Inspired Savings

Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
Carl Sagan

Remember how you felt when you got wonderful unexpected news? It changed everything! You smiled, laughed more easily and literally felt lighter. Everything seemed possible.

Remember your sense of satisfaction and pride when you did something you didn’t know you could do and it turned out great? What about the time you learned something that gave you a whole new way of looking at something or a new understanding that was like turning on a light?

Sometimes when we’re going through a tough period we can forget those times and can lose hope that something positive can happen. That’s exactly when it’s time to recall those wonderful moments and look for ways to create openings for those moments to happen again.

How to do that?

• Eat a good, nutritious meal you love. Get some exercise and sleep!
• Take a break to get some perspective.
• Ask for some help or another opinion.
• Do something really crazy (not dangerous or illegal but out of your comfort zone)!
• Read your wish list and your what-if-I had no obstacle lists for ideas to break the difficult momentum.
• Give yourself permission to shelf the problem for the next day, week or few months to focus on other things and maybe gather other resources.
• Ask yourself, if something wonderful were to happen tonight that was a breakthrough, what would I be doing tomorrow that would be different?

When we make space for answers and position ourselves to hear them, hope will be right around the corner waiting to brighten your day.

Money Saving Tips

Do you have a credit card that offers travel miles but you don’t use the miles? You may do better with a different credit card that offers gifts, discounts at restaurants or other purchases.

What made you smile today?

What made you proud of your money choices today?

Deciding what NOT to do is as important as deciding what to do.
Steve Jobs

Martita was so passionate about her work that she sacrificed her personal life to work long hours and travel non-stop to provide the very best. In spite of that, colleagues weren’t happy with her performance even though they liked her and respected her ideas.

Why? She never said “no” to others and kept escalating her own work. As a result she had more to do than any person could possibly accomplish. She didn’t have a team to delegate the work to so everything fell on her shoulders to complete. She didn’t meet her deadlines, was frequently late for meetings, and her brilliant ideas seem to fall apart between the concept, commitment and execution. Others couldn’t count on her to deliver and her boss was not happy having to check her work in great detail because it wasn’t completed with care. What can she do?

Martita can write serious personal and professional mission statements to clearly help her to determine which projects don’t fit and should not be taken on. She needs help learning to say “no” to both herself and to others when new opportunities surface that do not clearly meet her mission. That would include actually learning clear, direct but appropriate strategies to say “no” and gaining the confidence to actually do it. A course in time management could be helpful. Additionally, if she expands her personal life to spend less time focused on work she may be more productive and successful! Amazingly, when people have a more balanced life with outside interests and other demands on their time, they actually are more focused and productive at work!

Money Saving Tips

Why pay more for color? White eggs have the same nutritional value and taste as brown and other colored eggs. The color or the shell is determined by the breed of the laying hen.

What made you smile today?

What made you proud of your money choices today?

We tend to forecast the future based on the recent past.
Carl Richards, author of The Behavior Gap

If things have been good, we expect they will continue. If things have been tough, we expect that to continue. The reality is that life has its ups and downs. The more we accept that as a given, the easier it is to plan.

You’ve probably heard that it’s wise to put aside a certain amount each month for emergencies. That’s true, but let’s rethink emergencies. You can predict that your house, car, computer, appliances and equipment will routinely need repairs.

Depending on your health care coverage, you can predict that you will have medical expenses. How much did you pay for those types of repairs and medical expenses in the past one to three years? Take an average of that amount per year, divide by twelve to see how much you would need to save every month to be prepared for predictable “emergencies.” Once you’re prepared and you actually expect that things will happen, it will be an inconvenience but it won’t feel like an emergency. You will have funds saved up and there will be minimal drama beyond the time and energy it takes to find someone to do the work.

What emergencies can you predict and prepare for to simplify your life in the future?

Money Saving Tips

If you’re looking to make a purchase item requiring a loan and multiple places are checking your credit, it may lower your score and result in a higher interest rate. Instead, get your credit score and when asking for quotes, tell them your FICO score is X instead of giving them permission to contact the credit bureau and check your credit history.

What made you smile today?

What made you proud of your money choices today?

The way you treat yourself sets the standard for others.
Sonya Friedman

I was on a vacation that included lots of walking in interesting places. Unfortunately, walking was a problem for me! I had hurt my toe and, in spite of using padding, it really hurt when I wore walking shoes that looked good. So I bought shoes that looked good but wouldn’t hurt my toe.

Unfortunately, if I wore them for too long the lack of support would cause my back to hurt. It seemed like a no-win situation and I really didn’t want to miss out on anything. Finally, I cut out a section of my comfortable walking shoes and solved my problem. Did that look weird? You bet it did! Did anyone notice? A couple of people did remark that they thought my shoe was ripped.

Did I care? Sort of, especially when I wanted to look nice when we went out to dinner. But in the end, I will remember what a great time I had walking on cobblestone streets in ancient cities, visiting amazing places and touring interesting sites. My lack of style was more than compensated for by the experiences.

It reminded me of the advice one woman gave to people who do public speaking, “Wear comfortable shoes and clothes.” Often we are so concerned with how we look that we sacrifice comfort. Instead of focusing on what is important, our mind is distracted by aches and pains. If you want to be your best at work and play and get the most from your experiences, be stylish, but be comfortable!

Have you ever sacrificed comfort for style? Did it affect your productivity or performance? Did it interfere with your enjoyment? Was it distracting? Was it worth it? What could you do differently next time?

Money Saving Tips

Your credit history is important for your credit score (FICO). If you have a credit card for a long time, it may be best to keep it and use it occasionally. Cancelling it can lower your FICO score.

What made you smile today?

What made you proud of your money choices today?

Each of us must experience one of two pains – the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
Which pain will you choose?
Jim Rohn

Nisa had no problem with the pain of being disciplined when it came to her education. She was willing to work extra jobs to pay her tuition and readily sacrificed time with her friends and family to stay focused on completing her coursework to get her nursing degree and finally her Ph.D. It paid off. She loved her career and never regretted the sacrifices and the investment she had made in herself.

However, when it came to money, that was another story—no discipline at all. Nisa earned a good salary and paid her bills on time, but never planned or saved for her future. She lived in a beautiful condo that had been lavishly decorated and redecorated by an interior designer. For convenience Nisa ate out or purchased prepared foods for most of her meals. Her vacations were always first class tours and she shopped as a pastime buying clothing, jewelry and shoes that appealed to her without a second thought.

When she retired her lifestyle changed dramatically. She had three large closets full of expensive clothes, many unworn, but not enough money to visit her mother and sisters who lived in other states. Eating out and shopping had to be limited. Nisa regretted that she had not made wiser, more thoughtful financial choices throughout her life. She could easily have afforded to live a nice lifestyle and save for the future if she had gotten some guidance and made difference choices. Are you making wise choices and practicing some discipline today so you won’t face regrets next month or next year?

Can you have automatic retirement deductions taken from your paycheck or set up other means of saving to avoid future pain of regret? Even small amounts made a huge difference in the long-term!

Money Saving Tips

Renting? Late payments on your rent may affect your credit score. It used to be just late mortgage payments were reported, but some landlords or rental agencies will report late payments, especially if it is a recurring issue. Remember, if your name is on the lease, you are held responsible regardless of whether a roommate hasn’t paid you on time.

What made you smile today?

What made you proud of your money choices today?