Tomorrow morning (Saturday, February 27th) at 9am I embark on another 13 week journey with Financial Peace University. The crazy thing is that I'm only eight weeks into a class that is meeting on Monday nights. And these last two weeks I've been meeting with the Master's twice a week and teaching them the Financial Peace concepts. So I've been doing 8 hours of week of this stuff.
You'd think that I would be all Dave'd out, but I'm not. His teaching style is fun to watch. The stuff he is teaching is simple enough that anyone can get it; but deep enough that every time I see it I get something new out of it.
I believe in these concepts that he teaches. And it's not something that Dave alone came up with. Most of it is common sense, based on God's word. The math is simple... Every dime you pay in interest on a debt is money that is not earning you interest on an investment. If you spend more than you make, you WILL be broke.
Let me say that again: If you spend more than you earn, you WILL be broke! I am amazed at the people who complain about not having money, and are jealous of those who do, but then the moment they get $100, they go out and spend $125. It's insane that people could be that stupid.
Okay... Rant over. But the point is valid.
So, here's the deal. If you are local (Mat-Su Valley) you need to be a part of the class. If you live anywhere else, go to Dave's website, put in your zip code, and find a class in your area. Sign up and do it.
Yeah, I know it's $100. But, average that over the 91 days of the course, and you are looking at a little more than a dollar a day. Cut out your coffee, or soda or stop super sizing your value meal.
If I told you that I had a '69 Camaro SS for sell for $100, you'd find a way to get the money. Well, if you'll get these concepts and apply them, it'll bring you to the point where you can buy any car you want.
But, it's NOT get rich quick. It's get rich slowly. And it's not even about getting rich. It's about winning with money. How would it feel to not worry about making your bills? To not worry about money fights?
57% of all divorces in America list money issues as the number one reason for the break up. 57%! Want a better marriage? Want an awesome marriage? Do the class!
Do something that will change your life... Only you can decide for you...
Feb 26, 2010
Feb 11, 2010
Survivor is on...
and the current wife is stamping with her mom, so I thought this would be a good time to do a blog post. And of course as soon as I got comfortable the load of laundry I put in earlier got done. Up until a few months ago a load of laundry being done wouldn't be a big deal. But, that was before we moved into the new house. And got a new washer & dryer. The ones at the apartment belonged to the church. The new ones are fancy front loaders. When a load gets done, the machine starts beeping. Loud and continuously It's highly annoying. So, when the load is done, you have no choice but to get up and deal with it. Oh well, it's not like getting up is going to kill me.
During Christmas, I got a Visa Gift Card from someone. Money tends to burn a hole in my pocket, so I set about spending it as quickly as I could. The next weekend we were in Anchorage and swung by Bed, Bath & Beyond. I've been thinking about a pressure cooker every since I saw some cooking shows use them.
So, while we were there, I took a look. The had a eight quart Fagor Rapida model that was the exact price of what I had on the card. It was like a match made in heaven. Or at least in the cookware aisle. Bye bye prepaid Visa Gift Card. Our time together was short, but worthwile.
So, I am the proud owner of a pressure cooker. It's a beautiful thing. Pressure cookers of old could be dangerous things and were prone to explode if not carefully regulated. But modern progress has eliminated that nasty habit.
It's pretty simple to use. Just put the stuff in, put on the lid and crank up the heat. Once the pressure is up to 15 psi and the regulator is spitting steam, you just back off the heat and let it do it's thing.
And that's the great part. It cooks FAST. I did 5 pounds of potatoes in 10 minutes. I did pork ribs to pull apart tender in 45 minutes. A roast is done in 30 minutes. It's crazy. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit it does take a few minutes to come to pressure and several more minutes to release the pressure when you are done. But still, it's a lot quicker than any other method, and the food is awesome!
During Christmas, I got a Visa Gift Card from someone. Money tends to burn a hole in my pocket, so I set about spending it as quickly as I could. The next weekend we were in Anchorage and swung by Bed, Bath & Beyond. I've been thinking about a pressure cooker every since I saw some cooking shows use them.
So, while we were there, I took a look. The had a eight quart Fagor Rapida model that was the exact price of what I had on the card. It was like a match made in heaven. Or at least in the cookware aisle. Bye bye prepaid Visa Gift Card. Our time together was short, but worthwile.
So, I am the proud owner of a pressure cooker. It's a beautiful thing. Pressure cookers of old could be dangerous things and were prone to explode if not carefully regulated. But modern progress has eliminated that nasty habit.
It's pretty simple to use. Just put the stuff in, put on the lid and crank up the heat. Once the pressure is up to 15 psi and the regulator is spitting steam, you just back off the heat and let it do it's thing.
And that's the great part. It cooks FAST. I did 5 pounds of potatoes in 10 minutes. I did pork ribs to pull apart tender in 45 minutes. A roast is done in 30 minutes. It's crazy. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit it does take a few minutes to come to pressure and several more minutes to release the pressure when you are done. But still, it's a lot quicker than any other method, and the food is awesome!
Feb 5, 2010
Cooking...
It's definitely become a hobby of mine. I guess it comes with being fat. You may as well enjoy the journey to obesity.
I remember cooking some growing up. I remember I used to make chocolate chip cookies a lot. By the time I was in Jr. High, I had the recipe memorized.
I remember when I was in the fifth grade and we were living in Haines, Alaska in a tiny trailer. Dad was working for Whitestone Logging at the time and they went there for a job that went bust. We finished the school year while Dad worked down at Hoonah.
For Christmas that year, my grandparents got Mom a Oster Kitchen Center. It was pretty fancy, with all kinds of attachments. Up to that point when I was making cookies, I'd use a hand mixer in regular bowl.
When make cookies you mix your wet ingredients first, and then slowly mix in your dry. I say slowly because if you just dump in your flour and start mixing, it's going to blow flour all over the kitchen. Even at this tender age, I knew that and would be very careful to not make a mess.
Somehow Mom seemed to think this new fancy tool was a magic tool... Right after we got, I wanted to make cookies. So, since I was unfamiliar with kitchen center, Mom was helping me out. We mixed the wet ingredients, and the added the dry. I began to slow dial up the speed. Mom mocked me for being so cautious. She said you didn't have to do it the old fashion way, and cranked the dial up. Flour exploded everywhere and coated the entire kitchen and us. She stood there with a shocked look on her flour dusted face...
Now, she'll probably deny this ever happened. As the years have gone by, her memory isn't quite what is used to be. But I remember it clearly. I remember realizing for the first time that just because someone is an adult, doesn't mean they know everything. That was a huge revelation for a 10 year old. Of course, now that I am an adult, I know that we don't have a clue about most things, and just fake it really well.
I remember cooking some growing up. I remember I used to make chocolate chip cookies a lot. By the time I was in Jr. High, I had the recipe memorized.
I remember when I was in the fifth grade and we were living in Haines, Alaska in a tiny trailer. Dad was working for Whitestone Logging at the time and they went there for a job that went bust. We finished the school year while Dad worked down at Hoonah.
For Christmas that year, my grandparents got Mom a Oster Kitchen Center. It was pretty fancy, with all kinds of attachments. Up to that point when I was making cookies, I'd use a hand mixer in regular bowl.
When make cookies you mix your wet ingredients first, and then slowly mix in your dry. I say slowly because if you just dump in your flour and start mixing, it's going to blow flour all over the kitchen. Even at this tender age, I knew that and would be very careful to not make a mess.
Somehow Mom seemed to think this new fancy tool was a magic tool... Right after we got, I wanted to make cookies. So, since I was unfamiliar with kitchen center, Mom was helping me out. We mixed the wet ingredients, and the added the dry. I began to slow dial up the speed. Mom mocked me for being so cautious. She said you didn't have to do it the old fashion way, and cranked the dial up. Flour exploded everywhere and coated the entire kitchen and us. She stood there with a shocked look on her flour dusted face...
Now, she'll probably deny this ever happened. As the years have gone by, her memory isn't quite what is used to be. But I remember it clearly. I remember realizing for the first time that just because someone is an adult, doesn't mean they know everything. That was a huge revelation for a 10 year old. Of course, now that I am an adult, I know that we don't have a clue about most things, and just fake it really well.
Feb 4, 2010
I'm a lousy blogger...
I have good intentions... I do. In a perfect world, I'd do 4 to 5 posts a week of witty and entertaining thoughts that are thought provoking. Maybe even life changing for some.
I don't think it's because I'm lazy, even though I kinda am. I do get some great thoughts. Some of them I Twitter, and some I put into Facebook posts. Others linger in my brain for a few moments, and then are lost forever.
And the reality is, I don't think anyone even reads this thing. I think I got it figured out so that my posts here show up on Twitter & Facebook, but that doesn't mean anyone is going to read it.
Let's face it: there are millions of blogs out there. It's like with worship CD's. A decade ago, a decent worship CD would set the world on fire, and everyone rushed out to buy it. Now, the worship "market" is so saturated. And with iTunes, does anyone actually buy CD's anymore? I haven't bought one in years. Seriously, years.
And, I follow some great blogs. There's no way I could ever write like those guys. My favorites? Stuff Christians Like has great satire. Love that. Thomas Stanley is teaching what America needs to hear when it comes to what we do with money. Seth Godin is just a genius.
When we were building the house, I was updating the pictures on here as well as Facebook. By the way, we are LOVIN' the house. I thank God for the time in the church apartment, but those days are over, and I'm loving the house. We aren't completely unpacked and probably won't be for months. We got unpacked enough to be living here, so we kinda lost the motivation to finish it off. Oh well, it'll give us something to do for a while.
I suppose my introspection tonight is brought on by the Percocet I'm taking for the pain following a pulled tooth. I went too many years with out dealing with a captivity and it went past the point of no return. A root canal was $2000 and pulling it was $200. Bye bye tooth. Dr. McLean gave a prescription for Percocet, and there's a lot of them in there. I should sell the extra and come out money ahead...
Okay... Enough rambling. Not that I really said anything worthwhile anyway. I should do a post about the Financial Peace University classes I'm coordinating right now. I'm pretty excited about what's happening there. I could also do a post on some of my new cookware toys. Well, we'll see if I keep with it or not.
Have a good night.
I don't think it's because I'm lazy, even though I kinda am. I do get some great thoughts. Some of them I Twitter, and some I put into Facebook posts. Others linger in my brain for a few moments, and then are lost forever.
And the reality is, I don't think anyone even reads this thing. I think I got it figured out so that my posts here show up on Twitter & Facebook, but that doesn't mean anyone is going to read it.
Let's face it: there are millions of blogs out there. It's like with worship CD's. A decade ago, a decent worship CD would set the world on fire, and everyone rushed out to buy it. Now, the worship "market" is so saturated. And with iTunes, does anyone actually buy CD's anymore? I haven't bought one in years. Seriously, years.
And, I follow some great blogs. There's no way I could ever write like those guys. My favorites? Stuff Christians Like has great satire. Love that. Thomas Stanley is teaching what America needs to hear when it comes to what we do with money. Seth Godin is just a genius.
When we were building the house, I was updating the pictures on here as well as Facebook. By the way, we are LOVIN' the house. I thank God for the time in the church apartment, but those days are over, and I'm loving the house. We aren't completely unpacked and probably won't be for months. We got unpacked enough to be living here, so we kinda lost the motivation to finish it off. Oh well, it'll give us something to do for a while.
I suppose my introspection tonight is brought on by the Percocet I'm taking for the pain following a pulled tooth. I went too many years with out dealing with a captivity and it went past the point of no return. A root canal was $2000 and pulling it was $200. Bye bye tooth. Dr. McLean gave a prescription for Percocet, and there's a lot of them in there. I should sell the extra and come out money ahead...
Okay... Enough rambling. Not that I really said anything worthwhile anyway. I should do a post about the Financial Peace University classes I'm coordinating right now. I'm pretty excited about what's happening there. I could also do a post on some of my new cookware toys. Well, we'll see if I keep with it or not.
Have a good night.
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