Mother’s Day Money Savers

By Elena Difiore, Program Director

Mother’s Day is right around the corner.  With time winding down, you may think your gift options are slim. However, before you fall back on flowers as a last resort, consider a few of the following Mother’s Day gift ideas that’ll be sure to bring a smile to her face without draining your bank account in the process.

Seven Paths To Poverty on Unlock Your Wealth Radio

Seven Paths To Poverty co,author Dr. Gary Byrne joined us today to discuss his book about how Americans, each and every one of us should be millionaires and why many of us are not. I really enjoyed this interview as we see things through a similar looking-glass. If you were waiting for some third-party verification that what I have talked about on self-sabotage and your money is true

Teach Your Children Without Breaking the Bank in 4 steps

Staff Writer Ben Williams

Improving a child’s scholastic success is one of the top endeavors of every parent. Providing your child with the tools they need to succeed in school opens up so many opportunities for them later in life. While we would all like to be able to give our kids everything when it comes to their education, unfortunately we are often prohibited by our pocketbooks. But just because you can’t buy your child the latest and greatest computer learning game doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice providing them with the knowledge and understanding they need to achieve learning success . By focusing on some of the fundamentals of learning such as reading comprehension, memory and vocabulary, you can make sure that your child will have what he or she needs to do well in school. Here are some ways to improve your child’s scholastic success without having to spend heaps of money.

Spaving and Other Spending Dysfunctions

Spaving and Other Spending Dysfunctions
Spaving: To purchase a product, item or commodity on sale–usually under misconstrued expectations of the product’s potential for garnering a purpose and saving money in the future–that has no apparent, quantifiable utility in the present. Some people, usually fiscally responsible people, can successfully utilize the art of Spaving in their lives. For instance, many people purchase Christmas gifts for their children while that gift is on sale during the summer. However, Spaving is also notorious for being an abused practice, a concept which convinces the relatively naive into making investments that will never prove advantageous, convenient or practical at any point in their lives. Spaving persuades people to spend, and, many times, waste money that could have been collecting interest in a savings account on, once all is said and done, an obsolete television set collecting dust in the attic, or a pair of designer jeans that were two sizes too small (but 50% off) at the time of purchase, and which now hang lifeless in the closet like a condemned pirate dangling from the gallows.
Spaving, especially in the alligator-infested swamps of strip malls, outlet stores and Internet sites, is a dangerous practice, similar, in a way, to playing online poker; if one is conscientious and responsible about Spaving, it at times can be a profitable enterprise. However, people often Spave without abandon, rummaging through clearance racks like rabid raccoons through trash with vague intentions–in some weird, distorted sense of the term–of saving money. Spaving is dangerous because it triggers a shopper’s most wistful inhibitions from behind a thin promise of saving said shopper money in the future; it tricks people into buying things they don’t need. Advice: If you tend to be rather promiscuous with the plastic in your pocket, don’t Spave!
Of other common spending dysfunctions, perhaps none plagues society more than Retail Therapy. A perpetual nemesis of the female shopper, Retail Therapy is exactly what it sounds like: Shopping for comfort. The urge to indulge in this practice is often triggered by a tumultuous break-up, a long, stressful day or even the untimely birth of an obnoxious blemish. Obviously, the thought of treating yourself to a new outfit or accessory after such strenuous events is quite comforting to many people, and far from condemnable. However, like gambling, or flirting with a level-1 narcotic, few can dabble in Retail Therapy without drowning. In fact, most gorge themselves until their closets are bulging with high-heeled pumps and their bank accounts are emaciated. Similar advice as that provided for tempering your inclinations to Spave is suggested for Retail Therapy: Unless you know yourself to be of that rare breed of human who can occasionally smoke a cigarette without becoming addicted, don’t allow yourself to even consider heading to the mall after being assigned jury duty, being denied that promotion, or even after the death of your dog–the slope is too steep.

Money can be saved and condolence can be found at places without mannequins in the windows. Remember that.

Staff Writer Daniel Moore

Carry Cash Challenge

Staff Writer
Elena Difiore

Can’t afford that new 70” flat screen? Charge it now and pay for it later! After all, everyone else is doing it.

With their overwhelming simplicity and accessibility, credit cards have become the financial crutch of far too many Americans. Breaking free from your prison of purchases starts by recognizing the underlying emotions that fuel your desire to spend. Don’t think you have enough will power to simply say no? For all the impulsive shoppers out there, here are a few tips on how to protect your wallet from yourself.

One option is to go the old-fashioned route and simply cut up your cards. If they’re in pieces, there’s obviously no way you can use them. However, there’s no doubt that credit cards can be a necessary evil. Whether you’re booking a week’s stay at a hotel, or enrolled in some form of automatic bill pay, credit cards can serve a beneficial purpose, so cutting them up isn’t always the best option.

A classic remedy for credit card abusers is the ice block approach. Take your credit card and place it in a large tupperware container or old ice cream carton. Next, fill the container with water and place it in the freezer. This way, you still have your credit card as an option in case of an emergency, but you’re much less likely to splurge on a new pair of shoes if you have to pick away at an icicle for hours on end.

A similar approach is burying your credit card in a shoebox in your backyard. Just like freezing your card, burying it in your yard acts as a deterrent to emotional or impulsive spending. If you want to use your card, you have to take the time to dig it up, which gives you time to ponder the legitimacy, or lack thereof, of your purchase.

For a creative, unique way to hide your card, try placing it in a plastic sealable bag and filling the rest of the bag with some form of thick substance, such as peanut butter. Everyone knows how hard it is to clean peanut butter off of anything, so hopefully having to clean it off your card will make you think twice before rushing off to the mall.

Another option is hiding your credit card in your attic. However, keep in mind, this method is pointless if you have an easily accessible attic. But for those who seldom, if ever, go into their attic, this could be the perfect solution.

Looking for a more formal approach? Place your credit card in a safety deposit box at your bank. Not only will you have to drive to your bank if you want to use your card, but the hoops and red tape usually involved with accessing safety deposit boxes will force you to seriously evaluate your decision.

When all is said and done, you are the only one who can help yourself escape the destructive cycle of credit card debt. Breaking free from the clutches of excessive consumption starts by taking responsibility for your actions and putting a freeze on your spending, figuratively or literally.

4th Of July! Beat the Heat for Fourth Fun

Want to throw a great Fourth of July celebration without breaking the bank? Here are a few tips for throwing a great party on a tight budget.

Start planning ahead of time. Take a look at your current financial situation and seriously consider the amount of money you can afford to invest in the party. This will help you to budget yourself when shopping for any necessary items.

Next up is the guest list. If you’re looking for ways to cut back on costs for the party, it’s a good idea to narrow down your guest list. Try limiting the list to the people you’d most like to share the holiday with, such as your closest friends and family. After you’ve come up with a final list, you need to consider invitations. Instead of going out and buying invitations, you can make them yourself at home on the computer. For an even cheaper alternative, sites like Evite.com offer a variety of fun and festive electronic invitations you can e-mail to your guests for free.

Food is always one of the biggest expenses when throwing a party. One way to cut down the cost is to have a potluck and ask each guest to bring his or her own favorite dish. To lower the cost of grilling, try skipping the expensive meats like steak, and opt for cheaper alternatives such as hotdogs or chicken.

When it comes to decorations, there are a variety of ways to stretch your dollar. First, hit up local discount stores and dollar stores. These places not only have great deals on decorations but also on plates, utensils, and napkins. Focus on purchasing items you can reuse in the future. Instead of an American flag tablecloth, go for a solid red or blue one that you can use again for future events, like birthday parties. Another great idea is putting out edible decorations such as red, white, and blue M&Ms or candies, which help add to the patriotic theme.

When choosing what kinds of activities for the party, there are several ways to keep guests entertained without going broke. Instead of hiring a DJ, which can be extremely expensive, make a playlist on your iPod of fun, patriotic songs to play during the party. If you want to kick things up a notch, try asking around for a karaoke machine you could borrow and let your guests compete in their own little version of American Idol. For another fun twist on a typical Fourth of July party, have a costume contest where the most patriotically-dressed guest wins a fun prize or award.

Times are tough, but with a little budgeting and some creativity you can still throw a Fourth of July celebration to remember.

Elena Difiore-Staff Writer-Unlock Your Wealth Foundation

Why Become A Voracious Reader?

Want a good workout but don’t feel like going to the gym? Pick up a book!

The brain may not be a muscle, but it needs exercise just the same. Studies have shown that reading can have a positive impact on several significant aspects of our day-to-day lives.

Reading not only makes you smarter, but also helps keep you sharp as you age. Increasing your amount of reading each day helps to keep you focused and makes you less inclined to forget small details, such as a name or address or even the last place you saw your car keys. Studies have also shown that reading consistently on a day-to-day basis helps improve analytical thinking and our ability to detect patterns.

Reading helps beef up your vocabulary. The more we read, the greater the variety of words we come across—some that we’re familiar with, and others that we may have never seen before. Increasing our reading exposes us to these unfamiliar words and helps expand our vocabulary; and as every writer knows, the larger your vocabulary, the better able you are to convey exactly what it is you’re trying to say.

In addition to all of its positive intellectual impacts, reading also serves as a great mental “de-stresser” for the brain. Studies have shown that reading can have a soothing effect on even the most anxious or fidgety of individuals. At the end of a long, stressful day, reading is a great way to help calm the brain and relax the body.

Whether you’re curling up with Charles Dickens or perusing the Washington Post, you owe it to yourself to make reading a permanent part of your everyday life.

Elena Difiore-Staff Writer-Unlock Your Wealth Foundation

Past the Dry Spell

So we are staffed up and ready to rock and roll. I have eliminated all excuses for not blogging on a regular basis anymore. The ezine is well underway and if you are interested in subscribing to the e-zine just drop us an e-mail at e-zine@unlockyourwealth.com and put “sign me up” in the subject line.
If you e-mail us today or tomorrow before noon we can include you in this weeks issue.

In addition to being staffed up, I am all teched up too with my new Dragon naturally speaking transcription software. Now I’ll be able to dictate the blogs and get them out much faster than in the past.

We are in interesting times people or reaching from money management techniques like never before, everyone seems to need to have a leg up even though this economy we are currently experiencing isn’t the worst we’ve ever had. With a lack of confidence in our country’s leadership in watching the continual bumbling in our legislature with regards to Wall Street and Main Street people are looking for a new solution which is different from what we were taught are brought up to think about.

There’s a few more things that need to be finished today before we put out the e-zine tomorrow so I will bid you a fond farewell for now.

Ciao. H. dub