We do not know everything. And, sorry to break the bad news, you do not know everything either. Even if you study the rest of your life, you’ll never learn everything there is to know. And that’s okay, because someone you already know probably is a nerd about things that you are clueless about.
The kicker is knowing the limits to what you know. If you are too proud to ask for advice, then you’ll look (and buy) like a clueless person at the store. Ask for help and only your pride takes a hit. Either way your pride is getting smashed up, so limit the other damage to your wallet!
Computers are a classic example. Have you ever wasted a bunch of time and money trying to pick out a computer to purchase or fix your computer problem yourself? It’s always good to have a “teknonerd” available to contact if you have computer problems or need other technical advice on your electronics.
We have personally used the TeknoNerd in our area, got great help and advice, and saved time & money! They helped us fix some nasty computer virus problems and also steered us smart on a recent electronics purchase.
So don’t be too proud to ask for advice from others. Your wallet will thank you.
Do you recall this jivy, bouncing music? If you’re old enough to remember a lot of the good rock bands bowing to the disco gods, then you’ll also remember becoming more and more disenchanted with rock music about that time. Can’t say I ever loved disco music, in all its goofy glory. But it had some fun moments (maybe it was the beer though!).
Too bad your savings and retirement planning didn’t survive the polyester shirts and tight pants. Or maybe you forgot your retirement planning with the busted disco ball in the basement closet. Either way, back when you were hearing “Shake Your Booty” you should have been saving your looty.
But if you’re anything like me, those days are a bit of a blur and your retirement account is asking for a couple of aspirin.
Not to worry. It’s never too late to get radical on getting out of debt and then saving like crazy. And I mean extreme if you remember disco music and you’re still behind the disco ball in your savings. If you need some ideas on how to get drastic, there are lots of ideas and resource links on this website or try some Boiled Down Money Goo, tips for propelling your financial future.
So…let disco come back in style. This time, you’ll be able to afford those frilly but fake polyester (real silk) shirts and look just as goofy in style. Oh, and here’s a little update on what the new disco could sound like (or what the old disco should have sounded like).
You know what? There is definitely something cool to be said for traveling with your parents or parents-in-law, especially if you have kids.
You can save a lot of money by staying together. You can probably find a two or three bedroom place to rent by the week for less than it would cost each of you to stay separately in hotels. And chances are you’ll actually have a lot more space for visiting and relaxing. Plus, with a kitchen you can save money on meals too. Who knows, maybe your mother-in-law cooks amazing chicken and dumplings or your father is an expert with the barbeque! These more functional accommodations (as opposed to cramped motel rooms) will improve the quality of your vacation.
If it’s possible to all travel in the same vehicle, then you’ll not only have more time to visit during the trip, but spend half as much on gas too. Let one person drive so everyone else can relax without the hassle. There’s another benefit of driving all together if you have kids.
We recently went on a road trip with my wife’s parents and took their minivan. We sat in the front seats, her parents in the middle seats, and our four year old in the back seat. Guess who buffered all the “are we there yet” questions and questions – not us! It was a nice break for a change. And here’s a side perk. If an elderly parent is handicapped, you have all the best parking spots everywhere you go!
Once you’re at your favorite spot (ours is the coast), you have plenty of grandparent and grandchild bonding time. So there’s more couple time with your spouse and that is always good. And of course, it’s just plain fun to spend time together with your parents and make memories.
To kill time in the car during trips, Deborah and I brainstormed “sayings” that we could include at the start of each section in our book. Here are a bunch that didn’t make the book:
Too bad that there isn’t a stupid tax deduction on federal taxes. Most of us would have a pile of money coming back!
With my luck when the lime light finally shines on me it will just reveal all the wrinkles and gray roots.
Everyone should be a bridge; it’s great to be walked on, driven over and used as a bathroom by birds and other two legged creatures.
If someone does you wrong don’t do anything crazy; just write it down – preferably on their car with spray paint.
Be kind to mean people – nothing messes with their mind more.
I don’t why anyone would rather be the bug or the windshield, I’d rather be the windshield washer.
Even a three year old knows the difference between good decisions and bad decisions; too bad I’m not longer three.
Don’t worry about doing something stupid, few people will know – unless it’s caught on video!
Kids are great at lying about something they’ve done and saying it was an accident; I found that it works great at work too…
They say that a river won’t sing without the rocks in it; it must work on swimming pools too ‘cause you should hear my neighbor sing when he finds the rocks that I toss in there at night.
Silence can really be golden, but chances are if you open your mouth the moment will be rusty steel.
Complaining about your credit card bill is like when your kid hands you a poop-stained underwear and says it’s your fault. Who cares whose fault it is at this point – that’s just wrong!
Here the thing about a difficult child: When you’re at work you really miss them. When you’re at home you really miss work.
No matter how good we have it, we always find something to complain about.
Always pick ugly friends. They’ll make you look good. Really good.
People are about as stupid as their friends are.
Don’t hang out with stupid people, or you will find yourself acting just like them.
Going towards the light may not always be a good thing. Ask the dead flies that are stuck on your bug zapper.
They say change is good. A tornado makes a lot of changes. But you can bet that your insurance company won’t like any of them.
Laughing till it hurts is great…except when your hairpiece is the butt of the joke.
Less is truly more. Ask any woman standing on the bathroom scale.
If the best isn’t good enough, stick with mediocre. It’s easier to achieve and just as satisfying.
People spend a lot of effort putting lip stick on pigs. They taste the same either way (the pigs that is).
What you do with your money says a lot more about you than how you earn your money, unless you happen to hug a pole and wear dollar bills in your costume.
I’d rather be devious than pretty. But I’m over 50, so what choice do I have?
Good luck takes a lot of hard work. Bad luck takes no effort at all.
Most everything about money on the television is pure…pure crap that is.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as is her husband’s fist.
Life may be a bowl of cherries, but I’d rather be eating apple pie.
The winning team usually gets just as beat up as the losers. I’d rather have a hot dog and a front row seat.
Wild horses are great…until you wake up in the hospital with a hoof print on your face.
White teeth are great…until the bartender hands you yours in a plastic bag.
While I don’t like being labeled a consumer, I sure do enjoy consuming a frosty cold brew.
To kill time in the car during trips, Deborah and I brainstormed “sayings” that we could include at the beginning of each section in our book. It was quite fun, though many were rejected. Here is a sampling of some that were used:
Too often our ego is bigger than our wallet.
No matter what good you do you’ll likely be remembered for your mistakes.
The light bulbs in many people’s homes are brighter than they are.
Less is truly more and it’s a lot easier to achieve. Along these lines read this article.
While you can cover over a zit with makeup and stink with perfume, there’s no disguising lazy.
Buried treasure comes at a great cost, ends up hidden underground, and is very liquid once you find it. But beware where you place your shovel, because this is also true of septic tanks!
My great grandfathers had fame for all I know,
Though I met them but once or twice,
A few old pictures are all that remain,
In a box in the shed with the mice
My grandfathers I saw more frequently,
And for me they always took time,
Still I can see their smiling faces,
Etched in this memory of mine
When I was nine or ten one grandfather died,
Then we moved far away,
By the time I saw the other one again,
He could not remember my name
My father the hard worker and little league coach,
Always early to rise, coffee, newspaper,
Who can forget the morning singing,
And how wherever he went, a friend maker?
My father still there when I was grown,
Always stopped by to make sure all is well,
No matter the next town or two states away,
Through ten feet of snow is the story I’ll tell
My life somehow now more busy than ever,
And my visits home ever more tardy,
My father pushing ninety and quietly sitting,
No longer the life of the party
I dread the day when my father is gone,
The last of the generation before,
He will be remembered the rest of my life,
And his memory the grandkids will adore
Soon I’ll be the old man at the family reunions,
My great grandkids to meet once or twice,
And after a few short years, all that I have done,
In box in the shed with the mice
We trade our time and ultimately our lives for money. That’s the harsh and depressing reality. Would you drag yourself to work and put up with the office dramas and divas if there wasn’t some pocket change in it for you? Yet piles of money won’t buy or add anymore days to your life. So if you want more time for yourself, then you’re going to have to trade something for it.
That means either working less hours (if you’re out of debt and think you can afford to work less) or getting rid of some serious stuff. We are not against having things. We are against stuff that requires working a ridiculous number of hours to pay the bill, especially when the bloody item will also soak up your “free” time to maintain it. The amount of free time that you have is directly related to how much stuff you have to take care of. So sell, downsize, trade, and get rid of anything that sucks up your time like a black hole. Less stuff means less work needed to pay for it and less time needed to take care of it. You’ll actually be getting more time and saving money. It’s a win-win solution.
The quickest and most radical way to get rid of your financial balls and chains is to go nuts to get out of debt in any and every possible way – even if it means selling everything and starting over.
Fight your way free of debt like a bird caught in a net. Chew off your foot like a badger in a trap. Better a broken wing or missing pieces than ending up as road pizza!
I just came across this great new book by Daniel Murphy, The Success Essentials. Just downloaded my copy (along with two FREE books) and started reading tonight. Can’t wait to read all three and put this stuff into practice – because yes, I want to be a success! This is not just about financial success – it applies to anything you want to succeed in.
Decades of experience (personal and reading others’ books) have enabled Daniel to boil all this down for my benefit. I’ve read lots of other stuff by Daniel and I already respect his experience and research. So I highly recommend this book. Get your copy now at http://www.thesuccessessentials.com/.
It seems that more and more, nothing is free. People don’t give stuff away, or advice (well, people do give away a lot of bad advice!). Usually there’s a catch. Either the free stuff is just a trinket to get you (or make you feel obligated) to buy the real thing, or it’s not really free at all after you pay the various fees, membership, or shipping/handling.
Have you ever heard of buying a music CD for one penny? Yes, you can find them online. But the kicker is that someone is going to make money on the shipping and handling. So it’s really not free, just a clever marketing ploy.
That’s why it is especially refreshing to come across a real person that IS giving away lots for free – information about personal finance and self help. No joke. Check out Daniel Murphy’s Books2Wealth at http://www.books2wealth.com/. This website provides a free newsletter, book reviews, articles and other resources to help you be wiser with money. And don’t miss Daniel’s Creating True Wealth Blog at http://www.ctwblog.com/.
Thanks Daniel for all of your great book reviews, guest articles, newsletters and just plain “help your neighbor” kind of attitude in sharing your love of reading books and writing reviews and blogs. We need more people like you – helping others. May you be prosperous too!
We do not know everything. And, sorry to break the bad news, you do not know everything either. Even if you study the rest of your life, you’ll never learn everything there is to know. And that’s okay, because someone you already know probably is a nerd about things that you are clueless about.
Boiled Down Money Goo 