Organizing Old Photos

The first issue of my spring cleaning of the closet was finding old photos hidden away and taking up space. I have a large container that is full of pictures that cannot be just thrown away. Pictures are to enjoy not to be hidden in a box in the closet taking up space. Here are some of my ideas to display the photos so you can enjoy the memories. If you are good at sewing here is one idea. I will share more later.

IDEA: A blanket or quilt with pockets that hangs on the wall that you fill with groups of photos. For support you may want to put a wooden or plastic rod at the top sewed on the top. Another choice is to buy a towel rod and use it to support the hanging quilt or blanket. You have to adjust the size of quilt to fit the largest towel rod you can find. If you are really creative and have the money a craft store sells wood rods of many sizes.

Use an old quilt or buy a inexpensive light blanket. Walmart has them on sale a lot and they usually run about $5. The blanket or quilt should be about 4' by 6'. Taking different colors of fabric that match the colors of the room and blend in with the blanket. To save money use old clothes or pieces of fabric you no longer want and cut them into 6" by 8" and turning the edge under sew the pieces of fabric in rows. Get creative and sew them so that they form a circle or make a unique design or even abstract.

The point is to put a group of photos in each pocket. When I get the closet clean I will sew an example of my idea so that will give you an idea of what I am talking about. Taking a break between cleanings like sewing this blanket will break the monotony and make it more fun.

I have many ideas that I will share with you but I need to get back to my spring cleaning. This was one of the first obstacles I ran into when cleaning the closet out. I could not throw the old pictures away as they are irreplaceable.Stay tuned for further issues that occur during my spring cleaning adventure.

SPRING CLEANING-Clear out the Clutter

Winter is fading away and will soon be a memory. The gloomy days of February are the best days to begin to get organized. Now is the time to start your spring cleaning so you can be outside enjoying the nice weather. I love the spring and I am always more motivated to make some changes to my home. While you are cleaning out the closets look for things that you no longer want or use. I make it a game so I can motivate myself.

I like to save things but over the years I realize that this creates a large collection of junk. I now use the theory if I haven't used it or wore it in a year then it needs to go. Less is best as the saying goes. Who wants to spend your precious time off from work cleaning all the time. Box up the old things you have no use for and have a garage sale. Garage sales are a good way to make some extra money. I use this money to buy some new things for my home.

A new coat of paint or some new furniture can really change a room. I don't know about you but when I do spring cleaning I like to rearrange my furniture. A clean home makes you feel good and helps change your mood giving you a new outlook on life. Spring is a time for new beginnings and a fresh start. Clearing out the clutter in your home clears the clutter in your mind.

I feel more in control and happier when my house is in order. Old man winter is fading away quickly and the geese are flying north. Seasonal affective disorder which affects many people by February can be easily changed by getting your home in order so you have time to enjoy the wonderful spring weather and the beautiful sunshine. Let's get busy cleaning now. Grab your tote with your cleaners and get your first room clean today. Take it a room at a time so you don't get burned out.

Save Money To Have Fun!

We are having a break in the cold weather and it was actually 65 degrees in Kansas. This is not usual for February 18, 2011. I not only enjoyed the warm temperatures but I turned off the thermostat to save electricity and saved money. These days saving all that you can on the utilities can save some money for the finer things in life. "Kil-o-wat and save a lot".is really true and very simple to do. I do not need to give my hard earned money to the electric company. If you have the money to waste then read no further.

By actually turning off the heat or unplugging a cord saves money. Electricity is still drawing power through the socket with a plug even when it is not in use which costs money. In December which was not very cold this year my electricity jumped from $150 in December to over $325 in January then back down to $200 in February. It was colder in the month of January then it was in December. A few degrees makes a big difference. A simple check and change of the filter, turning the heat to 69 degrees at night and/or during the day made a big difference in my bill. I just wore extra clothes.

The change in prices at the grocery store from last week to this week really showed an increase. It is time to save money anyway you can as it is predicted that the price of groceries will get worse. I have bought Best Choice Frosted Shredded Wheat for a long time and the price was $2.50 a box which is really a good deal compared to other brands. Last week it was $2.79. The prices of groceries are expected to rise to an all time high this spring.

I know this does not sound like much but in these days of uncertainty you have to save anyway you can or you are just working to survive. We must reward ourselves for hard work or burn out will occur and your job consumes your life. Make sure you have fun because life needs a balance of work and play. All work and no play makes life fly by and before you know it you are old and tired.

As a youth I did not understand why everyone said you should enjoy your age instead of wishing you were older. I wish now that I would have listened to the grown-ups. One thing is for sure is that time stands still for no one. Save your money for living, shopping, traveling or eating out whatever your pleasure is. One minute takes forever and years go by fast.so enjoy each moment as if it was your last.

FEBRUARY 14th-Say I LOVE YOU!

Showing LOVE does not have to cost you 1 penny. Love is a spirit, an explosion of emotion that has been with us since the beginning of time and it does not take money to prove your love. Adam and Eve where the first people in LOVE. They did not have a store to purchase a gift as they shared love all their lives.

The simple words "I Love You" said in a manner with sincerity, honesty and your actions is all your loved one needs to know how you feel. Showering them with gifts is the retail worlds way of saying "Happy Valentines Day" and the only way you can say it is by reaching in your pocket and spending money you do not have so they can make a fortune on this holiday.

People should not allow the inability to give a gift stop them from showing love in other unique ways. Instead of feeling guilty or like a failure for what you cannot afford get creative and remember that love in itself is a gift that many people do not have. Give yourself if  you cannot afford a retail gift like me. Never let lack of money hinder this special day by feeling sorry for yourself. Sometimes this was all you had to give during your life especially when things were tough and easy street was not in site.

Finding a way that costs' nothing but will mean more and be forever remembered but it requires some imagination. Truly all I need to show love is taking the time to create a card out of anything I have and putting something in it that comes from my heart. Every person that is in love has private words, sayings, pet names or an object that they used in the past or a special moment that occurred years ago but when told again to your love one can arouse the essence and reason for your love that has grown over the years.

Opening a car door for your loved one is something you did while dating but after many years have stopped doing. Cooking a dinner, taking a walk, holding hands, a kiss are all beautiful ways to say "I Love You". So come on a get creative, be happy for the love you have because it is very special and true love is a rare quality in today's world. The word love has every emotion attached to it but if you are still together you are still experiencing the most exciting emotion in life, LOVE!

Here is a link on enjoying Valentines Day on a Shoestring Budget and I hope it will give you more ideas to not forget that love is not how much money you have but how much you love others.



http://www.ehow.com/how_2180994_celebrate-valentines-day-budget.html?utm_source=eHOD&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2180994&utm_campaign=12_02_2011

Stay Healthy and Save Money

Save Your Health

I awakened one morning and to my dismay I was very sick and in severe stomach pain and was taken to the hospital. Unemployed, uninsured were the farthest thing from my mind when my pain was off the scale. Of course, our great health care system accepts you even without insurance when it is an emergency at some locations. When you are as sick as I was it did not matter about the future consequences, expense to be exact, as I was too ill to think rationally and I did not care. When you are in pain you go to the hospital and they give you a diagnosis so you can get better. That is the old day idea. Here is a version of the new day healthcare. 

After day 5 I left the hospital still vomiting and very ill but as I had no insurance and they could not find out what was going on they seen no reason for me to stay. They or should I say the physician’s assistant, could care less that I was still in pain. She even said that they could not give me anymore pain meds so I would have to just live in pain. The doctors never put a hand on me other than to shake my hand my whole stay. At that moment I realized that they could care less about my health or how I felt. The bedside manner of the physician was superficial and totally absent of human compassion. 

Where was Dr. House? He would have made sure they found out what was wrong but that is television. The ethical code of honor is to heal the sick, stop the pain or find the reason for the pain. Care stopped when they couldn’t find the reason for my obvious pain.  Feeling of compassion was absent for fear of not being known as a great doctor. This human quality does not come from a book. It is a quality that many doctors in this era seem to lack. I am not saying all doctors are like this but when you are just a body that is sick without insurance it affects the way you are treated by nurses, physician and especially the physician assistant. To be informed that you could just suffer in pain without medication and stay in the hospital made no sense to me. 

Due to the lack of care and trying to find out why you are still in pain I left still vomiting and in pain. Whether you live or die when the doctor is unable to find a cure you are discharged. The hospital bill must be paid even when you’re still sick. If I did not fix the plumbing at the doctor’s home would I get paid? Within a week all the doctor bills begin to pour in and to make it even more difficult while you are still in pain, they all bill you separately for each procedure. 

Stress is what keeps you sick without a diagnosis but do you think they care about this when you owe them money. The person that does this job only sees you as a number so this really takes the human quality from the illness that you have. They immediately create added stress to your illness demanding payment at once. Sure you got a little break as you had no insurance but do they care if you are well. The future of your health now depends on paying cash for the tests you need to find out why you are still sick. 

How is a sick person ever to get well when you are the unfortunate person that has currently has no insurance at this exact moment in life. When you had insurance you didn’t need it or at least that is how it was with me. When I did have it I was required to pay money I didn’t have so I would not use it. It’s a vicious circle and the only person that really wins is the insurance company. Preventative health is a joke as you can’t afford it so the best way to save money is try to stay healthy and never get sick, LOL. 

To heal the sick is the sacred oath of the doctor but beyond that there is a gap in being able to get healthy and the ability to afford it. You can’t pay for the tests that will make you well as you are trying to pay for the emergency bill that was not written off. You are hounded by the creditors that want the money you could never afford in the first place but your illness was an emergency and required to sustain your life. 

This stress adds to remaining sick. After 5 days in the hospital and a $38,000 bill no one has a clue why you are still in pain. My advice is time your illness to never be sick and having insurance doesn’t save you money as you still will be hounded by the bill collectors for the %20 you still owe. Save your money by never getting sick.

A Major Snow Storm Is A Good Day To Pick Up The Seed Catalog

"Global Warming" if you believe that theory doesn't apply to today. As I stare out the window I see the snow blowing and it just keeps coming down. The temperature is to be -9 degree's tonight and with the windchill of 50 mph I will stay inside warm and safe. Luckily I do not have to be driving in it. If you are driving please be safe and take no chances. Make sure you have a scrapper, snow tires and emergency kit in the car.

Slowing down will save you time and money in the long run. No wreck and you are happy, your insurance premium does not go up and life is not interrupted. One wreck creates a great loss of time and energy in the future. I have been involved in a wreck and I was lucky to be alive. This was a great loss of time and a pain in the neck even though it was not my fault. 

Even with the snow I am still remaining positive and planning my garden for the Spring that will come soon. If you are enjoying a day at home in front of the television it is easy to grab that seed catalog and dream of the season that is promised to come. My mind has the perfect garden I just hope the weather will cooperate.

At least I have a garden hose, knowledge and can somewhat control the conditions that mother nature can throw at me sometimes. Hail storms are another story but we will discuss that at a more appropriate time.

Hopefully the groundhog will not see his shadow. Even though we know he is wrong about 70% of the time. Remember February is short, 28 days and then March. In Kansas, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb or at least we hope.