Sunday Round-up for January 16, 2011

Sunday Round-up for January 16, 2011

When you're on the Titanic, you don't stop to scream at the iceberg, you lug the lifeboats. (~Debra from "Everybody Loves Raymond")

Growing up, one of the main lessons my father taught me was to keep going.  The "woe is me" attitude is a slipperly slope you just don't want to start going down.  Generally speaking, I heed that advice like it's my own personal lifeline.  This last weekend, however, that lifeline nearly shredded and broke. 

We were forecast for 6 to 12 inches of snow, highs in the single digits, with the windchill dropping to -26 degrees F.  While my husband and I were trying to prepare for the blizzard conditions in a manner that would allow us to feed the cattle and take care of any little calves that chose to be born in the beautiful weather, my horse ran through barbed wire.

Needless to say, the emergency vet call and subsequent care costs were not cheap.  Thankfully, my husband and I have a budget for emergency vet care for our animals.  More thankfully, we actually stick to it.

So, for this weeks round-up, I'm going to use your posts to help explain how we manage it all.

One of the most important factors in every budget is the ability to plan ahead.  To this end, we set goals.  Balance Junkie wrote a fantastic post this week about "Setting Goals for 2011," from how to set them to how to measure them. 

Many people this year resolved to create a budget.  My husband and I seem to have a budget for everything, but even we have those irregular expenses pop up now and then.  If you had a similar goal, check out the Ultimate Money Blog to see "How to Budget for Irregular Expenses."  (Having a horse run through barbed wire, for instance, wasn't something we had written down in your horse budget--lesson learned!)

Once you set a goal, of course, the trick is in actually sticking with it.  If it's a financial goal, sometimes the hardest part is not succumbing to outside temptations.  Lucikly, this week Invest it Wisely helped shed some light on how to prevent just that in "Falling Prey to Tempation."

One place you're likely be tempted to spend money is on your little munchkins.  Outside of my horses, my Lollipop Kids ("Wizard of Oz" reference) include Gunner and Kimber (my Great Dane and Belgian Malinois puppies).  Luckily, there's not need to give them an allowance, but if you have human children, they might be a little more lucky.  If so, read about "Paying Allowances from Dividend Stocks" by Money Reasons.

With many people still looking for jobs, and others looking for a way to increase their income, there is a lot of talk about starting your own business.  If you've been playing around with that idea, you may be wondering, "How Much Does It Cost to Start a Small Business?"  (Wealth Pilgrim)

Maybe you're not looking for the extra income, because the current global situation isn't as much of a hindrance as it is a help.  If so, you're in good company.  Money Cactus shared "Why the Global Financial Crisis has Improved [His] Work Wealth."  (There's a factor in there that helped my horse budget as well.)

When you try to have a successful budget, one part that can easily become unbalanced is fuel expenses.  When life happens, it doesn't always happen close to home.  We live 20 miles from town, so we try to be as self-reliant as possible.  A new addition to our self-reliance is now making our own laundry detergent.  Check out Jeff's Sustainable Life Blog's "Saving Money Tip:  Make Your Own Fabric Softener" to find out how.

Then, to cut down another reason to leave home (thereby cutting fuel costs even further), read Money Cone's post "Online Banking: Depositing a Check from Home."

Lastly, although definitely not of least importance, I am not the only one who benefits from heeding my parents' advice.  Retirebyforty chronicled the same thing (living by the advice her parents gave her) in this week's post "Best Financial Advice." 

There you have it!  Tips and tricks to help you stay and become financially fit.  Without encompassing at least part of each of these in my own life, the barbed wire fence disaster could have easily broke us.  Alas, with the lifeline still in tact, our budget still emergency-friendly, we continue to go on.

MomVesting:

Blog carnivals we participated in:

Photo Source

Shaun's picture

Shaun wrote:

Sun, 01/16/2011 - 09:53 Comment #: 1

Hey Jessica,

Sitting here in shorts and a t-shirt it's hard to imagine being that cold! It's terrible that your horse was hurt too, hope it isn't too serious. I'm glad my post was able to help, even if it was just in a small way. Thanks for the mention

MoneyCone's picture

MoneyCone wrote:

Sun, 01/16/2011 - 12:32 Comment #: 2

ELR is one of our favorite shows! Great line-up and thanks for including me Jessica!

Jessica Schmeidler's picture

Jessica Schmeidler wrote:

Sun, 01/16/2011 - 15:24 Comment #: 3

@Shaun: He received a couple severe lacerations, including one on his back left hock. Thankfully, it came just shy of the tendon, though. He seems to be recovering quite well now. Thank you for the concern. ...I'm quite jealous you get to be in shorts, by the way.

@MoneyCone: You're welcome. I didn't know ELR existed until after it was already cancelled. So, some of the re-runs are still first-runs for me. :)

MoneyCone's picture

MoneyCone wrote:

Sun, 01/16/2011 - 16:38 Comment #: 4

@Jessica: Mind you I said 'ELR IS one of our favorite shows'! We missed the originals as well, we love watching the re-runs if our kid lets us watch!

Jessica Schmeidler's picture

Jessica Schmeidler wrote:

Sun, 01/16/2011 - 17:31 Comment #: 5

LOL!

Invest It Wisely's picture

Invest It Wisely wrote:

Sun, 01/16/2011 - 17:39 Comment #: 6

Great roundup! I hope your horse is doing better and didn't get hurt too badly. Running into barbed wire can't be too pleasant.

Jessica Schmeidler's picture

Jessica Schmeidler wrote:

Sun, 01/16/2011 - 19:11 Comment #: 7

Rebel is doing much better, thank you. I think he'll still be sound, so that's good! He'll be ready to take on the world again in no time (he's a very mischievous soul).

Balance Junkie's picture

Balance Junkie wrote:

Mon, 01/17/2011 - 15:56 Comment #: 8

It sounds like you guys had quite a week. Way to lug those life boats!

Thanks for including me here, and best wishes for a speedy recovery to Rebel.

Jessica Schmeidler's picture

Jessica Schmeidler wrote:

Mon, 01/17/2011 - 19:36 Comment #: 9

Thanks. It's a great life out here on the ranch, but it's one that won't let you take the good times for granted... A good thing. :)