Taking one step at a time

As I watched my son try to walk in his new little sneakers, I realized that life is like learning to walk all over again.  Every change in our life causes a reaction; sometimes good and sometimes bad. 

He is walking really well barefoot but, as soon as you put shoes on his little feet, it's like he is teaching himself all over again.

I have been working in the same job for over 10 years and am very confident in what I do. Everything  is second nature to me because I have been doing it for so long.  Now that I have started my own business I have to teach myself to be confident in what I am doing all over again.  I know that I enjoy helping moms work from home and it really isn't like work but, I need to build up my posture.  I know that I will succeed it is just going to take one step at a time.

Saving Money while on Vacation

Camping is a great way to save money while on vacation.  We took our 13 month old son on his 1st camping trip this weekend.  It was great, he loved it. 
I have camped all my life and enjoy it much more than being couped up in a hotel.  Don't get me wrong I like the luxury hotels and spas for special occassions.  We even went camping for our honeymoon.  We towed our pop-up with no heat/ac all the way to Maine and spent the week.  It was romantic and relaxing, just what you need after planning a wedding for almost a year.  We spent well under $1000 on our honeymoom.  Not many people can say they spent less than $1000 on their honeymoon.
Money saving benefits aren't the only advantages of camping.  You have your own linens, you don't have to pack the car and unpack the car, you have your own kitchen and bathroom and these are just a few of the benefits of camping.
We now have a travel trailer with the luxuries like heat/ac, a queen size bed and our own bathroom.  Don't get me wrong tent camping is fun but it is not for me anymore.

Ways to save money while camping:
Make breakfast in the morning
Pack lunch for the day.
Go for hikes (they are free)
Ride your bikes (again free)
Cook dinner over the fire
Have family time while roasting Marshmallows andtelling stories
Take food like spaghetti, pancakes, trail mix, PB&J
Play games (free)
While in the car play I Spy or other games to occupy the time

There are many other great ideas to save money while on vacation.  Enjoying your time with your family is the most important part of vacation so don't worry about the money and go camping!

What are you willing to sacrifice?

"For everything you gain, you give up something.  How much are you willing to sacrifice for your dream?  Your answer will determine your future.  Sometimes the greatest obstacle to tomorrow's success-is today's success." Author unknown

Becoming Frugal

Since having my little boy, my husband and I are trying to become more frugal with our spending.  It is very hard when you are used to a certain lifestyle.  I have started clipping coupons and only buying things that are on sale and that I have a coupon for.  I gather all of the sale papers for the 3 grocery stores in my area, make my food list and then scour the papers to see who has the best prices.  I then compare my food list to the coupons I have.  This does take extra time,  time that we don't have, but it is worth it.  I get so excited when I get my receipt and see how much money I have saved.  I also see who gives me a discout for bringing my own shopping bags.  One of my local grocery store gives me 5cents per bag for bringing in my own canvas tote bags.

I took $50 one day and went into our local Aldi store to see what I could get for the money.  I was surprised at the amout of food I was able to buy with the $50.  They carry their own brand of food so there are no coupons.  They also charge you for bags so you need to bring your own.  Having to bring your own bags is great for the environment so I am all for that.  I must say that there are still some items that I prefer to spend the extra money on.  

I also look aroud the house to see where we could reduce the needless expenses.

This is still a work in progress.  Wish me luck!

What color are you? (your personality)

Have you ever wondered why you had a hard time talking to someone? 
Ever wanted to know a way that you could get through to somone one when you are trying to help them?
It is all based on personality.

I took a personality test the other day and it was great to find out what color I was!  Everyone has a little bit of the four colors, but you are the majority one color. There is a website out there to take this personality test http://www.colorcode.com/.

I had fun and it opened my eyes on how I deal with people and situations.  I am 55.88% blue.  Blue means I am loyal, committed, intimate, honest and very comopassionate.  These are just a few of the traits listed for a Blue person.  No wonder I have a hard time dealing with the RED people.  They are the dominant, I am always right intimidating people.

There are ways to talk to those personalities and make them listen and understand.
There are ways to talk to any person/personality and make it go your way.  Someone once told me that you have to become a "Chameleon".

Learning how to relate to other personalities is a great asset for anyone that is in the business world.
I can't wait to read the book by Dr. Taylor Hartmen and learn more about my personality as well as how to relate to others.