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“The waste of money cures itself, for soon there is no more to waste.”
- M.W. Harrison
Do you feel nervous waiting for the ATM to print out your account balance? Do you find yourself often gazing into an empty wallet, confused?
It’s getting harder to blame savings shortfalls on your miserable pay stub. In fact, how much you save has little to do with your income, research by economists shows. It has more to do with whether you want to save and are willing to adjust to boost your saving.
And you don’t have to be a financial analyst to keep yourself from spending money like a dunce.
Here you will find ten simple, everyday things you can do to put an end to living from paycheck to paycheck.
10. Resist Eating Out
It’s tempting to let someone else do the cooking for you, especially when you’ve just come home from a full day of working. Ordering in or eating out may seem like a way to make your life easier, but it’s an expensive means of doing so.Taking the extra half-hour at night to make your own dinner, or the extra ten minutes to prepare lunch for the next day, may save you a host of worries when it comes time to pay the bills. If you feel a bit in the dark when it comes to cuisine, well hey, you can find a lot of useful advice on the net.
Cash saved: If you’re dropping $6 daily on a sandwich and salad from the cafe in the lobby, slapping some meat and cheese on a bun the night before instead is going to save you $30 a week. If you’re ordering out a couple of nights a week on top of that, at $10 a dish, you’re looking at a total of $220 monthly that could be slashed from your budget.
Related Link: Instant Approval Credit Card can save your precious time and money. Everything depends on the type of your card.
“Money is power, freedom, a cushion, the root of all evil, the sum of blessings.”
- Carl Sandburg
Just because you’re a doctor, it doesn’t mean that you’ll be financially set for life. Nor does it mean that because you’re a teacher, you’ll always have to live day by day. I’ve had the chance to meet people who work in various fields, and in all cases, you always have some who succeed more than others, no matter what their profession.
The job you have does not guarantee a stable financial life — although being an engineer or lawyer probably helps. But what really makes a difference, is how well an individual plans his personal finances.
I personally know lawyers who are broke and up to their necks in debt. On the other hand, I also know some blue-collar workers who have made quite a comfortable lifestyle for themselves.
The difference is smart planning. And if you want to be a successful individual, then you’d better make sure you’re following these nine back-to-basics tips:
1. Maximize Employment Benefits
Make the most of your professional benefits and take advantage of the ones that can save you money, by reducing taxes or out-of-pocket expenses such as dental and medical insurance.
“When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.”
- George Washington Carver
People of the New World owe their very existence to the brave explorers of past centuries. These daring men left their comfortable habitats to see what other wonders the world had to offer. Their bold statement is what can be construed as the foundation of American society. That said, I think it’s time that you started considering yourself a modern explorer.
Of course, there’s no land left to discover on this planet, but you can still sail through the uncharted waters of your life. Unfortunately, when some of us reach a certain status and level of success, we often feel complacent, contented with our way of life.
But it’s at this precise moment that we must break free from the cozy cocoon. Consider this a simple milestone on the way to greater things. It’s great to be comfortable with your life, only remember that there are greater things to be had.
Shake things up a little in your life; take on new responsibilities and risks, and see where they take you. Remember what former General Electric CEO Jack Welch once said: “Change before you have to.”
1. Learn New Things
The world is in perpetual mutation and you should be as well. Take a moment to learn something new every day. This newfound knowledge can be academic or practical; it doesn’t matter, so long as it broadens your horizons. The point is to initiate your transformation into something different than your old self.
Linkworthy Links
(some interesting posts and articles you should check out)
Unproductivity: 8 Fantabulous Ways to Make the Most of Your Laziest Days
We all have our lazy and unproductive days. Sometimes we didn’t get enough sleep, sometimes we just don’t have motivation, and sometimes we get distracted by a fun new game. So what do you do? We’ll look at some great unproductivity-day strategies.
How do you feel when sitting at home? Calm and peaceful, nestled in your neatly kept place? Or could your space use some love, organization and cleaning? If you can barely type over the pile of stuff on your desk, then hopefully you’ll find inspiration in this article.
“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”
- Oprah Winfrey
Let’s face it: Almost no one holds true to their New Year’s resolutions permanently. It seems like the whole “New Year’s resolution” thing is a collective lark; a charade that everyone agrees on so as not to admit to actually starting the year with an extended hangover.
This year, take my advice and make a useful and realistic resolution. Stop focusing on such perennial classics as going to the gym more often, losing weight and quitting smoking. Think bigger, better and brighter, for you and for those around you. Beyond just giving you the right to say you quit something, certain resolutions will get you thinking about the big picture.
The following 7 resolutions are intended to make you a better person. Pick at least one and stick to it (that’s right, follow through — it’s not that difficult).
1. Be Grateful
If you don’t already thank people when they do something nice for you, start taking the time to notice just how many people help you over the course of a day. This applies on a large scale as well. If you consider all the people who have helped you in your life (parents, teachers, coaches, etc.), you might feel a bit better about humanity and stay humble as well.
“A dog is the only thing on earth that will love you more than you love yourself.”
- Josh Billings
When thinking of ways to moderate stress in life, usually techniques like meditation, yoga and journaling come to mind. These are great techniques, to be sure. But getting a new best friend can also have many stress relieving and health benefits.
While human friends provide great social support and come with some incredible benefits, this article focuses on the benefits of furry friends: cats and dogs!
Research shows that, unless you’re someone who really dislikes animals or is absolutely too busy to care for one accordingly, pets can provide excellent social support, stress relief and other health benefits — perhaps more than people! Here are more benefits of owning a pet:
1. Pets Can Add Structure to Your Life
All of us need some amount of structure in our lives. Pets are entirely dependant on their owners for exercise, food, and health care. So having a pet will undoubtedly instill structure into the owner’s life and will set a steady rhythm to each day.
Morning walks are a good example of how pets keep you on your toes. The last thing you want to do is to come home from a long day at the office and find a “surprise” on your oriental rug or that your sofa has been converted into a chew toy. So you do what’s best for everyone and get out of bed to walk your pal.
This, along with regular feeding and general care for your pet, will give you just enough responsibilities to put you up to par with the rest of society. But obviously, if you have too much structure in your life or if you’re just plain lazy, it might be best for you to just get a fish.
