Posts Tagged ‘Weekly Review’

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MR Cache: Another Busy Weekend

June 12th, 2011

Weekly Thoughts

This was another busy weekend!  Makeup soccer games, weddings and birthdays.  I hate such busy weekends, I have a lot of work to do around the house and I’m not getting it done fast enough!  It use to be harder for me because I don’t like to be so busy, but it’s becoming second nature anymore.

Great Reads from Other Financial Bloggers

Carnivals

Conclusion

Okay, I’m really tired and need a break, so I’m done for this post.  Next week I’ll provide more useful information.

MR

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MR Cache: Another Soccer Victory, But Also a Sad Day

June 5th, 2011

Weekly Thoughts

The team I’m coaching had another victory today, but at a cost.  The other girls team had one or two girl who kept tripping our girls from behind!  My daughter was tripped and even had her hand stepped on.  I was fuming as I had to carry her off the field.  Then another one of my girls was tripped from behind and she didn’t even have possession of the ball!  WTF?

The coach for the other team actually teaches soccer, but I didn’t see him do anything!  Luckily for him it was near the end of the game, because I started getting loud, I might have even swore in angry and complaining about the tripping very loudly.  Probably if it continued, I would have to go over and talk to him during the game.  It’s not acceptable that the team he is coaching is tripping from behind like that!

All told, 4 different girls on my team got tripped that day, more than any from all the other teams combined.  I’m still pissed off!  What an A-hole of a coach!  I’m half temped to start attending his other game and see if his girls trip other girls from other teams too, and if so, start calling the other coaches and the soccer commissioner to get him removed (if that’s possible).  I don’t think I could handle any of my girls getting hurt badly because of such conduct from a poorly taught team.

Great Reads from Other Financial Bloggers

Moneyreasons.com a Second Look at the Week

 

Conclusion:

The girls that I’m coaching are amazing!  Each one puts their heart into the game, and I’ve very touched.  But at the same time, I worry about each one of them out there.  I would have to see any one of the girls (my girls) get hurt.

I need to step up my game and start teaching them stuff I don’t know.  The best way to do that is to learn how to do it myself.  Luckily youtube videos help, but I still have to learn how to do that actual moves though.

It’s time to step up my game and become a real soccer coach.

Hope you weekend was great,

MR

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MR Cache: Soccer Victory, Lessons Learned From 7 Year Old Girls

May 29th, 2011

Weekly Thoughts:

My 7-year-old girls soccer team stomped the other team this week.  The other team’s coach actually coaches our city high school girl’s soccer team, so I thought we were going to be slaughtered, but I was wrong.

Now granted both my daughter and her best friend could be considered the best players in their league, it was more than that!  The entire team worked like a well oiled machine.  Only one of the girls on our team didn’t make a goal today, and even she almost did.  Instead she choose to pass it to my daughter who ended up making the goal.  Of course, when I switched a new group of girls in I had a nice talk with that girl telling her that when she has a shot that close to the goal, to go ahead and take it.  She smiled and said okay, very cute!

So after such a great win (24 to 11) you might think that I thought I was a soccer coaching guru, but it wasn’t me…  Each of the girls on the team have bonded (at least the ones that come to practice), so much so that they would rather go to the games instead of going on vacation.  They want their team to win, and win well.  The all have great focus and heart!  I’ve never seen such a strong team, and it’s very touching.

I would like to say that today I’ve fallen in love with the team, thinking of each girl as kind of my own, but that would be a lie.  You see, it’s a cumulative thing starting with the team’s game and following practices…  I now understand the personal pride that each parent on the team feels for their kid.

After seeing other teams via my son and daughter, I know that what I have with this team is special, and I’m going to make the most of it.  Each of the girls look up to me in some way, and I won’t let any of them down.

While I think I got lucky with this team, I now know why everybody always says that you should try to coach at least once just for the experience.

Great Reads from Other Financial Bloggers:

  • Financial Samurai: No Point Making Money If You Don’t Spend Your Money – I believe I was too frugal while in college.  Sam (who is able to save 70% of his income) has come to the same conclusion that I did!  For me it all about maintaining an optimal financial balance!
  • The Ultimate Juggle: Happy Hour Isn’t For Drinks- Bloggette reminds us that during Happy Hour, the food in addition to the alcohol is half price too!  She goes on to mention that kids can often eat for free at certain restaurants on certain days too!
  • Budgeting in the Fun Stuff: Top Tips for Beginner Coupon Clippers – My family needs to learn who to start doing this!  We are leaving money on the table and that’s not acceptable!  This article is a great way to start!
  • First Gen American: Frugal Knives: Babci Loves Shivs - Okay, I admit it, Sandy’s Babci is starting to grow on me!  This is yet another Babci story I enjoyed; it’s about how Babci can tell good steel from cheap steel and how she frugally makes her knifes.  Another awesome story!
  • Little House in the Valley: The Ever Elusive “Joneses”- Info about my first and maybe favorite financial book!  The book that got me to believe that just maybe it is possible to still get ahead in America, and even though I wasn’t born rich that doesn’t mean someday that I can’t be rich.  Great intro to the terms PAW and UAW too!
  • Everyday Tips and Thoughts: Diversify Your Retirement Savings Now!- Great advice in this article!  Kris is right, I don’t want to bank my retirement on one company (no Enron for me).
  • Wealth Informatics: Free life insurance for low income families – This is a really nice program, the coverage isn’t high but it’s something which is better than nothing!
  • Out of Your Rut: Five Reasons the 30 Year Mortgage Beats the 15 – I would like to say no this isn’t true, but it’s the route I took.  Even though I paid my mortgage off in 10 years, “Cash Flow” was still crucial when I started out so I went with a 30 year mortgage initially.

 Carnivals I’m In:

Moneyreasons.com a Second Look at the Week

 

Conclusion

So what did I learn for the girls?

  1. If each member views that team winning as the most important thing, everybody tries their best.
  2. Being a team is more than about just winning (although it’s very important), it about treating each other with respect and courtesy.
  3. It’s little things taken for granted that make a difference in a teams ability to win.   If players learn and listen quickly, they can become a great force for change.
  4. Focus and determination are as important ingredients for force as is speed and agility.
  5. Coaching (and having a team win) can be a ton of fun.

-MR

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MR Cache: Lessons From Coaching

May 22nd, 2011

Weekly Thoughts:

I thought I was going to be different, in that I had it all figured out with an idea on how I was going to rotate the 7-year-old girl’s soccer team that I’m a coach of.  Reality didn’t match the logic in my head though!

The plan thumping variables were:

  • Not all of the girls came to the game on time, and one came after halftime
  • Some girls said they were tired and didn’t want to go out.
  • The girls are too young to do two 15 minutes sessions.
  • The field conditions where too wet and it was like running in sand.

So we started out the game stomping the other team, but after halftime, the tables reversed and we lost more points that we gained in the first half.

This was my first game though, and I was even struggling memorizing all of the girl’s names (I got them now though).

Great Reads from Other Financial Bloggers:

  • Momvesting.com:  Invest in Your Health: Multitasking – Multitasking is near and dear to my hearts, so I found this article very refreshing and something I wholeheartedly agree with.
  • Budgeting in the Fun Stuff: My Blogging Empire Update- I love to see Crystal run, in some ways she reminds me of my 7-year-old daughter with her endless energy and the quality and quantity that she produces.  My daughter who is in first grade tested in the third grade class reading level (and I think this was being conservative).  Crystal’s a few step ahead of the typical blogger too.  Truly, amazing!!!
  • Everyday Tips and Thoughts: Target Or Walmart? Does Perception Affect Where Or How You Shop? – Target has lower prices for comparable good than Walmart, hmmm interesting.  I usually shop at Target, but only because they are the closest shop to where I live.
  • Wealthinformatics: ROTH IRA for an emergency fund- I love this idea and even blogged out this in the past : Roth IRA Emergency Fund, I also use my Roth IRA – The Dividend Shield.  I think people need to see the value of Roth IRA beyond something used just for retirement purpose.  To not be creative and only think of a Roth IRA as a tool for retirement is too limiting.
  • First Gen American: Wow..Debt Really is a Motivator- I understand exactly where Sandy is coming from on this topic!  When I had a mortgage to pay off life was so simple and the gains in net worth were easy to calculate… unlike now…

Moneyreasons.com Worthy Second Read Links of the Week:

 

Like Minded Bloggers:

Much like the results of the test that Everyday Tips and Thoughts posted about a while back, many of us are very similar in thought!  I’ve noticed some very similar articles at different points in time and it’s kind of refreshing really.  After all, personal finance is a narrow niche so overlap and similar conclusions are only natural.  The only true scorecards is net worth and memories of money well spent.

 

Hope your weekend was rewarding!

MR

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MR Cache: Going Back To Cali

May 8th, 2011

Weekly Thoughts:

Yep, it’s that time of the year again… Training!  This year I’m flying to Cali to learn and review some Microsoft products.  I’m actually excited about going, it should be fun since I’ll be in the San Francisco area.

I’ve recently heard that the seals at fisherman’s wharf are gone.  While I liked to see the seals, the smell wasn’t all that pleasant last time I was at the wharf.  I’ll have to check it out again to see if it was the seals or just the fish…

As you can imagine, I’m packing frantically!  This will be a short post due to time constraints!

My Short List of Favorite Reads of the Week:

 

Favorites From Money Reasons this Week:

  •  Pros and Cons of Building a House - I discuss the path that my wife and I took where it came time to go home shopping.
  • Mortgage Free versus Paying For 30 Years  – Another take on the pay your mortgage off early vs pay for 30 years discussion.  Really either path is correct, depending on how disciplined the mortgage owner is.
  • Paying Expenses From Dividends - This is part of my battleplan on how to become financially independent some day, but instead of waiting for day X in the future, why not now…  Starting with fun stuff like vacations, and other fun activities?  More on this in a later post…
  • Using Wasted Time To Your Advantage - I revisit this topic often because it’s a powerful way to squeeze more time out of the day!  And I do speak from experience!  I’m continually improving my game in this area!
  • Free Cars in The Future and High Gas Prices - This is a tongue in cheek discussion of the future of oil and alternative energy.  I left a lot of room open for discussion in the comments.  So far, Len from LenPenzo.com states in his comment that way that it really is.

Carnivals and Mentions:

Closing Thoughts:

Anymore, it seems like I am constantly learning things!  I’m almost looking forward to my business trip just so I can have some alone time to think and read.

Bests,

-MR

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