The Richest Man in Babylon - a Book - A Plan

A long time ago I read a book called The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason.
I had a financial rebirth after reading it.
I was at the time a struggling business owner, harrowed by a very volatile income and even more volatile bills. I'll be honest money was tight. I was not sure one day to the next if I would still be in business.

One of the guiding principles was to take a percentage and pay yourself, save some, and invest some after you had some thing to invest. This led us to take every receivable and treat it similarly.

So this is what we did.
lets say for example that a check was $100.00 for ease of calculation.

• 10% went to Savings
• 20% went to Advertising
• 25% went to Consumables
• 35% went to Fuel
• 15% went to Taxes

So looking at this I could put all the money in one lump sum and fret about what got paid first or I could break up the bill in to categories that matched my disbursement plan. The result was the difference between night and day.

I now did not have to worry if there was going to be enough fuel money. or money if I needed to purchase Consumables. My Wife and partner (on so many levels) was able to do the advertising with out us fighting about the cost and what bill got priority. It was heaven. 

Now this was not set in stone. We would often in the beginning  discuss changes to the percentages, some times changing the percentages to add a new category but we were never fighting about money. We eventually settled on a percentage plan as the months went by.

Now, almost 15 years later we still use the principles in our home. The business did not last, due to an injury, but the principles have endured. It has made our life a better one because, even if we have an unexpected bill, like the car needing a repair, it does not send our life into chaos. We have been saving all along a small percentage for just an eventuality.

I have learned a great deal from this book and I encourage you to check it out.

here is a link to the book on amazon (note I receive no compensation for you purchasing here, Just a convenience) The Richest Man in Babylon

From the house, I'm Jason Bailey, Hope to see you soon.

P.S. If you have any suggestions of other books that could be helpful please leave them in the comments

Self Reliance, What is it? and why should we have it.

self-re·li·ance

noun

1. reliance on one's own powers and resources rather than those of others.

So to take the definition literally we should depend on our own things and knowledge  to Live, Grow, and be comfortable. 

Does it take work?........YES, yes it does, does anything worth having? ........YES, Yes it does.

We here at the house hope you will check back often and learn the skills to be reliant on one's own self. for a better community, a better family, and a better YOU. 

We look forward to seeing you,

From the house, I'm Jason Bailey, We will see ya around.

Bees - quite simply the coolest bug around.

I admit bees are not for everyone, and keeping bees is definitely an art. I feel that bees are one of the most important stock animals ( yes, I know they are insects) that we have, and cultivating them is a very important job.

If you have the room, and I admit also, that an apartment is probably not the best place to keep bees. But if you have the room and are not afraid, you should consider bees as a live stock option.

Why bees? 

Well bees are one of the most important insects around not only do they produce honey a sweet thick and I think delicious syrup. They also pollinate all the flowers that are on plants like fruit, nuts, vegetables, grains, and any other plant that we use for food.  Additionally they also pollinate plants that feed animals that feed us. Alfalfa hay for cows for milk, steers for beef and corn for chickens, and pigs. You see bees are a key player in the production of food.

Now for those who think all this stuff comes from the super market. Well it doesn't.... But I digress. This is a topic for another post.

They are a social insect.

Bees... They are awesome. They are a social insect. Meaning they all work together for a common goal. Everyone has a job and they all do it for the betterment of the colony. I'm sure there is a political lesson in there somewhere where but we are not talking about politics.

So why keep bees?

• To pollinate your garden. 
• You have a garden right? 
• To pollinate others gardens. 
• To eat honey which I think is plenty. 
• Bees also provide us wax for candles and other things. 
• Honey is a natural antibiotic. So next time you get a cut put a little honey on the bandage.

I'm not an expert. But I have read enough to make me curious. I actually went and found a bee keeper to talk to. Bees are easy to keep but you need knowledge. Find a beekeeper in your area, they are a ton of knowledge. They can help you get your own hive going, prevent you from making the noob mistakes.

From the house, I'm Jason Bailey, we will see ya around.