​It’s story time! Who doesn’t love a good story? Last month I was on a Dr. Seuss kick and had some fun drawing parallels between Dr. Seuss stories and personal finance best practices. Don’t worry, I’m not finished with Dr. Seuss yet so keep an eye on the blog to catch more ways to use the creative doctor’s writings in your journey to financial wellness. In the meantime, since I mentioned journeys, have you read about Ulysses’ journey in Homer’s Odyssey?

Vincenza Vicari-Bentley, AFC
Empowering Financial Wellness Program Coordinator 

​Where are all my fellow spenders? (no offense to you savers)—you’re the yin to my yang!) At times being a spender works out perfectly for me. For example, when I’m putting together our monthly spending plan, I feel good about giving us permission to spend.  But wait...there is a spouse I need to confer with about how we spend.  So it’s important that you talk about money with your honey but not just once, it’s a continuous conversation. 

Vincenza Vicari-Bentley, AFC
USU Extension Empowering Financial Wellness Program Coordinator

It’s a new year and with that comes new goals, fresh starts and perspectives.  In 2020 Americans racked up $601 billion to run the total U.S. household debt to record-shattering $14.15 trillion. So here we are in 2021 (and maybe looking at post holiday spending?). Have you been thinking about if you’re carrying too much debt? When it comes to the question of how much debt is too much, there are as many answers as there are people. Basic answer: It all depends on what you can afford. How do you figure out what you can afford? It’s called a Debt-to-income ratio or DTI. Whether you make $500 a week or $500 an hour there is a standard formula lenders use to determine when debt can become a problem. 

Jerevie Canlas, Ph.D., CFLE
Empowering Financial Wellness Program Coordinator

​If there’s one thing I learned from the events of 2020, it’s that I need to be on top of my finances just in case something unexpected happens - like a job loss (which happened to me in May), or when we needed a new car (something we had to purchase in November), or somebody needs to be hospitalized (which happened to a lot of people). 
 
They say prevention is better than cure, and that’s the principle behind annual physicals. You go see your primary care provider at least once a year so your general health can be evaluated, and you visit your dentist at least twice a year. Based on a number of factors, your doctor might recommend that you do a couple of things such as exercising more, cutting back on certain foods, increasing your fiber intake, or even referring you to a specialist if necessary. Seeing your doctor at least once a year can detect health conditions that can lead to chronic health issues. The biggest benefit of an annual physical is KNOWLEDGE - and this knowledge can potentially save your life.

​Knowing that most everyone appreciates a little more green in their wallet, especially as we head into holiday season, I’d like to share my most recent epiphany. I was reading about “America Recycles Day”, where each year, on or near November 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes the importance and impact of recycling to our nation’s economy and environment. The EPA’s website, epa.gov, provides fantastic information about greener living, recycling and reducing waste. As I perused an infographic on the website titled “Think Green Before You Shop”, I suddenly realized that the three R’s of environmental sustainability: reduce, reuse, and recycle, could also be called the three R’s of budget sustainability.