Two years ago, a cardinal baby bird fell from its nest into the backyard. Frances (Scottie supreme) kept barking for us to come outside. She ran into little spurts, back and forth in front of our fence where we have a lot of brush piled up for the birds to hang out in. Val noticed the bird and tried to hand it to me. If you know me and granted, most of you don’t, you’d know I do not want a just-hatched baby redbird in my hand… it’s not that I’m squeemish, it’s just … anyway, back to the story. I was informed that I must find the nest and put it back into it. Yeah, right… okay… where’s a cardinal nest in this brush? We looked for a few minutes and sure enough, found the nest. Too high in the bushes for Val to put the bird away, so I had to take it and return it to its mother.

The bird apparently grew up and really likes Val. I kid you not. When she is out in the yard and starts talking, the bird flies nearby and chirps or chitters at her. It’s weird. He also sits outside the garden window (where the cat sleeps) and looks down at the cat and into the breakfast room. I finally got a picture of him so people will believe me.

WaMu your way to avoiding impulse spending

Answer these questions truthfully:

1. Is your spousal unit or partner or both complaining that you $pend too much money?
2. Does SHOCKED best describe your overall system when each month your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you thought you had?
3. Shoewhore!? Do you have more shoes and clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear?
4. X-Gen freak’n!!? Whe new gadgets hit the shelfs are you first in line with the credit card?
5. GIMMIGIMMI! Are you buying stuff you didn’t know you wanted until you saw them on display?

If you blushed or answered “yup” to any two of the above questions, you’re an impulse spender and lavish yourself in retail therapy too often. Stopping soon will greatly affect your retirement years.

by s2photo

This free flowing money habit is not a good thing. It will prevent you from saving for the important things like a house, a new car, a vacation or retirement - duh. Set financial goals while resisting the urge to spend money on items that really don’t matter in the long run.

Impulse spending will not only put a strain on your finances both short and long term but your relationships, as well. To overcome this all to common problem, the first thing to do is learn to separate your family needs from your wants. Advertisers razz us peddling their goods 24/7 all year long. The trick is to give yourself a cooling-off period before you buy anything that you have not planned for.

When you go shopping, make a list and take only enough cash to pay for what you have planned to buy. Leave your credit cards at home. If you see something you think you really need, give yourself two weeks to decide if it is really something you need or something you can easily do without. By following this simple solution, you will mend your financial fences and your relationships. You have taken the wrong path dear soul.

WaMu has the answer in the form of their savings services. Online savings accounts complete with statement savings, the tradition/online or liquid CD.

Val went back for a brief post-epidural steroid injection check-up this week. She told me the shots would be a success if she could touch her elbows together. She says never to take range of motion for granted. On the way to Beaufort County Hospital to her appointment, I asked, “Well, can you touch elbows?”

“Yup.” And she did. Injections? A success. Val’s doctor reminded her, “I didn’t cure you. You are NOT cured. What you are is in less pain. You cannot do any more than you could before, remember that.”

“No raking?” Val asked.

“Of course not.”

Wanted to let people know that these steroid injections work for Val who has some really nasty damage to her cervical  disks from an early onset degenerative disc disease that started bitch-slapping her spine in the early 1980s. She has lumbar fusion, had it done in 1989. No problems from that, to this day. Amazing? Yes, she is.

This morning I participated in first aid training at work. I wore my standard warrior uniform of boots, tough guy bell bottoms, black t-shirt and an extra ring on my middle finger. Looking through the kitchen window at one of the neighbors 15 cats shivering, I topped with stairs to grab a sweater before heading on.

Turns out that it was not cold in the least — actually quite comfortable outside. Reminded me of the content look on Thompson’s face when he’s resting on his new electric blanket .. err… I mean Val’s new electric blanket. Arthritis tip? Warming blankets… ahhhhhh. Val loves hers.

Darn close to 7 hours of studies - time for a mental break. Val bought an incredible 7.5 foot tree. It glows in our living room like the sparkle in my grandson’s eyes. Seriously… I’ve become quite the romantic this year. Kind of odd but I’m enjoying being sentimental.

As she puts yet another dozen ornaments on the tree, Val turns and tell me someone must say, “You know, I think this is the prettiest tree yet. ” It’s a tradition, a Heinold tradition from my Dad. Each year is better than the last. Sure enough, Ruth came into the room a few minutes later. Looked at the tree, told Val it was just lovely. Then, “You know, this is the prettiest tree I’ve ever seen.”

I looked over at Val who smiled. We both said, “Yes, this year it is the best.”

The funniest and best part of our holiday decor is the 3 foot high giant plastic lighted Santa Claus. It’s not 3-D, it’s a wall ornament. It’s tacky… wonderful… manufactured just as plastic began hitting its stride in the early 19690s. Val’s been lugging it around since 1972 but it’s been in her family since 1963. Her Dad put one of these atrocious Santas on each side of their chimney one year. Two of them, back to back so it would be a whole Santa. It was his joke. She remembers him telling her, “Your sister will be here in a few days. She’s getting a ride home from Fayetteville — apparently with the Tri-Delt president or somesuch sorority business. High class… big honor to ride with such a person or some other bit of canal water. I thought I’d decorate with style just for her. Show that Tri Delta bunch we’re high class too.” Val says he must have laughed for a good five minutes after he said that. Then he put a sign on the front window which said, “We bought symphony orchestra cookies.”

That’s Val’s Christmas story for today. Every evening, she and Ruth tell each other a funny good Christmas holiday story. I’ll give you one of Ruth’s soon. She’s got some great ones from the 1920s.

December 1st begins the official count down to going pro. Numbers don’t lie. One year ago Text-Link-Ads offer $50 to place 4 words on my blog. My first impression was that of humor. How cute that 4 words equals $50 dollars. So it began I published their 4 words and they gave me $50. Bitten by the bug.Fast forward to the end of June 2007 to my three month experiment. The first month of the Three Month Experiment I didn’t take it too seriously. Work and health stresses kept me focused away until the end of the month showed $650 earned. The second month of the Three Month Experiment I didn’t even start until midway through the month still I totaled $850 for August. Effort appeared to equal payoff. September was a different story. I started the third month of the Three Month Experiment with a mind set to maximize my goal. The effort payed off with triple the previous months earnings coming in at $2,800. A full $2,500 coming from one source alone. The decision was then made to monetize with more effort and share how you can do the same.

The majority of my earnings during the Three Month Experiment came from PayPerPost, an Izea company, but this is only during my initial switch to warrior status. Seriously though, putting all your eggs in one basket is like gambling. Better to spend the time and spread the revenue streams across differing content offerings. Currently I am in the staging time preparing and learning. This is a no nonsense put up or shut up even with real consequences. Just as I gave myself three months to determine if it were possible to make a sustained $2,000 a month ($2,800 was what it came in at) I am working on a three month count down to March 1st. By that time all 25 sites should be in full swing.

Go to lesson one > How macewan monetizes with BANS

As my family moves on toward the “It’s December, hence the workday lethargy increases” season, it pains me to realize television will not serve as a panacea for my entertainment ills. We all know it. The re-run parade of questionable original episode champions began with failed labor negotiations. All the holiday-type tripe movies were shown last week. From Elf to Miracle on 32nd St..

Val and I were talking last night about there’s no television anticipation anymore. While the networks and cable channels use their teasers: Original Series! Starts Tonight! The Most Loved New Show on TV! We at home feel no sense of urgency. Not really… with 24/7 programming and more channels than names in the Little Rock phone book, what goes around will certainly come around. Again and again and again.

It’s kind of a shame, isn’t it? Val remembers when The Wizard of Oz was on just one Sunday night a year… it was the premiere entertainment event for kids. “It made us pay attention to every piece of dialog. The next day at school would be spent re-enacting the movie, even teacher’s would go along with it. I had one teacher who could do a perfect Glenda the Good Witch… we baby-boomers are the film strip generation.”

I was born along with Woodstock. That makes me the first VCR generation, I suppose. Ollie and Emmett (the grandballoons) are the first DVR generation. At 90 yoa, my m-i-l Ruth is the Talkie Generation. Her sister Helen played the piano / pump organ in a Cincinnati movie theater back in the 1920s. From Rudolph Valentino to a Red-Nosed Reindeer.

This blog is going to begin to include more cultural conversations. I’ve got almost a century of human experience years bombarding me all day long.