Spring is here!
Yay! Love the sun & the flowers but the allergies..?? Oh well....can't have everything. I've just finished hanging out clothes on the clothes line in my backyard. There's a gently breeze blowing and the temperature must be about 76 degrees. Awesome! Just my kind of weather. :-D Yes, I've been using the clothes line since the weather has gotten better and definately have been saving some bucks by not using the dryer-well just for 5-10 mins per load. What I do is let the clothes air dry until slightly damp or sometimes they are even dry all the way -next I pop them in the dryer for about 5 mins or so to finish drying and softens the wrinkles out which makes the clothes soft, using the liquid fabric softner to make the jeans and the towels less stiff. I couldn't imagine not using the softner because towels can get pretty rough if not dried in the dryer. Ouch! So, yes last month I saved $43 off my last gas bill -& this month I know I'll be saving even more because now I have my family doing the same with their laundry. I know winter months might not work as well but I can always use the garage for hanging out the laundry until the moisture evaporates I guess. Hey,we're just trying to save some bucks here...Cash is King right now! :-) To make things a litte bit more exciting..I went out and bought some colorful clothes pins to use to give even more color to the backyard. Hey,might as well have some fun while saving money right? I like colorful things so just had to do this. :-D
This whole savings plan began because of the downturn in our economy of course-have been reading on how to save and not waste anything--got us going. My family got together to see how we could save or make money. Other than doing some online stuff and looking for part time jobs we came up with; cutting back on electricity & gas bill, getting rid of some of the T.V channels, cancelling the water delivery, planting our own garden, garage sale, air/sun drying clothes, changing our hair stylists to more reasonable ones with monthly specials etc. etc. We're even cutting out coupons--So, the clothes drying is working out great with the weather turning nicer now (we're in Northern California BTW) and this is the best time to do garage sales.
For the garage sale-we didn't advertise at all...just put out ugly yellow with our home address and arrows pointing our way. Lo & behold--traffic! :-D My family & I have done 2 garage sales in a month and would you believe it we made $710? We sold older exercise machines, T.V sets that had been sitting around collecting dust, we gave up one T.V-who needs more than 2 T.V's anyway--well we don't even need the 2nd one but who knows as soon as we sell one the other might go out...he he...security. There were pots & pans, dishes, clocks, table cloths,a old collection of vases and some other stuff I had bought for the house but never put up. I wonder how many other people have boxes and bags of stuff hiding under their beds or in the back of their closets? Most of the things weren't even old looking-some of the clothes had never been worn by my daughters (still had tags) and I had some shoes that were still in the boxes-I had simply forgotten about them and they had been pushed in the back of the closet. Wow! it was like a treasure hunt.."Mom, look what I found! Board games and books we hadn't looked at for over 5 years. I felt so bad that we had wasted so much money buying these things and never or barely used them. After the garage sale I made out a check and mailed it to the cancer society which made me feel a little better but I know all of us, in my family learned a valuable lesson-not to waste anything. If we don't need to buy then don't buy-there will be sales, there will be trends but we are going to be more sensible with shopping now. Trendy or not,if those clothes don't look good don't buy them-just don't! We had fun talking to the people who stopped by-some were even out of town-as far as from 50 miles away-they had been driving past and saw our signs and followed them--aha! those ugly yellow signs sure worked.
We had lots of fun and got rid of a lot of stuff and then donated some money also-of course the money was split like we had learned at the Peak Potentials Training...
55% to NECESSITIES,
10% to EDUCATION,
10% to FFA(Financial Freedom Account),
10% to LTS(Long Term Savings),
10% to Play Jar (oh yes!) and
5% to the GIVE jar(went to the cancer society). A lesson well learnt by us all-to save & not waste. Hey the Prosperity Jars really help-amazing how you get used to these and then life becomes so easy! Write to me if you need help with the prosperity jars..I believe all children ought to learn how to use these so that in economies like we're having now,wouldn't be so hard to live in. Until next time-
clean the clutter, make some extra money, save and make each experience a fun, loving and learning time! I also had a sense of accomplishment as a parent-there will be tough times in our childrens lives some time or the other and they need to learn that we need to adapt to changes and make the most of those tough time...they will carry this on in their better days also I'm sure...Remember that....
Real Wealth starts in your mind and ends in your pocket!
http://www.secretsofthemillionairemind.com/a/?wid=528088. Here's some thoughtful & inspirational thoughts/ideas sent to me by one of my good friends. I thought I'd share...& the book to read is "
The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanly & William D Danko. You'd be surprised at what you learn.
For A Sensational Spring Cleaning .....
Experience Life. Sign up for a community walk or fun run and lift your spirits; picnic at your favorite park or lake and take in the beauty of your surroundings; or enjoy laughing and playing games online games at Pogo.com. Research tells us the feelings we get from experiencing life make us happier and help us find joy.
See Hope. Pick a color, any color and paint just one wall in your apartment or room to create energy, passion and joy. Try purple for spirit and hope, or yellow for happiness. For a quick splash of life, buy new hand towels for every bath in your home. Behavioral science shows color positively affects our blood pressure, stress, and energy level.
Smell Well. Find healing in your favorite aromatherapy soap, lotion, or room freshener. Lavender, chamomile and vanilla help you relax, peppermint and orange provide mental clarity. Jasmine lifts your mood to instill a sense of optimism.
Feel Happy. Keep a shawl, in your favorite color, in a drawer nearby and occasionally wrap yourself in it – try 3 times a day. Like a self imposed hug, you’ll feel healed and settled or the renewed energy of self love. You may even experience the physical and emotional well-being of a simple hug, including reduced stress and increased happiness.
Taste Tea Health. Start drinking. Good and good for you, the healing properties of black, green and ginger tea increase mental alertness while lowering blood pressure, preventing cancer and osteoporosis, reducing risk for stroke, and promoting a healthy heart and body.
Hear Soul. Download your favorite tunes to your iPod and find five minutes in the morning and in the afternoon to listen, dance, or sing to de-stress. Listening to your favorite music releases the calming chemical serotonin into your body. Singing releases physical tension, oxygenates the blood, and liberates suppressed emotions. Whether you listen, sing or move to music, you’ll benefit from its healing qualities.
If you need a clothesline go to--http://www.clotheslineshop.com/--or visit your local hardware store...Did you know...1. clotheslines can save you money?2. electric dryers use 5 - 10 percent of residential energy?3. clothes and sheets smell better when hung outside?4. solar dryers save energy, thus preventing pollution?5. fabrics last longer when air dried?6. spending a few minutes out in the sun is good for your skin?
Oh,and regarding the PLAY JAR money we are saving for...I didn't tell you yet..with the PLAY Jar money we're going to go to the Gold Country--Columbia/Jamestown CA - to search for GOLD...will write about that in my future blogs...I'm sure we'll have lots of fun! Till then keep smiling and enjoy Spring! Make some changes and remember Trouble does not last forever...this too shall pass...(on our economy). Take good care!
