Painless Penny Pinching Plan

I'm convinced the winter blahs are a combination of freezing cold weather and credit card bills rolling in from Christmas!

If Christmas bills are getting you down, it's time to come up with a savings plan for next Christmas! It's time to try my painless penny pinching plan - 10 easy ways to save!

According to the American Consumer Credit Council, the average American family spends $935 on Christmas gifts, so if you can save around $78 a month - you'll be set! Pick just 1 item from my painless penny pinching plan, and you'll easily save $78 or more per month.

Christmas Club
Open a Christmas Club account at your local bank or credit union. It's a simple way to save and earn a little interest. Most Christmas Clubs will set-up an Counseling7matic deposit from your paycheck in the amount you choose.

Brown Bag It!
The average lunch out costs $8, so if you'll brown bag it on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - you'll save $96 a month!

Take Advantage of Cash Back Programs
If you shop online, learn how to earn cash back with ebates!

Make Your Own Coffee!
Does your morning routine include a trip to the drive thru for coffee? It's time to kick the drive-thru habit and start saving about $3 a day or $90 a month! For $90 you can buy a coffee maker, gourmet coffee beans, flavored coffee syrups and even whipped cream if you so require! After your first month as a coffee brewmaster, start stashing the cash for Christmas!

Credit Card Rewards
Does your credit card offer a rewards program? Cash back? Points? If you can be good about paying off your credit card bill in full each month, you might consider using that credit card for all your purchases, and then use the rewards to purchase gifts!

$5 Jar
This is the old fashioned coin jar adjusted for inflation! At the end of each day, place any $5 bills in the jar. At the end of the year, you should have more than enough money for Christmas, and it will be even more fun than counting coins!

Ditch the Drive-Thru
Try going 1 month without going to a drive-thru for any food or drink! It's sadly become the American way, and you might be shocked to discover how much you're wasting! Is it really necessary to drive-thru for breakfast?

Get Serious About Grocery Savings
You'll easily cut your grocery bill by $50 a week if you start using a grocery saving system where you buy items on sale and with a coupon to maximize savings.

Eat In, Not Out
Growing up, eating out was for special occasions. This year, bring back the home cooked meal! If your family eliminates just 1 dinner out per week, you'll save over $100 a month!

Buy 1 Gift Each Month
There are no rules that say you have to do all your Christmas shopping in November and December, so start trying to buy 1 gift each month! If you see a bargain, snatch it up, and don't forget about it come December!

That's it, just pick one and stick to it! If skipping the drive-thru not your idea of painless, then try the $5 jar. If you're not sure what to pick, try something new each month! Why don't you ditch the drive-thru this month and brown bag it next month!

I'm convinced the winter blahs are a combination of freezing cold weather and credit card bills rolling in from Christmas!

If Christmas bills are getting you down, it's time to come up with a savings plan for next Christmas! It's time to try my painless penny pinching plan - 10 easy ways to save!

According to the American Consumer Credit Council, the average American family spends $935 on Christmas gifts, so if you can save around $78 a month - you'll be set! Pick just 1 item from my painless penny pinching plan, and you'll easily save $78 or more per month.

Christmas Club
Open a Christmas Club account at your local bank or credit union. It's a simple way to save and earn a little interest. Most Christmas Clubs will set-up an Counseling7matic deposit from your paycheck in the amount you choose.

Brown Bag It!
The average lunch out costs $8, so if you'll brown bag it on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - you'll save $96 a month!

Take Advantage of Cash Back Programs
If you shop online, learn how to earn cash back with ebates!

Make Your Own Coffee!
Does your morning routine include a trip to the drive thru for coffee? It's time to kick the drive-thru habit and start saving about $3 a day or $90 a month! For $90 you can buy a coffee maker, gourmet coffee beans, flavored coffee syrups and even whipped cream if you so require! After your first month as a coffee brewmaster, start stashing the cash for Christmas!

Credit Card Rewards
Does your credit card offer a rewards program? Cash back? Points? If you can be good about paying off your credit card bill in full each month, you might consider using that credit card for all your purchases, and then use the rewards to purchase gifts!

$5 Jar
This is the old fashioned coin jar adjusted for inflation! At the end of each day, place any $5 bills in the jar. At the end of the year, you should have more than enough money for Christmas, and it will be even more fun than counting coins!

Ditch the Drive-Thru
Try going 1 month without going to a drive-thru for any food or drink! It's sadly become the American way, and you might be shocked to discover how much you're wasting! Is it really necessary to drive-thru for breakfast?

Get Serious About Grocery Savings
You'll easily cut your grocery bill by $50 a week if you start using a grocery saving system where you buy items on sale and with a coupon to maximize savings.

Eat In, Not Out
Growing up, eating out was for special occasions. This year, bring back the home cooked meal! If your family eliminates just 1 dinner out per week, you'll save over $100 a month!

Buy 1 Gift Each Month
There are no rules that say you have to do all your Christmas shopping in November and December, so start trying to buy 1 gift each month! If you see a bargain, snatch it up, and don't forget about it come December!

That's it, just pick one and stick to it! If skipping the drive-thru not your idea of painless, then try the $5 jar. If you're not sure what to pick, try something new each month! Why don't you ditch the drive-thru this month and brown bag it next month!

Mid-Life Minimalism - The World Is Changing, Are You

The news is filled with stories of our changing world. Each day brings us new information about political upheaval and Credit0 disarray worldwide.

I would fail miserably as a political analyst. I don't know if the protests in the Middle East will lead to better lives for the people in those countries, but I do know that the price of oil is going up because of those protests. Oil prices not only effect us at the gas pump, but for most of the goods and services that we use. Everything may work out well and the prices increases may be only temporary, or things may get much worse.

When the going gets tough, the politicians get spinning.

No one would want to hire me as a Credit0 planner or an economist either. I certainly don't have the solutions to our country's budget problems and many of the states are also facing Credit0 crises. Whenever new economic numbers are announced, politicians spin them to advance their viewpoint. Is the economy improving or is it headed for a giant collapse? The answer depends on what party the spokesperson belongs to and what channel you tune into on your TV.

No matter which channel you listen to, it is obvious that there are problems and solutions need to be found. These problems did not happen overnight. Our leaders have seen them coming for years, but playing politics and getting re-elected took precedence over making decisions that would be unpopular with their constituents.

Tough decisions which needed to be made years or decades ago have been put off in the hope that an easy solution would present itself, or left for future generations to make. I know from personal experience that when you delay making tough decisions the problems rarely go away. Usually the problems grow until you have no choice but to act and by that time your options have been severely reduced.

All this news of doom and gloom can be very depressing. You could bury your head in the sand and not listen to or think about the news. Everything could work out just fine without you having to do anything but go about your normal life. The economy could turn around and the Dow might hit 20,000 by 2013. The new governments in the Middle East could become America's best friends and gas prices might drop below $2 a gallon. You might hit the Powerball jackpot and not have to worry about the economy ever again. It could happen! But in case it doesn't, maybe you should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Are you ready to make the tough decisions?

Many Americans are facing their own budget crisis. It might be the bad housing market, too much Credit7, out of control expenses or an unstable work situation which is causing your personal crises. Maybe your current situation is good, but you are concerned your situation could change quickly given the unstable economy and world situation. If this is true for you, then get your head out of the sand and take action while you still have time and options!

What are my options?

Now that you've decided that you need to take action, the question becomes what course of action do you need to take. I wish I could give you a checklist of things to do which would guarantee a positive outcome. If I were able to develop such an all-purpose checklist, lots of people would pay me to be their Credit0 adviser. However, I can give you some general guidelines and direct you to some great resources to help you develop a plan of action.

• Unsecured Credit7 is usually bad. If you have credit card and store card Credit7, you should pay it off as quickly as possible. One of my favorite books on Credit7 reduction is The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.
• Turn a hobby or a passion of yours into a paying job. Find a way to make money doing something you love. Not only will you have fun doing it, but you will have another source of income to help pay off Credit7 and to protect you if your current job situation changes.
• Cut out unnecessary expenses and use the savings to pay off Credit7, start your own business, travel, and/or add to your emergency fund.
• Clear the clutter from your life! Many of us have are owned by our possessions. They take up our time and our space. We also fill our lives with obligations and activities. Simplifying your life will give you the freedom to move or travel to where you want and the time to pursue your passions.

The time for action is now. There are many resources available to help you protect yourself from the changing world. Be prepared.

The news is filled with stories of our changing world. Each day brings us new information about political upheaval and Credit0 disarray worldwide.

I would fail miserably as a political analyst. I don't know if the protests in the Middle East will lead to better lives for the people in those countries, but I do know that the price of oil is going up because of those protests. Oil prices not only effect us at the gas pump, but for most of the goods and services that we use. Everything may work out well and the prices increases may be only temporary, or things may get much worse.

When the going gets tough, the politicians get spinning.

No one would want to hire me as a Credit0 planner or an economist either. I certainly don't have the solutions to our country's budget problems and many of the states are also facing Credit0 crises. Whenever new economic numbers are announced, politicians spin them to advance their viewpoint. Is the economy improving or is it headed for a giant collapse? The answer depends on what party the spokesperson belongs to and what channel you tune into on your TV.

No matter which channel you listen to, it is obvious that there are problems and solutions need to be found. These problems did not happen overnight. Our leaders have seen them coming for years, but playing politics and getting re-elected took precedence over making decisions that would be unpopular with their constituents.

Tough decisions which needed to be made years or decades ago have been put off in the hope that an easy solution would present itself, or left for future generations to make. I know from personal experience that when you delay making tough decisions the problems rarely go away. Usually the problems grow until you have no choice but to act and by that time your options have been severely reduced.

All this news of doom and gloom can be very depressing. You could bury your head in the sand and not listen to or think about the news. Everything could work out just fine without you having to do anything but go about your normal life. The economy could turn around and the Dow might hit 20,000 by 2013. The new governments in the Middle East could become America's best friends and gas prices might drop below $2 a gallon. You might hit the Powerball jackpot and not have to worry about the economy ever again. It could happen! But in case it doesn't, maybe you should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Are you ready to make the tough decisions?

Many Americans are facing their own budget crisis. It might be the bad housing market, too much Credit7, out of control expenses or an unstable work situation which is causing your personal crises. Maybe your current situation is good, but you are concerned your situation could change quickly given the unstable economy and world situation. If this is true for you, then get your head out of the sand and take action while you still have time and options!

What are my options?

Now that you've decided that you need to take action, the question becomes what course of action do you need to take. I wish I could give you a checklist of things to do which would guarantee a positive outcome. If I were able to develop such an all-purpose checklist, lots of people would pay me to be their Credit0 adviser. However, I can give you some general guidelines and direct you to some great resources to help you develop a plan of action.

• Unsecured Credit7 is usually bad. If you have credit card and store card Credit7, you should pay it off as quickly as possible. One of my favorite books on Credit7 reduction is The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.
• Turn a hobby or a passion of yours into a paying job. Find a way to make money doing something you love. Not only will you have fun doing it, but you will have another source of income to help pay off Credit7 and to protect you if your current job situation changes.
• Cut out unnecessary expenses and use the savings to pay off Credit7, start your own business, travel, and/or add to your emergency fund.
• Clear the clutter from your life! Many of us have are owned by our possessions. They take up our time and our space. We also fill our lives with obligations and activities. Simplifying your life will give you the freedom to move or travel to where you want and the time to pursue your passions.

The time for action is now. There are many resources available to help you protect yourself from the changing world. Be prepared.