I have a friend who recently posted some pictures of some of the recent trips “close to home” that she and her husband have taken in the last few weeks. She said that this year, they decided to “explore their own backyard.” What a fabulous idea! This year, during the crazy-coronavirus conundrum, many of us might not have the courage, ability, desire nor the wherewithal to take a “regular” vacation to an exotic beach or a theme park. Why not explore some of the areas near where you live? My friend and I live in the Rocky Mountain West which is full of all kinds of different landscapes–mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, red rock, dessert–the only thing we’re missing is the ocean. We can camp, hike, mountain climb or rappel (if we’re brave enough), or just take a drive through a canyon. What can you do near you? Do you live near a state or national park? Are you on a coast? Is your town or city famous for something like the world’s largest ball of twine (way to go Darwin, Mi...

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” I am afraid that many people are not familiar with this famous quote, so we are going to revisit the subject of planning. Google’s dictionary defines the verb, the action, “plan” as follows: decide on and arrange in advance. I beg, implore, beseech, and plead with you to use this Covid-19 “downtime,” if you’ve got it, to orchestrate some new strategies for the future. If there are any areas of your life that you have been wanting to tweak–your home, your health, your FINANCES, now is the time. Did you know it only takes 21 days to make or break a habit? Those three weeks will come and go so quickly. Don’t just let this time waste away and wish you’d made some positive changes in a few months from now.

I recently read an article written by a restaurateur in Denver who thinks that Congress should dole out regularly monthly stimulus payments for every man, woman, and child in the United States. She is asking for people to sign a petition supporting this. I am a little shocked that this business owner does not understand who will actually be providing the funding for this massive payout. It will come from every man, woman, and child in the United States. This great country was not built on the idea of a “free ride.” I am very disappointed in the entitled attitude adopted by so many. We should each be responsible for our own stuff. I know things are hard right now, but I, personally, do not think it’s going to last forever. It might not go back to the normal that we knew, and this might be a good thing–let this pandemic, media circus, political nightmare and resulting financial pinch motivate you to make positive changes in the future. There is something else…taking responsibil...

We humans are interesting creatures; if we aren’t careful with what we put into our brains, we can really let our actions get out of hand (and this will be the subject of another post, because it’s powerful). As you have probably noticed, things are a little crazy right now–there are some things going on right now in society that are making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. And when a large percentage of mankind appears unstable, the stock market follows. According to Google, this is the definition of the adjective volatile: liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse. Those of us that have monies in the stock market might be a little freaked out right now, and understandably so. Emotions are definitely running high on many levels. So I’m going to remind you to take a deep breath and let things ride on this crazy amusement park ride. Like my friend, Dave Ramsey, says, the only ones who get hurt on a roller coaster are those who jump off in the mid...

When I blog, I try to title my posts with a word or phrase that conveys the meaning of what I’ve written about without too much repetition in the verse (see what I did there?). It turns out there is no other word that conveys the meaning of what I want to blog about today–nothing can substitute for patience. I have recently had some experiences that have made me a more patient person; I’ve had to be, otherwise I fear I would drive myself insane or be eaten up with worry. I KNOW that you can ALL relate to what I’m saying. After all, we want what we want and we want it now! This is true with weight loss, a new car, a vacation, and even revamping one’s finances. We want the debt GONE and our lives under CONTROL. I totally get it.  Please, be patient with yourselves. Making changes, even minor ones, is hard and involves a lot of work. And when you throw more than one person into the mix (and there are two people in EVERY couple), it can amplify everything. There is no rea...

I have had some changes in my life recently (not pandemic-related) and they are giving me the chance and the desire to try new things. One of the things I want to try is mountain biking; a friend introduced me and I’m a little hooked on the idea. Since I have a little extra time on my hands and the weather is getting nice, I’m looking for a used bike. Well, apparently, I am not the only one with this idea because I’m having a devil of a time finding one at a decent price. Many people have lots of time on their hands right now–the pandemic has large numbers of us working from home, and we’re probably getting bored. Why not use this time for a little makeover? Maybe now is the time to get rid of some extra junk in your life. Some experts think that there is a correlation between finances, the condition of your home, and the condition of your body. Peter Walsh is the author of a book with a title that cracks me up– Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? I believe there is somethi...

A few weeks ago we talked about pulling the trigger on a huge purchase–your “new” car. We discussed practicing making payments, and you are well on your way to saving a huge chunk of cash for this long-awaited, glorious event. Hold on, we aren’t quite done yet. Can you REALLY afford this car? The “payment” is not the only cost of the car. Different cars come with other different costs. Don’t forget to take a few more things into consideration: Depreciation occurs rapidly and not everybody can absorb that cost Taxes, licensing and other fees occur every year or every other year, depending on where you live Insurance differs widely from car to car and can also depend on the age and model of the car, your  driving record, and your age Cost of financing can really get you if you don’t pay cash Is it a gas guzzler? Maintenance and repairs–while some may require very little, others are quite expensive Just make sure you do your research about ALL th...