We have had a death in the family, and will not be posting a tip today. Please check back Wednesday for a new post! Thank you for reading!
Posts Tagged ‘Family’
No tip today…
Monday, January 25th, 2010Our State of the Union…
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010Last night, your favorite southern couple had our bi-annual “State of the Union” or “budget committee meeting”. Basically, a time when we sit down and review our budget and re-vamp any budgeted items that are receiving too much money or not enough money. Now, we talk about our budget line items that affect us on a weekly basis, on a weekly basis. These are the things we do every week, like buy groceries and gas. The bi-annual committee meeting is for the things we don’t look at all the time, like web hosting fees and legal fees etc.
As I said above, we also go over our budget reports to understand what is being under-funded and what is being over-funded. We look at EVERY budget item. Last night, we had to increase the money funding our medical budget and our grocery budget (I swear the grocery stores just keep raising the prices!). Now, you might be asking “how do you increase a line item?”, and the answer is simple; Something else has to be cut back. We took the money from our monthly savings (grudgingly) to fund the additional money needed for the medical and grocery budget items. What if you have no savings? Then you have to cut back on another line item, like cable, telephone or Internet. Is your budget so slim that you don’t have ANYextras? Then you need to try cost cutting to bring your spending in line with your budgeted amount, or increase your income to cover the overages. It’s simple math…your budget must be balanced! If there aren’t enough funds, you must cut back, or make more!
Now I challenge you to have your own budget committee meeting (if you’re single, you still need to have the meeting with just yourself, or a friend/family member you trust to share this info with)! Sit down and figure out how much you spent on all your expenses this last year! How much did you go over? Under? Do you even have a budget? First things first, you need a budget. Get out a pen and paper, and write down all of your expenses, in order of importance (1. housing, 2. food, 3. electricity etc.), then write down your income. Assign amounts to each category. If you run out of income before you reach the bottom, then you either need to cut back your expenses, or increase your income. Did you reach the bottom with money to spare? Great! If you have debt, use the money to pay it off, if not, start saving an emergency fund for 3-6 months worth of expenses, and after that, for retirement!
It’s our opinion that money works for you and not against you if you watch it like a hawk. Don’t give yourself the opportunity to mess up! Start this year off right, and take your budget committee meeting to the kitchen table tonight!
Happy New Year 2010!
Friday, January 1st, 2010Happy New Year 2010! Enjoy the day with your friends and family, or recover quickly!
Merry Christmas 2009!
Friday, December 25th, 2009Merry Christmas. Go spend time with your family, as we will be having family time as well.
Some food for thought!
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009Today I just wanted to share a few insights that I ran across while researching other topics for this past Friday. Since we are heading into Christmas and millions of us will be going home for the holiday, I thought it a good idea for us to be reflective and introspective…now is as good a time as any for personal and familial growth.
- No one’s perfect – This shouldn’t even have to be said, since we should all already know this, but too often we do not. We know that we aren’t perfect, but don’t extend this logic to our friends, loved ones and other acquaintances. We should though, because holding people to a standard of perfect is only setting you up for disappointment. Try to remember that the people in your life are trying…and you should try too!
- “Events reveal people’s characters;they don’t determine them” – This should be something that we all remember. If your friend does something hurtful to you because of a bad situation they find themselves in, they were likely to do it anyway…it was not the situation that created the attitude, the attitude merely came out during the situation. The event doesn’t matter. “You have the chance to be the person you wish to be, until you die”.
- Love and family are hard, you can’t fake feelings forever - Be honest with those you love. Keeping relationships strong through decades is a lot harder than you might think it is, and dishonesty will only breed contempt. Share your thoughts and feelings with friends and loved ones, even when it is hard.
- Keep your eye on the prize – Never lose sight of your goals and aspirations. I know that in this instant gratification, have it now world, it’s easy to lose sight of your own feet in front of you, but the dream is part of you, and you shouldn’t give up on it or forget about it. I don’t care if your dream is to be President of the United States, or to be the loving housewife and mother of a wonderful husband and 2 great children…never forget that dream, and, as Winston Churchill said, never give in.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Free screenings for you or someone else!
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009As many of you already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For me, it’s personal. My mother, who is the greatest woman I’ve ever known, was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2006. I am not exaggerating when I say that I was scared out of my mind. In truth, it probably didn’t help that my grandmother (my mom’s mother), whom I was also very close to, passed away just a few months earlier (not from breast cancer). So, to me, it seemed like my world was crashing down around me. I went through most of the recovery process with my mom. She required both chemotherapy and surgery, and it was very hard to watch a woman who had been so strong for so long struggle. It was…heartbreaking. But, with the power of prayer and help from some of the best (and nicest) doctors I have ever met in my life, she has made a full recovery. This experience, however, makes me think about how important it is to get screened for breast cancer, AKA, getting a mammogram. What’s better, is that I found some information about ways to get them for free, or at least on the cheap, so people without health insurance can get screened as well.
The first website is called The Breast Cancer Site. It is an interesting way to help those in need, but basically, you click the button (you can click once a day) and after a certain number of clicks (roughly 45,000) it donates a free mammogram to women in need across the country. It is a for profit business, but is also supported by corporate sponsorship, so check it out and click the button, since you could save a life with that click. Think it’s too good to be true? Verify it here!
Another website is called liv.com. It is a breast cancer awareness website that lists resources for women to get free or low cost mammograms. The United States Center for Disease Control’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) is one resource you can use to get access to these low cost of free screenings. Check out their website here. Other websites listed on liv.com offering help to get screened on the cheap are The National Cancer Institute (supported by the U.S. Government), the American Cancer Society (the blue box in the middle right of the page “Find ACS in Your Community” is where you want to go. You’ll need your zip code. They can tell you what resources are available in your area.) and The American Breast Cancer Foundation’s Key to Life Breast Cancer Screening Assistance Program. This last resource doesn’t have a website, but you can call them at 877-539-2543 to enroll in their program which provides financial assistance to uninsured and underinsured women and men for breast cancer testing. If none of these suit your needs, call your local hospital and ask to speak to a social worker. They are the hospital contact that will be aware of any free or low cost mammogram/cancer screenings in your area.
Breast cancer won’t go away on it’s own. The faster they catch it, the better your chances. If my mom hadn’t been diligent in her screenings, I might have lost her, and that isn’t something I like to think about. So you’re busy with kids and career. It doesn’t matter, because you have to take care of yourself, no matter what is going on! Think about it…if you don’t take care of yourself, who will take care of your priorities (kids etc.) when you’re gone?
