Första snön

Lyckades inte fånga snöflingorna (med mobilkameran) så ni får föreställa er. Vissa av kanske redan har blivit snöade på den här säsongen och tycker inte jag uppmärksammar nåt märkvärdigt. Men jag har ett mycket speciellt förhållande till första snön.

Och igår satta jag upp julköksgardiner och julkrubbor och annat krafs. Har lyssnat igenom hälften av mina 2 dm julCD:ar. Nu känns det på riktigt att det snart är jul! T o m i cerise för somliga :)

1 kommentar:

Anonym sa...

How many times a day do you see a credit card logo on a cash register?
Why do they still call them cash registers when they really want you
to charge anyway? How much is spent in advertising to get you to spend
what you don't have just because you have room left on your credit
card? Maybe you thought that sale was just too good to pass up. Maybe
you thought that you could handle the payments and maybe you could
until...late fees, over-the-limit fees, the increase of your interest
rate, you got sick for a week or maybe there was even a real
emergency.



Getting into debt is easy, just buy a few things that you can't afford
to pay cash for and don't think about how many payments you're going
to have to make before it's paid off completely. Getting into debt is
fun; just go out to dinner and a show or away for a few days to make
yourself feel better about the fact that you don't have the money to
go out to dinner and a show or to get away for a few days. Getting
into to debt can impress people. Don't drive around in something that
you can afford to pay for, figure out how much you can squeeze out of
your monthly budget, and if you don't have a budget even better just
guess, then tell a car salesperson that you'd like to make 48 payments
and see what you'll be driving around town in. The best part is you'll
guarantee you'll be driving it to work for the next 1,460 days just to
make the payments. Now that's impressive!

Take the "How Did I get Into Debt Quiz". Pull out one of your credit
cards and determine how much you owe on it. Now, quickly, what did you
buy for all that money? I'll bet you don't know because you bought
stuff. Stuff you may not even have anymore let alone still use or be
able to identify. Now ask why do you use it at all? Be honest. How
does "I want stuff I can't afford to pay cash for" sound? The
Unexpected Event
Many people get into debt because of unexpected events, events beyond
their control. The most common of these are medical bills and job
loss. And the most common causes are lack of affordable medical
insurance and globalization. Not only are these problems beyond your
control they also appear to be beyond the control of our political
system so don't expect the problems to be fixed any time soon.

Globalization, the process of businesses taking their money to far off
countries to earn better returns, is not new. In the 1790s Benjamin
Franklin Backe published a newspaper called the Aurora. In it he wrote
that he believed that the merchants of the day were "men who know no
country but that where they can make money," who "carry their capitals
ships and our sailors to the country which will encourage them."

The sad part, debt-wise, of having an unexpected event is that even
though you didn't cause the problem it is up to you to fix it. So
whether you're in debt because of an event or the "easy monthly
payments" trap relax because I've got some good news. Getting out of
debt is going to be even more fun than getting into debt was. I done
both and becoming debt-free feels great. So if you're ready let's get
started...but first let's discuss, Good Debt/Bad Debt and business
debt. Good Debt/Bad Debt
Much like cholesterol, where there is good and bad cholesterol, debt
comes in two versions. It can be okay to take on debt in a reasoned
way for a good purpose. In fact many people become wealthy by
borrowing money to invest in business opportunities. They call it
using other peoples' money. But my focus here is on how individuals
spend their money on themselves. It's how you spend your money.


There can be some very good reasons to take on debt. Financing
education, for example, can be an admirable thing. If you go to school
to increase your income potential, taking out a student loan would be
a good thing. If you take out a $2,000 loan and you learn a skill that
let's you earn an extra $5,000 a year, you'd be crazy not to take the
loan. If you take out a student loan because you don't know what you
want to do with your life and you don't want to get a job, well,
that's not a good idea.

For most people taking out a mortgage is the only way they'll be able
to purchase a home. This could be considered good debt. Because of the
way mortgage payments are structured with the first few years being
heavily weighted towards paying interest and mere pittance going
towards principle, it's a good idea to pay off even this good debt as
soon as possible. Many wise financial minds teach that before
investing in something that will give you thirty years of monthly
payments it's better to invest in income producing assets first,
something like rental property.

Well, what about if there's an emergency? Maybe the plumbing broke, or
you have a medical emergency. Well let's not be stupid about this, if
its real emergency and the only way to pay for it is by taking on
debt, then take it on. If you break your leg it's a good idea to take
on the debt of a doctor's bill rather then waiting until you have the
money to get the bone set. Personal vs. Business Debt
There can be some big differences between personal and business debt.
But it mostly depends upon how the business structure is setup. If the
business is setup as a sole-proprietorship then there really is no
difference between the business owner and the business, it is all
considered one entity.

If on the other hand the business is set up as a corporation then
there is a vast difference between the business and the business
owner, in this case the share-holders. This is true even if only one
person owns all the shares. Legally the corporation is considered a
separate entity and if the business has debt problems it doesn't
translate to shareholder debt problems. That's why entrepreneurs like
having their businesses in a separate legal entity.

It's also why if you are considering going into business as a way to
make more money to get out of debt it's a good idea to have the proper
business structure. Is There Another Way?
Even with good debt you want to think twice before taking it on.
Taking a student loan to improve your employment situation is a great
idea, good debt. But wait, before you take on debt ask "Is there a
better way?" There are many sources of grants, and yes a grant is
money that you don't have to pay back. So before you take the easy way
and "Just sign here," do some checking to make sure there's not a
better way. You need to be fully informed as to the terms and
conditions of any loan before you take it. You should always shop
around to see if there is a better deal, better terms or a way to
avoid taking the loan out at all.


One way to avoid having to take on even good debt is to plan in
advance and save money on a regular basis. If you've been driving for
a while you have probably had a flat tire. Because everyone gets a
flat tire once in a while it couldn't really be considered an
unexpected expense. Do you have money set aside for your next flat
tire? Well, you should. If fact you should have money set aside that
would cover a variety of "unexpected" expenses. If you do you can deal
with life's little surprises without upsetting your monthly budget.
You will have to pay yourself back but you won't be charging yourself
interest or calling yourself at dinner demanding payment.

So, yes, there is good debt under certain conditions, just be sure
that you've investigated other ways of taking care of it before you
sign your way into debt. And if you do take it on don't allow yourself
to feel burdened by it. You did what you had to and you'll pay it off