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Here’s How to Start the Renewal!

Beginning a new year means setting goals, making resolutions and, of course, celebrating New Year’s Eve.

These sites may aid you in celebrating and in keeping your promises.

Now, let’s celebrate the New Year!

Don’t miss that ball dropping! This JavaScript countdown clock works off YOUR computer’s clock so you can check your computer’s time against the US Navy Master Clock. Then start the countdown to New Year’s Eve!

Time/CNN says that 75% of Americans will be staying home for this New Year’s Eve. If you’re one of those families, try this site for family games.

If the kids are staying up with you, then you need Kids Domain for games for them!

The New York Times says that New Year’s Eve isn’t just a calendar date; it’s an industry, a full-employment program for makers of Champagne, party hats and toothpicks, for waiters and taxi drivers and bouncers, and not least for disc jockeys and musicians. The urge to greet the new year with public songs and dancing from local lounges to concert halls may well be primordial. However, if you really want to throw a party, Great Party Ideas has a lot of ideas and tips.

Throwing a party to celebrate? Then here are Epicurious’ traditional New Year’s food and their Recipes for Luck.

And as 2010 kicks off, what better time to whip up a meal designed to bring you luck, wealth and success? All Recipes.com provides links to recipes for special New Year’s dishes from Japan, Greece, Spain, Italy and America.

Need some flyers or invitations for the party? Then here’s some free New Year’s clipart and Pat’s Web Graphics.

Yes, the celebration is still on! The New Year’s Eve ball lowering event will take place in Times Square, New York City, on December 31, 2009. Be there! Where else is there a celebration like this? New York’s Times Square is the place! Arizona has a special New Year’s Ball, too, but it’s made of a native minerals. Check out the 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000 balls, all different and all special, at the Arizona Mines and Minerals Museum. You can use them to countdown!

Find out the History of the New Year from Babylon to Times Square and what millennium it is, anyway New Year’s Traditions tells you how to say it in many languages.

And this New Year’s Eve, there’s a Blue Moon. You’ve heard of it, but what does it mean? Find out here.

The United Nations invited the world to create One Day In Peace, January 1, 2000 as the beginning of the International Year for the Culture of Peace! 1000 organizations in over 130 nations are still spreading the word, and it’s more pertinent than ever.

How familiar are you with the history of the song “Auld Lang Syne”? This encyclopedia views various versions of the popular ballad.

Take a Virtual Trip around the world and see what’s happening in New York, London, Paris, Moscow and Hong Kong, as the clock strikes midnight. But check The World Clock Time Zones first.

Which was your favorite year? The Millennium has the 20th Century, Year by Year or decade by decade for you to click on to get the scoop.

For fun, information, greeting cards, your Zodiac horoscope, and lots of links, the Chinese New Year is the longest and most important festival. Chinatown Online includes paying off debts, purchasing new clothes, thoroughly cleaning the house, enjoying sumptuous family feasts, offering sacrifices to the gods, and giving friends and relatives red envelopes containing “lucky money.” Chinese History is a wonderful source. Convert the New Year or Lunar Year, to a Gregorian year and check out any Gregorian year with this calendar. Kids can also enjoy counting down the Chinese New Year with games and fun.

For all kinds of calendars, celestial, geographical, historic, religious, CalendarZone has what you’re interested in to set your goals. And for a calendar of almost every religion or world region, Infoplease.com has a bunch.

Twinkle, twinkle little star, tell us what our futures are! Check your horoscope at the Astrology-Numerology.com site. Remember, today may just be the day to back up your hard drive!

All of us have the best intentions when we make resolutions on January 1st, but by February 1st most are forgotten. If you need help achieving your goals, sign up for the Resolution Reminder service. Every month, you’ll receive an e-mail that reminds you of your resolutions and offers tips and support to help you meet your goals. MyGoals.com help center will give you tips to setting and keeping those goals.

AND OF COURSE, THERE’S FITNESS AND DIET!

If a grip on fitness and diet is in your New Year’s Resolutions, these sites might help you chart a course of action…

  • Real Age: a great online health and fitness resource. Sign up for their monthly tips!
  • Lifelines: resources for improvement of health, productivity, and effectiveness
  • HealthFinder: a gateway consumer health and human services information website
  • DietWatch has a calculator and will help you monitor your intake.
  • The Mayo Clinic has a section on healthy tips, coping with grief, and keeping stress in line.
  • Stress Reduction from Dr. Andrew Weil, brought to you by Dr. Weil himself

Being organized means more than filing papers, using a daily list and knowing what time to be where. It’s a habit, much the same as any other skill you master. Tips from Home Life Office and Get Organized will help you organize your home office, get ahead, take control of projects and maintain balance in your life.

NOW FOR FINANCIAL PLANS & STRATEGY…

How do you invest to meet your goals? There are no one-size-fits-all investments. Of course, the best investment you can make (and enjoy) is in your home. Today’s interest rates are the lowest in 30 years, there are extra Tax benefits, the Valley’s homes have had a very fast appreciation and but with a change in the market are still affordable, the property taxes are moderate, the cost of living is competitive, and the quality of life is excellent!

Having said that, I’ve included some sites to help you manage your assets.

Whip Your Finances into Shape! Build up your money muscles and Chart Your Financial Future in spite of the recession with Money Made Simple.

Good tips for Financial Fitness from Bankrate. The promise is you simply complete one financial exercise a day and in a little over a month, you’ll have mastered proven techniques that will help you whip your finances into shape, trim those extra dollars off your monthly bills, crunch your investment numbers and build a healthy, robust portfolio.

The American Association of Individual Investors is a nonprofit group that educates individual investors on how to become effective managers of their assets. AAII has chapters around the country and offers publications, seminars, home study texts, and educational videos and software focused on investment techniques.

The Motley Fool will add some humor along with savvy advice about refinancing, shopping with kids and coping with the insanity.

Just For Kids: No, not kidding. Helped along by their parents, some young folks are choosing to invest, as well as the tried-and-true savings accounts or savings bonds. Kiplinger will offer you help in helping them manage their “funds” as low as $1. The Motley Fools offer Teens and their parents a free newsletter through their Young Monthly website.

For Small and Big Kids, Bank Jr has a wonderfully graphic-rich fun but savvy journey through a world of different places all designed to help money grow! Kids Money educates kids about the importance of saving and investing with stories, fun stuff and activities.

These time-tested magazines have tools to make sure you’re still on track.

NOW FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT INVESTMENT OF ALL … REAL ESTATE!

WHY?

Homes have been devalued through this recession, making them a “Buy Low”. Many of my clients have said to me… “If only I had purchased then…” Well, now is the “then”.

Then there’s the benefit of quality of life. Our Valley rates high on many polls, such as Money magazine’s recent selection of Scottsdale as the #2 best place to live.

All those that are interested in investing in Arizona and want to know the current status of the marketplace, please email me alice@amazingarizona.com for my “MARKET UPDATE… from the trenches”. It tells it like it is! Written by me.

Some excellent resources to check out!

I hope these sites will help you toward a more prosperous, and healthy NEW YEAR!!