Another favorite resolution has to do with money. Americans have the reputation of being spendthrift, and having far more debt than they can pay. When the Christmas bills roll in (for me, right about now!) it’s easy to feel “buyer’s remorse.” Did I really need to spend that much on a gift for so-and-so? And then comes the reminder and the resolve: “I will get my financial house in order this year!” In fact, my mother used to tell me that she was taught that a fiscally sound household owed no more than could be paid if all the creditors came at the same time.

Ah, that is so easy to say. But, how can we achieve this so wonderful goal? Well, we are a library, so of course our recommendation is to find some good books to read – although a financial specialist would probably be helpful, too. Some of the books that are perennially popular are Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Orman’s The Nine Steps To Financial Freedom, and Miller’s Kiplinger’s Practical Guide To Your Money. Others fun (and useful) reads at the Library include The Beardstown Ladies’ Stitch- in-Time Guide To Growing Your Nest Egg, Petillo’s Building Wealth In A Paycheck-To-Paycheck World, and Loos’ I Haven’t Saved a Dime, Now What?! Of course, not all “money” books are fun, so if you wanted a more serious tone with lots of good tips, you might like to try Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover Workbook, Mary Hunt’s Debt-Proof Living and Chris Rich’s Debt Control.

The last two books that I would suggest are not really “how to get out of debt” books, but are more books about how our economy runs. Both Freakonomics  and The Tipping Point have had far more adept recommendations than mine, however, and I invite you to look at one of my favorite web pleasures – the Sunday Book Club features at a daily webcomic devoted to libraries. It’s a great place to discover some neat new books to read!

A new year has begun, so of course it is time to consider new ways of doing things, new paths to wander, and new thoughts to think. The Library can help you find just the method to use to best effect a change.

If you have weight-loss aspirations, for example, you may like to read Dr. Phil’s book, The Ultimate Weight Solution, which we have both as a book and on CD. Personally, I enjoyed reading Jordin Rubin’s The Maker’s Diet. We also have copies of the Duchess of York’s Reinventing Yourself if you are a Weight Watchers fan and Arthur Agatston’s South Beach Diet. And then, there are the “classics” written by authors like Dean Ornish and Robert Atkins.

If, however, you are more interested in fitness, you may be more interested in our DVD collection, with its concetration of yoga, Pilates and aerobic exercises. We’re a library, of course, so we also have many good books on the subject. These can all be found in the non-fiction section of the  collection in the Dewey 600’s — specifically, 612-616. Or, combine both topics and laugh your way through George Burns’ How To Live To Be 100–Or More.

Over the next few weeks, we will look at other topics near and dear to the hearts of Resolution Makers everywhere. Let’s hope we can keep them all!