New Website – Meet Moso!

Hello friends!

You’ll (hopefully – assuming I did the right things with all the technical pieces) notice that this update is not coming to you from Bobsey. The change will become more evident as I implement some official branding and a site re-build, but Step #1 in my master plan for a brand re-do required copying the contents of Bobsey to Moso Money, the new home for my writings and musings. I love being a “Bobsey twin” with my sister but the brand name “Bobsey” didn’t really resonate with me and if it didn’t resonate with me how on earth could I expect it to resonate with you? I ask you!

So, what the heck is “moso”?

So glad you asked and please allow me to explain. Moso is the nickname for a type of bamboo (official name: Phyllostachys Edulis) which grows slowly at first, but once it hits a couple feet in height, starts growing several feet per day. Yes. That is cool.

You may not be able to watch paint dry or grass grow but you can apparently watch this particular type of bamboo grow to heights of up to 75 feet!! Picture THAT kind of bamboo on your desk!

I first read about moso bamboo in a devotional-type book and have remembered it ever since. I’m sort of impressed that of all the things I’ve read and heard about in the past 4 years, this word/meaning was high enough to be recalled as I contemplated my brand name overhaul and re-design.

But I think you’ll agree with me that the analogy possibilities are just too cool to not like. Even though it’s only been 10 days since deciding (and committing by kicking off the logo design and purchasing domains and such) it has been a validating treat to watch people’s faces respond to the brief description I shared with you above.

[For those who are a little more literal, my tag-line might help you connect the dots: “getting the roots right.”]

So, you now know about moso. On to the “money” part.

Adding “money” to the domain name was a major sticking point with my MANY internal back-and-forths (literally hours of angst) since I didn’t want to paint myself into a single corner (you KNOW how I feel about organizing and other habits).

And also I don’t want to come across as obsessed with money, materialism, or wealth. But when I thought really hard and clearly about my passion, it is in the money space and helping others get in happy charge of theirs.

I’ll still dabble in the other stuff because…well, this is my site:) and they’re not totally unrelated. But the space where I really have a message to share really is the basics of money.

I am no financial planner and have no aspirations to be. I talk about getting a handle on the day-to-day aspects of money, getting on a budget, organizing money in a motivating way, dealing with the inevitable questions and roadblocks that come up as you do, saving, getting out of debt.

Retirement accounts, investment portfolios, real estate…not my thing. Of course I care about those things but I know from firsthand experience that it’s much easier to care about them when you trust yourself with money and are in control of the money building blocks. Plus we need someone with a lot more “financey” education to advise us with investment sort of things.

And as for why I am doing this...

At the end of the figurative day (since it is only 5:00 pm at the time of the first draft of this) my writing and quest continue to be helping YOU get good at your money.

It is something you can totally figure out on your own but are you? Well, are you? [I’m picturing some movie, likely a chick flick, one person sticking their figurative finger in the other person’s chest and saying “are you? Are you happy…?” Dang…this one’s not coming and it’s going to bug me. Any guesses or answers??]

I  sure wasn’t figuring it out, until 2 years ago. I would make half-hearted attempts and feel like I’d tried and put off doing anything more about it for months or years when I would “try” again and…what do you know, stumble. But I still thought, like you maybe do, that I could figure it out someday and that I didn’t really need help.

I spent a lot of years not figuring out my money and know something about the budget-avoider psyche. Another reason I did avoid and you maybe still are avoiding a budget is because you think a budget is going to ruin your life. Guess what?

IT’S NOT.

Rather, it’s going to make it several times better. Like 5 or 7 times better. And not just in the future. I’m talking about right now. My life changed in all good ways when I finally opened myself up to outside counsel (hiya sis!) and started budgeting. I’ve got a fun post in mind for what I at least thought life on a budget would look like (and what I think most non-budgeters conjure up)…watch for that soon.

Anyway, part of the website redesign is to refocus on what exactly I offer and how specifically I can help the reluctant budgeter. Coming soon: a description of exactly how I can help you change your spending life for awesome. But for now and always, know that the offer to shoot over questions or get in touch for encouragement stands! The contact form on the Contact page will get contact right to me and make me so happy.

Thank you...

...for being on the journey and for your support along the way!

Because this feels like a rather dry, housekeeping sort of post I should share with you one random happening: in the last two weeks I have had a store and a restaurant each alter a purchase amount. In one case the restaurant changed the tip from $3 to $9 and the store rang me up for something I definitely didn’t buy (also in the $6 range).

I know neither of these amounts is going to jeopardize my ability to retire someday, but by paying attention and working with the stores to make them right, this justice-fighter is a whopping $12 “richer.” Any grand ideas of how I should squander my windfall? Send them on over, along with any ideas of how to capture the magical smell of freshly cut grass. Thanks!