Overcoming jealousy

This weekend I got a serious case of jealousy. I don't normally strongly desire what others have, but there is one particular place where I get jealous and want what they have every time I go there. It is not that I want everything they have. I just want their daughters room for my daughters.

To me it is so pretty and my daughters love it. I know they spent quite a bit on it and it is beautiful. Every time I go there I start thinking about all the stuff I want to buy my daughters for their room and how I would decorate it.

Then I come back down to earth. In reality I don't want to spend that much money. I want to be debt free. I also know they are in a significant amount of debt and often struggle to pay bills. I am not using this as a way to make me feel better about things, but to realise that while things may look great on the surface it is not always so.

This weekend once the green eyed monster reared its ugly head again I had a think about what I could do to pretty up my daughters room to how I want without spending hundreds of dollars. I realised there are many things we have that with a little work would transform their rooms.

Looking at ways I can get what I want or achieve what I want for free or very cheap helps me overcome feelings of jealousy.

A few other things that help me are:
- Reviewing my goals. Will getting what I want in my jealous state help me achieve them or take away from them?
- Make a list. If there is something I want it can go on a list. In a month or 3 if I still want that thing I can look for a way to get it. More than likely I don't want it anymore.
- Experience vs stuff. Ultimately we all have too much stuff. Do I really want more stuff or would I rather have life experiences and teach my kids that we don't need stuff to be happy.
- What sort of example am I setting. When I get jealous I think about the example I am setting my children. How do I want them to grow up and what sort of behaviour do I want them to exhibit?

How do you overcome jealousy?

You don't need a smartphone!

This is what I keep telling myself. Actually I keep saying "You don't need an iPhone!" I really, really want one and only for one reason - Instagram.

I had a really old iPhone for about a week. It was dying, but I played with it anyway and discovered Instagram. I loved how I could post a pic straight to twitter or Facebook and how easy it was to use. Plus the way I could make my pictures look cool.

I had a HTC Desire HD and did love it for many reasons, but also got a little frustrated with it as the calls kept disconnecting. If it had Instagram I would love it more than an iPhone.

I love smartphones for being able to access the internet easily, for the apps you can have like the Bible (I am Christian and loved being able to read anywhere, anytime). I do miss having a smartphone. But there are many downsides to it.

When I had one I was connected more than I should be. I would check my emails, Facebook and things constantly and I really didn't need to. I would play around with apps and when I was bored I would pull my phone out.

Currently I have a little old Nokia which barely gets Facebook or twitter and I cannot check my email or anything else on it. It is a sturdy little thing and works for what I need - to make calls and send messages. But it is not fancy and I do find myself missing a smartphone every now and then.

It doesn't help that 2 of my sisters just got the latest iPhone. Yes, I am jealous a little. I can admit it. Not insanely jealous, but I would like one too.

So much so that I jumped on and started looking at plans. I have a prepaid phone and never wanted to be on a plan again, but I really wanted an iPhone.

Then I snapped out of it. I do not need one. I do not want to spend way more on a plan than I currently spend a month prepaid and I do not want to shell out a few hundred for a new iPhone. I am getting another HTC Desire from my sister soon and while it doesn't have instagram, I don't need it.

Or do I?

Guest Post - 5 Creative Ways to Fund Your New Small Business

It takes a lot of guts to run a small business these days. You need to be your own boss, your own IT team, your own cleaning crew and, most importantly, your own accountant. Typically, money is always tight in the first year (or few years for some), and things will only get tougher if you can’t find sources of financing to support your early growth track. The problem is that ever since the economic implosion that started back in 2008, the banks have severely tightened their lending criteria.  So, what does a small business owner have to do to find funding for his or her business? Get creative.

To successfully fund your new business these days, you'll have to think outside the box, over the box and sometimes even on top of the box. We’re talking Zappa-style unorthodox here. If you’re not exactly the creative type though, it might be difficult to conjure up creative financing ideas.  In order to help you kick-start the thought process, we’ve come up with a list of 5 creative ways to fund your small business.

11)  Pitch your business to a local university.  Institutions of higher learning just love seeing small businesses succeed. Universities worldwide donate millions of dollars in grants to promising start-ups every year. If you think your company brings something new to the marketplace, why not compete for funding from your alma mater? While you might have to take on a few interns if you win, funding from local universities is a legitimate option to consider.

22)  Try ‘crowd funding’. In years past, crowd funding was simply a euphemism for begging.  But in 2012, asking strangers for a little bit of money has become all the rage in the start-up community. What makes crowd funding different than investing is that donors don’t expect to receive a stake in the business when they hand you $100. Instead, they typically ask for some sort of recognition or reward. For instance, if you’re opening a bakery, you might give a few charitable individuals a plaque on the wall and free cupcakes for life. On balance, it’s another legitimate source of financing that new small business owners should strongly consider.

33) Sign up for a small business credit card. Small business credit cards have gotten a bum rap recently, but the truth is that these cards can actually be incredibly useful tools for launching and managing the financial aspects of any small business. They provide great options for tracking expenses, managing your cash flow and also provide a great backstop in financial emergencies.  

44)  Make a deal with the angels. If your business has serious growth potential, an angel investor might be a source of financing to investigate.  Angel investors are wealthy businesspeople that are willing to provide capital for promising start-ups. The only catch is that angel investors will require an equity stake in the business, which might require a cut of your profits in the short run, an equity position and a voice in management and strategic direction on a long term basis.

55)  Get a microloan. The SBA maintains a microloan program that provides small short terms loans to small businesses.  Maximum loan amounts are capped at $50,000 but have an average microloan amount of roughly $13,000.  These SBA loans are a great way to fund working capital needs or to purchase inventory, supplies, machinery or equipment.  While you won't be able to buy a new lot for that new retro diner you just opened, an SBA microloan might be enough to provide that new grill you’ve had your eye on.

Sources of financing for small business have multiplied in recent years, but you still need a very compelling business model to convince investors that you’re worth their time. The reality is that securing an angel investment or venture capital funding is highly unlikely for the vast majority of new businesses.  Guy Kawasaki said, “[The] probability of an entrepreneur getting venture capital is the same as getting struck by lightning while standing at the bottom of a swimming pool on a sunny day.  This may be too optimistic.”  The good news is that most small businesses don’t really need that type of funding. 

In the end, the most credible sources of financing for the vast majority of small businesses will still be a micro loan, crowd funding or a small business credit card, which are all viable financing options.  All in all, those options aren’t half bad.

This is a guest contribution from Bill Hazelton, CEO and Founder of Credit Card Assist, a leading pro-consumer, credit card information resource.

Money Make Over

I have started a money make over month on my other blog and I have been loving it. I decided to look at every aspect of my/our budget and what we could do to either make or save money in each area. Every day I am sharing something different form things like setting a budget right through to making and saving money on entertainment, clothing, bills and more.

Click here to check it out.

On top of sharing my ideas my husband and I have really been cracking down on our finances and what we do. There are so many ways I think we could be doing better, but my main thought it I would like to increase my streams of income more.

I have so many ideas, but I seem to get too caught up in wanting to do them all that none of them happen properly. As such I have written down everything it is that I want to do and will only work on one project at a time to ensure I actually complete each project.

Doing it this way will help me prioritise what projects I really view as worth my time, what I am truly passionate about and hopefully demonstrate which projects are most profitable.

How to cope with increased petrol costs

This week marked the start of a big increase in petrol costs for us. Our bill will double from now for the next 3 months, or so I thought. I need to drive my husband to and from work now, which is not a short trip.

It is a 30 - 45 minute drive to my husbands work, factor in waiting for him to finish when I pick him up and it is about 3 hours each day he is working I am spending driving him to and from work. Unfortunately public transport is not an option for between our place and his work. And since last year we spend much of the year without full time work, we are not willing to give up his job.

I thought I would see quite an increase in our petrol consumption, but I forgot to factor in a few things.
1.) I drive differently. I don't speed like my husband does, I don't drive aggressively so there are no sudden stops and fast take offs. I am conscious of how I am driving and trying to reduce my petrol consumption as well as drive safely.
2.) No more speeding tickets
3.) I am more aware of how much petrol is in the car and can look out for prices on petrol between a variety of suburbs and fill up accordingly.

I no longer thing our petrol will double. I expect to see it increase but not by as much as originally thought. I was also looking at what is available along the route we drive. Since we don't take the toll roads ($7 each way and it would only save 12 minutes!) we go through some hobby farm areas. Many of these farms have signs out the front selling farm fresh produce at much cheaper prices than the shops in our local area. It is all seasonal and looks to be quite good. There is everything from eggs and honey to potatoes, strawberries even meat.

Another thing I noticed was various plants for sale much cheaper than nurseries. We plan on doing our garden and this will be a way for us to keep costs down.

I am hoping that the savings on groceries and plants will help subsidise the increase in petrol. There are a few other things I am looking into to help take advantage of our current situation. I am trying to make the best of it, despite the fact I do not like all the driving I now have to do.

(Just as a side note, car pooling is not an option, public transport is not an option, a taxi fare would be $100 so not worth it and my husband does varying shifts of 12hours in length, so this is not something I have to do 5 days a week, more like 3 days most weeks.)