I hope that everyone’s been enjoying a good and happy Labour Day weekend! It’s been a good one for me, as the weather has been good and I’ve been more active lately, we did some apple picking, and just been enjoying the rest of the summer.
One thing keeping me busy is helping my grandmother move. She’s been like a mother to me my whole life, so I try to return as much of the favour as I can, though with all she’s done for me, I can never do too much. This week was the big move, with many memories, boxes, and furniture packed up and ready to go. She decided to move from an apartment in an area for older people to an actual retirement home, with full services, such as a doctor, house keeping, and interior restaurant.
She’s nearly into her 80s, so she’s not as mobile as she used to be. She’s also fiercely independent, so the good thing about this place is that she still has her own apartment, and can do her own cooking, laundry, and so forth, but there’s help there too, if she needs it. I actually haven’t seen her this happy or energetic in quite a long time — maybe lots of physical activity is just as beneficial when we’re older!
All of the box moving, helping her put the new furniture together and so on has been really beneficial for me, too. It’s meant less time in front of the computer, but that’s good for me because now that I work from home, sometimes the extent of my walking is from my bedroom to the bathroom and back! I’m happy to take the break from typing every now and then!
Things with my business have been going well, too. The book is nearing completion, and I’ve done better than I ever would have expected. I’ve been drifting further away from the blog world, and for that, I feel bad, but I think that once I finish the book and I have a bit more time, I can readjust my focus and build synergy again.
The funny thing is that I haven’t been doing freelancers for others, as I’ve been working on building my own products. I now imagine opening my own office and hiring other people, and building something for the long term. I’m not there, yet, but I feel that it’s within my reach. Even if things don’t end up going that way, I feel that I’ve finally come into my own, working on what I’m good at and working on what I love, and for that, I’m grateful.
What else is Labour Day known for?
Back to school! This is the first September in… I don’t know, probably my entire life since infancy, that I’m not enrolled in a class or classes for September. At this point, there’s no way I’d have the time, and I’m looking forward to some breathing space, but it feels strange, too. I’m used to always having some presence in school, as well as feeling a little bit of dread around late August!
How about you guys? What are you grateful for this Labour Day weekend, and what might you be dreading? 😉
On to the weekend reading!
Business
Career
Contests
- $100 giveaway: Share your experience with Elance, 99designs, or Fiverr to qualify
- Contest: ID this plant!
Economics & The Economy
- Are Reported Inflation Rates Even Relevant To Individuals?
- The Positive and Negative Impacts of Globalization; Financial and Other Implications
- Von Mises and Rothbard, Who Dat? NPR’s Planet Money Whiffs It…
- What is Market Efficiency?
Education
Investing
- Asset Allocation Guide: Why to Invest in International Index Funds
- Beyond Buy-and-Hold #103 — The Strategy Implications of Deciding How Much You Want to Leave to Your Heirs
- Book Review: The Dividend Toolkit
- Why now is probably the wrong time to shift your equities to bonds
- Why Young Adults Fear Active Trading: How to Overcome Investing Doubts
Lifestyle
- 10 Threats to your Future Prosperity
- Frugal Dating And The Fun Factor
- How Telecommuting Can Save You Money (and Help the Environment)
- Life Is Short. Eternity Is Long.
Miscellaneous
- Could you drive the Dakar rally?
- How Much Of Your Happiness Is Based On Your Comparison Other?
- How to crash Reddit: Obama AMA
- Settle Down Your Career and Retirement No Doubt!
- Stocking Up, or Hoarding?
- The “Cycle”ology of Bike Transportation
- When a Mother doesn’t know your name
Motivation
- Being Thankful for What We Have
- Facing Fear Head On
- How does being rich change your life?
- Life Changing Advice – Part 1
- Losing Is Winning
- The Courage of the Right Convictions
Online Income
- My June Income Report: $23,596.88 + Niche Sites + Authority Sites
Personal Finance
- 8 reasons WHY you must take action to simplify your finances
- Combining Finances: Holly’s Perspective
- Does your spending plan include the mortgage?
- Ego Depletion and Your Bottom Line
- Fitness Check In
- GROW YOUR BUDGET’S SPENDING POWER
- How to Raise a Child on a Budget: Identifying the Necessities
- I Do Not Feel Money Guilt
- Oportunity Cost: Do You Pick Up Change?
- Save $150 Each Month in 4 Easy Steps
- Say No to Debt
- Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom
- Why Do We Worry About Money?
Carnivals
(I haven’t done a weekend roundup in a while)
- Canadian PF Happy Hour at Canadian Personal Finance
- Canadian PF Happy Hour at Canadian Personal Finance
- Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at Finance Product Reviews
- Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at My University Money
- Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at The University of Money
- Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at My University Money
- Carnival of Financial Planning at Broke Professionals
- Carnival of Financial Planning at Money Reasons
- Carnival of Financial Planning at Money Smart Blog
- Carnival of Financial Planning at The Skilled Investor
- Carnival of MoneyPros at Aaron Hung.com
- Carnival of MoneyPros at Finance Product Reviews
- Carnival of MoneyPros at Making Sense Of Cents
- Carnival of MoneyPros at See Debt Run
- Carnival of MoneyPros at Simple Finance Blog
- Carnival of Retirement at Debt Black Hole
- Carnival of Retirement at Life Insurance by Jeff
- Carnival of Retirement at My Family Finances
- Carnival of Retirement at Saving to Invest
- Festival of Frugality at Buzzraid
- Financial Carn. for Young Adults at 20s Finances
- Finance Carn. for Young Adults at 20s Finances
- Nerdy Finance Carnival at Nerdy Finance Carnival
- Nerdy Finance Carnival at Nerdy Finance Carnival
- Nerdy Finance Carnival at Nerdy Finance Carnival
- Nerdy Finance Carnival at Nerdy Finance Carnival
- Totally Money Carnival at James Petzke: Graduating with a Surplus
- Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
- Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
- Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
- Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
- Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
- Yakezie Carnival at Frugal Portland
- Yakezie Carnival at Kylie Ofiu
- Yakezie Carnival at See Debt Run
- Yakezie Carnival at The College Investor
- Y & T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty
- Y & T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty
- Y & T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty
- Y & T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty
Happy Labour Day weekend, all!
My Own Advisor says
Thanks for the mention!
So very good of you to help your grandmother with the move.
I am very eager to learn more about the book!
Don’t worry about drifting away from the blog, you’ll find the time again and even more importantly, quality is better than quantity. Post what you can, when you can, when the passion and desire is there.
All the best this long weekend Kevin!
Mark
Kevin says
Hi Mark,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. Hope you had a great long weekend as well. 🙂
B Simple says
Thanks for including my post in your roundup. Hope you enjoy your holiday since you are not in school.
Kevin says
Will be interesting!
Funny about Money says
Thanks for the link love! 🙂
Kevin says
Np 🙂
Shilpan says
I’ve never met you Kevin, but I can attest that you have a remarkable character. I am so happy to hear that you’ve finally made on your own. I am also happy to see you spending some time with grandmother by helping her. Way to go my friend. I am so proud to be your friend.
Kevin says
The feeling is mutual, Shilpan! I’m always impressed with each new post I read on your site; they often make me look at things in a way I haven’t considered before. Keep up the great writing!
krantcents says
Thanks for inclusion and hosting, I really appreciate it.
Kevin says
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Squirrelers says
Thanks for the mention. Also, great to read that you’re helping your grandmother move. I’m very much into the concept of respecting and helping elders who helped us when younger.
Kevin says
100% agreed with you there, Ray. Sometimes I wonder if the best form of charity we could ever give someone would be to adopt a child? Just thinking about all that some have done for us, and how to pay that forward.
Rich In The Heart says
Thanx a ton for including a link over to my site.
Kevin says
No worries, thanks for stopping by 🙂
Buck Inspire says
Thanks for including me. What a huge round up and Happy Labor Day to you too!
Kevin says
Thanks, Buck! Hope you had a good one.
Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter says
I am sure your grandmother is really grateful for your help. I am quite close to my grandmother so I do what I can to help her out often. I think we should all give back to our elders as much as we can.
Thanks so much for including Daisy’s article this week. I really appreciate it.
Kevin says
Thanks for stopping by, Miss T, and I’m agreed with you there. 🙂
First Gen American says
I’m impressed by your drive to succeed and I’m so glad it is reaping rewards for you so quickly. I’d think after being burnt out from your other job, you’d want a bit of a break, but it sounds like just having a change of scenery was enough to recharge the batteries.
Thanks so much for the link.
Kevin says
I still get slightly burned from time to time even in my current shoes, but the stress is a very different kind of stress — instead of dealing with bosses, deadlines, and so forth, I deal directly with customers, I need to manage my taxes and payroll, and I have a variable salary.
I still love it and have absolutely no intention of returning to the working world right now. Later on? I don’t know. I’m continuing to build up my skills so that I’d be an asset to any company. There’s so many wildcards. Maybe I get bought out? Maybe I hit more success and expand? Part of what makes it so exciting. 😉
LBee and the Money Tre says
I am glad to hear your business is going well. I think it’s okay to drift to a new area if that’s what brings in the money. 😉
Aaron Hung says
Wow that’s a great list, Thanks for the link back 🙂
Kevin says
It’s been a while since the last weekend reading 😉
Untemplater says
Thanks for the mention and a happy belated Labor day! That’s so nice you got to help your grandmother move and that she’s still feeling good and has independence at her age. I sure hope the same will be the case for my parents down the road. My mother isn’t taking the aging process that well and it’s hard to keep her spirits up.
And congrats on nearing completion of your book! That is a major accomplishment and I’m glad to hear you are really embracing your new career path! – Sydney
Kevin says
It’s sad to see the hardship that people sometimes go through as they get older, isn’t it? I wonder if we’ll find a ‘cure’ for ageing some day, and what it will mean for society.
Holly@ClubThrifty says
Thanks for including my post. I hope you had a great holiday weekend!!!