The other day I wrote a post called, “The Paradox Of Our Journey For Success“.  Ross left a comment asking, “…what would you really like to do with yourself if you had 10 million in the bank?“  I was about to shoot him a response in the comments, but once I started thinking about it I realized what a great Community Insight post this was make.  So here it is, the question that many ask themselves, but few answer with first hand experience.  I’ll start and then you guys follow up in the comments by sharing your thoughts on the question, “What would you do with 10 millions dollars?”

ME FIRST!  ME FIRST!

I’m not even going to try and say that I  TRULY know the answer.  I don’t think anyone really does until they find themselves in this position, but I’ll share my thoughts none the less.

The first thing I would do is pay off every bit of debt that I have (which is thankfully not very much) and pay back anyone who has ever loaned me money (HI MOM!!! ).  Then I would automate ALL of my bills so I wouldn’t have to EVER look at another piece of paper saying I OWED something.  After this I would fix/add/upgrade everything that Liz and I have been putting off because we lacked the financial resources (hardwood floors, anyone?).  This would be STAGE 1.

Next I would buy a house.  We live in a nice townhouse, but have missed having a driveway, yard and space.  And the idea of owning a home (not the bank owning it), is just a wonderful thought.

Then I would take Liz on the BEST vacation we’ve ever been on.  We’d spare no expense, and just enjoy our time together.

Once we got this out of our system, I would then work with a financial adviser to place the remaining funds in such a way that Liz and I would never have to work again and our children could go to any school of their choosing.

OK, enough with the boring stuff.

The interesting thing about this thought is the fact that I just can’t see not working.  I’m sure many of you feel the same way.  It’s just that I would do whatever I wanted to do; no restrictions.  I actually don’t like the idea of having such a great recourse, only to watch it either stagnate or slowly deplete.  I’d much prefer using my imagination and skill set to grow it into a much greater recourse.  Not so I could buy more stuff, but so I could increase the power of the possibilities.

I could see supporting many great causes and helping those who want to do great things, but just don’t have the resources.  THIS is why I’d like to grow it to an even larger number.  But I LOVE the aspect of freedom that it would instantly give Liz and I.

So what about you?

Have you ever thought about this?  Or maybe I should be asking, “How many TIMES have you thought about this?”  Do you think you’d let it go to your head?  Or is the power and seductive attributes of money no match for you maturity and wisdom?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Be sure to check out today’s video post on The Blueprint.

Think of your monthly expenses.  Is there even ONE thing on this list you could see living without?  If so, DROP IT!  And do it RIGHT NOW!

This edition of Community Insight is focused on trying to save you money and doing so immediately.

We all have these expenses.  You know the ones I’m talking about.  Expensive coffee twice a week, DVD rentals, junk food from the grocery store, more cell minutes than you ever use, etc…  Basically, stuff that you either don’t need or don’t even use.  I’m not here to be the fun police or anything.  Liz and I use Netflix and enjoy watching the new releases as they come out, but even THIS was an opportunity to cut costs.  We realized that we hadn’t been using the two DVD limit that we were paying for, so we dropped it to one, watch the amount of movies we always do and saved about 5 bucks.  Not huge, but that’s still $50 a year.

You may even want to think about your driving schedule.  Are there ways to cut down on miles and gas?  Maybe drive a different rout or get more done with less trips and so on?

This post is about looking through your outgoing cash and seeing where you can plug a hole.  Just one, mind you.  All I ask is that you knock out ONE THING.  And then share that one thing with the rest of us.  Maybe it’s something a few other readers can do to cut THEIR costs as well.

I’ll start…

OK, so I mentioned the Netflix one, but that was just an example and one we took care of months ago.  So for today, I’ll share my latest cost cutting change.

I use a shared cell plan with Liz and it includes roll over minutes.  Our plan offers 1400 minutes a month.  When I was heavy into my consulting business this was necessary, but now, not so much.  As of today, we have about 3 months worth of roll over minutes stocked up so it’s evident we no longer need such a large plan.  I will be dropping down two notches in my cell plan which will save us about $20 a month which is $240 a year.  Another way to look at this is that after one year we will have saved enough to roughly pay for one months worth of groceries (those with children are probably laughing right now.  You’re thinking, “One month, try one week!”)  But my point is that small changes can really add up over time.

So what about you?

Now it’s your turn.  Which single expense can you drop ASAP?  This might seem like a trivial exercise, but I promise there’s something there that you can delete from your life that will save you money.  Something that you will not even miss.

I’ve mentioned a few times that one of my New Years Resolutions is that of FRUGALITY.  But the core of the desire to spend less is to finally be able to afford my life.  For the longest time I’ve been either living just barely within my means or well outside these invisible boundaries.  What this does is keep me stressed about and focused on money, and distracted from the more important things in life.  Even my blogging has suffered as I struggle to focus on my posting while trying to shew away that annoying financial ‘fly’ that keeps buzzing around my head.  All I’ve got to say is, “This has GOT to stop!”

How I got here.

So how exactly did I get to this place of being broke all the time?  I mean, don’t I often times see thousands of dollars in my bank account?  Well, this may be true, but it’s more a mirage than anything else.  As a computer consultant I would go through times of flourishing and times of floundering.  When things were going well I would naturally adjust myself to the extra cash and find myself making those purchases that had been put on the back burner.  Then when things got slow again, panic set in as I started to yearn for the money I had foolishly spent.

There are two causes to this cyclic financial syndrome that I want to talk about today.

1. Keeping a dynamic budget that is constantly in flux. When you have more money, you spend more money.  When you’re broke, you stop spending.  (You could say this is not having a budget at all.)
2. Having a selective memory. When money is tight I can only think of the time that I no longer have.  Because there’s nothing there to spend, there are no thoughts of spending.  So the only thing left to gain is time.  These are the moments when I realize the true value of this finite recourse.  (I’ll go into this with greater depth, later.)

The ‘no budget’ budget.

Do any of you guys have a ‘no budget’ budget?  You know, the kind where you spend your money based on your feelings?  Well this is something I’ve used over the years and have found it to be a wonderful way to keep things tight and interesting.  None of that boring financial freedom crap.  Nope, we’re talking good old fashioned, keep up with the Jone’s kind of dynamic budget that never let’s you breathe.  Aahh!  That hits the spot…

OK, not really, right?!  That absolutely SUCKS!!!  I’m sick and tired of living a life of ‘feast or famine’.  Liz will ask me something like, “Can we afford to go out to dinner tonight?” and my answer is always either a stressed out, “No.” or a relaxed, confident, “Absolutely!”  It’s as if the good months become a sort of aphrodisiac, and lull me into a false confidence, only to be woken from my stupor when the well quickly runs dry.  Then, when things are tight, I wonder what the heck happened to all of our money?!

Mixing up the value of time and money.

It always amazes me how quickly I forget how valuable time really is.  It’s like solid gold compared to dirt when you put it’s value up to the ever changing dollar.  Yet when my bank account gets its fill of that green monster I find that I’m taken by a kind of selective amnesia.  Suddenly I forget about time’s finite properties and see money as this great prize to bestow all my attention.  Images of all that I can purchase edge out those pictures of time with the family, enjoying the sunshine of an autumn afternoon.  All the THINGS that I had been pushing aside so we could afford the basic necessities were suddenly pushing to the forefront of my every thought.  Then I stay true to my ‘no budget’ budget by expanding our spending and guaranteeing more future stress over this finite object that’s deceived me once more.  (Not really.  I let myself be deceived.  Maybe I even wanted to be.)

The REAL prize.

Time is the real prize we should all be after.  All these movies that show money as the ultimate treasure should replace that false idea with time instead.  Yet, in a sense they do.  You’ve heard the phrase, “Time is money?”  Well it should be, “Money is time.”  Most of us are after money because we know it will allow us more time.  It’s not the sports car, but the ability to work less and enjoy our families more that drives us to seek the ‘green’.  But we have a tendency to sabotage this concept by spending more of our money on objects and less time with our family.

Every year during the holidays I am reminded how much more I value this precious time over money.  Because it’s during this time that I often stress over the slowness of business, the expense of presents and the minute amount of time I spend with my family and friends.  But fill up my bank account with a little extra, let me breathe a little and regain my confidence in paying the bills and I’m overtaken by this monetary amnesia once again.

How to stop the madness.

Let me start by stating that much of this post is purely pointed at me.  If you happen to relate, wonderful.  If not, then you’ll just be learning more about the guy behind this blog.  And this ‘how to’ I’m about to share is more a plan that I intend to implement, not something I’ve proven as fact.  So keep this in mind as I take a shot at regaining my financial freedom.  I hope you can take away some helpful ideas, but know that you may be well ahead of me in this area and therefore see this as pure common sense.

I think the biggest adjustment to begin with is to stop the financial amnesia. To somehow maintain the mindset that time is the prize, not money or objects.  This is SO EASY to remember when money is tight because we have no money to spend, but the same amount of time that we always have.  Bring money back into the situation and spending once again becomes an option.  See, the amount of time never changes.  But let’s pretend that it did, for a moment.

Let’s say one month you had 24 hours every day and plenty of money in the bank.  Everything felt fine.  But then, the following month, you suddenly have 18 hours a day.  Your money hasn’t changed, but your time has lessened.  What are you going to begin thinking about?  Your time, of course.  See, whatever fluctuates gets your attention.  The squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Time has a hard time squeaking because it’s a finite recourse.  If money were finite, it would lose much of it’s attention getting attributes.  So we need to do this ourselves.  Take away money’s ‘squeakiness’ and give time it’s due attention.

So how do we do this?  How do we make sure that time gets it’s rightful attention while removing the spotlight that seems to always pour itself onto our finances?

• BUDGET!!! This six letter word that many of us never truly understand.  Having a budget is never having to ponder the question, “Can we afford to go out to dinner tonight?”  A budget is a device that takes the decision of spending money away from the human and therefore maintains it’s consistency.  A budget never gets overly confident or enticed by an advertisement.  A budget always knows how much money is going in and how much will go out.  If we don’t have a budget we will never have consistent piece of mind in regard to our finances.
• Make the most of your time. Just as important as a budget, treating time with the respect it deserves will help you never forget it’s true value.  When we spend our spare time with family and friends and/or doing things that promote good health and deep enjoyment, we will always remember the great gift we have in our time.  I find that it’s when I’m being lazy, not spending my time wisely that it’s place in my mind dwindles.  Just think of that phrase, “spend my time”.  We are spending our time, just like money, when we use it up.  Of course, the difference between time and money is that with money there is a choice to spend.  Time, not so much.  Whether we like it or not, we are always spending our time.  So having a kind of ‘time budget’ is crucial if we want to ensure our daily time investment is being spent wisely.

So what about making money?

I think one of the greatest frustrations we all have when trying to enjoy our time is the fact that we still NEED to make money.  The trap we tend to fall for, though, is focusing ALL our attention on this task.  There may be a few of us who truly do need their full attention on their money making attempts, but for the rest of us, we need to adjust our spending to our money making capabilities and not the other way around.  I’m not saying we should stop trying to further our income potential, just that we tend to do things backwards in this area.

I’ve always been the type to spend first and ask questions later.  I always make sure that the money is there, I’m just not usually thinking about whether it needs to be there down the road.  I have a tendency to try and make enough money to meet the requirements of my spending habits, when it should always be the other way around.  We can only make the money we can make.  We are limited by our experience and current situation.  (And don’t think for a second I am advocating we can’t make MORE money and expand our careers, just not at this very second.)  So it is absolutely crucial that we adjust our spending according to our income.  Once again, not rocket science, but a commonly missed concept, none the less.

So what are we making right now?  $1,000/month?  $5,000/months?  $10,000/month?  Whatever it is, does it FULLY cover (and then some) your current spending habits and financial needs?  And not just for this month, but for every month for years down the road?  Are you taking into account the unforeseen expenses and emergencies?

If your income is not fully covering your expenses and/or you are in dept in such a way that you’re not paying it off quickly, you need to make some serious adjustments and do it RIGHT NOW!  I know this is harder than it sounds because of some non-flexible expenses like our mortgage.  But this is where we’ve got to get creative.  The degree of change is up to you and no one is holding you back.  We can either slowly sink to the bottom or go through the growing pains of financial freedom, right now.

My up-coming journey.

Beginning today I am going to be making some serious changes that will cause some initial discomfort, but allow for future freedom.  Please join me on this journey if you are one who struggles like me.  It should be a time of growth, excitement and pain.  But I’m so sick of living my life, ‘paycheck to paycheck’ that I’m ready to jump right in.  I would love for any insight from those who are further along on this road.  And for any who lag behind, I offer a helping hand as well.  This won’t become an overshadowing topic on “Motivate Thyself”, but will be a new theme of sorts.  So I look forward to the road ahead and hope to share some common ground with many of you.  Financial freedom has eluded me too many times and I’m done foolishly chasing my tail.

The last couple of months have been a complete roller coaster ride in terms of the economy.

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of pumping gas at $2.19 per gallon.  I was in unleaded heaven as I looked up at the final cost of a full tank of gas: $27.27.  If this were a Mastercard commercial I’d have to say that this moment was ‘Priceless’!

But what the heck is going on here?  Just a month ago, that exact same liquid, from the exact same pump was costing me over $4/gal.  How in the world did the price of gasoline drop, almost by half, in a months time?  Did Exxon start shopping at Walmart?  Was this a watered down version of the same fuel?  I’m sure there is a logical explanation of some kind, but to the every day consumer, IT JUST DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE!

There’s no doubt that these are some very uncertain financial times.  Big companies that seemed indestructible have crumbled like a house of cards.  The stock market has been making records of the negative kind while consumers are holding tight to their hard earned cash, which is having a negative effect on businesses of all kinds.  So we can all understand why many people have been suffering from a little bit of financial anxiety.

So when I was able to get gas on the cheap, it was if someone had lifted the burden just a little bit.  It was a glimmer of hope that maybe things were starting to improve.  But the fact is, we are a long way off from the kind of positive progress we all hope for.  Just as the gas goes down, something else will inevitably go up.  This will be an up hill battle as we try to ‘fix’ this broken machine that we call the economy.

The ‘go with the flow’ mentality.

As a society, we have a tendency to ‘go with the flow’.  When the money’s rolling in and everybody’s ‘feel’n lucky’, the heard mentality says to go for the gusto.  Buy the new car, upgrade your house, purchase that flat screen TV at no interest and live just beyond your means; on a good day. We are constantly bombarded by commercials that tell us we need MORE! The ‘Joneses’ are next door and they have some things that you don’t, which you plan to ‘remedy’.  The money’s coming in and your only concern is where to siphon the funds.  Life is good!

But unfortunately, with every few days of sun, you are most certainly going to see some rain.  And when the water starts to flow, you better be prepared or you going to get wet.

If you’ve watched the news lately, you know that many people are now losing their homes, businesses and sometimes the shirt off their backs.  Heck, you may be one of them.  But even if you’re not, I can assume that many of you are at least ‘feeling it’ a little.  I know I have recently felt the ‘sting’ of this bad turn of events.  But how much of this ‘economic anxiety’ is our OWN faults?

Personal responsibility.

Let me start by stating that this is in NO WAY a political post.  I have no desire to ‘debate the issues’ on my blog and am not promoting a red or blue opinion.  I am just here to state some facts of life as I see them from my red headed noggin’.

Ok, let’s slow down here for a minute.  That sentence above, “…how much of this ‘economic anxiety’ is our OWN faults?”, is not my attempt to point fingers or bring up who did what, concerning this corporate crash or that financial flop.  I’m instead focusing on a much smaller level of responsibility that starts and ends with the individual.

Let’s take another look at the gas issue.  The fact is, I had no control over the prices at the pump, but I did choose which car to buy.  If I bought a vehicle that only got 10mpg I would certainly be feeling it more than I am, having purchased a compact car.  So my level of financial anxiety is less than that of ‘Joe SUV’ down the street.

OK, so now we’re at the point where some of you are thinking, “I have a family of 5 and we NEED a bigger car to get around.”  You’re absolutely right.  In your case, you may be forced to purchase a ‘thirsty’ car that has the room you require.  But what about some of the other choices you’ve made that are now coming back to bite you on the butt?

My point is that many of us (I’m raising my hand as we speak) have made way too many bad decisions that seemed fine when the money was flowing, but now looks to be less than responsible.  But unfortunately I’m seeing all too many fingers being pointed in every direction accept the one that matters most.

One argument I hear a lot is, “How were we to know that things were going to get this bad?”  Well, the short answer is…we didn’t.  Or, at least most of us didn’t.  But the two thoughts that come to mind are:

1. No matter how good things look, we should always be prepared for the worst.  If you don’t have a monetary cushion (once again, my hand is raised), you will eventually get caught with your pants down.
2. Look at the housing bubble.  As one of the biggest burdens on our economy right now, the housing crisis could be seen from miles away.  I remember, just from listening to the regular old radio a few years ago, hearing many voices shouting that this ‘bubble’ was going to pop.  And that when it did, everything and everyone would be effected.  Unfortunately, most of us chose to ignore this warning (hand raised one more time).

Making better choices in the future.

I want you all to know that as I type these words I am thinking about myself and the poor decisions I have made in the past.  I’ve really seen this economic crisis as the kick in the pants that I needed to get my non-frugal butt in gear.  But I suspect that some, if not many of you can relate to the fact that we as consumers have been driving blindly for the years leading up to this recession.  And it’s now more important than ever that we do more than just ‘get through this’, but instead change the way we view and use money.

So let me encourage you to take advantage of the ‘heat from the flames’ as you use this ‘tight time’ to adjust your finances.  Try to make LASTING changes that won’t instantly adjust as things loosen up.  Figure out what choices you’ve made in the past that are now leaving you the most anxious, and decide what you will change to prepare for the next roller coaster ride that most definitely lies ahead.

But whatever you do, don’t waste another minute pointing a finger as you try to make sense of this ‘mess’.  There are certainly those to blame, as there always are, but the most impact you will make as you push ahead, will come from your own actions as you take personal responsibility for your future.

Part of staying motivated and reaching your goals is your ability to be flexible.  You need to always be looking two steps ahead and be ready to make any necessary adjustments.  This ability is what defines a successful person.  Anyone can be at the right place at the right time but for lasting success you need to be open to making the changes necessary to keep moving forward.

In light of these facts here are 10 different ways to help you always be prepared for the twist and turns ahead while staying positive and excited about what’s around the corner.

1-Diversify your income stream.

We all know that saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.  But many of us don’t live by it.  Diversification is one of the key’s to surviving all that the economy can throw your way.  Don’t just rely on one source of income.  Just like the housing market, you will either flourish or fail.  Have one main source accompanied by a more flexible smaller source.  Having some sort of side business, for example, will take some of the pressure off the main source.  Then if your main source of income were to become sluggish you will have something to help pick up the slack.  You could sell stuff on eBay or start a local service business (tech support, house cleaning, mechanic, carpentry, personal organizer, event planner, etc…).  It really  doesn’t matter what as long as it is flexible and provides additional income without taking up all the rest of your time.  I find that I can run my technology consulting business and still have some time to work on my online business ventures and still have a life.  I just get up a little earlier and make things happen.  It’s not a question of whether or not you CAN do it as much as if you are WILLING to do it.  What defines a successful person is their ability to be flexible and their willingness to do what it takes to get the job done.

2-Turn off the news.

I used to be a real news buff and I listened to a lot of talk radio.  Between politics and current events I was always “in the know”.  But as the economy started to falter the news started to become more and more depressing.  For a time I found myself always talking about “the state of the economy”.  My optimism for the future became grim and my productivity started to weaken.  Between that and listening to the constant bickering between the political parties, I was becoming more and more of what I’ve always dreaded; a pessimist! Their is no place in a successful person’s world for something like pessimism.  It is a cancer that will eat your future alive.  The second I started seeing it creep it’s ugly little head in, I decided to find it’s source and put an end to it.  I quickly realized that all of the ‘News’ that I had been absorbing was causing this gloomy outlook on life.  So I stopped it all together and regained my positive outlook for the future.  My work life instantly got better and my productivity increased.  I am not saying that you put your head in the sand.  Of course it is important for you to know what’s going on.  But many of us get caught up in the “minute by minute”, “play by play” commentary that our current news sources have become.  Their has always been some kind of crisis going on in this World and this will never change.  But there has also always been successful people with the willing to be flexible and stay focused on the future, not getting caught up with latest buzz.

3-Look for opportunities.

Some people look at the changes in the economy not as ‘up or down’ but as ‘this or that’.  You may have heard the principle, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.“  This applies to everything, including the economy.  If one area of business is doing well than there is a good chance that the opposite area is doing poorly.  Using the housing again as an example you can see that as the real estate companies suffer the foreclosing companies flourish.  If you are in one line of work that is doing poorly, take a look at the other side and you might find a new opportunity ready and waiting.

4-Adjust your gauge of success.

Keeping up with your progress is always important if you want to know the state of your success.  Sometimes you compare yourself to others and other times to yourself.  But in a weaker economy you must keep your comparisons to current situations.  In other words, don’t compare the current success of your business with how it was doing when the economy was better.  Inevitably you will not be doing as well as you were and therefore be discouraged to move forward.  Instead, look at other, similar businesses in the same economy, to set your bar for success.  If you find that you are doing well, with these standards in mind, than you should stay positive and know that you will make great progress as the economy get back on it’s feet.  But if you find that others are doing better that you, even in the same economy, than you need to assess what they are doing differently and what you are doing that is not working.  Basically, this shows that part of your struggles are not caused by the economy but by yourself.  (This is a whole other issue.)

5-Show your uniqueness.

If you are working for someone else than one of your worries may be the possibility of being laid off.  This is something that you can’t control but you can persuade.  Show your boss your unique ability to stay flexible and your eye for opportunity.  Treat your job as your business.  Look for ways to improve the company you work for and express these findings to your boss.  Let them know by your actions that you are on a whole other level than your fellow employees.

6-Live like it’s ALL GOOD.

Sometimes you are in a place where there is nothing more you can do but just ride it out.  You’re not going to die, the World will keep on spinning.  I’ve found that one of the best remedies for hard times is to act is if everything is going great.  I am not saying that you need to be fake.  I am just suggesting that you enjoy life in it’s current state just as you would enjoy it otherwise.  When someone asks how things are going, let them know about the good things in your life a how much you appreciate them.  Focus on the positive and the negative will work itself out.

7-Simplify.

Look at this as an opportunity to do something that will benefit your life no matter what the state of the economy; SIMPLIFY!  Simplifying your life is a wonderful way to get rid of the clutter, spend less money, have more time for what’s important and create a more efficient work environment.  I’m not going to go into all the details of how to simplify your life (that is a whole other post).  But I will encourage you to give it a serious look; you won’t regret it!

8-Help others.

Believe it or not, helping others through a hard time is a great way to help yourself.  For one, you will be doing something good and that is reason enough.  But you will also benefit from the positive feelings you get as well as the opportunity to network with others.  Anytime you present yourself to others in a positive light you will be opening the doors for opportunity.  And above all else, you will be focusing on something other than your current financial state.  This can be a great way to clear your head and bring back the bounce in your step.

9-Healthy living.

This is essential in any financial state but it is absolutely crucial when the going gets tough.  If you’re not doing so already, learn to eat well, exercise and get plenty of sleep.  As the economy starts to struggle the competition for success grows stronger.  So it it is important that you are at the top of your game.  And if you are not living a healthy life you are giving yourself a serious handicap.  And with this aside, you will be a much happier person whether you bring home the bacon or not.

10-Plan for the upturn.

If you take a look at the last 100 years you will see many ups and downs in the economy.  Gauging the exact time for these changes is hard to do but knowing that it will change is pretty much a no-brainer.  Just like the stock market, you want to buy low and sell high.  So now is the time to make your ‘investment’ for the future.  Find things that will most likely come back strong and position yourself to benefit when that time arrives.  A successful person doesn’t see change as an obstacle but as an opportunity.  Take advantage of this opportunity and prepare yourself for the growth that is to come.  The one to benefit the most from change is the one who most quickly adapts.

These are some of the things that I have done to keep moving forward in my constant journey to better my life and the life of those around me.  I hope that you benefit from them as well and would love to hear some of the things that you have found to help you keep your stride as you pursue a better life.

A great book to read is “Your Money Or Your Life” by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin. In it you will find a wealth of knowledge in how money is not only a currency to buy things but it can be traded for time as well.  They do an excellent job of laying out a step by step process to help you figure out how much money you’re ACTUALLY earning and how you can adjust your lifestyle to have more time and freedom (two things that I greatly value!).  It’s a book about simplicity that you will find, if you read it yourself, challenges the general mindset about finances and gives you a lot of great ideas to chew on.  I highly recommend it!

We all need to make purchases now and again.  And life would be tough if we couldn’t spend money on the occasional non-necessity (at least for me anyway).  But I have found that when we DO make those less than necessary purchases we need to be VERY sure of our decision to cough up the dough.  Because the worst feeling is when you spend some of your hard earned cash on something that has no real benefit to your life.  What you did, then, was waste some of the time you had cashed in to earn that money.  This is not only counter productive when it comes to reaching our goals in life but it can be just plain frustrating as well!

So what is a non-necessary purchase that is possibly worth the trade of our money earning time?  Well, I’ll use my MacBook as an example.  I’m using it right now to right this blog post.  Did I need to pay the premium price for an Apple product to have a computer to write in my blog?  No.  But I know computers and I know the quality of Macs compared to most PC products.  And I know that for the next three or four years I will be much more satisfied with a Mac than a PC (THIS IS NOT A MAC VS PC POST, I LIKE BOTH).  So for a couple hundred dolars, divided up over the time I will own the laptop I felt it was a small price to pay for that extra satisfaction.  So, in my opinion, this was a non-necessary purchase that will positively affect my life.  But that really neat thing-a-ma-jigger that I just had to have…NOT SO MUCH!

So I just want to encourage you to REALLY think about your purchases before you make them.  Ask yourself, “Is this going to have a positive affect on my life?  Is it worth the time I am about to trade for it?”  And if you’re not sure, sleep on it and see how you feel in a day or two.