Take Time To Smell The Flowers On Wordless Wednesday

Photo Credit:  Sam Mugraby

Photo Credit:  Sam Mugraby

Photo Credit:  Sam Mugraby

Photo Credit:  Sam Mugraby

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Make Plans For This Week

Photo Credit: Sam Mugraby

What are your plans for this week? A new week, a new time. My plans for this week will definitely be to open my business bank account. That is what I need for my business. The credit union I was using was a bad choice and now I will be going to a regular bank. Living in a rural area limits your choices but we will figure it out.

This week too, I have to do more preparation of food for our supplies. That takes time but I don't mind as that is the best part of this  homesteading lifestyle. The weather is changing and that is a reminder that it is time to stock up food, supplies, kindling and firewood. So we will take care of that this next month. I expect it to be a busy month.

The next thing to work on for me is to Make A List To Get Ahead With and really get it completed so I can start another list. I will keep this one in focus this week. I tend to get off track doing something else and then don't remember what I originally wanted to do. Focus, focus, focus! I will stick to my plan and see what a difference that will make. 

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Start Planning Now To Take Care Of Yourself!

Farmers have something we all need!

People are having a hard time right now. Everything costs much more than normal. Last year Social Security said they were not giving a cost of living raise to their recipients because the cost of living did not go up. Who are they kidding? There are rumors to the effect that they are going to pull that one again this year! Why not just be honest and tell the American people that Social Security cannot afford to give a raise again this year? We are grown ups here and don't need to be kept in the dark. Besides we already know this anyway.

So if you are trying to make ends meet you must grow your own food as much as possible. If you can't grow a garden, you must purchase food from produce and farm markets and then can it. I say canning because that is what I do. But you can freeze it if you want to take a chance of losing it when you have a power outage. Next is to buy meat in bulk and do the same. Then you can start stocking up little by little with all the other products, including paper products by purchasing an extra of everything you use, every time you buy.

This plan should help you get started. Try to find something you can sell or a service you can get paid for so if something did happen to your job, social security or just life you can earn some money. It needs to be something you can be independent of others to do. Or something you can raise or make and sell. Here is a breakdown of your "Little Steps" for this:

1. Either grow or purchase bulk amounts of food to can, freeze or dehydrate.

2. Purchase extras of all products you use every time you buy.

3. Find something to sell or a service you can do to generate extra money. Not a job! Something needed!

That should do it. If you start working on those areas you will see a difference in how much money goes out of your bank account. You need to count on yourself first...........not your employer and not the government. They will not take care of you no matter what you think. The fact is that our government is not on our side. So you better start planning and please..........start today!

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Make A List to Get Ahead With

I usually put up a Wordless Wednesday for my post on Wednesday but I am skipping that this week. I am going to post a list since that is one of our little steps for getting ahead and gaining control of our lives. Lists really help you figure out where you are going and what you need to do to get there.

1. Update the calendar - a big one. Put up all your bills, appointments, plans for each day if you have any.

2. Update your Rolodex - then update your address book that should be kept in your purse or briefcase.

3. All your mail - when it comes into your house it should be filed or thrown away that day.

4.Check registers - for all bank accounts,credit card accounts and loans. Update constantly.

5. Automatic withdraws -  write in registers for each pay period. So you don't use that money.

6. Start automating your life -  use one online store, set up an account and start using it.

7. If you have debt -  start paying down the credit card or loan that is the least amount first.

8. Stock Up -  every time you go into a grocery store buy something to put in your stockpile.

9. Start saving - to buy an extra tool or appliance that you need. Or it could be extra parts for one.

10. Make a goal list - keep it on your desktop and print it out and put it on your bulletin board too.

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

 

Wordless Wednesday At Little Steps

My how times have changed! Or have they?

Photo Credit: Jewish Historical Society Of The Upper Midwest

Photo Credit: The Library Of Congress

Photo Credit: Center For Jewish History, NYC

Photo Credit: State Library Of Queensland, Australia

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Making Lists And Following Them

Running Errands........not my favorite thing to do!

I have not been able to open my  business bank account as I said I would in an earlier post. Why? Because I am not organized enough yet. I have been uncluttering certain areas of my home. Getting rid of anything I have not used in the last year or so. If it doesn't fit it is out of here! If I read it then it goes too, unless it is a book I use for reference. You know you keep those books you loved thinking you'll reread them. But do you? Rarely. I have read my Gone With The Wind book at least ten times, but not in the last 20 years now. Maybe I'll take a peek at it again..........so I will keep that one. LOL

Today I have errands to run, laundry to wash, zucchini bread to bake, groceries to pick up, horse feed to buy, go to my father's and pick up my son. He is coming home after spending a week with his 91 year old grandfather. Then he will be staying with us until he can find an apartment in Greene, NY, the small town near us.  So no time to do those jobs like going through my papers and filing them. But I KNOW those are the very jobs I should be doing as they hold me back. That has even cost me some money. Twice I was late filing a paper for NY state sales tax and it cost me $50. each time! Only because I forgot about it and lost the paper in the mounds of paper that needs to be gone through and filed or thrown out.

So AFTER, I get home and have done my errands, I will be going through one of those boxes. Then I will update my goal list and my to-do list. That is my starting point for the new month that is coming up. The roladex needs updating as well as the calendar on the wall.............one in the kitchen and one in here above our computers. So we can see it all the time. My brand new address book that I bought two years ago is waiting to be used. I normally carry one in my purse, in case I need an address or phone number when I am out. I have missed that and I used to always carry one.

One thing I have actually done..............I keep our credit card accounts in a check book register for each card. I carry them in my purse so that I can always check how much is available before I use the card. That way I have avoided over-the-limit fees. I have always gotten in trouble with the cards that have a yearly fee and they sneak in when I am not aware or remember it. Because we are paperless, my husband has one card that has a fee and I don't get the email or see the statement when it is due. It seems to not be due at the same time every year. Sneaky!

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

Changes Even When You Don't Agree

Photo Source: Sam Mugraby

As you can see I have been experimenting with changes in the templates for my blogs. Everyone on The Blog Frog says they hate black or dark backgrounds with white writing. Can I help it that I love that look? Musicians seem to like that too. I have been to many musicians' sites because I sell guitar strings and that is what I see the most. So they like that and the mommy bloggers don't. Who do I try to appeal to? I don't really know, so here I am experimenting again with templates. I loved the ones I had but if no one comes to them because of the color of the backgrounds or the color of the fonts what should I do?

You can see that many times you must make changes in your life. Changes of the way you do things even if you would rather not. I want people to come to my blogs and read them. If they all want them in black writing on white background I will try to please them. It is what I consider good customer service.

My biggest problem in doing this though is that some of the bloggers said they hated pastel colors for the font or the background and then they turned around and said they could not read white writing on black or dark backgrounds..................?????????????????? So what do they like? Do they know? There isn't much to chose from if it is not pastel, not dark and not white. Okay, so mine are now white background with black writing but the links and other stuff are orange mostly. Whew! If I don't see an increase in readers I will go back to what I like best. At least I tried.

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole