Living on a shoestring budget

There are two lines taken from a popular sitcom that best described how we view money.  One character said 'I never saw money as an issue.' then the other character tersely replied 'That's because you have it!'

How often do we just spend money without thinking - money on unnecessary pursuits and on stuff we don't need.  We often think we need this and that until we don't have any money.  When we don't have the money, our mettle to survive is put to the test.  Honestly, friends take an inventory of the things you currently buy and do.  There, you would see stuff you do not need. 'I need that ... and that ... and that'  I could hear you say, but really - do you really need that.

Here, I'll use myself as the guinea pig because I was like you, needing everything until there was no money.  The following is a list of things I did and brought that I thought I needed until the money-well dried up.

Hair and Manicures & Pedicures - These activities were a monthly ritual for me.  I loved being pampered but the choice was a foregone conclusion, there was no money so I could no longer do this.  Now, it is the low-grade do-it-yourself at home.

Cable - During the lean period, I analyzed my cable bill and I was paying for premium movie channels I only watch less than twice a month.  Most of the same movies were being shown on the basic channels anyway, so do you know what I did?  You guessed I had them removed.

Telephone - I noticed that my telephone rang, the most was 3 times a week and I had made just about the same amount of calls a week also.  Call waiting, and a few other components were services I wasn't using, so I had them removed.

Cell phone - I didn't use the cell phone enough to warrant post-paid, so I switched to pre-paid and get more bang for my buck.  The cost of the service for 1 month (let's say $40) lasted 9 months on pre-paid (I saved $320 in 8 months)

There were other areas I also cut back on that I thought were necessary. You can do it to!  Living on a shoestring budget isn't hard at all.  I am not asking you to be a miser, just to cut out the junk!

How to avoid being SCAMMED on the internet

In these tough times, everyone is looking for a way to earn a living from at home or to make extra money on the internet.  For every reputable website out there, there are about twenty or more scams sites.

To avoid falling into these scams and traps, here are a few types of websites to look out for:

The one-page traffic sites:  There are hundreds of these pages on the internet promising tons of traffic to your website or blog for $39.95 or there about, with 'a click of a button' and by extension (if your site or blog is monetized) you could stand to earn thousands of dollars per month from increased traffic.  DO NOT BE FOOLED BY THE VIDEOS AND FANCY GRAPHS AND CHARTS!  If they were making thousands of dollars from these so-called loop holes, it should be shared with the rest of us FREE OF CHARGE ... don't you think?

Pay-to-click sites:  First off, in our opinion, if any site that promises more than five cents (.05) per click it is a scam.  These sites can not be sustainable at more than five cents (.05) per click to members.  So if sites promised $1, $2 or $10 and upward per click, avoid them like the plague.  However, there are ptc sites that seem to be sustainable but are scams.  There are review sites out there that review ptc and other money-based sites that you could check before signing up, one such excellent review site is PTC Investigations.

Data Entry sites:  We are going to make this very simple!  DO NOT pay any of theses data entry sites to join as a member so that you could make money no matter how attractive they make it seem.  There are free data entry sites you could join.

Paid Surveys sites:  DO NOT pay any paid survey sites to join as a member.  There are dozens of free paid surveys sites that you could join, such as Survey Savvy.

Welcome to the World of the Unemployed!

So you are unemployed!  You are afraid and anxious and you do not know what to do next ... then you wonder 'Why me?'

Let's cut to the chase!  Instead of sitting there wallowing in self-pity or reading the classifieds, searching for another job that you maybe over or under qualified for, you could start thinking of ways to start your own micro business from home.  The possibilities are endless!  Where there is a will there is a way!  If you get desperate enough, you will find that there is something out there that you can do.

Firstly, you must clear your mind and detox yourself from being an employee.  Take the time to smell the roses and do the things you've always wanted to do if you didn't had to go to work, e.g. spend the whole day at the spa; going to the beach; visiting the museum or a place of interest on your community; taking a day trip somewhere far from home - I think you get the general idea by now.

This process may take a few months and it is only in those times of peace and tranquility that you would clearly see what it is you really want to do, to see what your niche is.  It is noteworthy, that most of the old businesses today, were birth out of the 'Great Depression' by people who were willing to take a chance on themselves and step out into the unknown.

You do not have to have a lot of money to start a business.  Use what is in your hands and go out and make some money!