Beyond the obvious....10 Money saving tips!

"the art is not in making money, but in keeping it"

I remember somebody said; money is like sex, when it is plentiful, you barely think about it, when you have none...it's all you can think about! Some of us barely pay attention to money until we suddenly realize that it is almost all gone. In these tought times, more people are suddenly thinking about money. And my amigos, Eduardo is here for you, read on. Here are my top 10 tips!


1. Sooner or later everything goes on sale. Patience is always rewarded when it comes to saving on purchases.

2. Take care of what you like. A little preventive maintenance will make things last longer and work better. (works for relationships too)

3. Watch less TV. Studies show conclusively that the more TV you watch, the more you spend. Some really big brains are paid massive amounts of money to devise ways to seperate you from your cash. Their job is to amplify your wants and make you buy stuff you don't need.

4. Shared ownership. Six years ago a friend and I bought a houseboat together. We've had mountains of fun with it and the cost of purchase and maintenance has been 1/2 of what it would of been if I had bought it alone.

5. Make your own. I love wine. My friends like wine. I make wine. I save money. What can you make?

6. It's cheaper to be healthy. This is really just an extension of #2 however it bears repeating....take care of yourself.

7. Make them an offer they just might accept. Don't be shy, in these days when retailers are seeing sales slump, your buying position is enhanced so why pay full price.

8. Simplify. Come on, do you really need the latest gadget? Maybe you need less stuff. Stuff needs to be maintained, that takes more time and money.

9. Focus on what is real. Here's the rub....the things you usually spend the most money on (cars, TV's etc) are greatly devalued a few years down the road. Time spent with friends and family (free) are priceless.

10. Buy used. A while back I purchased a new watch. A very nice looking piece of jewelry that set me back a few pesos. My son decided he wanted one so he went on ebay and purchased one he thought was better. It was used. It cost him a fraction of what I spent. Two days later I'm looking at his and mine and thinking...there is no way that anyone on the planet would know that he spent a tiny amount for the same damn watch....Lesson Learned!

BONUS. Buy me a beer. This is the most important lesson...it's also called The Law of Reciprocity (ok I made that up, but it sounds good right?). I know what's knocking around in your skull when you read that! You are thinking, how is buying Eduardo a beer going to save me any money? Well amigo, my great tips will probably save you mucho money and you want to reward the source so that these great ideas will continue to flow, don't you?

Smile, life is best lived as play!

Eduardo

"money, if it does not bring you happiness, it will at least help you be miserable in comfort" Helen Gurly Brown