Dirt Digging is all about uncovering the facts from a perspective that makes it all memorable.  You will understand and retain all those history books have to offer when it is brought to you from the vantage point of Americans favorite pastimes. Can you relate? Do you like cars or fashion? Do you love art or music? Or maybe you just love the facts. Memorable history is history you can relate to and mistakes that won't be repeated.

Money Talks
Economically speaking......

    In this issue we are going to look at the U.S. philosophy of spending and consumer habits. We all know we have waste problems and that they directly effect our economy, but how aware are you of how many wasteful habits you have in your own family and how they add up for your personal finances. Good spending and savings habits are worth millions. The earlier you start the better off you will be.

    Peer pressure is our biggest enemy and it doesn't just influence kids and teens it is alive and well among adults. Being called a penny pincher or comments about being cheap can turn most ordinary well intentioned moms into spending machines. A neighbor that always seems to have a better car or seats at great sporting events can make allot of Dads look at credit cards and wonder if he can't stretch the budget to buy something nicer.

    Knowing your limits is important but what is even more important is learning how to change your limits to give you the most for your investments. Every purchase we make big or small is an investment and so is our time. Living inside a budget is hard work but with a little creativity and finding a few painless or nearly painless habits to practice you can have the things that are really important to you.

    Humans are creatures of habit. Lets look for things that we all do that cost us more than we realize. One common habit is to use cleaning supplies in very large amounts. Whether you buy the more expensive brand or the less you probably don't measure everyday items like shampoo or dish washing liquid. One of the reasons people buy a great shampoo that costs more is because you need less but just out of habit we squeeze out two or three times what we need. Try a pump to pre-measure liquid items You will be surprised that you can most likely buy these items half as often and you might be able to afford your favorite expensive brand after all.

    We can't forget our traditions. Tradition can give structure but it is a lot like playing telephone. With each passing year we include more people in the family and their favorite traditions as well and slowly we find that holidays are costing us more than money. Grandparents memories are of modest but joyous times. Typical celebrations today are filled with excess. Wrapping paper covers the floor and there is still unwrapping going on. Kids actually tire of opening the packages and by the time it's over the conversation has moved from ,"thank you" for gift numbered one to "I wanted the blue one!" by gift number thirty. It is common for all of this "fun" to be charged on credit cards and many actually take out   personal loans or a second mortgage for some celebrations. So are we Americans out of control? Have we sold tomorrow so we can have a new shiny new toy that we don't remember where or when we received it?

    Bedrooms everywhere are so full of toys and gadgets that we have storage units for rent in every community across this great nation to shield our precious belongings that we just can't seem to part with. If only our savings accounts looked like that! Many say they can't afford to invest but weather  they realize it or not they have invested. It's just that what they invested in costs them more money instead of making them money. Do a little math....... what will your savings be worth when you are old enough to buy you first house?  Time is on your side!

Coming next issue is your feed back to Money Talks and more on investing how to.

Invest in your tomorrow at Garden School.

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