Simpleology Blog

Slow Down. If you've got the cash, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to spend it all on outrageously-priced items such as luxury cars.

Answer me this. If you had five million dollars to spend, what would you do with it right now?

Chances are, you (just like many of us) will be splurging on some luxury items. Maybe the largest plasma TV available? What about jewelry? Or, better yet, care for a luxury car or two?

If you've got cash to burn, it's easy to get carried away. The rush of excess cash will go right to your head and override your good sense. But, even without five million dollars at our disposal, many of us make the mistake of buying big ticket items.

To make sure that you don't give in to the costly temptation, here are three questions you ought to ask yourself when you're all set to take home something that costs and arm and a leg:

1. Do I really need it? Ask yourself if the item will improve the quality of your life. Don't just use arbitrary reasons. You must justify why it absolutely has to be in your life. For instance, what would an oversized plasma TV add to your life when you already have a modest-sized TV that's still working. You should also ask yourself if you can really afford to have the big ticket. Consider maintenance and other costs attached to it.

2. Do I know enough about it? You have to know if you will use the item to the fullest? You can't just buy, say, a souped up 13" laptop if you really don't like working on something that small. Or, perhaps, the product in question involves more effort before you can use it. Case in point: Fancy furniture that need to be assembled.

3. Can I get it for less? It's a bad idea to snap up the first thing in sight when it comes to pricey stuff. If you're shopping around for, say, a pair of high-end shoes, it pays that you visit multiple stores or explore other avenues before you decide to shell out some cash for it. This way, you'll still get the best price for the item.

Keep in mind that you have to be prudent with your finances even if you do have excess cash. Sure, you can treat yourself to big ticket items. But that doesn't mean you have to go crazy over them. No sense in wasting money.

Find out how you can get topnotch value for your money by signing up for Simpleology 102: The Simple Science of Money.

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Tweet to the World. These days, you have to be on Twitter if you want to be clued in on what's hot and what's not.

Now, more than ever, Twitter has become an invaluable tool for business. The Twitter Marketing Action Cashmap teaches Twitter users to harness the power of the online platform by emphasizing these functions:

1. It's a technology gauge. It's a prime source for the feedback of early adopters to new social technologies. It keeps you wired to the technologies being developed. As such, you won't ever be out of the loop.

2. It's a traffic tool. Your Twitter page can be used as a contact point for possible clients. You can use it as an extension of your professional identity or your business. In a sense, it functions as non-obtrusive advertising for your goods and services.

3. It's a sounding board. Through Twitter, your customers and other interested parties our fans can follow your company to get the latest news, inside information, and special offers. You can also get immediate feedback from them through your Twitter page.

The Twitter Marketing Action Cashmap cuts down your learning curve with its user-friendly guides to making the most out of your Twitter page.

Suggested Resource: Learn how to make Twitter work for your business by signing up for the Twitter Marketing Action Cashmap.

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When it comes to assessing our finances, many of us cringe at the thought of doing the math. We often forget that we have helpful tools available online. Here are three useful online calculators that are offered free:

1. CardTrak.com
The CardTrak.com calculator helps you figure out how long it'll take for you to be free of credit card debt, as well as how much interest you'll be paying for it. You simply enter the amount you owe, the interest rate, and how much you pay each month.

2. Bankrate.com
Getting a migraine from your mortgage calculations? Try out Bankrate.com's mortgage payment calculator so you'll know exactly how much you have to set aside each month. You'll also know the exact day when you'll be done with it. The information that you get will help you make better financial decisions.

3. Edmunds.com
Find out if you can really afford to buy and keep a car from the Edmunds.com calculator. Owning a car comes with many other expenses for its maintenance and repairs so you have to be certain that if you can afford to keep up with these expenses.

Use these tools to make sure that you're in control of your cash. You'll surely meet your financial goals if you crunch the numbers the right way.

Credits: Site logos courtesy of CardTrak.com, Bankrate.com, and Edmunds.com.

Sign up for Simpleology 102: The Simple Science of Money and learn how to crunch the numbers on your own.

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Over the past few months, I've watched many shows featuring individuals and families who had to rethink their spending habits in the face of the recession. Most--if not all--of those who had to scale down their expenses were blindsided because they were not really on top of their finances. They were clueless about the real score of their expenses.

This is where the Financial Survival Strategy Cashmap comes in. The step-by-step guide to managing your finances highlights the importance of accounting for your expenses. It asserts: "In tough times, many people feel that they have lost control of their finances due to forces outside of their control. Yet even in the midst of a recession, there is a process that can be used to not only solidify your financial standing, but to greatly enhance it."

Thus, Action Cashmap 1.3 teaches you to "Organize Your Financial Records." It is designed to be "a simple organization strategy to keep your financial documents organized and accessible." With it, you won't lose valuable time searching for important financial records, such as the following:

1. Household bills

2. Credit card statements

3. Receipts

4. Check registers

5. Bank statements

6. Pay stubs

7. Vehicle titles

8. House information

Knowing where every penny goes will equip you with the knowledge necessary in streamlining your expenses. It will also make it easier for you to determine how to save even more money on specific items. You will not be operating under a false sense of security that could eventually blindside you into going broke.

Suggested Resource: Map out your recession rescue plan with the Financial Survival Strategy Cashmap.

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Health is Wealth. Registered dietitian Holly Scherer says that "eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive."

Most people think that eating healthy costs a lot of money.

Simpleology user Kelly Patterson, mother of three, certainly thought so until she signed up for the Recession-Proof Your Home Strategy Cashmap. She relates: "I wanted to learn more ways to save money by managing my home more efficiently. I was completely bowled over by Action Cashmap 1.3, which is 'Reduce Your Food Expenses.'"

The lesson emphasizes that you can "spend less on food and groceries without sacrificing your health or love of good food." Kelly shares the three top tips that helped her reduce her monthly food bill by $400:

1. Eat at home. Dining out is fun from time to time but if you're eating out every week, you'll realize that you're wasting a lot of money. "We used to go out to eat about three times a week. We ate out whenever I was too tired to cook. But then I realized that I just needed to have a solid plan for our meals each week so I wouldn't resort to just picking up some take out food or taking the kids to eat out," Kelly says. As a result, Kelly now makes an effort to do research on cost effective home cooked meals that are nutritious and delicious.

2. Clip and save coupons. The Sunday papers are usually loaded with coupons. You just have to be patient in going through them so you can identify the great bargains. Kelly reveals: "I'm slowly learning how to make the most of coupons. I used to think that they didn't count for much...but, boy, I was wrong. They can add up to a lot of savings on grocery items."

3. Inspect your receipt. "I've become more conscious about the food items I purchase. Prior to signing up for the Recession-Proof Your Home Strategy Cashmap, I didn't really pay attention to how much I was spending on what. I now file my receipts and monitor what I buy," says Kelly.

In conclusion, Kelly states: "Overall, being more conscious about saving on our monthly food bill made me more vigilant about what I put on the table. Saving on food has actually resulted to better eating habit for my family. We certainly don't feel deprived each time we sit down for dinner. It's all a matter of simplifying things."

Want to manage your home better? Check out the Recession-Proof Your Home Strategy Cashmap for tips.

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Did you know that by getting fit you could save the world and save money at the same time? You see, if you're fit, you can help lessen pollution as well as save money on gas.

In 2007, a University of Illinois study found that "cars on US roads must burn nearly one billion additional gallons of gas per year because of overweight drivers and passengers." With federal data on gas consumption and weigh gain from 1960 to 2002, computer science professor Sheldon Jacobson and his colleague Laura McLay used a mathematical model to determine the correlation between the two factors.

Jacobson and McLay pointed out that the average American's weight increased by more than 24 pounds over the time period covered by their data. According to them, this means that we use up "at least 938 million more gallons [of gas] than we did in 1960."

Then again, while lowering your gas consumption and lessening pollutant while you're at it are indeed an added incentives of getting fit, you should keep in mind that keeping yourself healthy should already be enough to motivate you.

Credits: Photo by Petr Kratochvil, courtesy of Public Domain Pictures.

Suggested Resource: Check out Simpleology 103: The Simple Science of Personal Energy and find out how you can start getting fit for life. You won't just save money on gas. You'll save money on medical bills that are sure to plague you if you aren't as healthy as you can be.

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The science of satisfaction. Andrew Brown of Small Business Guru explains how customers form opinions about products.

There's no doubt that businesses focus on satisfying customers. In fact, many businessmen consider customer satisfaction as the lifeblood of their companies. But with the attention given to gauging customer satisfaction through surveys and focus group discussions, businessmen sometimes forget that keeping tabs on the company's reputation can be done in more subtle ways. In fact, doing so has become easier--as well as more cost effective--these days.

This is one of the things that's emphasized in the Voice of the Customer Strategy Cashmap. The course has a lesson called "Execute Reputation Monitoring," which is all about "leveraging social media--as well as other online and offline techniques--to monitor the reputation of your personal or company brand."

Here are three ways through which you can implement the lesson's tips:

1. Google yourself. Go to Google and conduct a search using your company's name or the product that you are selling. Take a look at the first 50 items that come up in your search. Try to see if there are people who have mentioned or reviewed your product. The results in the search will also give you an idea of what people will see each time they conduct a simple search for your company or product.

2. Set up a free blog. One of the most effective ways to get closer to your customers is to set up a blog. You can use free blog hosts such as Wordpress and Blogger. Even people who don't like taking surveys will be more likely to leave comments on blogs. This way you can easily what they think about your products or services.

3. Establish a social media presence. Set up an account on Facebook or Twitter. These social media sites make it even easier for customers to get in touch of you via comments and quick questions. Aside from helping you monitor your reputation, your presence in social media sites would probably raise customer satisfaction, as more and more people choose to patronize companies that they can easily get in touch with. Somehow, it's a bonus when they find out you can be their social media "friend."

Businessmen should take advantage of the online resources available and make use of them to expand their horizons. It'd be a shame to waste such readily-available tools that could help your business grow.

Get hold of the Voice of the Customer Strategy Cashmap and find out how you can make your customers even happier.

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