Sunday, February 5, 2012
- Health: Serve meals on small (9” to 10”) plates. Generally, the smaller the plate, the less people eat.
- Wealth: Consolidate accounts spread across many financial institutions. You’ll reduce mail (e.g., 1099 forms at tax time) and perhaps qualify for lower account management fees and better rates of return.
Monday, February 6, 2012
- Health: Serve meals “blue plate” style, which means putting food on dinner plates from the stove. You will eat about 20% less than serving food at the table.
- Wealth: Step up an already positive financial management behavior. For example, if you’re saving 3% of your salary in a 401(k) or 403(b) plan, make it 4% or 5%.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
- Health: Only eat snacks when you feel hungry. Research indicates people will mindlessly eat high-fat “empty calorie” snacks just because they are available.
- Wealth: “Live the Power of 10.” Follow advice that uses 10 (or multiples of 10) such as saving 10% of your gross income annually or reducing debt by $1 or $10 a day (an extra $30 or $300 per month payment).
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
- Health: Use tall thin glasses for beverages instead of short, wider glasses. Tall thin glasses hold about 25-29% less so you consume fewer calories.
- Wealth: Save all or part of your tax refund. You can split a refund among up to three different accounts.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
- Health: Re-package snack foods such as cookies, crackers, and chips into small, plastic snack bags. You will eat 20% less in-between meals and the small bags will help to keep snacks at 100-200 calories per bag.
- Wealth: Set financial goals. At every income level, people who set goals and are “planners” are more successful financially, and feel better about their financial situation, than those who do not plan ahead.
Friday, February 10, 2012
- Health: Make conscious decisions to eat smaller food and caloric beverage portions. Eating and drinking less means consuming fewer calories which will help you to lose weight.
- Wealth: Plan your financial itinerary. Financial goals tell you where you want to be in the future, how much the “trip” costs (savings target amount), and an estimated time of arrival (goal time deadline).
Saturday, February 11, 2012
- Health: Think 200. Consuming 200 fewer calories per day can result in a 20-25 pound annual weight loss.
- Wealth: Match investments to your financial goals. If you have a short-term goal, like a new car in 3 years, keep this money liquid so there’s no loss of principal. If you have a long-term goal, like retirement or college expenses for a baby, consider investing in stock or a stock mutual fund.