Anyone who knows me personally knows I am person who looks at my body as a temple. I have always love exercise (I know I am a freak), I try as hard as I can to eat right, I pretty much only drink water. So, I eat right and exercise…I should be healthy, right? I found out this week, not so much. I may look healthy to the average person, but to a doctor, they see the signs of stress taking over my body. I know for a fact I am far from alone.

You may be asking what does stress have to do with money? I am here to tell you a whole lot. Here are some examples you may be able to relate too:

Big money, big stress – If you are making good money, that is wonderful. So, stress and money do not go hand in hand for you…or does it? Usually if you are making good money, it comes with some pretty good stress too. In the corporate world, money and stress really go hand in hand. There is a reason the more responsibility you have the more money you make. Then you may get into the situation of not really liking your job, but the money is so good…  Then you feel stuck. If you are in this situation, please remember no amount of money is worth your happiness or your health. If you find yourself miserable, there is a way out, you just have to be willing to look for it.

Little money, big stress – Those on the opposite side of the spectrum also have stress. They may love their job, but financially things are really tight. Sometimes it takes thinking outside the box. What are some other ways you can make a little extra money? What are some expenses you really could live without? Work together as a family to make a plan to make things work.

Everyday stress – There are also those that are right in the middle. They make enough money, but they could be happier and less stressed out. I want to make some points I want everyone to remember.

• The most important things are your health and your family, because without either of those, nothing else really matters.
• Take time for yourself – learn how to meditate, go for walks, exercise. A little me time can go a long way.
• Enjoy the smaller things in life - trust me, my kids have me pulling my hair out on a regular basis. However, it’s those special moments when they have me laughing so hard I am crying that I remember years later. Enjoy the hugs and kisses from loved ones, rather than a quick hug, embrace and breathe in.
• Everything is perfect – There is a lesson to be learned from every experience. Rather than wallowing in the misery, try to find the lesson and learn it. You will find the wounds heal much quicker.

I know times are tough, but that is when you learn to appreciate what really matters. Go on, enjoy life…I dare you!

Tip number three in my series is to: 

Establish a Separate Savings Account for Your Summer  – Rather than trying to scrounge up the money at the last minute, go to your bank and create a savings account just for your summer season.  You can earmark this money for anything summer related.  With online banking now, you can even change the name of the account to “Summer Savings”.  This will take some of the heat off you when many of your expenses have increased.  Take a percentage of your income every pay period and put it into that account.  You have to be consistent about it though.  If you establish the account and don’t put anything in there, it really isn’t going to do you any good, is it?  It doesn’t have to break the bank, start with just 1% of your take home pay.  You will be amazed at how your money grows throughout the year.

 Little steps like this can make an enormous difference and it is really not that hard to do.  Just think of all you will be able to do during the summer knowing you have it covered.

The first and most important thing you need to do is take a good look at your finances.  See where you can plug some holes to make it happen.  Once you do that, put a budget in place.  Recently my husband and I gave ourselves a $1,000 budget to go to San Diego for the weekend.  We are going this weekend for our 10^th wedding anniversary.  I will share with you later how it all goes. 

Here are some tips on how to get great travel deals.

Research Your Vacation Options – If money is a concern to begin with, I don’t want you to stress yourself out more with an expensive vacation.  Here you have a couple of options.  If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, the internet is your best friend.  Surf the web to find the best deals around.  Depending on the economy, you will want to book your vacation way in advance, or the night before you leave.  With the economy in the state it is now, I have heard of a few people booking flights to Europe a few days before and getting screaming deals.  A friend of mine booked a weekend in San Francisco the day they left and were shocked at the enormous discount they were able to get because they were booking it on the spur of the moment. 

If you are more like me, you get a little overwhelmed researching all that information.  I am a big fan of travel agents.  If you find a good travel agent, you can call them with some ideas of where you want to go, when, for how long and give them your budget and you are set!  The best part is this service does not cost you a penny.  Travel agents do this for a living, so, they know the best places for the best prices.  It really is a win, win for everyone.

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to outline ten steps to financial summer survival.  Today is step one:

Take a Vacation – I know that seems counterintuitive, because that takes money, right?  I am aware of the fact that it takes money.  However, I am one of the worst culprits when it comes to not taking a vacation.  I can always come up with some excuse as to why we cannot, usually related to the family budget.  See if you think my logic makes sense, if you take a vacation, you will be refreshed and relaxed…ready to take on the world when you come back.  You will be less likely to get sick or burned out.  So, now you are ready to conquer the universe.  With all that extra energy, you will perform better at work, impress your boss, maybe you will end up getting a promotion, which all leads to more money in the future.  I don’t know about you, but I like that way of thinking.  It is worth spending some money now to rejuvenate…it will pay for itself in the future.

So, take my advice and go on vacation, even if it is a little one.  Something is better than nothing.  Get creative; you don’t have to go to Hawaii to get away.  Check out hidden treasures in your own back yard.  Living in the Sacramento Valley, I have Lake Tahoe or San Francisco within two hours either way.  Not to mention the Napa Valley or any of the other beautiful vacation spots.  Check out your neck of the woods and see what you can find. 

The most important thing is that you relax.  Go!  Have some fun…

Let’s give a mention to all the fantastic things you can do with money:

• It makes you feel good when you have lots of it.
• You can buy lots of cool stuff with it.
• People respect you more if you have it.
• You feel successful if you have plenty of it around.
• It gives you the ultimate freedom.

Who wouldn’t want lots of money around with all those great benefits?  So, let me just make it abundantly clear here, I am not saying money is bad in any way.  I want people to stop running their lives with it. 

Does money run your life?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Does every decision you make revolve around money?
• Do you make decisions that you know in your heart are not right, but financially they “make sense”?
• Have you stayed at a job, just for the money?
• Have you stayed in a bad relationship, just for the financial security?

I know money has run my life for most, if not all, of it.  I spent my entire childhood swinging on a financial pendulum (at no fault of my parents, just life circumstances), holding on for dear life. 

Unfortunately, once I had a little more control of my own finances, I went ahead and built my own pendulum and jumped on (what seemed to be) willingly. 

Recently, I have been experiencing a personal and professional awakening.  Through this experience, I have started to notice all of my decisions are based around money.  I have been making decisions that I knew were not right for me or my family…just because we “needed” the money.  Well, I have put a stop to that. 

One day I was trying to make a very important decision.  I was torn between what my heart knew was right, and what made financial sense.  I did not know what to do. 

As I was sitting quietly with myself, trying to figure everything out, I heard my father’s voice in the back of my head. “Take money out of the equation.  Then make your decision.”  Once I did that, my decision was as clear as day.  I was a little nervous, but I knew my heart would not steer me wrong. 

I can honestly say, that is how I try to make all my decisions now.  If I am really struggling with what is right, I stop and see if money is the largest factor.  If it is, I take it out of the equation and follow my heart.  Life is much easier that way.

If you are miserable when you pay your bills, my guess is, your money is managing you.  You will not have financial freedom as long as that is the case.  I remember when I would pay my bills and I felt like a bird taking a bath.  There was money and paper flying everywhere, not sure where it was going, but it sure was not staying in my bank account.  Since then, I have put in some steps that take that feeling away.  They are:

• Have a specific place you pay the bills
• Make sure you have all the items you will need to take care of everything in one sitting -  If you have to get up to get something, chances are you will find another project to take your attention and the bills will not get paid. 
• Clear the space - You do not want it messy, that just adds to the confusion. 
• Select a day and time each week to pay your bills – If you put it on your calendar, you are more likely to keep the time carved out for that particular task.  If you try to squeeze it in somewhere else, it is much less likely to happen.
• Create a checklist – This way, you make sure you take care of all the things you need to do at one time.  Things like paying bills is obvious.  However, something you might forget to do is transfer money to savings or donate to your favorite charity. 

Hopefully some of these tips can help you create serenity while paying your bills.  I know that sounds like a dream, but you hold the key to making it a reality.