I love my coffee in the morning. I love it! I also like my coffee to have a little flavor, but flavored creamers are expensive! I have finally learned to enjoy generic coffee. It took some time, but I did it. Then, I had to get rid of my expensive creamer. I switched to non-fat dry milk. I thought I was destined to drink simple coffee in the morning when I decided to throw a little cinammon in my coffee the other day. Wow! I have been to restaurants that do this, but I hadn't thought of doing it at home. So I thought maybe some vanilla would be nice. YEP! It is great. I now have my own frugal coffee creamer. Plus, non-fat dry milk is a lot better for you. It has more protein and less artificial junk.
Did you know that the plain powdered creamers have corn syrup solids, partially hydrogenated soybean oils, sugar, sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), dipotassium, phosphate, salt, artificial flavor and color and a few other things I can't understand? My husband's liquid creamer has pretty much the same stuff, but with a few added bonuses. Yikes.
Do you know what my non-fat dry milk creamer has in it? Nonfat dry milk, Vitamin A, and Vitamin D3. Now that I have added a little cinammon, it's even better.
I will be reviewing he rest of my favorite rituals as well. I will be looking for more ways to cut back and be healthier in the process. Believe me, it's not such a bad thing!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
What I have learned from my friends
I am blessed with a lot of great friends. Each one brings something completely different to our relationship. Through my mid-twenties, I was only friends with people my own age and that had my interests. They generally looked pretty similar and liked a lot of the same things. Although, each one of them were special in their own way. Now that I am in my mid-thirties, I find my friends to be of all ages and interests. I call many of the college kids my good friends and I have friends who are twice my age and all ages in between. It's wonderful.
Each one of the people that bless my life now bring something different to our relationship and each has taught me a little bit about myself. I sat down the other day and really began thinking about how some of these people have taught me something different. I can't list all of them or all of the wonderful things my friends have taught me. I want to give you just a sample of things I have learned from my friends that are a little older than me. I hope this will help you appreciate the people in your life more fully.
I have learned that it is NEVER too late to change your health. I have struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. I worried that I was destined to be carry around an extra 10-20 pounds for the rest of my life. Some of my friends that are over 50 started exercising hardcore their late 40's or early 50's. A couple of them completely changed their health for the better and have lost weight and kept it off. One has even lost around 90 pounds and has turned into a completely new man. It is not too late for me to have complete control over this extra weight.
I have learned that is really okay to find new hobbies and to be creative and artistic when you are a mother. It is so easy to think you cannot spend free time doing anything but mommy duties. It's not true and you can be a better parent by being true to your creative side. Find ways to include your child/ren in your hobbies. I like to paint with acrylics. My child now has her own paint sets and plenty of things to paint on. She even has her own table and art equipment. We have a great time in our art room together.
I have learned much more than this from these friends. The purpose of this blog is for you to look around at the people you are spending your time with. What are you learning from them? Are you finding yourself surrounded by people who don't bring anything new to your life? Try broadening your circle of friends. Are you enjoying the time spent with these people? Your time in too valuable and precious to waste. Give it some thought.
Each one of the people that bless my life now bring something different to our relationship and each has taught me a little bit about myself. I sat down the other day and really began thinking about how some of these people have taught me something different. I can't list all of them or all of the wonderful things my friends have taught me. I want to give you just a sample of things I have learned from my friends that are a little older than me. I hope this will help you appreciate the people in your life more fully.
Some of my older friends have taught me to value my marriage and family more. I have learned to appreciate how precious my time is. I don't have much time with my little one and it certainly doesn't need to be spent on the phone or in front of a televsion set. I am learning to spend my free time in ways that are more productive or more enjoyable. I try to find ways to always incorporate my little one so I don't miss valuable time with her.
I have learned from one friend to look for joy in everything. It might not always work, but the quest makes things easier.
I have learned not to take myself so seriously. I never have outwardly. I have always been one to laugh out loud every chance that I get, but I still worried about what other's thought. Not anymore. When I was younger, I was always concerned about what I wore, what I drove, what purse I carried, how my hair was done because my friends were concerned about this. I have learned to be who I am and be true to myself.I have learned that it is NEVER too late to change your health. I have struggled with my weight since I was a teenager. I worried that I was destined to be carry around an extra 10-20 pounds for the rest of my life. Some of my friends that are over 50 started exercising hardcore their late 40's or early 50's. A couple of them completely changed their health for the better and have lost weight and kept it off. One has even lost around 90 pounds and has turned into a completely new man. It is not too late for me to have complete control over this extra weight.
I have learned that is really okay to find new hobbies and to be creative and artistic when you are a mother. It is so easy to think you cannot spend free time doing anything but mommy duties. It's not true and you can be a better parent by being true to your creative side. Find ways to include your child/ren in your hobbies. I like to paint with acrylics. My child now has her own paint sets and plenty of things to paint on. She even has her own table and art equipment. We have a great time in our art room together.
I have learned much more than this from these friends. The purpose of this blog is for you to look around at the people you are spending your time with. What are you learning from them? Are you finding yourself surrounded by people who don't bring anything new to your life? Try broadening your circle of friends. Are you enjoying the time spent with these people? Your time in too valuable and precious to waste. Give it some thought.
Blogging Difficulties
Forgive me for not writing lately, but I have been trying to determine just exactly WHERE I will be blogging lately. I will keep you posted as soon as I know for sure.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Marriage and Finance
I have been bothered recently by the number of divorces amongst my friends and acquaintances. What's really interesting is when you hear about many of them, you hear that financial issues are the top reason for discord.
I will admit that this was a problem for my husband and I until about two years ago. I thought our relationship would not stand the test until we sat down and talked about our finances. We were not on the same page for many years. I want to be financially secure and have money for retirement. He was not nearly as concerned about having a back up plan. This was cause for argument on numerous occassions. I know we were no different than many other couples.
It's interesting that this is a major cause of problems in a marriage, yet many couples starting out do not talk about how they will handle their money. Young couples probably assume (like I did) that as a couple you will be on the same page about money. I also think they probably watch too much television/film and have a picture of marriage and money that is not at all accurate. TV and film make falling in love seem so easy to maintain. There is no work involved when it only lasts 30 minutes to 2 hours! The media portrays couples as living in lovely homes, driving nice cars, being able to afford private schools, designer clothes, expensive hair and fancy dinners. Pardon me, but this is a load of crap.
In reality, many couples are overwhelmed right now by mortgages they cannot afford. If they are paying for designer clothes, they are probably putting it on a maxed out credit card that is sending them towards financial ruin. If they are driving an expensive car, it is probably leased. What a waste of money. They may look good, but on the inside there is a storm brewing.
Due to our tough economic times, we are now hearing about the couples that had been living this way. This economy is teaching us to finally come clean about our monehy. I hope this teaches everyone to look at their spending habits and convinces them not to fall into an old habit of spending willy-nilly. I am still working on this myself every day. Our big expenditure seems to be food - eating out and random grocery store trips. I found that we were spending over a thousand dollars on food in a month! That's insane. We want instant gratification. We don't want to wait to enjoy ourselves. Can you imagine how much we could have saved over the years if we had not spent money on eating out? It makes me sick, but we are turning this around. We are a work in progress and that is how we have to look at marriage.
Lay-offs are putting more financial strain on many (and I mean MANY) of my friends and family members. Luckily, my husband and I had started to come together financially before he lost his job last year. We also did not freak out when he did lose his job. We made accomodations and we are still here to talk about it a year later and we are much better off than we were a year ago - financially and emotionally.
I am no financial expert and I am certainly not an expert on marriage. My husband and I have had many struggles throughout our 10 years. We are just now getting the hang of this. It takes time, practice, humor and forgiveness to make a marriage work. More than anything else, it takes a lot of communication.
My advice would be to sit down with your spouse. Discuss your income and outflow in a very calm manner. I know many people become defensive right away when discussing how they handle money. Do not accuse. Do not say things like, "YOU spend too much money or YOU aren't saving, etc". Start your sentences with, "I feel that we are not saving enough money or I feel that we are spending too much". Take responsibility for your own actions as well. You may not agree on how to do this at first. Make compromises to start. My husband and I were not completely ready to make some of the changes that we have since made. It takes time. Now, we find discussing our goals as a source of enjoyment. We have fun talking about ways to save money or to cut expenses. We are becoming closer. We are becoming a team. I just can't believe it took us this long!
Give it time. You may be ready to talk about it, but your spouse might not. Don't nag them about it. Gently persuade over time. Find ways to make it their idea if you must, but don't give up too soon. I hear couples splitting because they can't agree and they haven't really tried. Don't be a statistic! Don't be ashamed to ask for help. Even strong relationships need help from a mediator or counselor from time to time. Just keep at it and good luck.
I will admit that this was a problem for my husband and I until about two years ago. I thought our relationship would not stand the test until we sat down and talked about our finances. We were not on the same page for many years. I want to be financially secure and have money for retirement. He was not nearly as concerned about having a back up plan. This was cause for argument on numerous occassions. I know we were no different than many other couples.
It's interesting that this is a major cause of problems in a marriage, yet many couples starting out do not talk about how they will handle their money. Young couples probably assume (like I did) that as a couple you will be on the same page about money. I also think they probably watch too much television/film and have a picture of marriage and money that is not at all accurate. TV and film make falling in love seem so easy to maintain. There is no work involved when it only lasts 30 minutes to 2 hours! The media portrays couples as living in lovely homes, driving nice cars, being able to afford private schools, designer clothes, expensive hair and fancy dinners. Pardon me, but this is a load of crap.
In reality, many couples are overwhelmed right now by mortgages they cannot afford. If they are paying for designer clothes, they are probably putting it on a maxed out credit card that is sending them towards financial ruin. If they are driving an expensive car, it is probably leased. What a waste of money. They may look good, but on the inside there is a storm brewing.
Due to our tough economic times, we are now hearing about the couples that had been living this way. This economy is teaching us to finally come clean about our monehy. I hope this teaches everyone to look at their spending habits and convinces them not to fall into an old habit of spending willy-nilly. I am still working on this myself every day. Our big expenditure seems to be food - eating out and random grocery store trips. I found that we were spending over a thousand dollars on food in a month! That's insane. We want instant gratification. We don't want to wait to enjoy ourselves. Can you imagine how much we could have saved over the years if we had not spent money on eating out? It makes me sick, but we are turning this around. We are a work in progress and that is how we have to look at marriage.
Lay-offs are putting more financial strain on many (and I mean MANY) of my friends and family members. Luckily, my husband and I had started to come together financially before he lost his job last year. We also did not freak out when he did lose his job. We made accomodations and we are still here to talk about it a year later and we are much better off than we were a year ago - financially and emotionally.
I am no financial expert and I am certainly not an expert on marriage. My husband and I have had many struggles throughout our 10 years. We are just now getting the hang of this. It takes time, practice, humor and forgiveness to make a marriage work. More than anything else, it takes a lot of communication.
My advice would be to sit down with your spouse. Discuss your income and outflow in a very calm manner. I know many people become defensive right away when discussing how they handle money. Do not accuse. Do not say things like, "YOU spend too much money or YOU aren't saving, etc". Start your sentences with, "I feel that we are not saving enough money or I feel that we are spending too much". Take responsibility for your own actions as well. You may not agree on how to do this at first. Make compromises to start. My husband and I were not completely ready to make some of the changes that we have since made. It takes time. Now, we find discussing our goals as a source of enjoyment. We have fun talking about ways to save money or to cut expenses. We are becoming closer. We are becoming a team. I just can't believe it took us this long!
Give it time. You may be ready to talk about it, but your spouse might not. Don't nag them about it. Gently persuade over time. Find ways to make it their idea if you must, but don't give up too soon. I hear couples splitting because they can't agree and they haven't really tried. Don't be a statistic! Don't be ashamed to ask for help. Even strong relationships need help from a mediator or counselor from time to time. Just keep at it and good luck.
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