Eat, Save, and Be Healthy

Recently, most of us have had many opportunities to consider the financial condition of our economy and how that impacts us.  For some of us, this is the time to change the way we have been managing our money.

But, altering our behavior is not easy.  In fact, changing money habits can be especially difficult. How we’ve always handled money feels familiar, comfortable, and predictable – not only to ourselves but also to those around us.  Family and friends often expect us to act and respond in certain ways and may even have vested interests in having things continue as they are.  Because family members and friends may feel uncomfortable when they see us trying to make changes, they may set up barriers – either subtle or obvious — to prevent change.  We may not be clear about how to implement change – what is a better way to manage?  Change is not easy or straightforward.  We may try things that don’t work so well for us, or we may get discouraged when our attempts fall short of what we desired.  One good source of information and suggested ways to start new money management practices is the following site:  http://www.extension.org/personal_finance In addition to the suggested practices and practical advice by experts found at extension.org, the research below provides guidance on setting and accomplishing financial goals.

Research sheds some light on how we might be most successful in changing financial behavior.

The first step in changing our money management is to set a goal – what do we want to achieve and by when?  Research studies have pointed to three main keys to increasing success in accomplishing your goals.  The first point is that goals should be  clear, narrowly focused, accomplished without much difficulty, and completed relatively soon (naming a specific date). Tip #1:  Set goals that are specific in terms of what you want, how much it might require of time, money and any other resources, and when you want to have it.

The second key to being successful in reaching your goals is to know why you have chosen the goal.  In the terminology of some psychologists today, “you need to own your goal.”  In other words, a goal should come from you for your purposes and NOT be handed down by someone else. It must fit with who you are and what you need and want, being realistic about your time and money resources, of course.

The goal may also have to be planned with others in your family or household. Everyone involved needs to be considered and everyone needs to feel ownership in, and commitment to, the goal in order for it to be accomplished.  Tip #2:  Set a goal that is one you want to achieve and know why you want to achieve it.

Having your goal defined and being sure you know why you have set it are two important contributors to goal success. The third key factor is having a specific plan to reach your goal. The action plan will need to have dates attached to it, so that you know when you will start, when you will reach certain milestones along the way, and when you will fully accomplish your goal.  Sometimes there are dates imposed by circumstances outside yourself, such as holidays, vacation dates, birthdays, graduation dates, weddings, etc.

The other important part of action planning is to recognize that you will have some distractions and temptations to use your time or money for things other than achieving your goal. These opportunities to spend now rather than save for the future come to everyone and most of us find it hard to avoid these temptations.  These enticements may prevent you from reaching your goal on time. It is easy to become discouraged when these things happen. However, if you plan for ways to avoid or recover from these disruptions, you can quickly get back on track. Tip #3:  Establish a target date and create a detailed plan of action to follow that will act as a guide to achieving your goal, including ways to overcome obstacles or temptations that could interfere with completing your goal.

References

Koestner, R., Lekes, N., Powers, T. A., & Chicoine, E. (2002).  Attaining Personal Goals:  Self Concordance Plus Implementation Intentions Equals Success.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83 (1), pp. 231-244.

Prochaska, J., Norcross, J., DiClemente, C. (1994) Changing for Good, New York: Avon Books.

Seiling, S. (1999) “Behavior Change and Money Management” in McKinney, C., Seiling, S., Little, F. and Varley, I.,  Pathways to Money 2000+, Section 1, pp. 18-23.

Vacations are essential to our emotional well being. We all need time to unwind and focus on other things besides deadlines and daily pressures of “success”. If we do this, research has shown we will be more productive when we return to our work duties. We will also live longer and be in better health. You need to give your tired, over-worked body a chance to revive itself from daily pressures. Learning to listen to your body is essential to taking care of it and it’s hard to do when we are running from one event to another, skipping meals, running on little sleep and avoiding regular exercise.

Vacations offer us the opportunity to explore what we would like to do after retirement or as a hobby. What do you really enjoy in this life? When do you get to do it? Don’t put off today, learn to enjoy the simple pleasures in life and develop both hobbies and friends to share along the way. They suggest if you do physical work, then do somthing on your vacation that doesn’t involve a lot of physical effort, or if you work with a lot of people you may want to take a change of pace and be more solitary. If you work on a computer all day then maybe social activity is needed, look for ways to alter you pace in life and give you rest in your daily activities. It is also a great time for talking with your partner about your goals and dreams.   When we don’t take the time to explore these things, retirement can be frightening, “what will I do with my time?”  

 Taking a vacation also gives your office or company to give other employees a chance to fill in. By delegating responsibilities you don’t come back to “overtime” and others have a little change of pace as well. Sometimes we do things, just because that’s the way they have always been done, while others may accomplish the same thing in a different manner. Change is a good thing when it brings about more productivity or a positive work environment. Don’t let the feeling on being indispensable stop you from spending time with your family. Don’t feel insecure about your job, others may be able to do your job, but you are a needed part of the team. If you hate weekends and can’t wait to get to work on Monday along with the other habits listed here you may have what psychiatrists call the “vacation skipper syndrome.” These traits are hard on you as a person, as well as your relationships. Try to look for the positive and focus on the benefits you will gain. Start with small vacations and build to taking time off to really enjoy it.

With the mobile technology, some employees feel as though they can’t get away. E-mail, cell phones and fax machines see to make us accessible wherever we are. Talk about your expectations before you leave and hopefully you won’t need to respond to “urgent” requests. If, that doesn’t work then set aside a certain time of day to deal with these matters and devote the rest to family time. That could be a win win for both family and employer.

Spending time together is essential to having a strong family and building relationships to last a lifetime. Your siblings are the people to know you the best as they have had many of the same experiences as you. Your children and spouse share goals and values and fun memories together. Don’t let time slip away without making family fun times a priority.

Author: Melinda Hill, FCS Educator, Wayne County

This weekend my cousin asked about high fiber foods to feed her toddler.  Maintaining fiber in her toddler’s diet prevents constipation.  Her daughter eats many fresh, raw fruits and most cooked vegetables.  Apples, oranges, pears, bananas, berries, green peas, split peas, lentils, avocados, sweet potatoes, and artichokes are great choices.  But my cousin was searching for some new ideas like these fiber-filled snacks. 

* Quick Bean dip – puree 1 can of beans (any type — e.g., black, pinto) with 1/2 cup of salsa, a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice, and some cilantro.  Serve with whole grain pita bread or crackers.

* Morning Meal – Heat 1 cup cooked oats + 1/2 cup canned pumpkin + 1 T. brown sugar + 1/4 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Stir well.

* Small (4 oz) yogurts with added fiber

* Offer sweetened shredded wheat mini-biscuits as a dry cereal snack

How much fiber do toddlers need?  A simple way is to use the “Age Plus 5″ rule for children 2-15 years old.  Add 5 to the child’s age in years.  For example, a 4 year old child should eat about 9 grams of fiber each day.  After the age of 15, teens and adult women should get about 20-25 grams of fiber per day. Adult men should get 30-38 grams of fiber a day.

Fiber helps a person manage or lose weight (fell fuller), lower cholesterol, and curb diabetes or blood glucose spikes.  Adequate daily fiber also helps with bowel regularity and prevents diverticulosis, a colon disease that affects nearly half of Americans older than 60.

Cheers, Julie

Women from all walks of life are making tough choices about money in Ohio. There is never enough money for all the things we’d like to have, let alone money to pays bills on time and feed our families daily.  Ohio Treasurer Keven L. Boyce’s office is providing financial education and resources to women across Ohio this summer in the The Smart Money Choices Tour.  Each week the tour is in a different location to provide a day of motivational speakers and information for woman to learn more about credit and debt, basic budgeting, becoming a homeowner in this economy, insurance, identity theft, kids and money, and retirement planning.  All classes are free, no cost to Ohio women.

Are you ready to sign up and attend a free day of classes that includes lunch and special guest speakers at each location?  Go to http://www.ohiotreasurer.gov/ and click on Smart Money Choices.  The following dates are still available to sign up for:

• July 17th at Akron University Student Center
• July 24th Cleveland State University
• July 31st Wright Patterson Air Force Base
• August 28th in Marietta.

Managing money in tough times is not easy. These workshops across Ohio will teach and encourage woman:

• how to cope with stress when income changes
• How to keep a roof overhead, whether you rent or own
• how to  stretching food dollars with the increasing cost of foods
• strategies for reducing food costs by buying fresh foods, cooking and portion control
• finding ways to free up cash from services such as utilities, cell phones, TV and computer services.

Theses classes are taught by the experts in each field and Ohio State University Extension Educators across Ohio. This is a great opportunity to learn, make new friends, and change your life with new strategies on individual financial planning.  These classes will provide participants with the necessary tools to help them thrive in this economy.