Welcome to my blog

Hello and welcome,

This is my first blog and I hope to post here every week. I have joined the 52 week challenge and will be sharing my progress and some of my thoughts on looking back to move forward - a journey to weight reduction.
Thanks for joining me on my journey and I hope you enjoy.

Saturday 8 December 2012

Week 49 Freeing up income


My fellow SYLers this has been a tough one for me. Up until recently I was better at this – no that’s not right I still am good at this I just choose to spend my money differently now.

I donate more to charity, I do more with my money and more importantly I spend more on me.

I used to scrimp and save on myself.  I used spend on other things not me but this has changed. I now have so much more on my plate and I know the importance of caring for the carer that I actual spend more on myself.  I deserve better than what I was previously doing.
Let me explain… I was always punishing myself because I thought I wasn’t good enough, because I didn’t love myself but more importantly because I thought I didn’t deserve anything. Since finding Louise Hay’s “Heal your life” and all the work am doing with Togetherness healing I know that I am good enough, that I love myself and I deserve all the abundances the universe has.

Maybe in a month or two I will revisit this one but for now I am happy to keep an eye on my expenditure but to also look after myself.
I don’t over do it but I deserve the good things in life.

This week I travelled to my dad to take him to his eye appointment – he has an injection in his eye every 6 weeks.  It is a tough time and I usually do a day trip – I live in the ACT and he is in Tweed Heads ( 14 hours drive or 2 hours flying time).
This time dad needed extra care as he had a bad reaction……. I had two stay an extra two days.  It was tough emotionally and physically.  Dad was in quite a bit of pain. Whilst I was there for 3 days there was also quite a bit of down time as dad had to rest and he doesn’t rest if I am there but I needed to stay to take him back for treatment.  So what to do…… yes you guessed it I hit the beautician, hairdresser and shops – well I need clothes as I only had two days of clothes.

It was a good little break and I got my hair done for the holidays…….I actually got some really great bargains.
Have a great week everyone.

http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/simplify-your-life-week-50-money-increasing-income-to-meet-goals/

Saturday 1 December 2012

Week 48 - Financial Matters


My financial situation and thoughts are shaped by many things in my life – up until four months ago I was all about spending as little as possible, buying the cheapest things, forsaking quality for “good buys” and basically saving. That’s not to say I didn’t have some bad habits – I played the pokies and yes I played them hard. There has never been a time when I haven’t met my financial responsibilities.  My parents were very frugal with money – actually they were over the top with saving money. Other family members were not so frugal with money and I wanted to be somewhere in the middle – well that was until four months ago when my sister passed away. Now things are different.
I am doing so many new things, courses, fun runs, going out and buying things I want.

I’ve also stopped doing things – I don’t play the pokies anymore, I don’t waste money on things I don’t need.
My husband and I are on the same wavelength with money – actually we have always been.

We both work and we have a good life we pay our bills, buy things we want, give to charity and have enough money to do want we want.  The thing is we don’t want a lot – or what we want doesn’t cost a lot.  I’m not into big houses, fancy cars, overseas holidays or the “fancy” stuff in life. We live a simple happy life where we enjoy what we do.
Since my sister passed it is more important to me than ever to enjoy life – live in the now, who knows what the future will bring. This new way of thinking is also tempered with the need for stability so whilst I am spending I am also keeping an eye on what I am spending, I save up for things and I still save with my purchases.  But I don’t sacrifice quality anymore. So some things have changed.

Lets not kid ourselves money is important but more specifically financial security is very important. The last thing I want to do is leave big bills to my son. My aim in life is to have enough to do enough while leaving enough.
I am very rich in so many ways it may not be financial or assets but it is what is important to me. I have a wonderful family, great friends, a terrific life filled with many amazing things. I am privileged in so many ways that it gives me great joy to give to others and for me that is enough.

I’d like to share a very special moment with you – my work put on a Christmas fair yesterday and today for special needs kids and kids from work.  It was amazing we’ve been fundraising for a couple of months and working on a number of things.  There were over a 100 special needs kids plus a 100 staff kids.  Yes it was huge.  I won’t go into all the details but it was a Christmas wonderland filled with displays, nativity play, card making, cup cake decorating, picture frame decorating, computer games, games and so much more.
Not only did I do heaps of fundraising  I worked on the Nativity play and ran the card making – it was really fun. I had a great time helping the kids make the cards. After spending 6 hours setting up and running the card making last night and then backing up for another 5 hours today with aching legs and back the most amazing thing happened……………

In the last hour a special needs girl made a card for her mum, she gave the card to her mum and told her how much she loved her. It was truly beautiful, she then thanked us for helping her again and again. She was so very happy and then she wished us a very merry Christmas. As we returned the Christmas greeting she held out her hand to me so I shook it. She turned my hand over and kissed the back of my hand. I couldn’t believe the emotion I felt at that moment.  I was overwhelmed with emotion. This small act of thanks from this very special child meant so much to me and I can honestly say it has made a very big impact on me.  I feel so very rich today.  It is true when we give we receive.

Yes my life is a very full, happy and rich life and really that is all that matters.
http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/simplify-your-life-week-49-money-reducing-outgoing-to-meet-goals/