Jeep liberty.

      I have wrote about getting our 2005 Jeep Liberty in previous posts and the rear end wiggle it had. Did you notice the word "had" yep I finally put it in the shop to be fixed. I had the lower and upper rear end bushing and arms replaced . I went by the shop 2 more bolts and the entire rear end would have come out . All the bushing showed excessive wear but the lower ones were shot. Parts were 130$ on amazon and David charged 150$ labor because the upper bushing were a bitch to get out.  I have known David 19 years. His wife worked for me once upon a time . I had to fire her. But me and him always got along ok . He was a biker, well still is but he had a ruff time he lost a leg 12 years ago in a wreck. Drugs and depression  made him a shell of his old self till about 4 years ago he snapped out of it and opened a home repair shop for bike's and some cars and trucks.
         
       When I came to pick it up he said Megan their daughter had been talking about  wanted a liberty or Renegade jeep for a few years . Mine was the first one he had drove he said he loved the handling now that it was fixed and understood why she wanted one. Now I need 4 new tires on it and its set for years as the wife's back-up. He has my truck now fixing a transmission leak changing the fluid and filter and if it looks strong putting on a cooler for it.

I lost my Jeep

        I posted back in June I had bought a 2005 jeep liberty it has been a good one. A little to good. My wife's car had the starter short out because it has a leaking valve cover gasket. Oil in an electric motor is not good. Neither is an expensive part but its a Mitsubishi spider with a 3.0 engine. It's a bitch to work on .The starter is behind the Exhaust manifold and catalytic converter with 2 heat shields . I have a guy that says he will put the parts on for 200$ but he doesn't know when he can get over here and do it.
    While her car is broke my wife has been driving "the" jeep. I noticed last week its gone from "My" jeep to "the" jeep. Today I asked her if she would budget 100$ next month out of her check to help fix her car. She said sure no problem if I needed the money but she was happy with "HER JEEP". S0 in 6 weeks its gone from  "My" to "The" and has become "Her" JEEP.  I guess I am going to be the old fart in a convertible sports car now. I can't seem to hang on to a jeep .

    

First BBQ in 18 months.

        This weekend was the first time I have done BBQ since the Saturday after thanksgiving in 2016.  WoW that is hard to believe . I had 2 customers come to the house last week to ask if I would cook them a couple of butts each. I had been thinking about it old habits and I am a little bored . I had put my trailer and a sign up on Friday when I would be selling Saturday. Well I cooked a couple of cases of butts and a few slabs of ribs  hauled up to the HI way  and sold out in 3 hours . My customers all said they missed me. 

       Was nice to make a few hundred and the bad thing was I could have sold triple what I cooked. I told everyone I would be ready and have plenty come the 4th .

Sold my yellow stone camper

          Today I waved goodbye to the old trailer I got right before I started chemo. I had wanted to fix it up and use it but life got in the way. After I had recovered I considered repurposing it as a portable sandwich,  hotdog stand. It could have been cute but the wife and kids told me just sell it and keep my present vending trailer.  So I listed it on Facebook and Craig's list . Vintage trailer shell  7ft X12 no interior, early 50s Camp it or Yellowstone Mfg. Price 1000$

        

    I washed it and moved it out by the road, screwed down that back corner aired the tires made it presentable . I showed it to a dozen or more that seemed interested . I got lowball offers from 100$ to 500 . Even a used lawnmower trailer brings 6 to 800$ and is smaller.

    

       Today a young man drove from Cartersville Ga. I told him my bottom dollar was 800 or don't come it was 160 mile each way. Well he showed and we talked he wanted to do a restore to take his wife camping. They had Mud buggy Jeeps  and had been using a van but now had a baby and he wanted more room.

    This young man went over it top to bottom even took a ladder so he could see the roof. He didn't spew out ever flaw but I knew he saw them . One lady had bitched about everything she could find imperfect about it. To her I said  its a 48 model what year are you? She left a little mad. 

     The fellow got quiet and was thinking hard I could see him running  numbers and what it would take in his head. I gave him a few then asked, think you can fix it so the wife is happy.  He said yea he knew he could. Where you at on price son  he said 600$ I told him make it 700 we both can lie and say we got it for OUR PRICE . He said Deal, I feel good I believe it will get a second life with a young family.

    

Lunch and a movie with my Wife.

     Yesterday after the eye doctor me and the wife  went to lunch at Captain D's  and then the movie.  Now we enjoyed our selves till I pointed out  how pathetic we have become . It took a doctors visit to get us out of the house to eat lunch on senior day at a cheap restaurant  and go to the movies using free tickets my daughter gets using her movie pass membership.

      Ok my wife vision is back to 20/20 so she has to drive  you see I have  ONE major rule while in a vehicle . One person drives all others keep there mouth shut about it. My wife couldn't keep her mouth shut about my driving or yours ,  so I let her drive.

     Captain D's was normal but  2 meals and drinks for 10.98 made it almost good.  

     The movie we went to see was  "I Can Only Imagine "  if you haven't seen or heard about it here is its trailer .

    We have been doing dinner and a movie every week or so. Its a good reason to get out of the house and it doesn't cost that much. My daughter has a movie pass membership and she gets a ticket on Friday for a movie then turns it in for an advance ticket on say Wednesday then does it again on Sunday . We get 2 tickets to the movie for free. A movie pass membership is only 105$ year .That's the cost of 8 movie's. If you can find 2 decent movies a month to see it is a bargain.

Money sources isnt always obviousin in retirement.

    When I had to quit working and filed for disability I knew it wouldn't be the income I was use to. Not to say I had a high income but I had a weekly income and if my expense's went up I had  the option to work a bit more. At this time my ability to earn income even off book is zero. So while I was healing I did some research on benefits we qualified for besides just SSI.

      As me and the wife never have got Married to each other and have separate addresses . I filed for each of us food stamps .At our  income we each got 102$ a month. Then we got the Phone for free that saves us 40$ each a month. The phone was an upgrade compared to what I had to. ATT has a low cost internet for those that have low income. I applied and my internet cost have dropped from 60 to 10$ a month saving us 50$ more. A lot of people wouldn't have applied for these benefits as not worth the trouble inadvgaly but combined  in our case our income increased 334$ a month. 

       My wife is 65 and had to pick an insurance provider for her Medicare . The man we dealt with was good. At her income level she qualified for our state Medicaid to . When it was all said and done the state picked up her Medicare premium's and zeroed out her co pays. This  gave her 134$ Medicare back a month plus did away with 70 or more in co pays. So with a little due diligence we have increased income by almost 550$ a month or 38% over what we had.

Today at Sam's Club i saw a like minded soul.

      Wednesdays is my running around day. Normally I leave about 830 am to do our shopping. My wife hates shopping with me because I run the stores at marathon speed. Today I left at 1030 because she had the 2 yo grandson.
     I hate shopping and try to limit it to 1 trip a week. it goes.
Sams Club
Wal Mart
Aldi
Grocery store/Butcher

     This week I needed a decent amount of stuff at Aldi's but had to hit Sam's for a few items for the BBQ and some more Hashbrowns and check flour and rice prices.

 As I went flying down the dry good isle there was a man with a buggy with  3 50lb bags of rice and 2 of flour . I slowed because he had picked up 2 25lb of pinto's and was debating on a 3rd.  Now I didn't know the man at all  BUT he had on a camo T shirt a Gadsden flag ball cap and an air about him.  When I passed him I said " 2 25s and a 10 fill 2 buckets ". He looked up as I kept going his look went from confused to a huge grin . Nothing else was said he grabbed the 10lb bag as I  rounded the corner still grinning.

 

    I finished up what I had to do and as I loaded the car I took a quick scan of the parking lot. Off on the side was a 90s dark green Ford Truck with slightly over sized Mud tires . If I had waited I bet its driver wore camo and a Gadsden hat.

    If you want to remain under the radar when buying prepp's blend in and don't drive your bug out truck.

P.S. starting the 26 th Peanut butter at Sam's will be 2.25 off. Rice beans, flour have dropped again.

Seasonal bargins.

    Every year we see stores markdown seasonal items to get rid of them. Summer cloths down to 1$ to make room for  Fall/Winter wear. Now I never shop for cloths I have a wife and 2 daughters and my cloths magically appear. Saturday my daughter gave me 4 shirts and a receipt for 8$. My wife got me 2 pair of sweat pants ( the ones that don't look like sweats) she paid 12$ for both. They had gone to Kohl's for 35% off plus 25% off that and used their Kohl's cash.

     To the ladies  bargain hunting is a full day out . It was my wife her sister and my daughter. Glad I worked and glad they had fun. They even got 2 electric can openers for nothing and a 5$ rebate on top .

     They had fun it was cheap for shopping. Now I am not immune to seasonal bargain hunting. I bought our camper in winter when prices were lower . I always car hunt in the fall because prices are less. This year I bought a good riding mower for 50$. Friday an acquaintance/friend came up to the BBQ just as I was getting set up . Grass cutting is over around here except for a winter trim out. He asked a 100 for his father riding mower (his dad died in June) I had just spent 100$ for the shotgun so I told him I didn't think I could swing a 100$. In the last 3 weeks this man has sold me 60$ in tools,  push mowers and other items . About an hour later he stopped again and said "50$ and its yours". I agreed  I knew his dad well, even had him work on some of my mowers in the past.

    Picked it up Sunday and all that it needed was air in 2 tires. It had a battery that was bought in may 2016 plus a set of extra new blades. This is a sweet running mower now I feel guilty about the price. I think I will give his Mom 25 more to ease my  mind . She can use it after all she lost her husband of 52 year and has a drunk 50 year old son driving her nuts. Now I have 3 riding mowers 2 will be sold this spring  at season premiums.

 

     P.S. Block buster BBQ weekend the cooler weather made sales more than double the last few weekends. Last months budget went red maybe this month will return it to black !

Back from Camping.

      Got home Monday afternoon we had a nice time at the lake. We had planed on it being a week of us time but it turned into us and everyone time :(. One of the drawbacks to camping close to home is  anyone can come join. We had the wife's sister and our grandson come stay .  I came home and BBQ'ed Friday and Saturday . I had a lot of pre orders to fill and was swamped and sold out in 2 hours of what wasn't reserved. When I got back to the lake my wife was suffering a bout of gout in her foot and was in terrible pain. This was the first time she has ever had gout , I told her it was the illness of  KINGs so she may be the princess like she thinks she is :). Today it is a lot better but she will milk it for a few more days of pampering , I don't mind .

    While we were camped she spent WAY to much time reading FACEBOOK like it was 100% fact. Normally this drives me Nuts but she said "with the elections and terrorist bombing possible you need to stock up because if any thing large happens here people will act like idiots". Now she knows I have some stuff in the basement but she has never shown any interest in it. I have to admit that with the property purchases, winter and my son back here my 90 day pantry is almost gone. She said she wants me to build it back up just in case.

    To be honest over the winter we always run through most of our 90 day pantry, it is when my income falls and I use it as a savings account . This year I drew it down a bit faster but with the instability in the country and the media hype of events and more possible I made a mistake.

   In the past come spring I have focused on returning cash on hand to a certain level plus some before I restocked the pantry. This year I think pantry needs to be first priority even if I have to drop cash on hand a bit to do it. I even think I may increase the long term bulk by a few hundred pounds to. While Facebook has more lies than a car sales man it is a good indicator of peoples emotions and thinking.
   

  

I am to fat to be roofer

      Today me and my son put in rafters and runners over at my daughters place . My son has bad feet and stumbles some times on the ground  so I had to do the roof work. I don't want him to fall off a 18 foot high roof . I put in 6 hours up on the roof and feel it. We got it ready for the metal roofing tomorrow. I hope the metal is ready before lunch It will take some time to screw 38 sheets in place. It is going to rain Friday and I would love to have this place dried in .

    The mobile home roof is still good but with the wood siding that we plan on using it had to have an eve and overhang . It looks like I will be able to bring this place in on budget. This is the first project I have done in years that I have used a credit card on. Normally I am Totally cash and carry but these projects would have left me penny less. The carry cost will be kept to a minimum but it will allow me a cash cushion . A lot of folks would have seen this place and said it was  teardown but it had just enough bones I had to save what was there. It will be a nice 720 square foot home when done. I will have put 2500$ into bringing it back. To buy a new mobile home it would have been 32,000$ +. Plus it feels good to recycle on the scale that this place is. We are a throwaway society but it feels good (even aching as I am) to not waste material and money.

Bad money habits are taught.

     Yesterday I posted I had bought my wife's Granddaughter a camper to live in. OK she is 27  , 3 year old son and has been living in bad apartments and couch surfing till she moved back in with her mom last summer. My wife's daughter has a bad habit of using title loan and payday advance loans when she is short or has an unexpected expense .In years past we have saved her car twice from repo.  Well she past this on to Dee the granddaughter and got her to do a title loan for a property down payment. Ok what is done is done. I told Dee I would buy this camper IF she did 2 things when she got her income tax refund. Repay Me and go to the bank and refinance her title loan.

   Ok her title loan was for 2500$ 2000 for the land and 500 for tires. Terms was 257$ for 24 months that's 6100$ for 2500$ I had a freaking heart attack that she did this. Ok as a single working mom her refund will be close to 4500 $. Dee said she was going to pay off the title loan and use the rest for the camper . Great plan but not the one I want her to do. She learned her money skills from her mom I have to break that and make her see a better way!

    When her refund comes in she has agreed to deposit 2000 in Cds and take out a 2000 dollar loan to pay off her title loan. She will repay me for the camper and that will leave her  1200$ in savings for emergency's . The bank loan will cost her 172$ for 12 months giving her 85$ a month extra and 2000$ in the bank next year. When I showed her on paper what she would save every month and have next year she called her Mom over to show her. Her Mom said why do that you mite as well keep the title loan. Dee responded are you crazy? Her mom just didn't get it but Dee did.
    I will never change her moms money habits every year she spends like a drunken sailor when her refund comes in. I think I have gotten through to Dee . Dee asked if I pay 172 a month for 4 year I could buy a 8000$ car for cash ?  She is thinking in the right direction . No you borrow your own money and repay your self so in 8 years you would have the car and your 8000$ for 172$ a month. Her reply was WOW why don't they teach this in school . Good question.

The new House will never be a home.

     The house we bought for taxes is to far gone to ever be a home again . Over the last 4 weeks we have spent 6 days at it cleaning and cutting . We stabilized a wall and have poked and inspected to see how we should attack the repairs. The water problems are more substantial than we thought. This place is still wet and we have had 6 dry days . It gets almost no sun it was built on the wrong side of a large hill that has huge Oaks and Pines that allow zero sun . I will fix its problems but the area has low resale on old homes so the cost benefit is to narrow .

    It isn't a loss, me and my son have decided to make it into a food commissary with him a 4 room apartment attached. A commissary is just a place where food is stored and cooked and cleaning done on a mobile food truck. It is basically a normal kitchen with a floor drain , mop sink and if needed a vent hood with  exhaust. All of which I have and can install. By doing the house into a commissary we can both get license to operate any where in the state in both of our vending trailers. When the new trailer is finished it will also be licensed and registered as based out of the commissary. To make it into a home would cost 5 times as much as a commissary

     A home is about look feel and finish appeal. A commissary is about sanitation ,food handling and utility. The 4 room apartment is basically in good shape now. It will cost little to separate it from the kitchen unit . This plan will only cost about 800 in structure electrical and plumbing cost. Add 400 in flooring and counter cost should about do it. To get it to a rental level would be 3 times this and to a sale level would be over 5 times as much.

    To rent a space in a set up commissary would be 500 a month per vending trailer and to my knowledge the nearest one is 40 miles away. That's 1500 a month  FOREVER.  Buying and remodeling this house will be 2500 to 3500 once and done! Plus the cost of license is 1200 less in Blount county and the units are only 50$ each instead of 200$ each. The apartment for my son is an added bonus :) till one of our other places becomes deedable. This plan is a lower cost and a higher return over the next 5 years for both me and my son than rental or sale could net.

The cost of a Camper !

     A lot of people  think a camper is to big an expense .For some it may be but I want to give a rundown on why for most it can be a great long term investment.

      I will use our Fun finder 210 as an example because most people would never consider much less . As a base line cost lets use 6500$. This is about what we have in ours. This includes purchase price, insurance, tag and some chairs and what not.

    Trips to Big Lagoon S.P. 2 stays, 23 days total cost 512$ added gas 180$ total cost 682$. Hotel cost 265$ a night X 23 = 6095$ . Savings on 2 trips =5,413$

   We spent 26 day camped at various state parks and lakes this year. Cost 546$  for site, gas around 200$ so 750$ or so. Flea bag hotels in those areas are 80+ or 2080$ or more. Savings 1330$

    These numbers are for one year and do not include the savings to family that have stayed with us or after us. A ruff guess would be they saved 1500 to 2000$ this year using our camper.

  The wife and I have saved 6,713$ in travel cost plus 2000$ more for our kids. The Larger Fun Finder has been a great investment in its first year . Next year it will cost us less than 500$ in maitence .insurance and tag.

    I do not think a new Camper is worth the additional cost but a 3 to 7 thousand dollar used camper for a famly that will use it 2 weeks and 4 weekends a year over 5 years is a no brainer.

   We did spent 1500 $ camping this year which is a lot but it was less than 150$ a month. My dear wife is the one that saves for travel out of her meager check and she is happy so I am to .

   If we keep Camping with family like we have been for 4 more years the savings will exceed 30,000$ on a 5500$ camper that will still have a value of 4000 to 5,000$.

P.S. While we love the Fun Finder we will be rebuilding our red Tear Drop this fall for quick trips With Out Family !!!!!!!!!

Home at last

    We got home late Thursday night . We let our son and his wife use the camper and they will bring it home Sunday . We had fun but 12 days was a little long for a single destination trip .

     I had to hit the door running and got the BBQ ready for Friday. got home at 9 and was cooking by 10 . Now that was changing gears ! Had a decent weekend .

     On our way we stopped at the casino both going and coming back ,going I won 230$ on the way back we lost 180$ back so we had 4 hours of fun and  50$ for the gas tank. :)

Flea markets I Love them.

     Sunday morning I woke the wife and my son at 6 am for a trip to Mt. Top flea market. The unusual thing about this flea market is one its Sunday only and starts at 5 am and they start packing up at 2. It has been around since the early 70s and is going strong.
    My wife just wanted to look around I carried 3 axe's 2 mauls and 2 sledge hammers in need of handles. I also was on the hunt for 2 hens because one of my 2 hens didn't make it crossing the road last week. First I headed to the lemonade stand a friend has owned there since 1978 for a free lemonade. Them made it 3 rows up and across the field to the handle man .Ok the handle man has been there since day one he is about 80 and my grandfather bought handles from him when I went as a kid with him .I got him to pick me 7 handles for what I had for 28$ .One at ace is 12 $ ,he use to seat them for people but has got to old and to busy.

     After I walked a 1/2 mile to the jeep and back I went to livestock row. Livestock row has chickens ducks turkeys geese goats rabbits dogs and cats . saw a pair of dominicker hens for 20 each, nope I pass . The cheapest I found was 15 for Reds I Pass .They wanted 5$ for chicks or 3 for 12 . Well I didn't get the hens I wanted I planned on 10 ea. and just would go for what they wanted. I had parted with my wife and son so I went and called and  found them . On the way I found once used ammo cans for 10$ each I got 3. My son had found new boots for 20 a inverter for 12 and 5 boxes of Entmans doughnuts for 1$ each. The wife had a bag of navel oranges 3 dozen brown eggs and a flat of flowers all for under 12$.

   My son and I carried every thing to the jeep and went back got my wife before she made it back to the flowers again. As we headed to leave I stopped and got a Quart of honey ( local apple blossom bee hives) and we got out of there by 11 am .

     Now we had a good time got some great buys and exercise .Stores cost more and help local people less, we met and interacted with people as we bargained for deals, saw friends while there . Have you ever noticed in other country's this is everyday shopping/ life but here its looked at as red neck slumming not a normal way of doing business . Perhaps this is the way we should do business face to face interacting within our community.

My sons trailerstead got reclaimed .

     Been a busy week sorry for not posting. My sons property was on a tax claim that got reclaimed 45 days before it became his. So we had to move him off the place by the creek and in to the field next door to my house. I didn't think it would be reclaimed my son had paid 300$ over 3 years in a tax lien  at 12% interest but the man that was behind found some one that was willing to buy the property for 1200$ so he paid to  redeem and made 800$ at the last minute . The last day was going to be April 27 but we knew it was a chance.

    Now the field next door isn't mine but I have not seen any of the owners family in 7 or 8 years. The old man is almost 90 and if he or his kids say anything its move it again . They live about 50 miles away now so I think we are safe till may. Come May there is another property we may move him on to as reclaim will be past.

    This years tax sale I will be looking to buy a few tax liens and see if any go unclaimed for 3 years. I will not be looking for a house I want .5 to 2 acre parcels no buildings or utility's . My thinking is if it is raw, small and has a high building cost its more likely to be let go and suits my purpose .

    Now don't think I have cash to gamble with, on these types of properties for 1 acre no improvements first year is about 150$ and 50$ a year for the next 2 . If they reclaim I get my money back plus 12% interest  or the property for 250 to 300 $. If  I can get 2 or 3 I will be happy. The risk reward is worth the gamble.

     The one thing I have learned with my sons place is there is a way to make a place un reclaimable . If I had built a building on the property and had it assessed we would have been entitled to the cost back before title could be reclaimed. His place was in a flood plane and I would never have built on it, an old trailers one thing a building is another.
      If I am lucky and get a nice piece of property 1 to 2 acre in size and it goes unclaimed for 2 years its time to build a pole barn shed and have a power pole put up. I will get a permit and an assessment and have a friend print a paid receipt  as proof and make reclaiming it exceed 3000 or more . If a person had trouble with a 50$ tax bill a 3500$ reclaim would be out of the question . I have known men that buy tax sale deeds hoping only for the 12%  they never touch an unimproved parcel . It is tax auction time if you ever wanted a bug out / homestead / hideaway its something to think about!
    I need the storage room , my front yard has 4 cars, 1 jeep, 2 truck, 3 camper ,3 operating vending trailers, 2 smokers and 1 trailer frame for a monster kitchen trailer to be built. I feel the county inspectors eyes every time one drive by .

An easy way to build credit and save money .

    If your like a lot of folks you have trouble saving money for emergencies and you may not have a credit score high enough to get a credit card.There are some less known ways to borrow money at most banks . Most banks and credit unions have cash secured loans for 2% above CD rate about 3% right now. Here is how it works say you have saved 1000 $ but have been having trouble saving more every time you put up a 100$ you seem to dip into it. Been there done that, hard hump to get over . OK go down to your bank and buy 2 500$ CDs then ask for a loan officer and borrow 1000$ for 12 months against your CDs. The cost is about 85$ a month . Or make it 500 for 43$ a month whatever you can afford .Then take what you borrowed and put back in your savings account .
       Why would you do this? Because if your like most people you need to be forced to do something's . You have spent 45$ for the bank to force you to save . You spend 150$ a year for a gym to make you exercise .We spend money on a lot of stuff to make us do what we should with will power alone. Why not pay a bank to make us save money?
    Around this area to teach high school kids about credit and savings one bank has been pushing credit builder accounts. Now these are loans for 500$ that the students buy a CD and pay 43$ a month for a year. If they make the payments (or mom and dad does ) they have 500$ at the end of the 12 months. The bank reports the loans to the credit bureau helping establish a credit history for the students.

     Here is what I was forced into this year . My house is payed for but I still have taxes and fire dues every year. This year I didn't save enough to cover them , but I had the money. Rather than taking my emergency on hand funds and hoping to replace it.I went down to the bank and made a cash secured loan for this years taxes and fire dues Plus a little extra. Cost 85$ a month but will have most of next years covered. I have in the past used this to buy used vehicle's as a means to force myself to put the money back into savings.
 You decide what your savings goal is for a year.
500 =43$ a month
1000 = 85$ a month
2000 = 171$ a month
     If you have tried and failed get your banker to help you it cost about 5$ a month.

Living within my means must make me odd.

     Is living within ones  income a thing of the past, an oddity in todays world?Between me and the wife we have 7 kids of the 7 only 2 seem to live within their income level.I have a daughter that bearly scraps by and a stepson that is doing ok.All the others lurch from crisis to crisis and are always broke and borrowing payday to payday.I do not help like I have in the past I don't  have it but for some reason the kids ( the 5 idiots) think we do.My wife is the more tender hearted and would hand them what they were crying they need.
     I have looked at some spending habits of the kids and myself and have found its the small stuff that makes the biggest difference in having money.
     When I leave to do anything I take a cooler with water and can drinks sandwiches crackers . If someone is with me I pack for them to . Maybe cost 3.50 for both
      The kids stop at gas stations get 20oz sodas ,junk food , then they leave go to Mc D for a big Mc Meal . For 2 they will spend 20$ or more plus gas.
     Ok this may seem trivial but they do this 5 days a week its around a 100$ for a week difference.
     The 5 kids all have car payments me and the other 2 kids drive used and payed for cars and only carry liability . The difference is 350 to 400 a month.
      Now I am not cheap we love to camp we like to eat out(got to love Logan;s 2 for 14.99) once a week . Here is another big difference  they eat out 3 to 4 times or more a week 30 to40 a meal.

     Now just what I have listed can make 800 to 1000$ a month difference in budget.It blows my mind when they are talking about how broke they are .
      If I am broke we skip camping we eat at home and eat cheaper at the house , If something breaks we tighten our spending (washer craped out Monday).The cars stay parked unless its a have to .There is an old saying "Watch the pennies The dollars will take care of themselves". 

     I once lived beyond my income level and can tell anyone the stress is unbelievable. I had to have 2 full time jobs at one point now I prefer having less and more time.  

Season is done .

     The fall festival season is winding down .Once cold weather moves in people tend to stay indoors around here all it takes is it to be in the low 50s upper 40s.I did the haunted house and this weekend am at a bike rally.Made a little on the haunted house but the rally is shaping up as a loss. Even a small business needs to reevaluate its business model from time to time.Over this winter I will be giving some real thought to what kinda events I will be working in the future.
    
     I have dabbled in many different types of food and setups in the last few years the only one that has been consistent is BBQ. The BBQ has done good as a free standing stand and generates its own traffic.The funnel cakes and shaved ice has worked well at family events with moderate crowds.Most other items have been a Bust and lost money.At least in the off season I have time to plan next year.To be successful you Must have a plan!

Wastfull old farts !!

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the much older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.
The woman apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this ‘green thing’ back in my earlier days.”
The young clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations.”
She was right — our generation didn’t have the ‘green thing’ in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But we didn’t have the “green thing” back in our day.
Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown Paper bags as book covers for our school books. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribbling. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.
But too bad we didn’t do the “green thing” back then. We walked upstairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.
But she was right. We didn’t have the “green thing” in our day.
Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.
But that young lady is right; we didn’t have the “green thing” back in our day.
Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she’s right; we didn’t have the “green thing” back then.
We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But we didn’t have the “green thing” back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service in the family’s $45,000 SUV or van, which cost what a whole house did before the “green thing.” We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.
But isn’t it sad that the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the “green thing” back then?

     I did not write this it was in a comment section and i had  post it.