I Found Julie's Blog

You know your a geek when you watch Julie and Julia and at the end you just really want to see her actual blog.  Granted I watched it a while ago and just barely got around to searching for it via swagbucks (I love swagbucks), but it was really interesting.

If you haven't watched the movie, its about an average woman who decides to cook through Julia Child's French Cooking cookbook, blogging about it the whole way and it changes her life.  The blog turns into a book and a movie.  Isn't that something?  Can you imagine all that coming from just your little blog?  Why was her's special, you wonder, and what's the difference with yours?

I think the biggest factor that gave Julie an edge was she set a crazy goal.  Cooking through the whole cookbook in one year?  Fans loved not only her writing but where anxious to see if she would actually make it.  I think its the same with Stepanie's A Year of Slowcooking.  Stephanie's blog turned into a book too.  There's just something special about setting goals for yourself.  We're not talking easy-peasy ones, these goals were challenging.  Now, I'm not saying that if you set a challenging goal you're going to get published or made into a movie; I'm suggesting that goals are hugely successful tools for motivating yourself.  It makes you more accountable than just a thought or an idea.  If I found a blog that had an author with a challenging goal they were trying to meet, I think I would become a consistant reader too.  I absolutely eat it up.  I love people with goals, values, and standards.  They're an inspiration to me, and you know you can count on the majority of them to hold true to themselves.  To me, that's a big deal.

I think I began pondering this subject while I was working on a goal I could have for my other blog Living On Homemade.  I have been so almost obsessed with the idea of becoming more self-sufficient that I just had to start a blog about it to share my experiences. 

So I encourage you to perhaps set some goals you can share with your readers.  It will give them a purpose to check in on you and will hopefully lead to returning readers.

Living On Less - TAIT

Welcome to Talk About It Tuesday!  As part of my Work @ Home series, I'm adding thoughts on how to Live on Less and learn how much is enough.

I have really been reviewing where my family's hard earned income goes. Who exactly is it that has our money since it always seems that we don't...  My first 2 thoughts were of course:

Cell Phone

Car Expenses:

• GAS
• Insurance
• Registration
• Maintenance
• Parking Permit

We have already paid off our car for the time being, which we are very thankful for.  Even without a car payment, after adding all the numbers up for just my cell phone and our family's use of our one car- I discovered that I work at my 4-day a week job for over a month and 1/2 straight every year just to pay for these expenses!  I spend a month and 1/2 at my job when I'd rather be spending time with my son.  I was totally shocked at the numbers!  What in the world is going on here?!

Then I started to consider what would it take to live without these things.  I'm serious.  Do I HAVE to have a cell phone and a car to survive and be happy?  Have I just been brainwashed into thinking that these conviences are now necessities required to live a pleasant and productive life?  The answer:  I don't know.  I have never even considered the idea.  My family always had a car and my cell phone offered the ease and convenience of on-the-go plan changing and being able to make calls to anyone at anytime.  Is it possible to function in today's society without them?

I thought of the people I knew without cars.  They bike or take the bus when they have to go to work or go shopping.  They don't seem any worse for it.  In fact, they seem to have more because of it.  What about the holidays when we have to go visit family in the next town over?  Rent a car or get a ride.  Maybe they can come see us instead if they want to.  And when it comes to the cell phone, our land line is included in our rent.  I'm already paying for a phone, why pay for two?  It doesn't make sense besides the convenience.

These are just some of the things I went over, considering the possibility of freeing myself from these financial burdens.  Thus freeing up money and time to spend with my quickly growing son. 

My husband of course was just shocked at the idea.  One of the points he made that did cause me concern was getting around when winter hit.  A possible solution - make use of my free bus pass.  As students we recieve a free bus pass for our city's bus system to go wherever we want for free.  No charge, just go to the parking building and get your free student sticker.  I went over so many things from making menus and planning shopping trips better to make my trips more efficient.  There are lots of things involved, but is it possible or not - that's what I really want to know.

So, I want to slowly start to make the transition until I can completely experiment on the idea of living without a cell and a car.  I really want to see if its possible.  If its worth the money saved on gas and all those other expenses.  I may find at some point before totally making the transition that it is not reasonable, which at that point I will go back to the drawing board.  But, until then, it seems to me that a month and 1/2 is time wasted if it's not spent with my family.

What are you up to today.  Link up and share with us!