Montana State University

Agent Impact Reports

Educational Materials Order Form

Marketing Resources

Physical Activities and Streching Exercises

PowerPoint Presentations

Teaching Resources

Submit a Success Story

Marsha A. Goetting

Montana State University
Extension Economics
P.O. Box 172800
Bozeman, MT 59717-2800

Tel: (406) 994-5695
Fax: (406) 994-4838
E-mail:goetting@montana.edu
Location: 208C Linfield Hall

Lynn Paul

Montana State University
Health & Human Development
P.O. Box 172360
Bozeman, MT 59717-2360

Tel: (406) 994-5702
Fax: (406) 994-4838
E-mail:lpaul@montana.edu
Location: 101 Romney

Small Steps to Health & Wealth™ (SSHW)

Webinars Success Stories

Below are stories about Montanans who are having success with Small Steps to Health and Wealth:

  • I took the Small Steps to Health and Wealth class from Teton County Extension agent, Jane Wolery, in Choteau, Montana, over three years ago. Because of the class, I worked up the courage to call my credit card company and ask how I could lower my interest rate. By following their advice, and making changes in my former habits, I was able to reduce my interest rate by 14%. Despite the fact that housing interest rates were sinking lower and lower, I was hesitant to apply for a loan to refinance my house because of my high credit card balances. After getting the interest rate reduced and applying the Power Pay technique, I felt confident enough to apply for a loan to refinance our home. We just closed on the loan and were able to get an interest rate of 3.5% for ten years. Our interest dropped by half and we will pay off our loan in 10 years instead of 17 years. We will have saved over $40,000. The Small Steps to Health and Wealth program gave me the confidence to manage and make thoughtful decisions about our finances.
    -Choteau
  • I recently committed to saving more for retirement by authorizing my bank to automatically deposit $100 from my account each month into a retirement savings account.  This was using the strategy to make a behavior automatic.  I learned that if I get an average of 8% annual return, it will increase my savings by $33,369 when I reach 65.
    -Missoula

    • As a result of SSHW, another participant set up on-line banking and for the first time in her life balanced her checkbook which resulted in no overdraft charges - and extra income!
      -Missoula

    • A grandmother took the class and shared the information and materials with her Grandson who was preparing to get married. She saw the value in applying the SSHW principles early in their lives and how it would benefit them.
      -Great Falls

    • I have added fruit to our dinner meals and am making it a point to do a healthy exercise at least 4 times a week.
      -Missoula

    • Did lose my few lbs --not as many as I wanted, but my husband and I did make most of the Christmas gifts out of materials we had.  They were a big hit and saved us a lot of $ that we applied to our credit card--so not only did we not increase our credit card balance, but we decreased it.
      -Missoula

    • I have bought a treadmill to save money instead of health club. I bought a used one. I have also cut down on diet soda and I am bring my lunch to save money.
      - Missoula

    • We have a group of us that share lunch, so we only have to bring something once a week and we all save in food cost.
      -Missoula

    • In March of 2006 my cholesterol serum reading was 251 (do the drum roll here) in October of 2008 it was 180!  71 points!  Yeah me!  Also my triglycerides went from 246 to 130 . . . I’m sure that quite a bit of the change had to do with Small Steps to Health and Wealth.  I have no doubt that taking care of some insomnia issues also helped.  Anyway, I’m very excited.  If I could do back flips, I would.
      -Choteau

    • I would like to thank Jane Wolery and her staff from the Teton County Extension office for hosting the wonderful class, “Small Steps to Health and Wealth.”  What a great tool to get us all motivated on making small do-able steps to improve not only our fitness levels, but our wallets as well.  Thank you to all who were brave enough to attend, I learned a lot from each and every one of you! I encourage all Teton County residents to take advantage of the great information and opportunities that our extension office provides; from community education to answering questions about your garden.
      -Choteau

    • The SSHW class is helping me be patient as I work towards improvements in my life.  One morning I was grabbing an energy drink at a convenience store while on my way to work when I realized that I had found one of my "fritter factors."  I quickly calculated how many days a week I was purchasing an energy drink at $3.50+ each day and then looked at the calorie content and did those calculations.  I used a tapering technique and reduced the days of the week that I allow myself that splurge, thereby increasing both my health and wealth. It was just a small step, but in the right direction.
      -Choteau

    • I've lost 15 pounds since the SSHW class and have automated savings for the first time since I've been married.  We are saving $125 month, which, again, isn't a huge amount but it is making a difference to have money in savings when unexpected bills (car breaks down, etc.) arrive.  Since August 2007, I have only put one tank of gas in my car each month. I have also started keeping a journal of costs for groceries in my purse.  On our normal or staple items, I keep a list of the prices I have paid recently, so I know when I happen upon a really good buy.  
      -Choteau

    • Prior to the SSHW class my husband and I were a bit haphazard in our money management approach.  Consequently, there were many times that we received non-sufficient funds charges as we were not working as a team to keep track of our finances.  As a result of the class, we have been able to cut our dining budget in half, saving $100 per month. We have also slashed our grocery bill by 25%, saving an additional $100-200.  We now routinely pay more on credit card debt and have been able to save money. I also regularly attend personal training and tai chi classes and have been making other health changes.  I lost 7 pounds between my medical appointments that were 4 months apart. 
      -Choteau

    • After taking the "Small Steps to Health and Wealth" class in January, I began paying more than the minimum on my credit card bill and made sure I paid the bill on time. I had not done this in the past and subsequently had a high interest rate. I called the credit card company recently and asked if I qualified for a lower interest rate. The company reduced my rate by 14%. I will keep using the tools learned in the class to improve my financial status.
      -Choteau


    • Below are the taped one-hour sessions that were conducted by Marsha Goetting and Lynn Paul for noon hour lunch and learn sessions for Montana State University System Employees via Adobe Connect.


    SSHW Logo
    Small Steps to Health and Wealth™     encourages participants to make positive behavior changes to simultaneously improve their health and personal finances.

    The program was developed by faculty with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and has been adapted for Montanans by the Montana State University Extension faculty listed on the left.

    Within the Web site are educational resources for Montana Extension agents who are offering the program.

    Below are links for Montanans who are participating in SSHW: