The Ingredients

There are three basic categories of ingredients that you’ll use: dried fruits, nuts, and sweets.

Dried Fruits

Dried fruits contain many of the nutrients found in fresh fruit, though usually in smaller amounts. They also taste slightly different from their fresh counterparts, so even if you don’t like a certain type of fruit, you may like the dried version.

Get unsweetened dried fruits if possible. You can look at the back and check the ingredients to see if sugar was added, and check the label to see how many grams of sugar it contains. Pick one or two dried fruits from this list:

Pineapple
Raisins
Apricots
Cranberries
Coconut flakes (not dried)
Bananas

Nuts

Nuts are full of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, antioxidants, and protein. Look for unsalted and raw (not roasted) nuts to maximize healthiness. Choose one or two varieties of nuts from this list:

Pecans
Pistachios
Walnuts
Almonds
Macadamia nuts
Sunflower seeds
Cashews
Peanuts

Sweets

Adding some sweets makes the mix more satisfying to your sweet tooth. Then when you have a craving for something sweet, you can grab some trail mix instead of some cake, ice cream, or a cookie. Dark chocolate chips are a great choice here since they are packed with antioxidants and contain less sugar. Pick just one from the list below:

Dark chocolate chips
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
White chocolate chips
Butterscotch chips
M&M’s

Put It Together

Here’s a simple recipe:

1 cup nuts
1 cup another kind of nuts
1 cup dried fruit
1 cup another dried fruit
1 cup sweets

If you only use one kind of nuts, then use would use two cups to keep the ratio the same. The formula above gives you a good variety of tastes without having to buy twenty different ingredients.

You can experiment with many different combinations to find what you like best. Every time you go to the grocery store, buy another type of nut or dried fruit and mix it with the other ingredients you already have.

My favorite recipe is:

1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
1 cup pineapple
1 cup cranberries
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Just remember, even though this is healthy stuff, it’s quite calorie dense thanks to the nuts. You don’t want to eat too much. A half cup is a good serving size and makes a great afternoon snack that will hold you over until dinner.

Mike Ross specializes in fitness for seniors and helps them find simple and effective ways to live healthier. His book, “The Balance Manual,” teaches seniors how to do balancing exercises at home with no equipment.

The answer is yes and no to all the above options. If you a filing a very simple 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ form then yes pick up that software. It’s inexpensive, easy to use and will lead you through the entire process. There are many do it yourself tax software programs available all at different prices and offering different features. But they all offer a wizard like interface that walk you through the process, answering general issue questions and performing a quick overview looking for obvious errors and missing information.

However, if you own a business, have sold a business or investment assets, are involved in a trust or any other of the many more complicated tax issues, than buying the software may not be the right solution for you. While the most popular do-it-yourself tax software programs will try to help you with these issues, you might not have the information you need to get the most benefit from the deductions you are allowed. Or even report your income properly. This is where a CPA or professional tax preparer can shine.

So what about those tax preparers who work under the label of a brand name? Like all chain operations, some are excellent, some are good and some are, well not so good. Often the persons preparing your taxes have taken a quick course in the basics of tax preparation and are depending on software and the information you come in with to prepare your return. Don’t expect to get suggestions beyond the obvious and realize you are working with someone that is doing what you could do with an off the shelf tax preparation software in your own home. Of course, you might be lucky enough to run into someone who has been preparing returns for many years. But every year these companies start advertising in the fall for new tax trainees, so just how many are out there with more than a few months training?

And now we come to CPAs and professional tax preparers. These are the people who have studied the tax laws, kept up on all the newest issues and will take the time to deal with your individual issues and needs. A good tax preparer will anticipate the questions and suggest solutions to get you to the point of paying the least amount of taxes you are legally liable for while making sure you have not under reported income or over reported deductions. Do you need a CPA to prepare your taxes? Not always. You do need a CPA to prepare certified financial statements, perform audits and other functions that certify that the financial records you are presenting to an outside entity are correct and complete. There are many excellent non CPA accountants and tax preparers that have the knowledge and experience to prepare your tax return.

And remember, no matter what method you use, in the end, it is you the taxpayer and signer of the return who is responsible for the correctness of the return. If there is an error of any type, it comes back to you. A good tax preparer should stand behind their work, however. They should be willing and able to represent you before the Internal Revenue Service if the need arises. (Where do you think that brand name, trained for a few weeks, and onto another job will be if the IRS comes calling?). A tax preparer may not do this without charging a fee, especially if the audit was called because the information you provided to the tax preparer was incorrect or incomplete, but I would expect them to take responsibility for any error they made due to a mistake in their understanding of the law. Some tax preparers will go as far as reimbursing their clients for any penalties they may incur because of a mistake the preparer had made. Of course this would not include any additional taxes or interest on the unpaid taxes owed by the client.

So to sum it up – if you are just reporting wages, interest, etc and your deductions are simple in nature, than get your self right off to your favorite store and pick up Turbo Tax or to the mall kiosk to sit with a brand name affiliated preparer. If your return involves more complicated issues then do contact your local tax preparer. And remember you get what you pay for, and this is certainly one place where quality and experience can save you a lot of money and grief.

Copyright all rights reserved D. L. MacMillan

Donna MacMillan, Advanced Certified QuickBooks consultant offers a unique set of services covering all aspects of successful business growth and financial health for all business types and sizes. Comprehensive, confidential, and professional services, analyzing, designing or redesigning your current systems to maximize productivity, cash flow and solidify your bottom line.

Take your business to the next level with the training and answers you need when you need them. Private and confidential. Over 30 years experience helping businesses grow through better financial management.

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Preparing for tax time can make anyone stressed out – but there’s hope! By using a few easy organizing techniques, you can sail through your taxes come April.

Who’s preparing your taxes? Think about who will be preparing your taxes, and what sort of information they’ll need. Preparing your own taxes is a lot easier if you make a checklist of what documents (W2s, bank statements, etc.) are needed. With a checklist, you’ll know if any important information is missing when you sit down to prepare your taxes. If you’re going to be giving your information to a tax preparer or CPA, ask them how they would like to receive your information. Some tax preparers want a list of expenses, while others are happy to take receipts and do the totaling for you.

Plan in advance. If your system thus far has been to toss all your receipts into a shoebox, now’s the time to spend one or two hours a week (or just 15 minutes a day) gathering and sorting your documentation. This will save you lots of time and stress when you or a professional are actually preparing your taxes.

Record your expenses. If you don’t have an organized way of keeping track of your deductible expenses, you may be missing out on big savings come tax time. Create a list of your expense categories using a simple list, a ledger, or a computer-based system, such as NEAT Receipts. A great benefit of using NEAT Receipts is that not only will the system assign tax categories to your expenses; it will also store a digital copy of your receipts, statements, and other supporting documentation. That way, if you ever were to get audited, all your information will be safely stored in one place.

Keep everything together. Scattered receipts and expenses can lead to lost deductions – and lost money. Instead of losing your receipts or keeping them in a shoebox, purchase an inexpensive accordion folder or scan them into NEAT Receipts. If you choose an accordion, label the folder’s slots with your expense categories, and as you get a receipt, drop it into the corresponding slot. If you’re using NEAT Receipts, your receipts will automatically be categorized. Either way, totaling your expenses for each category at tax time will be a breeze!

What about next year? Don’t wait until next year’s tax time rolls around to start thinking about your 2008 taxes. Start using your new, more organized strategy for keeping track of your receipts and expenses now! Staying on top of receipts and expenses throughout the year can eliminate tax-prep related stress.

Paying taxes is a fact of life, but the stress surrounding tax preparation and keeping track of your receipts doesn’t have to be! Use some of these simple strategies, and when the taxman cometh this April, you’ll be more than ready.

Joshua Zerkel, CPO® is the founder of Custom Living Solutions, a San Francisco-based productivity and organizing consulting firm. Joshua specializes in helping busy entrepreneurs save time, be more productive and make more money by getting organized at home and at work. Visit http://www.customlivingsolutions.com for your FREE copy of “The Top 12 Mistakes to Avoid when Getting Organized”.

Make your way round the room in a clockwise direction and scoop up everything that does not belong in there and place it in your bin. Magazines, toys, make-up, jewellery and clothes. If it looks like it’s not got a home, pop it in the basket.

This will clear a good 90% of your clutter and will not take more than a few minutes. You can use this technique if you have unexpected guests arriving and store the bin in a closet, ready to redistribute the items later.

But, if you don’t have guests coming round soon, take the time to move around your house placing items back where they belong. Toys back into the children’s room or in the toy chest, magazines back the rack or neatly stored under a coffee table, jewelry in your jewelry box etc. You can leave any dirty laundry in the bin/basket

Continue through your home replacing items back to their original homes. Shoes, coats, newspapers… if you move quickly this takes no time at all. Stop by the washing machine at the end of your blitz and pop a load in.

If you open all the windows in your house while you do this, you’ll also give the place a good airing. Especially important if you have teenage boys in the house!

If you have a teenage boy in the house you won’t be alone when you come across the fruity smell in the bedroom. Dirty laundry and sweat of course contribute to this. It happens. You can even line laundry baskets and drawers with dryer sheets that will freshen things up too.

Use this technique even just once a week, and you’ll be on top of your clutter. It doesn’t take much to declutter a room when you simply dive in and do the work that needs doing. The good thing about this approach is, you can be done in under ten minutes.

You may take note of any extra storage you may need as you use this technique. For example, if you notice you’ve got piles of magazines but no rack for them… well, make a mental note to purchase one the next time you’re out.

So, there you go. You’ve got your room back, in just 9 minutes.

Connor Adams is a coach and trainer who wants to help you to reduce clutter in your home.

If you want to learn more about how you can declutter a room and take control of clutter then head on over to http://www.reducecluttersecrets.com where you can sign up for a free 10 part mini-course and find other helpful resources to help reduce your clutter.

1. Act Sensible – Acting sensible is required while performing the de-cluttering task. A regular clean up would help you to get free from extra clutter. You should be sensible and perform the cleaning tasks day to day.

2. Following orderly steps – Put up a plan in place and decide, one by one which room you will clean. Start with the first room and go accordingly step- by- step. Following this step- by- step order approach, you will not miss any of the rooms.

3. Throw away the paper heap – Paper clutters are very common and found at all homes. You need to throw away your old unwanted books, magazines and correspondences which have been piled up.

4. Decide & make the list of things you wish to de-clutter – Make a list of all items you wish to clutter. This should not include items which you have not used since years nor you plan to use in the future.

5. Storage area reduction – Clutter has a tendency of spreading very easily. It would expand and occupy all the storage area. Hence, reducing the storage area would limit the spread of clutter.

6. Old Out and New in – Moving out two or more items is the best idea. It’s like if you free space for three or so items, then you can add in one new item. Hence increasing the de-clutter speed would help you add in more items which would be a motivation to give your home a new look. On the other hand, you can’t get rid of all things all at once. Hence the “1 dozen things out one new item in” policy doesn’t work in such scenarios.

7. Old clothes Offload – De-cluttering with your personal wardrobe can be the first step. Wardrobes have limited space and most of the times there would be clothes stacked in them which do not fit you in the present times, or may have not been used for ages. This is where you can start de-cluttering. For many of us, it’s difficult to get rid of favorite outfits and throw them in the dustbin. In this case, you can choose to give those clothes to charity or maybe to your friends who would wish to wear them.

8. Setting time limits – You should also set up the usage time limits. In-case you do not use any items for ages and beyond the set time limit, you can apply the de-cluttering process to such items and dispose them.

9. Take external help – For most people, de-cluttering is an impossible and difficult task. In such a case, you could call in your friends to help and give an honest opinion.

10. Enjoy and perform the act – You will surely do it better if you enjoy each step in decluttering the process. No wonder, it’s hard work, but it’s a task which will make your home sparkly and look tidy.

Richard T Wayne is a de-cluttering enthusiast. He is an author on the subject and helps people de-clutter their life’s everyday through his courses. For more great tips and help on how to declutter  organize and regain your life, visit “How To De-clutter Your Life” a resource for people who finally want to de-clutter their life.

Valentine’s Day is a day to remind ourselves of love, whether we like it or not. If we are to make the most of our living in general, there is much gain in subscribing to the view that it’s a good thing to have at least one day in a year to dedicate it to all things Love & Romance. Sure enough, many of us don’t need that day, because we show our love & appreciation on a daily basis. However, for others that fell in a routine, or shy away from love, Valentine’s Day gives a convenient platform to make things happen that would otherwise be postponed, overlooked, or forgotten.

There are some of us, who easily adhere to the notion that Valentine’s Day should be banned from the face of the Earth. As with anything worthy, this day and its concept has been commercialized and abused too, but also very accommodating and revitalizing. The point is, we better not look for what’s wrong or bad about this day, but look on the bright side and see all the benefits it brings us. It’s up to each of us individually if this day will turn out good or bad for us.

In order to make the best of it, and to make it right this time, here are some Valentines Day creative ideas to get you going. Hopefully, you will get inspired by it to create your own unique ideas on what to give and what to do on Valentine’s Day.

Creative Messages

* I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you
* You stole my heart, but I love you anyway
* You are my rock
* Here’s my heart, opening for you, take it darling it belongs to you
* Don’t say you love me unless you really mean it, cause I might do something crazy like believe it.
* I love you as big as the sky, as tall as the mountains and as deep as the ocean.
* You are my everything
* My world is a better place because of you
* You are my truest love
* You are my dream come true
* I didn’t know love before I met you

Creative Gifts

* your faces on Adam and Eve Artwork, done by a local artist or ordered online
* license plate frame with Valentine hearts
* a nice key with a key-chain saying “The Key To My Heart”
* charm bracelet with as many charms as years you’ve been together
* online course on ‘How To Consistently Give A Full Body Orgasm’
* self- made bookmark with a personal picture and romantic quote or poem – designed in a photo editor, then printed on photo paper and cut out
* revived old T-shirt with a romantic picture or message, printed first on textile foil and then printed on the T-shirt by ironing
* a game, such as ‘Foreplay Game’
* “Will Cook For Sex” Apron

Creative Things To Do To Your Sweetheart

* breakfast in bed
* make heart-shaped bread toast for breakfast with hot chocolate dip
* make a path of rose petals or potpourri
* fill her/his bath tub with rose petals
* call your favorite radio station and dedicate a song to your love
* perform a special act – dance for him, sing and/or play under her balcony, recite your poem or Shakespeare’s love sonnet
* organize a romantic treasure hunt
* write a romantic, passionate, handwritten, heartfelt love letter
* steam up the bathroom and write a message such as “Pete Loves Kathy” on the mirror for your partner to read when she/he uses the bathroom.
* wear ‘I love [her/his name]‘ T-shirt all day long

Creative Things To Do Together

* re-enact your first date
* spend the night in a fancy hotel
* ice skating
* spend the day at a theme park or zoo
* rent a chauffeured limousine and drive to a scenic spot for a picnic
* play a game – Take a deck of 52 cards. Assign each card a thing to do. For example, Aces get a kiss, etc. Shuffle the deck and spread the cards out. You and your honey take turns drawing cards. Whatever card says to do, you must do. Be creative with your ideas and have fun!
* a bubble bath for two
* read ‘Kamasutra’ together
* make a photo album of your favorite memories together
* take silly photos of each other
* carve a heart with your names into a tree or bank
* kiss in new, special ways – kiss like you never kissed before
* don’t forget to make love, of course, with extra passion and imagination

When picking out a present or things to do on the day, keep in mind that most women love with their ears, and most men love with their eyes. Also, remind yourselves what you mean to each other and what love is all about. Love means having to align yourself with another person. In order to strike gold in love department, we must know that love is helping someone to grow. Use this Valentine’s Day to declare your undying love, and you will surely be rewarded for it, one way or another. Hopefully these Valentines Day creative ideas will bring more love to you.

Written by Natalija Domin, a member of multimedia artists team ‘Talidari’ with over 20 years of personal experience with arts, wellness and love. For much greater selection of Valentines Day creative ideas – homemade, unique, and traditional – visit http://www.talidari.net/valentines-day-creative-ideas.html. Once there, you will also get the gifts, such as e-book with 101 romantic ideas, top-production videos, artsy pictures, romantic poems, and much more.

Balloon Surprise

This one will require handwritten notes to your Valentine. Phrases like “I love you”, “Thanks for being you”, or “You mean more to me than anything” are good as well as sayings that have special meaning only to the two of you. You can write short memories of fun things you did together, a memorable vacation or a special moment you shared, like the birth of a child. Once you get the notes written, cut them into small sections. Make sure each note is small enough to be folded and placed in a balloon. You can purchase a small helium tank and balloons at most party stores. Take a balloon, insert a note into it, and then blow it up. When your Valentine comes home, have her pop each balloon to read your message of love.

Recreate Your First Date

Unless it was just a total disaster, your first date probably holds a lot of sentimental value for both you and your loved one. What better Valentine’s Day surprise could there be than to recreate the first date, a time when you first fell in love? Go to the same restaurant, rent the first movie you watched together, take her dancing to the same bar – whatever you did on that first date, make it happen again. Even if it was a disaster, you can recreate it, making it better the second time.

Getaway Trip

This one will require more money and a little preparation, but is sure to be great fun for both of you. Plan a secret weekend vacation. If you have kids, arrange for babysitters without letting your love know about it. Book the airline tickets, make the hotel reservations and when Friday rolls around, surprise her by having her bags packed, ready to go. Las Vegas is a great getaway destination. You can even renew your vows in a fun setting, like wedding chapel that has an Elvis impersonator do the ceremony. If you cannot afford a big trip, book a weekend at a bed and breakfast within driving distance. A getaway involving just the two of you will be fun no matter where you go.

Special Songs

Here is an inexpensive way to show her that you remember those special love songs. Make a compact disc of songs that have special memories for you and your Valentine. You can do this on your computer using iTunes or Windows Media Player. If you do not have the songs on a compact disc already, you can even download them from places like Amazon, Buy.com or iTunes for less than a dollar each. Each time she hears this CD, she will think of you!

Romance Scavenger Hunt

Buy small presents like a bag of candy kisses, a bottle of her favorite perfume or a single rose. Then create a few presents of your own such as a handwritten poem, a compact disc of special songs, or a handmade Valentine’s Day card. Write clues that will be attached to each present, telling her where the next present can be found. Make the last present something that will last a while like a picnic dinner, a bottle of champagne hidden close to the fireplace or lingerie in the bedroom.

Chocolate Fun

If you both love chocolate, this can be a very fun and sexy idea. Make a batch of chocolate pudding and feed it to each other sitting by the fireplace. You may want to place a blanket or something on the floor in case it turns into a playful food fight. To spice it up, remove one article of clothing each time you feed your loved one and ask her to do the same. This can even lead to a romantic shower for two, so have candles ready in the bathroom.

As you can see from these ideas, Valentine’s Day does not need to be anything extravagant. It just takes a little effort and creativity on your part and you can turn this Valentine’s Day into one that your special someone will remember forever!

Sara Fox is the owner of St Valentines Day Gifts. Get more Valentines day ideas by reading her newest tips on “How to Create a Romantic Valentine’s Day Evening at Home”.

1. Valentine Flowers
Don’t:
Don’t buy that super expensive bouquet of long-stemmed roses. If there is one flower that suddenly costs a fortune on Valentine’s Day it has to be the red rose. Even if it cost you a week’s earnings, roses will ultimately wilt just like any other flower.

Do:
Since practically the whole world is exchanging red roses — and paying through the nose for the same — you have resolutely decided to be different. If Valentine’s Day falls during Spring where you are, when Nature is in full bloom, then why not make her a pretty bunch of wild flowers. They are colourful, attractive and refreshingly different. Or, get her a lovely potted evergreen plant — symbolising your undying devotion to her.

2.Valentine’s Cards
Don’t:
A store-bought card may be extravagantly worded but it is also expensive, not to mention impersonal. Well, the words are written by someone else while you just add your name underneath. Is it time to look for a more personal (and cheaper) alternative?

Dos
Create your own Valentine’s Day card instead. Make her a gigantic one, cover it with love notes and photographs of the two of you. Feel like a child on a school project as you use crayons, glitters, gold or silver ink — juts let the creativity flow. You will be surprised at much you enjoy yourself too!

3.Eating out
Don’t:
Give eating out a miss this Valentine’s Day. Everyone does it and you want to be different, right? In addition, the din and the overpriced menu just might take the romance right out of the quiet and intimate dinner that you had fondly planned at that fancy restaurant.

Do:
Plan a romantic ‘night in’ instead — right in your home. Don the chef’s apron and cook a special meal for her. Lay the table with some sparkling silverware and lit candles. Sprinkle the tablecloth with rose petals (you can be smart and buy the roses a couple of days in advance and store them in ice cold water) and have soft music playing in the background. Even if it is a simple fare, the fact that you took the trouble to present it so aesthetically will be enormously appreciated.

4.Pampering essentials
Don’t:
Tempting as it is to book her (or both of you in a spa), you will also end up paying a hefty price for all that impersonal massaging and pampering. Even as you are inhaling the fragrance of those aromatic candles, your mind is ticking away, wondering how big a dent it is going to make in your overstretched budget.

Do:
Bring the entire spa experience home! Stock up on some classy spa toiletries, draw the curtains and set the mood with scented candles and diffusers. Have the appropriate soothing music playing in the background. Take turns in giving each other a long and relaxing massage with aromatic oils. Run a bath and take naughty soak together!

5.Extravagant Valentine’s gifts
Don’t:
Don’t make the mistake of splurging on overly extravagant gifts, particularly if your budget is a tight one. A gift that cost a fortune does not necessarily translate into the ideal one.

Do:
Do get a little something romantic for her. A recently conducted survey threw up surprising facts. Of the nearly 200 respondents (men and women) who participated in the online survey, a whopping 58 percent of the women preferred romance over expensive gifts as a birthday present. For the average woman, a romantic weekend getaway with her man meant much more than a high-priced bauble.

Most men have a harrowing time cracking the mystery of romance. Just what is this elusive thing that women are so hung up on?! Tip: It isn’t something that you buy at the local greetings card store or at the florist.

A great romance always has an element of surprise in it — good ones, mind you. Like leaving a love note on her pillow — no occasion at all, but just because you wanted to. Or slipping a sweet and naughty note inside her bag as she leaves for work. Or, surprising her with dinner cooked by you when she crawls home from work after fighting that crazy traffic. Small things that tell her you were thinking about her.

Hot, passion is fine but romantic gestures make a woman feel that she is much more than just a desirable body. So, this Valentine’s Day do something different. Avoid going with the herd and sweep her off her feet with your romantic moves!

Daya is an experienced writer and journalist. She has spent much time researching Saint Valentine’s Day. Her articles are published mainly at http://www.4-valentines-gifts.co.uk/. She works in the UK gift retailing industry currently, writing for a major UK online retailer of gifts for women. Daya suggests her employer’s range — at http://www.pressies4princesses.co.uk/gifts-valentines-1.shtml — to men hunting for ‘different’ Valentine’s Day gifts for their girfriend, wife or secret love this year.

I pray that we have done that with our children, as I am sure that you do. Now that we have the right focus, our family, it is time to come up with a list of resolutions. I recommend everyone sitting down together to create this list. If everyone has input into the list then everyone is more likely to follow through on the resolutions. Besides, listening to what your kids think on how to bring the family closer may surprise you. For example, we have a 13 year old, a 10 year old and now a 1 week old. While my husband and I always include the kids in what we do (I am not kidding, the only time we have a “date” is if our children already have social engagements with friends), which to many may be obsessive on our part, but that is just the way we have always been and our children actually like it. The point I was trying to make here is that when we asked them what they wanted to see change in the next year it wasn’t that they wanted more or less time with us, they wanted alone time with each of us. So we set up “Dates with Dad” and “Dates with Mom” days.

I would like to tell you that we were great about doing this every other weekend, but we weren’t. We did do it frequently enough though that our children were happy. We also had to get a little creative with what the “dates” entailed, but it could be simply our son going with my husband to run “man errands” such as going to Home Depot or helping my husband put things together. What the kids wanted was our undivided attention for 30 minutes or an hour. It was simple, and they were happy and we were happy. It helps you know your children as people, not just as your kids, and it helps your kids to see that yes you are their parent, but you are a person that they can hang out with and talk to.

There are other things that you can do to help bring your family closer. As a matter of fact, there is a game company that has made a great commercial about “Family Game Night.” One day a week all the televisions are turned off, the video games are put away, you pick out your favorite tunes to play in the background and you all sit down together and play a game, start to finish. Our family game nights are usually either Yahtzee or rummy. We have our own set of rules for Rummy, which makes it a bit more of a challenge, but it is always fun because the kids are constantly trying to go out before their dad who usually beats us all point wise.

If games aren’t your thing and you prefer a movie, don’t go out to the movies, rent or buy one and watch it together as a family at home. Make homemade popcorn, get a couple boxes of movie candy from the store, everyone’s favorite soda and curl up on the sofa together and watch a good movie. The options are endless really. Pick the things you like to do as a family and commit to doing them more often.

Now, you should also focus on ways that you as a family can not only spend time together but make the community around you better. So one resolution that you can make is one weekend a month your family is going to have a “Treat your neighbor day,” pick a neighbor in your neighborhood and do something nice for them. This could be the elderly couple down the road who needs help taking out the trash or doing yard work or perhaps they would just like to come over for dinner. This could also be the family across the street that you know is having a hard time, so as a family you invite them to dinner and a movie at your place. For this one, it isn’t important that your children know another family is struggling, you are doing it simply to be neighborly. If you don’t want to have people over, spend a weekend baking, cooking or creating something to hand out to everyone that lives on your street. Cookies are inexpensive, homemade cards that say “I am glad we are neighbors” are also wonderful.

Finally, a great recommendation for the New Years is taking your kids and spending one day a month at the homeless shelter serving food or volunteering. When you do this as a family it accomplishes a multitude of things. First, it will make each of you appreciate each other a little more. Second, when your kids see you putting the needs of others first it encourages them to do the same. Third, it will instill gratitude for whatever you have in your lives.

The best resolutions are those your family can do together, whether it is more exercise by going on family hikes, or going to museums, art shows, or just about anything you can think of your family can do together. The best part of these types of resolutions is that they are a lot easier to keep because of family peer pressure. Just site down with your family and make a list of activities the whole family can enjoy or help with. This will help your family be accountable to each other.

Don’t forget to share your personal resolutions. Make it a point (or a resolution), that everyone in the family must help and encourage each other to achieve these goals. Ahh, family peer pressure, its a pretty powerful thing.

Make this New Year, the best year for you and your family. Strengthen your family bonds with a family New Year’s Resolution list.

I hope 2010 will be great for everyone! Happy New Year!

If you are looking for more information on parenting and raising children, please consider visiting More4kids.
More4kids is a resource for families and their children

Mr. Heath is a writer and the chief editor at More4kids.info, a website devoted to parenting and families. Copyright 2010 More4kids Inc.

Excuse me! I was getting into my “Humbug” mode. There is much more to the season than what might seem to be our civic duty, but it still involves some shopping.

You can make next year’s shopping frenzy a bit more manageable if you make some notes from what you did this year. So, why not give this technique a try?

Start by making a list of everyone who was on your gift list. Do it now before you forget what happened. Make a note of what you gave each person and how much it cost you. Include the shipping costs if you had to ship a package to someone. Compare this list to the credit card statements and bank statements to make sure you remembered everything.

Make another list of everyone on your greeting card list (even if you only sent e-mail greetings). Make a note of who sent you a card. You might want to make sure you send them a card next year. Check the addresses to make sure you have the most recent address (street addresses and e-mail addresses).

Tally up all the costs for gifts, cards, entertainment, postage, and decorations. You want to allow this in your budget for next season.

With the information you have just collected, you will be better prepared to understand your credit card statement when it arrives. Suddenly that gift for Aunt Sarah is seen as part of a larger seasonal project. Remember when you bought that gift? You thought of what Aunt Sarah meant to you and figured she was worth at least what you spent on her gift. But now, the “larger seasonal project” is threatening your bank account. With this list you will better understand why you have such a large credit card bill to pay.

After you examine your credit card statements and realize how much debt you have added with your seasonal spending, write yourself a letter explaining what you want to do differently next year, and why. Remind yourself how you felt about the joy you had shopping for gifts for your family and friends, and how you felt about the gifts you received from others. Remember to include how you feel about paying the bill.

Summarizing your holiday experience in this way is not just a chore to take up your time. Next year, you will have a useful roadmap to get you through the process with more purpose. The list of names for cards will save you time and help get you organized. The list of gifts will give you a moment to think about each person and how things might have changed in their lives (kids grow up). When you read the list next season, you will recall what you got each person this year, feel more connected to them, and get a head start on ideas for gifts.

Next year, when you pull out these lists (and the letter to yourself) you want to compare the money you have available and the money you expect to pay for everything. If you don’t have enough money saved to pay for your seasonal shopping you should look for ways to cut back on the spending. The letter you write to yourself might explain how the true value of the gifts isn’t in the “stuff” you gave, but rather the thought you expressed to the person you were giving to. Using that information you might find a way to give meaning while not emptying your wallet.

During the past month, merchants have paid good money to advertising agencies and the media to get your attention. At times their messages might have overwhelmed you. The message to “Buy! Buy! Buy!” is delivered repeatedly in the midst of glitter, music, and so much nostalgia for times gone by. The lists from this year will help you focus on what you want to accomplish in the midst of all that advertising next year. And that letter to yourself will serve as a constant reminder of how clearly you saw things after the bills came due. Next Season you will be shopping with purpose. Maybe you will save time and money. And you might find Peace, Joy, and Good Will along the way. That’s my wish for you next year!

James W. Stone, has been involved in new product development and marketing for most of his working career. Jim has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and an MBA. His current interests focus on the psychology and sociology that influence our daily decisions when we spend money.

Much of this is covered in his book “Spend Joyfully!” http://www.spendjoyfully.com