Don't be a Cheapskate

Of course everyone wants to cut their expenses and get out of debt. Most times behavior change is not only needed, but also a necessity. That doesn't mean that you can't have fun.

Just because our family is concentrating very heavily on finishing our fully-funded emergency fund, that's no excuse for us not to enjoy life.

It's the night before Valentine's Day and my wife and 2 girls are all asleep. I just finished blowing up 30 pink and red balloons that I'm going to leave on the floor in the living room. My girls will be more than surprised and excited, but I really just want to show them that I love them. I'm sure my wife Christine will appreciate it as well.

It's my chance to show them how much I love them without going overboard and buying heavily into a materialistic holiday (have you been in the holiday section at Target?). We're big on showing our love every day of the year.

Enjoyment level = 100%
Daddy's a fun guy level = 100%

Grand Total = $2.50

But I Can't Find the Time

Have you ever heard that one? Have you ever told that to someone else? It's really not a good excuse when it comes down to it. I can think of plenty that are better, including: the house was on fire all weekend, we were hit by a tornado/hurricane/flood/hail storm, my mother-in-law was in town, etc.

We really are responsible for the choices we make. If you think something is more important than losing that extra 8 pounds, getting out of debt, or developing a plan to do the work you love, then you just made the decision to stay right where you are for a while. You, and only you, can change that whenever you want.

Here's a good place to start... unplug your TV. With just 4-5 hours per week you can completely change your family tree.

Look at what you eat

I bet most people would be surprised to learn how many calories they're eating throughout the day that they don't even really realize. If you are trying to lose weight but don't know how you can improve your diet, I suggest taking 2-3 days and writing down every single thing you're eating.

When you do this, it's important to write down even bites of things you consume because those little snacks can really add up. You might realize that you're eating an extra 300-400 calories a day.

Once you know where you're expending your extra calories learn to cut those things out. By avoiding the extra calories you could be losing an extra pound every 9-11 days.

Tax season is here

There are plenty of scams running rampant around the internet, but especially so this time of year. Remember, if the IRS needs to get a hold of you, they will not send an email.

Use some common sense to avoid becoming the person to lose money in a scam. If no one fell for these things, they wouldn't be so common.

Your bank will never needs your social security number, your account information never needs to be updated from an email, someone didn't just buy something from you on eBay if you haven't listed anything for sale, the email from someone you've never heard of with the offer of a job you didn't apply for is not legit, and the foreign minister from Zimbabwe does not need you to help him recover his $1,000,000.

13 ways to be healthy

According to WebMD there are 13 healthy things you can do to maximize your chances of living a longer, stronger life. Try incorporating at least some of these, whenever you can.

Eat breakfast every morning
Add fish and Omega-3 fatty acids to your diet
Get enough sleep (7-10 hours)
Make social connections
Exercise
Practice good dental hygiene
Take up a hobby
Protect your skin
Snack the healthy way (when you’re hungry between meals)
Drink water and eat dairy
Drink tea (decaffeinated is better)
Take a daily walk (every 20 steps burns 1 calorie!)
Plan

I hope that you can find at least one new item on this list to incorporate in your life.

The talk test

It isn’t difficult to tell whether you are working at the right intensity, even without a heart rate monitor. A generally accepted guideline, call the “Talk Test” will indicate your level of intensity and give you a good gauge of whether you need to push yourself harder, or slow down a bit.

When you’re exercising, try carrying on a conversation with someone, or if you’re alone recite something like the Pledge of Allegiance. If you can carry on a light conversation while exercising then you are in a good intensity range. As soon as your speech starts to slow, break, or you are having difficulties you know you’re working too hard.

Researchers at the American College of Sports Medicine have discovered that those who can carry on light conversations are at the appropriate intensity level, even corresponding to exercise prescriptions (like the target heart rate) from doctors or trainers.

Get a job

It is no secret that there are only two things you can do to change your financial situation. You can either raise your income or lower your outgo (cut your expenses). On the income side there are many things I suggest to clients to help get out of debt faster. Each of these I have either done or would do myself. When developing your plan, decide what will work best for you, but focus on doing whatever it takes to become debt free, except for you home, within 24 months or less.

Many people are looking for a flexible extra job to bump the monthly income a bit. Slightly flexible jobs include delivering pizza and newspapers. With these you should be able to work around your normal 9 - 5.

For something more flexible, how about delivering phone books? It's that time of year right now and you can work whenever you want, as long as you complete your route. To deliver the AT&T phone book, call 1-800-422-1955 and navigate to extension 4. The representative will take your information and pass it along to the local outlet in your city. They will call you with further information.

Delivering phone books is temporary work, but any extra income helps, especially if you are hurting for something beyond your normal take home pay.

When my wife and I were aggressively working to get out of debt, I remained open to any opportunity that came along. Visit www.fedex.com and navigate to their careers section. While UPS may be similar, I only have experience with FedEx's process. You will create a free account at FedEx and identify which jobs you are interested in. When a position opens you will receive an automated email with info if you are interested in interviewing.

The lowest paid FedEx position I ever came across paid about $13 / hour and only required about 12 hours per week. These jobs may be of interest to you if you need insurance coverage and cannot obtain any on your own.

Keep in mind that anything you do for extra income should remain temporary and should be done as a short-term plan to aggressively fight your way out of debt. You never know when you may develop an interest in something else and change your career direction. Are you passionate about your work?