Thursday, Skills, mad or not...

     I set my alarm last night to get up early and start rolls for mom's church function and I over slept.  If hub's had not been up to go read the paper at the Veterans home, I would have really blown it.  Yikes!

     I jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen at about 7:50 or 50 minute later than I actually wanted to get up.  We needed to be at the church at 9 and the meeting started at 10:00.  I was in full blown panic mode but I did not want Mom to notice as she was already so keyed up and has been all week or maybe for the last two months about this event.  Anyway I started the rolls and prayed that everything would turn out okay.  I cannot remember the last time I made bread and it did not rise, but it can happen.  I had planned to have the Katze (saffron sweet rolls) done before we got to the church, but that was not to be.  I was able to get the car loaded, mom loaded, and the rolls were almost done with the first raising.
      Since mom's church has a very nice kitchen I just took two cookie sheets, some butter, a little sugar and some sliced almonds with me.  I unloaded the dough in the kitchen and punched it down before I went into the cultural hall to set up.  Then when mom was getting help from  other  ladies I was able to shape the rolls and let them raise over the warming oven.  At 20 minutes to 10 I put the rolls in the oven and they came out perfectly.  I am sure the praying helped.  The whole church smelled of fresh baked sweet rolls.  There was another meeting at the church next to the kitchen.  They had coffee made for the group and I took in two plates of rolls to them, as I felt it was unfair to smell the bread and not get to eat any.  Mom's presentation was wonderful and the food was good and I am tired and very behind in the shop and on sleep, and on housework.  But what is new?  I am just glad it is over and now she will find something else to worry and harp about.  Lucky me.

     SKILLS:  One of the ways a person can get ahead in life or get them self out of debt is to have skills.  The first skill I can think of would be to know how to create a budget and then how to live on a budget.  I had the skill to create the budget but not the where with all to live on the budget. :)  I am still learning that skill.

     These are 12 skills that I feel are important in helping a person stretch their dollars. I know there are many others but these are basic skills that can really help.

1. Know how to set up a budget.  How much do you have coming in and how much do you need to go out?  If you have extra where are those funds going to go?  If you don't have enough where are you going to cut?

2. Know how to cook and bake.  You do not need to be Julia Child.  But knowing how to cook a few basic dishes, of breakfast, lunch and dinner, are essential to stretching your food dollar.  If you don't know how to cook, learn! 

3. Know how to sew and repair your own clothing.  You should be able to mend a tear in a seam and sew on a button.  I also think hemming is important.  I am not asking you to reline your winter coat but fixing simple holes in clothes will help them last longer and save you money.

4.  Know how to repair and take care of items around your house. Can you repair a small hole in your sheet rock?  Can you replace a broken door knob? Can you fix a loose leg on a piece of furniture? Stop your toilet from running?  Unclog a drain?  These are simple skills and if you don't know how to do them you tube has videos out there to help.

5. Maintain what you own.  This is not just about clothing and household items, but about the major things you own or are responsible for.  Get the oil in your car changed, better yet change the oil yourself if you can. Clean your gutters, trim your bushes and trees, drain and put away your yard tools for winter.  Rotate your tires.  Most people two biggest expenses are their houses and cars.  Maintaining these items can save you thousands of dollars.

6.  Know how to paint.  I am not talking about the Sistine Chapel.  I am talking about painting a room.  Know how to cover and tape the floors, tape around your fixtures and use a paint brush.  Know how to clean up and maintain painting equipment.

7. Know how to clean.  Dirt and grime are some of the main reason people get rid of things.  If an object gets filthy dirty it is often discarded.  Wipe down and clean things on a regular basis.

8. Garden or learn how.  Even if you have an apartment, you can still have tomatoes and other veggies grown in pots on your patio.  I larger cities there are community gardens.  Find one and help out.  You will learn a great skill and reap the benefits.

9. Have a hobby or hobbies that produce something useful.  Knitting,quilting,crafting.  If you can knit your own socks or repair knitted things great.  Hobbies are also a great way to entertain yourself and can bring pleasure to your life.  Just be careful to have this as part of your budget, they can also be expensive budget busters.

10.  Learn to love movement and take care of your health.  Walk, bike, hike, picnic, swim, run, again garden, do yard work. Wash your hands! All of these things are good for your mind and your body.

11.  Learn how to shop wisely. Do you have a pantry?  Do you watch the sales?,  Do you thrift shop at thrift stores? Do you compare prices?

12. Learn to plan ahead in life.  You know when Christmas is coming right?  How about birthdays? Family vacations? School dues? Expenses that come regularly but are not part of the monthly budget.

Do you possess these skills?  If you don't how can you learn to help yourself learn them?  Do you possess other skills that you think are more necessary than these.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim