Start Living Life Again

Life begins with the start of each new day. We can shape each day into anything that our hearts desire. Take a moment to really understand this concept. At this very moment, I could quit my job, sell everything I own, move to Tibet to become a monk. I could: learn to play the guitar, buy a motorcycle, start a book club, volunteer to help others, take karate classes, organize the garage, become a crab fisherman, start a blog, open a restaurant, or back pack across the country. I can literally do anything that makes me happy, and so can you. We unconsciously tell ourselves that we’re trapped in life, because of our own self implemented limitations. In reality, the only thing stopping us is ourselves.

Leaving your current career path as a doctor, to become a juggling street performer may have some unanticipated hardships, but if that is what you want, go for it. We must live with all the choices we make in life, but that is no excuse to remain stagnant in unhappiness. Take the initiative to make your life better, try learning about things like the stock market. When the economy recovers, it could catapult you into a new tax bracket. How you decide to shape each day, is truly up to you. So go out today, take life by the horns, and start living. If choose you remain stagnant and unhappy in life, quit complaining, because it is your own fault.

Avoid Making Enemies

Whether it's at work, noisy neighbors, sibling rivalry, or complete strangers, don't make enemies unnecessarily over small potatoes. The world is full of people that you won't get along with, so choose your battles wisely. Try to be the bigger person, and let it go. Although, there are also times when you must unleash the wrath of fury to put fear in the eyes of those against you, but that is far and few (I'm a Scorpio). It is usually the small petty stuff that gets people angry.




Tips on keeping your cool to avoiding confrontation:

• Clarify Communications - Many arguments, are due solely to a miscommunication. Cursing out a co-worker, for your mistake, is never good.



• Let them be wrong- When someone strongly disagrees with you, there is usually nothing more that can be said to change their mind. So don't waste time arguing. Just understand that they are wrong, and if necessary establish a compromise to move on.



• Show respect - Even in a heated argument there is no reason to sink to the low level of name calling or yelling. Show some class and be respectful.



• Don't throw fuel on the fire - If you know something is a sensitive subject don't bring it up.



• Be inclusive - Don't use terms like your problem, and your mistake. Try being inclusive by saying our problem, and the mistake.



• Acknowledge the opposing view - Show that you understand their view, but respectfully disagree.



• Walk away - When an argument becomes to heated, make an effort to politely remove yourself from the confrontation. It can always be discussed at another time.



• Don't fight other peoples battles - If a confrontation is going on that does not involve you, keep it that way.



• Don't raise your voice -Maintain an icy calm at all times.



• Give others their space - Don't encroach on someones space to emphasize your point, they can hear you just fine.



• Don't talk smack - Don't talk about people behind their back, you never know who is listening.



• Golden rule - Don't do thing to others, that you wouldn't want them to do to you.



• Forgive - Do hold grudges against people who seek forgiveness.

Making enemies is no way to go through life. You never know when one will come back to haunt you. Sometimes this is unavoidable, but most of the time it is up to you.

Simplify Your Life with Criagslist

Craigslist, the grandmaster of online classifieds, is a familiar concept in most homes in America. It is a wonderful tool to declutter your life, and to make some extra cash. Finding the motivation to sell stuff can sometimes be the challenge. So take this opportunity right now!! Make a quick list of any possessions that you could live without, and jot-down a price next to each item on the list. Now take an additional 30% percent off each item to adjust for your high perception of what each items is actually worth, and this will establish a more realistic market value. By decluttering your life, you will be much more focused and productive with less stress. Below are also some tricks to help you sell:

• Pictures are worth a thousand words - Your picture is basically what is going to sell your item, so take your time and get a good picture.




• Polish up before your photo shoot - Take 2 minutes to dust off your item and make it presentable before you take the picture. A quick wipe with a damp cloth can do wonders on plastics.




• Include Specs - If you are selling furniture give the dimensions. When you sell electronics give the model number, etc. There is nothing worst than trying to guess how big something is from the picture. The more detail and information you include the better.




• Descriptions are our friends - Don't describe the item as an old rusted sewing machine, try vintage Model 66 singer sewing machine with light patina. If you don't describe it as desirable, nobody will want it.




• Put your name and phone number on the post - Nobody wants to email back and fort. If someone is interested in your item, they want it now.




• Se Habla English y Espanol - If you speak another language, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Chinese , or whatever list it on the ad in addition to English. Some people are hesitant to call if English isn't their first language.

Consider the money an added bonus, for getting rid of all material things in life weighing you down. You won't believe how liberating it feels to simplify life by getting rid of your junk. Trust me you'll never even miss it and it only takes a moment.

Save 50% on Groceries

Groceries consume a large portion of anyones budget. Luckily for us, there are many ways to curb spending at the store. The following tricks have saved me a ton of money, especially since food is my second highest bill, before rent/Mortgage.

• Don't shop hungry - If you go to the grocery store on an empty stomach, you will impulse buy anything, and everything that looks good.
  

• Use the small carts - Many stores are offering smaller shopping carts now. Shoppers tend to buy just enough to fill their cart, and unless you are shopping for a extremely large family, most of us can get by with the small cart. This forces us to save more, by prioritizing, and buying less.
  

• Weekly meal plan - This may be a stretch for some, but my wife and I like to plan out the meals for the week. We use This chart [Unclutter.com Feb 20 2008] to write down our meals, and only buy accordingly at the store. This works better than spending $100.00, eating one good meal, and then trying to piece together the rest of the groceries to make meals for the week.
  

• No brand name loyalty - Buy store brand items, or whatever is cheapest you'll never know the difference. Safeway's Ditto is almost half the price of 7up.
  

• Shop the outside loop - Supermarkets put all the healthy items and main staples around the outside isles of the store. The center isles are filled with impulse buys like chips, cookies, and candy. Avoid these areas and you will not only eat healthier, but also spend less.

• Dressings and condiments - There are millions of different kinds of dressings, sauces, marinades, glazes, dips, rubs and other accessories to put on your food. Each one can cost as much as the food your buying. Stick to the basics to create great tasting foods with simple seasonings. Everything doesn't need to be drenched with premade glazes and marinades.

Over the last few years, I have adopted these shopping methods and they have allowed me to cut my monthly grocery bills in half. Happy shopping.

Daylight Savings: Adjust All Your Clocks

Just a quick reminder that today is Daylight Savings. Make sure you adjust all your clocks, especially the alarm clock. Don't start leaving for work at 5:00am, thinking its 6:00am, like I did.

Manage your Money Using Mint

In order to change your spending habits, and get a handle on your finances, you need to know where all your money is going.

If you haven't already heard, Mint is a free online money management software that is easy to use, and can be set up in only 5 minutes. It will chart and graph your spending habits. It will also show the current balances of all your accounts on one screen. It automatically uploads the transactions from all your accounts, so you don't have to do anything.

It is a great tool to get your finances in order, I've been using it for over a year now. Mint does ask for some sensitive financial information during the setup, but is very secure and has received many awards from reputable companies.

It graphs exactly what percentage of your income is going to predefined categories like groceries, rent, utilities, gas, and entertainment. With this information you can see exactly where you need to cut back.

You can also watch your investments, and set up mobile alerts if your account has a low balance.
I highly recommend mint, it is an powerful program, that is amazingly simple.

Network with Friends to Solve Problems

It is important to build a good social network. You never know who's help you may need.

As I mentioned in Odd Jobs Can Pay Big, I install window blinds for the my neighbors to make some extra cash on the weekends. Today, I outfitted my neighbors home with new blinds. I made some extra money, but I also established a working relationship with them.

If I need someone to feed the cat when we are out of town, that person is now an option. If my neighbor needs some help moving heavy furniture, they can now ask for my help aswell.

After finishing the blinds, I cleaned up, and started walking back to my house. I noticed my other neighbor just happened to be on his way to the local dump, perfect timing. I gave him some cash, and he let me throw my oversized blind boxes in his truck. I can't guarantee that things will work out this perfect regularly, but the more people you know, the more opportunities will present themselves.

Basically, go the extra mile to become friends with the people around you. You never know when you might need them. It doesn't take very much effort, and the return can be great. It is nice to be able to call your computer savvy friend, when your internet goes down; or if you're able to consult a contractor friend when starting a home improvement project. It is human nature to seek advice from you peers, and the broader you social network is, the better advice you will receive. Friends can make a world of a difference when solving a problem.