Three simple tips to save money

Here are three basic tips from a middle-class family on how to save money on routine things as reported in this brief article

a.Go consignment store shopping-
It is quite an effective to not only save money but also make some.

b.Bundle up purchases-
Look at items from the monthly fixed expense list that can be bundled from a single service provider. A couple of good examples are using the same service provider for mobile phone, fixed line telephone, cable television and broadband Internet. Bundling up services from a single service provider often gets you package discounts.

c.Avoid paying interest on credit cards (or at least avoid high interest rates)-
Ideally, try to make it a point to pay your credit card bill in full by the due date; credit card interest rates can be outrageous and carrying over outstanding amounts on credit cards is one surefire way to deplete whatever savings you have very quickly. Enjoy the benefits of a credit, by all means, take advantage of the credit period to the maximum, but ensure the payment is made in full on the due date (card companies will hate customers like that.. but hey, you are out to save money for yourself, not help those companies make money off you!)

Making money on the Internet by selling stuff on eBay

Just like people have made a living (and the really smart ones have become rich) with Google AdSense, countless people now make a great living with eBay. Set up an auction for something that you have to sell, and which there are people to buy --- and it is astounding to see the kind of things that people end up buying on eBay—and wait for the buyers to complete the auction and there you have it. You are in business!

Well, things may not be as simple as that these days, but it isn’t insurmountably hard either. Here are some basic simple tips on how to sell well on eBay, based on this article where the writer speaks to an eBay veteran of close to a decade. This particular veteran now helps manage eBay auctions as a service for the not-so-experienced or time-starved eBay sellers, so he does know quite a bit about making a fortune with the world’s largest online marketplace. You can read the details in the article mentioned above; but here’s a quick gist.

• Find stuff that sells- do a bit of research
  
• Get a great presentation- both with the pictures you put up as well as an extremely detailed and well-written description, including technical specifications of the product you are selling
  
• Get the pricing right, particularly the cost of shipping.
  
• Be careful of when the auction starts and ends: be good with your timing.

By the way, for those who are serious about pursuing the money making opportunities with eBay, the next eBay Live event will be held in Chicago, on June 19-21, 2008. eBay Live is a grand congregation of the eBay community, comprising power sellers and buyers, who gather to discuss ways to make most out of eBay. If you want to take the plunge, then there’s probably no better opportunity to know the secrets of creating a successful eBay business.

The five ways to become wealthy

The United States is the land of opportunity, where there are umpteen rags to riches stories. Countless people have started with nothing but their ideas and dreams and an unbreakable will to succeed despite all odds.
Based on over 25 years of research into the wealth generation strategies and patterns of American millionaires in the United States, motivational speaker and master trainer Brian Tracy points out that there are five ways to get rich in the US.

• Inherit wealth (good luck!)
• Achieve it through your professional – like, being a doctor or a lawyer
• Become a top executive at a top company, ie. make the climb up the corporate ladder.
• Win it (you are working at very low probability!)
• Start a business ie. become an entrepreneur.

Brian cites entrepreneurship as the best way to become wealthy and he provides some simple tips and action exercises to get started. Excerpts from his newsletter below.

Starting your own business has been and will always be the high road to becoming wealthy for most self-made millionaires. Entrepreneurship in America offers more opportunities and opens more doors than all other possibilities put together. This is why it has been said that if you have the ability to start your own business and you don't do it, you are a fool. I'll repeat that. If you have the ability to start your own business and you don't do it, you're a fool.

Where do you start?
You start by getting your finances under control. The very first thing you do is you make a decision to get your finances under control. Some years ago, a man named George Classon wrote a book called The Richest Man In Babylon. It's a classic on financial success and what Classon said in that book was that the key to becoming wealthy is to pay yourself first. Take ten percent off your earnings, off your gross income every month and put it aside. Learn to live on ninety percent or less of your gross income. So the very first thing that you do is you begin to save your money.

Action Exercises
Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put yourself onto the high road to personal wealth:

First, resolve today to begin saving your money a little bit at a time. Set a goal to save 10% of your earnings, to put it away and to never touch it. This will change your life.

Second, immediately register your own business or sole proprietorship. Open a bank account, get business cards and letterhead and create the corporate entity under which you can do business. Your business opportunities will appear far sooner than you think. If you build it, they will come.

To get more useful tips on a wide range of topics and get his immensely useful and inspiring newsletters, visit BrianTracy.com.

Making money with real estate investments

The typical model for making money from real estate investments is to buy a property, wait for prices to go up and then sell it of at a hefty premium. However, with the real estate market dynamics changing worldwide, this method is fraught with its own risks.

This article talks about a “new way” in making money from real estate. As the writer points out, it is not exactly a new way since a number of people are using it already, but probably a little less common than the traditional way.

The principle is simple- generate positive cash flow by way of rental income from real estate properties, and capitalize on the appreciation as well! Read on to find out more.

Tips to build an Internet Business from A to Z- Eric's Tips

This will be of interest for everyone keen to make money from an Internet business. Eric Holmlund who writes Eric's Tips on Internet Businesses seems to be in the process of making some serious changes to his newsletter (and probably his entire business model).

Eric is apparently quite a successful Internet marketer with a pretty strong reader base for his blog/newsletter. He was also one of the co-founders of the The Next Internet Millionaire "reality show"--- so he undoubtedly knows more than a thing or two about generating revenue via the various mechanisms available on the Internet.

He's promising to teach folks everything from scratch to build a successful Internet business -- and he is planning to do that with about 120 lessons. The video screen captures he intends to use for the lessons should give a very clear idea of how exactly things are done. So, I suppose, the least one could be expecting are some practical tips to build an Internet business. I'm sure everyone loves step by step, practical instructions.

For reference, below are excerpts of what Eric wrote in his most recent blog post/newsletter, where he divulged plans to start with the 120 lessons for an Internet marketing business.

**************
I'm going to teach you how to build an internet business from A to Z. I'll start at the very beginning and take you through the entire process, paying careful attention to EACH step along the way (I'll be teaching most of it through screen-capture videos, so you can SEE how to do it). Essentially, this will be a course that I could sell for $2000+, but you will be getting the entire thing just for being a reader of my newsletter.
....... there will be approximately 120 lessons. .... My goal is to finish teaching you the 120 (plus or minus) lessons by the end of October. I'm dedicating Eric's Tips to teaching you exactly what you've been asking to learn. I only ask that you get involved by posting your comments and questions after each lesson, so I can make it the best interactive learning experience that I can.
I'll be in touch soon with some more information about HOW and WHY I'm doing this.....

MLM schemes: Making you rich or leaving you poorer?

How good are MLM (multi-level marketing) schemes (some folks call it scams!) at helping you get rich? Do they really work and deliver on the six-figure passive income they promise, "after a few months of focused hardwork?".

To be honest, I am not sure. I've watched some close people around me wax eloquent about the benefits of one of the world's most popular/ succesful MLM chains. They claim to be making tons of money each money from the few hours they put in; and let's face it, some of them even seem to be having a lifestyle that seems to make it seem true. On the other hand, I've also seen some others who continue to work at it while their overall condition belie the claims they are making.

Well, if you read Tracy Coenen's post, MLM schemes are a surefire way to lose money. According to her, "....the chance of actually making any money in MLM is very, very slim." And her advice regarding the common task of recruiting friends and family? " The only opportunity you're really giving them is a chance to lose money. Spare them and yourself the agony! "

The truth is probably somewhere in between--- may be MLM schemes do help make mone for those who relentlessly pursue it and are willing to go to great lengths, including investing time and money, to get those tantalizing riches. For those who thought MLM was an easy way to make pots of money, reality might be quite bitter.

The sooner you realize that there is no easy money, the faster you can get your head to make money and grow rich.

Start your own business!

If you wanted to be really wealthy, then running your own business is the way to go. Of course, there are rich salaried people too and working for a company might be a lot less stressful in the near-to-medium term, but there's a lot more to be gained in starting and running a successful business enterprise.

Of course, starting a business is by no means extremely easy; but if you can start young and devote yourself to it, you are giving yourself much great chance for success. Rhonda Abrams of ThePlanningShop, publisher of books for entrepreneurs, gives some simple tips to start a business to graduating students of 2008 (personally, pay particular attention to the last one: work hard! ... and of course, work smart!) . While you are it, here's a simple tip from me to build a sustainable, successful business: Start small, but think big.

Tips to budding entrepreneurs from Rhonda, published in this article in USA Today:
• Do something cool. Lots of people succeed in business doing something completely mundane — there's plenty of money to be made selling dental supplies. But you're young, so do something fun, challenging, interesting.

• Choose a business that will make a difference. Go ahead, start a business that will save the planet, people or animals. The hottest thing in business today is "social entrepreneurship" — for-profit companies with a greater purpose. You can make money and make a difference.

• Develop a business plan — at least a very simple one. Sit down and think through what you're going to do, how you're going to do it, and how much money it will take. And you'll need a business plan when you go out and raise money to fund your new venture.


• Choose a concept with low start-up costs. After all, you're broke. But I was broke when I started my first company. Internet-based companies can be dirt-cheap. There are still plenty of opportunities in social networking and user-generated content sites. Personal and business service businesses are also inexpensive to launch.


• Start with a friend, or friends. But draw up a simple agreement to clarify who owns what, who does what, and what happens if someone drops out (Hint: They should lose everything). Hey, you could be starting the next Facebook; you don't want them coming back and suing you for their share of the billion dollars.


• Make a sale. Find someone to buy what you're selling, whether it's an ad on your Internet site or a client for your service business. Nothing teaches you more — and emboldens you more — than having a real customer.


• Get some good business advice books. Even through you made it through college using Wikipedia, I know just how much is missing — and how much misinformation there is — on the Internet. And I'm not just saying this because I write business books — honestly!


• Work hard. You thought you worked hard in school? I know you did, since most students must work while they go to school. But you're going to have to work even harder to make your business a success. Don't let that discourage you — you don't really need sleep at your age.