To resolve or not to resolve...

That is the question, isn’t it? With the winter solstice but a week past memory and the year rapidly winding down, our thoughts, or at least mine, tend to gravitate to the “r” word. Like most I’m sure, the effects of parties and festive gatherings filled with rich foods, exotic drinks, tempting treats and desserts have been our demise. That, coupled with the less active lifestyles caused by shorter days, colder temperatures and nasty weather, are the added recipes for extra poundage. Lest we forget, whoa to the male species for we have the additional temptation to be sedentary caused by an oblong piece of pigskin. Women must find it amazing that men are drawn to and then mesmerized by a television screen showing 22 guys chasing a coveted piece of leather up and down a field of grass.

Forgive me for I have digressed, we were talking about the “r’ word were we not? Many so called experts claim that resolutions are not worth the paper they are written on. Maybe this is so and maybe it is not. My thought on the subject, though not anymore qualified than yours, is that if you don’t at least think about changing a habit, behavior or lifestyle, it has little chance of blooming into fruition.

Yes, I will change my diet and add some gym time once the calendar flips to January, but a post from a companion blogger to this site has drawn my attention. Savings rates are down to where it is actually a negative number! That just can not be-- can it? Hey, stop the presses and shout this alarming news from the rooftops. Saving money is a discipline that we as adults should be following but those who are parents have the added responsibility to teach this necessary skill to their kids. With the convenience of online banking today adults have no excuse. Have you ever heard the saying “pay yourself first”? Whether you have or not, this is a good rule to follow. With each paycheck you receive treat yourself as a creditor and pay a portion of that check to yourself. If all you can afford is five dollars a paycheck then so be it, in time even that amount will grow to a nice nest egg. All you have to do is to set up an automatic deduction from your checking account to a savings account either through the online banking system or talk to a branch representative. Once setup as an automatic transfer, you will never have to think about it.

Let’s change the trend together shall we? Let’s make it a resolution that we all set up an automatic deduction and save for that little slice of heaven, whatever that may be.