I wanted to share what I learned about money from organizing and simplifying my life(started my decluttering journey about 4 years ago)When I first began my journey alongside organization aka decluttering it was a relief letting go of clutter and items I didn't necessarily need nor want any longer. One of my challenge areas BOOKS! I just cried like a baby to give away or donate my beloved books! But I knew I had to, It was a very important lesson, one that I couldn't escape. As time went on I started purging more frequently it continued to get more easier as time went on, I got to a point where it started to be necessary for my mental sanity and continued growth. The more I gave away the better I felt. The more space I achieved the more Love I had to give away. Along the way throughout my journey It occurred to my brighter side that I truly had all I needed right within myself, the feeling to shop became less and less as time went on. I can successfully say that I have NOTHING left to declutter! I am officially clutter free! I feel so light and FREE. Now I'm celebrating and asking myself if I even need credit cards any longer since I never really use them(except for the every now and then emergencies) which is hardly ever. I found that I'm finally complete(well at least that's how I feel)I've adopted the analogy that "LESS IS MORE" the less you own the less you clean, the less you have the less you want, the less you want the less you shop. The less you waste the more resources you have available to you. Its a lifestyle adaptation. Memories become the pedestal for your life's longings, loving deeply is what comes to the forefront. "Time" that does not have a price and cannot be bought and sold is what matters the most. Those special moments that can only be captured for a split second or a genuine authentic moment in time,

"Lifes longing for itself"
~Kahil Gibran~

God bless!

So even though me and my husband were finally able to buy this year we decided to rent again we found a much bigger townhome in the same subdivision for only $75 bucks more a month! We ultimately said "just because we can doesn't mean we should!" and left it at that. We both agreed to the fact that we don't care for yard work and the maintenance that comes along with owning a home and we'd rather be doing other things with our time things that are actually important to us and just having more time to spend together as a family and with each other! And with the kids getting older they will be gone before we know it and we don't want to be stuck with all that house to clean!

We are finally car payment free! Onto purchasing our first home this Spring with no debt! Our mortgage will be our ONLY debt! I don't consider items that you already plan on purchasing and charging these items to a credit card as "debt" because you would have to purchase these items anyways and as long as you have the cash to purchase them then to me its not considered "debt" I don't see any discrepancy with building credit the smart way! I wouldn't advise anyone especially anyone who doesn't have good self-discipline or self control to use a credit card if they are purchasing off impulse or cannot pay the full amount by the due date. So excited car payment free for a very long time until my car breaks down and doesn't run anymore its official I am the very proud owner of MY 06 Toyota corolla! So hyped no more car payments for me for a very long time!!! God is good!

When it comes to the terms "Budgeting" everyone just starts to shrink. That's why I prefer the word "Adjustment" It just sounds better! See budgets never do succeed at least that's what I've always noticed. When you use the terms "Adjustment" you can still accomplish goals and have the things you want and still have everything else under control as well when something needs fixing or something unexpected comes out of no where you simply make an adjustment to level everything out and it doesn't sound so much like torture or a dreaded chore for that matter! So that's why I prefer the word "Adjustment" I love hearing opinions from all takes, their always welcome! Good day!

I'm just so elated 2 more months and my car is gonna be paid off! Finally! No more car payments for a very long time until I can pay all cash for it next time,,,,So liberating. Such a sense of financial relief as well as financial freedom! Cant wait, Any suggestions for a small celebration will be greatly appreciated and thanks ahead of time!

Kentucky church bans interracial marriage:::

A small Kentucky church has chosen to ban marriages and even some worship services for interracial couples. The Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church, located in Pike County, made the vote in response to a longtime member who is engaged to a man whose birthplace is in Zimbabwe.
The small congregation, which usually hosts about 40 members each Sunday, held the vote after longtime member Stella Harville, brought her fiancé Ticha Chikuni to church with her in June. The couple performed a song together at the church in which Chikuni sang "I Surrender All," while Harville played the piano.
Chikuni, 29, who works at Georgetown College, is black--and Harville, who was baptized at the church but is not an active member, is white. Dean Harville, Stella's father, said he was told by the church's former pastor Melvin Thompson that his daughter and her fiancé were not allowed to sing at the church again. However, Thompson recently stepped down and the church's new pastor, Stacy Stepp, said the couple was once again welcome to sing.(He stepped down due to his ignorance)
Stepp's decision prompted Thompson to put forth a recommendation saying that while all members are welcome at the church, it does not "condone" interracial marriage, and that any interracial couples would not be received as members or allowed to participate in worship services. The only exception? Funerals.
The Harville family has formally requested the congregation to reconsider the interracial ban, and Thompson has also said he would like to resolve the issue, the area CBS affiliate WYMT has reported.
A copy of the recommendation, obtained by WYMT, reads in part:
That the Gulnare Freewill Baptist Church does not condone interracial marriage. Parties of such marriages will not be received as members, nor will they be used in worship services and other church functions, with the exception being funerals. All are welcome to our public worship services. This recommendation is not intended to judge the salvation of anyone, but is intended to promote greater unity among the church body and the community we serve.
Members of the church held a vote on Thompson's proposed language, with nine voting in favor and six voting against. The other members in attendance chose not to vote.
Gawker notes that Pike County is 98 percent white and home to the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud.
The Harville family doesn't see Gulnare's new policy promoting anything like unity or civil peace. "They're the people who are supposed to comfort me in times like these," Stella Harville said.
And Stella's father was much more forceful in his denunciation of the interracial ban. "It sure ain't Christian," Dean Harville said. "It ain't nothing but the old devil working."

I know this has nothing to with finances but I am following up on an older post that another member had raised pertaining to topic of racism. That concludes as I stated on that earlier post that to some WE(including myself) will always be "The color of our skin" This proves that on some instances US colored folks are still not accepted and in total proves that ignorance, lack of education and misinformation along with the refusal of an OPEN mind is very much still existent in this world today and I being of color find this extremely redundant and purely unacceptable!

Simply being grateful for what you have right at this moment is the meaning of Prosperity, to be comfortable in your own skin, with your life however imperfect it may be, to be accepting of everyone and everything that Life has already given you due to the very fact that someone out there has it way worse then you do, to know that whatever happens that you will get through it for that's the reason you are where you are today. What Abundance Is: Its ones ability to accept their lives as they are and know that everything good will come at the right time and at the right place, Its trusting Life to provide you with whatever it is that you need!Abundance means having all one desires of one's heart not just money but also includes love,success,knowledge,wisdom,food,clothing,shelter and many others as well. Anything you have that another does not have,the only difference is that you have it in excess,meaning more then enough. To conclude this post: Abundance relatively always pertains to MORE, anything one has that is EXTRA. When one trusts Life which is Prosperity this is what happens: You get a raise at work at just the right time or receive a gift that you had been wanting and hadn't disclosed to anyone. Now isn't that a beautiful thing!You see Abundance and Prosperity work side by side and sometimes are one in the same on most levels. What a wonderful thing!

What is really the difference between an OPEN and CLOSED mind? Well an OPEN mind sees situations from all angles despite the differing in opinions, Is able to respect others opinions and accepts that all are unique with little to no discrepancies, as oppose to a CLOSED mind the CLOSED mind only sees their view as the only view with lack of ability to truly empathize with others, the closed mind lacks the ability to really SEE accept and embrace the difference in others due to their lack of compassion and ability to see others as God sees them but most importantly the OPEN mind sees the capacity and ability in every human being to be the best that they can be despite any obstacles that they've had to face in their lives. One being able to SEE beyond what others say and do is what truly makes an OPEN mind. Understanding in that very moment that there's more that meets the eye and totally accepting that person for who they are, not what they do, For one's behavior is strictly a manifestation of how they feel about themselves and has nothing to do with you.When one does not feel good about themselves they will often overcompensate somewhere else in their lives..could be in the area money,drugs,sex,pornagraghy,gambling,hoarding and this list goes on. In the end it always consists of that persons lack of ability to make sound choices,have realistic expectations and goals, and their love respect and confidence in themselves that reflect from the inside out. Feel free to add your take as well! God bless!

Lets discuss the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people in your life. The main reason why one should surround themselves with positive energy oppose to negative energy is due to fact that the negative energy drains a persons mind,body and soul, negative energy doesn't have the ability to cause or feed anything good to anyone it constantly feeds off others because it cannot survive on its own its like a leach that sucks all your blood and leaves you dead and limp!Its like weeds in ones garden that no matter what you do you just cant get rid of!Negative energy obstructs a persons view of their life's calling and sole purpose in life. When you get to that point a person has no energy for themselves or what they want to do, it can severely place a huge burden on ones life and be a huge hindrance and possibly destroy ones hopes and dreams and when that happens the person being used and imposed upon has no aspirations for their life's purpose, I feel that its critically important to weed ones life before it gets too late so that you can live YOUR dreams not the dreams of what others want for themselves but push them onto you because they are too coward to reach for the stars themselves, Each one of us entitled to our own hopes, dreams, and capacity and ability to live up our fullest potential and until we do some serious cleaning and nonstop weeding of OUR gardens we will all stay stuck and be too busy caring about what others think of us and want for us instead of what we want for ourselves, start weeding I believe in you, you can do it!

A person's attitude will either make them or break them, it's critical to each individual that we take personal responsibility for our own attitudes as well as our own lives. It is not your mothers fault or your dads fault that you turned out the way you did, they gave you all they knew how to give with what they had with what they too had been given by their parents. For the most part these vicious cycles repeat themselves for generations!The most beautiful thing is that YOU have the ability to finally break that cycle and YOU can if you really want to! YOU were born with all the strength you will ever have or need your entire life! Dig deep and search wide, don't let anyone tell you what YOU can and can't accomplish, set your own standards and YOU will succeed! And always remember to check yourself if need be, keep your attitude in line IT IS YOUR BEST ASSET!(Being angry with the world never got anyone anywhere.) My love goes far and runs deep so I hope as I'm writing this that someone is catching it! Good luck to all!

Everyone "CHOOSES" their own choices in Life, If you don't like your Life then make different choices, its as simple as that! Thinking inside the box is for sissies, just my opinion I have always thought outside the box since birth that's where your "real life" can be found.

Why would anyone prepare for an emergency to happen? Doesn't make much sense to me, I mean I understand to always expect the unexpected but if you are living right and well below your means you will have available cash in the event of an emergency but to tell others that they should "prepare" for emergencies is just completely out of whack! To me "TO PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES MEANS TO ALWAYS EXPECT THE WORST" now maybe that's just me but I'd rather differ to "THINKING POSITIVE AT ALL TIMES" and if God forbid an emergency comes up I'd rather deal with it accordingly! To believe these folks went to college and they're going around instilling all this fear in individuals is just complete nonsense! Now whoever wants to "Roger that" can!

I have noticed that when a person is upset or down(depressed)they tend to spend more then what they would if they weren't. Strange as it may seem some of us dont even notice this pattern. It could be related to chemical imbalances as well as just plain and simple lack of control and self discipline. Cortisol,Serotonin and Dopamine play a huge part in this matter, It's the same as drug addicts needing that one last hit. I've found that when you start weeding out the negative influences in your life, start loving yourself, alot of these bad habits tend to start to fade. Replacing negative people with positive people as well as negitive habits into positive habits, doing this overtakes the whole Dopamine factor raises your Serotonin levels naturally you come to a peace within yourself and from that moment on we might as well say you will never hit reverse or tolerate certain "things" in your life EVER AGAIN! Remember to always surround yourself with only the most positive influential "things"(meaning people or possessions)! As always God is good!

Me and my hubby started using a portfolio for managing our finances about 5 years ago and boy was it one of the best decisions we have ever decided to make! I jot down what our monthly expenses are for the next month proir to the current months end, then we go along and cross out every expenses as we pay it we always update it every week depending on our expenses if we had anything unexpected come up. Its trully been a life saver when it comes to finances and sticking to a healthy budget!(THE SMALLER OF A LIST YOU HAVE THE BETTER!) First things first as follows:

1)RENT OR MORGAGE AMOUNT $$$$
2)CAR NOTE AMOUNT $$$$
3)CAR INSURANCE AMOUNT $$$$
4)NICOR GAS AMOUNT $$$$
5)COMED AMOUNT $$$$
6)WATER BILL AMOUNT $$$$
7)CELLPHONE AMOUNT $$$$
8)ANY CHILDCARE/SCHOOL RELATED EXPENSES AMOUNT $$$$
9)ALL CREDIT CARDS SHOULD BE LISTED LASTLY ONE BY ONE AS WELL.(AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST)
THE BEST BIT OF ADVICE REGARDING MANAGING OUR PORTFOLIO/FINANCES WE HAVE EVER RECEIVED WAS TO USE OUR END OF THE MONTH PAYCHECK TO COVER THE RENT/MORGAGE THEN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH CHECK TO COVER ALL OTHER EXPENSES! THAT HELPED US DEVELOPE THIS SYSTEM THATS BEEN WORKABLE AND EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL EVER SINCE!(ALL YOU NEED IS A GOOD PORTFOLIO AND LEGAL SIZE PADS, A CALCULATOR AND YOUR GOOD TO GO!)

ANYTHING EXTRA/UNEXPECTED NEEDS TO BE LISTED SEPARATELY ON THE SECOND HALF OF THE LIST DUE TO THE FACT THAT ITS NOT A FIXED EXPENSE.(REMEMBER LADIES BUYING A PURSE AT THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT IS NOT CONSIDERED UNEXPECTED IF YOU HAVE ONE THAT WORKS JUST FINE!LOL!!) FIXED EXPENSES ALWAYS COME FIRST THEN EVERYTHING ELSE. DONT FORGET TO CROSS THEM OFF AS YOU PAY THEM! YOU CAN ALSO LIST YOUR SAVINGS AS WELL BUT WE CHOOSE TO KEEP OUR SAVINGS SEPARATE FROM OUR EXPENSES ITS EASIER FOR US THAT WAY. HAPPY BUDGETING! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY HAPPY LIVING! GOD BLESS!

The purpose of any credit card to me is simply conveniance! The conveniance to use it as needed then PAY THE ENTIRE BALANCE BY THE DUE DATE! NOT AFTER!!! Interest rates only apply If you FAIL to pay your entire balance in full by the due date. I have 4 credit cards and never pay a dime in interest!EVER!If you have to carry over a balance make sure its less then 10% off the limit and certainly make sure that the card has low interest rates! Happy credit carding! God bless!