honoluluadvertiser.com
Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Just don't spend it | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper
Posted on: Monday, November 28, 2005

ISLAND LIFE SHORTS
 Just don't spend it

By Zenaida Serrano
Advertiser Staff Writer

'Tis the season to spend, but you don't have to go broke.

Jon Olson, editor at FindLaw.com, a free legal information Web site, offers common sense tips to help you keep your funds in check:

  • Set a budget. "The easiest way to avoid spending too much over the holidays is to set a budget for how much you want to spend ... and stick with it," he said.

  • Leave credit cards at home. "You won't spend what you don't have," Olson said.



    SAVE THE PLANET



    CREATIVE GIFT WRAP

    Holidays make waste — all that gift wrap and packaging goes into landfills. EcologyCenter.org suggests you consider recycling to create gift wrap:

  • scarves, handkerchiefs or leftover fabric

  • old maps, sheet music or lightweight wallpaper

  • magazine pages, newspapers (foreign ones are great) or Sunday comic pages

  • last year's holiday paper (press with warm iron if wrinkled)



    FINAL WORD

    "One of the incredible truths about gratitude is that it is impossible to feel both the positive emotion of thankfulness and a negative emotion such as anger or fear at the same time. Gratitude births only positive feelings — love, compassion, joy and hope."

    M.J. Ryan | author of "Attitudes of Gratitude: How to Give and Receive Joy Every Day of Your Life"

    Reach Zenaida Serrano at zserrano@honoluluadvertiser.com.
    • Advertisement
    Advertisement