101 Tips to Help You Make Money Doing What You Love

by Paul Piotrowski

1.Cut Out TV Time – Instead of watching other people doing what they love (actors, athletes, etc.) while you sit on the couch, why not invest the time into becoming an Inspired Money Maker. The average US home has the TV on for over 3,000 hours per year. A 40 hour/week job is only 2,000 hours per year.


2.Read “Think and Grow Rich”

3.Have a Sense of Humor

4.Be Yourself

5.Don’t Hide Yourself – Be Accessible

6.Visualize Your Goals Daily

7.Have an Opinion

8.Compliment People

9.Stop Letting Fancy Sounding Coffee Steal Your Dreams – $5.50 coffee and snacks each day cost you $2,000/year. That could be invested into your Inspired Money Maker dreams instead. Use the money to start a business, purchase equipment, take courses, go to a seminars, etc.

10.Learn to Listen

11.Be a Simplifier, Not a Complicator

12.Learn From Your Mistakes, But Don’t Be Afraid to Make Them

13.Be Humble

14.Read “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace Wattles

15.Get Excited

16.Be Original. Be Grateful. Be courageous.

17.Be Unreasonable

18.Stop Being Negative – Stop justifying that you’re just being realistic. See things as they really are, not worse than they are. Then, take it a step further and see things better than they are.

19.Take Action

20.Be Nice to People

21.Create Your Own Luck

22.Stop Pretending to be a Victim

23.Don’t Worry What Others Think, That’s Their Business

24.Learn to Master Your Habits

25.Do Something New

26.Use Affirmations Daily

27.Beat the Odds – When you encounter an obstacle, realize that each obstacle you get through with your determination also eliminates 80% of your competition. Keep going, don’t give up and your odds will improve every step of the way.

28.Just Do It

29.Believe in Yourself – Nobody else is going to do it for you. Start now, in this moment.

30.Don’t be Good, Don’t be Great, Be Outstanding

31.Never Stop Growing

32.Give to Get

33.Plant Your Flag, Commit to the Inspired Money Maker Path

34.Connect With Your Spirit Guides

35.Don’t Talk Small About Yourself

36.Avoid Bureaucracy

37.Focus Your Energy

38.Read Books

39.Invest in the Tools You’ll Need – Stop being cheap and invest in the tools you may need to succeed.

40.Have Integrity

41.Always Be Creating Your Story

42.Start an Idea Journal, Capture Everything

43.Pay Attention to Your Dreams

44.Assume You Won’t Live Forever, The Time To Do This is NOW

45.Don’t Gossip, Network – Cut out wasted time gossiping on the phone with your friends. Instead, get your friends into making money doing what they love and then each hour you spend on the phone will be networking towards both of you growing your Inspired Money Maker ventures.

46.Aim to Improve the Universe. Think Big

47.Don’t Give Up

48.Get a Psychic Reading

49.Make it Fun

50.Trust Your Gut – When it comes to logic vs intuition. Go with your gut, then justify it with logic later.

51.Believe in Others

52.Skip the Party, Work on Your Dreams Instead

53.Challenge the Status Quo

54.Learn a Positive Word Every Day

55.Get Help Where Needed – Don’t try doing everything yourself. If you need web-design, hire a web designer. If you need logo design, hire a logo designer. If you need accounting done, hire an accountant. Try not to do too much yourself. Focus on what you love doing and find a way to monetize it.

56.Instill Confidence in Others

57.Email a Stranger, Propose a Win / Win Relationship

58.Take Time to Relax

59.Start a Blog and Document Your Journey

60.Digg, Stumble, Bookmark this Post and Get 9,639 Universal Karma Points

61.Model Successful People – Read biographies, books, Blogs. Study successful people. Find someone who’s already accomplished what you want to accomplish and model their beliefs, their behaviors etc.

62.Replace Your Bathroom Reader with a Self-Help Book

63.Take Two Weeks Off Work, Stay Home and Work on Your Inspired Money Maker Plans. Tell Everyone Else You’re Out of the Country.

64.Repeat Your Affirmations In Your Head Until You Fall Asleep at Night

65.Choose Financial Abundance, Stop Believing that Money is a Dirty Word

66.Compete With Yourself, Not Others

67.Smile and Make People Laugh

68.Make and Carry Your Personal Business Cards

69.Be Polite, But Don’t Be Afraid to Express Yourself Either

70.Don’t Waste Time on Stupid Crap – Does your desk really need to be cleaned again this week? Do your books really need to be alphabetically arranged?

71.Watch What People Do, Not What they Say They Do

72.Help Someone Out

73.Think “How Do I Increase My Income by $10,000” not “How Do I Cut Expenses by $100”

74.Be Nice to Yourself

75.Get Rid of Stinkin Thinkin – Stop the endless negative chatter in your mind. Re-focus your internal questions on the positive.

76.Enjoy the Journey

77.Network with People You Feel Comfortable With

78.Don’t Use Your Kids as an Excuse

79.Learn to Forgive – Stop wasting energy holding grudges. Forgiving someone is not the same as condoning whatever they did. It is simply letting go of the pent up negative energy inside you because it doesn’t serve you anymore. Let it go.

80.Try Immersion Learning

81.Find a Mentor / Coach, Don’t Let Lack of Money Be Your Excuse

82.Give Referrals, Ask for Referrals

83.Don’t Complain. Put the Violin Away. Nobody Wants to Hear It

84.Stop Looking for Shortcuts. Steady Wins the Race.

85.Share Your Success with Others

86.Don’t Hang Around Negative People. Hang Out With Other Inspired Money Makers

87.Buy Wrinkle Free Dress Pants – Saves you time on having to iron them

88.Don’t Believe Your Excuses

89.Write in a Journal

90.Don’t Underestimate the Fear of Success

91.Be Decisive

92.Meditate

93.Convert Your Car Into a Personal Development University – Turn off the Radio and Listen to Audio Courses and Seminars in the Car

94.Hire Someone to Mow the Lawn, Work On Your Dreams Instead

95.Sleep When You’re Dead – Stop sleeping 8-12 hours a day. Try 6 hours / night for 30 days and see how you feel. Most people sleep so much because they’re depressed about their life. Work on being an Inspired Money Maker and you won’t want to sleep.

96.Use Law of Attraction

97.Send Gifts to People

98.Ask for What You Want – Erase the fantasy from your head that others should know what you want. Ask for what you want, always. Stop talking about what you didn’t get, and focus on what you want.

99.Work on Your Communications Skills

100.Have Patience – Everything won’t come all at once. Have the patience to trust that everything will come at it’s perfect time.

101.Seek Answers Within

Always Look For Opportunities !

One way to make money nowdays is by using the internet. People around the world have found a way to make a living just by having a website, a blog, an online video at youtube, etc.

Google, one of the greatest search engines on the web, has a particular program called Google AdSense. This program allows you to advertise Google Ads by posting their ads in your website, blog, or youtube video.

I found this video I'd like to share with you, and it talks about how you can find the keywords that people tend to pay more, everytime you click on their ads.




Let me give you an example of some of the keywords that I found:

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I hope this information helps you be more productive when it comes to make money from your website!

Financial Tips For Women

By Sharon Secor,


LendersMark.org Staff Writer

Whether it is a result of nurture, nature, or some combination of both, the fact remains that women and men do think and behave differently in many aspects of life, including those related to money and finance. When it comes to money matters, women have financial circumstances and needs that differ from those of men. For women, then, skilled money management includes taking such factors into account when making choices for today and when making plans for the future.

Fundamental Differences

While there can be many subtle differences in the ways that women and men approach financial matters, there are a couple fundamental differences that seem to affect all others. Awareness of these potential differences and how they may affect financial decisions and practices can help improve money choices.

Jay MacDonald of Bankrate.com points out that women and men are socialized differently from birth, and that that socialization carries over to the way each views and uses money. In his interesting article, he discusses how those different patterns of socialization affect spending and saving practices. In the past, women were brought up with a vision of their future that was more focused on being a wife and mother. Thus, their financial skill sets tended to place more emphasis on developing domestic economy skills rather than the types of financial planning skills necessary to live independently over the long-term and provide themselves with a fiscally secure future.

While those differences are not as severe today as they were then, MacDonald correctly states that “our socialization, a trained behavior, is primarily modeled after our same-sex parent.” That means that the residual effects of the socialization of our parents lingers on and can affect how we view and use our money today.

Another fundamental difference is that women tend to make less money than men. This is due to a variety of factors, including workplace inequities that have yet to be resolved by the equal rights movement. The course of a woman’s life is also an important factor in why women tend to make less money. Women are more likely to take time out of the workforce to bear and rear children. This not only affects the immediate salary, but career advancement and retirement benefits.

Different Financial Needs

Women, as a statistical group, have different financial needs than men do. Women, on average, live longer than men do. Therefore, it is essential that women plan financially for their elder years, as the odds are that they will outlive their spouse or partner. The number of widows living in poverty is astounding, but smart, forward-looking financial planning can help to avoid this.

Another significant difference in financial needs has to do with the rearing of children. With the rate of divorce being what it is, many mothers find themselves raising their children on their own. After divorce, it is still the woman that typically experiences a decline in lifestyle and a decrease in financial stability.

Women raising children alone make up a huge percentage of the nation’s poor. Even with child support payments from fathers – something a large number of women do not have the benefit of – the real life, day-to-day expenses involved in rearing children can be overwhelming. For women, particularly mothers, financial planning should take into account this potential. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and if the marriage survives and single parenthood doesn’t happen, then there’s a tidy little nest egg for college, retirement, or a celebration of making it through the good times and the bad times successfully and together.

Financial Tips For Women

Those are just a few of the issues that can make women’s financial planning needs differ from those of men. Here are some tips that take those differences into account:

Take the steps to become educated about money and finance in both the broad sense and within your personal life. Be an informed and active part of your family’s finances and fiscal decisions.

Invest in yourself. Too often, women don’t make real investments – buy a house, start retirement accounts, engage in serious financial planning and investing – during their 20’s and 30’s or while they are single.

Question your spending motives. Don’t fall prey to emotional spending, to using shopping as a means of feeling better when experiencing a period of stress or of feeling down, or something more serious, such as depression. If there is an underlying issue, address it. You and your bank account will be better off.

Budget like you really mean it.

Recognize that the odds are that, as a woman, your overall earnings are likely to be less. Increase the percentage of your income that you save to offset that difference.

Prepare for potentials that are unpleasant to consider, such as marital breakup and single parenthood. Do your best to have separate, private just in case savings.

As a woman, you are likely to live longer than your spouse or partner. Be sure that your retirement planning reflects that likelihood.

Multiply Your Earnings

Get Paid to Click with Neobux

You may have heard of the popular ptc site, neobux, that pays you to click ads. This is a guide for how to make REAL money with them, without paying them a thing.

The only catch is you won't be making $50/day right off the bat. You will be making a few cents when you first start. The name of the game is called PATIENCE. Now, with this method, I won't be investing any money to earn money. If you have money to invest, by all means, do it and you'll see results faster than mine.

The key to making money on NeoBux is through referrals. It's simple, if you don't have referrals, you won't make money. You can rent referrals directly from NeoBux. The referrals are real people and cost 30 cents a month each. Some will be active and some won't. To "recycle" a non-active referral for an active one you have to pay 8 cents. It may seem like a lot, but it's worth it. If you don't recycle inactive referrals, you will lose money.

When you reach 75 cents by clicking on your own (if you don't invest money), you can purchase your first 3 referrals. This is where most people go wrong. It takes a few days to earn the 75 cents on your own and people are so eager to buy referrals that they just purchase as soon as their account reaches $.75. When people do this they do not realize that they do not have enough money to maintain their rented referrals and their referrals eventually are taken away because they can't pay for them. Before you rent referrals you should earn $3 by clicking on your ads and then transfer it to your rental balance. This way you have $1 per referral and you will easily be able to recycle them if they are not active or pay to keep them for one more month. It will take a while to get $3 on your own, but this way you will be able to keep your referrals and exchange the inactive ones for active ones without the fear that you will not be able to pay for them.
Autopay is another must. As soon as you rent your first 3 referrals turn autopay on. Referrals cost 30 cents a month to keep. Instead of you paying for the referral, they pay for themselves as long as you have autopay turned on. What it does it subtract one of the advertisements your referral views each day and puts it towards the 30 cents that referral needs to stick around for another month. So you get one less penny from each referral, but they will be your referral as long as they are active.

Cashing out too early is a huge problem for people that use neobux. When you request a payment it is INSTANTLY transfered into your alertpay/paypal account. In order to see if neobux is indeed legit (which it is) many people will earn a dollar by clicking and then cash it out. Woo-hoo. You now have a WHOLE DOLLAR in your paypal account. That dollar should have been put towards buying referrals. With this strategy you will be putting $3 into your rental balance before you buy 3 referrals. So $1 per referral. I actually would not cash out until I start reaching +1000 refs. Keep renting referrals by increments of 3 (you can rent by higher increments later as your referrals make you more money) and continue until you have 500 referrals. This will take quite some time. This is where most people flake out. When you reach 500 referrals, stop buying referrals and just maintain the ones you already have. Keep doing this until the money builds up to about $100 and you can use $90 of it to pay for golden. $100 won't take very long at all to get once you have 500 referrals and once you upgrade to golden your earnings will DOUBLE. This is the great part. Golden costs $90 a year but instead of getting half a cent for every advertisement your referral views, you get 1 cent. Your earnings double. That's all there is to it.

Keep renting new referrals after you upgrade to golden and don't cash out. Remember, you haven't cashed out at all, and you shouldn't until you have 2000 referals. But when you do cash out, you will be able to cash out about $50 a day. And that's the end of the strategy.

P.S. It will also help you in your neobux adventure to get direct referrals, with the use of a referral link, such as the one below. Please sign up under me. You don't have to, but I would appreciate it, in exchange for the info.

Get Paid to Click with Neobux



Tip: Once you get your account with NEOBUX, you can get the Guarantee-Referrals program and you'll be making money in auto pilot !

Financial Tips for Students

Earn some money and save some


During the time when I taught at a university, I noticed that lots of my students, while taking five or six courses a semester, worked after classes. Whether you pay your education yourself through a college loan, or, like me, have your parents paid it for you, chances are you may need to work a little bit, on or off campus, to earn some spare cash. It’s always good to have money in your wallet for things you want to do and stuff you want to have. Just don’t spend all the money you earned. So what can you do with your loose changes after you paid all your bills? One of the options is opening an IRA account. You don’t have to make a lot of money to have your own retirement account. As long as you have earned income, you are eligible for an IRA account. An IRA account not only can lower your tax (most likely you will be eligible for making deductible contribution), but also can help you develop the kind of financial discipline you will need after finishing the school.

Get a credit card and use it wisely

You know how important credit worthiness is these days. Without a good credit history, you later will find out it’s going to be difficult to rent an apartment, get a car loan, or sometimes even get the job you want (yes, there are employers check credit history). From my experience, one of the best ways to establish credit history is getting a credit card and use it wisely. Getting a card isn’t really difficult. There are tons of cards designed specially for college students from major issuers such as Citibank, Chase, and American Express. What’s difficult is being responsible with the card. What I mean being responsible is charge your card with care and pay your bill in full every month. Using credit cards can always give people a false sense of ease because there seems to be no money involved, but at the end of the day, you will have to pay the credit card bills. Credit card can be your friend. It can also ruin you if you are not careful with it. The bottom line is, don’t spend more than you earn.

Student Loans


With rising tuition costs making a college degree as expensive as a small home, many families are turning to student loans to finance education. I’ve heard many families express that student loans are the “only option,” and when I was heading off to school I felt the same way. However, hindsight has helped to change my views on student loans, and recognize that there are other options.

First of all, loans may not be required if you opt to attend an in-state, public institution. It may not be the college you dreamed of attending as a kid, but chances are it is more than adequate in terms of the educational opportunities offered. I chose to go out of state myself, and that single decision added thousands to my tuition that could have been avoided by staying closer to home.

Room and Board

College dorms are not exactly known for four-star lodging, but are often much cheaper than off-campus housing and typically include a meal plan. Speaking of meal plans, if you are the type who just refuses to eat anything cooked in a cafeteria you may do better to skip the meal plan and load up on Ramen noodles. Just remember, there is a trade off for eating on the cheap–your health.

Unless you want to experience the “Freshman Fifteen,” or worse, I’d recommend sticking to the meal plan and eating a variety of fruits and vegetables with each meal, as a rule. Easier said than done with no less than seventeen pizza places within five miles of campus! And believe me, I made my share of late-night runs to Taco Bell!

Later in your matriculation you may find that joining up with roommates to split the costs of an off-campus apartment is cheaper than staying alone. If you go this route, be sure to fully investigate individual college housing contracts so you aren’t on the hook for a roommate who has a change of heart and goes home half way through the semester.

A Word About Credit Cards

Next to football fans, the loudest group you will find on your campus may be those soliciting credit card applications. If I should ever be in charge of a school one day (not likely) one of the first things I would do is end the agreement than allows credit card companies to sign up students on my campus in exchange for a free t-shirt. I don’t think credit cards are evil, but I do think they should be avoided in college.

Don’t fall for the “you need to build your credit” sales pitch–there will be plenty of time for that later when you have a solid job and can afford to repay your debts. Because I was strapped for cash while away at school I accepted a credit card to fund “life expenses” such as groceries, gas, and occasionally the utility bill! I left school with a free t-shirt and a pile of debt as souvenirs.

Entertainment

One of the perks of being around a college campus is that there are no shortages of opportunities for free or low-cost entertainment. Check out bulletin boards and websites at student unions or near the campus bookstore to stay up on the entertainment offerings around campus. Many times schools will offer free outdoor movies, or guest speakers.

When my wife (then girlfriend) and I were in college our first date was attending a motivational talk by the real life subject of the movie Rudy, Dan “Rudy” Ruettiger. As a football junkie, and a sucker for a motivational talk, this was right up my alley. I knew my wife was “the one” when she agreed to wait nearly two hours for a chance to meet “Rudy” and get my book autographed.

Keep your college ID on you when out and about your college town. Many stores and restaurants offer a nice discount to college students, especially around back to school shopping times when students are loading up on textbooks and other supplies.

Start a Savings Plan

One of my favorite lines from a great Chinese proverb reads, “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago.” As I sit here some thirteen years after my freshman year of college it is easy to play the “what if” game. What if I had started saving a little money all those years ago. I spent most of my college years broke, and working just to keep the lights in my apartment on and gas in my tank. At the time the last thing on my mind was trying to save money. After all, how much could I have really saved? Open a savings account (check out my review of the best online banks) and try to save 10% of any earnings, or $5 a week, or $25 a month. Don’t be overly concerned with the amount you are saving, just start saving something, consistently, to reinforce the idea that saving money is a good habit to develop at a young age.

Early Frugal Living

It is difficult when you are young to fully appreciate the benefits of living frugal. However, many special life events will likely occur in the decade after graduation. Most of you will get married, start a family and a new career, and maybe even buy your first home. Resist the temptation to saddle yourself with debt during your college years so you can enjoy these life experiences debt free.

Cost-Cutting Tips

Small changes to your budget could mean larger bills in your wallet.
By www.aarp.org

Wondering where all your money goes, and how it manages to go there so fast? The cost adds up, whether it’s on eating out, food, clothing, entertainment or seemingly innocuous things like gum or bottled water.

The truth is that many of us spend too much. The daily drain on our wallets can be a real eye opener. If you can afford such luxuries as gourmet teas and coffees or designer clothing and still save for your future, great. But if you’re struggling to meet the financial goals you’ve set on your retirement road map, it’s time to look for ways to cut the little expenses — daily, monthly and long term.

A recent financial survey conducted by Ariel Investments found that 43 percent of blacks and 29 percent of whites report making "significant" changes to their lifestyles. Eight in 10 African Americans and seven in 10 whites say they have cut back on spending in the past two years. A 2009 study conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center found that more than seven in 10 Latinos have cut back on dining out.
It’s easy to spend money without realizing how much it adds over a week, a month or a year. If you’re looking to keep your nest egg safe or just grow one, the following cost-cutting strategies can help you rein in the spending.

Borrowing

•Refinance your home. If you’re paying high interest on a mortgage and you plan to stay in your home for a few years, consider refinancing. Do your homework to avoid closing costs that might make the move less attractive financially.

•Reduce your credit card debt. Contact your lender and try to negotiate lower finance charges and then pay down the debt as fast as you can, starting with the high-interest debt. (See AARP’s Tip Sheet, “Managing Debt.)

Meals and Entertainment

Many of us love to eat out, whether it’s the daily breakfast at a pricey coffee shop or fast-food meals. Think about where you’re eating and what it’s costing you. Regularly bring your lunch to work and home-cook your meals for dinner to reduce food expenses. Movie fans can save money by renting DVDs and making popcorn at home.
Household and Transportation Expenses

Cable television, house and cell phones, and Internet service can add up to a tidy sum every month. Compare phone plans if you’re in an area with more than one provider to ensure that you have the most economical plan available.
Do an energy review of your home. Energy costs are climbing and will probably continue to do so. Fix drafty windows and doors with weather stripping, insulate them with blinds or curtains and, during the colder seasons, turn down the thermostat by a couple of degrees. Consider solar heating and cooling if such a system is feasible where you live. If you have central air, try to use it less. Install ceiling fans in some rooms so you don’t have to cool the entire house. During the summer, avoid using the clothes dryer, dishwasher and other appliances during peak hours so as to lower your energy bill.

Your biggest transportation expenses probably come from one or more vehicles. Here are some ways to cut back on those costs:

•Carpool to work with neighbors or colleagues.

•Use public transportation.

•Talk to your insurance company about ways you can lower your rate.

•On the highway, save money on gas by driving no faster than 55 mph.

Shopping

Thoughtful planning before you shop is a good way to reduce expensive impulse buying. Whether you’re going to the grocery store, shopping for holiday gifts or looking for a new pair of shoes or a party outfit, make a list and decide what you can afford to spend ahead of time — and don’t buy something unless you really need it.

Health Care

As health care costs spiral higher, they become a larger part of almost everyone’s budget. To minimize your costs, review what you spent on health care and insurance last year so you can make sure you choose the coverage that’s best for you and your family. Whether you have a choice of plans offered by your employer or buy your own insurance on the open market, calculate which deductible works best for you. If you and your family are relatively healthy, a higher deductible may be the most economical choice.

Also, see if you can save health care costs by following these tips:

•Learn if your health insurance offers a mail-order system for prescriptions. It’s usually cheaper than buying directly from the drugstore.

•Note the anniversary date of your insurance before scheduling routine medical appointments or tests. For example, your insurance may require you to wait a full calendar year between mammograms. If you schedule a mammogram even a day or two before the end of that year, the insurance may not pay for it.

•If you know you’ll need several appointments or tests that are definitely not urgent, consider waiting until you choose your insurance for the next year. Then take a lower deductible so that you’ll get more of the costs covered.

Luxuries and Unnecessary Expenses

It’s easy to commit to expenses for goods or services that sound appealing or necessary — and then end up not getting your money’s worth. If you pay for weekly housekeeping, try to cut back to twice a month. Cancel subscriptions to magazines or newspapers that are piling up without being read, or membership at the fitness club you never visit. These and other cost-cutting tips are a few examples of how you can begin the journey toward meeting your financial goals for your retirement.

Be Your Own CEO

I have a chronic illness, but the specifics of what it is are not important at this point. What is important is the choice I have to make every morning: I can get up and think "woe is me", let the pain prevent me from doing anything, and crawl back into bed for the rest of the day; or I can get up and think "it is what it is, and it’s time to move on" and go about a productive day.

The reason I bring this up is not to discuss my illness, but to make the comparison of having a chronic illness to being a solopreneur or the owner of a microbusiness. When you work for yourself, you have to be your own CEO. When you are your own CEO, you can’t let discouragement get into your way; you need to choose each and every day to only engage in those activities which bring you forward in your life and your business.

As an entrepreneur, I have faced many professional hardships. The only thing that keeps me going at times is this drive to move myself forward. How do I do it? Well, like anyone, I try to do my best and hope the rest follows. If you need some help in this department, try these tips out:

Tell Yourself to "STOP!"

When my mind starts to wander into bad places like dwelling on mishaps or focusing on bills that are unpaid, I actually tell myself "STOP!" I quickly clear my mind and then refocus on any task that is beneficial to my business. Dwelling on things which you are unable to change at this moment helps no one.

Make a To-do List

I have a running to-do list on my whiteboard called "What can I do today to move this business forward?" Whenever I am feeling down, I refer to the list, complete items, and then check them off to feel a sense of accomplishment. I always have this list full, but if I ever find myself in a down time without anything on the list, I spend 5 minutes adding things to the list as my way to move myself forward.

Contact a Friend

If I start talking down to myself and can’t summon the courage to stop, I e-mail or IM one of my friends and say "please kick me in the pants. Thanks." The prompt response usually gets me moving again!

Eliminate Negativity

The world is full of naysayers, and unfortunately many of them are the people closest to you. It is important to block out those who want to save you from failure by giving you the out on your business or those who always see the downside of every situation. A naysayer is only going to bring you down overall—avoid them or at least don’t talk about your business with one.

Create a Quiet Moment

I was never one for meditation, but some people swear by it. As for me, I’m a runner, and there’s nothing a run won’t fix in my mind. So whether you’re putting on your running shoes or getting into your favorite pose on the floor, spend a half hour or less clearing your mind of the clutter and refocusing yourself with new energy into the business at hand.

Admit Defeat

When a particular project or client gets you down, sometimes the healthiest thing to do is quit that project and refocus your energy on your other clients/projects. Sometimes quitting sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s the best thing you can do when you are wasting too much time or resources on a single project.

Live in Day-tight Compartments

I read a book a while back called How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie, which is originally from the 1940s. The book is meant to be on a more personal level, but the techniques it discusses are perfect for the entrepreneur as well. Essentially, you can’t change what you did yesterday, so just section off that part in your brain and focus on what you can do today to be your best.

End your Negative Thoughts

Whether it’s a setback in your business or your own poor health, the goal in all of this is to stop your negative thinking and refocus yourself on moving the company forward. Negative thoughts are bad for morale and can kill your productivity.

by http://www.smallbusinessessentials.info/

How to Spend Less Money

1. Get rewards and cash back from your purchases — Although I hate debt, I am a big fan of credit cards that pay rewards.
As long as you buy only what you can afford, and pay off your balance in full every month, rewards cards can really stretch your budget.
For maximum effectiveness, I suggest choosing just one single card and using it for all your purchases.  For example I have a Visa card for our personal purchases with Wells Fargo Bank.  I like their plan because I can use the points for products, gift cards, travel or elect to get cash back at the end of the year. We do the same thing with an American Express Card for our business –we can’t get cash back, but the points can be used for any airline or hotel chain, dozens of resorts, products from large chain stores and we get a free companion ticket to anywhere in the world once a year.  Last year we managed a ten-day vacation that only cost us about $400 as all of our airline and hotel charges were covered by points.  And we had enough left over to buy about a dozen gift cards that became Christmas presents.
The card companies have become stingy, especially because of recent legislation changes. But look around — There are still a few no-annual-fee cards that offer good rewards.
The key here is to pay everything off in full each month. As an added bonus, when you pay for everything with a credit card, you also get a monthly inventory of all your spending. This can be a great help if you are budgeting (and you should be), and if you have a business it really simplifies your bookkeeping.

2. Have a late season garage or yard sale –  Most yard sales happen in the summer and for that reason they are very competitive. But September and October can also be great months for sales.  If you didn’t have on this summer, take a look around your house and plan one now.
It all depends on where you live and how much stuff you have, but I rarely earn less than $500 when I do a garage sale. One of the facts of life of getting older is that you just don’t need as much stuff.  So I am pretty brutal about going through the house and getting rid of stuff. And my wife is even tougher than me.  After I did my run through, she cam along behind me with even more stuff than I had found. The result – We generated just over $700 from our last sale and found three fairly expensive items we sold on eBay for another $322.  So that was over $1000 than went right into an extra mortgage payment on our house  (only 33 payments to go –less if we accelerate them).

3. Sell stuff on eBay — Garage sales are one way to make money, but we also sell on eBay. We have our regular eBay business where we sell new products, but we also like to visit garage sales, thrift shops and small country auctions where we find things to sell.  We don’t do this very often, but it adds up.  I looked back through last year’s sales and we earned an additional $7300 just doing that occasionally.
If you want to learn how to sell on eBay, here is a book I wrote that is very basic and will get you started:

4. Use Ebates for up to 25% cash back: Ebates is a free online coupon site that offers up to 25% cash back from top online stores like Target, eBay, Barnes & Noble, and the Gap. Registering on Ebates is free and takes just seconds. You can get more details at the Ebates website.

5. Combine your cable, Internet and telephone service. Cable and Satellite companies now offer combined services that not only cost less, but also offer the convenience of a single bill.  These combined service deals can save you a bundle.

6. Try Skype to reduce your phone costs — I was pretty slow to adopt Skype, but now I am hooked on it and even got my 87 year old mother using it.  Just last week she had a video conference with her great-granddaughter. Mom is in Virginia and can’t travel and our kids are in San Diego, so this was a real treat for both of them. And we have some friends who live overseas and can talk to them for 3Ë a minute.

7. Use Your Senior Discounts – I am always amazed when I go to buy something and see a senior discount. Last week I even learned that my city gives a discount on my trash and recycle hauling because I am a senior. OK – Its only $2.00 a month less but hey –I’ll take it.  Be sure and ask everyone. Even some cell phone companies now give senior discounts.

8. Improve your credit score. A good credit score can save you thousands of dollar in interest on everything from a home loan to a car loan, and from school loans to credit cards. If you’ve never focused on your credit score before, the place to start is to get your free FICO score. Once you know where you stand, you can begin to improve your score and lower your interest payments.

9. Convert to a gas water heater. If you have an electric water heater convert to gas. They are more efficient and will save you money in the long run. And you may want to look into the instant-on tankless water heaters that only heat water when you need it.  The most popular brand is Rinnai –which is heavily advertised, but there are several other cheaper brands.  Here is a link to a Tankless Heater Guide.

10. Look into refinancing – Home interests rates are at 20-year lows; just over 4% for a 30-year loan and as low as 3.5% for a 15-year loan.  The breakeven point is 1.1%.  If the new rate is at least 1.1% lower than your current rate, you will save money by refinancing.

11. Request a reduction in the interest rate on your credit cards — As with home equity loans, credit card companies sometimes are willing to reduce the interest rate. It can’t hurt to ask. If your credit card company won’t help you, switch to a low interest credit card or a one of several 0% APR credit cards.

12. Get rid of Private Mortgage Insurance. If your down payment was less than 20%, you are probably paying PMI. Once you have a 20% cushion through reducing your debt and home appreciation (yes, prices do go up from time to time), contact your mortgage company to start the process of removing the PMI.

13. Read magazines at the library or online — Magazines today cost a fortune. And how many times have you bought a magazine based on the cover and been disappointed by the lack of substance. At the library you can read magazines for free. And many magazines now offer their content for free online. And while you are at the library check out their DVDs.  My local library doesn’t have as many DVDs as NetFlix, but they have a lot including lots of instructional (how-to) DVDs and all the classic movies.

14. Drive your car longer. Cars made in the last ten years are far more reliable than they used to be.  We drove our last car 236,000 miles before selling it. The new versus used debate often overlooks the most important factor–how long you own your car. Drive it as long as you safely can for substantial savings.  And when you buy a car, you can save a ton of money by purchasing a low-mileage one-year-old car, rather than a new one.

15. Pay your life insurance annually. Insurance companies charge you more if you pay monthly, quarterly or semi-annually. Pay once a year and you’ll pay less. My savings from doing this is just over 6% a year –more than I can earn in a savings account.

16. Pay car insurance semi-annually. At least with my car insurance, they offer quarterly and semi-annual payment options. It costs more to pay quarterly, and twice a year is more convenient anyway.

17. Increase insurance deductibles. Most of us don’t need to be insured for all losses over $100 on our car, for example. Although we wouldn’t want to pay a $250 or even $500 deductible, we could. If that’s you, find out how much you’d save from raising your deductible. I’ve raised my deductibles on my auto insurance and home owner’s insurance and saved a considerable amount.

18. Think before submitting an insurance claim. My rule of thumb is that I won’t submit a claim on a loss that is less than twice my deductible. So for a $250 deductible on an auto loss, I’ll pay out of pocket any loss up to $500. Why? The $250 I’d receive from my insurance company is not worth the increased premiums I’m likely to pay. You may want to call your insurance agent to find out how a claim will impact your premiums before filing the claim.

19. Pass on extended warranties — A $139 two-year extension on a $400 product is just not worth it. Warranties are insurance, and we rarely need to insure such a small amount. Computers may be the exception, as they seem to crash and break frequently.  My current computer is on its 3^rd hard drive –all paid for by warranty.

20. Create a budget and stick to it — And while you are at it, get organized and avoid missed payments. I’ve missed a payment or two because the bill got buried beneath a stack of papers. Get organized and avoid those late payment penalties. If you do miss a payment, call your creditor and ask to have the penalty removed. They’ll usually accommodate the request if you have a good payment record.
So that is 20 fairly painless tips you can use to save money.  Click on the comments below to leave your tips.