Search results matching tag 'finances'

D-I-Y Health Care Reform--Help Save a $Trillion Right From Home!

This Old Housewife — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:27:07 GMT

1. Wash your hands frequently throughout the day, before/during/after food preparation, after coughing or sneezing, after cleaning the cat box, after using the bathroom, and after handling money.

2. Consume no more than 6 grams of added sugar per serving per day (to ward off expensive diabetes and cancer).

3. Consume no more than 100 mg. of sodium per serving (to ward off expensive hypertension).

4. Consume no more than 6 grams of protein per day (2 servings of 3 oz. each) to ward off expensive high cholesterol and kidney-related diseases, including gout.

5. Use good fats only: high Omega-3’s like olive oil, coconut oil, high-oleic safflower oil (check labels here), high-oleic sunflower oil, etc. The safflower and sunflower oils are good for frying, and the coconut oil is terrific for baking.

6. Stop smoking and don’t expose yourself to cigarette/cigar/joint smoke. Second- and third-hand smoke is just as dangerous (and expensive to treat) as first-hand smoke. Have yourself detoxed for heavy metals—cadmium and other dangerous heavy metals exist in cigarettes. Curb drinking to a minimum to avoid liver damage, and exposure to diabetes potential—booze is fermented grains which turn to liquid sugar, affecting the pancreas.

7. Eat primarily fruits and vegetables—avoid fast foods and processed foods (anything in a can, jar, box, or bag). If you MUST use processed foods, use some with low sodium (<100 mg./serving) or sugar (<6 grams/serving). This increases your fiber and eliminates excess fats, sugars, and hormones from your blood, and helps ward off cancer.

8. Visit a dietitian for a specific eating plan to help you lose weight and reverse chronic diseases you may now have, and visit a personal trainer for an exercise plan that fits your goals and abilities.

9. Have annual physicals, CBC blood tests, a urinalysis, plus all other appropriate annual tests (mammograms, PSA, etc.) to establish a baseline from which to gather knowledge for health improvement—blood and urine tell much of the story. If you have these results, take them to the dietitian, because he or she will need them to help make your corrective eating plan.

10. Stay current with immunizations—especially tetanus. A decent diet pretty much negates the need for things like flu shots, making these optional. I’ve never had a flu shot, and never gotten the flu.

11. Buy and use a faucet filter or filter pitcher for your drinking water to cut exposure to lead, mercury, flushed pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants, as well as chlorine intake.

12. Avoid convenience foods at all costs—learn to make your own at home. Fast foods in particular employ the same addiction-creating methods as cigarettes to keep you coming back for more, and are just as dangerous to your health as cigarettes. Drive-thru windows should be bricked up (in my opinion), and if you absolutely WANT this food, you should be made to get out of the car to get it!

After completing the above steps, then and only then do you need to worry about health insurance (unless you text while driving). Smoking cessation aids listed in #6, the professionals listed in #7, the tests listed in #8, the shots in #10, and the foods listed in #6 are the only things our government should be funding (subsidizing) in the way of national health care—the rest is easily achievable on your own, and should be achieved. Affordable coverage for trauma, surgeries, accidents, cancer, broken bones, and catastrophes is available through HSA plans (employer-provided or available online). The rest can be budgeted for in regular savings. If the qualifications for MSA expenses changed to include things like soap, smoking cessation aids, a water filter, or high Omega-3 oils, I’d recommend using that too as a budgeting aid—I consider these things as important as now-qualified expenses.

The diet you come away with from #7 will also improve our DENTAL health—lowering added sugar intake and increasing NATURAL sugar intake (through fruits and vegetables) will help lower incidence of cavities and gum disease, making dental visits more for cleaning than anything else. Brushing and flossing are the cheapest ways of extending tooth life.

The same can be said for the eyes—better diet will also preserve and possibly improve vision, slowing the need for glasses (or new glasses), and lowering the incidence for macular degeneration, cataracts, and other eye diseases.

Notice I didn't mention exercise--studies have shown that exercise just makes you hungry, and then you eat, and the you exercise to work off what you just ate...it's a never-ending cycle. Just walk more and you'll be all right.

Tort reform, drug patent reform, cost consolidation, back-door rationing, and government regulation may seem like good ideas to solve our so-called health care crisis, but don’t address what we can do for ourselves to eliminate the need for health care insurance in the first place—taking better care of ourselves to begin with. Think of it as “front-door rationing,” leaving those who don’t take better care of themselves to be victims of government onslaught with Medicare, Medicaid, and other intrusive social programs. Every government “giveaway” has strings attached, and nothing’s free—in order to receive this “benefit,” you must be willing and/or able to trash your own health, and then be subject to haphazard and expensive care to repair it.

Every government program puts limits and restrictions on you—remember your freedoms. The Health Care Reform bill is an example of how far Democrats are willing to go in pursuit of votes and power. Government WANTS you to be dependent on them for your very life—do you want to put your life in government’s hands? If not, then get off the couch and start making changes TODAY to show government who’s boss!

So much of the above list can be accomplished without insurance—maybe not the visits to a dietitian or gym instructor, keeping up with immunizations, or the CBC and urinalysis, but many of them CAN be accomplished without insurance or some sort of subsidy. Do you really need Uncle Sam to pay for soap, put fruits and veggies in your shopping cart, or read labels for you?

The people in favor of H-R 3200 say yes, they need Uncle Sam to do it (and more) for them.

A tip to 'thinking like a homesteader.'

Millers Grain House — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:55:00 GMT

Well, weather you care to learn these tips because you dream of 'Little House on the Prairie Days' or you just want to stretch the dollars you have, a homesteader's mind works a little differently than most.

One main thing is to look at any one object and see how many different ways you can use it (avoiding extra purchases).

Let me give you some examples:

Peanuts: Snacks, dessert toppings, in granola/trail mix, tossed with garlic broccoli and of course home-made sugar free peanut butter (How to video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPnDIK7QAHs )
Plastic Ziplock Freezer Baggies: Of course freezer storage, pillows for camping, no leak lunch bag that fits in back packs, storing scarf/hat and glove sets for summer, meat marinade (easy flip & clean up), make up bag (you know they get messy inside anyways) and best of all these are really NOT disposable...make them LAST by washing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1UzVYfOkvU&feature=channel_page
Empty Milk Jugs: Cut to make oranizers or planter - , keep the handle part to make a basket for berries or produce from the garden, or use that as an all purpose scoop (maybe for dog/cat food/animal feed), also plant covers for that spring chill and cutting the 'flatter' part up as burger patty separators or to carve for paint sencils. Many more on this one....many....
Rolled Oats: Use in place of bread crumbs for meatloaf, use as toppings as all or part of the 'fattening' struddle on cobblers, send through the food processor for a while to make Quick Oats or longer to make oat flour (good for thickening and binding). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR6En56LNUU&feature=channel_page
Egg Cartons: Styrophome ones can be used for quick ice cubes. The cardboard ones work great for organizing small items like paper clips, tacks, screws and buttons. Use to fill space while shipping or start some garden seeds in them (the cardboard composts when planted).

There are so many items that are easily over looked as one-use items. These are just a very few.

No matter where on earth you live, you can develop a homesteader's mindset!

Best Blessings and enJOY the journey!

Donna MIller

Donna Miller is a work-from-home wife and mother. She delighted to share her trials and triumphs of learning to homestead anywhere. The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.

A "leg up" vs. a "hand-out".

Millers Grain House — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 20:21:00 GMT

Please let me preface that I know many people who are legitimately in a 'program' of some form, so don't take this the wrong way. There are real people in real need. I also believe their character would prefer a 'leg up' over a 'hand-out' any day of the week. At least, they would after I explain the difference. I can speak because I have been there.

Yep. I looked the difference up. Just to make sure I wasn't living in some southern colloquialism time-warp. I'm a vocabulary geek. They do each mean what I thought they did.

leg up:

a.a means of help or encouragement; assist; boost:

b.advantage; edge

hand-out:

a.a portion of food or the like given to a needy person, as a beggar.

b.anything given away for nothing, as a free sample of a product by an advertiser.

Is there a reason why home grown tomatoes taste better than store bought? I believe it is the effort put into growing them yourself. We can argue the point of what is in or not in the soil, but the truth is, you've earned it and it is a sweet reward!

Is there a reason this quote is, well, quoted so often? "Give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach him to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." One fish will not keep a man (or woman) from goING hungry. It only stalls the inevitable unless another fish falls in his/her lap the next day.

Let us look at what is created with a 'hand-out', shall we?

By the first definition, yes, it is our duty to care for the needy, but to give one fish means they are only temporarily cared for...so...is our obligation fulfilled? I would say "HARDLY." But also, by simply handing out items that are needed, we have reduced this person, this soul, this productive body of society to a 'beggar.' That is not a label to many would willingly wear for too long.

Secondly, when something is given for 'nothing' - someone, somewhere IS always paying the price for it. Usually it is the consumer, unwittingly until the end, but still ultimately paying a price. By becoming dependent upon the 'hand-out' and seeing no way out or worse, lethargically addicted to it as a source of sustenance (be it drugs, food or money). A free sample from an advertiser, as we all know, is meant to entice us to buy and take the bait, for who's gain? Do those giving free samples have OUR best interest at heart or their own? Free information is one thing. Free money, free food, free items are all another, much like bait.

Now let us look at what a 'leg up' is in comparison.

Let's take the saying to 'teach a man to fish' that act not only impacts his own starving body, but that of his family, friends and community. He will likely out of his boosted confidence spread this skill by teaching others. He enjoys the fish he works for with a more enthusiastic gusto than the one that washed up on shore (that's a little 'iffy' smelling).

Encouragement says: "YOU can do it!"

Assistance says: "I'll help YOU, but I'm expendable, YOU are what is important."

Giving someone a boost, advantage or edge puts them ahead in the game, but the game still has to be played by everyone who is in it. No benchwarmers ever helped win the game.

On a personal note, I know the difference between the two intimately. I was on scholarship (poor-people & talent scholarships, not brainy-people scholarships) for all of my high school and college years. That was humbling and encouraging. It wasn't a free ride. I had to do work-study and still pay for classes. Had I not had that 'leg up' I would not have never gone on to school. Yet, early on in my adult life we found ourselves struggling as a married couple to make ends meet and suddenly a baby was on the way, surprise! We did turn down the government subsidies we qualified for (well below the line) because we'd known what it was to be poor and work hard all our lives already. We did accept food from a food bank ONCE because we had three small children and a job loss. That was all it took to realize the difference between working hard because we had someone give us a 'leg up' (wanting to honor their encouraging trust in us) and waiting for that next 'hand-out'.

I don't fault anyone for doing what they need to do. I just think the two differing means of 'help' create two different attitudes in the receiver. I would rather help someone feel empowered because they don't need me anymore, they’re fine now, and can go and give a 'leg up' to someone who needs them.

Weekly Preparation Practice Checklist

Millers Grain House — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:00:00 GMT

I have come up with a list of items that warrant practicing each week to prepare for an uncertain economical or governmental future. It isn’t being pessimistic to actually WANT to and look forward to being able to be more self-sustaining and out of debt. It is prudent in our time.

This list below is our practice list for preparation. We’ve included the explanations for what the check list topic is. Feel free to copy and print this out for your family to use as a basis for preparedness training each week.

Best Blessings!

Donna

Weekly Preparation Practice:

1. Serve someone with nothing in return:

Sorry, Mom and Dad, but your God-given, regular responsibilities as parents don’t count for practice in this category. It is the over and above actions. No money has to be spent, just some time, or some effort, or care. This can be any form of service from inside or outside of the family. Practice selfless giving. Expect nothing in return.
2. Spend at least one undistracted hour with your whole immediate family:

This means no television, computers, electronic toys, music in headphones, etc…You get the picture. Take a look at your family’s schedule. We have become a fragmented-family society. Can you actually enjoy your own family? Can they actually enjoy being with you? If called upon for quarantine or as a support system, we’re going to need to be more homebound WITH our family members. Practice now! The idea is to build this up over time.

3. Garden work:

Actual gardening is obviously most productive, but in the winter, it may not be possible. Planning, seed sorting, composting can all still be attended to for a productive garden in the spring.

4. Re-use at least one thing that normally gets thrown away:

. Just look at each item before tossing it and ask yourself the creative question: "Can I use this again or in a different way?" This can be a can, left-over ‘scraps’ of food, or anything.

5. Preserve something:

Dehydrate it, can it or freeze it.

6. Work on longer term food storage:

Keep building that inventory with ever sale that goes on now of non-perishable foods.

First – your one year WORKABLE pantry and then the stock-piled store and ignore stash.

7. Try a new recipe or a new variation of an old one:

Can you create something with alternate ingredients, if ingredients are in short supply? Or make something all together new that is actually edible if you are limited?

8. From WORKABLE one year pantry, make at least one breakfast, lunch & dinner:

Practice now! That is why we push building the year long WORKABLE pantry now and the long-term, store-n-ignore, stash-n-dash hide out food later. Be well versed in using all the non-convenience items that you have for your preparedness. Otherwise, they do you no good.

9. Calculate the cost of at least one meal this week:

This is related to the number 11 on the practice list.

10. Financial preparation:

Working to get out of debt, cutting monthly expenses, saving on utilities, making extra income with an at home or side business, and more all can apply to practice in this category.

11. Work on local food/barter systems:

Do you have a dairy cow? Find someone with a great garden and swap milk for produce. Look for local CSAs and Co-ops. Better yet, get involved and join in one!

12. Research and study something new about sustainable living:

Try the library (yes we still have those). Is there an area of preparedness that you know you’re lacking or just not yet interested in? Expand and grow your mind!

13. Try a new hands-on preparedness skill:

To give all the examples, this list would be way too long. Ideas range from making candles to dehydrating… just get your hands dirty and try it instead of just reading and gaining head knowledge.

14. Do without electricity for one night (from evening until bed-time):

This really is a lot of fun! Candles, lanterns and board games, oh my! You can even combine this item with #2 and double your practice!

15. Cook once this week (in winter) by fire or (in summer)by solar:

Even if it’s hot-dogs over a bon-fire or a pot of beans in the fireplace use the fire for more than warmth. Make a solar oven and bake a chicken, brownies and more. It’s not just fun and it’s a skill!

16. Know in Whom your security and peace lie:

Don’t rest on all this preparedness and hope it will save your soul. Practice living for and knowing the One who can. He brings Peace in the midst of a world gone crazy and joy in the trials. Don’t neglect your relationship with God Almighty and His Atoning Sacrifice for us. Know Him. Know Peace.

Sharing my journey and why the homesteading mindset works.

Millers Grain House — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:13:00 GMT

I've not had much of a chance to share my journey with everyone, so I'll do a brief synopsis.

We were a struggling young family like most in the eighties. My husband worked his way up for a nice and stable position. Through all those years (about 18 of them) we pinched, saved and learned the frugal mindset of a homesteader, no matter where we lived. Then he was offered a prestigious position at quadruple the salary. We took the bait. After almost 2 years, the company (and salary along with lifestyle it provided) went POOF! We learned a lot.

For the last few years our income has been well below the poverty line for a family of five. God has blessed and we've lived a 'loaves and fishes' life for about six years now. What a journey! What a joy!

The fact is, had we not developed a mindset of a homesteader, we would have just crumbled at the loss of the lifestyle and income we thought we had achieved. Many people may now be facing a drastic change in their family income, if they have not already.

I just want to encourage you that it is not as bad as it may seem. Make a journey and a love of learning experience out of this trial in your life. Faith and fortitude can take you further than any paycheck!

What Do You REALLY Need?

karen604 — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 22:50:50 GMT

I was thinking about what do you need and what are luxuries in your life?

I was speaking with my 80 year old mother who lives out of state and realized that she has a lawn guy, shrubery guy. the sprinkler guy, the bug company and on and on and on. Now I realize that she is unable to cut bushes and the lawn and all like she did years ago. I am not criticizing my mom. I am beginning to wonder what do I take for granted in my life that maybe I do not need.

the Luxes in our life include cable, I reason we are in a gully and would have no service wthout. We have several computers between the home and business use. We operate 2 cars, and have cell phones. We do not have any regularly scheduled service companies coming to our home.There are no vacations scheduled.

Where are you vulnerable?

Gary — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:47:00 GMT

When you work with people and their finances you begin to see some common threads. Especially if you have the perspective of time on your side. One thing I've noticed is that very few people, even people who are pretty sharp, have taken the time to determine where they are most financially vulnerable. I don't know why that's true, but it is.

Seems funny to me. If you were the commander of a fort, you'd survey the situation and try to figure out where your defenses are the weakest. And, once you found that weakness you'd take steps to stregnthen it.

Same thing if you were the coach of a football team.You'd spend hours studying film to see where opposing offenses might attack you. I suspect that's true of most team sports. You check to see where you're most vulnerable to attack and adjust your strategy.

What's interesting about people is that we don't look at our finances the same way. Very few of us take the time to figure out where we're most vulnerable to a financial problem (crisis?).

There's much to be gained from asking the question. We'll learn where we should concentrate our efforts. That means that our time and money will be going to the place where they'll do the most good. I like that. It's also the place where we'll get the greatest "bang for our buck".

So how can you find our where you are most vulnerable? One way is to hire a financial planner to review your finances. They're trained to evaluate risk.

Another way is to do it yourself. By asking yourself three questions you can identify the major risks. Once you've discovered the risks you can begin to search out and evaluate potential solutions.

The first risk: what happens if I lose my income? Many of us think about what would happen if we lost our job. And, it's a good question. No matter how safe your job appears, it's always wise to have some idea of what would happen if you were suddenly unemployed.

Depending on your situation you might also want to ask what would happen if your pension quit sending the monthly check. Or maybe the investment checks suddenly stopped coming. Or your rental house is empty. Or you don't get your usual Christmas bonus. Or...(fill in your own lost income here)

The idea is to take a few moments and decide what you would do if the income stopped and how likely that is to happen. Those two questions will give you a pretty good idea as to how vulnerable you are to lost income.

The second risk: what happens if you lose your assets (stuff!). Could you handle your home burning? Or your IRA being wiped out? Any other large asset suddenly losing it's value? It does happen. Some assets are safer and more predicatable than others. But, you're wise to evaluate and know how much trouble you'd face if something that you depended on suddenly disappeared.

The final risk: are there surprise events that could cause you problems? Suppose you had a car accident and were laid up for months or years. What would happen to your finances if that suddenly were you in the hospital bed? The most common suprises are medical. But, that's not the only cause. It could be a sudden change in the economy, a particular industry or even events in a foreign country.

Admittedly it's hard to predict the unexpected. But the mere exercise is helpful. You'll be looking beyond the normal boundaries. And that's always good.

Some situations combine all three risks. I know of people who lost their job when the company went under. They also lost their pension. And, to cap it all off, most of their 401k was invested in (now worthless) stock of their former employer.

You may find that you have a number of vulnerabilities. If so, you'll need to prioritize them. On the other hand, you might be the person who can honestly say that you've covered all the risks. And that's great! But, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't repeat the exercise every so often.

The saddest stories I've heard are typically from people who thought that they had their finances in order but found out that there was a vulnerability somewhere that they weren't aware of. So you might want to take a page out of the coach's playbook and take a look at your defense to see where you're most susceptible to an attack. The grief you save could be your own!

Keep on Stretching those Dollars!

Gary

Modeling

Gary — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:06:00 GMT

The other day I saw an interesting t-shirt at the Y. A simple message. "Professional Role Model." A young mother was wearing it. And, I believe that she was exactly right. She is a role model for the two youngsters that were following her.

That's also true in financial affairs. Even if we don't make a conscious effort to teach our children about money, they still watch what we do. And, very often they will imitate it.

So if you spend more than you make and struggle with the bills each month, don't be surprised if your kids do, too. On the other hand, if you use a budget and manage your finances there's a good chance that you won't be the last generation to do so.

We're all "Professional Role Models" in more ways than we probably want to think about. But, that's part of what parenting is all about.

Keep on Stretching those Dollars!

Gary

I need help! Credit card debt is destroying my marriage

js9798 — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:09:21 GMT

Hi, My name is Jen, and this is my first post. I am so glad I found this site, I hope to learn very valuable information here.

I have a big problem and I am hoping some of you can help me find a solution.

I will just be brief in my story here, but keep in mind that there is alot of history behind this accounting, that I don't have time to share with all of you.

But, this is my problem-- I have racked up credit card debt without my husband's knowledge. He knew about some of the debt and we were working through that already, but this past year, I have added about 6000.00 more that he didn't know about. I went to him about six weeks ago and confessed this to him. I knew that he wouldn't take it well, and I didn't blame him. His response was of course to stop giving me my monthly budgeted money and he has since taken over everything. I am fine with that too, I knew he would need to have to figure out a plan.

The problem is, is that it is affecting our marriage ALOT, and I have been doing everything I can to work with him and try to find a solution.

I guess, I would like some advice on a couple of things-- One, if any of you know of a good way to get this debt paid off as quick as possible, either a loan, or a consolidation, etc. I also am trying to find some legitimate work that I can do at home. I have been looking for almost a month now, and frankly, I am overwhelmed, just trying to sort through what is legit, and what isn't. I would really love to find something that would enable me to generate an income so that I can get this paid off myself, so that my husband doesn't have to carry this burden.

Another thought, just because I am sure some of you will ask, is that it really isn't possible for me to work outside of the home right now. We have four children under the age of 11 and I have stayed home with them the entire time. I don't have a college degree, so consequently, finding a job that I would still make money on, after daycare expenses is next to impossible. I hope to be able to go to school in the next couple of years to pursue a nursing degree, but that is out of the question right now. So now you understand why I need to find something that I can do from home.

I would appreciate any advice or insights any of you have to offer. Thanks for reading my story.

Update on house

lnfirepuke — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:31:56 GMT

Hey there everyone. This is just an update about our housing situation. We are going through an organization that hopefully can help us. The counselor said that since we are not in defaul/forclosure yet that we can probably save the house. Since we are being proactive about it and seeking help now. She said whatever we do do not move unless we legally have to. The bank will see that as us abandoning our house and will speed up all processes- and not in our favor. So we are staying put, praying, and doing all we can to keep our home and pay off debt while saving just in case.

Thank you to everyone for your kindness and prayers I appreciate it as I consider you all my friends on my journey to frugal awareness.

Anne