It's Easy to Get MisFocused

Today is when the events and acitivities for the past week or so have finally caught up with me.  My body is tired.  My stress level is present.  My time is fleeing by faster than I can blink.  My money is not as guarded as I'd like.  My family is feeling the out of routine.  It's a wonder no one isn't sick or have had something major occur because I don't think that I can take this anymore!  But God knows how much you and I can take and He is with us every step of the way.

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said "I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Hebrews 13: 5

If you stop and read this scripture, it gives a sense peace. Tranquility.... I love this word that Dr. Norman Vincent Peale used in his The Power of Positive Thinking. 

What is it that you and I are doing day to day if we can't be content or at peace knowing that He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you, precious child of God?

It is so easy to get carried away with the to do list.  Work pressures mount high as jobs are on the line.  Family needs heighten as little ones grow and need new clothes, shoes and such.  Not to mention health care costs, insurance, and education.  For those single, it is seeking love in many places but the one that gives contentment.  It's easy to become misfocused as you and I live our day to day life.

Being misfocused is easily done.  Technology is great at this.  Peer pressure and gettting caught up in the crowd mentality is easy to do.  Forgetting to pray as you chase after a child or sit in a serious meeting or whatever activity is occuring is not good.  Sometimes going to too much church or other related activities can easily misfocus you on worshiping the One we need most in our life.

How do we stop being misfocused and help ourselves get refocused?  For starters, getting your finances in order is a black and white answer to your behavior and what you are or are not doing right.  For example, if you are working a written plan and watching your spending behavior, then when you review it and realize how artificial it truly is, that is a reality check on where you are misfocused.

Our finances can tell us a lot about ourselves.  As much as we don't want to face ourselves in the mirror and admit our mistakes (and the fact that we are not perfect), it is a  necessary discipline to do so.  I along with many must constantly self-evaluate.  It's no easy task.  But let's not let this negative bring us down or destroy self-esteem.  Let's forgive ourselves and admit to do better.

To get refocused, it is wise to take a look at your monthly spending for the last 1-3 months.  From there, categorize your areas of spending.  Most folks overspend in the personal area as well as the food area.  Perhaps challenge yourself with a new goal.

Another area to get refocused is to do tax preparation work.  This is the time of year when you force yourself to organize your tax material as well as your financial paperwork.  Reviewing so many items will help.  While it's not fun and a little tedious, the outcome can be of great benefit.

Once you've refocused yourself and worked to get your finances back up and running in a better way, then it's time to check out other areas of your life such as TIME MANAGEMENT.  Time is just as important as money and perhaps more so because there's only so much of it that you can give.  Managing your time means you can direct your attention to the areas of your life that are important and not waste your time in other areas.

The financial perspective to learn about is how to correct where it is in your life that you are misfocused.  The number one area is have a relationship with God and then all else will follow.  I have found this to be true that if I invest my time into a relationship with God then all else gets better including the finances.  It's getting focused on the One who will never leave us nor forsake us!

By Stephanie Arredondo  (c) 2012 Alfa Sugar

Happy Military Couples

Ever wonder what are some secrets to keep love going in your marriage?  I love this article recently posted The 9 Secrets of Happy Couples.  Now if only I can get my military spouse to help out with household chores, then I think that this is a great list.  All joking aside, military couples can benefit from these secrets.

Praying together as a couple especially before you begin your day is a great way to connect with your spouse.  If he is on deployment or there is a distance factor, try skyping or pick a particular time of the day where you both know that the other is praying for you and vice versa.

Doing household chores helps your love life.  Upon return from a long deployment, the military spouse needs to make a contribution to doing dishes, cooking a meal, taking the trash out, treating the other to something and even helping out with laundry.  By doing these domestic duties, you are able to reduce the amount of time it takes to do these chores and increase your time together.

Sometimes just sitting and being near one another is a great way to reconnect.  Communication is soooo important.  Allowing time to catch up and listening to the other is key.

There are other items to keep in mind but for now, happy military couples is something that many desire because as many Americans agree, the sacrifices that you and the military families make is a big deal to many U.S. citizens.  Happiness is priceless whereas fun is where you pay a price.....choosing happiness for your marriage is a financial decision in the long run!

(c) 2012  Copryrighted by Stephanie Arredondo

Elderly Targeted for Fraud

A recent article in the local newspaper heightened my understanding that as the Baby Boom generation enters their retirement years, it's becoming more evident of fraudulent activity.  First of all, shame on the person taking advantage of an elderly person who has lived their life and is now dependant upon people for care as well as health matters.  These thieves are crafty in their tactics of intimidating the elderly whereby faking a call from the Social Security office or IRS.  One family received phone calls from a nurse at the nursing home where a relative was under their care....needless to say, this person was fired and no doubt served some jail time. Whatever the reason for the contact, it is important to be vigilent.  For some elderly, they screen their calls through the answering machine.  For others, they demand a letter in writing.  For many, they may have e-mail but are not likely to use it much.  One elderly person's e-mail address was stolen and used fraudulently for moneymaking purposes.  Luckily the telecommunicaitons company addressed the situation before it got out of hand.  In this modern era of smartphones, electronic items and texting, it is important to be kind to the elderly, facilitate the details when it comes to financial matters, and to look out for their financial well-being as well as overall well-being.

Donating to American Veterans

Certain charities benefit from your cleaning out your house, and one of them is the American Veterans.  Through the AMVETS National Service Foundation, they operate thrift stores whereby funds raised help support veteran programs.  It's a worthy cause that benefits you as you clean your house out and supports our heros.