Save money shopping

Browse through the weekly flyers so you are aware of the bargains offered before you head out and plan your meals ahead of time so you know what you will need to have on hand for at least the next week. Make a list of the items that you need to prevent aimless browsing through the aisles, and never go to the grocery store when you are hungry!

Save time and gas by planning your shopping route if you go to more than one store to buy your supplies. Time is a valuable commodity that we all need to manage as well as our budgets.

Daytimers and calendars should be marked with to do's and appointments well in advance. Before I leave the house, I try to make sure that I accomplish at least three tasks while I'm out and it saves at least an hour each week.

Have healthy snack bars on hand in your glove box or your purse, to make sure you don't fall into the fast food fix when you are on the road.

Baby boomer retirement

Baby boomers have lived through extremes - work available, work shortages, shortage of workers, mortgage interest rates over 12% to mortgage interest rates lower than 2.5%. The only constant seems to have been an increase in the cost of living, taxes and personal debt. When we were young, most mothers were housewives. Now, most mothers also need to work to help with the household expenses.

If you don't already have a budget in place for your retirment, there is no time to lose. You need to know how much income you will need to have in order to pay the day to day bills and have a rainy day fund in place for when something finally breaks down. If travelling is part of your future plans, how much will you need to have to go to your dream vacations?

Enjoy your life now and when you retire. All things are possible, if we take the time to know what we want, what we will need, and then focus on how to get there.