Gen Wright asked:


There?s nothing more we want than to be able to efficiently manage our money to live a good quality of life within our means. A budget executed properly, should help you see where your money is going, get more bang out of every buck, and help you save some extra for future use.

It is basically a money PLAN, outlining your FINANCIAL GOALS.

Having a budget, you can well establish and regulate your funds better, and be able to set and achieve your financial objectives. From this you will be more realistically able to make advance decisions as to how you want your money to work well for you.

The following tips and recommendations will provide you details on how you can help yourself manage your finances and assume a new outlook to become responsible in your spending.

The main goal in budgeting is for you to be able to put aside a certain amount of money for expected as well as unexpected costs, before they are due. Simply put, budgeting means a carefully calculated guess of your anticipated monthly home expenses by basing it on your previous expenses and bills.

You start to research your budget figures by writing down fixed expenses like car payments, home rental, insurance, etc. But most people have no idea how much they spend on consumables, or if they know how much they spend or over-spend, they don?t know on what the money was spent on. So it is important to next follow up your ACTUAL expenditures thoroughly for a month so you can understand where your funds are actually going. Through proper analysis of your real life ?spending patterns?, you can realistically identify solutions for effective budgeting. Otherwise you risk creating a budget that looks great on paper but can not possibly work in your daily life for more than a week or two before falling apart in tatters.

For instance, to start working out what your income and expenditure is, you begin with what your monthly income is, and then you subtract all the regular bills that you know always get deducted each month. Spread this over a three month period, then divide the totals by three to get an average monthly estimate. The balance that remains after your fixed costs have been calculated and deducted can now be your budget to spend in the household for the month.

You need to plan to always have money for the bills that are inflexible (like your rent or mortgage,) and must be paid every month no matter what else happens, then look at the things that you actually have some control over to cut-back or reduce spending on (like utilities and entertainment, which can be modified). Saving is your best defense against bankruptcy. It insulates you from possible financial loss and gives you the ability to expand your finances and create a money-generating business machine that will help you earn extra.

1. Have good sense of money management.

Reach an agreement and compromise and know the significance of reducing expenditures; A few less social outings, spend more time at home actually doing interesting things that don?t costs much. Consider making gifts instead of buying. Discuss with relatives the most effective way to manage Holiday entertaining, gifts, and travel so that you all share the benefits of saving on costs and are united in the decisions to cut back.

2. A simple plan can be drafted in minutes

Make a listing with your earnings to one side and your overheads on the other side. A straightforward plan to calculate every cent you already get in and then look at what you can get more income from. Maybe there are services or products that you can sell for a profit, part-time from home. Or hold a long overdue Garage sale to clear the clutter and pay some money off the credit cards.

3. List down what you believe are luxuries, then split the list in half, crossing out half the list.

Be honest with yourself. A budget does not have to mean that you do without everything you enjoy. It just means make sure you are actually getting value for your dollar. So many expenditures simply become habits we don?t even remember why we started, and have long stopped enjoying. If you consider the list honestly, you will probably be surprised that you can easily let go of half, and start to enjoy the other half once again with a fresh appreciation.

When you determine the things in life that you really value and will not be happy without, you can start to clarify your lifestyle goals, and learn all the ways that you can manage your money better, increase your income, and generally attract abundance in your life. If you are scattered and random by nature in your financial dealings, you are not able to attract prosperity and learn to manage money like the wealthy people do.

4. You can be frugal without being miserable You can have fun with little or without spending at all.

There are so many ways to enjoy a life of abundance with what is already in your life. Poverty has no dignity. Losing your car or your home is never worth whatever toys and trinkets you wasted money on. A Holiday should never be purchased on credit card. Only spend your money on items you would consider an investment of good quality, and you need to expect a good Return On Investment before you purchase.

It is surprising how many things in life are things you want because of the way they will make you FEEL. You don?t want bits of paper with pictures of people on it? you want what money can buy for you. You don?t need to own a horse to ride one for the day.

You don?t need to own a Ferrari to drive one for a day. Determine what the ESSENCE is that you actually want, and then get creative about the ways that you can enjoy the essence of what you want, without having to take on all the expense and responsibility of maintaining that product.

Remember you have the freedom to develop your own monthly family budget, depending on your family?s financial background and needs. No matter how you do it, just focus on the end result, which is building a savings that leads to a bright and financially stable future for your family.

It is vital for you you believe in yourself and your ability to learn better money management skills. You will also become more creative about attracting and seeing money making opportunities, and learn the benefits of investing only in the things that bring true joy to your family. And getting everyone you share living costs with involved with creative problem solving to come up with ways to save on expenses, and create more income, can be great fun and a family bonding experience, while also teaching the everyone the value of money and helping them develop better and sharper money management skills.



ANTONE

John Williams asked:


The Dalmatian is an energetic dog that was bred to run. She will not do well in an apartment unless the owner is a jogger or person able to allow her several long, hard walks a day. A properly fenced in backyard with a place to stay warm in winter and access to the house and human companionship is ideal. Or, since she seems to love horses, another ideal environment might be a horse farm.

She may not do well with younger children due to her high activity and she may play too hard and nip. As a reminder, never leave a young child unsupervised with a puppy or dog. She can do well with other pets as long as she is socialized early with them. They may do poorly with other dogs or other dogs of the same ***.

Approximate Adult Size

The approximate adult size (two years old or older) of the male Dalmatian is 22 to 24 inches to the withers (highest point of the shoulder). The female ranges from 20 to 22 inches to the withers and either *** weighs somewhere from 50 to 55 pounds.

Special Health Considerations

Most dog breeds have certain inherited health problems associated with that specific breed and the Dalmatian is no exception. Be on the look out for inherited deafness (up to 10% or more of Dalmatian puppies are born deaf and this can make a puppy fearful and snappy), skin allergies, cataracts, and urinary stones. This disease list is an informative guideline only. Other diseases may also be significant threats, please contact your veterinarian for a complete list.

She should visit the veterinarian several times in the first year for shots, boosters and check up. Then, as an adult, she should visit the veterinarian yearly for shots and check up. As she gets older, six years and on, she should visit the veterinarian twice a year for check ups and shots. Remember; avoid feeding your dog sweets.

Grooming

The Dalmatian coat is close fitting, fine short and dense. She is a shedder, especially during spring and fall. She should be brushed regularly to minimize shedding. Brushing will help her maintain a clean and healthy coat and help you keep a closer eye on her health and strengthen your emotional bond with her.

Her teeth should be brushed at least twice a week with toothpaste and toothbrush designed for dogs. Brushing removes the accumulation of plaque and tartar which can cause cavities (rarely) and periodontal disease. Dog periodontal disease can lead to pain, loss of teeth, bad breath and other serious disease.

Her toenails may need to be examined for growth and clipped regularly. The toenails of the rear feet grow slower than the toenails of the front feet. Generally a guillotine type trimmer is the best for this chore and competent instructions to accomplish this can be found on the net.

Life Span

The Dalmatian can live between 11 and 13 years with proper nutrition, medical care and excellent living conditions.

History

The Dalmatian comes from the former Yugoslavia. The actual name Dalmatia is a region on the Adriatic Sea. The Brisish popularized the breed using her as a watchdog, shepherd, draft dog, bird dog, ratter, circus performer etc. The most famous Dalmatians were in the Disney movie, 101 Dalmatians. They were first registered by the American Kennel Association in 1888.



CHANCE

grabey asked:


We live in the south east and are wanting to utilize “green” methods to farm instead of tractors that use fuel. All opinions about the draft horse vs. the mule are welcome. Thanks!

BERTRAM

Michael Peterson asked:


The credit situation appears to be tightening; many homes have lost equity that was built up in them and oil went up to $100.00 per barrel. Sounds grim, but as long as we feel that we can weather tough situations until they pass, we can remain cheerful. Time for us to start hunkering down and save a buck or two.

There are several ways to save money, and several ways to make money. Making money will often require expenditure; with the price of gas expected to reach four dollars per gallon before spring, maybe we will look at saving money! This has to be a conscious thing that requires willpower. Saving energy in our home is like saving money for ourselves, and a few small home improvements can cut down our living costs.

Double glazed window units will decrease the amount of your heating bills. If this sounds too expensive, practice some smaller economies: special ‘cling film’ packs to double-glaze your windows are inexpensive and effective. They can be installed easily by you.

Changing the filter in your furnace helps it to run more efficiently. Buying the expensive energy efficient light bulbs is a cost-cutter as they will cut 75% of your costs and they last for ages! Think of closing heavy drapes over your screen doors at night for the winter only. Good quality weather stripping around the front and back doors will cut down on drafts.

If you have an un-insulated basement, now would be a good time to insulate it; it is not a difficult job and it is one of the improvements that will greatly decrease the size of your heating bill. Meantime if you feel cold air coming up from the basement, think of hanging a curtain or install a permanent door to block off the part that is not heated.

Be sensible with your appliances, only run the dishwasher and the washing machine when they are full. Use cold water to wash your clothes in. Keep a clothes line or a clothes horse in the laundry room and partly dry heavy items like towels on it overnight.

In the kitchen, turn off the dry cycle on the dishwasher and let the dishes sit overnight to dry. When you have the oven on, turn off the kitchen thermostat.

The average American family spends $1300 (nationally) per year on home heating, cooling, lighting and living, but they spend far more on food! Cook at home more often, and cook double of one meal so that it goes two days. (You can leave it in the fridge and wait one day in between!)

Other suggestions: use coupons, buy bulk, stop eating out and taking out. For the price of a cappuccino you can feed a family of four on home-made spaghetti and meat sauce. When you turn on the oven for a roast, cook tomorrow’s meatloaf or baked squash and potatoes in their skins or apple pie with the same electricity.

If you are buying appliances for your home, chose the Energy Star rating. Keep checking your home for maintenance problems that can be dealt with before they grow into big problems, e.g. look for damp, pest infestation or water marks. Check the down pipes for efficient roof drainage. Finally when you go to bed, or leave the house, turn the thermostat down by five degrees.



GARTH