Time and Taxes

Yesterday was Tax Day. Tell me, are you in the group of 53 percent of Americans who pay federal taxes, or are you in the group of 47 percent of Americans who pay no federal taxes? I swear, when I read those statistics, I scratch my head and wonder...why can't this country just pass a flat tax that is fair for all?

The Ways to Use It challenge asked us to create a card using a time theme in honor of tax day. I got really crafty and collage-y with this card! I used my Sizzix embossing folders, my Tim Holtz Distress crackle paints, and some really old stamps for this card!

{recipe: Artifacts (SU), Trintastic (SU), Handbill Headlines (SU), Sizzix folder, Tim Holtz distress crackle paint, large and small tag punches, soft suede and bordering blue cardstock and ink, versafine onyx ink, rhinestone brads, linen thread}



This week, I've been reading the fascinating book "The Millionaire Next Door". It's an amazing book that looks at the habits of real millionaires...by real, I mean the people who have a net worth in the millions, not the people who may make a million but spend two million instead. It turns out, the real millionaires are not who you think they are. They are small business owners, auctioneers, average joes and janes who just figured out how to live within their means and save. The doctors, lawyers, and corporate types tend to spend too much money to keep up appearances that go with their professions.

Millionaire types have a lot in common. They buy used cars. They live in modest houses. They don't have a lot of toys that depreciate in value. They spend a lot of time on their personal finances. They know where every dollar goes and how much they spend on every category from food to clothing to auto insurance. In other words, they budget.

My husband, who is a student of economics, has often told me that the key to wealth is not how much money you make, it is how much you don't spend. And boy, this is so true! Last year, you may recall how I started to budget and write down where every dollar went. I even made a cute little book to record my purchases. Well, nine months later, it's not so cute anymore!



I can now look at my little black book and see how much I spent on Starbucks for any given month. I can chart how much money went to clothing, and if I saved any money on the food budget. I can see areas where I've made big improvements (I'm spending more than half as much on crafts this year compared to last!), and areas where I can still use improvement (thinking of switching from shopping at Target for staples to shopping at Walmart for staples). I can see where curbing the restaurant eating has helped our food budget immensely, and I can also see where adding income from a part time job helped with making the monthly budget go farther.

I guess all those hours spent listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio have finally had an impact! I want to live like no one else so that I can live like no one else. Time to stop paying the stupid tax!

Time for a change

Have you heard? Stampin' Up is changing their color families. They're bringing back some In Color favorites (river rock, wild wasabi, pink pirouette, riding hood red, pacific point, baja breeze, and others), but getting rid of a lot of old standbys. No more Sage Shadow! I'll really miss this one. Time to stock up! Gone are close to cocoa, bordering blue, really rust, creamy caramel, and just about every color from the bold brights family. Soft subtles is saving four colors and changing the rest. Rich Regals and Earth Elements will lose nearly half their colors, too.

I think the change is a good one. Time to freshen up the palette! I'm thrilled that they're bringing back some In Colors, too.

What do you think?