I am all for saving for a catastrophe, but I prefer to save for a luxury. This way, you have something to look forward to; there is an end goal in sight. So, for the rest of this year, I will be scrimping and saving to treat myself to something fabulous. Here is my list so far. No worries; more will be added to it later, for sure!

• It is definitely time for me to update my bathroom appliances. The outdated ones I have now hit their peak in the 1970s. ’nuff said. I’m thinking one of those shiny new Grohe faucets.
• Do I need a new wardrobe…no. Do I want one…yes!
• A small trip perhaps. The tricky part is saving enough money; they fun part is picking where to go!
• Get my hair done. I’m thinking something spicy and tres svelte!

If you are wanting to get off your current career track and start something new and fresh, you have many options. Here are just a few jobs to consider that are great for any age to begin down its path:

• Teacher: This is one of those careers that is incredibly fulfilling, but only if you like teaching. I definitely would not recommend switching to this job if you abhor teaching. Also, if you don’t already have your certification, you’ll need to go back to school to get that; and then you are set.
• Personal Trainer: If you are in shape or know a lot about fitness, it is never too late to start your career getting others healthy. Just think; if you are older and become a trainer, how much more inspirational are you to other people, right?!
• Truck Driver: Being out on the open road is great for any age. CDL truck driving jobs are available across the entire United States. It is great for those who a change of scenery every day.
• Writer:This encompasses many options, including freelance, writing novels, poems, academic writing, or business writing. If you like writing, you can find the right niche.

Who doesn’t, right? Even the economy seems to minutely be recovering, it is still a long ways off from getting more from the almighty dollar. The sales industry gets a worse rap than it deserves–mainly because of all those pushy people don’t understand the phrase “No, thank you”. But within that industry, you can make the money you need to make ends meet or to have money to play with. If you are considering this industry, why not sell something that can sell itself and something that is worth it?

This country is finally becoming a little more health conscious. And as a result, the masses are in need of a way to get their nutrition in one easy spot. Exfuze is a company that sells a health drink filled with antioxidants and healthy fruit juices, including:

• Fucoidan
• Goji
• Blueberries
• Mangosteen
• Seabuckthorn
• Noni fruit
• Gac

Exfuze is currently looking for distributors of their new health drink. This is where the money comes into play. By selling Exfuse’s health drink, you can have the extra money that you’ve been wanting. And why not sell something that will make a difference in people’s lives.

without spending tons of money. It is possible. You just have to know where to shop and what to shop for. I’ve recently become a fan of wholesale shopping. And I don’t mean for food. But there are actually places that sell wholesale clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewelry. You can get fantastic clothes and even better prices. And no one even has to know that you bought it wholesale. Now we can all pity those who pay full price for everything they wear. One day they’ll learn…

Whether for your business or for personal use, there is one thing everyone should look into: data backup. Because most of our lives revolve around the computer and digital documents, it is essential to protect them. Person after person loses everything on their computer due to natural disasters, thefts, and just general computer problems and failures. And if your important  documents haven’t been stored off-site, you can never get those things back.  So, to protect yourself, look into some form of backup software. Believe me; you’ll thank yourself later.

Have you ever seen or heard of new ideas, new innovations and thought why you didn’t think of that? It happens to me quite a bit. When they debut, they seem so brilliant, but so obvious at the same time. It makes me just want to smack my head and say “How simple. Of course!” But alas, I have not yet had an epiphany. So here are my top three “Why Didn’t I Think Of That” list:

1. Customized Vitamins: Code Nutrition offers customized vitamins based on your DNA. This is brilliant because we all kn0w and have heard over and over again that genetics have a lot to do with our health. All you have to do is send in an at-home cheek swab and they will start analyzing your genetic makeup. Innovative and new…and I didn’t think of it.
2. Amazon: Buying books without having to go to the bookstore. Think about it: no line, no wait (except for shipping, of course). I wonder if the inventor of Amazon.com knew that it would take off the way that it has.
3. Gummy Bears: Yeah, I said it. You know you wish you could have thought of that too. And now it is a favorite treat of children and adults alike. I do sometimes wonder just how much the gummy bear empire is worth. But maybe I should just find something more productive to think about.

I seem to be constantly flip-flopping between being in control of my debt and drowning in it. And quite frankly, I am tired of it. So, I’ve made a new resolve: I am going to get out of debt once and for all! I know it will take work and dedication, but it will be better in the end. I am going to pay off my credit cards, my school and car loans, and then look into some accelerated mortgage programs.

One by one I’ll pay these things off and  put that extra money towards the next thing to pay off. It is like my new year’s resolution…but in July.

I imagine that once I pay off all my debt, I will feel exactly like this:

It is important to shop around for the best pricing. My little sister has just announced that she is getting married pretty soon–probably sooner than she should be getting married. But that is another story. Because of how soon the marriage is scheduled, I have been put in charge of finding the right Utah caterer to make this the perfect wedding for my baby sister.

I just have to keep reminding myself that I don’t have to settle for the first caterer that I come across. I can take my time and really take a good look around. And I have already found that by letting the caterers know that I am looking around, they have offered me better deals than they would have otherwise.

One thing that all businesses should consider (but hardly any of them put this into real consideration) is on hold music. Many businesses think this is trivial, but in all reality, it is crucial to great customer phone service. Try using something that is entertaining and will make the time that your customers are on hold just fly by. You definitely don’t want to have complete silence–honestly, who likes that? There are even specific companies that specialize in creating customized, entertaining on hold messages. All you  have to do is ask for a simple on hold music quote–and you’re set!

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I had recently read up on a money merge account that will help you with an early mortgage payoff. Since then, I’ve been doing everything I can to find out as much as I can about it. I thought I’d share. Here is a great website that has tons of information and the ins and outs of having a money merge account.