Now I shall tell thee the first remedy I learned to cure a lean purse.  Do exactly as I have suggested to the egg merchant: For every ten coins thou placest within thy purse, take out for use but nine.  Thy purse will start to fatten at once and its increasing weight will feel good […]

Wealth, like a tree, grows from a tiny seed.  The first copper you save is the seed from which your tree of wealth shall grow.  The sooner you plant that seed the sooner shall the tree grow.  And the more faithfully you nourish and water that tree with consistent savings, the sooner may you bask […]

Every gold piece you save is a slave to work for you.  Every copper it earns is its child that also can earn for you.  If you would become wealthy, then what you save must earn, and its children must earn, that all may help to give to you the abundance you crave.
— George Clason, […]

For financial stuff I always listened to my father, a Republican investment banker.  He told me if I always pay my bills with one-third, save one-third and screw around with the last third, I’ll be okay, no matter how much I earn.  It’s the one thing he said that I listened to, and I have […]

I have found that when negative emotions control the purse strings, money will not flow purely and evenly.  When it comes to money, emotions can speak louder than reason or necessity.  Your emotions, expressed through your financial actions, have gotten you to where you are now and will continue to shape your financial future if […]

Most of us think of our money as existing in a pool:  Here is the pool of what I have to spend this month.  And, no matter what, the pool gets drained every month, replenished, then drained again.  But think about this.  So many of our expenses are finite — we pay for a one-time […]

Principle: Never spend it all. Your second financial enemy is fear — fear of poverty, fear of running out of money, fear of losing your job, or any number of money-related fears. The antidote for fear is saving.
— Mary Hunt, Debt-Proof Living

Here’s my problem with taking on debt: I have a profound respect for the unknown. For instance, my husband and I work for ourselves. This is an excellent way to avoid ruthless bosses and layoffs. But if one of us were to get injured or become ill, it would be pretty hard to keep business […]

Learning to save is a lot like running a marathon — you need to build up to it by training gradually. It’s too overwhelming to go from saving nothing to saving $2,700 a month, so you need to start slowly and keep it simple.
— David Bach; Yahoo! Article: “Tools for Personal Finance Empowerment”

Money exposes the differences in our personalities, the ways we were brought up, our money beliefs, and goals. The way we think about money and what we do with it reflects what we believe about it. But money issues are buried so deeply in our emotions, it is often difficult to know what we believe […]

…you should only buy things that add value to your life.  A budget is, in every sense, your money value compass.  As Covey talks about in Seven Habits, your To-Do list should reflect what you value.  A budget is your money’s To-Do list.
— Jesse Mecham, YouNeedABudget founder; “Interview with Jesse Mecham”

We all want quick fixes.  We’d rather do something once and call it done than commit to something long term with gradual results.  So when we learn that we have to commit to a process, instead of performing a single task, we procrastinate and do nothing.  But with finance — just as with fitness — […]

Stop wishing for more money and start managing the money you have. Write down how you will spend (or save) your next paycheck—every single dollar of it. Become a skillful manager so that when more money flows into your life, you’ll know where to put it for the greatest benefit.
— Mary Hunt, “Money Myths That […]

Money on its own is neither good nor bad. Our beliefs and attitudes about money are what make it such a powerful force in our lives. And with good reason. Money determines where we live, what we drive, and where our kids go to school. The trouble starts when our money beliefs are not based […]

…Then I worked at a deli and the restaurant. I had been saving that money. You make money where you can and you save. Coming from that kind of background, you either learn how to save or you learn how to spend. I saved because it gave me a sense of having choices in my […]