted more than anything to be your daughter. No use now, for I was dying a painful death. I could only imagine the terrible things that they had done to you.
I wanted to tell you that I love you before I was gone, but I didn't know the words you could understand. And soon, I no longer had the breath to say them; I was dead. I felt myself rising.
I was being carried by a huge angel into a big beautiful place. I was still crying, but the physical pain was gone.
The angel took me to God and set me on His lap. He said He loved me, and He was my Father. Then I was happy. I asked Him what the thing was that killed me.
He answered, "Abortion. I am sorry, my child; for I know how it feels." I don't know what abortion is; I guess that's the name of the monster.
I'm writing to say that I love you and to tell you how much I wanted to be your little girl. I tried very hard to live. I wanted to live. I had the will, but I couldn't; the monster was too powerful. It sucked my arm and legs off and finally got all of me. It was impossible to live. I just wanted you to know I tried to stay with you. I didn't want to die.
Also, Mommy, please watch out for that abortion monster.
Mommy, I love you and I would hate for you to go through the kind of pain I did. Please be careful .
Mama, I only want to tell you that I forgive you and love you. Dont suffer for me. I also want to ask you for a small favor. Tell the expecting mothers that what they have in their wombs is a baby that only wants to make them happy
I love you mama
Love,
Your baby
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thank you President Bush
Today is a very important day in history,no doubt. The first African american president. WOW. America has definately come a long way. I didnt vote for him,but I am looking forward to seeing what he can do.Everyone talks about the past 8 years, how the economy has gone bad,etc, etc, but I just wanted to take the time on my blog to publicly thank President George W. Bush for the service he has done for our country, and probably most important, for keeping our country safe from terroristic threats and attacks. He may have not been the most eloquent, the best looking, most charismatic president.But he is a God fearing ,praying man, and I dont know about you, but that ranks very high in my book. Here is a list of just a few of the good things he did while in office:
. His Character-"Courage", doing the right thing regardless of the cost to himself.
.
. Enhanced interrogation of terrorists..
. We can't forget how Bush rebuilt presidential authority and brought dignity back into the office which was taken down by Clinton.
. His support for Israel.
. No Child Left Behind. .
. He strengthened relations with east Asian democracies: .
. Bush never wavered on Stem Cell Research.
. Bush freed an oppressed people both in Iraq and Afghanistan.I will never forget when the statue of saddam was torn down or even better, when they found him. We have Bush to thank for that.
. Bush has helped Iraq to be a free nation .
. Bush cut taxes, got rid of the marriage penalty and raised the child tax credit. This was a huge thing(in my book anyway)
So thank you, President Bush. For your service to our country and for the contributions you have made to progress our country(although they may seem insignificant to some). They will not be forgotten.
. His Character-"Courage", doing the right thing regardless of the cost to himself.
.
. Enhanced interrogation of terrorists..
. We can't forget how Bush rebuilt presidential authority and brought dignity back into the office which was taken down by Clinton.
. His support for Israel.
. No Child Left Behind. .
. He strengthened relations with east Asian democracies: .
. Bush never wavered on Stem Cell Research.
. Bush freed an oppressed people both in Iraq and Afghanistan.I will never forget when the statue of saddam was torn down or even better, when they found him. We have Bush to thank for that.
. Bush has helped Iraq to be a free nation .
. Bush cut taxes, got rid of the marriage penalty and raised the child tax credit. This was a huge thing(in my book anyway)
So thank you, President Bush. For your service to our country and for the contributions you have made to progress our country(although they may seem insignificant to some). They will not be forgotten.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Resale shop owners of the world UNITE
Ok,first, i just wanted to apologize for the really goofy title.....lol. Im really very sorry. I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about this lead testing law that is coming into effect.Over the past few days there has been quite an uproar in internetland over this. originally, this new law was going to require all toys and clothing, old and new to be tested for lead. This was to include books as well. Naturally alot of small businesses started to get angry, and worry that they would have to go out of business, after all, it costs anywhere from 100-1500 dollars for an item.Since I get most of my daughters clothes used, I was quite upset over this as well. Then just today, I heard that this was going to include used books, and that just set me off my rocker......lol.I get all of my books off of amazon, ebay,etc. I decided to do my research,and have no fear America,I bring good news:
For those that dont know as of February 10th, every toy, book, clothing item that is manufactured from that date on has to be tested for lead.If not, there could be some serious repercussions, like jail and not to mention about 100,000 dollars in fines and fees. Now, this doesnt effect me all that much anymore. But it does still affect small business owners in some way. What if they sell someone something with a high lead content that they didnt have tested? It seems to me like a lose lose situation................your eiether out thousands upon thousands of dollars or you run the risk of possibly going to jail. I really hope they get this all worked out,because it seems like a pretty good law.
Here is a helpful link
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html
For those that dont know as of February 10th, every toy, book, clothing item that is manufactured from that date on has to be tested for lead.If not, there could be some serious repercussions, like jail and not to mention about 100,000 dollars in fines and fees. Now, this doesnt effect me all that much anymore. But it does still affect small business owners in some way. What if they sell someone something with a high lead content that they didnt have tested? It seems to me like a lose lose situation................your eiether out thousands upon thousands of dollars or you run the risk of possibly going to jail. I really hope they get this all worked out,because it seems like a pretty good law.
Here is a helpful link
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html
Dirty four letter word :-)
Ok, this is posted a little late, i never got around to finishing it cause well, im a mom, and we just dont get much time for ourselves.....lol
One week into the new year. Hope yours isnt going as crappy as mine.......lol.Just kidding,I know it will get better, it has to. :) So this evening, I am going to continue my discussion about new Years resolutions. I am going to talk about the dirty little four letter word that no one wants to hear. You better get ready and plug your ears. ready? D-I-E-T. There I said it, that was quick and painless. Let me go grab my bar of soap, or my chocolate candy bar, whichever is quicker and closer to the computer. I am actually on one right now, and it is probably the one thing in my life that is actually going the way I want it to..........lol. Im six pounds in.Im not telling anyone what Im doing, its going to stay a secret. My goal this month is to fit into a dress that I bought at Macy's on sale, which I have never been able to wear, so we'll see how it goes.I have alot of reasons to lose weight. I have two very important ones, however. My first one is because i want to set a better physical example for my daughter. Shes a chunky monkey, but a beautiful chunky monkey......lol. She reminds me soo much of me at that age,especially physically. I remember growing up how my weight affected my quality of life in soo many ways. My second reason, and this may or may not seem odd, but I would like to lose weight so I can have another baby. Im too heavy to have one right now(or at least in my opinion).
So, what is the mot successful diet? In my personal opinion, there is none, although I do like Bob Greenes philosophy. You can read about him here http://www.thebestlife.com/
His diet has you deal with life changing habits, instead of just dieting, for example, quitting smoking,drinking too much soda(which used to be a huge problem for me),etc.
The best way to lose weight is to determine why you are that way in the first place. For some, it is overeating, but but even weight gain can be from something as simple as lack of sleep.According to Tracy Mann, UCLA associate professor of psychology studied a group of people on a diet. Her studies concluded most of them would have been better off not going on the diet at all. Their weight would be pretty much the same, and their bodies would not suffer the wear and tear from losing weight and gaining it all back. People on diets typically lose 5 to 10 percent of their starting weight in the first six months, the researchers found. However, at least one-third to two-thirds of people on diets regain more weight than they lost within four or five years, and the true number may well be significantly higher, they said. HOW SAD.
I will give you an example. My dad. he lost a good 50 pounds this summer, and as of right now has gained at least half of it back. Fell off the bandwagon, so to speak. I am sure alot of you watch the show The Biggest Loser, it is one of my faves. Season 1 winner Ryan Benson lost a whopping 122 pounds, but then later proceeded to gain it back and then some. Why does this happen? Why do we lose the weight only to gain it back ? Well, its very simple. Alot of us never deal with why we are fat in the first place. It could be due to emotional eating, or in my case a lack of discipline(Ill admit it....lol). Obesity or being overweight is not a fat issue, its a heart issue,literally, both emotionally and physically. You have to deal with the emotional as well as the physical,and most of us never do that.........
I have a long way to go, but I know I can do it with the support of my family and GOd. I have one of those "skinny" husbands, who can eat whatever he wants,which makes it a little more difficult....lol. I keep telling him it will all catch up to him one day....lol.
I am determined to do this, and a few months from now,I will be posting some before and after pictures, so be looking for them :-)
One week into the new year. Hope yours isnt going as crappy as mine.......lol.Just kidding,I know it will get better, it has to. :) So this evening, I am going to continue my discussion about new Years resolutions. I am going to talk about the dirty little four letter word that no one wants to hear. You better get ready and plug your ears. ready? D-I-E-T. There I said it, that was quick and painless. Let me go grab my bar of soap, or my chocolate candy bar, whichever is quicker and closer to the computer. I am actually on one right now, and it is probably the one thing in my life that is actually going the way I want it to..........lol. Im six pounds in.Im not telling anyone what Im doing, its going to stay a secret. My goal this month is to fit into a dress that I bought at Macy's on sale, which I have never been able to wear, so we'll see how it goes.I have alot of reasons to lose weight. I have two very important ones, however. My first one is because i want to set a better physical example for my daughter. Shes a chunky monkey, but a beautiful chunky monkey......lol. She reminds me soo much of me at that age,especially physically. I remember growing up how my weight affected my quality of life in soo many ways. My second reason, and this may or may not seem odd, but I would like to lose weight so I can have another baby. Im too heavy to have one right now(or at least in my opinion).
So, what is the mot successful diet? In my personal opinion, there is none, although I do like Bob Greenes philosophy. You can read about him here http://www.thebestlife.com/
His diet has you deal with life changing habits, instead of just dieting, for example, quitting smoking,drinking too much soda(which used to be a huge problem for me),etc.
The best way to lose weight is to determine why you are that way in the first place. For some, it is overeating, but but even weight gain can be from something as simple as lack of sleep.According to Tracy Mann, UCLA associate professor of psychology studied a group of people on a diet. Her studies concluded most of them would have been better off not going on the diet at all. Their weight would be pretty much the same, and their bodies would not suffer the wear and tear from losing weight and gaining it all back. People on diets typically lose 5 to 10 percent of their starting weight in the first six months, the researchers found. However, at least one-third to two-thirds of people on diets regain more weight than they lost within four or five years, and the true number may well be significantly higher, they said. HOW SAD.
I will give you an example. My dad. he lost a good 50 pounds this summer, and as of right now has gained at least half of it back. Fell off the bandwagon, so to speak. I am sure alot of you watch the show The Biggest Loser, it is one of my faves. Season 1 winner Ryan Benson lost a whopping 122 pounds, but then later proceeded to gain it back and then some. Why does this happen? Why do we lose the weight only to gain it back ? Well, its very simple. Alot of us never deal with why we are fat in the first place. It could be due to emotional eating, or in my case a lack of discipline(Ill admit it....lol). Obesity or being overweight is not a fat issue, its a heart issue,literally, both emotionally and physically. You have to deal with the emotional as well as the physical,and most of us never do that.........
I have a long way to go, but I know I can do it with the support of my family and GOd. I have one of those "skinny" husbands, who can eat whatever he wants,which makes it a little more difficult....lol. I keep telling him it will all catch up to him one day....lol.
I am determined to do this, and a few months from now,I will be posting some before and after pictures, so be looking for them :-)
Thursday, January 1, 2009
saving Money..........how to make that dollar stretch until it cries.....lol
Happy happy New year everyone :-) . I am beginning to wonder the older I get, that maybe staying up until 4 am isnt the best idea.....lol. Today we will enjoy our traditional New Years day meal of black eyed peas and sausage with sauer kraut(a german family tradition). I have never been much of a black eyed pea lover, in fact, I only eat twelve of them.....lol. One for each month of the year. I know, pretty stupid,huh?
Today i am going to focus on one of the resoloutions that were on my top ten list, and thats saving money. Money,you know that green papery type stuff that everyone lets control their lives and goes crazy over. What? You've never heard of it? Perhaps you once knew it quite well,but parted ways over the holidays,or, if you are like me have never really got to know it,but are good friends with its partner the ever popular debit/credit bank card. The following are my thoughts and views on how you can save, and I would encourage you to try at least one, or come up with your own.
First, let me share with you what we do. we have a savings and checking account. I have divided the savings account into several seperate accounts,not physically,but on paper. We set a yearly budget,we have an educational account,a birthday/christmas/gifts account,emergency ,household,automotive,vacation account. For example,Our birthday/gift budget right now is about 500 dollars. I take that and divide it by 56, and that is how much we put into it each week.Moving on...............
#1 get rid of unecessary plastic. Cut them up, shred them to pieces. Do you really need that Petco or Victorias Secret charge account? You may think so, but I promise you that Fido and your significant other wont care. Go ahead. ask them. i dare you. At the most, you only need two, a bank credit/debit card, and a credit card for emergencies. Getting your nails done is not an emergency....lol. And dont charge more than you can pay off in a month or two.
Here are some credit card statistics for you:
Consumers carry more than 1 billion Visa cards worldwide. More than 450 million of those cards are in the United States.
Total U.S. consumer revolving debt reached $976 billion in October 2008. About 98 percent of that debt was credit card debt
What about paying them off after you cut them up? I have a few suggestions..........
#1 Pay them in full. If you cant do this then:
#2 Pay more than the minimum due #3 Negotiate the best deals with credit companies #4 Allocate funds to your creditors in proportion to how much you owe
Shop smart: Get aquainted with garage sales,Craigs List, and ebay.Buy gently used
I never buy stuff that is not on sale. In fact, when buying anything that is new, there has to be a price reduction on it of some kind. If you pay anything less than sale price, in my personal opinion you are getting jipped, especially where clothing is concerned.Manufacturers charge small prices and department stores jack the prices up 120%.
Ebay and craigslist are some of my best friends. You can get department store stuff at a fraction of the cost. I am a big fan of high end cosmetics, and get all of mine there. If you are in the market for a vehicle, you can find a decent one there. A friend of ours got a very good vehicle on Craigslist for 200 bucks. It was in perfect working condition,the guy just wanted to get rid of it because he was deploying.
Children are very expensive,and the more money we can save raising them, the better.They outgrow everything,toys and clothes especially,why hurt your pocketbook over things that you know are going to get shoved to the side and outgrown?
My final shopping tip is to shop out of season. Once again i am referring to clothes. Buy your bathing suits at the end of summer,your jackets at the end of winter,your easter dress after easter. Then you will have it for next year.
Today i am going to focus on one of the resoloutions that were on my top ten list, and thats saving money. Money,you know that green papery type stuff that everyone lets control their lives and goes crazy over. What? You've never heard of it? Perhaps you once knew it quite well,but parted ways over the holidays,or, if you are like me have never really got to know it,but are good friends with its partner the ever popular debit/credit bank card. The following are my thoughts and views on how you can save, and I would encourage you to try at least one, or come up with your own.
First, let me share with you what we do. we have a savings and checking account. I have divided the savings account into several seperate accounts,not physically,but on paper. We set a yearly budget,we have an educational account,a birthday/christmas/gifts account,emergency ,household,automotive,vacation account. For example,Our birthday/gift budget right now is about 500 dollars. I take that and divide it by 56, and that is how much we put into it each week.Moving on...............
#1 get rid of unecessary plastic. Cut them up, shred them to pieces. Do you really need that Petco or Victorias Secret charge account? You may think so, but I promise you that Fido and your significant other wont care. Go ahead. ask them. i dare you. At the most, you only need two, a bank credit/debit card, and a credit card for emergencies. Getting your nails done is not an emergency....lol. And dont charge more than you can pay off in a month or two.
Here are some credit card statistics for you:
Consumers carry more than 1 billion Visa cards worldwide. More than 450 million of those cards are in the United States.
Total U.S. consumer revolving debt reached $976 billion in October 2008. About 98 percent of that debt was credit card debt
What about paying them off after you cut them up? I have a few suggestions..........
#1 Pay them in full. If you cant do this then:
#2 Pay more than the minimum due #3 Negotiate the best deals with credit companies #4 Allocate funds to your creditors in proportion to how much you owe
Shop smart: Get aquainted with garage sales,Craigs List, and ebay.Buy gently used
I never buy stuff that is not on sale. In fact, when buying anything that is new, there has to be a price reduction on it of some kind. If you pay anything less than sale price, in my personal opinion you are getting jipped, especially where clothing is concerned.Manufacturers charge small prices and department stores jack the prices up 120%.
Ebay and craigslist are some of my best friends. You can get department store stuff at a fraction of the cost. I am a big fan of high end cosmetics, and get all of mine there. If you are in the market for a vehicle, you can find a decent one there. A friend of ours got a very good vehicle on Craigslist for 200 bucks. It was in perfect working condition,the guy just wanted to get rid of it because he was deploying.
Children are very expensive,and the more money we can save raising them, the better.They outgrow everything,toys and clothes especially,why hurt your pocketbook over things that you know are going to get shoved to the side and outgrown?
My final shopping tip is to shop out of season. Once again i am referring to clothes. Buy your bathing suits at the end of summer,your jackets at the end of winter,your easter dress after easter. Then you will have it for next year.
Say Yes to dining at home
The Average american family eats out 2-5 times a week,paying an average price of 5 bucks per meal per person. Do the math. That is ALOT of money. I understand, life is busy. You have church, Billy's soccer and band practices,and Susies dance lessons. yada yada yada.That is money that could be going into your childrens college fund, or money that could be used somewhere else, like a vacation. In fact, you could probably pay for a small vacation with the money you are spending. Lets not forget to include the Starbucks runs,and breakfast/lunch runs you make during the day while you are at work.I have a fun idea for you.Take the dine at home/take lunch to work challenge. You can do this individually or compete with another family or another person/co-worker. If you are competing against someone,The winner is the one who preferably hasnt eaten out all month,or the fewest times.The loser takes the winner to a really nice eatery. If you are doing it individually,take the money you would normally use on each meal, put it up and save it, and at the end of the month treat yourself to something nice with the money(not all of it, remember, the point is to save....lol).We plan on doing this in february, i will let you know how it goes.
Get Creative
This last tip is pretty self expanatory. Whats that? You dont have a creative bone in your body you say?Oh, I beg to differ, everyone has a little bit of creativity. There are alot of ways creativity can save you money,but the two I most recommend are gardening and making your own cleaning supplies. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the best,and it really doesnt cost as much as you think.Theres just something special about picking a cucumber or tomato straight from the vine, not to mention the good feeling of how much money it saves you. Here is an excellent link for homemade cleaning supplies:
http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/cleaning-products.html
And, that my dear friends,is my blog for the day. A little lengthy,yes, but I hope some of the information here can help you. Its just common sense stuff, but there may be some things here you havent thought of before.Cheers!!! heres to a Happy, Cheaper 2009!!!
The Average american family eats out 2-5 times a week,paying an average price of 5 bucks per meal per person. Do the math. That is ALOT of money. I understand, life is busy. You have church, Billy's soccer and band practices,and Susies dance lessons. yada yada yada.That is money that could be going into your childrens college fund, or money that could be used somewhere else, like a vacation. In fact, you could probably pay for a small vacation with the money you are spending. Lets not forget to include the Starbucks runs,and breakfast/lunch runs you make during the day while you are at work.I have a fun idea for you.Take the dine at home/take lunch to work challenge. You can do this individually or compete with another family or another person/co-worker. If you are competing against someone,The winner is the one who preferably hasnt eaten out all month,or the fewest times.The loser takes the winner to a really nice eatery. If you are doing it individually,take the money you would normally use on each meal, put it up and save it, and at the end of the month treat yourself to something nice with the money(not all of it, remember, the point is to save....lol).We plan on doing this in february, i will let you know how it goes.
Get Creative
This last tip is pretty self expanatory. Whats that? You dont have a creative bone in your body you say?Oh, I beg to differ, everyone has a little bit of creativity. There are alot of ways creativity can save you money,but the two I most recommend are gardening and making your own cleaning supplies. Fresh fruits and vegetables are the best,and it really doesnt cost as much as you think.Theres just something special about picking a cucumber or tomato straight from the vine, not to mention the good feeling of how much money it saves you. Here is an excellent link for homemade cleaning supplies:
http://www.mrscleannw.com/tips/cleaning-products.html
And, that my dear friends,is my blog for the day. A little lengthy,yes, but I hope some of the information here can help you. Its just common sense stuff, but there may be some things here you havent thought of before.Cheers!!! heres to a Happy, Cheaper 2009!!!
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