It's Your Time to Give Thanks and Create the Cash
by Belinda Fuchs, President, OwnYourMoney.com

With the economy, investments and retirement accounts still recovering, it’s easy to focus on what we don’t have. . . and what feels like there’s little chance we’ll ever be able to afford. How fortunate that Thanksgiving comes this month, to remind us to be grateful, to reflect upon and appreciate ourselves, our health, our loved ones, and all that we do have.

At Thanksgiving, I am reminded of one of my favorite passages from Jack Canfield’s KEY to Living the Law of Attraction, in which he reminds us to try to be grateful for even the most challenging circumstances in which we find ourselves:

"It is often through these situations, that we experience the most profound spiritual and emotional growth. You can learn to view each apparent obstacle as an opportunity to develop a new quality, strength, skill, insight or wisdom and be grateful for the lessons. Each challenge is an opportunity for growth and expansion. Rise to these occasions, and appreciate all that you are learning in the process.”

It is our choice to find the upside in this downturn and seize the opportunities, get creative, and come together like we never have before.

To support this inspiration, I’d like to share a few practical tips that I’m grateful to have learned. They all relate to saving money on food purchases, one of the key discretionary expenses we all have. Put these in place now to help you put some extra money in your pocket as you start into the holiday home stretch.

1. Stop guessing and figure out how much you actually spent on food last month. Be sure to include groceries, coffee stops, snacks on the go, meals out (breakfast, lunch, and dinners), and take-out. The total can be shocking. Set an aggressive goal and put yourself and your family on a spending plan starting now. Once you get going, it will likely be easier and more fun than you think!
2. Eat what you have. Open your pantry, throw out anything that’s expired, and make a plan for using the rest before it, too, goes to waste. Pull out your favorite cookbook or search recipes on the Internet to get good ideas; you may even find a new favorite!
3. Buy what you’ll eat. If you buy five pounds of shrimp on sale, but can only eat two before they rot, they weren’t a very good bargain.
4. Look for value. Is a brand name product really better than a cheaper store or generic brand? Do a taste test; you may be surprised.
5. Fake a night out. Use inexpensive home décor, music, and lighting to recreate the ambience of your favorite restaurant, right in your own dining room.

One thing we all have is the ability to change course, to improve our lives in small and meaningful ways. You can be successful and smart with money, no matter what decisions you have made in the past. Embrace the spirit of Thanksgiving; be thankful that you are alive, that you can learn from your challenges and start today to make a positive difference in your financial health.

Belinda Fuchs, financial success coach and CPA, is changing the money game for today's woman. Fuchs is the founder and CEO of OwnYourMoney.com, a financial coaching and education company teaching individuals, couples and business owners how to make personal finance and small business success rewarding, manageable and profit. She’ll speak at the Massachusetts Conference for Women in a panel titled “Building Financial Confidence.”

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