Who Are You?

This Spring & Summer has been a whirlwind in my life.

Three daughters with major events going on, (my son & his wife started it all last year getting married on 10/10/10), and now we have one more wedding and another grand-baby on the way.

In the midst of it all, I walked away from my 8+ years working for a group of radio stations in Fort Wayne and refocused my marketing/consulting career to join Cirrus ABS, and their Net-Centered marketing firm.

Before you start tweaking or overhauling your life, check out this wisdom from the DLM:

Know your Personality Type Before before Tweaking Your Life

Posted: 02 Jul 2011 11:13 AM PDT

Have you ever picked up a book on organization and thought, “Wow, this person is kind of over the top”? Or maybe your thoughts were a bit more along the lines of, “Aaarrg, don’t come near me with your labeler!”

Overwhelmingly, authors of organization and time management books use those pages to describe their systems. It’s simple, they think – just follow these precise steps and everything falls into place. Wrong!
There’s a major glitch in this approach. All those systems were created by someone that has no idea how you live. Their system may work just fine for them, but we are all different. In fact, I'd argue that there is no simple solution that everyone can simply follow and magically become organized.

When it comes to time management, productivity and organization, I’ve found that your personality and habits play huge roles in determining the techniques that are natural to you. There are four productivity personalities, and today I’m going to walk you through the basics of each and get you started on creating a system that fits with your brain. The more you know about yourself, the easier it will be to create a workable system that will organize your life.

The Fantastical
The Fantastical is a visual thinker. I’ve found that a LOT of creative entrepreneurs tend to be Fantasticals. If you’re a Fantastical, you excel at taking interesting problems and producing unique solutions.

Fantasticals fall farthest from the traditional files in alphabetical order organization scheme. If you’re a Fantastical, you need to have all the pieces of your work spread out in front of you. If it’s not within your line of sight, it may as well not exist. So when you organize your environment, leave space for all of your current project piles. You’ll know what’s in them. ;)

The Analytical
The Analytical is driven by ambition and logic. This is a person found in the board room, occupying the CEO’s chair, or in some other position of power. If you’re an Analytical, you’re able to quickly assess situations and link them to longer term outcomes, and you need information at your fingertips almost instantaneously.

You might think that lends itself well to alphabetizing, but that’s not necessarily the case. Analyticals often do well with entirely electronic systems that allow the necessary files and folders to appear with just a few keystrokes.

The Environmental
While the Fantastical focuses inward and the Analytical looks toward the future, the Environmental looks at the people around him or her. Are they comfortable, feeling well, and enjoying themselves? An Environmental is the person everyone goes to when they need help, advice, or a shoulder to cry on.

As might be guessed by the name, environment is extremely important for an Environmental. Sterile filing cabinets and strict systems don’t work well for you, but you will enjoy organizing by color and creating a system that’s whimsical and welcoming. You also tend to keep things indefinitely – someone might need them at some point – but instituting a toss after ten years rule does wonders to cut down on the volume.

The Structural
The Structural is the final personality type, and they’re the ones writing all of those books that the rest of us struggle to implement. Organization comes naturally to a Structural. Everything has its place and everything happens on its own schedule. They don’t understand the trouble that the rest of their colleagues have with their systems.

Trouble for a Structural comes in the form of volume. Their systems are often complex, and can buckle under an increase in work load. If you suspect you are a Structural, spend some time now looking for ways to break your system. What scenarios would cause problems? Are there changes you can make to streamline and avoid those problems?

Now that you know the basics, you can start creating systems that cater to your personality instead of working against it. You’ll find that these systems fit you perfectly - they’re easy to maintain, easy to tweak and when life hands you an emergency it will be easy to pick them back up again.

Written on 7/2/2011 by Kirsten Simmons. Kirsten started wondering why nobody considered personality type in organization, time management and productivity literature. She started researching the question, and before she knew it she had a business on her hands! Come by Personalized Productivity and take our free quiz. You’ll discover your type and get more detailed tips on how to build your ideal system.

Photo Credit: Rita H Cobbs

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Getting Hired

Great advice from the DLM Blog:

Five Great Ways to Give Your Resume a Boost

Posted: 21 Jun 2011 07:56 AM PDT

Whether or not you’re looking for a job right now, it’s worth making sure your resume is in good shape. You never know when that dream opportunity might come up – and if your current job isn’t looking so secure, you might to be ready to send out applications at short notice.

In a crowded job market, your resume needs to stand out. If it’s currently looking a bit thin, here’s how to improve it:

1. Do Some Relevant Voluntary Work
   You probably don’t have a perfect work history: perhaps you’ve worked in less-than-ideal jobs, or you’re young and have very little work experience at all. Employers aren’t just interested in your paid work; they’re looking for evidence of your skills.
   Volunteering can be a fantastic way to:
   
   
   
   • Gain real, practical experience in a particular field
     
   • Build up a network of contacts (who might be able to help you land that next job)
     
   • Demonstrate to employers that you’re passionate about this kind of work
     
   
   You may well already have some relevant voluntary experience: but is it on your resume? Think about any groups you belong to, or any positions that you hold. Perhaps you’ve led a Scout pack or you’ve arranged day trips for your church.
   


2. Take a New Qualification
   Although employers are often more interested in your experience than your education, there are many jobs where qualifications really do count. Even if you’re currently working full-time, don’t rule out the possibility of learning something new – evening classes and online courses can provide a lot of flexibility.
   
   Qualifications can range from relatively informal courses (e.g. learning a language) to industry certification (e.g. food hygiene) to doctoral degrees. Find out what employers in your field are looking for – don’t be afraid to ask around within your network.
   
   And if you’re self-employed, qualifications might not be strictly necessary – but they can help you stand out from the crowd. If you’re a freelance writer, programmer or designer, clients might struggle to understand why your rates are higher (even if you can tell that your work is much better than your competition’s). A relevant qualification or certificate can really boost your credibility.
   


3. Focus on Results
   When you’re putting your resume together, don’t get too bogged down in giving details of your past job descriptions. Potential employers are more interested in what you actually did during your previous roles.
   
   What projects did you oversee? Did you deliver any presentations or write reports? Were you responsible for managing any major areas of the business?
   
   Be as clear as you can about what you achieved, and give percentages or figures where possible (e.g. if you increased your company’s revenue or exceeded sales targets).


4. Customize Your Resume for Each Job
   There’s no rule that says your resume needs to stay the same for every position you apply for
   
   Tailor your resume to each job. That might mean:
   
   • Adding in extra experience that’s relevant to the role
     
   • Emphasizing different aspects of your past experience
     
   • Changing the language that you use to match the job description
     
   
   Yes, it’s extra work; you might spend 15-30 minutes on this each time you apply to a job. But if these tweaks help get your resume from the huge “no” pile into the much smaller “yes” pile, then those extra minutes were well worth it.


5. Get Your Resume Edited and Proof-Read
   If you’re at all unconfident about your writing, it’s worth getting your resume professionally edited and proof-read. This isn’t just about picking up sloppy mistakes – it’s about presenting the best possible view of you to your potential new employer.
   
   There are hundreds of companies and individuals who offer specialized resume writing and editing services; try asking around your network to find out who’s reliable, or look for reviews online.
   
   If you can’t afford to pay someone to edit your resume, at least ask a friend to proof-read it – and the same goes for your cover letter. Typos and spelling mistakes create a very poor first impression.

Further Reading
Need some extra help? Dumb Little Man has plenty of advice on resumes:

Recreating Your Resume in 10 Simple Steps
How to Write a Resume That Will Land an Interview
Extreme Makeover – Resume Edition

Have you got any great resume-boosting advice to share? Do any of these tips chime with your own experience? Let us know in the comments!

Written on 6/21/2011 by Ali Luke. Ali writes a blog, Aliventures, about leading a productive and purposeful life (get the RSS feed here). As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing.

Photo Credit: michaeln3

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Back to Work...

Do those words create energy and enthusiasm or dread and clock watching?

Check out this story from DLM:

4 Ways to Shift From “Hard Work” to “Effortless Creation”

Posted: 26 Jun 2011 08:25 AM PDT

Here’s one way to think about work. Work is hard. It requires effort, discipline, and hours spent straining in front of a computer screen. When you hit a block, you simply need to push harder, think harder, work harder.

This is what I like to call the “hard work” model. We live in a world that valorizes this idea of work. We talk about work using phrases like, “keep your nose to the grindstone” and “no pain, no gain.” We spend endless hours working, ending each day drained and depleted.

But here’s another way to think about work.

I call it work as “effortless creation.” The idea is simple. Think about times when you’ve done your best work. Think about when and where you came up with your most innovative ideas. My guess is that it didn’t happen while staring into your computer at the end of a 12-hour workday.

Our most creative ideas come in unexpected moments. You might be in the shower, on a walk, or driving when that brilliant new idea hits you. In these moments, creation is effortless. There’s no strain, no effort, no real work. You can do in a matter of hours or even minutes what it might take weeks to do through “hard work.”

So the key question is: how can we experience more moments of “effortless creation”? Since they come unannounced, these moments can’t be planned or forced. But here are a few things you can do to make their appearance more likely:

• Stop Working Hard
  I realize this sounds crazy. But, if you spend your days working too hard, you drain yourself of creative energy. When this happens, a number of problems emerge. The first is that you become easily overwhelmed and exhausted. This leaves you without the energy and enthusiasm to pursue innovative new ideas. The second is that you become lost in the details of your work. After ten hours spent working on a report, book chapter, or project, you lose your ability to see the big picture. Take a break and refresh your mind occasionally each day.
  


• Do Nothing
  This may also sound crazy. But, some of the latest discoveries in the field of neuroscience show that when we experience states like boredom, the brain shifts to a “default state.” In this state, our perception changes. Time slows down, we daydream more, and, most important, we open ourselves to new and more creative ways of thinking. This doesn’t mean that you should sit on your couch all day. But you might plan short periods for walking alone, sitting outside, or meditating to give yourself space for creative ideas to emerge.
  


• Slow Down
  Pace has a huge impact on the chances of creative moments arising. Our tendency is to go fast. We drive fast, rush through meals, and prize the idea of efficiency in the workplace. But the faster you go, the more you enter into the mental state of “hard work.” All this rush drowns out creative new solutions and ideas playing in the sub-conscious background. So one of the best ways to tap into “effortless creation” is simply to slow down. Eat more slowly, write more slowly, and email more slowly. The more you slow down the flow of life, the more you open yourself to unexpected new ideas and insights.
  


• Record Your Genius
  When your next great idea comes, go all out. Remember that you are experiencing a special state of consciousness. So allow yourself to follow the flow of inspiration. Write down everything that comes to mind. Be sure to capture the contents of your mind in this altered state of effortless creation. In a day, or even an hour, it may be gone.

These are just a few ways to shift from “hard work” to “effortless creation.” Ultimately, the goal is to use these practices to work less and create more.

I’m curious to hear more about your experience. Have you experienced moments of genius and inspiration? What helps you open up to experiencing them more often?

Written on 6/26/2011 by Nate Klemp. Nate earned his PhD at Princeton and is a professor at Pepperdine University. He founded LifeBeyondLogic.com, a website dedicated to exploring philosophy as an art of living. You can follow him on Twitter @LifeBeyondLogic and on Facebook. Download a free copy of his new ebook, Finding Reality: Thoreau’s Lessons for Life in the Digital Age.

Photo Credit: Alex Barth

Fort Wayne Site of the Day

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The 4th

For most folks in the United States, this has been a three day weekend.

Today is the Fourth of July.

But I wonder how many people know why they have this day off?

As a child of the 60's and teen in the 70's my parents were very patriotic.

When our country celebrated our bicentennial in 1976, I was a teenager with a drivers license and my own car.

But I was also a Boy Scout.

And one of the things our Scout Troop learned to do was march.

Almost military style, at least we knew enough to do some pretty cool moves in the 4th of July parade and we all marched in unison, (Left, Right, Left, Right, etc.).

Put aside the political disagreements and come together today and be thankful that we even have a country that has been around for 235 years.

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Passion with a Purpose

I've spoken to several budding entrepenhours who struggled way too much because they were caught up in at least one of these 7 areas...

from DLM:

7 Stupid Mistakes Most People Make When Trying to Follow Their Passion

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 07:51 AM PDT

There’s a lot of talk about finding and following ones passion these days, and for a good reason. More and more people are realizing that they don't want to spend a big chunk of their lives doing something they hate.

However, there are a lot of stupid mistakes that people make when it comes to trying to follow their passion. I made most of them and figured out what stands in the way of most people living the life they desire is their own internal fear and mind ghosts.

The good thing about this is that those processes can be changed, but it often won't be comfortable, so most people decide to stick with what's familiar, and you know where that path leads, don’t you?

Scan through these and let me know your thoughts. I think if you can avoid these, you will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes for you to live the life you truly desire.

1. Perfection
   The number one thing is perfection. There will (almost) never be a time where the stars align and everything will be perfect in your life so that you can go after your passion.
   
   Now, you don't have to quit your job and jump straight into following your passion. You can take things one step at a time, and see how everything develops.
   
   Wanting things to be perfect is just another excuse for putting off your dreams.
   


2. Overwhelm
   Being overwhelmed is extremely normal when you're beginning to follow your passion. I'd even go as far as to say that if you're not overwhelmed, you aren't pushing yourself enough. So when you find yourself being overwhelmed, it's just a sign that you are heading in the right direction.
   
   Whenever we learn something new, there will be a time where it doesn't make sense, and it seems like all hope is lost. After a while, the information will have been taken up by your brain, and everything will start making much more sense.
   


3. Non-Trusting
   Your heart knows what your passion is and what your next step is. When you listen to your heart it just feels right when you find the path that's perfect for you.
   
   Most people have forgotten how to follow their hearts, because they've been taught to be logical in school and shut out any hunches or intuitive messages. This doesn't mean that you have to be psychic or a superhero; it just means that you trust your own internal signals more.


4. Too Much Logic
   One of the biggest obstacles to trusting your heart is your mind. Your mind craves logic, and it wants proof and guarantees that everything will work out. I'm sorry to say this, but there are no guarantees. The only way you will succeed is to be determined and know that you will get there if you don't give up.
   
   This doesn't mean that you have to scrap the logical part of your mind, because it's extremely useful when used in the right circumstances.


5. Keep it Fun
   Most of all, remember to enjoy the process. When you start doing something new, it's easy to swim in fear and wallow in overwhelm. But the truth of the matter is that you are here to have experiences and explore the possibilities that life has to offer you.
   
   It won't all be a walk in the park, but that's good, because if it was easy, you would never grow as fast as you could.


6. Lone Wolf
   Find people that are on the same path as you, and also find a coach or someone that can mentor you and help you avoid the most common mistakes that most people make.
   
   It's tough to go about this on your own, because as you may have already realized, there are a lot of obstacles that will pop up on your path.
   
   Having someone there to support you and help you will significantly improve your chances of success. In the end, however, if there’s a way you can guarantee your success, it is to be determined.


7. Determination
   Like I mentioned above, determination is what will get you through the tough times. And that is exactly why it's so important that you find something that you're extremely passionate about. Find something that you would do for free.
   
   When you do this, you will be determined to keep going even when things seem to be going in the wrong direction. You also have to remember that when you are heading towards a goal, you may feel like you're off course most of time. But like an airplane, you will tweak your course as necessary, and you will end up in the right destination as long as you keep moving forward.
   

Written on 6/24/2011 by Henri Junttila. Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where he shares his personal tips on how you can live the life you know you deserve. When you feel ready to take action, get his free course: Find Your Passion in 5 Days or Less. And if you liked this article, you will enjoy one of his top articles: 77 Great Quotes That Will Change Your Life.

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Fort Wayne Site of the Day

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Saturday Night Classic Music Video

One of favs, hope you like it too....

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30 More Frugal Friday Tips

January 1st is the traditional day to make resolutions and changes.

That was 6 months ago and you don't have to wait 6 months.

Since the end of April in my family, I can count at least 6 employment changes, all self-imposed by various family members including myself.

And no matter how much you earn, it pays to be frugal.

DLM recently shared a list of 30 tips:

30 Easy Ways to Save Money (and No, you are not doing them all!)

Posted: 18 Jun 2011 10:23 PM PDT

Let’s keep this one simple and clean - just a bunch of relatively easy ways to save money. As you incorporate more and more of these tips into your life, the savings add up and it wouldn’t surprise me if you could save thousands over the course of a year.

It will take a little work on your part but those thousands of dollars in savings are what helped us get out of debt earlier, kept us out of debt for several years and will hopefully help us pay off our recent auto loan soon as well.

1. Cook at home often: If both the husband and wife work, this is likely to be very difficult. Start out with the habit of cooking at home once a week and slowly increase the frequency until you find a balance between saving money and getting stressed out.
   


2. Make your own coffee: Everyone seems to have heard of the latte factor. Even though the author may have overestimated the savings from skipping a latte at Starbucks, don’t underestimate the ding it puts in your pocket in the long run. You don’t have to entirely ban drinking coffee, but skip it as often as possible unless you make it at home.
   


3. Brown bag lunch at least a few days a week: Lunch times are great opportunities to network and make connections that could improve your career growth. So unless there is a common eating area for brown baggers, you may choose to limit brown bagging lunch to three days each week. Find a balance between saving some money and making the connection. In my case, I take my lunch with me 2-3 times a week and eat out the rest of the time.


4. Make a list before going shopping: They call it impulse buying for a reason. Humans simply have a very tough time resisting the temptation to purchase extras while shopping. Without a list you will buy items that you simply do not need. Even worse is when your forget to purchase the actual item you came to the store for in the first place. If you plan on cooking at home, pre-plan a rough menu and make a list before you go grocery shopping. Getting all that you need in one trip can help avoid another unnecessary trip and temptation.


5. Go grocery shopping while you are in a hurry: Maybe you need to go out in a couple of hours. Or your favorite show is going to be on TV after a couple of hours. Try to squeeze in the grocery trip in that intermediate time. Armed with your grocery list, you should be in-and-out very quickly with little time for meandering and getting tempted to buy things you don’t need.


6. Watch out for expiration dates on perishable goods: This one seems intuitive when you read it, but I am surprised at how many people do not pay attention to expiry dates. No point getting a gallon of milk if it is going to turn sour with a couple of days. Same goes for meat, eggs, yogurt, spreads, frozen items, deli/bakery items etc. Some people say you can use a few items a few days after expiry – but I personally value my health more than money and would rather avoid buying such items in the first place.


7. Buy in bulk whenever possible: When it comes to non-perishable items, buy in bulk whenever you find something on sale. The items I usually stock up on are, cereals, tinned goods, rice, beans, pasta, coke, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, toilet paper etc. For such items, shopping at warehouse stores like Costco, Sam’s Club etc can save you quite a bit of money, provided you stick strictly to your shopping list when you shop at these places.


8. Buy generic products whenever possible: Does it really matter whether your cereal is made by Kellogg's or is the store brand? Does it matter if your milk is Oak Farms or the store brand? For a few things (like soda in particular), I prefer brand name products. For others, I do not mind generic store brands if they can save me money. Find what works for you and switch to generic brands for at least a part of your grocery list.


9. Use grocery store bags to line trash cans: This may not work if you use a massive trash can but we use a small sized one for which the grocery bags are a perfect fit. This not only helps us save some money, but reduces our environmental foot print and avoids the kitchen from stinking from a huge overflowing trash can.
   


10. Consolidate and pay off debt as soon as possible: If you carry any debt, focus on consolidating it to a lower interest and paying it off as soon as possible. Money paid in interest is money thrown away! Why spend your hard-earned cash to make the financial institutions rich?
    


11. Pay your bills on time and avoid late fees: Get organized about your regular bills. If possible, automate the payments. Most utilities and other recurring bills can be set to be charged to a credit card or deducted from a checking account these days. Also, many banks offer free bill pay programs. So there really is no excuse for forgetting to pay a bill on time and forking out the late fees. Say, by chance you do forget a bill, if you are a first time offender, call the company and request politely to waive the late fees, and more likely than not, they will oblige.
    


12. Be aware of your bank balance and avoid over draft fees: If you use your checking account often or have some bills that are paid automatically from your checking account, be aware of the balance and avoid overdraft fees.
    


13. Avoid ATM fees: Be aware of the ATM withdrawal fees charged by your bank. While some banks waive fees for all ATM transactions on any ATM machine, most don’t. So be sure to use only those ATM machines where your bank will not charge the fees, or withdraw directly at your bank.


14. Avoid credit cards with annual fee: Credit cards with their cash back bonuses and reward points are a great way to save some money. Just make sure that the card does not charge you any annual fees! There is no dearth of cards that offer fee-free reward plans, so there really is no reason to pay the annual fees.
    


15. Disconnect land line if possible: Unless you have small kids in the house or older people to take care of, it is more than likely that you will be able to survive with only the mobile phones and can get rid of the land line. We have survived without any problems for over 4 years now with out a land line. Our Internet comes via cable.


16. Instead of buying books, borrow books from the library: Whenever possible, borrow your books instead of buying them. The card to your public library is free and the libraries are generally well stocked. In my city, the chain of public libraries is connected and the available books can be checked online. If there is some book that I cannot find in my local branch, I can make a request online for it to be brought in from one of the other branches to mine which is very convenient.


17. If you have to buy books, check if you can buy it used: Used books do not quite give the same feeling as leafing through the crisp pages of a brand new book. But considering that you can get used books for almost as much as half the price of a new book, it is a small price to pay. My favorite place to buy used books is a local chain called “Half Price Book Store”. Check if you have something similar in your city. For text books, look online on bulletin boards, mailing lists etc, and price compare on websites like addall.com.


18. Price check before buying anything expensive: For other items that are expensive, do a price check before buying the item. If you can wait for a while you can track the prices and grab a great deal when it comes along. Frequently available online coupons make it even more easy to save some money. This is especially true while purchasing any electronics.


19. Avoid impulse buying: Make it a habit to avoid impulse buying. Many of the things you want to buy do not seem all that necessary, if you only you wait for a day or two. Also, waiting means you will be able to check prices and make an informed decision to buy it at the best possible price.


20. Bottle your own water: Drinking water is good for your health. I always make it a habit to keep some at my desk at all times. Bottled water is the most convenient since it can provide protection against accidental spills. That said, buy bottled water only once in a while, and then reuse that bottle to fill your own water. If you are not happy with tap water, invest in a Brita Filter – in the long run it can save a lot of money.


21. Avoid the vending machines: Almost everything that is dispensed via vending machines has a huge markup (and is rarely healthy). However, if you suffer from snack attacks at work, consider creating a secret stash of snacks. If you like drinking soda and have a fridge at the workplace, save a refrigerator pack in the fridge with a post-it with your name on it. If you have a long commute, consider a stash for the car as well and avoid a quick drive-thru visit.


22. Keep your car as long as possible: When possible, try to keep your car as long as possible. Find the balance between the money spent on repairs versus the monthly installment on another vehicle and choose to run your old car as long as the repair costs are low.


23. Do regular scheduled maintenance on your vehicles: Do not skimp on or forget to do regular oil changes. Remember to check the air in your tires often. And use the grade of fuel that the owner’s manual recommends. These small acts can significantly lengthen the life of your car, giving you years of use.
    


24. Avoid buying a new car: When you eventually buy a car, see if you can make do with a pre-owned vehicle. A new car depreciates significantly the moment you drive it out the dealership. Is the new car small really worth thousands of dollars? Pre-owned cars that are only a few years old with low mileage are the best bargains. Regardless of the purchase, learn to negotiate with car dealers.
    


25. Ride your bike or carpool whenever possible: In many of the cities in the US it is hard to get by without a car. That said, just because you have a car does not mean you have to use it every day. Whenever possible, ride your bike or share a ride with a colleague or spouse and save both on gas and reduce the environmental footprint.


26. If you watch a lot of DVDs, get an online DVD store membership: Membership to online movie stores like Netflix or Blockbuster Online can save you a lot of money compared to buying DVDs or renting it from a local store. You need to wait once you order the movie, but if you watch a lot of movies at home, then you can easily get into the habit of ordering ahead of time so you always have something at home. If you are patient and your library has the resources, check to see if they have a movie section. You won't get anything very new, but they are free.
    


27. If you like watching movies at the theater, go before 6:00 pm: This is one of our soft spots when it comes to spending. We really like watching movies in the theater with the big screen and the great sound effects. But instead of paying ~$10 a pop for the ticket, we usually go before 6:00pm when the tickets are a little less expensive. Also, for movies that we don’t absolutely want to watch right away, we just wait until it screens on the discount theater where the tickets are $2 a pop. We avoid the temptation to buy snacks, by usually going for a theater some time soon after our lunch or sometimes sneaking in our own snacks in the purse.
    


28. Regulate your electric use: When not in use, unplug electric appliances. Apparently, unplugging the TV instead of just switching it off can save a lot of electricity! When not in a room, switch off the lights and the fan. Use a programmable thermostat to control your A/C and heater usage. If that's too much, at least know what each appliance uses and unplug a few of them.
    


29. Plan vacations ahead of time: Vacations are a necessary part of saving our sanity in the busy lives that we lead. But vacations are also a huge drain on the family finances. You can cut the cost of a vacation significantly by planning and booking ahead of time. Bookmark travel sites for finding inexpensive airfare, hotel etc., and book at least two weeks in advance.


30. Finally, keep distance from lavish, high-roller friends: If you have lavish friends who buy a new car every other year (or worse still, lease it), have large screen TVs and every other conceivable electronics gadget, eat out at fancy restaurants every other night and just live way beyond their means, keep the distance. They may be nice people and mean you no harm, but hanging out with such people often can lead to a lot of unnecessary desires and discontent. What’s more important – your friends or your peace of mind?

Whoa, that article ended up being a lot longer than I anticipated. Hopefully, I haven’t put you to sleep! Despite the length though, it barely scratches the surface when it comes to ways to save money. Make it a sub-conscious habit to save money in things that you do every day, even if it is a few dollars. All that money saved can add up significantly and you can save it or spend it on things that really matter!

NOTE: I am not saying that you should follow *all* these tips. Trying to be too frugal can make both you and the people around you very miserable. So, pick out a few tips at a time that will work for you and make them a habit, before deciding if you can incorporate more money saving habits in your daily routine.

Written by Sam Baker of GradMoneyMatters.com - a site dedicated to providing students a choice of money making ideas so they can say no to debt. Republished 6/19/2011.

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