Seriously, you probably have a month’s worth of canned and dry goods in there.  Yes, you will have to purchase the perishables like milk, bread, and veggies, but you could probably get by on 30% or less of your typical monthly grocery spending this month!

Here are some tips to maximize the use of your pantry inventory:

1. Pull everything out and place on the dining room table
2. Put meals together based on this total overview of your inventory
3. Write down the meals on paper so you don’t forget the ideas you have

I love these types of meals!  Is there anything better than chicken chow mein?  Or spaghetti? Or sardines and saltines? Or made-from-scratch biscuits and gravy?

For many families, doing this for just one month will save $200 or more!

QUESTION:  Have you ever done anything like this? If so, what was the strangest meal you ever put together with the items you “discovered” in your pantry?

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Anyone who shops on-line knows that most retailers offer promo codes.  The key is finding them!

Of course, you could use Google to search for them, but that can land you in the endless circle of coupon and promo code sites that provide zero assistance.

The best promo code site I have ever found is RetailMeNot.com

Over the past three years, I estimate that RetailMeNot.com has saved me over $2,000 in hotel, printing, and merchandise purchases.  If you shop on-line, I highly recommend using this great site to SAVE MONEY – one of my favorite things to do!

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Disclosure.

When I was broke, I never had any money.  I thought I was broke because I did not have any money.  The truth was I was broke because I had never prioritized saving!

The day that I decided to save money every single time I received money was the day that we truly started winning financially.

If you are broke and think it’s because you don’t have money try making SAVING a top priority that happens every time you receive money.  Watch what happens!

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Credit card lenders have begun really offering better terms recently as they have extended the 0-percent terms and lowered transfer fees.   The best offer(s) I’ve currently located are listed below.

0% Interest and ZERO TRANSFER FEE for 12 months!

Discover® More Card – $0 Balance Transfer Fee!

=============================================

0% Interest For 18 MONTHS (Small Transfer Fee)!

Discover® More Card – 18 Month Promotional Balance Transfer

Updated: 1/11/2012

Privacy Statement
Information provided via FlexOffers.com and is deemed correct when posted.   IWBNIN does not collect private information nor does it share information.   Disclosure.

This webinar is fast-paced and filled with over 18 ways that you can start saving money in your current budget today!

We recently received the following comment from Shirley:

“Joe, I have been taking your course at my church for 5 wks now and just listened to your save $1000 now webinar. I am a dog groomer and needed to order supplies, so, I looked up retailmenot and got a %10 off code for my supplies. My bill went from $278.09 to $250.28. I am thrilled to have your help and suggestions. BTW, I have saved up over $500 so far in 5 weeks!

God Bless and keep up the great work!”

Thanks, Shirley, that is what this crusade is all about!

I challenge you to watch the FREE “How To Save $1,000 RIGHT NOW!” webinar.

Just click HERE to start saving!

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Ever spent money and felt like you might as well be flushing it down the toilet?

I’ve had those experiences.   We all have.

Situations like the following come to mind:

• Moneypit House Repairs
• Fixing a boat
• Health club membership and haven’t been to health club in years
• Giving money to a friend/family member who refuses to change their poor financial behaviors

Maybe you are doing this right now – and you don’t even realize just how big it is costing you!

• Paying interest on your home mortgage – adds up to THOUSANDS per year!
• Paying interest on a credit card balance or furniture purchase – can add up to THOUSANDS per year!
• Purchasing a brand new car/boat/truck/ATV/etc – and HUNDREDS and THOUSANDS of dollars are lost the moment it is taken off the lot!
• Paying for a storage unit for stuff you don’t even use!

These “hidden costs” can add up to a TON of money that can be used in so many more ways than just “flushing it down the toilet”.

What is ONE THING you could do today to make a huge difference tomorrow?

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As we boarded the 991-foot long Caribbean Princess bound out of San Juan, Puerto Rico for St. Thomas, Tortola, Antigua, Barbados, and St. Lucia, I was overwhelmed at how blessed I really am!   I can not believe that I am so blessed that I am able to take such a tremendous vacation – and to do it without debt.

I just want to share a picture (click on the picture to get a better view) and a few things that I love about taking “paid-for-in-advance” vacations.

Top 5 Reasons I love taking “paid-for-in-advance” vacations:

1. No debt follows me home
2. Able to totally enjoy the trip – knowing we saved for it!
3. Total relaxation knowing that we funded a dream – and lived the dream!
4. Able to negotiate a better deal because we had to plan early to save for this trip!
5. My bride is happy!

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Many people that I meet who are TOTALLY B-R-O-K-E have all the appearances of being wealthy.

They …

• Have a great job
• Have a great education
• Started out life on a middle-class launch pad
• Wear awesome clothes
• Drive a super nice car – like a Mercedes

BUT …

They go home and park that car in front of a trailer – or in front of a 100%-financed house.   They use a credit card to buy their food and gas.   Their credit is trashed.   And they wonder why they can’t ever seem to get ahead.

It’s called “STUFF-ITIS”.   It is being afflicted with the DESIRE TO LOOK GOOD, and it is accompanied with the lack of ability to prepare and follow a real plan that allows them to prosper.

It is called – “All hat and no cattle.”

If this is you, TODAY is the day to set yourself free.     Here are some practical steps you can take:

1. YELL really loud
2. Announce that you are SICK of living this way!
3. Resolve to STOP signing up for any more debt.
4. Prepare a spending plan BEFORE your next paycheck arrives and PLAN every dime before you actually receive it (FREE budgeting tools HERE).
5. FOLLOW the plan!
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 EVERY SINGLE MONTH!!!

I like Mercedes.   I like nice things.   But NOT when they rob me of greater things.   Who’s with me?

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It was a recognition of these basic FACTS:

1. The future is coming.
2. Life will happen.
3. It will cost money

Based on these facts, we could choose 1 of 2 responses:

1. Have zero money saved and use debt to pay for those life events OR
2. Save money in advance and use that money to pay for the life events

Prior to December 2, 2002, we chose Option #1.   Every single time the car broke down or needed tires, we used debt to pay for it.   When we had to go to the doctor, we financed it.   Vacations?   All of them went on the credit card.   Christmas – all of that went on the credit card – with the excuse that we would use our tax refund to pay it off.   Never happened.

Option #1 is rife with stress, frustration, and anxiety.   Always fearing the next big calamity.   I am so glad that we have chosen Option #2 for the past 8+ years.

GOAL: Save at least $2,500 in a basic emergency fund.

EXTENDED GOAL:   Save at least $10,000 in a fully-funded emergency fund.

Have YOU protected your financial future?   Are you preparing for it by saving?   Share your story in the commments!

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One of my favorite jobs was assisting with the framing of a new home.   It was incredible to see the skeleton of a home go up so quickly, and the fresh-cut pine lumber smelled incredible.   You could see so much progress.   Near the top of the list of my least favorite jobs was chopping weeds out of the soybean fields in the heat of summer.   Regardless of the task, it was worth it because I was paid money.   I was paid upon completion of a specific task or at the end of each week.   My twin brother and I managed to save enough money to purchase a Pentax K-1000 35 mm camera (which indicates that I am getting old) and a Honda C70 Passport motorcycle.

When I began work in my first engineering position, my employer paid me every two weeks.   Since I was busy spending all the money, it meant that I usually experienced a feast-famine cycle each month.   The first paycheck of each month immediately disappeared to pay all of my debt obligations, while the second paycheck presented the opportunity for some fun spending.

In December 2002, I accepted a position with a new employer.   This new employer paid on an entirely different pay schedule – monthly.   Not weekly, not biweekly or bimonthly.     Monthly. My immediate reaction was negative.   Was I ever wrong.   Monthly paychecks provided us the opportunity to pay our monthly bills all at one time.   It also made it much easier to plan our spending with a monthly budget.

WARNING: I am an engineer, and this means that I do ascend into nerd-like behavior at times.   This is one of those times.   I believe that my money management was absolutely affected by the frequency of my paychecks, and it has caused me to wonder if the same is true for most people.

For instance, what if you were able to be paid yearly? On Jan. 1, you would receive all your pay for the year.   Would it cause you to manage your money any differently than you do today?

I believe that it would.   I believe that more people would take the opportunity to immediately fund their savings for retirement, college, and other known upcoming expenses – like Christmas, vacations, car replacement and property taxes.   It would also require individuals to become excellent planners.   Knowing that this money would be needed to fund all expenses for the rest of the year would make a budget absolutely imperative.

Of course, I believe a budget is imperative regardless of pay frequency.

What about you?   Would you be more likely to save more if you were paid differently?

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