End of the Year Questions - Reflecting on 2021

These questions are from a swap on Swapbot that look back on 2021: 

1. If 2021 were a movie, what was the title, and what happened? The first thing that comes to mind is "Where Did the Time Go?" 

Even though the past year was packed with lots of activities, milestone birthdays, and challenges (like doing the 75Hard challenge and drastically changing the way I ate, exercised, and approached life), it went by so quickly. It seems like each year there never is enough time to get everything done that I want to accomplish. 

2. What worked well in 2021, and for what are you grateful? For the first 75 days of the year, I was using a habit tracker and doing the 75Hard challenge. I was eating well, exercising 90 minutes a day, reading at least 10 pages, journaling, and doing other activities that I wanted to do. 

I really liked the program and ended up continuing a modified version of it until about October. Then, I started getting side-tracked with the holidays and they took priority. 

I am very grateful I did the program because it showed me that if I set my mind to something difficult, I can do it. It is a matter of setting small, achievable steps to reach the major goal. 

3. What was challenging or disappointing about 2021? We had multiple major problems with our only car. This was a huge setback financially which was disappointing. 

We also struggled with Hoss's hooves from February through September, and worked with our vet and farrier to find a solution. They (and we) tried everything. In September, we made the difficult decision to give Hoss and Bailey (who were now a bonded pair) back to the Minnesota Hooved Animal Rescue Foundation. They ended up being able to discover the problem (an abscess in one hoof) that, thankfully, was caught in time. Olivia was very observant and - had she not been - things could have been a lot worse for him (either long-term issues or euthanasia). 

The good news is that both Hoss and Bailey were adopted within a month of going back to MHARF. Although they are in different homes, Hoss has a miniature companion and goats at his new farm and Bailey is at a stable with 15 other horses, and she is used for giving lessons. So, she's getting lots of attention.  

4. What were your most meaningful moments this past year? At the end of the year - from December 23rd to January 4th - we quarantined at the request of Sophia's study abroad program. In order to board her international flights, she needed a negative COVID test. So, we didn't want to risk it given the appearance and easy transmission of the omicron variant. 

Although we were sad that we couldn't do things we normally did - like go to Christmas Eve service, spend time with extended family on Christmas, go out to do special things for Sophia's 21st birthday, and go out to a Chinese restaurant on New Year's Day - we celebrated these occasions at home together as a family. 

We started some new traditions (like playing Risk together as a family over multiple days after Christmas and into the New Year), watched movies together, and made food together. We worked on projects that we hadn't had a chance to do because we were always out and about...rather than at home. 

5. Where did you spend a lot of time and energy? Although I felt like I was driving a lot to take Olivia to the homeschool co-op twice a week and to speech therapy, I did spend a lot of time and energy at home which I enjoyed. 

I enjoyed watching Olivia paint many barn quilts during the summer for clients. She was earning a lot of money that she has set aside for college.

6. What did you learn this last year? I learned how to take better photos and use my camera in ways I didn't know how to use it. 

I took a photography course at North House Folk School with Layne Kennedy, a very talented photographer. Olivia and I enjoyed photographing waterfalls.

We also explored places on our own - like High Falls at Grand Portage State Park. This park is adjacent to Canada, although - at the time - we couldn't go into Canada because the border was closed due to the pandemic.

The photography course challenged me to look at taking pictures different than I normally would do, and learn to tell a story about the places we visited.

7. Looking back on 2021, on a scale of 1-10, how happy were you overall, with 1 being depressed and 10 being happy and content? I think about a 7 or 8 in terms of being happy and content. 

8. As you look to 2022, what will be the highest use of your talents? As I think about different skills and talents during the upcoming year, I would like to use my:

- research skills to help find scholarship opportunities for Olivia, 

- writing skills to write a book for Olivia to give to her as she starts college, 

- organizational skills to keep everything in order as Olivia finishes high school and Sophia studies abroad, 

- decluttering skills as I get rid of things we no longer want or need in our home, barn, and garage, 

- organizational skills as we plan for a trip to England and Scotland for Olivia's graduation trip,

- gardening skills to make the farm look nice for Olivia's graduation party, and 

- communication skills to help me talk with potential employers as I search for a job later in the year. 

9. What will success look like in 2022? If I am able to accomplish all the things I mentioned in #8, I would feel like 2022 is successful: 

- help Olivia secure scholarships, 

- write a book for Olivia, 

- see Olivia complete high school after being homeschooled since Kindergarten, 

- hear that Sophia had a successful trip in Thailand, 

- get rid of a dumpster of things from the home/yard/barn (so a thorough deep clean and decluttering), 

- have a great family trip overseas, 

- complete the gardens so they look full and colorful, and 

- secure a meaningful job. 

10. If you select a "word of the year" - share what it is for 2022, and why you chose it. I'm not sure what word I pick. I go between four words: Trust, Acceptance, Embrace, and Change. 

I'm thinking Change might be it because there is inevitable change that comes with aging, seeing the girls get older and move to the next stage of their lives, and change in relationships. 

Then there's change that I initiate that can be positive - like saving over $70 per month by changing garbage collection companies and changing phone companies so we get faster and more reliable internet while saving ourselves money. 

2022 will be filled with many changes. I just need to trust, accept, and embrace them - whether I am ready for them or not. 

The Ultimate Retirement Guide for 50+ (Book Notes)

Being in my mid-50s and having read some of Suze Orman's columns and books, I came across The Ultimate Retirement Guide for 50+. 

There are a lot of good tips which I wish I would have known at a much younger age. She has excellent advice that I can learn from now and that I can share with Sophia and Olivia, even though they are only 18 and 20 years old. 

Below are some of the things I found interesting:

- Fear, shame, and anger are the main obstacles to wealth. They cause youto do the wrong things and miss out on the smart choices that can move us toward our financial goals.

- The only way to conquer fear is through action.

- What I don't think is healthy - emotionally or financially - is when an adult child living in your home doesn't contribute to household costs. This has nothing to do with tough love. This has everything to do with continuing to be the strong, supportive parent who helps guide your children to become their best selves.

- Parents should be directing their money into their retirement savings accounts.

- The money that parents spend on their adult children is money they really should be socking away for their future, yet they can't stop themselves from being the provider. This is an unhealthy financial dynamic.

- Differentiate between financial assistance that helps with kids' needs versus money that funds their wants. 

- Resist co-signing for loans for your adult children. 

- A big problem is the "it's only" syndrome. It's only $100 or $200 a month to help with the rent. It's only an extra $20 a month to keep paying for their cell plan. Add up all the ways, big and small, you continue to provide support to an adult child. See how much "it's only" is costing you every year. 

- A hard no to: helping with a loan for a new car for an adult child, carrying an adult child on your health insurance and cell phone plan, and kicking in money for their vacations.

- If a child needs a car, they should be shopping for a used car that they can pay for with the shortest-term loan possible. 

- If your child is working, they should cover their share of the health premium.

- Consider how reducing your support for others will enable you to achieve your ultimate retirement goals: security and not needing your family to support you later on.

- Make sure you are helping your adult child become financially independent.

- If you reduce your monthly spending by $500 or $1,000 a month today, that's $500 or $1,000 a month you won't need to generate in retirement. 

- Moves to make during your working years:

---Prioritize paying off all debt before you retire.

---Embrace living below your means.

---Save more for retirement...in the right accounts.

---Have a plan to work longer.

---Consider long-term insurance.

- Ditch the landline and use cell phone only.

- Keep FICO score very high keeps auto premiums lower.

- Retirements savings must take precedence over paying for college.

- Spend the least amount you can for a reliable car. If you need to take out a loan, commit to a term that is no longer than 36 months. 

- There are three ways to save money today that you can then use without owing any tax in retirement: a Roth 401(k), a Roth IRA, and Health Savings Account (HSA)

- Plan to work until you are 70.

- Use the Social Security benefit calculator to get an estimate of what you may qualify for: www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/estimator.html 

- Visit kerryhannon.com about career transitions and great jobs for those who are 50+ years old.

- Long-term health premiums are lower for those in their 50s and 60s because as you age, a pre-existing health condition could be grounds to deny you coverage. And the longer you wait, the higher your premium will be.

- See suzeorman.com/retirement to learn more about key features to shop for in an LTC insurance policy.

- If you are intent on not moving, make paying off your mortgage before retirement a priority. Tackle remodeling work today that will accommodate the needs of an older version of you.

- If you plan to stay put:

---Pay off the mortgage before you retire. Ideally, pay it off by age 65.

---Be able to pay your essential living costs (e.g., housing, groceries, utilities) guaranteed income (e.g., Social Security, pension payout, an income annuity you purchase at retirement).

---Don't rely on a reverse mortgage to pay the bulk of your expenses.

---Consider whether your home will be socially isolating to an 80+ you.

---Think through whether your home will be physically challenging for an older you (and your friends).

- The steps up to your front door.

- That you must climb stairs to your bedroom

- How you step into the tub to take a shower

- A narrow hall or doorway that doesn't allow a walker or wheelchair through.

- A bedroom on the main floor or a room that can be easily transformed into a bedroom and a bathroom on the main floor with a walk-in shower that has a bench are what allows you to stay in your home longer.

- Look around your home and see how plausible and comfortable it will be to stay in your home if you become ill, arthritic, or injured.

- Changes to make today: better lighting, more light switches, replace throw rugs with wall-to-wall carpet, and professionally-installed grab bars in the bathroom.

- Go to the National Association of Home Builders for their "NAHB aging-in-place remodeling checklist."

- Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) contractors are who you want to do remodeling.

- If you need to borrow money for remodeling, doing it while you are working will be easier to get than when you are retired. Before doing this, you have to look at how much that will eat into your retirement. Moving may just be the best thing you can do to ensure that you have the money you need for your 80s and 90s,

- Contact mortgage lender to ask for an “amortization schedule” that will have your loan paid off by the time you are 65.

- Find more monthly cash flow to put towards your mortgage payment.

- An emergency fund should be large enough to cover your basic living expenses for eight months.

- Aim to spend just 3% of your portfolio in the first year of retirement and then adjust that amount for inflation in subsequent years. 

- Your home is aging too which means more wear and tear on top of the regular maintenance costs. How old are your roof and HVAC system? If your intention is to stay in your home for 20 or more years, the reality is that you will likely have major maintenance expenses.

- Consider what tasks you do today that you might not want to - or be able to - keep doing long into retirement. Snowblowing, gardening, regular housekeeping, and general upkeep.

- A reverse mortgage can create extra income in retirement by using some of your home's equity. The income you receive is tax-free. 

- A reverse mortgage is a bad idea if you need it to cover the majority of your fixed living costs in your 60s and early 70s. Don't use it keep up with rising property tax, insurance, and maintenace; or if you will move in less than 5-10 years. Don't use it for wants (vacations, RVs) or pay off credit card debt. 

- You don't have to repay any of the money on a reverse mortgage while you remain in the house. It is only when you move or die that the borrowed money must be repaid. 

- Think about how your home will work for you when you are 80 or 85. If you can no longer drive or want to drive, is there convenient public transportation, taxis, Uber/Lyft so that you can get around easily? How far do you live from town or friends? 

- In your 60s, keep investing for a long retirement, delay starting Social Security until age 70, and enroll in Medicare and supplemental coverage.

- When one spouse dies, the surviving spouse is entitled to just one Social Security benefit. If you have the high earner delay until age 70, you lock in the highest possible benefit for the surviving spouse.

- Medicare doesn’t cover long-term costs.

- If you don’t have a reliable income stream that can support you for a long life, then you are probably going to make your life and your kids’ lives more difficult.

- Retirement sources that offer guaranteed income: social security, pension, and income annuity that you purchase.

- Focus on a lifetime payout for a guaranteed income. Consider an annuity that will continue at the same level for the surviving spouse.

- Look at deferred income annuities. Buy the annuity today, but don’t start the payouts until a set period of time, such as 5 years or 10 years.

- An income annuity with a cash benefit will pay you a lifetime benefit, but if you die before your total payouts equal the up-front premium you paid, your beneficial will continue to get payments until total payments equal what you paid for the income annuity.

- Do not invest with any company that has any form of a grade with even the letter B.

- Have a separate bear-market emergency fund in retirement that has at least two years of living expenses in it. If you expect that you will not cover all your living expenses from guaranteed income, then keep three years of expenses in super-safe accounts that you can tap whenever you need to and know the money will be there for you.

- Invest equal amounts in five different CDs: 1 year, 2 year, 3 year, 4 year, and 5 year. When the 1 year CD matures, invest it in a new 5 year. You will have a CD maturing each year. That will pay you more interest than if you kept all of your money in a 1-year CD.

- You would need $1 million in order to withdraw $40,000 or 3% in your first year.

- Subtract your current age from 110. That is how much you may want to consider keeping in stocks. Mutual funds accomplish this since they have a variety of stocks in one fund.

- Treasury bonds are the best option for a retirement portfolio. They are the safest type of bonds.

- Must-have documents: a living revocable trust with an incapacity clause; will; advance directive and durable power of attorney for health care; and a financial power of attorney.

- Check all beneficiaries to make sure they are up to date.

- Ask your kids today what they want and spell that out in a will.

- If more than one child wants something, have an open discussion while you are still alive.

- Name an executyor of your will.

- Keep docuemnts in a waterproof and fireproof box that is easy to grab and go at a moment’s notice.

- If the documents are in a bank safe deposit box, make sure the name of trust’s successor trustee (and maybe even one more family member or someone you trust) is also listed on the account.

- Spell out your final wishes. If you don’t want your family to overspend, put that in writing. It will make it so much easier on them.

- Patience and perseverance must prevail in the years to come. When it comes to your money, you have to accept – and expect – that your money will have its ups and downs.

Help Yourself Now

 When I was at the library recently, there was a book on the new-book shelf called Help Yourself Now - A Practical Guide to Finding the Information and Assistance You Need by Jan Yager. 

There are a lot of resources and information packed into this book. The links below are ones that are relevant to my family and me that I want to read more about. There are many more chapters in the book than what are noted below.

Business, Entrepreneurship, and Employment

- Amber Grants - helps women achieve entrepreneurial dreams. The grant is $2,000 each month to a woman business owner. Once a year, the annual recipients are all eligible to get one $25,000 grant.

- Awesome Foundation - each month, a $1,000 grant is awarded.

- Walmart Foundation- $250+ grants.

- Entrepreneur Media - educates entrepreneurs through podcasts, videos, magazine, books, and online articles.

- Entrepreneurs' Organization - networking organization.

- SCORE Association - provides business guidance at no charge.

- National Association of Women Business Owners

- Startup Professionals

- Whatever It Takes - for teens to launch a social entrepreneur enterprise and gain leadership skills. College credit is earned for doing the course. 

- HARO - media opportunities that is sent to over 800,000 subscribers.

- USA.gov - find a government job.

- Minnesota government jobs

Education - 197

- Lemonade Day - helps youth become business leaders, social advocates, and community volunteers

- Internships.com - for college students

- Children's Defense Fund - college internships

- Acton Children's Business Fair - free program that has a free launch kit.

- Toastmasters International 

Financial Assistance

- The Pollination Project - awards $1,000 grants

- Suze Orman - financial advice

- FundRazr - fundraising campaigns

- Indiegogo - fundraising platform

- Patreon - fundraising platform for artists 

Health and Wellness

  Center for Journal Therapy

- International Association for Journal Writing

Parenting

- Foster Grandparent Program

Relationships 

- Friendship Force - Twin Cities - travel abroad and live with host families.

Transportation, Travel, and Recreation 

- Amtrak 

- Road Scholar

Volunteerism

- Do Something - for youth

- Global Volunteers

- The Innocence Project 

Launch - How to Get Your Kids through College Debt-free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward - Book Notes

This week I've been going through books I checked out of the library. One that I found helpful was Launch - How to Get Your Kids through College Debt-free and Into Jobs They Love Afterward by Jeannie Burlowski. This would have been a great book to read about 4 or 5 years ago because there are suggestions for each grade level from middle school to high school.

Some things I found interesting or helpful from the book include:

- Before the age of 24, the prefrontal cortex of your child's brain is not sufficiently developed to be able to succeed at large-scale tasks that require high-level evaluation of risk and preparation for the future. College financing is an adult task, and doing it for your child will be one of the greatest gifts you can give her as she launches into adulthood.

- Dave Ramsey recommends not paying the highest interest debts first. Rather, knock off the easier debts. You'll start to see results and you will start to win in debt reduction. 

- Save money until you have 3-6 months of expenses saved for unforeseen family emergencies. 

- Provide for your retirement every month.

- Success in school and in life really has little to do with brains or luck and everything to do with organization, process management, and continuing to try hard every day.

- Encourage daughters to open a Roth IRA. Put a little money each year into a Roth IRA account. Any money put aside won't be counted on the financial aid forms. After five years go by, she'll be able to take up to $10,000 tax-free and penalty-free out of the account and use it toward a down payment on a house. She can also leave it in the account and use it for retirement.

- Brainstorm with your child about what she will do this year to help the humanitarian cause she's adopted as her own. Make a plan and schedule it. Add what she does on LinkedIn. Look at "Eagle Scout Service Projects" and modify one of those to fit her humanitarian cause. 

- After December 31 of their sophomore year of high school, students should reduce their work time and instead do volunteer work and job shadowing. FAFSA will look at how much teens earn and will start reducing their potential to receive free money financial aid for college.

- Start a business with 100 or fewer employees and invest money in that. Do this by October 1st of your child's senior year of high school. 

- Put extra money in retirement. They will never be counted as your asset on any financial aid form. Do this also by October 1st of your child's senior year of high school.

- Don't fill your bank accounts with a lot of extra income starting January 1st of your youngest child's sophomore year of college. You can also pay your child's future college bills in advance. See how much a college will allow.

- Child should continue with one special extracurricular activity she's planning to stick with throughout high school. 

- Have your daughter look for a discounted community college class that she can take in the summer. 

- Do these assessments: StrengthsFinder 2.0, Strong Interest Inventory, and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

- Look at safety numbers for each college.

- Do college visits during sophomore and junior years of high school. Parents and students should make the visits together.

- Apply for ten private scholarships every summer and every summer through college and graduate school.

- Update LinkedIn profile regularly. Include work experiences, job-shadowing experiences, and volunteer and service hours. Link to more of her parents' friends, her employers, and others.

- Do job-shadowing in one or more of the career fields that look exciting to a student. Do this for a day, a week, a few hours a week, or for months. 

- Write one good, strong, college application essay two months before the end of 11th grade. 

- Write down the names of 3-4 adults she could ask to write letters of recommendation for the college and scholarship applications she'll be submitting in her senior year. 

- Type a "dream sheet" of details she would love to have mentioned in each of her letters of recommendation. 

- Send a handwritten thank-you note to all of her recommenders. Include a $10 gift card to a store that sells practical items.

- After the summer of 11th grade, she can earn a maximum of $6,000-7,000 without compromising her financial aid eligibility. 

- In January of senior year, send an update letter to the admissions department of each college that she has applied to.

- Organize something big to serve the community in the summer before senior year and during senior year. 

- On October 1st, fill out the FAFSA form. About a week before then get an FSA ID so you are ready on October 1st to fill out the form.

- Adjust things about your family finances so that you don't accidentally appear wealthier than you are on this year's FAFSA form. 

- Be sure to preserve an emergency fund as a safety net just in case there are unexpected expenses over the next 3-6 months. 

- Pay in advance for a needed home remodel (e.g., windows, appliances)

- Use your available extra cash to pay down high-interest consumer debt.

- Plan a special family vacation for the summer after your child graduates from high school. Close, family memories will give your high school graduate a stable platform from which to launch into adult life. 

- Do not announce where your child is going until all the financial aid award letters have also arrived. Do not make any final college decisions until you've received financial aid award letters from all of your child's accepting colleges. Examine them individually and side by side. 

- Confirm with colleges that if a student receives a scholarship that it doesn't reduce other college scholarships/financial aid. Confirm that awards are for all four years - not just the first year.

- Do not take out any Parent PLUS Loans. Ask what alternatives the student has. 

- The Federal Direct Student Loan administered under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program allows the future possibility of public service loan forgiveness (PSLF). She can have all of her student loans forgiven just 10 years after college in exchange for making 120 on-time payments while working 30 hours a week or more in a profession that serves the community or the world (e.g., public librarian, tax-exempt charity).

- Squirrel extra cash away in retirement accounts.

- Make all your usual monthly purchases right before you fill out the FAFSA form. Make an extra payment on your home mortgage. Reduce the available cash sitting in your savings accounts, checking accounts, CDs, etc.

- See how much money your daughter has in her accounts in her name (not including the 529 and retirement plan). They will reduce her need-based financial aid by 20% of that amount. 

- Get rid of student loans before the college graduation date by applying for more private scholarships. 

- Have a thoughtful conversation with your child about what's going to happen with her high school graduation gift money. 

- By May 1st tell the winning college yes.

- Parents need to take care of themselves, especially after their child's high school graduation. 

- Create a printed thank-you letter with her picture on it and send it to people who've helped her get to college. Talk about the career she's aiming toward, list the colleges she got into and which one she picked, any scholarships she's received. Leave a blank space to handwrite an individual thank you to anyone who gave her a gift. Send this to any special teachers she has had, mentors, pastors, volunteer job supervisors, people she job shadowed, close relatives, people who wrote her letters of recommendation, and others who've helped her.

- Register for college courses at the earliest possible opportunity.

- Make sure that all college credits earned in high school have been officially transferred to her college. 

- Double major for a student who wants to take college classes in a field with lower future income potential (e.g., art, music, humanities). Pair an art degree with a graphic design or web design credential to give more opportunities after college.

- Ask the financial aid office how soon she can apply for her work-study job.

- Every time you receive a bill from the college, check each individual line item. Especially watch for health insurance charges.

- Have your teen buy some nice new clothes for college. Go to upscale consignment stores. 

- Talk to your teen about staying away from alcohol and drugs throughout college. It can prevent a career-destroying addiction, protect her from additional alcohol-related dangers e.g., date rape, assault, sexual assault, death by car crash, contracting an STD, unwanted pregnancy, death due to alcohol poisoning, depression and anxiety, academic failure, and unnecessary heartbreak, sadness, and regret as adults.

- Caution your teen not to post anything, anywhere, that she wouldn't be happy having broadcast in a national news conference.

- Once your daughter steps onto her college campus, she's going to be inundated with enticing credit card offers. It's not credit rating that matters in adult financial life, it's net worth. It's better to have a real job, pay bills on time, and be debt-free. Have her use a debit card instead.

- As your daughter is packing for college, encourage her to take only the basics to dorm move-in day. 

Living Well Spending Less - Book Notes

This past week I read Living Well Spending Less by Ruth Soukup. 

Although there was a lot of information I already was taught or knew, there were still some new things that I learned. Below are some things that I thought were helpful:

These are some of the quotes that were in the book that I liked: 

- What would happen if we took the time to actually write down our current priorities? How would our perspective change if we took just a few moments to determine what it is we want most out of life?

- If I were to die tomorrow, what would people remember me for?

- If you are discontent, consider that:

- You are reading a book (people in many countries in the world have tightly restricted access to books, newspapers, and the internet)
- You are not hungry - 870 million people or roughly 1/8 of the world's population, are suffering from chronic hunger.
- You have access to medicine - between 1.3 and 2.1 billion people in the world do not have access to even the most basic medicines

- You can drive - only 9% of the world's population owns a vehicle.

- You can turn on the lights - 1.2 billion people don't have access to electricity.

- You are not thirsty - 780 milllion people in the world lack access to clean water.

- You have a place to sleep tonight - 100 million people do not have homes around the world, including between 600,000 and 2.5 million homeless right in the United States.

- Find someone you can bless today.

- Living in our sweet spot means not only taking the time to discover our passions and to realize what it is we were made to do, but also being willing to take the next step.

- Taking the time to write down your vision of the future not only forces you to self-evaluate and to decide what is most important, but it also motivates you to act on those dreams.

- Do Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and resources on DaveRamsey.com

- Put your most important tasks first each day. 

- Take the first 30 minutes of your day to work only on long-term goals.

- Eliminate things in your day that don't align with your priorities and are taking up time but not adding value.

- Do our choices match our calling - our vision, goals, passions, and dreams?

- Stuff isn't bad or dangerous in and of itself, but in a world where we are constantly told that what we have isn't quite good enough, the love of things can so easily consume us. The pursuit of it all...makes us forget all the things that actually matter.

- Less stuff equals more joy.

- Give your children a life filled with the things that matter most, things like faith, joy, peace, fellowship, contentment, gratitude, and compassion.

- Cut all nonessential spending for one month. Only spend on normal bills and perishable food items (e.g., bread, milk, vegetables). Everything else is off-limits.

- As I was growing up, the first and only rule of money was that we didn't talk about money.

- Only 32% of Americans actually prepare a detailed budget each month and only 24% have a long-term financial plan.

- Create a stockpile in your pantry or cupboards of the grocery staples and food items your family eats.

- Consider going meatless or two days a week.

- When was the last time you reached out to a friend to find out how they were doing, without the ulterior motive of sharing your own latest news? 

- When was the last time you picked up the phone just to catch up, or dropped off a meal just because you knew they could probably use it?

- If friendships are to be a priority in your life, you have to be purposeful about making time for your friends, even when you are busy.

- Creativity is born out of limitations rather than out of abundance.

- Ways to cultivate more creativity in your life:

- Read more - the more you read, the more you know. Reading engages your brain and makes it work better.

- Reflect

- Ask questions

- Pay attention

- Play

- Brainstorm

- Rest

- Cultivate and enjoy the creativity of the people around you.

- Give of your time and talents:

- Cook or bake: deliver a meal to a sick friend, neighbor, or shut-in; volunteer to cook in a local soup kitchen or women's shelter, or send a care package to a college student or soldier. 

- Good with children: become a Big Brother/Big Sister, become a tutor, volunteer to read at the local library or school.

- Love animals: volunteer at a local animal shelter, volunteer at a local wildlife center, 

- Introvert: shelve books at the local library, volunteer at the local food pantry, donate blood, write encouraging notes or cards to teachers, friends, neighbors, soldiers, prisoners, or other people who may feel lonely or discouraged.

- Outdoorsy: volunteer at the local park or work in a local community garden. 

- Serve in love in your home:

- Offer genuine encouragement and know what's going on in their days.

- Show grace - forgive and forget without harboring a grudge or resentment.

- Be generous - give freely and generously of your time, energy, and resources. Take care of the home and cook meals. Help out without being asked and without expecting anything in return.

- Slow down - if overcommitted, then be intentional about eliminating the things that don't need to be done so you can have more time to just be.

- Have fun - laugh and play games with your family. Go for walks or bike rides. Spend a day at the beach. Do something completely unexpected, just for fun. 

- Make a list of three areas in your life where you could stand to be more generous.

- How many hours a week or month do you spend volunteering or doing service work? Make a plan to volunteer or serve some time in the next month.

- Write down three goals for making improvements in serving those people closest to you. Give the best of yourself to your spouse and children.

QUOTES 

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of the intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier because you lived here. This is to have succeeded." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

"Contentment makes poor men rich. Discontentment makes rich men poor." (Benjamin Franklin)

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

"The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not our circumstances." (Martha Washington) 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves." (Romans 12:9-10)

"People are most successful when they are in their sweet spot. Your sweet spot is the intersection where your passion meets your greatest strength." (Ken Coleman)

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." (Romans 12:6-8)

"Things that matter most should never be at the mercy of things that matter least." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

Add these quotes to the purple book of quotes that I keep:

"Have nothing in your houses that you don't know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." (William Morris)

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11-13)

"We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like." (Dave Ramsey)

"The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty." (Proverbs 21:5)

"A bargain ain't a bargain if it is not something you need." (Sidney Carroll)

"I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home...I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby." (Nancie J. Carmody)

"You aren't really wealthy until you have something that money can't buy." (Garth Brooks)

"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." (Winston Churchill)

The Compound Effect - Book Notes

 From January through mid-March, I did a health challenge called 75Hard. One of the habits that had to be done daily was to read 10 pages of a self-improvement book. A book that was highly recommended on the 75Hard Facebook group for women was The Compound Effect - Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy. 

I'm glad I found out about this book. There are a lot of helpful ideas for habit-building that I wish I would have known when I was younger. Nonetheless, there are habits and ideas worth doing today that were presented in the book. Below are some highlights:

- Little, everyday decisions will either take you to the life you desire or to disaster by default.

- From what to eat and where to work, to the people you spend your time with, to how you spend your afternoon, every choice shapes how you live today, but more important, how you live the rest of your life.

- The Compound Effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small, smart choices completed consistently over time.

- Your grandparents worked six days a week, from sunup to sundown, using the skills they learned in their youth and repeatedly throughout their entire life. They knew the secret was hard work, discipline, and good habits.

- Every decision, no matter how slight, alters the trajectory of your life - whether or not to go to college, whom to marry, to have that last drink before your drive, to indulge in gossip or stay silent, to say I love you or not. 

- Your biggest challenge is that you've been sleepwalking through your choices.

- Keep a Thanksgiving journal for your spouse or a loved one. Every day for an entire year, log at least one thing you appreciate about him/her. It forces you to focus on that person's positive aspects. You will be consciously looking for all the things the person does "right." 

-  Pick an area of your life where you most want to be successful (e.g., more money in the bank, a trimmer waistline, better relationship with your spouse or kids). Picture where you are in that area, right now. Now picture where you want to be: richer, thinner, happier, you name it. 

Source

- Track every action that relates to the area of your life you want to improve. If you want to get out of debt, track every penny you pull from your pocket. If you want to lose weight, track your food. 

- Track down every cent you spend for 30 days. 

- Track one habit for one week. Then three weeks. 

- Every dollar you spend today, no matter where you spend it, is costing you nearly five dollars in only 20 years (and ten dollars in 30 years)?

- Every time you spend a dollar today, it's like taking five dollars out of your future pocket.

- Save $250 per month in an IRA starting at 23 years old. By the time you're 40 years old, there would be no need to invest anymore. By the time you are 67 years old, there will be more than $1 million in that account, growing at 8% interest compounded monthly.

- The story of most people's lives is that they're riding the horse of their habits, with no idea where they're headed. It's time to take control of the reins and move your life in the direction of where you really want to go.

Source

- What is your why? You've got to have a reason if you want to make significant improvements to your life. 

- I have seen business moguls achieve their ultimate goals, but still live in frustration, worry, and fear. What's preventing these successful people from being happy? The answer is they have focused only on achievement and not fulfillment. Extraordinary accomplishment does not guarantee extraordinary joy, happiness, love, and a sense of meaning.

- When your actions conflict with your values, you'll end up unhappy, frustrated, and despondent.

- If you are not making the progress that you would like to make and are capable of making, it is simply because your goals are not clearly defined.

- Clean your home. If you're trying to curb your spending, take an evening and cancel every catalog or retail offer that comes in the mail or your inbox. If you want to eat healthy, stop buying junk food. Make sure your refrigerator and pantry are stocked with healthy options.

- How can you alter your bad habits so that they're not as harmful? Can you replace them with healthier habits or drop-kick them altogether? 

- About every 3 months, pick one vice and abstain for 30 days. If you find it seriously difficult to abstain for those 30 days, you may have found a habit worth cutting out of your life.

- Find rewards to give yourself every month, every week, every day - a walk, relax in the bath, or read something just for fun. 

- Every Saturday is FD (Family Day) which means NO working. Sundown on Friday night until sunup on Sunday morning is time devoted to marriage and family. If you don't create these boundaries, one day has a tendency to flow into the next. Unfortunately, the people who get shoved aside are often the most important. 

- Once a month try to do something that creates an experience that has some memorable intensity. Drive up to the mountains, go on an adventurous hike, try a new fancy restaurant, go sailing on a lake. Something out of the ordinary that has a heightened experience and creates an indelible memory. 

- Everyone is affected by 3 kinds of influences: input (what you feed your mind), associations (the people with whom you spend time), and environment (your surroundings).

- We can protect and feed our mind. We can be disciplined and proactive about what we allow in.

- How to feed your mind? Listen to positive, inspirational, and supportive input and ideas. Stories of aspiration, people who (despite challenges) are overcoming obstacles and achieving great things. Strategies of success, prosperity, health, love, and joy. Ideas to create more abundance, to grow, expand, and become more. Examples and stories of what's good, right, and possible in the world. 

- Listen to instructional and inspirational CDs when driving. 

- We become the combined average of the five people we hang around the most. The people with whom we spend our time determine what conversations dominate our attention and to which attitudes and opinions we are regularly exposed. Eventually, we start to eat what they eat, talk like they talk, read what they read, think like they think, watch what they watch, treat people how they treat them, even dress like they dress. 

- What is the combined average income, health, or attitudes of the five people you spend most of your time with?

- Jot down the names of those five people you hang around the most. Write down their main characteristics, both positive and negative. What's their average health and bank balance? What is their average relationship like? Is this list okay for you? Is this where you want to go?

- It's time to reappraise and reprioritize the people you spend time with. These relationships can nurture you, starve you, or keep you stuck. 

- Do not allow someone else's actions or attitudes to have a dampening influence on you.

- Identify people who have positive qualities in the areas of life where you want to improve - people with the financial and business success you desire, the parenting skills you want, the relationships you yearn for, the lifestyle you love. And then spend more time with them. Join organizations and businesses where these people gather and make friends. 

- The dream in your heart may be bigger than the environment in which you find yourself. Sometimes you have to get out of that environment to see that dream fulfilled. It's just not where you live. It's whatever surrounds you. Creating a positive environment to support your success means clearing out all the clutter in your life - physical, psychic, whatever's broken, whatever makes you cringe. Each and every incomplete thing in your life exerts a draining force on you, sucking the energy of accomplishment and success out of you as surely as a vampire stealing blood. Every incomplete promise, commitment, and agreement saps your strength because it blocks your momentum and inhibits your ability to move forward. Incomplete tasks keep calling you back to the past to take care of them. So think about what you can complete today.

- If you tolerate disrespect, you will be disrespected. If you tolerate people being late and making you wait, people will show up late for you. If you tolerate being underpaid and overworked, that will continue for you. If you tolerate your body being overweight, tired, and perpetually sick, it will be.

- You can do more than expected in every aspect of your life.

- Instead of sending Christmas cards, send Thanksgiving cards. Handwrite personal sentiments expressing how grateful you are for your relationship with that person and what he or she means to you. 

Source

- One core value in life is significance - to make a positive difference in other people's lives.

- Ideas uninvested are wasted.

- The ripple effect of helping others and giving generously of your time and energy is that you become the biggest beneficiary of your personal philanthropy. 

Action Steps

- Write out a few excuses you might be clinging to (e.g., not smart enough, no experience, don't have the education). Decide to make up in hard work and personal development to outcompete anyone - including your old self.

- Write out the half-dozen small, seemingly inconsequential steps you can take every day that can take your life in a completely new and positive direction.

- Write down the small, seemingly inconsequential actions you can stop doing that might be compounding your results downward.

- List a few areas, skills, or outcomes where you have been most successful in the past. 

- What area, person, or circumstance in your life do you struggle with the most? Start journaling all the aspects of that situation that you are grateful for. Keep a record of everything that reinforces and expands your gratitude in that area.

- Where in your life are you not taking 100% responsibility for the success or failure of your present condition? Write down 3 things you have done in the past that have messed things up. List 3 things you should have done but didn't. Write 3 things that happened to you but you responded poorly. Write 3 things you can start doing right now to take back responsibility for the outcomes of your life.

- Start tracking at least one behavior in one area of your life you'd like to change and improve (e.g., money, nutrition, fitness, recognizing others, parenting...any area).

- Write out your top three goals. Now make a list of the bad habits that might be sabotaging your progress in each area. Write down every one. 

- Add to that list all the habits you need to adopt that, practiced and compounded over time, will result in you achieving your goals.

- Identify your core motivation.

- Find your why power. Design your concise, compelling, and awe-inspiring goals.

- Build your bookend morning and evening routines. Design a predictable and fail-safe routine schedule for your life.

- List 3 areas of life in which you are not consistent enough. What has this inconsistency cost you in life thus far? Make a declaration to stay steadfast in your new commitment to consistency.

- Identify the influence the input of media and information is having on your life. Keep your mind regularly filled with positive, uplifting, and supportive input.

- Evaluate your current associations. Who might you need to further limit your association? Who might you need to completely dissociate from? Strategize ways you will expand your associations.

- Identify the three areas of your life you are most focused on improving. Find and engage a mentor in each of those areas. Your mentors could be people with whom you have brief conversations or they could be authors (books or on CD).

- Find 3 areas in your life where you can do "extra" (e.g., weight lifting reps, recognition, sentiments of appreciation).

- Identify 3 areas in your life where you can beat the expectations. Where and how can you create "wow" moments?

- Identify 3 ways you can do the unexpected. Where can you differentiate from what is common, normal, or expected?

Things to Read

SUCCESS

Secrets of a Financial Aid Pro - Book Notes

 As Olivia begins to think about potential colleges to attend starting in September 2022, we need to look at all options for financial aid. A book from the library caught my eye recently: Secrets of a Financial Aid Pro by Jodi Okun. 

The book is written for first-time parents who will be sending a son or daughter to college. However, there is still some valuable information for those who have already gone through the process once (or more). Here are few things I thought would be useful to know during the upcoming year: 

- When looking at your top schools, do a chart with the following categories: name of college, location, what you like about it, type of school (e.g., big or small, public or private), concerns, cost, average financial aid award, best majors offered, student life (e.g., clubs, sports, other desired offerings), companies that recruit here.

- Set a specific amount of time each week to work on the college process.

- Clean up social media pages. All the platforms should be private so that only people a student approves can see posts. 

The rest of the book I was already familiar with (e.g., filling out the FAFSA, types of available aid). So, I skimmed through that. This book would be good, though, for someone who is unfamiliar with the financial aid process and what needs to be done - especially during the high school years. 

What the Amish Can Teach Us About the Simple Life (Book Notes/Review)

I recently read What the Amish Can Teach Us About the Simple Life - Homespun Hints for Family Gatherings, Spending Less, and Sharing Your Bounty by Georgia Varozza.

Having been raised by parents who grew up during the Great Depression, there were many ideas in the book that I already knew. My parents were great role models in how to live simply and frugally, yet not feel like you're living in poverty. They created a life of joy and meaning and centered it around family and the beauty of nature. Of course, they also were very religious so that also was a key component in our lives.

My sister, grandma, me, dad, and brother celebrating my birthday.

My mom made a cake from scratch which was always the highlight. 

It looks like I was six years old. So, this was in June 1972.

Some things that resonated with me from the book:

- We see [the Amish] ordered existence and a deep sense of belonging their quiet and peaceable lives - and we yearn for these same things in our own families.
- The Amish way of life highlights the family. There is never a time when a person is considered a liability, no matter if young, old, infirm, or disabled in some way. Each person is loved, honored, and welcomed in the family circle.
- Some ideas for doing a family fun night:
   => bird watch

Sandhill cranes that Sophia and I saw on August 16, 2020.

This is part of the gathering of 49 cranes.

   => take a walk in the park or hike on a nature trail
   => ride bikes
   => visit the library
   => enjoy a backyard cookout
   => pick a book to read aloud together
   => fly kites
   => make homemade pizzas
   => make your own sundaes. Have plenty of goodies to sprinkle on top
   => play group games
   => enjoy a classic movie
   => make birdhouses or bird feeders and put them in the yard

Two new feeders we added this summer. 

   => write letters to grandparents or loved ones
   => make a family flowerpot. Each person chooses one annual flowering pot to put in the pot
   => stargaze
   => enjoy a family campout
   => as a family, write and illustrate a story
   => create a family newsletter and send it to your relatives
   => go through your photos and talk about family history
   => grab some magnifying glasses and go on a backyard bug safari
   => go to an animal shelter to pet the cats and take some dogs for a walk
   => go on a treasure hunt. Write clues that lead to other clues. Send participants all over the house and yard in search of treasure you've hidden
- create family traditions
- celebrate special moments
   => birthdays and holidays
   => well-earned grade
   => first and last days of school
   => getting caught doing an act of kindness
   => a goal or achievement realized

We got a French silk pie (Olivia's favorite pie) to celebrate the 

plantings of two public gardens that were part of a 4-H leadership project

she led on August 22, 2020.

   => first day of a new season
- build community
   => start a new church activity or ministry (or through a volunteer organization)

One of the public gardens that Sophia, Olivia, and I 

planted with volunteers on August 22, 2020.

   => at each church or club gathering, learn the name of one person you don't know
   => organize "card showers" where people send encouraging cards to shut-ins, the elderly, people who are sick or injured, and people who are struggling
   => make a sunshine box for a family or individual who could use a bit of cheer and encouragement. Sunshine boxes consist of small wrapped gifts with a card that explains the recipient is to open one a day
   => organize a neighborhood spring yard cleanup. Plant some pretty annuals to brighten the neighborhood
- Plan a weekly or monthly menu and stick to it. When you buy your groceries, you'll know what items you need and how much to make the meals you have planned

Salad using items in the refrigerator and tomatoes from the garden.

- Consistently spend less than you make
- If you spend less, you'll need to earn less, which means you'll have more time to spend with your family and work on meaningful activities
- Pay off unsecured debt as quickly as is feasible
- To the greatest extent possible, shun all types of debt. If you have to borrow, don't borrow the maximum you're able to.
- De-clutter
- What we have has nothing to do with our worth. We worked to meet our needs, and our goal was well-being, not making money or having more possessions. And because we weren't in the habit of always wanting something new, we weren't as distracted by possessions.

Book Review - Almost Amish

One of the books that was on my "Books I Want to Read" list was Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth. The book had many principles and ideas that are already a part of my life thanks to my parents. On my dad's side of the family, there are both Amish and Mennonite ancestors.

That being said, there are some things I want to remember since they reflect what I either learned and/or wished I were a greater emphasis in our family (especially as they relate to the way the Amish manage their money):

Principles that guide Amish finances:
- Work hard. (Proverbs 13:4)
- Spend wisely. (Proverbs 21:20)
- Be honest in all dealings. (Proverbs 11:1.)
- Be prudent. (Luke 14:28)
- Don't become a slave to debt. (Proverbs 22:7)
- Save for lean times. (Genesis 41:35-36)
- Provide for your family, young and old. (1 Timothy 5:8)
- Give generously. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Amish proverbs:
- We live simply so others may simply live.
- Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.
- Take all you want, eat all you take.

Appreciation of nature is a core Christian value, and central to the Amish way of life.

One of the first instructions in the Bible is for man to tend and protect the garden.

There's an emphasis on stewardship of the land.

Our tendency to focus on sedentary activities involving electronic media is separating us from nature. We are spending less time in parks, less time camping and hiking, and less time in unstructured outdoor play because videophilia is replacing biophilia.

Simplicity involves cutting back on two major kinds of stuff - the kind that fills our houses and the kind that fills our calendars....The Amish avoid both kinds of clutter. They don't fill their houses with lots of unnecessary things, and they don't fill their calendars running around from activity to activity.

Supporting small farms, patronizing small businesses, volunteering in local schools, getting to know our neighbors, and building a small faith community make our lives more simple and sane.

The Amish emphasize other kinds of education as well, including learning that goes on outside the classroom.

If you know your neighbors, you know their needs. And they know yours. You can help one another out. You have a support system. You don't have to go it alone.

Both the giver and the receiver get something back from the act of service. The more they give, the more they gain.

Daily interaction within the Amish community makes...isolation nearly impossible. When something goes wrong, the community is there to fill the gaps.

Service takes two forms: service to people we know and service to those we don't. The Amish engage in both.

It's no wonder that the Amish are so service oriented: they try to model their lives after the pattern set by Christ. It is he who is our highest example of service.

The Amish serve their children by doing the hard work of parenting, teaching them the skills and habits that will make them healthy spouses, colleagues, and neighbors. Instead of short-term distraction or coddling, they aim for long-term character and strength.

Through example, they show how caring for grandparents is a joy, not a burden. Likewise, service to neighbors and coworkers is treated more as an opportunity than an obligation. In acting kind, we become kind. In serving others, we are served.

Security comes from self-sufficiency, hard work, and careful stewardship of God's gifts.

Make ice cream "Sundays." Have pizza and movie night.

Having a regular time to wake up, do chores, pray, work, and go to bed also builds in security.

Build stability, routine, and tradition into [your] life:
- Encourage routine.
- Stay put. If you have a choice, don't move.
- Take responsibility.
- Set boundaries.
- Model stability in marriage, parenting, and friendship.

Intentionally seek out businesses located within a couple miles of your home that are not part of a chain and stop in at least once each week to learn about what they of.

Community is like an old coat - you aren't aware of it until it is taken away.

If you are not already a member of a church, visit those that are closest to your home. Once you commit to a church, see if they have a small group you can join.

Amish leisure....connects people to one another around the outdoors. It is almost always community oriented, revolving around family and friends.

Make an effort to attend local festivals, picnicking in the parks, and engaging in informal socializing are simple ways we can build community while having a good time.

Many of us can make choices to bring family together rather than allow jobs, schooling, and chance to separate us indefinitely.

Sharing meals is an act of intimacy. It creates bonds that are essential to preserving a healthy marriage and family life.

What makes Amish families different? They:
- live near each others.
- share meals.
- respect gender roles.
- expect children to be citizens of the family.
- honor the fourth commandment.

Amish saying: "A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short."

JOY means Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between..

Take small steps toward an Amish-inspired life:
- homes are simple, uncluttered, and clean; the outside reflects the inside.
- technology serves as a tool and does not rule as a master.
- saving more and spending less brings financial peace.
- spending time in God's creation reveals the face of God.
- small and local leads to saner lives.
- service to others reduces loneliness and isolation.
- the only true security comes from God.
- knowing neighbors and supporting local businesses build community.
- family ties are lifelong; they change, but never cease.
- faith life and way of life are inseparable.

Jeremiah 6:16: "This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.'"