Personal Finance Advice

20 Small Ways to Save Big: While you won’t find anything on this list that you probably don’t already know if you have been reading this blog for awhile, it’s a great reminder that taking small steps can pay off big for your bank account over the long haul.

5 Things That Should Be Taught In School: I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that #1 on the list is personal finance:

One thing that I want to point out to students is that you’ll find as you get older, that a lot of people “fake” success. Not all, but a pretty big chunk. The neighbor or co-worker you see with the fancy car and nice clothes are most likely knee deep in debt while you’ll find the people with the average car and clothes have little or no debt and a nice big cushion of savings to that as well.

And the ironic and sad part is that most people don’t really care about other people because they’re so busy with themselves, so all that effort to impress others is really all in vain. The inherent danger in trying to accumulate expensive things to feel good about yourself is that you’re telling yourself that you need something outside of yourself to validate you, when everything you need to validate yourself is already within you. Stop looking for anything outside of you because there will always be something new and better to purchase. It’s like a dog chasing its tail. You’ll never catch it. Learn to simplify your life and to be content and grateful for the things you have. Don’t get caught up in the materialistic chase because once you do, it’s hard to get out.

Good advice all away around…and one final link

$1 for Tap Water in Restaurants : But it’s for a good cause…