I’m now officially more financially successful than a homeless person. Before, the homeless person had nothing, and I had less than nothing, which made him more financially successful. Heading towards the quarter century mark of my life later this year, I’ve had plenty of time to reflect upon the meaning of money, and how to best leverage it to service me.

I’d like to share a few very simple core-principles on money management. I’m sure it won’t be anything you haven’t heard before, but if you’re anything like me, it’ll take you a few times around to really internalize them. Once you do, you can begin to notice incremental improvements in your finances.

1. Learned Expected Lifestyle

Consider that the lifestyle that you have, and want to have, is shaped largely by your parents and friends. I would say more so your parents, because as you grew up with them, you considered that you would at least have as good a life style as them, and then work your way up. The problem is that unless you come out of school earning as much as your parents, with the savings to back it up, you’re going to have to work hard to work up to the same lifestyle as them.

You can’t really expect to jump into the same size house, drive a comparable car, or even eat out as much as your parents. If you’re doing these things, you’re either putting yourself into debt, not leaving any money for savings, or simply making a significantly larger sum of money than your parents do. Chances are that you’re getting yourself into financial danger, so it’s important to make a change.

A simple paradigm-shift is all the change that you need. Understand that your parents level of comfort and luxury is something you have to build up to, before you can exceed it, not something that you’re obligated to start at.

2. Make Things Special Again

As most kids we had very limited cash flow. When we went somewhere cool, like a restaurant, theme park, or movies, and we actually had some money for it, we really appreciated it. This wasn’t an everyday thing, and it might not have even happened every week.

As we got a little bit older, and got a little more money, we started spending more and more on the activities that we were starving to do before. Then when we got credit cards, we participated in these activities like it was our job, and experienced instant gratification. As the debt ran up, we couldn’t fully enjoy the experience, and we often experienced buyers remorse right after the sale.

Once again, a paradigm shift is necessary. Don’t allow yourself to splurge, so that things you currently take for granted can become special again. You’ll enjoy them more.

3. Find Cheaper Activities

Many of us have a vice, hobby, or addiction that costs us a lot of money. If your pockets have a limit, then you need to conceive of a limit for your spending. One of the things that you don’t want to eliminate is entertainment, after all, it’s your reward for working so hard.

Entertainment doesn’t always have to be a $200 restaurant bill, front seats on Broadway, or a Caribbean vacation. In essence, a good time can be a simple gathering with friends, where everyone is really present and having fun. This can be cheap, especially in comparison to some of the items I’ve mentioned above. You don’t have to pay to laugh, laughing is free for everyone!

While you’ve got that pen and paper out, brain storm 50 cheap activities that you can do with your friends. It will be easy in the beginning, and then a bit harder, but the whole process will be fun in and of itself. In fact, get together with a few close friends, and brain storm these things together — that’s your first fun and free activity. Make it sort of a cheap bucket list.

4. Have a Routine

I usually try to plan out my weekends, so that I keep myself engaged and stimulated, and not rotting away doing nothing. This Sunday was a bit of a slow start though. Marina and I both slept in a bit late, and we left planning for whenever we could think of something.

The truth is, if we had a plan before hand, we’d have a jump start, and would be out and about enjoying each others company. That’s when her dad said something that really resonated with me. Have a weekend routine that you stick with, unless you happen to have better plans. This is to say that you should have a fun and productive routine, but you shouldn’t be so fanatical about it that you don’t make room for new and exciting opportunities.

We’re going to keep tweaking it, but our Sunday routine should look something like this: Meet up around 9am, have a small breakfast, go for a group jog at Road Runner’s at 10:30am, and then go ice skating for a couple of hours. After that we’ll have lunch, and she’ll practice her singing while I do some writing. I’m sure that more often than not other plans will occur, but there’s less chance of getting sucked in to an undesirable or expensive activity when there is a fun and frugal routine to lean back on.

5. The Cash Budget

The budgeting technique that I find to be the most personally useful is cash budgeting. I simply cash my check, take what I need to pay bills, put away what I can for savings, and divide the rest into weekly spending money.

I can easily look into my wallet, and see how much money I have left for the week. This is a much more effective way to feel the small expenses add up as opposed to using a credit card. You know that you bought x, y, and z, and you know it’s eating up your weekly cash, so you’re much more liable to say no to things that aren’t necessary.

It’s a good rule in general to say no to people trying to sell you something. Most likely they’ll create a need that you didn’t previously have in order to make the sale. As a rule of thumb, only buy things you set out to buy. Cash budgeting makes this much easier, because as you look into your wallet, you’ll realize that the money you have set aside will better serve you elsewhere.

6. The Wish List

The wish list is an important tool to analyze the want and importance of an item. Many times when we set our sights on an item that we want, we’ll whip out the trusty credit card, and make an impulse purchase. This is great if the credit card pays itself, but, for the other 99.9% of us, we’ll have to pay the price for bad decisions at a later time.

Instead of getting ourselves into a financial problem, where we’ve spent out of our budget, to get that pretty-shiny-sprocket, what if we could first decide if we really want it. All we have to do is create a document, or keep a piece of paper, where we write down the items we wish we had, had we much more money to allocate frivolously.

Chances are that if our item sits on the list, without being purchased, for at least a month, we’ll realize that we did just fine without it, and that we don’t need it as bad as we do. If we’ve been saving for it for a month, we’ll either realize that we don’t want to blow our cash on it, or, when we finally get it we’ll appreciate it that much more.

7. Buy The Best

This might seem counter-intuitive to some people. If we’re trying to save money, shouldn’t we be looking at the cheapest possible alternative? Yes, and no. If we look at each item that we purchase as a long-term investment, then we need to consider the life-cycle cost of the item, so we can get the most bang for our buck.

When I was about 18 I bought my first serious dress suit. It was expensive, looked killer on me, and was made out of high quality material. Six years later, I still have the suit, it’s in perfect condition, and I’ve been able to wear it to everything from job interviews to weddings.

You could use the same principle for buying quality furniture, clothes, homes, gadgets, or anything that will last forever or pay for itself over time. Instead of buying cheap items, that break and need constant maintenance and replacement, consider buying expensive items that will save you money over the span of your life.

Your Tips

These are just 7 tips that I myself find useful. There are an infinite number of other tips out there, so you shouldn’t rely on my lessons alone. Which one tip, that I haven’t mentioned, works best for your own financial growth?

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“The mother of revolution and crime is poverty”
~Aristotle

Poverty is the lowest possible place that a person can go. Not because of what it looks like, nor the lack of comfort, but because it represents the inability of an individual to pull his own weight in life. If you don’t see the point in being a productive individual with a zest for life, then you’re missing why you’re here on this planet.

The best way to deal with poverty is to be productive. If every person on this planet was an ambitious, hard working, and driven type of person, they would find a way to succeed. Not everyone would have to be a leader in their field, but by bringing competency and proficiency to whatever they lay their hands on they would contribute to the overall wellness of the global economy.

I’m not talking about the type of productivity where people set up diamond mines in Africa and exploit the African locals as diamond mining slaves. I’m talking about the type of organizations that go in, build profitable, sustainable, and employee friendly businesses that are a win for the employers, a win for the employees, a win for the investors, a win for the country, and a win for the environment.

Business deals that involve swindle, shiest, and scams are not the productivity I’m talking about. I’m talking about people with brilliant minds who create truly useful products and services that bring value onto this planet. I’m talking about even trades where everyone profits.

The only way to end poverty is through the murder of … laziness.

The only way to end poverty is through the murder of … moochers.

The only way to end poverty is through the murder of … looters.

The only way to end poverty is through the murder of … violence.

The only way to end poverty is through the murder of … the thought that one may acquire that which he did not earn.

“Remember the poor – it costs nothing”
~Mark Twain

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Do you work for an employer? If so, you might have considered leaving to work for yourself instead. You might even be actively building up a source of income on the side – maybe through freelancing or through entrepreneurial work – and creating an escape plan.

I left my full-time job in technical support a couple of months ago, in order to further my small but growing freelance writing and website creation business, and to head back to university to study for an MA in Creative & Life Writing. The past two months have been the most productive and growth-filled that I’ve ever had. I encountered a few surprises along the way and, if you’re thinking about self-employment, you might want to read on…

(Those of you who are self-employed – read too! You’ll be able to nod and smile along with the things that surprised me, and I hope you’ll share your own experiences in the comments.)

Things You’ll Miss

Missing the Office Perks

The first surprise I had was finding that I occasionally miss working for an employer. This typically happens when:

• I have to buy tea/coffee/milk again – no bottomless office supplies now…
• I need some handy-dandy bit of software that I used to use for free on my lunch breaks before. I realize it would cost my entire monthly earnings to buy it. I spend ten hours attempting to do the same thing with open source solutions.

I regularly remind myself of the plus side, though. I might have to buy my own milk – but I can keep whatever food I like in the fridge without risking anyone nicking it. And although I have to buy or find software, I can install anything I like on my computer now.

(Since I’m in the UK, I don’t have to worry about those “minor” perks like health insurance that US residents need to take care of, which I’m frequently grateful for!)

Missing the Commute

If you regularly sit in your cubicle and fantasize about quitting your day job, one of the things you’re probably most looking forward to ditching is your commute. I used to cycle to work, though, and despite the rush-hour traffic, I found the half-hour bike ride at the start and end of the working day a great way to unwind. When I began working for myself, from home, I ended up feeling “stir crazy” if I didn’t set foot outside my flat before lunchtime.

I’ve partially solved this one now I’ve enrolled on my postgrad course by working in my university’s library; it’s a twenty-minute walk, and gives me that all-important barrier between work and home (as well as a dose of fresh-air to wake me up in the morning…)

Missing Having Colleagues

The more misogynistic amongst you might look forward to ditching not only the commute but also the colleagues that go along with a full-time job. You might be surprised, though, to find that you miss the day-to-day interaction with workmates. Even if conversations in the office rarely went beyond “Did you have a good weekend?”, realizing that you’ve not spoken to anyone except your housemate/partner/cat in the past 24 hours can be a bit depressing.

I took on a part-time childminding job for a bit of extra cash, and this proved the ideal solution: it meant getting out of the flat and talking to people (and kids are great fun to chat to – a constant source of energy and inspiration!)

So those are the things you might end up missing … how about the stuff that you’ll find yourself gaining?

Things You’ll Gain

Gaining Productivity

My major worry when I quit my job was that I’d suddenly end up bereft of purpose, spending my days slouched on the sofa in front of bad television. I worked efficiently at my job, but I can’t deny that keeping up with some of my blog-reading and personal-email-checking was done in idle moments on the clock… surely, working from home, with no manager lurking nearby, would mean giving in to the temptation to kick back and relax whenever I wanted?

It didn’t work out like that, though. I now find that I rarely check blogs or “fun” websites until the evening – though sometimes I’ll flick to them during a planned break in the day. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised by this: it’s much easier to stay on-task when you’re doing work that you’re passionate about.

Gaining Work

My other worry was that I’d not have enough work to do. When I left my job, my freelancing consisted of staff-writing for two blogs (a total of four posts per week), and a provisional agreement to create a website for someone I’d previously worked with. Not exactly a full week’s workload…

But from day one, the work started coming in. The person who wanted a website needed some proofreading; a couple of blogs I’d guest-posted on took me on as a staff-writer, a magazine editor emailed out of the blue (I’d been in contact weeks before and hadn’t heard back from her) to ask me to write an article. A friend who knew I was freelancing passed on details of someone she knew who wanted a website rewritten…

Again, I probably shouldn’t have been surprised: I’d been deliberately holding back on looking for more freelancing work while I was a full-time employee. There were opportunities out there all along, I’d just not tried reaching out for them before.

If you’re working for yourself, what surprised you about making the jump from employee to self-employed? If you’re an employee wanting to quit the day job, what are you worried about – and what do you think you might be surprised by?

Author bio: Ali is a freelance writer, blogger, website creator and postgraduate student. She’s also just launched Alpha Student, aimed at “helping students get the most from their time at university.”

If you’d like to write a guest post and get your message out there follow this link.

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Whether or not we know it or like it, customer service is a great part of everyone’s life. Even if one does not own a business or provide services to others, we are constantly selling ourselves into whatever it is that we want to pursue.

Truly successful people are master manipulators in their field; at least that’s what most people would attest to. They sit and strategize for hours, plotting their way to their clients’ satisfaction. If success is a function of manipulation, then what is manipulation, anyway? A warm smile? An occasional joke? Making a client feel that his or her needs are important? That may be manipulation in its own right, but we may just as easily conclude that those are all merely attempts to create lasting and fulfilling relationships with clients.

Unfortunately, we tend to embrace the bad manipulation as much as we do the good. This can mean twisting the truth, delivering below reasonable expectations, and selling out to something outside of our personal values. Fortunately, many people can see through this.

What are you left with when you remove the white lies, evil tactics, and unethical behavior? The answer is — real tactics that work. If you manipulate without performance, you will not only loose the clients that you already have, but you will relieve yourself of those potential clients that supportive and satisfied clients refer.

“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary”.
~Sam Walton

10 Pretty “Ploys” To Very Happy Clients

1. Be honest.

When it comes to great customer service, honesty is key. It is one situation when something legitimately goes awry, and an entirely different one when you anticipate that your promises will not equal your performance. Keep in mind that your most important clients are the ones that you are already serving.

You want them to continue to do business with you and to tell others that you are a person of your word, not an eloquent fraud.

2. Be accessible.

Be sure to give your client all of your contact information so that you can be reached at any point in your correspondence. Many clients worry, especially when it comes to their money. You must be there to reassure them that you are creating the best possible experience for them.

3. Be respectful.

Treat all people, regardless of their job, race, age or status, with the utmost respect. Whether you are working with the CEO of a very prominent company, or a cleaning lady, you should respect their time and their concerns. It is alright to disagree, but a professional must think with clear arguments in mind and be able to present those arguments readily.

Never mock or belittle your clients, and always keep what is supposed to be confidential, confidential.

4. Meet deadlines with quality work.

This is the stuff that testimonials are made of. When you a customer is satisfied with the quality of your work, and it’s delivered on time, they’re much more likely to pass this on to their friends and colleagues.

It is important that you do not settle for mediocrity and push yourself to the best of your abilities. It is for this that you will be appreciated.

5. Go above, and beyond.

Think of your clients, even when it does not concern business. People are very pleasantly surprised by birthday and anniversary cards because it is so sweet of someone to have remembered. A call that takes a few minutes is cherished because it did not have to happen, and people gravitate toward others who exhibit this kind of care.

Check in with your customers, remind them of upcoming promotions and sales on something that they may like. Be conscious of their interests, and inquire about them–not because you are savvy and manipulative, but because you possess a genuine love for people and a commitment to excellent customer service. Cherish your relationships with your clients, and they will do the same to you, and even refer you to others!

6. Assert your Individuality.

What about you is so special that no one else can offer the same? Is it a particular talent, a winning personality, a special ability to sense a customers needs? Exceptional service is done by exceptional individuals who can display their own personal flare. Bring yourself into your work. It makes all the difference.

7. Be Genuine.

This seems comparable to honesty, but in fact it is very different. People are fake all the time, and most of us can see right through it– it is that feeling in our stomachs, that inability to trust someone based on pure intuition.

That fear is certainly relieved when we sense that whoever is assisting us is looking to help us, not con us. You must show your customers that their comfort is very important to you, and that you are not out to get them.

8. Simplify!

There are many technical things that customers should know but that service providers are either hesitant to approach or do so in full force. Do not barrage and intimidate them. Explain those things in terms that they can understand and take into account. Be a facilitator and be prepared with alternatives.

9. Don’t Believe You Know Everything.

No matter how long you have been in the business, no matter what you know, change is coming, and you have to try to anticipate it. It would be very ignorant to think that you know everything and how it always will be. Be conscious of the fact that nothing is forever, and that there is no end to what you can learn.

10. Constant and Never Ending Improvement.

The secret to living a life that you love is consistently bettering yourself. This means physically, mentally, and spiritually. How does this aid you in producing happy clients? The knowledge that you are always getting better is the fastest route to self-confidence.

It allows you to feel confident in your job because you are put-together in your life. If you are living a healthy organized life in a good emotional state, you are able to handle even the most difficult of situations without running for the hills. The bottom line is, when you are confident in yourself, your clients are confident in you, and there is nothing more important to a client.

Conclusion

The tactics that have been given you are tools that can help better your relationships with people in business or with people in general. If we are to recognize that everyone wants to be treated with warmth and respect, we can learn to present these qualities in all of our relationships and use them to guide us in our quest to be better human beings.

“Here is a simple but powerful rule – always give people more than what they expect to get.”
~Nelson Boswell

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“There are two fools in this world. One is the millionaire who thinks that by hoarding money he can somehow accumulate real power, and the other is the penniless reformer who thinks that if only he can take the money from one class and give it to another, all the world’s ills will be cured.”
~Henry Ford

For over a week I’ve been listening to The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley while commuting in my car. He interviewed ~1000 millionaires since 1980 and taken very meticulous surveys of their responses.

Not only have I gained dozens of GEMS about what it takes to becoming a Millionaire from this program, but I learned to think different. I learned to think the way millionaire’s think, or so I hope!

One of the interesting survey questions is what all of those millionaires contributes their success to. So without further ado, here is a list of their top 13, from most important to least (but still really important). With my commentary.

Success Factors

1. Being honest with all people. The great thing about this factor is that it is accessible to anyone and you can start right away. Just be honest. It sounds simple, but it requires a bit of courage at some points. So do it- it’s the top success factor.
2. Having a supportive spouse. While being attracted to someone is really important, perhaps even necessary, it’s not the criteria by which one should go spouse-shopping. I would personally say, and the millionaires would agree, that having a kind, supportive spouse, who has similar goals, and is responsible is more important.
3. Getting along with people. I can’t thing of having any job, business, or career that has zero involvement with people and has monetary value. You can see how this would be in the top 3, right?
4. Loving career or business. The passion and love for your career will make work not work anymore. Sure it might be really hard at times. When you combine the passion with your discipline you will be propelled to new heights.
5. Being physically fit. I stress this in many posts- exercise. If you aren’t taking care of your health, than your mind and body are not working optimally.
6. Having strong leadership qualities. When it comes down to it you will want to delegate as much as you can and concentrate on more important issues. There is only one of you. having this skill is a top priority.
7. Making wise investments.You can make high 6 figure incomes, but if the money doesn’t grow, or if you put it into losing investments than you aren’t optimizing your assets. You’re basically spinning your wheels and wasting your time. You want to reach a point where you could live off of the interest of your investments!
8. Seeing business opportunities. The truth is if you’re in a niche market that is over saturated you’re going to have too much competition to make a real difference. Sure you might rise to the top, but that’s like the chance of you becoming a rock star- slim. If money is what you’re after, not the dream of being number 1 in ‘that’ field, than find an unoccupied niche.
9. Being willing to take financial risk given the right return. One of the ways that I look at this is the financial risk of working for yourself instead of a big company. Yes, you’re risking you X-figure a year job, but the return that you could possibly get is way greater than this. Combined with #8 (seeing opportunities), and doing market research, the risk is much less than you think.
10. Having good mentors. Learning amazing qualities from highly successful people is easier than learning the road on your own. Once your mentality is in the right place, actions are performed, and success follows.
11. Investing in my own business. You have much more control over your own business than you do in the stock market. You can expand, make higher end products, or do whatever it takes to increase your own income.
12. Living below your means. If your expenses are raising as fast as your income you’re never going to save a good amount- no matter what you’re income. When you live before your means and your income raises, do not increase your expenses. This gap will keep getting bigger and bigger and so will your net worth.
13. Having excellent investment advisers. The truth is unless you’re an investment expert you don’t know the best place to put your money. The best people to execute your investments are financial advisers, but according to real millionaires the best people to give financial advice are knowledgeable CPAs and Lawyers.

All that’s left now is the hack your life by implementing these 13 success secrets and you’re on your way!

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Most money management articles tell you how to eliminate your debt, but I’m going to take the experienced wasters approach to showing you how you can waste, waste, waste! The more knowledgeable we are about wasting money, the better our chances of being able to avoid and save.

If we don’t know where we’re going wrong, it’s difficult, if not impossible for us to correct our mistakes and stay on course. This applies not just to money management, but to every facet of life. So let this slightly amusing piece serve to open up your minds, and allow all of us to ask ourselves:

Where else might I be blind to the mistakes I am making? In relationships? Business? Family? Physical body? Spirituality? Discipline?

The art is not in making money, but in keeping it. ~Proverb

The other day I did an ‘Ask The Readers’ post to find out what your best tips to WASTE money were and boy did you deliver. I’m very grateful to have such an amazing group of readers. You guys are so knowledge and so active in your participation and this article is all thanks to you! Based on your input, this is what we have come up with.

100 Ways To Blow Your Debt Through A Wall

Food

“Wouldst thou shut up the avenues of ill,
Pay every debt as if God wrote the bill.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. A Starbucks a day, keeps the girls away. Must get those $5 coffee, what’s the point of making our own, or even worse, quitting the coffee habit and getting healthier with water. Look at the bright side, coffee might rot our teeth out, and we’ll save by not having to go on dates!
2. Eat complex meals. Instead of having a simple fruit dish, consisting of a couple of apples and bananas, have 10 different items, from 10 different stores and spend that extra money to get them all.
3. Eat Out, Always. You’re doing a community service by making sure your neighborhood diner does not go out of business!
4. Super Size It. Did I mention that there just isn’t enough sugar, fat, and grease in a regular fast food meal? That’s why someone, I don’t know who, but clearly someone smart invented SUPER SIZE!
5. Buy Groceries Daily. “I’ll just stop by the store on the way home while I’m hungry to grab something for dinner.”
6. Bottled Water. Who cares if the tap water is just as healthy? The bottled water has zero calories!
7. Snack Machines. $1 a day, $365 a year… 1 package of 365 at Costcos $10-hmmmmm.

At Home

“Creditors have better memories than debtors.” ~Benjamin Franklin

1. Leave on all the lights. Whenever you leave a room, don’t bother to turn on the lights. What’s the point? You’ll eventually be back in the room and needs the lights, so why not just save time and leave the lights on.
2. Buy DVDs. You’re only going to watch this DVD once, but it’s nice to know that you have it.
3. Rent and keep DVDs. Forgot those late fees and penalties. Just keep all the DVDs you rent, they’ll never find you!
4. Impulse spending. You love it, so buy it, what’s need got to do with it?
5. Leave the windows open. You’re basically doing a good deed by air conditioning and heating the whole neighborhood!
6. Don’t plan. Whenever you need something for the house, just go out and get it. Much simpler than having a plan!

Banking

“Today, there are three kinds of people: the have’s, the have-not’s, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-have’s.” ~Earl Wilson

1. Forget Interest. Interest? What interest? They’ll get the money when you’re good and ready, and not a moment sooner.
2. Buy On Credit. Buy now, buy later. This is a magic card reserved for special people. Not everyone can get one, but whoever does gets the benefit of free stuff forever!
3. Play Lottery. Sure they may call it the “stupid tax”, sure your chances of winning are one in 50 billion, but who cares. Just think of all the ways you can waste that money!
4. Paid checking. Why would anyone bother to have a free checking account??
5. Any ATM. Use any ATM you want, and don’t worry about the service charge.
6. Do not collect. If they owe you money, there must be a very good reason. So don’t bother collect debts, just treat it as gifts.

Transportation

“Another way to solve the traffic problems of this country is to pass a law that only paid-for cars be allowed to use the highways. ” ~Will Rogers

1. Make sure you drive. Drive everywhere instead of taking public transportation. You might be wasting gas, spending money, and putting miles and strain on your car, but at least you’ll get to plug your ipod into the car speakers instead of listening through a microphone.
2. Fly First Class. The power, the luxury, and best of all the people in first class don’t talk to you. You wouldn’t want to sit with those smelly people in business class, would you? Spend spend spend!
3. Buy A New Car. Forget depreciation- you must be seen in the newest, best, most luxurious vehicle in the land!
4. Buy A Used Car. It may be so old it falls apart at every stop sign, but at least it’s a classic!
5. Travel To Europe. With the Euro valued in at 2,300% to a Dollar, it just makes sense to travel there!
6. Speed. Going 25 miles over the speed limit will save you about 5 minutes of driving time! A $500 ticket and court fees is a perfectly reasonable amount to pay to save 5 minutes!
7. Lease the car. The payments are lower, so who cares if you’re giving the car right back to them when you’re done?
8. Gas Station Choice. Go with the gas station with the biggest name and the biggest price. Avoid cheaper, avoid saving hundreds per year!
9. Popular Insurance. The popularity of the insurance, and the cartoon they use on their commercials, is way more important than finding the cheaper one.
10. Get new, keep old. Double up on insurance premiums. It’s good to get double coverage, right?
11. Avoid Cash Down. Do not put any money down, or even think about paying things off in full. That would be smart- we don’t want that.

Relationships

“When a man is in love or in debt, someone else has the advantage.” ~Bill Balance

1. Dress For Each Occasion. You must buy a new outfit for each and every date that you go on, because God forbid someone sees your repeating an outfit, that would be a sin, right?
2. Pay For Every Dinner. Just in case she realizes I don’t have a personality, at least she’ll get a free dinner out of it!
3. Flowers- daily. Just in case she doesn’t like me, these dozen roses I get her on a daily basis will make her think twice before she breaks up with me and loses all these great benefits.
4. Expensive gifts. Who wants sentimental gifts anymore? Secure your position as the sugar daddy by buying expensive gifts all the time.
5. Plastic surgery. Surely the price of such a quick and easy operation is going to make the relationship with your spouse so much better!

Education

“One of the greatest disservices you can do a man is to lend him money that he can’t pay back.” ~Jesse H. Jones

1. Buy those books. But don’t read them, and if you do, don’t take action!
2. Buy every eBook on the ‘net. They’re only $9.95, right?
3. Avoid the library. They’re offering free info, reading, magazines, newspapers, books, videos, dvds, books on cd and cassette, kids puzzles, games, puppets, reading and math kits and so much more. For free? It must be a scam!
4. Avoid free. The library offers free computer use, word processing, internet and classes on how to use all of this stuff. Free? Another scam!
5. Choose an expert. Use an expert for travel, book groups, writing groups, foreign language, sign, language, crafts, health, taxes, cooking, etc. instead of becoming one by visiting your local library!

Clothing

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” ~Winston Churchill

1. Get this seasons styles. As soon as your favorite store puts out a new line of clothes, replace every article you have so that you look great in the newest fashions. Who cares if you’ll look just as good in the clothes you already have, without spending another dime?
2. Upgrade That Gear. Whenever a new model comes on the market don’t forget the magic rule “Out with the old, in with the new.”
3. Big Brand Names. Sure you can get a plain white tee for $1, but the plain white tee from Versace will make you sexier and it’s just $159.99!
4. Designer Cloth The Kids. You want them to look like royalty right? Put them in the highest fashions, even if they will grow out of it in 2 months.

Miscellaneous

“He who promises runs into debt” ~Talmud

1. Get Every Package. No sexual innuendo here, just a reminder that when things are offered in a package, and you can get much more stuff, always get much more stuff!
2. Get Laid Off. Forget about bills, do what you always wanted, and stay home and watch TV!
3. Sam’s Club Your Life. Make sure you buy everything in bulk. Bread, fruit, milk… you know the perishables. You’ll have to take your eating level up a notch, so it all works out, right?
4. Think? No, buy. Why bother to find out what that do-hickey, thinga-majig is for? Just buy it and sort that out later.
5. Get That Gym Membership. But don’t go.
6. Subscribe. When buying a magazine, ezine, newspaper and membership site, make sure you make your long term commitment with a long term subscription.
7. Self-image. Become obsessed with what others think. 90% of your purchases stem from this one idea, while 10% are to make sure they don’t find out.
8. Smoke. You definitely need a place to burn that extra cash into. Besides, if you die sooner, you’ll spend less.

Can you think of any tips that are not on this list? Share them in the comments below.

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Photo by ToolsForMentoring

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Whatever your financial situation, whether it’s a limited income, student loans, mortgage, big family to take care of, or if you’re just interested in spending your money more constructively, I offer a few solutions that guarantee you’ll end up with more money than if you didn’t use them.

1. Save your change. Let’s say that on average you have 50 cents left in your pocket at the end of the day. If you collect that money, and use the free coin star machines at Commerce banks, you will have saved $182.5 at the end of the year.

2. Pay yourself first. Every time you get a paycheck, put some money away into your interest savings account. Ten percent is the ideal amount of money that you want to save. Make this a habit, and you’ll be surprised at how much extra money you have at the end of the year.

3. Have a monetary goal. What is the reason that you want to save money for? Is it for retirement, an exciting adventure, or a material item that you’re just dieing to have? When you have your goal clearly defined you feel more motivation to achieve it. You’ll feel better saving money for the big pay out instead of blowing it away on instant gratification.

4. Change that habit. The daily latte ($4), the pack of gum ($0.75), the super-size meal ($0.60), the late night drive-through ($7.50) – you get the point. That alone will cost you nearly $4444 a year. Think you can live without it?

5. Bring your lunch. Whether you have to cook ahead for the week, or make time in the evening to just cook a day ahead, bringing your own lunch is cheaper and healthier. You know you use fresh ingredients, pay super market prices, and avoid traveling to get lunch. Save $3-5 a day for lunch and that’s $1460 a year on average.

6. Shop smart. Ebay, buy.com, bens bargains, and an array of other frugal shopping sites give you the ability to find great deals. Save hundreds of dollars by shopping around and never pay retail.

7. Make more money. If you’re already making money, you can increase your efforts by 10% in order to make more money. If you’re working with clients, you can fire your worst ones, and hire clients that mirror your best ones. Just remember, it’s not about putting in more time, or more effort, it’s about smart effort.

8. Get the last model. Some people live impulsively and must have the latest everything. From cell phones to cars, if they’re not in the newest model they aren’t satisfied. Take advantage of the fact that items depreciate in value very quickly and buy some things used. You get something functional for a fraction of the price.

Note: I will be making several announcements this coming week through RSS only. If you’re a regular reader and haven’t subscribed yet you can subscribe now

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This is a guest post from Steven Aitchison who writes the blog; Change your thoughts

Most people want more money in their lives, it is one of the human passions: the pursuit of more money. How can the richest 1% of the of the adult population control 40% of the worlds wealth? It’s a mindset and a thirst.

We all have the same ability as Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Tom Hunter, Bill gates, Warren Buffet and Prince Alwaleed; so why are we are not all as rich as them. Most of us don’t want to be as rich as them but we do want more money. We need to change our thoughts about money before we ever stand a chance of making more money.

Limiting beliefs

Whether we realise it or not we all have a limiting belief about money and we live within that limiting belief. For example; a homeless drug addict has the limiting belief that all he needs is the next fix and he will be okay, when they get it they again think all they need is another fix and that’s how they go on until something in their mind changes.

We are not dissimilar in terms of our mindset to a homeless drug addict. A lot of us think all we need is the mortgage paid, food on the table, all our bills paid, some essentials for the kids and we will be okay until the next pay day. That’s okay to have that mindset but it’s not okay if we are pursuing money. So we need to change our thinking about money before we even try and make some more money.

Here are a few things we can do to change our mindset and make more of the green stuff:

• Ask yourself everyday how you could make more money. I wrote a post a few days ago 5 ways to make money without selling your body giving tips on how you can market yourself. There are a million ways to make extra money. If you make an extra £100 per month then you can double it to make an extra £200 per month and you can double it again. The more money you make the easier it gets to make more money. You might have heard the saying ‘money goes to money’ this is because people who are in the habit of making money expect more money to come in and think of more ways to make it and they naturally attract it.
• Always have money in your wallet or purse. This is a psychological habit to get into but if you always have money in your wallet or purse you mind is always saying I have got money instead of ‘I have no money, I will need to go to the bank’. This is a law of attraction thing but it really does work and sets your mind up for wealth.
• Save a little money every single week and set it up so that you do not even see the money before you save it. Have money go straight from your current account into a savings account via direct banking. This way you won’t even see the money. It’s a strange thing but we always get by on what we’ve got. If you save £10 every week I guarantee you won’t even miss it. After a few months you might look at the savings account and notice you have over £100 in it, this might spur you on to save even more. You add another £10 per week to your automated savings, check after a few months to see if you are really missing it, if not add another £10 and so on. This gets you into the habit of saving without having to hand over money.
• You will have heard this a million times; pay off your credit cards! Pay them off the same way as above; automate it, depending on how much credit you have pay a set amount every week, not every month, but every week. Cut the card up, if you can’t do this or won’t do this then you are clearly not ready to make more money. Until you are ready to make money you won’t make it.
• Don’t live from month to month. Live your life as if you’re preparing for your future retirement and you want to retire at 50 or 60 or whatever age you think. When we live from month to month we spend what we have, when we live for the future we spend a little more wisely.
• Never forget your loved ones. It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of money but don’t forget the ones you love and don’t make the pursuit of money an excuse for not being with them more.

These are only a few tips to change your mindset about having more money. Always be on the lookout for a chance, never be afraid to market yourself and don’t forget the ones you love.

Frugality (Week 5 of 12)

Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing. Benjamin Franklin was good at managing money. In fact, he was so good at it, he was trusted by all the people of Philadelphia (ok, not all , but many!).

The technique that I have been using in order to remain frugal this past week has been asking myself a series of simple question.

1. Can I live without this purchase?
2. Can I get a cheaper alternative without sacrificing quality?
3. Can I use it and return it? (just kidding!)

Another thing that I factored into the equation was the cost of my purchase, if it became a habit. For example, buying a cup of coffee ($1), could turn into a daily habit, and in one year I would spend a considerable amount ($365).

You can also add the incentive of what kind of toll that cup of sugary, caffeinated beverage would reap on your body after a years worth of daily use (extra calories, high cholesterol, and yellow teeth). Need I say more?

I was not able to apply health risks to all of my purchases. I couldn’t justify how getting premium gasoline, versus regular would be more detrimental to my health. I went for the cheap stuff regardless.

I did manage to eat at home and cook myself healthy and simple meals throughout the week, with only one, less frugal dinner on the weekend. This certainly saved me a lot of money. Plus, I was able to cook enough to have left overs, thus saving cooking time and trips to the store.

I would insert a quote here about “a penny saved is a penny earned“, but than I would have to close the comments section in order to not be bomb barded for such a tacky cliché. Even though it’s true!

Becoming Outstanding Series

• How To Become An Outstanding Person In Twelve Weeks

• Week 01 – Temperance

• Week 02 – Silence

• Week 03 – Order

• Week 04 – Resolution

• Week 05 – Frugality

• Week 06 – Industry

• Week 07 – Sincerity

• Week 08 – Justice

• Week 09 – Moderation

• Week 10 – Cleanliness

• Week 11 – Tranquility

• Week 12 – Chastity

A typical example of a personal development addict

You have a library full of books, an ipod full of audio CDs and you’ve been to a few seminars, but you still feel empty inside. You try positive self talk and almost convince yourself that you are capable of living the life of your dreams and spend hours pursuing your studies of personal development.

You won’t give up your search for enlightenment and strive to gather that one piece of information or advice that will make you feel whole, allow you to live the life you deserve or make you quit smoking, lose weight, be richer, closer to your family or just be you happy.

Maybe your life is wonderful but you got this itch to make just one area of your life better; you just don’t know how. You evaluate yourself and are certain that you are an achiever trying to get from a nine to a ten and you just have one loose end to tie.

You have to be honest with yourself

Whether your eating habits have made you fat and you’re heading for a heart attack or your pack a day smoking habit is taking you rapidly towards lung cancer with a detour at emphysema, you have to admit to yourself that you have this imperfection.

These problems aren’t like your friends and family; they won’t go away if you ignore them. Why is your marriage heading for a divorce and your children hate you? Is it because you are a workaholic and you never make time for them? Or is it because you are an alcoholic and your behavior is intolerable? Whatever the reason is, you know it, so be honest with yourself.

Stop making excuses and feel the pain

Like I said, you don’t need a psychiatrist or anybody else to tell you what’s bothering you. You know the reason, but you choose to avoid it or sugar coat it.

Instead of admitting to yourself that you over eat and don’t exercise you blame society for your eating habits and justify that you don’t have time to eat and you aren’t even THAT fat. You blame your family or your job for causing you stress, so you smoke or drink, just so you can feel normal. You get accustomed to your “situation”, which erradicates the burning desire to change.

The sooner you stop consuming the illusionary pain killer you will shock your body with the hunger, stress, and pain. The shock will force your body to find an alternative solution to your emptiness. Expect this process to be excruciatingly uncomfortable to undertake and for the results to propel you to a greater level of love, life, and consciousness.

Stop constantly seeking advice and approval

That’s why you’re here isn’t it? You thought you could find that one piece of advice that will explain what is wrong with you so that you can make a change. Here’s a shocker; there isn’t anything wrong with you.

Believe it or not, every person is born perfect and stays perfect until they die. Life is just filled with circumstances that give people unique outlooks which cause them to take certain actions and fit somewhere around the social norm.

When you are constantly seeking to make yourself perfect you are looking outwards for perfection. You should be seeking inwards to find your own perfection and bring it out, instead of being addicted to personal development and other charging you up to make you feel good.

Alter your paradigm

Your paradigm is the lens through which you see the world. You can see the world as good vs evil; maybe you prefer abundant vs. scarce. Whatever your outlook, just realize that you own it and have the power to change it. It’s the difference between seeing yourself as okay to be overweight, in an abusive relationship, or as a addict and seeing yourself as the type of person that would never succumb to these things.

Stop the pattern

You took the first step and realized there is still hope for you. You changed your paradigm and wonder what’s next? You need to stop the pattern that you have been habituated to. If you truly did change your paradigm than your current situation is bringing you a lot of pain that you do not want to live with. Don’t get rid of that pain, let it fuel you and be your changing force.

Take massive action

You didn’t just learn to communicate and you haven’t been living in a cave, so you’ve heard most of this before. Anything you ever hear and read again will be completely USELESS to you unless you ACT NOW.

From this point forward, if you don’t hear from me again and forget my name, just remember one thing, stop being addicted to seeking personal development and start doing personal development.

Based on Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing: What the Rich Invest in, That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not! I have adopted the following schematic to which I allocate my income.

• 60% Expenses/assets/investments
• 10% Donation
• 10% Long-term savings
• 10% Short-term savings
• 10% Extravagant spending

What if it takes you 90% of your income to cover your expenses? For this we take a lesson from the late Benjamin Franklin. In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin talks about frugality as one of the thirteen virtues that he was determined to perfect in his life. In my eyes he is the personal development super star of the 1700s, seeing how he went from nothing to super wealthy, very healthy, very studious… well you get the point. (I recommend reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin to get some more info about him ).

I like the strategies offered for frugality by Wikipedia:

Some of the main strategies of frugality are the reduction of waste, changing costly habits, suppressing instant gratification by means of fiscal self-restraint, seeking efficiency, avoiding traps, defying expensive social norms, embracing free (as in gratis) options, using barter, and staying well-informed about local circumstances and both market and product/service realities.

Using the methods outlined above I think that it is possible to allocate 60% of your income into expenses, assets and investments. Make a list of ways that you could be frugal and put away money for bigger goals. I’ll start you off:

• Take public transportation instead of owning a car.
• Live in a smaller place (if you are renting).
• Own less expensive clothes.
• Eliminate eating out.

Extravagant spending

What is it and why do you need it? Extravagant spending would be anything extra and over the top such as going to a restaurant and spending a ridiculous amount or giving yourself a weekend at an all inclusive spa.

A good reason to have a separate category for this section is to eliminate guilt of not using the money more effectively. If it is in your budget, than you can consider it already spent. While you’re getting the service that your money has bought you, you can just concentrate on receiving full pleasure. By having these splurges, you will have a better idea of what a luxurious life style is and strive harder to achieve the means to be able to enjoy such things more regularly.

I earned this money, why give it away?

Some people frown upon donating because they believe that they earned their money and others should do so themselves. However, they fail to realize that some people truly do not have the same opportunities or need some immediate emergency care that can only come from the compassion and sacrifice of another human being.

Another reason to donate is that you really gain an appreciation for what money you already possess. You actually have enough money to give some away and still have enough for yourself! This comes from proper budgeting.

While money does not have to be the only thing you can donate (old car, old clothes, your time) we’ll leave it here for the sake of this article.

Savings: long-term vs short-term

Short term savings could be for things like a new car, a new gadget, a vacation, furniture, etc. Depending on your income and how expensive the item is, you’ll know if it goes into this category.

Long term savings includes things like your retirement fund or your child’s education fund. You could always opt to invest this money and play around with it, but if some things aren’t worth the risk, than a secure investment would play out nicely.

Just remember to have money work for you and don’t revolve your whole life around working for money. This could best be accomplished through investment and entrepreneurship .