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News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Thursday March 28th 2024

Phillips West Neighborhood Organization News

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But I Don’t Wanna Budget!

By MARY ELLEN KALUZA

I understand. Having a “budget” sounds restrictive, like a punishment. What if we call it something else, like a “spending plan”? Does that seem more palatable? 

Planning the money you have coming in and going out is really all about being in control. YOU are choosing where your hard-earned dollars are going, not the estimated 6000 to 10,000 advertisements we see each day! (That’s double what it was in 2007, by the way.) With that much pressure on us, it takes some effort to keep that control. 

Where to start?

  1. Know how much money is coming in. This is the net income ”“ after taxes and other deductions. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know that number. (Frequently, they also carry expensive credit card debt.) 
  2. Subtract your Must Pay expenses ”“ housing, utilities, loan payments, insurance ”“ think of those things that will result in something bad happening if you didn’t pay them. 
  3. Subtract your Must Save For periodic expenses ”“ car repair/maintenance, home repair/maintenance, taxes not subtracted from income, medical bills, emergencies, etc. 
  4. What is left? This is where the hard decisions come in – what do you need and what do you want.
Read the rest “But I Don’t Wanna Budget!”

A Ray of Hope

Returning Chapter 9

By PATRICK CABELLO HANSEL

The older woman walked as fast as she could toward Lake Street. She felt that she was being called further south, and had planned to wait for the light to change. But as she saw the car lights reflect off the mirrors in the huge mural at La Mexicana, a saying came to her mind:

Light is not lost in its reflection

She wasn”™t sure where the saying came from, if she had heard it spoken by someone or read it in a book. Maybe I just made it up, she thought. But it was so clear and strong that she decided to heed it. The light that she saw reflected came from the east, so she turned east. That”™s when she saw Angel and Luz and little Angelito, walking briskly. She could sense the fear in them.

They stopped in front of where the bakery used to be. The phone store was mostly boarded up; it had been looted recently, and the owner was waiting on the insurance. Whatever Luz and Angel were looking for, it didn”™t seem to be there. All they could see was a little broken glass on the floor, and boxes scattered around.… Read the rest “A Ray of Hope”

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