#my drawings arent good objectively but i do think my writing has had a lot of growth and practice put into it

[germposting]

Not to be self pitying or whatever but a large reason why i feel so unmotivated to create anything anymore is because i feel under appreciated as a creator. Especially in the niche fandom spaces that i feel I should have earned a place in by now, if only i were good at creating

[candysharkart]

hi would u be willing to talk more ab ur belcher hcs that theyre all schizoaffective? :]

i can defs try! i cant promise i have really anything "smart" or insightful to say, cuz my husband and i just kinda draw from our own experiences :o

(if u are reading this and dont know what schizoaffective disorder is, im writing this w/ the definition of "a combination of schizophrenic symptoms and mood disorder symptoms like major depressive and bipolar disorder")

bob has felt the most schiz to us from the start, he's got his voices, which feel way more like he's acting as a mouthpiece for the objects he's talking to, rather than him just doing a bit. he knows its not "real" but also. it is to him. (i think hes also had some? hallucinations? but most are drug or stress induced and he also has a lot of cartoon dream sequences so...?) he struggles with paranoia and anxiety, and he's had pretty manic and depressive episodes in the show. i think he tries his best to stay grounded and self-aware with his delusions. he's very skeptical, and gets really irritated by misinformation. (probs also an affect of his autism tbh)

we also have a hc that he's more irritable and negative in the early seasons bc he's on meds that arent a good fit for him. (we dont really have meds hcs other than that. they might not be able to afford them)

linda's symptoms arent as obvious beyond her delusions like the raccoons and the cemetery stuff, but i think she's taught herself to suppress her issues so she could better support gayle who had more disruptive ones. her parents seem like the "stop being mentally ill its annoying" types. she has her own instances of paranoia and anxiety, but she mostly tries to smother and ignore anything negative she feels. VERY manic and impulsive tho. i think she also has some hallucinations in show but im drawing blanks on specifics.....

i would personally say tina is pretty depressive, but she's good at trying to cope in (mostly) healthy ways. her family is a good support system for her! she does have the most instances of visual hallucinations that arent cartoon bits (she seems to have them a lot when shes feeling guilty...) her anxiety and paranoia reminds me a lot of bob but also of gayle. they have similar outburts

gene has the least examples that i can think of.... i think he considers ken to be pretend and is just joking about him being real bc it annoys bob (compared to tina who thinks her horse Jericho is maybe...a little real) but i think he has some other hallucinations tht arent like that. hes surprisingly anti-social! he definitely often views himself as superior to the kids he knows. gets that from his dad lol. and his mania and impulsiveness are very much like linda :) he doesnt have depressive episodes as much as the others, but they hit him really hard :(

and louise! shes paranoid and has lots of aggression issues! to me she is also very depressed. (the puppet ep is esp relatable to me lol........) and she's VERY manic in the ambergris ep! i think she also has a couple instances of voices similar to bob's? but its kinda hard to tell the difference when shes still a kid who plays pretend with her toys. her talking to the taffy dummy feels more like what bob does tho.

i hope? thats the kind of hcs you were talking about? ive been trying to think of the right words for like 3 hours now. im very bad with words and so much of this stuff can also be attributed to other brain stuff, and one person can have a lot going on in one brain! so i hope i dont upset anyone with this post. thank u for ur time :)

[aushtralia]

Photographs // Corbyn Besson

Summary: Corbyn is in a photography class and his final assignment is to photograph the most beautiful thing he can find. 

Words: 1044

Requested: No

Warnings: None 

Tags: @seaveyssparkle (i don’t wanna tag random people since i’m new to this but if you’re cool w being tagged just hmu!!) 

“Your final assignment is a 25 portrait portfolio. You all must photograph the most beautiful thing you can find, and include a 2,500 word essay explaining why your subject is the most beautiful to you. You have two weeks. Good luck.” 

I walked out of class slightly caught off guard. How was I supposed to capture more than 25 pictures of one object, and write an essay on top of that all in two weeks? This assignment seems nearly impossible and I’m at a loss of where to even begin.

“Dude, have you figured out what you’re going to do your project on?” Daniel asked as he slapped my shoulder,

“I think I might take pictures of my dog, isn’t that a good idea?”

“Yeah, sure dude,” I shrugged as my thoughts continued to wander.

I take pictures of things all the time, how hard can it be.

--

It’s been a week Corbyn. C’mon, think. You only have seven days left to find the capture the most beautiful thing and write an essay. It can’t be that hard, just think.

“Hey Cor,” Y/N shouted from upstairs, “have you seen the carpet cleaner? I accidentally spilled my drink on my rug and I need it!” A smile immediately overtook my face. No matter what she said, I always managed a smile. There was something about her, something so adorable that made my heart skip a beat.

“Cor?” I could hear her shout again. I rapidly shook my head to get myself out of a daze,

“Sorry, I’m a little distracted. It’s under my bathroom sink!” I diverted my attention back to my laptop screen. As I’m scrolling through pictures to draw inspiration for my portfolio, I hear back-to-back thuds pound down the staircase. Suddenly, an arm was wrapped around my shoulder, and I could feel the presence of a face close to mine.

“How come you’re distracted Cor?” Y/N spoke directly into my left ear as she peered over my shoulder to watch my fingers scroll down the trackpad of my laptop.

“I just have the assignment for my photography class, and I--nevermind, it’s dumb. I just have some work I need to get done.”

“Well let me help! You know I always love being your focal point.”

“No, I know, I know. I love that you always are willing to take pictures. This assignment is just different. I requires a lot of thought.”

“Whatever you say Besson, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” Y/N kissed my cheek as she finished her sentence and skipped back upstairs to clean up her carpet. A smile quickly overtook my face again, and my heart skipped a beat. Y/N and I have never dated before, nor have we ever thought about dating. But my feelings for her have only gotten stronger ever since we decided to move in together for school. She had the prettiest eyes that sparkled in the moonlight, and the softest smile that could light up an entire room. Despite what everyone constantly told me, I just had a gut feeling that she didn’t feel the same, so I never told her how I felt.

Y/N’s words played through my head over and over again, and after another hour of scrolling through Google, I finally decided what my subject was going to be.

--

“Hey Y/N! Can you come downstairs for a minute?” Those same thuds hit each step in rhythm and soon I was met face to face with Y/N.

“What’s up Cor?”

“Can I take some pictures of you today?”

“Ha! So you do want me to be your focal point!” She nagged as she stuck her tongue out at me.

“Not quite, I just need to test out my new camera before I take pictures for my assignment. You’re just a test dummy.” Her enthusiasm quickly turned to sadness as I broke the news to her.

“You’ve never asked if you could take pictures of me before, you’ve always just done it. Why are you suddenly asking me?”

I grabbed her hand and began dragging her off to my first location,

“No questions, just follow my lead.”

For hours I captured Y/N in her natural habitats. Playing guitar, dancing, enjoying nature. Typically we enjoyed doing all of these things together, but this time I watched as she just let herself go. Each movement called for a new picture to be taken, and each action made me fall more in love with her. My smile never left my face as I captured her in her elements.

“Cor, it’s been like four hours, are we done yet?”

“Almost, I need one more shot. Come here.” Rolling her eyes, she skipped over to me in a childlike manner like she typically did.

Without looking at her, I flipped the camera around to take a selfie,

“Kiss me on the cheek.”

“This is a weird demand, you’ve never asked me to do that before. Why?”

“Remember, I said no questions. Just follow my lead.” And with that, she complied and placed her lips on my cheek. The same giddy smile that comes from when she speaks reappeared. A few flashes later, I completed my shoot.

--

“Y/N, Y/N! Come here, guess what!” I screamed as I stepped through the front door of our shared apartment.

“Yes, Cor?” She questioned as she trekked down the stairs.

“I got an A on my photography final project! Aren’t you proud of me!” I shouted in excitement.

“Of course Cor,” she smiled as she extended her arm to go in for our secret handshake.

“What’d you end up taking pictures of?”

“Here,” I smiled as I handed over the portfolio. I watched Y/N slowly begin to open up the folder, and I could feel the beat of my heart begin to speed up. This was it, this was the moment where things could change forever. After briefly closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I watched Y/N’s eyes dart across the page, a single tear beginning to roll down her cheek,

“The most beautiful thing that I, Corbyn Besson, have found is the love of my life, Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

[thelifetimechannel]

ROXY: so ur the 1 w/ all the answers ARADIA: is there something youd like to know? ROXY: well apparently uve got cosmic info + hells of motivational one liners so can u tell y it has 2 be this way ROXY: why this game gotta suck so hard ARADIA: can i let you in on a secret ROXY: im not so gr8 w/ those ROXY: spill stuff when i shouldnt or sit on stuff i should spill ARADIA: ill have to trust you anyway ARADIA: i dont have all the answers ARADIA: just what ive learned from talking to people or trying things out and making mistakes ARADIA: trial and error thats how a lot of things work ARADIA: thats what got us here ROXY: and wut left all those ghosts out there ARADIA: yes ROXY: which brings me back 2 my question ROXY: why does this game suck ARADIA: some things just do ARADIA: but i am inclined this time to say because it was made this way ROXY: by callie ROXY: the other 1 ROXY: thats what i heard ARADIA: see you have more information than me in that respect! ARADIA: the waking world is not my area of expertise ARADIA: out in the bubbles i knew what to expect ARADIA: this is new and harder to navigate ROXY: were all in the dark rn ROXY: but thats my place ARADIA: ive been a maid for a long time ARADIA: cleaning up what i could and making the way easier ARADIA: maybe a rogue from outside the system has a different perspective ROXY: i bet other ppl have more ideas n schemes but if ur lookin 4 the roguish attitude uve come 2 the rite place ROXY: i can give u lessons on being feisty + a rule breaker + lookin damn good while ur at it ROXY: did u ever encounter my brand before out there ARADIA: nope! ARADIA: there arent many humans out there ARADIA: youre new territory for me ROXY: oh ROXY: guess there was only the 1 ROXY: it wouldve been nice for her have some1 there ROXY: id want that if i was dying and alone ROXY: but enough of the heavy shit ROXY: we just met and im already being a PARTY POOPER ROXY: u said u were a maid ROXY: guess thats obvs bc uve got the same kinda outfit as jane ROXY: does that mean ur also nice n cute but morph into a terrifying badass when necessary ARADIA: it has been known to happen ROXY: honestly i havent met a troll girl who wasnt a terrifying badass ROXY: we ladies r def carrying this adventure ARADIA: flarp is called a game for girls for a reason ROXY: flarp? ARADIA: a live action roleplaying game four of us used to play ROXY: that sounds wicked awesome ROXY: i always wanted 2 do something like that but my friends were all long distance and sburb ended up being a little TOO immersive ARADIA: we had a lot of fun playing together ARADIA: unfortunately it led to some... accidents ROXY: maybe we should all try playing sometime ROXY: w/ our powers it could be rly cool ROXY: even snowball fights are gonna have the intensity and firepower of a world war ARADIA: i can ask terezi if she has any copies of the rulebook that arent defaced ARADIA: or we could write our own rulebook! ARADIA: that might be fun, and we could make it safer for the players ROXY: what happened 2 u guys anyway ARADIA: tavros broke his torso column ARADIA: terezi went blind ARADIA: vriska lost a few body parts she could live without ARADIA: i died ROXY: k thats more than i was thinking when you said accidents ROXY: usually its more like some1 got hit w/ 3 draw 4s in a row and rage quit or u slipped on some dice and fell on ur ass ARADIA: none of that was the fault of the game though ARADIA: vriska did most of it, egged on by an otherworldly meddler with objectives of his own ARADIA: working in a few tweaks theres no reason it should result in so much carnage ROXY: if u say so ROXY: ive had my fill of killer games ROXY: u couldnt pay me 2 go a round of jumanji ROXY: maybe ill stick to my retro computer games where i can only die digitally ARADIA: oh, those are fun too! ARADIA: you have to find entertaining things to do indoors when its not safe to go exploring outside ROXY: trust me im an expert at whiling away cabin fever ROXY: but i dont think weve got any danger of that now ROXY: there r gonna be so many wacky shenanigans w/ all of us hanging out together i can already visualize it ROXY: sweet sweet shenanigans ROXY: every moment worth snapshotting and putting in a picture album to preserve it 4ever ROXY: hopefully none of these shenanigans will end up w/ ppl getting broken tho that doesnt sound like good times for all ARADIA: we will have to avert any incoming disasters ARADIA: whether they arise from injudicious game selections or otherwise ROXY: a bunch of badasses like us shouldnt have any problem ROXY: well make games safe and fair ROXY: and well figure out how 2 take on this world on xpert mode ARADIA: sounds like a plan

[halalhyungwon]

1-100 odds

Jaz you’re a real one

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

It depends on the cereal, tbh. Some cereals I prefer a lot of milk and others I put less

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

I’ve used my phone, random sheets of paper, pens/pencils, white out tape…

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

A lil bit

7: do you name your plants?

I don’t have any plants :( If i did, I probably would

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

Yes, I do it constantly

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends?

Inner joke? Like, inside joke?… I have a lot. And yet, I can’t think of one to share lmao

13: what’s something that made you smile today?

I was on the phone with my bestie for like 5hrs and I hadn’t called them in a while so that made me happy (: 

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

“A total of 32 monkeys have flown in space.”

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

This shade of purple that Minseok had because it is sooo pretty. I’ve wanted to dye my hair that color for the longest time

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

I do have a journal and I used to write in it regularly but kinda stopped once I got into sophomore year of college. It was kinda my brain dump and also where I just spilled all my emotions that I never talked to anyone about

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

Favorite?? Hmmm there’s the bag my cousin bought me for my high school prom. It’s cute and small and white and going over your shoulder. I don’t use it much but I’m still happy to have it.

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

watch exo and seventeen make fools of themselves lmao

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into?

I don’t recall breaking into anywhere…but I remember one summer my brother and I went for a walk to a school in my cousin’s neighborhood and an alarm went off and scared tf out of us

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor?

wintermint (?) i think it’s called

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? 

One of my friends has this pack of cards that says “I LOVE YOU BECAUSE” and then it has a bunch of bullet points for different reasons you could love someone. She gave me one sophomore year and another one just recently and honestly it’s so sweet

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

Socks and I…we acknowledge each other’s existence and hang out when we need to. I only where socks with my sneakers and boots, and when it’s really cold. I cannot where socks all day. Like it’s impossible. When I wear socks I just feel hyper aware of the fact that there is cloth on my feet and it makes me uncomfortable. I can’t go to sleep with socks on, unless I’m extremely tired and just fell asleep. Even then, I’ll wake up with my socks kicked off in the morning.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

Most recently! My friend and I were trying to observe the meteor shower last weekend. And like the thing is for the first hour or so we didn’t see any and kept trying to find the best place to observe them. Then, I finally saw one, but it was right when my friend was looking down so she didn’t get to see it! And then, another hour or so passes and it just seems like we’re never gonna see another one, so we decide to head back to our dorms. BUt, on the way back we find a spot that would be just perfect to see them, so we just loitered there for almost another hour, jammin to music and just waiting to see some shooting stars! And then the next one comes but it happens right as I’m looking at my friend to talk to her, but she’s looking up so she gets to see it. After that some time passes and it’s already 3:30 a.m. and I’m tired and lowkey gotta pee, so we start making our way back to the dorms again. And then we find another spot that would be good viewing, so we chill there for a while because, though we’ve both seen a shooting star, we haven’t see one together. So we’re standing there, chillin, being goofs and listening to trap remixes of the Wii theme, when we both look up and go “OH!!!” and freak out bc we finally saw another shooting star and it was just great. 

(I realized I answered this even tho it’s not odd but i’m just gonna keep it bc i love it too much)

33: what’s your fave pastry?

do cinnamon rolls count as pastries?…i could really go for one…

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

Yes I do!! But I don’t have many :(( Part of me wants to buy a big set but like I already have a bunch of pens and notebooks (but they arent all aesthetic and pretty and stuff) and I also think i’d stop using them after a week or so

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

I like having a neat room (I cleaned my room today I’m so happy, it looks so spacious) 

39: what color do you wear the most?

Black, probably

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving?

I don’t read often but I think the last book I really enjoyed … Howl’s Moving Castle

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

@batmanlemonade hey ;) [see #32]

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

No? maybe? idk

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

pickles…

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

I wishhh I could just buy all the cd’s i’ve ever wanted. If I had more money I probably would have a nice collection. The last CD i’ve bought was back in high school and I think it was OneRepublic’s Native album

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

My little brother… whenever i hear transformer, touch it, monster or kkb I think about him bc those are his favorite exo songs loll

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

I don’t think I’ve watched any of these but beetlejuice, and I love beetlejuice

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point?

I scrolled through my kyungsoo tag for a good hour or so to prove to my friend how much i love him sfdjkl; that’s not very dramatic but it’s the first thing I thought of. She really didn’t question that I loved him, I just love any excuse to look through my tags

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

bohemian rhapsody is a classic sfkl; um it always reminds me of my childhood bc my brothers and i used to watch these animated videos and one of them was of bohemian rhapsody but with megaman characters lmao

59: what’s your favorite myth?

UHmmm I really don’t know lol sorry

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received?

In sophomore year I wanted to buy my roommate her favorite flavor of ice cream but I didn’t have money so I drew ice cream on a post-it note for her I can’t think of a stupid gift I’ve received…

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

lol no, i just let ‘em be. they’re chillin

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with?

my cousin who’s in med school, I haven’t seen her in too long :c

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

I kinda like those days. If I’m in a good mood, gray skies, cool breezes and light rain make me feel better. Otherwise, it’s just meh.

69: what are your favorite board games?

There’s this Korean board game that I can’t remember the name of for the life of me, and tbh since I haven’t played it in a while I don’t remember the exact rules, but it’s kinda of like Sorry! I’ve only played it twice but it was really fun both times

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea?

Chai

73: what are some of your worst habits?

putting myself down and procrastinating

75: tell us about your pets!

I don’t have any :-( I’ve been really wanting a cat lately

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

Pink~

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

Hmmm when I was in high school I reeeally loved Michael Buble (I still do, have you heard that man’s voice?) so for Valentine’s day, my friend got me this box and taped his face on the top lmaoo with a reference to one of his song lyrics. The box was filled with flowers and chocolate and gum (but at the time I had braces so i couldn’t even chew the gum lolll)

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

I really wish I could but I’m not creative and this headache I have isn’t helping safhjlk sorry

83: what’s some of your favorite album art?

I really like the cover for 1R’s Native album, and also p!atd’s too weird to live too rare to die

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

Not really, but I’d like to

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

Howl’s Moving Castle, Room No 7 starring Do Kyungsoo, coming out November 15 and..I can’t really think of another one

89: are you close to your parents?

Kinda sorta

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

i have no plans to travel :( 

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most?

My hair in it’s natural state lol covered by my hijab

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

Chillin! I was supposed to lock myself up in my room and finally watch the exo and seventeen concerts I have downloaded but i haven’t gotten around to watching them yet. But I have been chillin in my room so it’s been alright

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

infp, scorpio, and i have no idea

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

UHhhmmm Call Me Baby and Heaven by EXO; Healing and Don’t Listen in Secret by Seventeen; Hug Me by Jung Joon Il

[therealestatesparkblog]

The Stupid-Simple Budgeting Trick I'm Using to Stop Blowing 5 Figures a Month

Ill set the stage for you. Every Friday, the credit card balance email would arrive, and I would be physically sick and terrified to open it. It was like the Russian roulette of email, wondering how horrible of a job we did this week at following our budget. Oh my god, how did we spend this much money? *Insert the throwing up emoji.* I felt like a complete failure. How did we do this again? Didnt we figure this out finally? The Background Having a clear budgetand a clear process for where the income goesis essential. My wife and I have worked together on our budget for years now. But its also easy for the lifestyle creep to begin, to get shiny object syndrome. Wed had the blessing of our income steadily increasing for a number of years, but for a time, our skills and diligence with saving, budgeting, and knowing what to do with the money had not grown with it. You may be thinking, Tough life. The trolls of the internet are literally digging their way through the interwebs towards this post as we speak. The guys complaining about having all these bucks to blow on whatever. Let me suggest instead we put the focus on this adage:Its not what you make, its what you keep.

The Excuses For multiple months in a row, my wife and I would have these weekly conversations about sticking to our budget. We would then take turns arguing back and worth about what we had or hadnt done. Where we spent the money and whose fault it was. There were lots of great reasons why we had made the decisions we hadand how it would be totally different the following week or month. The problem is, these were all excuses. This dinner. These things for the kids. Some hunting crap. The thing on the counter. That lunch. These toys for the kids. That tractor part I had to have. That little flight across the country. Fancy new shades. These Lululemon pants. Anyway, you know what all of that really is, right? Excuses. No ownership of the problem. Related: 4 Steps to Buy the Car You Want Within the Budget You Can Afford The Results At the end of the game of your favorite sports team, its easy to see the score, right? There is a winner and a loser. Back then, our budget, savings, and investments were the big fat losers. And our credit card, the stupid crap we were buying, and our bad behavior and habits were winning. Although we were making awesome money on a regular basis, I was feeling literally broke. Our system and our budget wasnt working. We were literally paying these credit card bills in increments and could blow more than five figures on a monthly basis. So embarrassing. Something had to change. The Conversation My wife and I were texting back and forth. I believe that conversation went something like: Me: Hi love, hope you are having a great day [adorable kiss emoji]! Mrs.: Thanks love, you too. Awesome day with the kids here. Im sure youre out there crushing it, you amazing man you. What an adorable beard you have, too. Ill have a whiskey waiting for you on the counter with one of those cool round ice cubes as soon as you get home tonight. [Some embellishment here may be possible.] Me: Oh yeah, thanks love. Crushing it ALL. DAY. Me: BTW, have you happened to look at the credit card today? Mrs.: No, been busy with the kids at the library and the grocery store, then taking care of your stuff, then cleaning, and then school with the kids, and then Me: Yeah, its like $4k. THIS WEEK! How in the world did we do this, AGAIN! Mrs.: Wow. Me: What in the world are we going to do? This is such a nightmare. Mrs.: Its time. We need to go back to the envelope system. Me: Holy cow, why didnt I think of that? The Transition to the Envelope System Ill point out, its not an easy transition after you are used to doing whatever you want. And believe me, I was at least 50% if not more like 70% at fault for the spending in the household. Its fun to get whatever you want. But it also has its downsides. Like blowing all your money, leaving you feeling broke and stuck. If you arent familiar with this, Dave Ramsey and many others have spoken at length on the envelope system. The premise is, you write out your budget for how you will spend your money monthly. Anything that is paid directly, like a car payment or a mortgage, is accounted for, which would then be paid via bill pay. Then, everything else budget-wise, such as eating out, clothes, groceries, fun money, kids sports, toys, whatever, is paid out by cash from the envelopes. No exceptions.

The Execution Usually, I have a monthly draw from our business around the first. So, after having my draw completed, I walked into the branch of the bank and walked up to the teller I knew by name. I handed her my check and then asked, Id like to deposit this check, and Id also like to withdraw $4,000 in cash please. I had this feeling she was thinking to herself, Is this dude really taking that much to the strip club? Wow. I got a pretty good chuckle at that thought. I let the pause go for another few seconds, and then said, We are doing the envelope system at home now. Have you heard of it? Related: The Foolproof Monthly Budget: How to Save Up Money to Buy Investment Properties It fun to share what we were doing as she gathered everything together. She stepped back over to the teller station with this giant stack of cash. I was thinking, did she do the math wrong here? Its like 2+ inches think, made up of $20s and $100s. She counted it once (with a machine in that quantity) and then walked over to me to count it out. I swear it felt like five minutes counting these bills out. Every few minutes, I would look around to see if there were other people around wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into. I was thinking, I wonder if this is what the drug dealers feel like? And now I have to walk out of the bank with this. The cash doesnt fit in the bank envelope. Or two. So I just carried the stack out and walked directly to my truck. When I got home, I showed my wife this same stack of cash and said something funny like, Giddy up, momma. Im sure she was impressed. And I was seriously hopeful this would finally get us back on track. The Outcome The previous time we used the envelope system, maybe four or five years ago, we used them for well over a year, with great success.We have now been doing the envelopes for two or three weeks. And just like the last time, I have felt an immediate sense of calmness in our decision. If we want to eat out, we do. If my wife needs something for the kids, she gets it. But we know that the money in the envelope is what is budgeted, and we have to work together within the categories to make sure we are on the same page. Its a lot harder to spend a $100 bill out of your wallet than it is to pull out your credit card and swipe it. So, I will do a follow-up on this in another six to nine months and give examples of what we have run into, what was working, what we had to tweak, and some of the results from savings and spending. Final Thoughts Its my goal with this post to tell the truth. Making money is actually the easy part. Keeping it, investing it, and not raising your lifestyle every time you make more money is hard. No matter if you make $2k a month or $100k a month, you need a budget. You need to tell your money where its going and to hold it and yourself accountable for the outcome. No more excuses. No more email roulette with the credit card statement. Own the outcome, and lets get after it.

How do you budget in your householdwhat has worked, and what have the challenges been? Comment below! https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/how-not-to-blow-5-figures-a-month/

[schoolaccounforschoolstuff-blog]

The world maturity and common sense.

Here we are... Yet again. As you know we now have a tradition where you must consume something while reading this blog. Last time we had cookies. Wine before that. Tonight we shall experiment with a sandwich. Why? Because it is a genius invention. 2 pieces of bread with sausages,  cheese, letuce and occasionally butter. Why? Because when sandwiches were first invented people probably thought it was stupid. It probably took time as any other invention does for it to become acceptable to the public. Sandwiches for example, are currently one of the most common dishes for students. For instance when I have a snack, I will probably buy myself a sandwich. Why? Its cheap and not ramen, so there is no danger of poisoning yourself. 

WORLD MATURITY

There are many instances of things only now being acceptable for the public. For example:

- the idea of women voting used to be ridiculous

- gay marriage

I could go on forever. All of these things are now part of our everyday lives. We take them for granted. But there has always been one thing that was never really accepted by the public. It never reached its potential. That thing is video games.

Now I know what you are thinking. “Oh come on. You listed all of those important things and now you are talking about something that is just for kids. Everybody knows videogames make you violent (maybe I spelt that wrong).”

Videogames are an art. It takes many years to develop them. They are a mixture of all other arts put into one. For a game to be good you need: - a good storyline - excellent audio effects - have beautifull graphics. Those are just some of the things you need. Found any similarities to other arts? The storyline is usually written in books. The audio effects come from music. The graphics come from drawing. And on top of all that you need to make sure the gameplay is good. Now you see it takes a lot more then you might think to make a good game.

So why do videogames have such bad reputation?

Many say they make you violent and then they list all the school shootings ever to happen. Some even mention how some kids were able to shoot perfectly, when they never had a gun in their hand beforehand (see what i did there? Oh ok.) That is simply an effect we call ..... I totall forgot the name. Let me grab a sandwich before I explain it to you. Ok. The effect I am talking about occurs anywhere. It is when you learn something by simply watching somebody else do it. You could say they knew how to shoot because of movies. Heck. News even. But no. It is the videogame’s fault (that apostrophee is a bit missplaced). The violent part is totally not true. Sure there are games like gta or call of duty where you bassicaly comit crimes or kill people, but you have to be a really special idiot of a parent to buy your 9 year old son a game which was rated to be for people by the age of 16 and up. Also. Not all games are about shooting. There are no bad guys. There is just - the player and an objective. Even the fps games (first person shooters) do not make you violent more over they make your anger management better. Why? Well sometimes there are players who purposely tease you and try to get you mad. Playing with them makes you learn to control yourself and focus. To a lot of people games are a place where they can relax, hang out with friends and just have fun. 

Even if all of these things would be accepted by the public, games would still not be treated right. If I tell you there are actual profesional players who make a living out of playing games and have milions of fans, you are probably going to burst out laughing. It is true. Tournaments do exist. In the year 2012 a whole football stadium was filled for a tournament. And the tournaments are growing every year. To gamers these things arent just games. They are a part of their life. They cherish them. Often times tournaments are a lot more interactive then any other sports tournaments and the people who watch them are from 10 years old to over 50, heck there is a 70 year old playing games. 

Why am I writing this?

Because I am worried. Though videogames are growing bigger every year, they are not growing at the rate they can. I believe this can become part of our daily lives just like football. But when will this happen? It might even happen I will not be there for it.

Well that is the end of our daily discusion. Sorry it wasnt amusing as the previous ones.

So here is the entry in 50 words more or less.

I went to school, had classes and came home.

Grabed myself a sanwich and did my homework.

Procrastinated and played piano.

At last I showered and wrote this blog.

This was 29 words. Damn, I must be hungry. I am going to go grab myself a sanwich and go to sleep. So should you.

[nostalgiaispeace]

489.

5,000 question survey series–part thirty-one

2901. have you ever written a letter to: a friend: yeah a lover: kinda a celebrity: Yes. congress/house/reps: No. the president/leader of your country: no 2902. Why are cigarette companies allowed to manufacture and sell cigarettes when they are so unhealthy and dangerous? They are getting rich on the deaths of the people you love who smoke. probably the same reason companies can sell alcohol. 2903. Do you chat with people in an elevator? sometimes. 2904. What’s your favorite Jack Nicholson movie? The Departed...I think. 2905. Who should play the part of Superman? don’t care 

2906. Do you like when your friends and your mate’s friends hang out? sure? 2907. Doritos or Cheetos? doritos 2910. Do you brush your teeth three times a day? no 2911. Should I stop making questions with multiple parts and just count each actual question as a question? don’t care... 2912. What gives you ego a boost? people complimenting my singing 2913. What knocks your ego down? people being mean. 2914. Live and let live or live and let die? Live and let live...i guess 2915. What do you think of Damien Hirst’s art piece Mother and Child, which is half a cow in formaldehyde? - 2916. Why is it that 70 percent of Americans do not want to go to war with Iraq and yet we are going to war with Iraq anyway? people the government is awful

Is this democracy? dunno 2917. Imagine you have two choices of what life you can live: One: You are provided with meals, medicine, clothes and shelter. You are always with your family. You can lie in the sun and smoke, drink, play, cook, etc.. There will be certain rules you must follow such as no killing, no hurting others, no leaving the commune you were born in, no stealing, no tv, no newspapers and no books. OR Two: You are turned loose in the world with nothing. You start out cold and hungry. You may stay cold and hungry forever but you also have the opportunity to try and make a life for yourself. This will take a lot of hard work and there is no guarantee you will ever live comfortably. Which life do you choose? Why? they both sound like it’d kill myself in either one. 2918. Why is there no ‘Mr. America’ pageant? who cares?

Should there be? idgaf

What qualities would YOU look for in a Mr. America if such a contest were to exist (like miss america he would have to be a role model)? - 2919. If something offends you do you feel that it has no right to exist? no? 2920. Why do advertisers seem to believe that guys will buy any product that a hot girl in a bikini is sitting next too? i don’t think that’s really want they think 2921. What would you do if your mom had a fight with a male acquaintance, and you heard an answering machine message he left her cursing at her, calling her names and being very disrespectful? I’d kick the mother fuckers ass 2922. What do you represent? ask others. 2923. What message does ___ send when given as a birthday present? flowers: it’s thoughtful

slippers: you know me well

candles: i like them.

diamond necklace: diamonds are a girls best frienddd

gift certificate: THANK YOU

cash: THANK YOU

books: you know what my heart says 2924. Have you ever completed a paint by number? maybe?

If yes of what?/ -

2925. How long has it been since you colored in a coloring book? oh gosh.....YEARS 2926. What have you been caught doing? many things? 2927. Does temptation make you do what you love? no? 2928. Do you have any gadgets in the house that you don’t know how to use? What? no 2929. Do you read the instructions to things or skip them? depends 2930. Will you ever reach your full potential? probably not 2931. Who is your biggest fan? My mom 2932. Who do you take care of? Matt. myself, my cat

Who takes care of you? my mom; matt, myself. 2933. Do you think that lawyers should only argue cases when they feel like the client is in the right? lawyers can do what they want?

If you were a lawyer would you argue cases when you felt like your client was completely wrong? no 2934. Is it sexy in here or is it just me? -_- 2935. You are giving out your phone number to a HOTTIE by writing it on a napkin. Do you write a little note or draw a picture too? If yes, what? i wouldn’t do that. 2936. Can you fold paper into anything (a hat, a swan, a boat, etc)? What? no 2937. How can a girl get a guy-she-is-dating’s mom to like her better? don’t be a cunt? 2938. What is one theory about life or anything that you came up with that no one else has? nothing... 2939. Do you like answering questions about:

your life? sure

your taste? yes

tv? yes

music? yesssss

art? naw.

politics? no.

life? sure

religion? yeah

issues? no

sex? depends

loved ones? yes

favorites? yes

objects? sure....?

math? no

philosophy? sure

hypothetical situations? Sure.

things that require lots of thought? not really. 2940. The mortuary science department is having a bake sale. Does this strike you as funny? i dunno if i would eat there 2941. What would you think of a new reality tv game show where real life criminals on death row competed in life threatening tasks for the prize of a reduced sentence? that’s fucked up/

Did you know that they are considering making this a show? i feel like that’s a lie

Would you watch it? probably... 2942. What was the last song you looked up the words to? dunno 2943. What Saturday morning cartoons do you like? - 2944. If anything’s possible, then is it possible that nothing’s possible? sure 2944. What does the T in T-Shirt really mean? fuck if i know 2945. Would you alter your routine if there was a sniper in your area? probably not 2946. Is castration a good punishment for extreme or repeat sexual offenders? let it happen. 2947. If you are a girl have you ever experienced penis envy? yeah. i wanna pee where ever i want

If you are a guy would you still want to live if you had to be castrated? id probably miss my penis 2948. Imagine you are teaching a class of sixth graders. A the start of the year you tell them, “If you come away with class and have learned only ONE THING, I hope that you learned….(finish the sentence) you’re not alone 2949. If you were being interviewed for a job in a clothing store how would you sell yourself to the prospective employers? i wouldn’t because i don’t care about fashion 2950. How do you stop pop up ads? ad blocker

2951. You are alone. You take a bus to the mall. The stop is right in the mall parking lot. You window-shop. You don’t buy anything. You want to get back on the bus to go home when you realize you have lost all your money. You have no cell phone. All the payphones are jammed with gum. You can not get it out. How do you get the $1.50 you need to get on the bus and get home??? i’d probably find a phone in the mall and call someone for help.

2952. How long would it take you to organize your bedroom? it’s organized fine 2953. Make up a nickname for your bedroom: no 2954. What comes after:

“I’ve got a love-a-lee bunch of coconuts (diddly dee) There they are a-standing in a row. Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head…”

whelp i dunno 2955. Where ARE the wild things? in the forests and jungles 2956. You get a six cd changer for the car, only problem is that you know that once you put in six cd’s you can NEVER take them out. Which 6 cd’s do you put in?

a mix of BMTH, AA, and Flyleaf probably. 2957. Let’s play Jeapordy. (Do-Do-Do-Do-Do-Do-Dooooo-) I’ll give some answers..you give the questions. Ready? Begin. The answer is: Purple

Yellow What is lemons?

Candle Pepsi Peace Lisa Cotton Flag 42 i don’t understand

2958. Pick a letter. A

List some great words starting with that letter: apples; angels; antiques 2959. Is eight days a week enough to show you care? there arent 8 days in a week? 2960. Have you told your parents you love them today? my mom 2961. What is the difference between a number two pencil and any other kind of pencil? dunno 2962. Have you ever cross-dressed? No. 2963. Are we living in a world without end? it’ll end at some point 2964. What do you think of that couple that was just on the news who kidnapped a 16 year old girl for a week and forced her to be their sex slave? they can rot 2965. Wanna watch a movie about a cheerleading competition? naw 2966. Are you singing in the rain? naw 2967. Should the sopranos actors have been allowed to march in the St Patrick’s Day parade? sure? 2968. Is oral sex. anal sex or regular sex more intimate? all of them are... 2969. Is it time to switch to Decaf? noooooo 2970. Why is it that the truth hurts? who knows 2971. How do you feel about: ticketmaster? i like them

scalpers? LAME 2972. What are you guilty of? a lot of things. 2973. Have you ever done any of the following in order to catch a buzz or get high? sniffed glue: No.

sniffed magic markers: No.

ate paste: No.

drank Nyquil, Robitussen or any other Over-the-counter drug: no

'huffed’ (inhaled or sniffed) any kind of fabric softner, cooking spray or other household product: yeah

whip-its: Nope. 2974. What gives you inner strength? music 2975. ::eyes you suspiciously::Where have all the COOKIES gone? my belly. 2976. What is a good gift for someone you don’t like so that it SEEMS to be nice but really 'gets’ them somehow? i wouldn’t buy a gift for someone i don’t like 2977. If you don’t like the service at a restaurant would you skip the tip? no

Why or why not? because it’s rude. 2978. Apples or peaches or pumpkin pie? none 2979. What Race/nationality was Jesus? Middle Eastern 2980. What was one evening you’ll never forget? being proposed to

2981. Name 13 ways to look at a blackbird: no 2982. Trick or Treat? TREAT 2983. If you had money to burn, what 'toy’ would you spend your money on (think monopoly game with real money, luxory boat, a train layout that takes up a house, etc.)? Ouija board. 2984. Are you having trouble with aol 8.0? LOL

Or if you don’t have aol…have you ever been to a podiatrist? no

2985. If you could write your own ten commandments, what would they be? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

same as God’s

2986. When people lose weight, where does it go? the abyss 2987. Your mate/partner/wife or husband/longterm boy or girlfriend/etc. has SOMEHOW gotten his or her FAVORITE celebrity’s attention. Your sweetie has always thought this celeb was so sexy and now the celeb kinda fancies your sweety as well(although the celeb is not interested enough to stick around for more than one night). Your sweetie wants to have a one night stand with the celeb. Knowing that this is your sweeties one and only chance to bang (or even hang out with) a celebrity (ESPECIALLY their FAVORITE celebrity) you would say: i don’t even know. 2988. Have you ever seen an Ed Wood film? probably?

if yes, what one(s) and what did you think? don’t feel like going to IMDB

If no, aren’t you curious to see a movie by the person known as the worst director of all time? lolol well now yes 2989. What kind of bread do you like to eat (white, rye, potatoe, grain, whole wheat, etc)? doesn’t matter 2990. Are you emotionally articulate? sure.. 2991. Does everything happen for a reason? not sure 2992. Do you take a piece of those you have loved and carry it around forever? maybe?

If yes, than aren’t they still with you even when you are gone? i suppose so 2993. Is it true that the child is worth ten of the parent? ill go with yes 2994. Can you think of a door that has closed in your life? yeah

Can you think of a window that has opened? sure 2995. What does this mean to you: 'Necessity is the mother of invention’? don’t know

Do you believe that necessity is also the mother of: courage? sure

survival skills? sure

independence? sure 2996. What helps you to get over a Major heartache? don’t know. 2997. Can you depend completely upon yourself? yes

have you ever tried? yes 2998. How can you tell the difference between the end of one part of your life and the beautiful beginning of the next part? sure 2999. Have you ever read an stories by Kate Chopin? No. If not, I suggest that you do. thanks 3000. Do you often make the best discoveries when you really weren’t looking for anything (or anyone)? maybe?