How Low Can You Go?

Remember the Limbo Game? It's a ton of fun to see who can scoot under the pole and shimmy without touching at the lowest point...Everybody who's playing is usually excited and laughing to see the players contort to get below the mark~to get the lowest to go lower and lower...and lower...

I want to ask you, if you were facing financial ruin or hardship would you make any changes before it hit to prevent or minimize the effects? What strategy would you employ to minimize the situation in your family's livelihood?

We all would do what it would take to keep our families safe and sound. I know that thinking about these economic times with all the fear and uncertainty is not the mindset many of us want to have, nor should we live in fear and anxiety. But we would be better to think in terms of strategy and methods for doing what we can to lower our outgo so that if we should face these kinds of issues we are more prepared. I don't want to be presumed to be negative or a "dooms day" prophet, but I do want to offer a honest evaluation of the economy and situations for many in our communities and even some of us...we are looking for ways to cut expenses, make do, thrive and survive so that we live...and how low we are willing to go can just like the game~and we know life is NO GAME, but like that game...how low we are willing to go can make the difference in our staying in the economic playing field or even winning~staying viable!

I have been practicing methods of thrift for sometime, years actually because of economic conditions long before the recession. I had to ask myself that question too~how low was I personally willing to go? Each person has to do this for themselves, and it's a personal decision for each of us. But I want to encourage everyone to begin making changes small, bigger, huge, whatever changes you can to lower the outgo so you can sustain any changes that are necessary.

Almost anything you can do will help, and I've read so many times that it is the small amounts of money that add up to huge amounts...that sounds silly doesn't it? But it's really true!

If you are in a situation where the mortgage is threatened with foreclosure the situation will demand greater efforts to go forward. Cutting expenses won't have to equal cutting satisfaction and pleasure out of life. Unfortunately our society places great importance in the value of the things here on earth, but remembering that the simplest pleasures offer the greatest fulfillment will make the choices made easier to bare. It's making up one's mind that thrifty living is a priority and that nothing will surpass this effort.

I received a link, THANKS Marla for http://www.truthinforeclosure.com/ to help us who are in the trench over our homes.

What ways are you lowering your outgo each month? Are you practicing thrift to save each Lincoln so you will thrive in this economy? I'd love to hear what you are doing.

Remember we can do this! Simple and FREE is best!

Beating the Blues With No Green$

I love Blues music. Growing up in the south has acquainted me with the saltry sounds of blues, jazz and southern rock for years. . .there's a sadness, a cry to it underneath the tones that soothes and calms...Without sound finances, the blues could be more than a genre of music for us who are living on less than we once had or less than we had hoped or less than is adequate for our "needs." So how do we beat these blues without green$ or money? Many people find that the ability to do things that cost money, to bring loads of "joy:"travel, possessions, experiences and more can suddenly be out of reach and now there's a need~a void where something once was that NOW may or may not ever return...how can we be happy and joyful, beating the blues without the green$?



Here are some ideas:

1. Consider our 'mindset' to think about what's really important or satisfies.

I wrote about this an entry or so back...what satisfies you? Is it touchable by human hands or is it something that is inward, inside your being that does this? The ability to be satisfied is rooted in our priorities. God should be our number one, but then where do the other areas find their place in our lives? Prioritize the things and ideals of this life...

2. Create a plan to do something with what we already have as a ready and able resource. Huh?

Yes, look at what is available and within our grasp that we might not be utilizing to its fullest. Do we have a deck or porch, an out door swing? Get on it and listen to the birds! Sit in the sunshine for a few minutes and breathe the fresh air! Does it need scrubbing? Go do that! Sidewalk? Sweep it~clean it, edge it... While outside, hear, smell and feel all of God's beautiful nature! Take a walk. Pick wild flowers by the side of the road (as long as it's legal to do so!) Do you have a bike? Take a ride! Craft items unused~get them out~work on a project...does your office or school room or den or kitchen pantry need organizing? WHAT about creating something in the kitchen to eat? Do you cook? What is there to do? What is there to use up and or re-purpose for another item! Find a way to use those ready and able resources that are just THERE without us using them~busy hands and minds lifts the spirit!

3. Concert with true joy!

Music with positive effects will chase the blues and beat it! Turn on music when you can...I like a quiet home with the sounds so low that you literally hear the dog snore, birds sing and keyboard keys clicking, but some homes have the noise of the television and radio constantly around them. Is NOISE a problem? If so, quieten down the atmosphere. If quiet is too much, then add some musical sound~I like online radio and radio theature. I always have liked a good radio drama or story. I enjoy a dramatic reading of books and the Bible. These can be found online or at the libray to be borrowed for FREE~

4. Creation~God's showcase!

Living with a sense of the wonder of God and creation beats the blues with no green$ I have enjoyed looking at the sky from time to time. Did you ever like I did lay in the grass and watch the cloud formations change with the breezes to create different looks that could be most anything my imagination could see? I love looking and watching a sunset, sunrise and the moon cycle. I like star gazing and have been known to check out when mediaorite showers were occurring or other night sky activities. Appreciating God's creation lends itself beyond skyward watching but into all of nature. I love wildlife. We have a bunny living in our back yard~little wonder if our garden didn't survive, but my hubby put wire around it at the level his ears would have touched and he didn't like it, so he's pretty much left it alone! But I love bunnies and dear and raccoons, possums, beavers, badgers. . . I like turtles, not snakes so much or lizards, but most else...they are amazing! I enjoy the seasons watching our follage change with the times...ALL this stuff is FREE! Amazing that the greatest amusements are not man contrived and are true budget boosters!

5. Camp out for fun!

Do you camp? I am not a tent camper. In fact, we own an old OLD hard side shell camper with air just because I am not a real rough it kind of gal...but for vacationing, it's really less to go to state and national park camping sites for a few~going rates now for full hook ups are around $15-20 per night...Camping in the rough without bathhouses is less. . . I CAN see why! ;-)) But when we have vacationed, the camper provided our own home with our own facilities for minimal money. How cheap can you go? Is a good question here~but since I like to go this way...it works for us...tent camping if you already own it, or if you can borrow it or get it for a song is really less! But camping can really make travel affordable~and relaxation back to nature!

6. simpliCity~

Simplicity~I just realized that on my kitchen table is a mayo jar that we had cleaned out~I save these for bulk spices and left over storage in the fridge as well as craft projects and even kid science~bug homes! This jar has some wildflowers in it that I am certain my son went out and found beautiful that he has brought home to share with all of us. Simple? YES! But I wouldn't trade my mayo jar-vase and my son's flowers for the nicest boquet of roses I could be given~there's love in that bunch of flowers from a son to his family~simple? Oh yes...but also priceless! I've written about all kinds of things that can be used for things they were not originally intended for in their uses~but do the trick inexpensively...simplicity is an art form of simple which can lend itself to clean and oderly. Less really is more!

7. Cool cost saving water!

Water is a cost saver! Drinking water is healthy and loads healthier than almost any other fluid we can consume. First by drinking water, we will save on all the other drinks that we've been socially conditioned to drink...LET ME SEE...CoolAid, CokaCola, Pepsi, CountryTime, Tea-many brands...somehow have come to equate wealth or a sense of having, but as our ancestors and even the original peoples of society knew, water is at the VERY core of all of life! Drinking it is the best thing not only money but health wise...OH I forgot the very fashionable pricy coffees these days...I happen to not like coffee, so this is no draw for me~but it's a challenge to drink water, but so so sooo good to do so...whole towns and cities grew around clean and good water sources~now we can truck or pipe it in...the desert regions are populated...but water is essential to survival and it definitely beats the blues! Just turn on the tap...chilled or not...mmmm, it's so wonderful!

8. Celebrations can be cost savers

They need not break the bank! Simplicity is the key here too! But inviting friends and family into our lives to share our joys and even our sorrows beats the blues. Fixing a simple meal, desert or just a glass of tea or water. . .now our culture says we generally offer something! But it need not be elaborate! Gatherings can perk up the spirit. I like Christmas open houses, or New Year's Eve gatherings~these can be fun!

9. Country roads and rides...

Going for a drive~I like long country roads with nothing but trees and nature. My favorite road is called Stagecoach Road in Bloomingdale, GA where it once was an actual stagecoach trail with double ruts where wheels were pulled by horses...today it's paved from one end to the other and has grown with houses, but as a child riding this with my parents taught me so much about the landscape of how people travels before cars and the modern highway system...the trees overhung to the point of brushing our old stationwagon...the canopy was dense over where it was shady and cool. . . Where can you find the past in the view of your vehicle? These kinds of rides beat the blues by bringing a sense of wonder and curiosity~who was here? What did they do? Where did they go? I also like..OK, I am weird...cemetaries. I love old and historical ones with old old old old headstones and markers...I want to KNOW the people of the past...this must be part of my love for history! I am not saddened by these places as death is part of life, but find in the types of remembrances in the markers a testament to those who once lived. I come from a city full of history, but really no matter where you live, whether it's "historical" or not, it ALL is history...all places, people and things have a story to tell. . .I guess I just want to know...I care...So get out like I and find your community's history and story...these are pricess!

10. Contribute...

Tell your own story~share something about yourself or even share yourself. You can blog like I am doing~which is virtually free-we already have the items needed in computer and internet sevices, but sign up to share pieces of what you uniquely bring to others. . .visit retirement or rest homes for added boosts of busting the blues...in giving there is more receiving! I've never given that I ever received less than what I gave! God has seen to this in my life~and even in my most depleated worn out state, He has shown me that what I gave returned multifold. But share, give and reach out to someone~there's no price in this kind of love and goodness! AND it's generally free on our end of it...of we give of ourselves to show love with either listening or helping~can we volunteer in an effort to help? Can we show a help to someone who needs to know they are loved? Beating the blues can happen without money!

What are you doing to beat the blues, the depression that can accompany an economic downturn? What are you trying, have tried and how's it working?

Singing a little song and beating the blues...

Using It UP Ideas~Dryer Sheets

Beginning here, I will post what I am going to call: Using It Up Ideas on items that we either throw away or could have another use other than the advertised or intended ones so that we can get as much utility as possible for our items~and save the landfills a bit! So while I was in the laundry "palace" today, I realized that using all those dryer sheets and then throwing them away needs to come to some "greater good" for a second go around of use! I examined those white thin "airy" looking rectangles and gave it some thought. I came up with a few ideas, but I want to thank my mother, Betty for her ideas too! Mamas know best~this is undisputed!

Here's the ideas~

1. Dryer lint remover
2. Sachet craft idea or perfumed for a dresser drawer or suit cases
3. Static remover
4. Dust rag
5. Doll clothes pattern material
6. Stuffing for crafts
7. Material for scrapbooking/card cutouts


Dryer Lint Remover

The lint filter of an electric or gas dryer if not properly cleaned can make the machine operate so poorly! I use my dryer sheet from the load I am taking care of to wipe the lint out of the mesh screen. This really does a nice job, and reduces any static that might accumulate in the area. With one easy swipe, I have all the lint and into the trash it goes! Easy!!


Sachet or scented "cloth" for dresser drawers/suit cases

I knew a lady once who made the cutest sachets for her dressers~she utilized the used dryer sheets which have a thin and airy look to them~almost like homemade paper to put popourri into and tied them with a pretty ribbon. Now the trick was to cut the rectangle into a circle with some sharp scissors that can have a decorative edge or straight. The idea though is a nice neat edge. After tying in a pretty bow, then silk flowers were added. The scent was very nice. These made nice little favors or gifts for "Just Because!"

Put used dryer sheets into your luggage to keep it smelling fresh between uses. You can also save them and layer them into your clothing being packed. Smells good!


Static Remover

Carry one in your purse during the windy seasons in your area to use to rub on your clothing if you find yourself with static cling. For those who wear nylon hosery or unmentionables, this use can really help if you find you are clinging in unbecoming ways~always rub the undersides of the cothing next to your skin as that's the direction of the charge pulling the fabrics toward you...or rub it in between your layers if that's where the problem is occurring. You don't want to be clingy!



Dust Rag

I'd make sure my dryer sheet had gone twice in the dryer before rubbing it on my monitors and TV screens...you don't want to smear the softner there~what a mess that could be! But after using all the softening agent, then the tiny bit left will draw the dust and make cleaning easier! I know what to call this~Magnetic Cleaning with DRYER SHEETS!!


Doll Clothes Pattern

Granted dryer sheets won't make a pattern for large items, but for some doll clothes they will make nice permanent patterns. Just trace the original onto the dryer sheet and cut it out. Be sure to mark which piece that it is and what the pattern is so that if a single piece gets seperated, it can be easily found and placed with its coordinating items. This is a great idea to piece together!



Stuffing for Cloth Crafts

If you save enough you can use them to stuff things with instead of purchasing additional materials. This definitely saves on the overall cost of the project~whoohoo more savings!

Material for Scrapbooking and Cardmaking Cut Outs

I love making my own cards. In recent years I've not made very many, but I even like to handmake the embellishments for my cards and scrapbook pages. The almost lacy or handmade paper look makes dryer sheets a unique material to make objects~snowflakes, snowmen, hearts, candles...anything you could use white: wedding motiffs and more! Use good sharp scissors and go to town! With some good craft glue, these will adorn anything you are doing in the paper craft world!

This is the Using it UP Ideas~Dryer Sheets post. If you have an idea to share I'd love to hear from you! Look for more Using It Up Ideas!

Sticking to Your Budget

It's getting harder and harder I'm afraid to live on one income for so many...and for others job losses and cuts are WORSE! For those of us who are attempting to thrive in such situations, there is always hope of a better tomorrow, but not just some fleeting feeling, we must take serious actions to avoid the "poor house." Living on less will require changes in lifestyle. I know I must sound like the cheapmiser from the deep, but if you are already working on your budget and spending habits, thinking long and hard on ways to save and make what you have go a little farther, if the crunch comes to your door, you are prepared or at the very least aware of some good habits that formed long before to make it an easier transition. Over the years, I have found a couple of things that are key to staying on task.

First I do not watch television~WHAT? Oh yeah! And there are several reasons why, but a good one which is just a benefit of the actual reason is this: I am not receiving the mindless marketing that is pandered on the thing each day of my life! Do not get me wrong, TV can offer some very good things~note the word: some. As far as marketing though, I prefer not to have my 'want monster' riled up to make me dissatisfied or dreaming of something I may not have~contentment is very peaceful. It's an art many of us do not have. . .and it has to be cultivated. So find other useful and rewarding things to do with your time instead of allowing programmers and marketeers to put their desires into your heart and mind~leave it be! AND you will find a whole world of God's beauty around you!

Second I write down my goals. Actually they are goals that are not just mine, but my families' goals that are phases. They are me, me & hubby, me, hubby & kids~then they go: day, week, mo, year~five years. List out your financial thoughts...if you are 40-something and want to retire sometime before 100, make a plan with goals up front.

Third Write the plan~under each goal write what you will do and have your spouse write they will do, then gain the kid's cooperation on it. When we shared with our children our goals, suddenly keeping lights turned off and doors closed or other cost savers along with their training became easier. One suggestion is to share the benefits of the plan with the children. Some do not give allowances, but we always have done so. Not as much as some families we know, but we have allowed our children to experience the responsibility of managing their own money for their own desires. This is been wonderful to see them grow into responsible money managers. It's funny how my daughter is one of the most generous girls her age I know for her resources, but she always has money and is constantly looking to earn more. We not only give allowances for their benefit, but offer opportunities to earn more with special projects. This gives them a sense of great accomplishment when they take care of an area that we would have paid someone else, perhaps a teen to help. Working and earning brings satisfaction~it's a win-win!

Lastly~WORK and be prepared to REwork the plan as much and as many times as is necessary to accomplish the goals. Our goals, even my personal goals have changed over the years and adjustments are necessary from time to time. When I know my plan I can perform the tasks to meet the budget.

Working the budget looks like this for me:
1. knowing the goals
2. having a plan
3. working and reworking the plan

OK..so I've TV-BASHED, but think about it. What is TV robbing you of, or giving you? Be honest. . .anyone else out there turned or turning theirs off in light of not being marketed? WHAT out also for email and internet~'friend' selling. I'm all for sharing good information and networks, but it can be mind numbing to find, and I am truly turned off by blogs and websites loaded with places for me to "grab" that really WANT to grab me! I prefer simpler blogging and less pressure selling. What about you? Do you like all the buttons and banners flashing?

Let's stay on our budgets~keeping our money or at least slowing down the leak from our pockets!

Home Buying~Some Frugal Ideas. . .

Chances are IF you are looking to buy a home right now, then you know that this is a buyers market. I've had the pleasure of buying in both buyer and sellers markets, but buying at a time when the power chip is in the hands of the purchaser is definitely a plus! We are selling our pre-1880 Victorian home because of job relocation. This is tough, but if you are looking, deals can be had. Following the economic real estate trends says that home pricing is at a low~good news for those who are shopping. Remember that I encourage shopping, not necessarily buying all the time as we need to know our prices, so if you need is not immediate, shop and be sure you are getting the best deal for your money.
(Check out our home for sale http://www.1909homeforsale.blogspot.com pictured left: 3060sq ft/9 car garage~$65K)

Over the years, we have been blessed to have owned four homes. Not but two at the same time as we are not landlords, but due to relocation twice. Shopping for a home comes with challenges I will address so you can think on these if you would like to look around...NOW is a great time to buy~if you can!

1. Can you buy? Size up your finances and get to your lender (shop rates and programs) to get preapproved. This will make your purchasing go better and faster.

2. Begin on your own to look. I must confess, and all my realtor buds may hate me for this, but they'd do this too ;-)) CHECK out any for sale by owners first. Look at trade papers, newspapers, online ads, FSBO.com, historicproperties.com, zillow.com, Craig'slist.com and any others out there...there are even online free classified, and often from your area. LOOK all over! Ride the neighborhoods you want to live in. . .SEARCH! Of course I am thinking a local purchase, but if you are relocating, I will make other suggestions: Make a trip to the area if possible. Spend as long as you can, if over night is all you can, then do that. Get acquainted, talk to hotel, restaurant, shop owners, anyone you can find who will talk to you about the area you are researching. Look up community statistics such as crime and economics on line~many communities have websites and offer loads of info. Search Realtor.com for out of town listings as well as the other sources...just know that likely if on this one, it's listed by a realtor and the price is generally higher by atleast 4-6% or MORE! There are advantages to have a realtor, and I used some of the very best, so I don't dis them. . . it's just that if money, and it should ALWAYS be, is an issue knowing this upfront is helpful~also that interests are generally served to the seller who will pay all commission. I learned this the hard way on our first home purchase. Different laws affect practices too~there are dual agency agreements where one realtor can legally represent both buyer and seller that is required in some states I have live in, and then again, I am not sure that an actual contract is necessary. Biggest thing to remember is that the realtor wants to sell and make commission based on the highest sales price. OK~now said, buyers must KNOW values and understand how to take care of their own money or others will get more than they should. Using a realtor or not, take along your notebook and camera~you won't be sorry because you can study the picutres long after the visit to get a real feel for the home. Sometimes the camera "remembers" what you can't! Make notes and study them later~make comparrisons-feature for feature!

3. What is your style? Home styles vary as much as do conditions and prices. Over these years, I have discovered a few things that are essential in a home for me. I want a bathroom nearby at all times so if our home is two story, it must have one up and down! I want my laundry near the bedrooms and bath upstairs so I am not toting it up and down! With this said, many homes that I happen to like do not have this feature; generally the laundry is in the basement! So is there room to add laundry to the area I want it in? Sit down and write down what you want, what you can't live without and where you would like it all to go or become. Prioritize these features. Houses will all vary, so having a strong sense before you get into looking is a great idea!

4. Research not just the area you want to live in by online resources and riding through, do something you may not have thought of...ride at night~all hours if you can! If you are an out of towner, make SURE you do this! There's a lot of information about a neighborhood to be gained from a nightly ride. . .who's out? WHAT are they doing? What businesses are open? Does the whole town roll up the sidewalks at 9:00PM? You MAY want to know this if you like late night shopping! OR is this a tiny burg of a bigger town that has one redlight and one gas station that is just a bedroom community that rests quietly without stresses? YOU need to know this! AND when you find that home you are interested in, go see the neighbors. Size 'em up for whatever makes you comfortable. I personally don't appreciate loudness or rude behaviors. So when I'm shopping, I am looking for people who are asleep in their beds at a reasonable hour and NOT walking the streets! The night is a great time to check out the potential neighborhood. Quiet is best for me. . .

5. Take your time, if you have time...sometimes purchasing can be more economical if you wait, but remember if your heart is set on a home, it could sell right out from under you. I've had this happen too! But I will say that I have also waited and saved tens of thousands. One good point though, and I've not discussed offers yet, but if you offend a seller with too low an offer, it's not likely they will work with you. . .but then again~this IS a buyers market! So always be mindful that both parties are looking to make a deal~to benefit both! Time is money a good deal of the time. Just remember it comes with risks~risk of losing the home (IF you have to have it~or it's really a great value!) As a seller right now, I could have sold our home (OK~given it away!) about 5 or 6 times to date, and not being rude now, but by the end of this week, I expect to have at least ONE more person to approach me with an offer I AM going to refuse! Sellers must take care of their financial needs too. . .another blog entry ;-)) But it's wise to understand it all ;-))

6. Don't get too caught up in colors and decor as you look. NOW the type or style of home is as important as age and condition, but whether or not it has purple paint in the livingroom is not a total concern to me~it's NICE if the colors are ones I love, but if THE PRICE IS RIGHT none of this sort of thing matters. . . but consider too if anyone in your family is handy or if you have the funds to "fix" what you hate. The home we are in now while the price was very good, needed a HUGE extensive renovation...ceilings were down, all floors had to be ripped, plumbing had to be redone...kitchen..Oh my! But so you know that some issues are non issues where value is concerned. Some I have known, and truly only ONE person refused to consider older homes because they didn't want "issues." OK..so they paid the "sticker price" and then got issues! ;-)) ALL homes have issues~but how smart are you at finding them?

8. IF you know your game on homes, then you can reasonibly forgo the home inspection for it's costs. I have had several~but there were things they didn't catch~even the best of the best will miss stuff that as a home buyer you may, may meaning it may NOT be a deal breaker, want to know! Home inspectors are a good idea if you don't know and aren't too handy. Just to get the pro's ideas is good thinking! I am married to Mr. Fixit, the real mccoy! So we are pretty safe on most things~we do look at age of mechanicals~their continue life expectancy, roof, insulation, heating and air, foundation...Just because it's a pretty home, that pulls my eye does NOT always get the sale. When looking and finding THIS house, there was an earlier home I just knew was THE ONE! Well, it took hubby going to a showing, and hearing the train in the BACKYARD screatching by every 8-12 minutes for ME to know it was a deal breaker! I could never have lived in a home that close to the train THAT busy, but three times now, I have lived close enough to hear it, but never so close I could count every spoke in the wheels! If you can, see the home as many times as possible~under all conditions possible~rain, shine, sleet or hale~~ok, just kidding about ALL of those conditions, but go see it and look, smell, touch and feel...measure...

9. When making an offer, here's a huge tip. Always do some research. Look at as many homes as you can find that are comparative in features and location to come up with what is a reasonable offer, but always less than asking. I mentioned this earlier, but if you make a seller upset, they can refuse to work with you. The other thing is to consider what the home is genuinely worth. I really believe in thrift, but I don't believe in stealing though. Fair is fair, but I will wait until the price is what I can afford or it comes down. This was the case in our current home~the price lowered which brought us BACK to it, but since it had been on the market for some time and the condition, we offered WHAT we believed would be immediately rejected. To our surprise, they accepted. Now this was also unusual in that it was a forclosed property, so there were no sellers involved who had feelings to consider. There are just other challenges to purchasing forclosed or distressed properties~beware! But with caution, they can make very nice homes! Comparing homes of similar features and conditions~an appraiser once told me that location, and major things like h/a, square footage, and other spaces like garages make property values~not decor or clean and neat issues...now number of bedrooms/baths will matter. . .lot size...but if you have 1985 lights or the latest most expensive crystal chandeliers~MATTERS NOT! Remember this if you plan to sell too~another post-another post!! ;-))

10. Consider the needs of yourself and your family. How many kids, pets? HOW MUCH STUFF? Are you downsizing or upsizing? Large yard? NO yard? GARAGE? Carport? How many baths? Do you want to be the 11 person family with one bath and three bedrooms??? HOW do you live~in the den, greatroom or livingroom or kitchen/den combo or WHAT? Features will matter when it comes to your family. . .My husband had grown quite accustomed to the NINE CAR~yeah, you read that right, 1500 sqare feet garage we moved from. When shopping, there were a couple of homes that were right for me without much less more than a one car bay situation. WE HAD to consider~where was the air compressor and wood shop and, and, and. . .GOING! We really needed and became blessed with a 3 car garage! Oh, it's smaller for sure, but think of HOW bad it would have been and the adjustment to no garage! Now you may want to make such changes...changing states and all that goes with THAT were enough for this family! Pets need space as do kids! But I hate yard work, not because I dislike gorgeous yards, but because of the work they take to maintain them. We are busy~I guess doing other things and since the yard is not my priority, I prefer very very small and what I do have, often I will make as much of a rock garden as possible! Laugh if you want to! But somebody had to cut all that grass~and with little time for THAT, it is't pretty~so we make a choice about yard size...We also came from tornado country without a basement, and having lived through the F5 of my life, I will if possible always have a basement. I've got one now! Praise God!

I hope I've given you some things to consider when looking to purchase a new home. This is an incredible time, especially if you are credit worthy and a first time home buyer. With the 8K stimulus, WOW~that makes DEALS EVEN BETTER!

Taking care of my money, so it stays!
SisterTipster<3

Blog HOP Boogie! $10 Gift Card Walmart

Blog HOP'n Boogie Hello!

Thanks for stopping in~

To enter for the $10 Walmart card, head over to http://www.1909homeforsale.blogspot.com to see our Victorian home for sale and leave me a comment HERE telling me something about the house~OR a frugal idea on HOW TO SELL IT~


Ways to enter: BE SURE AND LEAVE CONTACT INFO!! Each is one entry~

1. Leave a Comment HERE after Checking out our Victorian Home for Sale with something about that house!

2. Leave a Comment HERE after Checking out our Victorian Home for Sale with a FRUGAL idea on how to sell it!

3. Tweet about the house please!!

4. Follow Thriving With No Green$ for budget boosting debt busting ideas!

5 Become a Fan on Facebook

EACH GIVES you an entry~so Have fun HOP'n and boogie on down, to bust debt and budget boost!

Thanks for stopping in!

I'm taking care of my money so it won't leave me, join up and let's journey!
SisterTipster

Financial FREEDOM~Let It Ring!

My story is like others who have found themselves up to their eye balls in debt and nearly drowning, but in this reality we carefully crafted and practiced a plan that thus far has taken us from owing tens of thousands to much much less in debt~

Financial freedom should be the goal of every Christian. God really convicted us of debt about three years ago when we realized our declining financial situation and potential economic disaster. This was WAY before the economic downturn of this present economy even, and I praise God that He worked within my heart early on to convince and convict me of the need for changes in our lives.

WHAT WE DID~

1. We took a serious inventory of our liabilities and assets. Just how much do we have and who do we owe and for WHAT.

2. We asked our selves a series of questions like: What can we do? Are there steps we can take that will make a difference? What are our priorities with our finances? Where do we want to be KNOWING where we are right now? When do we want to be there?

3. After serious analysis, we crafted the plan and began systematically implementing it.
1. We looked into options concerning our debt (credit cards, medical bills and mortgage with a variable rate) and mounting costs and spending habits.
2. After analysis we found several options for dealing with these areas. I will go into detail with these in the next post.
3. We developed a debt management plan that included bills and outgo~that nasty word: budget. This was based on hard choices AND priorities for our family and economic future.
4. We sold our home with the variable rate mortgage as we were paying no interest at the time, but as time has shown it was wise to sell, purchase a less costly home and lock in for a fixed rate as today the variable rates mortgages are eating folks alive! Praise God for His wisdom!
5. We read and studied several debt and financial programs (freely) so we would educate ourselves on many options and ideas. I want to encourage you to utilize the public library or other free resource such as your local consumer credit counseling agency usually through your community's United Way program to access free help. Paying for advice is sometimes necessary, but remember free is better, AND you can always pay if the freebie isn't helpful. Keep your money in your pocket~stop the MONEY LEAK any way you can!

I don't want to give you the impression this has been fun and easy! There have been some hard HARD decisions made in our lifestyle, homes, and in so many areas. We had to make some tough choices that today are paying off in satisfaction and lowered debt load~plus there is LIGHT at the end of our tunnel, and it isn't a train coming out of the tunnel about to wreck us financially and all the other way money impacts families!

I promised to share about options for dealing with debt and mounting bills with the inability to pay them and unbridled spending habits.

Stay with me~Financial Freedom is on it's WAY~ LET Freedom Ring! in your life.
blessings
SisterTipster<3