Harness Money

There is really no need to pay full price for anything. There are very few items that I pay full price for.

I bought my current Lexus GX 470 from a friend of mine in cash. Most of my clothes are brand new and came from the Neiman’s Last Call or Clearance Dillards. There is a massive clearance department store down the street from me and they have more than enough clothes to go around.

My lifestyle is pretty lavish.

In America, we often buy things we do not need. We have a lot of stuff. We could all afford to buy a little bit less. There are plenty of purchases that I have made in my life and thought to myself. Why did I buy this? Or I purchased something and immediately thought: This thing is horrible?

Money is precious. It can do so many things. Like sponsor a child through WorldVision. Giving money away really puts it into perspective. I could buy this designer clothing item or I could sponsor a child education. I’m not here to shame you into giving money to charity. I definitely enjoy the finer things in my.

I am telling you to think more about what you spending your money on. Do you really need that item? Could you find that somewhere else for less money.

We often get into trouble when we are impulsive with money. You pay for convenience and time. Sometimes things are more expensive simply because they are in closer proximity to you.

You work hard for your money, be smart with it.

I do not want to see you having to work when you are 80 because, you spent all of the money on things that did not really matter. I want your money to work for you.

There are plenty of times I found myself without money. Working at Starbucks and trying to find a new apartment.

Being fired from a job and then broken up with and not being able to afford my rental. If I had been thinking about the money in my pocket I would not have been in such bad situations. I would have had the resources to pick myself up and not feel as bad as I did. Not scramble to find a place to live.

The less money you spend the more you will have to invest. In yourself. Your family. Your business. Your charity.

Spend less and invest more.

There are many people out there that make hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, but they spend all of it. They live paycheck to paycheck because they see money in their bank account and they spend it. These people think it is too complicated to invest.

“I don’t understand that stuff.”

You can’t afford not to understand money.

One day you will be older and may have health problems and are not physically able to work. What are you going to do then?

Every time you get paid take a percentage of that money and immediately save/invest that money.

Try not to buy things in the moment. Think about if you really need the item.

Salespeople push people, because they know if a person starts to think about a purchase, they are more likely to spend less money. I never tell someone not to buy something. If you want that BMW then buy it. But think about it before you do.

Do your homework. See if there are other sellers. Make sure you are paying an accurate price. 9 out of 10 times you can find a lower price somewhere else.

Don’t be frugal for the sake of being frugal. Many times time is more valuable than money. You can save money by paying someone to do something for you. But taking 5 minutes to think about if you really need something or if it is simply going to become clutter can be valuable.

Don’t listen to advertising.

The goal of advertising is to get you to spend money. To make you believe that your life would be better with some item. There is not a single item that will change your life. Your life has to change from the inside out. Your exterior should just be a reflection of what is happening inside.

Buy quality.

Quality has a different meaning to different people. Sometimes paying more money for something makes more financial sense. If you get more use of something that is quality it is worth paying more money.

– Jewelry

– Cars

– Hotels

You get what you pay for. And quality can be a little bit more expensive, but it is worth the spend.

There is always more than one seller.

Never take the first option. I made this mistake a lot when I was young. This is the only one of its kind.

No it is not.

Gucci makes lots of purses. Lexus makes lots of cars. Just because you see something being sold at one locations, does not make it the only one.

This is really important with your largest purchases: House, Car, College. All of these things can and should be shopped around. I’m not saying go crazy looking for the cheapest deal. Just do a quick check to make sure you are paying the right price. Make sure you are paying way over value for that house, when you could buy a cheaper house and be just as happy.

Visualize the things you really want to purchase.

Visualizing your life, is one of the most powerful things that you can do. The world around us was created by people that visualized the future. Someone visualized Costco before it was reality. Someone drew up plans for that dream house before it was built.

You should do the same with your life. What does your best life look like?

What kind of car do you drive?

What does your dream house look like?

Asking these questions will make you look hard at your purchases. Does that house you are looking at look like the one in your mind? Does it get you closer to your goal?

Visualizing is just as much about imagining what you want your life to look like as well as what you do not want your life to look like. You will know not purchase something, because it does not fit into your dream world.

Purchase products/services that are going to make your life easier/better/more profitable.

Spend money to make money. Which means if you can spend money to take something off your plate do it. Use the principles listed above to get a great deal, but do it.

Your time and effort is valuable. You can only do so many things in one day. You cannot do everything and you should not do everything. Pass things off to other people.

Use the money that you currently have to make more money.

Practice gratitude.

If you are reading this you have to really important skills: reading and writing. Right there you have 2 things that you can be thankful for. We live in a consumer society. We are conditioned to believe that stuff will bring us happiness. That the grass is greener over there in Instagram land. But it’s not.

You have a lot of things to be thankful for right now. The more you truly practice gratitude for your life: family, friends, home, work, body, soul. The less physical stuff you will need to feel content in the life you currently have.

I am not the best at practicing gratitude. I still want things and see other people that have more than I do. Or look better than me. But I know that I have a lot to be grateful for and am blessed that I have the life I do.

Make stuff

This is the biggest piece of advice I can give you.

Rather than spend and consume. Focus on making stuff. For other people. Physical, digital, mental. The more you work. The more you create, the less time you will have to spend money. The more money you will save and invest.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Harness Money for more great content.