GOOD HABITS: CREATE AND KEEP THEM

Courtesy of Julette Millien

According to the dictionary, a habit is 'a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up', "this can develop into a bad habit". A good habit is 'a behavior that is beneficial to one's physical or mental health, often linked to a high level of discipline and self-control'. When it comes to creating habits involving being financially prudent, we must start small and build until the habits become as natural as keeping up personal hygiene.

The habit of saving is one which is very important in building not only financial solvency but a prosperity consciousness. Most say that they can not save, do not have enough money or find it useless to do so. From experience, I was never taught to save because of lack consciousness from relatives. I had to learn the hard way and it was a lesson that has stuck with me to this day. It is not the amount of money that you save, but the habit of just starting and keeping it going...period. Even if it is $1 a week or $5 a week, just start! As time passes, it becomes a habit which will evolve into bigger saving. 

Another habit to embrace is the act of giving. This habit has helped lots of people become wealthy and built generational wealth. You can find a charity of your choice and start small like the above mentioned saving method. Remember, as you build this habit, you will not only feel good as a giver, but the receiver will benefit as well.

The final habit I want to touch on is the habit of being grateful. Yes, the 'attitude of gratitude'. We can dwell on the so-called bad things happening around us or be grateful for what is going on in your life for the good. Even sometimes, those seemingly "bad things" turn out to be things to be grateful for. As you give thanks for what you have, you attract more. Develop the habit of just thanking your higher power for waking up and being "clothed in your right mind" (as the elders would say). Also be grateful for the money you do have in your bank account(s) and the ability to pay bills as best you can. You can find lots of things to be grateful for.

Start today with one habit you would like to develop into something positive and keep it going. Share in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe on the up right side of the page. Until next time be...

Frugal and Proud

Dot

Articles and Resources

How to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones

The Power of Habit

27 Good Financial Habits You Need For Ultimate Financial Success

INVEST WITH WHAT?

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We want to be able to live on our earnings for a long time. The longevity rate is higher (some folks are living in their 100's comfortably!). We want our monies to stretch beyond our retirement and live our best lives. How can this be done when even though we have savings, the rate is not very good. Lots of people can have numerous channels of residual income and some can dry up in an instant! There is concern about being healthy and staying that way. So what is one to do to make those dollars s-t-r-e-t-c-h? Invest!

Dot, I barely have a thousand dollars in the bank so how in the yell can I invest? Those people who invest had tons of money and I am still in the process of building my coins and paper. What I am suppose to do? Why not start with little and build?! I can hear the groans, doubts, questions and outright complaints. Seriously, if you click on the link below and read the information carefully, I assure you , you will get started and be on your way to building a nice portfolio for you!

STASH IT AWAY!

Courtesy of Jhunjhunwalas - WordPress.com

I learned about the stock market long ago when one had to have lots of money to invest. I retained that information and over the years I learned of companies that accepted small investments. I saved what I had and began to invest; of course it was small but how do you think an oak tree grew? From a small acorn! I now own some interest in Nike (I was a fan long ago, I was glad I could invest now!), as well as other companies and steady building!

So click on the link above, read, and even ask questions if you need to. Please do not delay in building your wealth as a frugal person (lots have, why not you?). Under no circumstances must those naysayers be a part of your decision making. I have learned that those who have done it and succeeded are the ones you seek advice from. Period.

Until next post always stay....

Frugal and Proud!

Dot

More Articles:

*How Anne Scheiber Made $22 Million From Her Apartment

*Jack MacDonald Secretly Built a $188 Million Fortune Investing in Stocks

*What We Can Learn From Secret Millionaires

FRUGAL LIVING BABY STEPS

Courtesy of premeditatedleftovers.com

As you begin your frugal journey, it may seem confusing to some of you how to begin. I will share some tips on how to use baby steps in building your frugal life:

1.) Acknowledge that your former life of debt living did not work for you and you want another life. By doing this, you are not beating yourself up but realizing that you want to change.

2.) Budget! It is so important to know where your dollars go. Never mind if a budget seems binding but did you know where your money went before? Get started!

3.) Gather all of your debt, and I mean ALL of it; from the smallest to the largest. Put the information in a big spiral notebook (the ones with dividers in them for envelopes and receipts) by columns: Date-Transaction-Account Number-Balance-Notes. Start working on paying your debts.

4.)  Get a big water jug (the ones that you see at water coolers at businesses; you can also get a small one at the local store: Walmart, Kroger, etc). Start saving your change in it (whether it is pennies or silver) just do it! Every time change is accumulated, put it in the jug and watch it grow!

5.) Shopping for food does not have to be hard. Make a shopping list and stick to it. You can even earn cash back on brands you love without sacrificing taste.  Checkout 51 can help! Clip coupons from your favorite stores and use them! Plan your meals for each week so it will keep your spending on track.

6.) PURGE! This means clothes, household items and those things you no longer use or want. Take those things and have a yard sale or sell on Craigslist or Ebay. Use the proceeds towards your debt and saving. 

7.) Make a list of 'my whys' for wanting financial freedom. It could be to have generational wealthy or to travel without limits. The list is for you and must resonate within you. Post it where you can see it daily.

8.) Affirmations are a good way to be on track. They must be present tense and spoken three times a day. Here are some I use:

"I am now financially free. I now live in abundance."

"I am open to receive wealth in many ways."

"My income is constantly increasing. I prosper wherever I turn.'

9.) Forgive yourself for the debts and unwise spending, it is the past and it is up to you to heal it. Use these steps daily, not sometimes and know that you will succeed. Never mind what your 'friends' say, are they out of debt? Only speak with those who are winning because you are done with losing.

For more information, go to Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps.

Be frugal and proud!

Dot

FRUGAL TIPS FOR TODAY

Courtesy of thefrugalcanadian.com

Here are four frugal living tips courtesy of The Wallet Moth that you can use in your journey of frugality:

1. Use Up Your Leftovers

Christmas is undoubtedly one time of year where leftovers are aplenty, and many of us can be guilty of throwing some of those goods away rather than using them all up in time.

If you find yourself throwing away a lot of uneaten food, make using up your leftovers a habit to start this year. A few great ways to ensure you always have the correct amounts of food to eat each week include:

• Plan out your food shops
• Buy a durable set of tuppaware to store your leftovers safely
• Portion out extras and store them in your fridge
• Make use of your freezer! If you have leftovers that won’t be eaten in time, package and label them and keep in the freezer for another week instead of throwing out.

2. Take Packed Lunches (and Breakfasts…and Dinners!)

Spending $5 a day on a tasty lunch might not feel like a big expense, but if you do that 5 times a day every week, you’re looking at spending upwards of $1,200 a year on food that could easily be made at home for far less money.

Cooking your own meals is not only cheaper, it can also be much healthier as you know exactly what is going into your meals.

Check out my post on 10 meal-prep meals perfect for packed lunches for some inspiration!

3. Avoid All Late Fees

Late fees are a totally avoidable expense, and that’s why this habit is so essential to start this year.

Set a reminder a few days before your bills are due to be paid, and make sure that you have budgeted enough to be able to pay these bills when they’re due.

A late fee of a few pounds each month might not seem like too much, but again, those fees really rack up if you take a look at the bigger picture over a year.

4.  A Tidy Home

A tidy home means a tidy mind, so staying on top of your cleaning around the home is a great way to keep the calm, minimal atmosphere you want to create for a more frugal lifestyle. 

You may be a natural neat freak, or you may be like me and need a little reminder each day to fold your clothes and not slam them into your wardrobe (heh, it’s not just me – right?!). Either way, I’ve really found that keeping my environment clean and tidy goes a long way to cleaning up the rest of my act – including my spending.

Simple things like keeping on top of the washing up, giving your room a tidy each day, and keeping floors and surfaces free of dust are all easy habits to build.

Got other tips? Please leave your comments below. Be frugal and proud!

Dot

FRUGAL AND WEIRD?

Courtesy of personalfinancenews.com

There will be those who will not be supportive of your frugality. Some will think that you have temporarily lost your mind. They want you to go out and party, vacay to the islands and shop till you drop. You want to save, invest and live below your means as you build wealth. There will be those who want to borrow money and you say no. They can not believe it because you were always 'down' for helping out. You realize, no more of lending because it does not feel good. On the flip size, you stopped borrowing to pay things because you are tired of your money going out to payback. 

Your savings account was slim to none and now it is slowly building from monies your thought weren't enough to save from to monies you are glad to save. You still shop at the grocery store, consignment shops and more with change coming back because discounts and coupons are your friends. Every dime and dollar is accounted for because you have goals of building wealth and abundance with NO debt. Of course the naysayers say there is good debt (really?) and ask about your credit score being boosted. This does not concern you because you go for being debt free (no car notes, no credit cards and even paying off your mortgage). You enjoy being weird and those naysayers leave your life shaking their heads while telling other naysayers they know about your 'crazy life'.

Listen folks, as you change for the better, you will be called a number of things but broke won't be one of them. Keep your head up, persevere and do not give up. Be frugal and weird as well as proud.

Dot😌

WELCOME TO FRUGAL AND PROUD!

I am so glad that you are here! This idea came to me as I was resting...yeah relaxing (entrepreneurs do rest 😊). I wanted to share my thoughts and actions on being a frugalista (frugalistos for guys) and learn from others in the process.

Please share with your fellow folks on the path to long term frugality and even those who want to go on the path and need help.

Posting will be once a week and more, so please utilize these ideas and please share in the comments. In the meantime, please read the former posts that can help you with money.

Be frugal and proud!

Dot

BROKE? FIX IT YOURSELF:BE WEALTHY

By: Carina MacInnes

If you're reading this right now you probably have been broke, are broke, or know someone who is struggling with being broke.  The pain and suffering of being in this state is truly awful.  Being broke causes thoughts of despair, feelings of failure, desperation, struggle, lack and need.  Being broke prevents us from reaching our potential, from living our lives freely.  Being broke prevents us from being wealthy.

How is this possible?  Like attracts like.  Being broke attracts more experiences of being broke.  It is a vicious cycle, once that can very easily be transformed once we understand the fundamental laws of how our mind and spirit interact with the universe.

It is your underlying state of BEING, in this case, being broke, that creates the resultant thoughts and feelings in your mind.  As a package, this whole message is broadcast to the universe, which in return gives you more of the same:  experiences of being broke.

One of the laws of manifestation is that we must BE before we can DO, and DO before we can HAVE.  Of course modern society has twisted this all around.  Being broke is a powerful message we are sending to the universe and ourselves.  We are in a state of BEING, and it is broke.  This will inform our actions to act in ways to continue to be broke, and we will continue to have this condition of being broke in our lives.

Your life experience is an outer reflection of your inner reality.  All the thoughts and feelings you hold, consciously and unconsciously, are what create the experience that is your life.  Your past created your present, and your present is creating your future.

It can be hard to understand that we are responsible for what we experience.  I remember being unhappy, and then experiencing events that I perceived as causing me to be unhappy.  Then I would say to myself, I am unhappy because of this...  no wonder I am unhappy.  I was trapped in my own vicious cycle and had no idea it was me who was responsible for my experiences of unhappiness. 

To break the cycle I first needed to know what was broken in order to fix it.  It was the message I was sending out.  I found there was a very simple way to fix it.

If I notice one day that I am unhappy, and understand that BEING unhappy is the cause of my continuing experience of unhappiness, it is that day that I can choose to change.  All I need to do to break the cycle is:  choose to be happy.  It doesn't take anything from outside myself to be happy.  All I have to do is gain awareness, pause, and pull up from within myself the state of being happy, replacing the unhappiness.  We all have this capacity.

Choosing is an exercise of free will.  You can choose BE happy, healthy, wealthy, whatever you desire.  Take a moment and just BE happy.  It is possible for anyone to do and a very powerful exercise once you have done it and understood it.  If you are being happy, you will do things that make you happy, and you will attract happy experiences into your life.  Being happy is the first step towards living a happy life.  It seems almost like a riddle, but understanding it unravels the secrets of life.

If you find yourself broke, look within.  You'll find you feel broke, and are in a powerful state of BEING.  The awareness of this gives you the choice.  You can choose your state of being.  Imagine what it is like to feel wealthy.  Take that feeling and hold it, you are now BEING wealthy.  This is how to break the vicious cycle of being broke.  By BEING wealthy, you are now transforming the signals you are broadcasting.  You are emanating wealth and the laws of cause and effect have no choice but to bring to you what you already are.  Now your actions will begin to bring to you the wealth you feel inside.

By being conscious of your states of being, you can choose to change them.  The positive results will return to you without fail, following the natural laws of the universe.

Author Bio
Carina MacInnes is an author and entrepreneur who is giving away a free e-course with  wealth secrets by her favorite mentor. Receive it now: milliondollarsecret@robotreply.com She offers a powerful way to increase both health and wealth in your life.  See her site here: imagineacai.com

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