Resolution #1

With the recovery from the Great Recession under way, there are two conflicting things that are needed.  For the recovery to continue, people need to spend money.  The problem is, people have become obsessed with celebrity without the money to pay for it.  They are financing themselves to their graves.

This year is the year I plan to change that for me.

I've got some big pluses on my side:

1.  My home is paid for.  This is a big one.  During the housing boom, my friends were trying to get me to sell my home and "upgrade" to a nicer one.  I said no.  I am so thankful I did.

2.  I limit my credit.  In other words, I don't have a wallet full of credit cards.  I only have 1 major credit card.  My line of thinking has been, "if I can't afford to buy it on my one credit card, I can't afford it."  Period.  The two exceptions to this have been medical bills and my car loan.

When it comes to money, there are big consequences associated with people's choice of lifestyle.

In order to have a more abundant life, there are two things each person must do:  they must play good offense, and they must play good defense.

Good Offense = job that pays enough to cover the bills + saving.

Good Defense = limited spending that allows for saving.  This means people who have a spending problem, need to get on top of it in order to be able to save money.

This year I'm looking to cut down as much debt as I can, which means cutting out a lot of unnecessary expenses.  I'm on the right track:

- I don't have a cell phone contract.  I don't talk that much on the phone, so the contract plans were a waste of money for me.  I have a TracFone from Walmart and I just add minutes as I need it.

- I don't have cable tv.  I'm not home enough to warrant the amount of money I was paying for it.  I've not had it for a few years and I've not missed it.  I have DVD's and I do pay for internet service.  I also use an antenna and converter box for the local channels I was already watching, so it has worked out for me.

- I'm not a big shopper.  Seriously.  The only time I'm really dangerous is when I'm in a bookstore.  Those I only go to for specific things at specific times of the year.

One area I'm not good at defense:  online shopping, namely iTunes and iBooks.  Those I have to watch out for.

My sources so far:

Oprah's Debt Diet I have the DVD's for the series of shows on this, they are a great way to start.

Money 101 This is coming from the people of Money Magazine and contains a wealth of free information to help get anyone out of debt and into saving and investing, if they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary.

Provident Living - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - be sure to download the One For The Money booklet.

A recent development will hopefully help people to make better choices about their money.  I have friends who have taken payday loans out and ended up in such arrears they had to file bankruptcy to clear out these loans.  Score one more for the little guy:

Commercial

Yes, I'm back with cough syrup and bad grammar.  LOL.  I saw this and had to share.  Good night.

Bronchitis

I hate getting sick.  It makes me crazy to have to take meds that make weird.

Yes, it's the ugly sinus infection and bronchitis that's been going around.  Thankfully, though, it is not the flu that is also going around.

So, what do I do when I get sick?  Take meds and watch Barry Manilow on DVD.  LOL.

You'd think I would have burned all of the stuff with the history I've had with the guy.  Today I wondered why it is I keep going back.  I finally figured out what it is.  The music.

I've played the piano since I was 7 years old, and have learned a lot of beautiful classical music in the years.  I love a good melody, good chord changes and groups.  I found online pieces of the video from a show called "Musicians" where Barry gets into the nitty gritty of composing and arranging.

I absolutely loved it.  I wonder if it's available for DVD?  I would love to see it in it's entirety, because I'm sure some of the gems were edited out from what I had seen.

The series of chords in Could It Be Magic, If I Should Love Again, Where You Go are pure inspiration.

One question I would have Barry:  If he could create another ballad based on a classical piece, which would it be?  What other pieces does he love that has wonderful chord progressions and melodies?

Okay, now that I've bored you silly with this post (yes, I'm on the codeine cough syrup), I'll stop and go to bed now.  :-)

Take care everyone, and try to stay healthy!