The reason why is because I started a new site called Start Well, Live Well. at http://www.startwelllivewell.com

I have been creating content and trying to get everything running over there smoothly so please go check it out! It’s centered around helping people start heading in the right direction toward financial independence and wealth with some practical and inspiring tips. =)

As of right now I will not be posting to this blog anymore. If I decide to bring it back into action I’ll be sure to post something at Start Well, Live Well.

Happy reading!

But now that I’ve got that under control I still wanted to share a few of my favorite bloggers with you. Of course not everyone that someone writes I agree with but for the most part I think these people have some very good thoughts and ideas to share. I think you’ll enjoy them too….

Seth Godin

Ivan Campuzano

Untemplater

Get Rich Slowly

Free Money Finance

Money Crashers

Any blogs out there that you suggest me to read??

More than likely the fitness center thinks at some point I will want out.

The cable company on the other hand doesn’t necessarily think that about me.

Because entertainment is always easier to stick with than running out of breath.

But I’m really glad I had to get into that contract. It keeps me going. Because I know every month for the next long time I am going to be shelling out a good amount of money in order to be able to walk in those doors and use that treadmill and those machines. I’m in a contract. And that keeps me going.

Maybe we need contracts more often. With ourselves. About things we want to do or see accomplished. Because we all will want out at one point or another. Maybe we need to write one up and throw some kind of incentive in there for ourselves that if we do this then we’ll get that. Whatever it may be for whatever goal you want to meet. Because though it may be hard to stick with the reward will be well worth it.

It’s not only wise to pay off your credit card every month but it’s wise to not put more on there then you can realistically handle for that month without having to cut other things in your budget.

The reason I bring this up is because though I’ve paid off my card every month I’ve had to forgo a few of my payments to myself (aka: savings) in order to make sure I didn’t receive any finance charges. Of course, it was worth it to me since I already had some saved up to go ahead and pay off the card but at the same time I wish I wouldn’t have put so much on there. Was it too much to handle? No. But then again, it was! Because I wasn’t able to do the thing I want to do the most for a few weeks: pay myself!

But as of today I’m back in the game. My credit card balance is back to 0, still no finance charges, and I am ready to pay myself first when my next paycheck comes in. It will be a nice feeling to see my emergency fund start to build.

Obviously, my position is GREAT compared to some but I try not to compare myself to others. I compare myself to well, myself and the goals and position I’d like to be in. And for a little bit there I was falling short of that.

So here’s to using credit cards wisely:

1. Pay off the balance in full every month. I know, it’s said over and over and I’ll say it again. If you don’t have the money–don’t buy it!

2. Put a plan in place. If you don’t have a plan in place, you need to get one! Decide on what you are going to use your credit card for. Is it for gas? Is it for all your expenses? Is it just for special times like vacations or other trips? Whatever it is, keep it simple and stick with it.

3. Watch little expenses. Depending upon your plan, it’s still easy to put things on your credit card without thinking twice. I realized 2 months ago that the majority of my balance (which wasn’t much but still…) was food. Food?? Why didn’t I just pay that with my debit card or cash? I don’t know the answer to that but I wish I wouldn’t have. It’s just unnecessary stuff and definitely out of my “plan.” =)

So the idea would be to be even more productive when I don’t have school or other things to do with getting things done that are important to me and will further my life for the better. So how do we do it?

1. Write it down. What do you want to accomplish? This is apart from finishing your homework or getting your oil changed. What is it that you want to take upon yourself to do or complete that will make your life or someone else’s life better? Get a clear picture of it and then take the time to write it down so you won’t forget. =)

2. Schedule out your day. One of the keys to staying productive even is to schedule your day (or even your week) even when it’s not scheduled for you! I’m not the expert here, but I want to get back into it because I’ve always felt the most fulfilled when I did. I sit down in the morning and write out what the next 24 hours will look like. Whether it’s the gym right after work or reading during lunch or making phone calls on my drive home. Whatever it is, I want to know how I am going to spend my non-renewable resource called time.

3. Stay involved. Those things you wrote down? Get into them and stay into them. Even if they are goals or things you’d like to do that will take several days or even weeks, don’t give up. Read them and think about them everyday. And actually DO something when you are scheduled to. This will keep you interested and keep your mind on the prize. If the goal is to weigh 10 lbs less and you are going to work out 4 times a week then don’t miss a workout! If you do, you’ll want to miss the next one too.

4. Track progress. If you’re going to stay involved you might as well take the time to track your progress. Otherwise, you might feel like all that “involvement” is not paying off! Whatever it is you are working toward, track the progress you are making toward it. As you see yourself getting closer to the goal you’ll want to stick with it and see it to completion.

5. Cut out unnecessary time-consumers. Once again, I’m no expert here but I am realizing more than ever what an hour of TV watching could be. Or how I could grow even during a lunch break. The possibilities of using our time wisely are endless and so are the time-consumers! Choose what you want to spend your time on and then spend it on that. Simple, right? ha! I know other things try to cramp in on your time but the key is just to be protective of it.

What do you guys think? Do you have any other tips on staying productive?

Don’t dismiss it. Don’t say it’s impossible. Because it is possible. Of course, you may have to cut some expenses but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible.

If you are truly interested in being financially independent and at peace then you will pay yourself first. You will decide how much of each paycheck (or other source of income) you want to save for the future (your retirement or any other goal)–it can be a certain percentage of your income or a set amount–and before you do anything else with all the money you just received, you put YOUR money into a savings account.

Then with the rest of the money you pay bills and live on it. If you can’t live and pay bills with the rest of it then you need to cut expenses, not necessarily savings.

Of course, when you are ‘paying yourself first’ you need to be realistic. Don’t tell yourself you can save 80% of your income and live on 20%. Unless you really can, of course! Sit down and figure out what is realistic and yet will still stretch you a little and force you to cut down some frivolous spending.

When you’ve decided on the amount you want to save, do it. =) Save it. Before spending any of it. You can set this up to be an automatic deduction from your paycheck or even automatic from your checking account to a savings account on payday. But however you do it, the key is to actually do it.

Of course, I’m not perfect and am still figuring out exactly how to make it all work. But once you start to play around with it, it actually becomes quite enjoyable and fun to see your savings accounts go up (and therefore, hopefully, your net worth!)

But regardless if that is the dream most people are chasing and working to achieve it does not mean that is the dream you have to work to achieve. Or at least the only one you work toward.

Maybe your goal is to save enough money to start your own business one day. Or to have enough to live on while you start blogging full-time.

I guess it all comes down to how you define, “retirement.” Sure, one day, I’d like to escape the 8-5 and “retire” but that doesn’t mean I want to sit around and do nothing. It means I want to be able to do whatever I want 24/7…whether that’s working, playing, relaxing or traveling. But with that definition of retirement we don’t have to wait till we’re older when we are able to cash in our 401(k)s or IRAs. It’s something we can work to achieve much earlier than that if we would like (while still funding those ‘retirement’ accounts for later on.)

Of course it’s hard enough to save enough to live on after the traditional “retirement” around the age of 60, so if you’re wanting to do some major things before then it will require even more focus and planning. But of course, as always, it’s totally possible.

If you’ve been stuck in the mindset that all you’re working toward is retirement but feel a little uneasy about it you should take time today or this week to sit down and write out the things you’d like to achieve before then. And then how you’re going to get there.

The Automatic Millionaire is written by David Bach, and despite its title, is not a “get-rich-quick” scheme (trust me, if it was, I would not have wasted my time to read the entire thing.)

It’s a fairly quick read, and one I highly recommend to any person starting to pay attention to their finances and setting the goal of being well-off and worry-free one day. (Remember, the first decision is to DECIDE.)

The points David makes in the book are valid and powerful regardless of whether you choose to “automate” them or not. He is a big fan of making everything automatic–especially retirement savings (setting it to come automatically out of your paycheck into your 401(k) or IRA.) But some people do not feel comfortable setting everything up automatically so I would vary with him on that some people DO have the self-control to move the money right away on a regular basis (every paycheck.) I’m one of those people who takes great pride and joy in moving my money (manually, though still electronically) into my savings accounts.  If, however, you foresee or start to see, the problem of spending the money you are supposed to be saving, it would be best to automate it.

Besides the “automatic” side of the book, one of the major points Bach writes about is what has become known as the “Latte Factor.” How little expenditures every day add up and how that money could be adding up to wealth for retirement (or whatever other kind of goal you have!) Here’s the breakdown if you buy a latte and a muffin every morning for breakfast:

$5 average cost of a latte and muffin x 7 days = $35/week = approx. $150/month.

But if you chose to INVEST that $150 a month and happened to earn a %10 annual return, you’d wind up with:
1 year = $1,885
2 years = $3,967
5 years = $11,616
10 years = $30,727
15 years =  $62,171
30 yea rs = $339,073
40 years = $948,611

Some of you are saying, “But I have to eat breakfast,” and others are saying, “I’m not going to earn %10 every year.” Both are true but 1.) You can eat breakfast for much cheaper (at home!) and 2.) You may not, but it’s definitely possible and the idea behind it is what is important and powerful!

The point is to realize that most of us spend money like we breathe. Obviously, life requires spending money. But it doesn’t require spending ALL of it or spending it just because we HAVE it. If you have a dream that requires money (retirement, starting a business, building a house, etc.) then you need to start saving for it NOW. It won’t just magically appear whenever you’re ready to start living out the dream.

There  are definitely other principles David Bach discusses in the book, and I will address some more of them in the coming days. My hope is that when you start to think about it and see the numbers the way you view and spend money will change and your life will be better off because of it!

Do you have something that you could give up on a daily (or just regular) basis and start saving that money instead? (Mine used to be lattes but I’ve cut that out of my life since January of this year! So glad I did too.)

Of course it’s no wonder they’re probably living paycheck to paycheck.

I’m not trying to dog on anyone. And to most it seems like common sense. But if you don’t have a bank (or credit union) account you need to go out tomorrow and GET ONE. And put your money in it. And keep it there. It’s much safer there than in your house anyway. Every financial institution is backed by the FDIC or NCUA for up to $250,000. This means that if for whatever reason the institution that has all your money goes under, you will still get all your money back up to a quarter of a million dollars.

But that is truly besides the point because the people who don’t have accounts at a financial institution are, more than likely, not the ones saving up wads of it in their home somewhere. They are the people who spend all their money and sit around miserable until the next paycheck comes (if the next one comes!)

If you’re just getting out on your own or are finally starting to make some kind of income (even an allowance!) search out the best financial institution in your area and open up at least a basic savings account and a checking account. Savings can be for your growing emergency fund and your checking account, well, it’s to live out of. Get a debit card and then just watch your spending (make sure to sign up for access to your accounts through your institution’s website so you can view balances and such 24/7.)

I’m not sure why some people are opposed to keeping their money at a financial institution. Do you have any ideas?

Whatever your relationship with your mom, take time to tell her, “Thanks” for the years of wisdom, care and provision she gave you. Whether it’s a card, flowers, chocolates, some other gift or just a hand-written note or letter, she’ll be so blessed to know that you are grateful for all she’s done for you.

I can’t say enough about my mom. She is the most loving, thoughtful person I know. She is gentle and kind and compassionate and is constantly going out of her way to serve her family and loved ones. She puts others above herself and shows honor on a daily basis. A perfect example of a wonderful wife, mother and lover of Jesus. She is slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to become angry. I just love her to death! =)

What are some things you are grateful for your mom exhibits?

P.S. It’s already Wednesday! Don’t forget.