Inspiration...

If you ever thought you couldn't,
Read this post....
http://www.trendydollar.com/
They did. You can. :) Congratulations Heidi and Family. You rock.

Swimming naked

It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.Warren Buffet

And the tide is on it's way out. I have posted about this blog previously, but www.trendydollar.com has some great reading. I won't copy anymore of her writing, but this quote and a movie literally sucked me in tonight "The Pursuit of Happyness" (this is really the way they spelled happiness...) really put things in perspective. Today was one of "those" days. The baskets of (clean) laundry, my sore neck, my captive cell phone, my tight jeans, the baby who didn't want to go to sleep and the messy entryway were all wearing on me, and my patience. I was a grump, then as Paperman was going to sleep and flipping through the channels one last time, I noticed the movie. Just reading the description and the 30 seconds he kept it on that channel made me know, I was staying up until midnight. All of the sudden, none of MY problems were so bad. I also owe MY babies an apology for being impatient at bedtime. In the movie he slept holding his son on the floor of a subway station bathroom, but still didn't lose HIS patience. Goodness, Heather. Every once in a while I need that eye opener. I got mine.

Where did February Go??

I'm sure I'm not the only asking that question! I do notice I didn't chronicle anything here to figure out what how we spent those 28 days. Let's see...I know we finally got to spend time out side and dreaming of spring. We removed ds from the dining room table at least 97 times and from the computer closet another 126 times (he's figured out if you push certain buttons, things happen). We made homemade marshmallows and chocolate dipped strawberries for Valentines Day. The girls started a session of swimming lessons. We've been trying to figure out how the Stimulus Package will actually affect us. We've had one couple in our neighborhood BOTH get laid off within two days of each other. We've went from having a strong confidence in Papermans job security to having some strong questions. One case of strep throat. Four pitching lessons. Three doctor visits. Eight trips to dance class. And a partridge in a pear tree, or something like that.

The Trendy Dollar

If you want some good reading or have some new year's resolutions based on debt reduction check out www.trendydollar.com.
Heidi is from Iowa and they have paid down a lot of debt and changed their lifestyle using the Dave Ramsey system. This is her new site. Enjoy!

Money....

How's that for a creative title? One word that conjures up a lot of feelings from excitement to frustration depending on what context it's used in. An unexpected bill...frustration? A sudden windfall...excitement? There is so much public talk about money right now, and I am no expert but here is a link to some one who is

http://www.daveramsey.com/etc/newsletters/company/092608.cfm?ectid=cnl0809_05


Dave Ramsey. In the link above he helped me, for the time being, put this "financial crisis" in a realistic mode. I do realize all in all, any of those who bring home paychecks, including Paperman, could lose their jobs. But don't panic. Dave Ramsey has also done a lot for a lot of people. Read around his site if you're interested. To be honest, I have not read any of his books, I have never listened to an entire radio show or podcast, but I consider myself a convert, by marriage. :) (Not that Paperman needed a radio talk show host/author to teach him to be frugal....) What has Dave done for us? He has given us the inspiration to be completely debt free (ie: no mortgage) (1) in a (short)time frame that still lets us live our lives (2). I'll explain the numbering system. Dave and Paperman came up with the first half of that sentence, I came up with the second half. It's all about compromise right? Not everything we do is "by the Dave Ramsey book" but our general debt philosophy is. So for now, Paperman still works his Heine off and I try to clothe and feed our family in a fiscally responsible way (Aldis, garage sales, Von Maur sales racks...), the 96 Concord keeps on ticking and I'll keep dreaming of the home addition. My favorite quote from Dave is "live like no one else, so later, you can live like no one else." I guess if everyone had bought into this saying ( bankers AND borrowers), there would be no financial crisis... (check out Iowa Geek and Green 3 to see some other very insightful money articles. You can find their blogs in my profile under blogs I follow.)

One of the joys of home ownership...

The picture above is "before".

This picture is "during". I am hoping the after picture will be some lush green grass with an in ground pool, maintenance free deck and some drinks with little umbrellas in them. The reality will most likely be a huge bill in exchange for a worry free septic system for the rest of our lives. The system we are replacing is 36 years old so we are expecting to be traveling around the US in an RV visiting our 16 grandchildren by the time it needs work again! As with any project we've done around here, it's never run of the mill, by the book, easy. A tree had to be moved and replanted (the "unlucky" buckeye tree we planted 3 years ago) and due to the hard to access location, around 80% of our grass will need to be leveled and reseeded. Country livin'. Ain't it grand??