Ecomonical Gift Giving

With 17% of the adults in the U.S. either unemployed or underemployed and lots of others anxious about reduced earnings or layoffs, gift giving is a heavy stress this year. Most of us don't want to put more on our credit cards than we bring in, but that emotional tug-of-war between wanting to buy-buy-buy and knowing we shouldn't can be agonizing.

To reduce spending and vastly increase the love you give along with the gift, consider these economical offers for those who are dear to you:

*  A healthy growing plant makes a heart warming gift. Trim off 3" or 4" pieces of your vining plant(s) and set them in a small jar of water until a few good roots have developed. Then plant one or more of those rooted starts in a simple clay pot with a draining saucer underneath. For succulent plants like aloe, wait until new growth "babies" sprout up around the main plant and trasfer those to small clay pots.

* Buy a simple (inexpensive) personal phone and address book and fill in the contact information for every  family member and friend you can track down. The more such phone/address books are used, the faster they wear out and need replacing. (A job most of us put off until the book is falling apart!)

* A set of file cards with your all-time favorite recipes. Plastic "sleeves" are available to keep the cards free of food smudges. Pick out recipes - exotic, inexpensive, quick, simple - that especially fit the lifestyle of the recipient.

All of the above are far more personal than just another plastic or electronic gadget and will be enjoyed for far longer than the generic gift-of-the-week special. And, yes, they are all economical.

Linda

Ease Stress with Positive Mindset

According to Martin E. P. Seligman, Ph.D., author of Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, optimism can be learned even by those who tend to be pessimistic. What an empowering concept! The above, his seminal book on positive psychology, sets forth various ways we can begin to move towards a brighter outlook on life.

Although I’m a dedicated optimist by nature, I still have my times of dreading future events if I think they’re going to be emotionally draining. And for a quiet person, that means any combination of noise, big bunches of people and the ensuing chaos. (Yes, those would be energizing for some. But not for me!)

Initially, my grandson’s 4th birthday party looked to be one of those chaotic times. Not only could it wear me out, but I wouldn’t really have any quiet family time with my two offspring and their children.

But somehow, on my way there, my thoughts shifted to happily hugging my family and being with them. By the time I got to my daughter’s house, I was actually looking forward to the afternoon with a huge smile on my face.

That afternoon turned out to be one of the happiest, most emotionally nourishing gatherings I’ve enjoyed in months. Perhaps it would have been no matter what my mindset was going in. But I do believe that anticipating and looking for the positive, the good fun, goes a long way to helping us focus on those things and ignore the rest.

Do we experience what we expect to experience? Possibly. Probably. I do.

It seems to be a matter of reconditioning our expectations.

Try it. You may really like it!

Linda