so yesterday, i became the secretary on the home owner's association board of directors. being the only person in the entire complex who ran for the secretarial position, i refrained from promoting too many negative campaign ads in the local media, and won by a convincing margin of victory over...4 blank write-in spots. my reason for joining the board of directors is simple - the board has the power, and i want the power. newly elected, i am in the elite club of decision makers in my community, and i will steer, albeit gently and subtlely, the decisions to favor my household whenever possible. nothing underhanded or illegal, just the natural hegemonic benefits that accompany positions of such lofty power.

the meeting was so goofy though. the president's gavel was a spray can. the ladies that attended the meeting probably average 65 years of age, and two were in wheelchairs. Out of the hunderds of home-owners in our condo complex, there were only 18 people there. and the president commented on the outrageously high turnout! wow. i am completely underwhelmed by this.

the highlight of the evening was when the candidates were announced and had to give a short introduction. i rose from my chair, my eyes confidently surveyed the room. 'my name is xx, it is my pleasure to be running for board of directors. i moved into this complex in october, with my lovely spouse, and i am excited for the opportunity to serve, if elected.' if elected! ha, like i wouldn't be voted into office. the humility went over well with the ladies. well, some of them couldn't really hear me that well, with the whole deaf situation. sensing i was losing the audience, i quickly finished with a touch of humor: 'aaand, i like long walks on the beach.' and i sat down. spattered applause. a chuckle. a grin. a bunch of confused old women in the back who couldn't hear a word i said.

i'm done writing now.


-lib


you are the witness of change and to counteract.
yo, we gotta take the power back.
de la rocha

i just made $25.
no joke.

my emergency fund is getting bigger and bigger. my goal is to get $3000 as an emergency fund for now, and then keep saving on top of that to pay off my debts. What i am going to do is a bit different than others recommend; i am going to keep pumping money into the emergency fund, and then keep paying my minimums on the debts. debt #1 is about $400, so once i get to to $3400, i will transfer the $400 from my EF and pay off the debt with one payment. then, my second debt is $5200, so i will save $8200 (well, a bit less with minimum payments toward this debt) in my EF and then pay off at one time. my four remaining debts are one student loan ($8k), two car notes ($8k & $12k), and my house loan. i plan on being out of all non-house debt by christmas 2010 (32 months away). and then, with time on my side, i will invest and save for retirement. it will be dope.


-lib


time is on my side, yes it is.
oh time, time, time is on my side, yes it is..
ragovoy

i am going to do the $20 challenge.

i have never tried this before but i want to get rid of my $6000 credit card debt, and making measly payments each month is weighing me down. i started out last month on 3/1/08 and plunked 20 bones in an envelope at work. i hid it in my drawer. i add to it when i get some extra loot such as a rebate or cash back from using my credit card. i am now up to $179 because i just got $55 for doing yardwork for a guy on craigslist last sunday for 3 hours. easy money. it is good to escape the miasma of the office for a bit.

my hopes:
$100 by 4/1. check.
$200 by 5/1.
$500 by 6/1.
$800 by 7/1.
$1200 by 8/1.
$1500 by 9/1.


-lib


little by little
we gave you everything you ever dreamed of.
gallagher

this morning, i went to my weekly group meeting with other men to discuss and apply the bible to our lives. we watched a short video about what it means to be rich, who is considered rich, and what it is like to feel rich. astonishingly, the guys all said that they felt the most rich as a young man when they got their first job, because they had no worries, no debt, and could spend their money freely as they got it. these are men that make 6 figures now, and do not consider themselves to be rich at this time. rich, we decided, is about relativity. you are rich relative to others, relative to your debts, relative to something else. according to a poll i just made up, americans are in the top 5% of income earners in the world. if you can read this, then you are rich.
the question now is: are you a good steward of this money? do you live below your means? are you content?
my definition of rich: providing for me and my family and being content.


-lib


baby you're a rich man.
how does it feel to be one of the beautiful people.
now that you know who you are.
lennon/mccartney

sometimes, you try to do something, you commit to it, and you fail. and sometimes, you think 'man, that really sucked.' and sometimes, you just feel like being alone after that. and sometimes, you just start believing that there is not really a reason for hope, for success, for truly living.

that is where i once was. not with a girl. not with my job. with money. i was not taught how to use it, how to save it, how to invest it. i just spent the amount that i made, not really saving, not really thriving. just getting by. i tried several times to do better with my money, to no avail. nothing really worked or helped. i found myself not in a horrible place, but on the path to a horrible destination. i could see in 20 years just continuing to squeak by in life. and i hated that image.

and then it all changed.

i found the hope that i needed. the hope and belief that my life could be different. i read some weblogs, listened to radio shows, and then finally decided to read 'your total money makeover.' i found hope. my perspective changed. i believed in myself. i will not be isolated from my issues. i will face them. i will face the pain. and i will also face the beauty that eventuates, the joy, the satisfaction that can only come from risking the pain.

i am no longer going to be in debt.
i am no longer going to be a slave to lenders.
i am no longer going to borrow money.
i am now free.


-lib


and a rock feels no pain.
and an island never cries.
simon