Posts Tagged ‘start’

I recently decided to quit my job, move to a tropical island, and start my own business. You can read the full story here. While I actually came to this decision quite easily, it required getting rid of the majority of my stuff and relocating my entire life. However, due to my financial situation this was actually quite easy to do and going through this process has really taught me what financial freedom means. There are a lot of books (several of which I have read myself) and sophisticated methods out there to tell you how to get out of debt and become financially free. After successfully creating my own financial freedom, I can honestly say it’s not that difficult. It just takes a good plan and some perseverance.

The Method

The first thing you need to do is honestly evaluate your situation. If you are deep in debt, don’t pretend that things are going well. This won’t help you get out of the situation. Add up your debt and bills and also figure out how much you bring in. You need to figure out how much is going in verse how much is going out.

The goal is to put as much into savings as possible. However, you must first pay off your debt. To pay off your debt, you must first free up some of your funds by reducing your spending. Look at your bills and find what you can go without. It may not always be the large things. Do you drink coffee everyday? That right there can add up to more than $20 a week or more. Also consider things such as cable or satellite TV, reducing your cell phone bill, buying store brands, eating or drinking out less, and of course driving less. These things may seem small, but when added up they can become several hundreds of dollars a month.

The next step is to look at the bigger items that you are purchasing. Whether it is clothes, electronics, DVDs, or anything else you might lay your eyes on. You must learn to realize that you can live without it. It is very difficult at first, but if you can do it for a while it gets much easier. One thing I have found that helps me is think that I have a very limited space and that I will soon be moving. Another is to keep yourself busy with other activities. And of course, don’t tempt yourself by going window shopping.

Now that you have lowered your expenses and freed up some cash, the next step is too put that money to paying off your debt. Start with the highest interest rates and work your way down from there. The quicker you pay it off the more money you save.

Now that you have paid off your debt, you will the original payments you were making each month plus the extra you were paying towards your debt by reducing your bills. This can now all go towards savings. I give my self a spending allowance each month. I take it out at the beginning of each month to make sure that I am not tempted to spend more. At first this amount was my spending allowance only. The food I used for lunch was a separate amount. I then decided that I could cut back my spending to include my lunch in my spending allowance as well. This allowed another $200 a month to go to savings.

The Results

After a year and a half of this program, I was able to save enough money to have a strong amount of savings in one account towards retirement, and also enough money in another account to quite my job and move to a tropical island and start my own business. Figuring the costs of expenses, I will be able to live for more than a year without any income at all without touching the money in the first savings account. I am by no means rich, but it is the first time in my life, where I can really think about what I want to do and not have to worry about paying my next months rent and bills.

Getting started is one of the biggest challenges you face when starting a new project. This can include anything from a new exercise program or a new task at work. However, there are a few things you can do that will help you to get started and stick with it.

Choose your goals carefully

In the begining choose things that you really care about and really want to achieve. It can also be helpful to start small and work your way up to difficult. As you begin to accomplish your goals you will gain more confidence and the whole process gets easier. Think of all the things you would like to accomplish, and then choose the three that will make you the most happy. Focus on those goals first.

The plan

If you do not clearly define your goals and how to achieve them, then there is a good chance that you will give up. Putting your goal and plan down on paper makes it real and allows you to clearly see the path to the rainbow and the pot of gold at the end. It will also make the task much easier to accomplish. I have found that the best way to do this is to write down my end result and then work backwards figuring out the steps I will need to take. Also create a backup plan if you get off track. For instance, two weeks into your new workout plan you get sick and are unable to do it while your sick. Have a backup plan to continue afterwards or create a plan you can do while you are sick.

Take the first step now

There will always be a million and one reasons why you can’t accomplish your goal and why another time will be better. if you really want to accomplish your goal: start now. Start this instant by writing down the things that are important to you. Once you have decided the things that are important then write down how to achieve them. There is no better time to start than NOW.

I would love to hear everyones methods for obtaining their goals and also any difficulties that you had.