Did you ever stop to think what your money can do for you? Jesse Mecham has come out with his book "You Need A Budget" and helps to lay out a working system for budgeting your money. This book is an eye opener for anyone who feels as though they are living paycheck to paycheck.
Whether you are just starting out or are established already in your job - putting a budget together is not a bad idea. The economy goes up and down, jobs end abruptly, and life takes turns that we are not always prepared for. Living paycheck to paycheck can be exhausting and stressful. It can cause fights, and bitter feelings - especially when you want to do something special, but the money is not there. Now, you can budget for everything! Jesse takes you through step by step on building a better budget, but this is not your run of the mill plan. YOU make the decisions on where the money goes. You are in control of everything. What is important to you? Where do you want your money to go?
Asking yourself these questions, and putting the effort into building a life that you want, while getting out of the rat race of the paycheck to paycheck system, you can start seeing results and building the nest egg, or planning for those special events or vacations that you are wanting to take.
The biggest theme through this book is YOU.
Budgeting is such a hard thing to do, but necessary in this day and age. There are many who get hit with government shut down, lay-offs, health issues and more. Budgeting now can help to ease the burden when it comes to having to cut back, or wait. This has never been my strong point. In fact, my husband and I have been discussing the need to budget out more, especially as we are attempting to tame the dragon known as student loans. I have quite a few, and we have slowly been chipping away at them, but having a better plan in place, would allow us to not only chunk down a little more on them, but plan for the things that we are wanting in the future. We have to start thinking college funds for two kids, eventual moves, car issues and more. While we can put a little away here and there, it seems that something always pops up to demolish what we have set aside. By using this system, I feel more confident in moving forward and building a stronger future.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is another great classic by Ronald Dahl. This story is all about adventure, creativity, imagination, and priorities. This book would be great for teaching what is important in life (Charlie's willingness to give up the grand prize for his family). This book would spark such great imagination and creativity in students and I would definitely follow up with some kind of writing - maybe have the kids "invent" their own candy, write about what they would do if they owned the chocolate factory, or write a letter to Willy Wonka. I would also want to incorporate some kind of drawing or coloring activity. I would use this text in 4th-6th grade. The guided reading level is R and the Lexile level is 810L.
After watching the View this morning and the ghastly thought of one person wanting to do a revolution that enforces the idea of say that a person is 'whatever' is astounding. To deny a person's identity of who they are to be a 'whatever' leaves such an open door for a 'whatever' to occur.
One person can say labels.. don't label me. But is it labeling? Then I read, Shatter Me which surprises me and grips me. A young girl, who I thought was on a verge of a break down, instead has much resilience and understanding for one who has been through so much in a society who wants to strip down all labels, identity, and reestablish society in its own concept of what was good and right.
Traditional homes of our old world have been abandoned, windows shattered, roofs collapsing, red and green and blue paint scrubbed into muted shades to better match our bright future. Now I see the compounds carelessly constructed on the ravaged land and I begin to remember. I remember how these were supposed to be temporary. I remember the few months before I was locked up when they'd begun building them. These small, cold quarters would suffice just until they figured out all the details of this new plan, is what The Reestablishment had said. Just until everyone was subdued. Just until people stopped protesting and realized that this change was good for them, good for their children, good for their future.
I remember there were rules.
No more dangerous imaginations, no more prescription medications. A new generation comprised of only healthy individuals would sustain us. The sick must be locked away. The old must be discarded. The troubled must be given up to the asylums. Only the strong should survive.
Yes.
Of course.
No more stupid languages and stupid stories and stupid paintings placed above stupid mantels. No more Christmas, no more Hanukkah, no more Ramadan and Diwali. No talk of religion, of belief, of personal convictions. Personal convictions were what nearly killed us all, is what they said.
Having a conviction, having priorities are what make us all beautifully unique individual humans. Not ravaging beasts. This is why we have brains, vocal cords and different color skin, because we are beautifully crafted people with hearts, souls, and spirits.
I love how Mafi crafts this world and so eloquently speaks of things that even hit so close home with what is even going on today, even though it is Juliette's world with the Reestablishment.
I go back to the word, 'labelling'. Is it labelling? Or are these celebrities ashamed of who they are? People have committed suicide because the lack of knowing who they are or are ashamed of who they are. Why be ashamed of who you are? Know who you are, own it. Never be ashamed of who you are.. your identity.
Believe me it took me years to finally learn and understand this myself. And I am a more better healed up, and healthy person for having done so.
Thank you, Tahereh Mafi, for Shatter Me.
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