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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Imagine this conversation:  ” Hey Joan this is Tammy.”

“Tammy where are you, your shift started at 7 this morning and it’s almost 9.  You’re never late, is something wrong?”

“Joan, I just can’t do it anymore, I’m sorry to leave you shorthanded, but I had a panic attack when I got up to go to work.  My husband insists I stay home from work ’till I go to the doctor, he thinks I’m killing myself with the stress!”

I’m sure this conversation has occurred in many households throughout our country.

Not just in healthcare, the teachers I see in my practice say the same thing. The work environment has deteriorated with belligerent out-of-control students, to state and federal goals and guidelines, and pay-cuts and unpaid furloughs, and, and, ……

Burnout is the commonly used term for those whose “giver” got up and left.  You’ve given, given, given until your battery is not rechargeable by the routine weekend, or vacation.

I’m not a social scientist or neuro-behaviorist, but I’m someone who’s worked in healthcare for almost 35 years.

Remember Your Inner Child At Work!

One of the most common problems I see in my patients is the “I can’t do it all anymore” syndrome.

This Wall Street Journal article highlights tips on not letting work place stress get the best of you.  From the trenches where I work, here’s my take on these tips:

• When you’re off your game at work, focus on helping others rather than focusing on your problems or job negatives.  Help a student or intern, mentor a younger worker.  Show someone the ropes.  By giving to others you will be the biggest beneficiary.
• Ask yourself daily: ” Why do I do this?” ” What were the things I loved about this career?”  Take time to remember your goal or bottom line.  Are you in your job to help people?  Focusing on this rather than the day to day trials may help alter the negative thoughts rolling around your brain.
• Limit Expectations: Don’t use your job as your soul/sole source of self-esteem. You are more than a ________(fill in blank).  Remember to develop friendships, hobbies, and other outside activities.  Do something fun every week, not just during a vacation week once a year.
• Look for challenges, not problems.  Easy to say, hard to do-but worth the effort.  Recognize that every job has challenges and look at those as a way to grow/learn rather than as a personal attack or as a burden.

These tips can help you turn around work place stress before it becomes cynicism, ulcers, ruined marriage, or a job failure.

Reader Questions:

What do you say? What works for you to make you stay positive at work?

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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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The Mushroom Project:

OK, the Ayes have!  The Mushroom Project got the green light.  The bride (and editor-in-chief) was excited by the idea.

No rolling eyes,  no OK if you want to I’ll play along just ’cause I love you…..This was genuine “lit up eyes” excitement!  (Editor comment: I love working in the yard, stupid!)

Cool.

The Mushroom Project went from an idea to a goal.

The goal: grow mushrooms at home.

Secondary goal: Gourmet mushrooms at home at  a reasonable price.

Stretch goal: Grow gourmet mushrooms and save money over store prices/quality.

Now what?

Mushroom Project Steps

We’re going to buy fungi spawn and raise them.

Becoming ‘spore spawn diddys’ (SSD) entail no adoption fees and there are no legal battles to be fought.

No one is going to turn up at our neighbor’s doors questioning our past or run our fingerprints through databases.

Nope, we just have to figure out how to get this project going.

Growing stuff background

We’ve grown rare, not found in the wild trees named for Benjamin Franklin (native to our area, but not too happy in our yard), common sun loving, heart warming, hardy zinnias, finicky (‘stop the car, what is that?) clematis, and stunningly gorgeous camellias.

Fungi spawn?  SSD?  Not on purpose.  Though I used to make a pretty good ale years ago…

Project Starting Tips

Projects, large and small, come to fruition in the same way:

• Research.  Even on tasks well-honed from years of experience, like growing those wonderful summer zinnias, we are open to new information.  On any new project, time spent reading, checking with the experts, ‘studying on it’, is time well spent.  A thorough and ongoing  Google search is a necessity.
• Network-finding someone else that has ‘been there done that’ is a time and pain saver. They’ve made the mistakes.  Ask around for advice.  Luckily, a national audience here has already chimed in with helpful advice and contacts, and I’m sure more will come.
• Lists are golden with a new project.
  

  Project spreadsheet, or pencil and paper-Your Call!

  For a tried and true task, the mental list may do the trick.  If time is a factor, say you have to get the toilet back together before guests arrive for the weekend, spend extra prep time making sure you have every item required before you begin. For our SSD project, a careful list with easy eraser access (pencil or computer document) is a must.

• Cost Estimates.  This is where research and an accurate list of necessary items are funneled into a budget reality.   Bulk is better when your buying many things, small quantities is a better idea when you’re starting out.  Compromise (almost) always wins the day.  We will start small with this new adventure because we’re novices. Know what the cost will be.  Your cost estimate will be accurate only if you have done a good job with the first two items in this list.  If you’re pumped for a project, but the initial cost is too great-start small, or start slow.  Buying a few items as you can.  I know you’re excited, but remember the turtle usually wins.  Also, as we are well known to do (especially the editor), substitute for something you already have, reduce and reuse.
• Timeline, with deadlines-Set a deadline to have the items amassed and to get started. SSD’s know there is a time lag from start to meal time.  Getting started is the first requirement of having an end.  With every project there will be parts you love and parts you hate.  To prevent procrastination, set deadlines and stick to them.   Don’t let a simple project become a disaster.  Like that rotten tree that is leaning towards your home?  The removal costs may seem ridiculous, but the physical danger to your family, and  potential home repair costs are far far far greater after it falls and slices your roof in half.
• Get’er done.

We’re on our way.  Lists are underway and the timeline is coming together.  I won’t keep you in the dark-that’s for mushrooms, silly.

Reader Questions:

All you SSD’s (aka Mushroom Dads and Moms) out there there. Help us.  Comments/Advice?

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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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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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Forget ‘em.

You’re not going to follow through!

You mean well, and this year is the year, you think you’ll do better but nahhhh, you know in your heart it’ll be no different from last year.

You’re  reading the best personal finance info on the whole darn planet,  so I know you mean well; your heart’s in the right place.

Revolution, not Resolution!

That’s why I’m saying screw the resolutions. This year we’re doing The Mighty Mantra Mumbles.

Mighty Mantra Mumbles!

What are the Mighty Mantra Mumbles (MMM)?

Glad you asked!

You’ve done MMM’s before.  I know you have…

When you were a kid, you used ‘em to get through all kinds of stuff.  Remember when you were pee in your pants afraid?

You said to yourself over and over:  “It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real, orrr maybe you said  “I can ride this bike, I can ride this bike, I can ride this bike ……”

Of course you were afraid,  but you focused on your ‘mantra’ and believed in yourself enough to ‘do it.’ (Mostly you just didn’t want to pee your pants in public.)

Mantras can still work

You’re all grown up now.  Life is serious.  You hardly ever wet your pants (right?).

You’ve made some grand resolutions year after year. I know….lose weight, pay off your credit cards, get a handle on your finances, go to the gym 3 times a week.  I know ‘em all ’cause I’ve used ‘em all!

You never have a serious plan to do any of that stuff, so of course, it doesn’t get done.

Not this year.  No.  We’re a team and we’ve got the the 3M’s -remember the Mighty Mantra Mumble. 

Here’s how it works.

Read carefully and repeat after me.

You are going to say “I can do it.” Every time you start to fall back into your old habits.  That’s right, every time:

• You want to buy that new pair of shoes you don’t need.
• You want to just buy something disgustingly expensive for lunch instead of eating that brown bag.
• You plan to spend your savings on something stupid.
• You want to eat something unhealthy.
• You open your mouth instead of closing it.  (If you know what I mean, you know what I mean).
• You think about skipping exercise.
• You think about going out for dinner instead of throwing something together.
• You start to tell yourself ‘but I deserve this-woe is me!’.

“I can do it!” means “I can be successful at whatever I want to accomplish.”  You have to vocalize it, not loud enough for everyone to think you’re crazy, but say it where you can hear it.  It means more that way, trust me!

Have I made my point?  Don’t bother to make the stupid resolutions (OK, the resolutions are not stupid, they are noble just as you are).

You know what you want from your life.

• You want to be fiscally sound, have margin in your finances and in your life, be able to give and help others when you see the need!
• You want to be nicer (sometimes).
• You want to be healthy and fit.
• You want to be a good example for your family.
• Your bullet point here!

Of course, if you don’t want these things for yourself….Quit lying, you wouldn’t be here otherwise. You’d be watching Snooki, or Snoopy or whatever her name is, drinking a beer, and farting.

This year is different, go for it!

In fact, instead of ‘I can do it’,  how about “Just do the damn thing’.  Sounds more forceful!

Come on, let’s get started.  Say it after me:  “Just do the damn thing.”  “Just do the damn thing.” That can be your Mighty Mantra Mumble!

You just have to decide what the damn thing is!

You can use my Mighty Mantra Mumble, but it’s better to come up with your own.  And you will fail from time to time, but much less than last year with your Mighty Mantra Mumble.

What motivates you?

It works best if it comes from your heart.   Decide what motivates you.

What moves you?  What makes you so happy you want to cry? or piss your pants?

Put that sentiment into a few words you can mumble at just the right time, then practice.  Nothing works till you practice. Say it out loud in front of the mirror.  See how it makes you smile?  You can’t help it!

You can go back to doing what you always do, write your resolutions, then forget about them by sayyy mid-January… and get the same results as last year….

Or you can try the MMM technique.  what have you got to lose?

If you’ve already written your resolutions, the Mighty Mantra Mumble will help you actually keep them this year.

I can already tell.

This year is going to be different.

Go get ‘em champ!

{photo credit: reddirtrose c.c.}

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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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Guest Post by FDL BSN.

Car trips are a wonderful way to see the world around us.  I love nothing more than watching a green terrain unfold before me.  Plants and trees and anything flowering – that’s great stuff.

However, offer me 8 looong hours of this, nonstop, and my enthusiasm begins to deflate like a punctured balloon.   This is a special trip to see dear friends, so what’ll I do?  Using my special personal finance skills, honed to a fine edge, I prowl my mind for alternatives:

Avoid the car trip – it’s a short hop in my Lear jet.  Did I mention all the choices in my list were also budget friendly?  Also, there is no Lear jet option except in my fertile imagination….

Just get in the car, suck it up and pass the time.  Not only is this the most budget friendly option, it is also a way to re-connect with your traveling companions.  Good memories are made inside boxes on wheels as the miles roll away.

How to help those miles roll more quickly and get you to your destination in a good mood and without brain mush?  Read on:

Background on the trip.

We spent a long week end in Hollywood, FL visiting with friends and their parents.

We’ve known these people since their oldest child came to live with us to finish high school as a Rotary International exchange student.  Hollywood, Florida is a great place to visit, and might not be so bad to live in, even if it is a city.

Our young friends live within an easy bike ride to the beach, inter-coastal waterway,  great restaurants, and shopping.  Cool stuff.

So, this is the reason we were quite willing to face an 8 hour car trip each way through the unbelievably long state of Florida.  We live 45 miles north of the capital of the state, Tallahassee, and dropped down to pickup one of the numerous interstates that connect the mass of land that is the state of Florida.

Observe the scenery!

As you travel, don’t forget to be curious of the ebb and flow of the land, water, and horizon.  Review with your car mates what in the world ‘those trees with the orange things on them’ could be. OMG! They’re oranges!  and the even bigger things, gosh darn if they’re not grapefruit!  The fruit laden trees stretch to the

Grapefruit Tree

horizon.

No wonder there are bags and bags of fruit for sale at every stop.

Did you know there is a winery, Lakeridge, just north of Orlando?  No kidding.  There are beautiful horse stables and farms that line I-75 around Ocala.

The Villages, in a coupla’ years I’ll probably want to stop and check out the retirement oasis…

Of course, if you need a sex toy or a pole dance, those places are there too – next exit, parking galore!

And alligator farms, I remember those same signs from the sixties when I was a kid-probably have the same ‘gators and we both probably have a few more wrinkles!

And yes, there are a few ‘Mickey Mouse Lives Here’ signs, just a few…

Listen to audio books.  We have been doing this since our children were young.

When I hear any mention of Stuart Little, a great kids story about a rat, I think of our trip to Tampa. 

The Education of Little Tree?   Our trip to Kentucky.

Bridges of Madison County?  A very romantic trip to Savannah, GA, with just me and my husband in the car.  What a great choice that tape was for this particular trip.  (I take full credit.)

We rent several audios from our local library, free of course, and have a choice if one is not good, playable or we finish one and need another.

Crossword puzzles have become our latest craze.  My daughter, the crossword fanatic, has us hooked.  Mentally sifting through the possibilities for clues – 12 letters, with blank, c,r, blank, o,blank blank…

Eating is one of my favorite pastimes.

It takes a while to make it through an apple but they aren’t as messy as those oranges…

Of course, Dunkin Donuts- strategically located at every service stop on the Florida Turnpike – go down easy, but too quickly.

I have become partial to salty foods with cold drinks-Chex Mix or Trail Mix-Diet Mountain Dew or Diet Coke for variation, water bottles (tap of course)…..  Those beverages lead to pit stops which lengthen the trip, but hey, the crossword is only half done and the audio is only on chapter 15.

Getting out and moving is good for blood clot prevention – I tell myself as I hurry and hope there’s no line.

And don’t forget to buy the Sun Pass  for your windshield to save a little cash on all those Florida Turnpike tolls, and it saves time! You can roll through at 25mph instead of having to stop and be accurate with those quarters!

Sun Pass, The way to go!

Write a post or journal about your trip.

You’ll have to do some serious proof reading after the trip unless you’re driving a Bentley and using Bose noise cancellation head phones-or maybe the Lear… but my editor is pretty tough  anyway.

And the family loves to give you their input.  In fact, on one long plane trip my traveling companions and I got silly and developed a couple of really funny (at least we thought so) travel articles.  We still laugh about how much fun we had on that plane ride.  No Lear then either, coach of course….  Imagine that.

See you on the road!

Wow, just writing about all that fun stuff to do on trips makes me want to hop in the car for another 8-12 hours.  The crossword is calling and the bag of popcorn is not even stale.

See you at the  rest stop.

FDL BSN is a public health nurse and frequent contributor to The Millionaire Nurse.

{photo credit: conanil c.c.}

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