Save 1/3 Spend 1/3 and Enjoy 1/3 of your Money

Welcome all ,

This month I aim to give some tips on how to make the tough time ahead not seem so bad.

We all hear the news and it seems to contain endless stream of bad and negative energy.

You still need to keep abreast of what is going on, but to remember not to keep thinking of all the bad news. Bad news is what sells so it is always going to grab the head lines.

This post is going to concentrate on how to make ends meet and to save a little more for a rainy day. I am always telling my kids a golden rule that I follow, save 1/3 , spend 1/3 ( bills/rent), enjoy a 1/3 ( entertainment, presents etc)

Tip on How to Save More Money( you will be glad you did)


1. First make the decision that you do want to save a little more and commit.
2. Pay your self first i.e. put the amount you have decided that you can comfortable save away in another account or if you prefer in an evelop at home ( but be sure not to dip into it).
3. Set your self a achieveable goal , perhap you are saving for a deposit on a house, new car , rainy day, set a target and visualise that you have already achieved it.
4. Imagine what it would be like to have that deposit for your house, money for your car, money for that dreamed of family holiday. Keep this dream alive as this will motivate you to save and keep your commitment to your self and goal.

Next tips on on how to save some money as the tips above are about you deciding and goal setting.
5. work out how much you your income (after tax) and expenses and note down the difference.
This is the amount you have left for entertainment and saving.
6. work out your current entertainment expenses. Is this amount more or less than the amount left in step 5? Can you cut down on some things ?.
Ways to save more

7. Can you take your lunch to work. there is a potential to save at least $10.00 - $15.00 per day if you pack your own. Allow yourself a treat every now and then especially if you are achieving your goal.
8. Do you really need to buy expensive brand names when shopping for food. Can you do your shopping at times when there are more specials on? (e.g reduced meat prices).
9.Are you crafty, can you make some of your gifts/cards? It's nicer to give a hand made item.
Do you reuse your present bags and wrapping ? potential to save lots of $$$, just by reusing wrapping paper and bags while saving on resourses.
10. Can you plan your trips so you are not making un neccessary trips to the shops.
11. If paying a mortgage off , pay weekly, compound interest saving adds up over the years and can save you years of payments. Pay more than you have to and reap the rewards in early repyment.
12. Do you recycle your clothes? Do you look in recycled cloths stores when you need something?
This is the latest growing trend, people are turning to these kinds of stores for more and more items from furniture, toys and clothing. Not only do you save money, but you are recyling and saving resourses.
13. Last tip- Teach your kids to save from a young age- the early the better - they will thank you for it.

In the end it is up to you to make the decision and to commit and follow through with it. It will be you who benefits the most and you may even find it leads you to other paths.

There is nothing better than to be free to make your own decisions and you can only do this if you have no pressure from being under to much debt and the only way to minimise your debt is to decide to save more. This does not mean you will become a miser, but a wiser shopper and in control of your financial future.

Here to your financial success and hopefully i have provided some useful tips. Keep posted for more tips as I think of them.

What do you think? Have you got any money saving tips that will help other people. Please comment.

A Wheel Barrow Full of Pumpkins

Welcome to my " Hajja Kuntenta" Site.

I aim to impart and inspire my readers with lots of simple and easy ideas that will enable you to be able to get from your time and lead a fulfilled life.

This week we harvested our pumpkins.

At the beginning of the season, I thought we would not get many pumpkins. I actually went and hand pollinated a few just to make sure I would 2 or 3. Well I am so pleased that we harvested a wheel barrow full and a few more. Through out the season , I would count them almost every week or so and I would water more so if there were a few more new flowers. I have got a few people on my list to share with and I am saving some for my family. I feel so fortunate to be blessed with all this food.

Did you know if you plant a fruit tree like a lemon near your front door, that you will feel like you have abundance in your life when you walk past it I see my lemon tree with fruit on it. It is near our verandah where we sit when we are relaxing and sipping wine or coffee. It gives us a feeling that we have all that we need.

I have 2 great easy recipes that use Pumpkins so I will share these with you.

Maltese Pumpkin & Bacon Bone Soup

1 good Bacon bone

1/2 cup Barley

1/2 cup Green split peas

1/2 cup yellow split peas

1 large potato chopped into medium pieces

2 cups thinly shredded cabbage

1 good sized pumpkin wedge chopped into 3cm pieces

1 carrot chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste.

1 tsp curry

pepper

2 tbsp oil.

I large pot.

Method

In a large pot place bacon bone and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and boil for about 20 minutes. Add all the other ingredients except the cabbage. Allow to boil and then simmer for 1 hour. Add cabbage about 20 minutes before serving.

Remove bone from soup- meat should almost fall off bone. Squeeze lemon juice over meat. Serve with the soup.

Serve with garlic bread or other bread.

Moist Pumpkin Scones

3 tbsp butter

1 cup warm mashed pumpkin

2 cups SR flour.

3 tbsp sugar

Mix butter and sugar together to make a paste. Add the warm pumpkin and mix well.

Add the flour and knead out. If mixture is too wet add more flour, or if too dry add a little water.

cut and roll into prepare board.

cook in a oven 180C for about 15 minute.

That's it for now.

Keep posted for some more tips and great handmade jewellery designs on my ZaniL Design Blog.

What do you think? What makes you happy, would you like to share your ideas?

Anyway until next time.

Lina

How to be Content

Welcome all once again.

I have been giving some thought as to what makes me feel content. I also googled "contented life" and there are so many articles on the subject.

Here are a few tips on the things that make me "Kuntenta". I believe in the KISS principle - Keep it simple , it works for me.

Lina's Tips on a "Living a contented Life"

1. Accepting and loving your self for who you are. Looking into your self and listening to your inner voice and going with your instincts. Don't be too critical of your self.

2. Living life in the moment- have you noticed that you are always thinking of the next item on the the to do list to be accomplished. I now focus on the task at hand and enjoy the moment for what it is, even it is doing the dishes. This way we are focusing and giving our full attention to the task at hand. I find I can get it done quicker and feel more satisfied.When we constantly focus on the future we are not enjoying the present. The present moment is all we have, yesterday has passed and tomorrow is not yet ours.

3.I am working on not putting things off for too long. If I think of something I try to do it straight away, an example is when I think of family or friends, I try to call them right there and then ( if it is the correct time of the day).

4.Try not to cram too much into your day. If you have less on your to do list and accomplish 3/5 things , you will feel great as you will have done most of the things.

5. Be generous. This does not mean you have to spend all of your hard earned money on buying lots of gifts. Being generous can mean you are generous with your time volunteering, donating goods that you no longer want, making your own gifts, donating vegetables, lending a helping hand or shoulder. What you give always comes back to you one hundred fold and "the smell of a rose always stays with the giver". You will find it has a good effect on you as you have a good feeling that you have helped or made a difference.

6. Be grateful and thankful. When we are grateful with what we have , we appreciate all the things in our life and sometime more things come into our life because of this. When we feel grateful we are not always wanting to have more which puts less pressure on us to work to obtain more things.

7.Be connected with nature and kind to all things in nature. I love gardening and when I am gardening I am constantly amazed at how beautiful and wonderful all life is, how a simple seed can turn into a beautiful tree or flower or vegetable.We are all part of nature and the more we surround ourselves with nature , the more simple we realise our lives are. Grow your own vegetables, feel more in control of what you are eating and lessen your food miles and reduce your foot print.

8. Take some time out to make time for the things you really want to do. Cut out the things that are not that important and commit to less , say no to the less important things. How often do you use the excuse that you are too busy?. Be creative , go visit someone you haven't seen for a while, spend more time with your kids.

9. Set some achieveable goals with realistic time lines. Picture your self achieving these goals.

10. Slow down. Rushing from place to place and job to job can become a way of life. Allow for some free time where you simply do nothing, but enjoy the moment and relax. When we are rushing there is no time to stand still and take stock of what you have achieved and where you are going. Look into your self and ask " if I had a second chance, what would I do differently or what would I be doing now".

Thats about it for now. Here is a link I found through google - Live a life of contententment

So what do you think , Have you got any tips you can share.?

Cheers for now
Lina



Lina

Happy Thoughts - Become your Reality

Welcome to my Contented Life blog.

This Blog has just been set up. I hope you will find it interesting and inspiring. I hope to give lots of insightful tips on a range of topics from gardening, saving for a house, healthy body and mind tips.

I am no expert or have no answers on how to get rich quick , just simple ideas that I have found really work in my life that I thought if I could only make a difference to one more person , than I have served a good purpose.

Where to start.

I can recommend a really good book if you want to read something that will really empower you to change your life ( if you are feeling like you are lost). It is called Maximum Achievement by Brian Tracey.

I found this book whilst browsing in one of the second hand stores where I live. You know when you are not particularly looking for anything, the exact thing that you are subconsciously looking for just happens to fall into your hands. Well this is how I came to find this book. It was just there and since beginning my jewellery business I am always looking for ways to improve my business and what I am offering. I got more than I bargained for in this book. It really made me see that anything is achievable.

I will be writing about some of the things I have learned from this book as I feel I really need to share what has made me feel really confident and made me believe that I am the driver and in control of my life.

Above are some pictures of our Aquaponics system ( more on this later) and our chickens.

Here is a little verse I found many years ago, that I really loved and Have kept it for something special. Well this is first time I am using it and thought that it was really appropriate.

Thoughts

Keep your thoughts positive because your

thoughts become your words

Keep your words Positive because your

words become your actions

Keep your actions positive because your

actions become your habits

Keep your habits positive because your

habits become your values

Keep your values positive because your

values become your destiny

That's about it for my first blog post . If you are looking for some fantastic Australian handmade gifts and jewellery, please look at my other blog ZaniL Design Jewellery . I am an award winning jewellery designer. I can custom design and can do repairs.

What are you waiting for - decide to follow your dream and just go for it.

Until next time

Cheers

Lina