Day 9: I came across this on-line and loved the idea. I hope you’ll click the link below and join in. There is a young man in the UK with cystic fibrosis and he loves collecting key chains. Imagine the collection he’d have from around the world if we all sent one. I sent mine off. Will you?
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http://www.postpals.co.uk/content.php?page=32

Day 10: Occasionally at work we gather up books, music and cd’s to send overseas to our troops. I came across this site that offers another kind of giving. Send a free postcard to our troops showing them your support. Only takes a minute to make someones day!!
www.LetsSayThanks.com

Day 11: As you can imagine I have a lot of books at home. I decided it was time to do a little early Spring cleaning (really to make room for new books LOL) so I decided I’d donate half of my books to our local library and the other half to a women’s shelter not far from my home. A book is always a nice place to escape to, a nice place to turn to when you need inspiration and it’s always there when you need it. It’s truly a gift that keeps on giving.

a post from author Cami Walker…

Giving to Yourself
I often receive messages and read blog posts that express some confusion about whether giving to ourselves is selfish, or if it counts as a part of our daily giving ritual. Mbali, the South African Medicine Woman who gave me the 29 Gifts prescription, advised us to begin a 29 day gift cycle to ourselves – to start each day with gratitude for what we have, as gratitude keeps the heart open, and then start the day with a gift to ourselves.

I myself have often fallen into a pattern of over-giving which leaves me feeling drained, angry and resentful—not the ideal energy to be giving from. So I decided to follow her wise advice and make a mindful effort to give something to myself each day. Giving to yourself not only ‘counts’ – it serves as a reminder that we ourselves are worthy of receiving, it increases our sense of abundance, it helps to open our hearts and rejuvenate our spirits.

Good giving today.

more to come on my giving. For any of you following along out there, how do you feel about giving so far? do you feel like it’s changed you in any way? has it inspired you to treat people differently?

Related posts:

1. Giving update…how are you doing?
2. Gift Giving con’t…

just an update on my giving and a new blog from Cami (very apropos as I had to start again).

day 7:  At the lunch line in our cafeteria the person in front of me discovered that they had forgotten their wallet when they got to the register.  I don’t personally know the person but  I see her in the building almost everyday so I offered to pay for her lunch.    She was so embarrassed and I told her not to worry about it.  Well I ran into her today and she insisted that she pay me back.  Sad how it can be hard sometimes just to accept a gift.

 day 8: Today was a tough day and needless to say many words of encouragement, lots of hugs and consoling were exchanged.

A blog from author Cami Walker

Progress Vs Perfection

Mbali Creazzo — the medicine woman who inspired this project — once told me that perfectionism… always thinking you are not good enough… don’t doing well enough… aren’t enough… is a form of scarcity thinking.

Give yourself the gift of letting go of perfectionism during your 29 days of giving. If you get to the end of a day and realize that you forgot to give your gift, don’t beat yourself up or think that all is now lost and quit. Mbali actually suggests starting again at Day One because giving every day for 29 consecutive days helps the energy build around your ritual. If you miss a day and start over, she says you release the energy and then it starts building again as you start over. If you decide to take this suggestion, just make sure you’re not judging yourself. You haven’t failed any test. You’re just starting over. If beginning at Day One is too much for you, you can also just pick up where you left off. Sit down with a journal or on your giving blog.  Reflect on the times you gave unconsciously to bring the gifts into your consciousness.

Most importantly, don’t beat up on yourself because we don’t expect perfection –only progress –during your 29-Day Giving Challenge.

Good giving today.

Cami

Related posts:

1. “29 Gifts” guest author blog
2. The gift of trying again…

   A quick update on my giving and I’ll have a new blog to post from author Cami Walker tomorrow.

day 4:  I was home all day today and while flipping through the channels came across the St Jude’s story.  Hard to watch that program without being moved to give.  So I made the call and pledged.

day 5:  today I decided to re-do a gift I did on my first attempt.  If you remember I gave the bagger at the grocery store a giftcard.  Well I repeated that today.  It’s always so much fun to see reactions.   I’m going to try and re-do the coffee shop one too.  I’ll let you know how that one goes.

day 6:  I gave a friend a book today that is coming out in April called “God Never Blinks”.  I am reading it myself and love it so far.  It is a book with “50 lessons for Life’s Little Detours”.  The stories are short, heartwarming and touching.  This friend and I often talk about the Laws Of Attraction and I have heard her pass on what she has gotten out of them.  I’m hoping she will read this book and pass along those lessons as well.  

Order God Never Blinks

More tomorrow as I get caught up.

Related posts:

1. The gift of trying again…
2. Giving update…how are you doing?

 
If you’re still unsure how to cut your spending in 2010 but still live the good life, here are five (of the hundreds of) money-saving tips from my new book Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less (Adams Media, 2010).
 
1. Limit grocery-shopping spending by using gift cards. This is a trick that my husband and I started using last spring, and it has helped us to reign in our supermarket spending for one good reason: when the money on the gifts cards run out, we’re done food shopping for the month. Yeah, that sounds harsh but it also forces you to think carefully about what you spend and on what, and then to think creatively about what you already have in your pantry to fill in the gaps if you do end up with a zero-balance gift card. These days, we’ve cut our monthly grocery bill by about $400 using this trick.
 
2. Switch to store brands whenever possible. Want to save 30 percent on your shopping bill? Then consider looking at store-brand or private-label goods when you’re in the market for shampoo, spaghetti or sore throat lozenges. According to the Private Label Manufacturing Association (PMLA), American consumers can cut their spending on groceries, cosmetics and household supplies by foregoing brand names for the store’s version of the same product. A PMLA 2009 survey found that shoppers who made this change saved, on average, $40 per trip to the store. If you go to the supermarket once a week like I do, that’s more than $2,000 a year in savings.
 
3. Bundle your services for big savings. If you still have a landline and you’re using a separate company for Internet and TV, find out how much you could save if you bundled those services together. For example, by having our cable company provide all three services, we saved $50 a month or $600 a year. The same holds true with insurance companies. You can often negotiate a discount if you use one company to provide your auto, life and homeowner’s insurance. A State Farm survey showed that customers who did just this saved, on average, about $600 a year.
 
4. Start purchasing products from companies that stand behind their goods. Though Lands’ End and L.L. Bean clothing, backpacks and home furnishings aren’t the cheapest items on the market, they each offer lifetime guarantees on their products. So how does that save you money? You buy a product once from a company like this, and then when something goes wrong–a rip, a break or it wears out–you can return it to the company for your money back or a replacement item. I spent $200 on an L.L. Bean winter coat 10 years ago, and while I’ve had three “new” coats from L.L. Bean since then, I’ve never spent another dime on my outerwear.
 
5. Brew and pour your beverages at home. OK, so this one isn’t so surprising but it’s worth repeating because it’s easy to do and can add up to a lot of money saved. Simply, brew your coffee at home and use a refillable water bottle to quench your thirst when you’re out and about, and you can save up to $700 and $3,000, respectively.

Related posts:

1. Save $300 in 30 days–Regina Leeds guest post #3
2. Save $300 in 30 days– Guest post #2 from Regina Leeds

   Things have been pretty chaotic lately and my giving slipped, so according to the book, you should start over.  The purpose for starting over is to “release the energy that is building and allow it to build again”.  I think it’s a good way to get and keep me in the spirit of giving without having to think about it.  We do give all the time and sometimes it might be hard to see that we did in fact give something.  We’ll I’ve started over.  It’s nice to know that in giving, it’s never to late to try again.

Day 1

A year or so ago on Jan 1st I sat down and wrote out checks to the few solicitations I had received during Dec. to support charities.  I was overwhelmed with the flood of requests I started to receive and literally quite disappointed.  With the current devastation in Haiti I was saddened to realize that the last time I donated was for the tsunami Relief.  While at the grocery store it just reminded me how blessed I am to be able to go and pick up more than just the staples.  I donated to the Red Cross when I got home and have vowed to do it every year regardless.  There is always someone in need and the least I can do is do my part to help.

Day 2

I was reading a blog that someone else had posted regarding “The 29 Gifts” and thought I’d borrow the fantastic idea.  I had a couple of copies of the book so I decided that I’d leave them in random places (the local coffee shop and at the vets office)  with a note attached.  In the note I wrote that “this book is a gift, I hope you’ll read it, try it and pass it along”.

Day 3

Yesterday at work I was asked if I would allow an intern to “shadow me” for the day.  I love helping people so I said “definitely”.  At the end of the day, I felt really good about being able to help someone along the way and I felt like she learned a few things and had a good time in the process.  It also reminded me that giving of oneself, be it time, advice, a shoulder to cry on, etc.,  are all gifts.  I think I’m learning that very small things are gifts and it isn’t always the big things.

well I hope that wasn’t too winded.  LOL  I’m off to run and errand and I’m looking forward to finding an opportunity to gift. 

Related posts:

1. “29 Gifts” guest author blog
2. Gift Giving con’t…

Now, in terms of the more common things that can happen to you on a soccer field, there’s no doubt that the injury di tutti injuries is tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in your knee. Fortunately, that did not happen to me.

What did happen is that I was changing direction with the ball and planted my foot—with just two minutes to go in a game we were winning by four goals, mind you—and one of the bonier members of the opposing team came flying in like it was the Champions League final and buried his knee in the meat of my left thigh.

“I say, old man,” I’m pretty sure I remember myself commenting calmly, “only that did sting a bit.” I swore—I mean swear! Ahem.

Anyway, let’s review the symptoms of a thigh bruise:

• You have pain in the middle of your thigh and have difficulty walking or running. Check.
• You may have difficulty bending or straightening your leg or lifting your knee. Check.
• An area of your thigh may be swollen and discolored. Check.

Let there be no contusion: The treatment includes a steady program of rest, ice, compression, elevation, and watching Point Break on Encore.

Apparently, these beauties come in one of three degrees. I’m not sure if mine is second or third, but suffice it to say that I’m moving about with all the speed and grace of a bit actor in a zombie flick.

What this means for my date with the shuttle run I can’t say. I wonder if I can log “Adjusting Cushions” in the Presidential Fitness Challenge…

No related posts.

Having admitted to being The Least Flexible Person on the Planet, I was determined to start stretching every day. And while I can say I’ve done so more in the past three weeks than probably the previous six months, I’ve missed a few days and still suffer from a general lack of enthusiasm for the endeavor.

It’s kind of like one of those good angel, bad angel deals, except on one shoulder the bad angel is being played by a 20-year-old Mike Tyson, and on the other the good angel is more akin to… Ben Stein.

Part of this is undoubtedly because it’s just not that fun for me. I mean, if I suddenly resolved to start playing water polo every day I’d no doubt end up feeling soggy, frustrated, and, well, in over my head.

So I’m looking for a life jacket. (Do yoga mats float?) Flexible people of the world, how do you work stretching into your life? What do you recommend? Is a yoga class the only way?

I have attended one yoga class in my life and felt pretty awkward. Still remember the instructor strolling along checking on people saying, “Good… good… good… Matt, let me help you.”

Should I get over it? Any advice you have would be appreciated; my loose approach is not getting results.

Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Update: Check it out! Why, working all this activity into the fabric of my everyday life has brought me ever closer to earning that patch. Recent highlights include a night of ping-pong dominance, a soccer victory for my Thursday team, a winning attitude for my Monday team, and escaping the vortex of a lazy Sunday to actually get to the gym. That took as much effort as anything I did there.

They’ve Got a Percentile for Everything: I was playing around on the Fitness Challenge site and discovered that I rank in the 89th percentile for “activity points” among logged participants in the greater Ann Arbor area in January. I bet the guy wrecking the curve is the one who was sporting a fine-mesh tank top while pushing a Precor to the limit the other day. Only serious fitness enthusiasts can get away with sporting a fine-mesh tank top.

Related posts:

1. Of Flexibility and Flex-ability
2. I’m Going to Take the Presidential Fitness Test

How Things Are Going
In short: Decently well. I’m not 100% real food, and I’m fairly certain I may never be. I’m striving for about 90%. That would be a huge improvement for me.

For all of you who have reported doing the real-food thing for a while now, how does the ratio of real food to slightly less real food in your diet balance out? Do you think being Totally Real is possible?

In any case, I’m feeling really great, and with the weight that I’m losing on top of my healthier eating, I’ve got energy and a clear head. Love that!

Now for What You Really Want
A few of you asked for my hot cocoa recipe last week. I’m pleased to share it here. To give credit where it’s due, the recipe is actually a concoction created by my husband. He started by using some of the recipes printed on cocoa powder containers and went from there.

Scott’s Spiced-Up Hot Cocoa
Serves 4

3 cups milk (if you’re really going for decadent, adding some half-and-half is divine)
2 heaping TB cocoa powder
2 heaping TB sugar
ground chile pepper of your choice, to taste (we prefer chipotle)
cinnamon stick
dash vanilla extract

Stir together the cocoa, sugar, and pepper in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Whisk in the milk and stir until well-blended. Add the cinnamon stick and vanilla and cook on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar and cocoa are dissolved. Be careful not to scorch the milk.

Pour it into cups and serve with marshmallows or whipped cream, if you like.

*A note about the chile pepper: We like to use a spice blend from McCormick that is a Cocoa-Chile blend. We often stir a little into stews, too, when we want the depth and richness of cocoa and the zing of chipotle.

A Family-Friendly Recipe
I did some cooking over the weekend. I wanted to give a recipe from the new book Cook This Not That a try. I’ve never explored the “This Not That” series before, and didn’t know what to expect.

Cook This Not That shows you how to make healthier versions of restaurant favorites. It was Saturday night and I needed something for my family, so I went for the Chicken Fingers, which the book offered as a healthier alternative to Chili’s Crispy Honey-Chipotle Crispers.

Here’s the recipe, verbatim from Cook This Not That

CHICKEN FINGERS

Whether shaped like nuggets, stars, crowns, or fingers, deep-fried chicken bites do a major disservice to one of the planet’s best sources of protein. Let the restaurant coat it in one of their special sauces and you could be downing nearly a full day’s worth of calories on a food designed for children. In fact, Chili’s popular Crispers pack in more calories than a dozen Fresco Beef Tacos from Taco Bell and more sodium than 24 small bags of Lay’s potato chips. Make the switch to this oven-fried version once a week and you’ll shed 25 pounds (and cut out 210,080 milligrams of sodium) in a year.

You’ll Need:
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken tenders
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp chipotle pepper puree
1 Tbsp honey

How to Make It:
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the egg whites in a shallow bowl. Place the crumbs on a plate and season those, too. Dip the chicken tenders into the egg, then toss in the crumbs, being sure to coat fully.
2. Place the breaded chicken pieces on a baking sheet coated with nonstick cooking spray and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crumbs have browned and the chicken is firm.
3. Combine the mustard, chipotle, and honey in a large bowl. Toss the cooked chicken tenders in the mixture so they are all evenly coated with the spicy-sweet sauce.

Makes 4 servings / Cost per serving: $2.00
250 calories
1.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
350 mg sodium

NOT THAT!
Chili’s Crispy Honey-Chipotle Crispers
1,930 calories
108 g fat
(17 g saturated)
4,390 mg sodium
Price: $8.99

Our Assessment
In all, this was a hit. My girls ate it up and I knew, for once, that the nugget-like chicken they were eating wasn’t filled with mystery ingredients I wouldn’t be inclined to stock in my pantry. My husband and I liked it a lot, too. The panko bread crumbs were wonderfully crunchy.

Since we found our pantry shockingly lacking in Dijon mustard, we skipped the sauce in the recipe and used a raspberry-chipotle barbecue sauce we had on hand.

My version didn’t come out as gloriously brown and lovely as the picture, but I’m attributing that to two things:
1. I have a brand new oven that I’m still getting the hang of (Yay! It’s here!)
2. The panko pieces were a little large. Next time I’ll crush them into a finer crumb.

Hope all of your real-food pursuits are going well.

Related posts:

1. Real Food: Goodbye, Swiss Miss and Hello, New (Old) Pants
2. Real Food: Checking In and a Chicken Recipe, Too

Enjoy.

Scarcity Vs Abundance by Cami Walker

Common responses I hear when I invite people to join the 29-Day Giving Challenge and commit to give their gifts are: “I’m too busy. There’s too much on my plate already. I can’t add one more thing to my daily ‘TO DO’ list.” This is what I call living in a scarcity mind set and it’s exactly the thought process that giving 29 Gifts in 29 days is designed to overcome.

Related posts:

1. I’m Going to Give 29 Gifts
2. Meet the Author behind the book

Here are some quick tips taken from “One Year to an Organized Financial Life.”

Set a timer for 10 to 20 minutes and do a speed elimination of all the papers you know in your heart you no longer need: expired coupons and invitations to events long past, non tax deductible miscellaneous receipts, old newspapers and magazines and true junk mail just to name a few of the most common items that fill an office or work space at home. Whether you trash or shred, get this debris out of your space. If you come across items that need to go to other people (family member, insurance broker, tax preparer et al) just set them aside. You can deliver when you have completed your files. Do not allow yourself to get lost in old material. The key word in ’speed elimination’ is speed!

Be on the lookout for material that can be archived. This might relate to your income tax deductions for years you have filed or to a work or volunteer project now completed.

Next start sorting your papers by category. It is from this world that your file names will appear. Most of us have receipts for the following categories: medical expenses, rent or mortgage payments, business expenses, home office receipts and automobile expense. Your categories will be unique to you. Make a list on paper and see how you can streamline the file names. For example, why not have a file category called: ‘Insurance Policies.’ Here as an example you can group Automobile, Homeowners and Medical policies.

Your basic supplies will include: hanging file folders, manila file (these hold the material and get stored inside the hanging file folder), long tabs (so you have room for creative fie and category names) and of course a label makes with extra cassettes.
This is enough to get you started. You’ll find detailed step by step instructions in all of my books. Russell Wild and I also included a document retention guide. For example you will want to hold on to your actual tax return indefinitely. The ‘back up’ material need only be saved for 3 years if you are an individual or 7 year if you are incorporated. Be aware however that these are the Federal guidelines and that each state imposes it’s own time regulations. As an example, the state of California asks that you hold your back up material for 4 years if you are an individual. It’s always best to check with your tax preparer or tax attorney for THE latest guidelines.

It takes a few hours to set up a file system but it will save you time and energy all year long!

Related posts:

1. Save $300 in 30 days– Guest post #2 from Regina Leeds
2. Save $300 — Guest post from Regina Leeds