Finance + Legal Services

New Year, New Budget

Master Your Finances in 2025 Article by Lutie Ronglien Did you spend too much over the holidays? Did the kids’ gift lists get a bit carried away? Ready for a fresh financial start?  Martin Cole, Certified Financial Planner with Thrivent Financial in downtown Waconia, has some tips for those of us who may have some buyer’s remorse after the holidays.  “If you overspent over the holidays, it’s important to pay off high-interest credit card debt as soon as possible,” Martin says. “Interest...

Style + Beauty

Revamp Your Wardrobe

Building a happier, healthier wardrobe with Nice Shirt Co. Article by Emily McKeever It’s January, and everything feels a little new (and cold) except for your wardrobe. As you pour new life into your overall wellness, how about doing the same for your closet, you know the one, with the same t-shirt in every color? After all the holiday indulgences, you’re not the only winter couch potato who could benefit from some soft new duds, unique color combinations, and a ton of versatility. As you...

Health + Wellness

What’s New in Waconia

Challenge yourself to a healthy New Year Article by Emily McKeever It’s 2025. You did it! Look at you go! As you celebrate this shiny New Year, don’t forget to give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for all the ways you’ve grown and what you’ve accomplished in 2024. Yes, you had fun, but you also worked hard… and it shows. It’s time to start fresh and gear up for another trip around the sun, and that can mean different things for different people. January is often referred to as...

Life + Culture

Life Minded

Watch Out 2025! Article by Jen Fortner Happy 2025!  Cheers to fresh starts and new things in a New Year. In 2025, though, instead of adding to my soul-crushing to-do list, I’ve decided to be controversial and get rid of something this year. Something big.  I broke up with my smartwatch. We are done. And I don’t think we are ever, ever, ever getting back together. I have always been a watch person. Even in high school, I loved a good watch. I had a Fossil watch with a pretty mother-of-pearl...