Healthy, Happy, Resilient People

Aug 16th, 2009

10 Entrées You Can Make for $5 or Less

Apr 22nd, 2009

Cheap and Easy Dinner Ideas

With food prices rapidly rising, it’s crunch time for family food budgets these days. To help lessen the pressure on your purse, here are 10 suggestions for lunch or dinner entrees you can make for about $5 apiece. The following cheap meal ideas and recipes will show you just what $5 can get you if you invest a little prep time.

100 Healthy Habits That Can Save Your Life, Your Money, and Your Planet

Apr 21st, 2009

Just came across an interesting list of 100 small things you can do to save your life, your money, and your planet.  I thought you’d enjoy reading it…..and posting it where you can see it now and then.

The 2009 Money Diet

Feb 2nd, 2009

Everything in Moderation: The 2009 Money Diet

This article is reprinted with permission from the Financial Planning Association®

When it comes to getting fit, money and food really aren’t all that different. Both satisfy basic needs in our lives. Yet without boundaries, they can get us in a lot of trouble. Below are a few tips from diet experts that also apply when trying to deal with personal money matters. It’s all about planning and moderation. Here are some ideas you might consider if you are implementing a money diet this year.

1. Figure out where you are, where you need to be, and what are your long-term goals: We’ve all seen those charts that tell us what we should weigh based on our height and age. If only money were that simple. That’s why you should get some help if you’ve never tried to assess your money health before. A financial planning or consumer credit professional can ask the right questions and help you develop a customized plan. They can show you a good approach based on your age, your earning potential, and new habits you may need to consider developing. Put your long-term goals in writing. It gives them a formality and a starting point for the planning you must do.

2. Track your spending…in detail: Whether you do it with a pen and a notebook or a computer program, make a concerted effort to track your everyday spending. Physicians say overweight people should track every morsel of food they eat; with money, it’s the same thing. Knowing where every dollar goes gives a quick picture where money can be saved or invested.

3. Create a financial calendar: Take a big 2009 desk calendar (or an electronic calendar that allows space for lots of notes to yourself) and in each day’s square where you know you’ll have to make a payment, write down the reason and the expected amount. (Hint: Write very small!) That way, you’ll make sure you aren’t tempted to overspend around those dates. What goes on your calendar? Here are a few examples.

Everything you have to pay on a regular basis and expenses you know are coming up. Monthly mortgage, auto or rent payments; student loans, monthly utilities, home, auto, life or disability insurance; retirement savings; property taxes; tuition bills; a new car payment; big home maintenance expenses; property taxes; credit card payments (with payment amounts that exceed the minimum) and, vacations are common examples. What will this crowded calendar tell you? That by attacking debt, making certain sacrifices and spending and saving smarter, you can eventually un-crowd that calendar and really take control of your financial life.

4. Permanently change your spending habits: People who have lost a significant amount of weight – and kept it off – usually report that they’ve made slight but permanent lifestyle changes to do so. Money success requires similar dedication. For example, people who have rewarded themselves with unrestricted spending sprees may want to consider developing alternate behaviors that bring them just as much satisfaction. It’s all about finding out what you really value.

5. Don’t go it alone: Leading weight-loss programs like Weight Watchers have had long-term success for two reasons: affordability and easy access to information and support. Working with a financial planning or consumer credit professional on an ongoing basis can help you develop the right plan and stick to it.

6. Build disappointments and recovery into the plan: The fact is, with food or money; many of us go off course at times. The important thing is to have a plan for corrective action if it happens or is about to happen. If you can minimize the damage and get back on course, your progress will continue.

Dump Debt – Dave Ramsey

Feb 18th, 2008

If you’re hungering for financial wellness…..watch these short videos.  I found them on www.youtube.com.  If you were to buy the DVD, it would cost you about $20!  So watch them for free here. 

The Back story….

I recently bought a new car at Academy Cars in Lawrence, Kansas.  I LOVE IT!  Actually, it’s a 2003 but new to me.  I never buy new cars because they lose their value so fast.  As a gift for buying through them, I got a copy of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Revisited book.  I’d never heard of Dave Ramsey.  As I flipped through the chapters, I got excited.  Hey, this guy can help me get my finances in ship shape.  One of the owners of the car dealership got excited about my excitement and gave me a bag of Dave’s DVD’s and his Total Money Makeover book – if I promised to watch the DVDs and read the books.

I’ve done just that and am excited to say that I’m amped about putting his concepts into action.  I’ve already reduced my only credit card by $1700 in just a short time.  I did the math last night, and I am really excited about being debt free (including my house) in just a few short years.  YES!!

I know some people will find him to be obnoxious and pushy.  And he is.  But who cares!  He’s right about our love affair with debt in the U.S., and I’m glad somebody is helping so many Americans get out of debt.

This short video gives a quick overview of many of Dave Ramsey’s debt reduction steps.  He’s passionate, funny, and a little over the top.

There are 9 short videos in this Dump Your Debt series.  You will not look at the money and debt the same after watching these videos. Good luck dumping your debt!

Oops – these free videos are no longer available on the net.  If you want to see them, you can purchase them at amazon.com or visit Dave Ramsey’s website to shop for them.  Sorry!

How many credit cards do you have?

Jul 19th, 2005

Financial management is an important component of wellness. If the financial management piece of your life is a wreck, your life isn’t running as smoothly as it could be. Credit card debt is an increasing problem for many.

Several years ago, it occurred to me that having 4 credit cards was becoming a hassle. Just keeping track of the due dates was a pain. So I cancelled all of them but one – the one I had with my credit union for many years. I also contacted the host of credit card companies and asked them to stop sending me their weekly offers.

Those two actions simplified my life dramatically. I also set up an automatic monthly pay off of my credit card so that I carry no credit card debt. I started feeling on top of life. When I read the following article this morning, I thought you might also enjoy reading it. It’s well written and provides a good deal of useful information.

If you have a lot of credit cards and credit card debt, this article may help you sort through some of your options for cleaning up this area of your wellness. Here’s the link