CHRISTmas 2013

Merry CHRISTmas, to you and yours.

Hope you've all had a great Day... God Bless!! 

"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder."

- Isaiah 9:6

Don't let it deter: Skirmishes can actually mean that you've got momentum!

  Write what you know... It could practically write itself... This could go big...

Whatever happens, LET'S BEGIN!!



When at the Springfield House of Prayer (HOP) worship service Tuesday night, someone who'd been praying for me asked how I was.  There was one major problem I had cited, when I first started going there recently... but later, I also discussed how I was needing productivity and focus, so as to get good things "off the ground." I had two new blogs in mind (including this one), which can also yield some income.

My "balloon" was prayed "off the ground" that week.  Tangible progress hadn't been made yet, but I had momentum - as I shared with them the next week.

When asked about this on Tuesday, I smiled and gave a positive report! The friend asked if I now had momentum - I told him I'd actually jump-started both of my blogs, and then yesterday, I also got a new part-time job!

But here's the thing: The night before (that early AM, actually :-), amidst a headache, anxiety, and feeling weak - I'd thrown up. And then I threw up again. However, it could've been a lot worse (messier) of a situation - and I did feel better right afterwards.  For the prior few days, I'd periodically had a harsh cough, sinus issues, congestion, and a hoarse voice.  These same symptoms had arisen around this time last year (right after the horrible election!) - and in that case they were quite bad, and lasted for awhile.

But during that time, I hadn't been worried... In fact, I made progress over this past week that had been stalled, for a LONG time!

The prayer and encouragement from the HOP definitely helped.

I'd been a bit sick (though not too bad) on Wednesday night, Thanksgiving Day,  Friday, and Saturday... Though it spiked up at times, it wasn't too severe; I still got up and went places (though it did help deter me from hitting the stores for Black Friday - an occasion I was never interested in at all before... but more so now, due to what this blog is about).

On Sunday night, I made a plan to (this time!) get the work done - which I'd been wanting to do for months. I grabbed my laptop and headed over here to Applebee's (where I am now as well; they have wi-fi and half-priced appetizers after 9pm; Applebee's does that in some places, but not everywhere, as I found out on the recent Big Apple trip)... announcing to my roommates that I was going to 'git r done,' this time.

This blog had been stalled for awhile - with no entries.  And the blog about my New York trip (in September) hadn't even been started yet!  Websites can also lead to income, through various means.  (Another income opportunity arose the next day as well - see below.)

I determined to finally kick-start my New York City blog that night. It was the start of a new month - which is a good time to start new blog entries... but I wasn't planning to jump-start this site that night, as well.


  If you begin... you just might win!

When I was in New York City, I saw "Newsies" on Broadway.  On a later day, when waking up in the Jackson Heights apartment, the neat-sounding Katherine Plummer (Kara Lindsay) typewriter soliloquy song was going through my head.  I'd realized that that tune might come in useful, when I'm faced with my own productivity log jams, mired in anxiety and complacency.

Before coming over to Applebee's, I was hoping I could find that song, to go along with the momentum I now had. I didn't even know its title; that should be easy to find, but would I be able to pull up the audio? I though I'd struck out at first, but I had the wrong song title.  After checking on iTunes, I was glad to get the correct title ("What What Happens"), and see that it was available to purchase!

[I bought it via a GoodShop referral link, choosing the Trinity Broadcasting Network as my cause... GoodShop and GoodSearch are topics I'll discuss later, in this blog.]

"Watch What Happens" from Newsies, written by Alan Menken and performed by Kara Lindsay, provided an additional boost - along with the above-mentioned prayers, encouragement from others... and the free wi-fi at Applebee's (with half-priced appetizers)!

I brought my headphones, and looped it.  I not only created my new blog about the New York City trip, but I finally jump-started this one, as well... I expect this one to become major, and also lead to revenue.  The other one should provided some dough, as well.


Getting dinged could mean you're moving up!

But here's the other thing.  That same night, I'd gotten a message about a potential part-time job; I had a meeting in the morning about that.

The following day (Monday), I had to be up early, and hadn't gotten too much sleep. Not only that, but I woke up coughing heavily (roommate was worried about me!), feeling kind of sick.

I took over-the-counter medicine, then got ready, and went out.  Despite lack of sleep, I still did well at that meeting - which actually expanded into a meeting with a state representative candidate, as well.  I got to provide political advice, learned some things about past Illinois issues, and sign up an independent contractor, for a new part-time job!

Later that afternoon, I also made contact with people, regarding a Precinct Committeeman's position (which is another potential 'job' for me), and when I got back to the apartment that afternoon, I shared the good news; it was neat to be in a good mood, unlike oftentimes.

How I was feeling physically didn't do much to deter how I was feeling, otherwise.  The momentum was rolling, and breakthroughs were finally underway!

The combination of the cold weather, tiredness, and sickness started to have its toll, that night.  The cough/nasal problem wasn't there, but I developed a headache and nausea, which was triggered by eyestrain and lack of sleep.  Anxiety started to rise, while lying here on the living room couch (where I am now... This is a long blog entry :-).  Then, I did end up vomiting - fortunately, I was up in the hallway at that time, and made it to the bathroom sink!  I at first planned to go home (family house), being sick.  I ended up taking charge, cleaning up some things, making my bed anew, and moving back into my room, here at the apartment.

I'm Circling Victory... Humpty Dumpty is about to crack!

I knew I was on the upswing, and am now in the process of making career/income progress, in areas that had been stalled for awhile.  The physical sickness - which in other cases might've fazed me - was this time only a nuisance... The 'dying gasps' of the longtime 'stuck in a rut' problem I've been facing, for a long time!

That's why when I went to the House of Prayer service the following evening, my report was unusually POSITIVE... You wouldn't have thought that just the night before, I'd been vomiting, anxious, and weak.

But here's the thing. You know how I mentioned that Kara Lindsay's "Watch What Happens" song provided a productivity boost? (I'd highly recommend it, for anyone with writer's block - though my problem was much more severe than that.)  From looking at the Newsies album listing on iTunes, I saw that there was another song: "Watch What Happens - Reprise."

Amazingly: The lyrics of this other song largely summarized what I just described, above! An attack/skirmish can just mean that momentum is on your side; you're on the upswing; and victory is coming!!

I've pasted the lyrics of "Reprise" into the blog entry below.

The annoyance of getting sick only AMPLIFIED that I'm breaking out of this rut, and making (long-stalled) progress in the career and income arena.

HUMPTY DUMPTY IS ABOUT TO CRACK!!  #faith #winning

...That just means my breakthru = near! Like in REPRISE of: http://t.co/qKlKckF928 #CirclingVictory #HumptyDumpty @KaraLindsay1 @NapOnACott
— Aakash Raut (@AakashRaut) December 3, 2013

LOSING a skirmish can signal that you're WINNING!! "Watch What Happens - Reprise" from Newsies

If something negative happens to interfere with your progress, that could mean that you're actually WINNING - and are on the verge of breakthrough! At the same time I came across this song, I was experiencing something similar.

Below are the lyrics; I've highlighted the pertinent parts!

"Watch What Happens - Reprise" from Newsies


...So here's how it goes: Once we win
And we will be winning
Make no mistake (We'll be what?)
We're already winning (Right...)
And we'll tell them straight out
They let Crutchie go or
they keep getting pounded

(Dave what the hell
did they bust up your brains or somethin'
As I recall Dave we all got are asses kicked
They won.)

Won the battle.

(Oh come on.)

 Jack-y think about it: We got them surrounded.

(Here's where I think Joe's a jerk
he's a rattle snake)

You're right and you know
why a snake starts to rattle

(No why?)

Cause he's scared.

(Sure.)

 Go and look it up.
The poor guy's head is spinning.

Why would he send for the goons,
an entire army. Dozens of goons
and the cops. And...
(You know you may be right.)
Thank you, God.
(If he wasn't afraid...)

Exactly
He knows we're winning

Get those kids to see
we're circling victory.
And watch what happens.
We're doing something
no one's even tried
and yes we're terrified
but watch what happens

You can't undo the past
So just move on and
stay on track (stay on track)
'cuz humpty dumpty
is about to crack

We've got faith!
We've got the plan!
And we've got Jack!
So just watch what happens.
We're back!

...

Where do I start?

How do you start on this saving/couponing/budget-stretching process?

Good question! Where do I start?  :-)

It's difficult exactly how to describe how kick off this process.  It could be a bit confusing at first, and you will make a few mistakes. (I'll do separate blog entries for some common mistakes people make, when starting out.)

Essentially: Your goal is to get as much as you can, for as little as you can.  Your goal is to get the bill as close to $0.00 as you can - if not below that!

Legal Shoplifting
When I started this blog months ago (before finally churning out the first entry, tonight :-), I'd probably only bought a few items for free - or for less than free - at the stores. Now, I've accomplished that many more times; I don't even remember all of the stuff that I've bought for free!

If you do this right, you can get large amounts of brand name products: FOOD (Kellogg's, Keebler, Kraft, DiGiorno, Tombstone, Hormel, Lindt, Coca-Cola, etc., etc...); PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS (Edge, Degree, Axe, Old Spice...); HOUSEHOLD ESSENTIALS (Quilted Northern, Charmin, Angel Soft, Kleenex, Brawny...); CLOTHING; RESTAURANTS; and just about all other categories, in large quantities for low costs.

Brand Names <$ Generic
Many times, the major brand names can be bought for LESS than the generic products!!

How do I explain it?
Putting this into words, in a how-to blog format, is kind of challenging... I'm not sure how to start off, how to best explain things, and how to organize these steps.  But, I'll be figuring that out soon!


Special thanks to Kara Lindsay (and Alan Menken), for the inspiration!  What I've been struggling with wasn't "writer's block" - but an ongoing, longtime productivity log jam... with a bout of sickness recently added in.

All of that is now in the process of being broken through... Praise God!!

Update: The day after I'd made progress on my websites, and was in the process of getting over sickness, I also received a new part-time job!  Praise the Lord!!


  Write what you know... It could practically write itself... This could go big...

Whatever happens, LET'S BEGIN!!


Write what you know... Let it flow! Watch what happens.

This is not your mother's couponing blog

A dollar saved is a dollar earned! Most people don't realize just HOW MUCH MONEY can be saved every week, on the items that you buy.

This isn't just about using coupons. It involves exploiting & optimizing the variety of offers, deals, technology, & tools that are freely available - so as to cut costs & maximize the buying power of your hard-earned money.

Done right, this can in fact make a MAJOR dent in your spending budget!

THANKS SO MUCH to all the moms (like Stephanie & Rachel) who maintain top-notch savings websites! Thanks also to TLC's show & Dave Ramsey's F.P.U., for the inspiration.

Not many young singles (especially guys) are interested in this type of thing.

However: The mathematical & monetary aspect of this is something that appeals to everyone... Who doesn't want a fatter wallet? It's hard to believe just how much $$ can be shaved from your budget. 


LEGAL SHOPLIFTING
 
"Extreme couponing"/saving can be addictive... It's been described as a sport. :-) The object of the game is to get prices as close to $0.00 as possible, and to maximize the percentage you're shaving off your bills.

It was only a few months ago that I realized how much can be saved regularly, by using the right techniques. Each week, there are even items you can BUY for around $0.00 or less, at the store! It sounds too good to be true, in this day & age. But there's a lot more than water at restaurants that's still available, for FREE!

It is tricky & time-consuming at first, but it gets easier once you've learned the system. Sites like this provide tips, leads, and how-to's, to help you maximize your monetary power, during these hard economic times.

AND: I also hope to use this site to cover income opportunities for young people, and ways to make money online (and off). Don't be surprised if faith & politics is thrown into the mix, as well. Enjoy!