1. Install shelves in large cabinets. Some spaces are very large (you could park a small car in there) and when you put items in there you end up with a lot of space above the items. This is wasted space that could be used for more items. By installing removable shelves you can adjust each shelf at a height that will allow you to store three to four times as many items. You can fill up the space that was previously wasted.

2. Heavy on the bottom, light on the top. Always put the heaviest things on the bottom of cabinets. When you need a large pot, or a large bag of rice, you will find it easier to lift the item up to the countertop than to try to wrestle it down from a high shelf. You will also pay attention to proper lifting techniques, bend your legs, keep your back straight, and lift slowly while controlling the item. Safety first! Light objects, like potato chips or coffee filters, will do best on top shelves. It stands to reason that the items on the top shelves will be smaller and they, therefore, will occupy spaces that are smaller and/or closer together. Divide up your items by size and weight and distribute them high or low depending upon how easy they are to handle when you have to get them out of the cabinet.

3. Group like objects together. For example, put all (or most) of your baking items in the same area of the kitchen. There’s no need to walk all over the room trying to collect the things that you need to bake your bread. Designate areas for specific purposes. All the baking things should be in one area, all your laundry items should be by the washing machine, all cleaning supplies should be in a separate cabinet in the garage or the laundry room. Try never to put poisons anywhere near your food supplies.

4. Store some things on your countertop. If you have machines, like a toaster, microwave oven, convection oven, bread maker, etc., that you normally use on the countertop, see if that item will be okay to leave in the area that it is used. If it can, then that is the place for it. This will save a lot of cabinet area for other items. The top of the refrigerator is also a good place to store some things that are light enough to go up there. Be sure to put only light objects up this high because you must always assume that someone could get hurt if the item falls unexpectedly.

The task of raising responsible children is placed directly on the shoulders of their parents to educate and demonstrate healthy financial habits. The best way to teach your children about the world of money is to be responsible yourself. Let the kids learn be doing, but let your good habits act as the form. Start early by showing kids how you successfully pay bills, how you earn money by working, and how you deal with those emergencies that pop up unexpectedly. If it becomes necessary to supplement your income (who among us has not wanted extra cash?) with a loan, then show the children how to navigate through the forms and procedures, and most importantly, teach them that paying back the loan is of prime importance, no matter what! You do not want them to get these cash advances themselves, but you want to show them that there is a responsible way to accomplish it.

Of course, it would be best if all financial matters in life never involved credit or loans of any type. In this society, however, it is all but impossible to avoid unforeseen expenses when they occur. The important thing is that, in teaching kids about these matters, it is imperative to show them that there is a way to avoid financial ruin by being responsible. Teaching by example is really the only way to get the message across to kids when dealing with life’s myriad complications.  In addition to our own good financial habits, having the kids work hands on with their own financial matters, makes the lessons real for them. Start with small items, like letting them buy something and see to it that they understand that paying for what you get is honest. As the kids grow, let them handle a few simple things in the household, like paying the telephone bill, with your supervision of course. The lessons learned at home will be carried throughout their lives. You will be rewarded with children who will make you proud of their responsible ways, and they will bless you for showing them how to be responsible citizens.

Interest, the tough part of any pay back system, is the least understood part of any loan. It is easy enough to understand. People just choose to ignore this part of the loan until they have to write out the monthly check. Just the excitement of getting the money for your purchase clouds the somewhat hidden aspects of borrowing money on time. You see, interest isn’t a bad thing, it’s how the lending institutions are able to stay in business. The difficult part comes in when people don’t pay the monthly bills as they should and then the interest starts to compound (and other late fees are added). The more this situation continues, the worse it gets, until the person can no longer make any payments, they lose their house (or other item), and their credit score is trashed. None of these bad things has to happen. Let’s look at a few remedies.

1. Understand the loan. What are you signing when you take money from a lender? Ask questions to really get to the bottom of what is happening from both sides of the bargaining table. What are your responsibilities? Are you able to handle the payments every month? How does this loan fit into your budget? If you can’t reasonably pay back the money, then don’t enter into the agreement. Put off the purchase until you can handle the loan responsibly.

2. Get "monthly" out of your head. This single aspect of credit buying represents the biggest problem for most people. This is the tactic most salesman use to rope in a client. They talk only about the "monthly payments" as if this is the only factor. We hear only the monthly amount, it doesn’t sound too expensive, and we sign on the dotted line. Our shortsightedness will lead to disaster. Think long term – to the end of the loan period and think of the total amount of the loan. If these numbers can be handled easily, then you are probably going to be able to pay it back.

3.Never borrow if you don’t really need to borrow. Use cash whenever possible to avoid having to pay interest. Save up for large purchases and hold off whenever you can in buying expensive items that you may not really need. In short, learn to be responsible for your actions and decisions. If you need a place to live, however, then getting a mortgage loan makes sense. In the case of housing yourself, buying is preferable to renting. Renting is throwing away money because you will never get it back later on. Buying a house makes sense because, when you sell it many years later, you are likely to get your money back and something extra. For a large purchase then, using credit is wise.

4. To save money with credit, be responsible in using it. Only use credit when there is no other way to accomplish buying what is absolutely necessary. Never, for example, use credit to buy groceries or other household items. Reserve the credit card for things like emergency medical bills, or to maintain your home in case of breakdown of appliances, or to replace something in the car that wears out. You will save money by not using credit and by using credit judiciously.

1. You’re the boss when it comes to making decisions for your retirement. You really cannot count on anyone else (the company, accountants, lawyers, or your brother-in-law) to give you sound advice on how to live your life in retirement. None of them have your best interests in mind. In point of fact, you should have a plan in place well before you plan to retire, and that plan should be independent of the company who provides your paycheck. The old adage that states that you should never put all your eggs in one basket works well. For example, if your retirement plan is funded by the company that you work for, and that company should go out of business, you are out of luck. There is no way that you will be able to get your retirement package from a defunct company. There are plenty of examples that show that companies look to fire employees when they are approaching retirement so that the company doesn’t have to honor retirement agreements. In cases like that, you are out of a job, and out of whatever benefits that you thought you may have had. It is much better to build a retirement savings that is safe from any job change that might occur.

2. Get a side job. Depending upon how much time you have (weekends, evenings) you could get something to bring in a few extra bucks. In cases where the main job might fall apart, your side income then provides something that can pay the bills. You might even use the side job to fund the retirement account. Make it a rule to save all the second job money in the retirement account. This would give you assurance that your savings account will be funded every week and it will provide peace of mind in an emergency situation.

3. Use age fifty as a sign to revamp your retirement plans. When you reach this age sit down with pencil and paper and look at your situation. Do you have a good plan? Will it last until you retire and give you and your family enough money to live on? What ever your plan looks like, good, bad, or otherwise, make a decision to really save more in the next fifteen years (or at whatever age you want to retire). This is the time to cut back on trivial expenditures and to devote every penny to your retirement fund. If possible, have a few different places in which to save money. For example, you might have a savings account in a bank, an IRA, and a 401K with the company where you are employed. Be sure to keep all of these accounts separate from each other. Never combine them into one location or into one account. You are better off with three or four small amounts of money that come in each month than you are trying to get one big amount coming from a single source. This is your money we are talking about – take care of it so you don’t lose it when the next governmental calamity happens.

1. The physical act of aging, you know, getting older, is something that all of us want to happen. (If you say "no" to that, then do you want to alternative? I didn’t think so.) Anyway, most people would prefer to grow very old in order to enjoy a full life. We can’t hold back Father Time but we can make a commitment to age gracefully. Think of old people whom you might have met at an occasion who struck you as being satisfied with their lives, who did great things, who had great attitudes. These people may have inspired you to want to be like them. Some old people (who never strike us as being "old") seem to be so settled in their life that one may wonder if the serenity that we see before us is brought on by advanced years. It isn’t. It is the product of a good attitude toward life. We can grow old, or we can grow better; it’s our choice. Our attitude is reflected in our appearance at any age. Pick out some old people (whether you are acquainted with them or not) with whom you are impressed because of their excellent attitude toward life and living and use them as an excellent example of how to grow older. You may not have to follow them exactly, but you can take a few hints from their lifestyle that appeal to you now. Form your own plan as time goes on; your mind will stay focused and you will be interested in seeing what tomorrow will bring to your life.

2. Exercise your body and your mind will benefit. The human body was meant to move, not sit. Oddly, our technologically insane society is one of the main culprits in destroying our lives. We were meant to walk, run, jump, and breathe, but our society has caused us to sit and rot. Inactivity has been proven to make us sick and dead time and time again. To make matters worse, we sit in cars, buses, and trucks where we breathe in toxic fumes while many of us deliberately poison ourselves with tobacco products. Add to that mess the high stress that ensues because we are trapped in these vehicles while we are inert and poisoned. If you wanted to invent the ultimate torture to kill someone, there’s no need; we already have it – every morning and every evening as we go to our jobs to make money to buy the gadgets of our own destruction. Looking for a better way? It’s easier than you think. Put the health of your mind and body first. Then, construct your life in such as a way that you exercise most of the time (it’s called walking) and you avoid the contraptions of this society the least amount of your time. Make physical moving at home, at the office, when shopping, your priority. Never ride when you can walk; never walk when you can run; never sit when you can get off your buns. The more you move your body, the more your mind will benefit because of the increased oxygen to the brain. Your mind will think more clearly; your outlook will improve, and you will find yourself enjoying the fresh air.

3. Nutrition is your best friend. Of the many things that we do to destroy ourselves daily, eating ranks as one of the worst. Most of us do not eat food. We must define "food" as nutritional substances that nourish our bodies to make us strong so that we can enjoy life to the fullest. That crap that you shovel into your face each day that you got from the fast food store, or the gas station, isn’t food. It doesn’t nourish your body, and it is killing you. Your mind is dependent upon your body; if the body is in bad shape, so goes the mind after it. The food supply in this society has been eroded steadily for the past few decades by greedy companies that have taken control of the government. These companies think only of money – not people, not food – and their greed has no bounds. Eat the garbage that they advertise and you will die, but not before giving them all your money. The advertisements that brainwash us daily in all forms of media, television, radio, billboards, and so on, cause us to buy these non-food products. It is a finely tuned machine. If a person wishes to eat well, he or she must have a strong will to ignore all the advertisements and to learn what real food is, and where to get it. Look to Nature to provide food. Whole food, grown on organic farms and sold to you by the farmer is the only place to get food. Or you may want to grow it yourself if you have the knowledge. Our bodies only respond healthily to real food. We feel light and fit; we are able to feel unbounded energy all day, and our mind becomes alert, happy, and forward thinking. Stop buying your sustenance in the supermarket, or the gas station. Instead, find out where organically grown, fresh food is available and treat your body (and mind) to real nutrition. You can’t get nourishment from a plastic wrapper, a fast food place, or a barbeque pit.

One way to save money is to spend more – on quality. Although this is not a new idea, it is worth revisiting. When we buy a car, computer, or other expensive item, look at the item in terms of whether it will be a useful tool for us in ten years. If the answer is yes, then we will want to spend a little more on the best model, or the best features, or – and this is the most important factor – the best item in terms of longevity. We don’t want to have to buy a new item (like a computer) every three months because it has gone out of date. Buy a computer that you figure will last for a decade without having to spend a fortune every time the next little doodad comes out. Buy your car sensibly, it is transportation, not a toy, so spend what you have to to get the most reliable transportation. In other words, spend the money on a better model, not extraneous junk.

A second way to save is to forget the "bells and whistles". You are better off with a standard model of something rather than a cheesy version with a bunch of extras that serve no purpose. Get your entertainment by going bowling (or whatever) instead of trying to cram in all sorts of useless junk into your car, or computer. This coming year the manufacturers are gearing up to sell more gadgets and toys for those unfortunate enough to be dazzled by them. We will see "extra features" included with the higher end models – and we’ll pay dearly for them. The standard models will be played down. The smart shopper will ignore the hype and instead buy a more standard model even if he or she will spend more overall for a higher quality item. Don’t be fooled by the advertisers’ ubiquitous sales pitches; stick to your common sense, and buy what you need rather than buying what is being sold.

Another way to save money this year is to realize that you may not have to spend anything on a new item. Look at the old item and see if it still works to your satisfaction. Maybe the car just needs a tune-up, or a really good cleaning. If it still gets you to work, then why buy another one? It would be much better to spend a couple hundred on the old car than it would be to spend several thousand on a new one. Likewise with your electronic gadgets. Look at your possessions as tools that you need to get through your day. If the tools are still working, then there is no reason to waste money on new ones. Stop immersing yourself in the daily brainwashing that you find on the radio, TV, billboards, and other media. And, for Heaven’s sake, stop trying to keep up with the Joneses; they don’t have the answers either!

It is for each of us to determine the quality of our own personality. To do this we might judge the quality of our relationships with others. Do we attract others to us when we walk into the room? Do our co-workers smile easily at us and make eye contact? Do we get an overall feeling that most people like to have us around? If yes to these assessments then we probably possess personality traits that are, not only adequate, but also pleasing to others. On the other hand, if we can clear a room just by walking into it, or if people subtly fail to make eye contact, or if they find a way of avoiding talking to us, then there may be something missing from our personality; something that we might want to consider adding so that we, and they, will be more comfortable.

Adding personality traits is not easy. We are what we are, but we can change, and/or expand our repertoire of thoughts and actions to make life more palatable. If you have decided to improve your personality, here are some things to consider:

1. Start with an attitude towards wanting to improve yourself. All changes come from within; if you don’t believe in an idea, you cannot make it your own. One good way to make yourself more pleasing to someone else is to reverse your thoughts. That is, ask yourself what that other person would want, or like to see, coming from you. Or, if you were that other person, what would please you the most? Your ability to understand what the other person would see as comfortable dictates your success in this exercise. Start with a trusted friend or family member where, if you make a mistake, it will be easily dismissed. Be sure not to tell the other person beforehand what it is that you are trying to do. With practice you will develop the ability to understand others and you will be able to understand yourself.

2. Practice your approach to other people. Make eye contact and tell yourself that this person is worth knowing. A quick nod of your head, along with a genuine smile, will tell the other person that you like them as a person. This little sequence has a magical effect on other folks. They will be quick to respond in kind and you will have had a pleasant moment – and so will they. If you initiate the eye contact, nod, and smile, the other person will see you as a nice person, and you will have developed a great personality trait.

3. When appropriate, stick out your hand to greet the other person. Shake hands firmly while making eye contact. This gesture will make the other person feel that you have a good personality because you have singled them out to give them a warm greeting. A firm handshake has energy and this energy is transferred from person to person. We like to associate with high energy people because it makes us feel alive. Avoid the "dead fish" type of handshake. You know, the type of handshake that resembles grabbing a dead fish. This tells the other person that he or she does not want to shake your hand, and that the person has no life energy that they want to share with you. One dead fish handshake will cause people to run away from you because of an obvious bad attitude. So, keep the handshake grasp firm and meaningful so that the other person will know that you are someone with whom they would want to congregate.

4. Smile and laugh easily, but not inappropriately. If there is a good joke being told, wait until the punch line and then laugh without forcing it. A person who laughs while they are talking is viewed by others as moronic. Listen to the content of the message being spoken. If it is a serious subject then let your feelings show this. In all communications let honest emotions show that you understand the message. If you are the speaker, then be mindful of what you are trying to communicate, be it a joke, some serious information, or an amusing story. Your ability to communicate accurately to others, so that they have the opportunity to appropriately respond, marks you as having a good personality; you have made conversation easy and people tend to appreciate that. Recall a time when you met someone who spoke to you and who made it easy for you to understand and to communicate your honest feelings. You will probably recall that you thought of them as having a great personality.

5. Develop patience and understanding for everyone – if possible. Not everyone is easy to tolerate. Remember that your decision to improve your personality is not only your idea. Others may be trying to improve their communication skills too, so we must be willing to help out where we can – if we can. Our ability to tolerate the ineptitude of others (on occasion) is a wonderful personality trait to develop, and to practice. Patience, tolerance, and understanding in every encounter with others will be seen as a good personality. Once again, recall some instance in the past where you were trying to communicate something – and you were doing it badly – and the other person demonstrated patience and understanding towards you. There’s no doubt that, if they were practiced at this art, that you thought of them in the highest regard; you appreciated their tolerance in letting you make a mistake without punishing you for making it. We take such instances as learning episodes, and we laude our listeners, as we take a lesson from their great personalities.

1. The cost of health insurance is high. Just like the dreaded car insurance that is mandatory, health insurance, now that it has been made mandatory, will have competing companies raising their rates in order to make more money than their competitors. They know that all of us have no choice but to purchase from somewhere, so it is a field day for insurance salespeople. About thirty years ago, when I wanted to protect my family from any big medical expenses, I purchased a rider to my home owners insurance package. It cost me about three hundred dollars per year for the four of us with a one thousand dollar deductible. Thus, we were safe from really serious medical  problems, and luckily, I never had to use the insurance. Today, the cost for a family of four would probably be in the neighborhood of two thousand dollars per month with a ten thousand dollar deductible and many other add-on fees. But wait, remember the part where I never had to use the insurance? Most people are healthy, never needing to go for medical services. Why should they have to pay for insurance? I elected to have some coverage because I was able to afford it, and the kids were little – you never know what can happen. But today, whether you want it or not, you must pay out huge sums for something that you may never need. Possible solution: shop around and bargain with several companies. Sales people make commissions on sales, not good looks. They have to sell their product; make them work for it.

2. When a person goes to purchase insurance, there are numerous qualifications. If you are in perfect health, have never sneezed in your whole life, and your genetics show fifteen generations of your family have never even sneezed once in their entire lives, you can probably get the best rates available. But, if you have had the normal diseases that everyone gets, a few broken bones here and there, or you have sneezed more than once in your life, the rates are going to be very high. The more indicators of past medical problems, the higher the rates will go. Even worse, if you have had any serious health problems, most insurance companies with refuse to cover you. You see, just like all insurance companies, the health insurance people only want to cover people who will never put in a claim for benefits. Oddly, who among us wants to put in a claim? Once you do, they will raise your rates, or they will drop you. So, we don’t want to put in a claim, and the company doesn’t want to have a claim. Sounds like it should be a perfect system, but you will be punished if you use your insurance for that which it was intended. Possible solution: pick your insurance carrier based upon their willingness to help you with the red tape. Do you get the impression that they care about your health, or do they just want your money? If they will refuse you benefits when you are in need, or if they demand that you appear to have never been sick before they will cover you, look elsewhere.

3. Mandatory health insurance is one more example of the government taking away some of your freedom. If you want to not have insurance, you should be allowed to take that option. Maybe you are single and you have a great track record for good health. If you choose to not have insurance, you will probably save the cost of premiums for your whole life. On the other hand, if you have small children and many years to go before they will be out of your protective wing, then you might be wise to purchase insurance – just in case. But it should be your choice, not an interfering government that is promoting socialism. Possible solution: do your research to find another country on this planet where freedom still exists. (If you find one, please let me know!)

4. As it stands, there are few options to the problem of mandatory heath insurance. Possible solution: get somebody else to pay for it. Most people, who are working full time, have health insurance as one of their benefits; it is part of the pay that they receive for services rendered. The patient has a few out-of-pocket expenses but, compared to the premiums, these are incidental. If you are more than sixty-five years of age, you can apply for Medicare. Part A, the part that covers hospital services, is free. Part B, the part that covers doctors services, has a premium that they will deduct from the monthly social security payments that you receive. There are parts C and D, as well, covering other aspects of health care. You do, however, have to be over sixty-five years, and you must be eligible for social security. Anyone who has worked a job for about ten years and who has paid into social security from their paycheck, will qualify. Another way to get coverage is to take advantage of military service. If you are a veteran of any of the armed services, you are eligible to get health care from the Veterans Administration.

Around the country many people (it’s always the silent majority) are heeding the call to stop useless spending on trivial junk. Of course, there is no time that useless spending makes sense, even if you have excess money, but that is what ignorant people have always done in the past. We are seeing less of this behavior in recent months. People are starting to understand that credit is a pool of quicksand that can quickly suck you in and ruin you. Not only the individual, but the whole society suffers when even one careless person is stupid enough to declare bankruptcy, or otherwise default on a debt. People like this are a blight on the community and their attitude is a prime reason that we have so much financial trouble. You see, when a company cannot get the money that they are owed, they simply pass the debt on to those of us who still pay our bills. Hopefully, this trend is losing momentum. Maybe more people are realizing that, when you take on a debt – make a promise to pay for what you have purchased – that you must honor that promise. To do otherwise compromises any integrity that a person may have had.

People are saving money these days any way that they can. They are trying out tried and true methods, like taking ten percent of their paycheck for a savings account, paying themselves first, giving up expensive hobbies in favor of less expensive pursuits – and saving the difference, having garage sales, and eating at home instead of wasting money on expensive restaurants. Saving money is relatively easy. All one has to do is make believe that you don’t have it. For example, let’s say that you make a hundred dollars a week in your paycheck (hopefully more than that, but this is just for illustration). Your savings strategy might be to make believe that you only make ninety dollars. You then will budget your spending so that you have everything covered with ninety dollars. You can then save the remaining ten dollars. For this strategy to work you must be able to budget wisely. Pencil and paper work well for this exercise. Write down all expenses for the week (or month) on one side of the paper. Next, write down the amount of money needed for each expense next to the item. Add up all the numbers for a total expenditure for the time period. Compare this number of dollars with the take home pay from your paycheck. If the paycheck number is higher than the expenditure number, then you have the difference to put into a savings vehicle (mutual fund, CD, IRA, etc.). On the other hand, if the expenditures are higher than the paycheck, you must revisit the items upon which you spend money. Start to question some of those items to see if you can eliminate them. Maybe you can shop more wisely at the grocery store to save a few bucks. Carpooling can cut some of the automobile expenses. Maybe your clothes don’t need to be replaced so often. There are always items that we can do without (or less of them) when we get serious about fitting a budget to our paycheck.

Debt reduction is one of those monstrous endeavors that we dare not ignore. If you have incurred a debt, like a mortgage, car loan, or school loan, then you must pay this amount back to the lender. There really is no choice if you have any integrity. When a job loss occurs and your income plummets significantly, the debt still remains – but now it seems bigger because it dwarfs your income. Regardless of these circumstances, you have the obligation to repay. Fitting a large debt into a budget can be daunting, but it just requires more careful figuring. One important factor is that you want to pay down the principal (along with interest, etc.) with each payment. It does no good to just pay the interest on a loan. You will never get the debt paid, and you will have a constant leak in your money supply. Always pay something, even if it is only fifty dollars per month, on the principal of any loan. Eventually, you will pay off the loan and hopefully you will never again take on a big loan that you cannot afford.

Overall, people seem to be responding to good advice and they are making some head way. Get rid of (repay) those credit debts as soon as possible, restrict spending to necessary items only, and put effort into saving as much as possible. We are not out of the financial woods yet – there are more horrific times coming. The good news is that there are strategies that work and that there are people who are getting ahead – or at least they are not losing ground anymore. Spread the idea that saving money is possible to all the people with whom you are acquainted. Grass roots communication has always been the best way to get a message out to everyone. Tell them that we still live in the greatest country on Earth and that, when people start caring about their lives, and the lives of their neighbors again, we will all benefit. Let’s bring back the "good old days"!

Let’s look at our life at the time of retirement. We’ve done our best in the job of raising a family, we’ve paid all the bills for all those years, and we are ready to start a well deserved vacation. We have certainly earned our rest and we look forward to a life of ease. All this is well and good but we still live in a society that operates on money, the more, the better. Most people feel more comfortable with lots of money. However, since we have stopped working full time we don’t have a steady paycheck coming in the way we did for the previous several decades, we can easily find ourselves in a bind.  The cost of living keeps rising but we must now live on a reduced income. Have we saved enough money to live comfortably?

Retiring comfortably requires preparation. We are wise to set up a solid nest egg at the beginning of our work life; we want this to build steadily throughout our working years. Next, it is very wise to find another source of income, like a part time job, to bring in a steady paycheck. Big or small, it doesn’t have to be as large as your working paycheck; all amounts are welcome! In addition to bringing in more money, it is a good idea to cut back on expenditures wherever possible. Get a smaller car, a less expensive house, eat at home (the food’s better there), choose hobbies and other activities that don’t put pressure on the bank account. For example, instead of going bowling with the guys, which includes beer, pizza, and gas for the car, try staying home, invite the neighbors, and have an evening playing cards, or watching rented movies. The beer costs less in the supermarket, and the rented movies are cheaper than going to a movie theater.

1. Create as large a nest egg as possible.

2. Get a part time job (or other source of income).

3. Reduce or eliminate as many expenditures as possible.

4. Apply for Social Security, you’ve earned it.

5. Get creative with your hobbies, can you make a buck with them?

6. Make a game of saving money whenever possible.

7. Turn out lights when you are not in the room to save on the utility bills.

8. Never put all of your eggs in a single basket. You have worked too hard for your money to lose it.