Hope for your financial journey and beyond
Here is a list of articles from around the web that were valuable to me this week. Hope they will be to you as well. Enjoy your reading and have a great weekend!
LIfe Insurance – Your Most Important Insurance Policy (Kevin at Out of Your Rut explains why life insurance is a must have.)
On Tuesday, Mrs. Luke 1428 did an awesome job in her first ever post on how to shop for the nerd in your family this Valentine’s Day. Today I would like to tackle the other side of the equation, which is shopping for the free spirit. That’s me!
Just to recap, the nerd is the person in the relationship who loves to stick by the numbers. Most typically, they are the ones planning the monthly budget and exacting control over when, where and how much money is spent each month. They get really frustrated when the budget is not followed and often get accused of being “too controlling” and not wanting to “have any fun”.
The free spirit is a spender looking for a place to happen. They don’t mind a budget but don’t see it as etched in stone. They will often spend money in the spur of the moment without consulting the nerd. They get really frustrated when they aren’t allowed to have any fun and are often accused of “not understanding” and “being too selfish.”
So, if you’re the nerd in the relationship, how do you shop this Valentine’s Day (or really any holiday, birthday, special occasion, etc.) for free spirits like me? Here are some tips:
Several weeks ago, I detailed a list of goals I would like to accomplish during 2013. You can read more in-depth about these here. So, this is my first update for the month of January:
Goal #1: Read through the entire New Testament of the Bible and the book of Proverbs by May 31st.
I feel really good about my progress on this one. I finished the books of Matthew and Mark. I basically have read several chapters each day and am currently in Luke 7.
I have not started any reading in Proverbs yet, something I have to remedy soon.
Goal #2: Pay off our mortgage debt by the end of the year.
The culmination of the 2012 NFL season is just a few days away. The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers have made their way to the final table and are busy making preparations for Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. I will be one of countless millions from around the world watching from the comforts of their home. I’ll enjoy being with my family, course after course of great food and hopefully some great commercials.
This year, I will watch as a casual, relaxed observer because I couldn’t care less about either of these teams. But I’ll watch anyway just because the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event of the year. It’s must see TV in my book.
Another reason I won’t feel any tension is because I won’t have anything riding on the game in someone else’s book. That’s right…no bets on the game in my house.
Blue summer skies. Perfect temperature. What a great day to ride my bike, shoot some hoops or maybe even chase the dog around the yard.
I would do all those things later. Right now, I had bigger things on my mind – Boyd Cleaners and Pac-Man. I opened the garage door, grabbed my bike and sped off down the alley.
One minute later I arrived at the side door of the cleaners near the drive-thru pickup. I opened the door and headed to the change machine to convert my dollar bill into usable coinage. When I turned around, I was met with the site of something that would change my life to this day.
Sitting next to my beloved Pac-Man was a new video game – Kangaroo.
Here are 5 completely awesome posts I read this week. Enjoy your weekend reading!
5 Questions to Ask in Your Search for a Dream Job (Dave Ramsey team member Jon Acuff discusses one of his biggest “hinge” moments and how you can identify yours.)
How to Take the Emotion Out of Investing (Did you freak out over Apple’s 70+ point stock drop this week? John at Frugal Rules offers some great insights on how to lesson the emotions that come with investing.)
Make More Money with Improved Communication Skills (Justin at The Frugal Path discusses how improving your communication skills can help you climb the corporate ladder.)
How to Calculate Your Net Worth and Why You Should (How much are you worth? James at Free In Ten Years shows us how to figure it out.)
A New Years Financial Check-Up: Top 10 Areas to Review (Chris Hogan highlights the major areas of your finances you should be reviewing each year.)
Bonus Read:
The Benefits of a Crappy Job (Even in the worst of job circumstances, you can learn something. Kim at Eyes on the Dollar shares some great experiences.)
Image Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Ever walk to the refrigerator, maybe to get you a cold pop, and when you opened the door the light did not come on and there was no cold air? Or maybe you’ve been BBQ-ing, the fire got too hot and you burnt the chicken. Guess we are going out for dinner.
Maybe you’ve had an unexpected bout with bronchitis that required expensive medicine. Or you suddenly remembered it’s back to school time and the kids had no shoes to wear for PE class. Perhaps something bigger has happened like a house fire where you were displaced from your home and possessions for a time.
Our reaction when crazy life events happen is basically to say, “O Lord Jesus, it’s a fire!” and then we do our best to put the fire out. Usually that requires the spending of money to make the situation right or normal again. The question for us then is “How can we be prepared when the fire comes?”
Our culture moves at breakneck speed. News happens fast, food is served fast, and medicines to deal with our bronchitis act fast. Technology may move the fastest of all. It seems as though new devices are released everyday. And just when you think you have caught up, you are already behind.
The pace of life and the urge to keep up creates tension with our finances. We develop faulty thinking and succumb to spending money we don’t have. Poor logic and impulsive decisions often get us into financial trouble that can take years to work through.
Truth is, there are mechanisms we could use to prevent us from getting into financial trouble but we talk ourselves out of using them. Ever had any of these thoughts run through your mind?
The Difference Between Looking Rich and Being Rich (Is your image more important than financial security?)
Do You Prefer Instance or Delayed Gratification? (Which path do you normally take? The Money Beagle blog discusses the benefits of instant and delayed gratification.)
Young Adults Need Life Insurance Too (Corey at 20s Finances discusses the benefits of insurance for young adults.)
Hiring a Financial Advisor: Clues from the Receptionist (In the market for a financial advisor? A receptionist offers great advice that will help you make your decision.)
The More You Trade the Less You Earn (Are you jumping in and out of the stock market? You are probably costing yourself big money. Money Smart Guides guides you through the numbers.)
Bonus Read: Even More Blogging Tips From a Beginner (New to blogging? John at Frugal Rules shares some great things he has learned.)
I’ve been running consistently now for almost two years. In that time, I have learned that runners face many mental and physical challenges. From the everyday muscle aches and pains, to the mental exhaustion of a four-hour marathon, to getting yourself out of bed for that 30-degree winter morning run, there is much to overcome.
The obstacles we runners may despise the most are hills. I don’t mean gradual inclines in the road or the gentle rolling hills you can fairly manage. I’m talking about the long, steep, crush-your-pace kind of hills that make your heart feel like it’s going to pound out of your chest as you climb to the peak. These are brutal especially when multiple ones are strung together in a short distance. Up and down, up and down, peak then valley, peak then valley…ugh!
I’ve had a lot of experience running hills because they surround me where I live. I’m actually thankful because by running them, I have been better prepared on race day. During all my training though, I have found this to be true – it’s both exciting and intimidating at the top of a hill.
A few days ago in her post “How to Stick with an Exercise Program,” Jordann at Making Sense of Sense noted that one key to following through with an exercise goal is to share your intentions publicly. There is great power in making our intentions known because it makes us accountable to attempt the follow through.
Sharing goals also connects us to others. When I read how someone is working through the process of pursuing a goal, it inspires me. It gives me encouragement to know that others have faced similar challenges and were able to overcome them.
With that in mind, I would like to share my goals for 2013. Not all of them fit into a category on the SPLASH Goal plan I outlined in my last post. But I believe they are basically SMART goals that will be of benefit to me this year. So, in no particular order: