Why Save Money

In today's world the message is usually "spendSpendSPEND!" It can be hard to imagine why you really might want to save money.

I understand wanting to have certain things. We all have little things that make us happy and there are few people who could be completely happy living a very frugal lifestyle.

However, there are still many good reasons to save money. Here are just a few:

• Security. We never know what's going to happen. Unexpected expenses come up. People lose their job. You just never know. Having some money set aside will make you feel more secure. You will be able to handle life's emergencies.
  
• Retirement. If you want to retire, you're going to need some money to do that with. You won't be able to rely on Social Security. Make sure that you are automatically investing into a 401k if your company offers one, and look into other options such as IRAs if they do not (Actually, you can still invest in IRAs if you have a 401k).
  
• Education. The cost of education is rising. If you want your children to go to college, then you should start saving to help pay for it. This will reduce the amount of debt that your child has after graduating. Even if you don't have children, you may want to save money so that you can go back to school yourself. Check out Upromise which allows you to save money for school by shopping at places you would normally shop. (aff)
  
• Fulfill your own dreams. Everybody has a dream. Whether that dream is to travel the world, start a business, or just spend more time with your family, you probably need some money to do that. Saving money allows you focus on your own dreams.
  

My husband and I saved money so that we could try to build our own business. I tell this story (and how you can do it too) in the ebook Save to Quit.

Robin Hooding It -- Affiliate Programs, Adsense, and Other Ads

I've recently noticed that other bloggers are being more upfront about when they are using affiliate links and it got me to thinking about it...

Before I really get into it, I'd like to explain a bit how affiliate programs, adsense, and other ads work. If you have a blog or website, you already understand this, but I'm not sure that other people do.

Almost everyone has heard that if you have a blog or website, then you can make money by putting ads on your site. But unless you have a really big and popular site, advertisers aren't exactly lining up to pay you hundreds of dollars to display their ads. What most blogger or website owners use are affiliate ads. The blogger chooses programs that he or she thinks will benefit their readers and puts those ads on the blog. In most cases, the reader needs to click on the ad and make a purchase for the blogger to make any money.

For example, I have ads for ING Direct in my sidebar. I use ING and I have had a good experience with them, so I feel comfortable recommending them to other people. ING does not pay me to place that ad on my site. However, if you were to click on that ad and sign up for ING Direct, I would get some money.

That said, I believe that affiliate programs are a sort of modern day Robin Hood. They take money from the "big businesses" and give them to "the little guy" in exchange for promotion. I often click on people's ads because of this. In my mind:

• It's a way to "tip" the writer of a blog that I enjoy.
  
• The writer deserves to get a commission for recommending a product.
  
• Buying through affiliate links helps people to build a salary where they can work from home.
  

Other people seem to feel different. On a popular web forum that I frequent, there was once a thread about whether you buy through affiliate links or not. I was surprised by the number of people who said that they REFUSE to buy through a person's affiliate link. What a bunch of #*(&#@ !!!!

To be fair, these people are primarily referring to info-products and their thought is that the creator of the product should receive all of the money for their product and not have to share with affiliates. I can understand this point of view, but I disagree with it.

On the other hand, I suppose that you might have people who know about affiliate programs and who feel that you are somehow being sneaky by using affiliate links and not being more upfront about it. I think that this is why I've seen a movement towards mentioning that you are using affiliate links.

I'm optimistic and I like to believe in the goodness of others. I believe that purchasing products through affiliate links is a way to support your fellow bloggers. I also think that whenever possible, people should ACTIVELY SEEK OUT affiliate links to purchase through (e.g. If I'm going to buy from 1-800 flowers, I should try to find someone advertising that program.). I think that if more people understood how affiliate programs work, we'd see an increase in affiliate incomes as people tried to make sure that a percentage of their money is going to "the little guy".

So because of that, I've decided that I'm going to be more upfront about my use of affiliate links.

What do you think?

Tips for Being Frugal

In a world where everywhere you turn, someone is telling you to spendSpendSPEND, it can be very difficult to try to save money or get your debt under control. We're all tempted at times and I thought that it was about time that I introduced some tips for being frugal.

These are things that have helped me and my husband as we prepared to save to quit. I hope that they can help you as well.

Tips For Being Frugal

1. Make sure that everyone is on board. If one person in a couple is trying to save money while the other person is spending, then you're fighting a losing battle. Facing debt head on or saving towards a shared goal is something that a couple has to do together. Both partners need to participate actively.

2. Check out free things. There are many free events in your town and participating in these things will help prevent you from feeling board (and spending money because of this). Also make sure to use your local library. Many people love reading, but choose to buy books! This is a waste of money, unless you will use the book over and over again. Instead, borrow books from the library for free.

3. Spend sometimes. This is just my personal opinion, but I feel that if you are too frugal, you are one day going to hit a breaking point where you end up going on a major shopping spree and thwart all of your efforts. So instead, I think that it's a good idea to occasionally spend money. For example, go out to eat once a month instead of once a week. Buy a new bracelet instead of a whole new outfit. You get the picture.

4. Watch less TV. This is really rough for some people, I know. However, when we watch TV, we are exposed to a lot of advertising, not just during the commercials, but within the programs themselves. The people in TV shows almost always have nice gadgets and nice clothes and when we compare their lives to our own, we find that we come up short. This is crazy! We're comparing our lives to fictional characters. When you watch less TV, you'll find that you start to have less desires for more material things. You'll also be able to spend more time on things that matter more to you--reading books, exercising, or working on your business. It's OK to have a few TV shows that you enjoy...but you just shouldn't veg out in front of the TV for 5 hours every night.

5. Make it a game. Instead of thinking of being frugal as being a chore, make it fun. Challenge yourself to meet deadlines. See how fast you can fill up your coin jar. Have a bigger bank account than the Joneses.

Extreme Money Saving Ideas

(Note: Some of the ideas expressed here are of a questionable legal nature. I do not in fact encourage anyone to use these. It's meant to be a humorous looks at extreme money saving ideas.)

Are you tired of all the same old money saving ideas?
Do you think that you've completely exhausted your frugal resources?
Are you ready to take your frugality to the next level?

Read on for some extreme ideas for saving money:

1. Steal toilet paper. Have you ever gone to a public restroom and found that they have extra toilet paper rolls? This is where a large bag comes in handy. Take an extra roll or two with you. No extra rolls? Just take a significant amount from the roll that's provided.

2. Eat only rice and beans. Rice and beans are about as cheap as you can get (Except maybe when ramen goes on sale for 10 cents). You can save a lot of money by eating only rice and beans. No fruits. No veggies. No meat. No dairy. Just rice and beans. This'll probably cost you like 10 cents per person per meal (complete guess).

3. Go "shopping" at the lost and found section. If you ever find yourself needing something, go to the lost and found section of a public place and give a vague description of the item that you need. For example, tell them you lost a pair "black sunglasses". Chances are, someone lost a pair of black sunglasses and you can totally score them!

4. Use soap as shampoo. There's really no reason to buy separate shampoo and conditioner. Simply use your bar of soap as shampoo. No conditioner. It works!

5. Recycle cards as postcards. Whenever someone sends you a card, cut off the front and use that as a postcard. You won't have to buy postcards and the postage is cheaper for a postcard. You may want to make a list of who sends you what cards so that you can make sure to not send the postcard to the same person that sent you the card.

I hope that you've enjoyed these (humorous) extreme money savings ideas.

Frugal Vegetarian Recipe Wednesday-->Chickpea Curry

This Chickpea Curry is another favorite recipe of mine. I make it at least 2-3 times a month (and it lasts a few days). Sometimes, I'll substitute lentils or split peas for the chickpeas depending on what I have on hand...

Frugal Vegetarian Recipe #2-->Chickpea Curry

1 onion (optional)
2 cloves garlic (or 1T garlic powder)
1T oil
2.5 cups chickpeas
1 can tomatoes
1.5 cups water
2T curry powder
broccoli (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan and sautee the onion and garlic until translucent. (I put the garlic in after the onions have been cooking for awhile so that I don't burn the garlic)
2. Add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low-medium. Simmer until most of the water is gone, about 45 minutes.
4. I like to add broccoli to this. You can use either frozen or fresh. Add it about 10 minutes before it's finished cooking.
5. If you want, put half of the curry into a food processor and blend it for a smoother consistency. Then mix it back in.
6. Serve over rice, or with Indian bread (naan, chapatis, whatever..)

Enjoy!