Dar's Two Sense

Money Management Skills, Fireworks to set off

Happy Independence Day to you!

Hope your holiday weekend is going well. Even though it's a holiday, my newsletter was due out, so that's what I've been doing.

You'll find the latest issue at Rat Race Remedies Newsletter.

Author of this week's article is Judy Lawrence, who shares with us: 4 Reasons why it is so hard to manage your money today and what to do about it. Great article!

Of course, if you'd rather just set off some fireworks, Click Here.

Enjoy! See you soon.

dar

Just like old times...

My sister came to visit on Thurs & Fri. It was so great to have her here! She only lives about 3 1/2 hours away but doesn't get away too often because she's a breeder and has to be available for those doggies who need extra attention. You know, bottle feeding those who aren't eating properly... helping the females who're having trouble giving birth, etc. It's a round-the-clock job she has. And a real break when she can come home to visit. :-)

We did some heavy duty shopping, but put most of it back, lol. We brought home only the best of the bargains. There was a brief moment when I stunned myself by not fitting into the Capri's that should have been my size. Hmmm... note to myself that perhaps I need to exercise some discipline in the food department. Or just exercise, period. :-)

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It always brings back warm memories when dh and I pop into Steak n Shake for a quick bite (tonight's dinner). You see, for years we had only two other food choices near our home. Then came Steak n Shake! We ate there so often we knew the servers and managers by name, lol. Eventually, common sense (cents) prevailed before we totally blew the budget, and we weaned ourselves off the steakburgers. :-)

We go there about twice a year now. The servers' faces are all new to us, but the friendly, bustling atmosphere is still the same. I even took my journal in and did some writing.

Just like old times.

Ketchup night

Okay, I decided to make tonight my catch-up night on the blog here (hence, the Ketchup).

Now, I'm not too sure of blog etiquette, but Gini has posted several comments and I need to respond to some of them. (Does anyone know the proper etiquette? i.e. Do I respond in the 'comments' section, under someone's comments?) Hey, I don't claim to be a blog pro. Far from it. Well, until someone lets me know otherwise, I'll just reply back here.

Yes, Gini. You'll see small glimpses of the real me here at the blog, lol. And yes, I confess. I'm a rock'n'roller. I still prefer rock 'n roll to other types of music. Bob Seger is still my guy. I've probably just given away my age. But there you have it.

I also like some of the older country and gospel music (I grew up with family members playing music, osmosis kicked in, and these songs still run around in my head.)

I get dustbunnies and occasionally have to hunt them down. It's hilarious, and probably a good thing I don't do it very often. I get that Elmer Fudd look, you know? If I injure myself, my newsletter will be late. Then there'd be some real trouble.

Re doggie kisses -- No, no!! Never on the lips!!! But those sweet kisses are always welcome. I mostly get kisses behind the knee, if you can believe it. Frisk and Ben -- when they're walking behind me or almost caught up with me -- they sneak in those little kisses. As in, "We're right behind ya, mom. All the way. And just so you don't forget we're here, we're gonna remind you." Well, that's my interpretation, anyway.

Steve over at blytheblog took time out to say hi last week in his blog, so a hearty Hello back to you, Steve! Steve always makes me think -- and I enjoy knowing when he's posted something new for me to ponder. I am a thinker -- and a ponderer -- at heart. His blog allows you to sign up to be notified when he has new entries. If mine has that capability, I haven't figured it out yet. I've a long way to go with these blogs, I fear.

Nite all, I've got to refill my Ketchup. :-)

dar

I'm back, Baby! Dustbunnies and all...

Oops... I did it again! I was working harder to spend more time blogging -- but obviously I've blown it, big time.

I arrived in the blog last night, determined to get back on track -- only to discover that everything had disappeared. Yes, all the posts -- mine and those who've left comments. (cursing, moaning and groaning...)

Help desk answered today (thank u, Brenna!) and I'm happy to say it was nothing serious. So I'm back, Baby!
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So, where have I been, you ask. Hmmm... knee-deep in dust, mostly. I'm doing Spring cleaning (my least favorite thing to do). The good news is that my cousin is helping me (she's a natural AND enjoys cleaning!) We're not just cleaning dust, though -- we're actually going through cabinets, nooks and crannies. We're eliminating junk and reorganizing while cleaning. To me, this is a major chore.

We decided to start 2 weeks ago because I'd like it to be under control (and beautiful) the week before Mother's Day. Early May is a big deal as we celebrate my dad's birthday, Mother's Day, and little Nick's birthday -- all on the same day. Family and friends will be here -- and I don't want to be cleaning the day before the big party. That'll leave a few days for me to stress over the food preparations, lol. :-)
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I finished up one of my teleclasses, just one left to go. It finishes up in mid-May. Both are excellent classes, the coach is wonderful, but it takes away from the time I have available for other things (like blogging).

My newsletter is calling; I've still got to finish it up to send out tomorrow evening.

Have a great one, and I'll see you soon, barring any further disappearances of my blog, lol.

dar

That's Close Enough For Me...

Yesterday, I backed slowly out of the garage as usual. It's always a tight squeeze with both our cars in there, so I back straight out - no turning to the left or right. My focus is always on the left rear mirror. I was out and headed down the drive -- when I heard a scraping sound to my right side. Metal on metal. What the heck?

I stopped, looked around. And there I was, parallel with hubby's car. Kissing it, actually. :-) Just a smidge closer to it than was healthy.

I hadn't realized dh had left his car parked in the middle of the driveway. Naughty me for not paying attention.

No harm done; it could have been much worse. I could have backed into it head-on and caused some real damage. As it was, I got off with some light scrapes. Both cars are white so there's minimal paint damage.

Whew! That's close enough for me...

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Last time I wrote, my Frisco had a shaved spot where her neck was healing from a dog bite. Quick update: she's healing wonderfully. Her hair is growing back, covering the bare spot. She hasn't had any other problems with it. Frisk finally quit scratching the area -- which helped it heal more quickly. It's a relief that she's on the mend and doing well. We fret when either of the dogs aren't well.

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I've enrolled in a teleclass which has been taking a lot of my time recently. I'm working on writing another book; this one is somewhat smaller than my other one. It's just too exciting!

I'll try to be more faithful in writing in my blog. Time has been short as I attend my class and do the homework. :-) Of course, I also have my weekly newsletter to work on which goes out evenings on Sunday.

Take care, until I see you again.

Young Couple Finances

What a day! We had the most beautiful spring-like weather here in Missouri! We have a gentle rain going right now, which is not a bad thing. I imagine the temp will drop, too, but not unusual considering it's still winter here.

Are you watching the Academy Awards? I'm jumping back and forth between the Awards and Geraldo on FXNWS. The Marines have landed in Haiti; I'm wondering how we will handle this. (Did I tell you I'm a news junkie?) Yes, I admit it. I'm on the computer alot and the news keeps me company without distracting me too much. On a typical day, my fingers are happily flipping among 3 different news channels to see what's going on. :-)

I'm on my 'down-time' right now; just finished sending out my newsletter. Sunday evening is the one time I allow myself to relax late evening, and don't do too much more for the day. With that said, I'm going to get into some mischief now. No more work for today!

This week's Rat Race Coach ezine features Young Couple Finances if you'd like to take a gander.

Have a great one, and I'll see you soon. And Happy Leap Day to you. (If I recall, it's also Bachelor's Day - which is only celebrated in the Leap Year!)

Top 10 Ideas for Your Tax Refund

I'm sporting a new watch today (dh got me one for Valentine's Day). The problem is, I keep forgetting to actually use it because I've been without one for so long.

Of course, that's what I get for washing my last one. Oh, it doesn't end there. Not only did I wash it. I dried it. That's the kind of thing I do when it's getting too busy and crazy around here -- when I've got too much going on. If you know of any dryer-proof watches out there, let me know. It'd probably be a good idea for me to stock up on them, lol.

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I just finished this week's newsletter featuring my latest article, Top 10 Ideas for Your Tax Refund. No financial jargon, I promise. Just some neat and fun ideas for you. Hope you enjoy it.

Top 10

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A HUGE Thank-You to robin for helping me out with some technical issues on this blog. :-)

Secrets and Tidbits

I polished off the brownies quite nicely. Got the craving out of the way so I can hunker down and get back to my low carb for awhile.

Do you ever have one of those days you just feel great? (No, not because of the brownies, although they probably help.) I'm having one of those days. I think it's because I finally got some of those annoying, odd jobs out of my way. They've been hanging around my desk, pestering me. Things that need to be dealt with... but not daily. And I put them off (naughty procrastinator).

I also learned a neat trick today: You can wash your ugly, soiled Scotch tape dispenser (the big, heavy ones) in the dishwasher. Yes!! It had become grungy over the years. I got to where I hated looking at it (that still didn't motivate me to clean it myself, however.) So, there's a great new time-management tip...

I worked on other things while my dishwasher did the cleaning. Can't beat that. (Don't tell, but I also learned awhile back that I can put my heater vents in there, too!) A busy person just needs to know these things. :-)

Other things I learned today:

* Like apples? Apparently, the act of peeling an apple with a knife stimulates a certain part of your brain. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but I'm going to try it next time I'm having a rotten day. I'll let you know what happens...

* St. Louis is the #3 allergy spot in the U.S. (My sinuses already knew that, but it's nice to see it confirmed.)

* As of yesterday (1/29/04), the telemarketers must display a company name when they call us... as well as a number to call so we can be removed from the list. (We'll see how this goes -- probably about as effective as the sp*am control regulations.) However, I am a person of faith. I'll wait to judge...

* You know the Ctr+Alt+Del code we use on the computers? David Bradley (sp?) of IBM is the creator of that code. He's retiring from IBM. (IBM created the original PC!) (This tidbit compliments of Shep Smith, Fox News Channel (FNC) 1/30/04.)

Do you have any tidbits you'd like to share? Anything you've discovered can be tossed into the dishwasher, freeing you up for bigger and better things? Something that would help busy women? Just send me an email and I'll put them in the next Potluck Feast, along with your name/blog. Or simply post it as a comment, if you like.

Have a great one! I've gotta get back to work.