Search Results for: blog how do you reward yourself

Hotels: Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck

Hotel rooms aren’t cheap.  Adding insult to injury is the fact that many properties are now moving back check-in times, so by the time you are forced to check-out you’ve barely been in the place for 18 hours. How do you justify forking over $200 for a room you aren’t given the opportunity to be in for 24 hours?  Or worse, consider having to park yourself in the hotel’s lobby after a long flight simply because you arrived prior to the set check-in time. What a waste of time; precious time that you can’t put a price tag on. To … Continue reading →

Seven Ways to Save $1,000 for Your Emergency Fund

Dave Ramsey, financial guru who has helped so many families get out of debt, recommends that most of us start on the path to financial solvency by first saving up $1,000 toward an emergency fund. By having a solid emergency fund, we are less likely to go into debt, should the unexpected happen, such as the home furnace needing to be replaced, the car needing to be repaired, or the experience of a medical crisis. Saving that $1,000 is the first step of Ramsey’s overall get-out-of-debt plan. How can you save that much when there doesn’t seem to be any … Continue reading →

Learning to Love Your Body

We all know that motherhood comes with a price. Your body goes through a remarkable transformation as it prepares to grow another human being. If you are like most of us, you probably have a few battle scars to show for it. I’ve gotten used to my tiger stripes, but I still struggle with my post-pregnancy body. It’s been almost 5 years since I had Logan and I’m still not to my pre-pregnancy weight. I envy my friends who walk out of the hospital looking like a model in their size 2 jeans again. When I left the hospital I … Continue reading →

Don’t Eliminate the Entertainment Budget

Often, when times are economically tight, as they are now for most of us, the entertainment or fun budget is the first thing to go. Just because there is less money available, doesn’t mean that there has to be less fun. Do Put Something in the Budget for Entertainment Designate some amount for family fun, even if it is only limited to $20 a month or even less. Budgeting for entertainment sends the message that family fun is important, even when it isn’t expensive. If you create a zero-based family fun budget you may wind up indulging anyway, and blowing … Continue reading →

How to Turn Your Resolution to Save Money into a Reality

Make sure that you can turn your resolution to save money into a reality when you put the following steps into place. It isn’t enough just to resolve to be frugal or cut back. You have to make a commitment and then know where to begin and how to keep it going. It takes just 21 days, by conventional wisdom, to turn a resolution into a habit. That means with just a little effort each day for the next three weeks, you can start down a path of a lifetime of saving with the end result being financial solvency. The … Continue reading →

4 Tips to Help You Keep Your Resolution

As I blogged yesterday, my New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight – again.  The thing about making weight loss a resolution is that so many people do it (especially after all those holiday pounds!), but many fail to follow through. What can you do to keep your resolution?  There are a few hints from psychologist John Norcross on how to keep those resolutions: Believe it can be done. That’s right – don’t let the haters keep you down, saying “You can’t do that.”  Believe in yourself that you can succeed. Be realistic. I am never going to weigh 120 … Continue reading →

Reward for Good Grades?

Ahhh…it’s that time of the year. Homework. Class work. Grades. What is your family’s philosophy on making good grades? Should a child be rewarded for this? I can’t help but feel a little sorry for my daughter who is in 10th grade this year. She is following in the footsteps of her older brother who had a well-known reputation for his schoolwork…he never turned it in. Or if he did, it was very last minute. Smart as a whip, he never once studied for a test or exam but always got A’s and B’s. However his grades would reflect his … Continue reading →

Rewards for Exercising

What would motivate you to exercise more? What about receiving some extra cash? That doesn’t do it? Then what if you had to give money to someone else if you didn’t exercise? Hmm, now that just might do it! Well if you need something to boost that drive to exercise, you might want to try out a couple of new apps called “RunKeeper” and “GymPact.” The app “RunKeeper” keeps track of your workout performance over a period of time. The app “GymPact” provides rewards and punishments, based on the results of the “RunKeeper” app. So if you exercise and meet … Continue reading →

What Does F.I.T.N.E.S.S. Stand For?

What does F.I.T.N.E.S.S. stand for? “F” stands for functional intensity training (FIT). This is a combination of cardio and weight training. You receive a more well-rounded approach to exercise when you incorporate both. “I” stands for intense. You have to be intense about exercise if you truly want to succeed. Without it, you are going to quickly lose your motivation. “T” stands for try. You need to try new things. If you stick to the same old routine or the same old exercises, you will get bored. Be adventurous. Here are some ideas to help you out: yoga, circuit training, … Continue reading →

Closing Or Selling Your Home Based Business

Starting a home – based business can be challenging, but once your business is up and running the rewards are well worth the initial effort. Owning and operating a home – based business can bring you years of career fulfillment, if that is what you desire from it. There may come a time, though, when you no longer want to own or operate your home – based business. Perhaps you want to retire. Maybe you have taken the business as far as you want to take it and feel like it is time to try something new. You may even … Continue reading →