I love to learn new things!  If I learn something new every single day, then my life is very good.

Here are some things I have learned that may help you out:

• Insurance rates are much cheaper when bundled (auto & home; home & life; etc.) and for most people who have priced theirs out within the past couple of years, the savings could be $200 or more per year.
• When you go to a dentist or doctor, you can negotiate the charges.  It is a service!!!  Many times, you can obtain a substantial discount on the amount you owe after insurance has paid its portion.  I have saved 10% twice and 6% once, each saving me $100s of dollars!
• Use the cash envelope for spending categories that we tend to impulse on - groceries, dining out, clothing, spending money, entertainment.  We budget a set amount, pull it out in cash, and refuse to approach the bank again for the rest of the month.  When the money runs out, we're done for the month!  It ensures you will NEVER overspend your budget!
• Buy off-brands at the grocery store.  We have saved over $200/month since going to a cash envelope for groceries and purchasing the off-brands.  Off-brand milk tastes just like name-brand milk.  Off-brand Cheerios taste just like Cheerios.  Off-brand Froot-Loops taste just like Froot Loops.  Off-brand fritos taste just like Fritos.  I'm sticking with my Heinz ketchup, however.
• Wait overnight on any purchase greater than $200.  I have not regretted this at all.  I have waited overnight on every large purchase, and it has really cooled the jets on some deals I might have made in the past.  This is a great way to avoid buyer's remorse!  Wait.
• Garage sales, yard sales, rummage sales, jockey lot sales, e-bay - are all great ways to find a great deal.
• Fund some FUN with your tax refund.  I always make sure that we fund our summer vacation with our tax refund.  This ensures that I am going to follow the budget!  If my budget did not allow me to have fun, then it is quite likely that I would not be teaching this stuff!  I would certainly be less passionate about it.
• Ask.  If you are going to spend a large sum of money on something, ask around for it first.  Somebody might have the very thing you are going to purchase and will sell it for pennies on the dollar or even give it to you!
• Swap labor.  Help you friend or neighbor on their project and then have them help you out with yours.  No money.  Friendships are built.  Can you say WIN-WIN?

 Can someone teach me something new today?  Add a comment below!

My life's passion statement is "To help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible."

If I can teach someone a tool or skill set that will help them better accomplish their task, I just get pumped up!!!

Example

Yesterday, my friend Jared was automating a few necessary, but nuisance parts of an Excel spreadsheet.  He was stuck for a few moments on this one part, so he asked if I knew of a way to do it.  Approximately 3 minutes later, the spreadsheet had the new feature and eliminated some annoying clicks and typing that used to be done everytime this spreadsheet was used.  I LOVE THAT!!!  I love being able to share something that helps others!

Another Example

I was working on this blog and preparing to teach my financial class.  I wanted to be able to provide a copy of the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to everyone who attended.  My approach to solving this was to burn a copy of the software on around 200 CDs and hand them out.  Jared (same person from previous example) came up with a BRILLIANT! solution!  He showed me how I could link it in the "Tools" section so that it would be available to anyone who visited this site.  WOW!  What a better solution!  My friend, Ken, showed me how to upgrade the overall site.  Jared's friend, Dan, ran the Excel spreadsheet through a converter that allows anyone who cannot use Excel files to be able to use the web-based version.

Yet Another Example

I was working with a friend at work.  After listening to me ramble endlessly about finances (poor Ben!), he got the fever.  WOW!  He became debt-free so fast that it was crazy!  Phenomenal stuff!

I KNOW that you have something you know how to do that would help others accomplish more.  What is it?  What are you doing to actively help others?

If you are depressed, I would ask you to share your skills and know-how with someone who could benefit from it!  It will help lift you out of that pit!!!

Why do you do what you do? 

WHERE:  NewSpring Church - Anderson, SC

WHEN:  Five consecutive Monday evenings beginning February 26th and ending March 26th

TIME:  6:30PM - 8:30PM

COST:  $20 per family unit

SIGN UP/PAY at the Merchandise Area on Sundays!

CLASS COVERS: Budgeting/Savings/Debt Reduction/Investing/Insurance 

A direct cut from an e-mail sent to me …

"Hey Joe, in your finance ministry, have you ever heard of God turning water into
Tide, milk, or gas?  I've read the story of Jesus turning water into wine at the
wedding… but never have I heard water into grocery items!  Let me explain:  we
went to a cash only system in our home the week of your Monday night class at NS
in December.  Since then there are a couple of items that seem to be multiplying
in their container!  Not only has our grocery bill been cut in half, but the
purchases see to last MUCH longer!"

I LOVE what I do, and I LOVE hearing success stories!  If you have a success story, send it to me HERE.

15 minutes left to live.

After all of the living that has been, you have 15 minutes to live.

How will you spend these 15 minutes?

With Family & Friends.  That is what I would choose.

Has your financial situation messed up your personal relationships with friends and family?  Has it messed up these relationships to the point that you could not spend the final 15 minutes of your life with them?

Why would anyone ALLOW money to control their personal relationships?   I refuse to allow portraits of presidents and important figures of American history to control my personal relationships.  I value my personal relationships too much.

If someone has stuck you with the bill, forgive them.

If someone owes you money and refuses to pay, consider it a gift.

If you were ripped off, let it go.

The day will come when you have 15 minutes left.  Who will you spend it with?   Just let it go.

You will change your behavior when the Pain of Same becomes greater than the Pain of Change.

I see people in my office occasionally who believe that they will be able to continue to behave the same way and achieve a different result financially.

"Joe, I want to spend $200/month at restaurants, $600/month at the grocery store, $150/month on cell phone bills, $150/month on cable, $800/month on car payments, and $1,300/month on house payments, but we really want to win financially."

"OK.  Spend $50/month at restaurants, $350/month at the grocery store, go to one cell phone and save $75, go to basic cable and save $100/month, sell the cars and reduce your payments by at least $600/month, sell the house and buy one that you can afford and save $500/month."

Joe, you are crazy!!!  Me?  Change?  If you do what I have suggested, you will save  $1,675!  Life WILL be different.  The beater vehicle WILL drive different.  The smaller house WILL be different.  Guess what?  You will save $1,675/month!!!

You can now give money away and you can save for college, retirement, and your dreams.

When will the Pain of Same become greater than the Pain of Change for you?

Ever wanted a budget that works?  Use the budget form HERE to make it really easy.  Remember that you cannot spend more than you make and win financially!

Living paycheck-to-paycheck and want a budget form for that?  Click HERE.  Not only will you complete an INCOME-OUTGO=EXACTLY ZERO budget for the month, you will also see EXACTLY how each paycheck is spent.

Want to know the day that you will be 100% debt-free?  Click HERE to figure it out!

Want to keep track of the money in your savings account?  Click HERE.

Want to know what makes up a healthy financial plan?  Click HERE. 

Take a moment to look through the "TOOLS" portion of this web site to see the additional tools available to you!

Have another tool that you are looking for?  Notify me!

Time for some more budgeting/saving tips:

• Coupons.com has a lot of great coupons that you can print out
• MyCoupons.com has a lot of great information on deals that are being found at various stores
• Buy off-brand items.  Yes, some will taste like sawdust, but others are identical to the name brand.  If you have an ALDI grocery store in your area, it is worth the drive to purchase groceries there.  We save at least $50 a month by buying our essentials there - milk, bread, canned foods, eggs …  As a side note, their eggs can be somewhat non-uniform - I get double-yolk eggs, oblong eggs …  It is really interesting.
• Try to go a week without going to the grocery store.  Put together meals from stuff that is in the cupboards!  You will enjoy some concoctions that you have not had in awhile (or never), AND you will be able to save a week's worth of grocery money to put toward your emergency fund!
• Have the kids mow the lawn and do the landscaping instead of paying someone else to do it.  Pay your kids and teach them how to save/give/spend out of that money!  Can you spell, "LEARNING OPPORTUNITY"?
• Cut all of your kids hair.  It will save many families $20 - $40 per month!
• CONSIGNMENT stores/Goodwill/Salvation Army.  You can find some great deals on clothing there!
• Shop your insurance for quotes.  Get at least three quotes and obtain one of them from an independent insurance agent.  You may be able to save $100 - $500/year on your insurance!
• Take a low-budget vacation instead of that $3,000 one.  You will find that you will have just as much fun, and you may be able to save $2,000 - $2,500 toward debt reduction, emergency fund, or retirement fund!
• Sleep on major purchase decisions.  This will really help you to avoid "impulse" purchases like a new car, a pricey vacation, a new plasma TV, etc.
• Get rid of the home telephone.  Many people have so many cell phones that the home phone is becoming obsolete.  For basic home telephone service you will pay $25/month, and it will not come with the basic features that a cell phone has - free long distance, caller-id, call waiting, voice mail, camera, text messaging, games, etc.
• Get rid of the movie channels on cable.  It is loaded with a bunch of trash movies anyhow, and it leads to a loads of wasted time.

I would love to hear more ideas on how you can save money.  You leave a comment or contact me HERE.

You may have recently embarked on a journey to obtain financial freedom.  Your journey may be starting from a place of paycheck-to-paycheck living, past due payments, and a pile of marital stress.  For others, your journey may be starting from a place of relative security, but you are wanting to take your finances to the next level.

Regardless of where you are starting, a look at Peyton Manning is worth a few minutes.

Here is a guy who did very well while a QB at the Unversity of Tennessee, but the team never won it all.  Yet, you never heard Peyton whine, grovel, or complain.

What did he do?  He resolved to work that much harder and that much smarter.  He was tireless at the study of game tape and working on his mechanics.

When he was drafted in 1998, people were somewhat surprised that the Indianapolis Colts selected Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf.  Now, for Peyton, the good news was that he was drafted #1.  The bad news was that he was now on the Colts which had regularly stood for Count On Losing This Sunday.  Radio stations had blues songs every week that described how the Colts would manage to bumble through another loss during the upcoming weekend.

So what did Peyton do?  Did he give up? NO WAY!  He applied himself all the more!  Study of game tape.  Review of pictures of every defensive set after every series.  Tireless practice with Marvin Harrison.  All the time.  Always preparing.  Always improving.  Relentlessly focused.

As his career has progressed, Peyton has broken record after record which earned him a lot of accolades.  Did he stop practicing thinking that he had "made it"?  NO!  He continued to improve.  He continued to practice.  He continued to develop himself.

All of his accomplishments put him in the position of earning that title, "Greatest QB to never win the Super Bowl".  The unflappable Peyton stood strong and tall through all of the talk.  He focused on the game.  He never turned negative.  He never whined to the media about how tough he had it.  First class all the way.

So on February 4th, 2007, when it was all said and done, Peyton stood holding the Lombardi Trophy and the Super Bowl MVP awards.  Victory.  Success.

What do you think Peyton is going to do now?  My bet is that he will start studying game tape and practicing even more.  Why?  Because that is what winners do!

What lessons from Peyton can you take away to apply to your journey toward Financial Freedom?

CONGRATULATIONS TO PEYTON MANNING AND THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS!  FIRST-CLASS ALL OF THE WAY! 

I grew up in the Indianapolis area.  I remember when the Colts left Baltimore in the middle of the night and moved to Indianapolis.  I remember that we were SO HORRIBLE that C-O-L-T-S stood for Count On Losing This Sunday.  I remember when Eric Dickerson was there in the twilight of his career.  I remember when Jim Harbaugh became "Captain Comeback" and the Colts were ROBBED of their chance at the Super Bowl by a blown call in Pittsburgh when Kordell Steward went out of bounds in the back of the end zone and then came back in to catch the winning TD pass.  I remember when the Colts were so good with Peyton, Edgerrin James (sp?), and Marvin Harrison, but we could never get past the Patriots.

I remember when God Himself tried to put the Colts in the Super Bowl when the refs blew 50 calls and then "The Bus" fumbled while going in for the dagger TD.  Ben tripped up the return - Colts miss the game-tying FG - the end.

Now, finally, twenty years after coming to Indianapolis, the Colts are in the Super Bowl.

Here's to Peyton, Tony Dungy, and the entire Colts organization on taking it to the Bears this evening and bringing the trophy home to Indianapolis.

I'm calling it right now - 4 TD passes by Manning and at least 2 defensive TDs scored by the Colts.