Make Today Matter Mini Makeover Catalog

The Pursuit of Paper Perfection
Paper for Tax Preparation

Created by Sherriebeth (Sb) Czepiel, Linda Erro and Melinda (Minda) Short, Senior Tax Advisor with H&R Block

Mini #146

The focus of this mini-makeover centers upon gathering the necessary paper together to file taxes
for an extension on last year, as well as, developing a system to help you prepare for income tax filing for
the current year. To answer specific tax questions, please search the websites of the IRS (www.irs.gov),
your local or State governments, or your preferred tax professional

Mini #142

Everyday Savings: Silly Ways to Lose Money..and How to Stop: In this Mini we explore the “advertising” we commonly buy into that tends to hurt out pocket book and how to make wise decisions in regard to these strategies. We also explore over 50 ways to save money– from cutting costs on groceries, to simple fixes around the home, to tools for comparison shopping. Finally we look at a savings calculator that can help us set a goal to save with the strategies we have learned in this Mini.

Mini #123

Bonds, stocks, mutual funds, P/E Ratio–these terms intimidate many from taking advantage of investment opportunities. The recent financial climate has made people even more leery of the stock market. In this Mini we take the mystery out of these money matters and you will learn the basics of investing. You will also explore your investing personality and financial goals. To practice your new knowledge we create a “practice portfolio” where you can make hypothetical investments and track your progress without risking a dime. Whether you have goals to save for education, retirement, a new home, a remodel, or a vacation–this Mini will help you explore avenues to create more financial wealth.

Mini #119

Each day we are inundated with decisions. How we respond to those decisions is one of the single-most important factors in shaping our lives. Some decisions are little-others can be quite challenging. The more we hone our decision making skills, the better equipped we are to maximize each day and move forward in life. In this Mini we explore the  key factors of decision making as well as tools, handouts, and decision making techniques to help us hone our decision-making skills.

Mini #115 - April Featured Mini

One of the ways to maximize your time in the Make Today Matter program, and your time in general, is through a routine of Priority Planning. While it takes a little time, this planning is key to helping us stay on track throughout the month. Done thoroughly, this planning allows us to stay focused in  spite of adversity and to focus on what truly matters.  Priority Planning also reduces stress and helps us manage our time better. The five steps of Priority Planning can be accessed by all MTM Members in Phase II by following the link in the blue “quick links” menu. This Mini is an additional workshop that provides an audio version of each of the five steps, and also provides a location to share and encourage one another with our plans!

Mini #114

The list of chemicals found in most household cleaners can be overwhelming! Learning to “Clean Green” can help us move forward in our eco-green goals, while also saving money and creating a more healthy environment.  In this Mini we explore simple household cleaning solutions that you can make–many with supplies you likely have on hand! We will also cover some cleaning solutions and shortcuts.

Mini Makeover #105

If you are ready to do an in-depth analysis of your strengths and weaknesses to help you “go beyond the Snapshot” then this is the Mini for you! Brook developed the Life Profiler Mini to help people pinpoint what specific steps they can take to improve life areas of concern. The Profiler includes over 200 questions and can be downloaded in Microsoft Excel format. After answering the questions, you will be able to see how well you score in 17 different life areas as well as learn what MTM solutions and strategies can help you improve! This is a great in-depth review to do once or twice per year.

Mini #101 (You may also like Mini #95)

Eco, earth-friendly, recyling, green-living… all buzzwords of recent times.  What’s it all about? The Green Initiative shares some hard realization about they way we are currently growing and consuming resources… “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world’s natural resources were evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had.”

Going green is a step each of us can take to help preserve the earth for our children and their children. It is a great example for any parents with children at home to set. Beyond the global impact, becoming “greener” offers additional benefits–primarily by improving your health and providing many ways to save money.

The big challenge is deciding where to start! What steps can you take that improve health, help the environment, and save money that don’t cost an arm and a leg? Mini #95 introduced a 30-day action plan for getting greener. This Mini builds on the first, adding additional effective green-strategies that help you save instead of spend, and promote a healthier, greener lifestyle.

Mini #95

Eco, earth-friendly, recyling, green-living… all buzzwords of recent times.  What’s it all about? The Green Initiative shares some hard realization about they way we are currently growing and consuming resources… “According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world’s natural resources were evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people in 1950 had.”

Going green is a step each of us can take to help preserve the earth for our children and their children. It is a great example for any parents with children at home to set. Beyond the global impact, becoming “greener” offers additional benefits–primarily by improving your health and providing many ways to save money.

The big challenge is deciding where to start! What steps can you take that improve health, help the environment, and save money that don’t cost an arm and a leg? This Mini will walk you through a 30 day action plan in effective green-strategies that help you save instead of spend, and promote a healthier lifestyle.

Mini #94
This is an audio mini you can download onto your computer or mp3 player or listen to online.

It has been said that, “Life is what happens while you are busy making plans.” Often when we create a plan or chart a course, shortly after our first few steps “life interrupts.” Sometimes these interuptions or unexpected changes are easy to adapt to. Sometimes they are overwhelming, life-changing, and seem like an insurmountable hurdle.  Losing a job, an unexpected change in finances, the end of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, the loss of a pet, an unforseen health challenge, a legal issue, a move– there are just a few examples of big life changes that can shake our foundation. Then there are many smaller-scale challenges that happen more often: a two-week illness that leaves you tired, a disagreement, new demands on your time that interfere with your plan, something breaks that you did not budget to replace–I am sure you can add a few of your own.

The truth is these challenges are part of life. As long as we are living we will have unforseen and unwelcome changes come our way. In order to thrive and get the most out of life, we need to build our resilience and skillset for handling unexpected twists and turns.  In this audio Mini I share a handful of examples on interuptions from my own life, strategies for maintaing healthy thinking during times of change, tips for keeping events in perspective, and exercises you can use to put things back together when they seem to be falling apart.

Mini #92
Includes worksheets to build your action plan

WikiHow suggests that a well staged home can sell 30-50% faster than a home that is not stage (or not staged well). Staging your home can be simply defined as: Preparing your home, in detail, to make it more attractive, welcoming, inviting, and appealing to the potential buyers. If a buyer is interested in more than one home, eight times out of ten, the chosen home will  have been a staged home. Staged homes are welcoming, warm, and open.

The process of staging a home is not only for home-sellers. Staging techniques are valuable for streamlining, organizing, decluttering, and creating a welcoming atmosphere for any residence–home, condo, apartment, etc. For those of you who own your residence, in the event you need to sell down the road, performing a “staging sequence” periodically will have you many steps ahead in the competitive real estate market. 

Statistics reveal most of us will sell at least two homes– or be in charge of selling a home (such as a parents house). While there are professional home-stagers for hire, you can easily learn to work through the staging sequence on your own by learning the skills and process outlined in this Mini.

This Mini is divided into seven sections:
1. Initial Prep Work and Walk Through
2. “Updates” Check
3. Decluttering
4. Arranging Furniture
5. The Entryway
6. Curb Appeal
7. Master Plan

For each section you will work through a walk-through exercise and then in the seventh section we create an action-oriented

Mini #90
Available 9/3/09

In Mini #85 we completed a Master Spending Diary to help consolidate information and begin taking control of spending. In this Mini we will work with your Master Spending Diary to find the best deals, clip smart, and organize coupons. You will also learn some “coupon collecting secrets”–such as manufactuerer’s coupon lists, printable online coupons, online-swaps and more.

Since this Mini refers to terminology from #85, it is strongly recommended you complete #85 first, or in conjunction, or you will not have the tools to make the most of this Mini.

Mini #87

Perhaps it was the recent move that made me realize just how much “stuff” we acquire! WOW! As I looked at going from 6,000 square feet to 1,500 it became apparent that at least 75% of our home contents would need to be donated or sold. In this Mini I have put together information to help you maximize “selling your stuff.” We will look at online options like Craigs list, Ebay and lesser-known sites as well as specialty sites. You will also find tips for consignment and resale shops as well as garage sales. Lastly, tax information is included for items you donate. (For many items, donation is the best choice–saving time and money.)

Mini #84

** AUGUST FEATURED MINI **
Includes an online chat on August 19 (Wednesday) 8:00-9:30PM CST
Sara will also be available to answer your questions in the Mini Forums.

Each day Sara Pattow, CSR reviews resumes that candidates send in for jobs. In 30 seconds or less she can decide whether the candidate is one she will interview. Yes–30 seconds–that is why a well-written resume is essential in today’s competitive job market.

As an MTM Guest Expert, Sara is sharing a step-by-step process to help you write and refine your resume. With her guidance you will learn how to create a resume that will get you noticed and increase your chances of getting a job by over 70%!

You could spend $100, $200 or even $500 on a resume writing service. But here is the issue with doing that – it is not in your own “voice” and then what happens the next time you are looking for a job?  Do you hire a resume writer again? Or do you learn to tweak and build the skills necessary to market yourself? In this Mini you’ll learn how to hone your skills to market yourself well.

Mini #085

One of the best steps we can take to save money is to learn to shop smart on life’s essentials. Most often when we think of curbing our spending we look to extraneous purchases or luxury items. While there is no harm in evaluating those habits, it is important not to overlook the everyday necessities to make sure we are getting the most bang for our buck.  A master spending diary can help us

• purchase smart
• take advantage of sales
• look for better alternatives
• avoid over-buying
• avoid excess trips because we “ran out”
• find out which store has the best deal

In this Mini you’ll complete a template to create your Master Spending Diary.

Mini #68
6 pages
“Historically more than 80% of resolutions are abandoned by late February, Many women believe they are doomed before they begin. A resolution becomes another pressure in an already pressure-filled life.

As I waited for the clock to strike midnight this year, I was deep in thought about this challenge we face when reaching our goals. With statistics like these, it seemed creating a resolution is a way for many people to procrastinate on the very thing they resolve to do for another year.

If you have been discouraged by goals and set them half-heartedly or not at all, then the technique I present in this Mini offers a new approach for creating fun, Mini goals. You can use this technique to set goals for a week, a month, a quarter or an entire year. It is a great technique for regaining focus that flows with life.

Mini #67
13 pages
Includes positive and negative reinforcement worksheet, habit analysis, and obstacle exercise

Almost everyone has some habit in their life that robs their day-to-day life of a little (or a lot) of joy. Sometimes the habits are obvious—overeating, procrastinating, over-spending, drinking too much caffeine, smoking—other times they are less obvious like avoidance of health-enhancing behaviors (exercise), making excuses, spending too much time on a computer, blaming others, getting angry quickly, not taking care of ourselves… just to name a few.
Over time the word “habit” often becomes synonymous with “excuse.” We begin to feel that we cannot change an area because it is a “habit,” and stereotypically habits are hard to break. However, if we have the power to create a habit, then we also have the power to un-create it. How do we know if a habit needs to be broken? When it begins to negatively impact our relationships, self-esteem, finances, career, or any other area important to us, then a habit has become a hurt.
Habits are not formed overnight, but through repetition. Each time we repeat a behavior, whether positive or negative, we strengthen neuro-connectors in the brain. Fortunately, science has shown that we can “rewire” our connectors and thus rewire our habits. Breaking a habit takes focus, awareness and intention, since we need to turn off the “autopilot” we have created and make deliberate new choices.
In this Mini I’ll walk you through the science of breaking a bad habit. Of course reading the Mini is only the first step. Taking deliberate action on each step over a realistic period of time will be the key to unlock your life of negative habits.

Mini #64

Many people think “day dreaming” is a useless exercise – they may be right – but I can guarantee that visualization is not a useless exercise. Visualization is the practice of vividly and clearly envisioning something you wish to manifest in your life. The clearer this image in your mind, the more likely you are to see it in reality.

Visualization in terms of our goals is very important. We must have a crystal clear vision of how it will feel to live this goal to get us through the obstacles that will undoubtedly surface. In this Mini we work through the process of creating a Vision Statement for your goal and then illustrating your goal with a goal poster.

Mini #63

Most of us are great at setting goals; in fact, we are goal-setting experts. We have set goals a thousand times or more. What we are not so great at is reaching them. In order to help ourselves reach our goals, we need to concisely state our goal and make sure it is a  S.M.A.R.T.Goal.

This Mini takes you through the five components of creating a S.M.A.R.T. goal– Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely; and helps you create a goal that gets the year off to a smart start.

Mini #58

15 pages

Tis the season to deck the house and this Mini will walk you through quick, easy and economical ideas to create a winter wonderland.

Within this Mini we will look at:

• 6 ideas for Creating Holiday Centerpieces
• Cornerstones of Holiday Decorating
• 4 simple necessities to add a festive touch
• Christmas Cards as Decoration
• Garlands Galore: 10 Creative Ideas
• Often Overlooked Decorating Ideas: Sounds & Scents
• Pomanders
• Advent Wreath Tradition
• Christmas Crackers

The Mini includes additional links and resources for celebrating the season!Adapted from the 10 Weeks of Christmas Course