Do you have a 10 year plan?  Where do you want to be in 10 years?  Have you made any type of plan for where you want to be in the future, and how you intend to get there? or do you just let it happen?

Variables all around me in our economy and world has caused my new plan to be stalled.   Why? Because my personality doesn’t really like to make a decision (about the plan) without knowing all the variables.  I like to be able to see the path from beginning to end, and then carefully chart my course.  Checking off the milestones and making decisions along the way according to the plan is just the way I usually like to roll. 

I haven’t ever written down my plan on paper.  But I really did have a list of things I wanted to accomplish in life from when I was a child and although they were vague …. I wanted to marry, have children, have a house of my own, save a million dollars … you get the idea. Later this list became revised, to include living debt free, having a business, saving for the boys college education, and being a grandmother. 

Planning and thinking about these things helps build a framework to a goal. It gives you a direction and a reason to forgo some of life’s instant pleasures for the joy of making the goal happen.  So many people could benefit from doing this.  It isn’t easy by any means, but it gives you something to work for and towards — and it’s a worthwhile endeavor.

Just think of the things that “could be” easier to deal with, if you planned ahead.  Things like the type of education you wanted, your education costs, how much your first house might cost,  where you might like to settle down, or what you goal/dream job would be? 

Years ago, you could put together a workable plan pretty easily.  You saved a certain amount, you received actual interest that made it look like you were gaining on your goal, and you were “on your way”.   You bought a house, and knew “down the line” you could sell it for more than you paid for it ~basically a fairly secure investment in your future~ as well as it being your home.  You worked hard for an employer who had a retirement plan so that you’d have that safety net and today …. nothing is guaranteed.  Don’t get me wrong, nothing was guaranteed before either, but it was assumed to be so, and usually was — so that the plan had a secure footing to build upon.

Part of it,  I know is my personality – like it or not I do try and choose my path, and plan the way to the goal without considering if, or what “could be” if I changed that path along the way.   I do consider the variables before I start, but once en route I really don’t think about them much.  Most of the time, and through most of my life, my paths have not been hindered by large obstacles or horrific circumstances.

Today the variables seem to be all around me outnumbering the choices. All are vying for my attention – chose this way, chose that way…. oh no, don’t do that, do this instead.  Because of where the economy is, where it might be in a few years, and my age,  the variables seem to be overpowering any long term decision making.  So until I can work to “clear a reasonable path” for our next 10 years, I think I’ll put the plan on hold.

Do you “plan” and if you do, how are you getting around your obstacles to make it happen?

Text messages never before seemed  like any kind of a threat since I have “unlimited messaging” but there’s a new way they could be!

I hardly ever use my phone in general and text messages in particular.  I have an ancient phone which I can almost never find when I need it.  And admittedly I am definitely not “up to date”  with the technological advances in phone technology.  My husband and I will joke with each other when we need some tidbit of information in the car… saying “just look that up on your phone” but of course we don’t have a phone that can even come close to doing anything like that.

The text message I received seemed harmless — somebody from a ringtone place saying that I was signed up for as many free ringtones as I wanted — or something like that.  I ignored it right along with the ones from the local Wawa or Kwik Chek  which offers me a deal on a sandwich or a coffee.  I never respond to any of them and quite honestly, they pile up as messages for quite some time before I even get to open my phone to know I have them.  That’s right I don’t use my phone every day.  I almost never can find it when it rings, and I certainly don’t use one of those unique ringtones.   However, I have to admit “emergency” cases have come up over the years and I am glad I have one — I just am not that connected to it.  

So imagine my surprise when the next month on my phone bill I discover at charge for $9.99.  I haven’t a clue what it is, and why it’s there.  I think it’s because I pushed the wrong number into my phone when trying to use it, I think I might have some sort of feature I don’t know about and activated it by mistake.  What I do know is that I don’t want it, whatever it is and I sure don’t want to pay $9.99 for it.

    Yes, it turns out it’s a ringtone scam.  They find your cell number by “any means they can” and then they send you a message about having been signed up for free and unlimited ringtones.  If you do not respond with “STOP” – you get charged $9.99 a month as an access fee to this “free unlimited ringtone” service.  Now you never asked for this, you have no clue why they called your number, but they will bill you as a third party biller through your cell phone service provider for it, each and every month until you cancel it.

   We caught ours the first month, because we read our bills and yes, try to figure out and make sense of any odd charges, or unexpected balance.  Anyone on an automatic payment deduction from their bank account each month, might not notice or care or think about this $9.99.  Many would actually just “assume” their plan or the taxes attached to their plan went up….and this is how and why this particular scam works so well.

So while you can’t hide your cell number from these new thieves – you can check your bill and make sure you aren’t one of their victims.  Our provider was happy to provide the short code to send a ‘stop” message to this company on the same phone the message was originally sent to,  and even waited till I received a confirmation on the phone from them.  She removed the charge off my bill — and per my request blocked all premium services like this one from my phone.  You may not be able to block premium services as I know many of you use them every day – but you can and should make sure that you aren’t a victim to this type of scam.