frugal2free

Know-it-all

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students will sometimes call another student a "know-it-all."

Usually because the "know-it-all" is excelling in class and they are not.

The term "know-it-all" is meant as insult because, presumably no one likes someone who is too smart.

Can we every really be too smart?  Isn't there always something else to learn? 

Something that will enrich our life, make us better human beings?

In life, learning all we possibly can is worth any insult. 

Although, being told your smart, should never be an insult. 

In fact becoming a "know- it-all" is vital if we want inner peace and self confidence.

What we know, and what we know, we don't know or understand, seems pretty concrete.

For example I know how to drive a car and I know I don't know how to drive a tractor trailer. 

But what we know that we don't know isn't that simple.

There's another large section of knowledge of things that we don't even realize that we don't know. It can be called unconscious blindness.

The first step to learning the information pertinent to solving our problems is understanding that

what we don't know, we don't know, is a huge area

and what we know, and know but don't understand is a small area.

This humility causes us  to seek better information, to gain more wisdom.

It spurs us to new solutions for our problems, financial and otherwise.

Physical healing offers valuble insights into the value of knowing-it-all.

Below are some cures for back pain.
 

• surgery

• magnetic therapy

• massage

• acupuncture

• cold wrap

• heating

• lose weight

• improve posture

• weight lifting

• physical therapy

What if you only knew of one way to solve this problem?

Learning enough to become a know-it-all improves life dramatically.

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy Imagerymajestic)

Leveraging the power of tools

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever noticed that people with large garages full of tools

tend to fix things much faster then those  who have few (or no)
tools?

Having access to and using the proper tools makes massive problems
disappear.

My son needed help on a Pinewood derby car for Cub Scouts.

We enlisted his grandpa who enlisted his neighbor.

Eventually we wound up in massive garage featuring power sanders,

table saws, vices, clamps, etc.

In about one hour we had a great looking car frame.

Without the power tools we would have struggled for hours to shape the wood car.

Same is true for money management.

The right tools make it easy to achieve any financial goal.

Tools:

Want to create a better budget?  

• Dave Ramsey
• My Money Blog (not mine)

Want to get out of debt?

• Snowball

• Credit Card Calculator

 

We live in a time of great financial stress and a time of great free resources.

Know that whatever your financial goal, there are many free tools to help you.

 

Bonus: Some other wonderful money tools are Crowdsourcing and Google. I love and use both to increase my financial results.

 

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy Vichie81)

 

Beware the hidden costs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every price contains varying degrees of hidden cost.

Hidden cost is the emotional aspect of obtaining or forgoing a purchase.

A dinner date with your spouse may be priced at $50.

If that dinner helps strengthen your marriage,

then there might not be any hidden costs.

But if you forgo the dinner it could weaken your marriage.

Consequently a constantly neglected marriage could lead to divorce.

And divorce  may cost more than $25,000 annually

for alimony and child support.

Most hidden costs become apparent only with time.

There's the rub.

We don't always see the hidden costs because we are focused on the present price.

My wife and I once obtained a new dishwasher for free.

The price was $0, but the cost was about $20/ month for 24 months. 

The hidden cost was the hassle of coming up with a monthly payment

when we were also trying to pay college tuition.

Evaluate the price of your next purchase while evaluating the hidden costs.

See if the total costs justifies your outlay.

 

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy Photostock)

Haters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're alive and growing you will have haters, people who think you are horrible.

Of course you'll also have a few people who think you are better then you actually are too.
 

But the haters do us a great favor if we let them.

If we are in the process of creating a masterpiece for our life,

and use their negativity to spur us on to new  heights, then we win.  

If we choose to treat them with respect, and don't become haters

ourselves, and offer little fuel  to their burning fire of hatred, we win.

The most successful people, countries, ideas,  and companies are

always the most hated (and they are the most loved).

McDonald's, America, Walmart, Ronald Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, Capitalism, etc.

A wise friend once told me that about 10% of the followers will dislike

a leader regardless of what he or she does.

Another 10% of the followers will love their leader independent of the

leader's real goodness.

And the remaining 80% will think the leader is pretty good.

Thankfully the world has haters.  

They can help you change your finances, change life situations , change you, all for the better. 

The haters who mock you or flaunt their wealth, the haters who talk bad about you.

Love them and then prove their hatred wrong. 

 

 

(photo courtesy David Castillo Dominici)

Mulligan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quite often in life we are allowed a "do-over." 

Golfers call it a Mulligan: a second shot to correct a poor shot.

In money matters we often  extend the narrative, do the same thing we have always done.

But we do have a choice to use our second chances to change.

We make a mistake by buying an overpriced car.

A few years later we  seize the second chance to get a good deal by doing symphonic homework.

We start a small business only to fail in the first few years.

We  start over by building another business and perhaps using chronos to our advantage.

The only mulligans that are final are the ones we refuse to use.

The fatalistic idea that "I'm no good"/ "Failure is final" /"Why bother?"

As a teenager I learned what a Mulligan isn't.

During a mini-golf game I embarrassed myself in front of two friends.

I attempted the same unsuccessful putt on one hole so many times that we stopped counting.

Finally, in frustration, I smashed the ball so hard that it

clobbered another player  standing several holes away. 

I learned that a Mulligan is a "do-over," not a "do-the-same-thing and hope for different results."

The trick is to know that Mulligans exist for each individual

and then use the gifted-second chance to change for the better. 

All of us have many opportunities to use a Mulligan to start a new narrative.

A tax return, more learning, an inheritance, a wise friend,

or a great book allow us a much needed Mulligan.

What would you like to change about your story?

What will your second chance be?

Feel free to comment below.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

 

 

(photo courtesy Stuart Miles)

At the intersection of private and public

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Private activities always yield public results. 

Take any private activity, add time, and it will yield a public result.

Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton both illustrated that

what we do in our private lives leads to success or ruin.

Spending quiet time alone or with family costs nothing and can
be duplicated infinitely without accumulating debt. 

Investing private time to be with our self or family also tends to

prevent costly divorce, eradicate many psychological challenges

and causes us to invest in mankind instead of objects.

A stroll around the neighborhood releases stress and increases appreciation.

Reading a good book prevents exposure to the omnipresent ads on TV or radio which urge us to spend more money.

Moral private investment eventually reaps frugal, enjoyable public results: family solidarity, inner peace, and confidence.

On the other hand private challenges can sap money and reap devastating, embarrassing public results.

I once worked with several people who privately were addicted to drugs and pornography.

Their addictions to pornography and drugs led them to spend massive amounts of money in the pursuit of happiness.

They consumed expensive vehicles, lavish entertainment and of course dropped loads of money to feed their "private" vices. With time each of their addictions negatively impacted their work and led to huge marital difficulties.

Of course our private lives can always use some work.

The more we invest in keeping  our private lives good, the less money we will need to spend later. 

Private roads meet public roads eventually.

And when they meet, make sure your private investment is worth the public price.

 

 

(photo courtesy digitalart)

Slowing down the Titanic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although vision and communication played critical roles in the rapid

demise of the Titanic and life boat shortages exasperated the

catastrophe, speed  seems to be the instigator behind the tragedy.  

The Titanic was  averaging about 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) for

most of the journey including the last day of the journey even after

icebergs had been spotted. Captain Smith knew it was wise to slow down, but he didn't. 

Some speculate that the Bruce Ismay wanted more publicity for his company, White Star Line, so he strongly encouraged Captain Smith to reach New York in record time.

Both knew of the danger, but decided it was worth the risk.  They chose to disregard sound advice from crew to slow down and instead sped up in order to  gain personal recognition. 

The same is true for us now.  The consequences may not be life or death, but the icebergs of potential financial ruin are everywhere.


Nowadays the icebergs of potential financial ruin are everywhere.

Individual credit card debt is skyrocketing and personal savings are plummeting.


Will we slow down to see the  icebergs of overspending? Will we heed the warnings to save for a rainy day?

We often speed up when we are pursuing something,  or sometimes forget to slow down when warning signs appear because a deal looks amazing, and promises to get us rich quickly.

Or we fail to look at risks involved with additional debt.

Notice the icebergs and then slow down, evaluate the risk, and if necessary, stop what you're doing.

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Why the first domino matters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's fun to set up a bunch of dominoes in a pattern and then push down the first domino.

When the dominoes are clustered together the only force necessary to knock them down is expended on the first domino.

One effort, multiple results.

It's tempting to think of all the things (dominoes to knock down) we must do to get our finances in order.

The best way is to simply start with the most salient budgetary concern and then knock it down.

The momentum from the first domino leads to domino after domino

falling in our  favor.

Great "first dominoes" are:

• a clear vision of your ideal future
• paying off a small debt
• saving a few dollars
• planning for a purchase (as opposed to financing it)
• honesty with your spouse
• additional training or education

What is a first domino that could impact the rest of your financial dominoes?

 

 

(Photo courtesy Akeers)

Doing without

                                          

A simple way to enjoy life is to choose to do without in some areas so

you can have more of what you really want in others.

I've heard it called the vacuum principle.  As we do without in certain

areas we tend to get much more as the void is filled with something better.

When my wife and I started college we  balanced 3 jobs and a baby with our  college classes and homework.

Because of our lack of time and money we chose to give up TV for a time.

We sold a TV for grocery money.

It was amazing how much we didn't miss it.  We enjoyed other options,

like going to the park, or playing games, or conversation.

We chose to give up the time and expense of TV and traded it for

more quality time with each other.

A few years later, a babysitter insisted we  take her old

Sears & Roebuck 13 inch tv, from 1987.    

Later in life we were blessed with a big screen TV but we still laugh

about the Sears & Roebuck experience.

Some of our neighbors have chosen to have one spouse ride

his bicycle to work so they can save money.

Consequently they  were able to pay for some wonderful private schools for their children.

One of the best books I've read in the last year teaches some great

principlesabout doing without.

The 100 Thing Challenge  is a powerful little book about managing

the abundance we have and valuing freedom over excessive  accumulation. 

 

Dave Bruno illustrates (with a great dose of humor) the way his life

has been enhanced by doing without excessive possessions.

 

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy Supakitmod)

Kindergarten's most important lesson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sharing is a childhood basic that should never be forgotten.

As kindergartners we were taught to share with everyone.

As we get older we  think accumulating is better than sharing. 

It's not.

When we share of  our abundance with others we tend to, paradoxically, have more.

Jon Huntsman   has discovered the joy of sharing his wealth.

He has learned the immense joy it is to  lovingly share with others to cure cancer.

We seem to discover our own worth when we  share with someone.

One of the highlights in my life was an opportunity I had to share

my time with some teenage young men. I spent time with them as a

basketball coach as well as a friend. We ate pizza, played darts, and

watched movies as we shared stories and built memories. Whenever

I talk to these young men (now adults)  I come away with a big smile

and a feeling of peace.

I have gained much more than I shared with them.

What can we share as adults?

• Our knowledge. Blog, keep a journal, give a life-changing talk.

When I was 9 years old I started keeping a daily journal.

Whenever I read old entries I find numerous ways

that I have improved and many more ideas for future improvement.

Hopefully my journals will help my posterity too as they glean

teachings from my life.

 

• Our time.  Listen to those who want your time.

Recently my Dad called me during the middle of a work day just to talk.

We chatted for 35 minutes. During the call he gleefully

shared an experience about giving an antique toy to his grandson.

• Our talents.  Teach someone what you already know.

Last week my daughter used her talent to sew a button on my suit. 

By sharing her skills she undoubtedly is gaining more skill for herself.

Share because it's the right thing to do.

Share to become (and have) more.

Share to lighten others load.

What experiences have you had with sharing?

 

 

                                                                                                                                

(Photo courtesy Photostock)