Making your Dreams Come True

Ever wonder how people get to do so many things?  Your friends get new furniture, go on super-fab trips, etc.  Feel jealous?  Maybe just a little?  Well, half of those people - probably over half -are charging all those things, so don't be jealous of them.  The other half plan.  They save.  Wow!  What a concept, huh?  We have become a culture of "I want it NOW" and we don't wanna wait!  This writer, included!  Although, there came a certain point in my life - after a divorce, selling a business, ending up with awful credit and a slumping economy (2002) that I decided I had had enough.  I then became a saver and a bigger planner & my world opened up & I became less stressed.

Maybe you noticed that you haven't seen much blogging going on lately from B.A.B.E (really, you probably didn't, but humor me!).  Why?  Because this B.A.B.E went to Borneo!  Yahoo!  It was as fabulous as I had hoped and went as I had planned.  I am a rainforest buff, so from time to time, when I can afford it, I go visit & explore an area of rain forest.  Absolutely exhilarating.

Why bring this up?  Because, we each- hopefully - have passions, interests and things that make us happy.  Many of those take money to enjoy.  The key to achieving and truly enjoying thee things, with no negative repercussions, is to plan & save.  Here is a simple equation:  $40 per week = $2,000 year. Good amount of cash.  $80 per week = you guessed it - $4,000 a year.   You can go most places in this world with $4,000.

How to get this money?  Unless you are literally living on fumes & among the working poor (I am being serious, not derogatory) this can work.  Here are thoughts, bullet pointed & to the point:

• cut out your Starbuck's
• eat IN one (or two) more days a week
• start an online savings account (look for the ING Direct ad on our web page)
• Have your money automatically deducted from your account
• Do not touch said money in above account
• Do this faithfully - like your life depends on it.
• Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

No kidding, it can be that easy.

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Federal Budget vs. Household Budget: How Do They Compare? - Budgeting - daveramsey.com

Federal Budget vs. Household Budget: How Do They Compare? - Budgeting - daveramsey.com

Does Your Vacation Match Your Money?

Planning your vacation?  Vacations are tricky; we need them - the time off- but can we afford them?  Over the past few years, as I've been on my own financial journey, I've been stunned about friends' attitudes about vacation.  Specifically, about their outlook about their vacation dollars - or lack thereof.  I will never forget, for some reason, my friend saying, "We absolutely cannot afford to go on vacation, but we're going anyway".  I was stunned.  This wasn't a situation where they were going to have the money shortly, they weren't going to have it in the foreseeable future and they were going to charge the trip.  As women of the world - as B.A.B.Es - we have an obligation to lead our family on the right path to financial success.  Financial success = freedom = going wherever you want 'cause you have the money!

Look, we all work hard.  We all need a break.  But "I deserve this vacation" may not be the best attitude to have, as it fools your brain.  Deserve & need are two different things.  Sure, we may have worked hard enough to earn the time off, to definitely need that break.  Does that break need to be a $1,000 vacation?  How much will you have actually paid for that vacation once you've charged it and paid interest?

Consider this:  While you save for your next vacation, maybe take a day or two at a time & do something that makes you (or/and your family) happy.  Go to a local zoo or state park.  Take a day off, in the middle of the week, and go to the local cheap-seat theater & catch a flick you've been wanting to see.  Check out an area of your town that you've not been able to get to and go window-shopping.  The point is to not work, de-stress and not spend a lot of money.  Then, start your plan of where you would like to go next year and begin a plan to ensure you'll have the money to go.  You will then be on your way to having a guilt-free vacation!

Money is a “way of keeping score in life,” says T. Boone Pickens. But that is just for those who like playing the game. The real goal is to live with grace and dignity. You can do that with a small amount of money...or not do it with a fortune.  
-- Bill Bonner, financial journalist

"They make enough money, they should give".  Do you?  I've listened to many people complain about people who are "rich" should pay more, give more, do more.  While there is some truth to that, re-read the quote at the beginning.  We all have the ability to do, or give, something.  Serve one meal every month or two at a homeless shelter, give $5 to an organization you care about, donate clothes & other goods to shelters in need.  You don't have to make a ton of money to make a difference in your community or the world around you.

Ever heard of the bystander effect?  The basic gist is that everyone waits around for someone else to do something, so everyone does nothing.  Are you a bystander?  Think hard this week what one thing you can do or give, then just do it!

Need Ink?

I live my life pretty green:  recycle, compost, buy 100% recycled content paper, CFL bulbs, buy local, blah, blah, blah.  But every time I run out of ink, I run to the nearest office supply & buy more.  I trade in my used ones, of course, but I still buy new cartridges.  Hellooo, refills!  Why this never crossed my mind, I have no idea.  So, my awesome friend took my old cartridges to Cartridge World (happens to be the place closest to where I live) and voila!  New cartridges, no plastic dumped in the trash & tons of energy was saved!  Oh, and I saved a bit of money, too!  Hey - saving the world & saving money?  You must be talking about a B.A.B.E!
For your reading pleasure, here are some nifty facts about ink cartridges, taken from the Cartridge World website (thanks gang!):

Facts About the Environmental Impact of Printer Cartridges

• It takes about a gallon of oil to make a new laser cartridge.
• Almost 8 cartridges are thrown away per second in the United States alone!
• In North America alone, over 350 million cartridges per year are discarded in our landfills, and that number increases by 12 percent annually!
• Every remanufactured laser cartridge saves nearly 2.5 pounds of metal & plastic waste from being deposited in landfills.
• A laser cartridge thrown into landfill can take up to 450 years to decompose. Some components made of industrial grade plastics will take over a thousand years to decompose.
• 70 percent of used printer cartridges throughout the world are currently being thrown out.
• In one year, if the world’s discarded cartridges were stacked end-to-end; they would circle the earth over three times.

We Can Make a Difference!

Every single cartridge saved from a landfill makes a difference. This will not only protect our environment but save consumers thousands of dollars. Now imagine the difference when individuals, then organizations, then cities, then states and then nations start participating! That is Impact with Effect! At Cartridge World we are not only making a difference, we are changing the world!

Did You Know? 

• Most printer cartridges can be refilled or remanufactured.
• By bringing your used cartridges to Cartridge World, you can help protect our environment, and save substantially compared to the cost of a new cartridge!
• Cartridge World is dedicated to saving consumers, businesses, and the planet!

www.cartridgeworld.com/environment/think-green/