Helpful Tips for Tax Time (Part 1) by Dave Ramsey

I have to pay! When you realized you weren't getting a refund this year, you probably didn't jump for joy, did you? Bet you didn't. None of us are thrilled about sending our hard-earned money away. Even though you have to send money to the IRS this year, it's not the end of the world, even if you're already living on a super-tight budget. Even if you've already sent in your check, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Revisit the budget. See where you can squeeze a little bit of cash out of certain categories in your budget - all the little amounts from various places add up! Try your absolute hardest to resist using money from your emergency fund. How about pulling a little out of your clothing, entertainment, or vacation funds? Get free budgeting forms.

• Clean out the house. It's that time of year again where people are always looking for a treasure in someone else's junk. It's nothing but a win-win situation: you get rid of clutter in your garage/attic/shed AND make extra cash while others walk away with bargains.

• Pizza, anyone? Pick up a part-time job for a short period of time. Delivering pizzas is a fabulous idea - and it's great for attacking your debt snowball like crazy, too!

• Here comes the Debt Snowball! If you absolutely can't write a one-time check to the IRS, put this payment in your debt snowball. Just remember that you will have to pay interest just like most other bills you are attacking in your snowball.

Don't stress about sending in the check. By following the above tips, you'll be back on track with the Baby Steps in no time!

Dave Ramsey is a personal money management expert, an extremely popular national radio personality and best-selling author of The Total Money Makeover. Dave is changing the face of America by helping people get out of debt and build wealth. Ramsey exemplifies his life's work of teaching others how to be financially responsible, so they can acquire enough wealth to take care of loved ones, live prosperously into old age, and give generously to others.

Lesson 7 of Og Mandino's University of Success

Some bullet points from lesson 7 of Og Mandino's University of Success:

• I can versus I can’t

• No area of life is immune to faith (believing) and effort (work)

• Quit talking about it and do it!

• If you have a dream, thank God for it and do something about it

Successful Aging by Fred Smith

Having just celebrated another birthday, the following article by the late Fred Smith is particularly relevant to me today.

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My interest in aging started with Erik Erikson’s remark: “The challenge of old age is the management of deterioration.” Applying the art of management gives one control over the process. In other words, move the deterioration toward the perimeter of life and focus on the areas of strength and vitality. Avoid the “used to be” syndrome.

Part of the monitoring of successful aging is asking questions. For me, I break the questions into two categories: positive and negative. Of course, these are personalized according to personality, temperament, character, and temptations. For illustration, I am listing some of the questions I ask myself.

• Love: Where do I fall on the loving scale? How do I avoid benevolent dictatorship?

• Patience: How patient am I? Do I accept the difference between perfection and excellence?

• Tolerance: Am I biblically tolerant? Do I know the difference between love and apathy?

• Unselfishness: How unselfish am I? How do I implement “in honor preferring one another?”

• Commitment: What is my level of commitment? Am I capable of having passion without crossing into obsession?

• Flexibility: Can I develop a technique without sacrificing stability and principle?

• Control: How often do I camouflage this tendency? Do I exhibit dictatorial or victim behavior?

• Cynicism: Do I discount the current reality by wanting things to stay the same to make me comfortable?

• Greed: Is my desire an appetite or a fire? A fire is never satisfied.

• Selfishness: How often do I see others as serving me rather than an opportunity to serve?

• Concretized: How realistic am I about change?

When I do my self-audit, I ask another person for counsel and accountability. This person must be chosen carefully. We are not looking for a critic; we are looking for a coach.

The end of this process is successful aging…staying young while getting older.

This week think about: 1) What preparations am I making for aging? 2) Who do I know who is getting old, not just older? 3) What questions do I need to ask myself this week?

Words of Wisdom: “Get Older, but Never Old.”

Wisdom from Scripture: “The godly grow like a palm tree: they grow high like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the Lord’s house, they grow in the courts of our God. They bear fruit even when they are old, they are filled with vitality and have many leaves.” (Psalm 92-12-14 NET)