Love it or not, it’s a costly couple of months. With hoards of tiny humans visiting for meals and snacks and exciting activities on the docket, it’s easy to overspend. This year, I have a few ideas in mind to keep us happy, organized and financially sound. Here are some thoughts on what we can all do to save during the coming months.

You see one of the people who is working for you bullying another employee. You observe a person working for you selling illegal drugs to a fellow employee in the restroom. One of your employees starts swearing at a customer on the telephone. Other than the obvious that they are all bad things, what else do they have in common? The answer is that as a manager, you must deal with these situations immediately. If you don’t, the following bad things may happen.

The Glendale Heights Postal Service Finance Station, 147 E. North Ave., will celebrate a grand opening from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

The popularity of Internet banking is driven by the convenience of being able to pay bills and manage household finances from the comfort of an armchair, but concerns about safety remain high. Protecting your personal data and finances is a critical part of getting the most from online banking. Follow these tips to ensure you remain as safe and secure as possible.

Weekly financial Q&A, with advice on teens and bank accounts, and life insurance.

The next decade will be a watershed for tablet computers. They will be far more useful than today’s devices, which will look like Model T’s. Tabs are in position to eliminate most of our electronic devices. Big plus for us: We’ll only need to buy one device.

Looking at the Cayenne now, it’s hard to remember why it caused such a fuss when it appeared, back in 2002. Porschephiles were livid because their brand had gone mainstream with a family hauler — an SUV! Then they ridiculed the Cayenne for everything from its name (pepper?) to its looks, which truly did fall somewhere on the backside of homely.

Q: Greg, my grandfather has a 1966 Rambler Rebel two-door hardtop. I’m wondering how much it is worth in fairly good condition. It has a 232-cubic-inch, 6-cylinder engine with automatic, power steering and brakes, and has about 110,000 miles on it. Thanks much. Colin L., Illinois.

Occasionally, it absolutely makes sense to splurge. For me, that splurge usually comes in the form of flowers or plants and this time of year, my gardening gloves are itching to hit the dirt. As long as our budget warrants it, the budget will include garden spending in the spring.

You have been looking for employment for months and just face one disappointment after another. You don't have enough experience, training or education or you have too much. There were too many applicants for too few jobs. "Who wouldn't be discouraged?" you say. You are right about that. It can lead to depression, too much sleeping and eating and substance abuse. But some people in these circumstances seem to manage better than others. It may be due to two factors: attitude and resilience.

Not only do costs vary from company to company, they also vary wildly within the same company, depending on where and when you pick up the car. Renting a car at an airport can double or even triple the price you’d pay at “off-airport” or “neighborhood” rental locations.

As managers, we are continually negotiating with those me work with. These people include our staff, peers, customers, internal departments providing us with value, internal customers that we support and many others. Outside the workplace, we are also continually negotiating with our spouses, kids, parents, friends, car dealers, vendors and others.

4,500
That’s the number of square feet of a new off-track betting, or OTB, center in Glendale Heights

Weekly financial Q&A, with advice on impulse spending and finding a part-time job after retirement.

Buyable declines or declines that have to be avoided? That's the biggest question I've seen during this earnings period, and it is on display big-time in today's session.

I was talking to my co-worker at lunch about a new sports coupe and he suggested I look at the 2013 Hyundai Genesis coupe 3.8 V-6. I asked him if was joking and he said absolutely not. So we both went to the dealer to take a look. To my surprise I sat in the car and did not believe it was a Hyundai. What can you tell me about the car? I plan on buying a new coupe this spring.

This month, the first “AC” Wi-Fi routers will appear. The Netgear models promise gigabit wireless speeds and a tripling of the data flow over the once vaunted “N” routers.

Our mailbox is overflowing, so let's zero in on some reader response.

While the topic of this column is frugality, the mission statement is to help you love what you have. If I’m being completely honest, I can’t personally put every tip I convey in this column into action, but when it comes to “love what you have,” I live it. And when I don’t, I realize it and get myself back on track. As I’ve grown older, loving what I have has become a way of life. Maybe you can relate.

Yes, we all know that we should all do the right thing because it's right. But let's get down to business. As managers, there is real professional power and payback in taking the high road. If people respect you, trust you and believe in you, then they will, in most cases, help do your bidding.