| Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... |
I published some more Shorts this week.
M
MONEY TIP
Do you really need more than one car? Maybe you do, but maybe you don’t and you’ve just never thought about it. If you only have one person with a job outside the house, you can typically make it with one car. Often, selling a car is all it takes to cut down a major portion of your debt. If you live in a big city, do you need a car at all? It really depends on the city, but most cities have discounts for daily transit. If you live within walking distance of public transport, you could get some exercise out of this option as well. Or you could always bike to work.
O
OPPORTUNITY
Speaking of cars, if you’re looking for a new-to-you car, always get the Car Fax. You can sign up for the website and get it yourself, but if you buy from a dealership, ask them to get it for you. If they don’t then go somewhere else. It has a history of all reported accidents and even maintenance sometimes. Of course, you should always get a mechanic to check out used cars before you buy them because not all accidents are reported.
M
MINIMALISM TIP
“I’m sorry my house is a mess.” You’ve said that before, right? I have. Sometimes, I like to say, “Now it’s time for the obligatory apology for the condition my house is in” when people come over. It lightens the mood and breaks the ice, but it also shows that I don’t really feel the need to apologize for it. We have five kids. Our house isn’t always pristine. Your house is your house, not your guests, so there’s no reason to apologize. We all like to do the mandatory cleanup before people come over, and then we wonder why our house isn’t always in this “cleaned up” condition. It doesn’t have to be. We should keep clean houses because it boosts our mood, and we know where things are when we stay organized, but if there are clothes on the couch or you forgot to wipe off the counters, no apology is necessary. In short, stop apologizing for living in your house.
E
ESSENTIAL READING
On the topic of cleaning your house, one of my favorite books about decluttering is Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana White. It’s a realistic approach to decluttering. Much more realistic than the KonMari method for most people.
N
NOTION
Teach your kids to love giving. I wrote an article this week with tips, strategies, and even steps to get your kids to love giving. It shouldn’t be forced or mandated once they start to get older. If you teach them to love giving, you won’t have to do any of that.
T
TRAVEL TIP
Our favorite travel tip when taking the kids to any sort of amusement park is to go during the off-season. It just takes a little research to figure out when that is depending on where you’re going, but it’s worth it. You’ll usually save money, lodging will be more affordable, and best of all, you’re not waiting in lines for over an hour.
S
SCRIPTURE
“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.”
1 John 4:17
Closing Question
Are you doing what you need to do to get the results you want? You may want to run a marathon, but running 1 mile a week won’t get you there. Align your habits with your long-term goals.
