Neglect all your chores, run up that credit card, and eat up all the junk food in the house (said no one EVER, I’m just trying to get your attention) for New Year’s Day is around the corner! Let’s face it, you are compelled to start AT LEAST the three most popular New Year’s resolutions on January 1 st . What are they? Getting organized, managing your money, and losing weight. Now, I’m not here to try to talk you out of or into any specific resolution. I am here to help. Thus, I would like to share with you a useful (and attractive, if I do say so myself) 2022 calendar with some financial tips and suggestions on it–remember, I am a financial blogger. So, here it is.   I wish each of you success in all your positive endeavors in 2022. See you next year!  

Kids are out of school. Many people are taking vacation time right now and are home from work. You might or might not have family in town for the holidays. Regular schedules are all messed up. You’re probably eating WAY too much sugar and not getting enough sleep or exercise. Christmas is in two days. Let’s not forget that New Year’s Eve, another celebratory event, is the week following Christmas. Then there’s the resolutions...Wow. It CAN be a little overwhelming. My family celebration is taking place on Christmas Eve this year. Today (the 23 rd ) is actually my oldest grandchild’s birthday. For all intents and purposes, for me the festivities start NOW and will probably be spread out between today and New Year’s. My advice to us all? Take a deep breath and relax. Note: this is not permission to blow your budget.   T ry to enjoy the down time between the holidays, because once New Year’s Day is behind us, we will feel the pressure to hit the ground running on so many levels. Mer

Christmas Eve is in a week. You are in the home stretch. You are probably starting to get a little stressed out if you aren’t there already. You want everything to be perfect this year, right? Sorry to burst your holiday bubble, but that ain’t gonna happen. Before you tell me that my heart must have shrunk three sizes too small, let me share my thoughts with you. When we get excited about things, we may or may not tend to put lots of pressure on ourselves. We may or may not go way overboard and anxiety may or may not creep in. Regarding Christmas specifically, we may or may not put in a lot of time, effort, and money (many times more money than we should) to attempt to make the occasion "just right" for everybody. The amount of money that we are spending because we haven’t stuck to our budget may or may not stress us out (if it doesn’t, it SHOULD). We then might or might not feel unappreciated by those for whom we have exerted all the effort and resources. We may or may n

Because of some of the crazy things going on in my life, I moved four times in 20 months. By the way, I don’t recommend it. Moving is not only stressful but it’s expensive, especially if you have to do it last-minute, are going a considerable distance, and you must hire help because you are no longer able to lift a couch by yourself. My advice if you do have to move and want to keep your budget in tact is to plan in advance, do some downsizing, line up some pickup trucks and/or trailers, and get friends and family to help. No, this blog isn’t about moving and the costs associated with it, but it does relate to my topic, I promise. My most recent move was the week before Thanksgiving, so I am in a brand new (to me) neighborhood. I do have one close friend in my neighborhood, but I don't yet know many others. Then there's the fact that I don’t have a big budget for neighbor gifts, but I DO have access to my own  Neighborhood Discovery Hunt  (and so do you!). My friend and I a

There are quite a few definitions for the word “leverage.” For the purposes of today’s blog, here is my favorite definition of the verb form of the word: leverage– use (something) to maximum advantage. You may have heard the idiom, “killing two birds with one stone.” It’s essentially the same thing. I’ll bet you’re saying to yourself, “Why the vocabulary lesson?” Oh, you always ask the BEST questions! It’s because it’s Christmas time (which, as we all know, can be a financially-stressful time of year), and it’s my job to help you make the most of your money, to leverage your spending dollars. And I’ve got an idea for you! You want to purchase gifts for extended family. You also want to make meaningful contributions in the community. With the Discovery Hunts you can do both with the same $100. It's like getting to spend every dollar twice . . . once on the family and again for your own charitable pursuits. Many of us are aware of the suicide crisis being experienced all acros