practical and meaningful

heirloom tomatoes

I am in LOVE with heirloom tomatoes. The color, the shape, the taste,  the smell, the beauty, the versatility! 

I am like Lloyd Dobbler

Customize Your Savings Strategy

Getting back to “Say Anything”…did Lloyd Dobbler lose in the end? No. Why? Because of a good movie script. And why else? Because he:

· assessed his situation

· developed a smart plan of attack

· didn’t lose sight of long-term goals

Same goes for investing when the sky is falling.

Cyndi Finkle agrees, “As a personal finance saver - I am continuing on my path of saving as much as I can, consistently, and not letting the crazy markets derail my efforts. I have separate savings accounts for the college fund 529, the private school fund, retirement fund, vacation fund, and emergency fund. I have auto savings into all the separate accounts.”

Maybe your approach is like Cyndi’s – or maybe you’ve found other strategies that work best.

How are you staying smart in the face of another stock market crash?

enjoy the last few weeks of summer!

my inner athlete

I grew up playing sports. Competing helped shape me to be the person I am today. Diciplined. Confident. Strong. A team player.

I competed in track and field when I was younger and then volleyball, basketball, softball throughout high school. I have had 7 knee surgeries from my term as an athlete. I have coached, played for fun, and competed on winning teams.

I won MVP once, and was consistently voted most inspirational player. I was positive and encouraging and a team player. I loved competing and being part of a team. I still remember the coaches who encouraged me to to give 110% percent (Thank you Ms. Murphy and Mr. Grimes and Mr. Scott).

Lately,  I have lost my inner athlete.  The past few years have been buried with work and life and I have lost touch with what it felt like to be athletic and svelte.  It is hard to find time to go to the gym, or go for a run. I have not played volleyball in years. My husband is in the best shape of his life thanks to Crossfit and it is time for me get back in touch with my inner athlete.

 

eyntkice

I am being interviewed on the local news today about my eyntkice - everything you need to know in case of emergency.  It is my log book of all the pertinent information anyone would need to know if I died tomorrow. Bank account info, life insurance info, trust info, log in info, contact info, investment info, family info - ETC.

Being practical and proactive with important information is not optional.  Are you up to date on everything? If not, take time this month and get your affairs in order. Check in with your family to make sure they have their affairs in order. Create your trust. Get life insurance. Be practical.

wheelbarrow = cellphone

For weeks before her eleventh birthday my daughter hinted, asked, and begged to have a cell phone. My husband told her that he was going to give her a wheelbarrow for her birthday.

She played along at first, then got annoyed, then had a heart to heart talk with us where she said that she was "on to us" and that she knew that wheelbarrow = cellphone.

So at her birthday dinner celebration, he went out to his car and pulled out the wheelbarrow. He actually bought her a wheelbarrow. AND. inside of it was a sparkly purple cellphone. Amazing. She was beside herself. We talked through the rules of a cellphone - and he told her that the calls were limited, no internet, and she could have only 200 texts a month.

I sent her the first text saying Happy Birthday and she said to me in the car - Mom - i am not going to respond because I do not want to waste one of my texts. Is that OK?  Yes it is OK.

Now she has been in Chicago for ten days with my husband, and while we have had FACE TIME twice, she has not called me once. The only text she sent asked me to send her a photo of Daisy - our dog. When I did, she said thank you. So far, so good.

Just got word that her new friends at camp told her that her Dad is torturing her - as they send at least 200 texts a day.

We will monitor it closely, give reigns as they are earned, and relish in the fact that she is acting responsibly.

math for life

I have a very practical approach to finances and money and savings. I am working on a series of books about money called Math for Life which will incorporate real life money tips, advice, and systems to live a happy financial life.

It will be for kids, tweens/teens, and people in their 20's, 30's, and 40's.

So much to know. Simple steps you can take to improve your credit, manage your budget, and live a financially satisfying life.

stay tuned.

practical and meaningful is going to BlogHer!

hope to see you there! cyndi

what are the chances?

Today is my daughter's Eleventh birthday and Gj and NANA both sent her the exact same card - from Texas! I think it is going to be a GREAT year!

simplify

On a quest to make things work better, feel better, and mean more.

I am going to reduce commitments. I am going to partner with others. I will accomplish more, with less effort. I will create purpose. I will have some fun. I will hire a driver. I will refine systems. I will master my scanner and sort the files on my computer. I will be seen. I will simplify.