For the past three Thursday nights, I have taught a class called Money Smart. The students in my class range from age 15 to over 70. The teenager attends with her mom and the two senior citizens attend with their daughter. Everyone in the class is seeking more knowledge about money and how to manage their money but have different avenues to accumulate and save. It has been a great experience for me!
Last week I gave them a homework assignment. They were responsible for coming to class with one way they were able to save money since the last class period. I have tried to give them practical homework so they can immediately put to action the things they are learning each week.
One of the students who works for an investment firm shared that she no longer requests an Executive Stylist when she gets her hair cut but a regular stylist and her hair cut was just as nice and only $20. Another student shared that she decided to bundle her internet, phone and cable service and that will result in saving over $30 per month. Another student took her lunch to work three days of the week and immediately noticed the difference in her checkbook and was happier with her food choices. One of the senior citizens cut back on the number of times per day he eats and thinks he can still remain healthy doing this. The cutest comment was from the female senior citizen who shared she has only bought Viva paper towels for years. She decided to try some from the Dollar Store and found the quality the same so she got two rolls for a dollar which will last her much longer than the more expensive Viva brand.
I am so proud of them because most people who attend classes or seminars rarely put to action the valuable information they receive. I believe God has given me favor in that the students want their choices and understanding to change so they are using all the information I give them.
Before each class I have gone in the restroom and prayed that God would speak through me so everyone who hears could be blessed with knowledge, understanding and motivation to better manage their finances. I believe my prayers have been answered.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Flush...Pause...Flush
About a week ago I decided to change my wake up time from 3:30am to 2am as long as I go to bed by 9pm. I found I am most productive in the morning and useless when I get home from work. In the evening when me and my daughter walk in the door to my apartment, I want three things: a glass of water, a snack and my bed. She is usually in agreement so it works well. The problem is being a new business owner, I need to use as many hours as I can growing my business, researching contacts, learning new info, etc. Needless to say, evenings have not been productive for me.
So the 2am schedule worked for a few days. I made sure I kept God first and studied my Bible before any other tasks or projects. However, yesterday, I thought I was going to sleep in at least until 4:15-ish. My alarm still went off at 1:55am because I forgot to change it. So I got up, turned it off, used the bathroom and climbed back into bed. Exactly one minute later, I hear my toilet partially flushing. I lay there thinking maybe my neighbor upstairs is up at the same hour and it was his toilet. Another minute later, I hear a five second partial flush again. Then about every minute for six times until I got up and yelled at the toilet to be quiet. WTHeck!
I have no clue about fixing a toilet especially at 2am so I lifted the tank lid and started praying that God will show me how to fix it or it would shut up. I poured more water in the tank and that did not work. I poured more water in the bowl and that did not work. I did figure out that the stopper looking thing was not closing all the way so water continued to run from the tank to the bowl. I had no clue what to do but knew I could not go back to sleep with a noisy toilet. So I went in the living room and started reviewing my Bible Study lesson for this week.
My apartment is a decent size for a one bedroom- over 680 sq feet. However, I could hear the flushing through the walls while I sat in the living room and it was driving me nuts. After 20 minutes or so I went back into the bathroom and looked in the tank and prayed that God would give me the knowledge to fix it. I made a deal that if He stopped the noise, I would stay awake and work on my projects and not go back to sleep.
Well if you ever looked in the tank of your toilet there is a chain that hangs perpendicularly from a plastic or medal rod looking thing. The chain is connected to the stopper looking thing. The chain had got caught on the rod which made it too short to allow the stopper looking thing to completely close. I corrected the hanging chain so it was hanging properly and that fixed my toilet. All I could say was, "Thank You, God!", and went to my computer and started working.
So the 2am schedule worked for a few days. I made sure I kept God first and studied my Bible before any other tasks or projects. However, yesterday, I thought I was going to sleep in at least until 4:15-ish. My alarm still went off at 1:55am because I forgot to change it. So I got up, turned it off, used the bathroom and climbed back into bed. Exactly one minute later, I hear my toilet partially flushing. I lay there thinking maybe my neighbor upstairs is up at the same hour and it was his toilet. Another minute later, I hear a five second partial flush again. Then about every minute for six times until I got up and yelled at the toilet to be quiet. WTHeck!
I have no clue about fixing a toilet especially at 2am so I lifted the tank lid and started praying that God will show me how to fix it or it would shut up. I poured more water in the tank and that did not work. I poured more water in the bowl and that did not work. I did figure out that the stopper looking thing was not closing all the way so water continued to run from the tank to the bowl. I had no clue what to do but knew I could not go back to sleep with a noisy toilet. So I went in the living room and started reviewing my Bible Study lesson for this week.
My apartment is a decent size for a one bedroom- over 680 sq feet. However, I could hear the flushing through the walls while I sat in the living room and it was driving me nuts. After 20 minutes or so I went back into the bathroom and looked in the tank and prayed that God would give me the knowledge to fix it. I made a deal that if He stopped the noise, I would stay awake and work on my projects and not go back to sleep.
Well if you ever looked in the tank of your toilet there is a chain that hangs perpendicularly from a plastic or medal rod looking thing. The chain is connected to the stopper looking thing. The chain had got caught on the rod which made it too short to allow the stopper looking thing to completely close. I corrected the hanging chain so it was hanging properly and that fixed my toilet. All I could say was, "Thank You, God!", and went to my computer and started working.
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