Finances on Friday

Some inspiration (financial and otherwise) by the great Booker T. Washington (since I happen to be on a Booker T. kick in my recreational reading these days.  WHAT an extraordinary man!) :

“Character, not circumstance, makes the person.”  

“Great men cultivate love and only little men cherish a spirit of hatred; assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak.”  

“Among a large class, there seemed to be a dependence upon the government for every conceivable thing. The members of this class had little ambition to create a position for themselves, but wanted the federal officials to create one for them. How many times I wished then and have often wished since, that by some power of magic, I might remove the great bulk of these people into the country districts and plant them upon the soil – upon the solid and never deceptive foundation of Mother Nature, where all nations and races that have ever succeeded have gotten their start – a start that at first may be slow and toilsome, but one that nevertheless is real.”  

“I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”  

“In my contact with people I find that, as a rule, it is only the little, narrow people who live for themselves, who never read good books, who do not travel, who never open up their souls in a way to permit them to come into contact with other souls--with the great outside world. No man whose vision is bounded by colour can come into contact with what is highest and best in the world. In meeting men, in many places, I have found that the happiest people are those who do the most for others; the most miserable are those who do the least.”  

“No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.”  

“Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”  

No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/booker_t_washington.html#sUeQXdwSGhQ0H8Wr.99

No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/booker_t_washington.html#sUeQXdwSGhQ0H8Wr.99

Some financial efforts for the week:

Photo by Mattie

* gave all the boys (even the big one) haircuts

* boiled a hambone for bone broth

* boiled a bunch of chicken bones for bone broth too.

* hung quilts and bedding washed by woodstove (on nails in rafters) to dry.  Jeans and heavy things too. 

* replaced our OLD computer with a more updated, new-to-us-but-still-used model.  BEFORE tragedy struck, not after.

* were given 10 buckets, hangers and spiles to use for our own (super small scale) maple syrupping this year.  With this two day thaw, guess what we'll be doing this weekend?

* called my BIL who is a head chef at a restaurant where I could get some large surface area pans for boiling sap on short notice and he is getting some for me to use, no purchase necessary!  yay!  (This totally made my day!)

* picked up a few free buckets from the bakery department at Price Chopper.  I wished they had more but I'll stop in again next time I am in that way. I'm going to use them to hold sap for now until I find something better.

* worked on a crocheted Easter dress for Adele' using yarn I already had on hand.

* Matt and I had our Booze and Budget meeting for the month.  We talked about last months' finances, where the 'excess' money is going to go THIS month and made a few goals for the month.

1) make a list of every fluctuating monthly bill so that next year we can compare usage/costs more easily with the same month.
2) figure out how much principle needs to be paid toward the mortgage to see how much is necessary to pay to get the house paid off in 10 years. (For giggles more than anything.)
3) keep track that we are indeed saving the amount we are supposed to be saving every month.  I have a number of excess dollars that SHOULD be there every month but that I can never really "find" or notice in the bank account, so I need to get on top of that and make sure it is happening.
4) pay property taxes.  
5) Make a list of all unbudgeted expenses for the year so, at the end of the year, we know WHY the savings isn't happening if it isn't and where the excess money went.
6) Try to find a cheaper source for telephone/internet as this is a huge bill.

* Made a batch of homemade orange extract.  I need to go out and buy more vodka because I need more vanilla extract one of these days too (and it takes several months for a batch to be ready to use)

* Went to Lowe's to finally (I've been waiting for months!) buy the meat/cheese slicer I saw in the fall there (using, in part, the $60 in change that Andrew wrapped up last week) only to find that they no longer sell those sorts of appliances.  Bummer.  This is one kitchen purchase that I have been planning on because I consider it an investment.  I hope to be able to make Matt's own lunchmeat/cheese for work lunches instead of buying (or, in most cases, NOT buying) from the deli.  Now, I think I will buy it online.  And I will use one of my own affiliate links to see if this whole affiliate link thing actually works!  ;-)

I've narrowed it  down to four:

1. Continental PS77711 Professional Series Deli Slicer
2. Chef's Choice 609 Premium Electric Food Slicer
3. Kalorik 200-Watt Electric Meat Slicer with 7.5" Blade, Silver
4. Waring Pro FS155 7.5 in. Food Slicer

Matt can help me choose which we should get by I lean toward #3 myself. 

And that's all folks!  Hope your week was wonderful and your weekend is even better!

What about you? 

 

Do you have anything financial/inspiring to share this week? 

 Link up!  

As always~ PLEASE link to your SPECIFIC blog post, not your entire blog. It could be ways you saved or stretched or strategically spent those pennies...or, if you prefer not to be so personal, even inspiration you found online, articles or quotes... but please link to a post about SOMETHING financial! Lastly, please link back to my blog and maybe others would like to share!