Meet Y!CN Contributor Annie Jean Brewer

Annie Jean Brewer joined the original Associated Content in December of 2008. She is a self described expert in frugality. She has authored the ebook; "The Minimalist Cleaning Method." Also, as a Computer Repair Technician, she knows her way around a computer.

In this interview, Annie opens up some of the book of her life. Her story is genuine and one of courage. The gripping details she provides about the domestic violence that she personally endured should soften even the hardest of hearts. I believe that people will truly benefit from reading about her life experiences. Annie, thank you for your patience in waiting for this interview to be published.

1. I understand you moved recently. Can you tell us prompted this action?

Gas prices and an incredibly long drive. I was living in Western Kentucky and had to come here (5 hours away) several times a month. The time and expense was draining, so I gave my trailer away and moved in with a cousin until I found this place. I just located this home the other day but left Western Ky over a month ago.

2. Where is here?

Central Kentucky

3. What are the gas prices in your neck of the woods?

Currently they are over $3.80 here. I think that they were $3.84 when I passed a station today but cannot be certain of the exact number

It used to take $50 to fill up my van, but now it is a bit more...

4. What your thoughts on the state of the economy?

I believe our economy is in a state of transition. We have grown and expanded so much thanks to credit that we have economically hit a wall. The manufacturing jobs that were counted on to pay the bills are leaving fast and workers are having problems dealing with the fact that in order to survive they are going to have to go to school, get creative or just accept a lower paycheck in the service sector.

I have heard many state to me that they won't accept a job that pays less then their unemployment, but that those jobs are simply not available, so there they sit with their weekly stipend....

Until it runs out and they are forced to take something that pays less out of necessity.

5. Your profile says that you repair computers by trade. How was it that you ended up on that career path?

I fell in love with computers the very first time I touched one. It was a Commodore Vic20 that was donated to our class in 8th grade and 2-person teams were given a week each to play with it and see what we could make it do. I begged for one of my own and have been a huge fan of the machines ever since.

I finally went to school for computer repair when I realized I was spending more time repairing computers for free than I was at my public job!

6. Is it a reliable and steady source of income or do the jobs come in spurts?

When I advertise I have more work than I can reasonably handle. I rarely advertise these days as a result, and still get as much work as I want to do.

7. Do you specialize in certain kinds of repairs? Is there any computer repair work that you shy away from?

I specialize in personal computers instead of businesses. While I have networking experience I am not as familiar with certain phone systems and technology some businesses have and as a result focus on homes and small businesses with basic setups. In that area, I can pretty well fix whatever is wrong with the systems, but I am also honest enough to advise against repairs when the expense is more than a particular system is worth.

Most of my clients are not very technically inclined, so a portion of the sessions are spent explaining issues and helping my clients become better computer users.

8. You said earlier you previously had a public job. Can you share with us a bit about that experience?

I have worked in restaurants on and off since I graduated high school. I enjoy the scheduling flexibility that they provide, and before I started writing professionally I always kept a job in the service industry to cover me just in case the computer repair business had a slow month.

I have been working exclusively out of my home for a few years now, and being restless I plan to take another restaurant job to get out of the house for a change.

9. Have you always considered yourself a writer?

Yes and no. When I was young I dreamed of becoming a writer, but when I reached adulthood and was deluged with rejection slips I gave up attempting to write professionally. I still wrote a lot, I just stopped attempting to publish until I discovered online writing about two and a half years ago.

10. Is that when you first started considering yourself a professional writer?

When I saw the first article payment sitting in my Paypal account that is when it hit me that I was, in fact, a professional writer.

11. Can you share any more of the details that pertain to your article, "Ego Boo."

I had not really told very many people that I was writing professionally when I wrote that piece; the person referred to had only been told in passing. When I discovered that they had not only read my published pieces but thought enough of my work to refer me to a freelancing position I was delighted in a way I cannot express. That simple comment from a friend really helped to build my self-confidence as a writer, and when I feel something so strongly I can't help but to write about it somehow.

12. How did you first discover Associated Content before it became a part of the Yahoo! Contributor Network?

I discovered Associated Content through Donald Pennington. I had commented on one of his MySpace articles and we ended up as friends. When he found out I loved to write he encouraged me to open an account and write there. The rest, as they say, is history.

13. Do you stay in touch with Donald Pennington?

We chat on occasion as time and circumstances allow, but we both tend to stay busy.

14. What are your thoughts and observations about Associated Content as it has been integrated into the Yahoo! Contributor Network?

I feel that the integration has went quite smoothly, but I also have noticed that some of my fellow freelancers have suffered some challenges as a result of the changes. I feel that in the long run that the changes will enable Associated Content (now the Yahoo! Contributor Network) to remain a strong competitor in the online information field.

15. Are there any other particular Yahoo! Network Contributors that you have bonded with it all?

Gosh, I have several that I am friends with: Let's see, you, Rissa Watkins, Jaipi Sixbear, Amy Brantley, Lyn Lomasi, Donna Thacker, Janet Hunt and a bunch of others. I'm afraid if I attempt to name them all I will forget some.

16. What do you think of the Yahoo! Contributor Network's forum?

I rarely go there, honestly. While there are some helpful contributors to the forum, overall I find the forums to be a place for personalities instead of information so I frequent the forums only when I am looking for specific information.

17. Your profile indicates that you have attended the school of hard knocks. Can you share some of the harder knocks that taught you?

I have learned that it is better to live a simple life below your budget (regardless of the encouragement to do otherwise) than it is to spend everything you earn.

I have learned that mistakes are one constant in life and that the more time I focus on those mistakes the less time I have to chase my dreams.

I have learned to ignore the status quo as much as possible if I want real happiness, and sometimes we have to do things that are considered insane in order to grow.

As for the experiences that taught those lessons, I am the daughter of an ex-con and a retired dancer. I helped run card games and bootleg probably before I hit puberty.

By the time I was 21 I was a single mother and realized then I needed to change my life.

For a while though, I kept making more mistakes until I finally started figuring things out.

I didn't even begin to come into my own until I managed to leave an abusive marriage and finally moved out on my own (albeit with kids).

So I was in my 30's before I even began to grow up.

18. Can you explain to people, what is involved in leaving an abusive relationship?

For me personally, it meant facing years of being told that I was incapable of surviving without my spouse. One of the hardest parts was fighting myself, fighting the fear that he was right and that I was a stupid failure who was nothing without my spouse.

I had to create an income source for me to pay for a place to stay and then come up with a reason for my spouse to be gone long enough for me to safely move.

I tried and failed numerous times until I was given a pair of registered dogs in the Wal Mart Parking Lot. Their pups paid for the mobile home I moved into

Then it took some time to convince my spouse to become an over the road truck driver so that I could move out. I had tried to leave straight up in the past but had been taught a severe lesson when I did.

I had to lie, hide money, pretend I was something I wasn't--and I still detest the subterfuge I used during that time.

BUT I was able to move out while he was over the road, and while I have had to deal with years of harassment from the man I am delighted that I not only escaped, but I have thrived.

Not only that, but I have gained the courage to beard him in his den--I moved back to the town I left years ago to escape his torment and announced my new location to him yesterday.

19. If someone finds that they are in abusive relationship, can you offer them any advice from what you have learned?

I would advise that they are not as dumb or as stupid as they think they are, that they can do anything that they set their mind to, and that they deserve much better than the treatment they are receiving--but that they will never receive the respect they deserve until they gain the courage to stand up and take care of business.

I would also advise them to have an independent source of income, a secret bank account and a friend who hates the spouse for comfort and escape ideas.

Things go much smoother when you have someone to talk to that you know won't run back to the spouse.

20. Recently I read your article, "Twenty Years Ago." I thought it was well done, but I was aggravated that I couldn't leave a comment. How does that make you feel?

How does the article make me feel, the fact that you were unable to comment, or the fact that you were annoyed?

21. All of the above?

"Twenty Years Ago" is a piece of my heart, a wound that still gapes open slightly. I loved my father dearly and watching him die as a teen deeply affected me. We were very close and I miss him to this day.

I am glad that the piece is well-received, but I wrote it more for cathartic reasons than for public acclaim. Does that make any sense? It was inside of me and just had to be let out...

I understand the frustration when you see a piece you like and cannot leave a comment. It gets on my nerves as well! Generally I content myself by sending a brief note to the author praising the piece and noting that I was unable to comment in the normal manner.

Did I cover all of the bases, or did I miss any?

22. Well done.

...And for the record, I still cry when I read that piece. I become 18 again, sitting by his hospital bed.

23. You seem to pride yourself on your frugality. In fact, you could very well be among the most frugal among us. Can you give us some examples of how you embrace a frugal lifestyle?

Yes, I am extremely frugal in comparison to a lot of people I know. I can clean a whole house using nothing but ammonia, Fels Naptha, some water and a few towels. In fact that is how I cleaned this place.

I make my own laundry detergent, dish washing liquid and other cleaners.

I prefer hanging my clothes out to dry instead of using a dryer. I have also used (and liked) family cloths instead of bathroom tissue. When I get another washing machine I will do it again.

24. What is the Law of Attraction that you mention of your Yahoo! Contributor Network profile?

The Law of Attraction is, in essence--what you think about you receive. If you focus on sickness, you will become sick because you are looking for it. When you focus on happiness, you become happier.

There is a bit of magic to the Law of Attraction that I have experienced but cannot completely figure out, and that fascinates me. For instance, when I discovered the Law of Attraction I created a vision board. On that board I placed the schematic for a 2-bedroom mobile home. I played with the idea and then one day I tossed that schematic in the trash.

In less than a month after I tossed that schematic a lady offered me a mobile home for almost nothing... and the layout of that home was virtually identical to that schematic I had posted on the vision board!

One night before I went to bed, I was thinking about breakfast the next day. I wasn't trying, but I envisioned Katie and I at McDonald's eating a Sausage Biscuit each while she had a small orange juice and I had a large.

We overslept and arrived after lunch started.

I was disappointed and almost didn't go in, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask if they had any sausage biscuits left over.

We went in and to my surprise they actually had 2 left! It was really busy so I ordered those and two small orange juices.

The cashier put a large on the tray and apologized because she had made a large orange juice by mistake and did I mind to have the larger one?

My jaw dropped and by the time I reached our table I was laughing uproariously. I have no idea how I did it, but I would love to do that with money!

Just the other day I was in search of a hot plate so I could cook here. I looked but the store was sold out. When I caught myself getting frustrated, I told myself that one was on the way and thanked the universe for it. Honestly, I was just trying to cheer myself up. Less than 30 minutes after I arrived home one was given to me.

So I know there is something to the Law of Attraction, but I'm still trying to master it.

25. Can you give a brief plug of your ebook, "The Minimalist Cleaning Method?"

"The Minimalist Cleaning Method" is compiled of tips, tricks and recipes that I use to clean with a minimum of money, stuff and time. It covers a simple method of cleaning every room in the house and contains an assortment of cleaning recipes from a small list of cleaning supplies listed in the book.

That book was written at the request of my aunt, who begged me for years to write my recipes and tips down for her.

26. Do you have any other likes or dislikes that you would like to share here?

Let's see...

I love the fact that in this modern age we can learn about anything and become anything we want. The Internet is an incredible library of information that gets lost in all of the talk about Twitter and Facebook. You can find almost anything online, and as a result of this incredible font of information I have become more than I ever imagined possible.

27. And for a dislike?

I dislike the fact that there are still people in this world who judge others on the basis of religion, race, sexual preference or lifestyle. It saddens me incredibly when I hear or see such prejudice. In my opinion, if you aren't hurting anyone else or trampling over someone's rights (or property) that you should be left alone and not harassed.

Who are we to decide that this one is going to hell or that one should stop collecting?

Who are we to decide that this religion is wrong? Who died and made us God, you know?

28. What breed of dogs were the registered dogs that you referred to earlier?

They were Cocker Spaniels.

29. If someone could only read two or three of your pieces on the Yahoo! Contributor Network which ones would you hope they read?

Hmmm, that's a toughie! I'm attached to all of my pieces, but I have to admit that some of them are boring unless you are looking for the specific information. I would have to suggest "Minimalism, About Boundaries, Not Stuff" because it is about a subject that is dear to my heart and one that I feel everyone should consider in this rampant age of consumerism. "How to Make a Gallon of Liquid Laundry Soap Detergent" is another because people have NO IDEA that they can easily make laundry detergent for pennies a gallon instead of buying it for dollars and I feel that making things like cleaning supplies ourselves is a skill we all need to re-learn. On that note I would have everyone start making the recipes in my book "The Minimalist Cleaning Method" but since I'm limited to my Y!CN pieces for the last one I'll go with "How to Save Money Painlessly" since all of us need to save more money, and it is a really easy method that everyone can use.

30. Is there anything else that you wish to add to this interview?

Nope. I would like to thank you for your kind and thoughtful questions, and tell you that I have enjoyed this interview. Thanks Frank!

31. Who is Frank?

Please visit:

Annie Jean Brewer