I’m a planner. I tend to write things down. My daughter is the same. If I’m away from home and don’t have pen and paper available, I’ll send myself a text using my phone. Outside of texting my daughter, it’s about the only time I use my text function or any other “smart features” that my iPhone possesses.
I’ve been thinking about getting a whiteboard for a while. I think of it as my Vision Board. I have one in my head and do write it on paper, but it might be nice to have something physical that I see daily. Currently, I’m researching them. Do you know they aren’t all the same? Some aren’t suitable for heavy use and since mine will receive a lot, it makes sense to purchase a suitable board. The dry erase board would mainly be utilized for my small business. Using it is something that I don’t have to think about, I would! I love order and this is just one way to accomplish that. I most likely will purchase one within the next few weeks. Joining me on my journey is my daughter. She has a large chalkboard on a wall in her room. She’s had that since she was about nine or ten. Over the years, it’s received a lot of use and it really should be replaced. I do believe I’ll replace that with a whiteboard. When I told her about this, she was ecstatic. She has a small one and uses that often.
I’m Loving the You Need a Budget (aka YNAB) Software
Regarding the You Need A Budget software, I like it a lot although I’m not thrilled that it isn’t available offline. However, if I DON’T find an equivalent, I’ll definitely be purchasing this software. It reminds me a lot of my written budget but this does things a bit quicker. I’ll still keep my written budget, but YNAB can take things to a higher level. YNAB is simple to use, but to stay on top of your finances you have to stay on top of it, at least initially. I imagine as the months progress, I won’t have to be as diligent since the fields I’ve created will carry over into the next month. Another thing I’m enjoying are the free classes that YNAB offers to everyone. By the way, I’m not getting paid to write about YNAB, I’m just impressed and thought I’d share some of what I’m learning here on my website.
Yesterday I sat in on a webinar that was geared towards businesses and later in the week, I’ll tune in to listen to a class focused on ways to save for big expenses without using credit cards. Granted, I already know how to do this, my last semi big purchase was my Toyota Prius, If you factor in the car purchase ($3,000) the tags, taxes and insurance, it was a little under $3700. I paid that in full with my debit card. I’ve made much higher purchases, but I’m always open to listening to discussions about topics I’m familiar with and I might learn a few things also. What gets my attention? Someone that manages their time, or is willing to learn how to manage their money wisely. Granted, there are going to be cases where this is difficult or even impossible to accomplish based on debt, job loss, etc., However, I’m referring to those who aren’t in any of those situations but by their appearances, could care less about their future. I have met people my age (46) who have done nothing to save for potential retirement. That to me is a bit scary. There’s no way I’m relying on the government to take care of me if/when I decide to stop working. So naturally, my partner would have to have a similar mindset. I have no desire to have anyone sponging off my hard work simply because they didn’t plan for their retirement. That’s something else I’m looking into, retiring earlier. I still have several years to decide, but until I make that decision, I’m tossing a lot towards turning that into a reality… if that’s my choice.
As you may remember, I retired early… and then went back to work as a contractor. That was 10 years ago this month. I’ve worked about half the time since then. I’m about done, though. I won’t be working past this time next year… and may leave earlier. I’ll then be old enough to draw full social security and Karen’s spousal benefit will be 1/2 of that.
It’s good to have the option, though, if you can.
Mike recently posted..Alternative Facts
@Mike, Yes, I remember you wrote about that. That seems interesting to have that option. In my early twenties, I worked as a contractual employee.
The rampant spending, regardless of the political party has me concerned. It has for years. There’s seemingly no accountability. So, I really haven’t had faith in waiting on social security for a long time. Perhaps my late twenties? Because of that, I started setting aside more. A lot of things politically and even close to me personally has made me kick things up several notches and so that’s what has triggered these posts, personal observation. 🙂 About four years ago, I worked out of the home (part-time) for a faith based organization that had a similar mindset as our government. That was a bit sobering and those who suffered were the employees since with a faith based organization money isn’t a bottomless pit, and when things became tight furloughs began and when that didn’t “fix” the situation, people were let go. Personally, I saw someone do something very similar. I just could not wrap my mind around them burying their head in the sand and just letting their bills accumulate. They have a great job, so paying the bills wasn’t an issue, they just chose to shut down. At times, life is hard, but their actions made it a lot worse. For myself, house foreclosure, repossession of my vehicle, etc., would have been all the incentive I had needed to keep moving forward, working despite what was happening. Yep, I’ve been there when I was overwhelmed. I’m sort of in that position now, but in a positive way. A lot of wonderful things are happening for me, that are great. SO yes, the years of hard work are slowly starting to pay off, but that in itself can be stressful if I allow it to consume me. Talking to those close to me has been very helpful. At times, you need a different perspective. I don’t mind constructive criticism. 🙂 I have another incentive to keep moving… my daughter. While my family is supportive and would definitely help out if things were tough, I would not want them to do that, but for my daughter, if I ever was in that situation I would take that help.
Aynaria recently posted..Budgeting software: You Need a Budget
I have 3 white boards for work. I’ve been going around and around about vision boards again and might start some soon. It might be a good way to get back into crafting. I need to start using my craft room again and soon lol
Jennifer recently posted..Get Out There & Make It Happen!
@Jennifer, Crafting is great. There have been numerous studies that show it’s excellent to alleviate stress. Definitely try to get back into that if you can. It’s been so busy that my time crafting has been short, but I manage to do it daily even if it’s just five minutes. 🙂
Aynaria recently posted..Long term vacation planning, Europe or…?