Been working on my budget today... and then I found some new videos with different ideas about how to do it. I discovered Bullet Journals... an interesting way to keep track of things. :-) Lots of artistic people out there. I tend to favor Excel sheets because they can be modified more easily... and I am ALWAYS changing my strategies.
I've been trying to work on saving monthly for the things that only come due once or twice a year... but haven't quite gotten it to work yet. Today, or recently, I discovered they have a name in budget circles... SINKING FUNDS! So, I have been trying to work on getting those bills into a monthly flow so it isn't so difficult the month they have to be paid.
I discovered a lot of people on You Tube are using a fill-in-the-square method to keep track of some of their savings and spending efforts. The chart I shared yesterday is a fill-in-the-line kind of graph. I saw one video with a great adaptation that was like a game board with the small bills at the start and the bigger bills at the squares near the end... with each square equaling a certain amount of money. I am going to try to tackle my Emergency Fund with the squares. I am making a page with several of my goals on it in squares. I won't have to have a bunch of pages for them... or repeat them every month in my budget tracking.
I was glad to see other people use binders... and journals... I think it also makes a back-up option when you find a way to do both... somehow. That is my recordkeeping goal.
I also am seeing that there might be income to be made in my efforts... eventually. I love to make forms, and now I need to see if I can make the designs work for others.
It has been a strange day, but that's OK.
I did a l-i-t-t-l-e more of my yardwork. I mailed three of my monthly letters. I had to rest today. Am fighting a second headache. Made a great soup. And some other things that just have to get done. After this post, I'm not sure what will happen.
My elephant calendar arrived today... faster than it was scheduled to come. I am trying to find out if this is the first year they are offering calendars. I think it could have been much better, so maybe by next year it will be. I may make some notes for myself and try to share the ideas with them. I have seen some amazing photos of elephants, so I guess I thought that is what I would see in the calendar. I think some text with the photos, some of them, would have been even better... especially when they know who the elephant is that is pictured... some background info, stories that make them come alive... inset photos of their rescue... where they are now... details that would make it more than just an elephant photo. Sharing more about the helpers would be great, too. I think they used a fundraising fill-in-the-space format, but an original design would be fantastic. I am still thinking about it... I spent $25 on this calendar... a lot of money for me. It is something I will look at all year long. I think it could have been so much more. I want the future editions to be much better, so I will be glad to spend that much on my elephant calendar.
I have their address, and their email... I will try to send them a good letter after I have some time to mull over the details.
I got a beautiful oversized postcard kind of insert with it... I put that right up on the wall over my desk space, and I love it immensely. I share stickers for my favorite charity on my letters, I would love to share more of these cards somehow. I am also trying to figure out how I can do that. :-)
Maybe I will share this post with them on social media. I will think about it.
With all these fundraising ideas, and businesses online that I am discovering lately (at YouTube), I am beginning to think of things that might help me raise the funds I need... something that can be mass-produced or sold easily.
Budgets make you want more money... I keep trying to find the options that will work for me... in my current situation/s. I have been very inspired by the people I have seen on YouTube.
It looks like the weather will be decent in the week ahead. I may get most (or ALL) of my ivy patch done soon. It is mostly cleaning up the debris. Only a little more clearing it out... for this year. :-)
Until next time,
In Christ,
Deborah Martin
work2gather.us
Working Together Inc
Building for the End Times
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May we all find the best future for us and for our world.
Amen.
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