The Cost of Taking Your Own Advice

Taking a revitalizing vacation, working out and eating well have started to pay big dividends for Segunda and Lady Piola. Their slimmed-down reflections in boutique windows are sparkling and, more importantly, they're feeling vibrant (though a bit sore). Next, the mighty duo decides to exercise their minds with a good novel.
 
Segunda and I know nothing feels better than a book in hand and an afternoon rolling out before you like a red carpet. That is, until your "boomerang" daughter swirls through the door trumpeting: "I got a job!"
 
Those four words are music to any parent's ears; they certainly were to mine. After weeks of scouring job boards in an effort to heed my advice on how to become a financially independent adult, she beamed as she explained how her new job aligned with her future career goals. I breathed deeply, savoring that rare moment when life lessons hit home.
 
Then came a knock. The mail carrier, framed in my doorway, handed me a bundle of envelopes as if it were a gift. Instead, it was a stack of bills from my whirlwind travels. 

"It looks like it's time," I humbly told my daughter, "for Mom to take her own advice."
 
I directed some of my newfound energy toward getting my finances back in equally good shape. Luckily, I knew where to turn. I clicked through the AARP website with its wealth of financial advice and tips on saving.
 
Are your finances in order? What's the best savings tip you've ever heard? What's the best book you've read recently?

Let's share! Thanks,

-Gaby