I choose to accept that our economic status is ‘gloom & doom’
ü I choose to organize, make positive changes & thrive physically & fiscally.
Many people are very nervous about what is happening with our economy. One thing I know is that I can’t worry about what is going to happen with interest rates, what is happening with the stock market or which direction the housing market is going. Why not worry? Because worry will not change the outcome of any of those situations.
However, sometimes there are outside situations in life that make us look inside ourselves and our households and see what we are doing that we could change for the better. Recently we have cleaned up and cleaned out and taken a look at some of the areas that were wasteful and did not lend themselves to our well being.
Here are 5 ideas that may help keep you physically & fiscally fit until the housing market and the stock market fix themselves.
1. Do you ever notice how hard it is to choose a meal, while dining out that is high in nutritional value and has great protein content and has fresh or organic ingredients? Do you notice how hard it is to journal food from a restaurant? Do you ever think about the cost of a meal out as compared to the cost to prepare a more nutritious meal at home that lends itself to fat burning better? ------ I consider this frequently. Although it is convenient to eat out and we do from time to time, (and I don’t care how hard I try a Taylor’s Burger can’t be duplicated at home) it is much more cost effective to spend some time on Sunday and prepare some cut veggies, weigh out some meat protein sources, boil some eggs, wash fruit and plan out some ‘grab and go’ items and quick and easy dinners for the week. By doing this you create your own destiny, you control your portion, you control your nutrition value and you control the cost!
2. Are you double paying for similar products or services? Like, do you really need a ‘home’ phone, when everyone in the family has a ‘cell’ phone? Or, do really need to pay for a gym membership when you are coming to boot camp? Most ‘home’ phones cost $25 to $50 per month and a gym membership could be anywhere from $40 to $80 per month. If you can use the cell phone and stick with boot camp then save yourself the money and cancel the duplicate services.
3. Walking….. Yes walking. Could you walk your kids to school? Could you walk to work? What about the grocery store? What about Target? Maybe ride your bike. Not only does this save on gas but the extra movement is great for your body and a wonderful time to think. When I walk (by myself) all kinds of wonderful ideas come to me freely. Another way this saves money: have you ever said ‘I am going to Target to buy a birthday card for so and so and some Windex’ and you leave Target with NO birthday card and No Windex but a lamp, a book, a really soft blanket, a cute sweater, a pair of flip flops, a new hair dryer, a candle and some dish towels? I know this happens to you to! So rather than spending $10 on a card and Windex, which was all you needed you left there with $178.86 of other stuff. Walking or riding your bike with a back pack prevents this from happening! I’ve tried it. You can’t get home with all that stuff so you realize you just don’t need it. By the time you get back home the urge is gone! Pheew.
4. Waste. Have you ever subscribed to something like a credit reporting service, or a book of the month club, or a magazine, or an online weight loss program, or website membership, or how about those monthly charges on the cell phone for music downloads or graphic downloads. Anyhow you get the point, I recently looked over my bank statement (with the nudge from our accountant Nicolas Hamati) and we had some auto debits from our account for silly subscriptions that I NEVER use some were, $9.95, $14.95, $11.95, $29.95. It took me like 30 minutes one day to call and cancel all of those. It felt like finding money in an old jacket pocket!
5. We must maintain our mental health. Financial hardship can be the highest level of stress and stress makes you fat and it raises your blood pressure it cause depression and anxiety. We must continue to find ways to reduce our stress. Proper nutrition, like minded friends and colleagues, vigorous exercise and motivational training – NO MATTER WHAT!
I care for all of you and want to see you not just survive but thrive. We have to stick together and work it out!
Do you have a tip on thriving physically or fiscally? I think we would all love to hear it. Post your comments here on the blog!
Oh yeah and subscribe to this blog over to the right hand side of the page 
Bravenet Blog 
Blog Community
Get a Free Blog
Manage your Blog
bravenet.com