It was innocent enough – you set the goal to get this money thing figured out and then BOOM, here you are months/years later in no better place than when you started. You know you have to live on a budget to win with money, but somehow it just isn’t working. Here are the five biggest reasons I run into when I talk to people who tell me their budget isn’t working…and how to fix each one of them. [Read more…]
How to Deal With Losing Your Job
Situation
The boss just walked in and gave you the worst news. Management decided to lay off some staff. Your department is being closed and you will be on unemployment (if you’re lucky) in less than two weeks.
This scenario happens every day to someone. Every day, someone has to go home and tell his/her family that things are getting ready to be turned upside down. Eventually, when shock passes, coping with stress begins and the realization hits: I NEED A JOB! In today’s world, that isn’t usually an easy task. What do you do? Today, I’ll help you (or someone you love), get through this mess, and maybe even come out on the other side with a great story to tell. Moreover, it’s important to remember that in challenging situations like wrongful job dismissal, seeking professional advice and support is crucial. Consider reaching out to get help Addressing wrongful job dismissal, ensuring that your rights are protected and you have the assistance needed to navigate this difficult period. [Read more…]
Five Minutes on Christmas
Christmas is almost here! And this post won’t be long — I just want to talk for Five Minutes on Christmas. That’s great news for some of you and miserable sadness for others. Christmas is one of those holidays that has a reputation for bringing out the best and worst in people. Don’t believe me? Look around! Our area made national news for Black Friday fights in Walmart. Classy, people…really classy. But then you hear stories of awesome generosity or cool marketing ploys by creative companies.
Here’s the problem – most of us have been duped.
We’ve been indoctrinated with political correctness and similar garbage that have convinced so many that Christmas is about everything EXCEPT what it is really about. Think about it: most retailers want you to think Christmas is all about busting your budget in the name of creating happiness for everyone you’ve ever met.
“Merry Christmas” has been replaced with “Happy Holidays”…
Because we wouldn’t want to offend someone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas or acknowledge CHRIST as the message of December 25th. But here’s reality…
Christmas is about JESUS.
It’s about THE GIFT, not a bunch of gifts. Christmas is not about good feelings, overindulgent meals, Santa, trees, cards, bells, sleigh rides, snow, lights, or anything else that we might use as a symbol of Christmas. I’ll be totally honest: I’ve loved and hated Christmas over the years.
Some years I forgot it wasn’t about me and was selfish.
One year I saved up a bunch of time and took almost the entire month of December off from work and spent it with Stacy doing whatever we felt like. Last year was my first without my Dad there. I understand why people can get hung up on Christmas. So here’s how it works for the Myers.
- Christmas is a day of joy and recognition of our salvation, come to the earth in the form of a baby.
- Christmas is a day of fun (remember, God called us to have life and have it abundantly!).
- Not only does Christmas involves celebration and family time, but also worship.
- Presents? Even though I’ll have a few to open, God has blessed me so richly that I can honestly say there is nothing I need that I don’t already have. We buy presents for our kids, but with some perspective and WITHIN BUDGET. Stacy was recently interviewed by NBC for the Today Show on our “three gift Christmas” – you should check out the article
Okay, enough of me typing – Stacy and I thought you might like to watch us talk a bit! We’re calling it our Five Minutes Christmas and sharing so that y’all can see how it works for us, and promoting everything using Outdoor Advertising for this.
How do you feel about Christmas? Is it a warm, enjoyable time for you and your family or a struggle?
10 Reasons You’re Destined to Stay Broke
Today I’m going to rant. I’m going to be politically incorrect. I’m going to make a lot of you extremely angry (the comments should be fun to read). I’ve heard too many people whining and complaining about how bad they have it and how hard life is. I’ve heard people give me excuse after excuse of why they can never get ahead financially and how “the man” is always putting them down. Come on, people – get with it. Life is going to happen. Life sometimes sucks (apologies to those of you who don’t like that word). Life isn’t fair, and isn’t supposed to be. For those of you who have decided to let life happen and whine about it instead of doing something to make it better, this post is dedicated to you. Without further ado, I give you: 10 reasons you’re destined to stay broke. [Read more…]
Buying a Car with Cash
I was recently privileged to purchase my latest new-to-me car, a 2008 Ford Taurus SEL. My 1997 Ford Ranger is still doing fine, but is not very family-friendly and the gas mileage on my 80 mile commute (round trip) was definitely a concern. So for a few months I’d been looking for Ford makes to fit our family and save us some gas money in the process. This is the third vehicle I’ve bought for us using $100 bills and several of you have asked me how to pay cash for your vehicles and/or how to break the cycle of car payments. I dedicate an entire chapter in my book to that topic, but I thought I’d give you the gist of it through a post today. [Read more…]
Staying on Budget with Your Debit Card
If you’ve been around here long, you know we are pretty big proponents of using cash to help maintain discipline in your finances. We use the good old-fashioned cash envelope system, and have since we got married. For some reason, many of you think using cash is strange because we live in a plastic society (interpret that in a few ways if you like), so Stacy even did a video about our actual cash envelopes back in March to try to help you see how we make it work.
But what about those of you who refuse to use cash? Maybe you’re scared of having more than a few bucks on hand because they’ll burn a hole in your pocket. Maybe you’re convinced you’ll be mugged if you bring out a $50 bill to pay for groceries. Whatever the reason, many of you haven’t bought into the idea of using cash envelopes for certain budget categories and want to know if there’s an alternative. Well…yes. [Read more…]
What Does It Mean to Be Wealthy?
What’s the real difference in a wealthy person and someone barely scraping by? Why do some become millionaires while others end up broke? I previously wrote about how poor and rich are really states of mind and not directly tied to your income level, and even went so far as to say you have to act like a millionaire if you want to become one. That leads to today’s discussion: how do you define “wealthy?”
There are really two schools of thought:
- A wealthy person is someone who EARNS a lot of money
- A wealthy person is someone who can SAVE a lot of money
I’ve read Dr. Thomas Stanley’s books, The Millionaire Next Door, The Millionaire Mind and Stop Acting Rich (Hey FTC, those are affiliate links!). I’ve also been privileged to know some people who would definitely qualify as rich/wealthy if you were to look at their net worth. So which is it: high income earners or skilled savers? Let’s find out.
[Read more…]Debt Settlements: A Cure for a Mess?
So you’ve gotten yourself in a mess of debt and are trying to find the best way to dig out? Is it so bad that collectors have been calling and offering a settlement? The idea sounds pretty good – you owe $500 and they’re offering to take $200 to make it all go away. Should you do it? What’s the catch? Today, I’ll give you all the details on a debt settlement and when/how it should come into play in your debt situation. [Read more…]
Debt-Free Living: Where Do I Start?
Just about every week I harp on some aspect of how to get rid of debt, live on a budget or do something more frugally than you previously thought you could. Many of you have told me all that stuff is fine, but asked, “where the heck should I start on all this mess?” Today is your answer! Taking content from my book, numerous other posts on this site and others, and summarizing them into a few simple steps will hopefully give you the ammunition to get rid of your debt and live free of all the junk that goes with being a “slave to the lender.” [Read more…]
Internal Thoughts of the Normal American
Last week I was kind, gentle and uplifting, encouraging you to make sure you “put your money where your mouth is” when it comes to what you say you value. I meant every word I wrote and have given that encouragement to hundreds of people before. Your comments tell me it was a message many of you needed, and I’m glad it helped. This week, I have to go a bit in the opposite direction. Just like when you are trying to cure a disease, you have to choose whether to work on the symptoms or the root cause. Today, I’m working on the root cause. I do not want you to stay broke!
As I’ve written many times before, the normal American is broke and has been taught that’s just the way it is. The normal American has been sold the idea that to own nice things (of which we are all “entitled,” right?!), he/she has to make payments. You’ve been told you cannot live life without debt or that debt is a tool. Pish Posh. That’s a bunch of garbage. Believing those lies is roughly the same as believing the “food” you pick up through the McDonald’s drive-thru is top-quality, organic health food. Mmmmmm, delicious! [Read more…]
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