Dec 14

How to Budget your Money

Posted: under General Interest.
December 14th, 2008

Introduction
Learning to budget your finances is one of those things where some people have no problem, yet others cannot do it for the life of them. Those of us who find budgeting easy and satisfying don’t really understand those people who can never manage their money properly.

1. Mr Macawber in David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, states the concept of budgeting. “Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound nought and six, result misery.” Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1849 English novelist (1812 – 1870)

Spend a penny more than you get and you will always be in debt, as I found to my cost when first setting up my website development business, specialising in cms, But spend a penny less than you get and you will always feel rich which we have now achieved. This may seem very obvious, but how often do we find we are spending more than we can afford? There are tempting offers within our grasp every day and it’s difficult to resist when they try to make us believe we might never get such an opportunity again.

• Hands up if you are someone who has difficulty managing your money?
• Hands up if you do not know how to budget your finances?
• Hands up if you find it difficult to resist tempting offers?
• Hands up if you are over your head in debt?
• Hands up if you don’t know how you are going to make ends meet for the next week?

If you have all your hands in the air (and your feet!) it’s time to do something about it. (In other words take yourself in hand!!) Sorry about the pun.

2. The first thing you need to understand is that people who are providing things for us to buy are in business to make money and they want their businesses to grow. To do this they have to increase sales, so they have to make things irresistible to the customers like you and me.

So remember, the next time you are in the red and struggling to pay the bills, there is some big guy out there raking in the profits. They are taking your hard earned cash and leaving you poor.

Change of Mindset
People who do not budget and find it difficult to manage their money seem to have a particular mindset. For instance, there may be an idea from childhood that being careful with money indicates to the world that a person is stingy. Being reckless then equates with generosity and big heartedness. If you are loaded then spending money freely is not a problem, but if you are on a limited income or just never seem to have enough, then good financial management looks like a good idea.

3. One of the ways to change your thinking is to ask yourself, ‘who is the best person to benefit from your hard earned money’? Is it the big companies who are making loads of profit already(Fat cats) paying their executives million pound bonuses, or you!

Anxiety about your ability to manage your money and fear of figures may cause you to bury your head in the sand. I had a friend who admitted this to me and when I said I enjoyed the online banking system and being in charge of moving my money around and how easy I found it; she immediately changed her mind set and decided she could handle the online banking system and researched the best way to invest her money to make more of what she had.

Give yourself permission to think that being in control of your money is a practical way to remove the stress you experience around funds. That will give you more energy to enjoy life more and make even more money.

Guidelines to Liquidity
The most difficult thing to do is to face the truth. When someone is on a spending spree they are out of control and out of touch with reality. The fantasy ignores the cost and the consequences of overspending (ie. How it’s going to get repaid).

So the first thing you need to do is keep an account of everything you spend your money on. At this stage do not try to change what you normally do. Have a cash note book and write down all the things you can think of that you buy. This includes household bills and food, mobile phone, TV. Put a figure in the corresponding column. If you have actual amounts put them in, if not make a stab at it. Leave space for the things you don’t remember or even consider expenses. Beer, cinema, clothes even the coins you toss to street entertainers. Categorise it as fun money or entertainment funds.

Every time you take money out of your pocket/wallet/credit card/bank, write down what you use it for. Do this over one month, and by then you will have a fairly comprehensive list of your expenses. Make a total at the bottom of the page and on the opposite page write down all your income. When I first did this I found that one of my largest expenses was shop bought sandwiches every day!

Compare the totals. Have you spent more or less than you receive? Is your life going towards happy or miserable? It is at this point you really need to make a shift in your thinking.

Start by being mean to people who want to sell you things. Look around for the best deals and always ask for a discount. I went on a negotiating course some years ago and the following week I put into practise what we had learnt. I reduced my spending by $350, just by asking!

Carry only a minimum amount of money on you so that you are not tempted to fritter away $20 on some impulse purchase you don’t need. Those dollars add up fast and before you know a hundred dollars in your pocket is gone.

Cut up your credit card unless this is the most convenient way to pay regular items and you clear the balance at the end of each month. Use only one credit card, and find one that gives points for purchases. These mount up and you can claim vouchers to spend in your favourite shops. Also find a credit card that will take the full amount by direct debit every month so you don’t miss payments, accrue interest charges and generate a large fine.

Make a list when you go shopping and only buy what is on that list. OK, some things you may have forgotten to put down but make sure you avoid the impulse purchases. Keep a list in the kitchen and only put things on it when you have run out. Use up products in the icebox and freezer to reduce waste and keep spending to a minimum.

Become a thrifty shopper and consumer. Try and use up coupons, saving a few saved cents per purchase can really add up. Searching through clearance sections in stores is another way to save money. You may be pleasantly surprised to see how much you can reduce your bill on your usual grocery haul.

Conclusion
Budgeting is not for the fainthearted. It means fighting the urge to buy what is not needed. I run a web site design company and if you are like me the temptation is strong to buy all the latest gadgets. But if you can think yourself into a new mind set you will find it much easier to change the habits of a lifetime. Be sure that all expenses are accounted for when you take stock of your situation. Once you have your finances under control, there will be enough surplus to save and allow to grow for the special events you may want to treat yourself to in life.

If you still have difficulty restricting your shopping habit, take a friend or relative with you on outings. Someone you can trust to steer you away from temptation. Once you conquer your shopping demons, you will be proud of yourself for doing so and feel a great sense of accomplishment. So don’t be overwhelmed, grab that pen and paper and get on track to liquidity.

Happy Budgeting

http://prstorm.net

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Dec 14

Finding What You Need on the Internet

Posted: under General Interest.
December 14th, 2008

There are a number of different every day ailments which we may suffer with which are not necessarily life-threatening but they can certainly be frustrating for those of us that have them. It is not necessary for us to go to a university in order to be able to solve them but we certainly do want to make sure that we have factual information before we try any kind of home remedy.

Many of these problems come in the form of skin conditions such as skin tags or warts. Although it is possible for us to get rid of these items at home, we need to make sure that we do so properly in order to avoid making the problem worse. A good example of this is using many of the home remedies for skin tags that may or may not cause an infection. The last thing that you would want to have happen is for you to be able to get rid of one of these problems on your own and then end up with another problem as a result.

It is often a better idea if you use the Internet in order to solve these problems in a totally different way. Instead of searching for a natural cure that may cause problems for you, why not search for a dermatologist in your area that will be able to take care of the problem for you? It might end up saving you a lot of frustration in the process.

http://schemastorage.com

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Dec 14

Home Remedy Treatments take Center Stage

Posted: under General Interest.
December 14th, 2008

While a lot of the world continues with regular medicine, some areas are latching onto methods that are not new, but are finally receiving the respect they deserve.  I’m talking about natural remedies, or homeopathic treatments.  Recently Health Concern Studies did research in three areas where natural treatments seem to excel.

The first part deals with treatment of the onset of common illnesses, like the common cold.  In this case, homeopathic remedies tended to lessen the affect of the illness, and quicken the recovery process.  Some studies, using the EPFX biofeedback device showed that patience quickly responded many feel because they found out, by using the device, what areas they might treat.  For example, a feedback screen might show a deficiency of vitamin K.

Next, home remedies were shown to actually cut down the recovery time after injury or surgery.  Most of the therapy was simple touch and prayers offered on behalf of the patient.  The effect seemed more prominent if the patient knew that people were praying for them and that they really cared for the person.  However, in some cases where the patient did not want the treatment, prayers, etc, the patience did no better than traditional medicine.

And finally, the area that was affected probably the most from natural healing was for people suffering from depression.  The treatment invoived using herbs and aromatherapy oils that lift the spirit and prayers for the patient by a group of caring people.  It may sound simply, but actually there is a lot of proof in many families that this particular treatment works.

Yet the key to the whole treatment for depression rested on one thing.  When the patience was in a state where they could actually move about, they were told that the best treatment for them was to go and do an act of genuine kindness to someone else.  Although this proved hard for many, it was the single thing that took them from a depressive state to one where they felt worth.

Natural treatments are here to stay. But just now they are more in the spotlight.  Even many traditional doctors are now starting to open up to this world.  The main problem in the path of homeopathic medicine is the pharmaceutical giants and the sad state of health care in nations that profit wildly from the pain and suffering of others.  Once that changes, people will live longer and healthier.

Build Niche Store Strategies

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Dec 14

The Secret To Success Is To Live Your Purpose

Posted: under General Interest.
December 14th, 2008

Have you ever wondered why some people attract happiness, success and prosperity like magnets?  Why life seems so effortless for those people while others struggle?  These days, these questions are more important than ever.

Fact: Here in the United States we’re experiencing a financial crisis that is affecting the entire world, not just Americans.

Here’s another fact: there are people who prosper in the worst of times and there are others who struggle in the best of times.

What’s the difference?  Many would say it’s luck, or being born under the right stars, or to the right family.  They’d be wrong.  None of that has anything to do with success and happiness.

People who are successful, happy and prosperous have a clear purpose for their life.  They are doing what they love to do and fulfilling that purpose.

Maybe you’re struggling and wondering why life seems so hard.  Maybe you’re one of the millions of people who get up and go to work everyday to a job they hate because they think they have no other choice.  Maybe you’re ready to live the live you deserve…a life filled with success, prosperity and happiness.

Some people seem to know from day one what their “thing” is.  You’ll notice those people are happier and more successful than most anybody else you know.  Most people have to work at discovering their purpose.

Look around you.  How many people can you say appear to be truly happy?  Probably not many.  Most people you see every day seem to be going through the motions, going about their daily lives almost sleepwalking.  They’re just scraping by, in every sense of the word.

Somewhere along the line, those people have lost their sense of purpose.  Or, they’ve simply given up on ever being able to live their purpose, the thing they truly love to do.

Our society has taught us that the things we love to do typically aren’t “practical”.  There’s a clear distinction between “work” and “play”.  Even professional musicians, who *play* music for a living, call it “going to work!”  What’s wrong with that picture?

People who are doing what they love and making a living at it aren’t “working”, they’re playing!  We tend to think those people are exceptions, and generally speaking, they are.  That’s because most people don’t believe they can make a living doing what they truly love to do.

Not only can you make a living doing what you love to do, you can be truly successful in every sense of the word.  The way to do that is to discover and live your life’s purpose.

www.globalbrandnames.com

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