Category: General

We have not had a financial post lately soooooo….

The strangeness has of 2020 has had many people take a hard look at their finances, in order to increase their sense of financial security and freedom. If you’re looking at your finances and money management skills with new eyes, here are some top tips to help you better look after your money and be more secure for years to come. 

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1. Plan ahead. It’s never too early to start thinking about the money you might need in the future. It’s a good idea to begin saving for your retirement as soon as you are able to, as the earlier you start, the more you will have to live on in later life. If the company you work for has a 401k scheme, join in and start saving. Remember that your retirement savings will need to cover living expenses, medical care, and the cost of home care, even if you are able to use CDPAP. 
2. Budget. Learning to budget is a key skill if you want to be good with money. How you budget is up to you, but you need to track all your income and outgoings. Record these using an app, a notebook, or whatever you like. With everything accounted for, you can clearly see where you could save money, and can set limits on yourself. For example, you may be shocked by what you spend on coffee every month and can find a cheaper alternative to save money. 
3. Pay down your debt. If you have any debts, make it a priority to pay those down as soon as you can. The longer you stay in debt, the more you end up owing, thanks to interest. Debt can easily snowball and cause you a lot of financial difficulties later on. Look at all your debts and see which has the highest interest rate. Focus on that one first. When that’s paid off completely, move to the next highest interest rate. Keep up with payments on all debts to avoid late fees and damage to your credit score. 
4. Look for cheaper options. After you’ve listed all your outgoings, you can look at switching the expenses you can’t avoid to cheaper options. Could you save money on your bills by changing suppliers for your electricity, for example? Changing from your current provider to one that’s more cost-effective can make a big impact on your monthly electricity expenses. Providers have also become more competitive with their prices in addition to more companies entering the market. Some who specialize in sustainable electricity even offer special rates for green energy. Also, check out sites that compare electricity providers with each other in terms of rates, reviews, and service. They sometimes offer discounts that you wouldn’t find on the companies’ websites themselves. Could you reduce your food bill by shopping at a different supermarket, buying cheaper brands, or meal planning? You can potentially make big savings by making changes like this. You can use money comparison sites to find cheaper options. 
5. Start saving. If possible, it’s a good idea to have three to six months of living expenses in a savings account. If you have this, if you lose your job or are unable to work because of illness, you have a buffer to keep you going for a few months. A lot of people think they can’t afford to save, but after you’ve overhauled your budget, you should be able to find at least a small amount to put away each month.

Moving home can be an emotionally charged time that you will experience at least once throughout your lifetime. It can come with a host of exciting possibilities, as well as being one of the more stressful moments in your life.  

There is much to get organized from buying and selling property, organizing and packing, and somehow finding a way to get your belongings into your new home.  

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Here are some things to consider to take the stress out of moving house. 

Pack It Up and Clear it Out

Moving home also means having to clear out a lot of the junk that accumulates over a certain amount of time of living in one place. 

Moving somewhere smaller? Measure up your new home to check your large furniture has a place to live, too. If not? Sell it and use the profits to add finishing touches to your new place. 

This can be a great opportunity to clear out the things that no longer serve a purpose in your life- while it’s nice to hold onto some memories, your job now is to look toward the future. 

When clearing your stuff, create four piles: keep, sell, donate, dispose. The keep pile is for the stuff you use every day. If the item still has life in it and it could be worth some money- sell it. If someone else can make use of it- donate it. If it has seen better days and is completely unusable- time to let that thing go. 

Research Shipping Companies 

Now you’ve chosen the city and the place, it’s time to think about how you’re going to get there. 

Whether you choose to arrange the process yourself, or use the services of professional companies like Shiply, you’ll want to make sure that your possessions get to their destination unscathed. 

Some companies will also provide boxes and packing materials as part of their service, but it’s best to ask around for extras- you can never have too many boxes! 

There are plenty of extra things to do when moving to a new place— do your research and plan well! 

Let Loved Ones Know Where you’ll be going 

In amongst the stress of planning to move, it can be easy to forget the basics- letting your friends and family know that you’re moving, and more importantly, to where. 

For bigger moves to a different part of the country, you might want to host one final get-together so that those you’re leaving behind get an opportunity to say goodbye. 

It might be tempting to break the news on social media, but for your nearest and dearest, reach out to them first before extending it out to your wider network. 

Ensure people that your new home is open to them once you get settled in- why not even plan a painting party to get some help with the decorations?

Moving home doesn’t have to be stressful. Plan well and execute carefully. 

Oh My…things are rough..between the Debates and Covid, things coming out of Washington are getting even worse (just when you thought it really couldn’t). I decided to bring us back in time to the White House. Back to what life was like Upstairs At The White House, when J.B. West was the Chief Usher. His career spanned over 3 decades

In this New York Times bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families.
 J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—and coordinated its daily life—at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings and funerals, gardens and playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and, with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For twenty-eight years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, as well as their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests—including friends, relatives, and heads of state.
 
J. B. West, whom Jackie Kennedy called “one of the most extraordinary men I have ever met,” provides an absorbing, one-of-a-kind history of life among the first ladies. Alive with anecdotes ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt’s fascinating political strategies to Jackie Kennedy’s tragic loss and the personal struggles of Pat Nixon, Upstairs at the White House is a rich account of a slice of American history that usually remains behind closed doors.

Such as great thing to read during an election year, especially when tensions are so high. For more information or to order this book,. click HERE.

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We all have a variety of tasks to take care of around our homes, on a daily basis – and, often, these are not the kinds of things that are intrinsically motivating.

Chores need to get done, DIY jobs need to be taken care of, meals need to be prepared, and that massive stack of papers on the desk of your home office probably needs to be worked through sooner rather than later.

The feeling that things are “stagnating” is always deeply uncomfortable and unpleasant, to say the least. But when that feeling strikes in your own home, it can be especially demoralising.

Here are a handful of tips for gaining momentum in the home and regaining a sense of control over things.

Feel the “resistance” and do it anyway

The writer, Steven Pressfield, is well known not only for his novels (including “The Legend of Bagger Vance”), but also for his cult classic book on the artistic and creative process, titled “The War of Art.”

In this book, Pressfield argues that there is a force called “resistance” that always gets in the way and tries to steer us off course when we are in the process of trying to move from a “lower” to an “higher” state. Writers experience resistance, painters experience it, athletes experience it, and so on.

“Resistance,” however, is also something that we all experience in everyday life as the desire to procrastinate and avoid tasks like dealing with household chores, or getting started on a potentially tricky project.

The key thing – according to Pressfield and many others – is to realise and remember that “resistance” is eternal, and that it never goes away fully. You just have to move forward despite it.

To develop momentum in your home, you need to “feel the resistance, and do it anyway.”

Get yourself the right tools and incentives to support an optimum mindset

It’s always easier to build and maintain positive momentum in your home, if you have the right tools and incentives to support an optimum mindset – one that’s based on a sense of positivity and intrinsic motivation.

If you want to spend more time home cooking your own meals and making them special, getting some high quality cooking utensils such as Made In Cookware might help you to really enjoy the process more, and to feel more inclined to engage in it.

Clarify what it is you need to get done

It’s difficult enough to build and maintain momentum when you actually know what it is you need to do next, and have a clear view of the path ahead.

When everything is chaotic, however, and you just know that you “have a lot of work to do here,” it can be virtually impossible to actually get the ball rolling.

Begin the process by getting systematic, and by identifying and clarifying exactly what it is you need to get done, point by point.

Using a good task management tool such as Omnifocus or Todoist might help here.