Hello everyone. I hope that life has been treating you well and if not just hang in there. Well I'm very pleased to announce I finally have a new, reliable vehicle-2005 Ford Ranger. Now with my transportation issue solved I can move on to other matters like a new couch for my living room, curtains for every room etc. I'm not bragging in the least but just trying to tell you that there are betters ways to obtain the material things that you want without having to go into debt. It's like Dave Ramsey said, "We spend money we don't have on things we don't need to impress people we don't like."
He also said that debt is dumb and cash is king. Amen to that brother. I could have gone into debt and purchased a vehicle for twice the amount it was worth but didn't because I remained true to myself and stayed the course. And my steadfastness paid off, much sooner than I expected. Patience and discipline go hand and hand when it comes to financial planning. Before you come up with a plan you have to change your whole way of thinking and in turn you more than likely have to change your life style. Probably the most important thing you need to do is reassess your life from top to bottom. Learn the differences between wants and needs. Kill the unnecessary expenses like eating out everyday, buying too many shoes or going to the bars. Even if you have the extra money to do these things it doesn't mean that you should. For example if you make $40,000 a year then you should budget your life like your making $24,000 because you never know when the bottom will fall out-a blown car engine, busted hot-water heater, a hole in the roof and so on. It's also imperative that you avoid the lure of the payday or car title loans. They aren't a long term solution, their not even a short term solution. And once they have their hooks in you it's extremely difficult to break away. It's so ridiculous when someone tells me that they are still paying on a $800 loan they took out two years ago at 30%. That is the very definition of throwing away money :-( I can talk about this because I have been through it. I acted irresponsibly and made stupid financial decisions and paid for them. And there was nobody to blame but myself. So I guess the very first thing you should do is own up to your mistakes and take on the responsibility of repaying the debt and repairing your credit. It won't be easy, it
never is but you can do it. I hope that I can
inspire at least one person to start making better financial and life decisions.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Greetings!
Greetings Readers
I'm taking a break from my writing to fill you in on my life. It's already the fourth month of 2012 and time is just flying by, that happens when you get older. I remember when I was very young and always wishing I was older. Now that I'm older I don't see what the big deal is. Oh well, live and learn. Ok, my car is broken and I have to make a major life decision of ditching it or spending $300 or more to have it fixed. The problem is my car is 24 years old and it's not going to get better. The real problem is that I won't be able to replace it anytime soon. I don't want to fool with a car payment and I don't want to keep throwing money into a vehicle that's falling apart. Besides that little problem my life is peachy. I'm accomplishing a lot, improving at my writing and working out at least 3 days a week. I've only had insufficient funds in my banking account once this year and that was my fault because I actually had the money. I'm not a stupid person but I do suffer stupid moments. Things are going well on my job, I work with some clowns. Sheba, my pet dog had another surgery to remove a another lump. The lump was cancerous but the Doctor said that it doesn't necessarily means that she has cancer but if she develops anymore lumps to remove them immediately. So I remain vigilant and so far there hasn't been anymore lumps. I find myself sleeping less now that the weather is improving which means I will get more accomplished-I hope. I had a lovely time with my mom this weekend and it seems I will be spending some time working in her garden this weekend. I don't have anything inspiration to write but I just wanted to touch base with you loyal reader and let you know that I'm still here. Oh my god how I love auto correct and spell check! I don't even know if I will or should post this blog because it's way more personal than I intended it to be but no point in letting a somewhat decent entry go to waste. This is really a warm up for the blog to come later, I hope :-)
Talk to you guys and gals soon.
I'm taking a break from my writing to fill you in on my life. It's already the fourth month of 2012 and time is just flying by, that happens when you get older. I remember when I was very young and always wishing I was older. Now that I'm older I don't see what the big deal is. Oh well, live and learn. Ok, my car is broken and I have to make a major life decision of ditching it or spending $300 or more to have it fixed. The problem is my car is 24 years old and it's not going to get better. The real problem is that I won't be able to replace it anytime soon. I don't want to fool with a car payment and I don't want to keep throwing money into a vehicle that's falling apart. Besides that little problem my life is peachy. I'm accomplishing a lot, improving at my writing and working out at least 3 days a week. I've only had insufficient funds in my banking account once this year and that was my fault because I actually had the money. I'm not a stupid person but I do suffer stupid moments. Things are going well on my job, I work with some clowns. Sheba, my pet dog had another surgery to remove a another lump. The lump was cancerous but the Doctor said that it doesn't necessarily means that she has cancer but if she develops anymore lumps to remove them immediately. So I remain vigilant and so far there hasn't been anymore lumps. I find myself sleeping less now that the weather is improving which means I will get more accomplished-I hope. I had a lovely time with my mom this weekend and it seems I will be spending some time working in her garden this weekend. I don't have anything inspiration to write but I just wanted to touch base with you loyal reader and let you know that I'm still here. Oh my god how I love auto correct and spell check! I don't even know if I will or should post this blog because it's way more personal than I intended it to be but no point in letting a somewhat decent entry go to waste. This is really a warm up for the blog to come later, I hope :-)
Talk to you guys and gals soon.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
$$ Be Smart $$
Blog
I know three nights ago I proclaimed that I would post on this blog no less than ten times a day. Clearly it was wishful thinking on my part and I'm fairly sure the caffeine played a role. The fact that I have posted two days in a week could be considered a small victory. How about I just aim for something much more manageable like one blog per week. I assume that for those of you whom blog, the subjects that you write about resonates with you on some level. And because it does you do your best to get your point across to your readers. Can we all agree on that? Ok let's move forward. At least that's how I do things. Today I want to talk to each of you about the growing problem this world faces, and it's the growing Stupidity Problem. There's such a board range of stupidity but I would like to talk about stupidity when it comes to our finances and life choices. Everyday more and Americans make stupid decision about their finances, diet and education. Our stupidity as a whole is a big reason that America is in the giant financial debt hole. What's worst is that most of the Stupids-that's what I will refer to them as from now on- believe the government should bail them out. I say why reward them for being stupid in the first place. If you were only making $30,000 a year then you had to know there was no way you could afford a $200,000 home. Some of the Stupids weren't even making $30,000. The best lessons are the hardest learned and most of us still glutton for punishment by unnecessary purchases like new cars, clothes and dinning out. Somehow we managed to justify those purchases by telling ourselves we deserve it. Or convince ourselves that they need it, Stupid.
The main thing that I have noticed is that most people don't understand how money really works. Its one thing to walk around with money in your pocket but unless you're about to spend all of that money at the grocery store, etc it isn't earning you any additional money. A long time ago banks used to pay out interest for allowing them to keep our money but now its the exact opposite. With the economy in its current state its difficult to find any high-interest baring accounts but there are some out there if your willing to do the research. I don't believe that walking around with all of your money in your pocket is very smart. Because at the very least a tiny bit of interest is better than none at all. Now back to my point about purchasing things that aren't necessary-and I'm really just generalizing here. Ladies, you aren't going to die if you don't buy those $125 pair of six inch hills. Guys you really, really don't have to spend $60 on every new video game that comes out, especially if the bills are piling up. But I'm nothing telling you guys anything that you don't already know. But just because you can doesn't always mean you should. Even if you can afford that new ride you've had your eye on for a whole doesn't mean you need to go into debt to purchase it. Especially if you already have a vehicle that works just fine.
While I have done no real research to back up this claim I believe that mental wellness and physical health go hand and hand. A healthy mind equals a healthy body and vice versa. So if you eat like garbage you will most likely feel like garbage. And when you feel like garbage you don't always make your best decisions or do your best work. Getting plenty of rest is vital to any operation. You don't see doctors performing surgery after going on a bender. Track and field participants don't party all night before a meet. Nobody performs at their best when they haven't had the proper rest. So just be sure to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet and cut out the sugars, starch and fats. And a little physical activity wouldn't kill you either- a short walk after a med to light dinner. A apple or banana for desert as as supposed to a banana split. You see what I did just now? I grouped in diet with physical health. It wasn't hard because the two go hand and hand.
Continuing to make the wrong choices makes your stupid. You can get mad at me all you want but it doesn't change the facts. This is something that I do know for certain and have researched, so to speak. Educated people can be stupid as well. After all they tend to accumulate a higher amount of debt than the uneducated. Why? Because they have higher paying jobs which means they tend to spend more on homes and vehicles. Not even they fully understand how money works and it's not entirely their faults. I blame it on the Money Changers who intentionally make the concept of money so complicated that most of us become so frustrated that we give up trying to learn. But that is another blog for another time. Using myself for example, the more I learn about money the more I realize that I don't know hardly anything about money. Please allow me to get back to the subject at hand which is education and lifestyle choices. You may not believe it but those two really do go hand and hand. The more you know the the further you can possibly go. Or at least that's the working theory. The parents should teach their children about the value of money at an early age. And what's taught at home should be layered upon in the schools by the teachers. Instead of home economics they should have classes that focus on financial planning/money management. Most of these kids honestly get it, they understand the simple concept of money-you work, you get paid etc. Unfortunately too many of our young men and women come into the real world armed with no knowledge of how money works or the importance of a good credit score. These are almost always the ones who find themselves living from paycheck to paycheck or on the welfare system. I understand that everyone can't be millionaires but we should all have a small degree of financial independence. That should be the real American dream. Not everyone is meant to own a home and most people shouldn't because it entails more responsibility than they are ready for. And everyone can't drive a fancy car or wear the latest and hottest thing that fashion has to offer. Remember that it's the advertiser's job to sell you on whatever it is they want you to buy. When you see that guy or girl with the nice car, motorcycle and big house don't be jealous or envious because you don't know what they had to do or sacrifice. For all you know they could be living from paycheck to paycheck just like you. But if your smart you don't have to live paycheck to paycheck. So education is supposed to lead to better lifestyle choices. Let me add one more thing. If you're going to the clubs every night and spending money on booze you probably aren't saving very much. And if your already stupid, booze makes you even more so. Nobody ever became smarter after they drank. In the end I guess what I'm trying to say is be smart. Be smart in all phases of your life. Be smart with you finances and your health. And if your already smart than be smarter.
I know three nights ago I proclaimed that I would post on this blog no less than ten times a day. Clearly it was wishful thinking on my part and I'm fairly sure the caffeine played a role. The fact that I have posted two days in a week could be considered a small victory. How about I just aim for something much more manageable like one blog per week. I assume that for those of you whom blog, the subjects that you write about resonates with you on some level. And because it does you do your best to get your point across to your readers. Can we all agree on that? Ok let's move forward. At least that's how I do things. Today I want to talk to each of you about the growing problem this world faces, and it's the growing Stupidity Problem. There's such a board range of stupidity but I would like to talk about stupidity when it comes to our finances and life choices. Everyday more and Americans make stupid decision about their finances, diet and education. Our stupidity as a whole is a big reason that America is in the giant financial debt hole. What's worst is that most of the Stupids-that's what I will refer to them as from now on- believe the government should bail them out. I say why reward them for being stupid in the first place. If you were only making $30,000 a year then you had to know there was no way you could afford a $200,000 home. Some of the Stupids weren't even making $30,000. The best lessons are the hardest learned and most of us still glutton for punishment by unnecessary purchases like new cars, clothes and dinning out. Somehow we managed to justify those purchases by telling ourselves we deserve it. Or convince ourselves that they need it, Stupid.
The main thing that I have noticed is that most people don't understand how money really works. Its one thing to walk around with money in your pocket but unless you're about to spend all of that money at the grocery store, etc it isn't earning you any additional money. A long time ago banks used to pay out interest for allowing them to keep our money but now its the exact opposite. With the economy in its current state its difficult to find any high-interest baring accounts but there are some out there if your willing to do the research. I don't believe that walking around with all of your money in your pocket is very smart. Because at the very least a tiny bit of interest is better than none at all. Now back to my point about purchasing things that aren't necessary-and I'm really just generalizing here. Ladies, you aren't going to die if you don't buy those $125 pair of six inch hills. Guys you really, really don't have to spend $60 on every new video game that comes out, especially if the bills are piling up. But I'm nothing telling you guys anything that you don't already know. But just because you can doesn't always mean you should. Even if you can afford that new ride you've had your eye on for a whole doesn't mean you need to go into debt to purchase it. Especially if you already have a vehicle that works just fine.
While I have done no real research to back up this claim I believe that mental wellness and physical health go hand and hand. A healthy mind equals a healthy body and vice versa. So if you eat like garbage you will most likely feel like garbage. And when you feel like garbage you don't always make your best decisions or do your best work. Getting plenty of rest is vital to any operation. You don't see doctors performing surgery after going on a bender. Track and field participants don't party all night before a meet. Nobody performs at their best when they haven't had the proper rest. So just be sure to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet and cut out the sugars, starch and fats. And a little physical activity wouldn't kill you either- a short walk after a med to light dinner. A apple or banana for desert as as supposed to a banana split. You see what I did just now? I grouped in diet with physical health. It wasn't hard because the two go hand and hand.
Continuing to make the wrong choices makes your stupid. You can get mad at me all you want but it doesn't change the facts. This is something that I do know for certain and have researched, so to speak. Educated people can be stupid as well. After all they tend to accumulate a higher amount of debt than the uneducated. Why? Because they have higher paying jobs which means they tend to spend more on homes and vehicles. Not even they fully understand how money works and it's not entirely their faults. I blame it on the Money Changers who intentionally make the concept of money so complicated that most of us become so frustrated that we give up trying to learn. But that is another blog for another time. Using myself for example, the more I learn about money the more I realize that I don't know hardly anything about money. Please allow me to get back to the subject at hand which is education and lifestyle choices. You may not believe it but those two really do go hand and hand. The more you know the the further you can possibly go. Or at least that's the working theory. The parents should teach their children about the value of money at an early age. And what's taught at home should be layered upon in the schools by the teachers. Instead of home economics they should have classes that focus on financial planning/money management. Most of these kids honestly get it, they understand the simple concept of money-you work, you get paid etc. Unfortunately too many of our young men and women come into the real world armed with no knowledge of how money works or the importance of a good credit score. These are almost always the ones who find themselves living from paycheck to paycheck or on the welfare system. I understand that everyone can't be millionaires but we should all have a small degree of financial independence. That should be the real American dream. Not everyone is meant to own a home and most people shouldn't because it entails more responsibility than they are ready for. And everyone can't drive a fancy car or wear the latest and hottest thing that fashion has to offer. Remember that it's the advertiser's job to sell you on whatever it is they want you to buy. When you see that guy or girl with the nice car, motorcycle and big house don't be jealous or envious because you don't know what they had to do or sacrifice. For all you know they could be living from paycheck to paycheck just like you. But if your smart you don't have to live paycheck to paycheck. So education is supposed to lead to better lifestyle choices. Let me add one more thing. If you're going to the clubs every night and spending money on booze you probably aren't saving very much. And if your already stupid, booze makes you even more so. Nobody ever became smarter after they drank. In the end I guess what I'm trying to say is be smart. Be smart in all phases of your life. Be smart with you finances and your health. And if your already smart than be smarter.
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