It seems right now many people are stressed. I’m not simply talking about the stress that comes with economic uncertainty, but I’m seeing fewer smiles on people’s faces. I’m seeing more blogs with angry comments. I’m seeing more hopelessness.

Since the focus of this blog is living a life of balance as well as financial principles I decided to take a look at what stress costs each of us.

Now, I’m not an economist. Remember, I started this blog because I’ve lived it. Therefore, I won’t have some speculation based on a fancy equation by a long-dead mathematician. I’m going to look at things all of us can measure.

1. Stress can cost you an entire meal when a bad phone call comes while you’re fixing supper.
2. Stress can cost you an evening of fun with your kids when you allow the office to follow you home.
3. Stress can cost you quite a bit on your grocery bill when you are in a hurry or upset. [You tend to buy more when you aren't paying attention.]
4. Stress can cost you. The money for prescriptions to counter the effects of stress.

But what can we do with these? I want to offer something to think about and something to do.

First, the something to do. When you go grocery shopping or to do your errands, leave the house with a list. Before you leave, estimate how much things will cost and take the cash with you. Do not use credit or debits. If you are writing a grocery list and making your weekly meals based on the sales, this will be even easier to do. Give yourself some pad [if it is in the budget] but not too much. You need to stay within your budget.

Next, listen to a favorite CD or a book on CD on your way to the grocery. I borrow them from the library and listen on my way to the grocery and to do other errands. I have truly found about a 15%-20% decrease in my weekly grocery bill when I combine a list, a good mood and CASH ONLY.

The something to think about is this: it is always something!! While that statement is usually said to imply that there is always something to mess things up I think we need to flip it around and recognize that there is always SOMETHING to be thankful for. We need to stop focusing on the fear and focus on the positive. I say this not for some pie-in-the-sky-let’s-all-hold-hands ideal, but rather because I’ve come to realize that no matter how bad my circumstances, there was always SOMETHING good to be found. When I took the time to recognize those good things I was able to accomplish more, spend less, and generally enjoy life.

This blog is about the Balanced Life. That balance recognizes that there will be times when things are not working out as we’d like them to. Sometimes the weight on the BAD side of the scale is extremely large. That is why an arsenal of recognition of the positive is so crucial. You simply pull it out and bring your life back in to balance.

So take the time to ignore the stress. Focus on what you’ve won and are gaining rather than on what you’ve lost.

Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her. She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

For those of you in the Toledo area Kroger is having a great sale on eggs and meat. In honor of this week’s sales I have a couple of recipes to share.

Sale
Ground Beef- $1.88/lb
Buy 1 box of Rice-A-Roni [beef flavor]

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. When it is completely brown drain off fat leaving a tablespoon still in the pan. Pour in the Rice-A-Roni and cook according to package directions. Add a salad, vegetable and drink and you have a quick meal your kids will eat and you will enjoy. If you want leftovers use more ground beef &/or Rice-A-Roni.

Sale
Eggs 98 cents a dozen
Kroger Value Bacon $1.71/package

For a quick breakfast brown up the bacon the night before. Then, in the morning, toast an English muffin and fry your egg. You can enjoy a relaxing breakfast at home for less than $1 by adding some Jam to your muffin and brewing a cup of coffee.

If you need to eat on the run use a small sauce pan [the kind that holds about 1 cup of liquid. Calphanon has a great one for this.] butter it and crack the egg. Put the burner on medium and cover. Turn once. The egg will be done about the same time as the English muffin. Check to be sure the yolk is solid, build your sandwich with some cheese and out the door. Save money and time from the Fast Food places.

Chicken
Whole Chickens are 89 cents a lb at Kroger.

Buy a chicken [about $5] and put it in the crockpot before you leave. Throw in a bag of those mini-carrots and a can of broth. When you get home add a salad and rolls and you have a meal for the whole family waiting in 5 minutes for less than $8.

And tomorrow the left over broth and pieces of chicken will make a great base for Chicken Dumplings.

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Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her. She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

It seems everyone has an opinion these days about how we got in to the financial mess and how we’re going to get out. In fact, as I was reading through some articles in preparation for today’s post I had to laugh. The cover of the economist shows a fish luring the other fish to certain death. The cover says “The World Economy and the Peril of Optimism.” [I have tried to link to it here]

I’m going to have to read that story to get a fuller grasp of what they’re saying inside but, on the surface, I’d have to say that optimism is necessary to get out of tough times and live in balance.

The Balanced Life is about Realistic Optimism or, to use what has become a cliche, hope. I don’t mean Obama’s “Yes we Can” political slogan. I’m more in line with the Biblical hope “Confident Expectation of Good.” Sometimes it’s not a matter of what we can do “Yes, I can” but rather it is the understanding that all of life works in cycles. Unfortunately, that means that there will be times of market correction.

For the individual reading this blog, what does it mean? It means using some of the things I’ve taught. Money saving ideas, ways to trim your food budget, fun nights at home are all proactive manifestations of hope.

I can tell you for a fact that you feel way better about your prospects when you have a good day at work vs. getting a collections call. So, while optimism and hope alone will not produce change they can be the fuel of enginuity that takes your idea forward.

So, with all this theoretical, let’s bring it to a practical place.  What is your actual financial goal. I want you to think about this beyond simply “getting by”. Where is it you’d like to be in 3 years? Is what you’re doing conducive with that? If you want to be debt free then your first task isn’t making more money-your first task is spending less. While on the surface that seems to be worse when you recognize your long term goal…it is exciting. Just like a spoiled child who receives everything it asks for, we get no joy if we get everything we want the moment we want it. There is joy that comes with hard work and building toward a goal-then accomplishing it.

Write out your goal. Now start to do it.

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Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her.     She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

There is a stereotypical belief that women are tempted by sales. I would have to agree that there is a measure of truth in this. We like to feel we are getting great bargains.

I read a story over 10 years ago that said that, while women are perceived to be spenders, it is actually men who tend to spend larger amounts of money on “toys”. This was because women will buy a $200 outfit with accessories, but men will by a snow mobile.

The key to being able to buy both of these things without destroying your relationship is to NOT buy stuff on credit and to set money aside for it.

“But that will take years!!” I hear you saying. The reality is either way you go it will take years to purchase. One way it will take years to save up. The other it will take years to pay off [plus cost THOUSANDS more in interest].

To be clear, I’m not promoting a “matress” mentaility where we all stuff our money away and hoard it. What I am suggesting is balance. Don’t buy EVERYTHING you can afford. Make sure there is money left after your paycheck. Have smaller indulgece. I won’t say to avoid eating out entirely, but eat a little less, take advantage of specials and tip your server well. [You can spend $4 on a dessert you'll feel guilty about later OR add that money to a tip and help someone else in a down economy.]

If you’re married or share expenses with a partner you need to have an agreement about how money is spent and STICK TO IT. Make sure each person knows how much spending money they have. Then do with your spending money what you will. Instead of impulse buying and throwing the entire budget off, have a “fun money allowance” for each of you to do with what you will-guilt free and without comment from the other.

Remember, it isn’t spending that is bad, just as eating that isn’t bad. It is the over-indulgence of both that will lead to problems later on.

Do you have a clever saving tip? Share it with us!

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Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her.     She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

I’ve offered a few different ideas on ways to save money. I’ll list three of them below:

1. Rounding every withdrawl to the nearest dollar in your checkbook. I have found this results in an average of 50 cents PER transaction. That means every debit, every check. That can add to substantial amounts of money at the end of each month to get out of debt!!

2. The old “coins in a jar”. When I was younger that was our spending money on vacation. Usually there was about $120-$130 in the coin jar at the end of a year. It was a pretty good way to do things!

3. Take 5% of what you earn off the top and move it to savings before you pay a single bill. This, of course, means you need to be living within your means first.

Today I want to talk about what you’re saving for! One issue people who are out of balance run in to is what to do with that money. Savers see it as a safety net, a source of security, and go in to spasms of fear and guilt at the idea of spending a penny of it.  Spenders get itchy fingers as they see that balance climb. They begin to focus on all the things they’ve been denying themselves.

I suggest having two savings accounts. Longterm and Shortterm. Then name them. If you’re saving for new windows on your house or a new car, decide which account that is and how much of the money you save each month goes to that goal. By the same token decide how much of your money is for “Emergency Fund” and how high you’ll let that go. There needs to be a limit [I'd say a year's expenses] so you don’t become compulsive about it [yes, I'm talking to all the spenders out there.]

Have a goal for all the money in your account. And if you have to use some, build it back up. We’re going to explore this topic a bit more in this week’s webinar. We’re doing final testing the beginning of this week and everyone signed up for The Balance Sheet who indicated “Webinars” will be notified when enrollment is open.

In the meantime, use what you’ve learned here and we’ll look forward to talking to you again soon!

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Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her.     She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

With April will come the launch of Free Webinars on both this website and my Writing Career Coach website. I’ve decided to limit each webinar to 10 people so there will be plenty of time to ask questions. If you want to be notified about upcoming webinars and topics FIRST please sign up for The Balance Sheet using the form on the right. If you are already signed up, you will receive word soon on how to register.

Each month I will cover the SAME topic each week so, if you can’t make the first one, you won’t miss out. I will schedule some during the day, some on weekends, and some in the evening.

But until then, what can you do to save money? What can you do to get in balance.

Today I want to address the issue of coupons. When should you use them, and when aren’t they helpful.

For years I was a huge coupon shopper. I used them for EVERYTHING. If there was a coupon, I bought it. I loved the feeling of seeing “You saved $50 on this order” at the bottom of my receipt.

But when we had to really cut back expenses I had to reevaluate the usefulness of coupons. Below are just a few tips on when to use coupons and when it may be better to leave them at home.

Use Coupons when:

-It is a product or brand you usually use [or is cheaper than your usual brand]

-Using the coupon will give you large savings on something you would normally buy [ex: buy 1 gallon of milk and get 1 dz eggs free]

-It can be combined with in-store savings to get a special treat for a low price. [Sometimes it's nice to treat the kids, or yourself, as long as it isn't a weekly habit.]

Watch out when:

-They require you to purchase 2 of an item for 75 cents off. Many stores double coupons these days so using a lower coupon on one item and getting it doubled will save you more money.

-It isn’t something you usually use AND it is not something you’d buy without a coupon.

-When it becomes a compulsion to see “amount saved” rather than actually saving money on your grocery bill.

The bottom line is to make coupons a means to savings, not a game where you try to save a percentage. If you save 30% on your grocery bill but end up paying $25 more than you would have without using coupons [by buying generic or not purchasing the product at all] then coupon-free is your best option.

So sign up to hear about the free webinars and I’ll see you soon!!

Receive notification when new tips are posted by subscribing here.

Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her.     She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

Money Saving Ideas is a section designed for any person, no matter their current financial situation. This section has a variety of tips on saving money in different areas. If is for people who want to save money, or NEED to.

Today’s tip is simple and delicious. Buy a chicken.

I was at my local grocery [Toledo, OH] this past week and whole chickens were only $3-$4. Did you know you could make 3 meals out of a single chicken? It’s true. Roast it on day one. Boil it on day two. Skim off the meat when you boil it and mix it with refried beans to make a yummy chicken and bean burrito. On day 3 you have the base to Chicken noodle soup, chicken with dumplings or, Chicken vegetable soup. Not only will you save money [a $4 chicken spread over 3 days is pretty economical] but you’ll save time!!

And don’t forget about the health benefits.

The Balanced Life has some exciting things coming. Later this week I’ll begin launching tips for people facing Cancer and other sudden illnesses. As the wife of a recent cancer survivor I understand the emotional and financial turmoil of that disease.

I’ll also be announcing the star of our webinars. These FREE thirty minute events will share tips on living a balanced life as well as offer you the opportunity to ask questions. Make sure you let others know. Each week we’ll be able to accomodate up to 22 participants which gives lots of opportunities for people to take advantage of it. Sign up using The Balance Sheet sign up on the right and click “webinars”.

I’ll see you tomorrow with more tips to help you live the balanced life.

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Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her.     She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

Money Saving Ideas is a section designed for any person, no matter their current financial situation. This section has a variety of tips on saving money in different areas. If is for people who want to save money, or NEED to.

Here is a simple tip to help you save up money each month that you can use to reduce debt, save for a little “extra” or whatever else you might need. Round all the numbers up in your checkbook. There are checking accounts that will do this for you [some of them for a fee] but what I found is that rounding all the withdraws [checks and debits] up to the nearest dollar and all my deposits DOWN to the nearest dollar I’m able to stash a tidy sum each month.

Consider this. If you made one debit transaction each day and wrote five additional checks each month that would be 35 transactions [75 if you and your spouse both did it]. What if each transaction only rounded up by 25 cents. That would be almost $20 in one month that you’d NEVER realize was gone. It’s like a high tech coin jar. In my experience it ends up being about $30-$40 per month.

I hope you enjoyed the tips and tricks from The Balance Sheet. And if this is your first time visiting our website sign up to get the blog postings [there are 3-4 per week...not too many] and the monthly newsletter. We hope you will also leave a comment about ways you’ve learned to save money, spend less and live a more balanced life.

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Bio
Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her.     She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

We all need to eat, right? This area gives great ways to save money on your food budget without feeling deprived. Some of these recipes are great to eat as a family and others are nice enough to serve to guests. What all of them have in common is that they are easy on the bank account AND taste buds.

Crepes

Crepes are more than super thin pancakes, in Brittany, France they are a cultural tradition. In this month’s newsletter, the Balance Sheet, I give a number of great fillings to serve with these crepes. What I like about this recipe is they are simple enough that a child can help mix them but elegant enough to serve when company comes over. If money is tight you can fill them with less expensive fillings. When celebrating a special occasion you can jazz them up a bit.

Be sure to sign up for the newsletter so you receive it when it releases next week.

Crepes

2 1/4 cup flour [Use all-purpose flour. The others may not work as well]

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups Milk

3 eggs

2 tablespoons melted butter [I sometimes use olive oil]

Mix the dry ingredients, the add the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a large skillet and spread it around with a pastry brush. Add just under 1/2 cup batter to the center of the pan and rotate it as you pour in the batter [you want this to cover the bottom of the pan and be as thin as possible.

Cook unit it looks dry on top and the bottom is brown. Then flip the crepe and cook the other side for a minute or two. Stack the crepes on a plate and keep them covered so they don't dry out.

You can do them ahead and refrigerate up to 2 days [or freeze up to 3 months].

This recipe costs less than $1 and, depending on the filling, can feed a family of six or more.

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Bio
Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her.     She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.

Money Saving Ideas is a section designed for any person, no matter their current financial sitation. This section has a variety of tips on saving money in different areas. If is for people who want to save money, or NEED to.
Decide your weekly meals ahead.

It never ceases to amaze me the way my food budget creeps up every time I decide it isn’t necessary to plan our dinners before going grocery shopping. Why is this? Well, I have a few theories.
1.    I always realize that I forgot to get a main ingredient. That means I have to zip to the grocery to buy a can of tomatoes. Of course, while I’m there I need to pick up 7 other things…and a 99cent movie from the self-serve kiosk. So that silly can of tomatoes just cost me $15.
2.    The next reason it costs me more is I spent thirty minutes each night figuring out what to make. While I’m trying to see what ingredients I ACTUALLY have the kids are devouring every snack known to man. No wonder I go through pretzels and apples so fast.
3.    And on time, they say time is money so how much time am I wasting every day trying to figure out meals?
4.    It cuts down impulse buying. Instead of getting everything you MIGHT need at the grocery, I’m only buying the things I know I WILL need. That alone can cut many food budgets! It cut ours in HALF!
I’m sure I’ll come up with more another day. This is just what I have so far. Think I’d love to hear from some of you on ways you’ve saved money on groceries. I’ll share them with the readers. You’ll be famous.

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Bio
Tiffany Colter is a passionate freelance writer whose credits include Today’s Christian, Charisma Magazine, Toledo Business Journal, and the Afictionado E-zine. Tenacious in her approach not only to create a great story, but also to mentor other writers, Tiffany can always be found in the presence of a book or laptop. A former world traveler who is fluent in three languages, she strives to reach those who are hurting around her.     She enjoys helping others build a strong business and writes a daily marketing blog for writers called the Writing Career Coach and a common-sense money management site, TheBalancedLife.com. Tiffany lives outside Toledo, OH with her husband, a recent cancer survivor, and their four girls.