Is your piggy bank looking a little scrawny? Lets see if we can fatten it back up.

The key is to save: a little here and a little there. I know it’s more fun to spend your money now, but putting it away and then getting something bigger and better later is much more rewarding. Trust me. When I was younger, my parents made me put away HALF of any money that I received as gifts or made from random jobs. It was annoying at the time because I wanted to go see the newest chick flick for a third time or buy another shirt that I already basically owned. Instead, after saving those small sums for my whole life, I was able to pay for an entire summer living in another country! I don’t even remember what movie I wanted to see or which shirt I wanted to buy, but I do remember all my amazing times that summer.

But first, you have to get the money in order to save it. You have to be proactive about it. Ask your parents if they will pay you to do some extra chores around the house. Maybe you could help a younger sibling with his/her homework. I used to make jewelry and sell it to all of my friends’ moms! Be creative!

Share some of your money-making secrets on my wall!

My goal is to give you a guide on how to eat healthier, but keep all the flavor of your regular diet.

For breakfast, you might have a strawberry poptart and chocolate milk. Instead, try having whole grain toast with sugar free strawberry jelly and organic orange juice. Strawberry poptarts are full of sugar and chemicals, and chocolate milk also contains lots of sugar.

A snack would most likely be potato chips or cookies. Instead, grab an apple and some peanut butter, or some pita chips.

Potato chips have lots of oil and salt, which cause breakouts and stomachaches. Cookies contain way too much sugar.

For lunch, you might grab some mac and cheese and a soda. A better choice would be a sandwich, Pellegrino (Italian fizzy water) and fruit juice. Mac and cheese has fake cheese and lots of salt. Soda also contains tons of sugar.

Dinner would probably be pizza. A salad with chicken and bleu cheese dressing is a lot healthier than pizza. Pizza has fatty pepperoni or sausage, processed cheese and really salty dough.

Finally, you will most likely be having dessert. Ice cream is a really popular dessert. Instead of ice cream, try all natural sorbet. Ice cream has tons of sugar to make it sweet.

I hope this makes your life that much healthier!