Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Life and death

It's no secret that I am a super-frugal person. I am always looking for ways to save money and cut back on purchases. There are a couple of things that I feel are necessary that some people may overlook. One of those is life insurance. In the event that a spouse dies, life insurance is such a relief, both financially and emotionally. If you get life insurance when you are young, the monthly premiums are very affordable.

The second necessity is a will, which I am ashamed to admit we haven't written up yet. Add that to my "to do" list from the previous post. Having children really changed how I view wills and it is so important to specify who will take care of them and where all your valuables will go. Well, I'm off to research wills on the internet...

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Monday, June 23, 2008

My turn!

I've been tagged by my lovely friend Jody to answer a few questions about myself. And here we go:

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ah, the summer of 1998. My husband and I had recently moved into his parents' basement after being laid off from our jobs and having one of our cars stolen (that was one rough Spring!). We were both attending college, while I also worked temp jobs and my hubby was trying to finish an album. On the weekends we went to goth clubs and lived the usual carefree life of college students before having kids.

2. What are 5 things on your "to do" list?
Read every book by Eckhart Tolle (I was totally inspired by "A New Earth")
Do more work on our piece of land to prepare it for building
Lower our monthly expenses (even more!)
Have the monster of all garage sales
Sell this house! (I know that's not technically something that I can do, but I'm doing all in my power to help it along)

3. What are 5 snacks you enjoy? (in no particular order)
Popcorn, popped the old-fashioned way on the stove
Chips and home made salsa
Cashews
Gummy Bears
Red Hots (but they make my tongue raw!)

4. Name some things you would do if you were a millionaire.
Travel, travel, and more travel.

5. Name some places where you've lived.
Houston, Texas
various suburbs of Denver, Colorado
Omaha, Nebraska
Colorado City, Colorado
Eureka Springs, Arkansas

6. Name some bad habits you have.
biting my nails and cuticles
I am a total organizational freak and somewhat of a perfectionist, but I am only very critical of myself. I don't judge others by the same scrutiny.

7. Name some jobs you've had.
Movie theater concession stand, later promoted to the box office.
Video store rental clerk
Walgreen's cosmetic counter
Licensing agent at an Insurance company
Administrative assistant at a big Phone company
Librarian
Substitute teacher

8. Name those whom you are tagging.
Well, I honestly think Jody would be the only one of my friends to do this, and since she tagged me, I guess I'll try Tales from the Crib, but don't hold your breath...

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Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Gracefully aging

One of the concepts covered in "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle is becoming detached from your outside image. Getting out of the mode that your physical body is not essentially who "you" are is very difficult. Being a woman, it has been ingrained since a very young age that women must not be seen unless they look their best. My mom never leaves the house without make-up on, even if it is just a trip to the neighborhood grocery store.

I have gone through phases of not wearing any make-up (mostly when there was a newborn baby in my house), but have now settled on a very quick regimen of facial sunscreen, powder, and a little mascara daily. The funny thing is, when I wore no make-up at all, the only people to comment on it were my mother and my sister.

Now that I am in my thirties, I am starting to see some aging in my face. I don't exactly have the money to buy the best anti wrinkle cream, so I will just continue with preventative measures like daily sunscreen and sunglasses to prevent wrinkles from squinting. Aging gracefully is a matter of being in the right mindset.

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Saturday, June 07, 2008

Oh, how school has changed!

When I was in elementary school, computers were just making their way into residential homes. I was one of only about three other students in my class with a word processing program to turn in printed reports in the 6th grade. The internet wasn't a viable resource until college, and offered much help with my assignments then.

Today, children start using the internet as early as age two, and computers are a staple in every classroom in the country from Kindergarten through high school. Students in middle and high school carry a flash drive on a lanyard around their neck with all their computer files stored. I just hope that by the time my kids are in school, we aren't expected to purchase laptops that they carry to school. Call me old fashioned, but I think kids are too young for that much responsibility.

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Weight woes

I've been struggling lately with how to deal with recent weight gain. I know it is mostly due to stress, and I will probably be able to work much of it off when we are working our land and buiding our house. In the meantime, I have gone shopping to get clothes that actually fit, not worrying about the size on the tag. It looks and feels better to wear one size too big than two sizes too small. I don't like it when clothes cling on all the wrong places.

Sure, part of me wants to look at a list of best diet pills, and just buy a "quick fix," but that's not me. I'm not one to take medications unless they are absolutely necessary because I have terrible reactions to certain drugs. I prefer the natural approach of either accepting my body the way it is, or realize that I have to change some habits and make life changes for better health all around.

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Friday, June 06, 2008

Everything is relative

My husband was talking with a friend about our plan to drastically cut our living expenses, so we can semi-retire and continue make our living through art, music, web ventures, and of course, my coveted library job. His friend lives in Boston, and he commented that $1,000 a month would barely buy daily coffee in Boston.

Everything is relative, and while the cost of living there is probably much higher than here, Boston jobs also pay a lot more to make up the difference. For example, the median household income in Boston is $42,500, while here in Eureka Springs, the median household income is only $26,600. Another issue that Eureka Springs residents have to contend with is the tourism market and the fact that most of the town virtually shuts down for several months in the winter, making some workers stretch nine months of income out over the entire year. I'm lucky that the library remains busy all twelve months.

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Monday, June 02, 2008

You know you're a Mom when...

...you enjoy the feel of your son rolling a Hot Wheels car over your back more than a massage at a spa.

...you lower your standards of what you consider "clean".

...your favorite smell is the top of your child's head.

...you lick your finger and wipe something off a kid's face.

...you can watch your child sleeping for hours.

...you find yourself repeating the same thing 100 times a day.

...you start humming theme songs from kids' movies.

That's all I could think of right now. Please add more if you think of any!

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Manly gift idea

I just thought of a great Father's Day gift for any man who doesn't like to wear jewelry, but needs to keep a schedule. A pocket watch! I didn't realize that they still made these, but new pocket watches come in many different styles to suit virtually any man.

There are the classic styles, in either gold or silver, suitable for any history buff. There are some very modern styles, for Mr. GQ on Wall Street. And then there are the very simple ones for the "no frills" type of guy. The prices vary widely, starting around $60 and ranging all the way up to $400. With great sales going on, and free shipping on many items, now is the time to get Father's Day shopping done.

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