There are many outstanding questions that have stumped the masses over time. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Where do babies come from? Do flies spin before landing on the ceiling or do they fly upside down? Where’s the beef? Will the Cubs ever win another World Series? Will that be paper or plastic? It has taken many brilliant minds to figure out the answers to most of these questions. But the last two questions still seem to confound many people. I’ll answer the Cubs question later, but right now let’s solve the mystery of paper or plastic. Read the rest of this entry »

Can you believe it is that time of year again? My kids start school next week, wow has this summer flown. For our family, summer usually does go quickly because our kids are on a year-round calendar for school and summer break is only 6 weeks long. That means it’s time to get out the list of needed school supplies, go shopping as well as trying on clothes, making sure they fit and everyone has what they need.

One thing I have noticed in working with my clients in the past month is that what they want to get for the kids and what they need are two very different things. Don’t get me wrong, I also have to do a gut check and make sure I am looking at our needs and not our wants when deciding what we are going to buy. I thought an appropriate article this month would be some tips to use when purchasing items for back to school. Here are 5 things to consider as you go about preparing for back to school shopping: Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been known to take a few shortcuts in an attempt to try to cut expenses and stay within a frugal budget. Most of the time that’s ok, sometimes it’s just not worth it!

Let me explain… Read the rest of this entry »

Your grocery bill increases weekly, but all you hear is that there is no food to eat. Everyone needs new clothes, yet, your closets and dressers are full. You need new carpet, but you can’t see the carpet you do have because of all the “crap” laying around the house. You need new bikes, but your garage and yard are littered with bikes. We need new cell phones with the latest features. The list is endless. How is it we need so much, when in reality we have so much? If this sounds familiar, you may have “stuffitist” or you may be a “crapaholic”. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you seen the new TV “reality” program titled Extreme Couponing? The show features men and women who have taken couponing to outrageous levels and save thousands of dollars-sometimes in a single transaction! it’s fun to watch, but I sincerely doubt many of us actually have the 20-40 hours each week that these folks spend clipping and organizing coupons, let alone the desire to mega-save and stock pile like those on the show. Read the rest of this entry »