Put Your Money In Storage, Not Your Junk

And by storage, I mean a savings account! If you're renting some public storage to place all your junk, shame on you.  Yes, I called it JUNK.  If it wasn't junk, then wouldn't it be at home with you where you could appreciate it? Why waste money on such a service?  Think about it for a minute. You don't use some items, they're taking up space at home, so you're paying to keep it elsewhere.  Does that make any sense? Wake up DUMMY!  Instead, recoup some of your money for all the stupid purchases you made! The pain of remembering how much you paid for it originally vs. what you can sell it for should teach you to think twice before making an another impulse buy that becomes useless.

Gym Membership

One of the top New Year's Resolution for people is to get in-shape and lose unwanted weight. It's a great resolution, but definitely not an easy one to follow through on.  Another great resolution people often make is to save more money.  Spending money on a gym membership could very well be the way for you to reach your fitness goal.  However, these two resolutions can often work against one another.  If you don't use your gym membership to get the fitness you set out to achieve, not only are you failing your fitness resolution, you're also setting yourself up for failure with your financial resolution by wasting money.

My solution?  Don't get a gym membership.  First of all, I hate wasting time driving to and from a gym.  It's inconvenient for me and it makes me dread going even more.  What's at the gym that I really need to get a good workout?  Nothing I couldn't do at home for cheap, if not free.  Say goodbye to recurring fees!  For $50, I can get the perfect workout for me.

Upper Body: Perfect Pull-Up ($30)

Abs: Ab Roller ($10)

Cardio:  Jump Rope ($10)

On top of the workouts that come from these equipment, I throw in push-ups, lunges, squat jumps, etc.  Many of these things can be done in the comfort of your own home/garage/front yard.  Best of all, finding time should no longer be your excuse to not work out.

I find it best to integrate some of these workouts into your everyday life if you're extremely busy.  Do you have something you love to do? I have been indulging myself in video games lately.  I make it a point to perform a set of push-ups (25), pull-ups (12), abs roller (10), or something else between every game.  Rather than playing for 2 hours wastefully, this method forces me to complete around 150 push-ups and 50 pull-ups and some ab workout in a 2 hour session of playing.  I have fun playing and feel better about myself throughout.  If I can't perform a workout anymore, I force myself to stop playing.  You will be amazed how much stronger you get just doing a little bit here and there.  Do a set of push-ups during a commercial when you're watching TV.  Do a set of pull-ups for every comment you write on Facebook.  Do some lunges when you switch website while surfing the internet.  Do something.  Your body will thank you down the road, and your wallet will get bigger.

Not only am I saving money by not having a gym membership, I'm saving time.  I find that to be the most crucial factor after joining the working world.  Good luck!

Cheap Fun for the New Year

Happy New Year Everyone! Want to have a good time with some friends doing something entertaining tonight? Try hanging with friends playing some board/card games! Wait wait wait, whaaaat?! I don't have to go out to the bars and drink to have fun? That's crazy talk!  But rest assure, it's true. This is what I'm going to be doing into the New Year.  I'm going to beat the craze and start my year off right saving money while having fun!  Who doesn't like a cheaper option to entertain a group? Sure, it may sound like child's play at first, but definitely give it a shot. You'll be surprised how much fun you can have. Most importantly, these games have replay value! One time fee to buy the game, and you have it forever. A night at the bar or bowling on the other hand, it's pay to play, every time.

Here are a couple games (recently new to me) that I recommend trying:

1) Monopoly Deal ($10)

Ok, so now that I'm older, I've lost a little bit of patience to play a long-drawn out game of Monopoly. Thank goodness that made a Monopoly spin-off with only cards! The game is easy to learn, and very fast paced.  The game can last anywhere from 5-30 minutes a game. There is more strategy involved than the normal board game so it makes playing extremely interesting time over time!


2) Sequence ($20)

Fantastic team game where you can't talk to your teammates. Interesting huh?  Imagine playing Connect-Five with cards taking turns with your teammates without collaboration.  Not only do you not know what your opponent is doing, but you barely have a clue about what you teammates are doing! Definitely awesome when you somehow plan a win without communication.

Remember, there's more ways to have fun than what Jersey Shore shows you on TV. Yes, I understand that you have to mix it up once in a while and do other things that cost money, and that's fine. No matter what, you're likely wanting to spend quality time with your friends anyways, so it shouldn't really matter what you do. But note this, every time you spend a night with friends playing board games, imagine the saving versus going out and doing what you otherwise would have planned. Add it up over time and see the $$$ in your bank! Get off on the right foot with your financial life this coming year!