The Money Muse

"From Broke to Stoked" The Broke Wives Club is now the Stoked Wives Club!

2011-01-18T08:14:00.003-07:00

This past weekend I attended a life-transforming event in Louisiana. It was a weekend spent with the Broke Wives Club. They had amazing men and women at this conference from all over North America (Thank you Canadians for putting up with us!) The topics covered were all about your Holistic Health.

Goal setting and life planning courtesy of Dr. Alex Ledgister (His Web Site Here)

Healthy Lifestyle Choices courtesy of Jacque Miller (Her LinkedIn Profile Here)

Financial Freedom courtesy of (that's right) yours truly, Janine Bolon. (My Web Site)

I encourage you wonderful readers to pop on over to Facebook and make friends with Jacque, Dr. Alex and others from the Broke Wives Club (Now The Stoked Wives Club) after this weekend. These folks are ready to roll on moving their lives forward spiritually, emotionally, and physically. They will give you the courage, kick-in-the-butt, and cheers for you to succeed at what you want to do in life. Just let 'em know you're in need of some help...they're rooting for you already!

For continued inspiration to keep you motivated, feel free to click on over to the web sites of the speakers. They have lots of information for you and will help you attain your goals for 2011.

Rock on, people. This is gonna be a great year!

Peace out!

Credit or Debit? How to Run a Business via Plastic

2010-07-23T09:44:00.006-06:00

Over the last 15 years I've been asked a lot of questions about money. But there are some that I get asked again, and again, and again...I'm thrilled to have a blog so that I can post answers and then just refer folks to the particular article that they need. However, with the economy bouncing around and folks feeling the pennies being pinched I'm getting asked the old questions in new ways and have to reword older posts so that things stay current.

Last week I received a new twist on and old problem. This email from a student in Virginia hit my box a few days ago (I've changed the names of the people involved that is all.)

Dear Janine:

We have a new question: A year or so ago Wilson agreed to cut up all of our credit cards, including business credit cards (inspired by Dave Ramsey who insists that a business can be run without debt or credit cards). Do you agree with Dave Ramsey about that?

The reason I ask is because Wilson flew out to Utah on business this week and ran into his first big disadvantage of not having a credit card -- he was almost unable to rent a car, and the one place that would rent to him on a debit card charges nearly twice as much as the other places he has been using. What are your thoughts about running a business without credit cards? Do the benefits outweigh even these disadvantages?

Thanks for your time, and have a great day!

Alice

Let's address the theory first before we launch into the practice. First off, I really like Dave Ramsey. I've read two of his books, "Financial Peace" and "More than Enough." I have found that our philosophies are very similar and we only have a few points where we differ and those points are minor.

Do I agree with Dave Ramsey about running a business without credit cards?

Yes and No. How's that for walking the fence? Let me explain. I agree with Mr. Ramsey that we need to be allergic to debt. He and I have both been caught in the debt trap and we have both vowed never to walk that path again. However, I have trained myself not to use my credit cards unless I have cash IN THE BANK to pay off the statement at the end of each month. I DO NOT allow myself to have roll-over debt. This is a horrid use of my hard won earnings and I won't allow myself to pay that much interest to borrow money.

However, I do understand what Mr. Ramsey is saying. Please remember he has clients that are so far in debt it takes them anywhere from 7-14 years to pay it all off. The best way to help these people is to remove all temptation of going further into debt by refusing them any access to short term loans. Debt is a disease. There are folks out there (Lord knows I've worked with them and so has Dave!) That are addicted, that's right, addicted to debt. For these people you have to cut up all their cards. They can't keep their hands off of them and use them at every opportunity. So I understand why Dave would say this.

My personal philosophy is this: use credit cards for your business to hold rental cars, hotels and airline reservations and other business related activities, but pay off the balance with travelers checks or your debit card or cash. You get the idea right? Most of these agencies do not "charge" your card until you return the car or check out of the hotel, etc. So use the credit card "hold" your spot, but pay for it using other means (your debit card, etc.)

The challenge is this...can you have that card in your wallet and not be "tempted" to put a purchase on it "just this once" even though you don't have the money to pay for it. Frequently, business owners are overly optimistic on this month's sales to cover their expenses. Face it, they have to be optimistic otherwise you wouldn't be in business for yourself, right? But don't allow your optimism to run your business in debt.

Many a client of mine has done just that. We would work together for 6 months to 3 years getting them out of debt and then they would decide to go into business for themselves and in a matter of 6 months be further in the hole then they were when we first started because they ran their business on a debt basis rather then using the financial principles they had learned over the past 3 years! It was maddening for me. Especially when I found out a client of mine had to declare bancruptcy after working with them for 4 years because they had $80,000 in business debt ALL on PERSONAL credit cards and they had neglected to tell me THAT part of their financial situation.

So you can see why Mr. Ramsey might be just a wee bit DRASTIC in his methods to keep his students/clients out of debt. He wants you to be seriously allergic to all things loan-ish for very good reason.

My advice: Run your business debt free, if you don't have the cash, don't make that jump (using a loan) to the next phase of your business or take that trip. Use the credit cards of the business as "place holders" for cars, hotels and the like unless you have money in the bank that can pay off the card when the statement arrives. You are to absolutely NOT allow roll-over debt!!! Okay...I'll get off my soap box now.

Have an abundant day!

Busting the Top Three Diet Myths with Cheryl Dolven

2010-07-23T08:02:00.005-06:00

Last week on my radio show (Power Women) I had a guest that made the chemist in me smile that really geeky smile. Her name is Cheryl Dolven and she works as the Director of Nutrition Marketing for the Kellogg Company. Our lives happened to intersect due to a marketing campaign that was being done for Kellogg's FiberPlus Bars (this was my post as a participant of the study). I was chatting with the Marketing Group in charge of the product launch and I asked if they could arrange for a Dietitian to discuss some of the nutrients in the product.

Well, one conversation lead to another and I just HAD to ask Cheryl onto the radio show to discuss Dieting (Diet: The major four-letter-word for most people when it comes to health), Myths and Basic Nutrition. Cheryl has worked for major supermarket chains and has spent her career educating people on the nutritional guidelines seen every day as one wanders the grocery aisles. She also helps people navigate the horrendous torrent of nutritional data that is erupting everywhere on the Internet via her lectures and several presentations now being used on KelloggNutrition.com.

Here are some of the basic tips and myths that Cheryl shared on the show. (oh, and just so you know...I don't make a DIME for talking about Kellogg's or any of their products-I'm being a typical science type and am just relaying information here!)

Diet Myth Number 1 - BUSTED

Skipping Breakfast Can Help You Lose Weight.

Cheryl discussed how the exact opposite is true. Studies have shown over and over that people who eat breakfast actually have healthier body weights than those who don't. Breakfast is just what it sounds like, Break-Fast: you are breaking the fast of the night before. When you eat breakfast in the morning, it helps your metabolism get that much needed kick-start for the day. I have seen in my own life as well as others that do power-lifting that by skipping breakfast they would have greater calorie intake later in the day. So, you're mom was right! Take that time to eat in the morning.

Diet Myth Number 2 - BUSTED

Processed Food Are Bad

Cheryl agrees with the current mood of health conscious individuals that the move to a more whole foods diet is a GOOD thing. We most certainly need to include more whole foods in our diet - including fruits and vegetables, low fat milk and lean meats. However, there is also a place in our lives for pre-made packaged foods, especially for folks that have some serious travel schedules (like me). Cheryl mentions, "When I worked as a dietitian in grocery stores, the single most often question I got was 'is this good for me?' Here is the thing, it didn't matter what they brought to me...my answer was always the same: 'It depends: How much of it are you going to eat?'" Cheryl went on to discuss how important it is that you decide up front what sorts of other food are you going to eat with the one you are choosing. As well as, what sorts of foods are you planning on eating tomorrow. "For ANY food, the key is how you surround it with other foods."

Diet Myth Number 3 - BUSTED

Sugar is BAD!

Cheryl and I had a great time with this one. As some of you know I teach math and science at multiple institutions and when we get to the part of biology when we talk about metabolism and biochemistry, this is when I hit my "lecture" on "Sugars are Carbohydrates" you can't live without them!!! Cheryl was much better at discussing the various forms of sugars and how you need some more than others, etc. I really wanted to get into more detail in this area of the show, but alas...we were running out of time and we had to discuss other nutritional details.

The main point with all things "diet" related and otherwise is this: extremes are not healthy. However, gradually eliminate behaviors and foods that are not good for you. Now, I realize, there are folks out there that have to use the "cut-and-run" method where they stop eating "X" item today and will never have it again. But I have found that most of my clients and students have to gradually wean themselves off foods, money spending, etc. so that they can learn the good behaviors and/or foods to replace the old ones.

Cheryl then discussed the Fiber needs of most individuals (no bathroom humor, please! LOL) She was quick to mention that fiber is more than just regularity. I was laughing up a storm here. The main issue in the American diet is this we need anywhere from 25-35 grams of fiber a day. Most folks only get around 13 grams of fiber a day. Yikes! What we are eating is obviously NOT fiber rich so it is great to be able to fill the gaps with things that can ramp up your fiber intake such as:

items high in cellulose (fruits, vegetables, beans) stuff that you have to chew!
whole grain products
snack bars that are high in fiber (Kellogg's FiberPlus bars were mentioned - wink, wink!)

We then wrapped up the show with a final question: "Is there a golden recipe for women balancing the needs of protein, carbohydrates and fiber?" Cheryl had three points:

"For me the golden recipe comes down to two key ingredients: one is knowing your needs and the second is planning ahead."
"I'd challenge everyone to visit MyPyramid.gov and use the tool they've created to help you find the right dietary pattern for you. There is no way you can meet your dietary goals if you don't know what they are! When I worked in the grocery store environment, I was always surprised how many people were reading labels...which is good!...but so few people actually knew what they were looking at! Seeing 5 grams of fat on the label doesn't mean anything to you unless you know how much fat you should have. I think of my nutrition needs as a budget. You need to know how much you have to spend in order to be within budget.
"Next you need to plan ahead. The best thing you can do for yourself is to sit down at the beginning of the week and plan your meals and snacks. If you have something in your mind and in the fridge for dinner, you are much more likely to stick to your nutrition goals. When I don't take the time to do this, my family and I end up eating out and ordering in far more than we should - and that usually means more calories, more fat and less good for you foods."

I want to thank Cheryl for taking the time to educate us all on food and nutrition. I have since been on both of the websites mentioned in the this post and had a blast using their calculators and finding out my nutritional needs. I ended up grabbing each of my four kids and entering their data into the calculator at MyPyrimid.gov and we had a fun afternoon figuring out the menu for the next week taking into account each one of their nutritional needs. The younger ones (7 and 8 years old) had a blast making charts and filling in the "foods" they needed in each of their pyramids. It made the menu planning a lot easier and I heard less, "What is THAT!" at dinner time.

If you wish to hear the complete 30 minute interview with Cheryl visit us at:

Power Women on Blog Talk Radio

The Money Muse is Now on Radio!

2010-07-10T11:15:00.004-06:00

It took awhile, but finally, after several years of work, encouragement from students and harassment from friends (thanks, Bryan and Ruth) I am lucky enough to be hosting a radio show called "Power Women."

The show is designed to inspired and help women rise to their full potential despite their already packed "to-do-lists." Learn tips, tricks and techniques that are used by successful women to balance life or at least get what you want without sacrificing your health! Oh, and we discuss money strategies too!

Feel free to tune in live (it is a call in show) or you can download the program later to your MP3 player or iPod. By the way, thanks to all the guys who listen to the show and email me afterwards giving their support and ideas for future shows. I know you folks are busy with your daily lives, but if you want a quick 30 minute show to energize you to move along with your dreams, tune in.

Pay Off Your Credit Cards with Simplicity

2010-07-10T10:04:00.004-06:00

When I get three emails on the same subject in one week, I know it is time to post a blog response. This week's main topic is paying off the credit card debt. It seems there are lots of discussions going on in a variety of households regarding the proper way to pay off the credit cards. Let me shed some light on the main source of confusion that seems to dominate these conversations. These chats seem to go something like this:

Strategy 1: (rated: not good)

"We want to do the 60/40 principle on our money, but we'll get the debt paid off quicker if we don't put money into savings and instead use it to pay off the credit cards faster!"

Strategy 2: (rated: corrosive)

"We won't do the 60/40 principle exactly, we'll instead pay down our debt faster by using a 70/30 allocation of our money instead!"

Strategy 3: (rated: really toxic!)

"The best thing for us to do in this financial situation is to pull all the money out of our long term savings account (IRA, 401K, etc.), pay off our credit card debt and start over with our finances!"

Those are the three statements I hear over and over and over from households trying to manage their finances. All three of these strategies are doomed to failure. This is why...

Strategy 1 is the most common rationale I hear used when it comes to handling debt. It is also the fastest way to dig yourself into deeper debt. Every single personal finance book I have ever read (last count over 73!) States that you MUST, there is no leniency here, you MUST save money and pay down debt AT THE SAME TIME. Why? Because it is saving money that initiates the process for you to learn to be a wealth accumulator! Paying down your debt must happen, of course, but the more you focus on just paying down your debt and you don't focus on saving is the single biggest mistake a household can make with its finances. That short term savings account is what keeps you from pulling out your credit cards to pile on more debt! Over and over and over again, I have talked with millionaires, financial planners and investors...all of them who are wealthy agree on one thing:

In order to get out of debt you must save money and pay off your credit cards at the same time!

This is a requirement. Do not try to wiggle out of this, do not try to barter with me or any other financial coach. You have to do this. This is a financial law. In order to get out of debt, save your money and pay off your loans at the same time. How do you do this? See my posting on the 60/40 principle. It will get you kick-started in the right direction.

Strategy 2 involves people trying to do too much too fast. Rather than focusing on running the 60/40 principle in its entirety , they begin to customize it, mold it and mutate it to a point that the principle no longer works and they wonder why the results are not forthcoming. If you change the ingredients of a cake too much you'll end up with bread, right? Or a brick of flour and water that would be useful for a stone wall. Don't try messing with the process when you're digging yourself out of debt. Go with the tried and true principles that have helped thousands of people out of the financial hole and have gained them wealth.

Strategy 3 is extremely detrimental to the financial well being of households because this process of pulling money from long term savings vehicles robs you three times of your future wealth. Remember money that is earning compound interest is not a linear form of investing. The curve is logarithmic. (Google Logarithmic curves to get an idea of what we are discussing here or you can review this site.) You can not simply "pay yourself back" by taking money out and putting it back in later and it will "work out in the end." If you pull money out today, you will have to put up to three times the amount in 5 years later and you still may not accumulate enough to get you where you were before you yanked out your savings principle.

Not only does Strategy 3 rob you of your future, it also breaks the flow of money in horrendous ways. It takes households three times longer to get back on their feet and recover when they knowingly use this behavior despite being told the contrary. I have over 15 years of data accumulated from hundreds of households and it is clear...pulling money from long term savings vehicles to pay off credit card debt sets you back more financially then any other bad money behavior.

I can't be soft or kind or gentle with this post. I've seen too many families and households crash, burn and then declare bankruptcy because they refused my council, did it their own way and then hired me a SECOND TIME to pull them out of the DEEPER hole they had made for themselves.

Please, please, do not be like them. Learn from this post and don't follow the large road of debt slavery. Make today the day you take control of your finances and become an active force in your financial life.

Good luck and know that I'm here to help as you walk the path to wealth accumulation.

Kellogg's FiberPlus Bars--What a Treat!

2010-06-19T10:16:00.006-06:00

First off, know that this is not a "paid" endorsement. Two months ago I was given an opportunity to beta-test a new product from Kellogg's. Their FiberPlus Bars. I was contacted by a very nice saleswoman, Martha, who asked if I was willing to participate in this product launch since I was a "frugal" mom and had my own blog. Wow! "Cool!" I thought, free product and an opportunity to voice my opinion to people who want it." How fun is that? (Can you tell I'm used to teenagers?)

Anyhow, I received in the mail a week later a nice little lunch bag complete with three FiberPlus Bars:

Chocolate Chip

Dark Chocolate Almond (Turned out to be my favorite of the three)

Chocolatey Peanut Butter

It just so happened that I was doing a lot of traveling during this time so I quickly stuffed the free bars into my bags and literally ran out the door to make sure I wouldn't be late for the plane.

You know me, I'm not one that really "does" prepared food. I usually cook from scratch and the only time I buy processed stuff is when I am on-the-road. And even with that I don't stop off at fast-food places. I stop off at grocery stores and buy from their deli counters. Not only do I save money with this, but I get food that is a bit better for my digestion. (And the kids each get exactly what they want, did I mention I have four kids? LOL!)

Well, dear reader, I have to admit. I was really surprised at how good these bars were. I mean, come on, "FIBERPLUS" Bars? The name doesn't even ring like a good thing for me. It is not an item I would have reached for on my grocer's shelf! However, they tasted great as I was flying over the Rocky Mountains headed for San Diego. As I was given my beverage by the airline, I munched happily on the Chocolatey Peanut Butter Bar. It was the perfect snack for this trip since I was unable to grab breakfast before I left for the airport.

Data: Being trained as a bench chemist (in my pre-mom life), you know how I love my data so here you go:

Calories for a FiberPlus Bar (Dark Chocolate Almond) relative to leading name-brand dark chocolate bar that I adore and has nuts and caramel.

130 calories to FiberPlus whereas 271 calories for my chocolate bar (ouch!)

FiberPlus 5 grams fat; 13.6 for chocolate bar (Oh, man, really?)

FiberPlus 24 grams carbs; 34 grams for chocolate bar (I'm starting to really whimper here!)

FiberPlus 7 grams sugar; 29 grams for chocolate bar (I'm feel'n pain.)

FiberPlus 2 grams protein; 4 grams for chocolate bar (of course.)

Now, this is far from a scientific study, but for me I had only one complaint with the bar. It was a tad too sweet for my taste. That's because I make a lot of my own food and I really cut down on sugar. Even in cakes and cookies, I'll use 1/3 to 1/2 less the sugar in the recipes. Because of this, to me, the bars were too sweet.

However, as much as I dislike processed food, I have to admit that the next time I'm traveling and need a quick snack, I'll be reaching for these silly bars from Kellogg's. Grrrr! Why?

The calories are less than my favorite chocolate bar (Dark chocolate with almonds and caramel!)
The sugar content is WAY, WAY less. sigh.
Those dratted FiberPlus bars kept me "full" filling far longer than my other bar does.
It took longer for me to chew them then my chocolate bar and hence I felt like I "had" more to eat then my alternative snack treat. Psychological tricks that worked.

Bummer, it looks like, yet again, I'll have to make a change in the way I eat. So, there you go, dear one, I totally thought I would dislike this processed food (Talk to Martha the salesperson for Kellogg, I actually told her I wasn't suited for her demographic!) However, I have to eat crow here and say that under certain situations, I'll be reaching for one of these bars over other treats.

Dang it! I hate it when that happens!

Have a great summer everyone.

Becoming Rich with Tiny Steps each Day!

2010-06-08T14:17:00.004-06:00

This week I read two things that so inspired me, I just had to share them with you. The first one was a quote that I saw from Helen Keller.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. the world is moved not only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."

I laughed when I read this quote because my thought was, "Oh my gosh, she's NAILED the basic principle to all of success!" In this simple statement Helen Keller has basically given all you need to be wealthy, powerful and successful in any endeavor you choose to take on. Sure all of us want to do something that is great before we die. I'm right there with her. I want to do something this is truly grand and noble. A work that will live long after I am dust in the earth. What we have to remember is that we accomplish such a work by daily decisions that move us along the path in a steady, methodical way!

The next day I was reading a story of a Hindu saint who was attending a sacred ceremony in his beloved India. He was mulling over all the thousands of people surrounding him and how few seemed to be focused on the spiritual goals of the event rather than the money that could be made from the attendees. He then came to be in the company of a guru and was told simply this...

"for the faults of the many, judge not the whole. Everything on earth is of mixed character, like a mingling of sand and sugar. Be like the wise ant that seizes only the sugar, and leaves the sand untouched."

How does this help you with your monetary situation? Simply this. What are you doing each day that is moving you toward your financial goals? Are you tracking your expenses? That is the single most valuable activity that you can do to understand where your money is going. At the end of each week or month review your expenses and make adjustments on how you are spending your hard-earned cash.

What other activities are you performing each day that move you along physically, emotionally and spiritually. Your attitude and focus determine the reality that you will experience. So if you focus on your expenses and focus your attention on activities and behaviors that are nourishing to you, you will find over time that you are becoming less agitated, angry and irritated with life. You will discover a hidden talent (or many) that had never had a chance of expression because you are now living a purposeful existence rather than just going along with everyone else.

So, here is your homework for the next week or two.

1-If you aren't already doing this, track your expenses...this will solve a multitude of ills financially.

2-every day take a few minutes before you fall into bed to determine if the use of your time was a benefit to you or a hindrance to your purpose filled life.

3-Lastly, write down the things you want to do before you die. Even if you don't know how you will ever travel to Australia, the point is, start making plans to go even before the money arrives, that way when it does, you will be able to go!

My hope for you is that you will be that smart, little ant that carefully picks the pieces of sugar from the sand of life. Focus on the sugar not the sand and you will watch your life go from irritating to sweet! Good luck and stay in touch.

Sexy Broads Talking Cash

2010-05-19T09:52:00.006-06:00

Last night I played hooky from putting kids to bed (Thank you, spouse!) to participate in a fun event with just "the girls." I was asked by Laura Nickerson, BroadTopicsRadio host, to join her and three of her buddies to chat about money. Their show was called, "Let's Get Fiscal" and as their intro music died down they were all singing it to the tune of Olivia Newton Johns hit! LOL! Anyhow, they asked me some really fun questions like:

How do women save money in this economy? Do women have the wrong perception about money? Do I have to give up my favorite brands? Is "The Bean" a good purchase? LOL! Okay, we really did have too much fun. I took some notes while on the show and here is the executive summary and at the bottom of this page I have the link so you can listen to the full two hours at your convenience.

What are some practical ways for women to save money?

The beauty of personal finance management is that there are thousands of ways to save money in little baby steps on a daily basis. These baby steps add up to $1,000s in the course of a year. Here are a few examples with some numbers about how these little tiny steps can save you money and cost you very little in the way of time.

Invest in a Rubber Spatula. Sounds silly but this little kitchen aid can save you money. Now I realize not everyone cooks pancakes for their family, but I have this breakfast about twice a week. I use a spatula to scrape out the bowl and that gives me one additional full sized pancake each time I make them. If you do the math this equates to 104 pancakes a year! It costs me $2.24 to make a double batch of pancakes which works out to about 20 pancakes. This makes each pancake worth 11 cents. Thus the amount of money I save each year by scraping a batter bowl equals (ta da, drum roll please!) $11.44 a year! That's JUST on pancakes, what about all the peanut butter, jelly, ketchup, honey, mustard and other sticky items that are used in a home? All for an initial investment of 99 cents!

Examine Your Use of Disposable Products. I know I've blogged on this point before. (Please refer to my other blog posts of Step 6 to Abundance parts 1 and 2 for additional help here!) If you look just a paper towel use you'll see a huge change in your expenses by using cloth products. Again let's do some quick, simple arithmetic for this: Let's say you use 4 rolls of paper towels a week. They cost you $2.50 a roll. This comes out to around $10 a week or $520 a year that you are paying just for paper towels. I had a lady who switched to using linen towels (it cost her $12.64 for 20) and she bought herself a dishwasher! Now look at how much you go through in terms of paper napkins, plates, cups and plastic ware. It is very sobering how much money you may be, literally, throwing away.

How should women change their perception of money?

I really want women to lose their fear of money. There is a lot of fear about their inadequacy in taking charge of investing and saving money. They are usually okay with handling the checkbook or working the ATM machine (LOL!) but when you start discussing long term savings, investing and 529 plans (college savings plans) you will see their eyes glaze over and they start to hyperventilate!

Also, I want them to learn to allow themselves to become rich. And I DON'T mean comfortably well off, I want them to be able to say to themselves, "I want to be rolling-in-the-dough RICH!" The challenge is they have emotional barriers to this statement. Here are some of the excuses I have heard from my clients in regards to how they view "rich" people:

Rich people hurt others to get the money they had
You can't be nice and be rich
I'll become corrupt if I'm rich
People will come after me for my money
People will no longer see me, they'll just see me as a bank

These statements will keep you from becoming the wealth magnet you truly are. Work through these emotions and realize that these fears are unfounded. It is very easy to be extremely wealthy and not show it. Just read The Millionaire Next Door, to find out how! LOL.

Lose your fear of money by:

Make a conscious decision today to become "Rich!" Now, look in the mirror and say to yourself, "I am going to be Rich!" This may take a bit to say it with true passion.
Define exactly the lifestyle you want to have when you're wealthy. What will you do? What service will you render society? Will you start a non-profit that does good works or will you donate to causes you are passionate about?
Visualize and write down exactly the type of Millionaire you will be. How you will look. How you will act. How you will serve humanity...break the box and show the world a kind, feminine, strong, courageous Millionaire that loves life and is making the world a better place one person at a time.

Thanks to Laura, Stacy, Joan, and Megan for a wonderful show. It was a pleasure speaking with you and your listeners.

If you wish to hear BroadTopicsRadio follow the link.

I wish you abundance!

I'm Not a Bank! Why am I treated like an ATM?

2010-05-18T16:11:00.006-06:00

This is an email I received the other day from a client:

"Dear Janine:

What do you do when you have grown children who always ask you for money to help them. I know they do not bring home enough money to pay everything. However, they haven't went on a budget as I have wanted them to do either. I feel guilty and angry when they ask me and expect me to support them or pay their electric bill etc. I have bought cars paid bills and now my savings is depleted. Not that it was a lot to begin with but I was saving. I have been very blessed and have just recieved another increase in a new job and a promotion. Am I being selfish? or have I been so blessed in order to help when they need it?"

Well, my first reaction to this question was, "Stop!"

Okay, let's get real here. First off, you're not selfish for wanting to keep the money you have worked so hard to save. You're not being a bad parent for wanting your grown children to learn financial savvy behaviors. This may sound cruel, but I recommend that the next time you are asked to pay off a bill that you hand them a personal finance book and say,

"Here you go, honey. This is the best way for you to get what you want out of life."

There will be tears, there will be wailing, whining and guilt trips offered. Ignore them. In the book, "The Millionaire Next Door" the authors devote an entire chapter on how the wealthy prevent economic welfare expectations from their offspring. It is a tough love, but it is necessary if we want our kids to learn the true ways of financial independence and that means learning the behaviors of saving money and debt-free living. One of the basic financial laws is NOT, "Thou shalt go to they parents for cash when in need!"

Harsh, yes. Will it make your children stronger, most definitely. Prepare for the onslaught with Tissues and a fresh copy of any of the following books below:

The Automatic Millionaire, David Bach

Financial Peace, David Ramsey

Debt-Proof Living, Mary Hunt

Or you can make me the "bad guy" and hand them my book, Ditching Debt: 3 Simple Steps for Financial Stress Relief.

The biggest thing right now is you have to take care of yourself and build your savings account back up. If your kids holler at you or try to send you on a guilt cruise, just remind them that one day you may need to be in an assisted living home, did they want to pay for that or would they prefer that you move into their place? Ouch. Sorry, but I have a bit of a twisted side to me.

Good Luck!

Calming Your Stress about Money

2010-04-14T18:13:00.003-06:00

Money! Sometimes just speaking the word is enough to set your teeth on edge. Most people find that cash flow is the primary reason for the stress in their lives. Whether it is due to a lost job, inadequate pay, unexpected bills, or the recession's impact on your business, we are all experiencing the pinch of inadequate cash flow these days. How do you deal with the stress? What are some positive behaviors to keep you from curling into the fetal position as you look at the stack of bills on your desk, with no money to pay for them? Listed below are the three best habits you can start today to regain control over your money, rather than having an empty checkbook control you. One (or more) of these ideas may assist your particular situation.

Why don't I have more money?

This is a fair and honest question many people have. You work hard (when you have a job), and you can't seem to escape the paycheck-to-paycheck existence. You want more. Not a lot more, maybe, but enough cushion so you can breathe a bit. You'd like to be able to buy groceries without having to keep a running tally in your head so that you don't overspend. You'd like to be able to just buy what you need without having to decide, "This week I'll buy toothpaste and next week I'll buy light bulbs." Decisions on how we're going to spread our thin layer of money around are a daily crisis for all too many of us. So, what to do?

Best Habit No. 1: Track Your Expenses

Sounds so simple doesn't it? Well, it is. If you feel you don't have enough money in your life, is it because you really don't have it, or you just don't know what happens to it? Start recording all the purchases you make. And I mean all of them. From the soda and chips you picked up at the gas station to the thrift store handbag, record every expense you have for three months. You will be astonished to see where your money is going-and how often it leaves for items you didn't really want, let alone need. This exercise of tracking your pennies gives you a written record of your spending, which takes all the guess work out of the statement, "Where did it all go?"

I know, I know, you were looking for a quick fast, instant answer to the money issue. I wish in all honesty that there was one for us, but there isn't. The answer to money is in the active tracking and conscious utilization of it. Period. The only solution I've found for quickly gaining control over financial stress is to track expenses so that I can see what impulse items I can do without next time. I understand you have probably read this sort of advice again and again, but I have yet to meet a financially well-off individual who doesn't track her expenses. It is an essential trait in people who wish to control their money.

Money makes me cry/angry/run-screaming-from-the-room.

Know one thing about yourself and your relationship with money. It is very emotional. Unless you deal with the emotional issues you have regarding money, you'll never travel too far from the paycheck-to-paycheck existence. That is not what I want for you. I want you to have a healthy relationship with money not one that leaves you in fear, curled in the fetal position on your living room floor. (Am I the only one who does this when under extreme stress? I don't think so!) Anyhow,

Best Habit No. 2: Educate Yourself about Personal Finance

so that you can handle cash and talk about money without losing control of your calm.

How do you do this? Let go of the guilt you carry for the past financial mistakes you have made. Face the fact that not a single wealthy person has ever managed their finances without making some mistake. Many have lost huge sums of cash, but still managed to garner wealth. They did so by knowing, deep down, that mistakes are part of their education in money management. Don't allow your past errors or fear of future failure to keep you from learning all you can about money and how to handle it. Find a book today on personal finance and read the advice. Then, implement any "wisdom" that applies to your situation. There are many excellent books out there but the one that I like best regarding automating your finances is David Bach's, The Automatic Millionaire. This book has helped over 65% of my clients streamline their financial lives, even though they were all starting from scratch. If heavy debt load is the cause of the fights, crying fits and nightmares, read a book on debt management. My personal favorite is Mary Hunt's, The Complete Cheapskate: How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out and Break Free from Money Worries Forever.

How did my money situation get to be such a mess?

This is a frequent lament my clients vent when they first ask for assistance with their personal finances. I want you to promise me right now that you won't give it a second thought. Seriously, stop the self recrimination and guilt about how you got here: instead, I want you to direct all your energies toward fixing your situation. Many of my students have told me that you have to know your past in order to fix a broken situation. In a way they are correct, but on this topic the best way out of the mess is simple. You don't need to go over all your past mistakes and issues in exhaustive detail to get to a better place. I want you to focus on where you wish to go. Whether the focus is to become debt-free, or to have enough money to contribute to your IRA or to start 529 college education plans for your children (or grandchildren),

Best Habit No. 3: Decide on Your Monetary Goals and Chart a Path

Stop hiding from your money troubles and face them head on. Yes, this takes courage. This takes a certain amount of will, but come on, you can DO THIS. It is ONLY money! It's not like its childbirth, dealing with the loss of a job (or worse, dealing with the loss of your spouse's job)! This is simply dealing with the here and now. Set a target date for when you will have your credit cards paid off or have a minimum balance in the 529 Plan for your granddaughter and then work daily at making that target a reality. You can do this. Hey, you lost those 15 pounds when you absolutely HAD to, so I know you can do this. Seriously, you can.

When it comes to personal finances, don't allow ignorance to make your situation seem hopeless. It isn't. No matter where you are struggling, you can dig yourself out(even if it is with a teaspoon at first!). Start with the simple things that you can do for free: track your expenses, start reading personal finance books to educate yourself (that helps shield you from fear), and set yourself some targets for 2010. By starting these three habits and following through with them on a regular basis, you'll watch your financial stress drop day-by-day as if you're lowering yourself into a wonderfully warm bubble bath.

Orange Alert: Amazon pulls Macmillian's "Buy" Buttons

2010-02-01T08:39:00.005-07:00

Okay, I usually don't blog about stuff in the publishing world, but I'm seeing too much going on with the power of Amazon and Kindle and, let's face it, Banned Books. As an author, I was nervous before, now I'm moving toward frustrated. The power that Amazon is wielding lately with pulling books off Kindle lists and deleting pages of previously downloaded material because it was seen as "inappropriate" material is a form of censoring that I've seen once-too-often in history. I am seriously disturbed to see it happening so flagrantly now. I mean, it used to be the quiet censorship of having librarians pulling disturbing books off shelves and me wondering why I couldn't find them in the catalogs anymore. Now, Amazon is publicly pulling material like a big bully because it can. Hmmmm. We usually assign this sort of behavior to totalitarian governmental models.

What got me all worked up? This weekend fiasco between Macmillian publishing and Amazon. If you haven't heard the headline I've quoted from the Publishers MarketPlace Ezine and it reads something like this: The Battle for the Agency Model Begins as Amazon pulls Macmillian Buy Buttons...here is some of the text ...

"As originally reported last night and many readers know by now, sometime yesterday (this was published on Saturday) evening the buy buttons for apparently all of Macmillan's books--including bestsellers and top releases, and Kindle editions--were removed from Amazon's site. Macmillan books remain listed but can be bought only through third party Marketplace sellers, while Macmillan Kindle titles all lead to pages that read,'We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site.' It is the first shot across the purchasing bow in big publishers' efforts to reset ebook pricing about the loss-leader $9.99 price point and retake control over that pricing by moving from wholesale selling model to an agency selling model (first reported exclusively in Lunch Deluxe on January 19), at least for ebooks published simultaneously with new hardcover releases. Kindle customers further reported on Amazon forums that any Macmillan books that were on their "wish lists" disappeared from those lists with no explanation, as apparently did Macmillan sample chapters that had been downloaded previously."

As I finished reading the entire ezine, I was left feeling like the Censor-Monster had once again ripped perfectly good books out of my hand. This goes back to a time when I was reading, "Catcher in the Rye" and I had a school teacher yank it out of my hands and tell me that "such books are not for good girls like you!" Hmmm.

This is the thing folks, I'm a self-published author. I make anywhere from 50 cents to $2 on each book I sell. If you go to Amazon to buy my books, they charge an awful $22 rather than the $15 I want to charge. I've tried to lower the price listed by cutting my royalties down to 10cents and 25cents a book and the self publisher who works with me (Lulu.com) says that it won't matter, Amazon will keep the price high. That is frustration in itself because my books are about saving money and I can't even help my customers because of the titan Amazon! So, I sell them off my website too, at a lower price, but it still irritates me that there are good people having to pay too much for an item. That's my own personal, little experience with the power of Amazon.

I'm reminded of a bully at a play ground here. The publishers are not wanting an Agency Model strictly for themselves and their profits, believe it or not the, model will assist many, many different businesses in the publishing pipeline. As an author that is not in the middle of this fray, I just bring points to you that I find troubling. I don't have a solution for this but I ask you to think about the fact that you buy a machine with certain features (say a Kindle) you download pages you want to read and then "someone" pulls those pages from you because they can. Hmmmm. I'm back to that memory of high school again. Not good.

Don't Make Your Resolutions a Wish List for Santa

2009-12-28T16:45:00.009-07:00

Another year...gone! Wow, when did that happen? I'm still trying to get used to 2009. However, here I am, sitting down with a pen and paper, working on my Resolutions for 2010, still in shell-shock that Christmas is over and the New Year is fast approaching.

It then hit me just how many people make resolutions each year, but are unable to be successful in using them to make their much-needed life changes. I was chatting with a friend of mine on this subject, and she mentioned, "Geez, Janine, this is the first year that I ever wanted to make my resolutions serious." I was stunned. It had never occured to me that folks would not take the opportunity to make each year better by following through on their resolutions---or at least some of them. Why? Because resolutions are the big things that your values and your emotions have agreed are so important and will make your life better. It seems to me that the problem may be in most people's perspectives. You see, resolutions aren't just wishy-washy promises to do better, they are goals that pave the way to being better, for real.

I've been goal-setting for almost two decades now. I first learned of this technique to success from Brian Tracy in a seminar he gave in North Carolina around 1989. Since then, my life has been more productive, happier and filled with more delight then at any time before. Why? Because I see myself as a creator to the life I want rather than a victim of the whims of fate. I'm in control of my own destiny. The choice is mine.

So, what do you do to make sure you succeed in your goals or "resolutions?" Well, first off you make sure that you don't treat your goals like a wish list you made for Santa. This is not fantasy, folks, it is true. Some people actually write out all the things they want to change in their life, put them in a desk drawer, and never look at them again. This is not making resolutions or goals. This is waiting for a sweet, bearded mystery man to come and make all your wishes come true. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you, but life just doesn't work that way. Does it? So, what do you do to achieve a better life? Here is my simple 7-step plan to a new you, available through the power of goal-setting.

1. What is the real question?

First off, decide if you really want the changes you are asking of yourself. Just because you've had many people tell you that you need to become more physically fit, mentally astute, financially well off, whatever, the real question is, "Do I want this for me?" I was wandering about the Net looking at the various resolutions that are common for folks to make and I found you can break them down into four main categories:

Physical Resolutions: (Lose weight, get physically fit, quit drinking/smoking/drug use, and eat better)
Financial Resolutions: (Get out of debt, create a budget, get a better job, and start a savings account)
Mental Resolutions: (Enjoy life more, spend more time with family and friends, conquer a fear, learn something new, read a BIG book, and devote more time to hobbies.)
Spiritual Resolutions: (volunteer, meditate more, find a church and pray for others)

When you're sitting in a quiet place working out what you really want from yourself in 2010, I highly recommend you concentrate on the things that are most in line with your values. You have to bring this emotional component into this process or you won't have the necessary energy to carry it out. I recommend that you wander through this list of resolutions and see if any really pop out for "you" to add to your to-do list for the new year. Always remember that when you want to change something about your life, you have to do it because YOU want to do so, and not just because you "should."

2. Write it down and re-read it---frequently!

I can't stress this exercise enough. I have been coaching people in financial independence for over 10 years and the clients who are the most successful in their lives are the ones who actually write down their goals/resolutions and post them in a place where they can see them every day. (My favorite spot is the bathroom mirror!) The power of the written word and the daily attention is incredible and will remind you of the person you want to be rather than the one you see in the mirror. This is a very simple thing to do, but only 3% of people do it. However, most successful people see it as the primary (the #1) activity that keeps them on track to what they want out of life and keeping themselves motivated during times of challenge.

3. Keep your resolutions concise and precise

Many folks who work out resolutions can torpedo themselves by the way they word their goals. You want to focus your concentration on the behavior you want to gain rather than on the negative elements that have lead to your current situation. Example: instead of writing as a resolution that you want to "lose weight this year" (which begs the question of where it is to be abandoned?), write out that you want to weigh 155 pounds by "X" date. Make the timeline achieveable and within safe guidelines of weight loss. For me, I don't focus on my weight. I focus on my fitness level. My marker for fitness? How many pushups and pullups I can do in a set. I have just come off a week-long vacation where I did a lot of walking but did bupkiss in the weight training arena. So, today when I started my exercise program (again), I could only do 24 pushups on my knees (I had been able to do 12 push ups on my toes!) and one pullup. Yikes!

My resolution will read something like this: I am physically fit. I do 25 pushups from my toes and 10 pullups. Another thing...I've put on some extra pounds around my middle this holiday season. (I do so love Christmas cookies and fudge!) Am I going to focus on that? Nope. (Except that it all tasted REALLY good.) I'm going to put my energy and effort into building muscle again and using fitness markers that have nothing to do with gravity. I officially fired my bathroom scale seven years ago. LOL!

4. Tell someone else about your goals/resolutions

For the women I have coached through the years, talking about their resolutions with a friend or trusted family member is a great way to make it more "real." This is something I do frequently. I'll tell my husband, kids or girl friends what I'm doing and trying to accomplish and then it becomes a committment to my brain. It's like, "Okay, time to make this happen since my kids know about it and will be checking my progress." When I work out, I have a girl friend who will email me asking how I'm doing on my situps, reps, and overall exercise routine. Having this sort of buddy who checks in on you without judgement is a wonderful way to stay on track and to stay motivated.

5. Fake it until you make it

When you're working on your various goals, see yourself as already "on the path" to achieving them. This is a little mind game that I play all the time with myself to keep from getting "newcomer's syndrome." That means, it is hard to start a new program/behavior/activity because it is so new to you that it feels alien. To keep these sorts of feelings to a minimum, I walk, act, and self-talk like this is old hat and I'm in the process of ramping up the behavior, not starting from scratch.

Again, I'll go with a fitness example. Pullups are tough for me. When I first start working on them I can barely do 1.5 or 1.75. If I'm really lucky I can do 2. So what I do mentally is tell myself is, "Well, yeah, that's the way it is when you've only been doing them a week (actually it was my first day at the pull up bar in over 6 months), "I'm sure that in two weeks I'll be doing 3 or 4." That is what I mean by faking it. Fake like this is just part of the run-of-the-mill routine and you'll accomplish your goals given enough time. You're close, just not "there" yet. Make sense?

6. Keep your list of goals SHORT!

When I work up a list of resolutions/goals I never have more than three on it. Any more than that and my daily to-do list will explode in a miraculous cloud of ash. (I'm serious, I've seen it smolder!) Why? I have a lot on my plate; I know you do, too. So, rather than make your to-do list longer at the year's beginning focus yourself on doing only ONE (yes, that is not a typo) thing a day to move you toward your major goals.

Right now, I'm working on my fitness goals. My mental and spiritual goals are filled in around the 5 minutes a day of spare time ad day that I have. I'm working on the physical because right now that is the one that needs the most work. As time is freed up because I have more energy from exercising, then I add on my to-do list two items a day that move me toward my overall goals. Step-by-step is the key here.

7. This is the Year to take Charge of your Life

Make up your mind that 2010 is the year that you are going to take real charge of your life! Yes, the economy is weird (to say the least). Family members, husbands, sons, daughters, and many others in our lives have lost jobs, homes, marriages and confidence in themselves. Incomes have been slashed in half, and our weight has increased as many of us tried to eat our way to comfort. Now is the time to stop living mainly (or only) in a state of constant panic. Now is the time to face your fear and charge out anyway to make your life a better one. I have found that I am much more courageous when I have NO IDEA how I am going to get to my final destination, but I DO have a goal of where I am headed in the short term.

I have a list of things I will accomplish this year. How am I going to find the time to write a book, homeschool my four kids, take two college courses, learn to draw, increase my pullup level to "ten", stay connected with my husband despite his hectic travel schedule and own writing projects, and still keep my house at least one step above "landfill" status? I have no idea. Honestly. I haven't a clue. But what I do know is I am going to accomplish all those things. How can I be sure? Well, I've done it before. I've managed to face my fear of failure and stare it down. Why? Because I want to be the type of person who lives life fully. I can't stand the thought of letting Life lead me. I will Lead my Life. Period. By making a few core resolutions and then doing them, I create the life I want, and I'm an active and contributing to bettering the world one goal at a time. I'm doing what I love.

This year I wish you a 12-months of a purpose-driven Life that leaves you breathless and standing in awe of yourself and your accomplishments on December 31, 2010. Good luck, dear one.

Multiples of the Number 6....Essay Fun and Games!

2009-10-15T19:21:00.004-06:00

Multiples of 6 (12, 36, 60…)

· 12 Labors of Hercules
· 12 Signs of the Zodiac
· 12 Ordeals of Gilgamesh
· 12 Tribes of Israel
· 12 Disciples of Christ
· 12 Steps of Recovery

These were the multiples of 12 that Schneider brought up in chapter 6, “Hexad.”

Please write up an essay answering these questions:

1. Why did you choose your particular topic?
2. Does your topic fit in with your understanding of what Schneider discusses?
3. How does your topic influence your daily life? If no, why not?
4. What lessons did you learn from researching your topic?
5. While researching your topic, what paradigm shifted in your understanding?
6. Do you have more Clarity about Number after your research or do you still experience Ambiguity?
7. What else did you want to tell me about your studies, this class, the reading, etc.?

These papers will be due on October 22nd at the beginning of class. If you have any questions, email me.

Also the beautiful image above is courtesy of a blog called "The Fitful Flog" you'll find some amazing geometry there in a gorgeous fashion.

Read Chapter 7: "Heptad" in Schneider's, "Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe"

CERN, Rap Music and Higgs Boson!!!!

2009-09-26T12:37:00.004-06:00

Many of you know what a Geek-Freak I am for particle physics and the CERN super-collider project. I just had a friend of mine from Mexico send me this video that was done by the crazy physicists and geeks up at CERN and just had to share. It warms the cockles of my scientific heart to see folks not taking themselves seriously, but taking the Science and Math seriously. Lovely stuff! It's only four minutes long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xgaVbOjwUE

This is the kinda stuff we did all the time in the lab when we were waiting for centrifuges to slow down, HPLCs to equilibrate and the CRAY to crunch. Where was YouTube when I was working? LOL.

Enjoy it as much as I did. It totally made my day.

Lecture #2-The Monad-Schneider's "Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe"

2009-09-03T22:18:00.005-06:00

I am departing from my normal blog posts on money to assist some students in a math class I'm teaching for a local homeschooling co-op. Here are the lecture notes I promised all of you. Enjoy!

"confusion endurance" is the most highly distinctive trait of creative people.

Mathematics-the study of patterns of structure, change and space.

What is literalism?

a doctrine of realistic portrayal in art or literature.
a disposition to interpret statements in their literal sense.
a style of art portraying a subject as accurately as possible.
a literalist-a person who translates text literally.

What is archetypal? Schneider used it at least 5 times in the introduction.

an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned, or emulated.
a symbol universally recognized by all.

3 Levels of Mathematics

Secular Mathematics- the math of business, reckoning of quantities, taught as a servant of commerce.
Symbolic Mathematics-symbols of patterns in nature (Fibonacci)
Sacred Mathematics-the awareness our consciousness brings to the meaning of numbers.

Why does a circle have 360 degrees? This answer is around 4,400 years old.

The Monad-

a singular metaphysical entity from which material properties are said to derive
(chemistry) an atom having a valance of one
(biology) a single-celled microorganism
(Greek) "monas: unit "monos" alone
(Pythagoreans) term for God or the first being
(music) a single note or pitch
an ultimate atom or simple, unextended point
something ultimate and indivisible

3 principles of a circle

circle is parent to all shapes
circle has rotary motion (cycles: life cycles, carbon cycle, water cycle)
circle encloses the most space by the smallest perimeter

The Circle represents zero as well as one. The Egyptians, Chinese, and Mayans all used the same glyph for "Light."

"Everything seeks unity. We have no need to return to a state of oneness because we are already integrated in it." -Schneider

Make sure to do the exercise on page 17 with the Pencil and can on graph paper.

Homework for next week.

Read chapter two (The Dyad) pp. 21-37, do all the exercises in the book as well as turn in your paragraph on the Fibonacci sequence.

Have fun and I'll see you on Thursday!

Cutting Grocery Expenses-getting help from the Family

2009-08-30T18:57:00.006-06:00

by Janine Bolon

I was on the phone yesterday with a client of mine. She was asking for additional advice on cutting her grocery bill for a family of three. As we discussed her buying habits, dietary needs and the needs of her family, she suddenly blurt out, "Janine, how many items do you have in your price book? I mean, how many do you buy consistently?"

My price book is the core of my system for keeping my grocery budget down and my return on dollar spent UP! (for more information on price books, read this post) As we talked it became evident where her problem was. It was with her family. My average weekly grocery needs was 36 items that we buy consistently. My client then asked, "Okay, Janine, of those items how many are required to be a certain brand?" I laughed out loud on that one. I explained that the only "brand name" item we buy in my house was a specific bar soap for the kids. "Well, that's not my issue. I have to buy 249 specific, brand-name items from the store for my family. They won't accept any generic alternatives to them."

I have to admit reader, I was stunned. I have total in my price book 92 items that I track for keeping my grocery bill down. Of those items, I track consistently 36-40 depending upon the season. This poor woman was desperately trying to cut expenses for her family but was unable to really bring the prices down on her bills due to their demands. What can she do? What can you do if you are in a similar boat? Here's the #1 way my clients handle this particular problem.

List out the (in my client's case) 249 items that are "required" name brands by your family and then check the generic costs for the same items. You know how often you have to purchase these items. Get out a pen and paper and show your family how much money a year you can save if you were to stop buying the name brand items and went with the generic. If you can't get them to agree to all the items becoming generic at least cut as many as possible from the "must have" list. Seriously, folks, for very little time you can save thousands of dollars a year with this one exercise.

Now, I can hear some of you...toilet paper, laundry detergent and shampoo are the top three items that people go NUTS if you mention pulling them away from their name brands. Please, please don't think you must give up these items, but what you DO want for your budget is to figure out which items can be switched out for generic or deleted from the grocery list altogether. Right?

When saving money, make sure you know what it is you really want out of life and then make sure that you are spending your money on the items that truly make your life a pleasure rather than a drudgery. For one thing, you can set up a reward system for the amount of money you are saving weekly at the grocery store. The reason we work so hard to keep our bill low is we love to travel. We are currently saving for a trip to Legoland for the entire family so we have cooperation from everyone about cutting costs since we all agreed upon this financial goal.

Good luck chatting with your family about those name brands! I've found just showing them the numbers is a great way to bring about consensus.

Suze Orman- Let's put People First, Okay?

2009-07-30T14:51:00.004-06:00

Here is a posting from a friend and fellow blogger of mine, MoneyMonk. Check out her blog, she's working always on increasing her cash flow and MoneyMonk's advice I have found to be sensible as well as down-to-earth. The other day I was wandering through her postings and happened to find this one regarding Suze Orman. MoneyMonk is a fan of Suze, but I will admit to you, right now, that I am not. I have read Suze's first and second book and after that I became less enamored of this financial coach when I started learning more and more about the financial road she has traveled and they type of advice she gave to youth. It is not in line with my own philosophy. 'Nough said.

There are many roads to financial stability. Find the one that works for you and your purpose in life. Make sure that the financial coach you are using whether it be David Bach, Robert Kyosaki, Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey or someone else has a lifestyle and philosophy that is close to what you want for yourself. Otherwise the advice will not jive with where you want to go in your later years. MoneyMonk does a great job at defining just this point....

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I was watching the "Can I afford it?" segment on The Suze Orman Show, last Friday. A caller called in, he was 68 years old. He wanted to buy his wife (of 40 years) a trip around the world that cost about $30,000 for their 40th wedding anniversary.I got a quick snap of their finances, I cannot remember his exact numbers, but I did see that the couple had no debt, some savings, and roughly about $280,000+ saved in retirement.

Suze denied him because they did not have 8 months of savings. Blah humbug!Look Suze, The man is retired!! 68 years old, not sure if they had children, but I'm sure he and his wife after 40 years of marriage went through a lot of ups and downs. Let them enjoy their lives a little.Being 68, he faces no penalty for withdrawing money from retirement. After all he wife deserves a trip after 40 years of marriage. Tomorrow is not promised. They are not sloppy with their money because they did not have any debt.What's $30,000 if they have 6 figures saved? I would have approved him, simply because being married that long is something to celebrate. I cannot imagine the look on his wife face when her husband told her they cannot afford it.

Suze, retirement is suppose to be enjoyed. This is their time. Let them have it.Suze, what ever happened to PEOPLE FIRST?

I'm a fan of the show, but I am mad at you on this one.
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Folks, just be careful out there with the information you are given regarding your money. It is totally true that "No one cares for your money more than you do." However, it is also a statement that is used so much in the financial business that most folks ignore it and abdicate their financial decisions to an expert. You become the expert on YOUR money. Okay? Keep on reading, learning and investing. You'll end up wealthy as long as you keep saving and staying out of debt. Hang in there and have a great week.

Lastly, Thanks to MoneyMonk for letting me post her work. By the way, MoneyMonk and I don't agree on everything financial either, but she lives her talk and that earns major points in my book! LOL! Give her blog a look for a fresh perspective on money.

Don't Save Money in your 401(k)

2009-07-27T16:53:00.005-06:00

Okay, now that I have your attention. Please disregard this title. I found an article in a highly circulated newspaper (I will NOT say which one) that sported this sort of a title and I immediately read the article to find out what financial nincompoop (I'm sorry, I can't be kind on this one) would actually advise in this economy NOT to save. Well, after you read the article you find out that the advice is sound if you have a 401(k) that is in certain types of fund, with lower than average rates managed by certain individuals. All-in-all less than 1% of Americans would have benefited from this advice.

I was on the phone that very afternoon with one of my fellow financial writers and I was venting about this particular article. In the middle of full rant, Liz stops me and says, "Janine! These are the types of titles that get eyeballs, okay?!" Oh. Right. Sigh. Yes, I know. These are the sorts of catchy-in-your-face types of headlines that will attempt to induce folks to read.

However, what I have found in my clients is that most of them don't read the full article to see if the advice applies to them and they end up calling me and telling me how they have pulled money from their long-term savings vehicles and what gold mine should they invest in. (Truth! I lie to you not on this one. Actual phone call!)

My advice to you, frugal friend, is this. Read the articles. See if this advice really applies to your personal situation. Whatever you do, don't invest in gold mines or other such high-risk ventures unless you have money you don't mind losing. Sure you could hit it big, but you could lose it all too. You know what my grandpa used to call high-risk investmenting? Gambling. Don't gamble (a.k.a. high risk investing) until you have:

3-6 months of income saved

IRA or 401(k) is maxed out

529 plans for kids' educations maxed out

That way if you lose all of your investment that is high risk you don't lose the house too. Make sense? Personally, I wouldn't advise ever going the high-risk investing route. I'm too conservative for that. My husband and I work way, way too hard for our money to gamble it. However, if that is your thing...go ahead, just be smart about it. End of lecture. I'll get off my soap box now. Thank you for listening.

Twitter Beginner's Guide - Thanks to Penny C. Sansevieri

2009-07-15T08:00:00.001-06:00

Hey, everyone! Today we have a guest blogger! Woo-hoo. Many of you have been asking me about Tweeting, Twitter, The twitter-verse, etc. So, I thought I would have a buddy of mine write up a guide for all of you that may be a bit perplexed by all these Tweets that folks are talking about on the news as well as in daily conversation.

Penny Sansevieri is a dear friend of mine (everytime we are in the same city we go out to lunch to "catch up!") as well as my book agent (yes, it is possible!) and I learned so much from her in a 30 minute conversation about Twitter, I thought I would let her have the "floor" in letting you know her tricks and tips on working with this interesting, unique platform. These tips work well for the person who just wants to stay in touch with friends as well as for the businessperson wishing to extend their marketing model. Enjoy!

Twitter: A Beginner's Guide
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There's a hot new trend going on right now and it's called micro-blogging. So what's a micro-blog? And moreover, what's Twitter? Twitter is a micro-blogger platform that allows users to create entries that are only 140 characters in length. These entries are referred to as "tweets". Originally designed to keep friends and family up to date on what you're doing, Twitter can also be a great place to share your latest book project, promotional ideas as well as interacting with fellow tweets (folks who twitter) and writers. And yes, you can have a blog and a Twitter page. I have both but I feed my blog into my Twitter site so that my Twitter page gets updated each time I add new content to my blog. There's an easy application to add your blog feed to Twitter, it takes just minutes to do. Head on over to: Twitterfeed, http://twitterfeed.com/. Don't feel bad if the first time you go to Twitter it seems like a mess of conversation, most people feel confused when they first enter Twitter-land and many don't see the point.

When I made my first entrance into micro-blogging none of it made sense to me. It seems a bit useless to be honest but then I got the hang of it and saw the real benefit to having and managing a Twitter account. That's really the key. Much like any social media tool we've discussed it's more than just having an account: you have to manage it too. But give yourself a little time on Twitter before you give up on it, at some point it'll either all make sense or it won't. Either way you're only out a few hours and, perhaps, a few informational tweets. Here's a quick start up guide to getting into the Twitterverse today:
1) To sign up for a Twitter account just go to www.twitter.comand complete their short sign up form. Accounts are free of course, you just have to fill out their form. Remember to brand yourself! This is important. Once you create a Twitter account you can't go back and change your name so find something that works for you. Maybe it's fictionwriter or businesswriter or whatever you want. My Twitter page is @bookgal, (note that all Twitter names are preceded by an @ when referenced on the site; you can also find me at http://twitter.com/bookgal) this is fun play on words for what I do (and what I love). I don't recommend that you use an underscore (so stay away from Michael_the_writer) since underscores can be tough to remember, and if someone is trying to tweet to you from their cell phone or blackberry those underscore keys can be tricky.
2) The email address you use for Twitter is important. Because of the nature of frequent communication on this site I recommend that you use an email that you check daily. Opportunities abound on Twitter and they're usually in the form of direct messages (DM) which you'll get notified of in your email account.
3) Get rid of the brown square: no one wants to follow an ugly brown square (which is the default picture Twitter gives you when you sign up) so be sure and upload a picture of yourself or whatever logo you want associated with your Twitter page and brand. Before you do this though check out some of the other pictures folks have used and see what resonates. Because you're easily branded to your picture on Twitter I don't recommend changing it once you've uploaded it. Also, the picture can't be too complex, you want to be able to see it small which is how most of the avatars show up.
4) All about you: don't forget to add your bio and web site. It's important to identify yourself on this site and remember if your Twitter followers want to know more about you they're likely to click on the bio info to get more background on you.
Now you're ready to start tweeting!

Once you have a Twitter account you can immediately enter into the conversation. You can also keep up with other people's tweets by "following" them. Their micro-blog entries will show up on your Twitter home page so you can easily keep track of them. You can also be notified by phone (text message) when they add a tweet. You can twitter from anywhere, even your phone. I've been known to twitter from my blackberry.
Why on Earth Would you Want to Twitter?

When Twitter first started, people were a little perplexed and, as I mentioned before, many first time Tweets just don't get it. I mean why on earth would you want to blog in 140 characters? Well since the site emerged in 2006, it's grown enormously in popularity. With Twitter pages from sites like CNN and every one of the political candidates, the site's popularity can't be overstated. Nor can its applications for the future. Also, even if you don't have a ton of people following your tweets, keep in mind that Twitter search sites are popping up everywhere. This means that if you tweet using keywords that matter to your reader/market, you could be found and followed! For one such search site check out: http://summize.com/ (there are numerous other ways to search and new ones popping up all the time). Also, if you're trying to gauge the popularity of a certain word or phrase and how often it's being used or referred to, you can head on over to Tweet Volume and find out, http://www.tweetvolume.com/. Just plug in your search term or terms and up will pop a list of results!
They key with Twitter isn't to land on the site and say "What can this site do for me" but rather ask yourself, "What can I do for the folks on this site?" For example, when I started Twittering on other helpful blogs and websites and linking to my own articles that I'd syndicated on the 'Net my followers doubled and tripled on a daily basis. When I plug in my keywords and respond a few times a day to questions people pose on Twitter and offer helpful advice, my followers increase again. One of the other things I did on the site was log onto Socialtoo.com and used the site to autofollow anyone who follows me, this site also sends a welcome message to everyone with a free download of Twitter tips. This helps me capture email addresses who will then become a part of our email newsletter readership.
Twitter Tricks

There's a little something on Twitter called @replies, these are replies written to a specific person. So, for example if someone were commenting on one of my tweets they might say "I liked that link @bookgal" and that will immediately pop up on my @replies Twitter page. You should always (or whenever possible or appropriate) respond to @replies.
Hash tags: this # (hashtag) symbol is a great way to bring even more exposure to your topic, especially something that's making the news. Recently there was a lot of dialog on Twitter about #queryfail, which was a site dedicated to posting the worst query letters. If you post a tweet on Twitter and decide to hashtag it, meaning you put a # before the keyword, you could explode the topic on Twitter if enough people are searching for it.
Repeat, repeat: because there's so much noise on Twitter it's ok to repeat your tweets. I will generally repeat them once a week or every two weeks depending on the nature of the post. I use a service called Postlater.com to recycle and repurpose content on Twitter. Let's face it, there's only so much you can see in a day so when you really start to build followers they may not get to all your posts, reposting and repeating is ok, just don't overdo it.
Retweeting: also called RT - this is a cool way to engage and connect with others in your market. If you see a post you like RT it, it's easy to do via Tweetdeck.com which I'll describe more in the next paragraph.
Engaging on Twitter

One thing that's important to note about Twitter is that while it's great for sharing info, it's also all about personal connections which is why I encourage you to respond to @replies and DM's. Join in the conversation, start a conversation or answer someone's question. There's a lot of debate about whether to follow everyone that follows you but I always do, not just out of courtesy but if they've followed me, they are likely in my industry and may at some point have a question. That's where Tweetdeck.com comes in. This nifty little program gives you a much more global overview of your Twitterverse. You can show all your @replies, DM's but you can also do searches based on keywords or # hashtags. That way, whenever a question pops up you can answer, it's easily spotted.
What on Earth will you Talk about?

You know I didn't know either when I first started, it was really up to me to figure out what my followers wanted and in my case, they wanted information. Lots of it. So I gave them what they wanted. Once you figure out what your followers want you'll find your stride on Twitter. Maybe you're just sharing insights about the writing life or publishing information, helping other writers. Does this sell books? Sure it does. Helping others will no doubt spotlight what you do as well so don't make it all about you. If you're still confused about what to talk about consider this. Let's say you're at a cocktail party, would you walk up to a group of people and say "Hi, my name is Sam and my book is awesome, please buy it?" I didn't think so. Your Internet conversations should be viewed as a cocktail party/networking event.

So how do you know it's working? With all the twitter about, well, Twitter, how do you really know this stuff is working? Well, you'll know when you know. Trust me on this. The first few weeks I was on there I thought very little of it, then as I started to engage, interact and see my stuff getting retweeted and then also adding followers like crazy, that's when I realized I was onto something. In the past four months I've gotten four speaking gigs, around ten media and guest blogging opportunities and a dozen new client inquiries. Twitter works if you work it. When you do, well, the results will be worth retweeting about!

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Thanks so much, Penny! I really appreciate you giving us your advice and expertise on this micro-blogging platform from the Internet. If you would like to learn more cool tips from Penny on a variety of marketing topics for the world wide web, be sure to sign up for her newsletter on www.amarketingexpert.com and don't forget to follow her funny and informative blog at: http://amarketingexpert.com/ameblog/

Have a great day, everyone!

Fear of Failure with Money. Battle the Beast and Win!

2009-07-14T10:38:00.003-06:00

Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have had a striving good enough to be called a failure.
-George Eliot

Dealing with the emotion of Fear is a BIG issue in life, and nowhere more so than in money matters. Many of my students over the years have known that this one emotion is THE sentiment that keeps them and money from having a productive relationship. You know that you need money to get by in life, and many folks tell me that they only want enough money to feel "comfortable." And they don't want to have more than their "fair share." But this emotion, Fear, is what always seems to be keeping their dreams at bay. It keeps them from acting when they should, sometimes forces them to act when they shouldn't, and generally prevents them from thinking and learning when they can. They are held hostage to their fear and are unable to make the changes necessary to better their financial lives.

There are many faces of Fear. It comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and times. There are times when fear is like a quiet nagging voice that won't shut up when you're trying to bring some control to your financial life. At other times it is the five-pound block of ice sitting in your belly as you look at the overdue bills on your desk and wonder how they can be paid on time—or maybe at all. It might be the sharp stabbing pain of realization that you just allowed a check to bounce, and it was for the rent. No matter what form Fear takes, there is one aspect that is consistent in all of its varieties: Fear is debilitating. It robs you of your reason and your will power, usually just when you need them the most. Worse yet, Fear in managing your money often seeps out to poison other areas of your life with Fear.

Fear is not only a big emotion, it is also quite complex. To fight it, to beat it, we need to understand the several faces of Fear so that we can form a plan of attack for each one in turn. Let's break up the emotion of Fear so that we can better deal with its hydra-headed nature. There are four major areas where fear hits us and leaves us feeling like we have had a sharp blow to the gut.

The Fear of Failure
The Fear of Inadequacy
The Fear of Ridicule
The Fear of the Unknown

Each one of these aspects of Fear is constantly working in our heads, individually and in combination, to keep us from living to our true potential. We have limitless abilities. (Ask any metaphysician!) Scientists say that we use only about 10% of our native brain power. So, we should have plenty of available mental resource to achieve our short-term goals and our long-term dreams. However, the insidious power of Fear crushes hope and leaves us sitting at our desks just wanting to curl into the fetal position and shut out the world. (Does anyone else assume this instinctive, protective position during stress, or is it just me?) Well, let's win our lives back from Fear, shall we? First off, let's deal with the biggest Fear most of my readers have on the wealth accumulation path, the Fear of Failure.

Numerous books have discussed the Fear of Failure. How to overcome it. How to live with it. How to feel it and live life anyway! I have chosen to address this topic in a slightly different vein. Rather than dealing with Fear head-on as most books do, we are going to sneak up on it by using the weapon of positive perspective. Okay? Fear and Creativity are tied together hand in hand. They both exist in balance. It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, if the human race is to evolve, individuals and societies have got to try new stuff. However, it can't be so radical that it wipes out the whole clan with one stupid stunt, right? So, it is natural that Fear and Creativity are walking side-by-side. Because of this intimate relationship, one of the biggest barriers to humans achieving greatness in their lives has been produced.

Let me define a bit here so that we're understanding one another. Each person on this planet has a spectrum of gifts and talents that is totally unique. I don't care what your first-grade teacher told you or what your Uncle Clyde or Aunt Rosy says, you have a purpose on this Earth that only you can fulfill. Unfortunately, purpose alone does not achieve any prize. Such prizes are attained only when a powerful purpose is tackled with ambition, passion, and a willingness to accept some setbacks along the way. The road to success is paved in failure. The main difference between successful people and individuals who are viewed as failures is that the winners kept on trying until they succeeded, no matter how long it took or how hard the struggle seemed. Right now, it is your fear of failure that is likely the major obstacle keeping you from stepping out and grasping at that brass ring of "Purpose." Fear of Failure stops many people from even trying. Sad, isn't it? Many folks don't even try. They shrug their shoulders and walk away, accepting a life of getting by. Well, since you're still reading, I'm going to assume that you are in a different category.

To read more of this chapter please follow this link (http://curingyourcashcrisis.com/index.php?title=Chapter_Four:_Fear) so that you can add your comments and ideas. I'm in the middle of working on book number five on money issues called, Curing Your Cash Crisis, where the issues of money must be dealt with first and then your money issues fall into place. I would appreciate your participation. Thanks! Have an abundant summer.

Janine

Car Insurance, Umbrella Policies, Teen Drivers, Oh My!

2009-07-08T22:12:00.003-06:00

Hi Janine,

Can I bother you for a question about car insurance?

We are just raised the liability insurance on our cars to $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident. Since we have two teen drivers and about $130,000 of equity in our house, we wonder if you would recommed an umbrella policy. Although an umbrella policy is only $200 or $300 more per year, it will actually double our annual premiums because it will require us to raise our liability to $250 per person and $500,000 per accident.

Thanks for your help,

Amber

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Dear Amber:

I'm glad to help you, but this is really not my area of expertise. I've chatted it over with my husband, Brad and he and I recommend the following.

1) An umbrella policy is CHEAP insurance if someone sues you. I can't remember are you in CA or VA? Or am I TOTALLY off? Anyhow, depending upon where you live and how suit (spelling?) happy folks are...you make the call.

2) Shop around for umbrella policies. Brad and I were both surprised that you would have your premiums go up on your car insurance while getting an umbrella policy too? Weird.

We have had umbrella policies for years and with three different companies and have not had that "required" from us. (the increase in premiums that is.) Now, we had to increase our deductibles, but not the premiums for the car insurance. Okay?

Again, we are NOT experts. This is just advice from one friend to another and I wish you much luck as you insure your family. It truly is a crazy reality when you're dealing with the world of insurance, but it is totally worth it with your first financial crisis! Right? Hang in there and know I'm cheering for you!

Wishing you and yours much Abundance,

Janine

P.S. If any of you wonderful readers have additional pointers or advice for Amber, please post your comments. What sort of experiences have you folks had with umbrella policies? Thanks!

Defusing the Explosive Combinations of Anger and Money

2009-06-14T19:56:00.002-06:00

Today's post is an excerpt from the book, Curing Your Cash Crisis. To get a full view of the chapter's contents follow the link at the bottom of this post. Here is a bit of a preview for you!

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I think it would be good for me to start this chapter by defining what I mean by Anger. The most straightforward definition I could find for this strong emotion was:

Anger is a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance.

Another definition that I have used for years, which is drawn from the philosophical side of life, is:

Anger is an emotion aroused when an expectation is not met.

This second version is my favorite definition for Anger because it perfectly flows from the experiences I’ve had with clients (and in my own life) as we have walked the journey from scarcity to abundance. Anger is the side effect of our expectations being thwarted, most especially when we feel that we were fully justified in having those expectations. Then Anger really gets juiced up.

The purpose of this post is to help you talk about money without becoming angry. Now, you may say to me, “But Janine, I never get angry when I talk about money.” Okay, I believe you. But is that same rational response employed by your spouse? Your ex-spouse? Your parents? Are all the people in your life with whom you discuss money as calm about it? If you can respond "Yes," then feel free to move on to another financial blog. However, before you jump sites, please pause for a moment and answer one more question for me.

Do you talk about money?

You might ask, "Why do I need to consider this question, Janine?" Simple. The ability to objectively think—and act—on this subject is a fundamental requirement for abundant living (in all respects of the term "abundant," and not just money). I have actually had people tell me, after learning that I was a financial coach, “Oh, well, that sounds really interesting. My husband and I never talk about money. All it does is make us upset.” Some of these folks had been married for 20 years or more and had NEVER discussed money! How does that work exactly? I was blown away by the many lost opportunities for these couples to have obtained financial stability in their lives, because of a simple inability to even talk about a basic activity in their everyday lives.

Even if you are not the one who gets angry when discussing money, how about hanging in with me just a wee bit longer, Why? Because you are needed. That’s right. If you are the one that stays calm while discussing money, you have a tremendous opportunity to assist others who need help to heal themselves from the Anger in their lives that is the result of the monetary stresses. When you have a discussion about money where the other person starts to get angry, use the questions below to help them find their money-related emotional triggers that are keeping them from progressing.

Now, if you are the person who becomes Angry when discussing, reading, or learning about money issues, here are some questions to help you find out why this destructive emotion is popping up in your monetary life. When Anger hits, here are the things to ask yourself after you’ve done the breathing exercises to calm yourself and return your mind to a state of "Think."

Why am I angry?
When did I get angry?
Are there certain key words or phrases that set me off?
Do I need to use a "Retract?"
Do I really want to hang onto my Anger?

Read more...

Discussion and comments are listed on www.curingyourcashcrisis.com
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The next chapter will be posted after the 4th of July holiday. (That is for we US of A - types.) To my British readers, sorry to bring it up! I wish everyone a fabulous fortnight (plus a few days) and I'll chat with you again soon.

Janine

Is Guilt Keeping You from True Abundance & Wealth?

2009-06-08T07:49:00.001-06:00

Guilt

Guilt is the emotion that pops up in my workshops first and foremost. Guilt has no real function but to inflict pain on the person who feels it. In short, Guilt about past money mistakes causes folks the most distress. Over the years I have noticed a pattern with participants as they first walk into a financial seminar. They usually enter very quietly with their shoulders slumped, looking like they’ve just been beaten with a mental baseball bat. The expressions on many of their faces seem to be saying:

“Let’s get this over with. I know I’m an idiot for being in this financial mess, and I need to be punished for not knowing how to handle money.”

“How did I ever get this deep into debt? I’m such a loser, I don’t deserve wealth, or happiness.”

“This wacko lady can't help me. It’s probably just another scam I’ve been suckered into. She’s probably going to tell me there is no hope for someone stuck where I am.”

“I should have never listened to my spouse and come here. There is absolutely no way anyone can help me get out of this hole.”

As I watch person after person walk into the room, it is amazing how much Guilt they bring with them. It is like they have a 50-pound sack of flour on their back and they don’t see how anyone can help relieve them of their burden. Not only that, but some of them have become so used to the burden that they have actually forgotten that they neither want or deserve it; letting go of the Guilt is threatening, because it represents a change in the normal emotional outlook, and many people think that change is painful! Is that how you are feeling right now about your own financial situation? If so, then let’s work on getting you to stand up straight and drop that unhelpful bag of Guilt.

The first question I have to ask you is, “Are you willing to put the bag down?” Most are not, even after you become aware of the burden and learn to recognize what it represents. Why? Because you may think you deserve this guilt. We need to convince your mind that you really are worth forgiving. Yes, you are. No matter what choices you’ve made. No matter how much debt you owe. No matter how desperate you were to run from emotional anguish by buying unneeded stuff. You are a person who is worth saving. You are worth forgiving. The challenging part is getting your stubborn mind and your long-standing habit of self-castigation to agree with what your heart already knows. You are a person that is worth forgiving. Money mistakes, no matter how major, are minor in the great scheme of things.

To read more on this emotion which comprises Chapter Two of my new book, visit www.curingyourcashcrisis.com

I look forward to your comments!

Curing Your Cash Crisis, The War has begun!

2009-06-03T09:00:00.001-06:00

The War (Chapter One of the new book) has begun! As of two days ago, I posted the first chapter along with the Introduction for folks to comment on.

Here is your chance to ask any money question and have it answered! [as long as you don’t ask me how to invest your savings! (I’m aware of how to make and use money, but I have no certification in Financial Planning so I can’t “go” there with you.)] However, what I CAN do is answer all the other hundreds of basic questions buzzing through your brain!

What other reason should you care about this project? You get a free book out of the deal! That's right! I will make sure that you receive a free electronic copy of the final book. Not only do you get to comment and review each chapter as it comes out, thus helping you to get started digging out of your own personal economic recession, but you will receive a copy of the completed book after it is edited and ready for publication! My publisher is pushing for a September 2009 deadline.

Isn’t this the coolest thing? I am so excited to be able to open up this opportunity to the whole frugal community.

What do you need to do? Pop over to http://www.curingyourcashcrisis.com/ to review chapter one, The War. There will be buttons on the page that will allow you to comment or ask questions; I and my editor(s) will make sure that the answers to the most universal and helpful questions will appear somewhere within the final book. Thanks for taking part in the building of a book to bring the emotional side of money into sharp focus.

Step 10 to Abundance: Relax! Breathe! You will gain control of your finances!

2009-06-01T09:00:00.001-06:00

Here we are on the final step to Abundance. I've done my best to give you the Reader's-Digest-Condensed-version of the systems used by wealthy people to bring their finances under their control rather than bbeing controlled by them.

Here is kind of a quick list that I use in my seminars and workshops to help bring all the main points together and assist you in the step-to-step walk to abundance.

Write down your eulogy, goals and purpose statement. Review your goals daily.

Track all your expenses for three months.

Open your savings accounts (both long term and short term)

Implement the 60/40 principle with money that is NOT your paycheck.

Live within your means, always. If you don't have the cash to buy it, don't.

Invest in yourself. Learn how money grows. Totally understand compound interest!

Declutter your purse, wallet, car, house, garage, and storage units.

Learn a new skill once a month, make June's skill be the use of a Price Book.

Keep learning, read a financial book once every six months.

Relax! Take a deep breath! Rome wasn't built in a day. Know that the steady effort wins this race.

The most important fact about the wealth accumulation lifestyle is this: It is a race that is a marathon, not a sprint. Make daily efforts to gain control of your financial life. Don't try to change everything ALL at once. Do a little something every day and over the course of 5-9 years you will see that you have totally altered your financial life for the better.

Now...those are the basic principles to wealth. All 10 of them. What is next? Time to deal with the emotional barriers that you are putting up to prevent you from becoming rich. Wander over to the website Curing Your Cash Crisis and see the first chapter of the new book I'm writing. I want your participation so this books helps you and as many people as possible in the financial journey out of debt and into wealth.

Step 9 to Abundance: Splitting Money to Pay Down Debt and Increase Savings

2009-05-26T09:27:00.001-06:00

Okay, folks, we're about done with this "Path to Abundance Program." Step 8 demonstrated the three areas where money is submitted to keep the cycle of cash flowing into your life rather than away from you. How do you utilize this knowledge to bring cash into your world? There is a simple system that will allow you to pay off debt while at the same time increase your savings account balance. It is called the 60/40 Principle. It is the system that I used to get my family out of debt and eventually we moved from being middle class to millionaires over a 7 year period. Here are the basics:

This concept is the main rule that governs the flow of money in our lives. If you implement the 60 / 40 principle on any money you receive, you will immediately see your savings account start growing while your debt load decreases. If your debts are great, start only with money that is not part of your income, such as birthday money, rebates, unexpected cash from part-time employment, your change jar, your bonus from work, a tax refund check, whatever; you get the idea. You allocate money in this way by the 60 / 40 principle:

60% you live on. This goes into your main checking account.

10% goes into a long-term savings vehicle (IRA, 401k, Keogh account, solo 401k) for retirement. If you don't currently have a retirement account of any kind open two savings accounts at your bank. (One for long term and one for short term savings)

10% goes into a short-term savings account (local bank or a money market account) for use in those occasional large-scale expenses (new tires) and emergencies (the water heater explodes).

10% is tithed to a church or secular charity that is in line with your purpose. This is your ''rent'' for occupying space on the planet.

10% is pure philanthropy. That's right, you just give it away for the benefit of the community at large. This primes the pump so that the Universe starts sending wealth your way.

Once you have retired your debts, you apply the 60 / 40 principle to all your money, including your income, to keep money flowing in your life. Should you have any questions or comments please post them. I'll do my best to answer you quickly. Next week will be the final step to the Path to Abundance. Then we will move on to Curing Your Cash Crisis....stay tuned.

Happy Memorial Day! A Thank You to all the men and women who serve their countries.

2009-05-25T08:55:00.001-06:00

I have to pause for a moment in our "Step to Abundance" Program to thank a few million people! Yep, that's right. Today is Memorial Day in the US and, to me, that means a day to reflect on the millions of people that have died throughout history fighting for what they believed in. I know that I was born an American, but I have really always considered myself a Child of Earth. I've always seen the world as my family and so it is sometimes hard for me to limit my love, consideration and reflection to only one country. Maybe this is due to the fact that I spent most of my youth outside of the United States of America. My dad was a Seabee in the Navy and so I got to be in many, cool countries growing up.

Because of this, I have a warped perspective (as some have told me). I see the world as my family and have an irritating habit (to some) of not using the "appropriate" terms of "us-and-them" correctly. You see, we live on a tiny rock in space. We are free falling through said space and the one major thing that keeps us all together is the gravity of the Sun. (You KNEW I was going to have to bring Science into this a wee bit!) When you see the pictures of our beautiful planet hovering is a sea of black, you can't help but be inspired by the fragility of it and the desire to keep it beautiful.

Happy Memorial Day to all the men and women who serve their countries at great sacrifice to themselves and their families. Know that I take a few moments today and think about the shear number of people that really means. A special "thank you" to my dad, Jim, Nina, John and Erica. I love you guys.

Wishing all of you a safe and inspiring Memorial Day,

Janine

Step 8 to Abundance: Understanding the Flow of Money

2009-05-19T19:21:00.008-06:00

Okay, you've been working on your eulogy. You've got a vision for "why" you are saving money and digging yourself out of debt at the same time. You have purpose. And lastly, you have started tracking your expenses. Now, comes the time to pull all this together. Time for you to put the Flow of Money into perspective.

One reason money may have not been working well for you is due to your ignorance of how it works or "flows" in and out of your life. Don't worry, this is NOT something they teach in any school. As important as the Law of Attraction and the Flow of Money are these principles are so basic, most folks don't give them any thought until their money issues reach up and bite them!

Money is not linear. It does not flow like a stream from the mountains to the plains in a fairly downhill line. It is circular. Money moves in a HUGE circle. So large, in fact, that most of us don't comprehend the size of the circle until we are actively engaged in making the circle move faster for us.

Here is how it works: the flow of money is split into three large sections that move around our lives in a curved path.

The Living Arm of money is the path most of us know about intimately. It is where all the expenses are located and it usually takes up 110% of our income. Yep, we spend beyond our means in this category.
The Saving Arm of money is the least known path for Americans. We really stink at saving money. The Chinese and Japanese so have us beat in this area! Of the entire US Population, only 2% saves money. Yikes!
The Giving Arm of money is actually well done by Americans. We are a very giving country, but the reason we don't benefit like we could by this movement of money is due to our inconsistency of giving. We donate here, there and everywhere, but in a very sporadic way. This does not help keep the flow of money going. Consistency is the key here.

To get money moving in your life you need to have cash flowing to all three arms of money at the same time. That is why it is impossible to pay off your debt first and THEN save money. You must save money and pay off your debt at the SAME time.

Now that you know how money flows, you'll be able to use that knowledge to funnel cash into the areas of your life that will bring a return. The next post will deal with the actual mechanics (read: details) of how to make that happen. Step 9 to Abundance is the 60/40 Principle!

Stay tuned!

Step 7 to Abundance: Using The Law of Cause and Effect for Positive Purposes

2009-05-18T08:19:00.001-06:00

This principle that the Universe will fill the Voids we create in our lives, and do so in kind, is well known. It goes by many names and is said in various ways. You’ve probably heard most of these depending upon your cultural or religious background. Some alternate versions are:

“The Law of Cause and Effect”

“The Law of the Harvest”

“What you sow, that you shall reap.”

“What goes around comes around.”

“Birds of a feather flock together.”

“To him that has, more shall be given.”

“Like begets like.”

“Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.”

Despite the near-universal acceptance of this well-known law, people still have difficulty implementing it when they need something or when they see that others are in need. When you’re serving the needs of others it seems that the Universe goes to work overtime to get you what you need so that you can succeed. Yes, you still have to do your part and work like crazy while you move toward your goal, but you have to do that anyway, right? So why not rope the Universe into helping you out as well? Use the Law of Cause and Effect to do good in your particular corner of the world. How do you do it? Easy. What you give away will come back to you, just like a boomerang. (We can go into the physics of that in a later post!)

If you live in fear of starving, give food away (I have a family member that has 25# sacks of rice under her bed because not having enough food is one of her issues. I've learned so many tricks of how to store food in unconventional ways from this woman!

If you are afraid of being homeless, offer your house as a place to stay to someone in need.

If you think you worry about not enough clothes for yourself or your children, give away clothes.

Lastly, if you really want more money in your life, guess what? That's right. Start giving it away. Give as much away as you can without straining the budget for rent, food, tuition and insurance payments. You get the idea. There is money in your life that you can give away without putting your family out on the street. If this is NOT the case...if you are really in that dire situation where you can't even afford food, then get thee to a food bank and start receiving aid. Why? You need to swallow the pride and accept help so that you can get to where you are more stable financially. Then, and only then, can you move into abundance. I'll rant and rave more on this topic in a later post.

Remember what the late Sam Walton (co-founder of WalMart) told me about the secret of success in business is to replicate yourself. This principle holds true for money as well. Sure, the Universe isn’t one of your employees, but so what? A helping hand (or whatever the Universe provides) is still a helping hand. Consider what it is that you are afraid of and then fight that fear by giving what you need to others. It is a beautiful expression of the saying, "What goes around, comes around."

Step 6 to Abundance (Part 2) Disposable Products True Cost

2009-05-16T06:08:00.007-06:00

by Janine Bolon

Well, I was a bit surprised by the number of comments that flooded my email inbox, Facebook account and twitter direct messaging regarding this topic so we're going to chat about it for a bit longer.

First off, please, please everyone stop beating yourself up, okay? Stop with the guilt and self-flagellation on this. We are all here learning how to become financially independent. You are going to make mistakes, have challenges and meet resistance (both internally and externally) as you move along this road to debt-free living. Here is a sample of some of the comments made by folks that demonstrates many of the emails I've received.

"I know I waste money on paper towels. I'll go forever, not buy any and then get desperate and buy some. My kids and hubby go through them so fast that I then stop buying them again. I just need to go out and buy a bunch of dishtowels. Thanks for the reminder."

"I'm willing to do without paper towels, just don't mess with my toilet paper budget."

"Please, please don't ask me to give up my Charmin! I don't want my wife to read your post."

I find it funny that so many folks immediately start thinking about toilet paper whenever I mention disposable products! LOL. As one reader said, she'd tried to save money by having her family use the old Sears catalog trick, but they rebelled. (heavy tongue-in-cheek here!) Then the next item on the list of questions from readers was, what did my family use two-ply paper or one ply. I was inundated with questions about toilet paper. I had several husbands (3 to be exact) email me and beg me NOT to tell their wives about the costs because they have preferences for their bathroom tissue and they can't stand the generic brands. Toilet paper, toilet paper, toilet paper!!!

Look, this is the thing folks. Don't worry about what brand you use of ANY disposable paper, plastic or cleaning product. Just know the amount of money that you are throwing away on a daily basis. Then make a decision as to the cost/benefit ratio. Is it worth it to you to have a specific brand of toilet paper? If the answer is yes, well then buy it...you have my permission. LOL.

Make the sacrifices that you can comfortably live with and then save money somewhere else in your frugal life. There are thousands of ways to save money in this tightwad lifestyle. Use the other 999 ways to save money and stick to buying the bathroom tissue that is your favorite! Yikes! I had no idea that we would open up such a can of worms on this tip. Although, I thank every single one of you for emailing me. By the way, my husband totally agreed with you guys! DON'T mess with a man's favorite bathroom tissue. We're treading on sacred ground here. (Sorry, but I can't keep laughing from the shear PASSION this tip unearthed!) Your many emails let me know that you were reading the blog and that is good. Keep reading and you'll learn more than just money tips, you'll learn the mindset that keeps you walking the path to financial freedom.

Okay, now let's talk about all the other disposable products that are used in common households, not just the passionate issue of toilet paper. LOL. (Sorry, I'll try not to giggle anymore, but the response really has me giddy. It was so unexpected.) As I run through the list, just see which ones you can really do without and which ones that you make a goal to eliminate from your household budget. Alright? No panic attacks here. Remember this frugal life is all about saving money in places that won't make you feel deprived!

Paper towels - buy kitchen towels and store a whole STACK under your sink for daily use.

Napkins - buy cloth and launder

Plastic flatware - buy a BUNCH of flatware from the thrift store for pennies and take that with you on your outings, picnics and potlucks. If it is lost or left, no biggie.

Paper/disposable cups - again, the thrift store is a treasure trove of coffee mugs, unwanted tea cups and glassware. When we picnic out or go to potlucks my family wraps our drinking dishes in those linen towels from the kitchen. We've not had a breakage yet. Now, be sensible...around the pool or on the beach...of course, use reusable plastic cups.

Cleaning wands, sweepers and other house cleaning disposable products - I tried the new Clean-all-dust-mop-thingy when it first came out because I had a store coupon and I bought it on double coupon day and it only cost me $5 instead of the $20 it was going for. I could also write it off as a business expense because I was testing it for my "readers." Well, that thing DID NOT clean as well as my dust mop that has the removable cotton head that I just throw into my washing machine. Actually, it left stuff behind that my other dust mop was able to pick up. Really look at your housecleaning goodies, how many now languish in the back closet never being used after you realized that your broom did just as well, thank you, and doesn't cost you "pennies" every time you use it? Get rid of them and clear out that closet.

Trash bags - when we moved into our current house I went to the thrift store and bought bathroom sized trash cans for various rooms of the house. I even use the little bathroom trash can for my kitchen. I do this so I can use plastic bags given free at the store as liners. Sure, sure...I do use canvas bags for shopping, but when my trash can liners run low, I'm using the freebie bags. Now, I have a few things many people do not. Colorado is very big on the whole GO GREEN thing and we have an amazing recycling program here in Boulder County. Our curbside trash can is 1/2 the size of what you normally see! No lie. See the picture below. Also, every family has a variety of different trash and maybe this system won't work for you. However, it is just another way to save on a normal expense. There are ways to creatively get around most expenditures. Why did I ever come up with this? Well, it was when I was pregnant with kid number four. I couldn't lift the kitchen sized trash bags when I was as big as a whale. My husband traveled a lot and my other kids were also too tiny to handle the job. My answer...use tiny trash cans and smaller bags. Then I could make multiple trips to the trash, but hey, I could at least LIFT the silly thing. That's when it struck me that I was also saving money.

I hope this helps you out. Continue to do little things every day to keep your life simple and frugal. Give up the things you can, buy generic when you can and purchase the items that make a difference in your life. No guilt here. Just be conscious of what your buying and how much life energy it costs you. Good luck and, guys, keep those emails coming. I'll try to protect you from an overzealous wife. Remember, she just want you to retire early!

Step 6 to Abundance: Examine Your Use of Disposable Products

2009-05-14T15:43:00.004-06:00

by Janine Bolon

Sometimes you just have to change your buying habits in order to get the best value for your money. I had one client, Linda, tell me that she was having difficulty figuring out where she could cut corners in her expenses. After two months of tracking, she came to my office and worked through her monthly expense sheet. I asked her about her paper towel use. Linda would only buy one particular brand and she knew exactly how many rolls she went through a week. I showed her that she was spending $520 a year on paper towels alone. It looked like this:

4 rolls per week @ $2.50 each = $10 a week x
52 weeks per year = $520 annually

She was appalled! She said she could afford to buy a new dishwasher for that amount of money! This gave her the motivation to stop using paper towels. Immediately she went out and purchased a bunch of inexpensive linen towels. The initial investment was $12.64 for 20. Even with laundering costs she knew that she was saving huge amounts of money by not using paper towels anymore.

Look around your house and determine what behaviors you have with disposable products. See them for what they really are...money down the drain. Don't let the commercials or the marketing fool you...disposable products are not THAT more convenient to make me give up on financial independence by throwing money away!

Please remember this one important fact, the difference between the middle class and millionaires is that wealthy people are always thinking about what they can do to create their financial independence.

Step 5 to Abundance: Making a Price Book for Buying Groceries

2009-05-13T23:33:00.004-06:00

by Janine Bolon

This is a wonderful tool to use to immediately and drastically decrease your family’s burn rate. You will see a pronounced difference in your monthly expenses, specifically your grocery bill, by using this tool then by any other means that I can recommend.

But it requires some really specialized, high priced equipment. What you will need is a three-ring binder. Then you can go out and buy an A to Z index to put in it – or get really frugal and make your own. And then fill the binder with three-hole punched notebook paper. The last item you will need is a pen or pencil. (Okay, I was kidding about the high priced equipment.)

What you are going to do is create your own price book. Amy Dacyczyn was the first author I read that described this system. Invest the 15 minutes a week required to get this program up and running and you will have a huge return on the time spent. Or, as we frugal types like to say, you will achieve a very high hourly wage for your effort!

The first thing you do is sit down with your ring binder (price book) and write down the most frequent items you buy and the prices that you normally pay off the top of your head. If you are like most of my clients, you will have no idea what you pay for most of your groceries. The next thing to do is to grab your store advertising circulars. Most folks get these in the mail or have a spouse or friend pop by the store on the way home to pick up the week’s circulars. Look over each circular and put down the sale prices of the items that you would buy that week; the most highly discounted items (the “loss leaders,” or items sold below cost to lure you into the store) and thus the best buys will be on the front and back pages.

For my family, we’re always looking for milk to hit a sale. My kids know that we won’t pay over $2 a gallon on milk. So each week we scan the circulars and find milk on sale at one of the four grocery stores we have in town. If it isn’t on sale that week, we don’t buy it. The longest we have ever had to go without milk was two weeks. Because of our price book, I learned that our stores have milk on a two-week sale cycle. I buy enough milk to last us through the two weeks as we wait for the sale to come around again. You can do the same thing with eggs, bread, bananas, or any other staple that you can name. You just have to do a few minutes of homework each week to keep your price book up to date.

Curing Your Cash Crisis...Ask Questions, Get Answers!

2009-05-13T18:56:00.006-06:00

Greetings, Friends of Mine and Fans of Cash!

In response to those of you clamoring for me to write another book explaining the uses and abuses of money, the time has finally come to answer your pleas! The new tome is going to be called Curing Your Cash Crisis: Dealing with the Emotional Side of Money (or something like that).

However, I refuse to write this book in a vacuum. I want input from all my readers, followers, and fans, telling me what it is that you want to know. As of June 1st, SmartCents will be launching a new website that will post each chapter of the new book as I write it. On that site, you will have the opportunity to discuss each chapter, ask questions of me, and demand that I answer them within the pages of text. I will answer any question you have about money as long as you don’t ask me how to invest your savings! (I’m aware of how to make and use money, but I have no certification in Financial Planning so I can’t “go” there with you.) However, what I CAN do is answer all the other hundreds of basic questions buzzing through your brain!

What’s the bonus? For anyone who either asks a question that I can include in the new chapters or makes a constructive comment in the discussion section of the site, I will make sure that you receive a free electronic copy of the final book. That’s right! Not only do you get to comment and review each chapter as it comes out, thus helping you to get started digging out of your own personal economic recession, but you will be helping me to produce a volume that can help as many people as possible to understand the emotional traps that money matters always seem to throw our way.

Isn’t this the coolest thing? I am so excited to be able to open up this opportunity to the whole frugal community.

What do you need to do? Mark your calendar for June 1st so that you are sure to pop over to http://www.curingyourcashcrisis.com/ to review the first chapter of the book. It will be posted as of midnight on that date. There will be buttons on the page that will allow you to comment or ask questions; I and my editor(s) will make sure that the answers to the most universal and helpful questions will appear somewhere within the final book.

Just one word of caution. This book HAS to go to publication by the end of the summer. That means we only have through the end of August to play with the concepts and get all the data needed to fill its pages.

If you’ve ever had the desire to help write a book, now is your chance to get your feet wet. Come join the party and have a good time with the rest of us. See you on June 1st!

Wishing you much abundance,

Janine

Step 4 to Abundance: Tracking Down those Coins!

2009-05-08T10:10:00.004-06:00

by Janine Bolon

Now that you have a purpose for becoming wealthy that isn't just a murky "to be rich," you can move on to making the necessary behaviorial changes that will stimulate more cash flow as well as help sharpen your focus on what you really want out of life!

It is time to start Tracking Your Expenses and Income.

Go ahead, roll your eyes and groan! All my clients and students do when I hit this stage of the lifestyle. Everyone thinks that it is SUCH a pain to track their money. Guess what? I'll let you in on a secret. I have yet to meet a millionaire that DOESN'T track their money. Seriously. Since my family became wealthy I've met a lot of other wealthy folks and I've asked them point blank,

"Hey do you track your expenses?"

"Of course!" is their response and they look at me like I have three heads.

Why? Because it is a basic principle. If you want to become wealthy so you can do what you want to do, then you have to know where your cash is going and where it is coming from. True, many millionaires have other people track their cash for them. They pay them for this service so they can get on with doing their particular missions in life.

I have first hand experience with this because in the early 90s I worked for a retired CEO of the Johnson & Johnson corporation. He was a man worth over 40 million dollars and I had the good fortune of learning from him how the rich view and handle money. It was a life lesson I never forgot because his habits were so drastically different from anyone I had ever met.

Every morning when he would walk into his office and take all the receipts of the previous day's expenditures out of his wallet and put them in a basket on my desk. At that point I would enter them into a spreadsheet under various categories. Once a week I would print off a summary sheet and he would look it over on Friday as he was in his planning meeting for the next week.

Once a month I would print a larger summary and he would look it over and discuss it with his spouse. She, too, had her own report and the questions I would hear them ask one another were like these:

So, how did we do this month, honey?

What unexpected expenses did we have this month? (You will learn as you do this activity that there is NEVER a normal month and there is ALWAYS an unexpected expense!

Are we happy with the way we spent our money?

Is there anything we need to change or save up for?

Do we want to do anything different?

In these meetings there was no judgement of one another as each read through their list and studied the money flow. Why? Because they both wanted to spend their money in ways that moved their purposes forward. They were heavy into philanthropy. Any money they spent on themselves meant less money for their favorite charities (they had 3 they started and funded).

They enjoyed their money. They had nice cars and they went on vacations, but the focus of their money was funding their charities. They made sure what money they did spend on themselves was in self-education/improvement. This millionaire once told me, "Yeah, I finally bought myself a Cadillac. I've wanted a Cadillac since I was 15, here I am 62 years old and I got it yesterday! Do you want to see it?" I laughed. How could I resist? This guy could have purchased any car he wanted for years, but he waited until he had all of his other priorities taken care of before he handed over the cash for a luxury. It still makes me smile when I think of that afternoon.

The point to tracking expenses is simply this...know where your money is going. Right now the reason you are so fustrated with your life and you feel so out-of-control is due to the fact that you have NO idea where your money goes. You work and work and work and at the end of the month you have NOTHING for all your hard efforts. No wonder your discouraged! I don't blame you!

So, come up with a very EASY system for tracking your expenses. Remember why you want to become rich, remember that you have a purpose for your life that is more than just being comfortable. The Universe wants to use you for making this world a better place. You may not know EXACTLY what it is you are going to be doing, but you know that the money that is coming to you is for a greater good. So, track those coins, track the money that is coming into your life and you will watch as your expenses decrease and your savings increase. You will gain control of your money and at the same time you're life will start to make sense in a whole new way.

Keep up the great work and do stay in touch. Let me know how you're doing after 2 weeks, 1 month and then 3 months. Those are the biggest changes that happen for folks. After 3 months you'll be so sold on the system you'll continue tracking coins for life!

Step 3 to Abundance: Cheerful Cooperation with Cash

2009-04-30T17:01:00.005-06:00

by Janine Bolon

Okay this next step to money management and wealth accumulation is going to be a tough one for many of you. Right now today- start practicing this skill set if you ever want to become wealthy.

Stop lying about money.

Yep, that's right. It is time for you to be totally honest and direct when it comes to talking cash (that's cash, not trash!)

In my 13 years of working with people about their financial concerns, I have yet to meet anyone that didn't in some way lie about their money. That's right. Married couples, singles, working moms, teenagers...all walks of life. We lie about how much we spend when our partner looks up at our shopping bags and asks, "What'd ya get?" How often I have heard folks fudge the numbers when discussing what was happening in their lives regarding the amount of money spent, owed or earned. That's right!! 84% of the people I have coached in finances couldn't tell me their take home income. They could tell me their annual income, but not the take home.

This is what happens over the years. We first learn to lie when we are young. To tell "white" lies that don't hurt anyone. They keep us out of trouble and the wrath of a parent, sibling or relative is kept at bay by this activity. Unfortunately, over time these lies become a habitual way of dealing with finances. Then, we start lying to ourselves not just those around us. It is a brutal wake up call when we get caught in a lie. (Read: you're telling your financial coach one dollar figure and she has notes from a previous coaching session that says a different amount. Ouch!)

White lies about money are disasterous. At first they seem like nothing, but just like compound interest, they build and become stronger the longer they are used. How? Let's look at what happens when you lie:

You say you saved $40 dollars on a sale rather then the actual amount of $36

You then begin to start rounding dollars and cents in your head in a way that caters to your buying habits

Over months you lose track of the amount of money you seriously are spending

After a year you get your credit card bill and you're stunned you are THAT far in debt.

Rule number 1 on the path to wealth: Never, Never lie about money. Money is a powerful tool and you have to handle it with respect and grace. The moment you lie to a parent, spouse, friend, etc. about money...you're headed down a path that leads to negative numbers (debt.) Trust is lost between spouses, business partners, friends. It is an aweful way to have to live.

Now don't get me wrong, if someone asks you a personal question about money that is none of their business, there are many polite ways to deny them that information without being rude. If you have a spouse, partner, friend that is discussing shared finances with you, then it is especially important that not even white lies are used. Money is too powerful to be messed with in this way.

Why all the focus on this? It is a Universal Law, that is why. If you want more money, then you have to be a Truth Speaker to get more. The Universe will test and try you to see if you are worthy for more of this powerful tool. So, prove to the Universe that you are up to the challenge. Start telling the truth when you spend $5 more than you wanted. Don't justify yourself, just admit what you have done. You will be amazed what a relief it is to always speak Truth about money.

Good luck and Much Abundance to You!

Step 2 to Abundance: "What Do I Want?"

2009-04-19T11:17:00.005-06:00

Okay, this blog entry might be a little choppy because I'm making waffles while writing to you, but I know folks are waiting for step two. I had to make a choice, not get this step out for another 2 days or write while cooking. So, here you go:

Step 2 on the path to abundance is knowing what you want out of life.

Now this is a tricky step. Most people think they what they want, but if you are really honest with yourself you'll realize that your desires are mostly foggy. You may say things like, "I want to be Rich" or " I want to live a comfortable life" or " I want a new car." Whatever it is that you want at that moment...it is surrounded in a haze of uncertainty and lacks clarity in your mind's eye. (Imagine walking into a steam room!) You must refine your thoughts so that you get not only what you need out of life, but also what you want. If you want to be rich, how rich? Assign "Rich" with a dollar figure. Is rich for you defined as $10,000 in a long term savings account? Is it $1 million, is it $4 million? Just because your current bank account registers $10 at the moment doesn't matter. What is the amount of "Rich?"

Success in any enterprise is knowing what you want-Exactly. Having a mental picture so clear and bright that you can tell someone detail after detail of what you want. If you want to buy a new car, do you know the make of the car? The color? What accessories do you want it to come with? Passenger air bags? Cargo net? Little rain wipers on the headlights? A trailer hitch? You get the idea. Whatever it is you really want out of life...you have to define it in detail!

Here is the basic thought process I use to achieve my goals, both financial and general life.

Brad and I were looking for a new house in Colorado. Before we ever looked up what houses were available, before we ever looked at a map to figure out where in the Denver Metro Area we wanted to live before we ever assigned a top-end pricee we would pay for it, we asked ourselves the following:

What do we need in our house?

Easy maintenance (Brad and I are NOT fixer-uppers)

Easy-to-clean

Room for Brad and I's offices (3-4 bedrooms)

Large common room

2 bathrooms

Woodstove

Gas Utilities

After we had a clear picture of what was NEEDED, we then moved to what would we LIKE:

Ranch style construction

Older neighborhood with large trees

Nice sized back yard-room for a garden

Low traffic along street

It was only after we had this list of Needs & Likes that we moved on to looking up the available houses in the area of our choice. We then managed to get a Fantastic Realtor !(Thank you Cassia) She did an amazing job finding us the house we bought. Wow! How long did it take use to find our house? Four days with a realtor. It was a three story, 22-year old home on a semi-cal-de-sac with a wood stove, fireplace, gas utilities, landscaped back yard and low traffic. Wow! Most of the residents of this neighborhood moved in right after the houses were built twenty odd years ago. Cassia told us houses on this side of town almost-NEVER come up for sale. We found out after moving in that she was right this was the first time in 10 years a house had opened up.

Most people call Brad and I lucky. Yes, luck does have a part to play in our good fortune, I won't deny it, but I also know that the reason we are so successful in so many areas of our lives is due to the fact that we know what we want in DETAIL.

Okay, you know how I like to give you list of questions to help you along your path to abundance. Today is no exception.

Once you've decided what you want from life here are the questions to ask?

What does it (the dream, house, car, idea, business) look like?

What is its purpose?

What sorts of things will I be doing with it?

What people will I need to bring it to me or work for me?

What resources will I need to run it, obtain it or maintain it after I have it?

Can I get what I want by renting it rather than buying it outright?

Do I have storage space for it?

Do I need to get rid of something before I get the new thing?

That is a short list, but you get the idea of the things I run through before I purchase any item that will take up space, need cleaning, or require my time.

Realize that most of the purchases you make are due to you NOT knowing what you want. You are spending money because you are unhappy, bored, tired, angry, stressed...you name it. This is not only impulse buys, but also extra purchases of gifts, projects and items to decorate your life (whether it be the house, car or you.) Merchandisers are counting on you not truly knowing what you want out of life....beat them at this game and keep that money in your savings account until you find out EXACTLY what you want....down to a wood stove in the family room!

Good luck and Much Abundance to You!

Step 1 to Abundance, "Do I Want to be Rich?"

2009-04-15T15:46:00.009-06:00

by Janine Bolon

Okay, okay, OKAY!!!! After the past two months of emails, phone calls, and letters. I'll do it! Stop twisting my arm! Geeze....it has come to my attention in MULTIPLE ways and in a multitude of communications that people really want me to start at the basics again. It seems my book is no longer enough and people want fresh insight on the old stand by...How do I Become Rich in Today's Economy! Over the next few months I will be blogging about the steps that I (and other millionaires) have used to become wealthy, rich, abundant...whatever term fits easiest in your paradigm. I will go through a step-by-step program to get you from where you are to where you want to be. Okay? I do hope the harassment of my readers will stop by doing this! (I'm laughing here, you guys have been great. Congratulations, you won!)

First off, the primary thing that is REQUIRED for you to become wealthy is this simple question. You must answer this question with total integrity. If you in ANY way fudge this question you will sabotage your efforts, you will continue in debt and nothing, NOTHING I write from this point on will make an impact on your financial status. Agreed? So right here, right now you MUST answer this question in complete honesty.

Do I want to be Rich?

Seems simple doesn't it? Well, it isn't for 95% of my clients this question stumps them for months before they finally make the decision that "Yes, Janine, I want to be RICH!" They almost always start giggling at this point because for them it is like they're cussing out loud in a theater or something. RICH has a really bad reputation. Some one call a PR firm and give RICH a better image because for most middle class folks, it is akin to EVIL. Nobody wants to be EVIL so why would they want to be RICH? Right?

If you answered, "Yes" to the question don't think you're out of the woods quite yet. You still have an issue. Sorry to be the one to break it to you. If you REALLY wanted to be RICH you would be right now and wouldn't be reading this post. So, there is something there, emotionally speaking, holding you back from becoming the wealthiest person you want to be. Here are some clues (assumptions you hold deep in your heart where no one can see) to what may be keeping you from such an abundant life....

Rich people only got their money by inheriting it.

Rich people that "made" their money did it by hurting and using the people around them.

Rich people were never in debt like I am now.

Rich people never had a salary like mine (super-in-the-basement-low!)

Rich people never had the medical expenses I do.

Rich people hadan easier life than I do.

Okay, I think that wraps up the majority of comments I've heard in my seminars. Nothing could be further from the truth. Millionaires are some of the most generous people you will ever meet and the ones that have "made" their money did it by being kind, considerate, and fair to those around them. Over and over again I've heard people say about millionaires they meet, "Wow, you'd never think that Mr. X was worth millions, he's so nice!" I could go through each assumption point-by-point, but I am trusting in you, dear reader, to see these assumptions for what they are. Excuses. That's right. Excuses to avoid taking the necessary steps to get out of debt and start a life of abundance.

Last item, if you want to be rich you have to:

Make the decision that you really want to have lots and lots of money. This is paramount to your success.

Determine EXACTLY how much money you really want to have. For me, I want to be worth 20 million so I can use the interest on such investments to pay for a foundation that will be philanthropic. How am I going to do this? I have absolutely NO IDEA! But, hey, don't bother me with details, I have a goal and somehow, somewhere...I will make it.

Read a wonderful book by my dear friend, Barbara Stanny. It is called, "Overcoming Underearning." Barbara does a brilliant job of unearthing the emotional barriers that keep folks in low-paying jobs. Your view on money and how you treat it will directly affect how much money you earn. Barbara has been in the business of helping people with their money for decades and told me once, "Janine, I want to make millions so I can help millions." I really love this lady!

Over the next few months I will be working with you on how to have a life mission so that you are able to bring yourself out of debt and save money at the same time. While you're doing that, read Barbara's book so that you figure out the emotional walls you have to earning more money. Okay? If you want to email me or comment, please do. By the questions I get and emails, etc. I will customize the program to fit what you need as a reader.

Good luck and we'll chat again really soon.

Say "Thank You" Today to that Special Person

2009-04-06T08:39:00.004-06:00

This morning after working out, I checked my email and had a one line note from a very dear friend of mine, Penny. All it consisted of was:

http://amarketingexpert.com/ameblog/?p=777

I traveled to her blog to find out an important life-mentor of hers had died and she was writing others to tell of the effect, "George" had on her life and how she wanted everyone to thank the person who has helped you get where you are today.

During times of great challenge, sometimes I forget to be in a frame of gratitude because fear will clog up my thinking. So, today...I will state the same thing as my friend, Penny. Thank someone who has helped you along this road of life. By changing our focus we change our reality and the type of world I like best is one of kindness and gratitude.

So, as you move through your day, change your reality...focus on all those wonderful people who make our days just a bit easier. The kind cashier that helps us with that stupid debit card machine, the bank teller who smiles at us and seems to really want to make our time at the bank easier, the receptionist who looks at us with compassion. We have so many people in our lives that smile at us, give us a bit of cheer and then move on. Now, if your life is in such a place where you don't see a lot of this happening then I will advise you the way Mother Teresa advised,

"If you see someone who is not smiling, give them one of yours."

Have a great week, everyone, and thank you for reading this post.

The Big Picture: What is My Purpose in Life?

2009-04-02T19:13:00.004-06:00

A few months ago I attended a Chamber of Commerce meeting and got to hear our wonderful mayor (he really is terrific!) chat about the plans he has for our lovely city for the next 10 years. It was a sterling speech and a great vision. He did a marvelous job outlining what aspects of our city need to stay the same for historical and nostalgic reasons and what parts of the city need to change to keep pace with the technology, as well as the growth and needs of new businesses. After the talk many of us were standing around chatting about the plans and what our views were on the topic. What was absolutely amazing to me was the amount of consensus in the room. Everyone seemed to agree with the Vision. Where the differences popped up was in the details of implementing the vision. However, as far as all were concerned, the vision was just fine.

Interesting.

I think the reason so many folks have problems with their finances is that they have no definite purpose or vision for their future. They spend so much time trying to buy happiness that they loose sight of their primary purpose for being on the planet. I know I have talked about this topic before, but this is THE primary stumbling block for most folks.

A real sense of purpose is what calms the emotional seas of money and allows you to sail to the shore of financial stability. Most folks have no idea what they want out of life, or what they want to “be” when they grow up, or what their passion is. I have hit all of these points in past postings. What I haven’t yet discussed with you are the finer points to deciding what your life is going to be “about” or how you wish to live.

It doesn’t matter if your credit cards are maxed out and you have no idea where the next payment is coming from. It doesn’t matter if you have no credit card debt, $10,000 in the bank and no IRA. It doesn’t matter if you are financially stable and investing.

If you don’t know where you want to go with your finances, you will simply be a leaf floating in the wind of life.

You need purpose. You need a sense of action. The reason the Mayor’s talk went over so well with such a variety of people (and did we ever have diversity -- used car salesmen to multi-million-dollar venture capitalists) was due to his incredible sense of vision. He was able to communicate it well with the rest of us.

If you create a strong vision for yourself, you’ll be able to steady the emotional waves that money has on you. What is your vision for yourself? What is the one passion you have in your life? Let’s go even broader … if you had all the money in the world, what is the one thing you would change or do? Here’s another way to find your purpose in life. Think of the one person who is your hero. This person is so wonderful in your opinion that you want to model your life after him/her. Now put that person squarely in your mind. What single attribute of this hero is your favorite? Was it her total devotion to her liege lord? Was it his complete compassion for struggling humanity? Was it the fearlessness that he used to conquer his ego? What single characteristic makes you look up to this individual? Have you got the answer in your head? Okay, read on. Believe me or not, this is YOUR mission. This is what YOU want most to do with your life. Now the details may be totally fuzzy in your mind. You may have NO idea how you will ever heal all the sick of the world. Or maybe you were most impressed by Mother Teresa because she took time with each individual she touched. What is important here is that you now have a target. You now have a characteristic to strive to perfect in your own life.

How does this help your finances?

Well, now that you have a clear idea of what you want to do with yourself, you get to sit down with pen and paper and work out a list of things you can do right now, today. You will be surprised to find how many things you can do to move toward your target that don’t take a bit of money. For example, I gave this exercise to one of my college students. She told me her hero was Joan of Arc because of Joan’s unswerving dedication and never-give-up attitude. My student discussed how impressed she was that no matter the obstacles or difficulties Joan of Arc continued on with total faith that everything would work out fine. When I told her this was also her mission, my student had no idea how to put this vision into reality. “Easy,” I told her. “What you do is give this same strength of purpose to others. It is the quality of the person that you admire. Don’t you see that everyone in your life has this same ability to strengthen others if they would just believe in themselves?” She replied, “Yes, I see everyone as being a genius in one form or another. They just give up too soon.”

My conclusion was this: “Then you get to be a cheerleader to all those folks in your life who have given up on a dream!” How does this help her finances? She will now start making choices on where to spend her money that are in line with her life’s true purpose. She was thinking of going to law school, but now she is studying psychology. She wants to help single moms achieve their dreams. Notice that what we are doing here is giving you a target, one that you can pursue with abandon. You want a point in space at which to aim your energy and time so that you can move forward with things that really matter to you. Why?

Because once you are doing things that you think are important, your finances fall into line to help them actually happen.

What is needed now is for you to start setting some financial goals for yourself considering this new knowledge of purpose. At first when you do this exercise you will have no idea how to implement the mission you have for yourself or how it will affect your financial outlook. The object is this: once you know what you are seeking you can then start making choices that will guide you toward your goal.

What you do after you have figured out your purpose is to sit down and come to terms with a few basic questions:

• How much money do I owe other people? (credit cards, mortgage, car loans, loans from family, medical bills)

• How much money do I bring home a month?

• How much money do I have saved? How much do I want to save?

• How much money do I need per month to just scrape by?

These questions are scary when looked at alone, but you have been running long enough. It is time for you to stare down your financial tiger and the only way to do it is to have a strong sense of purpose -- with the knowledge that with this purpose you will find a way out of your current situation.

There is hope and you can do this! I have had clients come away from this exercise totally defeated by their finances, but within a few minutes with pen and paper they realized they could make it. Example. One client was $270 short per month to cover her expenses. After doing the exercises above we figured her best bet was to get a second job. She started her own cleaning business while working for a local bank. She had Wednesdays and Sundays off so she cleans on those days. She now has enough money coming in to cover her unexpected medical bills as well as save a bit each month. This was impossible before. What happened to her along the way was she stopped spending as much on eating out because her mission was to get into health of some kind. She started making her own meals and bagging her lunch to work. The weekly dinner out with her friends became a weekly dinner at her house where everyone came to her place to cook together. All this because she found out what she really wanted for herself.

When it comes to knowing what you want to be or what character trait you wish to express in every area of your life, you then have taken steps to gain control.

First, know what you want. Then step out with strength knowing that you will get what you want if you just keep plugging away at it one day at a time.

Go get 'em, tiger!

Dealing with Details-Saving Money by Using Less

2009-03-31T15:38:00.007-06:00

by janine bolon

A girlfriend of mine was visiting last week. While we stood in the kitchen catching up, I was busy mixing up some scones. (I love baking from scratch.) As I finished rolling them out and putting them into the oven, my girlfriend let out a gasp that made me think she was about to collapse! “I would never have thought of that in a million years, Janine.” I was confused for a moment and then it dawned on me what she was talking about. I was taking all the flour from my countertop that I used to roll out the dough and I was putting it back into the flour bin. I have a fine mesh strainer I use for this process and I just sift the flour back into the main container. This keeps any dough lumps out of my clean flour. This system is so route for me I don’t even think about it.

One day over 11 years ago I had figured out how much money I would save a year by returning flour from each roll-out of biscuits, scones, breads, or pie crusts into the bin. It amounted to $5 for the year. So I went out and bought a strainer for $3 and have been using it ever since. Over the course of 11 years I’ve saved a minimum of $55 on flour using the sift-back system. I say minimum because when I first figured out the savings rate 11 years ago I wasn’t cooking from scratch as much as I do now. I make something using flour and rolling it out at least 4 times a week. Now you may think, “Janine, this is ridiculous! I mean, a $55 savings over a decade for this?!!! Not worth my time.” That is where you may be a bit short-sighted, dear one. I want you to think past the reference of scones and biscuits and think about all the products you use in your home every day or several times a week.

If you save a little bit on each of these products you will be saving yourself hundreds of dollars a year and thousands of dollars in a decade. Think about all those things you do during a week that may be costing you money because you use too much or you don’t recycle it within your own house. Here are some tips I’ve learned from various sources over the last decade that have helped me to save pennies a day that add up to thousands over a ten-year period.

• Washing Dishes - When you wash dishes in the dishwasher do you fill the cup all the way up with detergent? This may sound silly, but I tested my detergent in my washer by using less and less until I found the amount “required” to get my dishes clean. This amount is exactly one third the quantity the cup can actually hold. Now when I buy dishwasher detergent I dump it all out of the box it comes in and I put it into an old ice cream bucket (yes, I get the powder kind). I have a special scoop I use that has the exact markings on the side of it (I made the lines with a permanent marker) so that anyone in my family from Dad to the 5-year-old knows the exact amount of detergent to put into each dishwashing load. Side Note: I had a dishwasher repairman out to look at the hard water issues we have in this area of the country. He then told me that the rinsing agents now available for dishwashers actually keep the seals and rubber parts of your dishwasher in good shape and are worth the money to keep him from coming out to repair those pieces. Good to know, yes?

• Laundry - When you wash your clothes how much detergent do you use? Again, I used the same system here that I did for my dishwasher, I kept using less and less cleaning compound until the results showed (grey-looking whites) and then I brought the quantity of detergent up a bit and have used that amount ever since. Again, my scoop has special marker lines to show all members of the family just how much to use. My 7-year-old was teaching my 5-year-old how to do laundry and she suggested, “Then you add this much detergent to the load. Follow the Mom Line and it will be just enough.” That was payday for me!

• Toothpaste – Why do you put a full glob of toothpaste on your toothbrush? Do you spread out the gel so all the bristles on your brush are covered? You may want to rethink the quantity of paste-per-bristle ratio. If you look on most tubes of toothpaste they tell you exactly how much to use. On my particular brand, it says, “Put a pea-sized amount” on the toothbrush. Wow! That certainly is different from the packaging on the outside of the product as well as the commercials. I mean you can frost a cake with the amount of toothpaste they use, right? Okay, maybe that was extreme!

• Size/Color of Containers – Did you know there is a psychological behavior that the lower the contents of a container the less a person uses? Why not use this data to your advantage when it comes time to put out the hand soap, dish soap, shampoo, etc? I have proved this research to myself by putting small bottles that were half full of shampoo and soap in the shower for my family to use. It takes them longer to run empty then if I filled them full each time they got low. Next time you’re out shopping you may want to think about getting some clear containers for all your liquid soaps, shampoos and conditioners.

To some of you this list of tips might seem silly, extreme or down-right unprofitable, but in actuality it is amazing how much money you’ll save over the course of a few years by doing these simple little tests to determine the cost/benefit ratio of any particular product. I had one client tell me in exasperation, “Janine, it will take years for this to really make any difference!” My response to him was, “Well, how long will you be washing your hands, shampooing your hair, doing dishes and laundry?” Folks you’re going to be doing all of these things for the rest of your life, right? At least I HOPE so. A few of us may go bald between now and then, but for the most part there are hundreds of little things you can do to save money.

The point is this. Little savings add up BIG in this area. This is exactly the same principle that compound interest uses to create huge rewards by the end of a 30-year savings cycle. If you would like additional ideas on how to do more with less, I recommend you read Amy Dacyczyn’s “The Tightwad Gazette.” You can get it from most libraries and it only costs around $20 to purchase. You can also visit my web site to the list of books I have reviewed that I think are worthwhile reads for saving cash.

Losing 20 Pounds in 5 Seconds

2009-03-24T08:23:00.004-06:00

by Janine Bolon

Yesterday was the first day I had done any weight training for 3 weeks. Ouch! As I was warming up I could feel I had lost muscle mass and I wasn't amused, but that is the challenge of traveling, isn't it? The family and I had been on-the-road as my husband and I attended conferences and did some guest lecturing at various universities. We had fun, but my physical fitness had suffered.

After the warm up I was busy "trying" to do my push ups. To be honest I just hadn't made time to do my routine while I was gone and I was now paying the price. Before going on the lecture circuit I was doing 15-18 military style push ups. Now, I was down to FOUR!!! "FOUR!!!" I yelled in indignation. My 7-year-old son asked me what was wrong and I told him that I was having to start over. Almost from the beginning, but not quite as bad as ground zero. "What does that mean, Mama." was his reply. "It means, dear, that you Mom has to lose some weight FAST!" I started pulling off weight from the barbell. 20 pounds ... Ugh! All that work to get trim, lean and mean and I was having to lose the weight because I would hurt myself if I tried the 50 pounds now!!!! Grrrr.

While I was adjusting all the weights to MUCH lower amounts it occurred to me how far I have come on my physical as well as financial journey. A few years ago (okay, ahem, decades!) when I was weight training if I had this sort of set back I would have seen myself as a failure. However, yesterday, I saw it only as a minor irritation and a bump-in-the-road. No abusive self-talk necessary. Thank you very much.

It is the same with our financial walks. We will have times were we have to pull from the savings account and almost zero out the account. For those of you who are living on the 60/40 plan you know the challenge of getting your savings account started and increasing as you pay down your debt. Then, BAM! Something happens, a child gets sick and has to go to the Urgent Care Center, or your car decides to stop charging the battery because the alternator needs replaced, or you have an electrical problem in the house that has suddenly cropped up. (By the way...all that happened to us last week! No kidding.)

When you are struggling and need a boost of confidence while saving money or losing weight or kicking some other habit here are some things that have helped me be successful:

Don't even think about giving yourself a bad time. Don't be nasty to yourself and don't tell yourself you were stupid, lazy, ugly, or inadequate. You're trying to change here...you are going to be falling down. The point is, don't stay down. Stand back up and start over making adjustments. (In my case, pulling 20 pounds off the bar and only doing one set of weights for the next week.)

Understand that falling down is not failure. Just because you made a mistake, ate that extra piece of cake or had that cigarette, that doesn't constitute "failure." See it as a blimp on the radar and move on. You have not failed. You have to readjust your systems. Haven't you ever had a new computer? Did you LIKE all the new toolbars? I don't. I usually have to spend at least 2 hours customizing the software.

Learn to Laugh at Yourself. Really Laugh. Come on, folks...we take ourselves WAY TOO seriously most days. Usually the mistakes we make are not life threatening. There are usually options, people or resources that can help us out. Stop treating each bump-in-the-road as a mountain and laugh at yourself. People always bring up how much I laugh and how happy I am. Well, that took practice. It too effort on my part to learn to laugh at myself. Let me tell you....I keep the heavens in constant laughter with all the silly things I have done. I assure you.

While we are all walking this road back to financial stability and, eventually, independence. Know that there are going to be areas that need adjustment and consideration. There will be times you have to slow down and watch the road a bit more carefully. Those are the points where you stop, rethink your situation and then move on. I know you can do it. I've seen hundreds of people change their lives and I know you are one of them. Now, if you will excuse me. I've got to go down to that weight bench and do a bit more lifting!

Real Estate and Short Sales

2009-03-18T17:03:00.004-06:00

I was chatting with a friend on Facebook today and he made a few comments on the recent packages being offered to Homeowners courtesy of our government. Here are his options and if you would like to learn more about this situation feel free to contact Earl. He has been in real estate for quite some time and has vast experience with what is best for the hard-working homeowner. His comments to me:

By the way, I've been doing a little research on short sales and it seems like there is a lot of misinformation out there. Some people looking to get rich off of home owners who don't know any better. I read the outline of the President's plan and they want to offer incentives to approach loan modifications for owners who are in trouble. Lenders who have received federal money are required to approach a workout. But what I'm hearing is many of the "experts" are advising people to quit paying and not to bother talking to their lenders. I believe that all of us in the business have an affirmative duty to put the clients needs before our own. We can't provide loan modification services but we should be advising people to approach that first. Only if a modification can't be worked out should a short sale be considered. Obviously, there's no commission if the borrower manages to keep the home. Please let others know a short sale is considered a charge-off and it is not an easy solution.

Earl, I've done my part to let others know. If you wish to contact Earl and ask more questions on your current situation, his web site is:

http://www.earlboyer.com/

Have a great week, everyone and keep up that frugal living.

Wishing you abundance,

Janine

Why are you Saving Money?

2009-03-17T11:10:00.003-06:00

by Janine Bolon

I was attending a wedding of a student of mine when a group of her family walked over to the table where I was enjoying the bride’s company. As they approached, she commented, “Oh, I know what this is about, Janine. You’re to settle a bet!” You can imagine the nerves I had then.

First off, I didn’t want to cause any difficulties for the bride since being married is rarely a simple event to organize, but also, I knew only a few of her family members and I didn’t want to start the evening off by angering anyone!

As the man in the lead (I believe he was the bride’s brother) stopped by my chair and the other seven folks clustered around, he asked me point blank, “Janine Bolon? Hi, we need you to settle a bet.” Uh oh, I thought. “How may I be of service?” was what actually came out of my mouth. He then began to state the problem.

It seems that there was a bit of conflict in the group about the best way to save money (a.k.a. invest it). Should you keep it in a CD, should you keep it in Bonds, should you save enough to buy rental properties, or should you keep it in a money market fund, etc. Basically, all these questions were excellent, but each individual of the group had their own reasons for supporting each choice. After a six-minute introduction to the problem, who was in favor of which choice and what each person thought my answer would be, the bride’s brother turned to me and says, “So, what do you think? Who is right?”

After I put down my fork (the chocolate cake was to die for, and while they were talking I was eating!), I calmly asked, “Why are you saving money?” For a moment I was met with dead silence and then three of the folks around the brother said (almost in unison)”We’re saving money because you said so!”

My dear frugal friend, when it comes to saving your money and how it should be handled never take someone’s advice just because they “say so.” I felt like I had really failed these people at the wedding party. They were following the 60/40 principle without thinking about what they were doing. They now have several thousands of dollars saved up and they were arguing about how they were to invest it with family members rather than INVESTIGATING the options available to them. Each person’s needs are different. Each person has a different financial situation as well as risk tolerance. Arguing about the “one” right answer is absurd! There is no “one” correct answer. Each situation calls for a different tactic. Each person will require a slightly different strategy.

The point is simply this. No one cares more about your money than you do. Because no one cares as much about your money, you will have to be the one who does the research, collects the data and evaluates the risk. Then, you will have to make a choice. That decision is what most folks dread. Why? They fear failure. Well, guess what? I haven’t met a millionaire yet that received a positive return on every single investment they ever made. You will make mistakes with your money. Accept that fact and you will be much less stressed. Accept the fact that some investments do well while others don’t. The key is to make sure that the money you invest won’t cause you to skip the house payment for three months because the investment return didn’t pan out like you expected.

Here are some pointers when it comes to saving money:

First and foremost, why are you saving money? Do you want to be so wealthy you can buy an island when you’re 55? Do you want to have your own recording studio? Or do you wish to travel the world? By answering this question first, you’ll be guided on what options you will want to investigate when it comes to making your money work for you.

What are the goals you have for the money you are saving? Many of you have short-term and long-term savings accounts. Well, your goals for each account will determine what you do with that cash. It wouldn’t hurt to have a dollar figure allocated to each goal, either. This will give you a benchmark at which to aim.

Education, education, education. You must teach yourself what is a viable return on the money you wish to invest. Don’t take anyone’s word for something. Check out multiple sources on different funds and avenues. Ask around, but then, after all the data has been collected, make a choice and don’t agonize over it. You’ve done the best that you could at educating yourself.

Saving money requires a certain frame of mind that allows you to visualize what you want in the future. You also have to learn to face the fear you have of investing and do it anyway. Educate yourself as much as you can, make a choice and move on. Sometimes you’ll win big and sometimes you won’t, but the point is you’ll be moving forward and you won’t be standing around arguing about what is “right” with your relatives at the next wedding.

Unwanted Abundance: Changing Your Focus Changes Your Reality

2009-01-27T15:36:00.005-07:00

Five months ago I stepped on the scales and found out that I had managed to accumulate 25 additional pounds that were not previously stored on my body. Yes, this 2009 I will be like MILLIONS of people as I vow to lay off the ole feed bag in an attempt to lose the unwanted abundance I’ve managed to shove into my mouth!

However, there will be a difference between me and the others. I will be successful and this is why. It is because I want to lose the weight for me, not anyone else. It is because I am truly sick of my jeans feeling tight and feeling those extra pounds jiggle as I jog up my stairs. Because I am SICK of it, I know I will lose it. I’ve had people ask me before how I have managed to lose weight successfully. The key is this. I know my emotional triggers for putting it on. When I know my triggers, I know how to stop myself from eating, if I eat anyway (as I have done over the past five months of stress) then I don’t worry about my “failure.” I don’t stress over the fact that I didn’t have enough “will” power to avoid all the lovely, delectable goodies that were put in my way over the holidays, I basically, don’t worry at all. I focus instead upon what I want.

The key for me is attitude. I don’t spend time and energy beating myself up for the past. The past no longer belongs to me. It isn’t mine to worry with. What I do is focus on each day. Oh, and by focus on each day, that DOES NOT mean I focus on each day and what I am eating. I find I can never lose weight if “losing weight” becomes my focus. In years past (yes, I’ve lost weight many times and enjoyed putting it back on too, let me tell ya!) I have found that the more I focus on weight the more I seam to add to my burden.

So, I change my focus. I focus on fitness! Stupid, right? I mean, it is such a little thing, but it totally changed the way I have been able to moderate and maintain my weight. Here is the essence of the technique I use. I decide what type of body I want to be. Now, come on, be realistic here. I will NEVER be a size 9 because the last time I was a size 9 I was 12 years old. A lot has happened to my body since those prepubescent days so I’m realistic. For me, I’m healthiest when I work out like I did when I was a dancer. I usually decide to have a dancer’s body, because I’ve done that sort of thing in the past and I know what I need to do to get that level of fitness back. For you, it may be different, do you want a runner’s body, a walker’s body, a swimmer’s body. You get the picture right? After you have a clear idea of what body YOU want and, again, this is key...it must be a body YOU want that is REALISTIC! Okay? After you’ve decided on the body you want, then it is time to start working on a program to get into the fitness level of that body.

This DOES NOT mean to JUMP into it and start punishing yourself for all those extra Christmas Cookies you ate, etc. This means that like any fit body, you must work up to a level of fitness. So, here is what I do. Because I haven’t exercised in five months, I might as well consider myself a kindergartner as far as fitness is concerned. It doesn’t matter that I used to be a power lifter and bench press over 150 pounds. (No problem for most guys, but for wimpy me that was saying something!) If I tried to do that today, I’d seriously injure myself. I focus on the fact that I don’t have a body that’s very fit and then set up a program for myself to move-slowly-toward a fit body.

I started walking for 30 minutes a day because that gets me moving, outside and enjoying the winter air. Well, the day after I started this resolution, Longmont, Colorado, received 6 inches in snow (we were supposed to have "flurries") and I was “stuck” walking on my treadmill for 30 minutes (I hate the treadmill!) However, I found some videos to watch and moved the treadmill around so I could watch tv while doing my exercise. I did that for a solid week (taking Sunday off) and then this week will see me walking 30 minutes one day and doing exercises (I have a favorite exercise video)the next. I will alternate these two activities until my fitness level is up to me “working out” and “lifting weights” on alternative days. The point is gradual progress.

Just like with finances, people want their debt to decrease immediately or their savings account to grow instantaneously. Come on, dear one, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Give yourself some time here! The other thing I do is I track my food intake. Yes, I keep a food diary. That is NOT the same as counting calories. I just track what I eat. I find that by just writing down what I eat curbs my eating because I have this image in my head of the type of body I want and as I eat I have to write it down and then, wa la! I realize I frequently am eating when I’m not truly hungry. I self regulate and I don’t have to count one calorie or give up on thing. I find I portion out smaller amounts of food and if I really want a piece of that sumptuous Mississippi Mud Pie complete with home-made whipped cream. I make it a VERY small piece. Just enough to taste. See? I don’t deny myself a thing. I just adjust the quantity!

Well, my friend, that is how I become fit. As you move into 2009 with the decision to abandon some unwanted abundance, just remember two things:

Know what type of fitness you want and

track your food!

Simple? Yes, I have to keep things in my life extremely simple otherwise nothing would get done! Right?

Setting Your Internal Clock for Success

2009-01-23T12:41:00.007-07:00

Here we are on a new year ALREADY? Will someone please tell me what happened to 2008? I mean, I still remember writing checks for October! As I get older it seems to me that life really kicks into high gear and I become awash in activity and things-to-do without really even trying. So, what’s a person to do? Simple.

Learn to set your internal clock! This is an easy exercise that I’ve been using for years to guide me on what needs to be done and when. During this time of year as our calendar scrolls over once more, I take time out of each week to have a mini-conference with myself to determine what it is I want from 2009. I never expect Life to hand me anything. I know that if I want something out of Life, I’m going to have to pursue it and pursue it with intense passion.
My list of targets for 2009 will be a short one. Why? Because if I pursue each target with intense passion, it is required to be a short list! I need energy left over to handle all the day-to-day life experiences too. For me, setting my sights on targets for 2009 is very easy. Why? Because I usually know exactly what I want out of life and I just readjust my viewpoint each year to move me closer to them. By setting and resetting my internal clock (targets) on an annual basis I am assured of hitting them more often than missing them. But for some folks they don’t have this sense of “knowing” and need a bit of help. This is where your eulogy comes into play. If you’ve been to my seminar or read any of my books, you know how important it is to know exactly what you want out of life. So, now is the time for you to spend some effort working out your eulogy. This means that you focus on the end of your life rather than on where you are right now. Why focus on the end? Because when you die, you’re done! Right? So, if you start establishing a pattern of goal setting with the end in mind, it will alter the way you go about establishing your annual targets to reach the end. Even if you’ve done this exercise before, now is the time that you pull out that old eulogy and make sure that it still says what you want it to say.

For me, mine changes almost semi-annually! I constantly have to readjust it because I usually accomplish more than I wrote down! First, write up the speech you want your best friend to make at your funeral. It will list all the things you have accomplished in the past tense. This is important. If everything is listed in past tense this allows your brain to relax. The emotional and physical barriers that have been erected against your success will be inconsequential to your mind because...you’re DEAD! This removes a tremendous burden from your mental creativity. The normal tapes that run through your head keeping you from doing things are dissolved and you can now spend your energy coming up with ideas of what you really want to do rather than fighting yourself and justifying all the reasons why you could never become a black-belt Aikido master at age 38.

Second, you’ve finished up with your eulogy and you’re ready to move onto this year’s targets. Okay, slow down before you start working on the to-do list. Put your pen aside and think. Yes, think. (Take a deep breath, too, that helps the process) We don’t spend enough time doing this in our lives, but this is the critical time when you MUST do it. Think about the question: What do I really want? Seriously, what is it that YOU want? Not your husband, wife, children, family, friends, society...you get the idea. What do you want? Once you have that firmly in your mind, then you grab your pencil and start listing the things YOU want to do this year, not because you SHOULD do them, not because it would make you a better person if you did them, list the things, honestly, that YOU want to do.
Third, after you’ve made your list (mine rarely has more than 5 things to do a year, actually for 2009 I wrote down only three things.) Prioritize the passion you have for each one. This will determine if you’ve really listed things YOU want to do rather than things that you have been guilted into doing. If you find you don’t have an intense desire to do an item on your list, remove it at once! That item is not owned by YOU. Lastly, post this list where you can see it every day. Research has been done on goal setting and the people who practice it. Successful people review their goals daily. This is not an extensive review. This is not spending hours a week working on a life plan. This is spending 15 seconds a day READING your list. By reading them daily you will determine very quickly if they really are your goals or someone else’s. If your passion for these accomplishments ever loses energy, then you know that it wasn’t really yours to begin with. If that is the case, then sit down and start again. Write a new list. Sure, go ahead, throw away the old list, but then make sure you create a NEW one.

Successful people have one very characteristic trait. They never give up. They may wander a bit, get distracted, or go off on a weird path and have to retrace their steps, but they never stop walking! Make sure you do the same. Keep walking your way to your success and remember to constantly set that internal clock to what YOU want!

Great News Despite Economic Downturns

2008-12-12T22:26:00.005-07:00

Many of my readers have been after me to write something during these times of economic uncertainty and crazy media blitzes on money (or the lack thereof). I have resisted because I knew that things would eventually settle down after all the panic subsided and people started thinking again rather than just reacting to what the media was feeding them.

Yes, groceries are still costly, but wow, look at the gas prices! Amazing, no? Also, I have received email after email from students of mine that describe how their economic situation though tight is positive despite all the rantings of the media that a depression is nigh! Here is just one example that I had in my inbox this past week. It is fairly average considering the diversity of lifestyle and location of my readers.

Dear Janine,

I just wanted to update you on the great success Donald and I have been experiencing since completing our mentoring sessions with you.

Our long-term savings have gone from 5% to 10%,

tithing stayed at 10%,

short –term savings and philanthropy have gone from next to nothing to 6-10% monthly.

Also, my husband’s salary increased 6%

I followed your advice and raised my piano lesson rates 43%. I went from teaching 10 students making $350 a month, to teaching 10 students making $500 a month. The interesting thing is that out of the 10 students, only 3 are repeats. 5 were unhappy with the price increase and 2 moved.

We’re still working on finding a system that works for both of us to keep track of all of our spending, but we’re both moving forward in accomplishing our goals and have had meaningful, touching experiences with our family working together on philanthropy projects. Thank you for teaching us about money!

Once you decide that you are going to control your money and will find a way to achieve financial independence it is amazing to me how people accomplish it no matter what the economy may be doing! I encourage all of you to do what you do best during the holidays! Celebrate. Yes, I know there is a lot of negative press about EVERYTHING these days, but I see so much opportunity and hope with our current economic situation. Remember the keys to success and you'll weather this stormy season just fine:

Know what you want out of life

Set goals for your expenditure of time as well as money

Track your expenses and income

Review your expenses and income on a monthly basis

2009 is on the way. What will your differently this year to increase your financial stability?

Keep your focus, work on a balanced life, forgive yourself for your past mistakes and decide that it is time for you to become rich!

I wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season and New Year!

When Visualizing Your Dreams Use String!

2008-08-05T22:27:00.005-06:00

by Janine Bolon

This rather imposing wall was an effort on my part to show my children how animals, plants and minerals fit into the world by using taxonomy. (The science of classifying all living things by arranging them in groups according the relationship of each to the others.)

Since I am an ultra-geek and a highly visual learner, my kids get the treat of having the couches moved, pictures taken off walls, and string unraveled as we clear space to put up, "a big mess" as my 5-year-old says with hands-on-hips gawking at the creation.

What does this have to do with money? Many of my clients tell me of having difficulty getting a handle on their financial situations. Here is a simple, yet powerful three-fold solution:

Figure out to the penny how much debt you have to everyone. This may include, but is not limited to: mortgages, car loans, student loans, boat loans, credit card debt, loans from family (love loans), and medical bills.

Starting today, track your expenses. Yep, as you go about your normal day, start writing down in an itty, bitty notebook all the money that leaves your hands. It will stun you into dropping your consumeristic (is that a word?) tendencies when you see just how much you pay a month for those vending machine runs! (That was my habit when I worked in corporate life, I loved those M&Ms in the machine down the hall.)

Determine your Vision. Why are you here on this planet? What is it that you want out of life? I mean, there is absolutely zero reason for saving money and working to get out of debt if you don't know where you are going, right? Otherwise you're saving money for money's sake. Ugh! That's not enough motivation for me, so I'm sure you may want a bit more out of life as well!

As you work on these three exercises, you may want to clear a wall and start using various colored papers (sticky notes are GREAT for this!) to visualize your debt load, your income opportunities and your goals for the next 20, 10, 5 and 2 years. Right? I highly recommend this practice of working on your dreams using paper, wall and string. It is a system that I have used for over 18 years. I learned this visual process from the late Walt Disney. (Not directly, but from an employee of his named Mike Vance. He gave a workshop while I worked at Glaxo Pharmaceuticals.) Disney used this system to determine connections of what may seem like unrelated objects at first blush.

It is sort of weird to see your financial life up on a wall, but one of the results of this work is the response of your brain. It creatively comes up with novel ways to fix many of problems that pop up and hope suddenly springs from your heart as you stare your situation in the face and realize, "Hey, I can do this!"

If you don't have a wall large enough, then use colored washable markers on a bay window. The kids love it when mom starts scrawling stuff on the windows. (You can tell I was a chemist...we see a piece of glass and we think, "Just as good as paper! Scribble, scribble, scribble.) Not only do they get to join in, but we tape string all over the place too!!! Fun, fun, fun.

Give this process a try and then email me on how it works out for you. Wishing you abundance.

Financial Survival Skills in Today's Economy

2008-08-01T15:52:00.005-06:00

by Mark Kohler & Janine Bolon

Today's post was an inspiration of Mark Kohler who is not only a dear friend of mine, fellow author (Lawyers are Liars, the Truth about Protecting Our Assets!), and business owner, he also happens to be my attorney! He has a radio show based in Chicago and I was thrilled that he asked me to be on it as a guest. Not only do we have a criminal amount of fun chatting about money, business ventures and goal setting, but we enjoy being able to take phone calls and help folks become financially stable in these crazy economic times.

The title of today's post: Financial Survival Skills in Today's Economy, is the brainchild of Mark. He gives 10 action items that one can implement to guide you through the market turns and changing business climate. I was lucky enough to get the list last night before the show and I've added my own 2 Cents to the list as well. Thanks for letting me work with your stuff, Mark!

Reassess Your Goals: When times become uncertain and you don't know what you should do from moment to moment, that is the time to break out your goals and look them over. Are you still on track with your 1, 5, and 10 years goals? Have you allowed the excitement of the current economy to drive you away from your primary vision? Who do you need in your life to help you? What do you want out of life that isn't happening now?

Make the Tough Decisions: Time to look at your pet projects, business plans, properties, or assets and see if they are more of a drain on your time and money then they should be. This is the point where if an asset or idea is not pulling it's financial weight, it is time to drop it, sell it and purge it from your life. This includes people in your life. Are there partners, consultants, employees, or so-called-friends who are not helping you get where you need to go? This may sound overly harsh, but when you look with a critical eye at your current financial situation, you may want to evaluate the contributions these people are making. They may be dead weights that keep the rest of the team from rising to their full potential.

Get Financially Fit: Make the necessary changes in habits and lifestyle to model the new "you." Now is the perfect time to become the person you wish you could be. You know the steps you need to take, so take them. Such as, figuring out your exact debt load, starting that savings account for a new car and getting that IRA donation up to the full, allowable amount!

Back to the Basics with Your Personal Budget: Mark calls this budgeting, I call this "Tracking your expenses." We're both saying the same thing here and that is, know where your money is going. Impose spending limits if you have to and keep good records of money entering and exiting your life. Don't get discouraged by this. Knowledge is power and when you give yourself this kind of data, you can then make informed decisions on the way your money is being managed.

Start a Small Business or Venture on the Side: Whatever you do, don't quit your day job, just yet! What you are looking to do here is have a revenue stream that you can fall back on. It is also very advantageous tax wise to have your own business. This is where Mark's expertise really shines. Oh, did I tell you, not only is he an attorney, he is also a CPA!

Re-evaluate Your Business Model: If the market changes, so should your business. This is true whether you are self-employed or work for someone else. Add valued to your position, product or service. This is when you take a cold, hard look at the quality of your service and product that you are selling and then make the necessary changes to upgrade.

Re-evaluate your portfolio: Where are your assets invested? Are they in the best structure? How are ALL of your assets performing? No more hands off approach.

Consolidate and Eliminate Debt and Improve Your Credit: If you can't do this yourself any longer, then now is the time for you to call a credit counseling center in your city and get some professional help consolidating your bad credit cards. Take responsibility for the financial situation you find yourself in and go out and get help. It is there. You just have to ask.

Get Additional Education: Obtaining new ideas and learning new ways of doing things always benefits you. It doesn't matter if some folks have learned these ideas 20 years ago, the fact that you now have it in your brain means that you own it. And that, my friends, is true power.

Pay It Forward: If you are stressed because you lost your job, this is the time to volunteer. If you are freaking out because you don't have any money, now is the time to give $5 away to someone you don't know. By putting your faith in others through the use of philanthropy and service, what you need will come back to you in marvelous ways. It is an ancient principle and it still works even in these so-called modern times!

I hope this little list has helped you realign your focus and guides you on the next step of your financial journey.

Mark is hosting a free-one hour webinar on August 13th and will gladly answer any questions you have on these 10 points. So, email comments and questions you want Mark to expand on during the broadcast.

You can sign up for the Webinar on Mark Kohler's web site (KKOlawyers.com) and email him questions.
Or you can email me questions for the show by going to my website (SmartCents, Inc.).

Have a great day, folks! We wish you much abundance.

Dealing with those Emotional High's and Low's

2008-07-29T09:22:00.010-06:00

Over the weekend my sister and I were busy clearing out our houses and offices since we are both moving. (She to North Carolina and me to Colorado.) I am always amazed at how our lives run so parallel even though we live on opposite sides of the continental divide! We were talking on the phone and taking a break from all the cleaning fumes when she mentioned an email I sent to her two years before.

The email was about handling your different negative emotional states. How to identify what it is you need to change in your life depending on the emotion you are feeling at the time. I got this list as a compilation of many resources the primary one being, Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope and Compassion, by Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee.

This was a handy book for me to read since I was changing my business model and knew there were areas of my own personality that needed some renewal if I was to increase my effectiveness as a president of an organization.

First evaluate where you may be in theses 5 emotional states:

1. Frustrated

2. Bored

3. Unfulfilled

4. Burned-out

5. Stressed, Anxious, Depressed

Depending on your state, work on the following:

=========================================================

1. Frustrated (Deal with the Manager Self) Capitalize on your Uniqueness

2. Bored (Deal with the Leadership Self) Work harder on your vision then implement changes

3. Unfulfilled (Deal with Romantic Self) Work on your love life and romance needs

4. Burnout (Work on Personal Self) Stop doing what you don't like! Create change!

5. Stressed (Work on Mission Self) What is the one thing only you can do in the whole world?

But what do you do if you are unsure exactly what you want, what your mission is?

Answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

1. What do I want?

2. What do I need to learn?

3. Who do I need to help me?

4. What do I need to feel?

5. What do I need to do?

6. What do I want most right now?

7. What do I NOT want?

By answering these questions and understanding the area of your life that needs help to pull you out of your negative state, you will feel better immediately. I have used this exercise five times in the past three years to pull me out of a negative state of mind. Once I was feeling depressed, another time I was burned-out and this past exercise I used these questions because I was extremely frustrated. Every time I use these questions to center my thinking and refocus my energies, I come away a much better person and my attitude is 100% lighter than when I started the work.

I do hope that you find it as useful as I have. Good luck!

Holding onto the Inner Happiness

2008-07-28T00:03:00.006-06:00

I was reading an inspirational article this morning and had to share some of the insights I received from the author with you. The article was about keeping your peace or inner happiness despite the emotional and physical chaos around us. Here were the main points:

Never find fault with others-look instead for their good points
Learn to blame and correct your own flaws so you continually grow and improve
Be sincere with everyone
Express kindness and love to each person in your life

Those are four simple, little points, but boy do they pack a punch when it come to one's daily life. Basically it all boils down to a simple phrase. Learn to Behave!

As a mom of four I busted out laughing as I put the article down. Here I am at the age of 44 still working hard at learning to behave. It is a daily battle to make sure that I don't find fault with others. I mean, I just mopped the floor! Do the kids HAVE to track all that mud in?

No kidding that happened to me today. I remembered the article I had just read and I spent 5 seconds calming down the sharp retort that was on the edge of my lips waiting to jump out. Instead of screaming about muddy footprints and clean floors, I was actually able to keep my mouth shut, walk over to the cabinet with the linen rags and throw a few on the floor near the rest of the herd that was about ready to pounce through the back door. I even managed a pleasant, "Please wipe your feet!" Wow. Some days I'm better at this then others.

The point of today's post is to be a cheerleader for you. I realize that I usually talk about money, but in order to keep to our financial goals we have to be happy and in order to be happy we have to behave in ways that make the world a better place.

I know that times can be really tough on you and that daily you are doing battle with being "good." (Can you tell I'm talking to myself here as well?) It is so much easier to be sharp, harsh, quick-to-anger, and tell-off those that make our lives challenging. However, if we take a deep breath and remember to be in that selfless consciousness we will learn quicker how to:

physically help people through service
mentally help people by kindness and encouragement
spiritually help others by radiating the joy we feel by learning to behave!

By implementing these behaviors our own lives will become happier. I have always found it so crazy that happiness is based on how you aid others. It is such an incredible reward for not thinking about yourself.

With that said, I guess I'd better go downstairs and wipe out the tub from all the dirt that got washed off those little bodies before bed and see where the muddy clothes have been kicked off .

Hang in there, dear ones. Keep tracking your expenses, stick to your financial goals and continue in the knowledge that you know what you want out of life. In very short order, you will find that you are happy.

What is Financial Maturity?

2008-07-23T22:24:00.004-06:00

Many of my young adult (and adult!) students have the wrong idea about what it means to become financially mature. When I ask young adults in my seminars to define how to know whether or not a person has reached financial maturity, their top three answers are:

When you get your first paying job,
When you have graduated from college, or
When you get married.

Being financially mature has nothing to do with these life events. Instead, it has everything to do with your mindset regarding the making, keeping, and spending of money. Your money.

A financially mature person (this means you!) will habitually exhibit five key behaviors. Together these traits will make you content now, and capable of real financial independence for the rest of your life. The five habits that all financially mature individuals possess are:

You save money. You save because you understand the power of compound interest. A small amount of money set aside now and allowed to grow will produce a large bonus down the road.
You mind your money matters. You make your own money rather than using the "First Local Bank of Mom and Dad" as your preferred banking institution. Mom and Dad are not your personal ATM.
You do your own work. You are your own best financial advisor. Sure, you take advice from others, but deep down you know that you have to do your own research about how best to handle your hard-earned cash. Don't take the word of someone else. Study it for yourself.
You keep going. Every day you need to make decisions about your money, and some of them will be flat out wrong. Need to hear that again? You will make mistakes with your money; to not do so is impossible! But you will make the effort to correct them, and to not repeat them. Making mistakes is how we learn. By trying a short cut to riches and getting burned, you learn not to make that same error again! Don't avoid making a decision just because you're afraid of making a bad one. All financial decisions come with some degree of risk. The key is to watch what happens after you make a decision, and learn. Resilience in the face of mistakes is maturity.
Keep it simple. You understand way down deep the old adage that "less is more." By knowing exactly what you want out of life, you will choose to spend your cash only on those needs and wants that bring you true pleasure. In this case, such simple pleasures mean more happiness and all obtained for a lot less money!

These steps are the beginning to a lifetime journey on how to efficiently handle your money as it comes to you. By working for your own cash, you allow yourself the freedom to make necessary mistakes that will teach you the skills required for becoming financially mature.

To learn more about being frugal, saving money and still having a wonderful lifestyle, please visit my friends at the Dollar Stretcher! Thanks, Gary, for posting my stuff!

Seeing the Forest then the Trees, How to Invest Your Money!

2008-07-19T08:17:00.008-06:00

by Janine Bolon

I was busy baking cookies and washing up dishes when the phone rang. As I juggled dish towels, phone cord and running children the voice on the other end told me that she was a client from over a year ago and promptly started updating me on the financial status of their family. It was lots of great news on how they were out of debt, they had only their house to pay off and they were steadily working on increasing their savings.

I was congratulating her and her husband for their diligence and hard work when we got to the reason for her call. They had just found out about a “Wonderful” investment opportunity and they wanted my opinion of the company and the situation. Normally, I totally revolt at telling people what to do with THEIR money. First off, I’m not a trained financial professional and always defer to such people in these sorts of situations. Secondly, I don’t know all the hopes, dreams and goals you have as a person for your money, so why should I give you direction on what to do with YOUR money?

However, since I had coached this family before I listened politely as she breathlessly told me of this incredible financial opportunity and how they were seriously considering taking the $5,000 they had worked to save for over a year and invest it with this one company. I then calmly asked, “Okay, but have you and your husband maxed out your IRA contributions for this year?” There was a pregnant pause on the other end before she meekly said, “Um. No.” “Well, before I would spend dime one on any investment, I would make sure that I had made use of the maximum allowable contributions to all the tax advantaged accounts the federal government gives us.” I then asked her to call her accountant about what sorts of retirement accounts were available to them and verify what the allowable amounts were and to contribute to those first before launching all their savings into this other organization.

This is the point, my frugal friend. I know it isn’t sexy. Nor bold. Nor exciting, but the accounts that are IRAs, 401k’s and 403b’s are a wonderful and steady way to invest in your future. Before you go for riskier investments, go with what works first! Go with the OBVIOUS! Are you doing the obvious? Are you investing with accounts that are tax advantaged for you? If you don’t even have a retirement account open, then make your first investment goal that you open one this year. If you’re married make sure you have one open in both spouses names. Don’t jump at the quick buck with all your hard earned money. Go with the safer and less-sexy investments first. Once those have been maxed out, then look around with the extra money you have to invest in other things. But, of course, you’ll chat with your accountant or financial planner about this before leaping into anything, right?

As further evidence for the less-than-sexy investment strategies, I was reading an article in “Money” magazine (January 2007). In it there was an interview with multi-millionaire and financial planner Charles Schwab. He was asked this rather simple question: “If you could give one bit of financial advice to someone who’s just starting out, what would you say?”

Mr. Schwab answered, “Buy index funds and ETFs. That might not seem like enough action for a 25-year old, but it’s the smartest thing to do. Put most of your energy into your work and learn to communicate. I think the people who become really successful are those who sense what others are feeling and how to make them comfortable.” The idea is to go with the conservative, familiar, and steady investments first. Why? Because they are proven and they work.

Good luck on your road to wealth accumulation. Now, I'm going to go get on my bike and head to the grocery store. I tell you if these gas prices stay high, I'm going to end up in great shape!

Book Review: Overcoming Underearning by Barbara Stanny

2008-01-19T00:58:00.003-07:00

review by Janine Bolon

Since I received this book I have read it four times. Each time I went through it I highlighted different principles and found a new gem between the covers. I was so blown away by Barbara's approach to money that I bought 10 more copies and passed it out to friends and clients. It is called “Overcoming Underearning: Overcome Your Money Fears and Earn What You Deserve”. Barbara Stanny is the author and I contacted her as soon as I finished reading it to get the inside scoop on her purpose/mission in life and how I could help others with her philosophy.

There are two paths to becoming financially independent. The first is becoming a habitual saver and not spending more than you earn. The second is making more money! Well, since you’ve been reading this blog you’ve been getting lots of good stuff on debt-free living, frugality and saving. What Barbara can do for you is get you earning more money! Now if you think this is a get-rich-quick-scheme then you need to find yourself another blog. That is NOT what the Money Muse is all about.

What Barbara’s book entails is a bunch of questions and journaling exercises to help you break down your personal barriers to wealth. Mainly, dealing with your fear and/or anger toward money. Barbara writes in a very easy-to-read style and walks you through many of the emotional pitfalls people have when working for money. She discusses how you think about money seriously determines your income level. That many of us walk around thinking we can only make a certain amount of money and no more. We actually limit our ability to earn income based on bad mental habits or emotional baggage from growing up in a home where money was seen as evil.

After reading Barbara's book I formed a telephone book club where several clients of mine read the book chapter by chapter and then we would all conference into a call and discuss the changes we had made in our outlook on money or where we surprised ourselves with barriers that we didn't know existed!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has problems asking for a raise at work or who has difficulty getting what they feel they deserve for their work. If you are self-employed this book is a must. Some of Barbara's advice, if you're not getting enough clients, raise your rates! She explains why you need to do this as well as how to overcome your internal barriers to earning more.

Stop by her website and sign up for her free newsletter to keep your motivation going while you learn to break down your barriers to increased income. You can also read Barbara's 10 Traits of Underearners that will guide you on whether this book is appropriate for you to read.

Saving Money at the Grocery Store isn’t Really Saving!

2008-01-18T15:20:00.001-07:00

by Janine Bolon

Last week I was visiting southern California and I stopped by a grocery store. As the cashier finished ringing up the sales she took the receipt out with a flourish, circled an item at the bottom and said to me, “You’ve saved $12.16 with us today!” I answered, “Yes, but I spent $25.63.” She looked at me with her smile fading and rebutted, “But you saved almost half that amount.” I thanked her for her time and took my groceries out to the car.

As I fumbled for keys, balanced milk jugs, and corralled children into car seats, I realized why I was so vexed. I didn’t save anything at that grocery store. I spent money. Not a penny was “saved.” I don’t care what the cashier has been told to say by her management. It is a lie to say I “saved” money.

No wonder so many of my clients have a hard time understanding the concept of savings and what to do with it. All around them businesses, friends and family are using the term “savings” and it has nothing to do with money that is conserved. It mostly states how much money wasn’t spent that could have been spent. This is not savings. This is spending. As I was ruminating over this latest incident my son pipes up from the back seat, “Mom, did we really save money back there?” I started laughing. A ten minute discussion ensued where I pointed out what savings meant to me versus what savings meant to the cashier. Stay with me, I know some of this is rather basic, but I figure if my children and that sweet cashier were getting conflicting messages on savings, I’m sure other people are too. This is what it means to save.

1- If you spend money, that isn’t saving! Forgive me, dear reader, for stating the obvious. But with the latest marketing techniques you may end up confusing what it means to save. If you have money leaving your bank account instead of earning interest, then you can rest assured you are not saving. I don’t care how pleasant the person behind the counter is when he/she circles a figure at the bottom of your receipt.

2- If you resist the urge to buy something and walk away, that is saving money. Many times we buy things that we simply don’t need. We want to treat ourselves after a hard day at the office or an argument with our spouse. If we are emotionally upset, many people spend money to feel better. To resist this urge means you are saving money. Find an activity that is free and stop the spending spree.

3- If you maintain a piece of equipment over the years so you don’t have to purchase a new one, this is saving resources. My husband and I take our vehicles in every time they are in need of an oil change. With the amount of driving we do, this is a frequent event! However, by maintaining our vehicles we can usually get 10-15 years of service out of them before we start to have major issues. That is saving money!

4- If you get your bank statement in the mail and you see that your savings account has increased rather then decreased, guess what? You’re saving money! You actually are in the habit of putting money aside and conserving your resources. You are a member of a minority by doing this. Only 1% of Americans save. By having a savings account where you consistently put money aside you are in the top echelon of our society. Cool, no?

I realize this is basic stuff. However, I also know how many folks are using language that says they “saved” money on a sale today when they actually SPENT money on an item! You either wanted that item or not. Don’t justify yourself using the marketing babble that you’ve heard. That ends up amplifying the problem. Be part of the solution and when you say you are saving money, make sure you mean that it is money in your account!

Thank you so much for letting me get that out of my system. I had no idea how much that trip to the grocery store riled me up!!! Happy Abundance to you.

Figuring Out Your Porpoise or is that Purpose?

2007-10-02T21:50:00.002-06:00

posted by Janine Bolon

During one financial seminar I held for youth I was explaining the power of purpose and told the students that the best way to stay true to their goals was to have a three-dimensional object they could look at from time to time. This object could be anything as long as it reminded them of their purpose and would provide them with immediate visual remembrance of their reason for working hard in life.

After the lunch break I found a plain brown paper bag on the podium. I was a bit hesitant to open it since many of the kids in the room were trying hard to stifle giggles. I also had the fleeting impression that there might be something alive and slimy in the bag. I need not have worried. When I finally plunged my hand into the sack, I pulled it back to find this small stuffed Dolphin. My mind was totally filled with questions marks at this point. Finally, a sweet young voice called from the back of the room, “Mrs. Bolon, I just wanted to let you know that I found my porpoise!” All the kids laughed, and I joined them. All of us realized that a porpoise was a great three-dimensional object for helping to keep one’s own noble purpose clearly in mind. I was also tickled that everyone in the classroom had understood the importance of finding their own great purpose.

A year later another student approached me with his three-dimensional object. It had taken him a few months of hard thinking to pull together his purpose, and he wanted to show me what he had worked up. As he told me his plans for music and pulling together a band with a unique sound, he unveiled the picture he was carrying. It was a framed gold CD on a black velvet background. I was so proud that he had never given up on his dream. No matter that forming a band is hard. He had recognized that this was his dream, and also his purpose in life, and so he had chosen an object to give him a real target to shoot for … a solid gold album!

It doesn’t matter what three-dimensional object you choose to keep your purpose in mind, as long as it matters to you. Pick a good vivid object like a porpoise or a gold CD, and then each time you’re out and about you will be able to stop yourself when presented with a sudden impulse to spend money. You will automatically ask yourself whether or not the proposed purchase is really worth delaying your financial goals or your purpose in life. It will assist you in keeping your dreams in front of you.

In the face of all the marketing and temptation we have in our lives today, we need some positive reinforcement on why we are living frugally, why we save money and why we are whittling down our debt. We do it so we can live our dreams. So, make your dreams a reality by giving yourself a mental nudge by having a focal point for your goals.

Investing Your Money - What do I do Now?

2007-09-26T09:31:00.001-06:00

posted by Janine Bolon and Jan Dahlin Geiger, CFP®

I am always impressed with how fast people are able to get out of debt once they set their minds upon that goal. I have so many clients and students that make amazing changes in their lives and are able to live a financially stable life even after ramping their credit cards up a few years before. People really are amazing when they set their minds to a task!

Recently one of my students asked me a question. "How do I invest my money?" This is a very difficult subject for me because the system I use for my family may not be the best system for you to use with yours. So, I have brought in some expert help on the topic. Her name is Jan Geiger. Not only is she a dear friend of mine, but she is also a highly successful financial planner and author. I have asked Jan to take a look at the average sort of email I get on a weekly basis concerning investing and to give her advice on the topic.

Here is the type of email I usually get from folks:

Dear Janine,
I am 25-35 years old and recently married/divorced/separated. I started a new job/new life. I have $1o,000 -$20,000 in a 403b/401k account from my previous job, which I rolled over into a Roth IRA account. I pay 7-10% of my salary into a retirement account. I make $40,000-$50,000 a year and I am starting to invest at least 20% of my pay towards retirement. I am going to put the max in a Roth IRA account ($5,000 I think) each year and put the rest of my money in my high interest money market account (4.89%). I have $3,000-$5,000 in my MM account at the moment. I owe $125,000-$200,000 on my house.

My husband/My wife makes $50,000-$80,000 a year. We are going to put the max into a Roth IRA for him/her starting this year. We also plan on saving at least 20% of his/her income each year. Once, I get to the max on my money market account, I am not sure what I should be investing in next?

Please let me know what your advice would be. I am not very knowledgeable with stocks, bonds, etc. Would like to have plenty of money to last us the rest of our lives (retire as millionaires), and we are willing to make the sacrifice now.

Here is Jan's reply to people who are seriously interested in retiring so that they don't outlive their money...

Here are a few quick tips.

1. Go to bankrate.com to look for high interest money market accounts. Lots are over 5.25% now. Just be sure it has FDIC insurance.

2. Be sure your husband/wife is doing Roth IRAs as well. You can each contribute $4k, with the amount increasing in the future.

3. Actually there is a special rule called the "72T" rule that lets you withdraw from IRAs before 59 1/2. It is a bit complicated, so I won't bore you with it. Just know that if you retire at 50, you will be able to take $$ from those IRA accounts with no penalty.

4. Save about 3 months of EXPENSES (not income) in your money market account, then that is enough ready cash on hand. (This is your official emergency fund.)

5. Take what you would save beyond the IRAs and knock out the debt asap. I say this because of timing more than anything -- right now we have had 5 straight years of very good stock market returns, so we are getting overdue for a correction in the stock market. Thus, you are better off knocking out debt than doing new investments right this minute. By the time most of the debt is knocked out, it will be great timing to start investing.

6. Start reading some good books on investments. The first thing you will learn is that long term you will earn about 3-6% on cash type investments, 5-8% on bonds, and 8-12% on the stock market. You owe it to yourself if you are so young to learn how to invest in the stock market WISELY. I personally doubled my money from early 2003 to early 2007, all in the stock market. If I had had that money in CDs during those four years, I would be up barely 20% instead of 100%.

Of course I recommend my book, "Get Your Assets in Gear! Smart Money Strategies." :o) I have 2 full chapters on how to get started as an investor. Another good starting book is "Low Stress Investing" by Andrew Millard. If you don't like either of these suggestions, then go to amazon and do a key word search to find a good investment book. If you can make your money grow faster over the next 25 years, you will get to your goal faster or with even more money than you anticipated.

7. Decide right now that you will never ever have a another drop of debt, other than your house, for the rest of your life. This is one secret most millionaires know. You get to buy anything in the whole world your little heart desires, so long as you pay cash. This includes cars and anything else you can name.

Knock out any student loans first, then the car loan/loans. The fewer debts you have, the more satisfying it is, so knock out the little ones first. Once you get to the point where you can say, "the only debt I have is my mortgage," you will be so thrilled and so proud of yourself!

8. Give some away to others, if you aren't already doing so. My net worth has grown 1000% in the last 15 years. I'm sure Janine can tell you a similar number for her. Those who are givers of money, receive just incredible abundance back. Don't give just to get -- there are a zillion other benefits. But I know for sure those who bless others are in turn richly blessed themselves.

9. Remember that money is only a tool. It is a tool to design the life you most want to have. Always keep that in mind. I have met some people who get so focused on saving money that they let life pass them by and they wake up one day and realize they are miserable. What do you and your husband enjoy doing the most? Make sure there is always money in your budget to pursue that passion. My husband and I love riding bicycles, so our spending plan always has money allocated for very nice bicycles, money for repairs and maintenance on the bikes, and money to make bike trips with our friends. We do not ride cheap bicycles because they are no fun on hills.

On the other hand, my husband loves to ski and used to be an instructor, but we decided skiing trips are too expensive and there are other things more important to us. We feel like we get "our money's worth" out of our bicycle money, but we would not for skiing money. Choose what is important to you. It is important that you use part of your money to enjoy what makes you happy right this minute. The happier you are with your money, the more money will flow to you.

10. You might want to go to my website and click on "about the book". There are about 50 pages of excerpts and much of what I've just told you is there in greater detail.

I hope this post has helped all of you. Jan and I have a commitment to bring as many people as possible to the debt-free living lifestyle and then to bring them to wealth! We want you to age successfully and without the worry of money!

Canning Produce: The Last of the Season's Tomatoes

2007-09-21T13:37:00.002-06:00

posted by Janine Bolon

My family and I were out picking the last of the tomatoes today. This time of year is so full of excitement and fun for all of us. We're harvesting the last few fruits and veggies of the garden. Finishing up the apples and pears and then the real work begins in the kitchen as I set to work putting all the stuff into jars to last us through the winter. I love canning. I watched my mom do it for years and I remember how "grown up" I felt when I was finally allowed to do more than just cut the apples! We live a mile up so our growing season is much shorter from southern Missouri's season. (That's said, Miss-our-ah! for those of you who haven't traveled that region of the country!)

I have several frugal friends who have asked me what are they to do about growing their own food when they live in a small condo on the 6th floor! Even if you are a city dweller and you don't have the option of large amounts of land. Know that you have options. For the first 14 years of my marriage I lived in apartments moving every 18-24 months because of rental prices. I learned how to have gardens in pots. I would buy large pots and then plant two to four plants in them and fertilize like crazy and water them every day. You have to be a bit more attentive with garden pots, but the fresh tomatoes, squash, basil and lettuce make it all worth while.

One reader asked me about canning when you can't grow your own fruit and veggies. That is a bit more challenging. Unless I can get my fruit free or at a super low price like 45 cents or less a pound. I have found that you really don't save yourself much money to can produce that you have to buy. Of course, when I lived in southern California, I would buy strawberries by the cases and would make jelly out of them, just because I love my homemade jelly and I enjoy canning. I wasn't going after the savings for this activity. I was doing it for fun. Not everyone has my warped sense of "fun."

Let me know how you go about saving money on food. Do you can your own or do you just throw your extra produce into the freezer and use it for smoothies and such?

One last note for you good people who are space deprived for gardening. I heartily recommend "The Square Foot Garden" book to you. I used this method for seven years while I lived in a 1,500 sq ft townhouse in southern California where my back patio was dwarfed by the 6 ft by 6 ft square, raised garden we had constructed for tomatoes, lettuce and herbs.

Review: Debt is Slavery and 9 other things I wish My Dad had Taught Me about Money; by Michael Mihalik

2007-09-20T15:01:00.001-06:00

posted by Janine Bolon

Michael and I have never met in person, but we were on a Canadian talk radio show earlier this year and had many similar views on how to get out of debt and live a life of abundance. Michael and I hit it off because his background is Aerospace Engineering (He truly is a rocket scientist!)and I was a pharmaceutical biochemist.(Major geek factor here!) After the radio show, Michael and I continued to correspond and we started traded books and philosophies.

Michael's focus is definitely for anyone who is in debt and wants some no-nonsense simple systems to bail out of it. My two favorite chapters of this book were Chapter 4: Be aware of the ongoing campaign to separate you from your money and Chapter 10: How to plan your finances. I immediately felt a connection with Michael because he and I both lost a parent before we were 25. His Dad died when he was 13 and my mom died when I was 21. When I first read Michael's dedication of his book my throat seized up with emotion. He had dedicated his book to his Dad just like I had dedicated my first book to my mom. Of course, I was off and reading after that!

Michael's systems for gaining control of your finances are simple and easily accomplished in a spiral ring notebook or you can use a computer spreadsheet. The Appendix section is a boon where Michael discusses and defines all those crazy financial terms that you may have never heard around your family's dinner table. Such crazy words like: Amortization, Collateral, Equity, and Interest. Different mortgages are also demonstrated with lots of tables so you can see how each one works. I wish someone had taken me by the hand after college and explained all these principles to me. I would have become financially stable a lot quicker! Good job on the book, Michael. Give his website a view and tell him, Janine sent you.

Divine Wisdom at Work by Tricia Molloy

2007-08-23T14:43:00.002-06:00

posted by Janine Bolon

Last night I finished reading Tricia Molloy's book, Divine Wisdom at Work : 10 Universal Principles for Enlightened Entrepreneurs. First off, this book is for everyone. I was amazed to see so many financial, emotional, and time management techniques packed into such an easy-to-read book. Tricia gives you exercises and ideas for increasing your productivity as well as the savings in your bank account. I was stunned at how quickly I read this book.

Tricia has done a vast amount of research to bring you the 10 principles of an abundant and successful life. Her chapters are chock full of quotes from different books and people that she has read and interviewed so you not only get her take on each topic, but you're in the discussion with at least five to eight other individuals on the same principle.

My favorite chapters were: Principle 4, Clean Out the Clutter: The Universe will Fill the Vacuum, and Principle 10: Give Thanks Often: Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude. I focus on these two chapters because they are so pivotal to having a financially secure life. Most folks forget how all these topics effect your view and choices on money, and what Tricia does is demonstrate how changing your environment from clutter to clean brings you more energy and time (at least 2 hours a day says the research) to be productive with what is really important to you.

Giving thanks often is something that has brought me many new clients, opportunities and joys in life. So all the advice Tricia gives in Chapter 10 I heartily recommend to others because I've seen the positive results first hand with my own experiences. By expressing my happiness to others in thanking them for their assistance, the Universe turns around and continues to shower me with the very things for which I am grateful! It's crazy! It's abundance! And it is how Life works. Tricia does a great job of explaining this.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to break out of their negative rut in a simple yet positive way. Sure, the titel says the principles are for entrepreneurs, but I have found that the truths talked about are just as viable for the stay-at-home-mom, teacher, construction worker, or medical professional. It really doesn't matter what you do for income. If you are working, this book is for you!

Tricia also has a free monthly newsletter on her web site that offers inspirational guidance and support.

Christmas in August! Talking with Family about the Commercial Carousel

2007-08-03T15:02:00.001-06:00

posted by Janine Bolon

For all my readers who don’t celebrate Christmas because of their particular religious practice, please replace “Christmas” with whatever celebration you want to simplify and all will be well. On to our story...

It is a Christmas that will always stand out in my memory. After eight trips up and down our townhouse steps on Christmas Eve, I was sitting on the couch six months pregnant with our fourth child. Across the living room I saw the cute little Christmas tree sweetly decorated with strings of popcorn, cranberries and cut-paper decorations. The children had put small candy canes along the lower rows of branches. As my eyes traveled down the beautiful but simply clad tree, they came to rest on the carnage that used to be a carpeted floor.

My plodding up and down the stairs had been productive. Packages by the hundreds seemed to rest there on the living room floor. Like a boulder field below a mountain, packages were strewn so far from the tree you couldn’t have reached it to put an ornament on it! As I stared at this mass of gifts that came to us compliments of well-intentioned family, friends and co-workers, I wanted to cry. I knew that many of these gifts were for the children and I also knew that the toys and packages took time, effort and money to reach us. However, I also recognized a sad fact, that after the third gift was unwrapped my kids would lose interest. They were still young; I had a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old. I knew that Christmas for them was all about the excitement and joy of seeing new toys and packages, but that they could not sustain that enthusiasm when they had received too much.

The pile under the tree represented way, way too much! Please don’t think I am being ungrateful here. I’m not. I was touched by the thought that each one of those presents represented. I was thrilled that so many people loved us that they had sent these gifts to brighten our Christmas morning. However, it was too much. By having too much, my children would not use most of the toys. By having too much, my little townhouse would become packed full with objects that would require attention, storage and clean-up. By having too much, my children would rip off paper of packages and move on to the next gift without even giving consideration to the one just opened. This is not how I wanted to celebrate the sacred time of Christmas. I wanted simplicity, not excess.

I have heard over and over from friends, colleagues and clients how much they dislike the glut of Christmas and all the financial stress it brings. “How do you stop it?” they plaintively cry. I don’t blame them for the sentiment. The holiday itself is wonderful, but buying stuff has managed to get out of control. Here are the steps that Brad and I had with family and friends to change our traditions to a simpler system.

1-Start the Christmas conversation now. With summer here people are more willing to chat about the commercialism of Christmas because the stores aren’t full of messages that say you MUST buy product X to be a good relative or you’re a cheap jerk! Now is the time to discuss options to Christmas giving.

2-Draw names for gifts. Many families already do this, drawing one name to receive a major gift at Christmas and then buying little “stocking stuffers” for other members of the family. This works especially well when you set an upper limit to the gifts. We did this one year and had a $20 limit (by the way that’s $20 total for the main gift and stuffers!) It was a blast to see the creativity everyone brought to the celebration.

3-Explain and show Grandma and Grandpa other ways that they can demonstrate their love throughout the year rather than saving it all for Christmas. I pick on them because in our family they are the major spenders in the gift-giving arena. I had to explain to my wonderful parents that I appreciated what they were doing for their grandchildren, but what the kids REALLY loved was mail. We discussed that they send short notes to the kids and articles from magazines during and after the holiday season. This idea hit the jackpot. Grandpa now sends his grandsons a new quarter for their collection as each new edition is minted along with a short handwritten note. My sons love it.

4-Buy gifts after Christmas Day. I have a couple that told me this works great in their family. Each person posts on the web site what they want for Christmas. The family members “sign up” to get the gift they want to buy and the actual purchase is done AFTER Christmas when the sales hit and the pressure it off. Then in January the family celebrates Christmas! They told me of the thousands of dollars that the family has saved not only in gift giving, but also in air fare!!!!

5-Ask for or give gifts that are perishable or require no storage space. My favorite gifts to give and receive are books, magazine subscriptions, and food. I read books and then give them to the library. I read the magazines and then give them to friends who I know will enjoy them, or recycle them. And I love cooking in the kitchen. Remember that re-gifting is a fine art form that is frugal, not cheap. You can do it as long as you don’t give the gift back to the very person who gave it to you. If you’re not going to use the gift, by all means, give it to a person who will.

The bottom line is this, dear friend. The act of giving gifts is to let folks know we thought of them. What the actual gift is doesn’t matter as much as the thought that went behind it. This has always been my view; unfortunately, I didn’t have family that always agrees.

It took three years and many, many telephone conversations, but, finally, we have détente! (Celebrate with me here!) When Christmas arrives, we are no longer deluged with packages. Our tree actually can cover all the packages with its limbs and the kids get one “big” gift and several little ones. How did Brad and I bring about a non-commercial Christmas? We started using money. That’s right. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins -- all of us now ship money (not cash) through the mail and ask the folks on the other side to buy what they want. It took years of working on this and trying LOTS of other options before there was mutual consensus on this simple and obvious solution. Now, we all save on shipping, time at the mall and gift wrapping. And we always get what we want!

Some people have told me that money doesn’t say as much as a “real” gift. Then I look at my four kids playing with the “exact” toys they wanted from Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt and Uncle. I see the excitement and joy of Christmas still in their eyes after the last gift is unwrapped and I see them totally thrilled with the treasures. Brad and I exchange our gifts after Christmas because we go shopping for each other during the sales on December 26th.

You will have to come up with your own system for handling Christmas this year. I suggest you initiate negotiations now for scaling down on the gift giving. Be creative in options that you list as potential traditions for the new Christmas coming along. Given enough time, you too, can celebrate the true joys of the season without the financial stress of the commercialism.

Here are some web sites that have articles and stories on returning to simple holiday seasons.

Simple Living
New Dream

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Operation Paperback: A Charity I Totally Trust!

2007-08-02T12:03:00.001-06:00

I received a letter from the CEO of a charity that I have donated to for years. Not only do I know about the great works these people do at Operation Paperback, I have 7 military friends who have been the recipients of Operation Paperback's books and programs. I have donated books, money and time to this organization and wanted to share Chrissy Honeywell's letter with you.

Hello Operation Paperback Supporters!

We know that you have expressed an interest in supporting our troops, and that's why we are writing to you today. Every day volunteers at Operation Paperback send their gently-used books to soldiers deployed overseas.

We have just received a somewhat different request from one of our Marine chaplains. He would like copies of the book, "Courage After Fire: Coping Strategies for Troops Returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and Their Families."

Here is a description of the book:
"The bravery displayed by our soldiers at war is commonly recognized. However, often forgotten is the courage required by veterans hen they return home and suddenly face reintegration into their families, workplaces, and communities. Authored by three mental health professionals with many years of experience counseling veterans, Courage After Fire provides strategies and techniques for this challenging journey home."

Chaplain Harding would like to give everyone one of his Marines a copy of this book as they return home. And that is why I am writing to you. We would like to ask if you would consider donating to our special fund to purchase copies of this book. We can purchase and ship books on amazon.com for $10 each.

Chaplain Harding's goal is 1,000 books, and we'd like to try and help him reach it. This book may be able t help prevent problems that our veterans may suffer years and years down the road.

If you would like to participate, please click here and we will take you to a special page where you can securely make a donation just for this book fund. (You can also mail a check to our Post Office Box if you'd prefer.)

As always, we appreciate you taking the time to read this email--and please do not feel obligated to participate. We know that you all support the troops in your own way, so please participate only if you are able to. We also encourage you to forward this message. If anyone would like to verify our status as a non-profit organization, the can click here.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at:

chrissy@operationpaperback.org

Thank you so much for the support of our troops!
Chrissy Honeywell
www.operationpaperback.org

I have worked with these wonderful folks for over 3 years and have heard from my military friends how valuable their donations have been in books to read while hanging out for deployment or waiting for the next mission.

Thanks for reading!
Janine Bolon

What Do I want Out of Life? The Fine Art of Dreaming

2007-08-01T22:54:00.001-06:00

posted by Janine Bolon

Over the past three years of travel, speaking and talking about money with numerous people, one thing has become very obvious to me. Many of us don’t know what we want. For those who do know what they want, they are the successful ones. They have a savings account. They have little to zero debt and are working on becoming “retired” by the time they turn 45-50 years old. Whereas, those who don’t have a clue what they want out of life, except winning the lottery, have the problems with debt, over-extended credit and a car on its last leg (or axle) with no idea how they will be able to replace it when it finally gives up the ghost.

Now you may not be that badly off, but I think you know where I’m headed with this. If you wish to be financially successful, you need to know what you want out of life. As Rob Bennett says in his book, “Passion Saving,” “To be middle-class almost by definition means to be on a quest for more meaningful work.” This is so true. Many of us have credit card debt, mortgages, loans and medical bills; how can we possibly dream of living “off grid” in Colorado when we have all that looming over us?

How about giving your dream one more try? Until you nail down what you truly want out of life, all your financial goals will fall by the wayside because you don’t know why you need to be saving money. So, sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and write at the top of it, “What I want most in the world is...” and fill in the blank. What you write may surprise you. Most folks start off with the standard stuff: “a healthy family, a house, no debt, and a better job.” But I want you to work past these things and go deeper. Why? Because I know that you have given up on your real dreams.

At some point in life you gave up on a passionate dream because you didn’t see how it was going to be possible to achieve. Rather than trying to figure out a solution, it was SO much easier to drop it and then try to fill that emotional void with impulse spending and driving the credit card balance up to higher levels. It was easier to deal with the pain of debt repression then the fear of attempting to achieve a dream.

Your dream is possible. I know you may not even remember what it was that drove you so passionately when you were 8-12 years old, but it is usually at about that age when most people stop believing in themselves and their dreams and start walking the path of paycheck-to-paycheck living.

For my husband, it was giving up on getting a history degree because he was told by so many of his friends and family that a young man couldn’t make a decent living with such a career path. Here he is now at 45 finishing up a degree in history and feeling great about finally doing what he has always wanted to do. Studying history and writing books.

For me I gave up on ever getting a doctoral degree. I almost starved myself through the 5-year degree program for a Baccalaureate in Biochemistry. No lie. I had dropped down to a dangerous weight and would not have been able to continue if I had to go an additional semester. Now, here I am at [age omitted because a lady never tells!] and just last month I applied (and was accepted) to a Ph.D. program. Thanks for celebrating with me!

What dreams have you given up on? Are you having problems figuring out how to remember them? Here is a list of things to do to get your memory moving. Answer these questions on a piece of paper.

1-If I had all the money in the world, what would I do with my time?

2-If I could spend my time in any way I wanted, what impact would I make in my community?

3-What have I always wanted to do for myself, but stopped because I was afraid? Don’t let the fear stop you this time. Write this down.

4-If I didn’t have to worry about the opinions of friends, family or spouse, what things would I do?

These questions may seem a bit simplistic, but I have found that when I’m mentally blocked on an emotional topic, it is the simple questions that get my thinking gears rolling. Write your responses down. Don’t just sit there at your computer and stare into space working on your answers. Bring them into our 4-dimensional “real” world and put them on a page.

Once you have figured out your dream, then it is time to put that dream into an action plan. Let your mind wander and consider the financial, educational, and support systems needed to help you achieve it. Here is an example. One of my relatives decided at the ripe age of 57 to go back to school to become a doctor. Yes, a doctor! Her children were all for it, but her friends were the naysayers in this. She frequently heard them say, “But Grace, you’ll be 67 before you’re even done!” Quick as a flash she answered back with, “Yes, but I’ll be 67 anyway.” Grace is my inspiration!

After you have finished writing down your dream, you are going to e-mail me. Okay, maybe you don’t want to e-mail me, but the idea is e-mail it to someone and discuss it with them. Ask for help on how you are supposed to accomplish this dream. The ideas will start to flow. Your mind will start to work on possibilities and potentials. That is when the fun begins. That is when you become financially mature and begin to change your money situation.

Create a Wealthy Mentality, Start Talking about Money

2007-07-28T11:01:00.001-06:00

posted by Janine Bolon

One of the things I first noticed as my husband and I moved from the financial cellar to financial stability and, eventually, wealth was how the conversations in our lives changed. I don’t mean the conversations between us, but the conversations we had with friends, colleagues and total strangers. A new topic developed that we had never chatted about with our family. That topic was money.

When Brad and I were in debt and living in a 4 room mobile home, the subject of money never came up at parties, work get-togethers or family events. It was taboo to talk about legal tender unless you were discussing a decrease in income or how Uncle Sam managed to cut you out of more cash. However, as our financial situation became stronger and we started investing our savings account, a whole new world opened up to us. We noticed we were having more and more conversations about money with everyone that wasn’t our family and friends. It was the weirdest thing.

One particular conversation stands out from the rest. I was in the break room at work finishing off a bagel and cup of coffee when a co-worker of mine popped in and sat down next to me. He was a gentleman of 52-years of age. After exchanging pleasantries he hit me with a bombshell. “I’m going to retire next month.” I responded with a blank stare and a, “You’re WHAT?” He repeated his reply and then he said he had noticed how I never ate lunch in the cafeteria and that I always brought my own coffee in a thermos to work. He asked me what my retirement plans were. I was 31 at the time.

I laughed and said that I figured it would take Brad and I another 30 years or so before we could retire. He then looked me straight in the eye and said, “You can do it faster than that, if you want to.” He then outlined for me a 15 year plan that he and his wife had used to get them to a financially secure spot to leave the work force for good. I was stunned. No one had ever talked to me about money like that. What I came to realize was this, wealthy people talk about money, but the middle class and others do not unless it is the negative view of money.

What does this mean for you? Simply this. Start acting like the wealthy and initiate conversations about money with people who can help you. When was the last time you had a discussion about money with that “rich” Uncle of yours that didn’t relate to a loan? Start asking people who have money advice on how to handle it and work with it. Don’t get personal about their finances or ask for details, but talk to them about what their advice would be. If you’re like me, my family rarely had a savings account so the first time I had $5,000 in an account, I panicked because I knew I HAD to do something with it, but I had no idea WHAT to do with it. As far as I was concerned having a strategy for investing money was like shooting a rocket to the moon. I didn’t know the first thing about it!

Initiate conversations with financial professionals, talk with wealthy family members, if no one in your family is wealthy then set up an appointment with the “wealthy” person in your town. The one everyone knows and ask them what their advice would be to someone who is just starting out. I did this very thing when I was 32. I called up a gentleman who was worth 25 million dollars and asked for a 30 minute appointment and I offered to pay him his consultant rate. He was charging $400 an hour.

The best way to obtain a wealthy mentality is to start forming strategies and goals for what to do with the money that you are saving. If you have no idea about what to do with money, like me, then chat with folks who obviously invest and discuss strategies with them.

Book Review: Get Your Assets in Gear

2007-07-02T05:51:00.001-06:00

Posted by Janine Bolon

When I put this book down I looked up and shouted, "YEEEESSSSS!" Finally, I have a book on investing and asset allocation that I can recommend to my clients. I enjoyed laughing with Jan Geiger as she described her passion to become wealthy along with the many stories she told you about her journey. The fact that she assists others now as her vocation is a brilliant attribute to the data in her book.

I always prefer to have an author tell me about their personal journey to wealth and Jan does this in a very easy to read format without the jargon the financial industry uses that confuses me. This is book that is a must read, but also implement what Jan tells you. Don't just read the book and put it down. This is a book you've got to put into daily practice.

Jan has great tips scattered throughout the book along with boxes that highlight major points so you can skim easily through chapters to get the information you want. I liked the fact that she ends each chapter with action steps and then recaps them at the end of her book. For those who wish to become financially independent, this is a must read book. If you are older and just now starting to look at your personal finances, Jan has help for you, too! Get and stay as healthy as you can!!!

You can order Jan's book through amazon or visit her web site. More comments later on this great book!

Beat the Great Depression by Saving Money!

2007-06-28T19:43:00.001-06:00

Posted by Janine Bolon

The headlines were blaring at me: ”Savings at the Lowest Rate since Great Depression.” My husband handed me the financial section of our local newspaper as I was finishing up the breakfast dishes last week. “Oh no,” was my reply as I read the truly negative news. It seems we Americans have hit another record and, unfortunately, it isn’t one that I’m very proud of. For the second time in 73 years we are now saving in the negative numbers. 2006 has the dubious honor of a -1% savings rate. Yikes! On the average we are now spending more than we earn as a population. 2005 had us saving at -0.4% rate and what is even worse is there have only been two other years that we have saved so little as a country and those were 1932 and 1933.

During the Great Depression, however, we were saving less due to the loss of jobs. One out of four households had no work and these families were tapping into savings in order to make ends meet. Food and rent were the major reasons for their decreasing balances. For 2006, what are the reasons for the negative numbers? A good economy! Believe it or not. I was stunned to read that the Associated Press article was listing low interest rates were the primary reason for this decline in our savings accounts. It seems at times like these it is more attractive to borrow money to make purchases by refinancing one’s home! The Federal Reserve has driven rates down to the lowest level in more than 40 years so is it a wonder folks are jumping at the ability to get a loan? These lower interest rates have caused a major increase in housing purchases, which has caused an increase in housing prices which has, in turn, increased the number of mortgage refinancing so people can have more money to spend on things. Eeek!

There are problems on the horizon if this sort of spending continues. At some point the money will have to be repaid. Remember that the boomer generation is just starting to retire and pulling money from their savings to compensate for the lack of paychecks. This is adding to the negative numbers we are currently seeing and the number of retirees is going to increase over the next decade.

So, what do you do? I mean, all this negativity about saving and the consequences of excessive spending is enough to make the stoutest heart want to grab the wallet, head to the mall and SPEND! Here is what you do. Make sure that at least 10% of your income is going directly into an IRA, 401k or if you are self-employed, pick one of the solo401k options that allow business owners to invest income in a retirement vehicle. It is important that you don’t give up your future due to the lures of today. If you are unable to save 10% of your income then start looking at what you are buying on a daily basis that can be handled a different way.

We are NOT talking about deprivation here. If you are buying a cup of coffee at your local coffee shop every morning on your way to work, then I suggest you buy a thermos and make your coffee at home and take it to work with you. If you buy a trinket or little “something” every time you checkout at your local food mart then I suggest that you find another way to fill that emotional need. What is important is to ask yourself this question; “Why am I buying this?” It will amaze you how many times the answer is something out of a 3-year-old’s mouth. “Because I want it!” or “Because I’m mad/upset/irritated!” Often, many of my clients tell me that they get so depressed about their credit card bills they go out shopping to feel better! Talk about your vicious cycles, right?

Here are some tips to avoid this sort of trap:

1-Every time you avoid buying a trinket or item at checkout, put that money into a savings account. One of my clients told me that by the end of one week she had $112 in her checking account. Talk about an eye opener. She knew that she had been spending money on stupid stuff, but had no idea it was THAT much in a week!

2-Track all your expenses. Yes, all of them. Buy or make yourself a little notebook that you carry around with you all the time. Every time money or a credit card leaves your wallet, record the expense. Over a month of recording you will start to see patterns in your spending that are impulsive, not satisfying in the long run and destructive to your mental health. Eliminate those expenses or find low cost alternatives so you don’t go into a deprivation/splurge cycle.

3-Track your savings. Keep an eye on your savings account and watch it grow over time. When an emergency occurs or an unplanned expense hits, pull the money from your savings account and put that credit card back into your wallet. If you don’t have the money saved, then it is simple, don’t buy it!

4-Make financial goals. This is the single most powerful exercise anyone can do, but is the most often neglected. By making REALISTIC financial goals you will achieve them. What is necessary in making goals is to have a reason for them. Saying that you want to have $5,000 in a savings account by this year’s end is not enough motivation for me. I have to have a reason for that $5,000. Before I had an IRA in my name, I was totally committed to saving money so I could open it and to make sure I could fund it every year! Why? Because I had a picture in my mind of me old and grey and not able to work anymore, the thought of living with my children or being a burden to them is enough to make me save money for my IRA.

5-Affirm your financial goals. Instead of telling yourself or your loved ones, “Sorry, honey, you can’t have that we don’t have enough money.” Start affirming a positive financial picture. A better way to affirm abundance of money is to state, “I can’t have that, because I spend my money on different things.” This keeps the affirmations out of the negative and starts you to thinking about the purchases that really matter. Then, your not just throwing your money away.

Take a look at your savings account balance as it stands today. Then, make a financial goal that is realistic for how much you want in that account in three months, then six months and then the end of the year. Write these numbers down and then post them conspicuously in your home. You will be amazed how those numbers keep floating around in your head and how they keep your fingers from grabbing your wallet the next time you pass the candy aisle!

Clearing Closets & Purging Possessions, posted by Janine Bolon

2007-06-20T21:53:00.001-06:00

You may think it odd that I would bring up the subject of Clutter. I mean, what does clutter have to do with your checkbook, anyway? A lot more than you realize. It is the clutter in your closets, drawers and rooms that is keeping you from living the simple life. Yes, it is true! As weird as it may seem the connection does exist between the two, finances and clutter.

Here is the deal. In order for Life to gift you with the resources, money and opportunities that you want, you first have to have room for them. You may be saying to me right now, “Hey, Janine, I’ve got PLENTY of room in my checking account for an extra few thousand dollars right now! Where is it?” As I chuckle at your all too appropriate request, I also know that the problem is not the low balance in your check book; it is the over stuffed closet next to your bedroom.

Americans, Canadians and Britons on average buy more stuff than they have room. The quantity of You-Store-It warehouses is testimony to that! It is a problem of our capitalistic economies. It is very easy for us to “get” stuff. It is easily accessible and for the most part we pay less for “stuff” than most of the world. Because of this cargo and our high standards of living, we have a tendency to really get ourselves over stuffed on “things.”

When you start out to create your financial plan I ask you this question, What do you really want out of life? Once this question has been answered people tell me what amazing transformations occur. They stop impulse buying, their expenses drop almost magically and they realize that many of the shopping habits they had in the past were due to their lack of understanding. They didn’t know what they really wanted in life so they fixed their lives by buying more stuff!

Well, you now have an opportunity to align your home as well as your finances. In order to have space and time to take the opportunities that will come to you as you lower your debt and become more financially stable, you now need to purge your home of its unnecessary stuff! Does this cause you to recoil! Do you suddenly start to hyperventilate and feel yourself hugging your precious stuff in fear that Janine is going to make you give up something priceless? Look closely at yourself and your emotions during this trip of thinning your things. You know you have more stuff in your life than you can possibly use. Why do you hang onto it? Why do you allow it to take up your time, money and energy as you move it, store it and haul it around? It is crazy! Does this stuff love you? Then why do you love it back?

Here is a quick list of things to do over the weekend to get you started on your decluttering campaign.

1) Start Small. Don’t tackle a HUGE project like the garage right off the bat. Do something really easy, like, your wallet or purse. Dump everything out of it onto the table and throw away, put away or file all the little pieces of paper that you’ve been carrying around for weeks. Then decide what REALLY needs to go back into the purse or wallet and return them. Isn’t that wonderful! Don’t you already feel like you’ve lost weight? Don’t you feel lighter on your toes? I mean, you can actually sit down now with your wallet in your back pocket, right? When was the last time that happened?

2) Check Out the Medicine Cabinet. After you’ve finished with your purse or wallet and now have a sense of accomplishment move on to the next item. The bathroom medicine cabinet. This is a small enclosed space that will take you very little time. Even if this is the first time in 5 years that you’ve actually cleaned it out. Take all the items out of the cabinet and decide which ones really belong in there. I mean, do you really want that old razor to continue sitting on shelf #2 leaving a rust mark? Look at all the medicines you have in there. Are the expired? If they are, pitch them in the trash. Don’t let them take up any more space! They’ve served there time in your washroom, throw them out!

3) What's Under the Sink? Dig out all the stuff that is under your sink in your bathroom. This place is usually loaded with 15 bars of travelers soap and itty, bitty bottles of shampoo that have never been used along with mounds and mounds of out dated cleaners, dispensers and soap dishes. I mean, really, do you need that electric blue eye shadow that you used in the 70s? No kidding, I had a client once tell me that she found 5 different bottles of foundation that she never used. Throw it out!

4) Time to Clear the Closet. Whatever you do don't attack the biggest one first. If you haven’t cleaned out the master closet since you moved in, wait on that one. Do the smaller ones first. Get some successes behind you and have the adrenalin rush working for you before you move on. Pull out everything in the closet and lay it out on the floor. You will be amazed at what you find no matter how small the closet is. I continually startle myself with the amount of “stuff” I can pack into small spaces.

I think you have the idea now. You start to declutter your abode by working with manageable tasks and then moving to the bigger ones. When you decide that it is time to get more space in your life start small and work up. Eventually you will be able to take each evening for a week to declutter the garage. It is amazing how fanatical you become as you move from closet to closet. As you find the 6th pair of leather gloves and vacuum parts from an appliance you haven’t owned in 15 years. Have no fear or hesitation. Pitch it in the trash, give it to a thrift store or find a friend who can use it. The main point here is to remove it from your house!

After you’ve taken a weekend to start this process, you may want to then consider moving to different rooms of the house for decluttering. Try attacking the kitchen. Do you need 4 pancake turners, 3 coffee makers (2 by the way are broken) and 6 bread pans when you only use 2 at a time? Figure out what it is you truly need and then make room for it by removing the rest from your home.

I highly recommend that you read a book by Don Aslett. It is called, Clutter Free! Finally and Forever. By reading Don's books, I have lost my pack rat heritage and I now purge my house once every six months to unload it of all the stuff that has accumulated from the last throw out. It is amazing what finds its way into your home.

How does this work in your favor for cash coming into your life? Well, you now know what it is you want out of life, you have cleared out all the items in your world that don't serve you (husbands and children excepted, just joshing folks!) and now you have space in your life for new opportunities and experiences. I have had client after client tell me that as soon as they decluttered their house (for some it took weeks, others months) they were astonished how a yard sale yielded them hundreds of dollars even though no item was over $2. They had more time in their life for their home-based business because they no longer had to find a path through stuff to reach their computers. I have no idea in what way Life will decide to share with you abundance after you've made space for it. But the one thing I do know is that you will see a change for the better in your life. I wish you good luck and now, pull out that wallet/backpack/purse and start purging it!