Mrs. Mecomber’s Scrapbook

Frugal people are some of the most financially secure people. Unfortunately, I started my frugality a little late. :S I wish I had gotten an earlier start. While I am not absolutely determined to retire at age 65, I do wish my husband and I had started saving money much, much earlier. Even if it was just to get that “dream house” or be able to afford a few weeks off together– it would have been lovely. Of course, it’s not too late! But I regret missing all that opportunity to do so. Oh well, it’s like I tell people who ask about my Social Security funds– my four children are my security in my old age.

How about you? I know I have a lot of frugal-minded and investment-minded readers. If you could do things differently, what would it be? Would you ever seek the advice of a financial consultant? My husband worked for several years as an insurance salesman, and got some training in financial consulting. It was not an easy job! It required lots of constant training, and keeping up-to-date with the latest financial tool, and the ups and downs of the stock market. I couldn’t imagine building a serious portfolio without the aid of a consultant or reputable company, like Northern Trust. The Northern Trust website is loaded with information, tips, market information from Reuters, and an assortment of personal and institutional service to build that financial security we desire. Believe me– trusting in the government for Social Security is NOT going to cut it in today’s world! I believe that Social Security will not even be available for my generation. Things like building one’s own private banking accounts for savings, and investments is the only way retirement will be tangible. Check out Northern Trust for more information about how to secure your financial future.

Did you know that you can send text messages to cell phones from certain Instant Messaging programs? Yes! I use the MSN Instant Messenger, and I have my friends’ mobile phone numbers in the contact lists. When I want to send them a text, I right-click on their icon and choose “Send a message to a mobile device.” There is a special phone number the receiver must allow in his phone contacts before receiving regular messages.

I use it a lot, but I will say that it is not 100% reliable. I don’t know if it’s an MSN thing or not, but sometimes my husband doesn’t get his messages right away. So if you have an emergency message, it’s probably best to use your cell phone. But the IM texts are handy, and they are free to send!