My wife and I are headed out of town soon to celebrate our anniversary.  And before you say congratulations, or what’s that got to do with Valentine’s Day, be patient…

Our 31st anniversary was in December  (now you can still say “congratulations “).  We got married during my short Christmas vacation in my senior year of medical school-I know, it wasn’t too smart-the getting married at Christmas part.

We’ve tried through the years to celebrate our anniversary on our anniversary, but there’s just too much goin’ on 5 days before Christmas.

We now pick a time to celebrate when things calm down and we can enjoy it-and that time is…..soon.

Back to Valentine’s Day….

Why let Valentine’s Day, a holiday that was promoted by the card industry, cause you mental and financial stress?

Are you one of those  who get angry if your husband/boyfriend doesn’t remember to send you flowers, balloons or chocolate?  Are you one of the guys who blows your budget on a bauble just to keep the peace?

Do you keep score on who does what for whom and when and how much?

Love This Frugal Valentine's Message!

Stop It!

Make Love Not War-On Valentine’s Day!

How to make you more likely to want to make love than war at the close of Valentines Day:

• Realistic expectations: If you guys are broke, don’t expect your spouse to spend cash you don’t have, just cause your mom spoiled you on Valentine’s Day when you were a kid.  That’s why you’re broke, don’t make it worse.
• Surprises can be wonderful, or they can explode like poop on your parade!   Don’t let resentment over those unmet expectations overflow into your relationship. Be happy with any effort made.
• Decide ahead of time on spending for you and your partner.  And don’t go overboard. Yes she may smile and act happy over it, but you have  lied to your partner if you agree on a $25 budget and you spend a $100.  Don’t do it.
• If Valentine’s Day is not a good day on your schedule, celebrate on a different day.  The restaurants aren’t as full, and you’ll be much more relaxed if you celebrate on your schedule, not an artificial day of forced romance.
• Don’t over celebrate.  There is nothing that kills a relationship/special night out quicker than for one partner to overindulge, leaving  your “lover” to fume over a snoring, slobbering lout.
• Be creative.  A poem from the heart, even if badly written, can be much more meaningful than even the best box of chocolates. Clean the house, or maybe the bathroom.  Cook dinner or use the ole tried and true ‘Breakfast in Bed’, or if you can afford it, Bed & Breakfast routine.  If spending a lot of money is necessary in your relationship, then you’ve got more problems  than even a diamond will fix.
• Have Valentine’s Day every week, every 2 weeks or at least once a month.  You can call it date night, a night out, or whatever. Spending time alone with your partner (without the kids, TV and with the cellphone on SILENT) is necessary to maintain a good relationship.  Have you ever heard of a marriage counselor who said, “Spend less quality time with your spouse!”
• If you can’t afford baby sitters, then swap out with friends with kids.

Just like  Christmas, it’s easy to let commercialization and materialism ruin a beautiful idea.  Don’t stress your relationship over this over-hyped holiday.  Have fun, but because you enjoy each others company, not because you’re supposed to _________. (fill in your favorite unrealistic expectation!)

Reader Questions:

What about you? What’s your favorite/worse Valentine’s Day memory?

Other Valentine’s Day articles you may enjoy:

Melissa at Mom’s Plans has The Anti-Valentine’s Day tips- great ones here!

Invest it Wisely Valentine’s Day tips.

23 Fun and Frugal Date Ideas for Valentines from Suba  at Wealth Infomatics-more great places and ways to celebrate.

Money Crashers, Tips on Saving Money on Valentine’s Day.

Valentines Day, do you want a typical one? at Fiscal Phoenix.

Little House is giving away Chocolate!

Superfrugalette is giving away a 50Buck gift card at Starbucks.

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• Share the humor of  the funny
• Make fun of the stupid.
• Highlight  and explain new  financial and health news-so you don’t miss it!

Friday Financial Follies

Man, sometimes I think…..”I’m gettin’ old!”

I went to a celebration this week.  Why would a celebration make me feel old?

One of the little babies I delivered almost 18 years ago signed a scholarship offer Wednesday to play quarterback for Penn State University.   Even with all the Happy Valley tragedy lately, it was an exciting night for his  family and our community.

Penn State University

Steven is also as good in the classroom as he is an athlete-a great role model.

Congrats Steven we’re proud of you!

I look forward to watching you for the next few years.  And remember when you think your head is getting too big for that blue ball cap, there are plenty of folks here who remember you when, and will bring you back to earth in a skinny minute.

When you’re faced with a difficult decision and you get a niggly feeling in the back of your neck, it’s all of us back home who care about you whispering in your ear to help you make the right choices.

Best of luck and be safe!

Go Nittany Lions! (boy  that was hard to type!)  Oh,  and about those sideline passes…

Let’s get started on the business and health news of the week!

Facebook announces it’s IPO plans.  It’s amazing the hype.  But think about it, when Google went public, how many Grandmas knew what a search engine was?  Everyone knows about Facebook. Even those who don’t use it.  I predict the IPO will do well.  (not that I’m recommending the stock-I’ll discuss that later.)

 Pressure on a 5 year old

In China, parents trying to get an edge for their kids pay $190 to have the child’s palm read, at SCHOOL.  The palm reader predicts intelligence and success. What happens when they can’t see through the peanut butter and jelly?

Dumb, but lookin good, Crook Story

Ya gotta love dumb crook stories.  This one involves a robbery-with a curling iron.  This curling iron wielding thief got the cash on hand at a n income tax preparers office.  Because she had been in recently to have her taxes done, all the staff recognized her.  A warrant has been issued. A lien too, probably.

Breast Implants save a life?

Doctors say (what do they know) recent breast implants saved a woman’s life after a stabbing.  Must’ve been Dolly Parton sized….

Euro insulation?

Shredded Euro banknotes (a billion of ‘em) used to build an Irish home.  I wonder how the bank appraised that feature?

Ohmmmmm

In the ‘it could  only happen in California column’:   a Yoga room at the San Francisco International Airport.  Your California tax dollars at work.

Cystic fibrosis drug released

Breakthrough drug for cystic fibrosis sufferers released.  Hopefully one with more broad indications will follow.

Personal Finance, and other things I’ve enjoyed reading this week.

Joe, at Free Financial Adviser, gives you advice on how to use a Roth IRA as an emergency fund.  Interesting idea.  Though any money borrowed from your retirement account is money that won’t be there at retirement, unless you’re the one in a million who pays yourself back principle and lost  growth.

Maria at Money Principle discusses whether or not she could take an offered 2 million dollar/pounds/euros-(it’s the principle remember) bonus payment.  The question is: Is anyone worth that kind of bonus money?  I would have to say it’s possible, though I don’t know anything about the RBS of Scotland… But in the world of international banking business, if you were a serious rainmaker, and brought billions in business into the bank, then a million or two in bonus money would certainly not be out of line.  If you were in charge while the bank was going down the tubes, then any bonus is just BS.

Sean at Smart Family Finance suggests that student loan consolidation is not a good move.  He makes a very good mathematical argument.  I’m always a believer in keeping your finances flexible-and debt consolidation does limit your options.

Len Penzo was picking on a poor defenseless physician this week, make him stop!

 Beating Broke writes about facing the fear. Good tips for facing facts rather than exaggerated concerns.

Financial Samurai thinks the economy has turned, and there is money to be made.  He may be right.  I hope so!  I hope he’s not delusional over the 49ers loss in the playoffs!  Who you bettin on for Superbowl Sunday Sam?

Carnivals and Roundups

Baby Boomer Blog Carnival

Carnival of Retirement

The Carnival of Financial Planning

Innovative Solutions for Positive Change’s Life and Business Coach Carnival

The Yakezie Carnival is at the Amateur Financier

Festival of Frugality at Squirrelers

Personal Finance Whiz liked my Million bucks…in my 401k post.

Stock Carnival Ecstasy

Go visit these folks who work hard to put together these carnivals.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful weekend-enjoy the game! Go Giants!

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Imagine  traveling down Interstate I-75 towards Orlando. The kids are singing “it’s a small world after all” the most annoying song on the planet.  You’re so excited you even sing along. Your first vacation since the financial world crashed in 2008.

In an instant, your world  has flipped.  You wake up and find you’re upside down, held only by the strap of your seat belt.

This could be you!

Your wife and kids, are dazed but seem OK.  Your legs are at a funny angle, but don’t hurt.

In a couple of days  you awake in a hospital room to find your injuries are more extensive than you could imagine.  Your wife is sobbing at your bedside.  The words after “paralyzed” don’t sink in….

The recent massive vehicular pile up in Florida brought a disability nightmare to many families.  Zero visibility brought on by a roadside fire on one of the busiest stretches of road in the Southeast caused ten deaths and more than twice as many injured. Many of those injured will probably be out of work for months or even years.

For some, their working career may have ended in that brief moment.

You can’t prevent accidents such as this from happening.  Living in a cushioned bubble isn’t an option or even desirable.

You owe it to your family, however, to make prudent plans to protect them in the event you are injured and can’t work.  That’s the goal.

I hate the damn duck, the little smart ass know-it-all, but…..When you’re hurt and can’t work, having income to cover your bills is a god-send.  That ‘s the goal of long term disability insurance.

What is long term disability insurance?

For most people, that goal is best served by a combination of an emergency fund and a long term disability policy. The emergency fund is used to handle the short term bills, a long-term disability policy will cover your families’ needs if you can’t work for a prolonged period.

The longer you can make the waiting period for your disability policy to kick in after your injury or illness, the lower the premium.  That means your waiting period should match your liquid savings.  If you have enough money for 6 months expenses put away, then by all means, get a disability policy with a 6 months waiting period before benefits begin.

If you only have 3 months, then you may need the shorter waiting period, but remember, you will pay for the privilege.

Shopping for a disability policy:

What should you look for when shopping for disability insurance?

• Get a policy that pays when you can’t work at your major source of income.  For instance, if you lost an arm, you might be able to work, but not in your profession.
• Get a policy whose benefits last until you’re eligible for full retirement.
• Use other potential income, such as interest on your investments, to lower your monthly needs, which may allow you to purchase a less expensive policy.
• Check with your employer about possible additional insurance as part of your benefits plan. This may allow you to buy a smaller amount of coverage on your own.
• Remember your spouse’s salary when determining your income needs.
• Your disability replacement income will be adjusted to a figure well below your current salary.  No one will sell you a policy for 80 grand/year pay when you only make 20 grand a year.  It’s usually made on a fixed percentage of your income.
• Group policies are less expensive.  Joining a professional organization in your field may be well worth the annual dues if you become eligible for a group disability policy.

The recent tragedy in Florida should be a wake up call. Your odds of becoming disabled are significantly higher than the chance of an unexpected death.  If you are currently without a long-term disability policy, take the time to start investigating your options.

Your family deserves it.

I hate writing that bi-annual check for my long term disability, but I figure it’s money well spent.

Reader questions:

Do you have long term disability insurance?  If not, why not?

Recent articles on Disability Insurance:

Money QA has this take on disability.

Smart Money worksheet on disability.

Neal at Wealth Pilgrim has advice for disability for the self-employed.

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We’ve been hearing about fruits and vegetables since we were kids.  Think about it, even Popeye knew he could depend on spinach-when facing the bad guys!

Research today emphasizes the need for good nutrition.  Our bodies are kinda’ like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz, without his oil can he was frozen in place for decades.

Our oil can is what we put in our mouths.

Yumm, easy to find fruits and vegetables!

Only a miniscule percentage of us get our ‘Five a Day” even though obesity is on the increase and grocery shelves are overflowing.

How to get 5/day

How?  How do you go from 1 or 2 daily fruits and vegetables to the “Five a Day” recommended by the nutrition police?

Develop the habit of eating them.

How?

You just gotta do it.  There are no shortcuts.

Once you’ve eaten 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables for 6 weeks or so, it’ll be routine, not a big deal.

How can you get past that first 6 weeks and deal with the complaints of your family?

Everyone has to know it’s going to happen. It’s human nature for us to complain when change threatens.   Patients tell me their husbands only want meat and ‘taters. The kids won’t eat anything but Mac and Cheese.

You can’t change people, but you don’t have to enable bad behavior.  Would you wake up your addicted child and say,”hey honey, I put your heroin on the table by your cereal”?  Of course not!

How to make the shift?

Shopping for fruits and vegetables

It begins when shopping. Begin to buy fruits and vegetables.  Introduce them at each meal.  Cut up an apple or an orange.  Buy carrots and cut them into snack size bites-yes I know about pre-cuts-they’re more expensive per ounce.   Have these choices handy.

You don’t have to eat your 5 servings at meal time, fruits and veggies are great snacks.  I eat a serving of blueberries in my whole wheat cereal, or oatmeal.  And no, I don’t add sugar!  You can eat an apple, or a banana while carpooling.

And for those of you who feel the need to ruin a good vegetable with fat back and salt ‘cause that’s what Granny did?  Granny developed those eating habits ‘cause that’s what her granny did, not because it was good for you.  Back then they had little access to other spices, and food had to be salted heavily as a preservative before refrigeration.  We don’t have that excuse now.

You can use all kinds of spices to put a kick into your greens without harmful fats and high blood pressure magnifying salt.  Use a little hot sauce.  I love the flavor of a dash of Tabasco in my zipper peas. And guess what?  Green peppers are a vegetable!

Don’t forget tomatoes and Vidalia’s count as vegetables and fruits.  I love sauteed spinach, with caramelized Vidalia onions and a dash of balsamic vinegar just before you remove the veggies from the iron skillet.  Yummm.

For those of you who say “I don’t like spinach, apples, oranges, carrots. Or fill in the blank…. I say:  “Grow up!”

If you would quit whining and just eat whatever ‘it’ is for a few short weeks, I can guarantee the taste will grow on you.  What if it doesn’t? What’s the harm?  Think of it as medicine that will help you enjoy a longer life.  More play time with the grand kids. A stronger body to enjoy your hobbies.  More spring to your step, a better sex life! A better “you” in the mirror.

A sign of maturity is making tough decisions and choices.  Doing what’s best even if it doesn’t “feel good!”

These are just a few of the benefits for acting like a grownup and eating food that is the best fuel for your body.   Now, go take care of business and support our local farmers.  More and more of them are growing fruits and vegetables you can pick and eat year round.

Or grow your own.  Save money and eat better, a true win/win!

Enjoy!

Reader Questions:

What about you? Do you get your 5 per day?  If not, what’s stopping you?

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Best In Nurse Blogs:

The Nurse Blogosphere has exploded with articles, posts, diatribes, rants, about the pending case of Amanda Trujillo, MSN.

All for one?

The Incident as I understand it:

Ms Trujillo was fired and has been threatened with the loss of her nursing license.  She reports she was acting as a patient advocate/educator.  The patient in question was scheduled for a liver transplant.

Nurse Trujillo advised the patient that other options besides surgery were available. The patient apparently requested information about hospice care options before having the surgery-and the nurse ordered a hospice consult.  This resulted in her firing and subsequent license review/hearing.

The details of her plight have been well documented elsewhere and I dedicate this version of The Best In Nurse Blogs to those writers.

The Nerdy Nurse

Emergiblog

Nurse Ratched

Those Emergency Blues inital post, with an additional video montage from several nurse advocates.

Nurse Keith, the Nurse Coach at Digital Doorway

The Innovative Nurse

i Coach Nurses

Nurse Friendly

Medical Ethics and Me

The Healthcare Team is broken

What I want to discuss today is not the details of this case as the eloquent nurse advocates listed above and many others are better able to do so.

What I want to discuss is the big picture. The big picture which has allowed this event to trigger the spark that has become a wildfire of indignation and resentment.

As sad as this case is, it is just a microcosm of a problem that exists in our current healthcare system.

Our current healthcare system is broken.  And the fix (and I’m skeptical of the current misguided attempts) will be complicated and painful.

What can be done?

It will not be fixed until physicians, nurses, techs and hospital administrators get on the same team.  Being teammates  is not possible when we allow fellow physicians to bully, verbally abuse, berate, belittle,  or ignore other members of the healthcare team.

How many times have we seen sports teams with great athletes lose in their chase for a championship?  One or two  “Stars” behave selfishly and refuse to be a true “teammate”-poisoning the efforts of all the other team members.

In healthcare, losing doesn’t mean losing a game or a championship, it may mean losing a life, needlessly.

Until we start taking the “team” approach seriously and not just give it lip service, we are doomed.  The healthcare dollar is shrinking and as administrators struggle with keeping their facilities’ doors open, it is just too easy to appease the Docs who order the tests and admit the patients and drive the income.

Even when those same docs are abusive, egotistical boors.

• There has to be a consequence to those physicians who can’t be civil.
• There has to be a support system and non-judgmental investigative system in place to separate the whining, he said, she said, trivial issues from the truly malignant incidents that shouldn’t be allowed in a modern healthcare facility.
• There has to be a system that enforces accountability when a physician can’t control his temper, yells or screams, throws instruments and loses control.  We can’t just (wink, wink) say, “He’s a pain in the ass, but he’s a good surgeon and accounts for 30% of the hospital revenue (wink wink…).

Every nurse, when reading the details surrounding the Trujillo case, concludes the nurse is being abused by the system.  That her rights to assist her patient with information, because it was  in conflict with the physician, were abrogated.

Nurses believe this happened in this case because they see it happen in their institution, day in and day out.

I’ve seen it at every level of my experience. As a high school student shadowing a physician, as a medical student, as a resident, and it continues even today after 26 years in practice.  Doctors continue to abuse nurses and staff members. Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it crosses the line to behavior that would be illegal if it occurred elsewhere.

This has to stop.

Reader Questions:

What are your thoughts, not about this incident, but about the big picture? What can be done to improve and develop a collegial healthcare atmosphere? Please, let’s have a constructive dialogue.

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Use a credit card like a sucker and you lose.

DON'T BE A SUCKER

Credit cards and the companies that issue them are no better than yesterday’s trash.

Or so it seemed from the information rolling out of both Washington and the news corp for the last several years.

The CARD Act was signed into law in 2009 with many of the changes taking affect the following year.  Along with the Act came a brand new bureau to oversee the laws:  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau changes

In a report on their web site, the CFPB calls the following changes ‘significant’:

• Jacking up  your interest rates:  not as often.
• Late fee amounts:  substantially reduced.
• Over limit fees:  damn near gone.
• Significant confusion: remains.

Fees and exorbitant interest rates continue to exist.  The companies have to tell us first but it’s  in print so small even my eagle eyed kids can’t read it.

Bottom line: fees are not gone.

Companies are going to make money or cease to exist.

Fact remains:

Use a credit card like a sucker and you lose.

Credit Cards

How to avoid being a sucker:

Only use cards if you can pay them off every month, and you can truly, surely, and verily not be tempted to overspend!

There are internet sites to help you find the best cashback credit cards or cards  with bonuses like 5% cash back on gas, or other extras that might work-for you.

Credit cards can be a useful financial tool.  If you use credit cards wisely, they won’t monstrously devour your life and sanity.

Be wise with credit cards.

Or run from them like the devil himself is after you.

Because he is.

Reader Questions:

Are you afraid of credit cards?  Do you have a reason to be?

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• Share the humor of  the funny
• Make fun of the stupid.
• Highlight  and explain new  financial and health news-so you don’t miss it!

Friday Financial Follies

This has been a busy week here at The Millionaire Nurse.  I attended a conference for us elected municipal officials in our beautiful state capital of Atlanta.  A thousand of my closest friends and I had the opportunity to eat breakfast with and hear the state of the state with the Governor, Lieutenent Governor, and Speaker of the Georgia House.

Our state budget remains tight, but for the first time in 3 years, it seems there is positive economic news.  Georgia remains one of just 8 states in the nation to retain it’s triple A bond rating during this crisis. Hoo Rah!

Now, on to this weeks follies:

Bad week for Google

Google pays half a billion dollars, yep that’s 500 million smackaroos in fines/forfeitures from the feds over allowing the sale of illegal or out of country pharmaceutical ads.  This after an earnings miss knocked the stock down this week.  I don’t know about you, but I’ll bet two circles  they’ll bounce back.

Apple, You’re welcome!

Apple thanks me for adding to the 37 million iPhones sold last quarter, their 98 billion in cash in the bank, and their almost 14bucks a share in profits.  (no they haven’t sent me a thanks yet, but I’m waiting… a new iPad 3 will suffice….)

Microsoft not dead yet!

Speaking of tech titans, Microsoft may be coming out of the doghouse on Wall Street after a good earnings announcement, and positive early reviews of  Windows 8, and surprising X-box sales.

David Bach, where are you when we need you?

American workers spend an average of $1,000 bucks a year on coffee, and $2,000 a year on lunch. New survey, not old, pre-recession data.

Entrepreneurism alive and well in Italy.

“Get Back On Board Dammit”, t-shirts a hit in Italy. The phrase screamed at the scampering Captain of the ill-fated Italian cruise liner by his disgusted second in command.

Work Rules Rewind!

Cable guy arrested for DWI while working on wi-fi at the Sheriff’s office.  You may able to do your job drunk, but remember, you have to get there…

Shifting gears to health news….

Can grief be considered “depression”?  The Psychiatrists are arguing about it….

Not Your Daddy’s preschool snack-time!

9 baggies of marijuana brought to pre-school snack time by 4 year old.  Oops, wrong brown bag!

3 Second Rule?

A human heart spilled to the ground during transport, was successfully transplanted in Mexico.

Weekend Reader: Reads I’ve enjoyed this week!

Do you have the courage to be wealthy? Roshawn at Watson Inc. has a great answer.

Sam @ Financial Samurai discusses the thought process to go through before quitting your day job.  The numbers for his friend may not be applicable to you, but the process is the same.

97 Ideas for building a better platform by Chris Brogan.  You probably didn’t even know you needed a platform.  You do!  The sooner you figure out what YOUR platform is, the happier you’ll be.

Suba @ Wealth Infomatics lays out 2012 tax changes/details here.  You may have to print this out for a reference.  good stuff.

Preventing lifestyle inflation is the topic at Life and My Finances.

“It’s up to you to choose”, is a great short read at Seth’s Blog.

Carnivals and Round-ups!

Carnival of Financial Planning

The Life and Business Coach Carnival

Yakezie Carnival

The Yakezie Blog Swap list is here at Fiscal Phoenix and here at Odd Cents.

Betty Kincaid liked my football and personal finance post, well I think she did…Lotsa sports metaphors flying, and other good reads here!

My Mushroom post, part two, was thumbs up at The Money for College Project, and at Len Penzo, and at the Free Financial Advisor!  I didn’t know so many people liked me, or is it the mushrooms they like, or are they eating too many magic mushrooms???? Whatever, I’m grateful!

Festival of Frugality

Baby Boomers Carnival

Thanks to all who carnivaled, rounded up, tweeted and otherwise spread the word about what I’m trying to accomplish here at the Millionaire Nurse Blog.

My goal is to teach others that building wealth isn’t about a big salary, or winning the lottery.  It’s about making wise financial choices, but enjoying the journey!

Anyone CAN do it, but few choose to.  I’m here to help if you’re ready!

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Imagine this conversation:  ” Hey Joan this is Tammy.”

“Tammy where are you, your shift started at 7 this morning and it’s almost 9.  You’re never late, is something wrong?”

“Joan, I just can’t do it anymore, I’m sorry to leave you shorthanded, but I had a panic attack when I got up to go to work.  My husband insists I stay home from work ’till I go to the doctor, he thinks I’m killing myself with the stress!”

I’m sure this conversation has occurred in many households throughout our country.

Not just in healthcare, the teachers I see in my practice say the same thing. The work environment has deteriorated with belligerent out-of-control students, to state and federal goals and guidelines, and pay-cuts and unpaid furloughs, and, and, ……

Burnout is the commonly used term for those whose “giver” got up and left.  You’ve given, given, given until your battery is not rechargeable by the routine weekend, or vacation.

I’m not a social scientist or neuro-behaviorist, but I’m someone who’s worked in healthcare for almost 35 years.

Remember Your Inner Child At Work!

One of the most common problems I see in my patients is the “I can’t do it all anymore” syndrome.

This Wall Street Journal article highlights tips on not letting work place stress get the best of you.  From the trenches where I work, here’s my take on these tips:

• When you’re off your game at work, focus on helping others rather than focusing on your problems or job negatives.  Help a student or intern, mentor a younger worker.  Show someone the ropes.  By giving to others you will be the biggest beneficiary.
• Ask yourself daily: ” Why do I do this?” ” What were the things I loved about this career?”  Take time to remember your goal or bottom line.  Are you in your job to help people?  Focusing on this rather than the day to day trials may help alter the negative thoughts rolling around your brain.
• Limit Expectations: Don’t use your job as your soul/sole source of self-esteem. You are more than a ________(fill in blank).  Remember to develop friendships, hobbies, and other outside activities.  Do something fun every week, not just during a vacation week once a year.
• Look for challenges, not problems.  Easy to say, hard to do-but worth the effort.  Recognize that every job has challenges and look at those as a way to grow/learn rather than as a personal attack or as a burden.

These tips can help you turn around work place stress before it becomes cynicism, ulcers, ruined marriage, or a job failure.

Reader Questions:

What do you say? What works for you to make you stay positive at work?

{Photo credit: tammramccauley c.c.}

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Newsletter, for special people, with my special mini-e-course on personal finance and my special  free e-book, at no extra charge-cause that’s the kinda guy I am! Don’t you want to be special?

by FDL, BSN

My object here is not to beat that dead horse.

It is instead to trumpet, make the case, testify,  about free courses offered by  famous, ivy league, top ten, world renowned,  (and normally expensive) institutions.

Audit or  download free online college courses from the comfort of your easy chair and on your own schedule.  How cool is that?

Many of the classes offered will have the same content as the exorbitantly priced variety.  The college credit received with the free classes?  Well, they rarely count toward a degree.

Why bother?  What’s the point?  Actually, the better question is:

Who?  Who would benefit from free college classes?

Free College courses: Who benefits?

• Tired of the low end job market your current set of job skills offers you?
• Is a college degree all that is standing between you and better pay?

Rather than spend those precious dollars taking a class just to see how you like that field, experiment with a free class.  The exposure to a new subject will be priceless.

The experience could be life altering.  You may find you like business, or the sciences.  Sometimes, even more important, you may find you hate what you thought was your dream.  Better to find that out after a free online course than after an expensive semester or year or 4 year degree…

Better job performance

My field, nursing, is one of the many areas where not one iota of business skills or management tools were taught in my bachelor’s program.

My 4 year degree qualifies me for advancement into management despite my lack of formal education in the area.

The online free classes offer me the perfect spring board into a better job performance.  How cool is that?  I’d do a better job, make more money, increase my job satisfaction and all through free online courses!

Your basic skills are rusty

You want to return to school.  The last time you solved an algebraic equation you also knew your times tables and you weren’t hiding the gray in your hair.

I love numbers and force myself to derive answers to simple math problems in my head.  Equations, division using fractions, no way.  If you’ve spent time in school, you know your weakest areas.  Brush up using the free classes.  Who knows, you may have changed.

That subject you used to hate when you were young, lusting for love or hanging with friends-You may love it now.

You’re unemployed

I know a twenty – something who is unemployed for the first time since graduating from college 7 years ago.  Adrift in a wretched job market, she is considering returning to school.

Her former job unearthed her aptitude for business, sales and managing people.  She wants to use the free online classes to help narrow the field of subjects she should consider for her next stent in education.  The price tag and flexibility are perfect.

Personal Growth

Not just to answer Jeopardy questions and fill in crossword puzzles.

Sometimes our job is fine, we like what we do, we get paid to do it, but we are passionate about an entirely different subject.

For me it’s history.  From high school forward, I dreamed of spending my life teaching history, immersed in academia.  My severely practical side said something else.

Free online classes in your area of passion can keep you happy with your reality while allowing you to pay the bills.

So, go ahead.  Get your feet wet.  Econ 101.  Art History.  Computer Science.

Listen to lectures while you exercise or drive.

Free is great.  It can let you relax and enjoy a subject.

Here is just a short list of websites to get you started:

Open Culture-400 free online courses from physics, to economics.  And computer science to philosophy!

Online Education Database-another 200 courses.

MIT’s Open Courseware-MIT lectures available.

Open Courseware Consortium: A group of many universities participate at this site.

And to help you get started, Lifehacker University, from  has organized many of these sites and have given suggestions on how to get started with your FREE online education.

Reader Questions:

What is it you’ve always dreamed of learning about, but didn’t want to spend the money?  What would be your first choice of a free online course if you could find it?

The author:

FDL BSN, is a frequent writer here at The Millionaire Nurse Blog.  She works in public health.

Photo credit: bgrad2

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Newsletter, for special people, with my special mini-e-course on personal finance and my special  free e-book, at no extra charge-cause that’s the kinda guy I am! Don’t you want to be special?

• Share the humor of  the funny
• Make fun of the stupid.
• Highlight  and explain new  financial and health news-so you don’t miss it!

Welcome to another rousing edition of Friday – Saturday, this week only-Financial Follies, a full folio of fascinating facts and favorites for your reading pleasure/pain!  (because of an agreement to post the blog swap yesterday, my Friday Follies has moved to today.  If you missed it, I am sooo moved, but wonder about your sanity)

Lets get started!

This Weeks Financial and Health News, News too cool to miss!

What a deal!

In Russia when you buy 15 bucks worth of firewood, you might get a stash of automatic Kalashnikovs as a bonus…. Kinda like Storage Wars meets the Antiques Roadshow.

Probably not a Kalishnikov Rifle!

Gambling Jones on Steroids

Cock fighter owner killed by his fighting rooster.  Rooster is on the run from law enforcement…We don’t have to make ‘em up here.  (I chose to ignore my baser instincts to go crazy with “C–k” jokes…. )

Say it ain’t so!

It’s one thing to develop nuclear weapons, but to remove Barbie dolls from Iranian shelves...That’s un-American, Outrageous-oh yea it’s Iran, never mind…

Cocaine Cowboy?

FARC rebels in Columbia selling cattle as cocaine business income falls.  I have cows for sale, hmmm maybe I missed something…

Costly Cough!

Pneumonia costs  fellow 44 million.  Nahh, just a mistake…

USA Not too Neighborly

Canada is not too happy about President Obama’s decision on the Keystone Pipeline, and I don’t blame them.

How is this for “Helping”

Cholera in Haiti-spread from UN peacekeepers? The scientists aren’t sure.

One shot, cool!

A universal flu vaccine….It is in the works, and would be a lifesaver!

Enough already.

Good Reads for your weekend pleasure-some personal finance, some I just liked:

A book review of the Steve Jobs autobiography, aptly named Steve Jobs at Yakezie by yours truly.

Average Joe explains how to get average or below average returns.   Do it by buying mutual funds on  someones list of funds with above average returns.  You have to go read it, it does make sense-I promise.

If you’ve always wanted to make Hard Cider at home, Jeff at Sustainable Life Blog has the recipe and instructions-cheers.

Len Penzo has a semi-rant about pizza delivery fees and pricing transparency at the eponymously named blog.

 Surviving and Thriving-Donna saves Heckboy. 

Money Beagle shows how he does a to do list, only 500 plus items... No problem man, he’s got it covered.  It’s a great idea!

For one guy’s opinion (Caleb Wojcik) of ten bloggers who have used blogging to define their expertise in their field-check out this post.  Great list.

Brian Clark at Copyblogger teaches you the ins and outs of Google +.  Bloggers need to read this!

Carnivals And Roundups this week:

Carnival of Financial Camaraderie at My University Money

Top Personal Finance Articles this Week  the Carnival of Financial Planning

Life and Business Coach Carnival-Inagural Edition-cool!

Yakezie Carnival-hosted by Miss T at Prairie Ecothrifter.com

Money For College Roundup-liked my Millions in the 401k article.

My first  Growing  Mushrooms At Home post was liked by The Dog Ate My Wallet.

The Free Financial Advisor, Joe liked dissed my mushroom post too.

Thanks for reading, and being understanding to have my Friday Follies on Saturday.  If you like it better on Saturday, get over it!  I can’t compete with Penzo’s Black Coffee, I just couldn’t….

{photo credit: vectorportal c.c.}

Don’t forget to:

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Newsletter, for special people, with my special mini-e-course on personal finance and my special  free e-book, at no extra charge-cause that’s the kinda guy I am! Don’t you want to be special?