Charlene Gonzalez is a woman who has it all—a strong marriage to hottie Aga Mulach, kids she loves and who love her in return, and a career in which her name is well known enough that we don’t actually have to mention any of these things. You know who she is—and what’s better, so does she.
Which is why she’s the cover girl for the August 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping. This been-there-done-that celebrity mom was asked for advice on money tips for other mothers, and even though she laughingly comments that she’s “the worst person to ask about tipid tips,” she does a good job of reminding us about what’s important in life.
“The fact that you wake up every day and your family is healthy is a blessing in itself,” she says. And: “Money is not the end-all of life.”
This may be something modern mommies sometimes have trouble remembering, especially when bills pile up and there are worries about budgeting for food, transportation, and tuition—even without considering future expenses like college education or retirement.
So click on a tip below or simply scroll down and read on for Charlene’s tips on managing and enjoying your money from this month’s issue of Good Housekeeping.
Want more tipid tips? Check out the articles linked below:
- Tipid Tips: How to Eat Healthy on a Budget
- Tipid Tips: How to Save on Energy and Be Eco-Friendly while Cooling Your House
- Tipid Tips: How to Save the Earth While Saving Money
DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF THE BIGGER PICTUREMoney, says Charlene, “is not everything in life. There’s more to life than that.” She also says she doesn’t like to think about the nitty-gritty aspects of day-to-day budgeting—“money is important so that you know what means to live within and what boundaries to set.”
INVEST IN YOUR HAPPINESS
Charlene and Aga choose to invest their money in something they like and enjoy and which contributes to their happiness in the long-term. “Our best purchase is our home,” she tells Good Housekeeping. “It gives us a sense of security, it’s where our dreams are built, and it’s where we are growing as a family.” They are also busy investing time and money on their farm in Batangas, where they are fixing their house and planting fruit trees.
PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE
This means more than saving money; it means investing money in yourself so you can deal with whatever comes your way in the future. For Charlene, this meant taking business courses, even though they are not at this time taking steps to make their farm an income-generating investment. “I may not be using those skills right now,” she says, “but I feel that you always have to equip yourself with the proper tools in life so that when the time comes that you need them, you’re ready.”
To read more of Charlene’s insights and tips, including advice on how to allocate some of your salary for enjoyment spending (and how to limit that spending), check out this month’s issue of Good Housekeeping, out now.(Photos by Raymond Isaac)
