cleanliness

Do You Know How Dirty Your Money Is?

Paul Michael — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 11:00:13 +0000

Cash. We need it to live. But have you ever stopped to think of what it is you're touching when you hold a $20 bill, or a handful of nickels and dimes? Unless they're crisp bills straight from the mint, or freshly unwrapped quarters, the chances are, they've changed hands many, many times. Let's break it down, and discover the filthy truth of what might be lurking on the money in your wallet.

The Lifespan of Bank Notes and Coins

Coins are built to last. Right now you can find coins for sale that date back to the age of Julius Caesar. The average lifespan of a coin is around 30 years, but some can still be in circulation after 50 years or more. They change hands thousands of times, and never get cleaned.

Conversely, "paper" money is nowhere near as hardy, but as it's made up of 25% linen and 75% cotton, it's not really paper at all. It's cloth. This makes it resistant to folds (the average bill can be folded back and forth over 4,000 times before tearing), with a humble dollar bill lasting almost five years. However, because the material is also absorbent, it has the chance to pick up a multitude of germs and bacteria.

What's on Your Money?

The Dirty Money Project, in New York, has been studying our money for years. Their findings are not for the faint of heart. Each dollar bill carries roughly 3,000 types of bacteria on its surface. Common microbes found include the ones that cause acne and other skin problems. Anthrax was also detected, but fear not, it was not the weaponized variety.

The Southern Medical Journal also did one of many studies conducted on the state of our one-dollar bills. A staggering 94% of the bills they tested contained pathogenic, or potentially pathogenic, organisms. In other words, almost every one-dollar bill you touch contains a bacterium, virus, or microorganism that causes disease. Now, what kind of disease you come into contact with is a matter of blind luck.

Furthermore, the very dangerous bacteria MRSA (which can lead to the flesh-eating disease necrotizing fasciitis) was discovered on 80% of the dollar bills studied in a test by St. Petersburg College professor Shannon McQuaig.

Specifically, What Germs Are on Bank Notes?

Of the many studies done, several of which have been cited in this article, the following dangerous microorganisms were found:

Streptococcus

This isn't too much of a concern. Should you contract this, you will most likely get a sore throat, although it can cause skin infections, urinary tract infections, and even pneumonia.

E. coli

You know this one well, especially after the spread of it last year at several Chipotle locations. Although many types of it are harmless, some can be deadly. E. coli has led to anemia and kidney failure, which can lead to death. Most people who get ill from it suffer stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Salmonella Enterica

A major cause of food poisoning, you will usually get this by eating contaminated food. However, anyone who handles raw food or fecal matter, and then handles money, can be responsible for spreading it.

Staphylococcus Aureus

This causes the staph infections you have probably heard about. Most commonly, this is a skin infection, but it can also lead to pneumonia, food poisoning, and blood poisoning.

MRSA

A type of staphylococcus aureus that is very dangerous, because it is resistant to antibiotics and other drugs in the methicillin class.

Proteus

This is a bacterium found in the intestines of animals, and in the soil. It will most likely cause a urinary tract infection, which is easily treatable.

Your Money Is Downright Disgusting

It's filthy. It's teaming with bacteria. It's infested with germs. And it really can make you sick. If you handle money on a regular basis, it's advisable to wash your hands regularly, and use hand sanitizers as often as you can. Don't lick your fingers to count money, as that can obviously have nasty results. You should also avoid touching money and then eating food with your hands, but as that is something that happens often (restaurants, bars, food carts, football games) you should carry a pocket hand sanitizer and apply that before you eat. Also, don't put money in your mouth, not even for a bet, and don't put your hands near your mouth after touching money.

This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

10 Small Gestures That Go a Long Way at Work

Kentin Waits — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 10:30:22 +0000

If you've ever worked in an office environment, you know how hectic things can get. Looming deadlines, departmental goals, staffing issues, and customer service challenges can send stress levels soaring and morale plummeting. If your office needs an attitude adjustment, start your own nine-to-five pay-it-forward program. Not only will it help boost morale, it'll help you get noticed in all the right ways. Here are 10 small gestures that go a long way at work.

1. Tidy Up

Does the break room at your office look like a scene from Animal House? Take a few minutes to wipe out the microwave, empty the dishwasher, or replenish supplies. If you're brave enough to dig deep into the refrigerator, send an email notifying everyone well in advance and provide a clear deadline for claiming any unmarked items. (People get very attached to the science projects they've got growing in there.)

2. Feed the Machine

My favorite good deed is to make sure there's enough copy paper on hand and topping off the paper trays. The next person with an urgent, large-scale copy job will appreciate interruption-free — and panic-free — copying.

3. Brew It Up

Let's all agree — the world runs on coffee. Help everyone start their day off right by keeping this magic elixir flowing freely. Brew a fresh pot right before a big meeting or when you notice the supply running dangerously low. You'll be an instant hero and it might inspire some copycat kindness. Also, bringing in treats or doughnuts can give your coworkers a morning boost or turn the day around for someone who couldn't grab breakfast before dashing out the door.

4. Raise Your Hand

If your employer participates in charitable giving, volunteer to be the committee point person and spearhead your company's involvement with United Way, Habitat For Humanity, JDRF, or other worthy causes. Besides providing a valuable service, volunteering builds teamwork and taking a leadership role in volunteer activities can enrich your resume and expand your professional network. (See also: The 10 Best Networking Tips for People Under 40)

5. Get Social

Help your coworkers blow off some steam and avoid career burnout by organizing a group get-together. Work with management to schedule an off-site team building event, a potluck, or an end-of-the-quarter celebration. Remember, keep things light and make it fun.

6. Offer Kudos

Public acknowledgement of a job well-done is a simple, free, and powerful motivator. Send an email to your team as a shout-out to a colleague who pulled of a mini-miracle. Take it a step further by giving the coworker a stellar LinkedIn recommendation. Besides being the right thing to do, it's one of many ways to act like a leader and move your career forward.

7. Be the Minute Man (Or Woman)

Volunteer to take the minutes at the next company-wide or team meeting. It'll provide a welcome respite for someone and showcase your listening, organization, and communication skills.

8. Offer to "Uber"

Channel your inner chauffeur. The next time your team is scheduled to attend an off-site meeting or event, offer to drive. The commute will spark conversations and relieve a few people of the stress of paying for parking, fighting traffic, or walking long distances.

9. Give a Small Gift

Did a coworker pitch in to help you get a difficult project out the door on time? Show your appreciation with a $5.00 gift card to their favorite coffee or dessert shop. Remember, it's not the amount you give, but the gesture that counts.

10. Express Interest

In the busyness of business, it's easy to forget that we're all human. Though some people prefer to draw a clear line between their professional and personal lives, most appreciate a little blurring of the two. Peek over that cube wall and ask how a vacation went, talk about a shared hobby, or briefly share a funny story. A little interest helps pass the time and makes work feel... well, less like work.

What small gestures have made the biggest impression on you at work? What do you wish more people did in your office?

This article is from Kentin Waits of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

6 Cleaning Rules You Should Be Breaking

Sarah Winfrey — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 12:00:05 +0000

Everyone cleans differently, but there are many rules that are near-universally followed.

Most of these cleaning rules are rules because they work, but some of them aren't quite right, or aren't necessary in order to have a clean home.

Here are six cleaning rules you shouldn't feel dirty about breaking.

1. You Need to Get Rid of All the Germs

I grew up in a house where everything that could sparkle did. But it didn't sparkle for the sake of sparkling; it sparkled because people in my house feared germs. I was sick quite a bit as a child, and the more often I got sick, the more furiously the house got cleaned.

However, my mom needn't have bothered. In general, germs are good for us (even for kids!). Exposure to bacteria gives our immune systems a chance to get stronger, because they have to learn how to resist and fight off infection.

You probably don't want to grow that culture of MRSA in your shower, but you don't have to clean with antibacterial products or clean obsessively because a few germs won't hurt anyone.

2. You Need Expensive Cleaners for Your Oven

I bought a new stove/oven combo about a year ago and everyone we talked to — sales people, friends, even my mother — wanted to make sure that we learned which cleaner was the proper one to use in it. It was very important, I was told over and over, to get one that was compatible with my particular make and model.

As it turns out, though, you can easily clean any oven with baking soda, vinegar, water, and some time. I assume the expensive cleaners work, too, but they're full of potentially harmful chemicals, they cost a fortune, and (trust me!) the baking soda and vinegar do a great job, too!

3. Your Pillow Is Clean When the Case Is Clean

I remember, after I'd been in college a few months, asking someone how in the world you clean a pillow. They looked at me like I was crazy. After a few more questions, I found out that most people don't clean the pillow itself, they just wash the case. It seemed gross to me, but what did I know?

Apparently, I knew quite a bit. Pillows actually need to be cleaned 2-3 times per year because they collect all sorts of skin cells and oils, not to mention sweat. Unless your pillowcase is industrial strength, some of those will get through it and onto your pillow. They won't collect particularly fast, but they will build up if you don't wash them off.

4. You Shouldn't Wash Cast Iron

I started cooking with cast iron several years ago, and I think that every single person I mentioned it to (at least, every single one who knew anything about cast iron), warned me against washing my new pots and pans with water. Since the pans are made of iron, water makes them rust, and most of us don't really want to cook rust into our food.

On the other hand, water only causes cast iron to rust when it gets left on the pan. If you can dry your pan thoroughly (usually by putting it on the stove over low heat), water is the best way to clean your cast iron pans. You can boil the water first or add baking soda to it if it makes you feel better or the pan is extra dirty.

5. You Should Just Toss an Old Dirty Shower Curtain Liner

When I lived in an apartment for the first time, I shared it with three other young women. One of them walked in on me cleaning the bathroom one day and looked at me funny. Since we were actually pretty good about keeping the house clean, I asked her what the look was about. "You're cleaning the shower curtain liner?" she asked.

As it turned out, most people don't do that. When the shower curtain liner gets dirty, they replace it.

If you're going to scrub it, it is hard to clean, indeed. It's a good thing, then, that you can usually just throw it in the washing machine. Make sure the water isn't too hot (especially if your liner is plasticky), and include some other things like towels or sheets, to help it keep from sticking to itself.

6. Spray-On Cleaner Is Best for Eyeglasses

I don't wear glasses. I should, but I don't. My husband, however, wears his all the time. When we first got married, he cleaned them with this special spray-on stuff that was specifically designed to work with the coatings on his lenses. It worked, but it seemed to cost way too much for its limited range of uses.

Now, he washes his glasses with dish soap and water, and dries them with microfiber cloths. He reports that his glasses are as clean as ever, the expense is a lot lower, and he's not at a loss if he forgets his little bottle of cleaner. His eye doctor warns him against this practice every time he goes in, but it's been years and he hasn't damaged a pair of glasses yet. As long as you don't use soap with ammonia or other additives, you should have similar success.

What cleaning rules do you follow? Are there any you've found to be incorrect?

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This article is from Sarah Winfrey of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

10 Quick Ways to Become More Hygienic

Tara Struyk — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 11:00:07 +0000

Right now, at this very moment, there are germs running literally all over you, all over your home, and all over absolutely everything you own.

Please remain calm.

It isn't your fault. In fact, it probably isn't a matter of poor hygiene at all. Although we often think of hygiene as a word having to do with cleanliness, what the word actually refers to is conditions that promote health and prevent disease. And that's actually a lot more complicated than scrubbing the bejesus out of everything you come into contact with. (See also: The 10 Germiest, Grossest Things You Live With Everyday)

Here are a few very important hygiene habits research has shown to be important but that many people overlook.

1. Fine-Tune Your Posture

Try this: Tip your head straight back and look up. Kinda hurts, huh? That's because most jobs — whether they involve sitting at a computer or doing manual labor — involve bending forward, looking down and, in general, shortening all the muscles on the front side of the body. That can lead to rounded shoulders, a jutting neck and pot-bellied posture, which can mean pain, stiffness and even more serious back and neck problems. But as if that weren't bad enough, poor posture is also bad for your overall health, and has been connected to depression, constipation and circulatory problems. So straighten up for better health! (See also: 7 More Quick Tips and Tricks for Better Posture)

2. Dry Your Feet

Okay, so you probably know that you should wash your feet. (Or I hope you do — feet can get stinky!) But do you know what's just as important as washing them? Drying them very thoroughly and keeping them as dry as possible throughout the day.

A 2012 survey by the Institute of Preventative Foot Health found that about 20% of people have athlete's foot — a condition that causes, cracked, itchy feet — at any given time. The fungus that causes athlete's foot thrives in damp conditions. So, while keeping your feet clean helps, keeping them dry is actually the best way to keep your toes in tip-top shape. Dry your feet thoroughly after washing, change out of wet socks as soon as possible, and go barefoot when you can.

3. Shower Less Often

For many people, a daily shower is a ritual. It's about more than cleanliness — it just feels good. Unfortunately, scrubbing every bit of oil and bacteria off your body every day isn't as good for you as you might think. In fact, your skin needs a healthy layer of both to be at its best.

"Good bacteria are educating your own skin cells to make your own antibiotics," Dr. Richard Gallo, chief of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego, told The New York Times in 2010. "They produce their own antibiotics that kill off bad bacteria."

This is part of the reason why people find that skin conditions like eczema — and even acne — tend to flare up as a result of too much scrubbing. Your skin needs a healthy balance of lipids and bacteria to be at its best. Showering every day can strip those essential elements away, leading to drier, itchier, more inflamed skin.

4. Change Your Sheets More Often

Most people wouldn't think of wearing the same clothes for days on end, but they'll lie on the same sheets for weeks at a time. Why change your sheets regularly? Well, they're covered in sweat, drool, body oil, dead skin cells, and possibly even cookie crumbs. That's pretty gross, but dermatologists say grinding your face into a less-than-clean pillowcase can also contribute to acne. And no one likes that. Change sheets once a week and pillowcases more often than that if you're prone to breakouts.

5. Wash Your Hands — Like, Actually Wash Them

The advent of hand washing in hospitals literally changed the face of infectious disease control. It's that important. However, in recent years we've become so concerned with keeping our hands clean that we've moved beyond good, old fashioned hand washing to coating our hands with antibacterial "hand sanitizers." I see dispensers for this stuff everywhere — in airports, in office buildings, in hospitals. Unfortunately, many of these products contain triclosan, an antibacterial product that's been linked to hormone disruption and antibiotic resistance. Alcohol-based sanitizers are still considered safe and effective when you're in a pinch, but experts say that nothing beats plain, old soap and water. So wash well and wash often!

6. Avoid Antibacterial Anything

While you're washing, skip the antibacterial soap in favor of a gentle soap. It's better for your skin — and for your health. In 2013, the FDA stated that the long-term use of antibacterial soap and other products may do more harm than good. That's in response to research that found that antibacterial soap offers few additional benefits over basic soap, and may contribute to the rise of superstrong bacteria that are resistant to the chemicals it contains as well as to many antibiotics. Plus, lathering and rinsing removes most bacteria manual.

7. Ditch Text Messages

You probably know that your cell phone is covered with every germ imaginable, but then, so is your toothbrush, so that may be less of a problem than some of the other ill effects your phone can produce, particularly when you do a lot of texting. In fact, texting for long periods has been found to lower life expectancy because it contributes to poor posture. It's also been shown to be bad for your relationships.

8. Keep Your Hands Away From Your Face

The germs that give us colds and other infections tend to take the easy way in — through our eyes and mouths. In fact, touching your face less often has been found to be the best way to avoid getting sick. Get used to keeping your hands away from face as much as possible. And if you must rub your eyes or bite your nails, wash your hands first!

9. Clean Up Your Diet

Sometimes when we try to focus on eating "healthy" foods, we can get tricked into buying all kinds of things that are labeled as "high fiber" or "low fat" or "sugar free." But the healthiest foods tend not to have a label. Sticking to these whole, unprocessed goodies is often called "clean eating." Eating food in its whole, most unprocessed state has been found to improve health, help in the maintenance of a healthy weight and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

10. Take Care of Your Contacts

A survey conducted in 2012 found that people will use anything from spit to butter or beer to clean their contact lenses. Ewwww.

These are your eyes we're talking about, people! And even if you've never resorted to lathering up your contacts with a cold Coors Light, you should probably be taking your contact lens hygiene more seriously. Failing to follow the exact procedure recommended by your ophthalmologist — including washing your hands, replacing the contact solution in your case daily and using a sterile cleaning solution — can lead to the growth of a bacterial film on your lenses. And that isn't just gross; it can lead to eye irritation or even serious eye infections.

Hygiene is often assumed to be about being clean, but it's really about being healthy. Put health first and you'll be well on your way to your most hygienic — and healthiest — self.

How do you keep yourself clean and inoffensive to those sitting near you? Please share in comments!

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This article is from Tara Struyk of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

How to Take the World's Most Efficient Shower

Lars Peterson — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 02:47:42 +0000

Having once been a commercial fisherman on a small boat with little fresh water, and more recently having been a frequent occupant in a rustic Sierra Nevada cabin with unreliable fresh water (much less fresh hot water), I have had the opportunity to develop — and refine — what I believe is the world's most efficient shower technique. You may be familiar with the so-called Navy Shower, which is similar, as the principles are the same. But whether you're interested in saving water or energy at home (as well as money), or if you find yourself on a small vessel or in a rustic abode, this routine will have you in and out of the shower and back in front of the stove in a couple of minutes — and under running water for way less than that. (See also: How to Shower Less)

Ready? Let's go!

1. Arrange Your Tools

Soap, wash cloth, a big plastic cup for extra rinsing power, towel, floor mat. You won't be shaving in the shower, gentlemen, so you won't need that stuff (ladies, see below). If you're at the cabin get your buckets situated; you'll be reusing the gray rinse water in the toilet later. (See also: 50+ Ways to Save Water)

2. Start the Tap

Depending on the rusticity of your place, you may have enough fresh water to wait for the hot water to arrive. In early summer the mountain spring that provides water to our cabin runs deep and clear, which affords us the luxury of waiting for hot water. By mid August? There's no waiting for hot water — turn on the tap and in you go.

3. Get Good and Wet

Hot or cold, get yourself nice and soaking, fill up your cup, and then turn off the tap. You're gonna be cold, but that's just more encouragement to move fast. Hopefully some of the water that rinsed off you wound up in your bucket.

4. Soap Up and Wash Off

Work the shampoo into your greasy locks and soap up everywhere else; scrub with the wash cloth. So clean. So cold! (See also: DIY Shampoo)

5. Tap On and Rinse Off

You'll spend a little more time here than the first go with the water flowing, but not much. No standing around — rinsing is work, same as cleaning. Move fast, rinse off, and then shut off the tap. Your plastic cup may be helpful here if your water pressure is lacking; fill it up and douse yourself once or twice.

Some of us are done at this point (and glad of it, 'cause it's cold), but if you'd like to continue on to apply hair conditioner or whatever, just repeat steps 3 and 4. See you in a second in front of the woodstove.

If you'd like to shave your legs, continue on.

6. Optional: Shave Your Legs

I'm offering this step based on my wife's explanation, and so I apologize if I've missed something. The idea is to get your legs good and wet, lather them up with shaving gel or whatever you use, and then, instead of rinsing your razor in running water, you'll rinse your razor in the cup, just like men do with their razors in the sink. You can even leave that gross stubble behind afterward, just like men do with their razor stubble in the sink. (See also: Razor Tricks to Help You Save)

Legs smooth and hairless? One last rinse of your gams and also your hair if you were conditioning while you shaved. And you're done. Collect your tools and stow them away. Collect your buckets and store them next to the toilet.

The process on the fishing boat was far simpler and used much less fresh water. None, in fact. When the sun was high above at maximum warmth, you stripped down to nothing and plunged over the rail and into the cold Pacific Ocean. You scrambled back aboard and scrubbed down with a piece of old towel and a few squirts from the bottle of Dr Bronner's and then back in the drink to rinse it all away. Never felt cleaner.

How do you manage to keep clean and fresh when there's little — or no — hot water? Please share in comments.

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This article is from Lars Peterson of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Is There Such Thing as a Messy Millionaire?

Andrea Karim — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 21:00:31 +0000

My favorite lesbian: I recently purchased Suze Orman's latest book (at Costco, for $10 off of the retail price), "Women & Money". I'm not including the unnecessarily long subtitle about Owning the Power to Control Your Powerful Financial Destiny of Power or whatever, because I feel like the title "Women & Money" more or less sums it all up.

Women & Money is written expressly for women, because of the relationship that Suze feels women have with their money. Suze gives some great talking points about how women feel about money, for instance the combination of shame and delight that I feel when I deal with money. I don't know if these feelings are exclusive to women, so I would actually recommend this book to anyone who won't feel alienated when the book directly addresses women.

(One thing that's a little odd about the book is the way in which Suze seems to assume that many of the women reading it are being financially controlled by husbands or partners. I mean, that might be true, but if you are a single gal reading the book, it can make you feel a tad out of place.)

I wouldn't normally shill anything that Suze says, because she and her Oprah-originated ilk sort of rub me the wrong way. I don't know if it's the message or the delivery, but I generally avoid these talk show spin-offs like the plague.

However, I felt different about Women & Money the second I laid eyes on it. I've only perused Suze's other books, but the feeling that I got from those books convinced me that Suze had nothing to teach me. So, it's with a bit of reluctance that I admit that this book is a decent one. For one thing, Orman dispense with a lot of the "Listen to me. Look. Listen. I'm talking. You'd better be listening"-type bossiness that her other books exude.

For another, she finally explains how she, at the age of 29, went from being a waitress to working as a broker for Merril Lynch, which was a story that I never believed until reading her summary of that experience (hint: it's not nearly as glamorous a transition as she originally made it sound - for one, it took place in Oakland, CA, and for another, she admits that she was hired because the manager had a female hiring quota to fill).

Anyway, I'm not finished with the book yet, which is a great read for anyone who needs to get a grip on their finances and doesn't want to concentrate on complicated matters, such as investing and stock portfolios and mayonnaise futures. In other words, if budgeting scares you, this is a good place to start. So, I'm only a few chapters in, but one of her opening lists keeps poking me in the brain, so I thought I'd share it.

Early on, Suze lists the 8 essential qualities that she thinks every woman should have. If it seems a little presumptuous, that's because it is. Rest assured, none of those essential qualities involve large earrings, heavy eyeliner, or a maniacal smile (sorry Suze, but I really want to give you a make-under, hon). Out of these 8 essential qualities, the one that keeps bugging me is Cleanliness. Says Suze:

You might be reading this and thinking that cleanliness is nice but not essential to your financial well-being. I am here to tell you that if this quality is not up front and center, wealth will elude you and you will be left with the mess that you created. Respect the power of this quality of cleanliness. Tell the universe that you have cleared the path for wealth and abundance to enter.

OK, that last sentence borders a little bit on The Secret-ness, but what convinced me that Suze isn't just talking out of her ear is this statement:

When you don't know where your money is, when you have no filing system for your important documents, when you dive into your pocketbook to pull out crumpled bills, when your car looks like a garbage can, when your closets are filled with junk and clutter -- you cannot possibly be a wealthy woman.

Now, I'm already cultivating a reputation as a paranoid, anti-government nutcase, but did Suze spend some time observing me or something? Clutter is my middle name. My car smells good, but there's no room for passengers in it because of the boxes of old tax returns, Goodwill donations, bungee cords, and empty water bottles. And I'm a wreck financially, too. But does there have to be a correlation? I mean, I'm a brunette and I like pickles, but that doesn't mean that all dark-haired gals love a jar of kosher dills after work.

Thinking back, though, I can't say that I've ever met a wealthy slob (at least, no one who earned their own money - I've known a few heirs who couldn't operate a vacuum). All the people that I know who are financially secure are very organized, very clean. They don't bring their jumbo packs of paper towels home from Costco and deposit them in the middle of the living room, where they will continue to gather dust for the next few months.

But is it causation? Does being clean help you become wealthy, or is cleanliness a quality that people who are good with money naturally have? If I clean up my house, will that help me to clean up my finances?

Or is cleanliness not a quality so much as a side effect of another crucial quality: discipline? It takes discipline to keep your belongings in order, fighting entropy day after day. How many clean people do you know who have no willpower? Disciplined people are (naturally?) better at not blowing their paycheck on eBay shoes.

So my question is not "How do I become clean?" but rather, "Where do I find the power to discipline myself?".

My boyfriend suggested enlisting. Anyone else? Is it just a matter of baby steps towards a goal, or is a drastic discipline makeover necessary? Or are there some people who simply don't have it in them?

This article is from Andrea Karim of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: