During trying times, it is especially important to know your spending habits and take charge of your life. Use this period of your life as a time to learn more about yourself, and to make the necessary changes you've been putting off. Divorce and loss of a job can be gifts, only you can move it from the category of tragedy to a gift, a present.

It's always a wise thing to be smart about money, unfortunately, brains and intelligence has nothing to do with money, especially for women. I am a smart woman, and I KNOW the basics of what I am supposed to do vis a vis money. I've been a business owner, yet I know money is an emotional issue for me!

I can look at my childhood and understand why money equals love for me. But really, who cares? I'm a grown up now and it's time to take charge...yet...I want to have a temper tantrum and kick my feet when I truly don't have enough money to get what I want. Have you ever felt this way?

We know all about keeping up with the Joneses; wanting "stuff" that other people had. That was our set point here in the US. Now, as a result of the fallen economy, we are starting to look at things differently. We are taking pride in "simplifying" our lives.

A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to live in Costa Rica for 3 months! I didn't have much money and lived simply. No car; I walked half a mile to wait for the bus. I had to schlep groceries home. There were no fast food restaurants. I ate whole, healthy foods. I had to cook all my meals. I lost the weight I struggled for years to get off without even trying. I wrote a book, created classes, meditated, floated in the water and read books. It was a time to go inside for me, and inside I went.

I wanted to keep that lifestyle going when I returned to the US. Truthfully, it is way harder to do all this here in the US. We have our cell phones, internet services, Facebook, fast food in every directions, cars, kids and schools, work, employers, looking for work, and a barrage of political and economic crap coming out of our TV sets. I could not stay 100% on track, but there were important lessons I learned this last year, and I share them with you.

So, you want to slow down and actually live differently? Can you do that here? YES you can, but don't expect to do it all at once. As a coach, I often suggest that people take small baby steps and I had to take my own advice. Here's a list of steps I've come up with, and I know they work because I've incorporated them in my life. Maybe you can choose to do ONE step a month, so that step becomes a habit. And I'd love to hear your suggestions, what works for you? Let's share our ideas!