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Casual Articles - Money Black Hole
OK. Put down the mouse and back slowly away from the keyboard. Oh, you can continue to read, but one of the site promotion tools that often get overlooked has nothing to do with the Internet, so let’s think offline for a moment.Beyond all of the meaningful online tools at your disposal to assist in promoting your website there lies an equally impressive number of off site tools that you may have never considered.Business Cards – This tool provides a means of presenting both Internet location and an email connection. As the Internet has progressed so too has the ease of connection via email.Stationary – Make sure all your business stationary carries your Internet address as well as email contact.Promotional Gifts – From key chains to promotional pens, window stickers to Frisbees, your web address should always have a prominent place.Print, Audio and Video Advertising – It’s not enough to simply place a phone number and address in your advertising. If you have a website you may discover it is actually more important to place your web address in the advertising that other traditional contact information. The Internet provides a sense of window shopping, and potential customers may be more inclined to visit your website than they are to pick up the phone and give you a call.Receipts – When send
So why cut your expenses? Many of us would like to save more...for retirement, for emergencies, a long vacation, a better car, or a sabbatical. Some of us are deeply in debt or moving in that direction. Some of us can’t make monthly bill payments. If you want to save more or are spending more than you can afford, you may want to start economizing or cutting your expenses. Here are my own favorite top ten ideas:
1. My number one pick for saving on your expenses is to stop shopping! Don't go to the mall, don't look at the dozens of catalogs that arrive in the mail, and don't surf the Internet for stuff! Window-shopping can be dangerous to your wallet. If you find yourself overcome with desire, wait at least three days. If you still must have it, then buy it. Most of the time, the desire will pass.
2. Each month pick one utility or servi
Today the Big Ticket Items are not being delivered in Ebooks. Why? Maybe it comes down to the delivery format. PDF or Exc type files deliver words. Are your words alone enough for your customer?This is the dilemma today. Will your ebook compiler be able to deliver to your customer the “Show and Tell” Ebook that the Big Ticket CD’s or DVD’s do? Or can they even provide the information the way CD’s or DVD’s can?It seems to be the trend in Ebook makers to deliver their products in the PDF form. Why; because everyone has access to the program that allow them to read of this type of Ebook. Simple yet it has limitations such as delivering audio or video. This requires a link inside the Ebook to somewhere that has these types of files for the customer not contained within the Ebook itself. This requires your customer to go to an online site that may or may not be secure especially if someone is paying for your information. Any hacker worth their salt can find your information and copy it for their profit. The Big Ticket items on CD’s don’t have this problem. Everything is contained within the CD or DVD and in most cases they are interactive. It is hard to compete with this type of Informational Product delivery.Innovation being the substance of the Internet has provided a means to the “Show and Tell” Exe
· Buying a new car when a used one is good enough.
· Purchasing a bigger, more expensive house thinking your income will go up fast enough to cover the expense.
· Paying for services such as housecleaning, yard maintenance, childcare, club memberships, computer site fees, etc.
· Expensive, exotic vacations
· Charging everything from groceries to clothing to home remodeling on your credit card.
Did you know that most millionaires got rich by living below their means?
Being self-employed or being salaried but getting big bonuses may increase your risk for over-committing. You believe you can afford something because you have the money right now, but don’t remember that next month’s income may be much less or you may not get a bonus next year.
But the biggest contributor to biting off more than you can pay for is not knowing the true state of your money flow. Lots of people say, “But I don’t spend that much money” without having any facts to back it up. They may think or feel that because they are comparing themselves to others or to some ideal way of living. Do you know to the penny, okay, at least to the nearest dollar, what your fixed and discretionary expenses are each month? Do you have a spending plan for your fixed expenses that only come once a year such as auto insurance, property taxes, and home insurance, etc.? Do you have a spending plan for the big discretionary expenses that only come once a year such as birthday and holiday gifts, vacations, and seasonal clothing, etc.?
So what do you do?
For starters, if you don’t already know where your money goes, write down every penny you spend for a month. This will give you an idea of your daily discretionary spending. Is it going towards lattes, cokes, donuts, clothes, or lunches at work? Then comb through your bills, checkbooks, and credit card statements. The idea is to build an accurate picture of your entire financial life…what comes in, what goes out, and what do you have stored (savings, investments, assets). This may take you some time, but it is absolutely critical in understanding and finally changing your financial life. It is not fun, just necessary.
You may have to face some hard truths about your spending, but it is the first step to gaining control. And gaining control, I promise you, will vastly improve the way you feel. When reviewing your spending and income patterns, remember that it is no shame, no blame. It is what it is so don’t beat yourself up. You’re doing the courageous thing by looking at your money flow in the clear light of day. Having debt and finances that are out of control, or even that just don’t meet your own goals, wears on you, making you moody, irritable, worried, fearful, exhausted and may even affect your health and relationships.
Cutting Your Expenses
Now that you have been tracking and understand your money flow so that you have a total picture of your spending and income, it’s time to look at where your money is going. No matter how little money you have and how necessary you think the spending is, there are always ways to cut more, often without even feeling it.
So why cut your expenses? Many of us would like to save more...for retirement, for emergencies, a long vacation, a better car, or a sabbatical. Some of us are deeply in debt or moving in that direction. Some of us can’t make monthly bill payments. If you want to save more or are spending more than you can afford, you may want to start economizing or cutting your expenses. Here are my own favorite top ten ideas:
1. My number one pick for saving on your expenses is to stop shopping! Don't go to the mall, don't look at the dozens of catalogs that arrive in the mail, and don't surf the Internet for stuff! Window-shopping can be dangerous to your wallet. If you find yourself overcome with desire, wait at least three days. If you still must have it, then buy it. Most of the time, the desire will pass.
2. Each month pick one utility or servic
As companies that conduct their business online have proliferated, hosting of those websites that provide the primary point of contact for transaction of business has become highly mission critical; having these sites go offline or perform poorly not only loses revenue but also detracts from the company's image and loses customer loyalty.Companies such as betting and online gaming have even more stringent requirements because they need to provide a guaranteed response in near real time. Sports betting events also have the effect of crowding all the business within condensed time windows.This level of hosting goes far beyond the simple provision of bandwidth and the quality of the server matters not only in terms of its CPU's processing abilities, quantity of RAM and hard disk space but also the durability of its components, the power supply available and the ability of fan/s to disperse the heat generated by a server running 24/7 under possibly very heavy loads.With an application designed for use internally within a company, one can always put a cap on the maximum number of people that could be using the application. With the internet this number can be unpredictable, or if measurable through registration, can grow large very quickly. The internet is a new operating regime, not only in terms of the security is
But the biggest contributor to biting off more than you can pay for is not knowing the true state of your money flow. Lots of people say, “But I don’t spend that much money” without having any facts to back it up. They may think or feel that because they are comparing themselves to others or to some ideal way of living. Do you know to the penny, okay, at least to the nearest dollar, what your fixed and discretionary expenses are each month? Do you have a spending plan for your fixed expenses that only come once a year such as auto insurance, property taxes, and home insurance, etc.? Do you have a spending plan for the big discretionary expenses that only come once a year such as birthday and holiday gifts, vacations, and seasonal clothing, etc.?
So what do you do?
For starters, if you don’t already know where your money goes, write down every penny you spend for a month. This will give you an idea of your daily discretionary spending. Is it going towards lattes, cokes, donuts, clothes, or lunches at work? Then comb through your bills, checkbooks, and credit card statements. The idea is to build an accurate picture of your entire financial life…what comes in, what goes out, and what do you have stored (savings, investments, assets). This may take you some time, but it is absolutely critical in understanding and finally changing your financial life. It is not fun, just necessary.
You may have to face some hard truths about your spending, but it is the first step to gaining control. And gaining control, I promise you, will vastly improve the way you feel. When reviewing your spending and income patterns, remember that it is no shame, no blame. It is what it is so don’t beat yourself up. You’re doing the courageous thing by looking at your money flow in the clear light of day. Having debt and finances that are out of control, or even that just don’t meet your own goals, wears on you, making you moody, irritable, worried, fearful, exhausted and may even affect your health and relationships.
Cutting Your Expenses
Now that you have been tracking and understand your money flow so that you have a total picture of your spending and income, it’s time to look at where your money is going. No matter how little money you have and how necessary you think the spending is, there are always ways to cut more, often without even feeling it.
So why cut your expenses? Many of us would like to save more...for retirement, for emergencies, a long vacation, a better car, or a sabbatical. Some of us are deeply in debt or moving in that direction. Some of us can’t make monthly bill payments. If you want to save more or are spending more than you can afford, you may want to start economizing or cutting your expenses. Here are my own favorite top ten ideas:
1. My number one pick for saving on your expenses is to stop shopping! Don't go to the mall, don't look at the dozens of catalogs that arrive in the mail, and don't surf the Internet for stuff! Window-shopping can be dangerous to your wallet. If you find yourself overcome with desire, wait at least three days. If you still must have it, then buy it. Most of the time, the desire will pass.
2. Each month pick one utility or servi
In economics, business is the social science of managing people to organize and maintain collective productivity toward accomplishing particular, creative and productive goals, usually to generate revenue.The etymology of "business" refers to the state of being busy, in the context of the individual as well as the community or society. In other words, to be busy is to be doing commercially viable and profitable work.Starting and managing a business takes motivation and talent. It also requires a lot of research and planning. Although initial errors are not always catastrophic, it takes extra specialization, discipline, and hard work to gain advantage.Beforehand, there must be enough time allotted to exploring and evaluating the business that you are interested in pursuing. These information would be needed to build a comprehensive and contemplative business plan that will help you achieve these goals.A business plan is detailing a blue print, foreseeing the future of an endeavored enterprise, usually designed to attract capital investment and profit. This is the first tool to be developed by thinking through some important issues that you may not otherwise consider. Your plan will become valuable as you set out to raise money for your business, and it will provide milestones to gauge your success. discretionary expenses that only come once a year such as birthday and holiday gifts, vacations, and seasonal clothing, etc.?
So what do you do?
For starters, if you don’t already know where your money goes, write down every penny you spend for a month. This will give you an idea of your daily discretionary spending. Is it going towards lattes, cokes, donuts, clothes, or lunches at work? Then comb through your bills, checkbooks, and credit card statements. The idea is to build an accurate picture of your entire financial life…what comes in, what goes out, and what do you have stored (savings, investments, assets). This may take you some time, but it is absolutely critical in understanding and finally changing your financial life. It is not fun, just necessary.
You may have to face some hard truths about your spending, but it is the first step to gaining control. And gaining control, I promise you, will vastly improve the way you feel. When reviewing your spending and income patterns, remember that it is no shame, no blame. It is what it is so don’t beat yourself up. You’re doing the courageous thing by looking at your money flow in the clear light of day. Having debt and finances that are out of control, or even that just don’t meet your own goals, wears on you, making you moody, irritable, worried, fearful, exhausted and may even affect your health and relationships.
Cutting Your Expenses
Now that you have been tracking and understand your money flow so that you have a total picture of your spending and income, it’s time to look at where your money is going. No matter how little money you have and how necessary you think the spending is, there are always ways to cut more, often without even feeling it.
So why cut your expenses? Many of us would like to save more...for retirement, for emergencies, a long vacation, a better car, or a sabbatical. Some of us are deeply in debt or moving in that direction. Some of us can’t make monthly bill payments. If you want to save more or are spending more than you can afford, you may want to start economizing or cutting your expenses. Here are my own favorite top ten ideas:
1. My number one pick for saving on your expenses is to stop shopping! Don't go to the mall, don't look at the dozens of catalogs that arrive in the mail, and don't surf the Internet for stuff! Window-shopping can be dangerous to your wallet. If you find yourself overcome with desire, wait at least three days. If you still must have it, then buy it. Most of the time, the desire will pass.
2. Each month pick one utility or servi
Most people who are of an age to care about their credit are aware that the three main credit bureaus, Experian, Trans Union and Equifax, maintain credit reports on them. The bureaus keep track of loans, credit cards and bankruptcies and make note of whether each consumer pays his or her bills on time. Most people are also aware that their credit history is also available in the form of a credit score, which is, in essence, their overall credit worthiness reduced to a three-digit number.Beyond that, many people have, at best, a vague understanding about how their financial transactions are regarded by the credit bureaus. There are a number of myths and misconceptions about credit reports and credit scores and how they are affected by things people do financially. Here are a few examples of these popular misunderstandings: A consumer has only one credit score – Not true. Each bureau keeps track of financial transactions independently of the others and may have more or less information to work with than the other bureaus. Plus, until recently, each bureau used their own scoring system. In all likelihood, if a consumer were to contact each bureau to obtain his or her credit score, the result would be three completely different figures. Your salary affects your credit score – Your score is simpl
Cutting Your Expenses
Now that you have been tracking and understand your money flow so that you have a total picture of your spending and income, it’s time to look at where your money is going. No matter how little money you have and how necessary you think the spending is, there are always ways to cut more, often without even feeling it.
So why cut your expenses? Many of us would like to save more...for retirement, for emergencies, a long vacation, a better car, or a sabbatical. Some of us are deeply in debt or moving in that direction. Some of us can’t make monthly bill payments. If you want to save more or are spending more than you can afford, you may want to start economizing or cutting your expenses. Here are my own favorite top ten ideas:
1. My number one pick for saving on your expenses is to stop shopping! Don't go to the mall, don't look at the dozens of catalogs that arrive in the mail, and don't surf the Internet for stuff! Window-shopping can be dangerous to your wallet. If you find yourself overcome with desire, wait at least three days. If you still must have it, then buy it. Most of the time, the desire will pass.
2. Each month pick one utility or servi
When a professional or small business owner decides to launch their business on the Internet, they often start with a website. They’ve heard that everybody has to have a website. Then they learn that they should have an email newsletter.Many people start out piece-meal. Website with one company, newsletter delivery with another provider, online payments with another, and as each need arises they get an account with a new provider. In a previous article (http://snipurl.com/Internet_Marketing1), we recommended starting with a shopping cart marketing system. The next step is to establish your online presence.Website First, Blog First?As stated above, it wasn't long ago that you would get started with your online business by creating a website. However, after several months and several thousands of dollars you may learn your website isn’t enough. You do need a web presence, and there is an alternative to hiring a web designer to do it for you — you can create a blog for your business.Since the invention of easy-to-use blogging programs, we recommend to many small businesses and professionals to skip a website, and start off with a blog. A blog can do just about anything a website can, and has several big advantages. (A blog actually is
So why cut your expenses? Many of us would like to save more...for retirement, for emergencies, a long vacation, a better car, or a sabbatical. Some of us are deeply in debt or moving in that direction. Some of us can’t make monthly bill payments. If you want to save more or are spending more than you can afford, you may want to start economizing or cutting your expenses. Here are my own favorite top ten ideas:
1. My number one pick for saving on your expenses is to stop shopping! Don't go to the mall, don't look at the dozens of catalogs that arrive in the mail, and don't surf the Internet for stuff! Window-shopping can be dangerous to your wallet. If you find yourself overcome with desire, wait at least three days. If you still must have it, then buy it. Most of the time, the desire will pass.
2. Each month pick one utility or service bill and reduce or eliminate it. For example, on your phone bill, eliminate all those "extras" such as call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, etc. I use a 3-cent a minute phone card for all long distance and so cancelled my long distance carrier that charged me $7/month for nothing. And, of course, I don't pay the ridiculous high prices for long distance they would have charged me! For electricity, shop around. Your service provider may not be the cheapest. You could save as much as 20%. Do you really need a monitored alarm system? Could you be comfortable with only an audible alarm? What about cell phones? The plans change frequently...and I do mean frequently! Call your cell phone company and request a lower rate or a better plan. Well, you get the idea. Don't just assume that there is nothing you can change.
3. Look at any service fees you may be paying. Service fees are the fastest growing category of spending for consumers. For example, Internet service providers, investor reports and services on the Internet, weather bulletins, subscription fees, user fees, download fees, etc. These can add up to hundreds of dollars a month if not carefully watched. There are several really inexpensive Internet service providers that work quite well. Don't stick with AOL or Earthlink just because you always have. It's easy to investigate others and many give free 30-day trials. For example, try academicplanet.com, netzero.com, ev1.net, hal-pc.org or pcpeople.com.
4. Everyone seems to assume that they must have cable or satellite television and that the $50 or $70 or $99 per month charge is "just the way it is". I double-dare you to take charge of your family's television viewing. With no cable or satellite, you still get 3 to 6 stations in Houston, for example. If you need more, buy the absolute minimum you can live with. For example, if you get HBO only to watch the Sopranos, can you watch it with friends? Ask them to tape it for you? Or at least have HBO connected only during the season! Don't even get me started on how bad TV is for children and how much time adults waste watching it!
5. Shop around for big-ticket items. If you have not shopped on the Internet, you will be amazed at the differences among prices for the same item. Prices can vary hugely. You can always go to a brick and mortar store to see and touch the item, make a selection, but then shop online for best prices and warranties. You can use shopping comparison sites such as nextag and pricewatch. I just this week bought a popular money software program that was listed for $89.99 at my local office supply stores. I checked around and it was the same price at my local huge discount store. Online, I found lots of lower prices including $79.99, 59.99, 41.95 and 23.88. I finally bought it on ebay for about $29 with shipping. This all took about 10 minutes.
6. For smaller, regularly used items, shop around, both on the Internet and locally. For example, I buy my printer ink cartridges at half the office supply store price at a local store called Cartridge World. The first time I went in, I saved $122. For gift-wrap items such as paper and ribbons, try a dollar type store or your local party goods discounter. When I bought my day planner updates for 2005, the price at one office supply store was 1/2 the price at the other a few blocks over for the identical item, a savings of $22!
7. One of my biggest weaknesses is books. I read vora
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