So how do you stay motivated during the season of over indulgence?

Stay focused. Stick to your plan. Write it on the walls or where ever you need that motivation to be.

For the most part, I stick to my monthly budget. I even tweak it every few months to make sure I’m on track. Of course, emergencies pop up and that’s what emergency funds are for – to help pay for those unexpected expenses.

There are a ton of ways to make a little extra cash and Good Financial Cents recently posted 100-ways to do this – fast; become a dog walker, have a garage sale, volunteer for overtime, etc.. However, if you’re the creative type, here are a few more ideas that might take more time, but could turn into stable income.

I don’t necessarily consider myself a handy, DIY type of person, but I got to experience some hands-on training not long ago. A while back, we rented a little house that was long over-due for repairs.

Today, I’m going to do the same thing with retirement. Of course, there’s no one way to prepare for retirement, so feel free to substitute some ingredients with others, as you would a true recipe: