Moving Toward Financial Freedom

A few months ago, I made a financial and emotional decision. I decided to move in with Kevin which would save me about $800 per month. Since living there, I have made many large payments on bills that have been dying for some attention. Today, my efforts and decision has paid off. Today I was able to make a large payment and pay off my car. I officially have bought my first car, fully paid for and everything. The last time I purchased a car, I killed it and still owed $4000 on it, which I have never paid. This is proud moment in my life and I feel like I have made a great accomplishment. Things are looking up for me. I also called my insurance company had dropped from full coverage to just liability, that dropped me from $150 to $63 per month. Quite the savings in my pocket, if you ask me.

I have one more large bill I am paying on, which has a balance of $650. I will take care of that one, with my next paycheck and then I will be debt free. Just sitting back and thinking of all that I can do once I have all this extra money, brings tears to my eyes. Actually, the part that brings tears to my eyes is knowing that in just a few months I can quit my job if I choose. I have been thinking about this for some time, and with my continued unhappiness with the work place, I have made a decision. Kevin and I have talked about it as well, and he is extremely supportive of me. I am would like to concentrate more on my writing, since that is what I enjoy doing. I think if I get a part-time job, closer to my new home in Woodinville, I will be able to spend the rest of the time on my writing. I have been doing projects found on www.rentacoder.com, which for the month of January has earned me $200. I am currently looking for some more freelance websites and hope to build a strong portfolio of my projects. I do find that I enjoy writing and I think I have some talent. I will write more about my freelance writing in a later blog post.

Thanks to Kevin, I am getting out of debt and I am finally able to focus on the things in life that I have always wanted. I look forward to traveling more and, of course, blogging about these adventures. I really feel I am finally in a place in my life that is very satisfying. I don’t regret my past experiences, and everything I have ever done has lead me to this exact place. I have learned many things, made countless mistakes, and got myself way in over my head time and time again. I continue to move forward and I am ready for the next chapter to begin.

My Child Advocate Rant

We have programs for saving the earth, saving the whales, saving the gorillas, saving the Rain Forests, and saving some exotic plant in Antarctica no one has ever heard of. Animals and plants, that probably could care less, have all these rights attributed to them. Animals also have PETA to protect and speak for them; give them a voice for things they have no idea about. Children, on the other hand, have no rights at all and no one willing to fight for them. Children in America have voices and they know exactly what they want, but no one is fighting for them and no one is listening to them.

Babies do not speak, yet they are able to tell their parents exactly what they want. Change me, feed me, hold me, or let me sleep are all examples of things babies want and they are able to express it with tears. Parents listen to those cries and give their child what they want, because as parents it is their job to meet their babies needs. As the child grows up, they learn words and start asking for things in a language we can all understand. The point here is that even as babies, kids know what they want. Why is it so easy to understand a baby who can’t speak, and not understand a child who speaks clearly? It seems a broken system when the more a child speaks; the less likely we are to listen. Kids know what they want for the most part, of course they don’t get everything they want, but giving your child the best childhood they deserve should be top priority.

Child are the future, they are the ones who will be in charge when we are older. Everyone likes to blame the decay of the nation on disrespectful teenagers, but the reality is how we treat our children today dictates how they will act in the future. If you do not show a child respect, how can you expect them to know what that even means? If you do not listen to your child, how will they learn to speak their mind instead of acting out? Acting out happens when there is a huge breakdown in communication; it is forcing the parent to listen when nothing else works.
We live in a society where children are viewed as property. We all whine and complain about racism, sexism, and every other –ism there is, but the only people without real rights are children. They have a voice, they can always be counted to tell things like they are. If all these things are true, why is it that when they voice an opinion about the real issues we suddenly shut them down? I know plenty of children who can tell you exactly what they want and why they want it, in most cases stating their thoughts in better terms than adults.

The point of this whole blog is for me to air my grievance with society and certain so called “parents.” Listen to your children, listen to what they want, and do your job by doing everything in your power to give them happiness. Sometimes, you will have to sacrifice your own happiness for your children, but that’s what it means to be a parent. For all the kids out there fighting to be heard, speak loud and speak often, never give up, and never let them take away your spirit.