Real Life Solutions

With the global economy at one of its all-time lows, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet. However, many of us are looking for easy ways to save money fast.   There are many easy ways to save money fast and you don’t necessarily require drastic action, and you may even want to try some of these out simply as ways to save up for something you want. So here are a few great money-saving tips that you might never really have thought of.

Easy Ways To Save Money Fast

Ditch your car (sometimes): Your car is probably one of the most expensive things in your life. We forget that not we’re not only paying up for fuel on a regular basis, but we also have to pay all the maintenance costs for our cars.

We don’t necessarily need cars to get on with our daily lives. Public transport is great alternative. Another great alternative to a car is a bicycle. Bicycles cost almost nothing to run, with very low maintenance costs and zero fuel bills. Better still, you’ll even get fit by using a bike.

Finally, you can walk as much as possible. While some things will probably be too far away for walking, there’ll almost certainly be plenty of things you can do by walking which you’d normally take your car to do.

Many can’t imagine life without a car, but you don’t actually have to drop your car altogether to save money. Just making shorter journeys by bus, bike or on foot can start saving you money on fuel, and will reduce wear and tear on your car making maintenance less of an issue.

Stop going to the gym: If you are looking for  easy ways to save money fast, you may want to check out your work out habits.   If you’re paying out to go to the gym on a regular basis, then consider doing your workout from home – at least until your financial situation is looking a bit better.  You can arrange to go on runs in a local park or on the sidewalk with friends if you want to get out of the house. But it’s also possible to do lots of exercises in the house.

You can also try to cycle journeys that you would usually make in the car. As mentioned above, this can reduce fuel costs at the same time as keeping you fit. It’s also a timesaver, as you won’t need to use up as much of your free time on exercise if you’re cycling to get around.

Plan your food shopping: One of the most common mistakes we make is not planning our food shopping properly. By using some key family meal planning tips, you can save a lot of money monehly.  It can seem like an annoying chore, but by buying only what you know you will need you waste far less. It also means you can take advantage of bulk-buy special offers.

Check out supermarket clearances: Supermarkets often have end-of-day, or end-of-week clearances. These are definitely worth checking out! You can find some truly amazing deals here, particularly if you’re buying meat. Find out when food clearances usually take place at your local supermarket and make it a habit to turn up for them frequently. It’s possible to cut food bills down quite a bit this way.

Drink less alcohol, smoke less cigarettes:  It sounds boring and difficult, but if you can manage it then cutting back on alcohol and cigarettes can be a huge money-saver. Cigarettes are one of the biggest money wasters – especially for chain smokers. Those who are unable to quit cigarettes might be able to cut back and save some pretty decent money.

Alcohol is actually easier to cut back on than many people think. You don’t have to stop drinking it altogether, but saving it for just one or two nights per week can really make a big difference to your expenses. Also, if you drink out at bars a lot, consider drinking at home beforehand. This can reduce the cost of a night out quite a bit!

As you can see by the list above, there are many  easy ways to save money fast ways.  These are just a few ideas to help get you thinking. Take a look at your daily life, and see if you can find other ways to save yourself money in addition to these.

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The most effective way to accomplish things you want to do in life is to set goals. Here are some tips to help you achieve what matters most.

1) Write Down Your Goals – Research has shown that people who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them than those who simply think or talk about them.

2) Choose a Worthy Opponent - Not all goals are worth pursuing. Make a list of all the items you have thought about doing. Take several days to make sure you get as many items on your list as you can think of. Then take a cold, hard look at the list. How many of the items will actually enhance your life? Oh sure, you make want to collect every Harry Potter toy ever made, but will it really make your life better? Are there any goals that are not consistent with your values? Begin by eliminating those from your list.

3) Be Honest About Your Feelings - Acknowledge that some goals will be difficult to accomplish. You will find yourself procrastinating over some items on your list. You will have to work at motivating yourself. Know that this is okay. Don’t beat yourself up for not wanting to clean the garage. Instead, devise strategies that will encourage you to succeed in spite of how you feel.

4) Divide and Conquer – Divide your goal list into three parts: 1) Want to Do 2) Have to Do and 3) Should Do. Make sure you have more Want to Do’s than Have to Do’s and Should Do’s. If you don’t have enough Want to Do’s, think small. Are there any Want to Do’s that don’t take much time? How about playing a new game, calling a friend, reading a magazine article or eating a new kind of food? Add these little goals to your list too.

5) Organize Your List -  Now that your goal list is in categories, it’s time to decide on the order of attack. Begin by writing down a Have to Do. After that, write down a Want to Do. Your next item should be a Should Do. Now it’s time for another Want to Do. Keep writing items down in the order you will do them but make sure you follow this pattern: 1.Have to Do 2. Want to Do 3. Should Do 4.Want to Do. Keep repeating the pattern until you have placed all your goals somewhere on the list.

6) Give Yourself Deadlines -  It is far too easy to put off items that can be done any time you feel like it. Put some helpful pressure on yourself by setting a ‘needs to be completed by’ date. Enlist outside pressure if necessary. Nothing motivates organizing a guest room quite like scheduling houseguests. Garages often get cleaned out faster when a yard sale is looming.

7) Report to Your Friends -  Ask your friends to check on how you are doing with your goals. Set up a system to make it easy for you to report your progress. Social media works well for this.

Celebrate Your Success – Each time you complete a goal on your list, make a big deal over it. Treat yourself to a movie, an ice cream cone, a visit with a friend or whatever matters to you. You accomplished a goal! Take time to congratulate yourself and relish your

If you are ready to achieve your goals, why not  schedule a free 20 minute coaching consultation with certified Personal Life Coach Aurelia Williams and start forming your plan of action today!

When children or teens are depressed they often have a lack of hope for the future.

Teenage suicide and suicidal ideation is a profound expression of hopelessness. It is often experienced as an overwhelming feeling that what they do is never good enough and inside, they are never good enough.

A vision board helps depressed children or adolescents to start imagining their dreams and goals for the future. The very process of making the vision board together will open a door for your child or adolescent to talk about their experiences and to start to address the negative thoughts that are in their head. Some teens may prefer to do it completely on their own, but you will have plenty of grist for the mill to talk about when you see their finished board.

Below I will share some tips on how to create vision boards for children:

The vision board can be a bulletin board or simply a white Styrofoam board. The process is to make collages of photos, magazine clippings, written affirmations, lines from poetry, and quotes which all represent their “outcomes”. They can also include special cards, letters, and certificates, written by others that say positive things.

In the centre of the vision board should be a photo or picture of your child or teen. It needs to show through their facial and body language that they are feeling happy. We suggest the most recent photo if possible. This reminds then where they were and they can be and feel happy again. Revolving around this centre-piece are visual images of goals that the child wants to achieve that will contribute to feeling happy again. For example, feeling happy at school, having a closer inner circle of friends, feeling joy and creativity, a special project they want to be involved in, or their dream job or career in the future.

It can also include other goals such as working somewhere, learning to play an instrument, getting back to playing tennis again or another sport, submitting their poems to magazines or designs to companies, showing their artwork at exhibitions. It therefore is a mixture of inner and outer manifestations that the child wants to create and new beliefs that they want to install in their brain.

Help them to set their sights high; dream a little, but also be realistic. They will need to show the visual manifestations of what they want in each of these four areas:

1. School
2. Sports/activities
3. Family life
4. Social life

Examples include making new friends, improving their sport or getting something they really want.

They think about what they want to achieve in the next five years from now. For a younger person it might be 1) obtaining GCSEs or 2) going on a special trip or adventure.

For adolescents, it might be: 1) what kind of person they want to be as an adult, such as a loyal and honest friend or a hard worker, and 2) what kind of job they would like to have.

Encourage them to imagine what sort of qualities they want to have in the next five, and then ten years. Since the dominating thoughts of a child with depression have been disempowering, hurtful, painful and negative, it is important to write very strong affirmations which will eventually eclipse the irrational destructive and toxic beliefs and gradually transform themselves into physical reality, helping the childs mood to become more on an even keel again.

The positive statements on the vision board should reflect the opposite of the negative thought patterns that they have. For instance, if your child has low self-esteem and suffers from a lack of confidence, then the statement could be something like “I am becoming more confident” or “my confidence is growing each day”. Another example is “I am” or “I am becoming” more… joyful, self-assured, positive in my thinking. These are important statements to help your child think of and write down.

It is very powerful to sit with your child and in a quiet place with beautiful peaceful music, and say “lets just try this exercise, nothing to lose. Imagine yourself already feeling as though your dreams have become a reality, your prayers are answered, or you have already reached your goals. This lifts one to a much more elevated mood.

Explain to your child that an affirmation can become even more powerful when it is turned into a song or chant. This is called an incantation because it is said with a focused purposefulness accompanied by body movement. Sometimes people proclaim this loudly when drumming, dancing or whatever movement they prefer.

Children and adolescents also can find and use quotes of their favourite person in history, current day celebrities or great role models in their life. Usually these great people have been resilient through trials, tribulations and adversity. They can choose their role models who are celebrities or famous people from both past and present who also suffered from depression (e.g. Mandela, Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Einstein, Mother Theresa, Mozart, Abraham Lincoln, and Melanie C of the Spice Girls, Princess Diana, etc.).

Using the information above will help you to create vision boards for children that they will be happy to look at and aspire to.

Be sure to visit ‘How To Help Your Child Beat Depression. is a great resource that gives practical advice on recognizing depression in children/teenagers and offers essential tips on how you can cope with the challenges.

With our busy lives each and every day, streamlining and simplifying is vital. Here are 6 simple ways to do just that.

1) Clothes

Above all else, it’s important to know what you have and what you need. Go through your closet and drawers and pull out anything that doesn’t fit you or make you feel fabulous. Make an inventory of what you have now and then make a list of the items or outfits you need. Try to stick to a certain style or color palette so that items will mix and match more easily.

When buying shoes, purses or other accessories, aim for pieces that will work with a number of outfits as opposed to just one thing.

Try to group pieces in your closet in a way that works best for you. Perhaps hang all of your pants together, blouses, skirts, etc. Or maybe instead it would work best to hang complete outfits together.

2) Cosmetics

Does your cosmetics drawer or cabinet look like a bomb went off? Could you lay your hands on your favorite hot pink nail polish in seconds or do you end up buying another bottle because you can’t find the one you already own?

For makeup, cosmetics, hair products, etc., the only way to make sense of it all is to containerize. It doesn’t have to be a bunch of fancy matching boxes although those are fun too! Shoe boxes work just as well or the disposable food storage containers.

Gather everything you currently have and toss away any obviously old, no longer usable product. Now is not the time to lament money spent and wasted on stuff you didn’t use. Bacteria can grow on old cosmetics and be dangerous. Just toss. Once you are sure that you have only kept the newer, safe products you will definitely use, then sort according to category. For instance, consolidate all nail polishes, all lipsticks, all hair products and so on.

3) Kitchen Pantry

Create specific areas in your kitchen depending upon your cooking habits. Baking, canned goods, spices and sauces, oils and vinegars, dry goods (such as sugar, rice, pasta, flour.) Creating these areas, you will cut down on the amount of space where you will be searching for things. For instance, you will know if you need vanilla extract to look in your baking area.

Also recommended are lazy susans that turn easily so you can see what’s there without knocking stuff over.

4) Pre-packed Snacks

Rather than having to stop everything you’re doing each day when your kids ask you for pre-lunch and after lunch snacks, come up with you-pack-’em packages in advance.

For instance, using small baggies, make individual snack packs of goldfish crackers, pretzels or dry cereal. Keep them on a specific shelf in your pantry.

Perishable snacks like grapes, baby carrots, or cheese, can be stored in a specific drawer in the fridge.

5) Snail Mail

Mail can become a pile of chaos in no time at all if not tended to promptly. Bills can get mixed up with store flyers and other junk mail. The only way to avoid the trap of the bottomless pile of mail is to deal with it each and every day as it arrives.

Immediately toss anything that is junk mail. Flyers for stores you never go to would be one example. Open and shred all of the credit card offers and other personalized pages.

Sort all bills and file in one central place. If you create a current bill file and are conscientious about using it, then you won’t have bills scattered around in numerous places. If that happens, you run the risk that you will misplace some and they won’t be paid on time.

For any invitations received, decide if you care to attend, then jot the date on your calendar or in your planner.

6) Banking

There are many easy ways to streamline and simplify your banking. First of all, take advantage of direct deposit if at all possible. This will alleviate the possibility of lost checks and the need to physically go to the bank which will in turn save you time and even gas money.

Avoid having too many different accounts at different financial institutions. Often, if you have your checking, savings and other accounts at one bank, you will be able to receive one statement which will cut down on the amount of paperwork you have to open and file.

Stop by Get Organized Now – and check out the amazing collection of 2,175 ideas, tips and techniques for organizing your home, getting rid of clutter, organizing your time, your schedule, your money, your paper, your family and much more!

In this day and age, just about everyone is looking for tips for budgeting and saving money. Many people aren’t aware of all the ways money slips through their fingers, and they’re not sure why they never seem to have enough. Paying attention to your spending habits and making some changes where necessary is a great tips for budgeting and saving money every month.

Follow these tips for budgeting and saving money and you will be able to get your finances in order:

1) Brown Bag it. – The amount of money you can save by making your own lunches and taking them to work each day is staggering. When you take in your own lunches every day–made from leftovers or sandwich fixings, you will be spending much less than you would at even the least expensive restaurants and diners. Healthy eating is easier as well when you make your own lunches since most take out has extra calories and lots of fat and salt. Eating out also takes up a lot of time which can be a problem for those with tight schedules. Making lunch for yourself is an easy way to to start budgeting and saving money.

2) Plan your shopping – Learn to shop methodically and not on a whim. The absolute worst time to buy holiday gifts, for example, is just before the holidays. You should wait for the holidays to be over when you wait for things to go on sale.

Not only is this a great budgeting and saving money tip but it’s a lot less stressful to shop like this because you’ll avoid all of the crowds and that feeling that you have to buy something right away. Similarly, winter and summer clothing is most expensive right before those seasons have started. Plan ahead and buy things both as gifts and for yourself when they are the cheapest. Stores typically charge more for products when everybody wants to buy them so if you do some advance planning, you’ll get the same items for much less.

3) Buy more now, to save more now and later. – The price of food is always going up, even faster than most peoples’ incomes. If you want to respect your budget, you need to figure out how to save money at the store.

Most of the time people shop for groceries when they need them and that means that they end up paying money depending on what the store wants to charge. Buying lots of groceries when they go on sale is a great way to save money at the store. You obviously can’t do this with items that perish like dairy, meat and fresh produce but you can do it with everything else like canned goods, frozen foods, etc. Look for clearance sales and similar specials to help you stock your pantry and you will quickly see that you are spending much less on groceries than you used to.

When you start to think creatively, you will see lots of ways that you can start budgeting and saving money. For the most part, people spend a lot more than they absolutely have to on things like food, entertainment and shopping because they don’t take the time to search out more reasonably priced alternatives. In addition to helping you save money, the tips in this article will help you train your brain to be more frugal as well.

Follow any or all of the above tips for budgeting and saving money and watch your savings slowly increase.

Additional Resources

Do you often find yourself running out of time, running late, or running yourself ragged? Like it or not, we all live by the same rule when it comes to time. It is not infinite. As much as we’d love an extra couple of hours each day or another day added to our week, the fact remains that there are just 24 hours in each day and 7 days in a week. Time continues to tick by at the same rate irregardless of the number of tasks, appointments, and responsibilities you need to pack into those precious minutes. Taking steps to maximize your time will help you relieve the pressure, meet deadlines, and possibly even free up some extra moments to spend with your family and friends.

1) One of the most essential steps you can take to maximize your time is to purchase a planner and use it regularly. Write down any and every important piece of information in your planner including phone numbers, emails, and home addresses. Keeping this information in one location will prevent you from wasting time looking for it when you need it. In addition to being a warehouse for information, use your planner to take note of all deadlines and appointments –even those that seem insignificant. Missed appointments or meetings will quickly consume time as you rush to reach a deadline at the last minute or spend time rescheduling an appointment you forgot.

2) Consolidate your appointments and tasks when possible. If you have several errands to run on the other side of town, do them all at the same time to prevent time lost from driving back and forth. Flexibility is essential when scheduling multiple tasks. You may need to wait an extra week before your next haircut, but it will be well worth it if planning your hair and nail appointments on the same day allows you to free up time to watch your daughter’s softball game.

3) Think (or read) it through before attempting any task. Weather it be volunteering for a fundraising event, building a bookshelf, or writing an article, you will inevitably save time and frustration if you are cognizant of the full instructions or details before starting your project. Knowing ahead of time the step-by-step process, as well as the anticipated end result, will help the process go smoothly and ensure there will be no surprises along the way. Misdirection and getting lost can cause you to lose a great deal of time. Imagine the frustration of finishing a task only to discover the end result is not what was expected causing you to start all over or spend more time than you originally anticipated. Taking just a few extra moments before you begin the project can easily prevent that from happening.

4) Don’t sweat the small stuff. Nothing wastes more time and energy than maintaining a grudge, worrying about things you simply cannot change, or contemplating a multitude of `what ifs?’ If those little details won’t matter in the end anyhow, don’t let them eat away at your precious time. Life is too short to spend time purposely being angry or worrying. Choosing to ignore insignificant details and letting go of grudges will not only help you maximize your own time, it will free your mind and allow you to enjoy living your life.

5) Know your limits and stick to them. If you only have 15 minutes to chat before you need leave for an appointment, make that clear at the beginning of a conversation. If a task is taking longer than you expected, take a few quick moments to figure out why, decide whether additional time is needed, and schedule that time if necessary. Finishing one task at the expense of delaying another is never an effective solution to maximizing your time. Set clear time limits for tasks that easily eat up minutes. Answering emails, surfing the Internet, and chatting on the phone can easily cause you to lose track of time and get behind schedule for the rest of the day. When beginning these tasks, set a time limit and use your watch or cell phone clock to stick to that limit.

6) Maximize your waiting time by keeping a `to do’ bag with you at all times. Fill it with tasks that need to be done, but are not necessarily time sensitive such as thank you notes to be written, recipes to be copied and filed, or possibly even a small article of clothing that may need mending. If you find yourself with free time while waiting for the subway or in line at the DMV, use that time to complete these tasks. Performing these quick tasks while waiting will prevent them from stealing valuable time later.

7) Last, but certainly not least, be certain to take time for your personal time management. Take a few moments each day to organize and administrate your upcoming day. Planning out your day will help you prioritize the tasks that demand your time and will help you decide what to work on and when to work on it. Using the tips from above, plot out each day to ensure each demand on your time receives adequate attention. Stick to your schedule and do your best to complete tasks in the time allowed.

Maximizing your time can be easy and painless using these few simple tips. While you may not be able to add more time into your day, you certainly have the ability to get the most out of the time you do have. Effective time management and prioritization will alleviate some of the hustle and bustle of everyday life allowing you to relax and spend more time participating in activities you enjoy with the ones you love.

Being a mom is extremely rewarding, but it’s challenging. Get the help you need at Real Life Guidance. It’s your place for instant downloadable help for moms, day or night.

Visit Finally Organized – Finally Free  for an amazing collection of 1,300 organizing tips.

With the economy in the sate that it is in, many people are looking for some practical money saving tips in order to save money and gain good control over their budget.

Money may not be with you all throughout the year. There are downs and ups when we talk about the financial resources and income of an individual or family. In dealing with financial difficulties, there is a need to have budgeting techniques anduse practical money saving tips as much as possible and as early as possible. There is a need for us on how to master the art of stretching the capacity of our available money.

It is but normal to commit errors especially when you are not yet used to doing things your job calls for you to. But, do not make those mistakes that you would surely regret in the long run. As soon as you could, you have to develop a great way of managing to budget your money. There are some tips you could remind yourself of.

Here are some good practical money saving tips –

• Make a list of your unwanted budgeting habits. This includes all those you think of being not useful or helpful for you and your financial needs and financial security.
• You plan on what to do in order to tae the first steps in changing your old habits or acts in which they made your budget method a failure.
• Manage your income and the amount of money you spend by preparing a sort of tally sheet of such information.
• Prepare your spend plan. This must include your foreseen expenditures.
• Collect receipts and note bigger amount spent
• Limit spending by looking for some alternatives to it
• As much as possible do not uses much credit card or checks.

Use these above-mentioned practical money saving tips are really a great reminder for you. If followed, you would clearly see the improvement in your budget techniques. It would surely result to better financial management capacities for you.

When this is achieved, you would definitely live a more satisfactory life. The right way of how you budget what you need as a winning one in the field of financing one’s self.

Budget Living – Discover How to Live on a Budget & Save More Money Than You Ever Thought Possible – Without Giving Up All the Things That You Love!

This article contains five ways to save time and money on your taxes. (ARA) – The typical taxpayer is expected to spend more than three business days and more than $200 completing his or her tax return.

“That’s too much time and too much money,” says Gary Lundberg, product management director for CompleteTax (www.CompleteTax.com), an online income tax preparation program. “The good news is, there are a few easy things people can do that will help them save time and money doing their taxes, as well as make sure they get the biggest refund they’re due.”

As people get ready to file their 2009 tax returns, there are a few things they can do to save time and money.

1. Make sure you’re prepared.

Having a few key items available when you start your taxes will save a lot of time. These include:

* Your tax return from 2008
* Social Security numbers for you, your spouse and children
* All W-2s (wage and tax withheld form for 2009 supplied by your employer), 1099s (statements on investment income provided by your financial services institutions), mortgage interest statements and other statements related to income
* All statements related to expenses that you will be claiming on your tax return
* The routing numbers and account numbers for the accounts in which you want to directly deposit your tax refund.

2. Use an online tax program.

One advantages of using an online tax program is that many of the items you need to start your taxes – like your prior year’s return – can be stored by the program. So, you don’t have to waste time hunting down information every year.

More than 32 million people filed their tax returns from their home computers during 2009, up nearly 20 percent from the prior year, according to Internal Revenue Service data. That number is likely to continue to increase as more people realize the benefits of online tax prep and electronic filing.

Using the right online tax program makes it a lot easier and faster for people to finish their tax return with no need to go to the store or download a program onto their computer.

Online tax programs also are a lot more accurate. In fact, the IRS reports that an electronically prepared and filed return has an error rate of less than 1 percent, compared to an error rate of about 20 percent for a paper prepared return.

3. Free file if you can.

Depending upon how complicated a person’s taxes are, they may be able to prepare and e-file their tax return absolutely free. For example, if you don’t need to itemize, and only have a few simple requirements – such as claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit – you may be able to use a free online tax program. For example, CompleteTax offers a free version of its program and the IRS lists other providers participating in the Free File Alliance.

If your tax situation is more complicated – for example, you have itemized deductions, investment income or you are a small business owner – you will want to make sure to purchase the online solution that is tailored to your needs. Good online tax programs for people with general tax needs are available for less than $20 and even investors or small business owners who have more complicated returns can find solutions for less than $75.

“Completing your tax returns does not need to be a drain on your wallet,” says Lundberg. “The right tax program can save a taxpayer both time and money.”

4. Maximize your credits and deductions.

The average tax refund for 2008 was nearly $2,800. However, many taxpayers have the sinking feeling that they are not getting the tax breaks they should. In fact, according to an independent survey conducted by CompleteTax, two-thirds of 1,000 randomly surveyed taxpayers fear they may overlook tax breaks or make mistakes that could cost them in fines or penalties.

“There are dozens of credits and deductions that people may have available to them. So it’s important to make sure that the tax program they’re using is geared to identify these and guide them to options that will maximize their refund,” says Lundberg.

Some programs will also provide tools to help further ensure accuracy. For example, while millions of people donate clothing and household items to charities, few have any idea of the value. A tax program, such as CompleteTax, with a charitable donation calculator, provides an easy way for determining and documenting the fair market value of these items, helping you realize the greatest charitable contribution deductions you can.

5. E-file and use direct deposit.

Electronically filing and using direct deposit significantly increases how quickly taxpayers have access to their refund. Generally, e-filers can have their refund deposited directly into their accounts within a few days, compared to the weeks it takes to receive a mailed check. Certain tax programs also allow customers to split their refund and deposit it into three separate accounts. For example, you could deposit part in your checking account, part in your savings account and part directly into a tax-advantaged IRA account.

“E-filing and direct deposit don’t cost you anything, but they can mean you have your refund faster so that it can start working for you – whether that’s paying off debt, buying something you want or saving for the future,” Lundberg says.

Taxpayers can find more money-saving tips through CompleteTax news and tax alerts at www.CompleteTax.com.

(ARA) – A disorganized home wastes time, and time is money. It can be frustrating if you’re constantly misplacing items, throwing out spoiled food that went missing in the kitchen and paying surcharges for unpaid bills that got lost in the shuffle. But it’s easy to put a little happiness back into your life if you just get organized. Here are some tips for getting your home – and your life – back in order.

Get organized

Tackle one room at a time to get a sense of accomplishment right away. The kitchen is a logical place to start since it’s typically the landing place for all things that get dropped while passing through, from cell phones to car keys to school notes. Get rid of visible countertop clutter. Throw out what you don’t need and corral small items in great-looking woven baskets or pottery bowls.

Next, de-clutter behind the scenes in the drawers and cupboards. A few well-chosen cabinet accessories can help you here. A wood cutlery divider added to a crowded utensil drawer will keep your flatware in place, and give you a fighting chance at locating the pie server or pizza cutter. One option is Diamond Cabinet’s easy-access, Wood Tiered Cutlery Divider, which has a top tier that slides back so you can organize more items. And, if you can’t open a lower cabinet without a pile of pots and pans clattering to the floor, find your headache prevention in the Utility Storage Cabinet With Pot & Pan Pull-Out, featuring both a pot and pan rack and pantry pull-out within one cabinet.

Save money

Designate a “home office central” so you can keep track of money matters and never miss a bill again. Carve out desk space in the kitchen or family room to sort mail and pay bills as they arrive, or to keep it all in one place until payday arrives. Everyday items can pull double duty to help you organize. Turn an attractive rectangular serving dish into an “inbox” for bills, and let a colorful coffee mug serve as a pen and pencil holder. While you’re at it, why not use a wine rack to organize bills? A wine cabinet with an open, X-shaped interior can provide fashionable storage for your reds, whites and zinfandels, but it will also work perfectly fine for sorting and organizing bank statements, tax information and charitable contribution receipts. It can serve to sort a variety of other items, from mittens to small toys – just let your imagination be your guide.

Be happy

As long as you’re making a few changes around the house, kick up your mood with color. Be on the lookout as you organize drawers, cabinets and closets for items that can be used as accessories to brighten up your home – dig out that collection of baseball caps in team colors and display it on pegs in the mudroom; turn a red metal toy truck into a conversation piece for the mantel; re-cover old pillows in fun new colors and throw them on the couch. Cheer up cabinets with fashionable finishes in inspiring colors that make you feel good, such as buttery Honeysuckle, warm Cider, spicy Sangria or the soothing blue-grey tones of Tidal Mist, all from Diamond Cabinets. Visualize the possibilities at www.diamondcabinets.com. With these simple changes, you’ll not only get organized, but you’ll save money and feel happier about it, too.

Being a mom is extremely rewarding, but it’s challenging. Get the help you need at Real Life Guidance. It’s your place for instant downloadable help for moms, day or night.

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Achieve your New Year’s resolution and get out of debt

(ARA) – New Year’s resolutions for 2010: Lose weight, stop smoking, start exercising, get out of debt….

Year in and year out, getting out of debt consistently ranks among New Year’s top 10 resolutions. If your household is like many American households struggling with the recession, or worse, unemployment, getting out of debt will be close to the top of your list again for 2010. Unfortunately, like other tough habits to break, it can be difficult to get out of debt after developing spending habits that have heavily relied on borrowing from credit cards and home equity loans.

While some households can slowly work their way out of debt, others that have been affected by a recent job loss may have no choice. If you’re among the more than 70 percent of American workers who are living paycheck to paycheck or must immediately cut expenses due to sudden unemployment, here are seven tips from FindLaw.com, one of the world’s leading online sources for legal information, on how you can get your new year off to a great start by reducing and eliminating your debt.

* Write down your goal. Give power and energy to your goal to get out of debt by writing it down on a piece of paper and taping it to your refrigerator. Be clear. Write down how much you’re in debt, your goal date for being debt-free and your determination to cut expenses and stop needless spending. In addition, write down what you dream of achieving – buying your own home, or paying for a child’s college education – to give you and your family added purpose as to why it’s so important to get out of debt now.

* Get help now. Some households need expert help to get out of debt and create new spending and saving behaviors. Seek the assistance of a debt management or credit counselor, available through many social service agencies. Try visiting the United Way at www.liveunited.org. If you are at risk of going into foreclosure, call (888) 995-HOPE for a toll-free foreclosure prevention hotline sponsored by NeighborWorks America and the Homeownership Preservation Foundation. Beware of any debt management companies that demand payment up front for their services, which is a telltale sign of a scam.

* Call your creditors. Don’t wait for your creditors to call you. Call them to negotiate a new payment plan that you can realistically handle, including lower interest rates on your credit cards. It’s not uncommon for many Americans who are deeply in debt to be strapped with interest rates as high as 30 percent. Don’t be afraid to ask a creditor to settle a debt for a lower amount than what you currently owe.

* Cut back to the essentials. Cut your expenses to the essentials – food, clothing, shelter and transportation. Stop eating out. Cut out the afternoon candy bar and soda pop and start drinking more water. Stop buying lottery tickets. Start taking the bus or the train to work or, better yet, start biking or walking to and from work. Drop cable and your cell phone.

* Don’t skip these expenses. Depending upon the laws in your state, there may be some expenses that you must incur, such as auto and medical insurance, student loan payments, child support payments, license fees and, of course, paying local taxes as well as state and federal income taxes, according to FindLaw.com. Skip any of these expenses and you may wind up with much bigger legal headaches.

* Go automatic. Have your employer automatically deposit your paycheck into your bank account. But don’t stop there. Arrange for the most essential bill payments – mortgage, electricity, heat and water – to be automatically withdrawn from your checking account. If you have a mortgage, escrow property taxes to ensure that they’re automatically paid.

* Make more money. At some point, you might realize that you can’t cut any more expenses to make enough headway on your goal of getting out of debt. You might need to make more money by either taking on another job or selling some of your household items. If you take on a second job, look for an opportunity to work for a retailer that offers benefits to part-time workers such as discounts on merchandise and health care benefits. For more information about getting out of debt and avoiding bankruptcy, visitwww.findlaw.com.

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