Living on credit is fashionable. Indulging oneself is fashionable. Saving money isn't.
This is a pity, as it has much to recommend it. You have more peace in your life. The end on the month is simply a date on the calendar, rather than a countdown to the next pay-cheque. Purchases born of necessity can be made comfortably. Employment becomes a career, rather than a means of survival. You can look your boss in the eye, rather than dreading his gaze.
Why? Because you've saved up some money.
Take the cringe-factor out of your life. Erase the dread of the small hours. Put some money in the bank! You may not be able to increase your earnings, but you can decrease your outgoings. This has the same effect as getting a pay-rise; more money for you.
How to save money?
Simple!
Examine what you spend it on.
Then, erase fripperies.
Vices: drinking and smoking are habits that kill you slowly. Save up for your hospital care by giving them up. Your lungs, liver and family will bless you.
Gambling. Gambling is folly. There are only three games the player can use skill to alter the odds even slightly; horse racing, poker and blackjack. These take years of dedicated and expensive research to get good at. And you don't get rich. All the others will beggar you quickly if you play them. The odds are stacked against you, deliberately, by those who own the game.
Luck favours the bold, special need, or those under the protection of the saints. Betting is not brave, it's a compulsion, and no god watches out for gamblers. Examine the feelings that surround your impulse to gamble; you will find they eat away at the energy of your life.
Food. There is food that nourishes, and food that enervates. The former is cheaper: fresh fish, fruit, vegetables, clean water. The latter is more expensive, more garishly packaged, and more poisonous: potato crisps, sweets, fizzy drinks, burgers. Consider that you don't fancy junk food if you are sick; your body knows it takes too much energy to digest, and does not nourish.
Clothes. Do you need to buy fashionable clothes, so you can look like everyone else? If you need to blend in, fine. You can be sure the leaders of fashion don't. They head to charity shops and buy Harris tweed and old lace for pennies. They get suits made to measure by sweated labour in Thailand. That's how they get that 'unique' look. What's that, you don't like the idea of sweat-shops? Guess what, that's where a lot of fashionable clothes get made anyway. It's called 'outsourcing' and 'offshoreing'.
Automobiles. Running a car in the UK costs about ?5000 ($9000 USD) a year, all-in. Save, by buying a second-hand auto. Save, by buying a less powerful, more fuel efficient model. Save further by thereby getting lower insurance and road-tax.
Personal foibles: I used to buy a lot of internet magazines. These cost up to ?5 each, or about $10 in USD. I found a lot of information about the internet, was already on the internet, so I stopped buying the magazines. There are very few papers or magazines worth reading. Find the few that inform, rather than titillate, waffle or distract. Visit the local library, it's free. Drop in to a 'Borders' bookshop, and have a free read.
Debt. Don't buy what you can't afford with someone else's money. Credit cards are an expensive way of getting a loan. Try your friends or relatives first. Your local credit union is a good option; better rates, better terms, friendlier faces. Better yet, don't borrow. Live free. Keep away from the loan-sharks. You can manage without that holiday.
Put your saved money in a high interest, 180-day notice account. Put it in a bank different to your current one, in case the latter goes bust. Make a mental note that it's for emergencies only, then contrive to live 'safely'.
Save up enough to last you a year and a day off work, and notice how much calmer and confident you feel!
About the author: T. O' Donnell (http://www.tigertom.com) is an ecommerce consultant in London, UK. His latest project is a loan and mortgage calculator, available at http://www.tigertom.com
affordable house cleaning Park Ridge .."Ooooooh," you may say, "I could NEVER be good at... Read More
Wealth - an abundance of values. Each of us determines... Read More
"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." Hosea 4:6... Read More
There is no need to use the many middleman websites... Read More
To lose weight in the 80's, we went on low-calorie... Read More
In my last article on Creating Residual Income I mentioned... Read More
As someone who loves to shop, enjoys holidays and owns... Read More
Very few people whom I know are familiar with the... Read More
Saving money for retirement can be easy or difficult depending... Read More
There is no questioning that the amount of unclaimed money... Read More
"Money Doesn't Grow On Trees."Some of us even believe it.... Read More
I want to share an experience I had in common... Read More
This article focuses on generating cash as a full time... Read More
Why is it that the older and richer people become,... Read More
If you don't have discipline then walk away from the... Read More
Author: James Walsh ISBN: 1563431696: Publisher: Silver Lake PublishingIn... Read More
You can't build a house from the roof down, and... Read More
One very important wealth creating habit is to set up... Read More
Many people don't realize how much money they spend on... Read More
"It's the business of your life?and you're the CEO!" Gala... Read More
This retirement account is so new and unique that you... Read More
Points to ponder as you consider what can be done... Read More
Here's the truth: I have read hundreds and hundreds of... Read More
Steve Martin once delivered an opening monologue for Saturday Night... Read More
For most of us, the idea of retiring simply on... Read More
affordable house cleaning Mundelein ..Ever think about how eating all those fast food meals... Read More
Anyone knows that material wealth is measured in goods: apples,... Read More
In today's unpredictable global economy, you obviously never know what... Read More
Self-Made Millionaires are not smarter or better than you. They... Read More
Like I said, If you are poor and on social... Read More
The inability to come up with the necessary cash when... Read More
Before I had a lot of money, I was really... Read More
Parents must give serious thought to protecting their family through... Read More
Do you like so many others feel, that even if... Read More
"Ooooooh," you may say, "I could NEVER be good at... Read More
Have you ever asked yourself what your highest income producing... Read More
How Much Money Will I Need to Earn to Retire?This... Read More
Retirement Planning the Offshore Way Why do so many of... Read More
Remember the bloodied face of Randall "Tex" Cobb?He was a... Read More
Six out of six people who were asked to list... Read More
As a woman Netpreneur, I sat down via e-mail with... Read More
At any time in history, no matter what the current... Read More
One very important wealth creating habit is to set up... Read More
As many people have observed, "Success leaves clues." If you... Read More
Is it hard to get rich? If you're young, not... Read More
There is no need to use the many middleman websites... Read More
I want to share an experience I had in common... Read More
The idle are a peculiar kind of dead that cannot... Read More
So you want to become wealthy? While there is no... Read More
At any time in history, no matter what the current... Read More
Wealth Building |