Happy February friends!!

Thank you for subscribing to my monthly newsletter! I hope you all enjoyed the January edition! I’m always open to feedback if there is anything you would like to see in my newsletters, or specific instructional videos you would enjoy on my youtube channel! Reach out any time and let me know!

Now to the newsletter.. Here are some new and exciting updates in the life of Black cat Pottery!

What’s new in the month of February?

• 👩🏻‍💼 Business thought

• 🛍️ Items available in my shop!

• 🧽 Pottery Tools I love!

• 📷 Finny Pic of the month!

👩🏻‍💼 Business Thought

Last month we discussed new years resolutions and how I view them, this month I would like to talk about debt management and saving!

Two years ago I was in an awful place. My credit was always one purchase away from max, my monthly payments just scratching the interest.. my chequing account barely managing to stay afloat with bill payments and rent. I was trapped. Literally no money to my name, one emergency would completely crush me.

This left me anxious daily. My mental health declining fast with terrible thoughts in my head. I needed to make a drastic change.

I moved back in with my family to cut rent costs, I cut out all pleasures and made all my food and drinks at home. I sold so much stuff, including my prized museum collection replica of Sting from Lord of the Rings.

Once I had an ounce of breathing room, I decided to keep $500 in my chequing account and $500 in my savings, just enough to get by with bills and no fun money at all. Any money that came in and put my account over that amount was immediately put on my credit card. Even if it was just $5, I wouldn’t give myself an opportunity to spend it. And when a bill went through and dropped my account bellow that threshold, I paused debt payments until it was back up.

It took one and a half years, but I paid off almost $20,000 of bad debt this way.

Paying off the debt took discipline, but what takes more discipline is not wracking it back up once you have money again. Now, I keep $1000 in my chequing and $1000 in my savings, and any amount over that goes first to keeping my credit card at $0, then extra goes in to an investment portfolio for retirement. This gives me the illusion of not having much money to access, but the comfort of knowing my future will be secure. And in the event of a dire emergency, I know I have somewhere to pull from.

That was the hardest year of my life. It was slow, and there were many set backs along the way (needy kilns breaking down), but I persevered. Like quitting smoking, you have to want the change with every fibre of your being. Don’t let yourself hit the bottom before you decide to climb your way to the top.

I know everyones path out of debt will look different, but these are the strategies I used to get me there. If you’re struggling with debt, don’t lose hope. Keep your head up and make sacrifices to better your life. It will be hard, but when you come out on the other side, you will see life in a whole new light. Stay strong, work hard, manifest, I believe in you ❤️

🛍️ Items To Shop!

^{Here’s a sampling of what I have available, but there’s much more to be seen on my website! ❤️}

🧽 Pottery Tools I love!

Cheap brush packs!!! These are a must in my studio! They are perfect for underglaze painting, using for epoxy, applying lustre glazes, cleaning and smoothing attachment areas on your pots, applying slip and even cleaning clay from under your nails! I always keep a few expensive brushes for detail work, but I would hate to ruin a $20 paintbrush to apply epoxy or lustres, so these cheap brushes are a must for my studio! You can get them at craft stores, or even the dollar store!

📷 Finny Pic of the Month!

Most precious boy wearing mommies slippers ❤️

Thats all for the month! Thank you all for subscribing and being a part of my pottery journey! Stay tuned for the next email update coming in March!! ❤️

Love,

Catherine Harasymiw