This is a great tool for your kids. During holidays, I bring the kids grocery shopping and I give them each a budget. Last week it was a measly $7 each. They each get to pick out treats for the week. Chips, candy, whatever. I buys the usual healthy stuff and leave the junk to them. Guess what happens? No, they don't buy fruit. But they walk through the store making decisions like, "If I get those pretzels, I can't get that candy. Those chips are half the price of the other ones." It's pretty funny to watch, when you give them the reigns.
And guess what else! The snacks last longer. There is more of a connection to the value of the treat and the kids don't try and eat everything in 24 hours. They self regulate. (Gasp). Interesting. Try it. Even for sleepovers, I give them a budget. Usually a horribly cheap budget, but they find a way to create a smorgasbord of junk with no work on my end and half the cost. This is a great one to try for New Year's Eve if your kids need a little entertaining. A movie from Red Box and ten bucks of treats of their own choosing.....and they will be set. Try it and see. Makes you wonder. What if we did the same for ourselves? What if we gave ourselves a "budget" for junk food or treats or silly things to do for ourselves? What would we do? Would we use our budget wisely for what we wanted? Would we appreciate what we chose more?
Comments? Click below.
Happy New Year!
Maria
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Simplicity Quote of the Week
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We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. ~Ellen Goodman
Find your potential this year and start walking toward your future!
Happy New Year.
Maria
We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. ~Ellen Goodman
Find your potential this year and start walking toward your future!
Happy New Year.
Maria
Monday, December 22, 2008
Simplicity Values - 5 Cheap Holiday Traditions
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No matter how much money you have, holiday traditions are important. Here are some great traditions that are inexpensive and easy to do.
1. Watch certain movies together each year. Christmas movies or even non-holiday movies. We watched Transformers this season. A bigger than life blockbuster about the small guy becoming the hero is right up our block.
2. The holiday walk, snowball fight, football game, Uno championship. You pick it. Some type of Family Time that you do every year. No cost, just time spent together. See what happens.
3. Do a holiday round up. Have each family member gather giveaways from their closets and toy chests and donate the pile of bags together. Know that your family is making a difference.
4. Light watch. Drive around and look for good holiday lights. There is something peaceful about driving around in the dark with all the magic of holiday lights. If you want to go for a full-fledged dork fest, bring along some Christmas music.
5. Story time. Read a Christmas themed book together over the season. Read a little each night, have hot cocoa with it and see how much the family is brought together.
What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Share in the comments section!
Happy holidays!
Maria
No matter how much money you have, holiday traditions are important. Here are some great traditions that are inexpensive and easy to do.
1. Watch certain movies together each year. Christmas movies or even non-holiday movies. We watched Transformers this season. A bigger than life blockbuster about the small guy becoming the hero is right up our block.
2. The holiday walk, snowball fight, football game, Uno championship. You pick it. Some type of Family Time that you do every year. No cost, just time spent together. See what happens.
3. Do a holiday round up. Have each family member gather giveaways from their closets and toy chests and donate the pile of bags together. Know that your family is making a difference.
4. Light watch. Drive around and look for good holiday lights. There is something peaceful about driving around in the dark with all the magic of holiday lights. If you want to go for a full-fledged dork fest, bring along some Christmas music.
5. Story time. Read a Christmas themed book together over the season. Read a little each night, have hot cocoa with it and see how much the family is brought together.
What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Share in the comments section!
Happy holidays!
Maria
Simplicity Quote of the Week
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And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
~Dr. Seuss
Happy holidays and enjoy what matters!
Maria
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
~Dr. Seuss
Happy holidays and enjoy what matters!
Maria
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Simplicity Values - What Do I Need?
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One of the challenges with the holidays is that our "to do" list quadruples. We have to do all our usual "jobs" and a million other seasonal tasks as well. That is a lot of information, a lot of tasks.
Try this simple tool to save time and money.
Ask yourself, What Do I Need?
Before you leave wherever you are, just stop and run over what you need to do and what you need to bring. Are you leaving a play date? Make sure you have what you need. Going on errands? Just stop for a minute, take a breath and make sure everything you need is with you. Play it out in your head. You will be amazed at how this simple "stop and think" exercise will save you time and money.
Good luck and remember to make the moment happen!
Maria
One of the challenges with the holidays is that our "to do" list quadruples. We have to do all our usual "jobs" and a million other seasonal tasks as well. That is a lot of information, a lot of tasks.
Try this simple tool to save time and money.
Ask yourself, What Do I Need?
Before you leave wherever you are, just stop and run over what you need to do and what you need to bring. Are you leaving a play date? Make sure you have what you need. Going on errands? Just stop for a minute, take a breath and make sure everything you need is with you. Play it out in your head. You will be amazed at how this simple "stop and think" exercise will save you time and money.
Good luck and remember to make the moment happen!
Maria
Simplicity Quote of the Week
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Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. ~Mary Ellen Chase
Long live the state of mind that is full of peace and charity and goodwill.
Best to all of you this holiday season.
Maria
Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. ~Mary Ellen Chase
Long live the state of mind that is full of peace and charity and goodwill.
Best to all of you this holiday season.
Maria
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Simplicity Values - The Free Gift
This might sound totally cornball, but here is a great way to save money and create a fabulous gift. Many years ago, I worked with runaway teens. It was good work, hard work, rewarding work. It took it's toll on us. Watching the pain those kids went through was difficult on a good day.
My boss, a seasoned social worker, knew how hard it was. She had been doing it for years. Every Christmas, she wrote each of her employees a letter. She would read each of the letters to us, in front of the group. Each letter,personalized with our own strengths and passions, our victories that year. Each letter, a little love story to us, her fledgling social workers.
Sometimes, I am lucky enough to remember how much those letters used to mean. And I decide to give to others what she gave to all of us. The token gifts of coffee mugs and writing paper we got back then were a dime a dozen. But the words of our respected leader helped us understand parts of ourselves we didn't know, reminded us the power and beauty of the work we were all struggling to learn and stayed with us for years. In fact, I know I have those letters somewhere, tucked away in a special spot.
Consider writing a letter to your loved ones, or your protege's this holiday season. Write it, read it, frame it. See how much your words of insight will mean to those in your life.
And, LaWanda, where ever you are, thank you for your gifts.
My boss, a seasoned social worker, knew how hard it was. She had been doing it for years. Every Christmas, she wrote each of her employees a letter. She would read each of the letters to us, in front of the group. Each letter,personalized with our own strengths and passions, our victories that year. Each letter, a little love story to us, her fledgling social workers.
Sometimes, I am lucky enough to remember how much those letters used to mean. And I decide to give to others what she gave to all of us. The token gifts of coffee mugs and writing paper we got back then were a dime a dozen. But the words of our respected leader helped us understand parts of ourselves we didn't know, reminded us the power and beauty of the work we were all struggling to learn and stayed with us for years. In fact, I know I have those letters somewhere, tucked away in a special spot.
Consider writing a letter to your loved ones, or your protege's this holiday season. Write it, read it, frame it. See how much your words of insight will mean to those in your life.
And, LaWanda, where ever you are, thank you for your gifts.
Simplicity Quote of the Week
At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
Albert Schweitzer
Take a moment and think about the people that have held you up when you needed. Give them a call or a note or just a positive thought.
Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
Albert Schweitzer
Take a moment and think about the people that have held you up when you needed. Give them a call or a note or just a positive thought.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Simplicity Values - Write it down!!!!
Here are the cold hard facts. We lose some of our memory faculties as we age. Nothing too terrifying. Just a fact of life. Our brains are changing and memory is impacted. I can remember a time when I could hear a phone number once and recite it 2 days later. Okay, that's overstating it, but you get the idea. Now, I can barely remember if I had a conversation about a phone number.
Here is a simple tool that will save you time, money and energy. Write everything down. And I don't mean "halfway," as in writing down a number with no name or information attached to it. Write it all the way. No matter what type of planner you use, even if it isn't mine, use it like a good friend. Keep all your notes in there, write down everything and you will have less error, less forgotten items, you name it, just from writing it down.
Have a great day.......got anything you use to keep your memory up and running? Share it in the comments section of this article!!!
Enjoy your week and remember to make the moment happen!
Maria
Get the 7 Steps to Simplicity every day with Simply Put Together.
Here is a simple tool that will save you time, money and energy. Write everything down. And I don't mean "halfway," as in writing down a number with no name or information attached to it. Write it all the way. No matter what type of planner you use, even if it isn't mine, use it like a good friend. Keep all your notes in there, write down everything and you will have less error, less forgotten items, you name it, just from writing it down.
Have a great day.......got anything you use to keep your memory up and running? Share it in the comments section of this article!!!
Enjoy your week and remember to make the moment happen!
Maria
Get the 7 Steps to Simplicity every day with Simply Put Together.
Simplicity Quote of the Week
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Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
Albert Schweitzer
Do something that you love today and make the moment happen!
Have a great week.
What makes you happy? Share under the comments section!
Maria
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
Albert Schweitzer
Do something that you love today and make the moment happen!
Have a great week.
What makes you happy? Share under the comments section!
Maria
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