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Manage Money

Just Say 'No'
The Dollar Stretcher
by Gary Foreman
gary@stretcher.com

 Your ALT-Text here

Many of us are old enough to remember Nancy Reagan's campaign against drugs. To this day I can still remember the slogan: just say 'no' to drugs. It clearly explained the goal with a simple to understand message. Saying 'no' could help you avoid pain and make your life better.

The same thing is true in the world of personal finance. Sometimes saying no can prevent problems and improve your lifestyle. Let's take a look at some examples how just saying no can prevent a financial overdose.

Just say no to buying more home than you can realistically afford. In the last thirty years houses have grown by roughly 50% (from 1700 sf to 2500 sf). Yet the size of our families is about the same.

Buying too much house will almost certainly sink your budget. You shouldn't spend more than 30% of your after-tax, spendable income on housing (including utilities). The biggest problem with spending too much on your home is that it is very hard to correct. Other areas of your budget aren't big enough to overcome the problem. Often the only real solution is to move to a more affordable home.

Just say no to 'no payments until...' offers. If a deal looks good to you because you won't have to make a payment for months (or even years) then you probably can't afford whatever it is. The seller is making the offer because he is betting that you won't have the money later and will be forced to make payments on a loan with high interest rates. Don't take the bet. Most consumers lose.

Just say no to rushing into a buying decision. Years ago my Dad emphasized that it was a good idea to put off many purchases until tomorrow. You might wake up to find that buying isn't as important as it seemed yesterday. You might have thought of another way to get the same result without spending the money or just decided that you could live without it.

You'll also avoid a lot of scams. Most con jobs need you to act before you've had time to seriously think through the offer. The vast majority of big financial decisions can wait for one day.

Just say no to believing that owning things will bring real happiness. Sure, we need food, clothing and a roof over our head. If we don't have those things getting them will bring happiness. But once you get past a certain point (middle income?) more things don't mean a more enjoyable life.

Face it, any happiness you can buy at a store is going to be short-lived. Soon whatever it is will begin to lose it's luster. There will be newer, fancier versions available and you will own the 'old' version.

On a related subject, just say no to allowing things to become more important than people. If you want real happiness look to your family and friends. Their love is more valuable than any thing you can buy. Visit the elderly and ask them. Their best memories are of people. Not of possessions.

Just say no to letting others dictate your standard of living (and expenses). Just because someone else is foolish enough to buy a car they can't afford doesn't mean that you should. The bumper sticker is wrong. Dying with the most toys does not make you a winner.

Just say no to the 'you can have it all' mentality. Set aside the fact that you don't really need it all. But why set yourself up for disappointment when you can't get it all? Every day there are people creating new things for you to want. It's pretty safe to assume that they can come up with new things faster than you can acquire them!

Just say no to daydreams of getting rich quickly. It's a trap. Countless people have lost money on both legal and illegal schemes to make huge piles of money overnight. Don't join them. The odds of winning big are very slim. You're more likely to be hit by lightning than to win the lottery (seriously).

That doesn't mean that you have to give up your hopes of attaining some wealth. If you work 40 years (and most of us will) earning $25,000 per year, you will earn $1,000,000. So a lot of money will pass through your hands during your life. It's up to you what you do with it.

Is just saying no enough? Well, no, it isn't. Saying no while you sign a new five year car loan isn't going to help. You have to say it and follow up with the appropriate action. But choosing to 'just say no' can help you and your family to financial freedom.

_________
 

Copyright © Gary Forman


Gary Foreman is a former financial planner who currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website.   It features thousands of articles to help you stretch your dollar and your day.

About the Author...

There's more than one way to get most for your money. For more than 20 years, Gary Foreman has worked to manage money effectively. He's been a Certified Financial Planner and Purchasing Manager. He currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website www.stretcher.com and several newsletters. His mission is to help people "Live Better for Less".

While helping clients manage their hard earned money, he applied common sense, time-tested techniques during the turbulent 1980's. The experience convinced him that you didn't need to hit the lottery to accumulate significant wealth.

Following that, Gary had an opportunity to learn more about how to get the best value for a dollar spent. As the Purchasing Manager for a computer manufacturer, he was responsible for supervising over $10 million in annual purchases.

Today, Gary spends his time editing The Dollar Stretcher newsletters and website. He enjoys the give and take of the internet and likes nothing better than to help people achieve their financial goals.

Gary lives in South Florida along with his wife of twenty five years and their two children. When he has a free moment you'll find him restoring a Checker station wagon nicknamed "Two Ton" with doo-wops playing in the background.

●●●

Most People Spend 10% More Than They Make!
You probably know how much money you made last month, but do you know how much money you spent? Or do you know how much money you have left to spend this month? If you don't you're not alone, most people have no idea. The fact is most of us spend 10% more per month than we make. That comes out to $431 per month based on the average American income. No wonder the average credit card debt is now at $8,500!

So why is it so difficult to track your spending? Today we live in a near "cashless" society. Using debit cards, credit cards, automatic deposits, and wire transfers we rarely even see our money. It's easier than ever to spend, spend, spend!

A New Way To Manage Your Money
Traditionally, many people managed their money by dividing their cash into several paper envelopes. An envelope for food, entertainment, utilities etc. They then spent their money from these envelopes. They always knew how much money they had left to spend, and how long it had to last. Mvelopes Personal is a breakthrough in budgeting and spending management that modernizes this same envelope concept using advanced Internet technology for today's nearly "cashless" spending world.

Top Reasons To Use Mvelopes Personal

1. Recover 10% of your income from hidden spending
By knowing where your money is going and setting up spending evelopes beforehand, Mvelopes users have been able to save 10-20% of their income each month. Mvelopes helps you eliminate hidden spending from all those little purchase that add up to more than you think. With better tracking and forecasting, you can recover that extra 10% each and every month. Over the year that really adds up! If you make $40,000/year that's $4,000 dollars you could save and put to better use.

Sande, Photographer
"I had no idea that I was spending $400 per month on gardening! Mvelopes Personal has helped me save $350 per month and put it toward debt reduction."


2. Always know how much you have left to spend in every budget category
Quicken® and MS® Money both use after-the-fact budget reconciliation. This means that you don't know how much you have spent until it's too late. Quicken and Money simply do not help you manage your spending or teach you how to effectively use a budget. Mvelopes Personal provides you critical balance information for each spending category at all times. You always know how much money you have left to spend and how long it has to last, enabling you to make informed spending decisions.

Stacy, Cosmetologist
"I love Mvelopes Personal because it actually sets aside money for upcoming periodic expenses. All the other "budgeting" programs we tried were only good for tracking what we had already spent - not telling us how much was left to spend from before we made a purchase."


3. Automatically track all your purchases
With Mvelopes Personal, you get all your transactions from all your accounts at once. Mvelopes simultaneously retrieves all your checking, savings, and credit card transactions from your financial institutions at once. You decide which envelope budget category to assign each transaction to, and you don’t have to type in any of the information ! Getting all this information automatically saves you time and money. No other personal finance program can do this!

Annette, Homemaker
"Before Mvelopes, we would discuss purchases but not know exactly where the money would come from… Now I feel much more in control of our money and not controlled by it."


4. Effectively manage credit card spending
Mvelopes Personal’s credit card spending tracker knows every time you have used a credit card to make a purchase. It sets aside money from your spending envelopes into a credit card payment envelope. This enables you to pay off your purchases in FULL each month. No more costly finance charges and interest payments for you!


5. Quickly eliminate debt
People who use Mvelopes Personal have found that many of their spending envelopes have money left over in them at the end of the month. By applying this money to debt reduction they eliminate debt at a much faster rate, often in less than half the time. Once one debt is paid in full, they roll that amount over into the next debt and continue to pay them off at an accelerated rate. You too can eliminate your consumer debt before you know it using Mvelopes Personal.

Stewart, Journeyman Electrician
"My wife and I have been using Mvelopes Personal for over 4 months and have eliminated ALL of our consumer debt! It has saved us more than once from impulse buys and unnecessary finance charges. Once you've used it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it."


6. Never miss a payment again
Mvelopes Personal includes a full-featured bill pay service , which helps you easily create and manage payments online. You will never miss a payment again. You’ll never have another late fee. Payments can be made to ANY company or person - up to 20 per month. Save more than $7.00 in postage alone, not to mention the time you'll save. It’s so convenient and easy!

Phillip, Financial Consultant
“I love online bill pay! It's so much easier and faster than writing out all those checks and this way I never have to worry about whether or not I remembered to write all the checks down in my registry. Paying bills takes me so much less time now!”


7. Anytime, anywhere online access
The Mvelopes Personal system is completely ONLINE. That means you can access your information from anywhere, at anytime--all you need is an Internet connection. This allows you to always make informed spending decisions and always know exactly how much you have left to spend. It also means no software to install or yearly upgrade fees.

Jennifer, Advertising Consultant
“Each fall I like to buy a season pass for Alta Ski Resort. Since I’ve started using Mvelopes, it is so much easier now to pay for it. Rather than having to come up with the whole amount at once, I set a little aside each month. Then when September rolls around, I already have the cash to pick up my pass. Now I just have to wait for the snow!”

8. Try Mvelopes free for one month and see for yourself
You can try the Mvelopes Personal System FREE for one month. Once you’ve tried the system, we know you will love it. There is absolutely no risk or obligation! If you choose to continue using the Mvelopes Personal system pay as little as $9.95 a month, and of course you may cancel at any time, there are no contracts. See competitive cost comparison .

The Mvelopes Personal monthly service gives you:

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

 

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