Focus, Man, Focus!

I have three books that are begging to be written. They are outlined, and sitting on the launch pad. One is finance related, "Recession Proof Living", one of the others has a financial component, "Fresh Start for the Suddenly Single". The third is my long awaited, "Life Lessons From a Lead Dog: amusing anecdotes and heart warming tales from 30 years with sleddogs."

But they just sit there. I always manage to come up with something to distract me from work. I think it's called, procrastination. Perhaps it could even be labeled, laziness. Either way, I really must organize my schedule so that I can get these projects moving.

But as Scarlett O'hara would say (hey, I live in the South, remember?), "I'll think about it tomorrow. Tomorrow's another day."

Something to get you thinking

I know some of you don't like it when I link to articles rather than write original thought, but sometimes I find a jewel that just needs to be passed along. Like this one HERE

Saving Money on Meat........

........at least I hope.

I'm leaving tomorrow right after lunch for an overnight hunting trip. Will do the same thing next Friday as well. I need to get away from the stress of work and spending time in the woods searching for meat for the freezer is a great way to multi task.

I would dearly love to fill our freezer with wild pork and venison for the winter. I expect this weekend to be mostly scouting, but you never know.

The experience will be relaxing, anyway. Just me, some firearms, a tent and 1000 acres of North Georgia wilderness. Oh, and a cooler full of snacks.

See ya when I return.

Quick Tip

Today's my birthday, so I'd rather sit and pout about getting old than try and think of something creative to write.

So let me just offer this tidbit. Take advice from people who have accomplished what you're trying to achieve. Take all other advice with a grain of salt.

That sentiment applies to finance, marriage, career, hobby, education, faith, pretty much everything.

Money Saving Rediscovery

I took the day off today. I can't even describe how nice it's been having a Monday away from duty. I'll have to do it again sometime.

First thing this morning I did some yard work, then washed my truck and Brittan's car. After that I swept out the garage and I've also watered and fertilized the vegetable garden. I even had time to arrange my hunting gear for a hunting trip this weekend. All in all a productive day.

But the best part was a whimsical idea Brittan came up with after lunch. We had gone out for some Mexican food and on the way back she said, "hey let's go to the library. We haven't been since we moved here and it's right around the corner from the house."

With nothing pressing on my agenda, I agreed. So off we went. Now, it's been at least 6 years since I even had a library card. In this day of the internet and amazon.com, it's way too easy to surf for information and/or buy books from the comfort of your own easy chair. But I rediscovered the wonder of the Public Library. What a great place to save money. Here are just a few ways I saw immediately. 1. For the person or persons struggling to get out of debt, there were at least 10 computers with high speed internet access. One could very easily cancel high speed at home for a while to pay off debts, use a dial up service and go to the library when high speed internet is a must. I would do that in a heartbeat if necessary. 2. Books. That's the obvious one. Books are luxury items at the best of times and the library has thousands of them to borrow for FREE. 3. DVDs and VCR tapes. We don't even have a vcr anymore so that wouldn't help, but there was a decent selection of DVDs to check out. Sure they aren't 'first run' but free is for me. B and I like old movies and this is a whole lot better than paying blockbuster. 4. Music. Mostly we listen to online stations, but I do like cd's as well, but I hate paying the money they cost at the store. The library is a very good option. Do they have everything? No, but I don't need everything. 5. Audio Books. This is a big one for me because I love to listen to audio books during my daily commute. But buying audio books can get expensive fast. Our local library had a great collection.

Thanks to my Bride's epiphany on the way home from lunch, I see some real savings in our future.

Here's One More Reason I'm Angry........

.....at the Bail Out Bill that passed yesterday. Read. I'm not trying to turn this blog into political commentary. This will probably be my last post regarding the Bail out, because it's done now and there's not much we can do. The President had his pen in hand the minute the vote was passed. Everything about this bill stinks like roadkill. Please read the linked article from cnet very carefully. Think about what it's going to cost and think about who benefits. And remember who voted for it and who voted against it when you enter the voting booth yourself next month. This is YOUR money. Read here.

Coping or Conquering?

A majority of Americans are frustrated today with the Senate's overwhelming backing of a pork and ear mark laden Bail Out bill last night. It was difficult to watch and in the cold light of day it feels even worse. Many are asking, How will we cope? Should we pull out of the stock market? Should we take our money out of the bank and put it in a sock?

Despite concerns, and expecting a rough ride for a while, I still believe we'll win. We don't have to cope, we can conquer. I'm going to live my life as normal. I'm going to leave my 401k alone. I'm going to live on a budget. I don't borrow money anyway, so I don't have to worry about getting car loans or Home Equity Loans. I don't carry credit card balances. So, apart from my 401k tanking, I won't really feel it. That's the power of debt free living. As for the retirement account, it will bounce back and I'm looking at it like I'm buying stock on sale. When my funds start going back up, I'll make even more.

I hate this Bail Out, but I'm not going to panic. I'm going to LIVE.