I love the suggestion of showering at the gym. I had a neighbor who did this while his only bathroom was being renovated and he said the added benefit was that he lost weight and got into shape.
We added a timer to the hot water heater. It's only on for one hour per day, long enough to heat water for a shower and dishes.
Actually, traces of antibiotics can often be found in milk. If animals are fed the antibiotics on a regular basis, it will end up in their milk. This is an on going problem, and one of the reasons why there are so many resistant diseases nowadays (MRSA for one). When someone consumes the milk with the antibiotics in them, they are effectively introducing that antibiotic to the bacteria in their stomach. This is how these horribly hard to treat diseases come about. There is a lot of information on this matter.
I'm one of the saver types. I save largely because I don't WANT any of the fancy, overpriced junk out there. If other people like stuff, go right ahead and buy it... but I don't want an extra large house to clean, resuraunts that never make food the way I want it, or extra gadgets I won't use. So I save the cash for a day when I actually need/ want it for something.
Have you personally volunteer with Volunteer for Peace? The price is definitely reasonable compare to other ones on the web. It's difficult to screen out which one is legit and which one is not. I'll love to hear from you more about this. Thanks for posting this up too. Really helpful!
lol... exactly what I was thinking. I was really hoping for some good pointers, but all I read was "...and I could never go without getting my nails painted because they are just so *pretty* with all the different colors on them..."
I'm definitely ready to run this metaphorical marathon and a real marathon. This has so inspired me to keep going because all the things you mentioned about road blocks (including my friends saying I'm crazy) has been true for me. I don't know where I can find like minded people in my area but ever since I started reading blogs, I get inspiration and support. Thanks for penning these ideas, I've been touched.
Thanks so much for your comment, and you are right. Depending on who the audience is, there will be a much different level of "sacrifice" that's appropriate to suggest. My main frustration is that most personal finance tips that fall into the above are directed at a general audience, and some (not all) don't take even a sentence to explain "who" the advice is best suited for. It would be similar to preparing taxes by sitting down with all your clients and telling them to take the child tax credit -- without even asking if they have kids.
What's ironic about all of this is that many of the same people who are in deep financial despair aren't going to listen to recommendations to "quit the gym" or "skip dessert when eating out." It's often a lack of discipline (not a lack of knowledge) that gets them there in the first place. I should know... I tackled $40,000 of debt on my own, one homemade latte at a time.
What a fun read! I enjoyed all three sections. Very clever. Let's see, I also wouldn't give up the internet because it too helps me create revenue (generating more than it costs).
Good shoes (not fancy, just good. I'm on my feet all day, and I need the support).
Haircuts (I don't go to great clips, but I'm also not at the spa. I have a friend who does a great job and makes me feel like a million bucks. When I'm broke, I just go longer between appointments).
Good food (commenters are right. Good food can be cheap. I prepare a lot of my own foods, making even basics from scratch. Saves money and the quality is far superior).
Good skincare product (I make them stretch when times are tough. I switch brands to find what I'm looking for for less, but in the end, I won't use the highly chemical crap. Aubrey Organics has great stuff for way less than a lot of high end places).
When posting here at WB you are mostly preaching to the choir. So what you say has a lot of resonance with us. But who are these bits of advice for? Folks on budgets living frugally? No! Lets imagine the real target of this advice - someone who has just declared bankruptcy and is actually trying to make their payments and get a budget that has a positive or at least neutral cashflow. My sister-in-law :)
Should they be using credit cards or shred them? What truly is your advice for this person?
Should they shop more or less? Again tell me truthfully what you would tell them.
Should they continue their daily spending on luxuries?
Should they take expensive vacations?
I think if you answered truthfully, you'd see that this is the best overall advice to give someone who is financially clueless. I suggest that your frustration is not over what advice to give the financially clueless, but you are sick of being treated like you are financially clueless. Maybe we have found the 2012 niche - everybody who learned their lessons in 2008 & 2009 and now seeks the "middle path."
I strongly believe that it's possible to save too much. And the results can be just as bad as the results of spending too much.
The idea should be to get the greatest possible value proposition from the money that passes through your hands. It's what you accomplish with your spending or saving that matters.
The big problem, in my view, is that both too many savers and too many spenders make their money choices on auto-pilot. We should aim to be mindful of WHY we are spending or saving and make the choice only when it furthers our Life Goals.
While I like this article's idea, I don't think these steps are practical. I got hung up on the step that requires you to "Make a written request". If you don't have any credentials and if you're not writing for a widely recognized blog, your request is probably going to end up in the trash. Contacts are important for every aspect of the publishing industry (a fact that I am learning the hard way) so I don't believe that reviewing books would be that easy. They're not going to send you free books if they know no one listens to you.
It's hard enough being healthy in this world. My organic baby carrots keep me from grabbing something as easily snackable but unhealthy. They also are pretty cheap compared to other healthy snacks and up my veggie quantity for the day. And while it is more expensive, I am paying for convenience. Working FT and going to school make it hard enough for me to find time to workout, spend time with my husband, keep home in order, and cook all dinners from scratch to avoid heavily processed and fast foods. There are much worse things to attack than baby carrots!
One other bit of advice I'd add, as sort of addition to the first point, is that some people may surprise you, and that no matter what, people shouldn't be afraid of discussing their goals with others. You never know who will support you.
Good luck to everyone looking to fix their finances!
Your tips are great (and I agree with all), but I blame the education system.
Most people leave high school (and even college) with no concept of the wide array of career options, no idea of the differences in working for a small company vs a large company, and often no clue about what a day in the life is like for that profession.
Internships are great, but they should be mandatory to earn a degree in a field. Conceptual knowledge will only get you so far, and it CERTAINLY won't guarantee job satisfaction.
What do you think of this addendum? Perhaps it's could be a follow up article?...
I was going to recommend this one too. I realized I had a ton of games I wasn't going to play anymore and was able to sell most of them within a week or so on Glyde. I definitely got a better return than Gamestop and they took care of all of the shipping materials. The only problem is if you have an unpopular game, it may take a while to move it (I've had a dinky PSP game on there for a month now).
yogatoday.com Love them! They have a free hour long video each week. You can also subscribe to view all of their videos or you can just buy individual videos.
Great article! I find it hard to cut up my credit cards too especially with the rewards I earn. And sometimes if you don't use any cards, it may hurt your credit history.
If you are so frugal that you don't want to spend money on a Kindle, then don't do it. I guess it's a good thing that everybody gets to decide for themselves if they want to spend the money or not. I have a Kindle and love it--I don't mind "lugging" it around at all!!
The hardest part is just that: being responsible when it's the hardest. The sacrifice hurts at the time, however in the long run, I'm going to be much prosperous later on.
The first tip is so crucial! Researching the company ahead of time will save you lots of frustration down the road. This is especially true if you are looking for telecommuting or flexible work opportunities.
My best suggestion related to this tip is to do a keyword search for the company name AND words like "complaint" or "scam" to see if anything negative comes up. Also, check with the Better Business Bureau website to see if the company is rated. The more research you do before accepting the job, the less frustration you'll run into as an employee.
Good analogy. I think many people think of it as a sprint, where it's over quick, but a marathon takes a long time to prepare, is a lot of work, and takes everything you have. This is often the way getting out of debt goes.
Personally, I'd love to run a real marathon but my knees just aren't up for doing that much running. I have a family history of poor knees, and when I did some fairly intense treadmill and street running a few years back, I could tell the knees were going to be a big problem. I decided to switch to bike riding.
I love the suggestion of showering at the gym. I had a neighbor who did this while his only bathroom was being renovated and he said the added benefit was that he lost weight and got into shape.
We added a timer to the hot water heater. It's only on for one hour per day, long enough to heat water for a shower and dishes.
Actually, traces of antibiotics can often be found in milk. If animals are fed the antibiotics on a regular basis, it will end up in their milk. This is an on going problem, and one of the reasons why there are so many resistant diseases nowadays (MRSA for one). When someone consumes the milk with the antibiotics in them, they are effectively introducing that antibiotic to the bacteria in their stomach. This is how these horribly hard to treat diseases come about. There is a lot of information on this matter.
Negative maybe... Funny for sure. Laughed a bit at this comment.
I'm one of the saver types. I save largely because I don't WANT any of the fancy, overpriced junk out there. If other people like stuff, go right ahead and buy it... but I don't want an extra large house to clean, resuraunts that never make food the way I want it, or extra gadgets I won't use. So I save the cash for a day when I actually need/ want it for something.
Hi David,
Have you personally volunteer with Volunteer for Peace? The price is definitely reasonable compare to other ones on the web. It's difficult to screen out which one is legit and which one is not. I'll love to hear from you more about this. Thanks for posting this up too. Really helpful!
I guess it doesn't work for everyone but it does work for some people. You brought up a lot of interesting points.
lol... exactly what I was thinking. I was really hoping for some good pointers, but all I read was "...and I could never go without getting my nails painted because they are just so *pretty* with all the different colors on them..."
What a joke. Perspective indeed.
I'm definitely ready to run this metaphorical marathon and a real marathon. This has so inspired me to keep going because all the things you mentioned about road blocks (including my friends saying I'm crazy) has been true for me. I don't know where I can find like minded people in my area but ever since I started reading blogs, I get inspiration and support. Thanks for penning these ideas, I've been touched.
Wow, those are great tips. We often think the money will make us happy but when we are happier with the job, we are more productive!
Hey, Justaguy..
Thanks so much for your comment, and you are right. Depending on who the audience is, there will be a much different level of "sacrifice" that's appropriate to suggest. My main frustration is that most personal finance tips that fall into the above are directed at a general audience, and some (not all) don't take even a sentence to explain "who" the advice is best suited for. It would be similar to preparing taxes by sitting down with all your clients and telling them to take the child tax credit -- without even asking if they have kids.
What's ironic about all of this is that many of the same people who are in deep financial despair aren't going to listen to recommendations to "quit the gym" or "skip dessert when eating out." It's often a lack of discipline (not a lack of knowledge) that gets them there in the first place. I should know... I tackled $40,000 of debt on my own, one homemade latte at a time.
Again, I appreciate your insight!
What a fun read! I enjoyed all three sections. Very clever. Let's see, I also wouldn't give up the internet because it too helps me create revenue (generating more than it costs).
Good shoes (not fancy, just good. I'm on my feet all day, and I need the support).
Haircuts (I don't go to great clips, but I'm also not at the spa. I have a friend who does a great job and makes me feel like a million bucks. When I'm broke, I just go longer between appointments).
Good food (commenters are right. Good food can be cheap. I prepare a lot of my own foods, making even basics from scratch. Saves money and the quality is far superior).
Good skincare product (I make them stretch when times are tough. I switch brands to find what I'm looking for for less, but in the end, I won't use the highly chemical crap. Aubrey Organics has great stuff for way less than a lot of high end places).
So, enjoy some of mine.
Linsey,
When posting here at WB you are mostly preaching to the choir. So what you say has a lot of resonance with us. But who are these bits of advice for? Folks on budgets living frugally? No! Lets imagine the real target of this advice - someone who has just declared bankruptcy and is actually trying to make their payments and get a budget that has a positive or at least neutral cashflow. My sister-in-law :)
Should they be using credit cards or shred them? What truly is your advice for this person?
Should they shop more or less? Again tell me truthfully what you would tell them.
Should they continue their daily spending on luxuries?
Should they take expensive vacations?
I think if you answered truthfully, you'd see that this is the best overall advice to give someone who is financially clueless. I suggest that your frustration is not over what advice to give the financially clueless, but you are sick of being treated like you are financially clueless. Maybe we have found the 2012 niche - everybody who learned their lessons in 2008 & 2009 and now seeks the "middle path."
I strongly believe that it's possible to save too much. And the results can be just as bad as the results of spending too much.
The idea should be to get the greatest possible value proposition from the money that passes through your hands. It's what you accomplish with your spending or saving that matters.
The big problem, in my view, is that both too many savers and too many spenders make their money choices on auto-pilot. We should aim to be mindful of WHY we are spending or saving and make the choice only when it furthers our Life Goals.
Rob
While I like this article's idea, I don't think these steps are practical. I got hung up on the step that requires you to "Make a written request". If you don't have any credentials and if you're not writing for a widely recognized blog, your request is probably going to end up in the trash. Contacts are important for every aspect of the publishing industry (a fact that I am learning the hard way) so I don't believe that reviewing books would be that easy. They're not going to send you free books if they know no one listens to you.
It's hard enough being healthy in this world. My organic baby carrots keep me from grabbing something as easily snackable but unhealthy. They also are pretty cheap compared to other healthy snacks and up my veggie quantity for the day. And while it is more expensive, I am paying for convenience. Working FT and going to school make it hard enough for me to find time to workout, spend time with my husband, keep home in order, and cook all dinners from scratch to avoid heavily processed and fast foods. There are much worse things to attack than baby carrots!
One other bit of advice I'd add, as sort of addition to the first point, is that some people may surprise you, and that no matter what, people shouldn't be afraid of discussing their goals with others. You never know who will support you.
Good luck to everyone looking to fix their finances!
Vibha,
Your tips are great (and I agree with all), but I blame the education system.
Most people leave high school (and even college) with no concept of the wide array of career options, no idea of the differences in working for a small company vs a large company, and often no clue about what a day in the life is like for that profession.
Internships are great, but they should be mandatory to earn a degree in a field. Conceptual knowledge will only get you so far, and it CERTAINLY won't guarantee job satisfaction.
What do you think of this addendum? Perhaps it's could be a follow up article?...
Great job,
Jane
I was going to recommend this one too. I realized I had a ton of games I wasn't going to play anymore and was able to sell most of them within a week or so on Glyde. I definitely got a better return than Gamestop and they took care of all of the shipping materials. The only problem is if you have an unpopular game, it may take a while to move it (I've had a dinky PSP game on there for a month now).
yogatoday.com Love them! They have a free hour long video each week. You can also subscribe to view all of their videos or you can just buy individual videos.
Great article! I find it hard to cut up my credit cards too especially with the rewards I earn. And sometimes if you don't use any cards, it may hurt your credit history.
If you are so frugal that you don't want to spend money on a Kindle, then don't do it. I guess it's a good thing that everybody gets to decide for themselves if they want to spend the money or not. I have a Kindle and love it--I don't mind "lugging" it around at all!!
We just finished freeing ourselves from debt. It's an AMAZING feeling!
This is the spreadsheet I've been using in my debt-free journey.
http://www.vertex42.com/Calculators/debt-reduction-calculator.html
The hardest part is just that: being responsible when it's the hardest. The sacrifice hurts at the time, however in the long run, I'm going to be much prosperous later on.
The first tip is so crucial! Researching the company ahead of time will save you lots of frustration down the road. This is especially true if you are looking for telecommuting or flexible work opportunities.
My best suggestion related to this tip is to do a keyword search for the company name AND words like "complaint" or "scam" to see if anything negative comes up. Also, check with the Better Business Bureau website to see if the company is rated. The more research you do before accepting the job, the less frustration you'll run into as an employee.
Good analogy. I think many people think of it as a sprint, where it's over quick, but a marathon takes a long time to prepare, is a lot of work, and takes everything you have. This is often the way getting out of debt goes.
Personally, I'd love to run a real marathon but my knees just aren't up for doing that much running. I have a family history of poor knees, and when I did some fairly intense treadmill and street running a few years back, I could tell the knees were going to be a big problem. I decided to switch to bike riding.