An Earth Shattering Discovery!!!

I have been browsing blogs again - a person can only survive so long without a quick browse lol. Anyway - I have come to a conclusion. Totally earth shattering it is too! 

I am not funny! and that's a bit of a shame because all the best blogs seem to have at the very least a bit of humour in them. Now I know I am doing this for me and not for the world to follow but that is totally beside the point. I want to be funny!

I found a blog, or maybe an article, somewhere (and sadly I cannot rememeber where or who wrote it so I can't give them credit) but it was about finding your voice as a writer. It said you had to be true to the person you are. My question is .. what if you don't want to be that person, what if you want to be someone else? 

At the moment I am not really sure who I want to be - either in real life or as a writer. I have tried writing differently but it sounds disjointed and fake, so I guess it comes back to writing as me. I tend to write how I think - hence the disjointed, random thoughts. I may not like it but apparently this is me, I just have to learn to accept me as me. Oh good! another thing to add to the list LOL

Talking about which ... one of the things I am trying to improve is my finances. John always dealt with the money - it was our choice - he enjoyed it and I didn't. But I always knew what was going on - as much as I wanted and there were no horrible shocks when he died. Just a lack of income until everything was sorted and then suddenly I had an influx of money and no idea what to do with it. LOL - I just read that back it sounded like a fortune. I wish! but it was more than I was used to having and it was a huge issue for me. I was afraid of doing the wrong thing, so me being me, I ignored the problem for as long as possible. Finally I realised that there would be nothing left if I didn't do something and so I consulted an expert and plans were made.

And again, me being me, I promptly stopped dealing with it all again. As I said in an earlier post - I am the world's worst procrastinator! Now, in my rediscovery of me, I have realised I cannot afford to ignore it and so I am taking over the management of my money as well as everything else! The problem was - where to start? Then just at the right time (amazing how things work out) I found a book by Suze Orman called 'Woman and Money'. It was exactly what I needed. She sets out step-by-step how to reclaim the control of your finances.

I have started and am still amazed at how it is working - slowly, but working nonetheless. Then yesterday as I was surfing I found this...

8 Smart Ways Women Can Save More - Suze Orman 

so basically what she is saying is ....  

1. Figure out what you’re saving money for. Don’t just save money to pay off your mortgage. Save money for fun stuff! like an overseas vacation. A smart way for women to save money is to find compelling reasons to save money! Why do you want to be financially free? What are your goals?

2.  You need to keep your goals front and center! Every time you rewrite your goals, you’ll be newly motivated to achieve them.

3. Make two days a week “No Spend” days. . By simply not spending money one or two days a week, you give yourself more 'wiggle room' in other areas. No fancy lattes, no DVD rentals, no nothing! This is one of the smartest ways women can save money.

4. Keep a running tally of how much money you save. Every time you choose to take your lunch to work instead of buying it, or choose a regular coffee instead of a fancy one  write down how much money you saved. At the end of every week, tally up your savings. 

5. Figure out how to make money savings tips stick. You hear money saving tips all the time: stop eating out at restaurants, shop for second hand clothes, but, do you actually apply those money saving tips to your life? 

6. Figure out why you spend money. You can read about the best ways to save money but if you don’t understand your underlying financial beliefs, you’ll never get your personal finances in order. Are you in financial debt for emotional reasons? — are you an emotional spender? A compulsive shopper? Do you have faulty money beliefs? You can’t achieve financial independence — or save money — unless you deal with your money issues.

7. Stop buying DVDs and CDs. How many times do you really need to watch your favorite movies or listen to your favorite songs?

8. Become a library lizard. As well as books, take out magazines, CDs, DVDs, and audiobooks.  When was the last time you visited your local library? It’s a great place to save money!

It all makes sense! Sometimes you just need to see it written down for it to click! I especially like the 'no spend' days!

 ... and you know what? I may not be funny but that's okay! I am being true to me and for anyone who knows me that means I am an emotional, over- thinking person who loves to share her thoughts so I guess I will stick to what I know and go back to one of my favourite quotes -"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

Feeling of the Day: Lazy

Song of the Day: Life is a Rollercoaster - Ronan Keating