Common Sense Living

Shocking admission!

April 28th, 2012 | Author: Carole

Choice is always yours (Photo credit: Bindaas Madhavi)

Based on some of the comments I get, it’s become clear to me that I need to clear the air a little.

I am poor.

I make one chicken breast feed 2 because I have to.

I am interested in natural health because I can’t afford to go to the doctor.

I struggle with website design and such because I can’t afford to hire it out.

I don’t have a new TV or cable or an iphone. Not having TV has turned out to be a blessing. Life is much richer without it.

Yes, I redid my daughter’s bedroom last year. It cost me about $400. I bought a build it yourself bed. Repainted the dresser. Shopped for deals on bedding. And worked 60 hours a week to do it.

So why am I telling you this? For 2 reasons -

1. You can live better for less. You can eating healthier, have a decent home, wear better clothes – if you’re willing to do things a little differently.

2. You have to make choices.

I know a lady who has talked about wanting to have a better life. She seemed to be interested in advertising and copywriting. I loaned her a copywriting course that cost over a thousand dollars. She returned it to me because she does not have a dvd player.

Really? You’re going to let a $20 dvd player stop you?

Many of the people who constantly whine that they want a better life have 60 inch TVs, $00 a month cable bills, $100 a month cell phone bills, eat lunch out every day…

To an old timer like me – those are luxuries that you get when you can afford them – not something you are entitled to. This entitlement thing is way out of hand. I’m sorry to burst the bubble, but success and riches are not your birthright – and no amount of thinking will make it so.

I can think about a pizza appearing til the cows come home. But until I pick up the phone and order it – it’s just not going to appear.

And if I’m saying yes to pizza, I’m saying no to something else – whether it be paying a bill, or health.

Its all about choice.

It doesn’t cost much to keep your house clean. More effort than money. And if you know how to do it efficiently – it doesn’t even take that much effort.

You can find information on how to fix just about anything on YouTube. When I had my Mazda, I would watch a video on YouTube and then go out and do it.

I’ve used a lot of muffler bandage in my life time.

A head of dark green lettuce is $1.99. A bag of chips is $3.99.

Can’t afford a gym? Resistance bands are like $15. YouTube is free.

I’m so tired of hearing, “But I can’t do that!”

Do you really want to make your life better? The next time you find yourself saying, I can’t”, STOP!

Ask yourself, “How Can I?”

New FCC site can help you combat wireless carrier ‘bill shock’ (news.consumerreports.org)
What Do Selective Colleges Look for in an Applicant? Hooks (education.com)
College Admissions: Is the Safety School Dead? (education.com)
Roadmap to College: What College Admissions Officers Look For (education.com)

My Cat Says Warm Weather is Coming

April 27th, 2012 | Author: Carole

Black cat on window (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don’t ya just love this time of year when your pets start dropping their winter coats all over the house?

You can brush and brush, and brush, and it still keeps coming. You swear they’re going to go bald if you keep brushing, but it still keeps coming off.

So even though it’s going to be cold and crummy this weekend, I’m going to take my cat’s word for it and work on a thorough spring vacuuming this weekend. Maybe oil my cabinets. Maybe try to get rid of more stuff to make room for when my daughter brings all her stuff back home…

For the next couple of weeks, I’m going to become best friends with the pet brushes and the vacuum cleaner.

And maybe try to break up with some stuff that really needs to go. I’ll bet I don’t use half of what I own. Makes you wonder – do you own your stuff, or does it own you?

I have stuff that people gave me. I have stuff that I might use someday…

I am convinced that the cold weather hangs on to force you to get this stuff done. What do you think? It’s too crummy to be outside – might as well clean.

It will be warm soon. My cat says so.