“7 cures for a lean purse”

Spend your time wisely – a lesson for everyone.

John Stepper

One of  the biggest barriers to developing yourself and your career – and one of the themes of modern life – is being busy. People simply don’t have the time to do the things they know would be good for them.

Recently, I found the cures for this problem in a surprising place – a 71-page, poorly typeset pamphlet published in 1926 called “The Richest Man in Babylon”.

When one of the smartest people I know recommended the book, I was expecting rich historical fiction or perhaps some stimulating anthropology. Instead, it was about “thrift and financial success, using parables set in Babylon to make each of [the author’s] points.”

Written by George Clason, owner of a map company in Colorado, the parables were distributed by banks and insurance companies to help teach everyday people how to manage their money.

The book opens…

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The problem

John Stepper

Could you pick a more mundane use case than reducing how much people print at your firm? Yet a collaborative effort to do this can be worth a lot of money – more than the cost of your entire social business effort. 

In the catalog of solutions we’re compiling, printing is in a class of solutions targeting personal consumption. Printing, mobile phone bills, car service usage, file storage. All of these services tend to be bloated by waste since people typically don’t know how much they cost nor how to access cheaper alternatives.

We’ll examine each of these solutions in separate posts. Just reducing printing by 20%, though, could be worth $6 million to a large firm.

Although environmental awareness has reduced printing at many firms, we still print too much. And much of what we print is unnecessarily costly.

Without including printing for external clients, a…

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Help! IEP Time! (via Aspergers : A Mom’s Eye View)

IEPs…and how to go about getting one for your child.

Yes, it’s that time of year again – Time for the annual review of my son’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP).  Even though this is only a review of our existing plan, and things have been going really well for my son this year, I still feel nervous and concerned.  Let’s face it, the entire process is extremely intimidating and nerve-wracking to a parent.  Without fail, I don’t sleep the night before, I can’t eat anything that morning and during … Read More

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Embrace the Chaos (via Aspergers : A Mom’s Eye View)

Recently my daughter spent a few days with a friend, visiting her grandmother.  Aside from hoping that the girls were behaving themselves and having a great time, what came to mind was the realization of how calm and quiet our house was without her….The two boys were still at home, so there was still action going on, but everything was relatively peaceful and laid back.  The boys played together well and were happy to engage in family activities, … Read More

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What We Have Here … Is a Failure to Communicate (via Aspergers : A Mom’s Eye View)

“Don’t be smart, Mister!” I scolded my then 8 year old Aspie son, after he back-talked me about something or other.  He looked at me, wide-eyed with confused uneasiness.  He knew from my tone of voice that I was angry with him, but he didn't understand my words… (Don’t be smart?  Isn’t being smart a good thing?  What is wrong???) As I watched his facial expression retreat from disrespect to confusion to worry, I realized that we were experiencing … Read More

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Catching ZZZs (via Aspergers : A Mom’s Eye View)

I don’t know about you, but I am an absolute bear if I don’t get enough sleep, or even worse – if my sleep is interrupted – Beware!  My husband learned this the hard way early on in our relationship, when I lashed out at him like some evil, snaked-tressed Medusa after he woke me up one too many times during a long, late-night car ride to Washington, DC.  I shall never forget the look of astonishment, fear and horror on his face as he witnessed hi … Read More

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The Boy Behind the Blog (via Aspergers : A Mom’s Eye View)

Video interview with Gregory – talking about this blog, about himself, about life with Aspergers and his advice for other kids with AS.

Whoever said parenting would be easy?  I think it’s one of the hardest jobs there is…and the pay really stinks!  But in spite of all the hard work, emotional angst and exasperated frustration, we parents do receive certain rewards:  Such as when our child offers up an unprompted hug, kiss, or an “I love you, Mom!”  When our child achieves a new milestone, skill or success.   Or simply when our child displays, by word or by deed, what a truly grea … Read More

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Yes Wii Can (via Aspergers : A Mom’s Eye View)

Living proof that not all technology is bad…now if I can only convince her the same can be said of Sci-Fi…

As a self-proclaimed Luddite, technology is generally NOT my favorite thing.  It certainly isn’t the first place I turn for a solution.  My husband on the other hand, is my polar opposite.  He lives for geeky things, being an early, if not bleeding edge, adopter of the latest and greatest techy gadgets to surface. I am embarrassed to say that during our early dating days, I sent him into nirvana, not as you might imagine, but by giving him the ne … Read More

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How Rude! (via Aspergers : A Mom’s Eye View)

Have you ever been mortified by something rude or tactless that your child has said or done in public?  Or worse yet, been the one to insert ‘foot in mouth’?   I can answer a resounding YES! to both questions.  I’m sure we have all experienced something similar (and wish we could forget!)  One time, I was in a bar and there was this cage…..well anyway, I’d better keep that one to myself, I think!  😉 It happens to the best of us and for the most … Read More

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