Eat Know Grow Blog

Rule #1 Pain is not beauty! Do what’s best to look your best.

Time waits for no women. Remember those days when you could leave the house with just some lip gloss on and look like a million bucks. Lately, I’ve been looking like I’ve got H1N1 if I forget to put some brightner under my eyes. While I look forward to the wisdom and experiences that come with age, I am not looking forward to saggy skin, fine lines or any of gravity’s horrible effects.

Thankfully, there are things that we can do now that don’t involve going under the knife or suffering with some fad diet. I’m taking natural and knife-free paths to beauty and you can too!

Cosmetic accupuncture, nutrtional analysis even botox can keep women refreshed at 26 or 46. Pain isn’t beauty. When your looking for ways to improve or maintain your appearance remember to do what’s best for your health, mind and body when striving to look your best.

The Rules of Self-Obsession

When we are born, no one and nothing exists beyond ourselves. We are the world, we are the universe and this is how we survive and thrive. So why is it that as we get older we are reprimanded and chastised for our level of self-concern? As women we play into the notion that being concerned for ourselves means where selfish or lack some maternal gene. And we have all seen the outcome of this self depravation. Mothers that look like the homeless family member or, at the other end of the spectrum women so encased in their careers that relationships are a foreign concept.
As we discussed finance, career building and other issues that concern women, we at EKG found an under lying issue that popped up at each session and in each discussion. Self-obsession. Is it a bad thing? Many women admitted to being self-obsessed but not selfish. Their self-obsession is rooted in the goal of becoming the best at their careers, parenthood, fashion, socializing… everything. And to accomplish this they are self-obsessed, focusing on their behavior, they way they look, speak, dress, what they learn, eat, where they live, it’s never ending. Then, there’s the woman at the other end, who has renounced all things self. She was very few in number at these sessions, but she was there (because this was a work event). How could they be a good mother, co-worker, giver, lover, teacher, friend, if they focused on themselves? It’s impossible for them.
Now, many of us fall (i.e. pace and flounder) in the middle. Afraid to be judged as cold and selfish versus setting ourselves as a priority, wanting and having it all. Well, Eat Know Grow is here to tell you that self-obsession isn’t the devil, in fact, it can be a good thing. What women need are The Rules of Self-Obsession and EKG is here to give them to you. Check back Tuesday for Rule #1.

Missed Us?

Busy bees we’ve been, but we’re back now and better than ever. The May event was so successful that EKG was asked to host private luncheons in June for a private company. The ladies appreciated their professional development days and we learned a lot about what women want and need from these lunches. There was a common theme that came up in our sessions on Personal Finance Management and Personal Branding for Professional Development which leads us into our August Sessions that are open to every woman that wants to grow professionally and personally. You don’t want to miss August’s lunch, this month’s topic is all about you and only you. Yes, we mean you.

The World’s Favourite Pastime

America may boast that Baseball is their favourite past time, but we all know what it really is. Sex! It’s cheap, it’s fun and it’s easy to learn. So if you’re looking for an inexpensive past time try sex. Get more bang for your buck with tips and tricks from a Passion Party. These ladies have toys, techniques and more to help you have more fun indoors (or outdoors, we don’t judge) without breaking the bank. Follow this link for more information. Please enjoy responsibly.

Great Food, Great Advice, Great WOMEN!!!

Wow! A great time was had by all at the first Eat.Know.Grow. lunch. Financial specialist Tulay Guneysel delivered practical, helpful and hopeful advice to lunchers. Casual discussion gave way to information sharing by all participants. We laughed, we ate, we learned and we grew.  We look forward to meeting and sharing with you at the next event. Stay tuned.

Eat. Know. Grow. Menu @ Blu Ristorante

Blu Ristorante has graciously designed a specially priced Eat. Know. Grow. Menu for our “Finance Romance” lunch on Thursday May 28^th.

BLU RISTORANTE

Your choice of one Starter and one Main dish from our specially priced Eat. Know. Grow. Menu (regular price is listed in brackets) Your lunch also includes a beverage and your choice of coffee OR tea. All included with your ticket!

Antipasti – Starter

your choice of one of the following starters:
Soup of the Day ($7)

OR
Medeiterranean Blu – organic greens, italian vinaigrette and tomato ($9)

OR
Blu Ceasar – crisp romaine hearts, ceasar dressing, croutons, shaved parmesan cheese ($11)

AND
Pasta – Main

your choice of one of the following main dishes:
Fettuccine con Pollo  – Chicken, rapini, asparagus and tomato cream sauce ($12)

OR
Penne alla Gorgonzola – gorgonzola cheese, leeks bourbon, cream sauce, arugula ($12)

OR
Rigatoni con Salcicca – sausage, roasted pepper and white wine spicy tomato sauce ($12)

OR

All this served with some excellent knowledge too!

#28 Pay Yourself First.

Financial expert David Bach, author of Start Late, Finish Rich  tells everyone to throw out the dreaded “family budget” for this simple reason: It doesn’t work- if it did we’d all be doing it and we’d all be rich.  According to Bach, as long we all save a percentage of our pay each month, what the rest is spent on really doesn’t matter. If you “Pay Yourself First”, meaning that before you sit down to pay your monthly expenses, pay yourself in savings/retirement the equivalent of one hour per work-day (or 12.5%) before anything else.

#29 Spend less than you earn.

This may seem like a bit of common sense to many, but it really is an issue when it comes to trying to save money.  The term “Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget” comes from this area of finances, as there are hundreds of thousands of folks that just spend way more money than they bring in, with the help of credit cards, car payments and other personal loans from financial institutions that see you as nothing more than a dollar sign.  Cutting spending habits or a large pay increase are the only two options available to help you.

#30 Always Shop Off-Season.

When you want a new patio set, buy it towards the end of the summer (after the 4th of July) and you’ll pay roughly half of what you would have at the beginning of the season. The same goes for clothes and shoes, including for the kids. By stocking up during clearance time, you can save yourself a bundle of cash over purchases at peak times.

Sales can get carried away. Seriously, don’t go crazy.

#31 Don’t Buy a Brand New Vehicle.

As soon as you drive a  brand new vehicle off the lot, it’s value drops 10-15%. Depending on the make and model of the car, the depreciation will continue to drop an additional 10% by year’s end and each year after for the next two years. By purchasing a previously owned or leased vehicle either a year or two old, you’ll still have a quality auto with available warranty while letting someone else take the major financial hit.