Dear April
Dear April
Old age
When you become quite elderly, you may have to call upon experiences
in a life past to find the meaning in your experiences today.
Old age is like a savings account from which you withdraw when
you aren't able to make a lot of deposits. My advice is to deposit
a lot of happiness today in the bank of your memories, so that
you can make withdrawls later. Remember the five simple rules
of happy memories.
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
Attitude
A 92-year-old lady who is always impeccably groomed moved into
a nursing home today. She is legally blind. The move was necessary
because her husband of many years recently passed away, and she
could no longer afford to remain in her home.
After waiting for her room to be prepared, she smiled at the nursing assistant, and began to maneuver her walker to the elevator. The nursing assistant provided a visual description of her new quarters. The elderly lady enthusiastically stated, "I love it!"
The nursing assistant said, "How do you know that if you can't see it?"
The elderly lady replied, "Happiness
is something that you decide upon ahead of time. It doesn't matter
how the furniture looks, or the size of the room; it is how I
arrange my mind. I made a decision to love this room. It is a
decision which I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice.
I can spend the day in bed thinking about the difficulty I have
with parts of my body that don't work well, or I can get out of
bed and be thankful for the parts that still work. Each day is
a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I focus on the new day and
the good that will happen.
Credit
You, like many others, may have let credit "swamp your boat".
But you do not have to drown, and by following a few suggestions
you can still stay afloat.
Know the spread of your credit at all times. Limit yourself to a few credit cards. Choose the sources of your credit by comparing interest rates. There are great variations.
Limiting your number of credit cards will simplify your record keeping. Wise borrowers know the monthly closing and due dates for each of their cards. This allows them to plan their monthly expenses, and avoid "unpleasant surprises".
Keep careful track of your expenditures by saving your receipts and cancelled cheques. Check your statements for errors. Banks, stores and computer systems have been known to make mistakes.
The steps to financial security are three. First you must assess where you are now. This requires that you know your financial picture at this moment. Secondly, you must track your expenditures for a few months to see where you are spending. Thirdly, you must establish a budget and stick to it.
When you purchase "on credit" ask yourself: " What will be different about my financial picture when I have to pay?"