Remember I told you that I completed an exercise that is helping to align myself with the person I really want to be? Well, I wanted to share with you that exercise.

This exercise comes from 7 million in 7 year’s team in training website. Even if you are not searching to become the next millionaire, it has some very worthy exercises to complete. I am rather enjoying the self discovery.

Called Finding your Growth Engine. It helps you to figure out what it is going to take to reach your number, your financial goal. And, as you can see… it helped me figure out what I really am all about and where it is I want to go.

click to enlarge picture

I mentioned to you lately that I have been feeling this change within me. That it is time to live the life I yearn to wake up to each morning. In fact, in my New Year Resolution 2009 I mentioned the year is about “Keeping it Simple”… about connecting with life, friend’s, family & community. It’s going to be about finding the true sense of my life.

“Keeping it Simple”… Just doing.

Well, I have found out what I really want to do! But, a master plan has to start out with baby steps. Well, at least in my case it needs to be that way.

Master Plan = open Farm Market: Fresh produce, bakery, nuts, cheese, beer and wine. Fresh flowers. A small cafe’. A place to come by and relax. Listen to live music.

Baby steps…

Well, I would love your opinion. The object: to find the commonalities within the four rows. What kinds of things stand out that I could do to help raise money for the master plan now?
I see:

But, I would like to see what potentials you make from this picture.

I think I have done a couple of great things. I have tinkered with my bank accounts and made a more systematic structure for my PF journey and I have shrunk my teal notebook to a size of 4″x6″. Here are the pros:

• I can no longer exceed or borrow from my other accounts for my weekly ‘cash allowance’ funds (aka: funds used on groceries, gas, entertainment, and other). Motto: if the funds aren’t there…then you ain’t gettin’ it (my kids will love that one)
• What ever is in the ‘bill pay’ pot is used exclusively for that reason, to pay bills; snowball; avalanche.
• The savings… just that savings where it holds my Emergency Fund & Hawaii Fund
• My teal notebook now is 10 times lighter and fits in any purse

You say: “How did you do such a thing? Did you use your automatic shrinking machine?”
I say: “No silly, that is what computers are for!”

Here is what I did:

• Bank Account 1: Paycheck is direct deposited. Leave in my weekly cash allowance, transfer 7.9% into Savings Account, tranfer remainding funds into Bank Account 2 for paying bills.
• Bank Account 2: Bill Pay funds (love the Bill Pay feature!). Few clicks of the keyboard and my bills are sent out every Friday. What ever is left over gets used in next weeks bill pay.
• Savings Account: Holds my Emergency Fund, Hawaii Fund, and accepts my 7.9% weekly transfer
• Formated my PDF Bill Pay Pages to print 4 on a page, cut, stacked small pages and did a little arts and crafts by using a manilla folder as a cover, staple all together and now you have a 4″x6″ PF Folder (pic to follow soon). I’m sure with time I could get pretty creative with the cover.

If you want a PDF Bill Pay Page, email me: moneyfunkblog@gmail.com . Please put “Bill Pay” in the subject line. Unfortunately, google docs does not allow me to publish PDF pages.

Verdict: I think I just made my life alot easier. My “notebook” and my mind is now lighter, too. I eliminated the need for a spending log, because now that Bank Account 1 is only for my Cash Allowance…when that runs out, it’s gone!

Have a great Easter weekend!