Yes you need Term Insurance

Charlie Brown and Lucy are on the right track - although the cost is a little higher.  YOU NEED TERM INSURANCE if you are married or married with children.  No one thinks they might not be around to raise their children, but there are statistics out there that tell us that it is a possibility.  Do you know that you can buy Term Insurance for mere pennies and provide for your family if you are not there?  The younger you are, the cheaper it is.  Usually it is a level monthly payment for 20 years.    At the end of the 20 years, you may still have kids in high school or college and still need coverage in case of emergency.  You can renegotiate your policy but for a higher monthly payment.  Do you need other insurance too?  Maybe not.  With Wisdom,  you could save or invest and have the amount of insurance you need.  How much insurance do you need for a growing family, reports say that you need about 4 times your yearly income. Shop around and set up a fence around your family.  Your family will be grateful for the peace of mind.

More on dryer sheets!

In addition to the items I listed a few days ago, These dryer sheet uses work also:
Remove pet hair
Place in vacuum bag when using to refresh the air
Remove stale scent in old books.  Place sheets in some pages and place book in ziptop bag for a few days..
Clean car windshield or remove bugs
Discourage deer from eating your trees.  Tie strips onto the branches.
Sounds (and smells) good to me.

Guilty of people watching ...

I'm a firm believer of  having a will.  Many people shy away from them because they think that they are giving permission to die early.  Not so!  Pastor Hilley says that the mortality rate for the human race is 100%.  So a will tells your family and the court who gets what.  Uncle Louie wants Grandma's old chair even though it is rickety and no one can sit on it.  Another wants the keys to your kingdom.  You may want to share things way ahead of time to reduce your "clutter" and be able to give to whomever you please.
(My solution:  if more than one person wants something, have them write their name on a paper and have a drawing.  That would be fair and square.)

There is a big fear of probate.  It only means that the court must legally change the ownership if you haven't designated. Probate costs money (probably the real fear).  Although you may not be able to totally avoid probate it is possible to set up a trust.  A trust also costs money $2000+ so that your property just passes on to those you designate.

The "people watching" part happened the other day.  I was coming out of a building near a bank and saw a parked ambulance.  A closer look showed a person propped up on a hospital bed being rolled into the bank.  I guess he waited a little too long to make some adjustments!

Where did I put the glasses?

We have moved over 40 times and I made a few decisions in setting up a new house.
1.  Put the everyday dishes all around the dishwasher - not across the room.  It is quicker and easier to unload dishwasher when you don't have to run all over the kitchen.

2.  When you first move in and don't have all the boxes unpacked (and it will be a little while before you have time to do it), stack them up in a vacant corner, put a sheet over them and place a vase of flowers on the top.  It looks as presentable as possible and you don't have to look at the clutter.

3.  If you have a mar, chip or crack on your tile floor and it will be a while before you can replace it, match up the color with paint, clean up the place and put a little paint in it.  It won't be so noticeable.  You may have to do this every so often, but it saves you money while you "get it together".

4.  In like manner, if your grout around your toilet is discolored, buy some "Wite Out" and paint it - especially if company's coming.

I know you have found suitable cover ups for problems,  let me know for my benefit too.

Money, money, money!

Every December I set the budget for the coming year.  It makes it easier after the decision is made, incorporated and it then runs on auto pilot (so to speak).  This year was colossal in setting it in place.  A long story longer:

We had a few savings accounts on auto pilot for Emergencies, Car Fund, Christmas, and extra savings.  I had wanted to edit the amounts on two accounts back in October and was advised wrongly to close the auto and reset them up.  OK, I thought.  Meanwhile we got a letter from our out of state Savings bank that they had been sold to another institution (actually a good deal as it went from .5% to 1.%).  The two remaining accounts was transferred without my doing anything.  Then came up the setting up of the new accounts.  We had to start from scratch on an application to use their bank.  Then we had to wait until the account was verified by depositing a small amount into our account to verify that it was connected to our checking account for auto transfers.  I waited and waited...finally checked and it had been accomplished two weeks ago.  Whew!  All done ( I thought).  In checking the balances, one of the accounts was low because a deposit hadn't made it through.  I finally realized that I had written the transfer in my checkbook, BUT had never executed it.

This was a steep learning curve for me as I haven't had to do this for a long time.  I wrote this to encourage you.  Do not fear the unknown.  There will always be a voice on the other end of the line to straighten you out.  We are finally back on auto transfers to our out of state savings accounts and it's only January 22!

Money, money, money!

I wrote a long post about the perils of changing banks for your auto savings.  It took a while, and then I accidently pressed the wrong button and it went to Mars.  However, I do want to encourage you to not be concerned about the paper work involved.  You will make it, and you will have your savings accounts on auto transfer.  It is so much easier to just record the amount each month rather than have to go through the motions from the bottom upAND you won't save nearly as much.  Auto keeps you saving.  You can transfer it back to your checking account if you need it, but you will do about anything to keep from tapping it.  My best to you!

Candle wax on tablecloth

I have had candle wax drip on just about every tablecloth in the house.  I used to freak out about it, but heard you could get it out.  The process?  Scrape off as much as possible and then put tablecloth face down over the sink and pour boiling water through it.  It melts the wax and it drips away.  I've used this method over the years and it works great.  Enjoy the candles ... just be sure to never leave them burning when you leave a room.