Monday, August 31, 2009
Green lights
In crucial times such as this day in age we all have plenty of things that we have on our plates to worry about and that is from our President all the way down to the homeless. Rising costs of everything, the environment falling apart as we speak, and the financial well being of our future economy. We don't sit down and think about all these aspects and how one little change can evolve all these problems and turn them around. While sitting outside and looking at the beautiful tree scenery here around my apartment I think about the green on the trees. Whoa...green! That's the answer to the problem! Every little bit that you do to save the environment can also save you in future costs. Say you go out and buy new light bulbs and are checking out the wattage of them all, take a second and look at the box and see if it is eco-friendly. I started only buying these not only because they save the environment, but at the same time they save electricity. They can save you enormous amounts over a period of time. This may sound small, but if you could save 75% on each lightbulb's cost of electricity a year then it sounds a lot bigger right? These bulbs also tend to last quite a bit longer than your regular bulb too. They can last years even 6-10 years depending on the amount of usage. So, all in all you save on cost of bulbs over time, cost of electricity, and save the environment so that your kids can have a better place to live and a future of their own. I sure don't want my kids having to walk around wearing masks because the Earth's air is unbreathable. And, I love nothing more than to save a few extra bucks a month! Remember every cent counts!
E-book
If you would like a free e-book on how to start an online business then please email admin@allmojo.com
Embrasing who you are
During our upbringing we all tend to conform to how society makes us want to feel about ourselves and what we will end up being like in our adult years. Most of you grow up thinking that the best thing for you in your life is to be what your parents felt you should be. This is where you have to make a turning point in your own life. If you take one second, go sit in a quiet room alone, and ponder on what kind of person you really are. If you don’t like being around people figure out a way to work from home and not have to be around people all day long, if you like people think about going the other route and maybe working in the retail/real estate field. Don’t just go with what other people think you should be or where you are right now. Do what your heart and soul tells you to do. Here are some tips that I have gathered from several different motivational speakers and books in the past.
1.) Take time to yourself to think- If you can’t think about what you are going to do then how in the world are you going to do it? The ideas don’t come rolling until you can actually imagine them in your head.
2.) Don’t live your life in fear – Fear is what keeps us from being able to do what we really want to do. We are afraid of taxes, bankruptcy, and failure. But, if you don’t take the chance to try then how in the world are you going to ever get there. Without the risk there comes now reward. As they say, “you reap what you sow” . This is true with many different aspects in life.
3.) Gather information – Take some time out of your busy schedule to do some research and learn about what you want to do. If you want to get into real estate then read about houses, sales, and different techniques you can use. Or, if you want to start an online store then research the products, learn what your customers will want and need, and review other businesses to get an idea of how they are working.
4.) Strategize your plan of attack – Create a plan of implementation, marketing, and funds. You need to know from the start how you are going to run your business. Without this it will fall apart. You also need to know who you are marketing to and how you are going to market to them (i.e. physically, cold calling, SEO’s are a few ways). Funds are crucial! You need to figure out from the start what you are going to spend your future money on and what you are going to use it for. Putting money back into the business is necessary so don’t think that you are going to just keep it all, because you have to think about the fact of what you are going to do after that money is gone! You will need to continue making money for the future.
5.) Goals, Goals, and more Goals! – You need to set tangible and physical goals for yourself to make sure that you are getting where you need to be. If you don’t its just like walking around blind and not knowing where you are going. Goals also give you something to strive for or a star to reach for. Just don’t let those goals be your finish line. Keep going and going by increasing your goals as you complete the ones you made. Don’t make new goals until you have completed the ones you have already made though. Because, that could make them feel more unreachable and don’t make them too big from the start or you will lose interest and fall through the cracks and give up.
1.) Take time to yourself to think- If you can’t think about what you are going to do then how in the world are you going to do it? The ideas don’t come rolling until you can actually imagine them in your head.
2.) Don’t live your life in fear – Fear is what keeps us from being able to do what we really want to do. We are afraid of taxes, bankruptcy, and failure. But, if you don’t take the chance to try then how in the world are you going to ever get there. Without the risk there comes now reward. As they say, “you reap what you sow” . This is true with many different aspects in life.
3.) Gather information – Take some time out of your busy schedule to do some research and learn about what you want to do. If you want to get into real estate then read about houses, sales, and different techniques you can use. Or, if you want to start an online store then research the products, learn what your customers will want and need, and review other businesses to get an idea of how they are working.
4.) Strategize your plan of attack – Create a plan of implementation, marketing, and funds. You need to know from the start how you are going to run your business. Without this it will fall apart. You also need to know who you are marketing to and how you are going to market to them (i.e. physically, cold calling, SEO’s are a few ways). Funds are crucial! You need to figure out from the start what you are going to spend your future money on and what you are going to use it for. Putting money back into the business is necessary so don’t think that you are going to just keep it all, because you have to think about the fact of what you are going to do after that money is gone! You will need to continue making money for the future.
5.) Goals, Goals, and more Goals! – You need to set tangible and physical goals for yourself to make sure that you are getting where you need to be. If you don’t its just like walking around blind and not knowing where you are going. Goals also give you something to strive for or a star to reach for. Just don’t let those goals be your finish line. Keep going and going by increasing your goals as you complete the ones you made. Don’t make new goals until you have completed the ones you have already made though. Because, that could make them feel more unreachable and don’t make them too big from the start or you will lose interest and fall through the cracks and give up.
Finances Get Tougher So We Get Tougher
Hard times have hit us over the past few years and we have learned to cope with them. Debt, foreclosure, and negative bank accounts are a few of the problems that we have had. We have somehow always worked together to fix these situations. We have spent, lost, won, and made money. The only thing that you can do after these times is to make sure that you learn your lesson from them and know what you did wrong so that you can fix them or not do them in the future. Our big problem is that we spent big when were young thinking that we had all this money, but we really didn’t. It was all on credit cards, in our pricy cars, and a home that we were so proud to have at the age of 19. We thought that we were doing good until all the bills started to pile up and less money was coming in. One thing that you learn really quickly is that the debt collectors don’t really care if you are not making as much money or that you don’t have it. They want it then and there without any questions or excuses. Solution is to not get into debt or overspend, but if you are too late for that then just make sure you don’t do it again. Just be strong and hard through these times and be sure to not fret over these minor problems. The deeper in debt that you get the harder it is to get out. Just don’t do it! Cash all the way exept in truly severe emergencies and these don’t include fancy clothes or wine. Budget wisely and think before you spend. Research and analyze before you buy. Suzy Orman is a good person to listen to or watch to learn more about fixing and working with your finances.
Coupons, Coupons, Coupons
There is the time old way of saving cash which is coupons. Over the years coupons have been the main way people save money just by taking a few minutes a week sitting down and cutting coupons out of the newspaper, free local paper, or the coupon books you get in the mail. A new form of coupons that are sweeping today's time by storm is the e-coupons. These are coupons that you can either print out, email, or even put them straight on a stores preferred customer card. This makes it even easier for you and me to save a little cash when times get tough or you want to keep your money in your wallet. Sometimes a little bit of money can cause you to not be able to pay the mortgage, car payment, or even feed your baby! Don't over look these easy ways to keep your money to yourself and not share it with these large companies that want all of it. I compiled a list of some places and ways to get coupons to use when you go grocery shopping:
- newspaper (sometimes you don't have to get the local one check all of them)
- small local papers
- junk mail ad booklets
- E-coupons.com
- Couponmom.com
- Coolsavings.com
- Smartsource.com
- Kroger.com
- Target.com
- Savings.com
- Wow-coupons.com
- Ultimatecoupons.com
- Onlinecoupons.com
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Debit or Credit?
As a person that has been a retail manager for a about 10 years I can fully tell you that most companies will not want you to use your cards and try to get you to do debit if you do. This is for several reasons and most of these reasons are because they make more money this way. When you use your credit card it costs them more money than it does when you use your debit card and it costs them an even more money than when you use cash to handle these purchases. When you use cash it costs them not a cent in processing of your purchase but when you use a debit card it can cost them an average of 1%-5% depending on who the card is going through for a bank. When you use your credit card it can be anywhere from 3-12% of the total card charge just to swipe that card.
We don't realize it, but that swiping of the credit card can save you if you are careful and watchful of it. I am not saying to go rack up money on your credit card because it will save you money! But, when you use the right cards and do it right you can save a lot. I advise people to use a credit card that can be paid off within a month and not get charged for interest. Check and see if you get any discounts, points, or cash back on your purchase. Here is a few examples:
We don't realize it, but that swiping of the credit card can save you if you are careful and watchful of it. I am not saying to go rack up money on your credit card because it will save you money! But, when you use the right cards and do it right you can save a lot. I advise people to use a credit card that can be paid off within a month and not get charged for interest. Check and see if you get any discounts, points, or cash back on your purchase. Here is a few examples:
- When you use a card that gets discounts you may be able to save 1-15% at certain stores. If you check on your cards and see that you get a discount at a store and use that card you could save money. Let's say that you go to store X and spend $100 each time you go to it but you can go to store Y and save 10%, then you go to store Y and spend $100 you walk out only spending $90. If this is for groceries or gas and you do this on a weekly basis then you could possible get a savings of $520 a year ($100-$90=$10*52=$520). HUGE!!! Especially if you shop around and check out the stores they work with.
- Points and frequent flyer miles are a popular decision making area for people when they are credit card shopping. If you fly around a lot or use your card a lot for business and what not then this can be a huge thing for you. Take Visa, they tend to give points if you sign up for it online through them or your bank. You can get points for every $100 you spend and if you spend a lot then you can easily get a free vacation (or like I did got books from Barnes and Noble) or you could get fly miles to go on your next business trip. Only really good if you use your card a lot. If you can pay your rent or mortgage by using your card then do that because I racked up points very quickly by doing this.
- Cash back is something that some cards do that can save you some money. They will sometimes give you cash back on every swipe. If you shop at different places and don't know how much you spend then this is the way to go. You can save cents that add up every time you go fill up your tank. Lets say you save $.10 cents per week on gas then $10 on groceries, $10 on eating out for the month, mortgage payment and etc....as you can see it can add up quickly here and there over the months possibly saving you thousands.