Denial…"I'm not that out of shape!"

One of the most common themes I've struggled with in my own life is the "I'm not really that out of shape!"  Yet I've taken the same 25 pounds off and on again for the past two decades…over and over and over again.  First, the clothes start to get a little tight, but I tell myself "I'm not really that out of shape".  Feeling sluggish by 3pm becomes a daily occurrence and I add more caffeine and tell myself again "I'm not really that out of shape". The stairs seem to make me more 'winded' each time I have to track laundry up and down but you know what? You get it!  So the imprints of these things start to affect me in a way that I start thinking I better do SOMETHING. So I get motivated. I decide on what  plan of attack I'll take. I get to the gym, take a walk, eat better…do well, shed some pounds and start to feel BETTER!
                  But then something happens.  I get busy, stressed, start feeling selfish for taking 'ME time' away from my family and business and slowly slip into those old habits and the pounds come back again.

One of the ways we can combat this is to ask for support/mentorship. This past year my weight loss goals have been met and with relative consistency because of the help of a trainer and wellness coach. I've found that when I have more  'skin in the game' I am more committed and I'm seeing longer term results and developing a healthy pattern of new behaviors.

                  The same is true of developing a healthy plan for your finances.

Many of us, me included, hit periods where we start 'the plan'  to spend less and save more.  Commit ourselves to stop charging and start paying back on things we splurged on month's ago.  How many of you are still trying to pay for Christmas '2014 or summer vacation from LAST year?  How many of you are still paying for your college education and yet haven't seen the inside of a dorm room in nearly a decade? We get 'on track' but then something happens.  Not the normal 'Oh no, Alex's cleats don't fit anymore and tryouts are next week!!!" OR "he's turning 16 in two weeks and the driver training enrollment needs to be in NOW?!" type stuff. It's more like this:  "I've cooked three nights in a row and no one wants the leftovers the heck with it, let's go out!" OR "I can't believe it, I FINALLY got a 30% off code at Kohl's!"  and….. WE GIVE IN.  WE GET "OFF TRACK".  We think, just like other struggle areas that "we are really not THAT bad'.   But our perception is tainted. We look around and try to justify that 'everyone' does it. We tell ourselves that our kids need to have a better education than we did no matter what the cost. Our student loan feels like a family pet. We end up working harder &  longer, and many times in jobs that are unfulfilling and even stop believing that the life we dream about is even possible any longer.

   How would using a financial coach benefit you in the way a wellness coach benefited me?

• Do you need help navigating through a financial crisis?  
• Building a workable budget? And having an accountability partner as you learn your way?
• Need help eliminating your debt once and for all? 
• Learn how to deal with collectors? 
• Establish a plan for retirement and college?

These are all areas of support where real guidance could make huge difference in the long term quality of your life!

WANT TO RAISE FINANCIALLY HEALTHY KIDS? GIVE UP IGNORANCE AND KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES'S...

• Living in a bigger house
• Driving more expensive cars
• Wearing designer clothing 
• Birthday party for Billy and his 15 friends 

All of these are great to have but I'm an advocate for having what you need before having what you want. I teach my clients the tools of building and protecting the '4 walls' (food - shelter- transportation- clothing) and building a solid foundation BEFORE you put the roof on.

Many families today "feel" (yes emotion drives 80% of our money handling) as though their children will suffer if they don't have the newest bat, the UGG boots, and the party for 15 at Chucky Cheese. I truly believe this started with our 80's generation because I don't remember my parents being focused on making sure I had $100 pairs of NIKE's, and a birthday party that cost as much as a monthly car payment. They knew better.  Sure, they had there set of 'keeping up with the Jones's too' but the credit frenzy was just beginning when I was a teenager. We had the Sears and JCPenney cards (didn't everyone?) but I didn't watch my parents charge the washer/dryer on 90 days same as cash. They didn't finance our childhood pet. They did what most American's did before credit became a 'normal way of life" they paid CASH and only when they could afford it. 

So how is this new credit action affecting our children? Really think about the long term effects our buying decisions and behaviors have on our kids. If you are using credit cards to get your nails done, take the family vacation, and stopping at Panera, Papa Gino's, and Outback for dinner this week, these are the behavior patterns our kids see AND become accustomed to.  They don't SEE cash leave your hands. They don't SEE half of the weekly paycheck going out the door for the family cell phone plan with unlimited minutes, texts, and data. They don't SEE the cable bill came in $70 higher because it snowed for three days and school was canceled, and the added cost of 'hitting the rent movie button' actually takes away from the normal budget.  Unless you are talking to them about what it takes to run a household and modeling the things you know will create healthy adults down the road, you are missing out on an opportunity to teach your children what Mastercard & Discover will teach them if you don't. Start using an 'envelope system". I'm a huge fan of what this one tool provided in terms of my kids SEEING a change in my behavior. When we stopped for a bite to eat at a drive thru for example I had my son pull out the envelope and the unfamilar cash to pay for the order. Same at the grocery store, if they are with me, they open up the envelope and can see the $$ leaving .. they also are quick to count what's left and tell me 'that's it? we better be careful!"  I'm proud of this because I know there is a huge difference in their awareness (not just mine) that has benefited them with my changing my pattern from ignorance to understanding. 

TO ORDER DAVE RAMSEY'S DELUXE ENVELOPE SYSTEM CLICK HERE: 

SELL SOME STUFF- AND BUILD THAT EMERGENCY FUND or PAY DOWN SOME DEBT!

Now that the weather is decent, it's that time of year when many people enjoy looking for treasures! Why not take advantage and SELL SOME OF YOUR STUFF!!! My last two yard sales netted me over $500 (and my kids over $100 each) so it was worth the time we put in…

Before you just throw everything onto a table in your driveway, there is some prep work that you should consider!

1. Pick a good day(s) and time. This all depends upon where you live. I think Saturday mornings are the best times for sales.  As far as the time of day and length to run your sale – that is really personal preference.

2. Advertise your yard sale time/place:  Use social media to your advantage! Post an announcement on your personal Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram!! Ask your friends and family to share as well. Also, Facebook now has yard sale 'group sites'- many for each town where you can post your events. Craigslist allows a free posting as well. Many local newspapers also allow free listings for local tag sales so get the word out along many outlets!

3. Clearly Direct Traffic to your Sale.  Two days before, make sure you place signs helping shoppers find your sale.  It is best to start close to major intersections close to your home, followed by additional signs (with arrows) directing them to your home.  

4. Organize your items for display. If everything is thrown onto a table or things are dirty, most people will perceive your items as "junk" and may not even take the time to look through your goods.  Just taking the extra time to have several tables and items split out by category (household goods, tools, toys, books) can yield you more money!

Be sure you price your items. Start this process early in the planning stages. Don't wait until the night before or the day of to get started.   

5. Make sure your items are clean. As you set your items out for your sale, take a minute to make sure that everything is clean.  If your clothes or toys are dirty or your picture frame is coated in dust, it can really turn off potential buyers.

6. Launder and fold/hang clothing items. If  you are going to sell clothes, you will want to spend time getting these items ready.  I actually launder everything before I sell it.  This helps me find those hidden stains that seem to appear after time.  Think about it—  Would you really want to purchase a dress that has a stain on it? Probably not!  Sort clothes by season and according to size. This makes it very easy for your buyers find what they are looking for. I also HIGHLY recommend hanging outfits. Either buy a rack or use a study clothes line and string across your front porch if you have one!

7. Clearly price all of your goods. It's a turn off to me when I go to a tag sale or an antique store and nothing is tagged. People like to know what you are asking. If there are some items you are open to negotiating, keep those on a "make me an offer" or put a sticker with MMAO!  If you are not sure what to price things, you can go and check out Ebay or Craigslist so that you can be sure you are asking a fair price for your items. Just be sure you don’t under price your stuff! People at tag sales will usually try to get you down, especially near the end. Know what you want and go from there. 

8.  Make sure you have plenty of change available (and only take cash).   I get $100 in change before I start.  I start out with $20 in change in my box at a time. Make sure you have $1's, $5's, $10's and regularly coin change! If you are selling items at .75/.50 you will need quarters!! Wearing a carpenters apron helps if you are walking around a lot.  Accept only cash!  I’d also recommend you accept nothing larger than $20 bills.  If you are selling a large ticket item, you can ask the purchaser to please go and get $20 bills. You would hate to get counterfeit bills given to you and then you’ll be out your cash — and your item!

9.  Offer 50% off of “Goodie Boxes” Toward the End of the Sale.  If time is drawing close to ending your sale and you have items to move, you can offer 50% off of all marked prices. People that show up at the end are those that are probably expecting that and will haggle anyway.  

10.  Price Items to Sell and Be Willing to Negotiate Those Prices.  If you really want to sell your items, make sure that you remove emotion. If you are attached to a baby blanket, you will think it is worth more than it really is.

When the sale is over decide if you want to have another run at this. You can take the remaining items and put them up on the Facebook community yard sale sites, Ebay, Craigslist OR  you can gift your treasures to Goodwill or another local charity so that others are blessed by your giving them. 

LASTLY, tally up what you made and make those dollars count! Deposit them into your growing Emergency Fund (if you have NOT yet saved $1000) and if you have apply those dollars towards your debt snowball.    

DON'T LET A "TREAT" SCREW UP YOUR PLAN TO CRUSH YOUR DEBT!

Sometimes, when you're working your plan to pay off debt and get to your debt free dream, you feel the need to treat yourself to something!  I came across a really neat budget tool to help decipher the 'cost' of opting to buy yourself a 'treat' while you are working your plan to pay off debt.

For those of you who know my personality or work with me one on one, I'm a FACT based decision-maker.

I ask my clients to look at both the pros and cons  of decisions BEFORE making them. It's easier to 'own' your final decisions knowing the impact it has on your goals/plan.  It's so important to look at the 'treat' and know HOW it will affect your debt pay down plan.

For example,  if you currently are on task to pay off all of your debt within the next 46 month, a 'treat decision' can actually delay you by many additional months, maybe even a year. For example if you are currently paying down $22,000 of debt at an interest rate of 12.99%, making normal monthly payments, a $4800 Disney Vacation 'treat' would actually become a $6119 vacation!

Click the link and try it yourself…

http://www.whatsthecost.com/treats.aspx


Treating yourself occasionally can be a good way of keeping motivated or rewarding yourself while dealing with debt. This calculator isn't designed to convince you not to treat yourself, simply to give you an idea of the real cost!

REFLECTION LEADS TO CHANGE…

One of the most useful things we can do on our journey towards financial wellness is REFLECT. We all get in 'over our heads' for different reasons. For some of us, its childhood 'lack' and adult 'gain' that lead to our overspending. For some of us, its an emotional rise to spend money on things that make us feel better and forget about whats happening in our lives. For some of us, it's a gaining of 'status' that causes us to overspend.  For others its unexpected medical bills, loss of a job/income, a divorce. Whatever the reason, in order to change ANY situation and plan your way out, you must first reflect.

Start by creating a 'money journal'. A simple notebook will do OR get fancy and decorate a fun journal/notebook knowing your going to take this journey seriously.  Spend some time over the next few days thinking about and answering one or more of these reflection questions in your 'money journal':

• Name three things do you truly love to do.  Do any of these cost money?
• Name three things that you do regularly that you truly hate to do? Why do you do them? Are these in any way worth the reward you get for doing them?
• What things are preventing you from doing more of the things you love and less of the things you hate? How can you remove the things that stop you from doing more of the things you love?
• When was the last time DIDN'T feel badly about a purchase you made? Why did you feel good about it?   When was the last time you felt horrible about money you spent? Why did you feel badly about it?

Jot down your answers and do some 'reflecting' on them over the next week and share your thoughts with your partner, close friend, or with me on our Facebook discussion group:  Budgeting Group Sick of the Hustle https://www.facebook.com/groups/358488774329894/ 

CURRENT STUDENT LOAN DEBT IN THE U.S. IS $1.3 TRILLION (and counting)

How can this be?

The student loan debt in the USA has creeped up to over a TRILLION DOLLARS and now we are starting to pay attention?!  Many people sign up for college, knowing that to advance in careers education is key. What they don't always do is 'weigh' out the reality of what these future loan payments will look like when 'life after college' begins.

I'm all about helping clients PLAN. Planning is how we succeed with money.

Here's a great tool to help you understand your student loan repayments in relation to your possible starting salary https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/tools-calculators

Don't make decisions about your future without preparation and knowing the facts!

CUT CABLE!!

For those of you who are still paying $200+ for cable each month here are some great alternatives to TAKING BACK THOSE Dollars!http://time.com/money/3767927/cable-tv-without-paying-bill/?fb_action_ids=10206194593050996&fb_action_types=og.shares