Posts filed under 'Budgets and Finance'
Everyone wants something for nothing. Free is a word that will get your attention. Free money really perks up the ears – but there’s always that cautious nature that looks for the fine print. The truth is that we all have free money sitting around our homes today.
1. Dig out that old “Add-a-bead” necklace and cash it in. Your scrap gold (or gold you don’t need or want) could bring you a tidy little some. Since gold is going up in a financial market that seems determined to push investments down, it might be a good time to cash in.
2. There are items in your home right now that you NEVER use (and possibly never wanted). You hold on to them because your dieing grandmother gave them to you or for some other sentimental reason. Let it go. Free up your space and your life by changing those items into free cash. If you are worried about getting a good value for the precious then call a local auction. Most will charge around a 30% commission when the item is sold, but 70% of something is way more than 100% of nothing.
3. Send in those rebates. It may seem like a lot of hassle, but it will pay off. Most people just throw them away because they don’t want to be bothered with the details. That’s just money in the trash. After filling out a few, you will get the hand of it. It’s a shame to see so many people missing out on free money. I have even thought about starting a business where I do other peoples rebates for a small percentage of the money.
4. Since we already hit the jewelry box once, why not go through it again. Many people start wearing less jewelry as they get older (especially when they have small kids). Why not see if a local jeweler would be interested in some of the pieces you are no longer wearing.
5. Purge and sale! Yard sales are always a great way to get a little free money. Just be sure that you take what you don’t sale to charity (and get a receipt for tax purposes so that you can deduct the donation on your taxes next year). Not only will you have some cash in your hand, but you will have a much cleaner house.
Free money is all around you. Quit missing out and start digging in. There is no telling how many treasures you have hiding around your home right now.
April 12th, 2008
We are blessed – with our health, with our home and especially with our finances. Few people can walk away from the only steady income a family has and turn out to be more financially blessed because of it. Just a few years back, it would no have been possible. We struggled hard to get to the place where we are and we will continue to crawl can climb until we reach the pinnacle of abundance.
Our struggle was recently recounted in an article at In Touch magazine (Dr. Charles Stanley). “Breaking the Debt Curse” – found on page 22 of the April issue of In Touch - is one of my first big publications and also the first step to being completely honest with people in my writing. I was reading it with my hubby yesterday online, and it is overwhelming how far we have traveled in the last several years.
Today we are both staying at home. I’m writing full time. He is starting an Arts Academy. Together we are working the land and making a go of the “small farm” life. We have truly been blessed – but we have worked hard to get to a place where we can receive the blessings.
If you have a dream or a goal and you fill like you are just spinning your wheels, look back in your journal (I know you keep one 
) and see where you were just a few years back. Keep remembering that although you may not be where you want to be right now, you are much farther along than you were yesterday (or last year).
Abundance is having a plentiful supply. Now that we have broken the debt curse for our family and for our future, we will make it to abundance in every aspect of our lives.
April 3rd, 2008
Six months ago, we began an experiment we didn’t see coming. When a turn of events took away our main income – and only regular paycheck, it would have been easy to panic. There were several nights when I think that’s exactly what I did. But worry won’t get you very far and every problem is a good thing if you look at it as a challenge to take your life to the next level.
Our family came together to do just that! We are all looking for ways to earn money that we have been overlooking for all these years.
1. This is the year that we really sale lots of the plants we have growing in the gardens. In all, we probably have around two or three thousand iris and daylilies that we can sale as root plants. There are also lots of plants that can be put in pots to take to the farmer’s market or festivals in the area. It may not make us rich over night, but the money from the plants will definitely put some change in the kitty.
2. The hubby is following his passion to work with youth in drama in a Christian environment. Starting next month he will be teaching private and group lessons – in our own facility or in theirs! This will not only bring in money but it will bring happiness to the people he works with and to him as well.
3. My writing has taken a new turn (or reversed back to one I knew before freelance) and I am doing grant consulting once again. The more time and effort I can devote to the projects the more income I can pull in.
4. The whole family is purging deep this spring to make way for what God has in store. We will take the best items to a local flea market or else have a sale at our new facility (and donate partial, if not all, proceeds to the new arts academy.)
5. Everyone is working together to make sure the house stays clean, the baby stays happy and everything that needs to run does run – and smoothly. This leaves time for the hubby to help the neighbor with some tasks for a few bucks or to mow a friend’s yard that has to be out of town.
There is an amazing amount of money to be made when you step outside society and look around. Six months ago I would not have imagined that I would be in the place financial with my writing that I am right now. Even better is the thought that six months from now things will be even better.
Keep pushing through and you will find the silver lining. Keep on climbing and you will reach the top. Keep on looking for the financial opportunities and you will find ways of making money without having to work the traditional job.
April 2nd, 2008
There is no good debt. I have heard (and read) many experts say that a good debt is one that increases in value – like a home. The truth is that even those debts are ultimately bad for you and for your future.
1. Debt enslaves. You are forced into the terms of the lender no matter how your situation may change or what you may feel the need to do in the future. There is no way you can have complete control of your life because you are in debt (under control) of another.
2. Debt ensnares. Once you fall for the whole debt scenario it is only a matter of time before most people fall under its spell. Debt is easy and quick and provides instant gratification for needs, wants or desires.
3. Debt entraps. It looks good on the surface, particularly when you are dealing with things that are the so called “good debts.” In the end you are caught in a cycle of financial obligation that only debt can draw you into.
4. Debt impoverishes. Interest paid on the debt is often enough to buy what ever you wanted in the first place. Debt eats away your extra income (or all your income) until you have nothing at all.
So how do you get away from the socially expected journey into the depths of debt?
1. Set AND FOLLOW a budget for you spending. Balance out what you make and what you spend so that you bring in more than you send out.
2. Be sure to put aside some money (no matter how small an amount) for savings for the big items that you want and then wait patiently to purchase those items (it may turn out that you don’t want them after all).
3. Look at the finally total. Before you sign on the dotted line, look at what you will really be spending. Most people who buy mortgaged property today will never be able to recoup what they actually spend on that house when they buy using debt.
4. Trade up (when it comes to houses). Start with a small (ironically called in most places) “starter” home. Sell it and use the proceeds to trade up. Continue the process until you are in the home of your dreams.
5. Start now. The longer you wait to break free from debt the harder it will be.
Forget what “they” say. Avoid debt with every fiber of your being. Teach your children to avoid debt. You will see that financial freedom will reap more blessings on you and your family for many generations to come.
March 7th, 2008
The number one concern that most married couples has is money – and I haven’t met a couple yet that was concerned because they had too much of it. Money (or lack of it) is one of the leading causes of divorce in America today. The overwhelming need for financial security seems to be embedded in most people’s DNA. And yet we are a country of spenders.
If you really want to achieve financial security then have to learn to change your mindset. Ask anyone (with money in the bank and no debt) how they got to be where they are and they are likely to tell you that they didn’t spend what they didn’t have. Getting to a place where you feel secure is simple, but it is not always that easy. You will have to make some changes and think differently from before, but you can get to a place where you breathe easy when it comes to money.
1. Decide what is truly important in your life and then save for it. If you have to have the big house then work your way up by buying what you can afford first. If you want a new car then start setting aside what would have been the monthly payment for a year or two and then purchase your car with cash. It all comes down to patient choices. If you rush it, you will most likely regret it at some point.
2. Pay your savings before you pay anything else. Even if it’s just a few dollars each week, you have to get in the habit of saving money. As you grow accustomed to saving, you will find more ways to save and find that you are saving more money.
3. Do one more thing. If you already have a “regular” job then do one more thing to make some additional money. Clean out the attic and sell the items you don’t need or love (which are most of them since they were stashed in the attic). Divide the money into savings, debt reduction and just for fun. Make sure everyone in the family gets a little of the just for fun money.
4. See financial security in a new light. Having the safety net of a “regular” paycheck might be something that you have to have to feel secure in your finances. Learning that you can bring in money no matter what your situation or circumstances will get you beyond the normal walk of life and begin to lift you to the extraordinary.
5. Plan for your dreams. What would you do if you didn’t have to “make a living?” Find ways to make your dreams a reality and then begin to work in that direction.
The world and society has a particular way of determining financial security and it is an issue that each and every person faces at some point and time. Talk to your spouse and work to bring your understanding of financial security to a place you can both breathe easy.
February 19th, 2008
The Dr. Phil show recently had a couple on that didn’t have “jobs.” Dr. Phil was insistent that in order for people to live productive lives (particularly when children are involved) they have to have a real (i.e. regular) pay check.
I don’t regularly watch Dr. Phil, but the subject caught my attention. I walked away from the show realizing that society and I have very different ideas of what success is and what the “right” lifestyle is as well. We have lived several times in our married life without “real” jobs. This time around it was completely by choice and we are loving every minute of the new lifestyle that allows us to be together as a family, travel, and relax without having to ask for time off from the boss.
Most people think about their skills and talents as the things accomplished during the “real” job. If you want to break through society’s pattern about what is work, when you can work, and where you can work, you will have to think outside the box that society has built.
1. What do you enjoy? Gardening is a passion of mine. I recently found out that if I produce just $1000 worth of property on my land each year I can qualify as a small farm (which can mean huge benefits come tax time). I am in the process of determining which of my plants need to be divided and how many of the divisions can be sold (or given away). It may not make me rich by the end of the summer, but it will definitely qualify our land as a farm.
2. What are you good at? Do you have a talent for drama or music? Can you build anything if you can picture it in your head? Why not sell your services to friends and family. Word of mouth will do the rest.
3. Get rid of the stuff. All the things in your home that you aren’t using and that are just taking up space are making your life less enjoyable. Clear out your home (one room at a time) and get rid of everything that you don’t use or love. Forget who gave it to you and look at the item for what it is not who it’s from. Take the more valuable stuff to auction and sale the rest at a yard sale or flea market. What you get from the sale isn’t as important as the freedom you get from releasing it.
4. What do you want to do? If money were not an issue in your life, what would you be doing right now? Think outside the box and find ways to make that dream a reality AND get paid for it. If traveling is your desire then hone your writing skills, build up some clips and become a professional travel writer. In most cases, what you want to do is only a few steps away from being a reality.
Making money doesn’t have to be about clocking in and clocking out. You can make all the money you need by being a little creative, a lot daring, and extremely frugal. Look to your gifts and talents and likes to create income in places you never though income existed. Leave the “normal” world behind and walk the peculiar walk of free earners that are beginning to populate the world.
February 16th, 2008
When people start thinking about their debt, they are usually focused on their own future. Very few people understand how their own spending habits will affect the lives of their children. The truth is that your debt will put a burden on your children. The higher the debt, the more enslaved your children will become unless you learn how to break the debt curse and start NOW!
The problem is that children learn what they see. If they see you using credit cards, buying what ever you please and always getting more and more with out thought then that is the pattern of behavior they are likely to follow. If you think your financial situation is bad, then multiply it by ten and that is the direction you are sending your children.
It is possible to get your whole family back on the right track. It will take some communication, lots of honesty and a willingness to cut the fat!
1. Sit down with the whole family and discuss the financial place you are currently at and the financial goals that you want for the future.
2. Make a budget for all the necessities that you currently spend money on each month.
3. Put a limit on non-essential items and activities each month.
4. Set a savings goal for each month and work towards that goal as a family.
5. Teach the children the reality of the financial world. If they get an allowance then go ahead and begin taking “taxes” out of that money. It can go into a tax fund and the whole family can vote on how to spend that money each year.
6. Open a savings account for each of your children. Encourage them to do odd jobs for friends and family and to save a large portion of that money.
7. Think more about giving than about getting. Look at ways you can use your time, resources (including money) and energy to help the people around you.
8. Take care of what you have already. Keep the house and the car picked up and in order. Clean and straighten it daily. Show respect to the things that you have in your life.
The scary thing about debt is that it doesn’t just go away when you die. Everything you borrow and every charge you rack up will pass down to your children to sort out and pay. Not only do they inherit your debt, but your habits will teach your children the same habits.
If you want your children to live a life of freedom, then start teaching them today that they are enslaved by the people they owe. Debt is not a good way to live.
February 13th, 2008
My father is a salesman, has been for as long as I can remember, and may have been born with a gene that helps him be persuasive. My brothers and I can all sell anything if we set our mind to it. It could be because we were surrounded with sales and techniques from early one, but I still say there is something genetic to it as well.
I was introduced to books like The One Minute Salesman and Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude almost as soon as I started reading. Dale Carnegie and Zig Ziglar were household words, and I even had the opportunity to attend some of their programs.
Now that I have my own home and family (and no of us are salesman per se) I still have a copy of many of the books I was introduced to so long ago. Recently, I started opening them again. I remembered why my father had placed such value on these books, and why after all these years they methods (and the people) are still so popular. Self-help books (programs and seminars) really can make you rich. There are just a few things required of you.
1. You have to be ready and willing to change and eager to learn. Most people don’t read self-help material for the entertainment value. Reading the books (or attending seminars) is just a way to meet the hunger for something different.
2. You have to be willing to act on what you learn. Knowledge is useless unless action is applied. And wealth will not find its way to your door (no matter how many books you read) if you don’t get moving and do something to bring it there.
3. You have to look for (and find) the silver lining in every day. Wealth likes to hang around positive people – so does everyone else for that matter. Start training your mouth to speak positive things by repeating positive things until they become natural.
4. You have to train your mind to look for new opportunities. There are so many success stories of people who became wealthy just because they were willing to think outside the box. Take 15 minutes each day to think about your goals and how you can meet them in new and different ways.
5. You have to learn to trust and believe in a higher power. All truly successful people will tell you that they did not get there on their own.
Your success depends on you – not on your job, not on your education, not even on your abilities. If you can dream it, and you are willing to put the energy into reaching for that dream then you can become it – what ever that it may be.
February 7th, 2008
This is my confession. Rebate offers and cash back plans finally won me over and we got a credit card. For a long time, we paid it off every single month, without question. Having the credit card was a blessing (easier to keep up with spending AND the cash back program paid for Christmas).
The last two months have been tight, and I slipped on my payments. The interest isn’t hurting too much, but if I don’t do something fast then I’m going to negate the whole reason for getting the card in the first place – the cash back program.
1. Stop using the card! Go back to paying cash or using the debit card until the credit card is paid in full.
2. Quit pretending. Once interest starts accumulating the rewards programs become moot. Stop acting like money is being lost.
3. Pay before the due date, and pay more than once. As extra money becomes available or as money gets set aside, pay it on the credit card balance. Interest accrues every chance they get.
4. Go back to what works. If the cash isn’t on hand (in the bank or in savings) then don’t charge it – plan and simple.
I made a mistake (which I still haven’t admitted to my hubby, so don’t you tell him ). Instead of getting all pious about it, I’m just going back to what I know works. It will all be sorted out soon enough if I do. It’s waiting that usually ends up getting you in a mess that you can’t deal with on your own.
February 6th, 2008
I just stumbled over a virtual plethora of write offs for those of you who are making a career out of writing. If you have been freelancing for any time you probably know a few tricks, but have you thought of everything?
1. Memberships to local attractions (museums, parks, aquariums). If you are using your trips for writing research then be sure to write-off the expense (that includes mileage and meals).
2. Trips to visit family. Figure out a way to use the experience in your writing and deduct your mileage.
3. Conferences and seminars. Even if they aren’t specifically about writing you can use them IN your writing.
In essence, I can deduct all or a portion of just about anything that I do – as long as it is relevant to my writing.
For every deduction I can find that is one less dollar that the government will get. And the more of my money I can keep the happier I am going to be!
February 4th, 2008
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