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Clever ways on Saving Money

2012-06-14T11:34:00.002-07:00

What are the clever ways to save money?

On Grocercies:

Store Brand:

I try to get store brand items whenever I shop. The savings adds up over time and in each shopping visit, can be substantial.

Cash versus Credit Cards

When I go shopping, if I don't have the cash on hand, I guess I don't need that particular item bad enough. Use cash only. By using cash, you limit to what you can afford to get. You don't get yourself into debt, thus limiting whta you can purchase in the future, by not having to pay all those dreaded credit card bills.

Coupons:

Have access to a newspaper, at least once a week. The good coupon days are in Sunday. It will benefit you to pay the extra money for a Sunday paper, because the Sunday paper has all those coupons in it. Use only the coupons on the products you would normally buy.

Be your own Handyman

Purchase a good set of tools. Be prepared to do most of the general work around your house. You can save a lot of money by doing your own house painting, lawn mowing, laying down tiles, and even building your own backyard deck. Lowes and Home Depot has books your can buy that tells you everything you need to know about home repair. Ask questions before you start.

http://www.lowes.com/
http://www.homedepot.com/

Car Repair

You can do the general, easy repairs on your vehicle and save yourself a lot of money in the process.

Changing the oil, washing, and detailing, changing out wiper blades, batteries, fuses, air cleaner filter, topping off the radiator overflow tank, and the wind shield wiper fluid reservoir. Get a repair manual at Auto Zone on your particular Make and Model of your vehicle. The more work you do on your own vehicle, the better, and more knowledgeable, and confident you will become on auto repairs.

Lighten up you car. Go through your car, item by item, decide if you really need it in your car. If you don't, leave it out of the car.
The only things you really ought to have in your car are:

Spare tire, tire jack, and tire jack handle. Couple individual containers of oil, water, brake, transmission fluid, radiator fluid- one gallon, gallon of drinking water, first aid kit, set of tools, duct tape, auto fuses, flashlight.-Put all these into a plastic container with a lid. Store these items neatly in the truck your car.

Keep your: road map, proof of insuranace, vehicle registration, AAA Club membership in a zip lock plastic bag in your glove box.

You should a a GPS mounted on your dash board.

http://www.autozone.com/
http://www.walmart.com/

Old Running Shoes

2012-05-31T05:23:00.002-07:00

I had purchased a pair of New Balance running shoes about 12 years ago. I worn them during the physical training time in the Army. After I wore them for about 6 months or so, I washed them and put them away. Most people would have discarded their old running shoes by then, but I keep mine. Recently, as I was going through some of my belongings in a large box in my master bedroom, I ran across these running shoes. I was looking for something to wear when I was around the house, at home. Something to mow the lawn in and wear when I was working on my cars, etc. It was then, when I rediscovered these running shoes.

I must say, even after all these years, these New Balance still look good and still it my feet like a glove with the right amount of room to spare. I'm glad I didn't throw these out, like most people would have. As I rediscovered these shoes, I found out a little more about myself. These shoes were like a moment in time gone by, kinda like a physical object snap shot of what I was doing a the time. Wearing these shoes again, I sort of reconnected with my old self, younger self in the past. These shoes for some strange reason had a new feel to them. I was recycling these shoes again for another journey, service to my present physical well being.

What I would like to say in a nut shell, if you have something that isn't wore out, wash, it, and put it away. Recycle, reuse it at some later point in time in your life. Rediscover your past self, you might be glad that you did.

Lost Dog, Found Dog

2012-05-22T11:13:00.005-07:00

Last Thursday, I had a medical appointment that took me out of Fayetteville to a small town, called Bladenboro. I went there for a appointment that was a speciality medical referral. As I was getting ready to leave there, I said my good byes to the kind medical staff there, and the lady who worked the front office told me to drive carefully of the expected bad weather that was about to arrive. I went out to my car, I could see that the sky was turning dark and cloudly, and it rain started to sprinkle. It rained sort of hard, but as I was getting closer to home, the rain subsided. I finally arrived into my housing subdivision, and as I was pulling into my cul de sac.

I saw a large dark shape curled up on the door mat right in of my front door of my home. At first, I thought that our dog had gotten out of the back yard and was now waiting to be let in at our front door. As I walked up to our home, I discovered that this dog was not our dog, this dog was a stranger. I didn't recognize the dog. The dog got up from the door mat, I could see that it was a female, she looked scared, had her tail between her legs. She moved out of the way just as so I could open the front door and enter my home. When I entered our home I asked my wife if she knew anything about the large dog at our front door. She said she did. I asked her who brought it home. She didn't know. I asked my children if they knew anything about this dog, laying in front of our door. They all said they didn't have anything to do with the dog. They didn't bring the dog home. The dog just found her way to our front door all by her self.

I thought, " Well this is odd, why would a dog lay in front of our home, which is a strange home to her?"

I waited for about a couple of hours to see if the dog had gotten up and left. To my surprise, she was still there, all curled up in a tight little ball sleeping right in front of our door. I said, "Well if she going to stay there, let's get her something to eat and drink". I had my son fill up a large bowl with water and another large bowl full of dry dog food. I told him to set the bowls at the opposite end of our porch, away from the front door. After he set the bowls down, the dog immediately went to the bowls to drink and eat. The dog ate and drank her fill. She must have been on the road for quite awhile.

Later, one of my sons ask me if we can put her in the backyard and keep her. I immediately said no to this. I said, " If we put her in our back yard, she's not going to be motivated to find her way back home, and we'll end up with another dog. We already have three dogs, two female chihuahuas, and one large young male chow/sheppard mix dog". I ask my kids if her got along okay with one of our chihuahuas, named, "April", was out in the front yard, my little daughter said yes. The dogs played with each other. The dog is friendly, they assured me. One of my kids opened the door to see if the dog would come into our house, the dog didn't. My son tried to lead the dog into our house by gently pulling on her collar. The dog wouldn't budge off the front door mat. As the night began to approach, we all prepared to go to bed. I looked out the front door window, the dog was still there, all curled up in a ball, sleeping. The next morning, I opened the front door, maybe half expecting the dog to be gone by then. The dog was still there. My wife wanted to call animal control, I persuaded her not to. I said maybe the owner will drive throught there neighborhood looking for their lost dog and maybe see her on our front porch. I said to just let her stay there.

It was during in the course of this morning, when my kids getting ready for school, my youngest daughter could not find her new school shoes. She looked all around for them, then all my kids joined the search to find her shoes. Finally, I enlisted in the search to find her shoes, all to no avail. I decided after 20 minutes of looking for them, to put another pair of shoes on her, a pair of Converse athletic shoes. This search made her late for school, and she missed her time to eat breakfast at school. My wife stopped at a Short Stop convenience market on the way to her school to get my daughter something for breakfast, like a honeybun or something. She never stops at that particular Short Stop store.

On this day, she did. It was on the way going outout of the store, she saw a posted sheet of paper, for a lost dog with the dog's picture on posted on the door. My oldest daughter called me as I was driving to work on the All American freeway on the way to work. She said, "Mom just saw the picture of a lost dog posted at the door at the Short Stop store, and it looks like the dog that's in front of our house. She gave me the telephone number to call.  I called the number, and said I was calling about their lost dog notice. The person answering the phone said their dog was indeed lost and I described the dog to her and said that I have their dog, she then scream with joy, and handed the phone to her husband. I told him that I have their dog, and her was on my front porch. I gave her husband my street address, and he said that he was on his way to pick her up. About 20 minutes later, her called back and said that was indeed her dog, and thanked me several time and She said that she will give me a reward for finding her dog. I said please don't. I said, " You don't have to give me a reward." She insisted, I said, " From one dog lover to another, I was just glad that she got her dog back, and that she does not have to give me a reward. She thanked me again and said good bye.

Later that day when I came home from work, I found myself on the front porch talking to a solicitor, then a vehicle pull up to around into my cul de sac, and parked in front of my driveway. A young man exited a SUV and approached our home, and walked up to the porch, and asked me if I was the one who founded their dog, I said yes. He then offered me to the reward for finding their dog, I told him that they, ( he and and his wife ) didn't have to.  He insisted and said that it was a gift card to PetSmart, I could get something for my dogs. My wife was standing there, asked said give it to her, my wife, which he did. I thanked him, and he thanked me again and left.

I was thinking about this incident, about that dog. That dog knew by staying on my front door mat, she would be able to find her way home, and be reunited with her master. Her master would eventually come and get her. She stayed her ground, she wouldn't budge for the world to get off that door mat. How did she know to find my house, out of all the homes in that area, that my home would be the one to get her home. What a strange sequence of events had to occur for that to happen. Somehow, I think that this dog knew, somehow forsaw the future maybe by whatever means she had, or maybe just by sheer desperation.
She knew the future outcome of her actions, which would eventually bring her the reunion she longed for with her master.

I marvel at dogs, and for all the other pets for that matter, on how just special they are, with that special unbreakable bond they have with their masters.

2012-05-16T11:12:00.006-07:00

I thought that I had lost weight over the past week because I had gotten sick on the weekend. I didn't eat for about a day and a half and ate very little afterwards the following days. So, I went out and purchased a bathroom weight scale, and to my amazement, I had gained about 7 pounds.

I've decided right here and now to go on a diet plan. Currently, I'm 223 lbs. and I'm 5'&7" tall.

I want to lose about approximaatedly 43-50 lbs. to be down to about the mid 170s lbs. in weight.

This is going to be my diet, it's going to be real simple:

* Consume 6 total, 5 oz. cans of tuna packed in water; each day. Brighten the taste up with tablespoon of pickle relish mixed into it. Drink 3 total 32 oz. bottle of water each day. Eat a large lettuce salad with a little bit of cheddar cheese, and a tablespoon of light Italian dressing added*

1. Breakfast: Two cans of tuna for breakfast, with a tablespoon of pickle relish mixed into it.

2. Lunch: Two cans tuna for lunch, with a tablespoon of pickle relish mixed into it.

3. Dinner: Two cans of tuna packed in water with relish mixed in and a large lettuce salad with a little bit of chedder cheese sprinkled on top. One tablespoon Light Italian salad dressing.

*Make my last meal before 7pm.*

Drink about three 32 oz. bottles of water per day. I use empty 32 oz.Gatorade bottles to measure and carry my water.

I'm going to weigh myself once per week. I'm going to stay on this diet for until the end of September 2012.

As always,...

--------Any Comments or suggestions is appreciated.-----------

I was thinking,..

2012-05-14T11:55:00.001-07:00

I was just thinking about how much time I,..we have throughout the day to reflect on our good fortunes, and how we can shape our lives to our own suiting.

2012-05-14T11:53:00.002-07:00

As I was driving home from work today, I thought to myself abut this, " Isn't just great to be alive".
With that thought in mind, I surmised that we, or I should say, I, have only about 16 waking hours each day to experience everything we want to do during that day. I want to make them count. Each one of us is given a chance to make something of ourselves. Some of us have a plan, where as some of us don't. Those that don't, just go on each day hoping for something to happen our way. While there are those who make things happen for them in their lives. We kind of admire those people. You can be just like them if only you had a desire and a plan and just stick to it.

Fair Today, Carnival Yesterday

2012-05-14T06:07:00.003-07:00

Went to the Fort Bragg Spring Fair last Saturday. I was pretty impressed with the Fair. It's rides were real nice, some were a quite challenge to ride without getting motion sickness. Unlimited rides for the price of your one admission, which I thought was a real bargain, considering my two boys went on all the rides at least once.

Ahhh, and oh yeah, how can I forget about all the smells associated with all the Fair food being cooked there. The BBQ smoked turkey legs, powdered sugar sprinkled funnel cakes, cotton candy, corn dogs, nacho cheese chips, deep fried potato ribbons with cheese, the smell of fresh popcorn, polish sausage sizzling on the grill with onions and bell peppers, pizza slices, candy apples, and freshly squeezed lemonade.

I'd have to take out a second loan to be able to afford to eat all that Fair food with my kids. You know what, it was worth very penny. Nothing can quite beat the smell and taste of geniune Fair food. You can't replicate the same kind thing at your home with the attempt to save money. Any attempts to produce something comparable as the same tasting food bought at the Fair are furtile. When you're at the Fair, take my advise, get something to eat there. The Fair doesn't come around but twice a year, once in the Spring, and another time during the Fall, in October.

This Fair was great, organized with a good layout. The Fair workers all wore new Fair T-shirts, and I have to say, were quite polite. They were not nearly like the pushy salesman as I remember they used to be in a time long gone by, when they were trying to get me to play their nearly impossible to win carnival games.

Somehow, even after all these years, I still long for the Old days of the carnival. The time where you can go to the carnival, as it used to be referred to, and you might have opportunity to see side shows of the weird and unusual as I remembered as a kid, while growing up in Phoenix, Az. I saw some pretty unusual exhibits, some I won't dare mention. The ones I know you won't see today.

The ones I am tell you about is the time I remember seeing the world's smallest man, so they claimed he was. He had two deflated flaps of skins that were his legs. He sat there as if he were oblivious to the fact that people were staring, gaking at him, while he eating a plate full of scrambled eggs. I felt bad for the man. I also remember seeing the world's biggest snake, and I cannot forget, the gorilla girl. She was a normal looking girl that would turn into a gorilla, right before your very eyes with the help special effects by the use mirrors, and smoke. The announcer would repeat over and over, " Gorilla Girl, Gorilla Girl, Gorilla Girl". She would change into a gorilla while she was in a cage that had jail like bars. She would rattle the bars, and the moment she turned into a gorilla, the cage door would fall down and everyone in the tent would scream and rush out of the tent emergency exit that was conveniently held up by one of the carnival workers. You know, they never had me fooled or scared for a minute, but I couldn't rest until I paid to see that gorilla girl.

The "Carni", people as they used to refer to the carnival workers, used to be sort of messed up looking. There was also a sense of excitement, apprehension, maybe a little bit of fear of what you might happen see when you run into it at the carnival.

This past weekend, I didn't see anything of that sort at the Fair. The Fair was real tame, socially acceptable, politically correct. It was professional looking, safe, and organized.

Somehow, with it's new look, the fair, or carnival for the most part, lost most of it's zing and appeal of the yester years gone by.

Still, all in all considering, I enjoyed going to the fair this past weekend with my kids. By going out and having fun at the Fair last weekend was a great way for me to spend some quality time with my family. What else can be more important than that? I highly recommend it to everyone.

2012-05-06T17:59:00.001-07:00

Went to the theater and saw a movie with my two boys the other day. The movie was called, "Chronicle". The movie started off okay, but in the end, it left a lot of unanswered questions.
The movie seemed to end just as I was getting interested in watching it. As I looked at my watch, the time was nearing the 90 minutes mark. I knew the end was near. I then realized that as long as the movie kept me watching it for it's duration, the movie did it's job.

2012-05-04T12:27:00.001-07:00

So much of life goes unnoticed without ever taking thought to its unsung poetry. Wish I could capture those special moments in time and put it down in a song.

I was thinking,..

2012-05-02T09:53:00.001-07:00

I was just thinking about how much time I,..we have throughout the day to reflect on our good fortunes, and how we can shape our livies to our own suiting.