Computer desk or counter?

Where I work, the computer monitor is hung using a tv mount up on the wall. That's pretty nice. It frees up the limited space on the desk so that other things can be there. The server towers are on a strong shelf high above the desk, so there's no risk of getting mop water or other spills on them. Servers aren't cheap and they do have to be protected.

The desk is actually a high counter with a tall desk chair you roll up to it. The only problem there is that I'm pretty short, which means I have to practically leap up to get to sit on the chair! Then, my feet are dangling because the foot rest ring on the chair is no where near close to my feet. I had a large box under the counter to prop my feet on, but someone got rid of it so I'll have to find another one.

I'm sure this is all arranged so we can access the computer without sitting all the time, which is fine. But when you're short like me, even the counter is too high for comfort. I would have preferred a conventional desk in that area, but I wasn't asked my opinion. Oh, well. I have things the way I like them at home. :)

Working harder

As much as I want to stay home and operate a business, my "in real life" job is sure sucking the energy out of me. Yesterday, for instance, I wound up working almost 11 hours because two people didn't show up for work. When the mid-shift manager and crew member came in, it would have only been the two of them to do everything in the store if I had left, so I stayed until the evening crew people and manager showed up.

I've been stuck there with only one other person before, and I know how difficult it is to run the store that way. Customers don't seem to understand it, either. They see there are only two people doing ALL the work, and they still get angry if their food isn't in their hands in under 30 seconds. Get a grip, people. Try doing this yourself and maybe you'll understand then!

In the meantime, I'm still searching for more ways to generate income at home so that some day I can say goodbye to the rat race and become human again.

GonnaBe

You may have a child in your home who shows exceptional talent in some way, such as acting, singing, dancing, or playing a musical instrument. He or she may even be gifted in making videos. The problem comes when your child decides he wants to share his talents with others in a more professional way. Getting into the entertainment industry can be a daunting challenge for everyone, but moreso for children because they also need to be protected.

A group of people connected with the entertainment industry have launched a website just for children like yours. There, you can post a resume, list the talents and interests of the child, and possibly make contact with interested persons in entertainment. This could lead to a nice career for a child who is focused on entertaining others.

There are humorous videos on Gonnabe.com, to give you an idea of some of the talent that's available. The GonnaBe.com site is set up to allow bright children to connect with those who can help them begin their careers in entertainment. Along the way, Gonnabe.com also adds these videos to their list of things they are doing to stay busy and keep us all entertained.

Children on GonnaBe.com come from everywhere and the families are from all walks of life. The creators are experienced in the entertainment industry and have set up the site so that children can not only gain exposure but also develop their talents more fully. GonnaBe will help find training for specific areas of entertainment so the child presents herself with her best foot forward. It helps to develop confidence and goal-setting.

Let your job set you free

As badly as I want to work from home full time, I still have to work outside my home for now. I have some benefits from my job that I'm not ready to turn loose of just yet. I'm not at retirement age, and I can't cover the cost of those benefits right now.

When I look around at the crew members I manage, though, I start thinking that if they just would "work" instead of lallygagging around, they could get more hours, earn more, and be better able to meet their own personal expenses.

One in particular comes to mind. I won't mention names, but all too often I find this young man leaning up against a piece of equipment, doing nothing. When I find him with "nothing to do" and unwilling to do secondary duties, I send him home. I don't need him there if he's just going to be lazy. So, as a result, he wound up with a minuscule paycheck this last time, and wasn't at all happy about it.

I told him he has to actually work when he's at work. If he wants a bigger paycheck, then he must make himself a valuable employee. Not only that, but he must follow the directions of all other managers while he's there and not take an attitude with them. (I had to call him on this just yesterday when he smarted off at one of the assistant managers.)

The problem is, he's not the only one who behaves and reacts this way. I respond the same way with them all. I'm not a mean person, but if I or another manager is working circles around someone because they won't complete their own tasks, then they can go home. Don't need 'em.

So, the key to earning more money, besides winning the lottery or inheriting some rich uncle's fortune, is actually applying yourself where you work. You may also find you have chances for advancement if you put out extra effort in your outside job. This can lead to more earnings and actually less physical work for you, which can help you in the long run to attain your dreams of self-employment. You'll have more energy to devote to developing a home based business, and you'll have more income to use for start-up costs.

Getting on board the HDTV train

By now, everyone should know that early in 2009 you'll have to have an HDTV or a converter in order to view anything. While many cable companies will compensate for this by converting the HD signals that are sent to users of analog televisions, not everyone will be so fortunate. However, the good news is that many HDTVs are now a lower price than ever before and are even comparably priced to analog televisions, which are rapidly going the way of the dinosaur.

A few months ago, Son and I bought an HDTV that was brand new and remarkably low-priced. Probably because the refresh rate on it is less than some of the current models, but it plays great and the picture is wonderful on it. My DVD player works on it, whereas it didn't work at all on my old analog TV. The only thing I didn't do was shop for HDMI cables when I bought the TV. Son did, though, just a couple of weeks ago.

See, he wanted one to hook his game machine, which will play BluRay disks, to his television. A few days ago he brought the whole setup downstairs to hook to my TV, and I was amazed at the difference in picture clarity.

Are these things something we "need" to have a full life? Probably not. However, because I don't watch commercial television at home, they really do help when it's time to sit and relax after work! And, since HD and BluRay are here to stay, we might as well step into our own future and have them in our home.

Motivations for a home business

Friday proved to be a long and tiring day, and a motivating factor for me to more intensely pursue my dreams of working completely from home. I got to work at 1 PM, as scheduled, and was supposed to get off at 8 PM. However, when a supervisor called saying they needed several people from our store to work at another one because too many people there had not shown up to work, I was left with the choice to go to the other store or stay at the current one while others went. I opted to stay.

See, either way meant I would have to close. Instead of going home at 8, as scheduled, I would either go home at around midnight where I was or even later at the other store, since they stay open two hours longer. I was already tired and it was near the scheduled end of my shift when all this transpired, so I chose to stay.

This left us with myself and only one other person to operate the store and do all the closing procedures. We wound up leaving at 11:45 with all the most vital ones done, but we did skip over some things that weren't make-it-or-break-it important. Having just spent two hours doing the work that would normally be done by at least 4 people, we were really too tired to go much further.

I do like my job, but it's shifts like that which really light a fire under me to have a home business! What spurs you on to achieve that goal?

Home buying

As long as we're talking about the economy, we might want to address the concerns many have with mortgage lenders. Right now, interest rates are down. Often, this translates into more difficulty in obtaining loans because lenders can't get the return on the loan that they'd like to get. However, with a little shopping around, a home loan is still obtainable.

For younger people, buying a home really is a good investment. At my age, it's not possible to pay one off before I hit the grave. But my children can do this with no problems. They've got many years ahead of them. The thing that always concerns me is when a young person or young couple buys a home with intent of making money selling it in the near future. To me, a home is for living in, for raising children in, for welcoming grandchildren in. When someone buys a home with the intent to raise a family in it, I think the value of it is far more than dollars and cents can measure.

Even if, at some later point, they decide to sell and move, the love they've shared in that home and the care they've given it will make them winners. It will also help garner buyers who are interested in a home as a home and not a commodity.

Is the economy really going down the tubes?

I wrote an article on one of my other blogs concerning the state of our economy. I've got to say, we are all running in fear, panic, and paranoia where the economy is concerned. And it's just that kind of reaction to current conditions that actually causes more woes.

I say, dig in and do what you can in your own personal life to improve your little corner of the economic world. See, it's all of us added up that create the economy. How we do our jobs or how we run our home business has an impact. It may seem like a small impact, but it's there, nonetheless. Understanding that each and every individual who contributes in a positive way to the economy helps improve it will be our financial salvation. We can scream and cry and kick against the "powers that be", but they didn't create things the way the are now. We all did.

Over time, the economy rises and falls. How we respond is what's important.

So, what can you do without? How can you personally save money? How can you create a niche in the business world? How can you give back?

Home networking

Since we are a family which really enjoys geek stuff, we are thinking about setting up a home networking system. This means we'll need to look at and probably buy used cisco to save some money on equipment we will need. We have plans to install a signal booster, too, since our cell phone service just doesn't get the signal to us out here. That renders our air cards practically useless until we take our laptops into town and access the internet through our wireless server there.

We are essentially paying for wireless internet every month for no good reason. Now, I really like this kind of connection, but it seems like a waste of money to only use it a few days a week, as we are now. So, the home networking really is our best option.

It's time again for a few tips that may save you time, money, or both. Saving money is almost as good as earning it!

• Washing dishes. Wash dishes as you dirty them so you don't have a huge load of them later. One simple trick is to keep a sponge that has the green scrubbie backing on it handy all the time. Mix a few drops of dishwashing detergent and water in a small bowl. Keep that next to your sink. Then, every time you dirty a plate, glass, or cup, just wash it up right away. Of course, wash pots and pans the usual way to rid them of grease and other food particles.
  
• Laundry. Many people I know of make the bed first thing when they arise in the morning. While this may seem laudable, why not try leaving it turned down while you get your shower or get dressed for the day? This airs out the bedding instead of trapping all the odors inside the bedding. When you go to bed at night, again let the bed air out before getting in it. You'll find the bed stays fresh smelling and clean a lot longer.
• Floors. Using a dust mop daily on hard floors helps keep down the dust, pollen, and other things that fly up into the air when you sweep. This will help reduce allergies and sickness. Spray your dust mop with something like Endust so it will trap those things. Then, you can toss the mop head into the washer to get it clean.
• Hard surfaces. Use a single cleaner for all hard surfaces. I use a "scrubbing bubbles" wannabe for everything from counters to stove to vents to walls. Test an inconspicuous area on the wall first to make sure it's going to be ok to clean it with the bubbles. I also use it to spot clean carpet and have even used it on my leather sofa with no ill effect. This product cleans, disinfects, and removes odors everywhere. And you can buy it for only $1!
• Vacuuming. One of the easiest and lightest vacuum cleaners to use is a stick-vac. It's not much heavier than a broom and it's ideal for both carpeted and hard surface floors. It doesn't need bags, so you save money there. It's also less expensive to purchase. I have back problems and this kind of vacuum cleaner works the best for me. I can even use it on upholstered furniture, drapes, and stairs because it has a few attachments.
• Wet towels. After your shower, hang your wet towel over your shower rod. This helps prevent it from mildewing. Also, if you think about it, the towel really isn't dirty. After all, didn't you just dry off your clean self with it? You can probably get another use from it before you toss it into the laundry.
  

Comparing prices

Around here, gas prices have both risen and fallen on practically a daily schedule. On my way to work, the price may be "low", then on my way home, it's risen up to 20 cents higher per gallon. I'm not exactly sure why there is all this fluctuation every day, but I am sure that it's high even when the price seems to drop a few cents. Adjusting my budget to include gas is growing ever more difficult, but there is no public transportation in our rural community, so it has to be done.

I do shop around for gas for the lowest price I can get while still avoiding a certain gas company that has Communist ties. I won't mention the name here. It's easy enough to research this online. But shopping around for gas doesn't mean I drive all over the place. It only means that I keep a sharp eye out while driving and I don't let my gas tank go so low that I am forced to get gas at the first place I come to.

Of course, I do this sort of comparison shopping everywhere I go. I check prices to make sure I'm getting the best deal. It's the only way I know of to keep a reasonable budget intact. Even with online sources, it's a good idea to check around on the internet whether you're shopping for shoes or diet pills, to be sure you are finding what you need at a reasonable price.

Become debt free

To save some interest, now may be the time to participate in a balance transfer credit card companies offer new customers. Moving a balance from a high interest credit card to a zero or low interest credit card just makes good sense in these tough financial times.

Obviously, you will also want to reduce your credit card balances as soon as possible. The more you owe, the more interest you are paying and it can take years to clear even a small credit card debt if you only pay the monthly minimum. Endeavor to pay your whole balance monthly on those cards you've just received. Begin paying off older credit cards, starting with the one that has the lowest balance. Get it paid off quickly so you can whittle away at other credit card balances and work toward becoming debt free.

Debt is not the regular monthly bills such as lights and water, or the other regular expenses. Debt is the money you've got borrowed and are paying interest on.

Save a trip

Well, I wound up actually only taking one paid vacation day, so that means I have several more to use up before the end of the year. The other days I took off were just regular days off for me. But, I did have a few days' rest at least, and I was glad for that.

I'm off today, but that doesn't mean it's time to relax too much. I'll be heading into town after awhile to pay my car payment and do a little shopping. Gas jumped yesterday from 3.73/gallon, which is what it was when I filled my car, to 3.95/gallon. That's the price of it when I was on my way home from work.

I tell you, the rapid rise of gas prices sends me into shock every time it happens. Yet, we still have to drive to get to work and to places for shopping, don't we? This means very carefully planning each and every trip. For instance, when I go to work, I try to also run a short errand on my way. That way, I don't have to make an extra trip into town and use gas faster.

I shop locally as much as possible. Driving in stop-and-go traffic in Big Town just uses my gasoline up that much faster, besides making the car run a little hot. By shopping at stores in Small Town, I can save some gas. Small Town doesn't offer every single thing I can find in Big Town, but it offers a pretty wide variety so I can pretty well do all my shopping there.

Any time you save money, it's as good as earning money. The old saying "A penny saved is a penny earned" was never truer than it is now. Becoming frugal is a must.

Vacation fat

The problem with taking even a few days of vacation time is the weight that's gained. At least, it's a problem for me. I tend to be less active and eat more on days like that, so I wind up with tighter fitting clothes when I do go back to work. However, it does feel good to just be able to relax for a few days without having to worry about getting ready for work, even though I did spend a good deal of the time getting ready to go to the camp site and visit with my family.

After the big meal yesterday of barbecued pork, baked beans, pasta salad, potato salad, and various desserts, I'm pretty sure we'll all be looking for the top fat burners to get rid of what's been left on our hips!