Need Budgeting Help? - Try These Budgeting Websites
If you’re looking for some free budgeting advice, here are some websites to help you get your finances in order.
Thrive.com
Thrive.com rates your overall financial picture, helps you get organized and then gives you a plan to help you reach your financial goals.
This budgeting website offers help for setting up a budget, setting a savings goal, planning for retirement and more. There’s even a section on learning to buy a house.
This free financial website offers a community to bounce ideas off of or learn budgeting and money tips from. Also budgeting tools to help you learn where your money is going and gives you tips to create a better financial life for yourself.
Quicken is best known for it’s bookkeeping software but they also have a free section with budgeting tips and financial help. You can customize your budget and Quicken sends you alerts if you’re going over your limit.
This free budgeting tips website offers advice on how to save money, pay off debts, college loans or buy a car. Free budgeting tools and help understanding your money.
Before you attempt to set up a personal budget, one good tip is to write down all your expenses - yes, every single one - for a month and see where you money is going. Maybe you hadn’t realized you were spending $25 a month on magazines at the checkout stand or $4 a week on dog treats (my own downfall- I discovered it’s much cheaper to take a trip to Costco and buy a big bag of quality treats than to impulse shop at the supermarket)
Once you know where your money is going, then you can see real ways to cut a few dollars here and there. Those dollars add up.
Budgeting isn’t easy but once you see the debts paid off and the savings adding up, handling money becomes more fun.
Two budgeting tools I use are visualization and gratitude. Each month, I am glad to pay my bills, glad I have the money to pay them and glad the amount owed is shrinking each month. I visualize more money in my bank account and being completely out of debt. Using this technique has changed my relationship with money to a more positive one.
Once you’ve visited the budgeting websites and read all the advice and tips, planning your financial future will be much simpler.
1950’s TV Shows - Where to See Them on the Internet
If you’d like to see old episodes of Father Knows Best or other great 1950’s TV shows, you can view them free on Hulu.com. There are 26 episodes of Father Knows Best in all, including a great Christmas episode. In the 1950’s most TV shows didn’t film special holiday episodes like they do today. I just watched it and Jim wanted to know “why can’t we celebrate Christmas the way it used to be?” He wanted simpler times. Now that’s nostalgia for you! What would Jim think of Christmas today?
In the Father Knows Best classic Christmas episode, Jim wants to go cut their own tree, instead of the fancy flocked trees popular in the 50’s. Remember those? Of course, the Andersons, get lost in the snow drifts, find someone named “Nick” and find the true meaning of Christmas in those minutes.
What’s your favorite of the 1950’s TV shows? Hulu.com probably has them. How about McHale’s Navy (105 episodes) and Alfred Hitchcock Presents (117 episodes)? Hulu.com does even better with nostalgia from the 1960’s, with 60’s TV shows like the Dick Van Dyke Show (64 episodes) and I Dream of Jeanie (51 episodes).
Who doesn’t remember Twilight Zone from the 50’s? You can see highlights on YouTube. Remember the episode, “To Serve Man” where the spacemen came down to help mankind but their masterplan “To Serve Man” was really a cookbook?
If you’d like full episodes of Twilight Zone, they are still available on CBS.com. There aren’t too many 50’s TV shows available on CBS.com but there are some later shows like Dynasty and the original Star Trek.
Another great place to see 1950’s TV shows is Retrovision.com. There are fewer episodes of each, for instance Bonanza, which got it’s start in 1959, has 6 episodes. There are 3 episodes of the Burns and Allen Show, beginning in 1950, and 13 episodes of The Cisco Kid.
Have you been missing The Great Gildersleeve? This show lasted only 39 episodes (quite a success by today’s standards, where some shows are cancelled after one or two episodes) but the radio show it originated from, ran from 1941 to 1957. Some of these radio shows are also available on Retrovision.
Would you like to know “What to do on a Date” in the 1950’s? Retrovision has a great little 50’s TV show to instruct you.
Retrovision also provides links to 50’s TV shows where they are shown elsewhere. The old Have Gun Will Travel is still shown on CBS.com. All of season one is available on CBS.com.
On Hulu.com, they interrupt every once in a while for a commercial but it’s only about 10 seconds long or less so it doesn’t disrupt like the commercials on television that we all zap through with our DVRs.
One other place to view nostalgic TV shows is on Netflix. Although Netflix is a subscription site, many of the 1950 TV shows are play on demand so they don’t count against the number of movies you have shipped to you each month. Leave It To Beaver, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis and Burns and Allen are just a few of the view on demand classic TV shows available from Netflix.
One thing I love about many of the TV shows from the 50’s is that they are still great shows. The stories and the acting has stood the test of time and watching these shows is like a trip down memory lane, with a peep into the past. You remember the clothes, the way people thought and acted, the simpler times we sometimes wish we had more of in today’s modern world. Watching those old TV shows from the 1950’s turns back the clock of our lives like nothing else.
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Review of Louise Hay’s You Can Heal Your Life - The Movie
Louise Hay’s fantastic movie, You Can Heal Your Life, had a profound affect on me and my life. Having seen the move, The Secret, and having read many books on using your thoughts to create the life you want, I found Louise Hay’s movie to be a powerful addition to this information. You Can Heal Your Life actually tells you the HOW of creating the life you want. If you have a serious emotional or physical illness, using your thoughts to heal your life will change your entire life forever.
If you’ve seen The Secret but it left thinking the law of attraction was a great idea but but you have no idea how to implement it in your life, Louise Hay’s movie will explain how to use affirmations to create the change you want. Whereas many felt The Secret focused too much on aquiring wealth and “things”, You Can Heal Your Life focuses on creating physical and emotional changes in our live to fundamentally change us so that we are happier and healthier than before.
I hope when I reach the age of 80, I am as spry as Louise Hay. She is a person filled with vibrant energy and
she spreads that energy out to people in the form of lectures and appearances, and books published by her Hay House Publishing. Hay House also publishes other inspirational authors like my favorite author, Wayne Dyer.
Although I’ve read many on the law of attraction and creating the life you want with your thoughts,
I’d never read any by Louise Hay. After seeing this movie, I will be reading more of her books!
This movie contains interviews with Louise, Wayne Dyer, Ester Hicks and Abraham, Christiane Northrup,
Cheryl Richardson, Dorene Virtue and others, all talking about their own experiences and how to create
and change your life through the thoughts you think on a daily basis.
You Can Heal Your Life teaches how to create affirmations for your life, about anything you want to change or improve, be it health, happiness, improved relationships and more.
Once you’ve created the affirmation, you keep them in front of you all day every day, repeating them many times a day until they are part of you and your habitual thought patterns. This helps you change thought patterns set by a life time of self criticism, self doubt, even self loathing. Whatever sort of life you’ve currently created for yourself, even if it includes health issues, toxic relationships, being overweight or whatever, you’ve created this life by what you’ve been telling yourself with every thougtht you think.
But these thoughts can be changed for better ones and your life can also change for the better.
I got the extended version of the movie and I’m glad I did because it contained entire interview with each of the movie’s participants, like Wayne Dyer and Ester and Jerry Hicks and not just the edited version available in Louise Hay’s movie itself.
One of these interviews contained a real AAAHHHAAA moment for me.
I’ve read nearly every Abraham book by Ester and Jerry Hicks. Their formula for manifesting your life:
Ask, Receive, Allow, is very well known to me. The asking part is easy but it’s the allowing part that hangs most of us up, due mostly to our own mental conditioning and what we believe is true. Abraham says that whatever we ask for, we receive instantly - but then we must allow it into our lives.
Many people believe that by saying the affirmations we are in step one - the asking. That is the point where most of us begin - right? Actually, though, affirmations really belong to step 3- the allowing. Affirmations help us to believe that what we asked for truly belongs to us and is in our lives.
What we ask for is always and already been granted to us (maybe in a form we don’t yet see or appreciate it)
and by saying the affirmations, we allow it into our lives.
My biggest problem with the movie, The Secret, was that Ester Hicks and Abraham and Wayne Dyer were not in it. As authors and speakers, these inspirational people have been speading the word about about conscious creation for over 25 years and their absence in the Secret, to me, was glaring. The Secret may be a good place to start, but You Can Heal Your Life is a better place to finish.
If you’ve struggled with how to put the Law of Attraction into action in your life, see this movie! If you can’t afford the extended version, at least get the movie itself or read the book.
If you’re like me, you love to own these profound books so you can underline and make notes. Here is You Can Heal Your Life Paperback Book
Boomer Years - 7 Habits of Long Term Care Planning
This article is by guest author Carol Marak
1. Take a proactive approach. A child’s school schedule, coupled with your aging parent can be stressful if you fail to plan. By planning ahead and taking initiative, you can avoid the stress that comes with dual responsibilities. Begin early with conversations with your mom and dad about how they want to live out their lives; home care or community care?
2. Begin with the End in Mind. Evaluate what’s important to your life, and if family is most important then devote the resources of time, energy and talent to that end. Help your aging parent plan for their future. Many seniors and elders alike, assume they will be able to care for themselves in the future even when they become frail.
3. Put First Things First. Work with your family on a daily and weekly basis in planning goals, appointments, and obligations. Organize all information as a means to focus and plan the goals. It would be great to have a planning session like this with mom and dad before they become elderly. This will help them ease their fear of being forced out of their home in their later years.
4. Think Win/Win. Instead of looking to caring for your kids and elderly parents as a source of stress, approach it with a positive mindset. Your positive attitude will rub off on family members, and in turn, they will feel loved and important. Establish everyone’s roles from the outset so as to make everyone feel a part of the caregiving situation.
5. Seek First to Understand and then be understood. Covey teaches the idea of mutual understanding between people, and this can certainly apply with Grandma and children. Be empathetic when they express their differences and concerns. If your child or parent is being ornery towards you, listen to what they are saying, and try and get to the root of the problem.
6. Synergize. Come up with creative ways to get all family members involved. Perhaps your teenager can play a board game with Grandma while Mom can make dinner. Or Grandpa can teach a youngster a history lesson that applies towards homework. Make use of everyone’s differences to benefit the family as a whole.
7. Sharpen the Saw. There’s much to be said for balance, and thus a family caregiver must take strides to take care of his or herself. Be sure to renew yourself in all facets of your life, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and keep on giving.
When applying Covey’s teachings, the family caregiver will find the experience rewarding, creating a feedback loop that makes all family members feel good. Aging parents will feel appreciated and valued when they see that they too, are a part of the senior care experience.
Senior Gift Ideas - Looking for Quality, Economical Gift Ideas for Your Senior Loved One?
Don’t let the economic slowdown put a damper on giving this holiday season. The most popular gifts for older adults this season are practical items that are most often used, needed, and economical as well.
Based on experience, seniors most often gravitate toward the practical in gift requests, and most prefer even more relevant this holiday season as budgets tighten for shoppers and senior gift recipients alike. We expect that many seniors will want gift cards to grocery stores, discount stores and restaurants and, if they’re still driving, gas cards.
Personal items are popular as well. Seniors frequently shop for books, candles, homemade soaps and personal pampering items such as lotions, slippers and robes. These items are most often purchased this time of year!
Another popular item is a gift basket, which can be purchased at most any discount store. Consider putting together baskets for your grandparents. Maybe grandma loves to knit or sew so those tools are included in the basket along with candy and a nice scented candle. Scrapbooks are very popular today. You can customize a gift for seniors, and photo and family albums are popular too.
Don’t forget the gifts of time and companionship – your elderly loved ones shouldn’t be alone at any time of year, but especially not during the holidays. That’s why if you can’t be with a loved one, it’s important to arrange for family, friends and neighbors to help, or to hire home care to ensure that seniors get out and about.
The main objective is to spend time with seniors and there is a lot to do at any mall, especially during the holidays, when special musical events and programs are often scheduled. You can enjoy lunch with senior loved ones at any mall or restaurant. Most seniors will see any time you spend with them is a gift, too.
It’s especially important to help seniors guard against isolation during the holidays, so gifts that accomplish more than one action – such as a gift card to a restaurant that provides not only a meal but an excuse to go out – will benefit your loved ones in a big way.”
10 Popular and Economical Gifts for Seniors
What’s on your senior’s wish list this holiday season? The following list provides valuable insight.
1. Gift certificates to restaurants and grocery stores, or gas cards for seniors who drive
2. Personal items such as hand and body lotions and creams, and shower gels. Scented candles
3. Blankets, robes and slippers
4. Books and magazine subscriptions
5. Crossword and puzzle books, and pencils
6. Hats, mittens and gloves
7. Towels and wash cloths
8. Boxed chocolates, chocolate-covered cherries and hard candies
9. Stamps and stationery
10. Gift certificate for companionship or assisted living services
Baby Boomer Health: Easy Ways to Reduce Stress for Healthy Aging
You would think, as you get older, your life would be less stressful but often the opposite is true. Stress not only ages us, it destroys our immune system, causing us to fall prey to colds and more serious illness and disease. When you are stressed your body releases hormones that can cause sleep problems, anxiety and weight gain. Stress hormones also speed up the aging process.
Stress is a fact of life, whether you’re a baby boomer or you are younger. There are simple ways to reduce stress that help you change the way you deal with life’s situations. As we get older, hopefully we learn that you can’t stop having stress in your life but you can change the way you deal with it.
Many ways to reduce stress in your life are simple and basic. You just have to make the effort to change the way you live in small ways to improve health and well being.
Here are some easy ways to reduce stress for more healthy aging
1. Start exercising - exercise is one of the most important, yet simple, ways to reduce stress. If you’re physically fit, your body is better able to cope with stress and exercising gets rid of stress hormones, helps you keep your weight down and sleep well. Start any exercise program slowly and build up. Walking is one of the best exercises and the least stressful on your body.
2. Diet helps relieve stress and antioxidants keep you young - Reducing the amount of sugar and processed foods in your diet helps relieve stress and eating more fruits and vegetables keeps your body strong and healthy, another great stress reliever.
3. Too much caffeine can cause stress - If you can’t cut out the coffee altogether, switch to herbal tea or water later in the day. Also, cut out the alcohol. Alcohol stresses your body and doesn’t help relax you or help you sleep in the long term.
4. Practice deep breathing - One simple way to reduce stress is simply by breathing deeply to help relax your body. Here is one simple deep breathing exercise. Breath in slowly to the count of 6, hold your breath for the count and breath slowly out to the count of 8. This will reach the air trapped deep in your lungs.
5. Practice living mindfully. When stress hits, take a walk and really look around. Take time to observe nature and what’s good about the day. Living mindfully means focusing on the moment. Don’t fret over the past or future. The present moment is all you have really and it IS possible to feel good in the present moment. If you can’t do this all the time, at least practice living in the moment a few times a day to quiet the mind.
6. Take some time away from stimulation. Turn off the television, go sit outside or in some quiet place and practice your deep breathing. Most relaxation exercises begin with silence and quiting the mind.
7. Try relaxing your body. Lay on your back and focus on each body part in turn, relaxing your feet, then your calves, then your thighs, until you’ve worked your way up your body. If you aren’t sure how to relax, get a CD of yoga relaxation techniques and do the exercises along with the CD.
8. If you feel stressed out, make a list of things that are stressing you and, more importantly, what you can do about them. Sometimes, creating a to-do list will help us get the many details of life off our minds. If it is a situation that you can’t do anything about, try to take a small 30 minute vacation from worrying about it.
9. Try affirmations. Tell yourself “I feel calm and I can handle any situation.” Keep repeating this until you accept it.
10. Take up a hobby, even if it’s putting together a puzzle. You’d be surprised at how focused you can become when putting a puzzle together. If you love to cook, look up some healthy and tasty recipes to try. Put on an inspirational or happy movie and do some stretches while you watch it. Do something to distract yourself from worry or stress.
More information on finding fulfillment in your boomer years