365 Ways to Live Cheap: Your Everyday Guide to Saving Money [by Trent Hamm]

Discussion in 'Money Matters' started by sonal1611, Jan 1, 2013.

  1. sonal1611

    sonal1611 Gold IL'ite

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    Hi ,

    Under this thread , I will try to post each of 365 Ways to Live Cheap: Your Everyday Guide to Saving Money [Trent Hamm] . U can surely visit author's site if u want to read all in once. :thumbsup
     
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  2. sonal1611

    sonal1611 Gold IL'ite

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    Take Little Steps, Not Big Ones (1/365)

    The little boy you see in the picture above is my youngest son. He just learned to walk a few months ago, and all of his steps are little steps.

    It takes him a lot of time to accomplish many things you or I would consider simple. He often takes a whole minute to crawl up a single flight of stairs. Holding his hand and walking somewhere means I’m going to be taking three or four times longer, just because he’s taking little steps.

    Even given the slowness, there’s still a very valuable thing with those little steps. That little one year old boy has learned that if you take your steps too fast and too big, you fall right on your face.

    Most of the time, his steps are small and reserved, but he knows that he’ll eventually get to his destination.

    Every once in a while, though, he’ll get excited and start taking big steps. He’ll run across the floor, trip over his own feet, and fall flat on his face. He’ll then emit an ear-splitting yowl and Mom or Dad will come running to the rescue. He doesn’t make it to his destination and, even worse, his nose (or his chin or his elbow or his knee) now hurts like the Dickens.

    Here’s the thing: when we’re trying out a new behavior that isn’t familiar to us, we’re all like that little boy. The movements we need to make to reach our destination aren’t ones that we’re familiar with.

    Just like that boy, we see a big shiny thing off in the distance and we can’t wait to get there. For him, it might be a big beach ball (we have one that he plays with all the time). For us, it might be debt freedom, some level of financial security, a thin waistline, a promotion, or any number of other things.

    But just like that boy, we’re not naturally familiar with the steps it takes to get there. If we’re in debt, that means that frugality and money management aren’t natural moves for us. If we’re overweight, that means that a healthy diet and adequate exercise aren’t part of our normal routine.

    Also just like that little boy, if we try to run using those unfamiliar steps, we’re going to fall right on our faces. Our hyper-aggressive focus on frugality will cause us to bounce back with giant spending splurges. Our super-strict diet will result in an entire pork roast for supper with a whole Sara Lee poundcake as a chaser (okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration there, but you get the idea).

    One step at a time. One continuous, lasting change at a time.

    Don’t jump into ultra-frugality. Instead, look for some ways to change your spending that don’t alter your daily routines (like air-sealing your home) and focus on making one significant permanent change to your behavior that saves you money (like unhooking that cable box for good).

    The same goes for health changes. Make some changes that don’t alter your daily behavior (like getting rid of unhealthy snacks at home) and make one significant permanent change to your behavior (like giving up fast food).

    You can repeat this same exact phenomenon for any change you’re trying to make in your life. Little steps will always get you there. Big steps often leave you in a worse pickle than where you started.
     
  3. sonal1611

    sonal1611 Gold IL'ite

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    Realize That You’re Not Alone on This Journey (2/365)

    When I first reached my financial bottom, I felt desperately alone. I wrote about the pain of that financial bottom a while ago:

    In short, even though my mind kept searching for a way out, another saving grace, part of me began to realize that there was no way out this time. I began to feel completely sick to my stomach and disgusted with myself, so I walked back home. My wife was there on the couch, flipping through a magazine, and my son was in his room taking a nap.

    I went into my son’s room, closed the door behind me, and sat down in the rocking chair across from his crib. He was so tiny laying there, less than six months old, and he was sleeping so peacefully there without a worry in the world.

    At first, I envied him. I wanted so badly to be in a situation without responsibility, to have my life in a place where I could just lie there in innocent sleep, without a worry troubling me.

    But as I watched him lay there, gently breathing, another set of emotions began to take over. Guilt. Shame. Embarrassment. Pain. I was failing this wonderful little boy, this child who had already brought incalculable joy into my life. He looked to me and relied on me for everything, and because of my poor decision making and my selfishness, I was throwing it all away.

    I closed my eyes and imagined the future I wanted for him, and then watched it dissolve into the future that he would have if I didn’t change things immediately. And I cried, almost uncontrollably.

    I had my son that I loved so much. I had my wife, too. In the end, though, I felt alone. I felt like I had let everyone down because of my own inability to handle my money. I alone knew how bad the financial situation really was, and I alone knew that it was largely my own fault.

    Realize That You're Not Alone on This Journey (2/365)

    The thing was, I wasn’t alone. I’ve never really been alone.

    For one, there’s God. I’m not going to enter into a debate about what that means, whether it’s really a spiritual force or just my subconscious talking, but I know that when I spend time meditating and praying, I find answers to the questions I seek, or at least directions to those answers. There’s something there, something I have always been able to rely on, and whether it’s a deity or my subconscious or something else, it’s a real thing that has consistently been able to guide me.

    My wife, Sarah, has been by my side as either my steady girlfriend, my fiancee, or my wife for the last sixteen years. I can talk to her about anything going on in my life and get a sensible, steady, reliable answer.

    I have three children that bury me in hugs every time they see me. Their good cheer is a constant mood lifter and their requests for help make me realize that I am of value to the people around me.

    My parents have been around since the day I was born. Both of them have offered me help in almost every way I could ask for throughout my life.

    My extended family is constantly supportive and willing to offer advice and assistance to me whenever I ask.

    I have a circle of friends who provide constant good humor, companionship, and help, no matter what I’m going through in life.

    I participate in several online communities, full of people who are always willing to share advice and encouragement.

    I am not alone on this journey – or any other journey that I have in my life.

    You are not alone, either. Your sources of strength may be very different than mine, but you are never alone unless you willfully choose to be. There are always people who are concerned about you and want to help you. There are always people who will step up to the plate alongside you and walk with you on any journey that you may take.

    Often, all you have to do is ask, and that’s often the hardest part.

    The one thing to keep in mind is this: almost everyone respects and wants to help someone who is trying to make a positive change in their life, particularly when they already care about that person. If someone in your life doesn’t do that, then that means they only valued you for the negative trait you’re leaving behind, and that’s not a good foundation for a relationship.

    You are not alone.
     

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