So the holiday rush is over, and the New Year has came. And you begin to feel yourself—Let down..and missing the holiday spirit all over again. We all wait so anxiously for the glorious time of year when the Christmas spirit is high in the air, and everybody just seems more cheerful. Family comes around that we haven’t seen in awhile, and we get to eat all of the yummy food and those favorite recipes we have been craving all year-

Suddenly-it all comes crashing to a dead hault, and the holidays are just “done.” -OVER.

We find ourselves in a slump, especially if we have been on vacation and we have to head back to the daily grind of life, work, and taking the kids back to school again. Life begins, and all is boring again-or maybe it isn’t.

It’s easy to fall into some kind of after holiday depression and blues, but you can prevent it from happening…..

—Here are some things to do to ring in the new year—and not be blue.

• * Spend time with those that you love such as close friends and family. Be with them when you can. Don’t just visit around the holidays. Keep the spirit alive all year, by keeping in contact. Get and feel connected. Even when life seems too busy.

• *Pick up that new book you have been wanting to read, or find a great new book to read. Get away to another time, place, or world, and read. If you can’t read during the day, take some time before bed time and read. Go to bead 30-45 minutes earlier, and pick up a book.  If you can’t physically get away-you can mentally go somewhere else and relax…

• *Get interested in a new hobby for the new year. Start a cookbook filled with your favorite recipes. Start that scrapbook you have been talking about. Get the children involved so they can help too. Perhaps by next Christmas, family members might just want some copies!…

• *Write down your goals or expectations for the new year and make a point for at least 1 or 2 of them to come true. Keep the goals easy enough to where you can accomplish them.  There’s nothing better than finishing something that you have been wanting to do for a long time….

Don’t fall into a post holiday rut…. Get back into life-not into the daily drag.  Life can stay spirited all year long-as long as you make it that way

Every now and then, we can find ourselves in a bit of a rut.  And it is nothing to be embarrassed of.  Sometimes we experience job loss, layoffs, high medical bills because of no health insurance, or basically because we can’t afford the cost of rising food prices in our low budgets. There is assistance for food if you need just a little bit of help for awhile.  Later on, you can always make donations as your way of paying back. If you are needing help with food right now because you have other bills that need to be paid, or you are currently job searching, here are some resources to help you get some food for your family….

• Angel Food Ministries:  They offer food boxes for only $30.  There are no income guidelines.  All of the food is fresh, and they have fruits, vegetables, and meat. There are even extra food packages that you can order along with the basic $30 package.  Angel Food Ministries is found throughout the United States.  If you want to find the nearest Angel Food ministries distributor in your area, click here.
• Apply for the LINK CARD .  This allows families to purchase food at retailers that accept food stamps.  The LINK CARD allows low-income families to buy food for their family if they are having some sort of set back.  Wal-Mart and usually your local grocery will accept food stamps.                                                                                  Want to know how to apply for the LINK CARD? Click here .

Still need help with food assistance?

Continue reading this resource article  for more ideas on getting assistance with your food purchases.

Fuel prices are high on our trips to work.  The cost of food seems to be getting higher, and even eating out is burning a hole in our pockets at well.  When we have been working hard at work all day, during lunch, it can be hard not to just drive to the nearest fast food join and grab a quick burger.  Families across America are cutting back, and we have to decide in what areas we can cut back. One area to save money in is how we eat lunch at our places of employment…

It’s actually healthier to pack your lunch, than to rack up calories eating out at a restaurant.  By buying goods in larger bulk at stores like SAMS, you can save per day on what you spend on eating.  Purchase bread and lunch meat for making sandwiches, carrots for healthy snacks,  and bring bottled water to drink on.  There are also healthy frozen food entrees you can eat for lunch if your place of employment has a microwave available too.

Brown bagging it also lets you mix up your lunch options.  You don’t have to eat at the same place every day.  Taking your lunch is also safer since you prepared your meal yourself.  If a restuarant is busy and understaffed-the food isn’t always at it’s best…

Purchase a small little lunchbox or cooler along with an ice pack, and your lunch will stay cool until you eat it. If you are lucky that your employer provides a refrigerator, then you can store lunch items there as well.  If you’d rather not eat at your desk or area, then drive to a nearby park, or somewhere with different scenery. Get out and enjoy the great outdoors if the weather is nice.  Taking your lunch and eating outside gives you a breath of fresh air from being closed up all day……

If you are looking to save money for lunch-then how about brown bagging it? …It can save you $ and even be healthier for you!

Looking for more ways to save money at lunch when you go to work? 

Read this helpful article, ”

How to Save Money Buying Lunch

Our days are made up of a lot of stress. Some stress is good though, because it actually helps us live life and learn how to handle those unexpected requests that just might come up throughout the day.

But there are days when we have just had it. We are pulling out our hair, munching nonstop on anything salty, or sweet-and even probably just a bit grumpier than usual. Stress can literally knock us out if we don’t know how to handle it just right.

There are some ways that I handle stress in my life, and perhaps you may find a few of these tips helpful for you-or you might already do them.

WAYS TO HANDLE STRESS:

• Walk it off. If you are at work, try a 5-10 minute power walk during your lunch break. Head to a park or a quiet area where you can gather your thoughts. Just walk, and huff it all off. You just might feel better.

• Write it down. Carry a journal or a small notepad. Anytime you feel angry, sad, or even if something great has happened-write about it! Writing down our inter-most feelings can help us work through any problems or at least give us a space to vent-when we can’t say certain things out-loud.
• LAUGH. It is important to laugh. Watch your favorite sitcom, read a funny joke, or just watch children at play. When you can enjoy life and laugh at the same time-it can be that more precious. Sometimes it is even funny to laugh at ourselves when we do something embarrassing. It makes the situation so much more easier to handle.
• Do your favorite hobby or activity. When we can spend our lives doing things we enjoy such as reading, crafting, sports activities, or collecting something special, it gives our lives more meaning. If we spent our entire lives just getting up to go to work and coming home-life could be miserable. Make sure that you have time to “play” as well as work.

• Note…. Is the economy getting you down? Strict budgets, high gas and food prices, and job loss can do a lot to our stress. Money seems to be one of the most things that people stress about. Check out the following article which can help you learn how to stay cheerful when the economy is doing poorly. Read “How to Stay Cheerful during a Hurting Economy, ” if money woes have gotten the best of you.