The Check's in the Mail!

Did you get through April 15 unscathed? I say that pretty tongue-in-cheek in that, most of us are either well prepared to file on time, or are not losing sleep over an extension.

I am wondering now if our much anticipated tax rebate checks are on the printing presses. I keep hearing on the news how Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target have already put together sales promotions to "give" you something if you come to their store to cash your check. What will you do with yours? Dave and I had planned to finish paying off the debt we have with our refunds, but it has turned out that we are spending that money on our patent. I can't help but think it's an investment in our future.

So another tax year is gone, and the new one is well under way. Make 2008 the year that you really get a handle on your finances. All it takes it that initiative to really confront where you are (and how you got there), where you want to be, and what steps you need to take to get you started! You can do it!

Tax Day is Tomorrow!

Have you done your taxes? I have ours ready to go in January every year. I know we are getting a refund and with that, I don't drag my feet. Not to mention, our taxes are not that complex.

Some would say, if we get a refund every year, than we are not withholding or filing properly. Letting the government hang on to your hard earned cash is not the smartest program. In reality, though I could be making a few percent in interest, would I? I am much better and managing our money, but the temptation to spend still lurks. As it works out for us, what we get back in a refund is usually what we owe in property taxes. So from the IRS to Placer County, with a brief stop in at Bay Media Federal Credit Union!

As part of the confronting your finances exercises, make sure to do something on time. Either file your return or at least, get the extension filed on time. Confront it and take action, that' show stuff gets done!

So, How is Your Financial Health?

This is one of those two-meaning questions. If money worries can affect your physical health, it would make sense to get healthy with your checkbook so your body can relax, too.

Exercising financially doesn't mean go shopping! Quite the opposite, in fact, it means connecting with your current financial situation and taking action. Did you do any confronting since my last post? I did. I brought my check register current and took a good look at our finances. They are okay, but I am still not saving like I would like to. In any case, I paid all our bills, including the second installment of our property taxes. Now I'm going to work on my heart health and go for a hike with Riley.

Tax day is fast approaching so if you haven't already, take a good look at your financial situation. If have a refund coming, get smart, pay a bill off and see how good it feels to improve your bottom line. Once you do that, engage is some free activity, take your kids to the park, take a walk with a friend, ride your bike, or pull some weeds in your garden. A tall glass of iced tea, a little sunshine, and a chat with a good friend will make you forget all about that shopping spree you didn't take! Have a great weekend.

The Physical and Your Finances

Do you believe your financial situation can affect your physical health? The answer is a resounding "Yes, it can!"

Financial worries tend to be chronic worries, not the fleeting, short-term stress our bodies are designed to handle. If you are losing sleep and unable to concentrate because you don't know where the money is coming from to pay your mortgage, you are certainly developing health issues you may not even be aware of.

The good news is, there are things you can do. First and foremost, confront the whole subject. It's hard to look at a part of your life that is painful, or you feel you don't have control over. In reality, you do have control. Next, do the math; calculate how much money is coming in and how much you need to meet your basic needs. Remember needs and wants are different. Once you know how much you absolutely need, contact those people you may owe money to, or that you can't pay on time and make arrangements with them. Finally, in this simple plan, look for ways to generate more income. It can be by taking a second job, or even selling things you have that you don't use as often as you once did.

Hands down, the most powerful part of this whole process is to confront the situation, and take responsibility. As soon as you do that, the energy will be refreshed and things will happen to assist you that you never could have predicted!

Honesty and Money

One of the best ways I find to keep my ethics in with money is to be honest. Suze Orman talks about this and it's a superb way to get it right!

Next time you want to buy that great pair of shoes, or newest video gaming system, ask yourself if you honestly need it and if you can afford it. Here's the good part, be honest in your answers to yourself and follow through.

Depending where you are on your financial journey, you don't have to need something to buy it. For most of us, we have indulged ourselves into deep credit card debt and would very much like to get out from under that burden. So if you need to use a credit card, then you can't afford it. Only you can determine the need part, but I've yet to meet someone who genuinely needs a new video gaming system! Laughing! (Yes, honey, I hear you. No, we don't need a PS3)

As Dave and I evolve as a couple, we've made some really great progress with our finances. For us, this is where work in marriage comes in. We do a really good job, and then some of those old habits creep back in. At that point, we'll catch ourselves and get back on track.

Being honest isn't always easy, with money or other areas of life. But when you get honest, things ultimately get good. It may not appear that way at first because it may be uncomfortable and even painful. The god part comes when you now have a strong, solid foundation to make your next few decisions from...honesty is the best foundation to build any future anything on!

Be Willing to Change

So did you look at how you feel about money? Do you like how you feel? If so, great! If not, be willing to change. How do you want your relationship with money to be?

Think about this; being willing is different than wanting. We're often willing to do things that we don't necessarily want to do. Pregnant women don't want to bear the pain of childbirth, though they are willing to go through it to have a family. There is power in saying yes. As we get older and bogged down with so many commitments, we find power in saying "no," when in reality, the real power comes when you're willing to say "yes!" There are so many aspects to this idea. When you take responsibility, you have control. When you say yes, you take responsibility. Saying yes wakes you up in your life. When you say yes, there is suddenly something to do. When you're doing, things are happening, moving, progressing. Can you see how this relates to money and your finances? Say yes to a budget, say yes to a project that will bring you some extra money, say yes to balancing your checkbook...be willing. I didn't say you wanted to!

I think this can be a relatively simple thing to do, but you all know me, "whatever you think, you're right!" If you believe you can choose how you feel, you can be willing when you don't want to, and you can create the kind of energy you want to live, you can.

April Showers Bring Financial Matters

Welcome to April 2008! At this point in the year, we have worked on getting healthy, creating happy relationships, and being lucky. Now it's time to get our money house in order. Are you ready?

Before we go any further, let me ask you this; how do you feel about money? Is it good or bad? Is there ever enough or do you have plenty? These are important questions to ask yourself and try to find honest answers. I had to go back to being a little girl to find my true beliefs about money. It was classic, my mom would often say, "Money doesn't grow on trees." Or, "What do you think, we are made of money?" Even though we weren't poor, the energy in my house growing up was, we don't have enough money.

I grew up with that belief and as an adult, I had to make the choice to believe something different. My new belief (not so much new anymore) is there is always enough for what we need and more. As I changed the belief system I inherited from my mom, my financial life changed, too. Check me out! I am holding a whopping 2.5 million... Vietnamese dong! Laughing! I had to take it out of an ATM in Hoi An. I never in my wildest dreams imagined I could withdraw 2.5 million anything! Okay, it's only $156.00 in American money, but it was sure cool punching in all those zeros.

Money is energy. It has a vibration just like we as people do. What is your vibration? Is your energy one of abundance and affluence? Or is it an energy of fear and lack? Whatever it is that makes up your energy as a being, is what you will attract in the energy of money. So, with that, how do you feel about money?