Category Archives: Weblog

Financial Planning Class

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I’m nearly 40 years old and I manage my money poorly. I get by like many people, but I don’t have the right plans to have a secure future. Considering some of the hard lessons I’ve learned recently, it’s time I took lessons so I won’t have to do this again.

Tammy and I signed up for a Dave Ramsey “Financial Peace” class offered by a local church. This class is like hiring a personal trainer for exercise–we all know what we should do, but the trainer helps you do it right.

The first steps were easy. We set up another account at the bank for an emergency fund and stocked it with money. That will help us weather the next storm (like a new transmission) a little easier. Tonight, we sat down and wrote a generic budget and were surprised just how much we spend in basic areas like groceries.

The class might not be held tomorrow night due to [the weather](http://www.tammykirks.com/archives/847) but we’ll try to make if it’s open.

Emotionally, this is a big deal for me. Money has been a point of contention between Tammy and I for years, but this class is teaching us to come together and work on our problem with a plan and a goal. Just one session and writing the budget has probably cut my stress in half.

January 2009 Updates

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I like my weblog, but I don’t write much any more. It’s not just here, but most places like Twitter or Facebook get very little attention. I have friends who post often and it pulls me back to the keyboard. I guess I don’t write because I realize that I have hardly the time to read what others write. Plus, at the end of the day, I spend my work time in front of a keyboard so I guess that makes it hard to write here.

Job Stuff:

I don’t talk about my job on my weblog except to say that I have one and it’s going well. I like my workgroup and the drive back and forth to Branson is actually relaxing. Call me if you want to know more–all of it good.

House Stuff:

If you read [Tammy’s weblog](http://tammykirks.com) then you’ll get a good idea of our latest news, but I’ll write a digest here in a separate post.

Programming Stuff:

I used my Pragmatic Programmer’s 35% off coupon for a book on developing for the iPhone. That means I’ve got three books headed my way in the spring (when they are published on paper) but early access to the “beta” versions as a PDF files.

Professional Stuff:

I have to complete or renew 7 professional certifications before the end of March. That means my head will be in a book for several hours each weekend a couple of evenings during the week.

Perspective

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It’s tough to feel sorry for yourself for too long when the times are rough for so many people. I found many of the folks that I work with carry burdens, some are just not as obvious. To all who struggle this season–keep your chin up and find at least one thing for which you can be thankful.

Frustration

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I’m hording some frustration. Anyone want some extra?

This year, our finances have taken a huge hit. I lost my job at daZZee when they shut down their Springfield office, but picked up a new job, all at a time when the economy was showing it’s first signs of stress. I bought a new house and started that new job all in the same month and at one point, I really didn’t think I could handle the stress.

I watched my savings disappear. All of it. I used it to pay bills and get one house sold while buying another. All of those events conspired to put me in one place–on the margins. That leaves me frustrated.

I can’t dig out of my hole as fast as I would like. I can’t sacrafice or cut very much more than I have. I’m frustrated at so many things in my life that yesterday, I could not think straight. Seriously. I could barely string together two thoughts. I constantly lost my train of thought, forcing me to start my work over and over again.

I’m happy with who I am and what I’m doing. I just not happy with the way I got here. I certainly don’t know how to get away from this–the crushing debt, the fear of job loss, the pressure to be and act normal.

Frustrating. Better than a different f-word, I guess.

The $20 Upgrade

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[Tammy](http://tammykirks.com) was exhibiting at [Winterfest](http://hammonshall.com/Shows.aspx?id=60) again this year, so I called her bank and asked about a credit card machine. For $20 we had the use of a traditional swipe card reader with receipt printer, an upgrade from the late-1970’s knuckle buster manual imprint machine. Without a phone line at the show, our authorization options are limited, but the machine has been well worth it. The transaction process is simple and the batch processing at the end of the day turns 15 minutes of manual key pressing in to about 60 seconds of beeping and hissing.

Upgrayedd!

Thanksgiving 2008 on the smoker

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[Two years ago](http://www.houseofwarwick.com/2006/11/23/thanksgiving-birds-on-the-smoker/) I did a couple of 13lb turkeys on the smoker and it was a huge hit. This year we’ll be doing more of the same and I won’t change much in the way of process or spices. I’ll probably be able to use more Northwoods (a Penzey’s spice blend) because I’m more confident about it’s flavors, but at least I won’t have the thawing problem like last time.

It’s 10:30PM the night before and I’m running through the mental checklist of items I need. So far I’m doing good and the prep time for the rest of the dishes will just about match the cook time of the turkeys.

What are you cooking tomorrow?

Thanksgiving Menu Planning

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Emails went out to family and friends for this year’s Thanksgiving meal. Planning is always fun since everyone has a favorite food that can’t be forgotten. Mine is pumpkin pie; for others it’s green bean cassarole. What’s yours?