Have you ever played the Settlers of Catan? It's a strategy game about choosing your postion on the board, getting resourses based on decisions and probablities of the dice, and gaining property. It is a game that starts with great hope. I find myself thinking of my great choice about where to position my settlements and roads, but all too soon my plans are dashed on the rocks; sometimes they are dashed my other players and sometimes by poor luck.
Not so much different than real life, huh? We start life with such great hopes and then they are changed by reality and sometimes we are dashed on the rocks. Life sucks and then you die....
Yes, this is very discouraging, however true.
This also is just a look from the outside. This season has been one of those dashed on the rocks sort of times. However, I'm enjoying life and have become stronger because of it.
You know what is also stronger? My marriage and friendship with Peter. We are "Settlers of Earth" together and recently it has been no picnic. However, we communicate better and are closer than when we started this dashed on the rock existance.
Settlers of Catan is also a good use of communication. Peter and I are deciding so many things about how to be "Settlers of Earth" together. Sometimes these discussions are just a muddled, angry or emotional mess. Today I tried a new technique.
Real life is so similar to Settlers of Catan, a bunch of decisions, thoughts, strategies and luck. So today when our wonderful discussion about the "what ifs" of our future began, I said, "Let's look at this like Settlers of Catan." This brought on all kinds of successful non-stressful conversations about the strategy that is our life.
It sounded like this:
"If we were playing Settlers, what would be the best use of our resources?" If we were playing Settlers, would this be worth saving resources to buy?" "If we were playing Settlers, how would this current decision effect our next?"
It made our daily battle of "what ifs" much more enjoyable. :)
Next I'll be writing a book, "Your Marriage According to Settlers of Catan." I'm going to make millions... :)
Speaking of writing, I'm working on a children's book. Thanks for all your encouragement here to write something. Because since I'm a Settler Of Earth, I better find a resourceful and possibly lucritive way to spend my time!
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
8.01.2011
9.19.2010
new idea.... Fit K9
I have a new business idea- dog walker. I drive the kids to school every morning. It takes 30 minutes, so instead of coming back home, I exercise up there and do some work at a coffee shop. Then I pick up the kids and head home.
Each morning when I walk I pass hundreds of dogs... fat, hyper, need a walk kind of dogs. I thought, "I should be a dog walker." I'm already walking and a little extra Christmas money would be fun to earn. The schedule is right because I can do it while the kids are at school M, W, and F.
So I did some research and found there are no other dog walkers in the city. I called the city got the thumbs up to start the business, I just need a permit after I get a few clients.
I thought and prayed about it and decided to do it. As most of you know I am not a huge dog lover, but I think I like dogs well enough to walk them and return them home to their owners and then return thankfully to my dogless home! :)
It's not really that I don't like dogs, I just don't need anything else to care for currently. I already clean up enough poo, pee and bodily fluids from the children. Owning a dog is just not a passion I currently have. :) Walking someone elses dog is not a passion either, but I really like being outside and like the protection that a dog offers while on a walk as well. :) So there you go, a company is born! LOL!
I would like to find 3 clients by the end of October (that would pay the kids tuition), and find a total of 10 clients.
Yesterday night I bought some business cards, a car side advertisement magnet and my "company" T- shirt. It cost a grand total of 6.74! (I love vistaprint.com!)
Tomorrow I will try to launch FitK9 by passing out flyers in two neighborhoods. Pray that I find some clients? Thanks.
12.19.2009
Our 30 year financial plan- revisited
Awhile back, I wrote about financial planning. We are working toward our goals and it is going well. Now our attention is on our Thailand vacations, in terms of saving up.
We have made a new discovery in our budget-
Four weeks ago we started Weight Watchers.
I have the 1st book they give new members at their first meeting. In 2003, I joined with a friend and lost some weight. Looking back it is the only way I have ever lost weight.
So after struggling through losing my first 20 pounds alone, I pulled out the book from the shelf and dusted it off.
It has a description of the whole diet. It has a very helpful section on cooking from scratch. In the back of this 20 page booklet it lists the point values for each food. It is pretty cool and easy to follow.
I had been trying to do a low carb diet for awhile and failing miserably! I really didn't think that we could do Weight Watchers here, but I was wrong. It is exactly the right diet for this place. The reason? Because we can eat whatever we want. There is no need for fancy diet food.
Just eat less of whatever you want. :) I think this is really the key for a healthy life.
I write down what I eat and add up the points for the day. It is much easier to count up to the mid twenties than to count calories. It is really pretty easy.
It is honestly making a difference in our food budget. We are eating WAY less! Our fridge is always full these days. We are shocked at how much less we are eating!
We are spending way less on food. It just goes farther. I could cut our food budget now and put that into a different savings goal.
Guess what? After one month of WW Peter has lost 22 pounds! I've lost 2 this month, (23 since August!)
We have made a new discovery in our budget-
Four weeks ago we started Weight Watchers.
I have the 1st book they give new members at their first meeting. In 2003, I joined with a friend and lost some weight. Looking back it is the only way I have ever lost weight.
So after struggling through losing my first 20 pounds alone, I pulled out the book from the shelf and dusted it off.
It has a description of the whole diet. It has a very helpful section on cooking from scratch. In the back of this 20 page booklet it lists the point values for each food. It is pretty cool and easy to follow.
I had been trying to do a low carb diet for awhile and failing miserably! I really didn't think that we could do Weight Watchers here, but I was wrong. It is exactly the right diet for this place. The reason? Because we can eat whatever we want. There is no need for fancy diet food.
Just eat less of whatever you want. :) I think this is really the key for a healthy life.
I write down what I eat and add up the points for the day. It is much easier to count up to the mid twenties than to count calories. It is really pretty easy.
It is honestly making a difference in our food budget. We are eating WAY less! Our fridge is always full these days. We are shocked at how much less we are eating!
We are spending way less on food. It just goes farther. I could cut our food budget now and put that into a different savings goal.
Guess what? After one month of WW Peter has lost 22 pounds! I've lost 2 this month, (23 since August!)
12.03.2009
New Shoes
Yippie! New shoes... $10! This is Crocs deal of the week! There is even free shipping. They come in black, bronze, and brown.
I hope they are super comfy. I hope they look cute. I'll see in three months when I get to try them on! They are a perfect teacher shoe aren't they? My teacherness still comes out so clearly sometimes!
Do great deals suck you in too? Sometimes they get me, but a black pair of platforms is nearly a need, right?
12.02.2009
I'm weird and Peter calls me a conspiracy theorist !
Today I was scrubbing out a glass pickle jar and it struck me how weird I am. I really like reusing glass jars. I never did it before I moved here, but those empty jars are little treasures- like free Pyrex! :)
I don't really like to use plastic in my kitchen. I do because it is a necessary evil, but I really think they have to be toxic! Yes, I'm weird. When Weston was a baby, there was a lot of talk about reheating in plastic and about how when plastic is heated it can put toxins in your food. So I stopped reheating in plastic. I don't even know if it's true, but I still think about it! I do use plastic for cold or dry foods, but not usually hot food.
Glass jars are useful. You can put hot food in them, store food in them, reheat in them and even freeze them. You can see right through them so there are no mystery foods in the fridge.
We had a problem with mice one year- jars to the rescue! (that's how this started) Large jars are great canisters and excellent for making sun tea in. Sometimes I even buy a product here, just to get the jar! Yes, I am weird!
While I am confessing to you my weirdness, I will continue. I think lots of products have toxins. The big companies don't care as long as consumers keep buying. Have you ever read the label on a toothpaste tube? I cringe whenever i put it on my childrens' toothbrushes. Deodorant--- has aluminum which is linked to cancer and dementia. Shampoo and some soaps have chemicals that are absorbed through the skin. Some of the chemicals can interrupt hormones absorption in our bodies and reek havoc!
I have started using a homemade deodorant/antiperspirant and toothpaste that is working great. My homemade shampoo is not going well though! :) Back to the drawing board!
What do you think? Do you think big companies care about the health of their customers?
I don't really like to use plastic in my kitchen. I do because it is a necessary evil, but I really think they have to be toxic! Yes, I'm weird. When Weston was a baby, there was a lot of talk about reheating in plastic and about how when plastic is heated it can put toxins in your food. So I stopped reheating in plastic. I don't even know if it's true, but I still think about it! I do use plastic for cold or dry foods, but not usually hot food.
Glass jars are useful. You can put hot food in them, store food in them, reheat in them and even freeze them. You can see right through them so there are no mystery foods in the fridge.
We had a problem with mice one year- jars to the rescue! (that's how this started) Large jars are great canisters and excellent for making sun tea in. Sometimes I even buy a product here, just to get the jar! Yes, I am weird!
While I am confessing to you my weirdness, I will continue. I think lots of products have toxins. The big companies don't care as long as consumers keep buying. Have you ever read the label on a toothpaste tube? I cringe whenever i put it on my childrens' toothbrushes. Deodorant--- has aluminum which is linked to cancer and dementia. Shampoo and some soaps have chemicals that are absorbed through the skin. Some of the chemicals can interrupt hormones absorption in our bodies and reek havoc!
I have started using a homemade deodorant/antiperspirant and toothpaste that is working great. My homemade shampoo is not going well though! :) Back to the drawing board!
What do you think? Do you think big companies care about the health of their customers?
11.11.2009
Frugal?
I hope that I come across as someone frugal, but sometimes I know that I am just plain cheap!
I am reminded of a presentation last year in CA at FCC about how to make room in a budget to support a missionary. It was a stretch for me to get up in front of a group of peers (who support us heavily so that we can live here) and discuss how to save money by possibly skipping a latte run or considering generic brands. I hoped to be informative, not too directive. It is amazing how those little things add up.
After the presentation a woman who was visiting, came and thanked me for my talk while pushing a $20 bill in my hand. I thanked her, but hoped I hadn't laid it on too thick.
For me all this scrimping and saving has come with the job title, a group known to be on a budget to say the least! But that is not what changed my mind and thinking in regards to money. It is living among the Mongolians who live in poverty or on a very tight budget. While there is generally enough to eat (meat and potatoes) and to clothe their families, there is no extra money. There is no money for fun and games or vacations. No money for refrigerators or electricity to run one. There is just no work here.
It fills me with gratitude. In this world where there is so much poverty, it is amazing to have any extra money. It makes me want to be wiser with what I have.
I talked about money with my language tutor today. We discussed saving, bartering, borrowing, loans and credit. An interesting subject to discuss and learn vocabulary about. It was a good discussion. Compared to her, I am no money manager. My friend and tutor does so much to make her tugric stretch.
Later, I was reminded of my frugality again as I sewed organizational bags for my luggage. We travel so reguarly and often that I feel sometimes my life is series of packing and unpacking. Finally in an effort to embrace this life, I packed a suitcase that never has to be unpacked. Now there are gallon sized ziplock bags filed with kits, one for each child, one for toiletries, one for kitchen supplies, etc.
Now I am sewing little bags to replace the ziplocks. Today I sewed a bag organizer for my "stationary kit." There is a pocket for paper, another pocket for pens and pencils and a final pocket for CD/plug adapters. I made it out of a scrap of fabric, labeled each section with a marker and added a handle to hang up and keep organized in any place I end up! I have looked into bag systems, but they aren't what I want and they cost a fortune.
It made me chuckle to see my finished product tucked into my $10 carryon from Walmart. That little bag has faithfully traveled tens of thousands of miles since 2001 when Peter was studying in Chicago. That bag confirms it, I am a cheapskate!
11.01.2009
Planning Tool
I finished my financial planning the other day.
It was hard to consider how to organize my mind into all that categories and over all those years.
I made a good tool to make it easier to see where the money goes and how to organize all the different categories.
Here is what I did---
Take a piece of notebook paper and turn it landscape.
The reason I blog about it is because it was encouraging. Sometimes when deciding to make a savings goal it seems like it will take so long and then I give up. But seeing it as a line and dot on a 30 year chart really showed how fast it will be accomplished. It also showed how much even a little bit of savings really adds up to a large amount over time. It makes it easier for me to say no to something small and fleeting, say an orange dress! :), and say yes to longer term goals. :)
It was hard to consider how to organize my mind into all that categories and over all those years.
I made a good tool to make it easier to see where the money goes and how to organize all the different categories.
Here is what I did---
Take a piece of notebook paper and turn it landscape.
- Across the top I wrote the years 10, 11, 12 and so forth. I did two rows so that I was able to see 2010-2040 on one page. (Peter was cracking up that I was planning for 30 yrs!)
- Then I used a line and a dot system to show when the savings in each category would start and stop.
- For example- In March 2010 we'll begin saving for our emergency fund. In August 2011, the emergency fund will be full. (just in time for us to come back to the US) The line stopped there and then I started another line and dot to allocate the money we were saving for the e fund into a different goal.
- I started another line for overpaying our mortgage by 10% each month. This will allow us to pay off our home by 2024. That is a longer line!!! If we can do this, the house will be paid off when Weston is beginning college and then we can allocate the money we would have been paying for our home to college for the next six years- another line and dot. After college in 2030, that money may possibly go into our retirement fund aggressively.
- I added two other categories with lines and dots one for education and one for regular bills and needs like Christmas gifts and insurance payments due once a year.
The reason I blog about it is because it was encouraging. Sometimes when deciding to make a savings goal it seems like it will take so long and then I give up. But seeing it as a line and dot on a 30 year chart really showed how fast it will be accomplished. It also showed how much even a little bit of savings really adds up to a large amount over time. It makes it easier for me to say no to something small and fleeting, say an orange dress! :), and say yes to longer term goals. :)
10.29.2009
Simply Saving
Yesterday I spent the afternoon doing some financial planning. I am in deep waters, since I don't really know exactly what I'm doing.
I love reading blogs, it is my favorite way to relax after the kids go to bed! So I have been reading-
www.simpledollar.com
www.simplemom.net
I have been considering our financial status more here, because when we live here there is a little to save! When we live in California, there isn't much to it! In California, our goals are- make it to the end of the month without spending more than we make (which is a challenge) and tithe first.
Both blog authors have quoted Dave Ramsey. His plan includes a list of baby steps of paying off debt and savings.
So I've been considering ideas like emergency fund, retirement savings, college savings, paying off the mortgage early. Obviously, I can't do all these things at once.
It has been interesting to consider how long it would take us to save an emergency fund to cover our expenses for six months. I think this is a great idea and would relieve stress and pay for true "emergencies" like medical bills, major unexpected repairs, layoff, possible deportation! A renter destroying our home. :) I think we'll work on that-- for a LONG time!
Then there are college savings.... can I just say "AHHHHHHH!" We've had a 529 since Weston was born. We have faithfully put $50 a month in for the last 5 years! Ha ha ha... I wish that could come close to the total we need!!!
College for our two children at JC and a state school for 4 years each adds up to $180,000. This number is probably underestimated as well! (there will be a 105% inflation in cost by then!) So even assuming that they work and get scholarships to cover 50% of that number and we save $90,0000 for them, that would be $441 per month for the next 17 years. WOW WOW WOW!
However, if we just wait and don't save- we'd have to pay $1270 every month for Wes. Then two of them would be in school at the same time for 2 years that would be $2540 a month for two years... so saving something is probably better than saving nothing, right?
Can I just take this moment to thank you mom and dad? You sacrificed so much to give Peter and I our educations! We really appreciate it! You are such great parents and we are thankful for you everyday!
OK, well now you know the deep waters my mind has been in for the last 12 hours... I am trying to figure out a plan.
My goal, though, isn't to pay for everything for the next 50 years perfectly, which is impossible! It is to be wise with the money we do have now, while trusting God for the rest and trusting His direction.
"In his heart the man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Pr 16:9
What do you think? Are college savings really that important? Should a parent be responsible for their childrens' education costs?
I love reading blogs, it is my favorite way to relax after the kids go to bed! So I have been reading-
www.simpledollar.com
www.simplemom.net
I have been considering our financial status more here, because when we live here there is a little to save! When we live in California, there isn't much to it! In California, our goals are- make it to the end of the month without spending more than we make (which is a challenge) and tithe first.
Both blog authors have quoted Dave Ramsey. His plan includes a list of baby steps of paying off debt and savings.
So I've been considering ideas like emergency fund, retirement savings, college savings, paying off the mortgage early. Obviously, I can't do all these things at once.
It has been interesting to consider how long it would take us to save an emergency fund to cover our expenses for six months. I think this is a great idea and would relieve stress and pay for true "emergencies" like medical bills, major unexpected repairs, layoff, possible deportation! A renter destroying our home. :) I think we'll work on that-- for a LONG time!
Then there are college savings.... can I just say "AHHHHHHH!" We've had a 529 since Weston was born. We have faithfully put $50 a month in for the last 5 years! Ha ha ha... I wish that could come close to the total we need!!!
College for our two children at JC and a state school for 4 years each adds up to $180,000. This number is probably underestimated as well! (there will be a 105% inflation in cost by then!) So even assuming that they work and get scholarships to cover 50% of that number and we save $90,0000 for them, that would be $441 per month for the next 17 years. WOW WOW WOW!
However, if we just wait and don't save- we'd have to pay $1270 every month for Wes. Then two of them would be in school at the same time for 2 years that would be $2540 a month for two years... so saving something is probably better than saving nothing, right?
Can I just take this moment to thank you mom and dad? You sacrificed so much to give Peter and I our educations! We really appreciate it! You are such great parents and we are thankful for you everyday!
OK, well now you know the deep waters my mind has been in for the last 12 hours... I am trying to figure out a plan.
My goal, though, isn't to pay for everything for the next 50 years perfectly, which is impossible! It is to be wise with the money we do have now, while trusting God for the rest and trusting His direction.
"In his heart the man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." Pr 16:9
What do you think? Are college savings really that important? Should a parent be responsible for their childrens' education costs?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)