$4 Latte Makes Me Smile

“I wonder how much money have I spent on $4 lattes this past year and is it irresponsible?”

Now my train-of-thought of course is, I’m almost 50-years-old and I have worked since I was 15 and I LOVE a pumpkin spiced latte and frankly I deserve it (right?).

Well do I?  So, I am setting out to conquer a New Year’s resolution of participating in all the things in life I find exciting and saying No to some things that frankly don’t excite me!  I recently read an article recommending setting up a “thoughtful spending plan”.  The article stated, “there is nothing wrong with spending money on things that are important to you, as long as you consider two things: 1) ask yourself if you have the money to begin with and 2) cut your spending on things that, quite frankly, don’t make you too excited”. Sounds easy, right? 

The challenge is many times during the year I participate in things because of a self-imposed feeling of obligation.  I don’t want to say NO! 

Here’s a great example. Smoked Boston-butts are really not our thing!  However, many organizations in our community sell these as fundraisers.  So what do I do?  I spend $25- $30 on something, that frankly my husband and I don’t like and 9 out of 10 times wind-up throwing most of it away. Do you know how many lattes I could have bought for $25?  A pumpkin spiced latte makes me happy, the Boston-butt on the other hand…well you get the picture.

Setting up a “thoughtful spending plan” doesn’t have to be hard!  All it takes is a few minutes to do some soul searching and evaluate your resources and what makes you tick.  Why not try it?  Throughout the approaching “love” month, see if you notice a pattern emerging of buying things that don’t make your heart smile, and adjust it.   

The point is to be intentional about spending money on things that give us value. If that $4 latte really makes you smile…go for it and enjoy every sip.

Christmas Eve Gift

It was a tradition I definitely was not accustomed to.   As soon as the clock struck 12:01am, on Christmas Eve, my husband’s grandmother would begin calling family members and simply saying “Christmas Eve Gift” which would be followed by a giggle and a thought of “Gotcha” before hanging up the phone.  After her passing, my husband felt it necessary to continue the tradition. 

Each year, he begins the lengthy task of preparing his list of numbers to make his annual “Christmas Eve Gift” calls then he sets his biological clock to get up way too early for me.  I now understand why some received calls at 4am…it takes that long to go down the list. 

Well guess what?  This year my husband got a new smart phone and the first thing our youngest daughter said was, “do you think we could just get a text this year”?  LOL!   I then said, “why do you think he does it”?, too which she replied, “It is just something that has stuck around. Some traditions are just that. No reason but it is there”.  WOW! 

As I began to set goals for the New Year the thought struck me,  “Am I doing things that have NO reason, can I do things differently, can I make sure what I do is effective?  The answer is simply YES!

So, on Christmas Eve, I took the time to help my “technologically challenged” husband set up a group message to go out at a certain time and... ALL OUR FAMILY WILL THANK ME LATER!

Happy New Year!  

Now What Were We Celebrating?

How can something so meaningful have everyone in such a tizzy?  Parties, parades, family get-togethers and, of course, there are the college bowl games… just to name a few. But how did it get to be so hectic? 

Maybe it is the “people pleaser” in all of us, or maybe just maybe the holidays really do bring out the “giving” in all of us.    There is something about this time of year that makes me a little more “giving”…giving of my time, talents and money.

My heart seems to yearn for my family and friends more. I cherish the time I spend with my husband enjoying the things he loves. I then get so stressed each year preparing for the annual Christmas parade, just to be consumed by the fun I have with my coworkers as we throw-out candy and wave as if we were kings and queens.

Then there are the parties!  You know the company party that NO one really wants to attend, but feels obligated to do so. Especially when the marketing director adds “tacky sweater” to the invite!  Oh and lets not forget the church dinner, the Christmas Cantata, play practice and then throw-in your parents 50^th wedding anniversary party, decorating the house, purchasing and wrapping the presents.

Shew, now what were we celebrating?  Oh yeah, the sweet Christ child that came with no parties or bowl games, just a lowly manger and one happy and blessed mother to have her little family in one little place. We could blame the Wise Men for the tizzy; after all, they started the gift giving. But then they were “wise” and maybe on to something!  You see, “giving” is part of who we are and what makes our homes, communities, churches and businesses so special.  So, enjoy the tizzy and remember to keep the spirit of Christ in your Christmas!

Is Respect Lost?

The inappropriate language and dress, faces buried in a phone or ears plugged with earphones. Do they notice or even care for the people walking around them? 

I recently learned the answer, as I stood in line at the local market.  Although my mind had recently been filled with stories and first-hand accounts of “children” using obscene language, being disrespectful, stealing, lying, alcohol abuse and even striking an adult, I felt a renewed spirit in me while standing in that store. 

In front of me, at the local market, was an elderly lady using what seemed to be a food benefits card.   What caught my attention was not the card, but the young lady behind the counter.  The elderly lady had apparently purchased some items not covered by the card and had to reach in her wallet for additional money.  I could see the embarrassment on her face, or maybe I was misjudging and it was sheer frustration.  Whichever the case, the sweet young lady was being very patient.  She then was joined by a kind young man saying “It’s ok mam, just press that button and I can get that for you”! 

My recollection of all the negativity of last few days seemed to vanish in that moment. My renewed spirit spurted our, “what a blessing you two are and that is why we love our community and shopping local”, to which the elderly lady replied, I agree these young people have to keep us old people straight!”

So, behind what seems to be all that is wrong is a beautiful piece of art, perfectly shaped by a master workman  and yes there is still respect going on!

PEPPA PIG

I recently had the opportunity to watch several episodes of Peppa Pig with my twin grandgirls. Now I really need to emphasize several, because that is currently their “favorite” show.  I also need to tell you I was thoroughly impressed and understood why they liked it so much.  One of the episodes really caught my attention due to a recent conversation with some senior adults concerning “young people” and “thank you” notes.

The storyline showed Peppa Pig responding to a birthday invitation.  She didn’t simply toss it aside.   Peppa immediately looked at her calendar, and then sent a reply, thanking her friend for inviting her and stating that she would be in attendance.  WOW!  What a novel idea… sending a response and thanking someone for inviting you to a party.   Now I don’t know about you, but there seems to be a lack of Peppa’s habits among many of us today. I have received numerous birthday invitations through the years for my children and I am certain I never took the time to respond and now I feel bad.  I also have sent invitations with an RSVP and received only a few calls, but people showed up and I am so glad they did.  

However, I must admit that when I go out of my way to purchase a gift for a birthday, new baby or graduation, I do expect to get at least an acknowledgement (which also doesn’t happen a lot). 

Although, I am trying to be better at responding to RSVP’s and sending a thank you in a timely manner, I am not certain I will ever meet Peppa Pig’s standard of etiquette.   But Thank You for reading my blog!

LOVE OF MONEY

With each new group of young people I have the opportunity to work with, comes excitement as well as anticipation.  As a leader, banker, resource and mentor, I become like a child on the first day of school.  Will they have any knowledge of basic finance?  Have they even considered saving money? Have they been exposed to money matters or ever been given money or earned a dollar?  Some of this seems so basic, yet in my experience many children have no concept of basic financial education.

What has been the most surprising is that socioeconomics doesn’t necessarily play as much of a part as you might expect.  Some children in poverty and some from affluent homes understand that in order to succeed financially you need to work hard, don’t overspend and save money.  However, you also have children from both groups that have no concept of basic financial matters. This could be as a result of many factors. One might assume that the lack of money or parents choosing just not to expose their children to household finances is a factor. Regardless of the why, there is definitely a lack in financial education in most of our youth.


Although I firmly believe, “the root of all evil is the LOVE of money”, and that while the most important things in life are free…I am fully aware that it takes money to keep the lights on and food in your stomach. With that in mind, I can’t wait to meet the group of selected individuals who will help lead the way in the financial education of the next generation and I am so very thankful I get to be a part of it. 

Hippocampus Deficiency

My belief system tells me that when you believe in someone and tell them often, it usually brings the best out of people. I also have learned recently that I am lacking in “hippocampus”, the portion of the brain responsible for navigation.

So, right about now you are saying, “and what does that have to do with anything”. Well that is just the way my mind runs.  So Go With Me!

As I have been saying “see you soon” (my papa said never say goodbye) to the class of 2014 heading off to college, I can’t even begin to comprehend where life will take them.  I have spent the last 4 plus years encouraging, supporting, listening, teaching and, most recently, crying with them over the loss of someone dear to many of them.

Many are attending college, some have joined the armed services and most of these students have never been away from home for more than a few days at a time. Some have chosen the path of least resistance by simply deciding to “just be” for now. Regardless, each one has chosen a path and I have started to think “Will they find their way”? 

As a person who apparently lacks “hippocampus” I still get turned around in my hometown.  Get me off track and its hilarious how I can get so mixed up.  Now what you may not know is that my daddy always was my navigator.  As a lifetime truck driver, I could call him from anywhere and he would direct me exactly to where I needed to go.  Therefore, I never really utilized my “hippocampus” for directions.  However, as my dad gets older and road signs change, I am thankful for my GPS and my mother’s voice in my head reminding me “I can do this”!