Real Life Solutions

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.

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

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.

Visit Real Life Solutions, your resource for articles and information on managing your business and personal finances, saving money and living debt free. From Grocery Money Saving Tips to Saving for a College education, you will find many resources for your personal finances here financial resources here.

Sometimes it can seem as though daily expenses are getting out of control… you know that you should have enough money to cover everything, but it just never seems to work out that way.

If your financial situation seems to be getting worse with each passing month, don’t despair; with the aid of a household budget you should be able to quickly get things under control again.

All that it takes is a little bit of planning and the self-control to stick to the budget.

What is a household budget? If you’re not entirely sure what a budget is, it’s simply a formal plan for the control of a household’s expenses and spending.

A budget allows you to plan in advance which payments and expenses will be paid at what time, and even decide which payment of your salary will be used to pay individual payments.  It can also be used to figure approximately how much money you have left after all of the bills and expenses have been paid, so that you’ll know whether you can really afford to spend additional money on impulse purchases.

First step in creating a budget: The first step in creating a budget is to determine exactly how much your core expenses cost, and how much money is available each month to pay those expenses.

Make a note of your rent or mortgage payment, and look at old utility bills to determine the average cost of electricity and other utilities. It might be advisable to lean your estimates a little higher than the true average, so as to better cover more expensive months.

You should then write the payment due date of each of these expenses on a calendar, as well as the dates when you or other bill-paying members of the household receive their salary.

Covering all of your expenses: Of course, there are a variety of other expenses that must be met every month that don’t come as standard bills. When working out a budget, it’s important to remember to add in the amount that you spend on groceries each month as well as an amount to pay for incidentals… the various expenses that can come up without you expecting them.

Figure up your total expenses, and subtract them from your monthly income… once you’ve determined how much money you have left, set aside a small portion of this so as to help cover incidentals.

The important thing to remember when working on a budget is that it isn’t set in stone. Many people worry when they get off of their budget, and this makes them skew the budget even more… before long, the budget is gone entirely.

Work on keeping your budget, but don’t worry about it so much that you make it impossible. If you stray, simply get back on next month.

Grab your guide to setting up a family budget Here.

Take Care,

Aurelia Williams

Real Life Coaching

If you have been watching the news, reading magazines, or even overhearing conversations while in line at the post office or grocery store, you may have heard about something called a “personal coach”. More and more people are turning to personal coaches each day; if you have ever wondered what one is and what they can help you with, read on!

Simply put, a personal coach helps you become the best “you” possible. Just like a sports coach helps athletes work out their problem areas and achieve new records with their strengths, a personal coach can help you set and meet goals that apply to many areas of your life.

In today’s society, many people over-book themselves with work, family, and social obligations. A personal coach can help you learn to manage your time effectively, and teach you new ways to calendar your time. You will work with your coach to find a system that works for you, and you’ll be able to meet all of your commitments. They’ll even help you carve out some personal time for yourself.

A personal coach can also help you with your parenting issues. It is no secret that being a parent is the toughest job you will ever have. A personal coach can help you work through any problems you have been having and help you learn new parenting techniques, as well as open the lines of communication between you and your child.

Stress is a common ailment that is shared by almost everyone. Some of the side effects of stress include aches, pain, fatigue, high blood pressure, anxiety and overeating. A personal coach can help you manage your stress levels. This alone can help you in all areas of your life. When you feel less stressed you will be happier and ready to take on new challenges.

Simply talking to a non-judgmental third party can do wonders for you. When people face problems, they are often too embarrassed to ask for help. They may not want their friends or family to know they are struggling with something. This can lead to further feelings of isolation and depression. A personal coach is there to listen and help you find solutions for your problems.

Working with a personal coach is actually more affordable than you think. Most offer free consultations. It is important for you and your potential coach to get to know each other; after the initial consultation, you can decide if this coach is the right coach for you. Likewise, the coach can tell you openly and honestly if they can help you. If they can’t, they will refer you to someone who can.

These are just a few of the benefits of having a personal coach. Think about how great it would be to have someone on your side, rooting for you, giving you honest feedback, and helping you achieve new goals. If you have been struggling with reaching a goal, it is time you experience a free consultation with a coach, and find out how they can help you!

Contact Aurelia Williams today and schedule your free consultation

Family finances are an area that each family needs to examine each year without fail.  If there is no budget in place, a family can quickly find themselves going into debt.  Getting out of debt is a resolution individuals make each year, but as a family, this can be accomplished with more help.

Kids are not left out of the budget process.  Kids who aren’t old enough to have a job spend money, too.  They get allowance money.  In order to receive their allowance money, they need to complete their chores each week.  Uncompleted chores mean no allowance money at the end of the week. 

Set up a family budget at the end of the year.  Use a family meeting time to tackle this big job.  Each family member should come prepared to discuss their spending habits and ways to make changes in order to save money. 

It is never too early to expose children to fiscal responsibility.  Teaching them to manage money at a young age prepares them for life on their own. 

Budget guidelines

Make a list of the monthly family expenses.  This includes any expenses for the kids that occur each month like school lunches and clothing.  Estimate the monthly gas bill and allowances for the kids as well.  Now that you know the expenses you incur each month, you can look at the money coming in to cover those bills.

For a family, there needs to be a “rainy day” fund.  This money is set aside for car repairs, hospital bills, and other emergencies that cannot be predicted but usually happen.  The fund is equal to at least two months salary for the working moms and dads in the household. 

Preparing a better budget

Now that the family knows where they stand, they can move forward.  The first thing to do is to find ways to cut expenses.  Consider the utility bills.  Turning off lights when you leave a room and keeping the thermostat at a constant temperature make a difference in the electricity bill over time.  The summer and winter are the times when the electricity is most expensive.  Use ceiling fans, window fans, and gas log fireplaces to cut cooling and heating bills.

Carpooling is a way to lower the automobile gas bill.  Take turns shuttling the kids to sports practices with other parents in the neighborhood.  Try to make all of the necessary stops while you are already out in the car instead of making several trips in the same day. 

Families with children spend a lot of money on the grocery bill.  Get a list of what everyone’s favorite foods are and plan a trip to the grocery store.  Shop with coupons and buy items on special if you need them.  Purchase enough food for a month.  One trip may cost a few hundred dollars, but visiting the grocery store once or twice each week and the fast food restaurant adds up to more than that if you total the receipts.  Let the cost of the grocery trip be the amount that you budget for food each month to start.

The same tips for sticking to other family resolutions apply to the family budget as well.  Reward the family when they learn to save more money.  Take the family out for dinner and a movie.  No one said that a family couldn’t eat out every once in a while.  When it is earned, the food tastes so much better.  If every family member sacrifices a little, the entire family benefits.

What are Your Family’s Goals and Resolutions for the New Year?

Family resolutions not only keep the family together, but allow for a closer unit. Working, playing, and praying together increases the family bond and affords everyone in the family to have a voice, to look out for each other and to care for each other. No matter what the circumstance, having family goals is a cohesive effort than can truly be the catalyst that effects change.  In addition, when an entire family resolves to make those changes it serves to strengthen the family unit as well.

More importantly, families that commit to resolutions each year will experience a lifetime of memories. 

Visit Real Life Solutions Personal Finances Page – It is your resource for articles and information on managing your business and personal finances, saving money and living debt free. From Grocery Money Saving Tips to Saving for a College education, you will find many resources for your personal finances here financial resources here. 

It’s that time of the year again; when we make a New Years resolutions. If you are anything like the majority of people in this country (83% to be exact), you probably made and broke a resolution before the end of January last year.  But this year is going to be different.  This message is all about how to make a realistic resolution and keep it. We’ll get you to your ultimate goal - whatever it may be one step at a time.

It doesn’t matter if you resolve to loose some weight, stop smoking or carve some more time out for yourself.  Together we will get you there this year.  Here’s to a successful 2009.

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2008 Reflection
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The end of the year has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the new year to come.

It’s a wonderful time to reflect on the changes we want and need to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.

Here are some questions to get you started in your reflection.

1)  What did I learn? (skills, knowledge, awareness, etc.)
2)  What did I accomplish? (Create a list of your accomplishments and achievements).
3)  What would I have done differently? Why?
4)  What still feels incomplete or unfinished to me?
5)  What were the top 3 significant events of the year past?
6)  What do I feel especially good about?
7)  What were my biggest challenges/roadblocks/difficulties?

Carve out some time to reflect, learn and grow from the past year. This will prepare you for a positive New Year ahead.

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Action Steps
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Here are a few action steps for you to take into consideration when working on setting your resolutions.

1) Make sure you set goals that you can realistically reach. Striving to be perfect is not a realistic goal. Striving to eat healthier, exercise more..etc. is a realistic goal.

2) Break your big goals up into bite-sized chunks. They key is to take small, thought-through steps to reach your ultimate goal.

3) Write your goals down and force yourself to be very specific about them. You can then refer back to your goals list and you can see how you are measuring up. It is an empowering feeling to set goals and achieve them.

4) Celebrate! When you achieve a goal or overcome a hurdle that brings you closer to that goal, CELEBRATE you and your accomplishment!

5) Get a goal buddy, coach, friend or partner to help you along the way!

You can accomplish just about anything you ask of yourself. Make your goals specific and clear. When you know exactly what you intend to do, you’re well on your way to getting it done.
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New Year, New You Special
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I am offering my subscribers a 20% discount on any of my coaching packages.  You can view the packages here http://www.reallifecoaching.net/packages.shtml Be sure to mention this special when you sign up! 

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Freebies
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Try a Free Session on the house!  I offer free 35-minute consultations (valued at $45); by telephone, instant messenger or in person to help you decide if coaching is for you. If you are interested in setting one up for yourself, simply hit reply to this message and let me know
 

When people think about making New Year’s resolutions, they often think of the big picture and set goals that are unattainable.  Instead of making a resolution to lose thirty pounds by the end of the year, you may want to set five small goals for the new year of losing ten pounds every two months.

Setting smaller goals, no matter what those goals may be, are easier to stick with and accomplish than long range, larger goals.  These smaller goals are like stepping stones along a path.  Follow each one and before you know it, you’ll have reached the end and succeeded in meeting your New Year’s resolution.

Be specific about the goals you want to meet.  The more specific the goal, the more likely you will be to work hard at obtaining it.  Know what you want to accomplish and even why you want to accomplish it.  If your reasons for wanting to do something aren’t strong enough, it will be easier to give up.

Set measurable goals.  If you haven’t been specific about what you want to accomplish, why you want to accomplish it, and how you’re going to do so, how will you know if you’ve actually achieved it?

Write your goals down, being sure to specify the date you hope to achieve it and how you will determine whether you’ve been successful or not.  Hang the list of goals up where you can see them regularly.  When you see your goals written out, you’ll be much more likely to achieve your goal than if they are hidden away in a file folder somewhere.

Keep a journal about your progress and record what you’ve done in reaching for your goals.  Discuss things that have worked and things that haven’t.  Be specific so you know what to do if you have a similar goal in the future.

Don’t be afraid to share your goals with others.  Telling others will help solidify your commitment to accomplish these goals.  Ask your friends and family to hold you accountable by asking you how you’re doing on your goals.

Renew your commitment to succeed in case something goes wrong.  With small goals you can see what you’re doing, know why you’re doing it, and can remain committed even in the worst circumstances.  Celebrate each of your successes and move on toward the next.

When you set five small goals for the New Year instead of one, your chances of success are much higher than having one large goal.  Not only will you be able to measure how you’re doing, you can use the goals as a means to know where you are on the journey. 

P.S. Visit http://www.reallifecoaching.net/free-consultation/ to claim a free ‘Goal Setting & Getting’ consultation today.

Are you tired of hearing all the grumbling and complaining around your house?  Do you ever find yourself just feeling down for no reason?  Maybe it’s time the family has a positive attitude adjustment.  It may take some time to get everyone in the swing of things, but before you know it everyone will be enjoying life more.

Growing up, many of us heard “Can’t died in the poor house”; meaning that saying you can’t do something will get you no where.  How can you bring that phrase to life? Simple –put it into practice. Set up a money jug, and every time someone says something negative, they have to contribute a set amount of money, like a nickel, every time.  You could make it a contest, maybe even between the kids and the adults. Whoever wins by being the most positive, having the least amount of money in their jar after a set period of time, gets both jugs of money.

If you don’t want to deal with using change, you could keep a chart.  Figure out what the reward will be for having a better attitude. Instead of penalizing people when they are negative, you could give a point every time someone is “caught being good” or being especially positive. You could even award bonus points if they are positive despite something disappointing happening, like failing a test at school. 

Another idea is having a time set aside to just share what we’re thankful for. Even though most people do this at Thanksgiving, it is a good thing to do year round.  We tend to take the good things for granted. By being thankful more often, it’s hard to be negative.  Just shifting your focus that little bit can make a huge difference.

A praise board is another way to help the family be more positive.  Set up a bulletin board somewhere everyone will see it.  Give each family member a section of it, or maybe even use small, separate ones for each of the kids on their bedroom doors.  Then everyone gets index cards and they have to write something nice about the person and put it on their board.  Tell each other the things you appreciate about them. Give them compliments.  Encourage them if they are down about something.  When the board is full, take the cards down and put them in a file box. Then if they have a bad day, they can either look at their board, or back through the box of cards with encouraging words just for them.

By just making a few changes, it is amazing how quickly the household’s mood can change.  The little things can really mean a lot.  Once your family starts being more positive with each other, take it a step further and share your good mood with your family and friends.

P.S. Grab your copy of Journey To Joy, your step by step guide to help gain the happiness that you deserve and to help you maintain a positivie attitude visit ALSO stop by Real Life Coaching and sign up for a coaching pagage of your choice and receive a 20% off discount between now and Jan. 31st.

P.O. Box 92439
Washington, DC 20017

If you’re like most families, you all have such busy lives that sometimes it’s tough to connect. It seems impossible to get EVERYTHING done and have QUALITY time together.

And if you’re like many busy moms, you probably constantly find yourself saying, “…as soon as I’m finished” or “maybe later…”

Well, later might just be too late. Don’t let another day pass by like this.

If you’re ready to find easy solutions to organizing your life to have more time together, I recommend picking up a copy of the “Real Life Guidance to Finding More Family Time” report.

This report was created by Certified Life Coach, Aurelia Williams, and is just what you need to get things back on track.

The report gives you practical solutions for:

- Being realistic in your family goals
- How to find balance between your work and life
- Organizing your life to find more time
- Routine and scheduling tips even the most spontaneous families can get into
- Plenty of activity ideas (never say there’s nothing to do!)

This 20-page report is perfect for the busy mom who needs QUICK and EASY help to finding that precious time with family. It’s also available instantly, so even if it’s the middle of the night while everyone else in the sleep, you can all wake up with a plan to reconnect as a family.

Learn more and grab your guide here