Money Temptations

                                         Good Morning Family

               
                 I am so happy! I overcame a temptation today!

How do you over come your temptation to buy stuff or spend money unwisely?

For me  knowing that I have a money goal and a budget that I need to go by. I also allow myself a small weekly allowance of $15. So that if I did want to splurge on something I have the money for it because I put  it in my budget. It's my  allowance money.Also you need to look at the bigger picture what else could you use  that money for instead of buying something you really don't need and want.  So what  money temptation have you over come recently? Share your temptations and money saving adventures with the us. Your Cheap Cheetah Family. Have A Great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Cheap Date Ideas

Money Saving Date Ideas

1) Bring a picnic to the park or beach.
2) Cook for her.
3) Go canoeing on a local lake
4) If you're very adventurous (or it's a longer-lasting relationship) take a toddler to the playground (niece or nephew or friend's kid if you don't have one of your own.) Perform well here and you'll get LOTS of points BTW
5) Play tennis at a local park
6) Volunteer and make a difference
Kidnap her for a day to be a tourist in your own town, or area. As I remember there were lots of free attractions to visit. Perhaps create a tasting afterward of something she especially likes.
A game night- board games, poker etc is always entertaining and inexpensive. 

 So What's your Date Night Money Saving Tip?

Have a Great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Kayne West Frugal !

Since Kanye West told the world that he was $53 million in debt, offers to help the hip-hop superstar with his financial woes have been numerous, and often humorous.
Boston businessman Jon Lal says his offer to invest $53 million in West’s musical projects is completely serious.
But it comes with a catch.
“Reform your profligate ways and start to be frugal,” Lal wrote in a letter he posted on Twitter in Thursday to West’s Feb. 13 debt tweet. “No $40,000 fur coats or sending your personal assistant to Milan to shop for you. My CFO will audit your lifestyle and review all your expenses.”
Lal, 47, is founder and chief executive officer of BeFrugal.Com, a site that offers cash back and discounts for online retail purchases. The slogan of the company, which was launched in 2009 and has an A. Rating with the Better Business Bureau, is “We are a bunch of cheap, thrifty, penny pinches who believe that a dollar saved is two dollars earned!” Lal declined to say how much he or his business are worth, but claimed that BeFrugal.Com gets 2 million visitors per month.

Frugal as he is, Lal says he has mailed proof that he has the means to make good on his offer to West’s Los Angeles address, and that he has sent along a round-trip ticket to Boston, purchased on CheapAir.Com, economy class.
“He’s going to fly the way I fly,” Lal said.
He said he’s made a reservation for a room at the Comfort Inn & Suites at Logan Airport, so that he and West can discuss the offer in frugal, time-efficient fashion.
“If he needs to go into the city, we’ll splurge for an Uber,” Lal said.
“I’m not proposing to pay off his debt,” Lal said. “I’m proposing to invest in his projects. If he focuses on his music and touring, he would have a very good chance to earn a return.”
Lal said he had not heard back from the 21-time Grammy winner. A message left with West’s publicist had not been returned at the time of this writing.
Even if West agreed to the austerity plan, there could be a problem with another one of the conditions spelled out by Lal.
“Please be nice to Taylor Swift,” the letter ends. “My daughters love her.”

Thanks bosonglobe for this great article.

Power Of Real Estate Investing

Good Morning Family. I would like to tell you that this Monday will be a great Treat for our listeners because..... We are having a guest. That guest is Kemi Egan and she will be here to talk to us about investing in real estate. She will also talk about her book The Power Of Real Estate Investing so don't miss  this great Cheap Cheetah Money Show Monday Feb 28th at 10:30 am New York  Time. You can also archives  the show if you miss it. Or listen to us on itunes.

Have a great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Tax Refunds

Hello Family How Are You?

Tax Refund Use It Wisely

Here are a few suggestion in ways to use your tax refund.

Save it, pay off loans, put toward an emergency fund. catch up on your pay day loans. put toward your or your children's education. Start a retirement fund, invest in mutual funds. There are many thing that you can do with your refund check. What I was doing with mine was paying down my 2nd mortgage that I had on my house. After so many year now I have a paid for house and it was worth the sacrifices. So what are you using your refund for?

Have A Great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Financial Pet Peeves

Hey Family how are you? Financial pet peeve... we all have them. You know where something just gets on your last nerve. Or you hate when that happens and you get upset.  Here are some Pet Peeves

 Snack chip bags that are huge and all filled with air.

ATM fees. I can't imagine how much money banks make off them!

family members and friends who assume that since I make more money than them, I should be the one who pays when we go out, etc.

Paying fees to cancel something you no longer need.

fathers who think that buying the kids toys or giving them parties make up for child support! 

When the bag say it's 50% more and it's really 25% less.

When your at a casino and your money get's stuck in the machine and you have to wait for hours for some help.

When your car breaks down and you try and get it fixed and it cost more then you thought it would.

When you tell your children they can not have something and they get it anyway because your partner buys it for them. 

When you practice saving money and take your lunch to work for the week and you find out that  the day you are really hungry someone took your lunch now you have to spend money buying lunch.

So what's your Peeve?

A Millionaire

                             Is it no longer a big deal to be a millionaire?

 Good Morning Family.  Some people feel that a millionaire isn't a millionaire any more. Because of decades of inflation, to live the lifestyle most people think of when they imagine "a MILLION DOLLARS!" now requires having 8-10 million of liquid assets in the bank. And of course not many ordinary people manage to achieve that. Having only a million or so sets you up for a comfortable retirement, but nothing more. Do you feel the same way. 

I for one would like to have million dollars just sitting around in my bank account, Because with that it would allow me to do what I wanted to do in life without the worries of not knowing how I am going to pay my bills. Yes a million does not go as far a yesteryear but it's still a nice piece of change to have.  Have A Great Cheap Cheetah Day!

What's Your Excuse!!!

Good Morning Family. We all have made of excuses of why we could not do certain things. Like go to an office event, family gathering, on a vacation with people we don't really care for. But what is your excuse for why your not saving any money. Here are the common excuses which one fits you?

 1. I don't make enough money.
2. I'll get around to it later.
3. I deserve a little luxury in my life.
4. Someone else will take care of it.
5. I'm saving through my 401(k).
6. This item or service will pay for itself.

7. I am just to lazy to save.

8. I have to much debt to save

9. I know that I will inherit a lot of money so I don't need to save

10.Why save money live life it's to short already.

I know at least one of these you can relate to. For me it was the excuse  I don't make enough money and the money I did make went toward my bills. What I did was get a second job and sold stuff on line so the extra money I made went toward my saving goals.  Stop with the excuses  already if you can find ways to do the things that you want to do . Then you most certainly can find ways to save money.

Have a great Cheap Cheetah Day!

 

Welcome To My Doll Collection

      

Good Morning Family. I know we normally talk about money, but today I just wanted to share with  you a little piece of my world. The ones that is not about Saving,or Making Money.  Enjoy and have a Great Cheap Cheetah Day!

What's Your Saving Skill?

Good Afternoon Family How are you? So what's your Special Savings Skill.

Do you think that there are a set of saving skills that people should have in order to better be able to save money? Characteristics or skills  like

WILLPOWER.

 Patience

Prioritizing!!

Being flexible

a little math sense goes a long way...

Attention to detail is also essential

Rationalization. The ability to rationalize goes a long way when you're trying to save money

I think memory comes into play If you can remember that the price of whatever is xx where you usually shop and it is xx cheaper somewhere else because it is on sale then you buy it. Honesty.

So what are your saving skills that you use in order for you to be a better saver?. Personally mine is Patience  I  have no Patience with anything else but waiting to buy  something so  that I  that will save money on it  then I have all the patience in the world. 

                  Have A Great Cheap Cheetah Week

Money In The News!!!

Good Evening Family. Don't miss it this Monday at 10:30 Money In The News On The Cheap Cheetah Money Show™ at www.blogtalkradio.com/cheap-cheetah
 It's going to be fun, informative and down right crazy because I have a lot to share with you.
You can also archive the show or listen to it on iTunes. Have a great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Money Quotes

Good Morning Family. Here are some good Money Quotes. I am sure you can add to this.

"Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." -Woody Allen

"I'd like to live like a poor man with lots of money." - Pablo Picasso

"Money isn't everything, but it sure keeps you in touch with your children." - J.Paul Getty

If you would like to know the value of money, go and try to borrow some.
(Benjamin Frankling)

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you only spend it once." - Lillian Dickson

"A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it." - Bob Hope

"I don't like money actually, but it quiets my nerves." - Joe Louis

"The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket." - Kin Hubbard

"If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy." - Unknown

Have A Great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Latte Factors

Good Morning Family.  What's your Latte Factor?  Meaning your  smallish expenses that add up over a month or year. The term latte factor came from the book by David Back Start Small Finish Rich in the book he talks about the Latte Factor which is small expenses that sneak up on you and in the end they add up to a lot of money over the course of a month or even a year. Here are some people's Latte factors.

 my car!...It's old and ugly, but there's NO WAY I'm taking the bus!

I would have to say travel!

Personal products ~ I love going to Bath & Body Works

Lattes itself!! 16 oz, double shot, non-fat, white chocolate and coconut, no whip, 140 degrees please.
Smoking  at $14 a pack that adds up to a small fortune
Shopping for clothing I have a dozen pair of the same shoes in different colors and still I want more.
Spoiling my children with toys. Between my husband and myself my children have a small toy store in their rooms.
You get the point of what a latte factor is now the question is what is yours and how are you going to stop it. The money that you are using to spend on stuff you do not need could be put to better usage someplace else. Don't you agree? Think about it and see what you can do without or substitute it for in order for you to save the money for something that you might really need down the road.
Oh yea my Latte factor is gambling and good desserts. I am a sucker for both.
                                      Have a great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Realty Show

                                 Would You Go On A Reality Show To Earn Money?

My friend had this crazy idea that we should go on a reality show to earn lots of money. Would you ever do something like this and what do you think the pros and cons of doing it would be? For me  many many moons ago my friend told me about a reality show that involved weight watchers. I guess it was around the time the biggest loser was starting and weight watchers wanted to compete with the biggest loser. So they send out announcement for women who wanted to be on their weight loss show and since I need to lose weight. I thought why not. So I made a video tape of myself talking about who I was and why I wanted to lose weight and why I would be a good candidate for the show. I prayed about being picked and I sent my audition tape off. Needless to say I asked my friend if she send her video in and she said no. I asked her why not and she told me it was just an idea and that she was to afraid to go on TV being fat.

Thanks a lot I told her after I had already sent my audition tape in. Needless to say 5 years later I am still waiting to hear from them. Oh well I guess I have to lost the weight myself with out the world knowing about it. So to answer the question Yes I would be on a reality show if the price was right!

                                  

                                                       Have A Great Cheap Cheetah Day! 

Taxable Income

                           

                                          Some ideas for lowering your taxable income:

- Contribute pre-tax to a 401(k), traditional IRA, SEP, SIMPLE, or similar retirement plan
- Contribute to a flexible spending account (health care and/or dependent care)
- Take advantage of a tax-deductible plan for commuting expenses if your employer offers it
- Switch to a high-deductible medical plan and contribute pre-tax to a health savings account (HSA)
- Consolidate your deductible health care expenses and/or your deductible miscellaneous expenses into the same year so you can exceed the minimum deductibility levels
- If you're a teacher, deduct up to $250 in supplies you bought for the classroom
- Go to school. You can deduct up to $4000 in tuition and fees.
- Donate cash or non-cash goods to your favorite charity.
- Buy real estate. Deduct the mortgage interest and pay "points" for an instant deduction.
- Take a capital loss for stocks and other investments that have lost value.
- Invest in tax-exempt bonds and tax-efficient mutual funds to reduce taxes on dividends and capital gains
- Defer income until the next year if possible.

Not recommended:
- Ask your boss for a pay cut.
- Get a divorce. Alimony payments are deductible.
- Move to a high-tax state.
- Have lots and lots of kids. Both deductions and credits on this one...

Please Note: I am not a tax expert and these are just suggestions. Thanks and have a Great Cheap Cheetah Day!

How Do You Save Money

Good Morning Family. How are you? Here's the question of the Day. How do you save money?

For me personally I budget for everything and I save the difference. Another suggestion that you could do to save money is You should save the first 10% of what you make, but if that is hard, start smaller. It is great if you can have it taken out of your paycheck before you see it. that way you will not miss what you never had. It also helps you to budget the money you do have. But most important is that the money you put away from your paycheck do not touch it unless you really really have to.

You can also  putting all my loose change/dollars into a coffee can  or plastic piggy bank like I do and not thinking about it. When you do that you will be surprised how fast loose coins can add up to a whole lota dollars over the course of a few months. I have saved as much as $100 in loose coins.   

Think about paying yourself first  which is the most important thing you can do, because you'll figure out a way. You have to trick yourself into thinking that the money is unavailable, and that's the hardest part. Paying yourself first also gives you a strategy to increase your savings. You give yourself a raise.

Found Money If you get a tax refund, repayment of a debt, found street money, using coupons, getting money as a gift, inheritance money etc all gets saved in a account you can not touch. Which you can only use this money for an emergency, retirement or medical bills

These are some ways to save. I sure you can think of a lot more. Have A Great Cheap Cheetah Week

Love Ain't Cheap!

                                                      

Love ain’t cheap it never is.
The usual Valentine’s Day staples will set you back an average of $512.03. That’s what Bankrate found after putting together its first “Be My Valentine Index,” a basket of goods and services associated with that one thing of infinite value: love.

The five items and their average prices are: a box of chocolates ($15.11), diamond earrings ($323.26), a dozen roses ($41.66), dinner for two ($80.46) and a bottle of champagne ($51.54).
The $512.03 total makes Valentine’s Day more costly than Halloween and Mother’s Day — holidays that cost on average $74 and $173, respectively, according to the National Retail Federation. And it’s close to the $806 people spent on Christmas gifts and decorations just two months ago.
That’s the brilliance of Valentine’s Day. While many consumers are still paying off holiday credit-card debt and, given the weather, would just as soon stay home, try telling that to your better half on the one day devoted to love.

As Bankrate astutely observes, it is “tough to scrimp on Valentine’s Day celebrations even when they may not be in the budget.” Fortunately, the consumer financial-services company offers some tips for curtailing the bill.
“What could be more romantic than a gourmet meal prepared at home — at a fraction of our cost for a fine-dining meal out,” says Bankrate analyst Claes Bell. And why splurge on champagne when a $10 bottle of Prosecco will do for all but a discerning few?
Bell also points out the 56 percent of men who buy Valentine’s Day flowers for their partners will pay as much as double on the day, with the price of long-stemmed red roses being “a matter of supply and demand.” This is why you need to listen to Valentines Day On The Cheap on www.blogtalkradio.com/cheap-cheetah

Finance Magazines

                                              The best financial magazine?

Most if not all of the major PF magazines (Money, SmartMoney, Kiplinger Personal Finance) offer trial issues. You can try them out and if you're not satisfied, you can cancel. My personal favorite is Money followed closely by Kiplinger. Of course for more comprehensive reading, there is always the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Sometimes if you don't have time to read a book on finance a good magazine will give you the short and to the point story when it comes to saving and investing. I remember when I first wanted to learn about investing and saving money. I started looking in the library for magazines that would teach me the basic when it comes to money management. That's when I found money magazine and kiplinger. I have used these magzines for years and I love that they tell the simple story of  how to manage your money.  Black enterprise is another good magazine for money and business.

                                                             Have a Great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Survivng Tough Money Times

                                                 A survival guide for tough times

                                                               Ways to save.

1. Spend only on the needs, not wants. This is a hard thing for most but be realistic with your self you know what you really need from what you just want.
2. If you don’t already track your money. Twice a day take the time to write down how much you have spent that day and on what you brought. This is a good way to see if you are making unnecessary or wasteful purchases.
3. Take the time to read your bills, such as your cell phone bill, cable, and utility bills. This is another area to find savings. Cancel any cell phone services you don’t use or could get by without all together. Learn your utility bill so you will be able to notice any strange charges, same with the cable bill. Look for new promotions with your cable company or your cell phone provider.
4. Set up a budget. Once you have been tracking your money for a couple of weeks you will be able to set up a good budget. You will have a better understanding of what it is you spend. You will be able to make a budget you can stick to.
5. Stop paying for things you can do yourself. If you need some work done around the house or to the car make some time and do it yourself. The most expensive part of home and car repairs is the labor. It might take away from some of your relax time but it will be more money in your pocket.
6. Plan your errands. Try to do as much in one outing. The more you can do the more efficient it will be on gas and time.
7. Change your entertainment. If you normally go out, find tings to do inside. Rent movies instead of going. If you really like the movie experience go to a matinee. Find new bars or clubs that have no cover charge. Drink a few less beers. If you go out a few nights a week stay home one extra night. If you smoke think about quitting. Not only will it have a tremendous health benefit, but also it is a big saving if you’re a heavy smoker.
8. Clip coupons when going grocery shopping. This can be a big savings. When you don’t have a coupon consider buying the generic brand instead of the name brand. Try to load up on bargains especially if it is a non-perishable item. Buy in bulk when possible. Clipping coupons extends beyond groceries there are coupons for just about anything you need to buy. You just have to take some time to find them
9. Take your lunch to work a few times a week. Instead of wasting those leftovers bring them to work and save on buying lunch each day. Buy sodas and snacks from the grocery store and bring to work instead of buying them

10. Things will get better tough money times don't last forever. Think of this time that your going through a way fro you to get stronger and more creative with your money for when the good money times come back. Have a great Cheap Cheetah Day!

Marketing Your Business

  
Hey Family. I know that it's hard enough to start a business. Especially when your on a limited income. But it's just as hard to find creative ways to market that business. So Monday on The Cheap Cheetah Money Show we will be talking about ways to get your business noticed on the cheap. If you have any suggestions or you yourself have a business and you want to share how you let the people know about your business on the cheap then we look forward to hearing from you. visit and listen to us at www.blogtalkradio.com/cheap-cheetah

 Also join me to talk about side hustles at  https://twentybuckhustle.blogspot.com/  

Investing On The Cheap

Today's most of us are working just to cover our basic bills and debts. For some of us investing is not on our minds. We think that investing is for people who have money to spare, which right now a lot of us don’t. We also feel that investing in things like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds is a game with money that we can not afford to lose.

Some of us don’t even have enough saved for an emergency fund or for our kids college educations. We live pay check to paycheck with every penny in that paycheck accounted for. But what if you can pay all your bills have an emergency fund and still invest while living paycheck to paycheck. You say how is that possible right? I will tell you.

Once you are ready to invest;

Check with your employer and see if they offer a plan where they will match what you put in to the company’s 401k plans. If they match say 50 cents to every dollar you put it then why not invest a small amount of money to get the free money your company is offering. Looking into what investment retirement plans your company offers before you go outside the company to invest.

You can also look into once you're ready to invest, check out low-cost online brokers like Sharebuilder.com. This company offers automatic investing plans, individual one-time stock trades and a money market account with competitive rates. Best of all, Share builder has no minimum investment, allows you to invest any amount and does not charge fees for inactivity.  On a personal note I also deal with this company now it’s called capital one. I have purchased fractional share in companies that I was interested in like Vegas hotels and dessert companies for a little bit of money.

You can also look into Dividend Reinvestment Plans ( Drips) Drips are companies that let a shareholders buy stocks of that company directly from the company itself. You don't need a large amount of money to start. Usually owning one share is all that is required to enroll in a DRP. Most companies allow investors to purchase additional shares through a Dividend Reinvestment Plan for nominal fees -- or often no fee at all. These stock purchase provisions, sometimes called Stock Purchase Plans (SPPs) or Optional Cash Purchase Plans (OCPs), allow an investor to send in as little as $10 to $50 at a time to purchase additional stock. I have purchased many companies thought drip plans.

 I started buying shares Kellogg’s a couple of months. It cost me $65 to get started t and $25 going forward when I get enough coins collected to make $25 dollars I purchase more shares. Easy right? 

You can also check with your banks investment department to see if they offer mutual funds or bonds funds that you can start that are inexpensive and offer a good return on your money.

Please remember when you invest there is no guarantee that you will not lose your principal investment but if you start out investing with a little bit of money, and you know that you will not touch that money for a while you have a better chance of gaining more interest with your money in investments then you would if your money was sitting in a cd account.    Have A Great Cheap Cheetah Day!