Money Money Money

To coin a phrase " Money is the Route to all evil". And it is if you think about all those dirty sins and debt we are all in.

But that is not what I am here to write about. I'm here to ask, actually challenge anyone who is up for it to clear up thier debt.

On January 2011 we have rid ourself of one less credit card! YIPPY!

The new year is apon us so why not start out better then we left the old year. We all have wants and dreams and the reality of that is those wants dreams won't be handed to you or majically appear on your front steps. And what ever you want or dream up is going to cost ya so your going to have to work for it.
I'm not saying what worked for us will work for you but I do have a few tips that just might help.

First remember this and always remember this, nothing is perfect, nothing stays the same things come up and best to deal with those issues as they happen.

Here are my tips.

If you eat out a lot keep a record of that for a month then add it up you will be surprised how much that lunch everday does adds up. Say you spend a minimum of $5 a day x 5 days x 4 weeks = $100.00 a month. Relistically most spend $10 which would be $200 a month!

1. Start small If you go out to lunch every day decide to pick one day you will bring a lunch.

2. Plan you meals, make a menu and then purchase those items you need to make your meals for the week. Try to stick to you grocery list but if there is something your just dying to have limit it to one item. Make enough for leftovers the next day. Use leftover for lunch.
Yes this requires you to cook do you need to be a chief heck no!

3. Think before you buy.
I call this the art of laying a guilt trip on yourself. OMG that dress will look so hot on me I need it. (here comes the guilt) SERIUOSLY?? and where are you going to wear it around the house? To work? Oh to a party? YES to a party. What party? hmmm could point self what party?

4. Set a budget, a realistic budget
Ok everyone has heard it budget blah blah blah, however when I say realistic budget I mean pay yourself first you have worked hard for that money so why not enjoy it. We give ourselfs a $200 monthly limit for money can be used for dinner out, movies, drinks with friends etc.

5. Don't use Peter to pay Paul, meaning don't switch debt between credit cards.
Limited time offer of 0% interest is hard to pass up but at the same time if you can't pay that debt before time on the offer is up you'll end up paying double the interest. Plus alot of cards charge you an upfront fee to switch your debt to thier card.

If anyone out there can stick to at least one of these 5 tips you'll be on your way to being better at life and have better control of your financials. Is it work? Yes but think of it as this, an investment in your health and well being.

The Weakest Link

It is human nature to prey on the weak and the current conditions of this United States is making us ever so weaker. Our Allies see a weak country with a Government that has no clue how to pull itself out of the increasing dept it as created. A government more fueled by internal bickering and back door deals then buckling down and addressing the sad state America is in. We wonder why we are mocked, laughed at and joked about on a daily bases. We are a weak country; our education of our youth is so bad that Foreign children can kick our asses all over the play ground! Foreign children don’t perform better because they're smarter than American children. They performed better because their schools are better. American schools don't teach as well as schools in other countries because they are government monopolies, and monopolies don't have much incentive to compete.

To quote some words I read recently

We don’t need a government to tell us how to spend (or save), how to educate our children, to tell us what to eat and how much to eat.

We have the ability to do that all on our own.

To throw out some more quotes:

America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination, and unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.

We have a big job ahead so let’s pick ourselves up; dusts of that self centered all about me attitudes and do what is right for everyone.

There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens can not cure.

Yes we all have this power; we all have the ability to make that one simple change for the better. We have lived above and beyond our means for way to long. All those credit card, all those loans, and all those bad debts will end up being paid by our children. Think of it this way every time you take a loan out or get a new credit card you are putting the children of America up as collateral. Well if I can’t pay they will. And they already do with poor education and poor schools. Let’s face it; the money to pay all that bad dept has to come from somewhere. There is no such thing as free money or free ride any more. Right now we are riding on the backs of our grandchildren’s grandchildren. We have enslaved generation after generation with our own greed.

We can do more for our country by skipping that lunch out and paying that extra $10 on a credit card or loan then by spending $10 at a restaurant that in the end only increases their profits. Let’s prove to the government we don’t need you to tell us what to do, let’s show them how it is done.

We can be America the strong, the free & the brave once again.

Have we miss placed our outrage?

So it has happened, a man beats his girlfriend to death in Nebraska, a couple in Alabama have killed thier two children. And who cries out for them? Who says enough is enough?

No we can't believe these things really happen but they did. No we don't want to know what the girl friend went through. No we don't want to hear how those children where tortured. Lets block if from our minds. Lets pretend we are ignorant of those things.

But we get up in arms over using a bullet to take care of the feral cat population. How inhumane, how cruel, how dare they say to kill a poor cat that way and the fueled debate rolls on.

But not once do I hear or see were we get up and arms over the fact a man killed his girlfriend and two adults tutured, killed and then throw thier children's tiny bodies out in the woods like trash.

Don't get me wrong here I am in no way saying it is ok to shoot cats. What I want is for anyone who reads this to think about why as a society we are outraged at the fact someone suggest killing a cat with a bullet. But do not get outraged at the latter.

Sure when it comes to adults they are the only ones who can protect themselves. We can guide them, help them in many ways but it is thier choice on what happens next. However a 3 & 5 year old child doesn't have that choice, that voice.

So why is the law set up that you get more jail time for killing an animal then you do a child?
Answer: Because we allowed it to be that way.

Have we as a society become so desensitized and uncaring that a human life isn't worth much?
Have we? I really hope not.
America, you make me sad.