For years I believed that if I only had more money all of my
problems would be solved. Then I would get a raise or change
to a better paying job and my money situation didn't change.
I just couldn't understand why.

The fact is that most people have that extra money spent before
they get it. How many times have you heard someone say what
they are going to do with their tax refund? The same thing
goes for a pay raise.

Normally, they never even notice any change in their lifestyle
after they get the raise. I saw a survey on a web site a few
days ago that showed that only 35% of the people responding to
the survey had a budget in place full time. This is because
many people are afraid of budgets. It restricts them when they
find something they want to buy. If they only knew that a
budget is the only means for them to get what they want and
be sure they can afford it.

With a carefully developed budget, you not only have money for
your bills, but you can plan for the things you want.

There are a lot of ways to find money. By learning how to cut
your current spending, you will probably find that between 10%
and 25% of your spending is unnessary.

There are also several money saving web sites that will give
you literally hundreds of money saving ideas. Here are just
a few of my favorite:

TheFrugalShopper.com
http://www.thefrugalshopper.com
GreedyFools.com
http://www.savingadvice.com
BetterBudgeting.com
http://betterbudgeting.com
Debt Smart
http://www.DebtSmart.com
Freebie Haven
http://www.121fun.com
The Stay-At-Home Parents Page
http://www.thestayathomeparentspage.com
Brighter Futures
http://www.brighterfutures.com
FreelanceByU
http://www.freelancebyu.com
Tidbits from the Pantry

Usave2day.com
http://www.usave2day.com
MoneyMakingMommy.com
http://www.moneymakingmommy.com
You Save On Taxes.com
http://hop.clickbank.net/?terryrigg/wmdctp

Most of the time it's the unexpected expenses that catch people
off guard and creat havoc with their finances. Again, with a
budget, you can plan for this too. So if you think more money
will solve your problems, just look for it right there in your
paycheck.

About the Author

Terry Rigg is the author of Living Within Your Means - The Easy
Way http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/ebookadpage.html and editor
of The FREE Budget Stretcher Newsletter and Budget Stretcher
web site http://www.homemoneyhelp.com. He has 25 years of
experience counseling individuals and families concerning their
personal finances.

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