surthrival | Alisa Battaglia

Part 3 in the New Economy Series

Acquiring information and advice about how to manage or invest our money is easy. The trick is to act on the information, to do something that improves your life and the lives of those you love. That’s what wielding the energy of money is all about. ~Maria Nemeth

Budgeting is a plan that helps people make the best use of their income and savings.

• Distinguish between wants and needs. Realistic, workable budgets result when couples agree to provide carefully for their needs and to exercise self-discipline and patience as they seek to provide for some of their wants.

• Most families can reduce some of their expenditures with a little resourcefulness and accountability. Begin budgeting by listing all expenditures from several previous months. Determine where the money went and which expenditures were unnecessary and which were necessary. Then decide what you can do yourself like: washing & ironing clothes instead of using a dry cleaner, growing your own food – an urban food forest to offset rising food prices & GMO pesticide foods, install solar panels, efficent appliances, and rain barrels to water plants, plant shrubs to keep home cool and convert lawn and landscaping using xerscaping.

• Budget for other set expenses, such as rent or mortgage, utilities, food, clothing, debt reduction, and transportation. By carefully analyzing past months’ spending, you can obtain a realistic idea of how much to allot for each item. When buying clothes, get rid of old clothes that don’t fit or are worn and donate or sell them at a second hand store. Don’t accumulate!!!

• Pay yourself first! Put money aside in a savings program after necessary expenses have been budgeted. Starting both a short-and long-term savings program can help you meet unplanned emergencies as well as provide for future major expenses.

• Budgets should be flexible, if not they usually fail. Allot personal spending money that need not be accounted for.

• Take into account affordable recreation and allow for some spontaneity- the unplanned diversions or for items that are a part of joyful living.

• Use a regular portion of income to prepare for future needs.

Part 2 of the New Economy Series

The way to protect our selves in these hard economic times is always to control spending. We each must decide for ourselves how we wish to manage our lives in terms of a bankrupt nation and a depressed economy. Here’s what I’ve consistently recommended to intelligent people over the years garnered through my own experience, research and from financial professionals.

1- Own your own vehicle. Don’t borrow money to drive a car. It depreciates right off the lot and is not worth what you paid for it. It’s better to own an old car than it is to make payments on something that stretches your wallet and stresses you. Opt to buy a used car outright. There are a lot of repossessed vehicles floating around now that are still under warranty. Try Uber or other share-a-ride venues.

2- Own your home. Work to pay off your existing home mortgage and own your home outright rather than qualifying for a loan and moving to a larger home. At minimum, reduce your loan so that you have 50% equity in your home. This should help to insulate you from all but the very worst housing bubble price drops.

3- Stop spending money on frivolous and overpriced things. Starbucks coffee, soda, brand-name laundry detergent, jewelry and processed foods to name a few. Stretch your money by buying healthy low-cost, bulk food ingredients like lentils, brown rice and quinoa; tea, almond milk, Broth, and coffee, etc.

4- Protect your health! Forget about promises for national health care system that’s any good because our entire health / sick-care industry is focused on treating disease rather than promoting health. Know that no health care system can make you healthy, only the proactive measures of sound nutrition, superfoods, sunlight, exercise and avoidance of all toxic chemicals to boost your health will. Take charge of your health right now!

5- Own some productive land. It is a form of permanent wealth. You can actually grow a large portion of your own food by converting lawn to growing vegetables, fruits, nuts or edible herbs and beneficial plants and trees. Regardless of what happens to the world economy, land in good climate capable of producing food and medicine will always hold value. The GARDEN REVOLUTION of growing an Individual & Local Food System is catalyzing backyard & urban farmers and permaculturists into action.

6- Own a Good Bicycle. There is no form of transportation that is more affordable. Opt for a moped, electric bike, or its alternative if pedaling is an athletic challenge. Electric bikes cost far less than a penny per mile, it is great exercise and will makes your legs and butt look great. 🙂

7- Don’t save ALL your money in one bank or in U.S. currency! Diversify!!! Banks are failing. The currency may depreciate and be declared worthless. Investing in anything that cannot be printed is the only logical way forward for people who wish to steer clear from investing in devaluating assets. Support your local bank and alternative forms of currency.