Book Bites

Who Describes Themselves With An Excel Table???

Introduction

If you want to understand Red's character, you can read the introduction of our book where she uses a lot of blah-blah-blah to describe herself and Black. On the other hand, Black, in typical fashion, cut to the chase and provided the book designer with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.

P.S. – Many years later, although Red has certainly "picked up" a lot of Black's ways of doing things and thinking (Black didn't seem to change much), the sisters are still as incredibly different as when Black created this comparison chart. We suspect all families have siblings with very different personalities, which we doubt fundamentally change over time. The interesting thing is we constantly hear from people who describe themselves (and their siblings, family members, spouses, etc.) as being more Red-like or Black-like.

Table as of April 2004What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!

comparing siblings

Book Bites

Black’s First Budget – A Fond Childhood Memory?

Chapter 5: Open Your Eyes Before Your Wallet

To say that Red fought having to deal with her family finances is a huge understatement. But she finally summoned up the courage to start looking at their financial situation (well, maybe not so much courage as it was surrendering to Black's insistence) and slowly starts working her way through Black's six step "Where Is Your Money Going" checklist. As she prepares to tackle Step 4: Develop A Realistic Budget, Red gets to break some surprising news to Black about a fond childhood memory.

P.S. – Red rarely gets the "upper hand" in terms of her older sister, Black, and for it to be related to money makes it even sweeter. Yet, she'll admit that for all the enjoyment of getting to "break the news" to Black, she'd have been better off having the same childhood "punishment" as Black.

Red assets.rebelmouse.io	OK. I'm ready to tackle Step 4. Is this something we can do via e-mail or do I need to come over and see how you do your budget?
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	Here is where I have to say, "Do as I say, not as I do," because I have not done a personal budget in years. But I can remember my first one.
Red assets.rebelmouse.io	You remember your first budget? You have a strange collection of fond memories!
Black assets.rebelmouse.io	It was when Mom put me on a clothing budget. She gave me an amount I could spend every year and wrote it on a big manila envelope. Every time I bought something, I would deduct that amount from the total and put the receipt in the envelope. I always knew how much was left in my budget, so I never had to ask if I could buy something. Mom was brilliant!
Red assets.rebelmouse.io	[Silence for 5 seconds, followed by a burst of laughter.] You're kidding, right?

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money

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Book Bites

Escape Through Exercise?

Chapter 12: Desserts Spelled Backwards Is Stressed. And Vice Versa.

Red has always admired Black because she can go for a run or exercise with weights as a mental break from her day, not to mention the physical benefits derived from her workout routine. She's always envied people that exercise on a regular basis as she thought they obviously have more spare time than she did. Then, when she was in the midst of her "crisis", Black helped her realize that it might be that other people just prioritized exercise higher than she did.

P.S. – For Red, making exercise a priority still presented a challenge even though she knows all of its benefits. (How could she forget with Black's dedication to exercise serving as a constant reminder?) Ironically, the pandemic made Red look to exercise as a possible way to help reduce her stress. And it worked! So now her daily walks are a top priority. (Maybe we should make "positive changes due to the pandemic" a future post?!)

Red assets.rebelmouse.io

Quick question. I was wondering if, and I repeat the word IF, I wanted to start exercising, how would I go about it?

Black assets.rebelmouse.io

Hello. Hello. Who is this? You must have the wrong number.

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managing stress

Book Bites

Too Much Paper – Not Enough Time

Chapter 9: I'm Too Busy To Make A List Of All The Things On My "To Do" List

When Red's "crisis" began she went from her perfect world to one filled with chaos, and didn't know where to start. At the time, Black explained she needed to focus on only the most important things so Red's "pretty lists" had been ignored. As was most of the paper that had managed to pile up on her desk (and soon overflowed into piles on the floor).

P.S. – Red once thought that after she had "mastered" how to organize her paper it would mean the end of her paper mountains. But that was wishful thinking. Even years later, there are times when her paper seems to quickly grow from a manageable stack to overwhelming her desk, and sometimes even the floor. And if she mentions it to Black, usually receives a sarcastic comment suggesting she re-read the excerpt below.

Red assets.rebelmouse.io

If one big list isn't the answer, what is? And where do I start? And what about everything that's lost somewhere in these mountains of paper? There's no way I can go through all these piles and organize everything into lists. It would take forever!

Black assets.rebelmouse.io

Chill! Those mountains are causing you stress due to their mere presence. Those piles of paper represent unmade decisions and incomplete tasks. And as they grow, so does your stress level.

Red assets.rebelmouse.io

No kidding!

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piles of paper

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