What a year 2007 was!  It was my first full year on this crusade to help people win with their money, and I still can't believe what I have seen.

Here are some facts:

• 470 people received one-on-one financial counseling - FOR FREE!
• Wrote the Financial Freedom Class (5 session class)
• Taught the Financial Freedom Class 5 times!
• 413 people attended the Financial Freedom Class!
• Developed the Financial Learning Experience (2 hour class that travels the nation!)
• Taught the Financial Learning Experience 10 times!
• 1,209 people attended the Financial Learning Experience!
• Completed my first book "I Was Broke.  Now I'm Not!"  (being released in February 2008)
• Started a weekly newspaper column called "Money Help" in the Anderson Independent-Mail
• Initiated a weekly podcast called "I Was Broke.  Now I'm Not!"  (Listen to the iTunes version HERE, the non-iTunes version HERE)
• Spoke/Taught at NewSpring Church, Revolution Church, Crossroads Church, Barefoot Community Church, Lifepoint Church, 5 Point Fellowship, Oak Leaf Church, Word of Faith Christian Ministries, Little Steps, and Peachtree Community Church)

All of that - IN JUST ONE YEAR!!!

I am so blessed and humbled to be a part of this great crusade.  I am overwhelmed by the blessings I have in my life.

Thanks be to God for making my life's work imminently clear!  I LOVE what I get to do!  I am truly living my dream!

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In this series, we are learning how to ensure we pay cash for next Christmas!

Step 1   Determine how much money you want for Christmas next year

The goal in this step is to use the Mini-Budget Form (Excel) to determine the amount of money that you want for next year's Christmas.

Step 2   Save EVERY month for Christmas next year

By saving for Christmas every single month of the year, you can really lighten the financial burden that is regularly felt in November and December's budget!

Step 3   Make it AUTOMATIC!

By making your savings automatic, you help ensure that you stick to you savings plan!

Step 4   When Christmas shows up, pull your savings out in cash

You have done great!  You have planned your spending and actually saved up the money!  Now, it is Christmas time.  There is one more hurdle to jump - sticking to your spending plan!  I highly recommend that you use the cash envelope method.  Why?  Because when you spend cash, it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to spend more than you planned!  It is the ultimate accountability!  When you run out of cash, you are done!

I have found that when I spend cash, I am much more frugal and I usually end up getting a lot better deal than if I would have paid with a credit card.  Why?  I really can't explain it.  I think it has to do with the fact that I am less impulsive and that means I think longer before making the purchase.

Well, that is it!  That is how I have managed to pay cash for Christmas every single year starting in 2003.  Here's to you having an all-cash, debt-free Christmas next year!

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In this series, we are learning how to ensure we pay cash for next Christmas!

Step 1   Determine how much money you want for Christmas next year

The goal in this step is to use the Mini-Budget Form (Excel) to determine the amount of money that you want for next year's Christmas.

Step 2   Save EVERY month for Christmas next year

By saving for Christmas every single month of the year, you can really lighten the financial burden that is regularly felt in November and December's budget!

Step 3   Make it AUTOMATIC!

Anyone who has ever participated in a Christmas Club savings account KNOWS how great it is to have the savings be AUTOMATIC!   When you make anything automatic, it helps you stick to it.  If you automatically go to gym every morning, you will stay in shape.  If you automatically read your newspaper every morning, you will stay informed.  If you automatically SAVE, you will pay cash for Christmas!

One reason I regularly promote ING Direct's on-line savings accounts is because of their great interest rates with no minimum balance.  Another reason is these accounts have a feature that allows you to AUTOMATICALLY draft your bank account at a set frequency.  You can set it to draft your account monthly, weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or any other frequency you choose.  You have determined the amount you need to save for next year's Christmas.  Now why not set up a bank account to keep you on course?   If your bank pays competitive interest, you should contact them to have an automatic draft set up.

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This is the latest series brought to you by www.JosephSangl.com!

The goal of THIS SERIES is to equip you to pay CASH for next Christmas!

Step 1   Determine how much money you want for Christmas next year

The goal in this step is to use the Mini-Budget Form (Excel) to determine the amount of money that you want for next year's Christmas.

Step 2   Save EVERY month for Christmas next year

You know the amount that you need for next Christmas!  Congratulations!  You have taken a HUGE first step toward being able to have a debt-free Christmas next year!  Now, you need to save that amount!  Jenn and I save 1/12th of our Christmas every single month.  If our Christmas savings needs to be $1,000, we would save $83.33 every single month.

By saving every month, we really reduce the impact that Christmas has on our November and December budgets.  In fact, it allows us to actually ENJOY spending money for Christmas because we are not worried about how we are going to pay off our credit cards!

Here is a chart to help you determine the amount to save each month. 

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Welcome to the latest series brought to you by www.JosephSangl.com!

It is the day after Christmas, and you have just ran up a pile of debt on your credit cards again.  It was fun to give great gifts, but it was not fun putting the purchases on the credit card.

If this is you, welcome to normal America.  An America where we charge Christmas on credit cards, and attempt to use our tax refunds to help pay it back.

I remember when this was me.  Each Christmas from 1992 to 2002 was a financially stressful time!  I ran up a balance on the credit card and commit to use my tax refund to pay it back.  The commitment was not very strong, however, because I always ended up carrying large balances on my credit card and paying high interest.

Since Christmas 2003, Jenn and I have paid CASH for all of our Christmas presents.  Zero debt.  No credit cards.  No financial anxiety.

In this series, I will show you HOW we did it!

Step 1   Determine how much money you want for Christmas next year

Jenn and I always showed up a Christmas time without a plan.  As a result, we overspent.  Credit cards were always happy to catch our slack planning.

There is a great way to determine how much money you want for Christmas.  You can pull up a Mini-Budget Form (Excel) and list each person for whom you will purchase a present.

You might want to include line items like Christmas Cards, Postage, Christmas Tree, and "Unexpected Christmas Gift Needs".

The goal with this step is to obtain the amount you want for next Christmas.  Is it $200?  $500?  $1,500?  $5,000?

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Time for turkey, duck, and ham.

I want to eat a yam.

Presents, Family, and Fun.

While celebrating the birth of the Son.

It can't get any better.

I will now stop writing this letter.

I have the potential to become a great poet.

To you and yours, Merry Christmas!

May your holiday be filled with joy!

As you are with your family and friends, why not tell them about the massive changes you have taken to improve your finances?  Pull up one of the free budget forms from the TOOLS page and help them get started on their own journey to financial freedom!  (Yes, I know this is a little nerdy, but hey - I'm not B-R-O-K-E anymore!)

I get to be an elf two more times today at NewSpring Church!

I really believe that I should do some financial counseling in my elf outfit.

Anyway, it is Christmas eve and here are some items I am reflecting on …

• It was awesome to have another Christmas that we PAID CASH for!  You too can pay cash for Christmas 2008!  THIS POST shows you how!  I know that there are many more who will pay cash for Christmas next year!!!
• I love hanging out with family.
• I love Christmas food, but I have become picky.  I will not waste stomach space for mildly OK stuff.  There is way too much GREAT STUFF to waste my time with the OK stuff.
• We have been remodeling our house since February.  It feels like we have been remodeling for our entire lives, BUT we are finally making substantial progress.  The rooms that we have completed are great!  THIS POST shares how I have saved a ton of money while updating our house.  I really like our room with the fireplace.  I really need to clean the chimney so I can get a great fire going!  Next room is our daughter's room.  After that …  either the kitchen or the master bathroom.
• Purdue is playing Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl in a couple of days.  I hear that they have sold at least one ticket.  Seriously, I love my Boilermakers, but is anyone even going to watch this on TV - let alone attend it?

Merry Christmas Eve!

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I have never looked so HOT as when I put on yellow tights and became an elf this morning.

This is a picture of me sitting in my office where I normally conduct financial counseling appointments, write newspaper articles and  blog posts, and prepare for Financial Learning Experiences.

If I wore this outfit during a financial counseling appointment, do you think anyone would take me seriously?

Merry Christmas!

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I provide one-on-one financial counseling to over 450 people per year.  This helps me accomplish my passion which is "to help others accomplish far more than they ever thought possible with their personal finances".

Anyway, I met with a couple for the first time 42 days ago - just six weeks ago.

I met with them again for a follow-up meeting and here are some of their accomplishments - IN JUST SIX WEEKS!

• As you can see from the above picture, they have chopped up their credit cards!
• THEY have not used credit for the last six weeks!
• HE is taking his lunch to work every single day!
• THEY shut off their cell phones!
• THEY paid CASH for Christmas!!!
• THEY have put money into their ING SAVINGS ACCOUNT!
• THEY bought less!
• THEY put their house up for sale to get rid of their huge monthly payment!
• THEY have a written plan that is EZ to follow!
• THEY are going to win big time!

In just SIX WEEKS, they were able to accomplish all of this!!!

I am FIRED UP!!!  That is what this whole crusade is about!  Freeing up people to be able to go do EXACTLY what they have been put on this earth to do.

I LOVE IT!

Do YOU have a success story you want to share?  Click HERE to share your successes - both large and small - with the www.JosephSangl.com readers! 

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Welcome to the latest www.JosephSangl.com series - Setting 2008 Financial Goals!

I love goal planning.  Why?  It helps me ensure that my life is not wasted in the pursuit of the boring and mundane.

Here are the steps already shared.

Step 1:  WRITE DOWN YOUR GOALS

Ink and lead last WAY LONGER than your memory will! 

Step 2: PUT A COMPLETION DATE NEXT TO EACH GOAL

If it weren't for deadlines and last minutes, half of the world's work would never get done! 

Step 3:  ESTABLISH ACCOUNTABILITY

There is nothing like having someone ask, "How are you doing on your goals?" to motivate one to achieve their goals! 

Step 4:  TAKE ACTION!!!

I have a quote that I say regularly.  It came to me after having been caught in one too many horrible, pointless, useless meetings!

"Thoughts and talk without action are mere babble!"

Enough of the planning.  Enough of the talking.  It is time to make it happen!  Nothing moves until it is shoved.  Attack the goal.

It is TIME!  What can you do right now to achieve one of the goals?  Perhaps you can start off 2008 by having one (or more) of your goals completed BEFORE 2008 even starts!

Call and set up the appointment with an investment broker.  Go ahead and get the new insurance quotes.  Chop up the credit cards.  Close the credit card accounts.  Sell the truck.  Go to the TOOLS page and put together your first-ever INCOME - OUTGO = EXACTLY ZERO budget!

I will close the series with a great quote from Will Rogers …

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

- Will Rogers

Read the "Setting 2008 Financial Goals" series in its entirety

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