If You Don't Buy Chips and Other Pre-made Snack Foods, You Can Afford Bacon

. . . or steak, or nice vacations, or whatever else is your fancy. And the reverse is true, too. If you don't buy bacon, you can afford chips and snacks, even on a tight budget. It's all about choice. What made me think about this is I went shopping at WinCo this week and I bought 3 packages of bacon. But I completely bypassed the chips and crackers aisle. I wanted bacon, and I knew my family would really enjoy bacon. So that's what I chose to do with our grocery budget for the week. 

So often I think about what we can't have or can't do, due to financial constraints. But in reality, we can afford 98% of what we could put on a wish list. We might have to cut out something or save for a longer period. In the end, we could afford almost everything.

It helps my financial morale to remember this aspect of budgeting. Instead of feeling deprived, I end up feeling grateful for the blessing of choice.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends. And I'll be enjoying more bacon. . .

Your Tips: Taking Care of Ourselves in December

December can be such a difficult month for many people. There's the low level of sunlight and shorter days. The holidays bring up all sorts of complicated feelings, from loss of loved ones, to familial conflicts, to personal inadequacy, to feeling left out. The spending can be stressful and not joyous. More viruses circulate and our defenses could be down. And, the weather could make spending time outdoors unpleasant. So, it's no wonder this can be a difficult time for so many. 

For myself, I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, I feel a huge sense of loss this time of year as the anniversary of my mom's passing approaches (she passed away just before Christmas of 1984), the financial stress takes its toll, and I tend to work extra hard making the holidays a special period for my family. I don't think I do a very good job of taking care of myself in December. 

Last year, I became sick on Christmas Eve. Our Christmas celebration had to be postponed 2 weeks as a result. I don't want that to happen again this year for me, and I don't want it to happen to you, either.

So, I thought we could all share 1 or 2 tips for taking care of ourselves in December.

My two tips:

• don't skip meals. Eat regular, healthy meals, on schedule. I know I feel better if I'm eating healthy in December and limiting the treats that I eat. It's a choice. I can eat healthy and feel well, or I can eat treats and feel not up to parr. I just have to remind myself of the consequences to eating a plateful of fudge or cookies.
• get to bed on time. It's tempting for me to stay up late, but I also know that my best chances of shortening any virus I may contract is to sleep well every night. Even if this means I'll miss out on one or two late-night, fun experiences during the season. We will no longer go to the late church service on Christmas Eve, as an example. Count me as one of the fuddy-duddies who can only go to the early service.

Your turn. What are 1 or 2 of your best tips for not only surviving December, but truly enjoying it? How do you take care of yourself this time of year?