More small steps toward our goal. Paperwork.

Wow, I finally feel like we're making some progress.  A business idea that is slowly forming into something that is not just a dream.  We have our FEIN#, LLC, vendor's license and tomorrow we'll have our business checking and paypal accounts opened.  Our next step is to get our trademark registered.  Our facebook page is up and our blog and Instagram accounts are next.

I'm very excited to start marketing our product and growing our business.

Redundancy

We have actually made strides toward our financially free future.  In 2012 we taught our daughter that money had worth.  Prior to that and mostly still we purchased what ever she needed or wanted.

Her autism lent to this behavior of ours.  We knew we had to break ourselves of that habit.  We planned to make sure she learned that money could "buy" these things.  She learned to spend money.

Then the following year, we had her learn that she could "earn" money.  Again her autism meant she needed support to work in various basic non skilled positions as an intern with minimal pay; to experience the "work arena".

Then the year after we decided she should learn to understand that she could earn money without working for someone else.  We had her make cards.  We paid her.  She donated them to a charity furniture store.  She thought the charity was paying her.  This built up her self worth and esteem.

Most importantly, we began to teach her to save her money.  Today she divides her "earned money" into 4.  50% savings, 10% charity, 15% tax and what is left over is spending money.  Soon we will teach her to divide her savings into long term savings and short term investment.

So far her savings after 3.5 years is almost 5,000.  We are very proud of her.  I need to re educate myself on investments.  Stocks still scare me.  I would really like us to be able to invest in real estate.  I want to develop a warehouse into a big teaching, working showroom.  A place that can serve as a place to teach, learn and earn a living.  If I had my dream, a small community for autistics and their families.... i guess almost a commune.  A safe, self sufficient community.

So here I sit filled with anxiety.....  There really shouldn't be a reason to feel this way.  I'm just doing a little prep work for a morning class filled with artistic little kids looking to do some work on a Saturday.  So why do I feel so anxious?  Why am I doing this?  I'm "paying my dues" to my daughter's art teacher.  She whom we could not do without.  I figure if I help her, she will help my child.  Give and take.

I believe that is a fundamental step on the road to our goal of financial freedom.
I believe we are stronger if we take those who help us get there With us.
I believe we create the community in which we want to live.
I believe it all starts with one person helping another.

So why do I feel anxious?  I think it's the fear of failure.  Even in a situation that should not be stressful.  If it asks something of me as an individual; I become anxious.  Your stomach feels the acid buildup...  moving upward to give you heart burn if you're lucky.... acid reflux if you are not.

Learning To Follow A New Path

I've been hiding so long I forget how to be the me of 2005.  Starting a new business in the hopes that I can do well by my daughter.  I want her to be happy and financially set in case something happens to us, her parents.

That's the dream.

Waiting for the LLC paperwork to go through so I can apply for a vendor's number and register a trade name.  That's our beginning to our journey... again....

Will people want what we have to offer?

I've been so out of the generalized population I don't know what people "like" these days.

Starting All Over

The past seven years took more of my life than the first 40.  

Now my daughter is more manageable and talented enough where we are considering a non traditional path of financial freedom for an autistic child.  

We will help her dream to be an artist come to life and work to make it her living.

This is all new to me.  I am a baby when it comes to this.... I have not be financially "literate" in the past 8 years.  Only just enough to stay out of debt and have a retirement fund that needs more life blood and management.  I have been fearful.

My daughters future is what is giving me courage.  

Wow! 24 hours a day really is the limit!

So here I am..... still on the road.... need to tell you, not any better, not any worse in terms of where I stood financially the last time I posted.

My debt is about the same, my income as a family is about the same, thank goodness there are two of us with income potential - my personal contribution has gone down, but my better half has taken up the slack.

Why? Well, life of course. Adolescent Autism was our life change. This is the second time autism has done this. We can only go with the flow and do the best that we can. This does not mean we have stopped, just that "24 hours" is a set parameter to work within.

So, I am still determined to pursue this course, even more so now, that I have learned just how many barriers stand in both my daughter and families way to our financial goals.

Ohio’s Policy on Test Accommodations for Students with Disabiltiies

Ohio’s Policy on Test Accommodations for Students with Disabiltiies