In Sunday's Bears/Packers game, one of the announcers said that the Head Coach of the Chicago Bears, Lovie Smith, had already mapped out the Bears course through the Super Bowl.
He gave the players a calendar detailing hour-by-hour, day-by-day, schedule from Jan. 1 through the Super Bowl (Feb. 4). The schedule detailed, very vividly, what their expectations would be so that they could begin to see it for themselves. I won't even touch their last game (26-7), as I'll rack it up to an attempt to rest players and reduce the risk of injury before the playoffs or a going away present for Mr. Favre but it's no coincidence that Da Bears had the best record in the NFL this year.
I'm sure you've heard the expression "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." I am a firm believer that without a goal (plan or map) you will surely reach your destination...no where!
Here are some valuable tips that can assist in saving you money in the New Year...
1) Create a budget. Your spending plan can be as simple as a Excel spreadsheet or more thorough like Quicken or Microsoft Money. Not having a budget is like not having a plan. It is extremely important to know what you are really spending. For years, the budget I had in mind was really more of a "wishful thinking" budget. However, this eventually led to debt. Whether you use a computer program or a simple ledger, make sure you know where your money is really going.
2) Cut down on incidentals. Review credit card statements. Be aware of monthly fees that you may have forgotten. Cancel unread magazine subscriptions and gym or club memberships that you don’t utilize.
4) Improve your credit score. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com and follow the prompts to find out what your credit reveals. Scores typically range from 350 to 850. The higher your score, the better. If yours is low, try to improve it by paying bills on time, getting out of debt, and disputing false or inaccurate claims.
5) Pay yourself first. This is a great time for an honest self-analysis: What are your saving habits? If all the money you make falls through the cracks and gets eaten up by bills and other expenses, consider a reasonable amount you could utilize as another monthly bill and set it aside as a savings. Save for the future. Take 10 percent of your income and put it in savings, right off the bat. You now know what you need to cut back on (or how much more you need to earn) to make up the difference.
Got any of your own tips that you're willing to share...submit them to my attention at Andrew@AndrewSmithTeam.com and if I feature your submission in a future blog or in my newsletter then I'll reward you with two movie tickets!
By the way - I now feature my monthly trivia question online on the homepage of my website www.AndrewSmithTeam.com enter for your chance to win two movie tickets! (It's on the top left corner in the starburst).
Know of someone thinking of buying or selling a home in the Brazos Valley? Please let me know and I'll be sure they receive the best service available! You can always reach me at (979) 777-7677.
Visit my new message board and share money saving tips with other users…also be one of the first 25 to register and make 10 legitimate posts and win a free pizza!
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More money saving tips coming soon... check back tomorrow!
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