Worth the Money

So I am learning that there are some things that are worth investing a little more money in.

Some items, like jewelry, clothing, furniture and carpeting, will last longer if they are made of quality materials.  And while sometimes you can find a competent service person who does not charge as much as their competitors, make sure you check out samples of their past work before you sign them on.   

One drawback to owning a farm is that, if you ever want a break, you have to make sure that there will be someone there to care for the animals when you are gone.  With house pets, they just need to be fed and maybe let out; with horses, there is much more care involved.

When my family and I went on vacation this past week, I left my two working students in charge (paying them for taking care of the horses while we were gone).  They should be pretty familiar with what the horses need and what I expect from them at this point.  Imagine my reaction when I return home to find that the horses in the field have no water and their stalls look like they haven't been cleaned in days!?!

So, from now on, I will be hiring a professional for the horses, if we ever dare to leave again.

However, all this got me thinking... there are some things that you can do yourself, some things you can get help from friends (or students) with and some things that you just need to pay the extra money and have a professional do for you.

Even when you are trying to save money, it is cheaper to have someone do the work correctly the first time than having it done incorrectly (even if all you are paying for is supplies) and then having to have a professional go back and fix it later.  When sizing up a task, be sure to evaluate if it is something you can do yourself (or with a friend) or if it is something better left to those with training & experience.

Resources

As I've mentioned before, two of the biggest challenges (for me, at least) are time and finances.  I'm going to spend some time researching good sources for tips and help in these areas and any others that you find useful.  If anyone has any good ideas or knows of a good website, etc for that kind of thing, please feel free to post a link.  I'll post links to any good ones I find as well.  There are so many good ideas out there!

One helpful idea that I found was for google calendar (www.google.com/calendar).  I had no idea there was such a thing. It's similar to the outlook calendar but it's online so you can access it (and update it) from anywhere- you'll never have "left it at home" as long as you can get on the internet.  It emails you when you have an appointment coming up.  of course, that's only helpful if you're on the computer.  I'll give it a try and let you know how it works.

A few other sites I have found that have lots of tips and ideas:
www.organizedmom.net
www.lifeorganizers.com
www.moneysavingmom.com
I have included helpful blogs on my blog list.  Hope these help!


I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's ideas and findings!