A day like fine art. I saw some lovely yellow flowers in the Woods. There were hundreds, maybe thousands. The Woods were quiet after Labor Day. A cool breeze was blowing. Mr. Woodpecker was working. The bees were busy. They had to visit each yellow flower. They sang, ‘Bzz Bzz Bzz’. Some welcome rain fell overnight. The sound of it falling was a bit unfamiliar.

Have you ever been approached by someone trying to sell you shares in the good life? If you do what they tell you, success will happen for you. They have the secret to success for a down payment of a few hundred dollars and the rest on installments. Much of what they say is common sense. Common Sense used to be free. Often, the purveyors of possibilities become richer from their knowledge of success while you become poorer, making them richer.

Mom and Dad, as well as Grandma and Grandpa, worked a lifetime living frugally to build a life. Warren Buffett buys an egg Biscuit and a cup of coffee for his breakfast each morning when his stocks are doing well, and on those mornings when they are not, he just buys the coffee.

For most of my career, I did not buy lunch. To save temptation, I did not carry money. Most of our resources went to our family and their welfare. We did not go hungry, but we did not often spend money frivolously. I am a coffee aficionado and carried a thermos with me to work, including most of my years in management. We took vacations, but we had a budget. Life is fun on the frugal side once you get used to it.

It is nice to have money for something you need or, at times, want. The Black Hole of family finance is debt. It is advisable to not go into debt for anything other than an automobile and a house. Most other things can wait until you have the cash. When you wait, you have time to reassess the real need for the bauble or trinket that was so compelling. One of the largest contributors to a family estate is setting aside enough money to invest. You have heard it said Let your money work for you. You have a limited number of years that you will be a wage earner. Pay yourself first. Not the Preacher, not the speed boat, or the waterski.

Nothing happens if you do not stay on track like the Happy Locomotive. Do not stray to the Hills of Prosperity or the Valley of Vice. You may not have the newest car, but it is fun to know you can get it if you want to.

After I purchased my first new car in 1978, my pastor told me that I should trade every two years. This had been a common theme in former generations. When I went to trade cars, I quickly learned that my current car was not paid off and that the difference would be added to my new car payment. Not a prescription for success. MJ and I typically drive our automobiles for ten years or more. New cars are fun, but so is financial security.

Get-rich-quick schemes are rampant in our society. Go to the head of the class in one chess move. Have what mom and dad worked a lifetime for in a fraction of the time.