My wife and I are headed out of town soon to celebrate our anniversary.  And before you say congratulations, or what’s that got to do with Valentine’s Day, be patient…

Our 31st anniversary was in December  (now you can still say “congratulations “).  We got married during my short Christmas vacation in my senior year of medical school-I know, it wasn’t too smart-the getting married at Christmas part.

We’ve tried through the years to celebrate our anniversary on our anniversary, but there’s just too much goin’ on 5 days before Christmas.

We now pick a time to celebrate when things calm down and we can enjoy it-and that time is…..soon.

Back to Valentine’s Day….

Why let Valentine’s Day, a holiday that was promoted by the card industry, cause you mental and financial stress?

Are you one of those  who get angry if your husband/boyfriend doesn’t remember to send you flowers, balloons or chocolate?  Are you one of the guys who blows your budget on a bauble just to keep the peace?

Do you keep score on who does what for whom and when and how much?

Love This Frugal Valentine's Message!

Stop It!

Make Love Not War-On Valentine’s Day!

How to make you more likely to want to make love than war at the close of Valentines Day:

• Realistic expectations: If you guys are broke, don’t expect your spouse to spend cash you don’t have, just cause your mom spoiled you on Valentine’s Day when you were a kid.  That’s why you’re broke, don’t make it worse.
• Surprises can be wonderful, or they can explode like poop on your parade!   Don’t let resentment over those unmet expectations overflow into your relationship. Be happy with any effort made.
• Decide ahead of time on spending for you and your partner.  And don’t go overboard. Yes she may smile and act happy over it, but you have  lied to your partner if you agree on a $25 budget and you spend a $100.  Don’t do it.
• If Valentine’s Day is not a good day on your schedule, celebrate on a different day.  The restaurants aren’t as full, and you’ll be much more relaxed if you celebrate on your schedule, not an artificial day of forced romance.
• Don’t over celebrate.  There is nothing that kills a relationship/special night out quicker than for one partner to overindulge, leaving  your “lover” to fume over a snoring, slobbering lout.
• Be creative.  A poem from the heart, even if badly written, can be much more meaningful than even the best box of chocolates. Clean the house, or maybe the bathroom.  Cook dinner or use the ole tried and true ‘Breakfast in Bed’, or if you can afford it, Bed & Breakfast routine.  If spending a lot of money is necessary in your relationship, then you’ve got more problems  than even a diamond will fix.
• Have Valentine’s Day every week, every 2 weeks or at least once a month.  You can call it date night, a night out, or whatever. Spending time alone with your partner (without the kids, TV and with the cellphone on SILENT) is necessary to maintain a good relationship.  Have you ever heard of a marriage counselor who said, “Spend less quality time with your spouse!”
• If you can’t afford baby sitters, then swap out with friends with kids.

Just like  Christmas, it’s easy to let commercialization and materialism ruin a beautiful idea.  Don’t stress your relationship over this over-hyped holiday.  Have fun, but because you enjoy each others company, not because you’re supposed to _________. (fill in your favorite unrealistic expectation!)

Reader Questions:

What about you? What’s your favorite/worse Valentine’s Day memory?

Other Valentine’s Day articles you may enjoy:

Melissa at Mom’s Plans has The Anti-Valentine’s Day tips- great ones here!

Invest it Wisely Valentine’s Day tips.

23 Fun and Frugal Date Ideas for Valentines from Suba  at Wealth Infomatics-more great places and ways to celebrate.

Money Crashers, Tips on Saving Money on Valentine’s Day.

Valentines Day, do you want a typical one? at Fiscal Phoenix.

Little House is giving away Chocolate!

Superfrugalette is giving away a 50Buck gift card at Starbucks.

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We’ve been hearing about fruits and vegetables since we were kids.  Think about it, even Popeye knew he could depend on spinach-when facing the bad guys!

Research today emphasizes the need for good nutrition.  Our bodies are kinda’ like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, without his oil can he was frozen in place for decades.

Our oil can is what we put in our mouths.

Yumm, easy to find fruits and vegetables!

Only a miniscule percentage of us get our ‘Five a Day” even though obesity is on the increase and grocery shelves are overflowing.

How to get 5/day

How?  How do you go from 1 or 2 daily fruits and vegetables to the “Five a Day” recommended by the nutrition police?

Develop the habit of eating them.

How?

You just gotta do it.  There are no shortcuts.

Once you’ve eaten 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables for 6 weeks or so, it’ll be routine, not a big deal.

How can you get past that first 6 weeks and deal with the complaints of your family?

Everyone has to know it’s going to happen. It’s human nature for us to complain when change threatens.   Patients tell me their husbands only want meat and ‘taters. The kids won’t eat anything but Mac and Cheese.

You can’t change people, but you don’t have to enable bad behavior.  Would you wake up your addicted child and say,”hey honey, I put your heroin on the table by your cereal”?  Of course not!

How to make the shift?

Shopping for fruits and vegetables

It begins when shopping. Begin to buy fruits and vegetables.  Introduce them at each meal.  Cut up an apple or an orange.  Buy carrots and cut them into snack size bites-yes I know about pre-cuts-they’re more expensive per ounce.   Have these choices handy.

You don’t have to eat your 5 servings at meal time, fruits and veggies are great snacks.  I eat a serving of blueberries in my whole wheat cereal, or oatmeal.  And no, I don’t add sugar!  You can eat an apple, or a banana while carpooling.

And for those of you who feel the need to ruin a good vegetable with fat back and salt ‘cause that’s what Granny did?  Granny developed those eating habits ‘cause that’s what her granny did, not because it was good for you.  Back then they had little access to other spices, and food had to be salted heavily as a preservative before refrigeration.  We don’t have that excuse now.

You can use all kinds of spices to put a kick into your greens without harmful fats and high blood pressure magnifying salt.  Use a little hot sauce.  I love the flavor of a dash of Tabasco in my zipper peas. And guess what?  Green peppers are a vegetable!

Don’t forget tomatoes and Vidalia’s count as vegetables and fruits.  I love sauteed spinach, with caramelized Vidalia onions and a dash of balsamic vinegar just before you remove the veggies from the iron skillet.  Yummm.

For those of you who say “I don’t like spinach, apples, oranges, carrots. Or fill in the blank…. I say:  “Grow up!”

If you would quit whining and just eat whatever ‘it’ is for a few short weeks, I can guarantee the taste will grow on you.  What if it doesn’t? What’s the harm?  Think of it as medicine that will help you enjoy a longer life.  More play time with the grand kids. A stronger body to enjoy your hobbies.  More spring to your step, a better sex life! A better “you” in the mirror.

A sign of maturity is making tough decisions and choices.  Doing what’s best even if it doesn’t “feel good!”

These are just a few of the benefits for acting like a grownup and eating food that is the best fuel for your body.   Now, go take care of business and support our local farmers.  More and more of them are growing fruits and vegetables you can pick and eat year round.

Or grow your own.  Save money and eat better, a true win/win!

Enjoy!

Reader Questions:

What about you? Do you get your 5 per day?  If not, what’s stopping you?

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by FDL, BSN

My object here is not to beat that dead horse.

It is instead to trumpet, make the case, testify,  about free courses offered by  famous, ivy league, top ten, world renowned,  (and normally expensive) institutions.

Audit or  download free online college courses from the comfort of your easy chair and on your own schedule.  How cool is that?

Many of the classes offered will have the same content as the exorbitantly priced variety.  The college credit received with the free classes?  Well, they rarely count toward a degree.

Why bother?  What’s the point?  Actually, the better question is:

Who?  Who would benefit from free college classes?

Free College courses: Who benefits?

• Tired of the low end job market your current set of job skills offers you?
• Is a college degree all that is standing between you and better pay?

Rather than spend those precious dollars taking a class just to see how you like that field, experiment with a free class.  The exposure to a new subject will be priceless.

The experience could be life altering.  You may find you like business, or the sciences.  Sometimes, even more important, you may find you hate what you thought was your dream.  Better to find that out after a free online course than after an expensive semester or year or 4 year degree…

Better job performance

My field, nursing, is one of the many areas where not one iota of business skills or management tools were taught in my bachelor’s program.

My 4 year degree qualifies me for advancement into management despite my lack of formal education in the area.

The online free classes offer me the perfect spring board into a better job performance.  How cool is that?  I’d do a better job, make more money, increase my job satisfaction and all through free online courses!

Your basic skills are rusty

You want to return to school.  The last time you solved an algebraic equation you also knew your times tables and you weren’t hiding the gray in your hair.

I love numbers and force myself to derive answers to simple math problems in my head.  Equations, division using fractions, no way.  If you’ve spent time in school, you know your weakest areas.  Brush up using the free classes.  Who knows, you may have changed.

That subject you used to hate when you were young, lusting for love or hanging with friends-You may love it now.

You’re unemployed

I know a twenty – something who is unemployed for the first time since graduating from college 7 years ago.  Adrift in a wretched job market, she is considering returning to school.

Her former job unearthed her aptitude for business, sales and managing people.  She wants to use the free online classes to help narrow the field of subjects she should consider for her next stent in education.  The price tag and flexibility are perfect.

Personal Growth

Not just to answer Jeopardy questions and fill in crossword puzzles.

Sometimes our job is fine, we like what we do, we get paid to do it, but we are passionate about an entirely different subject.

For me it’s history.  From high school forward, I dreamed of spending my life teaching history, immersed in academia.  My severely practical side said something else.

Free online classes in your area of passion can keep you happy with your reality while allowing you to pay the bills.

So, go ahead.  Get your feet wet.  Econ 101.  Art History.  Computer Science.

Listen to lectures while you exercise or drive.

Free is great.  It can let you relax and enjoy a subject.

Here is just a short list of websites to get you started:

Open Culture-400 free online courses from physics, to economics.  And computer science to philosophy!

Online Education Database-another 200 courses.

MIT’s Open Courseware-MIT lectures available.

Open Courseware Consortium: A group of many universities participate at this site.

And to help you get started, Lifehacker University, from  has organized many of these sites and have given suggestions on how to get started with your FREE online education.

Reader Questions:

What is it you’ve always dreamed of learning about, but didn’t want to spend the money?  What would be your first choice of a free online course if you could find it?

The author:

FDL BSN, is a frequent writer here at The Millionaire Nurse Blog.  She works in public health.

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My post on this subject is at Odd Cents-please check it out too!

How to Rear a Millionaire – Developing Your Child’s Entrepreneurial Aptitude

by Dannielle from Odd Cents

I can’t resist, and I know you can’t!  The vision of a  young child, peaking over the table with a precious- how can you not spend money here-smile, operating their own lemonade stand is probably my earliest memory of entrepreneurship.

A Lemonade Stand, a budding millionaire at work?

I remember watching television when I was young and seeing kids with their own lemonade stands and being amazed at how cool it was.

That was for me!  To this day I grin ear to ear when I run across a stand with a hand painted sign or read one of those Peanut cartoons with Lucy giving advice at her “stand!”

The Lemonade Stand: Model of Entrepreneurship!

The lemonade stand is a great model which contains many themes that are integral to entrepreneurship.

It can be a great tool for explaining the basics:

• of income,
• expenses,
• overhead
• the ins and outs of a business.

There are also those age old lessons of working hard and giving of your best.

Nobody likes bad-tasting lemonade!

What’s even better is the learning experience for all involved:  parents, grandparents, your kids, neighbor kids-the more the merrier!

Starting Your Own Business:

I’ve heard several stories of young people who have started their own businesses with the guidance of their parents. One little girl makes friendship bracelets and sells them for a dollar. She uses some of the money earned from her sales to buy gifts for her friends.

Her mother takes the remainder and sets aside a portion of it to buy the materials to make the bracelets and puts another portion in her daughter’s piggy bank.

I know of another youngster who sold baked peanuts to make money to buy a bicycle. It all started when his mother brought home a pound of roasted peanuts. He took that big  bag of peanuts and made fifteen small bags-he soon sold out.

The next day he asked his mother to double the  peanut order, using the proceeds from the previous day’s sale. The venture soon resulted in a new bike, and money in the bank!

Getting kids involved:

The best way to teach a child about entrepreneurship is to get them involved and excited.  Giving them tasks that they can accomplish gives kids a sense of financial responsibility.

There are many lessons to be learned:

• How to make money by earning sales
• Developing goals
• Importance of  reinvestment  in the business
• Savings for long term
• Customer service
• Importance of hard work and dedication

In those two scenarios above the parents played a key role in initiating and encouraging a child’s entrepreneurial ability. But not taking away the fun!

Encouragement is not necessarily limited to finances. Teaching business ethics is  a must, even more important than the dollars and cents.

A child’s interest in entrepreneurship usually starts with awe and wonder when they see other kids having fun, and earning their own money.  Be prepared to answer their simple questions.  Open that door we call entrepreneurship.

You never know what kind of business your kids, with creativity and ingenuity,  might dream up in that grungy garage or yours.

Just show them the way!

Reader questions:

What have you done to encourage, teach, expedite entrepreneurial behavior in your kids?  Any recommendations or precautions?

Thanks,

Dannielle

Dannielle writes at the personal finance blog: Odd Cent, A Penny Wise or Pound Foolish. Take a minute and make her feel welcome at The Millionaire Nurse Blog!

Remember my post on the subject of developing entrepreneurial skills in your kids is at Odd Cents today, go check it out!

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Guest post: FDL, BSN

What do your money,  finances, and your fitness level have to do with each other?

Let’s see…..

Planning an early retirement?  Or is it:   Oops!  Economy tanked and I’ll have to work waaaaay longer than I ever thought.  Whether you’re 20, 30 , 40 or on up the age escalator, will your body be there for you?

Lose weight and exercise.

Health and fitness goals top the resolution list year after year.

Why do it now, after all these years of saying “I need to exercise!”  Indeed, why start now?

• You’re a year older.
• You’re probably 5-10 pounds heavier than when you set this same goal 1 year ago.
• After the hit your retirement plan took over the last 10 years, you just might need to work longer.  Physically, will you be able to do that?
• Maybe you’re the exception…. You’ve planned your retirement savings like a genie peering into a crystal ball.  Your retirement will find you living comfortably.  Buuuut, you get winded walking to your car. Forget the gangplank of a cruise ship or the hills of Rome.  Your heirs will miss you-but will enjoy your savings you’ve worked so hard to amass.

There are more reasons than ever to take responsibility for your health and fitness.

Only one in 7 US workers is a normal weight and without a chronic health problem.  The Mayo Clinic reports that the stressful job market and slack economy compounds the problem of obesity and chronic health conditions, especially heart disease and depression.  Obesity is conclusively tied to the increased incidence of major chronic, debilitating diseases.

Companies and fitness

Waiting on YOU!

Companies like Duke Energy and Harley Davidson recognize the importance of holding on to skilled workers.  They provide stretching programs before shifts begin.  Sure there are younger, cheaper workers out there who could be hired in to fill the job-but hiring and training new workers costs more than keeping older ones.  Physically demanding jobs bring special fitness needs with them.  Corporate suits now recognize the need to keep  worker’s bodies in shape.  It saves them money….

You and Your Job

Working until you’re ready to retire is your goal. Retiring fit enough to enjoy your freedom is smart.  Many jobs, especially health care jobs, require a certain level of fitness.

My last hospital nursing job was a wonderful gig.  I worked on a  fabulous new unit that covered a space as long as 3 football fields.  Staffing attempted to keep each nurse’s patients grouped together, but miles of walking was required each day.  After we moved into the new facility, many people began bringing their lunch.  It took half your lunch break just to walk to the hospital cafeteria.

At the end of a grueling shift on a hospital floor or critical care unit, no one comes around and checks your blood pressure or pulse.  Whether you have the energy to play with your kids or just collapse into bed, it’s your life.

Your fitness level is all on you.

No one makes you run a mile before you’re hired to work at most jobs.  You and I take it for granted that the effort required is just that: required.

Like a fighter heading into the ring, get lighter on your feet and be prepared to tackle the challenges of your job.

There are plenty of health problems we can’t control.  You are your genes, after all, but why make the problem worse by being overweight and unfit?

Come on!

• You show up for work on time (it’s required).
• You wear appropriate clothing (no one wants to look stupid/slutty?)
• You have to be fit to do your job (you need the money) and you’ve got a life outside work.

Just do the damn thing-you can you know.  Inside, you know you can be successful!

Good luck!

Reader Question:

What are you doing different this year to try to meet your fitness goals?  What works to motivate you?  What made you decide, “Today is different?”

FDL, BSN is a frequent guest poster here at the Millionaire Nurse Blog-she works in the public health arena.

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“Yes, Virginia, you can save more than a million dollars in your 401K!”  So says Jeremy Olshan in his article about 401k millionaires at Smart Money.

A Million Bucks-In Your 401k?Confirms this article at Smart Money. The author, Jeremy Olsham, interviewed several brokers who managed money for clients that had amassed more than 7 figures in their 401K.

Most experts feel 401k savings are a failure-that many in our country will be hurtin’ for certain at retirement….

Though the savings plan could use a few tweeks, the failure is OUR FAULT, yes us, the public rather than the plan’s.

Why do they fail?

Cause we don’t use ‘em.  I’ll leave it up to you to decide why, though I have strong opinions….

401K Success Stories

In this article, what were the consistent findings for those who saved the most in their 401k?

As usual, it’s not shocking,  no not surprising, and certainly not scintillating.

These retirement plan millionaires didn’t have inside information, they didn’t cheat the 99%ers, they didn’t walk all over the middle class.

Nope, they did what every self-respecting financial planner recommends you do to maximize your retirement account.

They participated.

• They put in as much as they could afford.
• They put money in every pay period, every month, every year for long periods of time.

Boring….but effective.  You can laugh at ‘em, but they are the ones having a comfortable retirement, while you spent your money on that new truck you couldn’t afford….

What didn’t they do?

• They didn’t use their 401k as an ATM….borrowing money for golf clubs, or braces.
• They didn’t try to time the market, stopping their contribution during down markets  (fear) and increasing at market tops (irrational exuberance).

Not rocket surgery as Yogi was known to say….

Included in the article cited above, is a discussion about how employees with modest incomes could be 401k millionaires, with the math and everything.  Where have you heard that before???? (hint: see the name of this blog….)

Breaking 401k rules

Some of those interviewed had broken a few standard rules.  The most common was having their 401k invested  100% in company stock.  {This precaution only applies to those of you working at a publicly traded company who allow company stock purchases in your account.}  My employees can’t buy company stock and most of my  nurse readers work at facilities with 403b plans.  They can’t buy company stock in their plan.

Experts advise that you not keep all your money in one stock-whether in a retirement plan or any account.  Failed companies such as Enron, Lehman, Worldcom and Bear Stearns come to mind.  If their employees only invested their 401k holdings  in company stock, their accounts went to zero overnight.  Damn depressing to think about-sorry you guys…

If you worked at Apple or Google and 20 years  ago you put all your retirement savings in those company stocks,  you are sitting on easy street right now.  20 years from now though, who knows whether even those tech titans will still be here.

In summary, the tried and true is confirmed once again.

If you want to have a large bucket of money in your retirement account at the end of your career, put money into it.  Every pay period, every month, every year, for years and years.

And you should learn what and where you are investing, but that’s for another post.  I’m sure you’re on the edge of your seat!

Reader Questions:

Do you think you will be a 401k millionaire?  Check out this post and survey at Retire by 40 on net worth at retirement  goals, and read the comments, very enlightening.

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My latest idea is growing mushrooms at home.

My problem with doing anything at home, especially that involves the outdoors is that I know my limitations.  I truly do have a bad back.

I can push a broom, wash dishes for limited periods, and move the vacuum, but anything that requires even a brief period of time bending at the waist causes me debilitating pain, usually for days or weeks at the time.  This tends to get in the way of my making a living.

This puts my in wife charge of most things requiring manual labor indoors and out.  And before you guys think I’ve got it made, don’t.

The male ego is very fragile and it’s taken me years to quit showing “I can do it” when I couldn’t and then paying a steep  price for my stubbornness.

Mushroom Project approval a must.

For this Mushroom idea to have a ghost of a chance, I’ve got to get the bride excited about it.

Mushrooms!

My mind, she knows very well,  works like a whirling dervish.  I get tons of great, stupendous, neatest thing ever…. ideas most of which are a waste of time, silly, or impossible to implement.

What I’ve learned is to let ideas float around for awhile in the nether world of my brain, sleeping on it before I verbalize it, and risk hearing:

• “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”
• “Yes dear, pass the ketchup!”
• “That sounds good Honey, let me know when you’re finished!”
• “How much is that going to cost us?”
• “You don’t have time for another project.”

Besides aching joints,  that chronic back pain, well earned facial creases and grey hair, age has imparted to me a certain wisdom.

Being married for 31 years has also helped me to prioritize.

1. Do what ever my wife asks….
2. Do what she thinks I need to do….
3. Do what she thinks I need to do before she even has to  even think it…..

The wiser I get the better I get at number three, therefore avoiding the consequences of failing at number 1.

No, this isn’t a post on how to have a better marriage.  Nope this isn’t  a  “how I get things done” post.  (The secret to a better marriage is  learning to balance  getting things done and having a happy home.  The sooner we all learn this, the better.)

Advantages of growing your own mushrooms

This post is about an experiment.  An experiment that allows me to:

• Be environmentally friendly.
• Grow something good to eat.
• Maybe save money on gourmet mushrooms.

The “Growing Mushrooms At Home Project” is conceived, but will it ever be born!

My mushroom project requires the cooperation, no the total commitment of and  by my wife.   She will be the one doing all the work, (what’s new, she says) except writing about it, though she’s pretty good at that, too!

Today, I’m going to show her “The Mushroom Project” details.    I have been carefully developing my strategy and like a good chess player have thought several moves ahead.

In my favor:

• She loves mushrooms.
• She loves the yard, plants, and gardening.
• She loves a “do it yourself project”.

As do most of you, however, she has plenty on her platter.

I will keep you posted on how it goes. If you have any tips let me know.

And if I get the green light, I will continue “The Mushroom Project” posts, if I get the red light, you will hear nothing further on this subject.

That is all!

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We are in the middle of bowl season and about to hit the NFL playoffs.

American football has millions of  idiotic dedicated sports fans who think nothing of painting their face with team colors, wearing ridiculous outfits and acting like maniacs on Saturday or Sunday.  Doing things they would never do at home or at work…

Fanatic Football Fans

What does that have to do with  personal finance?

Well let’s just see….hmmm:

Football and Your Money:

• Team-There is no “I” in team is common coach-speak.   It is impossible to know everything about your money these days. Think about it! Banking, investing, taxes, retirement accounts, insurance, real estate, precious metals, mining….the list goes on.  You need a team of professionals to help you succeed.  Too many people compromise on their choice of teammates.  Don’t use cousin Vinny’s wife’s sister who just got her real estate license…
• Game Plan-You need a financial plan.  It doesn’t have to be as thick as Bill Belichick’s playbook.  You may just need a little piece of paper with the plays written on it like you see on quarterbacks wrists.  To be successful though, you need a general outline of how much you have, what you want to do and where you want to go with your money.
• Improvisation-The current slang is “You gotta make a play!”  I know I said you need a game plan.  Most coach’s have a strict list of plays to start a game. The ball doesn’t always bounce the way you thought, so you need to be nimble and willing to make changes if circumstances require.
• A Balanced Attack-Teams that depend only on the pass or only on the run become one dimensional and easily defeated. The investing corollary is using diversification.  Don’t put all your coins in one investment.
• Persistence-fans get restless when a team runs the same play with small variations over and over.  Coaches know that with persistence, the play will eventually break open for a long run if executed correctly.  The same goes for investing.  Dollar cost averaging is one example of persistence.
• Big plays-Big plays….making a long run or a long pass play or an interception for a pick 6….these big plays can make the difference between winning and losing.  In investing,  making big plays usually means letting your winners run.  If you have a winning investment it’s tempting to cash in your chips.  Let your winners run as they frequently will continue their winning ways.  If you have to decrease your stake to be able to sleep at night, just take part of your money off the table  rather than cashing in completely.
• Playing Hurt-No, this doesn’t mean that you slam your hand in your safe deposit door.  All good football players know they will have to play hurt.  When it comes to your money, you have to be able to continue with your plan even when the market or world events are going against you.  By all means, evaluate and reassess your plan, but if it is sound, stay in the game and give yourself time for things to turn around.  Don’t sell with the herd, play hurt!
• It’s a long season stupid-Don’t get overly focused on one game, the season is what’s important.  With your money, keep your eye on the prize.  Having enough money at the end of your working life when you’re unable to earn more is the focus.  Don’t let individual months or years, whether good or bad, cloud your judgment.
• Defense can be as important as offense-Keeping your powder dry or not losing money can sometimes be as important or more-so than having everything at risk. Being defensive with part of your capital is a sound strategy.
• Every team needs cheerleaders-having your family cheering you on can make the difference when times get tough.  Congratulate wise financial decisions of your teammates. If that means patting yourself on the back with a little reward, do it!
• The Standings Count-Yes size matters,  the score matters,  whether you win or lose-It Matters!!!!  Hey, it’s your money!
• Experience counts- Simple game plans and investment choices are smart early in your career-don’t do options straddles when you don’t know what an option is….  As you develop more knowledge and sophistication, you can check at the line and call your own more complicated plays-be  like Peyton well this year be like Drew.
• Enjoy the journey-Great football players have trouble retiring because they enjoy the journey. They love the game!  Learn to enjoy taking care of your money rather than looking at it as a chore.
• Next Year-Yep, when you’ve had a tough year with your money, don’t get too discouraged.  There is always next year!

Consider yourself the recipient of a ‘Pat on the Butt’ locker room speech:  get out there and make money for the Gipper, The price of victory is high but so are your IRA rewards and all that stuff!

Go Falcons! (no my face is not painted red and black…)

Reader Questions:  What are your favorite football/personal finance analogies?  Come on, let’s play a game and see how many we can come up with-you know you’ve got one….Remember practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect!

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When you’re sick, the last thing you care about is checking out after your medical visit.  You just want to get your “drugs” and go home to bed.

Doctor Visit!

If you’re just getting a checkup, you want to get it over with.  No one likes to visit a medical practice.

If you come into my office, here is a small sample of what might happen.

We stick a thermometer in your mouth or ear.  We ask you embarrassing questions. We WEIGH you, make you take off your clothes,  poke, prod, and pinch places you would never volunteer to be poked, prodded, or pinched…

Sometimes we even want to draw your precious blood.

After all your humiliation, the worse thing of all happens.  We expect you to PAY when you leave!

Medical Billing Software

Medical billing is so confusing even those of us in the business don’t understand it.   If you don’t have insurance, it’s pretty straight forward. You get a bill for the level of service needed for your problem.   You may be able to get a discount for paying in cash, but the bill is your bill for better  or worse.

For those with insurance it’s a whole ‘nother story.

You’ve got the primary insurer, you may have the secondary insurer, you have co-pays, excluded services and deductibles.  The co-pays and deductibles may or may not apply, depending on whether it’s a preventive visit or a treatment visit (called evaluation and management or E&M).

Your health savings account, or your Flex account may help.

Most of us just pay the co-pay and hope the man behind the curtain gets the rest of the billing process accomplished accurately.

New digital healthcare billing requirements:

Why should all this matter?  Because a new federal requirement is in the house!

The software for medical billing has been changed this year by Medicare which in turn drives the billing for all the other insurance carriers.  Known as HIPPA 5010, this new software upgrade goes into effect January 2012.

If you have a medical office visit in the first few months of this new year, you may want to pay particular attention to your medical bills from those visits.

There are three likely scenarios:

• If your practice is using a large national  medical billing software company, they should have all the bugs out of their system.
• If your practice is using a regional billing company they are probably ready.
• If your practice is using a smaller, off the shelf system it purchased 10 years ago, it is probably not fully compliant-possibly leaving you in the lurch.

What does that mean?

When your medical practice and the insurance company aren’t communicating properly, an error in your billing may occur.

If the medical practice doesn’t get paid by your insurance in a timely fashion, they will bill you.  And you are ultimately responsible, not your insurance carrier.

One of the papers you sign when arriving at a medical practice is a disclaimer that says you understand you are responsible for your medical bills. The office, as a courtesy, files your claim with your insurance company but it is your responsibility to see that they pay.

If the insurance carrier does pay, but the software was not up to date, the amount billed to you may not be accurate.

If you have a medical bill in the first few months of this new year, just take a moment to look it over.  Ask questions if something doesn’t look accurate.

Getting your medical bills paid properly should make you feel better!

Reader Questions:

What has your experience been with medical billing?  Have you had any issues in the past?

{photo credit: woodleywonderworks c.c.}

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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Guest post by FDL, BSN

It’s the holidays.  Every year, from Thanksgiving through December, that’s my excuse/reason for  many things.  On this particular topic, groceries, it’s the reason I am blowing this part of my spending plan.

Here’s the bad:

• I had extra mouths to feed the entire week of Thanksgiving.
• I had to prepare a portion of the big Turkey day meal.
• I had  extra dinner guests one evening in addition to my visiting family.
• I make thousands (I might be exaggerating) baked goods for gifts.

The Ugly:

• The never ending mess in my kitchen.

The Good:

• Family and Friends-what it’s all about, huh!
• I only had to do a portion of the Turkey Day meal-yeah for pitching in!
• I went with seasonal items that were at great prices. Can you say Sweet Potato in how many versions?
• Christmas Gifts and dessert-a twofer! A tremendous amount of our gift giving is in the form of home-baked goods, namely cinnamon rolls. Holiday dessert and gifts all at the same time!
• Bulk Buying. Because I make the same baked goods every year, I stock up on the ingredients at bulk prices and sales.

How To Make Your Own Home-made Cinnamon Rolls:

Homemade Cinammon Roll!

The true confessions of an over-zealous cinnamon roll holiday baker.  Read it here….

Homemade goods are a better choice than gift cards and other mindless presents this time of year.  But baking can wreak havoc with my grocery bill if I don’t plan for it.

Since I’ve gone on about how wonderful they are, I’ll share my secret recipe:

Cinnamon Roll Recipe!

I start with freshly ground whole wheat dough that I use for bread making(that’s another post.)

I make a paste of melted butter, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla extract.  No, I don’t know the exact proportions-adjust till it looks right….

After I roll the dough into a rectangle, the size of which varies every time, I spread the cinnamon paste in a thin layer over the dough, roll it all up, jelly roll like, and cut into rounds.

I dip the rounds into melted butter, place in a pan, let rise awhile (twenty minutes or so-longer the cooler your room temp), then bake until done.  Top with a powdered sugar glaze.

For  gift giving, I send a separate container of the glaze.  It’s a mixture of powdered sugar, dry milk powder, vanilla and water I put in inexpensive plastic containers,bought by the dozens.

As you can tell, like most bakers, trial and error and making adjustments on the fly is common.

The directions: Re-heat then add the glaze.

For holiday giving, I freezer bag the c. rolls, and place in Christmas gift bags.

I used to leave them in a disposable aluminum pan, cover with plastic wrap, with a bow on top.  I discovered that cooled c. rolls in a freezer bag are easier to give and to store.

This fresh bread dough does not keep well for long at room temp.  Without preservatives, they need to be eaten or frozen.  I’ve been told some of the recipients count them out and divide them  to make sure they get their fair share….

They are best eaten while warm, fresh from the oven, while the kitchen is filled with the heavenly aroma they create-not that I ever snitch one, no way…..

My c. rolls are not especially healthy as they have loads of butter and sugar.  With the freshly ground, whole grain bread dough, I like to call them a ‘better choice’ for special occasions.

Increasing your spending on groceries is not a bad thing when you are decreasing your spending elsewhere to balance it out.  It’s the balancing that’s most important….

Happy Holidays, and if you’re in the neighborhood and smell the Cinnamon Rolls, stop by and say hey!

Reader Questions:

Do you have a favorite home-made item you give at Christmas?

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