Where does all my money go? If you are like most people, then you must be asking this to yourself most of the time. You must have more than likely discovered, at a most inconvenient time, that yours is gone! A way to manage your finances in the most resourceful way is one of the hardest things to figure out. If you learn to manage your money well, you’ll enjoy the sense of independence that comes from being in control of your finances, instead of your finances being in control of you.

For most people, it is not how much they earn, it is how much they are able to keep. Spending more than we earn is the recipe to certain financial disaster. Yet most people do just that. The most important thing to do is ‘Organize your finances’. You need to know how much money is coming in, how much is going out, and most importantly where it's going. This is a task all too many people avoid if in debt, but avoiding your budget won't make it any better if you're not making ends meet every month, and that's one of the reasons people get in debt in the first place. Write down your monthly expenditures and break them all down as much as possible. Are there non-essentials you can eliminate? Are you spending more money than you should be on something in particular? Getting everything down on pen and paper can help show you the real picture when it comes to your finances and so help you make decisions accordingly.

There are a few basic steps one could follow to make his task easier. Firstly, identify your income sources. Your income would include job earnings, savings, gifts, grants, financial aid, money from other sources, etc. You should list all sources of money, even if you don’t consider them to be significant. Secondly, list fixed and variable expenses. It’s usually easy to list the fixed expenses. You know what they are. If you have a car payment or a home loan installment, you know how much it is and when it’s due. The same is true if you have rent, car insurance and other fixed bills. Thirdly, it’s wise to have a savings account and deposit a regular amount on a monthly basis. Even a small amount can add up to a sizable sum over time, when you add to it consistently.

For Baby Boomers, outliving your savings is becoming an increasing concern - and if it isn't, it should be.

One of the main reason for concern is the rising life expectancy. In 1906, the average life expectancy was 54 for men and 61 for women.

Today the life expectancy has risen to 78 for men and 84 for women - a 31% increase in life-span for men and a 27% increase for women.

In today's world if you haven't started planning for your retirement by age 25 you may already be too late.

Among the 78 million Boomer's approaching retirement only about 25% are in a position to be able to retire comfortably.

There are a lot of reasons that Boomer's, as a whole, are so ill prepared for retiring but one of the main reasons is the way they have approached the retirement process.

Most have failed to ask and answer the important questions that can go a long way in helping your retirement planning.

The questions require almost brutal thinking and planning for your future - which most people don't like to do since they are forced to face a certain reality.

But lets face it, failing to do any sort of planning is an even more brutal reality since you are left floating in a rudderless boat - no direction and very little chance of reaching the port you started out for.

So if you are ready to get started thinking about your retirement here are the questions you need to ask and answer as a first step (don't worry, there are only 3) in basic financial planning:

How much money do I need to retire comfortably?

2. Where is that money going to come from?

3. How can I make my money last for as long as I need it?

We'll cover these in some detail to give you an idea of how to get started in your retirement planning process.

Mistakes happen, and it seems as if they pop up on bills quite frequently. How closely do you read your statements, receipts and bills? Do you take the time to review the actual charges, or do you simply assume that the bill is correct. Remember that when it comes to numbers, errors happen frequently.

For example, one time my bank was even wrong on my statement. The computer added something incorrectly. Sometimes numbers get transposed when they are entered into the computer -- you have to double check.

It is estimated that consumers lose billions making unnecessary overpayments on accounts each year. For example, cellular bills are notorious for being wrong.

There are many things to look for when you are spending money and paying bills. The most common thing to happen when you are shopping is that you are charged the wrong price for an item. Make sure that if you buy something on sale you are given the appropriate sale price. Know the price of the items you are buying. Watch as they are scanned. Know what the approximate total will be so that you will know if things don't add up right.

Mistakes happen, and it seems as if they pop up on bills quite frequently. How closely do you read your statements, receipts and bills? Do you take the time to review the actual charges, or do you simply assume that the bill is correct. Remember that when it comes to numbers, errors happen frequently.

For example, one time my bank was even wrong on my statement. The computer added something incorrectly. Sometimes numbers get transposed when they are entered into the computer -- you have to double check.

It is estimated that consumers lose billions making unnecessary overpayments on accounts each year. For example, cellular bills are notorious for being wrong.

There are many things to look for when you are spending money and paying bills. The most common thing to happen when you are shopping is that you are charged the wrong price for an item. Make sure that if you buy something on sale you are given the appropriate sale price. Know the price of the items you are buying. Watch as they are scanned. Know what the approximate total will be so that you will know if things don't add up right.

Retirement is an indispensable word for a worker. It comes as spontaneously in your life as marriage and has similar impact on all, irrespective of the jobs or seniority in the organization. Though affect of retirement differs from person to person but he issues remain same. Financial security is a big issue in after retirement time and the best tool to help you out is a retirement calculator.

After retirement, you have to survive on your savings only as the regular flow of income in way of salary ceases away but this too if done intelligently can not only ensure a good cash inflow monthly but can also empowers you to fulfill all your lasting desires.

Retirement calculator helps in financial planning so that you could have enough for those after work days. Retirement calculator is a good device to plan out retirement savings while working. Retirement Calculator helps you to estimate your future needs but can also help you to define a strategy for your investments.

Of course you can save money on groceries by using coupons. Below is an explanation of how to best do that. Don't want to clip coupons? Me neither, and there are other ways to save. Those can be found here as well.

Coupons usually only save you money if you use them on things you normally buy or things that can replace what you normally buy. In other words, if you use a coupon to buy a new sugary "fruit" snack that you don't normally eat anyhow, you didn't save money, but spent more. Getting a different brand of orange juice for less with a coupon, or getting the same brand you normally buy for fifty cents less - that makes sense.

Coupons become especially valuable if you have stores in your area that offer "double coupon" days. They limit the doubling to coupons of fifty cents or less, though, and you need to use them the right way to get the most out of them. The "right way" is to buy the smallest size you can find of the coupon item.

Why? It is a matter of getting the lowest per-unit cost. For example, a doubled 50 cent coupon saves you $1 off a $4, 12-roll package of toilet paper, meaning it cost you $3, or 25 cents per roll. Use that coupon to save a dollar on the $1.39 4-roll package, though, and it costs you just 39 cents, or less than 10 cents per roll. Find dollar-size products that you have fifty-cent coupons for, and they are free.

Listed below are 8 common financial mistakes couples make. Read through this list with your partner and identify one mistake that you’d both be willing to change. After you’ve made that change, identify another mistake you could change. Continue until you’ve transformed all your mistakes into successes!

1. Doing nothing at all

Many couples don’t even know what they should do to improve their finances so they do nothing at all. Don’t let this be you. Do something purchase a financial book, take a workshop, or find a professional who can help you get on the right track. There are a many financial resources that can dramatically change your life.

2. Not identifying values and setting life goals

It’s easy to discuss dreams and goals in the beginning stages of your relationship. However, it’s easy to lose sight of your goals with each passing year. Make an effort to identify your values and meaningful goals. Your values are the things that “drive and inspire you.” Identify your top 5 values and set goals based on those values.

3. Not creating a financial plan

Many couples just let life happen to them, assuming that they will somehow “get by”. Write down your financial goals and create a plan for how you can accomplish those goals. For example, create a plan for paying off your credit card debt, increasing income, or reducing your expenses.

4. Inconsistent action

Many Couples falsely believe that if they’ve made one really good financial move they’ve done enough. They open a retirement account and continue to invest the same amount year after year without re-evaluating. Or they start an emergency savings account and put a small one-time lump sum of money in it. The secret to success lies in taking consistent bite-size steps and continually setting new financial goals.

5. Staying stuck in old behaviors

Next time you’re having a financial discussion with your partner and you find yourself getting angry, consider trying a new approach. If you normally get quiet and withdrawn, challenge yourself to stay open. Try to see things from your partners perspective. Although it can be difficult, practice validating your partner’s perspective by repeating what your partner’s words so he/she feels heard.

6. Not tracking expenses & income

Most couples don’t track their income, and if they are they are tracking their income, they get stuck in using complex and time consuming systems that don’t allow them to see the “big picture.” You can track your expenses and income by analyzing your bank statements or purchasing financial software programs like “Quicken” or “Microsoft money”. Studies prove that you are more likely to make changes if you are track and measure your behavior and spending habits.

7. Buying new vehicles

Consider how much money you could save by not taking out a new car loan. Apply the wisdom from the following story: My friend’s daughter always seemed to find the most expensive clothes when she went shopping, because she would only look at the most expensive clothing displays. My friend later encouraged her daughter to limit herself to looking at the sales rack. Sure enough her daughter found something that she liked for a lot less money! When you go looking for a car, look at used cars instead of new cars.

Overdraft explained

An overdraft is the amount of money by which a check, a payment or a withdrawal exceeds the funds on deposit in your bank account. You can think of it as a loan by which you are given authorization by the bank to keep making drawings on your checking account up to a pre-agreed limit.

This line of credit lets you have a fixed amount that can be used fully or partially to make payments or purchases and then can be repaid in any way. The money is always available and can be withdrawn again at any time as long as the limit is not exceeded.

All type of Account Overdraft Agreements charge an interest rate over the money lent, just like any loan or line of credit. The interest rate charged, due to the unsecured nature of the loan, is rather high.

Regular Account Overdrafts Charges

Commonly, regular account overdrafts charge not only an interest rate for the amount lent but also a fee for the overdraft provision. This fee is variable from bank to bank but is usually justified as administrative costs or closing costs. The sum can range from $10 to $30 each time your account goes below zero and can also be claimed on a monthly basis.

The interest rate on the other side, will range from 15% to 25% APR of the money lent. If you divide this percentage by 365 you can get the daily interest rate you’ll have to pay for the overdrawn money. All in all, though rather high, this kind of loan is just as expensive as using your credit cards to get finance, sometimes, even a bit cheaper.

The problem, however, will appear when you exceed the limit of your overdraft agreement. You will incur in penalty fees that will take your overdraft even further and you’ll have to pay higher interests on the whole amount (the sum included in the limit and the sum exceeding the limit). Moreover, sometimes the banks increase the penalty fee every month, getting you into a vicious circle of debt. Most of the banks stipulate that if the amount agreed is exceeded by 10% they can take collection measures over the whole amount indebted.

The Free Account Overdrafts Catch

Having apparently no costs, these agreements usually charge higher interest rates in order to compensate for the lack of fees. Moreover, the penalty fees charged are also significantly higher and this turns free account overdrafts agreements into a much bigger danger than regular account overdrafts. If you ever incur in an unauthorized overdraft, you’ll need to deposit enough money in order to be below the limit again as soon as possible. Otherwise your debt will escalate quickly and you may end up being unable to repay it.

The key to this attractiveness is that personal loans are easy to qualify for and they serve a wide range of purposes. With a personal loan you can go on vacations, pay for college, undertake home improvements, consolidate debt, buy a car and more. However, there are different types of Personal Loans and you need to know each type of loan thoroughly before applying because, as any other important financial decision, it may affect your credit for many years to come.

Unsecured Personal Loans

Unsecured Personal loans do not require the borrower to offer collateral in order to secure the loan. This is the main reason why this kind of loan is commonly requested by tenants and generally non-homeowners. The Interest rate, though, tends to be higher due to the risk involved in the transaction. The lender will cover himself from this risk by charging higher interest rates and requesting higher monthly payments. However, they are still a lot cheaper than getting finance by using your credit cards. Unsecured personal loans are not only easily qualified for but also the loan application process is usually a lot faster. If you don’t need a large amount of money, requesting an unsecured personal loan seems to be the smartest choice, you won’t be risking any asset, you’ll get the money faster and you won’t have to pay so much.

Secured Personal Loans

On the other hand, secured personal loans require collateral in order to be approved. The collateral can be any asset of certain value, most commonly a house, apartment or a vehicle. This kind of loan presents a lower interest rate than unsecured loans due to the lower risk involved for the lender. However, the borrower is under the risk of repossession of the asset he used as collateral. Repossession is a legal action that can be exercised by the lender in order to legally claim his money and recover it by selling the asset that the borrower used as collateral.

Where to look for a lender

The best way to find a personal loan lender is to search online. Online lenders usually offer free no obligation applications and quotes so you’ll be able to compare many offers and choose the one that best suits your needs. And you’ll be doing all this research without having to move from your home. There are even sites offering access to many lenders dealing with personal loans. These sites will save you a lot of time and money as you’ll be able to contact many lenders from the same site and let them compete so you’ll get the best deal available.

xBorrowers mostly get denied from getting loans due to their bad credit status. Lenders generally avoid lending their money to the person who is not sincere in paying his debts in the past or due to any other reason which made him a bad credit holder. A no credit check secured personal loan can cater to the needs of such people through apt financing.

No credit check secured personal loans are loans which are secured by the property of the borrower as collateral and does not need and credit check of the borrower. The collateral is mostly your home, or real estate, or any other asset with some considerable value to offer to the lender. The presence of collateral allows the lender to provide you with easy terms and conditions. No credit check secured personal loans get you amounts ranging between ₤5000 to ₤75000. This amount can further go up depending upon the circumstances and the collateral offered by borrower.

Secured personal loans can be further divided into following categories:

•Debt consolidation loans

•Business loans

•Holiday loans

•Car loans

•Home improvement loans

•Wedding or education loans

There is no restriction on the usage of a no credit check secured personal loan. These loans fit in any of your financial requirement. No credit check secured personal loan easily considers defaulters, CCJ's and IVA's, arrears, late payments or non payments, bankruptcy, poor credit holders etc for the loan. This makes a no credit check secured personal loan, a popular form of raising capital as most of the people these days are facing the trouble of bad credit.

A no credit check secured personal loan also help the borrowers in recovering from their bad credit. When they make the repayments of the easy loan installments for a no credit secured personal loan on time, this gives their credit score an upward rise.

Logging on the websites of loan lenders will help you get the best deal in a no credit check secured personal loan. You can easily get free loan quotes along with comparison tools to compare these quotes. You can also take the help of debt and repayment calculators, repayment tables, budget planners and other such tools. Finally, you can apply for a no credit check secured personal loan with the help of an online application form.

In conclusion we can say that a no credit secured personal loan supports you when all other alternatives deny you due to your credit score.

When you are trying to change your life, tasks can overwhelm you. Change often feels like such a large task. Especially when it comes to money.

Where do you start? The numbers seem to swim. You have no answers. Where will you find them?

Making promises and huge resolutions are easy. You will change your financial situation for you and your family. You can plan and say it all you want.

But the getting there is the actual hard part. Take a breath and dive right in.

If you do it in little steps, it won't be hard at all.

The idea is that you have to break things down. Take it one step at a time. Create goals, a list, a plan. Changing your finances comes step by step. You can't simply make it all happen overnight. You have to give it time and go step by step.

Saving is step by step as well. Dollar by dollar and sometimes penny by penny. It is hard to see that you are making progress. But given lots of little steps and plenty of time, you will see how it all adds up.

The problem is that you have to stay focused and motivated. Simply focus on each smaller step. With each one that is accomplished, you will feel the drive to move onto the next step. Set overall goals that will give you time limits.

I suggest that you never sit down and look at your finances for more than one hour at a time. You will just get overwhelmed and stressed. Some people get on a roll. Work until you are able to take a break and give it a day.

Don't work on your finances before you go to bed. You don't want to be thinking and planning into the night. You want to sleep well. Put your ideas and goals and numbers on paper and leave them there. You are working on it when you are supposed to.

Make yourself goals. Keep them simple enough to be daily goals. You could have the following on your list:

• Call credit card #1 for lower interest rate.
• Close unusued credit card account #1.
• Check credit report.
• Advertise motorcycle for sale.

Being frugal and happy isn't something society usually puts together. Frugality seems to bring up images of great sacrifice. We think of the miser who lived in poverty only for others to find millions saved after the miser passes away. What was the use?

Frugal living isn't necessarily what you may think it is. Frugal people live very happy lives. They find happiness in meeting goals, reducing their financial burdens and living stress free.

How happy can you be when you are drowing in debt and struggling to make ends meet? You aren't living frugally, but you aren't happy either.

The frugal person often sees each step towards being debt-free or early retirement as a great success. They don't focus on that sweater they didn't buy or that new car they aren't driving. They focus on having spending money left over at the end of the month. They focus on the things that really matter.

Frugality is also a great challenge. You get to be very creative with your money and the way you live. Many people love moving from one thing to another, looking at the way to cut costs for each category. For example, you've cut your utilties, now what about your groceries or gasoline consumption?

The goal is what keeps the frugal person going. The daily victories and challenges keep them interested. The penny saved keeps them adding it all up. And the debt free life keeps them stress free.

Imagine a life where you have no debts to pay. All you have are your living expenses. Think about having two thousand extra dollars a month. Dollars that aren't already spent before you make them. Think about retiring early to do something you enjoy instead of something you have to do. Think about following your dreams. Think about having money left over each month.

Being frugal simply becomes a way of life. When you have the desire, the knowledge and the attitude, you are motivated to be frugal in your living. Consider it a challenge to cut costs but maintian your quality of living. You simply have to look at things in the right way.

Being frugal doesn't always mean taking the long way to what you want or working extra hard for something. While grinding your own whole wheat flour saves you a lot of money, not everyone has the time for that. Instead, look at the ways you can be frugal in your life, not someone elses.

You can be frugal and buy convenience foods, like frozen lasagna and pre-cut veggies. While it is cheaper to make them from scratch, they are still cheaper than eating out. And if you are trying to cut your eating-out bill, you are doing a frugal thing by eating in. It is your own version of fast food.

The idea behind frugal living isn't to do without. It is living without the things you don't need. It is getting rid of the clutter. It is using your money on things that really matter to you and your family. It empowers you to really appreciate the little things.

But if you look at it as a sacrifice, it probably won't work for you. And you can't go out and copy someone else's frugal lifestyle and expect it to work. All the fun is in looking at where you can find the things to cut out yourself. Being frugal is a challenge. A fun and rewarding one.

Take the time to look around your home and see what you can do more frugally. Can you use dishtowels instead of paper towels? Can you use a closeline instead of a dryer? Can you only vaccuum twice a week instead of four times? Can you make some things yourself?

There are some unexpected things that come along with the frugal lifestyle. There is the sense of accomplishment. There is pride. There is learning that you can do a lot more than you thought you could. There is learning to manage your finances wisely. And by doing so, there are savings for retirement, college tuitions and vacations.

We never thought about it as treasure hunting, but as kids we searched the bushes and alleys for empty bottles that were returnable for a deposit. Looking back on it, I realize that this is the essence of treasure hunting. We were never sure what we would find, but always hopeful that peaking into the next bush would reveal our "treasure." We were excited by our finds, of course, and eager to cash them in so we could buy candy at the nearest store.

Interestingly, this is actually a fairly profitable treasure hunting activity for some adults now. Since the various deposit laws have gone into effect in many states, almost all cans and bottles are worth ten cents each. When I lived in Traverse City, Michigan, there was an old man who rode his bicycle around and collected empty bottles and cans from bushes, garbage cans, and anywhere he found them. I caught him on a park bench one day and asked him how much he made doing this. "It pays all of my rent," he told me. Rent wasn't cheap in Traverse City.

Other "returnable hunters" have told me that they can make $100 in a couple hours at outdoor rock concerts. Collecting a thousand sticky cans and bottles doesn't sound like a great job, but it works for them. Some other forms of treasure hunting follow.

Treasure Hunting - The Unusual Ways

Searching for gray water dumps. If you see a depression behind an old building, with bushes growing around the edges, it may have been a "gray water" dump. Before sewer systems were common, this is where the drains from sinks and showers emptied. Small rings, coins, gems and other old treasures are regularly dug out of these by treasure hunters. Just watch out for the razors.

Looking inside walls. One couple found that there can be treasure in the walls of old houses. They bought a home that had belonged to a movie theater owner in the twenties. When they decided to remodel, they opened up a wall and discovered that the walls had been insulated with classic and rare movie posters. It was a fire hazard, but one that turned out to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to collectors. makes you want to poke around in the walls of an old building or two, doesn't it?

Harvesting gold from moss. A man found piles of dry moss in an old barn on a property he had bought. He learned that the moss was collected and sold to garden-supply stores. He burned it to dispose of it, and found with globs of gold in the ashes. The moss was from a gold-bearing stream, where he now regularly harvests more. Gold flecks get trapped in the moss.

Collecting electrical insulators. Old glass electrical insulators can still be found on telegraph poles laying in the weeds along many train tracks. I've found and sold a few. The thousands still out there are getting shot at and destroyed by kids and hunters, so don't feel bad about taking them.

We could all become financially successful if we simply changed the way we think. I don't think it is a stretch at all to say that thinking has changed drastically over the past thirty years. Credit cards are now prevalent, commercialism has even spread to the schools and advertisments bombard us at every corner.

It used to be that the main stream financial thought was to save up and then purchase. A few people had charge accounts with local department stores and such, but these were paid in full each month, or the person didn't dare show their face in the store until it was paid.

Nowadays, most of us simply buy now and worry about the payments later. This has led to massive credit card debt, rising bankruptcy numbers and even more credit companies popping up every day.

What we need is a change of thinking. And I believe that this is happening in many places. Especially among the young professional people. Here are a few changes that are being made:

1. Getting out of debt.

Instead of bragging about the big ticket items just purchased, many people are starting to brag about paying off the car loan, paying off the mortgage, being debt free, having no credit card debt, and so on. The bragging point comes in that so many people's lives are simply falling apart due to their spending and charging. A financially-free lifestyle is becoming the "in" thing among many crowds of people. Especially those that are young and investment savvy.

2. Saving for retirement.

Many young couples are seeing the increased seniors in the workplace and saying "not for me." They are investing in 401(k)s and other retirement accounts. Yet, not enough are really saving for retirement. The number saving may increase as they begin to see their parents struggle with too little in the retirement funds. And the added incentive of an early retirement is exciting to many young people.

Personal finances are a leading source of stress among people today. Surveys have shown that more than two-thirds of the population lives from paycheck to paycheck. This causes many people to worry about money and second-guess their financial future. For many families missing just one paycheck would mean not being able to make a credit card payment, pay a utility bill or pay the mortgage.

There is a significant amount of evidence that points to the fact that the majority of people are either currently experiencing money problems or headed for financial trouble in the future. Savings rates are lower than they have been in decades. Consumer debt has tripled over the last 30 years. Personal bankruptcy filings remain at record highs and financial problems are often cited as the number one cause of divorce.

Statistics from the US Department of Labor reveal that out of every one hundred people who reach age 65 only two are financially independent, twenty-three must continue to work, and seventy-five out of one hundred have to depend on friends, relatives, or charity for financial support. This evidence alone is enough to prove where many of us are going to end up if we continue to go with the flow and do what everyone else is doing.

Unfortunately financial problems are just as common within the Christian population as they are among non-Christians. When it comes to the area of finances most Christians simply don’t have much of a witness. The lack of sound financial management is having a devastating impact on our Christian testimony. There is no doubt that Satan has successfully diluted our value system and diverted the finances God has given us for his own use. The question is what are we going to do about it? After all we are accountable to God for our stewardship and it’s our Christian responsibility to demonstrate proper financial behavior to those within the body of believers as well as non-Christians.

A flood of credit counseling agencies and other services have saturated the American media. Everywhere we look there is advertising pitching a solution to folks who are frazzled from financial stress. Some of these agencies do offer help while others are just out and out scams preying on people who are willing to grasp onto anything that sounds like a solution to their problem. Some may consider it fortunate that we have these services available but the reality is we have become experts at treating symptoms. We are constantly dealing with financial emergencies yet seldom solving the problems that cause those emergencies in the first place.

Do you have a love hate relationship with money?

How many people fear money? This question might seem a bit confusing because the average person thinks that people fear not having money or worry about running out of money. One would think that just about everyone wants it and can't get enough if it. But seeing how fast people throw it away (spend it foolishly) you would think they absolutely hate it!

The truth is that millions of people fear having money itself. Think about it. Why else would they spend it so fast and so foolishly. They might think they don't deserve money or they may fear the responsibilities that can go along with having large sums of money.

I think that's the real truth of the matter. Being afraid of having the responsibilities that come with money is what people are really afraid of. A profound quote comes to mind, "To whom much is given; much is required".

If people constantly fear money then it will always elude them. Opportunities to make money appear almost daily but if we're afraid of responsibility, change and success that comes with money then we'll never see them.

Having an excess of money is definitely a great problem to have. But not having the basic financial education to manage it can prove financially fatal. Luckily the solutions are relatively simply.

1. Play financial board games

If you haven't played Monopoly for a while I highly recommend it. Ask yourself how it can be applied to real life. Your own finances. Your own business.

Actually you can play virtually any board game that uses play money and involves a significant amount of strategy. Feel free to do some research for tips and game strategies before you play in order to learn how to win the game. This will start teaching you to do research about investment opportunities before you play the game of money for real.

You could also invite a few people over to play and ask them to each bring over a surprise gift worth five dollars or so then the winner gets the prizes. It's amazing how much more real the game gets when there's actually something to gain after you win instead of just simply winning.

2. Make a list of your money fears

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Draw a line down the middle. At the top of the left column write, "Things I love about money" and at the top of the other column write, "Things I hate about money". Write 10 things in the left column and 10 thing in the right column. Only spend a few seconds thinking up each one then write them down quickly. Then when you're done think about some of the things you can change to start converting the "hate money" column over into the, "love money" column. If you're stumped about how to do that then read the next solution...

3. Help others solve their own money fears and problems.

The best way to solve your own problems is to help other people solve the same problems. Try taking a job for a financial management company. You could become a financial consultant of some type. Maybe you could be a business opportunity retailer. By doing this a universal law kicks into action and like magic, your own worries and problems start to correct themselves.

The use of checks, credit cards and debit cards has proved a convenient way to purchase. In addition to that if we have our paycheck set up on direct deposit it is possible to live for months without touching cash. One of the problems with cash-less living is that unless we are extremely disciplined we expand the boundaries of our spending. In fact it causes many people to spend well beyond what they can afford.

It has been estimated that we will overspend by 15% or more when we don’t use cash to pay for purchases. Just imagine what you could do with 15% of your annual household income. Wouldn’t it be worth trying something different just to find out if it works?

Only a small percentage of families have a system in place to help control the household finances. One of the best budgeting systems ever perfected is the envelope system for managing money. It’s a very simple and effective way to control spending.

It’s easy to set up the envelope system. It involves setting up a system of envelopes to allocate money for your household expenses. Once your pay check has been deposited you withdrawal cash equal to the amount of what you have planned to spend for that period on each category of expenses. Then when it is time to put gas in the car, go to the store or pay a bill you take the money out of the appropriate envelope to cover that expense.

1. Decide what categories of spending you are going to put on a cash basis. Some people prefer to put all of their expenses on a cash basis. If the bills are being paid on time and there is no financial crisis present then it’s not totally necessary to do it that way. It’s up to you. We normally don’t over spend on fixed expenses like the car payment and house payment. Those types of expenses are controlled by a fixed amount that occurs month after month. So the areas we need to control most are variable expenses like food and entertainment. At the very least the categories I recommend putting on a cash basis are food, clothing, gasoline and spending money. Other good candidates for the envelope system are auto repairs, toiletries, cosmetics, and hair care. Review your individual spending habits to determine what is best for you. One guideline is, if you don’t know how much you are spending in a certain area you should put that item on a cash basis for a while.

2. Get several standard letter size envelopes. On each envelope write the name of one of the expenses you are putting on a cash basis. You create a separate envelope for each expense. For example you might have five different envelopes labeled Food – Gasoline – Water – Electric – Spending Money.

3. Once your envelopes are labeled decide how much you plan to spend on each expense for that period. Then go back through and write those amounts on their corresponding envelopes. If you are not sure how much you usually spend on certain expenses guess at the amount then make adjustments as you become more aware of the amount you’re spending. It may help to carry a small notebook with you for a month or so to record every cent you spend.

4. Now put your envelopes in some type of container. A small shoebox will work. What works best is a coupon size expandable file or coupon organizer that can be purchased for a few dollars at your local discount store or office supply. Label the tabs in your organizer to match the labels on your envelopes then put your envelopes in the file under the corresponding tab.

5. When you get paid supply your envelope system with cash. Add up the amount needed to fund your entire envelope system for that period. Withdraw that amount of cash from your bank account then distribute the money among your envelopes according to the amount written on the front of each envelope. When it comes time to spend for a cash expense get the money from the appropriate envelope to make the purchase or pay the bill.