Archive - Productivity RSS Feed

Christmas Debt – RUN!

November 25, 2011 in Creativity, Family, Goals, Productivity with Comments Off

Don’t be a dummy this Christmas and end up stuck with debt after the holidays that stresses you out and knocks you down financially. I read this week that 13 million Americans are still paying off last years holiday debt. That is SAD.

It IS possible to buy all of your Christmas gifts without incurring any debt. Here is how we roll at the White House:

  1. We save money for Christmas throughout the year. This is very simple. Add up how much you think you will need for Christmas (do this for 2012 NOW) and then divide by 12. Put that much in savings each month. Trust me. It is the most refreshing thing to get to the holiday season and already have everything you need in your savings account!
  2. In late October, we prepare a Christmas budget that guides how we spend EVERY PENNY of the money we have saved all year. We use Joe Sangl’s free Mini-Budget Tool. We include everything on this budget. It has stuff on it like:
    • food for Christmas parties
    • gas to travel over the holidays
    • gifts for each person we will buy for
    • Christmas cards and postage
    • Money we save for any special opportunities to be generous over the holidays
  3. Balance your Christmas budget to EXACTLY ZERO. Spend every penny on paper BEFORE you go out and start buying stuff.
  4. Finally, the MOST IMPORTANT way to stay out of holiday debt is to actually USE the budget! Spend according to how you have planned!

Its simple…go for it!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Walk Through the House in the Dark

October 21, 2011 in Creativity, Life Change, Productivity with Comments Off

When we first moved into our new home, I couldn’t walk through the house unless all of the lights were on. It took a few weeks to get used to the new place, where furniture was, etc.

But now I am the master. I can walk through the entire house in the dead of night with my eyes shut and never bump into anything.

The longer you follow Christ, the easier it becomes to “walk from memory.” You tend to do what you are used to doing…after all, its safe, comfortable and easy. But here is the deal…really all you are doing is walking in the dark.

We may not like to admit it, but we are all creatures of habit.

Lately, God has been teaching me to “move the furniture around in the house” and disrupt my routines.

Some examples:

  • If you drive the same way to work every stinking day take a different road just because…even if it is a little longer.
  • If you study the Bible the same way, try a different approach. This is HUGE for me right now.
  • If you listen to the same type of music, tune into something entirely different. I recommend Mariachi. Seriously.
  • If you read the same books, stretch yourself. Read out of your comfort zone. Read authors you’ve never read before.
  • If you order the same thing off the menu every time venture out and try something you’ve never had.
  • Get a different drink at Starbucks…or actually go to a different coffee house! GASP!

By disrupting your ability to walk through the house from memory with your eyes shut you may experience something new that changes your perspective altogether. For me, the result has been hearing new stuff from the word of God.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Do Something Drastic – Finance Week

October 13, 2011 in Family, Goals, Life Change, Productivity with Comments Off

Its FINANCE WEEK here on the blog. This past Sunday, I shared a message called “Flip my Finances” as a part of our “Flip My Life” message series.

Each day this week on the blog, you will find great financial tools, videos, etc to help you kick start the changes that you want to make when it comes to your money.

Today: DO SOMETHING DRASTIC

If what you are currently doing with your finances is not working and you want to see your finances flipped around, you may have to do some drastic things.

Real change never comes easy. If it did, we’d all be millionaires!

We all develop bad habits with our money over time. Obviously, I can’t take the time to speak to every bad habit. But I can say this: Your money problems are your fault and it’s only through self-decipline in handling money matters that you can achieve financial peace. It doesn’t matter how great of a system you have or how many steps you take – you can only flip your finances if you change your behavior in regards to money.

Do something drastic. Cancel your cable. Ditch the cell phone or get a cheaper plan. Stop eating out so much. Cut up your credit cards and swear off debt forever! Identify your bad habits and then take them out!

Let me pick on one particular bad habit we have in America as an example: new cars.

Stop buying new cars. How many times have you heard or said, “I’ll always have a car payment”? That’s the normal way of thinking. But normal people today are BROKE. I want to be WEIRD! To get new results, you have to try new things. Several years back, Amber and I decided to sell our cars and buy cheaper, used cars. And that’s what we’ve done ever since. Did you know that if you took the average car payment of $475 that Americans have today and invested it every month over 40 years, you would retire with over 5 million dollars. I LOVE CARS…but I can’t think of any car that I would pay 5 million dollars for.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Educate Yourself – Finance Week

October 12, 2011 in Family, Life Change, Productivity, Revolution Church with Comments Off

Its FINANCE WEEK here on the blog. This past Sunday, I shared a message called “Flip my Finances” as a part of our “Flip My Life” message series.

Each day this week on the blog, you will find great financial tools, videos, etc to help you kick start the changes that you want to make when it comes to your money.

Today: BEGIN EDUCATING YOURSELF

Between annuities, cd’s, single stocks, bonds, mutual funds, roth ira’s, index funds and all of the other financial investments out there, personal finance can be scary. But to flip our finances, we have to get determined and take action!

Putting money into something you don’t understand is the easiest way in the world to lose it all. Personal finance is 80 percent behavior and only 20 percent head knowledge, which is good because that means you don’t have to spend all of your free time learning and re-learning what all of these investment options are.

In reality, the action you take – praying, budgeting and then actually living by your budget – is probably more important than what you learn.

Still, you need to educate yourself to be successful and flip your finances. The BEST education that you can get on personal finances is super easy and super cheap. I’ve already mentioned it this week – Financial Peace University.

If you just want to learn about the different types of investments that exist, here is a great guide to different investment options. Take 20 minutes to read through this and you will come out with a pretty good understanding of personal investing.

In our home, we do the Dave Ramsey system, which is to invest 15% of your household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement plans.

When you reach this step (number 4 in Dave’s seven steps), you’ll have no payments—except the house—and a fully funded emergency fund. Now it’s time to get serious about building wealth.

Why shouldn’t you invest less than 15%?  Some people choose to invest a small amount, if anything, because they want to get a child through school or pay off the home in a hurry. But the kids’ degrees won’t feed you at retirement, and if you throw all your money into your mortgage at this point, you’ll end up having to sell the house and buy the book 72 Ways to Prepare Alpo and Love It. Bad plan.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Page 1 of 1612345»...Last »