Finances Archives - MoneyWatch101

Side Hustle During the Holidays For Extra Money

Hello readers I want to share with you a tactic you can implement this year to help you make some extra money in 2018 and beyond. These tactics can be used during the holidays only, as there is a ton of ways to make extra money. The only real way you can make this work is if you save most of your vacation days throughout the year, to be used in the last two weeks in December. The reason to do this is to make extra money, while still getting paid from your regular employer. The only difference is you will not be sitting on the couch watching TV, but you will be out there hustling to make at least 2-4 thousand dollars in 2 weeks. That’s why you should find a Side Hustle During the Holidays For Extra Money.

Depending how much energy you have you can really actually make this much extra money. The purpose for the extra money is for you to get some traction with debt, emergency fund money, avoid living paycheck to paycheck, and maybe adding some vacation fund money. The point is to, Make Money, not make it rain on Amazon wish lists. The consumption during the holidays is staggering, and guess what if you’re working you will not be consuming. I have found that I spend more on days off, than on days when I’m working. So work while still young and able, and get a head of all these crazy money goals you should complete today.

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The Perks of Commuting on Two Wheels

Does it scare you to hear that the average commuter in America spends a solid 38 hours yearly stuck in traffic and over 60 hours in some big cities? The same research shows that idling commuters released 56 billion pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in a year. Yikes. Most people have better things to do than sit on the highway fiddling with their radio or frantically urging their GPS to find alternate directions to the solid red line that indicates their usual route, but may feel stuck inside a routine that involves tons of time and frustration spent getting to and from work on a daily basis. Many people may also feel guilty about their contribution to the negative impact that commuting by car has on the environment, but may not be sure of potential ways to streamline their actions.

There are certainly benefits to commuting on four wheels, like shelter from the elements, not to mention the fact that many roads are specifically suited to cars, trucks, and SUVS over other vehicles. But two-wheeled commuting in its various forms holds a number of advantages that are swaying more and more people to leave their car in the garage and hop on a motorcycle or bicycle to head to work.

Read on to learn more about the perks of commuting on two wheels, and make sure you’re truly prepared to do so.

Motorcycles: A Shorter, More Engaging Commute

As one experienced motorcyclist outlines for Cruiser, many people may be incredulous about the feasibility of commuting by motorcycle, but it’s hard to deny the time-saving potential as well as the personal connection to each and every commute that may be lacking for those who sit in traffic in their car. Some motorcyclists undertake a practice called lane-splitting—now legal and regulated for safety in California—which involves passing between rows of idling vehicles by driving down the dividing lane line at a controlled speed. It’s not hard to imagine how much time this could save when practiced responsibly, not to mention the fact that motorcycles offer acceleration advantages that can translate to more efficient lane changes and traffic maneuvers in general.

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Finding Peace in a Financially Crazy World

I thought I can switch things up a bit and talk about a topic not many people discuss in this space. Personal finance can and should be about finding peace with your money in any way possible. When it all boils down to it, life is either about having peace or living in stress. I think 99% of people prefer peace. This is why I want to discuss how important it is finding peace in a financially crazy world.

Imagine how people feel living life paycheck to paycheck, do you think they live in peace? How would certain people feel if they did not have emergency savings? What about if people have high interest credit card debt that they can’t ever payoff? How about the new graduates who are burdened by 200 grand in student loan debt? These are all the financial worries that do not foster peace with finances. Lets begin to discuss how to find that peace we so desire.

Meditate once a week – prior to or after tackling a financial acitivity, for example when completing the monthly budget spreadsheet. With the myriad of reasons to stress out over budgets. this 1 mental exercise will relieve any negatives you might encounter. If you can meditate more often, I suggest you do it, and it will offer you the ability to tackle any financial problems you are having.

Get help even if you have to pay for it. Having someone guide you who is an expert in the field of finance and more knowledgeable than you will help you avoid stressful situations with money issues. That guidance is worth more than people think, and all you have to do is find someone that charges by the hour. Doing this will help you avoid spending too much on this financial service. A financial mistake can cost you thousands so why not pay hundreds to avoid them.

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Don’t Keep Coins in a Piggy Bank for Long

What is the basic fundamental thing we all want for our money? For it to grow I suppose is the primary reason why we invest it, right. Recently I used to keep my coins in a wooden jar aka old dude piggy bank, and cash them in once a year. But now something changed, as my current bank got rid of the free coin exchange machine. I’m assuming they want to avoid operational fees or are attempting to bypass legal issues of some sort. I was always a bit skeptical at the coin counting abilities of said machines, and the likelihood of it not doing that job accurately. Even though I had my doubts I would still exchange coins and make a huge deposit of around $50-100 dollars in coins every year. But because now my banking institution decided to take away another perk (Way to go Banks), now I don’t keep coins in a piggy bank for long.

I woke up the next day after hearing this news and decided to make a financial habit change. I will now take a small amount of coins to the bank with every deposit I need to make. (Yes I still walk into a branch- I’m Old School) I will do this to save time, and to compound my money at a faster pace. This habit change will keep the coins in my home at a minimum, and put them in hustle mode. Because If I take the coins from the piggy bank and invest it into a financial account, it will elevate the compounding effect. Now those quarters will not collect dust at home. Why wouldn’t you want to put the loose currency to work in the markets as early as possible?

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What is your Personal Finance Attitude?

Many times I sit and think about how attitude can be a deciding factor in how life turns out. If your attitude is steered towards a particular view point, it can either be a winning or losing battle for you. So knowing what is the right attitude to have towards money can once again be the answer your looking for. What is your Personal Finance Attitude? If you ask this of yourself from time to time it will trigger something within you to find where you stand.

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What Is Finance

OK another fun post explaining the basics of personal finance to all of you great readers. My point of view is somewhat unique because I like to break things down to a financial and common sense level. What is finance? Well it is a word primarily and it also represents the definition of money management.

Is it easy to manage money of course, is it hard to manage it if your not ready, extremely. How do you supervise those slippery dollars? If your ready to step up and can really grasp this what is finance definition. When you can innately place finances above other things it will occur naturally. Monetary savviness is not an imaginary thing we are all looking to find in a forest, it is solved by simply finding your reflection in the mirror. It is our choice to either fix things or keep on the same path we’ve been on. See below for what is finance defined.

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Working till Your 80 Years of Age

Hey Guys do you really want to work till your 80 years of age? I am speaking for myself when I say heck no, granted I will always do something as I age. But I foresee I’ll focus on working for myself as I age, and not for others. If people want or desire to work that long for others, it must be something they truly enjoy which equates to happiness. I provided an article below that states very convincing evidence, why those people like working so much and will continue way past their 70’s. Working till your 80 years of age is this the new Norm?

To me it seems like they don’t have enough hobbies to pass the time. If they really enjoyed working for their organizations and it wasn’t about the pay, would they do it for free? That is the million dollar question that was mistakenly not asked by the interviewees in the article below. It seems sad that one of them is working so much that she regrets not spending enough time with her grandchildren. Now that is a travesty for her and the bonding time her grandchild might need today. This is a judgment free zone, but she is clearly showing signs of regretting her work / life balance. If I could say anything to her I would say work part time, and go spend some time showing those kiddies some grandma fun filled activities.

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The 3 Emergency Fund Accounts

Let’s jump right into this one and begin to discuss the purpose behind the 3 emergency fund accounts. An emergency can happen at any given moment, but will you be prepared to fight through the financial snow storm? In my situation I have about 3 accounts that I can tap if an emergency arises. It helps me sleep better at night because it’s a safety net waiting to catch me if I fall on hard times. Now what is considered hard times is up for debate, as some people feel a trip to the beach for a week is considered hard times.

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