Originally posted on Facebook - August 17, 2018 - Changing Careers

I started reading this article and the one preceding it and I liked both articles a lot. What the articles do not say are:

Before making the jump learn several practical skills while you have extra money, such as:

Growing several things which you can eat. Learn about long term, medium term and short term with those crops even if you think that you have accumulated enough to jump. They may be your saving grace over the medium to long term.

Consider developing your shopping skills in an economical way:
Learn which stores offer 'Buy one get one at 50% off" for shoes, accessories for shoe care or foot care.
Rethink the "Fund raising events" for "work clothes" over time, as you can experiment with another look while donating some of your gently used items.
Learn how to sell off your extra "good quality" items, such as sheets, towels as early as possible. Start reducing your purchases of these items from now as cash in the bank means less storage space or rental space being used.

Don't underestimate the need for funds. When you think that you have put away enough, check again and see if there is another "Tax Saving Plan or for those who save in US dollars, a seven year or longer term bond" in your portfolio and if you can reinvest the interest earned for another period. The "good life" is expensive and those "other savings" tend to buffer our lives.

Start practicing gratitude as being positive and grateful  helps in the transition.

Before leaving your job or career, consider asking for a reduction in your work hours to keep a job which you like, but to which you may not be able to devote as much as you would like. Also consider assisting in another area of work in the company to develop some additional skills which may assist in your transitioning into another position or company if you like working in "blue chip companies"

Currently I work 3 days a week and due to rainfall, between Monday and today I harvested some cassava which I had forgotten or did not believe was good as yet. I was able to give some away and I was grateful for something else which came in as relatively "free food" which I "had" to eat as I can give away so much and no more. This reduces my need for some cash periodically.

https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/money-finance/saving-spending/changing-career-financially-prepared?fbclid=IwAR2ZlGI-XqmqIDYePC11Eo6fnc22_zbKBVZXpCwkDTIeIn__ry4qqr1iNww

Originally posted on Facebook - Planning 2018-05-013 -001 Grocery and To do Planning'

Have to make my grocery list before the end of the month....

I know that I have a mental plan of due dates when I need to get things...

Such as: groceries which I can get, when I go to pay bills which are to be paid early in the next month for the latest.

Things which I pick up when I deal with bills which are interest sensitive and which benefit from being paid as early as possible....

The things for which I can keep cash which I can use as part of my splurge money... (You know the dollar and two dollar choices:)

The choices which I have to make so as to save some cash... Luckily in my mind I have some choices as to places where I can put some of the small savings... I just have to get it into action.

Taxes to pay next month.... So do I put cash away this month and work out my taxes for this quarter at this mid point or do I just work on filing my return for last year?

Definitely need some thinking space and time..... Yes, I know an hour with the Lord can give me the mental clarity which I need.....

However right now there is: bread to bake, shower curtains to wash, hang and rehang and almost a day of chores to get through before tonight.... So Lord, just help me to make the right choices...

Originally posted on Facebook -Motivation Moment 2018-05-015-001

Some persons who are developing strategies to save or who may be trying new experiences sometimes identify their positive influences early in the process while some identify theirs later down the road..

Here are some examples of persons using different motivators to keep themselves going:

1 They start saving their time. Yes, there are persons who cut out some of the "time spenders" such as reducing their trips to the grocery and using the time to:

Accomplish some chores earlier in the week,

Try out a new side for dinner.

2 They start saving smaller amounts to keep their enthusiasm going... Yes sometimes it seems that the big saving goals may not happen the way we want them to and saving a smaller amount allows us to contribute to a goal in another way.

3 They try to put in some small amounts of "Do good time". This might mean:

5 minutes in meditation in the morning and 5 minutes in the afternoon if you cannot have more time... Think adoration time.

Assisting as a volunteer for half an hour

Listening to inspirational music for 3 minutes. This boosts the mood and may assist you in not going off track in a big way.

Stopping to say a prayer at lunch time. This can allow you to recharge and may give you the energy to thrive in the afternoon to evening.

So tell me what has been motivating you..

Originally posted on Facebook - The Power of 5's 2018-05-016-001

Recently I was going through a sweet tooth phase and I discovered that Tru Valu Long Circular sells Biscuit cakes, (a past love from my childhood) at $2.00 for one.

The first set of three biscuit cakes which I bought were :

Thicker than the expected "height";

The taste was one part essence which pervaded each mouthful,

There was just enough sugar in it;

The texture was soft and a small piece warranted a second taste and so forth.

Since then I have been trying to capture that taste and texture almost every week.

So to get back to the Power of 5's. After consuming those Biscuit cakes, I tend to get creative as to what I can do with a little bit. So here are some of the Power of 5's suggestions:

In some earlier posts, I have explored the 1/2 lbs and 1 lbs which can allow you to create a soup with $10 of ingredients.

If one were really stretched, then an omission of an item can take the cost of the soup down to $5.00 or

Change the type of soup from a split pea, potato, pumpkin soup, to a potato soup to a pumpkin soup or

A fried pumpkin side or a fried potato side all under $5,00 or within $5.00.

Some of the other alternatives are: a bunch of pakchoy with 5 pieces for $10.00 or 4 pieces for $10.00 which works out to about $2.00 or $2.50 per side or thereabouts if one were to consider the other ingredients.

Recently I was able to purchase a bunch of callaloo bush for $8.50 which was outside of my range of prices for items for that day.

However the bag of callaloo bush included a pack of coconut milk which normally costs about $4.50.

When the two items were put together, the callaloo bush came out at about $4.50.

I was also able to get 3 small sweet potatoes for about $5.00, some pieces of ginger for about $5.00.

So with that in mind, let me leave you with a math puzzle and a test of your optimism:

There is a game which is offered by NLCB where you can wager $1.00 and win $30.00. So if you were willing to wager 4, $1.00's, twenty times you may achieve a gross receipt of $2,400. Now this return does not compare to that of Cash Pot and you may be seriously tired after trying, but if you are willing to work your brain, then the grocery shopping may be a thrill as you can look at all of the $5's with glee.

So look at the forms, read the front and the back and enjoy...

Originally posted on Facebook- The Power of 5's 2018-05-018-001

Yesterday I gave in to the allure of the 5's in a doubles and a baiganee with channa, chutney and slight pepper. However back to the real world and here are some of my under, equal and over $5.00 items:

Catelli - elbows, small pack about 300 gms - $4.00 Makes a small enough pie to serve one or two persons as a side dish for about 2 or three meals. ( milk and cheese do not count in this as some persons will eat the "elbows" boiled with seasonings.)

Carailli - $3.00 for about 2 small ones or 1 large one for $5.00. These can create a serving for 2 persons for about 2 meals as no one really likes Carailli.

Peas - Lentils, split peas are each about $4.00 - $5.00 Most persons cook about a quarter of a pound with garlic. So a pound of peas can last a month to six weeks for two persons.

Mince meat - At some supermarkets, you can ask for about $5.00 in minced meat and they will weigh it out for you without a fuss.. Cooked in a sauce, this can become a side.

Mackerel in a tomato sauce or in brine is my last suggestion at $5.00. This can be curried and served as a side for 2 persons.

Here are my over $5.00 which can last for awhile:

Mushrooms in a tin at $10.00 - Sliced thinly and curried, they can be served as a side. As a pizza topping, they may take longer to be eaten.

Sardines @ $7.00 serves 2 -3 as a side

1/2 pound of Peanut Butter - can make cookies, "punches" eaten on apples, with oats, sugar, essence and baked as a bar, eaten by the tsp to prevent heatburn.

Pakchoy, Callaloo Bush and other vegetables last for several meals.

Flour 2kg - can last a month or so.

Macaroni or spaghetti @ $5.00 or so.

Enjoy your shopping and eating for the weekend

Originally posted on Facebook - 2018-05-019-001 - Lines of Business -

Some persons have different lines or business which provide either income, experience or a way to give back....

So let's say that I am using some of my earnings from my regular job to buy food..

If my intention is to develop compost then I may buy: onions, garlic, newspapers, carrots, potatoes, eggs and sweet potatoes as my contribution to the home.

If my intention is to develop plants, then I may buy: most of the above, however I may add Pro Mix or one of the plant starters to get pieces of the potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots to grow...

Now if I were to create and sell the "seedlings" of potato and pieces of sweet potato plants, then my cash inflow may be faster than expected. However if I were to keep them to create products to sell, then my income may be received at a later point in time....

If I were preparing my Cash Flow or my Profit & Loss, then I would have no " sources" of funding as basically I took some of the purchases and perhaps turned a profit... That is if I were like most persons and threw away the bills or did not copy them as they faded quickly. (Perhaps some of the "Groceries" may provide member statements with items purchased per calendar year which may be printed on regular paper, so that persons can have support for their tax return.)

Worse yet, if I picked up some slices of tomato with seeds or a whole tomato, planted the seeds and got a whole lot of crops, then I would have few expenses unless I decided to accrue for some rent which may reduce my profits.

However, In real time, I would have to weigh the produce, take pictures, get copies of the grocery bills and thus incur some type of cost which if I were filing an income Tax Return would allow me to claim some expenditure. In real time, that is difficult for the average person..... However...

The Income Statement for the Tax Return could be used to open a Bank Account and allow the person to move forward.

The funds in the "business" account would need to be kept separately from my other funds as I would need to pay myself and use my funds as I see fit.

I could open different business bank accounts or Unit Trust accounts to keep different sources of business income as I may sell some of the businesses at a point in time and the Bank account or Unit Trust Account for the Business may form part of the "history" of the business...

In real terms, I would move towards paying taxes every quarter, reduce my penalties and interest.

My lines of business may assist in tracking new businesses as there may be some exemptions on the payment of taxes with respect to new businesses...

So it just may be worth your while to track your lines of businesses or disaggregate your funds even though the income may seem minute..

Someone with a different eye may see some breaks that you may not see....

Originally posted on Facebook - Lava Flow - Big Island - Hawaii

Live Video: Kilauea Lava Flow Big Island Hawaii. The latest: http://www.civilbeat.org/2018/05/hawaii-lava-flow-ramps-up/

For Hawaii news and updates on the Big Island lava flow, subscribe to receive our free morning email. http://www.civilbeat.org/#subscribe-now

Originally posted on Facebook - Planning 2018-05-020-001

If, ten years from now, you were to return to where you are currently, either in terms of the big picture of the country or the smaller picture of a specific location in the country, what would you do right now:

1 Spend or leave most of your money as it would either grow or remain intact

2 Plant 10 banana trees, 10 coconut trees, 10 mango trees, 10 breadfruit or cocoa trees

3 Do nothing, just walk away to another life

4 Sell all or most of your possessions

If you were to do #2, then there is the possibility that all things being equal, the country would be better off, as in 5-10 years there would be fruit or food for people..

I am not sure how much better off you would be if you were to do any or all of the other 3, that would depend on your current circumstances.

Let me know your choice and a little bit of your feelings in the comments below please

Originally posted on Facebook -2018-05-026-001 Changing times

For years carailli was something which my mother bought "one or two of" and cooked according to her taste or knowledge of how it was to be prepared....

Over the last six months or so, with our luck, her "vine" which is shaded from the scorching sun by a coconut tree and the leaves of a cassava tree, only a few of the carailli ripen either as small ones or large ones, so we get a fair harvest almost every week..

At times; given my impatience with doing things a certain way, my tendency to forget things and my need to have as little cooking time as possible... to some extent we have adapted to each other...

Now, there is :

Little sunning of the carailli to draw out the bitterness from the pieces...

Less cooking the carailli "dry" as we need to have it as a "side", make it last as long as possible and reduce the washing of the pots time.... :)

Contemplation as to serving fried carailli with salmon or on some occasions salted fish as a flavoring.....

When I offer some of the fried carailli to persons, I am told "That is not the traditional way of making it and no thank you", I am ok with the response as I know where that person is at on that morning and they know where I am at on that day....

Originally posted on Facebook - Ordination of Ken Vierra

ALL are Invited to witness the Ordination of Ken Vierra to the Holy Priesthood at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, tomorrow - Saturday 4th August 2018 at 10.00am, by Archbishop Jason Gordon

We at Generation S pray for a Holy Anointing upon Ken as he makes his FIAT... 'Yes Lord, be it done to me according to your Will...!!!' We entrust him to Our Blessed heavenly Mother, asking her to pour her abundant Graces upon him that he may gather courage, strength and perseverance for the journey he is embarking on.
God CHOSE You Ken, and He commissioned you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last.
Be assured of our support and prayers.

Do not miss this momentous occasion in the Archdiocese of POS

Photo Credit: Br. Marius Williams - Mount St. Benedict, Trinidad
Occasion: Ken Vierra's Ordination to the Transitional Deaconate at Mt. St. Benedict by His Grace - Archbishop Jason Gordon - 21.05.18

Originally posted on Facebook - 2018-011-05-001 My savings plan for part of the rest of this year:

Category: Electricity:

Christmas Tree - Option 1 - Put the Christmas tree up by December 6, 2018, with the lights being plugged in from Dec. 24, 2018.
Option 2 - Put the Christmas Tree up on December 24, 2018 with the lights being plugged in, until Jan 6, 2019

Appliances: Before the end of the year: Clean behind as many as possible at least 2x, empty deep freezer, refrigerator and clean before refilling.

Fans and other cooling devices: Use as needed.

Washing: Hand wash where possible so as to use less electricity over the period to Dec 31, 2018.

Do not wash every piece of clothing or curtain every month or with a goal of "by the end of the year" to retain it in your wardrobe. Some work in Jan 2019 will be a good start for the year.

Water is also a bit scarce at times. If rain water can be substituted for tap water in certain activities, then make the switch.

More options with respect to categories and points in this category will be added as they arise.

My reason for posting the above relates to a conversation which I had with a co- worker/colleague after collecting some payment vouchers with invoices which were to be processed recently.

The timing of the billing of electricity invoices allows for one invoice to be processed either with a billing period which ends on Dec 24, with a due date of Dec 31, or a billing period which ends in Jan, with a due date of Jan 31.

Many times after running the lights from Nov. or early Dec., we are flabbergasted by the amount which is now due.

So, to make life more pleasant for everyone this year and after trying some unplugging tactics at home for a month or two and realizing that I needed to conceptualise some more practices or adopt a few more, I decided to write about the topic....

Originally posted on Facebook - The death of Bishop Sydney Charles

Condolences from the Gen S family, we thank God for Bishop Sydney’s ‘YES’ .
May he RIP.

“His deep love of people, gentle manner and sense of humour saw new beginnings for the church in Grenada, especially with the young people for whom he had a special love. 

However, events overtook him with the coming to power of the New Jewel Movement led by Maurice Bishop in 1979. He often joked that Grenada then had two bishops, religious and political. Those days took a heavy toll on him, but he remained steadfast in his love for and commitment to Grenada and its people. NEWLO (New Life Organisation) remains...”

http://www.nowgrenada.com/2018/09/death-of-bishop-emeritus-sydney-anicetus-charles/

Originally posted on Facebook - 2018-09-021-001 - Math, statement of assumptions

Here is a change in my scenario planning or thinking. 

The purpose of this scenario is to assist persons to:

Work calculations using fractions, multiplications and additions using thousands, that is 000,

Create statements of assumptions and

Perform some research on the internet if you get that far in the question.

It is assumed that persons may have been exposed to these concepts and are using the question to either keep their penmanship skills, their numeracy skills and write between the lines. No offense is intended.

If the phrasings are causing anxiety, please feel free to ask for assistance from a trained professional.

For those of you who are familiar with gaming in this country, the words which are used have been borrowed from the games and the values have been obtained from games played. However these values are not consistent and the scenario was created to test the math and logic skills of persons rather than create expectations of any sort.

So here goes:

Jennifer is the recipient of 3 winning Cash Pot Tickets each with a value of TT$43,000.

Option A - Plan how the funds may be used, using 3 scenarios.

Option B Ignoring taxes for now, calculate the amounts for the following scenarios: Show the workings for each question

i) Calculate the amount of funds which would be received if the 3 tickets are cashed simultaneously.

ii) Allocate the funds evenly between 8 persons. State how much each person will receive.

iii) Assume that each of the 8 persons, gifts the original owner of the ticket with TT$125. Calculate how much the original owner will receive in total.

iv) Calculate how much each person will remain with, after gifting the original owner with the small amount which has been identified above.

As the country's National Budget is approaching, some persons may use the opportunity to:

a) Purchase extra groceries before the Budget date, especially items without VAT,

b)Purchase Bus Tickets as the bus to Piarco operates during the week and not on weekends.

c) Note bus routes with times, locations, so that you cane vacation at locations at home over the next month or two.

d) Create an investment plan using Non Registered Retirement Funds for 1/4 of the funds such as:

I) 6 month Treasury Bills for 1/4 of the funds

e) Place 1/4 of the funds in a deposit account at a Credit Union of your choice.

f) Hold 1/8 of the funds in cash

g) Use 1/16 of the funds to meet the needs identified in a-c.

h) Hold 1/4 of the funds for a downpayment on a home of your choice.

i ) Give spouse a token of appreciation of 1/16 off the funds.

Now if I can create some more outrageous scenarios, there may be some more posts for calculation questions or creative thinking...

Read and enjoy and let me know if the math skills are still there or if they require some work.

Originally posted on Facebook - St. Elijah

20 July
St. Elijah, Prophet
O.Carm. - Solemnity / O.C.D. - Feast

+

Almighty, ever living God,

Your prophet Elijah, our Father,

lived always in Your presence

and was zealous for the honor due to Your name.

May we, Your servants,

always seek Your face

and bear witness to Your love.

🙏 Pray with the Carmelite propers for the Divine Office:
https://carmelitequotes.wordpress.com/2018/07/19/july-20-saint-elijah/
📘 Learn more about the importance of Elijah in the charism and spirituality of the Carmelite Order: http://www.ocarm.org/en/content/ocarm/olmc/prophet-elijah