From Cindy's Porch...

All of us are full of great intentions and wonderful ideas. There are
things we want to DO and the things we want to accomplish. I have a
quote that I clipped out of a planner almost ten years ago. It is an
old Irish saying that provides me with daily inspiration to
stop "thinking" about what I want to DO and just DO it.

"You will not get the field plowed by turning it over in your mind."

Over the years, this simple line has been the starting point for many
of the things I have done. It has helped me complete projects at work
and at home, it has given me the courage to send an email to a
complete stranger offering assistance, it has given me the courage to
send an email to a complete stranger asking for help. This line has
opened doors to opportunities that I never knew existed simply
because I stopped thinking about "good ideas" and started DOing them.

"You will not get the field plowed by turning it over in your mind."

The same thing applies to the things you want to do with your money
and your finances. All the thinking in the world will not make a
difference until you decide to take that first step and DO something.

And that "something" is a belief that you have enough.

YIKES!

And not only do you have enough, but you have plenty.

DOUBLE YIKES!!

Something magical happens when you decide that you have "enough",
that you have "plenty". You open the doors to opportunities that you
may never have dreamed were for you.

Advertisers, marketers, and retailers are doing a great "sell" job.
That's their job. And gosh, they are good at it! They have the words,
the images, and the talents to convince people that we do NOT have
enough; that we do NOT have plenty. In fact, their job is to continue
to tell us that we need more. More gadgets, more clothes, more shoes,
more toys, more books, more office supplies, more cleaning supplies,
more beauty supplies, more hardware supplies, more crafting supplies,
and then to make sure you have enough stuff to store all your stuff,
more plastic storage supplies and home organization supplies.

And not only do we need "more," but we need more now. We are
bombarded with BUY now, pay (much more) later marketing messages.

CHA CHING CHA CHING!

When you have taken that first step – the one where you believe that
you have enough and you have plenty, then something new begins to
happen when you walk into stores, or glance through catalogs and
magazines, or watch the ads on television. You look at all that stuff
and say, "I have enough. I have plenty."

And when you do decide to BUY, it is truly something you need or that
you want. The IMPULSE purchases disappear. The cash stays in your
pocketbook.

That one-gallon jug of milk that you meant to buy at the grocery
store stays as one-gallon jug of milk in your shopping basket. All
the rest of the IMPULSE (I Must Purchase Use-Less Stuff Everyday)
purchases stay in the store.

During the past couple months we have included goals which
involve "loving the home we live in."

I received an email from a reading asking what cleaning and
decluttering had to do with finances and managing your money. I have
always believed that there was more to managing your money than
simply balancing the checkbook. Financial management starts with an
attitude. And this attitude spreads throughout everything you do.

"I have enough. I have plenty."

Unfortunately, during the year, a lot of our "plenty" gets tossed
into corners, closets, under beds, in boxes, under stairs, into
sheds, and other areas that looked like a good storage spot at the
time (been there, done that). We loose track of our "plenty" and
forget that we have "plenty" (that's how I end up with three salad
dressing bottles in the fridge, five extension cords in the closet,
and six bottles of shampoo under the sink - sheesk!)

Once in awhile we head into those dark corners and rediscover
our "plenty." We also take the time to remove the "excess". That's
what loving the home we live in is about on Cindy's Porch.

The fact that we also find missing library books, long lost car keys
(I hope!), and a few dust bunnies partying with the mate-less socks
and wire coat hangers, is a bonus.

When we talk about tackling a room, we are not talking about tearing
the house inside out, dusting, washing, and wiping, until we're so
tired that we want to wait until next spring to finish it up. We DO
this in small bursts - tackling one area at a time.

Hidden underneath the winter sweaters, the old shoes, the single
socks, the wrinkled shirts, and the worn out sweat pants is a whole
new spring and summer wardrobe just waiting to be discovered. You
have already paid for these clothes; you may as well wear them. You
might have to do a little washing, a little ironing, a little mending
(yikes – where's my glue gun LOL), and a little sorting. But it is
worth it in the end. When you are done, there may be fewer clothes in
the closet, but there will be more outfits to wear. Donate the stuff
you don't want anymore. Toss the stuff that truly is trash. Make room
for the clothes you want to keep. By the time you are done, you will
know that you have enough. You have plenty.

And as we proceed room by room, through cupboards, closets, and other
hidden corners you will discover that you have enough. You have
plenty. This will save you money. When you know what you have at
home, you are more immune to the daily bombardment of messages that
try to tell us that we are missing out on something, that we are
depriving ourselves, or worse, that we can't DO it unless we BUY it
first. BLECH!

Take that first step – a belief that you have enough. You have plenty.

"You will not get the field plowed by turning it over in your mind."