It’s a stark irony of the Western calendar that the odometer turns over smack dab in the middle of winter—the one time of the year when most people can’t rouse themselves to clean their bathrooms, much less make an ambitious, life-changing, behavioral U-turn. If you’re the type who likes to ring in the New Year with an engraved list of resolutions, read on for hints about how best to keep them.

Example of New Year’s Resolutions: Spend More Time with Family & Friends, Fit in Fitness, Tame the Bulge, Quit Smoking, Enjoy Life More, Quit Drinking, Get Out of Debt, Learn Something New, Help Others, Get Organized

Aim low: It goes without saying that most New Year’s resolutions are easier announced (or written) than done—but if you set the bar too high, you’re doomed from the start. Instead of a sweeping declaration like “I will lose 30 pounds by April and finally fit into that dress,” target a goal that’s more attainable, like losing 10 or 15 pounds.

Don’t overload yourself: It’s difficult enough for the average person to follow through on one ambitious New Year’s resolution; why on earth would you saddle yourself with three or four? Choose the most pressing issue at hand—losing weight, finding a girlfriend, improving your relationship with your parents—and concentrate on that. Trying to do everything simultaneously practically guarantees failure across the board.

Tell everyone you know: One school of thought says that New Year’s resolutions are best kept to oneself, but look at it this way: the more people to whom you announce your resolution (say, to get out of your dead-end job by spring), the more people there’ll be to prod you along if you fall behind. There’s no shame in seeking help if you can’t accomplish your resolution on your own.

Reward yourself: Following through on a New Year’s resolution is rarely easy, so a little Pavlovian conditioning goes a long way. If you’ve resolved to shop less, stroke yourself for not buying those shoes by springing for a steaming hot cappuccino at the mall. If you’ve resolved to be nicer to people, buy yourself a nice jacket after enduring that tedious cocktail party without delivering any insults.

Wait until spring: Sometimes the best way to accomplish a New Year’s resolution is to make it at a time of year of your choosing, rather than the one dictated by the calendar. May 1 is a good alternate date, since the change of season will neatly coincide with the change you’re hoping to accomplish in yourself. Adopted by http://www.ehow.com

Things You Should Never Do at Work!

To avoid a serious faux pas - and possible career sabotage - stay clear of the following workplace sins:

Stealing - Whether you think that the company "owes" you things like Post-its, pens and other office supplies, or you simply don't think it's a big deal, you should be sure about that in case your boss or co-worker catches you.

Blaming someone else for your mistake - It's dishonest, childish and tacky. Very tacky. Sure, having to admit you made a mistake is embarrassing, but not nearly as embarrassing as it would be to have to admit you lied about it or tried to cover it up.

Spreading gossip - Who knows why people get a certain high from hearing juicy gossip. Many of us are guilty of passing along at least a few rumors at times, but the more you can avoid doing so, the better off you will be. Try to avoid it. In addition, if you hear it, don't repeat it.

Calling in sick when you are perfectly healthy - If you wake up and just cannot face the idea of going in to work, there's no reason (unless this happens every day) you shouldn't give yourself a vacation, personal or mental health day. Nevertheless, calling in sick is not only irresponsible and insensitive to the co-workers who have to cover for you, it could also be grounds for firing if you're caught.

Or showing up when you aren't - The admiration your co-workers show you for coming in to work despite having the flu will be short-lived: It won't take long for those around you to tire of hearing hacking, sniffling and coughing coming from your desk, nor will they appreciate being exposed to your germs.

Abusing office technology - This includes (but is not limited to): spending a significant amount of time on personal phone calls, e-mails or instant messages; using office time to type and print out the pieces of your screenplay; going online to catch up on last night's episode of "My Life on the D List"; and using the office printer to make the invites to your holiday party.

Getting too comfortable - Dressing professionally is just as important as behaving professionally in the workplace. No matter how long you've been with the company, how "cool" your boss is, how much sleep you got the night before, or how cold or hot it is outside, you should always maintain a clean, workplace-appropriate appearance. Adopted by CareerBuilder.com.

Recipe Of The Month - White Bean Chili

Here is a quick and nutritious soup for a cold winter’s night that I think you will enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 skinless chicken breasts
• 1 15.8 oz. can Italian diced tomatoes
• Small amount of butter or margarine
• 1 package mild chili seasoning mix
• 3 15.8 oz. cans of white navy beans
• 1 heaping tsp. of minced onions
• 1/2 to 1 cup water
  
  

Preparation:
Put minced onions in a small amount of warm water to soften.
Cut chicken into small pieces and cook in butter or margarine until done.
In a separate large pot put the un-drained cans of navy beans and the diced tomatoes. Add the seasoning mix and the drained onions. Mix the ingredients together. Add the cooked chicken pieces (can blot with a paper towel first if you wish). Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water depending on the consistency you prefer. Stir and bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add a loaf of crusty bread and a salad and you have a great meal!

Congratulations! - To Brian & Angela Fella & The Julian Center

Our 2008 Referral Contest Winners!

Financial Reality Check: Paying Off Holiday Debt!

The holiday credit card bills are here and the verdict is in: we definitely spent more than we intended. Now we need to get back on track. Any advice on how we can ourselves and our kids on a bit of a “spending diet”?

You’ve already zoomed through the two steps that most people find the most difficult - admitting that they’ve overspent during the holiday season and tallying up all the holiday bills. So now that you’ve come through the most painful part of the process, you’re ready to fast-forward through to the solution phase.

While you might be temped to put your family on a total “deprivation diet” in an effort to eliminate that holiday debt overnight, you’ll probably find that a more moderate approach works best. If you make your cutbacks too drastic, you could be setting yourself up for a spending backlash, just as an overly strict diet can lead to a post-diet binge.

So come up with a budget that allows for a few extras, but that will still allow you to pay off that holiday credit card debt reasonably quickly. The last thing you want, after all, is to still be carrying around this year’s credit card debt when you start your holiday shopping again this year. Adopted from http://ca.lifestyle.yahoo.com/family-relationships/articles

How to shed your holiday pounds

January first comes every year as does the commitment to lose some weight. We hear the same old tips year in and year. From past experience we know how it goes. We try, we get frustrated, and we give up. This year could be different! Here are a couple of things that might actually make you stop and think about your goals before you mess up.

First go through some photo albums and find a few pictures of you when you were at a good weight. They can be recent pictures or even old school pictures where you were happy with your appearance. Yes, some of us are never happy with our pictures but that's not the point for this endeavor. There must be some that you could drag out and use;

Post those pictures in obvious places to remind you of your goal. One on the bathroom mirror where you step on the scale. One in the bedroom next to the alarm to get you up and exercising in the morning. Put the final picture on the refrigerator so you will be less inclined to grab the wrong food.

Then, go out and buy a second cheap bathroom scale but put it in the kitchen. Yes, in kitchen where you will trip over it on occasion and remember why it is there. It's a great conversation piece when company comes over and that eliminates the need to explain to those guests why you're not serving dessert.

Another trick that works is to find a piece of clothing you really, really like and buy it a size or two smaller. When you get it home put it on and measure the gap where it won't close. Hang it in the bedroom in plain sight and each week try it on again. As the weeks go by the gap gets smaller and that is a true motivator.

Set small goals of 5 or 10 pounds at a time. Each time you meet one of those goals reward yourself with some accessory to go with the outfit hanging in the bedroom.

You also need to set the ultimate goal with a reward also. For example, plan a trip for the first week of June. Reserve the room and purchase the airline tickets. Then invite an old friend to join me for the weekend. It should be some one that hasn't seen you for a couple of years. Once everything is set there is no turning back. It works and those pounds were lost, never found again.

Online Job Search Tips

When it comes to a fruitful online job search, successful job seekers follow these guidelines:

If you build it, they can come. Instead of simply posting your resume on a Web site, take it one step further and design an easily-navigable Web site or online portfolio where recruiters can view your body of work, read about your goals and obtain contact information.

Check yourself to make sure you haven't wrecked yourself. Google yourself to see what comes up -- and what potential employers will see if they do the same.

Narrow your options. Many job boards offer filters to help users refine their search results more quickly. (i.e. your job search by region, industry, duration, and oftentimes).

Find your niche with industry Web sites. Refine your search even more by visiting your industry's national or regional Web site, where you can find jobs in your field that might not appear on a national job board. More and more employers are advertising jobs on these sites in hopes of getting a bigger pool of qualified applicants.

Try online recruiters. Recruiters will help match you with jobs that meet your specific skills and needs. Sites such as recruiterlink.com, onlinerecruitersdirectory.com, searchfirm.com and i-recruit.com provide links to online headhunters for job seekers.

Utilize video resumes. Video resumes are just one more way to stand out to employers. Intended as supplements to -- not replacements for -- traditional resumes, video resumes allow job seekers to showcase a little bit of their personalities and highlight one or two points of interest on their resumes.

Go directly to the source. Instead of just applying for the posted job opening, one of the best strategies to finding a job is to first figure out where you want to work, target that company or industry and then contact the hiring manager. Also, many employers' career pages invite visitors to fill out candidate profiles, describing their background, jobs of interest, salary requirements and other preferences.

Run queries. You run searches on everything else, from your high school sweetheart to low-fat recipes, so why not jobs? Enter a query that describes the exact kind of job you're seeking and you may find more resources you wouldn't find otherwise (but be prepared to do some sorting).

Utilize job alerts. Most job boards have features that allow you to sign up to receive e-mail alerts about newly available jobs that match your chosen criteria.

Get connected. How many times have you been told that it's not what you know, but who you know? Thanks to the emergence of professional networking sites like LinkedIn.com, job seekers no longer have to rely on the old standby of exchanging business cards with strangers. These sites are composed of millions of industry professionals and allow you to connect with people you know and the people they know and so forth. Adopted by CareerBuilder.com.

Funny Jokes About New Year's Resolutions

Making resolutions and sticking to them can be difficult. Laugh at these ten jokes and try not to take life too seriously.

Getting In Shape:

A friend of mine had resisted efforts to get him to run with our jogging group until his doctor told him he had to exercise. Soon thereafter, he reluctantly joined us for our 5:30 a.m. jogs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

After a month of running, we decided that my friend might be hooked, especially when he said he had discovered what "runner's euphoria" was. "Runner's euphoria," he explained, "is what I feel at 5:30 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays." -- Neil P. Budge

Starting That Diet:

My friend Kimberly announced that she had started a diet to lose some pounds she had put on recently.

"Good!" I exclaimed. "I'm ready to start a diet too. We can be dieting buddies and help each other out. When I feel the urge to drive out and get a burger and fries, I'll call you first."
"Great!" she replied. "I'll ride with you." -- Katina Fisher

Reducing Your Debt:

Neighbors of ours had a terrible disagreement over a patio they wanted for their backyard. The wife had rather grand ideas, while the husband wanted costs kept to a minimum. The wife won out, and the construction bill climbed higher and higher.

I dropped by one day, when the patio was near completion, and was surprised to find the husband smiling from ear to ear as the workmen smoothed over the surface. I remarked how nice it was to see a grin replace the frown he had been wearing lately.

“You see where they’re smoothing that cement?” he replied. “I just threw my wife’s credit cards in there.” -- R. Horn Adopted from http://www.rd.com/clean-jokes-and-laughs/

Ask Mike Your Mortgage Questions?

What Is First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit?

First time Homebuyers who purchased a new or existing home between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009 may be eligible to claim a $7,500 tax credit on their 2008 tax returns.

You are considered a first time homebuyer if you have not owned a principal residence within the last three years. For married couples neither party may have owned a principal residence in the last three years to be eligible for the credit. Vacation and rental homes do not necessarily disqualify you for the credit.

Participating in the tax credit program is easy. You claim the tax credit on your federal income tax return. No other applications or forms are required. No pre-approval is necessary; however, prospective home buyers will want to be sure they qualify for the credit under the income limits and first-time home buyer tests.

Home buyers will be required to repay the credit to the government, without interest, over 15 years or when they sell the house, if there is sufficient capital gain from the sale. For example, a home buyer claiming a $7,500 credit would repay the credit at $500 per year. The home owner does not have to begin making repayments on the credit until two years after the credit is claimed. So if the tax credit is claimed on the 2008 tax return, a $500 payment is not due until the 2010 tax return is filed. If the home owner sold the home, then the remaining credit amount would be due from the profit on the home sale. If there was insufficient profit, then the remaining credit payback would be forgiven.

You will have the ability to claim the tax credit on your 2008 tax returns even if your new home purchases occurs in 2009 provided you close before July 1, 2009.

There are some income limitations and tax credit limitations involved with this. I would be more than happy to speak with you about these, but for exact information I would consult with your tax preparer.

If you have a mortgage that is at a 6.00% or higher interest rate it might be time for you to refinance. Please contact Mike for a free analysis. Most customers are saving over $100 per month by reducing their interest rates!

The Reel Team Resolutions!

• Team up with Mike Spiegel—from Franklin American Mortgage Co.


• New Monthly Real Estate & Mortgage Email Newsletter—Contact the Reel Team at the.reelteam.com to add your email to our list.


• We started several real estate related information blogs—which we will continue to keep updated with the latest news (check out our web site: www.reelestate.com for more info)


• Now referrals include not only people buying & selling their homes, but also refinancing referrals!


• Reward Referral New Year Special Bonus! Between now and March 31st of this year every referral entry will be doubled (i.e. 1 Referral = 2 Entries in the Drawing!)