Want to save money but don’t know how? Feel like depriving yourself when it comes to saving money? Don’t be disheartened. Try these five money saving ideas, without breaking up a sweat!
Reduce On Magazines Subscription.
There are so many types of magazines like business, sports, home and garden magazines. Can you imagine how much each of these subscriptions cost? If your family is subscribed to 5 different magazines, that’s already few hundreds per year! If you need the information from such mags, try to check out their websites and you’ll be surprised at how much free information is available! Besides that, it would be good idea for you to visit your local libraries once a week with your family members.
Buy In Bulk.
How can warehouse like Tesco and Giant Hypermarket drastically lower their prices? It is because they buy and sell in bulk. And so should you! Consumables that are non-perishable can be purchased 10-15% cheaper when bought in bulk. Be sure to stock up only on fast-moving items such as kitchen towels, cleaners, canned goods, etc., to avoid wasting money on rancid food.
Eat At Home.
Eating out has become an lifestyle. What used to be an activity to celebrate special occasions has become part of the daily, fast-paced life. But did you know that eating out could chomp as much as 40% of your budget for food? That’s as much as RM100 weekly, saved just by eating in!
Plan Your Meals.
Eating out 4 times a week need not be your solution to a dynamic lifestyle. Menu planning is! Take time on weekends to plan for the following week’s meals. Every night, before you hit the sack, take out the ingredients for the meals of the next day from the freezer, and store them in the refrigerator. By the time you get home from work, everything is thawed and ready to be cooked. By doing so, you would have saved enough money to spend for dining out on special occasions!
Homemade Skin Care.
Is your dermatologist eating up your budget? Don’t you wish you can be beautiful and save money at the same time? The answer is yes, you can! By using ingredients from your pantry, you can take care of your skin and still save a fortune. Try the following:
- Honey and oatmeal can exfoliate dry skin.
- Ginger seeped in a bath softens your skin.
- Cucumber and milk softens tired skin.
Without drastically changing your lifestyle, you have started your path on saving money. Secure your future by using these money saving ideas, today! Save wisely.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Pay Less And Enjoy More
Saving Money is one hard task. There are lots of things to be considered, primarily on how to budget your cash on hand that would somehow, if not manage to have excess left money, be exact of what it should be used for. Budgeting is really a pain in the neck. Allocation of electric bills, water bills, phone bills, etc. is just few of the many things being considered on how to utilize your cash wisely. Food is no exception.
Being the most important of all house responsibility, we prioritize on how to budget our money, reducing the money spent without sacrificing the food allocation. We mainly buy necessities in groceries. It would be of help if you list down goods you have to buy together with their prices (if possible) so as to ensure yourself that the budget allotted for food is exact or there is a shortage. If so, you could trim down your list or think of a better replacement. To furthermore avoid shopping shortages, here are some tips.
- List goods that should always be found in the kitchen. Examples of which are coffee, milk, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, onion, garlic. These goods are necessary, so they are always being bought.
- Plan your weekly meals ahead of time. This would avoid you overspending on goods invaluable or missing some ingredients that are needed. This would not just clear your worries but it would also save your time.
- Don’t buy branded goods; instead choose a product that has the same quality of those expensive goods. You’ll get the same benefit without spending more.
- Pay in cash. You might be tempted to buy unnecessary goods. This would avoid you from going over your card limit.
- Try to be inventive and creative at the same time. Leftovers could be precooked in a way that it would look appealing again to your appetite.
- Bring some snacks whenever you travel. This could be a good reliever for your hunger along the way and chances of being tempted to stop in a mini store; if not be impossible, at least be lessen.
- Keep a list of prices of goods you always buy. At least, with those products you’re sure of how much you’ll be spending and you could do just a small amount on goods you wish to buy.
- Shop only once or twice a month. In that way, less time will be spent on going to a grocery store and at the same time, chances of overspending will be minimized.
Being the most important of all house responsibility, we prioritize on how to budget our money, reducing the money spent without sacrificing the food allocation. We mainly buy necessities in groceries. It would be of help if you list down goods you have to buy together with their prices (if possible) so as to ensure yourself that the budget allotted for food is exact or there is a shortage. If so, you could trim down your list or think of a better replacement. To furthermore avoid shopping shortages, here are some tips.
- List goods that should always be found in the kitchen. Examples of which are coffee, milk, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, onion, garlic. These goods are necessary, so they are always being bought.
- Plan your weekly meals ahead of time. This would avoid you overspending on goods invaluable or missing some ingredients that are needed. This would not just clear your worries but it would also save your time.
- Don’t buy branded goods; instead choose a product that has the same quality of those expensive goods. You’ll get the same benefit without spending more.
- Pay in cash. You might be tempted to buy unnecessary goods. This would avoid you from going over your card limit.
- Try to be inventive and creative at the same time. Leftovers could be precooked in a way that it would look appealing again to your appetite.
- Bring some snacks whenever you travel. This could be a good reliever for your hunger along the way and chances of being tempted to stop in a mini store; if not be impossible, at least be lessen.
- Keep a list of prices of goods you always buy. At least, with those products you’re sure of how much you’ll be spending and you could do just a small amount on goods you wish to buy.
- Shop only once or twice a month. In that way, less time will be spent on going to a grocery store and at the same time, chances of overspending will be minimized.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Don’t Let Your Fears Keep You Poor
What is the first impression we have upon hearing the word “fear?” Most likely, we think of it as a word that describes a feeling we all do not like to experience. And rightly it is, for even the dictionary describes it mostly as a word filled with negative emotions.
In this chapter, we shall make an in-depth analysis of what fear is really all about when it comes to creating wealth; its good side and its bad side.
Different people have different kinds of fear. Fear of speaking in public, fear of heights, fear of enclosed places, fear of being alone, fear of dark places, fear of being in a doctor’s or dental office, fear of spiders and other insects - we can enumerate countless more.
Fear is the biggest deterrent to financial success. Suppress fear and your money-making mind turns into a gold mine. A word of caution: Being wealthy does not necessarily solve the problem of fear. Sometimes, it even aggravates the matter, because this time, it is fear of losing the money that bothers the wealthy. Learn to manage and control fear.
Many people who have money problems fear losing money so much that they are actually aggravating their problems by concentrating too much on them. They can’t think of any solution to their dilemmas because their thoughts are pre-occupied with the terror of paying insurmountable bills. Instead of worrying about their problem, they should shift their focus to a different perspective, even for just a few minutes. They should take some time to relax and re-energize their brains so they can be more capable of finding the right solution. They should set their problems aside for even just a few minutes each day, in order to allow their minds to come up with possible solutions.
Fear also has its good side. Fear prevents us from getting hurt, physically and emotionally. That little fear that is inherent in us is actually good for us. It prevents us from being too aggressive. It makes us think before we act. Action after thinking is definitely better than action without thinking.
This little fear is similar to fats in our body. Too much fat in our body is not good for our health. A little fat helps to keep us warm in cold weather. In the movies, there won’t be any good guys if it weren’t for the bad guys. We kept emphasizing “little” in fear and we must keep it that way because once it starts to get big, we’re in real trouble.So how do we control fear from getting big without totally losing it? How do we keep fear within manageable and usable level so we have control over it instead of the other way around?To an average employee, fear of losing a job makes him/her get up every morning to go to work. This is fear controlling the person. This is the reason most people stay in the “rat race.”To the poor and middle class, the fear of losing money makes them cringe to take risks, even calculated risks which the rich usually take. Sometimes, they never realize that they already lost the moment they backed out from an opportunity. And if this keeps on going, they’ll never get rich.
Fear leads to poverty. It prevents financial creativity in our minds to the point that ignorance sets in. When creativity (be it financial or not) does not occupy the mind, the mind is in a state of emptiness. It doesn’t remain empty for long, so ignorance sets in. And when ignorance sets in, bigger problems start to set in as well because our mind is in disarray. Unconsciously, we become more greedy.
Let us explore greed further. I think you will agree that a high degree of greed can lead into trouble. Too much greed clouds our thoughts but a little, just a little greed may do us good. A little greed can overcome the obstacles that draw us away from financial security. A little greed can cure laziness. Without that little greed, our desire to have something better and to improve our lives financially could be beyond reach. Progress will hardly be attained.
If you will notice, most if not all of the negative traits and emotions in humans can lead us into trouble and financial distress, if their level is higher than our level of thinking. If we keep them from dominating our mind, we are in good hands. And to make this possible, we need to gather enough courage or fortitude within us, which will be the basis or backbone of our action towards financial security. Practice in small ways and gradually improve to bigger activities.
To suppress the fear of losing money, the excitement of winning must prevail. We must have the burning desire and the passion to make it happen. To bring up that burning desire, we must think of the great benefits that money will bring. “What will I do or what can I do when I become rich?” Start by recalling and making a picture in your mind of the things you would like to do if you have the money for it.
Concentrate first on the good things it will bring to you and your loved ones, perhaps helping a brother or sister finish college, going on a cruise in the Carribean if you love to travel (traveling is educational), or giving a motorized wheel chair for a poor crippled uncle. Acts of care and concern, not only for oneself and family, but to others as well, ignites passion and desire. It puts your creative mind to work. Subconsciously, you have suppressed fear. Put your thoughts into action by making big but realistic and detailed step-by-step plans.
Remember, that all these excitements must be within the tolerable limits of your thoughts, so your reasonable and creative thinking could have full command of your actions.
In this chapter, we shall make an in-depth analysis of what fear is really all about when it comes to creating wealth; its good side and its bad side.
Different people have different kinds of fear. Fear of speaking in public, fear of heights, fear of enclosed places, fear of being alone, fear of dark places, fear of being in a doctor’s or dental office, fear of spiders and other insects - we can enumerate countless more.
Fear is the biggest deterrent to financial success. Suppress fear and your money-making mind turns into a gold mine. A word of caution: Being wealthy does not necessarily solve the problem of fear. Sometimes, it even aggravates the matter, because this time, it is fear of losing the money that bothers the wealthy. Learn to manage and control fear.
Many people who have money problems fear losing money so much that they are actually aggravating their problems by concentrating too much on them. They can’t think of any solution to their dilemmas because their thoughts are pre-occupied with the terror of paying insurmountable bills. Instead of worrying about their problem, they should shift their focus to a different perspective, even for just a few minutes. They should take some time to relax and re-energize their brains so they can be more capable of finding the right solution. They should set their problems aside for even just a few minutes each day, in order to allow their minds to come up with possible solutions.
Fear also has its good side. Fear prevents us from getting hurt, physically and emotionally. That little fear that is inherent in us is actually good for us. It prevents us from being too aggressive. It makes us think before we act. Action after thinking is definitely better than action without thinking.
This little fear is similar to fats in our body. Too much fat in our body is not good for our health. A little fat helps to keep us warm in cold weather. In the movies, there won’t be any good guys if it weren’t for the bad guys. We kept emphasizing “little” in fear and we must keep it that way because once it starts to get big, we’re in real trouble.So how do we control fear from getting big without totally losing it? How do we keep fear within manageable and usable level so we have control over it instead of the other way around?To an average employee, fear of losing a job makes him/her get up every morning to go to work. This is fear controlling the person. This is the reason most people stay in the “rat race.”To the poor and middle class, the fear of losing money makes them cringe to take risks, even calculated risks which the rich usually take. Sometimes, they never realize that they already lost the moment they backed out from an opportunity. And if this keeps on going, they’ll never get rich.
Fear leads to poverty. It prevents financial creativity in our minds to the point that ignorance sets in. When creativity (be it financial or not) does not occupy the mind, the mind is in a state of emptiness. It doesn’t remain empty for long, so ignorance sets in. And when ignorance sets in, bigger problems start to set in as well because our mind is in disarray. Unconsciously, we become more greedy.
Let us explore greed further. I think you will agree that a high degree of greed can lead into trouble. Too much greed clouds our thoughts but a little, just a little greed may do us good. A little greed can overcome the obstacles that draw us away from financial security. A little greed can cure laziness. Without that little greed, our desire to have something better and to improve our lives financially could be beyond reach. Progress will hardly be attained.
If you will notice, most if not all of the negative traits and emotions in humans can lead us into trouble and financial distress, if their level is higher than our level of thinking. If we keep them from dominating our mind, we are in good hands. And to make this possible, we need to gather enough courage or fortitude within us, which will be the basis or backbone of our action towards financial security. Practice in small ways and gradually improve to bigger activities.
To suppress the fear of losing money, the excitement of winning must prevail. We must have the burning desire and the passion to make it happen. To bring up that burning desire, we must think of the great benefits that money will bring. “What will I do or what can I do when I become rich?” Start by recalling and making a picture in your mind of the things you would like to do if you have the money for it.
Concentrate first on the good things it will bring to you and your loved ones, perhaps helping a brother or sister finish college, going on a cruise in the Carribean if you love to travel (traveling is educational), or giving a motorized wheel chair for a poor crippled uncle. Acts of care and concern, not only for oneself and family, but to others as well, ignites passion and desire. It puts your creative mind to work. Subconsciously, you have suppressed fear. Put your thoughts into action by making big but realistic and detailed step-by-step plans.
Remember, that all these excitements must be within the tolerable limits of your thoughts, so your reasonable and creative thinking could have full command of your actions.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Minimize The Spending On Your Wedding
Weddings are a joyous occasion but can get expensive in a hurry. With wedding crafts you can insert a personal touch and hold the price down as well. Here are a few ideas for wedding crafts to add sparkle and creativity to your big day.
It is not that hard to create your own wedding veil. To make this wedding craft, you will need a length of bridal illusion in the desired length. You will also need a comb to attach it to your hair and a hat or headpiece to cover the comb. Sew large running stitches about an inch from the end of the illusion and gather it tightly. Now sew the veil to the comb. Top with hat or headpiece. As an alternative, you can decorate a wide-brimmed straw hat with silk flowers, ribbon, and pearls.
The bouquets and floral arrangements can also be personally crafted. For a simple outdoor wedding, consider wild flowers. They are free and have a charm all their own. Bouquets can be arranged in large clear vases, with a bow tied elegantly around.
Favors for the guests are particularly appropriate wedding crafts. Refrigerator magnets are a simple and well-received favor. A really nice idea is to make a magnetic picture frame and include a picture of the couple. You could cut a frame out of craft foam in one of the wedding colors, arrange over the photo, and glue all onto a cardboard backing. Place self-adhesive magnet tape on the back of the cardboard. Decorate the front of the frame with foil heart stickers and a monogram of the couple's last name.
Bows for the ends of the pews or rows make simple wedding crafts. Wide velvet ribbons are nice for fall and winter weddings, while satin is more appropriate for spring and summer weddings. Loop some flat lace in with the ribbons. In the center of the completed bow, attach some silk flowers and pearl sprays with a hot glue gun.
Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at decorating your own cake. Check the craft section of the department store for pans and gadgets of all types to help you create a cake to remember. Do remember, though, that it takes a steady hand. Be sure to practice before starting on the real cake.
Preparing for a wedding can be expensive, but with wedding crafts, you can take some of the sting out. Plan early, however, because it will take a little while to make favors for everyone and all the other little details you will want to take care of. Maybe creating wedding crafts will even relieve some of those wedding jitters. In any event, crafting your own wedding items is a way to have a personal, beautiful, and less expensive wedding.
It is not that hard to create your own wedding veil. To make this wedding craft, you will need a length of bridal illusion in the desired length. You will also need a comb to attach it to your hair and a hat or headpiece to cover the comb. Sew large running stitches about an inch from the end of the illusion and gather it tightly. Now sew the veil to the comb. Top with hat or headpiece. As an alternative, you can decorate a wide-brimmed straw hat with silk flowers, ribbon, and pearls.
The bouquets and floral arrangements can also be personally crafted. For a simple outdoor wedding, consider wild flowers. They are free and have a charm all their own. Bouquets can be arranged in large clear vases, with a bow tied elegantly around.
Favors for the guests are particularly appropriate wedding crafts. Refrigerator magnets are a simple and well-received favor. A really nice idea is to make a magnetic picture frame and include a picture of the couple. You could cut a frame out of craft foam in one of the wedding colors, arrange over the photo, and glue all onto a cardboard backing. Place self-adhesive magnet tape on the back of the cardboard. Decorate the front of the frame with foil heart stickers and a monogram of the couple's last name.
Bows for the ends of the pews or rows make simple wedding crafts. Wide velvet ribbons are nice for fall and winter weddings, while satin is more appropriate for spring and summer weddings. Loop some flat lace in with the ribbons. In the center of the completed bow, attach some silk flowers and pearl sprays with a hot glue gun.
Perhaps you'd like to try your hand at decorating your own cake. Check the craft section of the department store for pans and gadgets of all types to help you create a cake to remember. Do remember, though, that it takes a steady hand. Be sure to practice before starting on the real cake.
Preparing for a wedding can be expensive, but with wedding crafts, you can take some of the sting out. Plan early, however, because it will take a little while to make favors for everyone and all the other little details you will want to take care of. Maybe creating wedding crafts will even relieve some of those wedding jitters. In any event, crafting your own wedding items is a way to have a personal, beautiful, and less expensive wedding.
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