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Welcome to our new subscribers this month!
You
are now a part of a growing group of people receiving tailored
solutions to common money and budgeting issues. Feel free to share
this
newsletter with anyone you wish. Your email address will not be
used
for any other purposes.
Thanks to all of you who responded to my
article
in the Gilbert Republic! It
is
exciting to get that kind of exposure, but equally as exciting to
hear
the support from all of you as a result. Watch out, there’s more to
come…
To
Your Success!
Ericka Young
The Dreaded French Fries
A
large problem with budget planning is the dining out
category. Many people have the best of
intentions, but when it comes down to it more budget breaking
moves are
made in this category than in any other category of the budget.
Although we simply want a quick
meal,
we are probably sacrificing more: namely our hard-earned dollars
and
our health by eating out so much.
Personally, all my children ever want to eat when we go out
is
chicken tenders and French fries.
I find that they experiment more when we try new things at
home
rather than at a restaurant.
Since one of my goals is to raise healthy children who
enjoy
different kinds of food and flavors it is best to keep them in my
own
kitchen where they feel safe enough to experiment. Let’s try
it…
Dine
In and Win!
In
the month of September I am putting out a challenge to all my
newsletter readers. I’d
like as
many of you, myself included, to Dine In for the entire month of
September. The reason I
picked
this month is because it is one of the shorter months of the year
with
only 30 days and there are no holidays that tempt us to eat at
restaurants. Labor Day
calls for
cookouts and that is definitely dining in because you make all of
the
food. There are no rules to
the
challenge. Simply go
grocery
shopping and make all your meals at home. This will be tough for many of
you
who dine out for lunch, but try this for one month. The goal of this challenge is to
see
how much money you actually saved.
A dinner out on Tailor-Made Budgets will be given to the
household
that saved the most money during September!
Have Fun While You Eat
Going
along with the Dine In Challenge think about this for a
minute. How many of you dread the
inevitable
dinner time planning? I
do! It seems that 6pm rolls around so fast and nothing is
available to
eat right away. We must
cook,
eat, and then clean up. I
am an
advocate for meat, potatoes, and a vegetable, but a good meal
takes
hours to prepare right?
Well not
exactly and certainly not all the time.
But, this is the reason so many of us run to take out,
fast
food, and other unhealthy options that take more of our
money. So what are we to do? What will make it worth it to
stay in
the house and prepare a meal for your family that everyone will
enjoy
and won’t destroy the kitchen?
The
following are some ideas for keeping the family around your
dinner
table and assist you in making that time an exciting memory for
years
to come. Meal preparation
isn’t
easy, but these suggestions below might help to make it worth
it.
- Reserve talking
about
your day to the special time you have together while
eating. Talk about your day, your
dreams, and disappointments.
This allows your spouse and kids to open up in a
comfortable setting while you break bread.
- Make game night
around the table.
Choose a
game everyone can play as the meal is being prepared. Or, give the kids an
incentive to
complete their meal in a timely fashion by playing a game
when
they are done.
- Have the kids
become
responsible for portions of the meal preparation or table
setting. Getting
everyone
involved will bring more excitement and
participation.
- Create a supper
club. You and some
friends
can get together on a weekend and prepare a few meals that
everyone can take home and eat during the upcoming
week. Try new recipes and
experiment!
- Allow everyone
in the
house to choose the menu on a regular basis. If you have all members of
the
family buy in on the menu they are bound to eat it
up.
- Turn off the
TV. You can pretty much find
anything to do once the tube is removed.
- Make
crafts. Place settings bring color
and
energy to your table.
It is
inviting and warm. The
idea
is to make everyone want to stay.
- Share the meal
preparation and clean up duties.
It may even be necessary to pick certain days that
are
reserved for certain family members. This way the burden of
meal
preparation is not all on one person.
- Prepare the
night
before or first thing in the morning. Who says we must start
cooking
when we get home from a busy day?
Do the preparation when you are at your best and not
low on
energy. You will
probably
do a better job then anyway.
- Learn to love
your
left-overs. Meal preparation is always
best
when there is little to do.
Pulling out something from the night before cuts down
on
the clean up and gives all chefs in the house a
break.
I’d
love to hear all of the creative things you decide to do during
the
Dine In Challenge! Please
send
me your stories of any changes you make that positively affect
this
important part of your day.
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July 2007
New Classes Fall
2007!
Ericka
Young will be teaching several classes this fall! If you are looking to go to the
next level
in your finances or have some financial goals you want to see
accomplished check out the following classes being offered by
Tailor-Made Budgets.
Gilbert Parks and Rec:
Run
with Your Vision, 9/17/07
Count
the Cost - Your New Home, 9/27/07
Registration
begins today!
Call (480) 480
503-6200 or
go
to
www.gilbertrecreation.com
Chandler/Gilbert Community
College:
Setting
Financial Goals, 9/22
Get
Out of Debt For Life!, 9/22
To
register go to: www.cgc.maricopa.edu/ss/registration/
Chris and Ericka Young are
Dave
Ramsey Certified Financial Counselors!
Call (480)
200-2516 today for a free
30 minute consultation to see how they can help you achieve
your
dreams and goals!
Anyone
who refers a new client to Tailor-Made Budgets will receive a $20
gas
card or movie passes. So
get the
word out and enjoy free gas or a night out on
me!
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