Building Character

Anytime a knot tangles in the vision one has for their life, me and hubby have a joke where we will laugh and say "Building Character Baby! Just Building Character!" It is true, that nothing builds character faster than true hardship or even tragedy in ones life. Hardship carves out a hellacious obstacle course where you can persevere to maneuver it until you work your way out altogether or give up. Tragedy forces you to either withdraw from the world and shrivel, or to seek out and find the blessings with in, filling your heart with gratitude. Through either one, FEAR can outright paralyze one into inaction altogether, freezing one into a block of time that fails to move forward in any direction.

Much how the wind or a river carves its way throughout the landscape, carving out pieces of art to be changed forever, what life throws at individual does the same thing. Chiseling away a grand work of art, a Masterpiece that will ooze beauty and lightness or the darkness of a troubled mind. Poverty, cancer, large debt, divorce, loss of a loved one, crime, money pit homes, terminal illnesses, bad relationships, low self esteem, unforeseen evictions, severe weather. All these things and more can bombard an individual with hardships unimaginable to others. It is how one handles  them which determines what kind of character will be built.

Your mind needs to be strong to create a piece of art, rather than be broken yet how we meet hardships, boils down to choice. We have a choice in how to feel about it ( our emotions) as well as what we will do about it ( the physical ) and it is always about choices. We can choose to meet each sense of hardship with humor and positive intent and fill our hearts with gratitude.

Greeting life, bills, terminal illness, judgmental people who don't agree with your lifestyle choices, where you live, your work, all the difficulties and struggles each day brings......can all be met with grace, dignity and joy, with a positive mind. These are choices one can make no matter what their circumstances may be. I am not saying meeting life this way is easy, for it is not always easy, the harder life knocks one may get, the harder it can be, but it is still a choice.

By making the choices to not be a victim and taking a proactive role, choosing carefully our emotions on how to feel about our situations and deciding the actions we want to take to change or overcome things, reduces feelings of stress a hundred fold.

It seems when we follow more of the negative side of thoughts and actions, stress builds as if in a pressure cooker, ready to explode all over everything at any given moment. Being paralyzed by fear can be even worse, more like a volcano ready to erupt. The end result for either one of these, are usually quite disastrous. Yet many people tend to easily fall into these spiraling down emotions and choices. Positive thinking seems so much harder and so many are wrapped in a world of being victim, they do not realize they are in control of their feelings and actually have choices.

Instead of complaining how you hate being broke, do something about it and truly open your eyes to all the blessings around you. Choices

Instead of treating someone who has terminal illness like they are on death row, with no hope left and nothing to offer the world, treat them like someone who has an amazing story to share and let your light engulf them with love and laughter. Choices.

If you have had large debt forever and a day, complaining constantly and fear taking hold of every part of life, change it! It is what it is, learn, grow, laugh, move on and change today. Choices

Grace, Dignity, Humor and Positive attitudes, these are all the building character traits that hardship could be chiseling out from you. Your Choice,  what kind of a Masterpiece do you want to create?

I absolutely love our life because I choose too, how do you choose yours?
 

Hoping This House is Still for Sale in 2 months!

 

 

I have been looking pretty hard just to see things that are available when I came across this little beauty!  While this is nowhere near as large as the house I posted about the other day it is way more to our style and liking!

 

The yard is not all that big but well, you can't have everything at least it is pretty and a wooded setting, kind of hidden away on the very edge of a decent sized town.

 

Me and hubby fell in love with this place and it was listed in Novemeber so I am really hoping it is still there in 2 months at tax refund time.

 

I am not sharing the link because I do not want someone to snatch it up because you wanna know the price?

 

 

$4,900

 

Yup that is correct!

 

It is 1300 sq feet and the fireplace in it will help big time for heating it!

 

Now, just to keep everyone away from it for 2 months!........

 

Even if it needs some work ( from looks of photos, it certainly does) it would be worth it if the structure is sound!

 

What do you think, could you see my family in a place like this? :)

Dreaming.......

I found this listing http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/115-Pleasant-Ave_Alma_MI_48801_M37115-78288 

Looks to be an old converted church and I instantly fell in love with the humungo Great Room!

This place is selling for roughly $14,000 and has been on the market a year and a half.

4 bedrooms, decent yard, and plenty of room at 2175 square feet........oh the hide and seek that could be played!

The heating would scare me but I would slap a few wood burners in there in a hurry haha!

Can you imagine the Christmas tree that would fit in the Great Room? Lovely visions that brings.

It is a 1950's home and with any old home they come with their share of character and problems needing resolved.


Well one can dream can't they? LOL

Have a great Monday everyone, today my son starts his job after being out of work for 7 months! WOOT

Bronco Bob Your OURS BABY!

He may be old, he may have been around the block ( 220,000 miles on him), he may be a little rusty with doors that squeak and stick from time to time BUT Friday marked our last payment on him after an 18 month stretch of $180 monthly payments!

HE IS OURS and that is like giving ourselves a $180 a month raise! WOOT WOOT

He was the last thing we had payments on that seals our deal on livng a cash only lifestyle now. This means we will immediatly start putting money away into a car fund so that the next time we need a vehicle, there will be no payments, nor will there be  3 months of biking the 5 miles to town to scrape together the meager down payment to  get a car attached to payments.

We made the cash only policy a couple months AFTER we got Bronco Bob and we have been doing really good on that other than truck payments. However I do not ever want payments on a car again, I have always hated it but seems we always get locked into them.

So let the new car fund begin ( of course along with a repair one to keep Bronco Bob going as long as we can)!

We soooooooooooooooo OWN YOU BRONCO BOB!

Do you take on car payments or do you pay for your automobiles with cash?
 

In Time

Have you seen this movie yet? This is one movie that I can relate to so well that I can watch over and over and over ( I am usually a watch it  once, then not again for 10 years until I forget the movie type!)

I love this movie as it is such an accurate portrayal of how different the two worlds between the poor and rich can be.

For those who have not seen this movie it basically is about your life minutes that starts at a certain age shows up as a tattoo on your arm. You will be this age as long as you can keep getting minutes added to your time, or you die when it times out. You pay for things by scanning your arm, such as a cup of coffee is worth 15 minutes of your life. Your paycheck from your job, adds minutes to your life.

One one hand, the wealthy stay shut off from the poor sector to stay blind to what that world is like. The own everything, run everything and have accumulated so many life minutes they will stay 20 for a million years or more. They are not in a hurry, the have extravagant parties, go about life in a leisurely fashion, enjoying the fine things life has to offer knowing that they have virtually forever to live and no worries about paying for needs.

The poor sector is a whole other world where murder happens just to buy 1 or 2 more days to live, where  everyone has to run at their fastest possible pace to make it to the next place to get another 15 minutes to 3 days added to their clock. Walking is not an option, adrenaline is always high, stress almost unbearable, doing whatever it takes not to time out at way too young of an age.

There is no time for pause, reflection or planning. Just sheer survival of the moment actions to get just one more day and then to share what you can with the others you love to buy them an extra few minutes. Always trying to trust and have faith your running can make it to that next meal ticket before your time clocks out, always living just in the moment, never for the future because in this world, it is the moment that counts if you are to survive to the next moment. Running, always running, screaming, senses heightened, trying to maintain a little integrity in the process and not resorting to the criminal aspects so many of your neighbors have turned to all in the name of survival.

 

Changes Coming Soon!

You may notice a few changes occurring on this site, as things are disappearing! It is time for a face lift and new directions as we approach the end of a year.

I have been putting in a lot of thought about what has all happened for 2011, my original goals, getting off track and where things may have been going wrong and what I wanted to do to "fix" things.

I won't lie, I was highly disappointed in many areas and nothing seemed to head in the right direction for accomplishing my overly-optimistic goals.

So I have spent a lot of time reflecting, researching and figuring out exactly where we want to go from here and am gearing up for a complete face-lift with a new direction here in the blogosphere world.

It will be a direction that brings and adds value to my families life, without so much focus on increasing income and saving pennies, counting pennies and always being frugally minded. I believe if I focus on a healthier and more Eco-friendly lifestyle, perhaps those things will come in a more natural flow by living the life I want according to my personal principles and what I feel truly adds value to our lives.

Plastic-free living, a minimalist approach, green causes, random acts of kindness, whole foods and raw foods eating, giving up supermarkets   all things under consideration for the direction of our life and this blog :) oh and naturally self-reliance and Cash Only living!

True wealth after all = value and value is free.............

Hope you continue to follow as we set off in some new directions bringing more joy and value into our daily lives!

Joining The Food Stamp/Snap Challenge

I will be joining the Food Stamp/Snap Challenge that starts tomorrow for the whole week that Katy from the Non Consumer Advocate is hosting as an awareness challenge.

Now if you go by the Snap Guidelines this allows for around $4 a person per day and for my family that would be $20 a day or $140 for the whole week. I don't usually spend $140 for any week and before I knew about the challenge, I pretty much spent my grocery amount for the the month which was $100..........the most I can muster up for this challenge would be $30.

Many joining the challenge have well stocked pantries and freezers which one thing I pointed out there was Low Income families generally do NOT have well stocked pantries and run on empty towards the end of the month. Remember my Before Shopping photos I shared back in February? How about my $2 dinner post, remember that one?    These are many times the reality of the working poor or low income households.

Also keep in mind the perspective that those who would have stocked pantries and freezers before disaster strikes deplete them. After job loss or whatever happened to change financial circumstances may be, they start using up their previous stockpile. As it dwindles and panic sets in, they apply for assistance. However many times they have no clue of the time it takes to get the Food Stamps/Snap started such as in my State is 45 days from the time you fill out the application and it gets approved. For many this means they run out of food way before the Food Stamps Kick in.


So keeping this in mind I decided I am joining the challenge from this perspective, while I do have some things already due to my first of the month shopping, it won't exist for the purpose of this challenge. Since all I have is the $30 I want to push myself to see how well I can feed my family of 5 for the entire week. My meals will consist of ONLY what I purchase on that small amount of money and I feel this is fitting considering many on Food Stamps/Snap report running out of money before the end of the month. Regardless of why they run out , is not up to us to Judge their food purchases as we do not know the story behind their purchase and financial choices.

With an all time high and America setting record highs now with 46 Million American Families now on Food Stamps/Snap it is a great time to bring awareness to the challenges of struggling households.
Hunger is a real issue, poverty is a real issue here in America, the numbers are staggering and growing each day. Minimum wage jobs are now not only for the teens and new to the workforce genres, but a real fact for many hard working Adult Americans with families to support.

It is my pleasure to join this challenge with so many others and bring a little awareness to the growing problems families are facing each day.

15 Things To Give Up To Be Happy

Click on the Photo to Enlarge!

Yup it is Inspiration Friday!

Enjoy from my Favorite group when I was 16: ABBA

Worry Depletes Otherwise Useful Energy

Worry takes a lot of energy in waves of powerful emotions, energy that in most cases would be best used in productive encounters.

Yet we worry.

Not only do we worry, we worry A LOT!

In most cases it is un-needed stress in our daily lives.

It causes Dis-EASE.

Panic Attacks.

Frustrations.

Illnesses.

Series of Bad Luck ( or so it can seem when one lives in such darkness)

It leaves us Spent.

Exhausted.

Tired.

Depressed.

If you desire change, Worry must then be released, let go of.

Worry does no good, in fact it does the complete opposite and brings nothing but headaches down upon us.

When we put all our emotions and energy into worry whether it is about how to pay the bills, the weird noise our car started making yesterday, the endless notes of what we see are "needs" on our lists of purchases or the million other things in a day we can worry about when we let our imagination roam, it virtually takes us away from the solutions.

Most times the worry is unfounded, we simply worried for nothing not trusting that our needs are always provided for.

Sure inconveniences come up, things come up that ruin plans we laid out, things break down, the unexpected happens.

Learn to view the humerus side of ANY situation and laugh, crack jokes about your series of unfortunate events. Laugh until your sides hurt. Believe it or not, laughter can lead to faster solutions as depression typically focuses on all the problems, all the nitty gritty negatives of life.

Unto every story is two sides.

Always try to seek the positive sides of your story, it will be a more exciting and joyful journey.

Worry will not change the Outcome of what is occurring.

Worry will not change the fact you have only $4 in your purse that has to last 7 days.

Worry will not fill of the propane tank when it is sitting on empty or fill your cupboards with food.

It WILL slow down your thought processes though.

It will cloud your vision.

It will prevent you from seeing the light at the end of the table and effectively problem solving.

While worry perhaps can not change the outcome of your finances, a positive mind and a keep on trying attitude perhaps WILL change the outcome, someday.....the more you try the more the odds are in our favor. It is all a matter of probability.

What I Would Tell Myself Going Back In Time

Book_Lover from Australia asked an excellent question of "What I would Tell Myself  Prior to Hubby having His Heart Attacks.

I think this is a great question, one many people contemplate and some may even dwell on how they would change their past with what they know now. To be honest however, my reply here is that I would tell myself NOTHING and here is why.

• Without mistakes, one can not learn........if we had not of been making mistakes, there would of been no reason for change.
• Hardship tests limitations and breaks you free from limited limitations you place on yourself when things are going good.
• Hard times can bring you closer together when you truly lean on your spouse for support and they are supportive and needing support back.
• I have had several cycles of poverty in my life from the time I was a child, I have learned life runs in up and down cycles.......this shall pass.
• Hubby comes from a very different background than me and actually needed the way this all unfolded to get on the same page as me and to change some life threatening bad habits to restore health.
• Hard cycles, not only bring out the creativity in us, but the dreamer in us as well that lend to high motivation for change.
• While there is room for improvement, our life is not by any means what I would consider "Bad"
• There has to be a reason for change in order to be willing to change.
• Everything has happened exactly how it was meant to happen to bring growth and unexpected opportunities, while doors may shut, new ones always open!
• I have learned so much and became so much more disciplined in the last couple years that never would of happened if things would of gone differently.

and lastly...........HARDSHIPS BUILDS CHARACTER...........strong character backed by courage, strength and honor..........so why would I have it unfold any other way than how it did?

Everything happened exactly how it was meant to and is perfect......  :)

Financial Freedom and Independance

Today was another day of staying home in blazing temps where I started chili in the slowcooker first thing in the morning......what possessed me to do chili in such temps is beyond me but I wanted chili and cornbread! (with all the bananas and baking, the going stoveless is epic fail)

I picked a bunch of greens in the garden and then blanched them for the freezer.

I made a nice batch of Strawberry Freezer Jam ( 3 tubs full)

I made a chicken/tomato/pasta dish for tomorrow that will be cold.

I made 3 large loaves of banana bread

There will be no fireworks unless we can see them from the house and with as burned up as our yard is, I would not even think of lighting any off ourselves this year. Hopefully the neighbors do not go too long into the night like that did last year.......hubby has to be up by 4am for work!

The whole time I thought about Freedom and Independance......it is good to be an American!

But what exactly does these things mean to me? Are we free when we are slaves to the dollar in a vicous cycle of HAVING to work in order to purchase things? Even true needs require money which in turn we need to work for and this can keep us trapped, enslaved. Total and extreme self-reliance could solve that however........maybe.

I use to say I wanted financial Independance......meaning I wanted to be secure and have enough to not have to worry all the time. But thinking about that, true financial independance to me would be living Independantly WITHOUT money or the need for much of it at all anyway.

So what does freedom and indpendance really mean for me?

The ability to live independantly providing my basic needs for myself  independant from government, employers or corporations.

Total if even extreme self-reliance, building, growing, finding........wilderness is an abundant thing.

TIME- freedom from the ties of employment, freedom for me and my husband to do the things we love to do, to volunteer, to relax, to forage, to dance, to help others....... FREEDOM of the clock, Freedom from the MAN.

Freedom from clutter and too much stuff ( Looking into a minimalst lifestyle? Perhaps......verdict still out)

Indpendant from the need of plastic, banks, stores,  everything that burdens you with the ties of time=work.

I am not saying this from a lazy view point, after all self reliance is a lot of work!

Sometimes though I get tired, and freedom and indpendance in their true sense of the word sounds so simple, so beautiful, so FREE.

SIGH..... sounds so good!

But then again, maybe it is just all this extreme heat talking.......    :)

The Power of a Dollar

Looking back over the years, I have found the dollar to be a powerful tool in acquiring things we really needed or wanted. Somehow we were always in the right place in the right time, while actively seeking that which we wanted to find. We put the worry of "how" aside and just actively searched or paid closer attention to the signs around us.

When I talk about the power of the dollar, I am not talking about it in a plural sense, but rather just the power of a single $1 bill, for that is usually what I have on hand in my purse most days. Yet we never let it stop us and never questioned the power of your mind and determination.

In 2001 we desperately needed a car as we were VERY pregnant with our last and youngest daughter, our car had broken down beyond repair after moving 600 miles away from family, friends and anyone we knew to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the Keweenaw Peninsula........an area that averages 30 feet of snow every winter. Work was 15 miles away in another town and we had been relying on Taxi cabs that were talking over half of hubby's paychecks.

With a dollar in my purse I walked by a car dealership advertising that years brand new cavaliers with a 0 down financing. I went home and told hubby to go check it out and he said but we only have a buck, and I said so? What do you have to lose? In an hour we had a brand new car that lasted 6 years before something exploded scattering tiny fragments of metal throughout the entire engine and oil pan rendering it non repairable. But it was what we needed at the time and served us well while we had it. That tiny car was used for hauling pigs, goats, 8 people from time to time and many other things folks never thought we could squeeze into the tiny car, yet we always did! It worked just fabulous for whatever we needed it for!

Another time, when we discovered the building was being sold that we rented an apartment in, and the new owners would be taking over the 1500 square foot apartment WE were in, we had to move. With a dollar in my purse I saw a Farm for rent for a $1000 a month on 40 acres..........I recalled the place had been up for sale for several years.......houses in the UP of Michigan can sit for a really long time if they are not dirt cheap.

With a dollar in my purse we went and looked and I looked at hubby and said THIS IS OURS! Sure enough they allowed us to not only rent it but would go Land Contract. Unfortunately they really screwed us over in the Land Contract and never did any of the things they said they would do so it only lasted a Year. BUT nobody in their right minds would of let us rent that place on our income let alone try to purchase it.........yet they did. Rent was paid miraculously on time every month with me working at a Humane Society full time and running a full scale farming operation full time while still being mom, housekeeper and wife. Nope I did not sleep, that whole year I ran off of 3 hours asleep a night..........one week I only got 3 hours of sleep the WHOLE week to assist in the birthing of goats and still going to the Humane Society to work full time that whole week.

I hand cut hay with a Scythe, hand dug a 1/2 acre garden, we WALKED a 1/4 mile driveway ALL WINTER with sleds to sled in and out kids and grain through blizzards, 40 below weather and all. Sometimes at 2am with the coyotes and bears and cougar running about.......... fun times!

It was HARD but the best year of my life.........I was so happy to do what I was doing and never felt more fit and healthier in my life.

While these are only 2 instances, there have been many others we have had in the 13 years we have been together (well coming up on 13 years anyways) that have all happened with no more than a dollar in my pocket. In this instances we never think a NO or a WON'T HAPPEN is in the picture......there is a unique determination that we simply KNOW we will get it when these instances occur in our  lives.

We actively work in searching and looking when we know we want something and perhaps this is the step that puts us in the right place and the right time with the right people to make it happen.

The power of a $1 dollar can be incredible if you simply let go of HOW and simply BELIEVE it will be yours somehow. They universe is a mysterious world indeed!

What I Have Learned From My Father

1. Never take money from the cookie jar (without your spouse knowing)
2. It is never to late to take on a worthwhile project of immense community service (so proud of you DAD!)
3. Retire in time to have the health to enjoy retirement ( discovered he had cancer a week after he retired and again battled a second round of a different cancer soon after recovering from the first a true survivor! 2x round survivor!)  
4. Always see the humorous side of finances and circumstances.
5. Graciously Help when you can and Graciously accept help when needed.
6. Life in the military can lead to a decent retirement with great health benefits later.
7. Behind every great man, lies a great woman.
8. It is okay to truly enjoy the pleasures of what life has to offer.
9. Networking brings large results.
10. A penny in your pocket is worth more than a hole in your pocket.
11. Talk openly about the positive things going on in your life, keep quiet about the negatives, like attracts like.
12. Be positive, Be happy, Laugh , laugh, laugh truly the best remedy and medicine for all.
13. Plan in advance and let others know about your plans long before your death so no one is left in confusion or sorting out a mess.
14. It does not ever matter what others think of your lifestyle or plans, they are not you.

I thought in honor of Fathers Day, I would make a post of some of the important things I have learned from my Amazing Dad. He is a very social person, with big heart and huge sense of humor that is contagious. I am my fathers daughter and have gotten many things from him over my life and in many ways am like him. Yes I was a Daddy's girl and while I did get many things from my mother, it is just as important to acknowledge some things I got from my Father.

I love you Dad, Happy Fathers Day to You and Happy Fathers Day to all you other Amazing Dads as well!

A Letter from a Reader

Just thinking about your post today. Have you noticed also when you change your thoughts, the items you need ( plus some extra wants) just appear?

For example. Here are some that just amaze me, and some happened years ago and are small and some happened this past week and are large.

Small that I remember. I had nothing, I was moving home, selling what I couldn’t take, and that my soon to be ex didn’t need. I had 2 children just starting school and was feeling so overwhelmed. A father daughter event was coming up at our church for our eldest daughter. My then husband was not living with us and would not take my daughter to church ( he would no longer been seen there as he was running around with several different women and had been found out by different Church members). My daughter asked her school teacher, and he took her! That probably wouldn’t happen today! He came dressed up and brought her a corsage to wear, she was 9 and never forgot that.

Then another time, I had no money, and my daughter needed some leotards for winter or pants that would keep her legs warm. I went to church that Sunday, it was a new church and we had just been twice. A lady came up to me and said, I don’t want to insult you, but I have some girls clothes that I think would fit your daughter and she is the only one I’ve seen that I think they will fit, would you like them? If not I will take them to the thrift shop tomorrow. I have been cleaning out my girls clothes as I need more room in their drawers. I said thank you I’d love them. so what was in the bags ( she had them in the car already and gave them to me after church) nine count them 9, pair of leotards in my daughter’s size, 4 pair of slacks, a jacket and coat, 2 flannelette nightgowns, and numerous tops and sweaters, and 2 church dresses! We ended up good friends, she had no idea at the time we needed anything.

Now my other half ( we have been together for 28 years) and we are 2 halves of the same couple. He is to the point health wise he can no longer get us wood so we bought a logging truck load last year. Now he can no longer cut and split it let alone go like we used to to cut it in the bush. So we talked it over and added to our mortgage and got a propane furnace put in. It cost us a fair bit, but we looked around, and got it put in, plus hired a gas fitter to dig the line and put in the line from the propane tank to the furnace, we got the tank and 1/3 tank of gas and the delivery and set up of the tank and a years rental of the tank, for just under the price the first estimate came in from the same maker and furnace we had wanted ( an energy efficient one) That price didn’t include a licenced gas fitter that we needed for the home insurance, or the tank , rental, setup and delivery of the tank or propane in the tank. We added the new cost of the loan into our budget, but come fall I wondered how I could save the amount needed to fill the tank. I went into change the insurance policy on the house, and the different main heat lowered our premium. I just received a Check for $609. for a 5 month refund! The lower premium for the house insurance will cover the heat bill for the year! Plus is easier for my hubby, and adds value to the house! There will actually be an extra amount left after I pay both the tank being filled in the fall and the house insurance, that will do one of 2 things, go toward a winter grocery fund ( I try and stalk up so we don’t need to shop if the roads are icy, we live in the mountains and need to travel on mountain roads to go to town) or go to an emergency fund ( for unexpected repairs).

My Mother had a different saying that would cover what you said in a different way about stress and abundance. “let go and let God”. That was her motto in life, it was in his hands and she just needed to do the best she could and he could do the rest. She lived till a month short of 98, and you know he looked after her needs all those years! Even when her mind went I was there, and I was a “ mistake” when she was 41! The Dr. thought she was going through the change early! My brother was 21 years older than me ( lived and worked on the other side of the continent) and my parents didn’t use birth control as they wanted 2 children!

I consider us well off. Not rich money wise, but all our needs and more are covered! We have worked hard to get where we are, and we bought out in the country, a little home in an area that is lower priced. But we are happy, and I love my back window! I sit and look down to the back of the property and see a creek and the mountains, and the view and animals I see change by the hour! What more could I ask for???

Take Care,

Thank you for a thought provoking Sunday Morning inspirational write up.

Pat in Kitchener

Poor to Rich

Stress can be a drain on your mental energy, physical health and keep you locked into negative thoughts and thinking as well. When we constantly worry about having "enough" it tends to really distort our reality and can really blur illusion with reality. This all comes from our own personal perception and how we view the life we lead. When we learn to let go, when we learn to shift our conscious thoughts, when we learn to come to terms with our "actual needs" versus wants and luxury, we can leave behind the feelings of deprivation and change our views over to an abundant universe. While this shift is not always easy, one actually I use to struggle with long ago and now is my hubby's battle he must face, it is possible and the world becomes a better and easier one to live with.

Hubby is  at a place of contradictions right now that he battles, on one side of seeing how joyful we are and how really this world provides truly anything we could ever want or need. On the other side, he faces the feelings of jealousy and envy with those who live in big houses and drive fast sports cars and have all the shiny's and gadgets in between. On one side in a few years he wants to give up everything to travel the United States on Horseback, followed by giving up money and "living off the land" so to speak, giving up the doll drum of work, home, work, home. On the other side he states he is not living the life he wants, if it was up to him he would have the money to go to the casino once a week.

I pointed out these statements as highly contradicting, polar opposites, an internal battle he is facing. I also pointed out that years ago when we did make that kind of money , enough is never enough for him......give him a tiny line and he starts to real it out as far as it will go. The once a week casino trip becomes two, becomes three and so on. The whole time he becomes less and less happy as there is never enough money to fuel his desires, he wants to travel, he wants a motorcycle, blah blah blah. Then it must be further pointed out that if he did not spend ALL his extra money at the casino......he would then have enough to buy that house he wanted, or go to Hawaii, or, or, or.........He KNOWS all this but still the reality is hard to accept as truth. This comes from being raised as a high consumer and that shiny things purchase your "status." He is aware of this as well and is a cycle he truly wants to break, some habits are really hard to break though are they not?

We really have few basic NEEDS.. shelter, food, clothing, love and some kind of companionship. Well okay AIR and WATER too but you get the idea! Everything else really could be considered a luxury, not a must have or need, rather wants that fulfill desires.

Shelter and clothing only need to be simple too and shelter us from the natural elements....it does not have to be spacious, large, imported Italian tiles, or posh by any standards........a lean to could be said is a suitable shelter! This is why small spaces that we rent does not bother me, they are more than suitable! Clothing is the same, it does not have to be expensive or designer brand.....it has to be functional!

A poor person therefore tends to think  "I am deprived, I am lacking" meaning they feel jealousy over not having large flat high definition televisions, or go out to eat at posh expensive restaurants. They feel as if they never go anywhere or get to do anything fun.

A rich person however tends to think , "All our needs are met and more. We are blessed" Good homemade food in the belly, love in the house, shelter over their heads. Family board games on a Friday night, fishing at the local park on Saturday, root beer floats at home from cheap ice cream on Sunday.

A poor person tends to think," I am tired of juggling bills, life sucks!"

A rich person however thinks " It will all work out, what can I do to get these paid?"

A poor person may think " we never get to do anything or go anywhere ever "

A rich person thinks " Wow it's been awhile I really appreciate eating out today or visiting......(where ever) "

A poor person may think " It is embarrassing being poor, I an too embarrassed to have anyone over"

A rich person may however " We welcome any friend anytime, we always have plenty of floor space and will serve you what we have on hand graciously"

A poor person thinks " we never have enough! I can never buy what I want and we never have enough stuff!"

A rich person however thinks" We always have "enough" We lack for nothing and have no need to continue buying "stuff"

You get the idea I am sure, while I am not making fun of those who truly have need, I am stressing the point that for many, the feelings of being poor is more in their perspective of their situation.

If you have shelter, clothing, food.........the rest is a bonus, a luxury and in that case the poverty is truly only in the way you view it, but is not a reality. This is a line of thought that with a little effort, can be changed.

So I ask you, are you poor or rich? You decide............As for myself and my family we are extremely blessed and lead a rich life full of abundance and wonderful things :)

Zero Currency Trailer

A Moment of Giving Thanks

I just wanted to give a quick thank you to my readers here, I have been getting a lot of emails that have been very supportive and uplifting! I appreciate the supportive words, links and ideas!

I have also  had a family email and offer to send my children gifts, their generosity of an act of kindness to complete strangers blew me away. A SPECIAL thank you goes out to this family, I am feeling very very blessed this month.

I so believe in the pay it forward concept and look forward to improving our financial path and being able to help and give to others when opportunity presents itself to do so.

For now we give to our elderly neighbor by anytime we bake anything sweet like cookies or muffins, we always take her a plate. She is 77 and just does not bake anymore so she really appreciates it. We also fix her a plate and take it to her anytime we have a really big dinner like for the holidays or special occasions.

Anyway, I did not want things to keep going without saying a special thank you to those who have stopped by and read our little corner of the world here. Your kindness and generosity and words of encouragement have touched our hearts in more ways than I could ever express!

THANK YOU!

Money Ideas Blogs of Note! Check Them Out!

I have been following Life and My Finances  for a little while now and think this is one blog to really follow and watch! He posts thought provoking articles and writes a lot about money making ideas worth considering! Life and My Finaces  is inspirational and a great motivator of trying new things to generate great streams of income striving to get out of the 9-5 world. He has recently started a new project The 30K Challenge to challenge folks to earn $30,000 in a year from online at Online Money Bloggers that will kick off in January 2012. This site is partnered with 20's Finances and with everyone joining in the challenge we will hear articles about ways to turn your blog into a successful stream of income.

Another Project he has partnered with JT to create Grand Per Month along with Melissa from Moms Plans where starting in January they will cover a money making idea every Monday that could generate a thousand a month income and on Thursdays will post things to inspire and motivate.

These are the blogs to watch for the new year that could be beneficial on so many levels and since my own blog here is on coming out of hard times goes with the theme here on helping others get back on the horse and on their way to financial Independence!