Saving money has always been hard for me because I try to live higher and more on the edge then my budget allows. I’ve managed to get away with it for quite some time now, 22 years to be exact. Soon I will be depleting funds faster then I can replenish; at least, that is the way I see things for just a bit, until I get unlazy. Hiromi and I will be coasting on life for awhile, just enjoying each other company because as far as I am concerned, thats rich to me.
But, to get back to the topic, I have been saving alot of money recently and I owe it all to a new way of thinking that I did to myself. Thats right, I created something to restrict MYSELF from spending money. ME! The guy who’d drop a bill for some jeans just because of a name. Crazy Me. Yea, but I was at the local best buy wannabe here in Okinawa and I picked up a digital camcorder and without even looking at the price, I decided to purchase it. I don’t like paying with my card because I dislike waiting for the charge to hit my account ( its a check card ) so I went to the bank and pulled out the 900 buxs that it was going to take to get my desire. I went back to the store and got the thingy and I was about 5 sec from handing over the money and bam it hit me. $900. Now, I had already set myself on getting this camcorder, so that mean that $900 wasn’t mine anymore. It wasn’t mine to spend. So I started to think. What if I don’t get this camcorder? I’ll be instead getting the money. So I thought, “I just won a prize, I can either have $900 or a digital camorder.” Pssh, needless to say I choose the money. I stepped back and put myself in a vision that the money isn’t mine if I am GOING to spend it. I have been using this method alot now and I noticed my spendings have gone down and my savings gone up. I am also saving for something shinny, but that is a totally different account and totally different funding, which is going to end this 15th anyway. But there you have it. A freaky, effective way to save money. Just pull out a large lump sum, and think about it before you give it away for that new digi-whatever.
*Sidenote: You’ll notice the google ads. Yes, I need money now that I am going to be out of work for awhile. Any help is good help and I thank you all!*
Now, I ain’t saying this will work for everyone, but it worked for me. Maybe I’m just a freak. But I have to do what I need to do not just for me anymore, but for two people. It can’t be about me anymore, its about us. Wow, did I just say that? And to add to that, friends and family. I was online and I almost bought a shirt for quite a bit of money and I thought, what is this? A simple t-shirt. A plain, t-shirt. Hmm….what else could I do with this money? I then thought about Shaq again. Gosh, well, there was an easy answer to a question. Now, I am not talking about this for publicity alright? I just want to avoid those thoughts and flames that may come my way.
I envy April. She has alot, and this alot is something to be thankful for. And I have to thank her. She so far is the only constant reader of my writings and thoughts and she comments. She reminds me of this time my buddy Orlando drew this picture and posted it up in the hallway of our school. It was a sunset on a old mexican farm somewhere in Mexico. It was so beautiful. Everyone would stare at it, but not say anything to him about it. I wonder what that was like, to create something, something you put thought, time and heart into and not have anyone tell you squat about it. My friends and I told him it was great. I didn’t know, but that meant alot to him, and the same goes for bloggers and their blogs. She gives me that feeling, and I like that. She has alot to be proud of. Here ya go April! Thanks for everything!
You know she really helps out her little bro. Me on the other hand, my brother needs me, but I am far, far away. I want to go back and get him up on his feet again, but its hard. I haven’t talked about it, but he quit his job at the Wash Tub. I think he did this because I wasn’t there to nag him and make sure he was going. Everything was going good for him too. FUCK! He had a job, getting his GED, wasn’t staying out late and man….I left. You can’t sit there and tell me it wasn’t my fault, so now I understand why my mother dislikes me being and staying and marrying over here. She just can’t stand the fact that I gave up on my family. I left them in their time of need. Now everything is all fucked up over there and I ain’t planning on coming back for at least a year. Should I go back sooner? Fucking A.
April
on July 16, 2006 at 9:44 am
Aw, you are so sweet! I got nothing but love for ya, I mean, you’re a Texan… lol.
April
on July 16, 2006 at 10:04 am
But on a more serious note though . . . I’ve had the same argument with my mom. I left for the Air Force when Shaq was 5. Heh, lucky for mom I got kicked out a year later (long story). I came back, took care of Shaq… but then something unexpected happened: LOVE. At first, I put my family over my husband. Then I put his family over my family. Finally, I put “us” over both our families. I’ve been married 5 years, and it took 4.5 of those 5 years of marriage to learn that lesson and actually APPLY it.
It’s tough growing up. For the longest time my brother was angry at me for going to the Air Force, then only staying home from 1998-2000 before moving to Houston in 2000. I also met Kris in 2000 when Shaq was 6. It was real hard for him to get it, and as you have read, his grades have not only reflected the racial discrimination he receives as the only black kid in school, but also because I am not there, and because my grandparents died two and a half years ago. All of those things heavily affect him.
In this comment, I’m basically showing you a huge part of my life that I’ve written about on my blog here and there. LOL. I’m summarizing it for you right now, because I want you to know that you are NOT alone.
Both Kris and I have tutored Shaq since he was in 1st grade. He has had to go to summer school every single year except last year. Every year is the same. We tutor him, and then he doesn’t retain the information. My mom, well, she’s too tired to tutor him every night (she’s an animal control officer chasing dogs all day) and the school… they won’t put him in modified classes because the No Child Left Behind Act punishes schools that enroll more than 3% of their students in learning disability classes by cutting their funding.
The school Shaq goes to has 8% enrolled, and they have been penalized for this. As a result, there is a practically impossible chance that Shaq will end up in modified classes. Professionals claim Shaq needs this, but the school can’t afford to do it because of the consequences.
Now, I could go on and on… but I want to end it with this. I am your most loyal commenter, because I’ll never forget your kindness. You helped me with AJAX when no one else would. You gave me special attention to something that means a lot to me… my outlet of expression: my blog.
In addition, I love your prose. I never tire of it. I wish more people would read your blog, because it is semi-personal and can teach a lot of people about what it’s like to be a marine who is in love who is honest to himself and deals with conflict and isn’t afraid to admit it (quite humble). It is an admirable quality and entertaining for me because I learn a lot. I enjoy sociology, what can I say? I also enjoy making friends with people like yourself who are willing to do what it takes to reach out and touch someone. I lsee the power and potential of the internet, and I can see you do too!
One of these days, when you and Hiromi hook up… and visit Texas, I’ll have to hit you up so you can meet Kris and I. Part of my goal online is to meet all of my fave bloggers. I’ve met two so far… so the adventure for me has only begun. I look forward to what the future brings. I also look forward to your insightful entries. So, in essence, keep up the great blogging!!