This is an article is written by Ralph E. Plaskett. Ralph is known as the Peculiar Marketing Expert for peculiar people, the go-to resource for action-oriented information where readers can take the words right off the page and put them to work immediately! His effective strategies develop, grow, and expand businesses for Christians. Find out more at PushingKingdomBusiness.com.

Time is Currency for the True Entrepreneur

You’ve heard it before, time is money. This is absolutely true for entrepreneurs. The typical employee gets paid regardless of what happens or what they do (or don’t do). I often joke with my friends that being a meteorologist is the only job in the world where they could be wrong 98% of the time and still keep a job. True entrepreneurs understand that the time they put into a task or project is essential to its success, and ultimately their success. As such, successful entrepreneurs are cautious of the time that they offer.

It is a glorious thing to know that God isn’t respective of a person. What He will do for one, He will do for another. This is most evident with the time that He has given each of us. We all have the same 24 hours a day to accomplish our goals, aspirations, and dreams. Whether you are rich, poor, successful, unsuccessful, black, white, multilingual, or can only speak one language, God has given each of us access to the same amount of time per day. So how do we best utilize the time given to us with the millions of things we have going on each day? You may be inclined to think time management and you are right, but true entrepreneurs must use aggressive strategies of time management to accomplish more.

Here are a few strategies for aggressive time management for entrepreneurs:

Time Blocks

Time management in and of itself is and under-used discipline. I truly believe that many people have more fear of success than they do of failure (or maybe failure once they succeed). Scheduling time blocks throughout your day is an effective way of managing the time that God has given you. When properly followed, time blocks provide an ease to accomplish goals or tasks, meet with customers/clients/patients, study the Word of God, spend time with family and friends, and even drive from meetings to the office, to home all within your allotted time. Not only would you be managing your time well, but you will also get more done. It may seem radical and even a little insane to schedule time with the family, but as entrepreneurs (and most likely the breadwinners) there are more things to get done than there is time. Successful time management will allow you to get more done and spend more time with the family.

One Productive Thing a Day

Regardless of what goes on during the day, make a commitment to do at least one productive thing each and every single day (yes, even on the weekends). The term ‘productive’ in this case means an action that will result in income immediately or in the future. This could be an email to your list of prospective clients to join a teleseminar, responding to a workshop request, or writing your next article. So, before you call it a night, make a commitment to do at least one productive thing.

Disconnect

It is difficult to break away in a world that has become so interconnected because of technology. There are PDAs, iPhones, netbooks, eateries with free Internet, email, social
networking updates and everything in between that keeps most people constantly connected to everything. How can anyone get anything accomplished with these constant distractions? The only solution is to disconnect from it all. Turn it off, don’t login, or unplug it from the wall. Do what you must to remove the distractions. This may include locking the door and not answering the phone during periods where you have allotted your time to something else. Remember, time is currency; it’s the type of currency that you can’t get back once it’s gone.

Anti-Multi-Tasking

There are many people who pride themselves on being able to “focus” on many things at the same time; working on 10 different things simultaneously. The reality is they may not be focusing on anything. To focus is to actually give your full attention to something and in doing so you are able to provide a complete response to that thing. Multi-tasking has the ability to spread someone so thin that they cannot provide attention (or enough of it) to a single task. When you focus on a single task, you can put your full brain power to completing it. The result is a well thought-out, defined product or solution completed in a faster time than if you did while multi-tasking. Let the computers do the multi-tasking. If you are a true entrepreneur, focus on a single task or project at a time.

Don’t be a “Yes” Man/Woman

When it comes to time management, there are things called “time vampires”. These are people that will suck up all your time with unscheduled, useless, unproductive chatter.
You have to be cautious of these things. Saying “yes” to every meeting, every lunch request, or every phone call can cause these time vampires to suck up your entire day. It is ok to say “no”. In fact, when you say no and instruct them as to how they can schedule a meeting with you (with an agenda) in your office (don’t have to waste time if they are late) then they tend to respect you and your time.

Use that extra hour

Lastly, we just gained an extra hour of time during the Fall. How will you use it? Will you sleep in or just wake up your normal time to get in an extra hour of productivity?

Job loss.  A lay off.  Fraud. Getting fired. Robbery.  Legal Issues. Credit card debt.  In a moment, any of these instantaneous events can shatter your financial plan.  At times these events do not come alone, but they come in groups – event after event.  Unfortunately, life is filled with disappointment, frustration, and surprise.  So what do you do when you get the pink slip?  How do you wade through a series of financial failures?

“10% is what happens and 90% is how you react.”

Remember this quote during a family financial melt down.  Nerves wear thin and perspective is tainted. If couples do not proceed with caution, there might be even more losses (in addition to financial losses) on the way.

12 Action Items For Couples During A Financial Crisis

1. Talk openly, communicate, and set goals

   Financial difficulty brings a slew of questions: What are we going to do now?  How will we pay the bills?  Should we consider bankruptcy? What if “x” happens? While all these questions are buzzing around, talk with your spouse and communicate.  Decide on a direction you both support and start looking forward.  Commit to moving through the process together, not alone.

2. Prioritize together by asking “What is most important to you?”

   What things do you value the most?  What people do you need around you?  If I lost “x”, things would be even worse.  Write the items in a list. For example, food, household, transport …  Take your very first dollar and apply it to #1 on your list.  Go in order no matter how loudly someone else says they need to get paid.  If you are not budgeting you need to start.  Here are some free budget worksheets to help.  In case you find it helpful, here is a sneak peak into how my family budgets.

3. Switch to survival mode

   Bring in the spending tsar who reduces spending to absolute necessities.  I suggest you write your needs list and then cut out half the stuff.  This is the time to get the most mileage out of every single dollar. While your life might feel completely out of control this is still one area you can control.  Spend carefully and intentionally. This might be a good time to sell your stuff on ebay.

4. Acknowledge emotions

   You will experience a bunch of emotions from bitterness to guilt to frustration.  The emotions will impact your relationship with your spouse, your children, your extended family, your friends, and your faith.  Did I miss anything?  You may be tempted to lash out to find a place to release your frustration.  When you talk about your emotions, use phrases like, “I feel …” This makes others less defensive.

5. Avoid blame

   At this point, once things are damaged, it is not the time to figure out who is to blame.  This will only serve to push your spouse away. Your frayed nerves will do more damage than good if you let them run rampant. There will be a time for reflection and debriefing, but in the midst of the chaos you will do more harm than good if you start to play the blame game.

6. Accept help

   Accepting help is difficult because of one reason – pride.  Perhaps you will have a new favorite Bible verse “It is better to give than receive.”  God may once again put you in the position of the giver, but for now this might just be your time to receive.  Standing together is a function of community, and in this case standing alone is a sign of selfishness.

7. Minimize pressure

   If you allow it financial concern can completely consume you.  Schedule time in your day to focus your energy on other chores or tasks. Removing yourself from the worry and strain will help remove the burden.

8. Turn to your faith

   When the world seems to be falling apart you will need a Rock upon which to stand.  Continue or begin a habit of daily devotionals and seek the will and presence of God. (Check out these encouraging bible verses)

9. Count your blessings

   Yes, count your blessings.  Things may be bad, or awful, or even horrible.  But are there probably still many blessings in your life?  Focusing solely on the problems and your lack of stuff will only cause depression.  Remember that around every corner there is a blessing, if you are looking for it.

10. Don’t be afraid to dream

    If you have just lost a job, this is a great chance to dream. What am I passionate about doing? What have I always wanted to try?  This crisis might simply be a hidden opportunity.  Look ahead and have some direction.  The time may be right for turning a hobby into a business or even trying a new way to make money.  Just be sure to ask the right questions to reduce risk.

11. Journal

    These circumstances might just be the greatest blessing in your life (in a few years).  Journaling helps learn all the important lessons that the school of life is trying to teach.  If hindsight is 20/20, don’t you want to have a chronicle that details exactly what was going on and exactly how the problem was resolved?

12. Stay in control

    You may be tempted to throw up your hands and say “I don’t care anymore.”  Creditors want to drive you to this state where you just give them what they want to get you off their back.  Remember, you don’t need to answer the phone. Whatever you do make sure you break the debt cycle by refusing to take on more debt.  Digging deeper is not your solution.  Don’t be a good person who make bad money choices.

While a series of financial tragedies can be extremely difficult, your responses during this time will determine a large portion of the situation’s solution.

Photo by Valeriana Solaris.

What would/have you done in the midst of financial devastation?

Craig is a missionary who has spent over ten years working in various forms of Christian ministry. Currently, Craig lives with his family in Papua New Guinea. Relying on his ministry experience and background in Biblical Studies he writes daily personal finance articles from a Christian perspective. You can visit his site at www.MoneyHelpForChristians.com, on Twitter, or you can sign up to receive free daily email updates for his site.

I just popped open my ING Direct account this morning to find this quote…

“There’s no such thing as Saver’s remorse.” -ING Direct

It is pretty clever and generally I think it is true. You could argue that some people are a bit too extreme about saving money that they fail to live today, so that they can have plenty to live on in the future. To me, maintaining this balance has been tricky at times, but a key to doing this whole money management thing the right way.

I want to enjoy life now, while continuing to save for the future, so that I can enjoy life then as well. From the people I meet, I would say the break down goes like this…

• 70% spend it all (or most now) with little thought towards the future.
• 20% have a good balance of saving for the future, while enjoying life today.
• 10% practice extreme frugality without adequately living (IMO) in the “now”.

For the first 90% I don’t think they would have much of a chance of having Saver’s Remorse, but I wonder about the last 10%. I guess it depends what their goals are, but I would be sad if I got to my deathbed and had a full bank account, but I never enjoyed it – either by giving it to bless others, taking a vacation once in a while, or going out to a nice dinner with my wife.

If you are interested in a good story that helped me put this in perspective, read the Mexican Fisherman Story.

Do you think Saver’s Remorse exists? Have you ever had it?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

The following is a guest post from Julius who writes for NewRetirement.com.

The Good News and Bad News on Reverse Mortgage Loan Amounts

Reducing the Maximum Reverse Mortgage Loan Amounts

Effective Oct. 1, 2009, the Federal Housing Administration reduced the maximum loan amounts seniors could receive from a Reverse Mortgage. The reduction means a 10 percent cutback on the loan amount for all new FHA Reverse Mortgage loan applications.

While this won’t impact borrowers with applications taken prior to October first, it is estimated that one in five new Reverse Mortgage applicants will now be unable to qualify for the loan.

The reduction will strengthen the Reverse Mortgage program and help the FHA recover from an estimated $798 million budgetary shortfall for the program in the coming fiscal year. The shortfall resulted at least in part from the FHA mortgage insurance program having to cover the difference between final loan amounts and lower than expected home sales prices used to pay off Reverse Mortgages come due.

Is there good news? If you haven’t yet applied for your Reverse Mortgage, you will indeed now have access to less cash than you would have a month ago. However, loan amounts in 2009 are still generally higher than they were in 2008.

Will there be more changes? The FHA can change the benefit level at any time – up or down. While impossible to predict, a further decline in housing prices might necessitate further benefits reductions.

Stretching Your Reverse Mortgage for the Rest of Your Life

Many seniors secure a Reverse Mortgage to enable them to “age in place.” Aging in place means that you wish to remain in your home as long as possible – making necessary modifications or hiring home health care to keep you safe and comfortable.

Whether you are 62 or 90, it is important to consider your plan for aging and how you will fund long term care if it is required. If you are securing a Reverse Mortgage at a relatively young age, you should make sure that you will be able to fund the expenses nearer the end of your life.

The most significant cost of aging in place is typically a home health aide. The average national cost of services was $19 per hour in 2008. A person who needs a few hours of help from a home health aide in the morning and at night could easily spend $76 a day – which is around $2,280 a month.

In addition to considering home health care costs, you will want to assess whether or not your home is appropriate for aging and what modifications – ramps, a bathroom on the main floor or grab bars for example – would be necessary.

Should You Consult Your Family About a Reverse Mortgage and Other Retirement Issues?

It is not usually required that you discuss your decision to secure a Reverse Mortgage with family. However, it can be a very good idea to share your overall retirement plan – including Reverse Mortgage options — with your children.

There is a strong likelihood that your retirement plans will impact your children’s lives. It is estimated that at least 40 percent of today’s baby boomers are helping to take care of one of their parents – either financially, personally or both. It is therefore important to discuss your financial decisions with anyone who might be eventually be impacted by your plans.

It’s no secret that I like quotes. I am one of those guys who can get really motivated by the right words. And while some of the best encouraging quotes are in the Bible, there have been a lot of brilliant minds who have said some pretty inspiring words that still help me when I read them. So I decided to gather up the 10 best motivation quotes (in my opinion, of course!).

If any of them resonate with you, I encourage you to write them down and tape them to your fridge or computer screen. I have been greatly helped by having a constant reminder of a scripture or a quote to help keep me in line with what I am shooting for. It’s pretty cool how a little handwritten quote can speak to you when you need it. After all, “Like apples of gold in settings of silver Is a word spoken in right circumstances.” Pro 25:11.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.”

- Aristotle

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”

- Dale Carnegie

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that frightens us. Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.”

- Nelson Mandela

“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.”

- Arthur C. Clarke

“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.”

- Samuel Johnson

“As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death.”

- Leonardo da Vinci

“It’s not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.

- Paul Bryant

“You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment that you will ever make.

- Gorden B. Hinkley

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think, say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift, or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.”

- Charles Swindoll

Need some more motivating quotes?

These are a few other websites full of great famous motivational quotes…

• Inspirational Quotes
• Motivational Quotes
• Famous motivational quotes
• Hearts and Minds

What are your favorite quotes to get you motivated?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

I have now been using Ebates for a while and with it being completely FREE and incredibly simple, I am still surprised how few of people are taking advantage of it.

In an attempt to show how simple it is, I created a short little video to explain the process…

Basically, merchants pay Ebates to refer customers to them. Ebates then pays a chunk of that back to the shoppers themselves. Win, win, win.

That’s it. It is completely free, only takes a minute or so to sign up and then you can start earning money. I have now received 3 checks from Ebates and while I wish they paid monthly, they do indeed pay out every 3 months like they promised. To sign up just head over to Ebates.com.

Here is how Ebates describes the process:

A few things worth mentioning about Ebates

• The payout percentages vary from 1% to about 25%
• They have a ton of merchants – many well known stores: Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, and really about anything you can imagine
• Some merchants offer cash bonuses for signing up
• Ebates also offers referral bonuses for friends that sign up
• Payment options include Paypal or a paper check
• They also have a toolbar that will tell you if you are on a site that offers a cashback bonus

I signed up for Ebates last year and have added them to my online shopping arsenal along with Amazon Prime and Bing’s Cashback Program. Do you use Ebates? Has your experience been as good as mine?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

This article was written by Lakita Humber who serves as the founder of Paneh – A ministry which exists to educate, impart and equip those called to worship arts on a variety of subjects, such as D.A.N.C.E. Out of Debt.

Is There a Such Thing as a Free Lunch?

One of the tenets of economics is “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” The underlying concept is you cannot get “something for nothing.” The phrase originates from 19th century American saloons attracting drinkers by offering them a free lunch. The catch was, in order to get the “free” meal, you had to purchase a drink. Some saloon keepers were prosecuted for false advertisement. (Source) Ironically, this type of advertising campaign is still in existence and actually accepted today.

I began to wonder if there was such a thing as a “free lunch?” Is it possible to get something for nothing? Is there a hidden agenda behind every act of generosity? Is altruism nothing more than a pipe dream? Since part of the Christian faith is generosity and giving, I believe there IS such a thing as a free lunch – even if I’m the one providing it! The Bible has quite a bit to say about giving:

“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” – Deuteronomy 15:10

“He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.” – Proverbs 22:9

“If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” – James 2:15-16

As a participant in the 10-Day Give project I was able to observe the responses of some of the campaign recipients. Many offered some form of immediate reciprocation. For example, if I picked up the tab for lunch, they immediately offered to do the same next time. I told them that it was not necessary. For me, the promise of reciprocity negated the point of the giving project. For the most part, they were being polite. Admittedly, if the roles were reversed I would have offered as well. Still I can’t help but wonder; have we become cynical about giving and receiving?

Most advertisers, marketers and businesses are giving to receive. There is nothing wrong with that, their agenda is to make a profit. For example, FreeCreditReport.com will give you a “free” copy of your credit report once they sign you up for a monthly paid credit monitoring service. Many foundations and individuals give to charities and non-profits to receive the tax write-off. Other companies give money or promotional items in exchange for publicity.

Again, I don’t believe there is anything wrong with giving in order to receive; however, this should not be confused with selfless generosity. Many of us are business owners and entrepreneurs and therefore rely on the direct and indirect benefits of giving – great! Every once in a while let’s remember to give without expectation (except the promise outlined in Luke 6:38). It may be as simple as providing someone with a free lunch!

I have always had a feeling that contentment was a critical component of having joy in life. As I have been learning this lesson on a deeper level, I have written about it (here and here). But lately I have been seeing a new angle on a few verses in Philippians 4.

¹¹Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

¹²I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Philippians 4:11-12 (NASB)

I added a little emphasis to the parts of verses above that I have been pondering. What exactly was Paul talking about when he said he knew how to get along with humble means and prosperity?

I am sure that for him it was a bit of a challenging process to be content living in humble means. He was basically on the fast-track to become a super-Pharisee -  from what I understand they were a very materialistic bunch. Then Jesus steps in and his life is forever changed. And a few years later we see him in prison writing that we should “rejoice in the Lord always” and be content in every circumstance.

Breaking the attachment to things

The first way I look at the “know how” that Paul was referring to is more of an internal lesson that needs to be learned. It’s that things are just things. They come, they go. They don’t determine your value or worth and you can’t take them with you when you die. Paul had some of the most tremendous ups and downs. One minute he was shackled hand and foot in prison and the next he was staying in the King’s palace. He seemed to live the full spectrum of having a lot and having a little.

But, his outlook proves that he had broken his attachment to things. He didn’t consider his life a failure and quit when he frequently found himself in prison. And on the other hand, he didn’t allow more prosperous times to be his pinnacle achievement that he would hang his hat on. He had a goal to fulfill what God had called him to and the things were just peripheral, so as they came and went he learned not to care too much. He was successfully living Matthew 6:33.

Practically living with a little or a lot

In addition to the internal lesson, I am starting to suspect that there is a practical element to what he is saying as well. Could it be that Paul is also referring to the resourcefulness required when times are tight? On a practical level managing money is a lot different when you have a lot of it, than when you have a little. If Warren Buffett spent 2 hours of his work-day cutting grocery coupons to save $10 at the grocery store, it would be a pretty foolish use of his time. Those same 2 hours could probably be used to do what he does so well and make many thousands of dollars. On the other hand, if you are only making $100 a week, it might be worth spending 2 hours cutting coupons to save $10.

My wife and I both had the painful experience of living well (and spending more money than we had) and then having to be honest with ourselves by cutting our standard of living to what it really should be. It is not fun at all, but trying to live like you are “in prosperity” when you are in a season of “humble means” is a path for destruction. What I have been getting out of Phil 4:12 is that if I continue to try to live like I am rich, when I am not, then I am only deceiving myself. For me, moving from having an abundance back down to humble means was a test from God. I think he wanted to see if I would still love Him if I didn’t have a lot of stuff. So I had to make many cuts to my lifestyle. I had to go without things I had previously taken for granted. And I had to start praying and trusting God for things that were previously commonplace.

Like I said, it was a painful process. But all along I knew that it was just a season and that God had more for me. And as a result of those lessons we have gone from debt-ridden over spenders to a couple who consistently spends less than they earn, has no consumer debt, and who was able to save a down payment for their new house.

One last thing

Just to clarify, I don’t believe that contentment means settling for mediocrity. But rather it is being satisfied at whatever place in life God has us at, while trusting that He does have our interest at heart and that he does want to bless us and see us succeed. So, I am trying to learn these lessons that Paul did and be content in my present circumstances, while trusting that God is taking me from Glory to Glory.

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

Happy Monday – it has been a busy weekend. Working on the new house – painting, cleaning, installing a sink in the basement, and installing a garage-door opener. The garage-door opener has been a bit of a challenge, but I always like a good challenge. Hopefully I will finish it today and get to take my victory lap – and the appliances are getting delivered today as well – and the internet will be installed – and I might paint another room… I am keeping myself busy, but it is FUN busy.

So, hosting the Money Stories carnival today works out nicely. I don’t have much to write, but I leave you with a bunch articles from around the web for your reading pleasure! Enjoy!

• Madeleine Begun Kane presents Mad Gift Giving Guide
• Diane Steward presents The Definitive Gold ETF Guide
• debt kid presents Are You a Saver or A Spender?
• Curt presents The Outsourcing Trend is a Trap, This Is the Time to Bring in College Interns and Hire Local
• The Smarter Wallet presents Reasons For Buying A Laptop Plus I Got A MacBook Air! saying, “I talk about how I got myself a laptop, which is a great investment….especially for my business!”
• Braudis Lee Pegram presents President Obama vs. Capital One .
• Ray presents Best Credit Card saying, “Credit cards have a bad name in the personal finance world, however using credit cards properly can be a big part of your financial plan. Here are a few tips on how to choose the best credit card.”
• jim presents Avoid Credit Card Cash Advances!.
• Matt Schulz presents Forget H1N1; nothing scares us like ID theft, survey says.
• David presents Credit Card Articles, Tips, News and Offers saying, “The Chase Freedom Credit Card is designed to catch the attention of those who are seeking a cash back card.”
• Tyler Tervooren presents Is Life Getting in the Way of Your Life? saying, “Lately I’ve been deep in debt, but not with money – with time. Funny thing is, the feelings associated with time debt aren’t that different from money debt. Overwhelm, stress, and frustration can get the best of us when we get behind with anything. Here are the steps I’m taking to solve my own time management problem. Hopefully you can apply them as well.”
• Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Do You Know How Much Interest You Are Paying Each Month? saying, “I took a look at how much interest I was paying on my loans and the number surprised me! I used fictional numbers for this example, but the principle is the same for anyone who owes money on a loan.”
• Stephanie presents A Little Payoff.
• studenomist presents Poor Financial Planning For College Will Cost You.
• anotherjen presents Wow, Could It Be Time To Buy a House? saying, “A chance remark from my landlord makes my husband and I seriously consider if the time is right for us to buy a house…”
• Brandon Laughridge presents How Much House Can I Afford? saying, “Check out our new widget that helps home buyers estimate how much they can afford.”
• Dustin presents When Should Newlyweds Buy Their First House? saying, “A house is your biggest investment and the basis for long-term wealth building. Prices are down, tax credits are available, and everyone from your uncle to your real estate agent are urging you to act now…NOW!
• The Dough Roller presents 7 Lessons Learned from a Failed Attempt to Refinance a Mortgage saying, “Refinancing a home isn’t as easy as it use to be. Here are 7 lessons you can learn from my failed attempt to refinance.
• Manshu presents The fee ate my performance saying, “A post explaining how fees impact returns on mutual funds and ETFs.”
• Mary Jones presents Top 10 Most Stolen Cars and 10 DIY Ways to Keep Them Safe saying, “The Insurance Information Institute estimates a car is stolen every 24 minutes. To help keep your car from ending up like these top ten, we have also included the top ten DIY ways to keep them safe and protected from thieves.”
• Matt Mason presents Does Living In a Frugal Way Constitute Vanity?.
• Linders presents 8 Ways the Internet Can Make You Richer saying, “Hi there, this article shares a few easy ways people could make some money via the internet. I hope you enjoy the read. Thanks for considering it. Linda”
• FMF presents Money Lessons from Jim Nance saying, “One famous person’s sad money tale.”
• Jeff Rose presents What you need to know about your Medicare and Medicaid Benefits saying, “Here first hand how an elder law attorney advises her clients on how to prepare for your golden years.”
• Peak Personal Finance presents Lending Money to Friends and Family saying, “Lending money to friends and family can be tricky.”
• J. Savings presents Splitting The Check Evenly = Tipping Evenly? saying, “If 2 of you are dividing up a check, do you both leave the same amount of tip? And do you compare beforehand? Larry David does ”
• Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Insurance You Can Do Without – Life Insurance For Your Child saying, “I went to a trade show this past weekend for parents that are either expecting or recently had a newborn. More than one of the booths was pushing life insurance for your newborn.”
• April presents Money and Marriage: Tackle Trouble BEFORE It Begins saying, “J.D. Roth shares a real life example of a relationship ruined by money problems. He goes on to detail the four financial issues that must be discussed prior to tying the knot: Ancestry, Credit, Control, and Affluence.”
• Rob presents Green Products That Save Energy | Energy Saving Gadgets saying, “The NuVo is Energy Star qualified which means it meets the government standards for being energy efficient. Saving energy means saving money in the long run.”
• Bucksome presents Fiery Ford Recall saying, “A personal story about a car manufacturer recall.”
• Baker presents How I paid off $15,000 in 9 months by selling my ‘Stuff’ on Ebay saying, “A Man Vs. Debt reader shares how she paid off a $15k student loan in only 9 months by selling 10 things a week on Ebay. Great tips for getting started selling your own junk on Ebay, Craigslist, and other online sites!”
• Silicon Valley Blogger presents Pet Care Costs: How Much Does Your Dog or Cat Cost? saying, “what are the costs of owning a pet?”
• Madison presents Finding the Value in Money
• Miss M presents You Are the Company you Keep.
• SingleGuyMoney presents Don’t Throw Your Money Away On Bank Fees.
• PT presents A Money Experiment: A Week Without Spending.
• And a few links to carnivals that CPF participated in.. 20-Somethings, Money Stories, Best of PF, Best of Money

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

If you hate the unpleasant surprise of finding out how much shipping adds to your online shopping order, here are a few suggestions…

FreeShipping.org

This website has all the major stores listed and has coupon and promotion codes that will allow you to get free shipping on your purchase.

Amazon Prime

I have been using Amazon Prime for the last couple years and I love it. Basically you pay $80 a year to Amazon.com in exchange for Free 2-Day shipping on any item that they ship. I buy a whole lot of stuff from Amazon and so it is an easy decision for me. If you are not an avid online shopper it might not be worth it, but it is something worth considering.

Local Store pickup

Many brick-and-mortar retailers offer free shipping if you are willing to pick it up in the store. Walmart, Payless Shoes, REI, and Staples are a just a few of many that offer this service.

Do you have any tips for getting free shipping?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.