5 tips to keep your personal budget flexible and alive

Flexibility is one of the keys to maintaining a healthy budget.  Here are some ideas for keeping your budgeting efforts flexible to keep them alive!

1.  Create a custom budget each month

Your budget or spending plan should be customized for each period.  Sure certain expenses stay the same every month, but some things fluctuate or only occur once in awhile.  Your monthly budget needs to be a living document.  It needs to evolve as life does.

Make sure you take a little time at the beginning of each month to make a list of expected expenses that will occur in the upcoming thirty days.  Also, revaluate the amount you are budgeting in each of your spending categories.  You may need to increase or decrease certain things to more closely match your estimated expenditures.

2.  Don’t be afraid to make mid-month budget adjustments

Continually reevaluate your plan as you proceed through the month.  If necessary, move money from one category to another to make your budget reflect real life.  Our budgets are just plans.  They are not written in stone. 

One budgeting goal is to avoid overspending.  It is important that we are firm in our resolve toward this end, but we need not be rigid about the amount spent in each category.  Move money around to make things work.

Of course, you don’t want to rob your grocery category to make an impulse purchase, but if your electric bill runs a little high, you might need to take some away from your eating out category to cover it.

3.  Create new budget categories when needed

If you have an expense that seems to keep catching you off guard, then create a specific category for it.  I had to do this for children’s activities.  We kept spending money to allow our daughters to participate in extracurricular activities, but we didn’t have money set aside for it.  I kept having to take it out of another category.

This unplanned expense often left us short in another area.  Be sure to capture these expenses and create a category for them.  I’ll even create the category mid-month so that I don’t forget to budget money for it the next month.

4.  Set money aside for personal spending

We all want to feel like we have some individual control over how we spend our resources.  What is important to one person, especially in marriage, may not be a priority for the other.  I think the best way to handle this is by allowing each person a certain amount to spend each month.

Assign each spouse an amount each month that is their money to blow however they want.  It may not be much when you are running your debt snowball, but at least it is something.  The feeling of control will go a long ways toward keeping your budget alive.

5.  Discuss and agree on the monthly budget up front

If you are married, go over the budget with your spouse before the month begins.  Be sure that you are both in agreement and committed to the plan.  This will help avoid sticky situations as the month plays out.

A budget that is created and ratified by only one spouse will feel rigid and restrictive to the other member of the marriage.  You have to work as a team for the budget to succeed over time.  Participation in the process is the best way to achieve buy-in.

A flexible budget is a budget we can live with today and tomorrow

We want our budgeting efforts to succeed.  A great way to keep them alive is to remain flexible.  A plan must change as the situation changes for it to remain viable.  A rigid budget will only create frustration and resentment.  It is of the utmost importance for us to avoid these pitfalls as we budget our money.

What do you do to keep your budget flexible?

Photo by jhull

I hope everyone is getting the chance to have a few days off on this holiday weekend.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have some time away from my regular job which has been nice.  Thankfully, there are several fantastic articles out there for me to read!  If you have the time you should check these out too.  There is always something new to learn and explore!

Links for Super-Charged Living

Here’s this week’s awesome articles in each key characteristic of super-charged living:

1. Strives for Excellence
   Bringing New Consciousness to Old Habits
   5 Wonderful Ways to Waste Your Time, Focus and Life
2. Financially Wise
   Three Reasons Cash is King
   The M-Network Presents New E-Book Of Money Saving Tips For The Holidays 
3. Committed to a Cause
   “You Shouldn’t Have!” Gift Giving Theories To Simplify Your Life
   Traveling During The Holidays: 10 Tips For Making It Easier With Kids
4. Leadership by Example
   The Importance of Celebrating Your Success
   The Simple Guide to Staying Out of Office Politics 
5. Entrepreneurial Spirit
   13 Strategies For Spending Less While Growing Your Business
   How to Keep Your Writing or Marketing Pitch Out of the Trashcan 
6. Continual Learner
   How to Get Someone or Something, Off Your Mind
   10 Economic Truths We Cannot Ignore
7. Adventurous
   How To Make Your Hostel Less Hostile
   Smarten Up! Perfect Your Travels By Becoming an Expert

I hope you have a super-charged weekend!  Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the links.

Photo by GlobeTrotter 2000

If you have bad credit, correcting the problem may feel like an overwhelming task.  Understanding what happened, how it impacted your credit, and eventually improving your credit reputation can all be intimidating prospects, especially if you try to consider how to fix them all simultaneously.  However, by taking each step individually and working through it, moving from bad credit to good credit is not impossible.

The factors that contribute to bad credit

First, a variety of factors may contribute to accumulating bad credit.  The ways to damage your credit are numerous and include late payments on debt, non-payment of medical collections or taxes, bad cell phone and utility accounts, bankruptcies, and other issues. 

One mistake will not ruin your credit, but consistent problems or an accumulation of different red flags will put you in a significant hole.  The more times you add to your bad credit, the deeper your hole gets and the longer you have to dig.

How to check your credit score

Finding out how the issues above impacted your credit has actually become the easiest step in the corrective process.  The three credit bureaus and many other companies now offer easy access and sometimes even free credit reports and free credit scores. 

By ordering and reviewing your credit history you can see where you went wrong.  Some companies—with a one-time charge or periodic membership fee—provide detailed analysis of what went wrong and the impact on each aspect of your report. 

The credit score shows your report on a continuum that usually ranges from 300-850 and is an easy way to see how you measure against other individuals and even yourself over time. 

Starting to repair your credit history

The last and most difficult part of the process is to actually improve your credit after understanding what happened and how you were impacted. 

The best way to change your situation is a two-fold process.  On one hand, you need to clean up the existing problems by paying off bad debt, satisfying collections, and disputing any errors on your report.  At the same time, you also need to be reestablishing your positive credit history. 

Initially this may be a tough task since you may not find many creditors willing to grant you new credit.  Websites like free-credit-reports.com can help you through each step in this process and can make the task more manageable and less time consuming. 

You can overcome bad credit with a little effort!

Ultimately, the key is to commit to making a change and working towards improving your personal situation.  Having good credit is vital to giving yourself the best options in many different aspects of your life.  So make the commitment and improve your life!

Other articles you might find useful:
Is It Fair For You To Be Judged By Your FICO Score?
25 Excellent Resources To Protect Against Identity Theft
Back To Basics: Using The Debt Snowball To Pay Off Debt

Photos by cervus and Emily Abigail

It’s not having what you want.  It’s wanting what you’ve got.
~ Sheryl Crow

When Thanksgiving is over this year and all the hubbub dies down, will our lives be full of contentment and joy or will we make ourselves crazy striving to have just a little more?

When Thanksgiving is over, will we still be truly thankful or will we allow ourselves to slip into ungratefulness?

When Thanksgiving has come and gone, will it have just been a speed bump in the run up to Christmas?

When Thanksgiving comes this year

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.  ~ Buddha

On Thanksgiving, most of us pause, at least just for a moment, to be mindful of the riches in our lives.  We briefly give thanks for family, friends and comforts.  We count our blessings. 

We feast on the bounty of our harvest.  We gather together to say a prayer and to share our excess with loved ones.

For a moment when Thanksgiving is here, we remember the pilgrims that went before us blazing a trail into the promised land.   We think about our forefathers and the sacrifices they made.  We stand on their shoulders and feel proud of our heritage.

When Thanksgiving comes, we make our own annual pilgrimages returning home and to our roots.  We say thanks for how far we’ve come from our humble beginnings. 

When Thanksgiving is upon us, we are thankful.

When Thanksgiving is over this year

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Yes, we are normally pretty thankful on Thanksgiving, but what is going to happen the day after?  It seems that Thanksgiving has become just a rest stop for the race to Christmas.

We all know the day after Thanksgiving is the retailer’s delight.  The stores open earlier and earlier every year.  We go out in throngs shopping and trying to get a good deal.

We fight for parking spaces, wrestle for bargains and overspend our way to nowhere.  Isn’t there a better way to act when Thanksgiving is over?  Here are my suggestions.

When Thanksgiving is over…

• Let’s continue to be thankful for what we have.
• Let’s live within our means.
• Let’s pursue a simpler existence.
• Let’s spend more time with our kids.
• Let’s relish in the company of good friends.
• Let’s agree we have enough.
• Let’s treasure our freedom.
• Let’s be more content.
• Let’s smile and laugh more often
• Let’s stop worrying and live in the present
• Let’s demonstrate our patience
• Let’s offer forgiveness
• Let’s give a little more of our true selves
• Let’s be kinder to others
• Let’s live in peace
• Let’s set an example
• Let’s share with someone that really needs it
• Let’s save some for tomorrow
• Let’s remind ourselves we are blessed
• Let’s continue being thankful!

Thankfulness doesn’t have to end when Thanksgiving does!

I thank God for my handicaps, for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God. ~ Helen Keller

We have so many things to be thankful for in our lives.  It is all in our perspective.  It is how we use what we have.  Why not go forward today living a little more thankfully?  Why not set an example for your family and those around you?  Why not try to truly live a few of the items on the list above?

What do you have to be thankful for?  How do you show it?

Here are a few other articles that you might find helpful:
Be Grateful Because We Are So Incredibly Fortunate!
7 Things In My Life That Fill Me With Gratitude and Joy
14 Benefits Of Simplicity That Lead To A Good Life
A Simple Life Is A Good Life - I Believe Less Is More

Photo by xybermatthew

I want to make a smart decision.  One that I won’t regret.  I’m looking for a notebook that will help me produce more impressive results in less time.  I’ll offer details below about the specifics of what I hope a MacBook will do for me.

I know what the competition can do, so now I hope you can help me understand what MacBooks do so much better.

Are MacBooks just sexier or will they actually enable me to produce better results in less time?

What specifically about Macbooks makes them better?

I’ve done a little research.  I’ve read articles like 10 reasons a MacBook Pro is better than a PC laptop.  However, reasons like longer battery life, better security, and a backlit keyboard are all pretty utilitarian.

I’ve even watched the videos Why I love my MacBook more than my PC and More reasons I love my MacBook more than my PC.  Unfortunately, these didn’t really help me either.

So, I’m hoping that by extending this question, you will be able to provide me more specific and relevant information.  I know this is an old question and that’s why I thought there would be a lot better answers available than what I’ve found so far.

The things I would use a MacBook to do

The three main areas where I hope a MacBook can help are:

1.  Publishing my blog - Running my blog encompasses several different activities.  First and foremost, it involves creating interesting, attractive content.  Presently, I use Windows Live Writer on my PC notebook to do this.  I write the article text, search for related content to link to, and browse Flickr for eye-catching photos.

Second, I constantly tweak my blog’s theme to keep it fresh and to add value.  I administer WordPress, edit CSS, and I recently started playing around with PHP.  In addition, I transfer files via FTP.

Lastly, I interact on other blog sites and social media sites like StumbleUpon, Digg, Twitter, and most recently on Tip’d.  Of course, I subscribe to a plethora of sites via RSS and try to comment regularly.

All this takes time so what features of the MacBook will help me publish and promote my blog more effectively and efficiently?

2.  Creating good-looking graphics - I’ve never been successful creating really good-looking graphics on a PC.  Simple things seem too hard.  I often know what I want, but can’t get the result I desire.

I’d like to think Macbooks handle this better.  I’ve always heard about the superior graphics capability of Macs.  Is this fact or fiction? 

I’d like to be able to whip up some nice looking graphical ads for my site from time to time.  I doubt it would ever be anything to involved, but it has to look good without eating up a ton of my time.  Will the software that comes on a MacBook help me do this?

I’d also like to be able to produce more appealing presentations.  The ones I create with PowerPoint always seem so blah.  I want some that really look beautiful and will knock people’s socks off!  What can the MacBook do here?

3.  Editing amateur video - I like to record and edit video.  I’ve been doing the editing using Sony Vegas on a PC.  It produces great results and has pleased me so far.  However, if I buy a MacBook, then I’ll probably start using it for editing.

I hope the MacBook is as good or better at this than the PC with Vegas.  My only complaint editing video now is mainly centered around fairly slow performance.  Would a MacBook improve this?

Is the video editing software in iLife ‘08 as good as Sony Vegas or would I need to buy something else?  Would I be able to produce even snazzier videos in a shorter amount of time with a MacBook?  I’m thinking of producing some online videos.  How would the MacBook facilitate this?

What MacBooks have going against them

The MacBook has a bit of an uphill battle to win me over.  Here are some of my concerns:

• I already know Windows so there is going to be a learning curve to overcome with OS X and Mac software.
• There is a ton of software available for the Windows platform.  I’m not sure I can find as much good stuff for the Mac.
• Not only is there a lot of software available for Windows, but a lot of good stuff can be found for free.  It seems that much of what is offered for Macs you have to buy.
• Some of these 32 reasons a PC is better than a Mac concern me.

I’m not sure whether my concerns are well founded or not.  Please feel free to debunk any myths that I have expressed here.

Any tips about how to buy MacBooks?

I’m looking at buying the 13-inch refurbished MacBook 2.4GHz Intel that is selling for $949 on Apple’s site.  I’ve also seen what looks like some decent deals in my area on CraigsList for this notebook.  I’ll be paying cash and I’m trying to keep the cost down to around $1,000.  Is this unit a good choice and are these good buying options?

I have no experience buying MacBooks so any information you can provide that will help me get the best deal possible for a quality MacBook preferably with some warranty coverage would be greatly appreciated.  I might forgo the warranty if the price is right.

Looking forward to lots of great feedback on MacBooks

Come on all you MacBook zealots out there.  Tell me what you think!  One thing that has always impressed me is the passion with which you love your Macs.  You don’t find too many Windows users that have the same strong feelings about their machines.  I’m trying to learn something here.  Please don’t hold back. 

Also, be sure to pass this along to other Mac lovers so they can enlighten me as well.  I want to get as much input as possible.  Make me a convert!

Photo by ?Dorszi

Around the end of the year is a good time to analyze your paycheck to determine whether or not such an adjustment could benefit you.  Tax withholdings subtract a big chunk out of your take-home pay so why not spend a few minutes and verify they are still correct?  You might be able to adjust your withholdings to increase the amount of your check.

I am not an accountant or tax attorney.  This is simply what I do to adjust my tax withholdings.  You should check with a competent professional to be sure before making any changes.

Tax refund indicates too high of withholdings

Did you get a tax refund this year?  If so, then it is quite likely that you can decrease the amount of taxes being withheld from your paycheck to increase your take-home pay.  This is very easy to do, but I’ll get to that in a minute.  Let me explain why you need to adjust your tax withholdings.

Tax withholdings are simply prepayments you have to make on your annual income taxes.  If you are getting a refund every year, then the amount of your withholdings is too much.  You are essentially loaning the government your money at zero interest!

How to check your tax withholdings on your paycheck

Another thing that you can do is to compare your year-to-date tax withholdings to the actual amount of taxes you paid last year.  This is not nearly as hard as it might sound and it will give you a pretty good idea about the accuracy of your withholdings.

On your paycheck stub, it will tell you the year-to-date amount of federal income tax that has been withheld from your check.  It will also show you how much is being withheld every pay period.  How many pay periods are left this year? 

You can use this information to estimate your total withholdings for the year as shown below.

Now look back on your most recent income tax return.  Find the actual amount of your total tax.  On the 2007 Form 1040, this can be found on Line 63.

Compare your estimated withholdings for this year to your total tax from your last return.  If your withholdings are higher than your total tax, then you should probably reduce the amount of your withholdings thereby increasing your take-home pay!

How to adjust your tax withholdings

You use a W-4 form to adjust the amount of Federal Income Tax being withheld from your paycheck.  You should be able to get one from your HR or payroll department.  You can also click here to obtain a W-4 from the IRS web site.

The higher the number of allowances you claim on your W-4, the less tax that is withheld from your paycheck.

The IRS also offers a handy withholdings calculator that you can use to determine the correct entries to make on the W-4.  This calculator will walk you through the steps to ensure that you don’t have too much or too little withheld from your check.

Checking your tax withholdings might get you a raise!

Lowering your tax withholdings will increase your take-home pay.  It has the same effect as getting a raise!  Now is a good time to spend just a few minutes to determine where you stand.  You might be pleasantly surprised and wouldn’t a few extra dollars on your check be nice?

A few other articles that might interest you:
50+ Resources to Legitimately Raise Your Income
What’s Your Financial IQ? Here’s A Test
Back To Basics: Establish A Personal Finance Emergency Fund
Where Do You Live?-The Most Tax Friendly Cities In The United States
10 Ways To Improve Your Life Starting Today

Photo by The Consumerist

Don’t you just love this ship?  It is the Club Med 2.  The sails are automatically deployed by computer control.  How cool is that?  It sails the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Atlantic.  Sign me up!

If you get a chance, please check out my new Popular Posts page and let me know what you think.

Links for Super-Charged Living

Here’s this week’s awesome articles in each key characteristic of super-charged living:

1. Strives for Excellence
   Why Simplicity Is More Important Than Ever
   How To Avoid Self Destructing On Our Bad Days 
2. Financially Wise
   7 Ways to Make A Quick $500 in 30 Days
   100 Money Saving Tips for the Holiday Gifting Bonanza
3. Committed to a Cause
   Photo Books- A Great Tool to Reduce Clutter & Make Sentimental Gifts
   Holiday Gift Ideas - Reduce the stress and clutter
4. Leadership by Example
   Are You Ready to Lose Your Job?
   How to Handle Criticism: The Top 7 Tips from The Last 2500 Years 
5. Entrepreneurial Spirit
   25 Visionaries Who Created Empires From Virtually Nothing
   Awesome Business Card Designs of 2008
6. Continual Learner
   15 Tips for Writing Effective Email
   How to Improve Your Negotiation Skills 
7. Adventurous
   Another Way to Travel
   5 Things to Remember While Traveling the World

I hope you have a super-charged weekend!  Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the links.

Photo by http2007

My experience getting started with NeoBudget

In a good budgeting system, you decide in advance how to spend and save your money.  A reader recently brought NeoBudget to my attention as an online tool that can help you easily create and manage a personal finance budget based on the envelope system.

I signed up for the NeoBuget free 7-day trial to check out the system.  The nice thing about the trial is that NeoBudget doesn’t collect any payment information up front.  I liked this because it made me confident that there were truly “no strings attached”.  At the end of the trial, you can subscribe to the service for just $2.50 per month. 

I was signed up for the trial in less than one-minute!  It was very simple. 

Setting up a budget and managing money with NeoBudget

Once you have created an account, then NeoBudget walks you through the setup process with an easy to follow wizard.  There are really just four steps to complete:

1. Create an account - You name your accounts.  The system does not require you to enter account numbers which is a nice security feature.
2. Add envelopes - In this step, you create your budget envelopes or categories.  You can have as many as you like.
3. Income allocation - Step 3 actually has two parts.  In the first, you name your sources of income.  This would include your paycheck and any other forms of revenue you enjoy.  In the second part of this step, you decide how to allocate each of these income sources to the various envelopes.
4. Initial balance - Finally, you have the opportunity to enter the existing balances in your account.  This step also gives you the chance to allocate your existing balances to your envelopes.

NeoBudget was a cinch to setup!  If you have all the information gathered up, then you can finish all four steps in a matter of just a few minutes.

My highlights from using NeoBudget

NeoBudget has a very clean and well-designed user interface.  It is fast and very intuitive.  I really like the way NeoBudget works.  Here is some of what I consider the highlights of the system.

1.  At-a-glance view of balance in all envelopes

The best way to explain this is to show you the screen shot below.  I really like this feature.  You can even choose the colors for each envelope yourself which is a nice way to highlight the envelopes that are most important to you.

2.  Consumer debt worksheet for getting out of debt

NeoBudget includes a worksheet that will help you payoff what you owe on credit cards, car loans and other forms of consumer debt.  It even allows you to choose the order in which you want to attack these debts.

3.  Ability to import transactions from banking systems

The system has the ability to import transactions from your banking accounts which alleviates the need to enter everything manually.  It supports both the Quicken Interchange Format (QIF) and Open Financial Exchange Format (QFX).

4.  Financial data is protected from loss

I like that NeoBudget is an online system.  This way if my computer at home crashes, then I won’t lose all my financial tracking information.  In addition, NeoBudget doesn’t store any account numbers or other information that bad guys could use to steal my money.

NeoBudget Questions & Answers

I was fortunate enough to be able to ask Luke, the developer of  NeoBudget, some questions about his system.  I think you will find this useful in your evaluation.

Why did you choose to create a new personal finance system when so many already exist?

There were many reasons I decided to create yet another one.  Basically it came down to two things. 

First, many of the good envelope-based systems out there are just too expensive.  I wanted to make one that was dirt cheap.  There are many free ones out there too, and it’s hard to get cheaper than that. 

Which brings me to the second reason I created my own.  Nothing I found out there had all the features I needed for my family’s budget, and combined them all in a simple, intuitive online interface.

What is the most notable and unique feature of NeoBudget?

I think the best part of NeoBudget is how it manages income.  When you sign up with NeoBudget, you can specify all your sources of income, like your paycheck and your wife’s paycheck. 

As part of this, you can set goals for each envelope, such as $300 per month for groceries.  NeoBudget will help figure out how to fund that envelope based on the paychecks you have entered.  After you configure all your sources of income, every time you get paid, you simply say which paycheck this is, and NeoBudget splits it out across all your envelopes.  You only have to configure your paychecks once, and NeoBudget applies it every time you get paid.

There are many benefits for handling your paychecks this way.  One thing I did this year was set aside a small amount from each paycheck all throughout the year into a separate envelope labeled “Propane”.  I actually forgot about it through the summer.  Without needing to remember, I was saving to fill my propane tank.  Winter is here now, and I’m thankful for this savings.  It would have been a steep bill had I not been saving all year.

Why did you decide to make NeoBudget an online system?

I had been using some desktop software that I really liked, but I like having my information stored online.  It’s much more convenient that way. 

I can access my budget on my iPhone when I’m at the grocery store, or on my brother’s computer when I visit him in another state.  It also ensures that if my computer crashes, I won’t lose all my financial history.

Some people have told me that they are concerned about storing financial information online.  This isn’t really a problem with NeoBudget.  No personal account numbers or credit card numbers are stored with your budget.  There is nothing worth stealing stored on our servers.  All that is stored is how much money you have allocated in each envelope.

NeoBudget doesn’t automatically connect to bank accounts, but many other financial planning tools do.  Isn’t that very inconvenient?

I don’t think so at all.  This was a choice for security purposes.  I don’t use the other online financial planning tools because I don’t want to give out my account information to people I don’t know and trust.  That would just make me incredibly nervous.

NeoBudget does have an import feature that is almost as good as directly connecting to a bank, but it’s a lot safer.  If your bank lets you download your bank statement in a supported format, you can upload it to NeoBudget.  In this way, you get all your recent transactions without needing to pass sensitive account information to NeoBudget.

Who will benefit the most from choosing to use NeoBudget to manage their personal finances?

I consider NeoBudget to be a mid-level budgeting solution for families.  It has many powerful tools, so it’s not designed for someone who wants a completely hands-off approach to their budget.  But I have also made a great effort to ensure that it’s simple enough to be used without an accounting degree.  It is geared toward people like myself who want to be on top of their personal finances, but particularly don’t like dealing with accounting programs.

What does NeoBudget cost?

I’ve set the price at $2.50 per month, but I offer significant price breaks for semi-annual and annual subscriptions.  Basically, I wanted NeoBudget to be dirt cheap, but I can’t offer it for free because I need to make a living.  For what you’re getting with NeoBudget, I believe $2.50 is very reasonable.

Has anyone else used NeoBudget?  What was your experience?

I’m sure the new First Family will be making some updates in the White House soon after they move in.  Given the National Debt and current economic situation, I hope they follow the frugal ideas I’m advocating here too!

Home improvement spruce up can be done on a budget

The cool thing is that we don’t have to spend a fortune to make a real difference when it comes to sprucing up our homes a bit.  In fact, there are some powerful, but inexpensive ways that my wife and I have recently made updates in our home. 

I focus on easy things that I can do myself.  I am in no way a home improvement guru.  The thought of taking on bigger remodeling projects that go beyond the surface is daunting to me.  The do-it-yourself ideas I recommend are easy enough for anyone to accomplish.

Here are some home improvements that we have done

1.  Paint the walls

It is absolutely amazing to me how a different color of paint can entirely change a room.  Over the last nine years, we have painted just about every room in our home.  Our house looks completely different now compared to when we bought it. 

Paint seems to personalize a space.  Different colors create different feelings.  We like warm earth tones.  They create the kind of atmosphere we want for our home.

Of course, with the wide selection of paint colors available, you can customize your home any way you like.  It just takes time, imagination, and a little elbow grease.

2.  Rearrange the furniture

When my mom got bored with our home, she always rearranged the furniture.  This one easy thing can completely change the feel of a room.  It brings a sense of newness and it doesn’t cost a dime.

Of course, you can go beyond just moving what is already in a room.  I suggest taking an overall approach.  Look at all the furniture in your house and think about moving pieces from one space to another.  This can radically change the way your home feels.

I have one last suggestion concerning furniture.  Get rid of some of it!  Decluttering by eliminating one or more pieces altogether can help make your home feel more spacious and comfortable.

3.  Enhance the landscaping

The way we feel about our home goes beyond what it looks like on the inside.  Does your home have curb appeal?  One of the most powerful ways to improve the outside look of your home is to add some nice landscaping.

Many landscaping companies will do a design for you for free or at a very reasonable price.  I suggest letting a professional help you with the layout.  Once you have a plan, then the only thing that stands between you and a better looking home is some hard work.

If you already have some landscaping, you might think about trimming things up a bit and throwing in some flowers for a splash of color.  These two efforts alone will make a vast improvement in your home’s external appearance.

4.  Update the flooring

Flooring like laminate, hardwood, tile and carpet can be very expensive.  However, it is possible to do smaller jobs on a budget.  We have replaced the tile in both of our bathrooms without spending a fortune.

One way to do this is to buy the new flooring at a builders supply outlet.  You can then hire an independent contractor to do the installation if you are not comfortable doing it yourself.  This approach worked for us and saved us a bundle.  Be sure to ask around and find a contractor with a good reputation.

Another inexpensive way to change the look of a room is to buy a large area rug.  These can often be found on sale and can have a dramatic effect on the looks of a room.

5.  Change the lighting

The lighting in a room can set the mood.  This is why we always dim the lights and use candles when we want a little romance.  Changing the light fixtures in a room is an excellent way to control the environment.

Light fixtures vary widely in cost, but can often be found on sale at good prices if you shop around a little.  I have changed out a few fixtures in our home and have found it to be pretty easy.  Of course, please be sure you shut off the breaker and take other precautions when dealing with electricity.

Sprucing up is a lot cheaper than moving up!

Yes, it costs a little to spruce up your home, but it is certainly a lot cheaper than moving up to a fancier house or running for President!  Every time my wife and I get the itch to buy a different home, we decide to spruce up instead.  This helps us maintain our satisfaction with our present home which saves us a bundle of money.  We love making our home our refuge!

What ways have you found to improve and spruce up your home on a budget?

Other articles you might enjoy:

• 52 Tips to Make Your Home Irresistible to Buyers
• Lackluster Walls At Home - Low on extra funds-  Think Outside The Box
• 29 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter
• Storage Secrets for Small Spaces
• How I saved $1,000s on remodeling and home maintenance and you can Do It Yourself too!

Photo by Scott Ableman

Quitting is not the same as failing, but it is scary

If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.  ~ Seth Godin

It is often frightening to let go of something we have committed to doing.  We have been trained to equate quitting with failing.  This is simply not true.  Seth points out that sometimes winners do quit.  In fact, most winners have quit a lot of things to get to where they are.

Often, it takes quitting one thing to pursue something better.  We may need to quit to take the next step toward our dream.  Here are a few examples:

• You quit a job that is no longer rewarding or moving you forward to find another job that will take you to the next level.
• You quit offering certain products or services so you can focus all your effort in your core competency.
• You quit a business before it completely drains your bank account so you can pursue a new opportunity.

Quitting is not the same thing as failing.  It is simply a change in tactics.  It is a change in strategy.  We don’t give up our ultimate dream when we quit.  We just pursue it from a new angle.

How do you know when to quit?

You should quit if you’re on a dead-end path.  You should quit if you’re facing a Cliff.  You should quit if the project you’re working on has a Dip that isn’t worth the reward at the end. ~ Seth Godin

This is the crux of the issue, isn’t it?  How do you know when to quit?  If we had a crystal ball, it would be easy, but we don’t.  We can’t see into the future.  However, Seth Godin believes as I do that deep down inside we usually know.  At the very least, if we don’t see it everyone else around us does.  Ask around.

Seth says there are two main situations we need to recognize to know to when to quit immediately.  They are:

• The Cul-de-sac - This is the situation where you work and work and work and nothing much changes.  No matter how hard you push, people just aren’t buying what you’re selling.  Lots of people get stuck here.  The dead-end job is the proverbial cul-de-sac.  You are stuck and there is no way out.  The only solution is to quit.
• The Cliff - The Cliff is the situation where you can’t or won’t quit until the whole thing falls apart.  This is riding a business into bankruptcy or staying with a failing job until you find yourself out on the street.  The pain of quitting the Cliff just gets bigger and bigger over time.

If we find ourselves in either of these two circumstances, then Seth advises us to quit immediately.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just quit as quickly as humanly possible.

The Dip is the weed out zone

If you want to be a superstar, then you need to find a field with a steep dip.  ~ Seth Godin

The Dip is the valley between the honeymoon of starting up and achieving real success.  Every worthwhile venture has a Dip.  It has a time when reality sets in and we start questioning whether the pain of continuing is worth the reward at the end.

I relate to this most easily by thinking about the weed out classes in college.  Almost every degree program worth pursuing had a class widely labeled by students as “the weed out course”.  It seemed that the course was designed to be exceptionally challenging in order to weed out the students that weren’t fully committed to the program.  It was a test to see if you could cut it.  It was the Dip.

Becoming a doctor has a Dip, it is called medical school.  Becoming a professional athlete has a Dip, it is years and years of training.  Becoming CEO has a Dip, it is committing yourself to exceptional performance over the long haul.

Everything worth doing has a Dip.  If you quit in the Dip, then you give up all the rewards on the other side.

Things to ask yourself before quitting

Realizing that quitting is worth your focus and consideration is the first step to becoming the best in the world.  ~ Seth Godin

Seth Godin goes even further to help us recognize when to quit.  He gives us three easy questions to ask ourselves.  They are:

• Am I panicking? - We often quit when a painful or particularly scary moment hits us.  This can be dangerous and expensive!  Quitting when panicked is the path of the weak.  Quitting in the Dip could be a bad move.
• Who am I trying to influence? - Who is it that you have to convince to get what you want?  Make sure you are clear about this and think about what might change their minds before giving up.
• What sort of measurable progress am I making? - In any situation, you are either moving ahead, falling behind or standing still.  Which is it?  If you are still moving forward just slower than expected, then you may be in the Dip.  If you are putting forth a lot of effort and you are not moving forward, then it is probably time to quit.

These three questions should help you discern where you’re at.  Remember, those that succeed know when to quit!

Go ahead and quit your way to success!

Is doing nothing better than planning on quitting and then doing something great?  ~ Seth Godin

We can waste our lives in dead-end jobs, failing businesses and archaic industries or we can quit and do something remarkable.  Which is it going to be for you?  I know that quitting isn’t as easy to do as it is to write about, but what is the alternative?  Doing nothing is safe, but where will you be in another five years?  In the same place?  Quitting and pursuing something with a big Dip might just pay off!

Should you quit?  What has been your experience with quitting?

Photo by slopjop