Your Best Money Saver Yet - Your Time

If you make the best use of your time, it can be your most important money saver. Why? The less time you spend on routine chores, the more time you will have for your job, your hobbies, your errands or other things that might bring in money or stretch your money.

One of the most efficient time savers is never giving in to procrastination. In other words, do things as they are needed. For instance:

When you get your mail, deal with it immediately. Put the junk mail in the trash and other pieces where they belong (bills in a bill folder, coupons in your wallet, etc.)

If possible, answer your emails when you receive them. Put important emails in folders instead of letting your inbox become so full you cannot find them.

When the laundry is done, fold it right then and put it up.

When dinner is over, take the few minutes to load the dishwasher or do the dishes by hand (if you don't have a dishwasher) and don't allow them to pile up.

Make your bed when you first get out of it (unless you get up early and leave someone else there. In that case, maybe you can persuade the last person out of bed to make it up!)

Even minor chores can pile up: When you use the last paper towel, put a new roll on your holder right then. When the toilet paper roll is gone, put a new roll on before you leave the bathroom. Wipe down the sink every time you use it (just as suggested on airplanes). Fill your soap dispenser as soon as you notice it is getting low. If you have a two story house, take something with you that belongs upstairs when you are going that way. Even in a one story house, make a habit of taking something with you that belongs in the next room.

Do you need to send a birthday, thank you or get well card? Do it when you think of it. I have a basket full of cards that is my source for this project. That way I seldom have to go to the store to purchase a single card.

One Key Ingredient Needed To Obtain Wealth

Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest -Prov. 6:6-8

I've been doing a lot of reading on money and financial freedom from people like Thomas J. Stanley, Dave Ramsey, T Harv Eker and, Farrah Gray. One thing I hear a lot about in becoming a millionaire is time management. Millionaires know how to manage their time. No one has to tell them what needs to be done, they just do it. They are self-motivators with no needed supervision. I often ask people "If you were financially free, what would you do with your time?" Some say travel, others say "whatever I want!" But that is too broad of a statement. With that mentality, one can seriously hurt themself spiritually and physically without any restriction to do "whatever I want."

I like the Proverbs 6:6-8 because the writer of proverbs says to "go to the ant" and observe her ways because they have no chief officer or ruler (or bosses). In other words they are self-motivators. Many jobs have managers or supervisors simply to keep the employees on time with deadlines and orders that need to be filled. Managers are to keep the employees in check because of the lack of time management on the employee's part. If the manager takes a day off the employees tend to slack off and production is low. We are to work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men Col.3:23 I know you may not like your job, but if you want to have your own business and make money you have to master the art of time management. Sadly, some people need others to ride their coat tail in order for them to be productive.

See why most people won't become millionaires? They need other people to manage them because if they were left on their own, the job wouldn't get done. One could actually make more money if they were good time managers. If all the employees were good stewards of their time, the company wouldn't need a manager and therefore split the manager pay amongst the employees. We have to be faithful over the few things before we are made ruler over many Matt. 25:23 Also, while we are working for others remember: If you are not faithful with other people's things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?

Tips for Using the Envelope System to Save Money

How many times have you had more bills than money at the end of the month? For some that happens every month while others it only happens occasionally. Whether you've had this happen or not, it's not a bad idea to look at your finances to see what you can do to stop or prevent it from happening. Here are some tips to help you save money.

One of the best ways to prevent overspending is to use the envelope system. While it takes dedication to make this system work, you'll find when you make it work each month, the end result will help you with your money.

When you decide you're going to do the envelope system the most important thing to remember is you pay cash for everything. This will help you to spend only what you have. It's easy to spend money when you use a debit or credit card, but harder when you only have a certain amount of cash in your purse.

To get started you need to get enough envelopes to cover every single bill you have. You'll want to write the vendor name on the outside of the envelope along with the due date and the monthly payment. You'll want to keep them in a place where they fit well and you'll have easy access to them. Keep them in order by the day you pay them so you don't forget to pay something.

While most vendors don't take cash any longer or they don't have local offices that accept payments, they do offer internet, mail, and phone options for payment. If this is the case, the most important thing to do is use your checking account specifically for these types of payments only. You need to pay cash for everything you can so you don't overspend. Groceries, meals out, bills, and any extra things you need should be paid with cash.

Are You Broke and Tired of It?

By now you are saying to yourself, how do I get my $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund set up? What's my first step? Gabby and Jay are going to tell us how they did it! For one week Gabby and Jay tracked every receipt and purchase they made including the ones for their computers. They kept all their receipts and expenses and wrote them down in a note book. They included every purchase they made even small purchases for sodas, snacks, lunches, dinners, breakfasts, groceries, going to the movies, purchasing snacks, gas for their cars, cigarettes, and any other items they purchased that week. Jay and Gabby also wrote down their weekly spending for pay pal accounts, group on offers, credit cards, game accounts and iTunes accounts on their computers.

Gabby saved all her receipts for one week and totaled all her receipts. She looked at her first couple of receipts and realized she had gone to Starbucks with her friends 5 times that week spending $4 a day for Coffee, a total of $20 for the week. She decided to go to Starbucks with her friends three times the next week, and invites her friends to share coffee at her house two days a week, and puts the $8 she saved into her Piggy Bank to start her $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund. In a months' time Gabby realizes she will save $32 and in 6 months she will save $192 towards her $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund.

Gabby continues looking at her receipts and realizes she bought 3 packs of cigarettes a week at $5.50 a package, $16.50 a week. Gabby says, "I spent $66 a month on cigarettes. If I cut down my smoking to a pack a week I can put $11 into my "Piggy Bank" for my Emergency Nest Egg Fund each week and in a month's time I will have saved a total of $44 in my "Piggy Bank" toward my $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund. In 6 months I will have saved $264 toward my $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund."

Gabby says, "If I continue to go through my receipts and eliminate the items I don't need or cut down other expenses I will have my Emergency Nest Egg Fund in place in less than 6 months. By cutting back on Cigarettes and coffee I've already saved $76 this month. I will go through my receipts and look at what else I can eliminate or cut down on. My goal is to have my Emergency Nest Egg Fund in place in 6 months. I am determined to do it!"

Jay has saved all his receipts for one week and totaled all his receipts. He looks at his first set of receipts and realizes he has 5 days of lunches at $8 a lunch for five days and he's spent $40 on lunches this week. He says, "If I bring a bag lunch to work three days a week, I can save $24 to put in my "Tin Can" to start my $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund. In a month's time I will have saved $96." Jay then goes to his computer receipts and realizes he's spend $45 a week on his computer for his PayPal accounts, Groupon offers, credit cards, game accounts and his iTunes account. He says, "Do I really need these accounts, are they going to help me get my Emergency Nest Egg Fund up and running? These purchases are bleeding away my hard earned money. I'm going to close these accounts. That way I can put $180 a month into my "Tin Can" to save for my $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund. I will go through my receipts and look at what else I can eliminate or cut down on. My goal is to have my Emergency Nest Egg Fund in place in 6 months. I know I can do it!"

So, what are the three steps for you to save for your $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund just like Jay and Gabby?

Track your spending for one week. Keep all your receipts and expenses for the week, writing them down in a note book, and at the end of the week add them together to get your total expenses for the week. Include every purchase you make even small purchases for sodas, snacks, lunches, dinners, breakfasts, groceries, going to the movies, purchasing snacks, gas for your car, cigarettes, and any other items you purchased that week. Also list your weekly spending for pay pal accounts, group on offers, credit cards, game accounts and iTunes accounts on your computer.

2. Evaluate each of your receipts, just like Gabby and Jay did, and decide if it is a needed expense or not and start putting your saved money into your Emergency Nest Egg Fund "Piggy Bank or Tin Bank".

3) Look at your computer receipts like Jay did and decide if your weekly pay pal accounts, group on offers, credit cards, game accounts, and iTunes accounts on your computer can be eliminated or cut back. Jay turned off his pay pal account, his Groupon offers, his game accounts, his iTunes account and stopped spending his credit card money on things he didn't need. Jay said, "These purchases are bleeding away my hard earned money."

By following these three steps and being determined and disciplined to do it, you will be like Gabby and Jay, able to set up your $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund. You can also save on gas for your car each week by being aware of which gas station has a special day for saving 5cents for each gallon you purchase.In our City it's every Thursday. What day is it in your City or town? Every penny you save can go into your $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund. The sooner you start the sooner you will have your $1000 Emergency Nest Egg Fund in place.

Six Budget Items You Shouldn't Forget

When setting up a budget there are many items that you may leave out thinking they aren't important or you may simply forget about them until it's too late. Many times these items can bust your budget very quickly when the "unexpectedly" sneak up on you. When we first started, we found a few things we were lacking and worked to quickly fund them. These are six items we overlooked but you should consider and be sure to include.

    Allowances - This is extremely important in being happy while budgeting. Consider a small amount each week to cover lunches. Then you won't feel you need to justify to anyone spending from this account.

    Prescriptions - If you have prescriptions that you or your family need on a regular basis, don't forget to include these. Since prescriptions are typically given out in 30, 60 or 90 day fills, it is relatively easy to calculate how much cash to set aside for this expense.

    School Incidentals - This is a category that can be difficult to fund. This can be used for incidentals such as pictures, mid-year fees, uniforms, etc. 1). One big one that got us is we knew our kids were going to go into band when they got into the upper levels of grade school and could have saved for a band instrument over the summer. We didn't do that and it was difficult to make it work when the time came.

    Auto repairs - Having a fund that will pay for oil changes and other routine maintenance is something we set up right away. What we hadn't done right away was to start funding an account that would pay for either an insurance deductible in case of an accident or medium cost car repairs. These are repairs that are necessary but are hard to predict when they may occur. Things like breaks, water pumps, etc. Funding this account can be done gradually over time until you get to an amount you feel comfortable with.

    Family entertainment - This is a budget buster if you expect to just take $10 - $20 here and there from your household budget to rent movies, etc. Once we had this account established, we found we were better able to keep our household items budget in check.

    Gifts - The holidays are always stressful unless you have an account ready for this time of year. It can be used for birthdays as well. Having this budget item really makes the holidays enjoyable. Without it, you may end up in trouble and breaking out the credit cards again