Show me the Money!

Yesterday in my blog on Holiday Blues and Winter Warmers - Tips and Tricks, I wrote briefly about happiness. It's often said that money can't buy happiness, but when you're rolling in cash, it sure doesn't hurt, right?

Luck
How often do we say that someone is lucky and we wish we were them? What I find interesting is the concept that there is no such thing as luck. It is about the type of people that they are - driven, ambitious, hard working and sociable, or they have someone behind them who is! I stumbled upon this book called The Book of Luck by Heather Summers and Ann Watson (Amazon £11.69) The point is that anyone can be successful, it is about creating opportunities. 

Show me the money!
If you have your own business, there are always ways that you can improve your business model. If you have a job, you can always look for a better one or get that promotion. You can start up a small business on the side. You can change careers by studying to move into another field. Anything is possible, it's about getting off your butt and doing something about your life. It is about how much you want something and how much of a priority it is in your life.

Most of us will never be mega rich and there are no get rich quick schemes. However, it is possible for anyone to find a way to make more money, it's all about the choices and sacrifices we make.

Savings
You need to control both your incoming and outgoing cash flow. Outgoing is about budgeting - looking at how you spend your money and how you can save. Where can you cut costs? For example, I know every time I go clothes shopping, I will spend money, so I just don't go if I want to save money. And when you do groceries, it does help to have a list and an idea of how much you want to spend.

Investing
If you are fortunate enough to have cash in the bank, think about how you can invest it, how will your money work for you. Always understand how your investment will make money for you. If you are buying property, then research properly, because any time you invest you are taking risk and could lose your money. However if you want to generate a return on your money, then there is always an element of risk. Just be aware that anything that is too good to be true is probably dodgy,

Self-help
Motivational speakers like Tony Robbins have some useful tools that can help. Books like Awaken the Giant can help you to believe in yourself, which is what you need to do to be able to succeed in anything you do. There are many books and seminars out there. It is worth browsing their websites or book stores and see if anything does interest you.

Or else get a coach or mentor to help you stay on track.

There's also some tips on saving money in How to be Frugal - Eating Out and Seeing the Real London. 

Or read:

• Motivation decimation
• Tips to Save Money on your Grocery Bill at the Supermarket

Many people don't like to spend time on their finances and don't know much about it because it's not fun. But then not having money is not fun either. This is the information age; there is so much knowledge out there, tap into it.