Not Myself

I love the rain.  We moved to Washington so that I could jump in puddles.  Well not really, but that is one of the reasons we adore this place.  Something happened last week though and I think I may understand why a rainy day is usually associated with some negative feelings.

photo credit

The plan was to take the idea of this cute print and turn it into something of my own...a little scrappy paper and fabric with some ribbon and maybe a little bit of embroidery... but ironically I found myself having to think about this quote just to get me through this dreary last week instead of getting to create what I had in my head and appreciating inspiration.

Nothing really bad happened...just a billion things didn't. I, no matter how hard I tried to switch my thoughts, couldn't do what I needed to do. My poor kids didn't get any fun rainy day activities and I didn't enjoy a good book or make anything fun. It was pathetic and totally my fault!

A toilet takes 5 minutes to clean and I opted out of that one for 6 days. I think I still have a wet load of laundry in the washer from 3 days ago which I will now have to rewash again just to get the stinkiness of wet out. I also have a week of being grumpy to my kids to make up for and the stickiest floor on earth to clean. I usually do pretty well when it rains but this time the drips just kept on coming  and I could feel myself slowly transforming into a lazy mess. And for those who know me best know that when I don't get things done during the day I tend to give myself a really hard time thus letting all that grouchy goodness spread to my family. I am not proud of last week. I will admit that.

So the plan for today is to really be grateful for this day no matter the rain or piles of makeup work I need to get done. I also hope to get to my project. That alone will help me get back to my normal self...but first the laundry.

* Wait!  I just noticed something...the sun is up now and the sky is blue!  Go figure!  Today will be easy!

Rainy Day Soup

So, it has been rainy here in Seattle. Really, I know we have a reputation for that, but in the two and a half years I have lived here I have not experienced the rainy day blues this bad till now. I am the biggest lazy bum. So to go with that, I will post a delicious recipe for some soup. It is an easy, lazy soup. Not too much fuss. It is from a cookbook I got from my mother-in-law. With a few modifications it has easily become one of our favorites. It is the "Gravy Bend" cookbook. It is a compilation of recipes from people in her community. So since you will be unable to get it from a store I will post some of my favorite recipes here on occasion. We ran across this one a few months ago and boy was it a find. So with out further adu, here it is.

Nacho Potato Soup
from Myrlann Clement, modified by me.

4 or so potatoes diced (more or less depending on how hearty you like your soup)
1 can drained corn
1 can Rotel tomatoes or diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 Cups Water
2 Cups Milk
4 oz of Velveeta Cheese or 2 cups cubed Velveeta cheese

In a pan combine potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and water. Mix well. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer till potatoes are tender

Add milk and cheese and stir till cheese is melted.

That is it. Easy peasy! Enjoy! Serve with some Rhodes rolls, or have someone pick up some bread at the store if you don't want to go through the trouble of making rolls. It is delicious!

Saving for a Rainy Day

A couple of years ago my sister-in-law gave us this book for Christmas, not because she thought we needed it, but because she found some invaluable nuggets to implement in her own household. I decided to crack it open and, sure enough, my eyes were opened to better ways to save money.

I consider us conservative spenders in our family. It's easy for us to have buyers' remorse, so when we make big purchases, we make sure we 1)really need it, 2)really love it and will keep it for a long time, and 3)can pay for it.

Money is a taboo subject to talk about. In fact, it has been shown that parents are more comfortable talking with their children about sex than about money. I thank my parents for their frugality during my upbringing. I remember, as a girl, we were doing a little shopping and I really wanted this pair of new shoes. Mom said, "We don't have money for that right now." And I said, "That's OK. Just write a check!" I've learned lessons the easy way (listening to valuable advice) and the hard way (selling my plasma in college because I was broke and too proud to ask for help). "It is human nature to want it and want it now; it is also a sign of immaturity. Being willing to delay pleasure for a greater result is a sign of maturity."

This book is targeted toward high-debt, desperate, on-the-brink-of-bankruptcy consumers, but it's a useful reminder for anyone trying to improve and add padding to their nest. Briefly, there are 6 baby steps to achieve financial fitness, IN ORDER:

1. Save $1,000 cash as a starter emergency fund. Ramsey: "It is going to rain. You need a rainy-day fund. You need an umbrella...life happens, so be ready. This is not a surprise. You need an emergency fund, an old-fashioned Grandma's rainy-day fund...Now, obviously, $1,000 isn't going to catch all [the] big things, but it will catch the little ones until the emergency fund is fully funded."
2. Start the debt snowball. Make a list of all your debt, starting with the smallest. Once you pay off the first one, even if it's a $59 phone bill, add that payment plus any extra to the next debt until it is paid off. You will feel empowered and the snowball will grow and grow until you are debt free.
3. Finish the emergency fund. Add to the original $1,000 to cover 3-6 months of expenses should anything unfortunate happen that cuts off your monthly income.
4. Invest 15 percent of your income in retirement. We've taken this advice, and although we have less expendable for "fun things," I know we'll be glad when it comes time to retire. Ramsey's motto is on the bottom of each page of the book: "If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else."
5. Save for college. Ramsey gives numerous options for saving for this inevitible expense in most families. There is a reason to do this after saving for retirement. A trusted financial advisor once told me that your kids will forgive you (eventually) if they have to pay for some of their college, but they won't be very happy about bailing you, their parents, out when you're old and out of money. Blunt, but I see the point. Just like on an airplane, put your oxygen on yourself before you help your children with theirs.
6. Pay off your home mortgage. This seems far away for many of us homeowners, but if you do all of the other baby steps first, you should have the means to chop your years of commitment to your house payment in half and save nearly $100,000 in interest just by paying a couple hundred more dollars a month.

So, there you have it. We are by no means rich, except in blessings. :-) We are "living like no one else" because we pass up purchases that would probably make us more popular by the world's standards. But I have faith that because of our sacrifices, we will be blessed with the things we need and occasionally the things we want.

Here's to prosperity and a fiscally healthy and happy life to you! Oh, and I'd love to know some of your strategies for fiscal fitness!