I Will Call Her Carol: Homelessness In The Suburbs

                                     I Will Call Her Carol: Homelessness In The Suburbs


There is a lady in my area; I will call her Carol.  She is a young lady in her thirties and she is thin, athletic, tall and attractive.

 She wears her hair in a simple bun or she will tie her scarf in a beautiful manner.  She is very clean and you can tell that she likes to look nice.

Carol carries two big duffel bag everywhere she goes, why? because she is homeless, a presence in the suburbs that is becoming a norm.

 People want to deny that this is going on in the suburbs but it is.  I first saw Carol about two years ago, so she has been homeless for a while. She doesn't appear to be on drugs or anything, in fact, I have heard her speak and she is very articulate.

So, you might say, how can a young, beautiful lady become homeless and she doesn't have a mental condition or a drug or alcohol problem?   The answer is unemployment.

I can tell by Carol's demeanor that she comes from an upbringing that is upper middle class.  I forgot to also add that Carol is African American.

This beautiful lady does not ask you for change or anything so I assume that she may be in a shelter but have to leave during the daytime like most shelters.  She smells very fresh and clean and her clothes are always clean.

Something horrible has happened to this lady and only she knows her story.  What I  know is that the rents in my area are outrageous and we are definitely one paycheck away from homelessness.

  This is the reality!  Instead of the United States bailing out other countries, it is time for America to provide for her children who have fallen on hard times.

There is no excuse for anyone to be walking the streets without anywhere to lay their heads and lack of food.

Next time you see a homeless person and you turn your nose up and just assume they  have done something wrong to experience homelessness, go, take your children to a local shelter and you will see that a lot of these people have lost jobs, disabled, cannot find affordable rent, lost spouses who was the breadwinner and etc.

 It will put you in the right mindset and make you want to help instead of criticizing.

Instead of the Suburbs trying to cover up their homeless problem, they should publicize it so, The White House can take notice and do something about this.

The truth is, homelessness can happen to anyone, even you and me.

~Be Careful Where You Buy Your Editing Software Online~

                                                            Editing Software


A year ago i purchased editing software from EBay and i got it for a very good price and also for free shipping.  When i received the software, i installed it onto my computer and i quickly saw that it was very hard to use and it didn't come with instructions.

I researched online to find out how to use it but, i noticed that my computer was slowing down and it was acting very strangely.  I did an antivirus scan and it didn't show any problems, then i used some other ad ware removing utilities  and after about four tries, it detected that i did have some malware on my computer. It was the Conficker virus.

I removed the software but i was still having a lot of issues, so, I had to re-install my Windows and i did not use the software.

Last week i thought that maybe it wasn't this software, and maybe it was something else that infected my computer.  I decided to install this software again so that i could really learn how to use it and within a day i started to have the same problems again and i had to uninstall it for good this time.

You have to be really careful about ordering software online because it could be pirated software or inlaid with malware to infect your computer and to steal your important information.  Purchase only from reputable sources, that way you can return this software if you have a problem.

A lot of these viruses are hard to remove and the best remedy is to re-install your Windows. I will be looking for more editing software this year but i will really be careful this time, where i purchase from.



                                                        SashaMoniqueTalks

Minimalism works!

I watched this video and I was quite amazed on how this young lady worked out her budget to save this much money.  I share these videos with hope that we all learn to be more mindful about our spending.  She could use that amount of money to start a business or anything that she like to do with it.

We all can do this, we just have to learn the skills and develop the mindset of saving and learning how to live on less.  It is easier than you think!

Do We Have To Buy All New Decor Every Season? Exposing The Myth

Do We Have To Buy All New Decor Every Season? Exposing The Myth.

We all have heard all our lives that we should change our decor every year.  This blog post is not for the people who can afford to do this because my blog is about saving money, but, I feel that if you  are in a financial bind and you have spent a lot of money on the holidays, you may want to listen to this advice.

A lot of times we have blankets, sheets, curtains, and etc., that we have put away and have not used in a very long time. I have done this so many times and have donated these items and it wasn't a thing wrong with them.   I was brainwashed and didn't even realized it.  If your items are in good shape and pretty, you can just wash it and use it or switch it to another room.

Saving money is using common sense and that means to use your resources wisely.  The best thing that we can do is do a thorough cleaning and make sure that everything is in good shape.  You can also spruce up a comforter by taking pillows that you are tired of in your living room and switch it to the bedroom and then you have a new look without buying anything.

If you do this for a few years you will save money that you can use for paying bills or something else.  

SashaMoniqueTalks 

Are We Getting Enough Fruit During The Winter Months?

For some reason I tend not to get enough fruit and vitamin C during the winter months.  I like fruit but it is something that I do not buy always and when I go to the supermarket sometimes I forget to pick some up or I find comfort food that I gravitate towards.

My Grandson loves fruit but he isn't a big eater, so, I hate to buy a big bag of fruit and have it go bad.
The very last time I went shopping I went in the fruit and vegetable aisle and saw the packs of fruit and it only had about five apples or five oranges and you can also get a mix of each.  I think this is a good way to buy fruit but not have it just sitting around and spoil.

Many supermarkets carry these packs and they also sell some vegetables this way.  When you go to your local store, check it out and it is so much more affordable than those big bags of fruit. 

These small packets are perfect to cut up to make a fruit cup for our children or grandchildren to take to school for lunch.

Being Happy Without Money

This video gave very good information on how to save money and being thankful for the things that you have.

How to be a blessing to others with your clothing and other items that you are no longer using

How to be a blessing to others with your clothing and other items that you are no longer using,

Last week someone gave me a flyer and it was for an indoor garage sale and I was amazed because you don't see to many garage sales during the colder months so I was intrigued by the flyer and  decided to go and see what they had to offer.  I walked into the Gymnasium and  was happy to see a lot of household items like; sheets, old cameras, books, paintings, and of course clothing.    

The People who were volunteering at this event was very friendly and they had their items priced right.  What I mean by right?  You could fill up a shopping bag for $5.00.  I strategically thought about all the bags of clothes that I would go through to find clothing in plus sizes and a nice lady came up to me and she told me what bags would carry my size.  

I searched and searched and hit the jackpot of clothing heaven.  I was not sure if these items would fit me but filled those bags to capacity.  Quickly I went over to the children's section to look for little boy things and they did not have much but saw an abundance of little girl clothing in size 5 and 6.  Someone forgot to put little boys clothing on the tables but I started seriously thinking that these beautiful girl clothing could go to shelters and other places where these clothing could be a blessing to some wonderful little girls.

This experience really had me thinking that whatever couldn't fit, would go to Goodwill or another thrift store, but, then it crossed my mind about people who didn't have the money even to pay for clothes at the used stores.  This population is ignored and throughout my journey in life I have seen women who were in dire straits, who were fresh out of an abusive marriage or encountered a fire that changed their lives in a second. 

From that point, I decided that when I found some good buys that wasn't my size or for small children, I would buy it and find out where these items could be donated for people who truly need it.  My plan is to give to organizations that help people who are going through a crisis and they would not have to pay for any of these items.

There are organizations like Freecycle, who's goal is to keep useful items out of the landfills.  I have donated things through Freecycle and  think that it is an organization that is making a world of difference in the way that you can give someone items that you no longer need and it is helping people with items that they maybe could not afford to buy.

Many women who are trying to return to work need clothing items that will give them the confidence and the wardrobe to find a job, to take care of their families.  

So, if you have any excess clothing, toys, old computers and etc.  Think about giving these items to someone who could really use it.  It doesn't take a whole lot to make people happy and change their lives.  These things just clog up the landfills or given to people who will try to charge a lot for these items, when they really should be given to people who need it, for free.

Be a blessing to others because you never know; one day you may need the help yourself.