| It's Savvy to Share |
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This week, Paul and I rented a debris box to dump items that had been piling up in the yard since our landscape project last May! I just couldn't go into 2011 without taking care of this project that had been weighing on me. As we were shoveling rock and dirt into the box on Monday, Paul suggested that we publish an article this spring about sharing the cost of such endeavors with your neighbors. In our case, there will be plenty of room in the box if our neighbors would like to throw away any items they want to get rid of. I told my savvy husband I had been thinking the same thing. Today, I stumbled on an article by Kate Ashford about when it is smart to borrow instead of buy. Much of the article goes along with our idea of sharing costs with your neighbors or friends. We have always shared tools. In fact, when my friend Janna moved into her new home about a mile from us, she borrowed our lawn mower for several months. We were happy to share and give her a chance to spend money on other items she needed to get her house situated. Janna has always been quick to share produce from her yard including the most amazing lemons from her tree! Read Kate's article at http://money.bundle.com/article/women-red-sharing-economy-7-things-you-should-borrow-instead-buy/1
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| Cherishing Every Day Moments |
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December has been a whirlwind. Parties, the last of the holiday shopping and so much more kept us going past 9:00 pm every night for a fortnight. It was all fun, including Christmas Eve and Christmas itself but, I am enjoying the fact that this is a much quieter week and I have time to breathe. Yesterday, Paul, Dante and I attended the funeral of the grandfather of one of our coaches. Mr. Wong had a particularly amazing life, including immigrating to the U.S. from China at the age of 14, serving in the military and building a successful business. During the service, his grandchildren talked about the every day moments they shared with him. They spoke lovingly of him serving them warm milk after school and how he let them play hide and go seek inside his house. The compilation of these moments weave together a memory of their grandfather they cherish. Since the service, I have thought a lot about their words. As much as I love the holidays and other special occasions, I will continue to remind myself that every day moments hold limitless opportunities for wonderful memories. |
| Living the Savvy Life is Officially a Best Seller |
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I received official word from our publisher this morning that, although it will not ship for a few more weeks, Living the Savvy Life is an Amazon best seller in the U.S., the United Kingdom and in Canada.
Last week I discovered that we were #11 on the Hot New Budget and Money Management Books list. Since then we have bounced around the top 20. I also discovered that we reached #10 on the same such list in the United Kingdom and #18 in Canada. Our publisher told us that anytime a book hits a top 100 list on Amazon, it is considered a best seller.
We are absolutely giddy about reaching this milestone. I heard Kevin giggle when I told him the news this morning. I don't think I've ever heard him giggle before!
We would like to thank everyone who has pre-ordered a copy. By the way, we’ve heard a rumor that it might ship early! If you have not pre-ordered a copy yet and would like to, there is still time!
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| The Case of the Pecan Muffins |
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Last weekend we visited my mom in Fresno. She made her amazing tacos for dinner and then set out several desserts. She asked me to taste her Pecan Muffins. Paul passed as he is not a fan of nuts, but I was happy to try them. I love pecan pie and looked forward to trying a new pecan dessert.
The nuts were chopped into tiny bits and gave the muffins a terrific texture. I asked her if they were easy to make and she said, “Yes! There are only five ingredients; flour, sugar, walnuts…”
“Walnuts!” Paul and I both cried out. Mom immediately turned red, started laughing and confessed that when she went to buy the pecans, they were $9 for 8 oz. Since the walnuts were only $4 for 8 oz, walnuts became the “secret ingredient” to her Pecan Muffins.
Clever and innovative woman – that mother of mine!
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| One of My Pet Peeves… |
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…is listening to people talk about how they are too busy. With some exceptions, we are the designers of our crazy schedules. We are the ones who sign the kid’s up for sports teams and then have to take them to games and practices. We choose to participate in organizations, volunteer and go out for social events. I especially hate hearing myself talk about how hectic my schedule is. I am the one who signed up for Loral Langemeier’s three day seminar. I agreed to speak at the Lucy event on Tuesday night and I am also the one who jumped at the opportunity to present to the Rotary of San Francisco Chinatown on Wednesday.
The truth is that I enjoyed every moment of all of these events. The Loral Langemeier seminar was packed with information that I can immediately use for The Savvy Life, Fearless Fitness and FFIT@home. The Lucy event was a wonderful opportunity to meet local mom’s and network with other businesswomen – and the Rotary event – that was just an absolute blast. The attendees were the most engaged and charming group of people I have ever had the opportunity to speak to.
My schedule does get a bit out of control at times, but when the dust settles, I'm always glad for the opportunities and experiences I gained.
I realized last night that with the exception of teaching at Fearless, I will not have to speak, perform or present anymore for the remainder of 2010. For the next three weeks I can decorate my house for the holidays, spend time doing “Christmas Type Stuff” with Paul and Dante and just enjoy the season. I also plan to revel in the calm before 2011 hits full force starting with Dante’s 4th birthday on January 2nd and picking up speed from there.
Hooray for the holidays!
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| Lucy Gets Savvy |
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Lucy in Burlingame, CA is hosting an event tonight in conjunction with the Burlingame Mother's Club. I have been asked to speak about my book, Living the Savvy Life, and Coach Erika of FFIT@home will be there giving a self defense lesson. An esthetician and personal shopper will be presenting as well. It is going to be a fun event. If you live in the area, stop by, say hello and enter for a chance to win an advanced copy of Living the Savvy Life as well as prizes from FFIT@home.
Tuesday, December 7th 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm 1208 Burlingame Avenue Burlingame, CA 94010 650-347-5340 |
| Loral Langemeier |
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I'm heading to a business/marketing seminar in San Jose today with coach Erika. The seminar will be taught by finance guru Loral Langemeier. Erika and I heard her speak in March when we attended the Author University 101 event. We really enjoyed what she had to say then and are looking forward to this three day event.
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| I Saved $108.99 on Cyber Monday |
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I am pretty open about my savvy lifestyle, but there is one area I struggle writing about – gift giving. Everyone who I buy for reads The Savvy Life so I always have to write about gifts after I have given them. The one thing I can say is that I saved $108.99 (40% off my total purchases) on Monday by taking advantage of Cyber Monday sales. It definitely paid off to scour the sales pages. I will be happy to put the $108.99 I saved toward several other gifts on my list... but I still won't be able to write about what I bought until December 26th.
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