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Volume 33, December 2014

The Wellness

Issue

SOLDIER & FAMILY TOOLKIT 1/34 ARMORED BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM

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IN THIS ISSUE

From the Editor: Thanks for reading our Soldier Family Toolkit. The intent of this toolkit is to provide you

with available events, deals, resources, and important information.

This is our first-ever wellness issue. The goal was to give readers tools regarding all ar-eas of wellness. Most people I talk with feel sore and tired and stressed out. They also

tend to have a whole host of other symptoms. Perhaps, this is the year to take a stand for wellness. Maybe this is the year to start feeling good. It isn’t always about losing weight and saving money, perhaps the best goal is to simply feel well in 2015. Take a

look at some of these articles and see what simple changes can lead to big results.

3 BEYOND THE YELLOW RIBBON EVENTS & DEALS

4 PERSONAL FINANCIAL COUNSELOR FLYER

5 PARENT RESOURCES FLYER

6 HEALTH COACHING

7 MILITARY ONESOURCE ARTICLE

10 HEALTHY MONEY HABITS

11 HEALTHY HABITS

12 BOOK REVIEW

13 RESOURCE LINKS

14 FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTERS

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Check out the Beyond the

Yellow Ribbon website and

sign up for exclusive email

updates on monthly local

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon

events and deals.

HOME FRONT EVENTS & DEALS

www.BeyondTheYellowRibbon.org

Spirit Mountain Season Passes Enjoy a season of skiing and snowboarding!

Spirit Mountain in Duluth is offering discounts

on season passes to Servicemembers and vet-

erans. There are also other season pass options

for families and college students.

More Info: Website

Bowling with Veterans When: Every Tuesday, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Where: Midway Pro Bowl, St. Paul

About: Get out and join other veterans in a

weekly bowling group - every Tuesday at the

Midway Pro Bowl.

More Info: Flyer

Twin Cities Veterans Club Meetup Group All wartime and peacetime veterans are invited

to join the Twin Cities Veterans Club Meetup

group. Meet with other veterans and en-

joy wellness and recreational groups, peer to

peer support groups, sporting event out-

ings, movies, BBQs and much more.

More Info: Flyer

Military Family Appreciation at the Minne-

sota Zoo When: Nov. 11, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015

Where: Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley

About: The Zoo will again salute our troops

with special discounts for military personnel

and their families. Military personnel (active,

retired, and civilian) will receive free admis-

sion, free parking, and half price admission for

family members.

More Info: Website

Always Lost: A Meditation on War When: Dec.15 to Jan. 23, 2015

Where: Minneapolis Community and Technical College

About: View this nationally touring humanities exhibit, which personal-

izes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through photography and writings.

The core of the exhibit is the Wall of the Dead, which includes the

names and photographs of the more than 6,800 casualties in the two

wars.

More Info: Flyer

Veterans Appreciation Ride When: Jan. 10, 2014

Where: Silver Bay, Minnesota

About: Join MnUSA for the 7th Annual Veterans Appreciation Ride.

All veterans are welcome to enjoy a day of snowmobiling, one night's

lodging and a meal. Bring your own sled or if you don't have equip-

ment, there will be snowmobiles, helmets, and clothing available.

More Info: Flyer

Advanced Manufacturing Careers When: Jan. 5 to Feb. 24, 2015 (Check website for upcoming training

dates)

Where: At your site or an AME Alliance campus

About: By means of the Advanced Manufacturing Education (AME

Alliance) grant initiative, Servicemembers and their spouses are eligible

for free college classes for Advanced Manufacturing Careers.

More Info: FREE AME College Class Flyer AME Training Bro-

chure Website

Drop-In Legal Clinic for Veterans When: Jan. 13, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: VA Medical Center, Minneapolis

About: Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) invites you

to participate in a free drop-in legal clinic for veterans.

More Info: Flyer

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MILITARYONE-SOURCE ARTICLE

Reducing Your

Dependency on Debt

Getting out of debt can be challenging, but it's not impossible. Reducing your dependence on debt requires planning, strategy and discipline. In addition to a change in attitude toward personal finance, you'll find committing to changing your personal spending and saving habits beneficial to your new financial goals.

Now, more than ever, information is available to everyone and on every topic. Buy a book, surf the Internet and find articles or blogs on what you

don't know, and educate yourself on issues related to personal finance.

Creating a spending plan

Do you control your finances, or do your finances control you? Perhaps most importantly to getting on track with your finances is creating and sticking to a spending plan. Spending plans or budgets, as they are also called, help you track money coming in and going out of your bank ac-counts, at the same time allowing you to create and achieve financial goals. Many people view budgets as a restrictive concept that forces you to pay bills and save, but never have any fun or purchase the things you want. But it doesn't have to be that way. Spending plans are designed to pay your necessities, build a savings ac-count and properly budget your discretionary income. When you create a spending plan, if your finances allow, you can eat at your favorite restau-rant, buy that new pair of shoes, pay down your debt or take a weekend trip to the beach. But you probably can't do everything at the same time, and that is what a budget will show you. Instead of putting unnecessary charges on your credit card, you'll be able to see what you can and can-not truly afford. And if you set financial goals for yourself, like saving a certain amount of money over the next year or completely paying off a credit card, you can incorporate those goals into your spending plan and track the progress.

Budgeting your discretionary income

Discretionary money is the money you have left over, after your monthly bills are paid and you've deposited your designated amount into savings. It's your extra money, your fun money. Prioritize your needs and wants by importance. Do you need to pay extra on a credit card? Or do you need a new pair of shoes for work? Do your brakes need repairing? Or do you want a manicure and pedicure for a weekend event? Make a list with the most im-portant items first, and purchase them as your spending plan allows. If you can't afford something this pay period, bump it to the next. You may not be able to get everything you want at one time, but you may eventually get every-thing you desire, all the while staying within your spending plan. Don't cheat yourself by not sticking to your spending plan. If you want to spend your discretionary income on a new handbag, but you really need to buy a new tire for your vehicle, don't put the tire on credit. Buy it with cash, and fig-ure out when you can make the purchase of a new purse work with your spending plan.

If you're serious about decreasing your de-pendency on debt, here's what you can do today:

Cut up your credit cards and start paying down your credit and personal loan bal-ances, beginning with the smallest amount.

Set up an automatic transfer from your checking to your savings account every payday. Save at least 10 percent of your income, more if you can afford it. If you get a bonus, promotion or even your tax return, place half in your savings ac-count and the other towards debt. If you have no debt, the second half can go to discretionary income.

Every pay period, withdraw a small amount of cash for incidentals and stop using your debit card. When the money is gone, understand that your budget for cof-fee, snacks and trinkets is exhausted.

Learn the differences between a traditional 401(k) and a Roth 401(k). Decide which is best for your financial situation and start contributing and saving towards your retirement.

If you have children going to college one day, research college savings accounts, deter-mine which one is best for you and start contributing what you can. Increase the amount you put in as your debt decreases and your financial situation stabilizes and then improves. Also consider starting a 529 plan for your child's college education.

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MILITARYONE-SOURCE ARTICLE

Reducing Your

Dependency on Debt

Planning for extra expenses

If you want to plan for a future expense like holiday shopping, birthday gifts, expensive car repairs you know will come or maybe a vacation, you can do it with your spending plan. Add the cost into your spending plan, either on the fixed or discretionary side. It may be best not to leave the money in your checking account; you might be too tempted to spend it or you may forget what that money is for and allocate it to something else. Instead, put the money in a separate savings account (not your normal savings account), and fund it every month with the amount needed to achieve your goal. When the expense arises, you'll have the money you need and the ex-pense will not impact your spending plan or cause you to use your credit card.

Need more help?

If, after creating a spending plan and following the recommended steps, you find that you are still challenged with reducing your debt, you may wish to seek the advice of a professional. Each military service offers a Personal Finan-cial Management program to help service members and their families successfully plan for their financial futures. Personal financial counselors provide education and counseling services that address a range of financial topics, in-cluding assistance with budget development, financial planning, spending plan development, management of per-sonal finances and debt liquidation. Personal financial counselors not only help you plan your future but can also connect you to Consumer Credit Counseling Services, a non-profit agency partnering with DoD, to offer free credit counseling services to military service members.

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HEALTHY MONEY HABITS

PLANNING AHEAD FOR EXPENSES

We all know we should be on a spending plan or a budget. One of the

easiest ways to break a budget or lack thereof is surprise or additional

expenses. I am not talking about emergencies; I am talking about

planned things, like birthdays, holidays, and vehicle maintenance. My

strategy to deal with those this year is to make a list of these expenses by

month and try to plan for them or knock them out ahead of time. This is

a really great thing for couples to do as a team and allows them to work

in their strengths to knock things out. I started by listing out all of the

holidays, then birthdays, sports fees, vehicle maintenance, and large

food expenses.

Holidays usually have extra food and travel expenses. Vehicle mainte-

nance is pretty straightforward. I get an oil change every 2-3 months

and try to get whatever the most urgent additional service is needed at

the time too. This way, I don’t have to keep track of what needs to be

flushed or cleaned out. I use a full service oil change place that gives a

discount on additional services to save even more time and money.

Another strategy is to make a list of the big purchases you want to make

in the next year or so and think about the best time of year to buy them.

I really wanted a VitaMix and knew that they would be on sale during

the Black Friday weekend. I saved up money and waited for the sale,

saving hundreds of dollars. Lawn furniture goes on clearance at Target

in July, and baby stuff goes on sale in January (I usually buy the diapers

I need for the year then). Consider getting gift cards for date nights

around the holidays too. My favorite fancy restaurant has a buy $100 in

gift cards, get $100 free sale the first week of December. Since I buy

most of our Christmas gifts in the fall and summer, I have the cash to

take advantage of December deals.

I also use this strategy with produce. After Thanksgiving, fresh cranber-

ries were $.79/bag. Just a few days earlier, I paid $2.50. I stocked up

and froze 10 pounds. I do the same thing with berries I pick in the sum-

mer. Freezing/canning apples and other fruits/veggies can really save

money too. Onions and citrus are usually their cheapest in the winter. I

have friends that order sides of beef and pork every year and that can get

really expensive. Planning ahead reminds them to save up for large ex-

penses.

I still encourage people to live on a budget, but even if you don’t, mak-

ing a list like this can be really helpful and is a step in the right direction.

January Winter vacation/MLK weekend Dad/Son’s birthdays New Tires

February Valentine’s Day Daddy Daughter Dinner Dance Oil Change/Service

March Daughter’s birthday CSA Deposit

April Husband’s Birthday Three Siblings’ Birthdays T-ball Fees Oil change/Service Beef/Pork Deposits

May/June/July Mother’s Day Memorial Day Independence Day Sister’s Birthday

August/September Back to School MIL Birthday

October Hockey Gear/Fees Mom’s Birthday Beef/Pork Fees

November FIL Birthday Thanksgiving Black Friday Deals Anniversary

December Hockey Jamboree Gifts to Charity Christmas

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HEALTHY HABITS

OVERWHELMED BY WELLNESS

This fall, I attended a wellness summit that changed my life.

It was hosted by Wellness Media, wellness-media.com.

There were classes on all things wellness. There was a class

on making Kombucha, so I ordered a Kombucha kit, which

led to making several different types of vinegar. Stainless

Steel water bottles replaced plastic and learning the negative

side effects. There was a class on teeth healing and oral well-

ness, so I ordered new toothbrushes and teeth healing serum.

There was a class on bone broth and sea vegetables, so I or-

dered kelp, agar agar, and grassfed beef bones. The dangers

of fluoridated water were the focus of one class and we

started drinking distilled and spring water. There was a class

about the importance of real salt, now I have a shelf in my

kitchen cabinets devoted to several different kinds of salts. I

learned about the evils of gluten, and went gluten-free. Then

I discovered the Weston A. Price foundation and decided to

switch to soaked and sprouted grains. This led me on the

path to learn the evils of all grains and start the transition to a

grain-free diet and consider putting my kids on the GAPS

protocol. I also learned about leaky gut and the wonders of

going paleo. There were also classes on the importance of

grassfed organ meats, collagen, and gelatin. Suddenly, I

found myself asking friends where to get chicken feet.

Around this time, I took a trip to a farm and learned about

raising goats and making raw cheese and dairy products. I

also decided to switch to all-natural homemade cleaning

products and start using essential oils and soap nut berries.

Most of these items were purchased before or shortly after

Thanksgiving. Then it hit. Influenza. For two plus weeks

our house was weighted down by influenza and morning

sickness. My house is covered in stacks of boxes of all natu-

ral this and that and unwrapped Christmas presents that I

have not been able to touch for several weeks due to the com-

bination of toddlers, pregnancy, and influenza.

We all have the best intentions when it comes to our personal

health and the health of our families. We usually know the

next healthiest step up from whatever we are doing on a

given day. If we are eating a carrot, some of us feel guilty it

is not organic and locally grown. The key is to not get over-

whelmed and take small steps.

Personal Care/Cleaning Products: Keep an eye on the things that will

run out soon and look for recipes for homemade alternatives. To

save money, I save the baking soda from my freezers and make

Washing Soda with it.

Supplements/Essential Oils: Shop around online. Many websites

offer discounts for first-time buyers.

Coconut Products: Sam’s Club has amazing prices on bulk organic

coconut and nut flour products.

Produce: Growing and preserving your own is the cheapest and best

when possible. Farmer’s Markets are another option. CSAs can be

an option, but are difficult to evaluate cost savings. I preserve pro-

duce year round. Research shows that frozen/preserved produce

picked in season has higher nutritional quality than its fresh out of

season counterparts. We make a monthly trip to Aldi for the bulk of

our produce and the prices are amazing. Research online how to

extend the shelf life of produce.

Gluten Free/Organic Anything: Trader Joe’s has amazing prices on

gluten-free convenience foods. Their organic products are wonderful

too.

Meat: Consider buying a grass-fed side of beef or pork from a farm.

The bones and organ meat are especially valuable.

Flours: Consider making your own by buying a heavy duty mixer or

grinder.

Probiotics/Vitamins: While they are not the highest quality, local

drug stores have BOGO sales that can be combined with coupons.

Resource List

Amadeusvanillabeans.com: Organic Fair-Trade Vanilla

Beans

Thebrothery.com: All things broth. For those that don’t

have the time/resources to make their own.

Bulkherbstore.com: Great prices on certain herbs, but al-

ways price compare.

Clnf.org: Country Life Natural Foods is a bulk foods store

located in Michigan. They deliver across the country and are

one of the easiest most cost-effective ways to get 50lbs of

whatever you need.

Kombuchakamp.com: All things kombucha.

Mountainroseherbs.com: Herbs, essential oils & related

products.

Naturoli.com: Organic soap nut berries & related products.

Orawellness.com: Teeth healing & mouth care products.

Sam’s Club: Organic Spinach, Kale & Coconut Products.

Thrivemarket.com: The prices of this organic/online version

of Sam’s Club/Costco are amazing.

Tropicaltraditions.com: Organic food products, including

meat & related items.

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BOOK REVIEW

On my real food journey, I came across this blog and cookbook. It has been a wonderful re-

source on my quest. The first fifty pages are an introduction to real foods and the evils of sugars,

grains, and conventional vegetable oils. They also include real life strategies to cure picky eaters

and cook real food on a budget.

There are the usual cookbook chapters like breakfast, and less common chapters like condiments.

One recipe in that chapter I am eager to try is probiotic salsa. The author Katie makes all of her

condiments from scratch including ketchup. There is also a spice blend chapter handy for do-it-

yourselfers and a broth tutorial for beginners.

While all of the ingredients are simple, some may seem out of reach or expensive. If butter is an

ingredient, it is suggested it be grass fed organic raw butter. Some ingredients may seem strange

like whey and grass-fed gelatin, but once a person steps into her world, many of the ingredients

become pantry staples.

To help busy families, many of the recipes can be done in a crockpot. I just made the chicken

cacciatore. It turned out fine, but I wasn’t accustomed to the flavor profile. My family's tastes

differ from the author's, but many of the recipes are adaptable.

This book is a great place to start on the real foods journey.

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RESOURCE LINKS ARMY / NATIONAL GUARD minnesotanationalguard.com armyonesource.com militaryonesource.mil CHILDREN ADAPT: cehd.umn.edu/fsos/adapt operationwearehere.com mnchildcare.org ausa.org/family mdva.state.mn.us/child guardfamilyyouth.org militarykids.org DISCOUNTS beyondtheyellowribbon.org military.com/discounts/category EDUCATION education4military.com gibill.va.gov militaryonesource.mil militarychild.org EMPLOYMENT esgr.org mn.gov/deed FMLA: dol.gov/whd/fmla HEALTH / MENTAL HEALTH tricare.mil militarymentalhealth.org Counseling 24/7: militaryonesource.mil MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS Marriage Retreats: strongbonds.org militaryonesource.mil PARENTS OF SOLDIERS bluestarmoms.org operationwearehere.com/Parents.html PET CARE dogsondeployment.org netpets.org guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org SPOUSES & SIGNIFICANT OTHERS militarysos.com spousebuzz.com milspouse.com msccn.org nationalmilitaryspousenetwork.org STRESS MANAGEMENT militaryonesource.mil defense.gov/specials/stressawareness

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