Defrazzle Your Finances

 

If your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall.

~Bill Earle

In a hurry? Jump right to the part you need:

If I'm going to be honest, I have to tell you that struggling with finances is a big stressor for me. I have been responsible for creating a lot of debt in our family, both through lack of control in spending, and lack of care in looking after the financial details - like paying bills! I have been VERY irresponsible here, and the past few years have been ones of great learning, challenge, improvement, and often overwhelm as I try and completely change the way I think about money and change the way I let money control me. We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm delighted to be able to pass on lessons learned from the front line!

For those of you struggling in this area, let me give you a very important place to start:

If you consider yourself a Christian, this is the book you MUST start with before you do anything else. I will warn you that the first two or three chapters will almost do you in with the detail and research, but push through and get through it. You will never see money the same way again. It's a very powerful book. I would also recommend the teaching series. These concepts are ones you need to “get” if you're going to get free from the weight of money.

Here it is:

If Christianity isn't your thing, then I have another very powerful book to offer you, and it's free! Here it is:

Now this site also offers the “Science of Getting Rich for Practical Geniuses” course which goes with the book and will walk you through the mindset you need to be free of financial burden. You can set your own course tuition for this, and it's worth whatever you decide to pay. It's very well done, very practical, and very enlightening! You'll see the link for this on the bottom left hand corner of the home page.

These two resources come highly recommended regardless of where you are in your financial journey. They will give you a completely fresh and freeing perspective about wealth.

Here's another site with some great ideas for improving your wealth mindset:

Ok, but what about some really practical tips for right now?

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Little Tips

If you're doing ok, financially, but just need to find a little spare cash or you need to create just a little more space in your budget, here are some great tips for you:

  • Downsize:

    • Take the smaller size of whatever you order that has this option. Food comes to mind, mostly. Instead of you and your husband getting the “combo” at a fast food restaurant, let him get the combo, you just get the burger, and then share the fries and drink.

    • Do you like specialty coffees? Don't order a big one, order the smallest size and drink it more slowly. Starbuck's, for instance, has a “short” version that's not much different from the tall version of their coffees, but it's cheaper and has fewer calories and less fat (because it's smaller, not because they do anything with it!) It's not on the board, however, so you need to know about it to ask for it!

    • Love to go to the movies or rent videos? Be patient and resist the theatres (and FOR SURE, resist the popcorn, etc.) Catch the movies when they hit the “weekly rental” status - usually 1-6 months after release. That way they're half price! Or pick them up at the video store on the “previously viewed” shelves.

    • Love books? Resist the bookstores and get what you need at the library. Memberships are ridiculously cheap. They have all the best-sellers, along with DVD's, Videos, Newspapers, and the like. They often sell books for next to nothing as well. I've gotten beautiful coffee-table books, hard-cover best sellers, and great novels and business books for 50¢ to a dollar!

  • Stop:

    • Do you buy your lunches at work? Pack a bag lunch from now on. I have a whole page dedicated to great bag-lunch ideas called “Defrazzled Lunches”. Check it out - they're yummy! (Web Guys please link this to that page when you get it up. Thanks)

    • Do you eat out often? Start working with menu planning and cooking at home. You'll save a fortune on restaurant fees and groceries. See my “Defrazzled Dinners” (Web guys please link that to my dinner page. Thanks) page for more ideas on this, along with some great helps for the “cooking challenged” (a club of which I am a premium member!)

    • Do you do regular spa treatments? Learn to do them at home - many are quite easy! Here's a free book that shows you how:

      • Hot Mama Makeover

    • Do you have a weakness for clothes? Check second hand and thrift stores. You can often find amazing things there if you're persistent. I bought my Christmas wardrobe in a thrift store this year, and have received more compliments on that outfit than on anything else I've ever worn. A sweater, pants, skirt, 2 suit jackets, and a blouse for under $100 and they're beautiful! My neighbor bought a beautiful Christmas ball gown at the thrift store this year for $2.50. It's great fun finding those special bargains! You'll still need to shop with a budget, though!

  • Automate Everything

    • Have your bills, charitable donations, savings, and anything else you can think of, automatically deducted from your account(s)
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Need a few more tips?

  • Do necessary banking immediately, and online so you don't forget.

  • Get rid of extra credit cards - they're too much to keep track of!

  • Treat credit like cash and pay it off immediately

  • Combine your home and car insurance to get a better rate

  • Pick up this free e-book to learn some tricks about saving:
    “5 Deadly Myths of Saving”

Those are just a few ideas to get you started. If you want more “Frugal Living Tips” check out these books:

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Here are a couple of fun e-books to look at if you need more money and you're feeling lucky!

And here's a GREAT report that would make a really fun project for you to try out as a family:

Now, if you are in the situation where these tips are all you need to create some breathing room, it's also an excellent idea to look into the whole idea of setting up some savings and investing in your future. The very best place to start with this, in my opinion, is

There are also some GREAT books that I would recommend on this topic and you can get them here:

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Middle Tips

If you need help here, it means you know you have some problems, there's more debt than you'd like, but it's not a frightening amount - it's just getting larger, and you want that to stop. You're also looking for ideas for retirement, savings, kids' College Tuitions, etc. You feel ok, but you see a negative trend happening and you don't want to get stuck.

Well, before you do ANYTHING you need to check out this fantastic resource:

Goodbye Boss, Hello Kids! It will help you get control of your finances and even learn to live well on a single income. You get a bonus with the course - a cool book called “Savvy Saving” which is also a wonderfully POSITIVE resource on saving money - none of that yukky deprivation stuff here! No siree! This is positive, upbeat, “tons of fun” saving advice that you don't want to miss!

Besides, when the author's name is Darlene, how can you lose?!

Here are some other ideas to try:

  • Increase the amount of income:

    • Get a second job (sometimes you can get a great part-time job in a local supermarket/restaurant for about 8 hours a week which can make quite a difference to your bottom line as long as it doesn't require special clothes, an extra car, or childcare.

    • Work from home Here are some great ideas and resources for working from home:
    • Do lots of “one off” things, like host a garage sale, do some tutoring for the local school, help a friend with a major cleaning job, etc.

    • Get some mentoring. Let me work with you to set up a program just for you, to help you get ahold of your finances. Click here for details.

    And some great books to check out are:

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    Here are some useful tools to help you keep on track:

    • Mvelopes

    • Budget Maps

    • Family Finance Planner

    • How To Set Up a Family Budget

    • Sign up for my "Bye, Bye Debt" course . The course has a one-time $35 fee (not set by me), but that's all that comes out of your own pocket. This will get you in good shape over the next year without damaging your credit rating any further, and it will show you how to stay out of debt forever.

    • I can also recommend Mystery Shopping if you want to try and make a few extra dollars. It takes some skill and experience to make a whole lot of money (and in Canada it's even more difficult) , but I can average about $100/month in spite of a pretty busy schedule. If Mystery Shopping interests you, let me recommend this resource: Cash Creation or this one: Mystery Shopping Guide

    Here are some more articles full of great money management ideas:

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    “Oh My Goodness I Need Serious Help!” Tips

    Well, if you're really in a desperate state, in addition to all the ideas above - which will be helpful in ANY situation, there are a couple of other things you could do:

    • Read helpful books on getting out of a financial mess, and follow the advice. Some of the best I've read are:

    • I would also HIGHLY suggest getting some good financial counsel with an accountability program so that you actually have to answer to someone for what you're spending and why. Try and find someone who's not gong to make big bucks from your mistakes! I was able to work with a Pastor who specializes in finance. This was a huge help to me, and it's amazing what it will do to curb your impulse buying!

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    Information on this Web site is provided for information purposes only, and is not to be considered as professional advice. Any medical/financial/legal information obtained from this Web site should be reviewed with an appropriate certified professional to determine its applicability to your particular situation. Great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of the information provided however, Mom-Defrazzler.com, and their employees are not responsible for errors or any untoward consequences arising from your use of this information.© 2006-Present

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Have you picked up a copy of my
FREE
Mom-Defrazzler "Tips Messenger"?

It's 52 tips, resources, ideas, and "step-by-step" to make your mothering life easier, and it pops up once a week on your computer.

You will also receive a free, super short "Tip" to simplify your life, or a "Giggle" to make it more fun, every four days in your e-mail,

ALL FOR FREE!

Don't miss out! Sign up below!
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We hate spam as much as you do!
Your information is safe with us.
We will never share, lend, or sell it to anyone else.