Wednesday 31 July 2019

I’m Free, Working To Be Freer

I am free, and I can do what I like when I like. I could, if I chose, travel this continent going where I like when I like.

I could . . . not forever, but at least until my savings ran out.

This is because I am debt free. I got debt free by living in a trailer to save on living expenses and then using that extra cash to pay down my debt until it was paid off.

That is something special, and something that I am used to. So, returning to being indebted is not something I have any desire to do (such as get a mortgage).

People look at me as crazy and just “not normal” for not being in debt and my aversion to it. 

Yet I look at people who are buried in debt with no hope of ever becoming debt free as the crazy ones, yet they are certainly “normal” and that is terrifying.

Back to me and my savings and my trailer. I am still here, even after paying off all of my debts so that I can build up enough savings in order to get a home, land and a bit of savings left over, all while remaining totally debt free.

So, I will find a way to endure 5 or 6 more years (the latest date I am kicking around is my 55th birthday, but we shall see if my patience holds out that long.

So, while I am free, by being debt free, I am working to be freer, by having a little place that is mine. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward.

Tuesday 30 July 2019

Frugal Fatigue

I really don’t know what to call it but I am growing tired of living like I do. I want to jump ahead to the spot where I have my place.

I know I can’t do that, as then, if I did, I would have a mortgage, and there is nothing I want, within the price I am willing to pay, within commuting distance to my current work.

I will be honest in saying that it is the staring down at the five or six years to continue doing this before I can have any semblance of normalcy and comfort.

I do try to make do with what I have and I am working on being content, yet this is difficult at times.

The ‘ticking clock’ as it were is also ticking louder. So, I know that I should be doing something brave bold and fun, and do it now.

Yet I also know that prudence, patience and staying the course for a few years yet, is the best course of action.

It is simply the impulsive emotions of the little child in me that wants to get this boring stuff out the way now.

That is not how life goes, that is not how it works. One has to get through the boring bits before you can get to the fun part.

So, I will continue to trudge forward, and fight the frugal fatigue, as I work on being content yet not complacent. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Monday 29 July 2019

Shoved To Move

So, I parked in a different spot for this workweek than I usually do. This was not because I had wanted to, but rather because I couldn’t park where I usually do.

Again, this is not really an issue, as I will always find a place to park . . . somewhere. But this just goes to show that life is unpredictable and that I really have to ‘right’ to be anywhere.

I couldn’t park where I usually do because a truck parked behind me, rather close. Again, not an issue as I could, and did, drive out front ways. 

Now, it became an issue when I came to park back here again. There wasn’t quite enough room for me to park there without getting too close to that truck behind me.

The nose of my truck was sticking out just a bit into the entryway of one of the businesses that I park near.

Now, it was nowhere near getting close to impeding traffic, as that is a wide entryway and I was just a few inches into it.

Yet, with big trucks coming and going, I didn’t want to risk getting my front taken off. That and I really do try to be considerate when I park.

So, while I could have backed up and effectively blocked the truck behind me in, simply so I could park safely where I usually do, I’m not a jerk; rather I try to not be a jerk.

So, I moved and found another place on the street to park with a patch of grass outside my door.

The upside is that where I am parked now is closer to work and with my long-range Wi-Fi adapter I can still get work’s Wi-Fi. So, that’s nice.

Again, for me it is worth the extra effort and inconvenience to not be a jerk, yet still get done what I need to get done.

This was not the first time that I haven’t been able to park where I wanted due to the actions of others and it won’t be the last time. That’s life.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

Friday 26 July 2019

Live Simply And Get Ahead

If I could boil down what the secret to my success, that would be it. Live simpler and live cheaper, and you will be able to keep more of your hard earned money.

Society, our friends and advertisers keep on telling us that we need the latest and greatest thing . . . but do we? Do we really?

I don’t hate technology or companies and advertisers trying to sell those wares. I’m just saying that you exist for more than to simply be a cash sprinkler.

Find ways to live a simpler and less glamorous lifestyle and you will certainly find more cash in your pocket at the end of the month.

In other words, as I have been saying, downgrade your lifestyle to upgrade your cash flow. 

Master your cash flow and you will control your fiscal destiny and the direction of your life. 

You can do that by living simpler and living cheaper. In other words, by what you need, not what someone else is telling you that you want.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Thursday 25 July 2019

Focus on Successes, Rather Than Mistakes

So, there is one thing that I try to do and that is to focus on where and what I am doing right, rather than where and what I am doing wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, I still do look at where I am doing wrong, but this is simply for me to correct and learn from those mistakes and move on.

At work things are a bit different, and I am sure that my work is no different than many others. 

You are only as good as the last mistake or bad thing you did (or said) that can be remembered.

Work does not focus on my accuracy rate, rather on my inaccuracy rate. As in not the number of orders that I process that are: correct where everything goes perfectly. 

No, work focuses on the small number of orders where something either goes wrong or it is suspected that something goes wrong. 

Meaning that even if a customer calls up and says that they didn’t get something and want another one, it is assumed, even with no proof that I screwed up.

I apply the same process of filtering out the negativity and trying to figure out what I can learn from this situation and alter my work process accordingly. 

Again, that’s life, and it is just the way that it is, not necessarily the way that it should be, but the way that it is. 

I could get discouraged but I don’t. As I previously said, I ignore the negativity, say the right things to those giving me crap, then disregard that negativity; I don’t internalize it. 

I focus on what I can learn, apply what I can learn, and then move on. I remind myself of what I do right and focus on that as I strive to continually improve myself and the quality of my work.

To do otherwise would drag me down to a dark and depressing place that I don’t want to be. So, I chose positivity rather than negativity, out of self-preservation.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Wednesday 24 July 2019

Plodding and Patience Wins

Well, it wins the race of Debt Freedom and beyond into Building Wealth. (Yes, there is life and something beyond just not having debt, it is called building savings that is all yours.)

Yet, in order to get there you have to do the best you can with what you have. 

As I have said before, people (myself included) get into and out of fiscal troubles by what they spend not what they make.

So controlling spending is a vital thing, but to do that you have to have a plan, be determined and stick to that plan, a plan that will take a long time to come to fruition.

So you have to stay motivated and keep on track even when it takes two weeks to take one little step forward. 

You then have to wait two weeks to take the next step forward, and on and on it repeats until you can finally start to see some progress on your efforts.

Trust me I know how frustrating and discouraging it is, but it really is the only way that you are going to get out of debt and have some wealth.

To do that you need to plod on forward making slow and steady progress and the patience (and determination) to see it through.

Either that or just mire in debt until you’re forced to retire and then declare bankruptcy because you can no longer work to service the massive debt you have accumulated and carried for so long.

Just saying.

Oh . . . right, your house will go up and the equity in your house will not only pay off all of your debts but make you rich . . . right? 

Do you really want to bet your future on that?

Could you afford to pay that price for your house? . . . So why should you expect someone else to pay that much?

Just saying.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Tuesday 23 July 2019

Happy Anniversary To Me

So, it is that time again, the time of year when the anniversary of when my last raise came into effect. 

Well . . . in no surprise to anyone, I did not get a raise . . . this is five years and counting.

I know the next natural thing to say is that I should go in and ask for a raise.

Well, I am not one to ask a stupid question where the only thing I would get is an upset Boss.

Boss has been grumbling about the reduced sales, the increased expenses and all of that. 

So, me going to Boss to ask for a raise makes as much sense as a husband asking his wife if he can sleep with her hot best female friend. 

I could look for another job but I like my job, I like my company and I like the people I work with. 

I just don’t like working for less money year after year when I gain experience, expertise and Job Wisdom each day that I continue working here.

This is a fact of life and unless I am willing to rock the boat and . . . you know threaten to quit or risk being fired, seeking a raise is not a wise thing to do.

I will keep quiet and work my plan as I do my best “Harry Potter at Work” impression. 

“I’ll be at my desk, making no noise and pretending I don’t exist.”

(All for less money.)

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

Monday 22 July 2019

A Weekend Of Planning

So, I spent most of the weekend going over various savings scenarios. As in, various ways and savings/investment vehicles I could employ and for how long. 

All in an effort to figure out just the best and most balanced method of working (or reworking rather) my Grand Savings Plan.

As I said earlier, I won’t be posting details of it or what percentage of my target that I am at, but I will say that I have a plan and a new end date of April 7, 2024.

I groan at the thought of me being 54 years old before I can start this new chapter in my life. 

Yes, the thought of pushing it till 55 and then just buying a cabin somewhere and retiring early has crossed my mind. 

Just like the thought of buying something (cheap house/condo) and giving up on this all together has also crossed my mind.

I am still committed to this plan and I will move forward as best I can and deal with what comes my way when and if it does. 

Sure, a large cash windfall or crowdfunding (pause for laughter) could speed up this process, just like unemployment or a large and unexpected bill could derail this plan.

That’s life.

All we can do is decide on a plan, enact that plan, work that plan and deal with problems as they arise. 

The thing to remember is that you are free to (and should) re-evaluate and alter your plan when and if it becomes necessary. 

Never continue to work a plan, simply out of inertia or not wanting to look bad or . . . you know . . . habit.

So, I have a new plan and will work it until the plan comes to fruition, or I somehow need to come up with a new plan.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

Friday 19 July 2019

New Target Date

Okay, so as with all things, this newly declared target date is movable, as . . . you know . . . life happens and things don’t always go to plan.

The thing to remember is just keep going and keep working your (now revised) plan when and if things go awry. 

Just keep going, keep moving forward. Don’t get stuck on the fact that your original plan didn’t pan out. Keep focused on the overall plan and the overall objective. 

My overall objective in my Grand Savings Plan is to save up enough to start my town. 

Okay, in the beginning it will be a homestead with a large guest cabin, not unlike an army barracks. 

It will be a start though, with the idea being that there will always be a bed and food for all who come to join and help. (Once again, it is a town, not a cult.)

I also want to start the journey to establish this town in the spring, so as to give me as much time as possible to: find land, buy land, and build a cabin/house before winter (establishing farming/greenhouse would be great, too).

So, as it stands it looks like I won’t have enough time to do all that by April 7, 2024, so I will be pushing it off until April 7, 2024, or perhaps spring of 2025.

I do know that I will work my savings plan as best as I can and this Grand Savings Plan will be done, when it is done.

So, while I will be updating you on how the Grand Savings Plan is going, I won’t be doing the updates with the how much I have put into savings.

Why? Well, this is because that end number, that target savings amount keeps changing. 

I will know that I am done when I am satisfied that I have enough saved up to actually start this crazy plan. 

The main thing to take away from this is to keep moving towards your goals, even if they keep moving on you.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Thursday 18 July 2019

Grand Savings Murkiness Ahead

So, as you all know, I am well-entrenched in my Grand Savings Plan, the plan to save up enough for me to start my town. 

Yet, the exact number and the exact end date keeps shifting around on me. 

This is because my estimated dollar amount keeps shifting and my estimated time to save that amount up also proves illusive. 

I will keep clomping on forward and simply focus on this year, on this pay period with an eye to the next two. This is the way that I have always done things.

I have grand goals and ambitions, but I have found that such lofty goals are brought down to the ground and made real by the actions we take in the here and now.

I know that this Grand Savings Plan will take years to complete, after all I don’t make a CEO’s salary. 

(This is in reference to when the news happily tells us that two days into the new year that the average CEO has made the average worker’s yearly salary.)

All I can do is do the best with the resources that I have in hand and keep moving ahead at a steady pace. 

Perseverance, dedication and patience are keys to this kind of endeavour. 

It is especially frustrating when you have to wait two weeks to take one step forwards, on the long journey ahead of you.

Yet if you do not take that step, and the one after that, and the one after that, and so on, you will never get to your destination.

So, I will keep moving forward and keep working on my Grand Savings Plan, even though I don’t know exactly when it will end. 

I only know that it will, and it will end in success, as that is what I am determined to see happen. (But, you know, donations will be gladly accepted, of course.)

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Wednesday 17 July 2019

My Budgeting Style

A point was raised on how I budget, or rather on my style of budgeting. 

Once again, criticism, or rather constructive criticism is always welcomed, and this was certainly in that category.

Their point was that a budget should be set on the minimum expected income. Or rather, on salary alone, and should exclude any commissions or bonuses.

This is a sound and prudent strategy, and one that should be considered and employed when possible.

This is just like the strategy that I do employ (partially) which is to underestimate (slightly) your income and overestimate (slightly) your expenses. 

The combination of the two will keep you on budget and account for any slight errors in either or both.

My number that I base my budgets on, my “Budgetary Minimum” is the minimum amount of net income I need in order to make my budgets balance.

This concept and that specific number is a holdover from when I was buried in debt and I literally needed that number or I would be in trouble.

I keep holding to that number because I expect and will do whatever I have to (that is: legal, ethical, and moral) in order to make that number.

This is because I have gone through a great deal to win back my paycheque and so I will use all of it to better myself, my life and my future. I will not slack off simply because I can.

My budgeting style is a bit more of a realistic approach (sorta). I start out with my number, My Budgetary Minimum and keep focussed on making that number.

During my payperiod I update my projected net income for the upcoming paycheque will be. Yes I have a separate spreadsheet for that.

If the end of the payperiod is coming and it looks like I won’t make my Budgetary Minimum then I will usually take a bit out of my vacation pay (Boss lets me do that) in order to still make Budgetary Minimum. 

Either that or I will just accept not making Budgetary Minimum and adjust my budget accordingly.

When I make Budgetary Minimum before the end of the payperiod I update my income in my budget accordingly each day.

I also update my expected expenses each day. This is a constant process to keep tweaking my budgets in order to keep on track for my fiscal future.

I base my budgets on what I can realistically expect to make and spend, rather than on a lowered number. 

It may not be textbook, but it is what works for me.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Tuesday 16 July 2019

Bonus Bump

So, as some of you may know, I earn both a salary and a small commission on the online sales that I process. 

I have no control over who orders or what they order, but it is a small way for me to get a piece of the overall company prosperity; I appreciate it.

More than that, I rely on it as that commission makes up, on average 10% of my pay, so it is a big deal for me. 

It is also part of a game, of sorts, as to “will I make Budgetary Minimum this payday.” 

I have a certain number that I need for my Net Income to be in order to make my budgets balance. This is a carryover from the days of when I was mired in debt.

I still hold true to that number because I have gone through a great deal to earn back my paycheque and I intend to use it to further me, rather than simply take a pay cut.

Since nobody knows what my bonus will be until all working days are over, my bonus part of my paycheque cannot be estimated.

This is not a problem unless Boss goes on vacation around the time that paycheques are issued. 

Now Boss is always diligent about making sure that we have our paycheques in hand on or before payday. 

Again this is appreciated as we have all heard horror stories of people chasing paycheques.

Yet, since my bonus for any particular workday is not known until the close of business on that particular workday, when Boss goes on vacation before the end of the payperiod, this creates a problem. 

Such is the case this month, when Boss goes on vacation for the last week of this month and the first week of next month. 

This means that five workdays worth of my bonus will be missing from the affected paycheque (as in the one on Aug 7).

Now, to be fair, I will get paid the hours for those days (on the Aug 7 paycheque) and I will get paid the Bonus for those 5 days (on the Aug 22 paycheque).

So, this is shuffling income from one paycheque to another. To be honest, I am in a fiscal position to be able to weather it, but that is not the point.

I am grumbling, but I understand it is what it is, my thoughts and concerns go to my co-workers who may not be so able to simply take this hit.

It is just frustrating to have your pay jerked around by reasons outside of your control. 

Again, this is nothing new, and nothing specific to me; we have all encountered this at one time or another throughout our working lives.

As always: Keep your head up,  your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Monday 15 July 2019

Lined Out

So, this weekend I was not able to spend it in my Western Home. Instead I spent it in my Lakeside Home (as in, that pond that is in my Eastern Home).

The reason was that the parking lot lines were being painted in my Western Home. I could see why (or perhaps not see why) as the lines were quite faded. 

I will be in Western Home next weekend, as it is payday weekend and that means that I need to fuel up at my usual big box discount store that has the cheapest gas in the city (always).

I don’t think it will take more than a week to paint the lines but who knows. I am nothing if not adaptable (though I still resist and grumble at change). 

Other than being a bit compact as I had to keep my slide-out in (as I parked on the street) I was fine. 

It is always nice to see the birds and the bit of nature in the heart of the industrial park that I live.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Friday 12 July 2019

Wanda Day Has Arrived Again

It is officially five years since I moved into Wanda full-time. Five years ago I backed my trailer up into the driveway of the house where I was renting a room.

I loaded up what stuff I had left into the trailer and drove off to McLean Creek to camp and make a home out of my trailer: Wanda.

This last year has seen me moving forward on this savings plan that is my Grand Savings Plan. 

There have been successes and setbacks but for the most part it is on track. I am committed to making that town a success.

First I have to raise the funds to get the ball rolling. Since I suck at promotions and salesmanship, a crowdfunding campaign is out of the question.

Thus I am left to raising the funds from my own paycheque (thus the four more years living in Wanda).

This day is about celebrating and reflecting. Celebrating the fact that I have made another year living full-time in Wanda and reflecting on what I have achieved in that last year.

My savings is steadily growing and with the growth of that savings comes ever more options available to me. That and a smidgen more of security.

As in, I can live longer without a paycheque (if need be) with each extra bit I put into savings. That brings peace of mind, and that is a nice thing.

I am still committed to founding that town, but I am working on relaxing and being Content, yet not Complacent.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Thursday 11 July 2019

The First Step Is The Hardest

I still remember sitting in my truck after getting home from work. I still remember the moment the exact moment that I decided to start this Urban Nomad Journey.

I started this blog for two reasons, the first was to publicly declare that I was going to do this, the other was to document my journey. 

The third reason was that through this blog and the record of what worked and what didn’t, that others could learn (or at least laugh) from my mistakes.

Yet actually taking that first step was quite hard. I had to put in my notice at the place where I was living without knowing where I was going to move to.

That part, that first real concrete step was quite hard to do.  After that, however, each successive step got a little bit easier. 

Now, this is just my lifestyle and I still live in this trailer so as to build wealth, as in there is life beyond being debt free, it is called building up your savings.

Yet, you need to take that first step in order to actually better your life. 

Whatever it is, whatever journey of self improvement that you want to take, sooner or later the planning and dreaming phase must end and you must actually start working your plan.

Here is one final piece of advice I can give to those about to start their own journey. 

You don’t have to have all the answers in order to start, you just need to know what you need to do here today, this week.

You know what to do, so get to it and better your life.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Wednesday 10 July 2019

Better Your Life, Before It Gets Bad

We are always tempted to keep doing what we are doing, because it is working. It is natural to not want to “rock the boat” or “shake things up” when things are “working.”

There comes a time when you need to stop and evaluate your life from an outside perspective and ask yourself if things really are going the way you want them to?

I should have started this Urban Nomad Journey to Debt Freedom and beyond to Wealth Building, years ago, I really should have.

What always held me back were the social norms that were expected of me: rent/own a fixed address and all the costs associated with that.

The other thing that held me back was the fact that I kept telling myself that things were okay and that I had better not rock the boat.

The thing was that things were not fine; I was living and working just to exist. I had mountains of debt (relative for me) with nothing to show for it.

I had no savings, and most of my income was going to live and pay the interest on my debts. I wasn’t getting ahead and had all but given up on the “airy fairy dream of debt freedom.”

It wasn’t until an unemployment scare forced me to wonder what would happen if I was suddenly unemployed that I started to rethink my life and fiscal plans.

My point is that if you are in what feels like a rut and you don’t think that you can get out or make your life better . . . you’re wrong  . . . you can . . . and you should.

Don’t wait until things fall apart before you deal with things. Treading water will never get you anywhere. 

You need to shake things up in order to fix them, so don’t be afraid to do so.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Tuesday 9 July 2019

How Much Gasoline Did I Use?

So, since this weekend was payday, I fuelled my truck, as I do each and every payday. I top up the tank on the payday to ensure that I have fuel, and to make it easier to budget.

Well, this was the first payday since I have started driving again, and since the solar system was installed. 

This means that this was the first payday that I didn’t have to fill up my generator fuel can as well as fuelling up the truck.

So, the only thing I was doing was replacing the fuel that I burned, as in all of the fuel that I have burned since last payday.

It was . . . 

As in the cost of replacing that fuel was . . .

$16.10

Yep, that’s it for two weeks of driving. Then again I only move the truck on weekends, as in too and from Western Home, and a dip down to check my mail.

The cost was around 96 Cents a litre (so about a $1.00 a litre cheaper than the Vancouver area) so it was not bad, but not incredibly cheap.

While it is a nice win and a small amount, it is nice to see a bit of the savings that the solar system is giving me. 

While it will be a while for it to pay for itself, I will take the fact that my fuel budget has been cut in half.

I am always looking for ways to cut my expenses in order to maximize the cash I am putting into my savings accounts.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Monday 8 July 2019

Grand Savings Update

Okay, so it is that time again, when I update how my progress is going on my “Grand Savings Plan!” 

Okay, so let’s see how I did . . . 
   

For review, here is how things looked from last payday . . .
   

That is 26.5% (of my Savings Target).

And this is how things look like, after the dust settled on this payday’s budget . . . 
   

That’s right things jumped up to 26.5% of my savings target. 

That means I put away 0% of my total Savings Target this payday. Actually that is a win as it could have gone backwards, as in I lost savings.

So, while I was able to keep my savings intact, I didn’t put anything into savings. This was because it was Truck Insurance renewal time.

I sat down with the insurance agent and was able to adjust my insurance so as to save a bit of cash on my truck insurance. 

The loss is the date that you see on the bottom. That date went from July 7, 2022, to August 7, 2022. That means that I lost a full month on my “Calculated End Date.”

That is the date that is calculated to be when I will make my Grand Savings Plan, Savings Target. (As in put what my goal amount into savings.)

This number is totally irrelevant by now as the only date that matters is the one on the label below, “April 7, 2023.” 

That is the date that I will be stopping this Grand Savings Plan, as I will work though and put extra cash into savings until that date.

After which I will head on out and start to work the Homesteading Process. 

All that is but a dream as a thousand things can happen between now and then. All I can do is plan for the next 3 to 6 months but focus on today and this week.

So, I will continue to live simply and put as much as I can into my savings accounts.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive and keep moving forward!

Friday 5 July 2019

Don’t Dwell On Your Mistakes

I’ve made mistakes, quite a few as a matter of fact and a number of them are documented here. 

The trick is to learn from your mistakes and move on. As in continue on with your life and not look back. 

Yet, it is funny that we, at least I, tend to look back and see more of my mistakes than my successes.

Perhaps it is just me, but my Successes and Victories do not come back to visit me in the quiet still of the night . . . or day for that matter.

My Successes and Victories do not whisper to me about how I succeeded here or how I won there. 

No, my Successes and Victories go quietly into the night and do not come back unless I pull them out and look at them.

My Failures and Losses are not as polite as they come back to me at regular intervals and let me know of their existence.

I have to shove them away and refuse to look at them. I find the best way to battle them is to start pulling out my successes and victories.

I do this not to puff myself up or feed my ego, but rather to mend a battered and bruised one. 

I do this to remind me that I am not as large or complete a failure as my Failures and Losses would have me believe.

Staying positive involves battling back the advances of your past Failures and Losses. 

Remember that they are in the past, learn from them but leave them there, for the past does not define who you are.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!

Thursday 4 July 2019

Staying Positive

There is an old saying, prepare for the worst yet hope for the best.

While this is good advice, it can leave you with a rather bleak outlook on life, always looking for the worst case scenario. 

The trick is to balance this with a positive outlook. While you are looking for what bad may happen, look for what good may happen. 

In other words, look on both extremes of what may come. Look for what the worst may happen, but also look for what good may happen.

While it is good to prepare for the bad that may come, it is also important to prepare for the good that may come too.

Bad may and will come, though it will not come all the time. Good may and will come, though it will not come all the time. 

The best approach is to “hedge your bets” so to speak. Make preparations for both the good and the bad of what may befall you. 

Hope for, prepare for, and work towards the good outcome, while at the same time prepare for, and be ready for the bad that may come.

To stay positive you need to recognize your wins and celebrate your successes while not becoming overconfident or arrogant.

As I have said, balance is key in moving forward. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward.

Wednesday 3 July 2019

How To Get In And Out Of Financial Trouble

It really is easy to do, yet people make it out to be much harder. The answer to the above question is to control your spending. 

Either you spend way more than you earn, and in so doing pile on the debt and wonder how you got there or you cut back on spending and get yourself out of debt.

The real crunch comes when you are in debt and feel like you can never get out. This is because you want to keep your current lifestyle and get out of debt.

The only way you can do that is to increase your income to pay off your debts and keep your current lifestyle.

The other way is to downgrade your lifestyle and in so doing free up cash in your monthly budget and use that freed up cash to pay off your debts.

It really is that simple, but the execution is more complicated and quite scary, especially at first.

Your only other option is to just keep doing what you’re doing and tread water in debt. This is the most dangerous option as it is the easiest. 

Yet let me scare you by painting a picture of you coming to the age of retirement still mired in debt. What then? 

What will you do when you have all that debt yet still forced to retire? 

Do you really think that somehow your debts will disappear along the way without you doing anything about it?

Control your spending and go beyond just getting out of debt, for beyond Debt Freedom is Wealth Building. 

You deserve it and you can have it, simply control your spending.

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward.

Tuesday 2 July 2019

Long Weekend Leisure

So, it was a long weekend that rarely is. I don’t know the last time that Canada Day fell on a Monday, (or the weekend) so we had a long weekend.

It was nice but mostly for me it was nice to have the extra day to relax and unwind. 

The weather was nice, but the few times that it wasn’t I just stayed in my trailer with my door, windows and vents closed. 

It is a nice way of recharging and resting, but there always is the getting back at it in the form of the Tuesday after.

The nice thing is that we do now have a short week, and one day of the workweek is already done, even without us working it.

Tomorrow is hump day, and the work marches on.

Rest is good, but rest does not get work done, nor does it earn you income. 

As always: Keep your head up, your attitude positive, and keep moving forward!