blank mind

My mind is blank
There is nothing but nothing
Stars

That's my poem. I made that up just now. I think it could probably win a prize.

Truth is, I don't really have anything I wanted to write about this week. I had a plan for a different post but it is going to have to wait. I'm not ready to post it yet.

I have mentioned this before. Changes are coming. I am unsure if it will be to this blog in particular or if I will be starting a separate one, I have yet to decide.  But changes are coming.

These changes are all bases around blogging. I have been reading quite a bit and there are some changes I want to make that will enhance the blog and my blogging experience.

Honestly, I knew blogging would be tough, it's hard to come up with content on a regular basis. My issue so far has been me leaving it till the last moment and realizing I don't have a topic of the day. I want to turn this into more of a full time thing. That's why there are changes coming. My blog as it is now isn't set up for the full time attention I want to give it. Let me say that in different words. I want it to become a full time thing, it wont be that right away. That is a lot of time to devote to something.

I'll give away one secret. I want this or another blog to produce money. Why not? One plan I have is actually to do a blog about my journey to financial success in the blogging community. I'm pretty sure this is going to be one of the hardest things I will do. But that's why I want to blog about it. It will show everyone that anyone can get into it and make it work. If I make it work that is...other wise I will show the world that I didn't get it to work...that would be embarrassing.

In time. I'm in the middle of researching this thing out and documenting as I go. Even if it can bring in a couple hundred bucks a month, that's one more stream of income that has a potential to grow.

Anyways, I'm grateful for you the readers. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have this blog and I wouldn't think there was any potential or point in blogging.

MONEY MONEY MONEY

Hello Readers!

We found out that we were paying for a balance protection insurance on our credit cards. We promptly canceled that. We were paying that every month. What were we paying for? If I lose my job or get hurt, they will pay my minimum payment for 1 year. If I still have no job THEN they will pay off the balance of my card. WOW, thanks...
Or I could pay off my own card so I don't need anyone to pay the balance of my card. I was choked when I figured out we were paying that. Unreal.

Anyways, my thoughts this week have been on finances. Controlling our money and creating additional streams of income. Someone last week mentioned that it's pretty silly to have only one income stream. Why would be want to put all our eggs into one basket?

That is a great point. Why would we put all our eggs into one basket? When I looked at my situation I said, man, I need to spread my eggs out.

I don't only have one stream of income. Both my wife and I have a job, so that's two streams of income and I am starting a second job, so that's three. 

The question I had this week was "what happens if one of us loses our job. Are the other streams of income enough to cover expenses?" The answer is no.

I think that is the case for a lot of us. We have those two jobs, but we are living in such a way that forces us to continue in both jobs. If one spouse loses a job, then bills aren't being paid and credit is being destroyed. So why are we having two jobs then? What benefit is it?

I want to get to the point where we have enough additional streams of income that if one disappears the others are still enough to cover expenses.

Of course there are a couple ways to get into that position. One is to reduce your expenses, the other is to increase your income. Obviously, the second is the optimal choice. No one wants to reduce their expenses. What do you cut? Cable or internet? Netflix? Kids sports?

It's better to just increase our income so we can still enjoy our cable and internet. So what options are there for increasing your income? Heres a short list:

1. get another job/spouse goes to work
2. go back to school to get a better paying job
3. ask for a raise
4. start a business


This is what have come up with. I am already working two jobs and my wife is already working one, I have gone to school to get the better paying job, no one likes asking for a raise, and I have started a business and continue to look into how to start more.

Personally I feel the last one is the best option. In time you can free your self from your job with the business you start. There is, I'm sure, an infinite amount of ideas for kinds of businesses you can start. Mom and Pop shops, network marketing, affiliate marketing, selling crafts or home made items, start your own day home or hair salon, etc, etc.

I really want to spread my eggs out. I don't want to risk my family life on my boss not firing me, or deciding that our department is no longer needed or cuts are needed. So I want to ask you guys, what other ideas are out there? I would like to hear some ideas you guys have come across to increase your income or create a second/third/fourth stream of income. I would like opinions on some of the ideas out there.

One last point. The ball is in your court. It is extremely important that we take our financial future in our own hands. It is our responsibility to make our money and pay our bills. If we leave it in the hands of others, we will never be free.

A Toast to Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

In Canada, Thanksgiving is to celebrate the blessings of the harvest. Hence why we all eat really good food and drink delicious eggnog. So let us all celebrate this Thanksgiving by eating lots of food, drinking lots of eggnog, spending too much time with family and friends, and expressing our thankfulness for the many blessings in our lives. 

That is all.

Brain Dump

Wow, my mind is full right now. So many things to think about. Which one to write about?

Zombie apocalypse seems right around the corner. Just google ebola virus and there are articles of 3 patients who died and were "resurrected". Granted they may have been thought as dead, but still. Bodies appearing lifeless then coming back. Apparently one of the women who came back spent 2 days in a room with no food or medicine prior to coming back. But then again there are sites claiming it is all a hoax. I'm telling you, one of these days it's going to hit our door step and we still wont believe it.

Conference was this weekend. For those of you who don't know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This weekend we had our second General Conference of the year. First one was the first week of April. It was an awesome conference, as always. A lot of great talks. I liked how they have now allowed speakers to speak in their native tongues and having subtitles on the TVs. They all used to speak English. We are getting quite the representation of nationalities at conference. It is a wonderful thing.

Talked quite a bit tonight about preparation with one of my brothers. It's a hot topic right now with me if you can't tell. It's hard for it not to be when you look at the news and see things like ISIS doing whatever they want. I can't imagine the scene the prophets like John the Revelator saw of our day. They speak of bloodshed and chaos. It hurts my stomach seeing what has been done and that's only a few pictures. John saw it all. I don't know how he could have handled it. These things almost seem unreal.

I don't want to dwell on the negative but these topics have been in my mind this week. How blessed I feel right now to live in this amazing country. Still we need to prepare for anything. Could be a flood, loss of power, loss of a job, or an attack. Either way it is pretty dang smart to have something on hand in case the SHTF!