BFF: Becoming Financially Fit--Practical Tips For Saving Money

By JoAnn Greenhouse

This step-by step guide is filled with practical tips on how you can begin saving money.JoAnn has blended her passion for saving money and keeping physically fit to show you that you too can live a healthy financial fit life. Today is the day for you to stop blaming yourself if you have not been able to save money; no one has ever taught you how. Learn easy tips for saving money.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JoAnn Greenhouse
• Release date: Nov 26, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311558312

JoAnn Greenhouse

JoAnn has always had a knack for turning a dime into a dollar. From high quality clothing for low prices to amazing vacations free at 4-star hotels, JoAnn gets the things that she wants at a great price. After giving out advice to friends for years, she decided to share her lifelong experiences with e-book readers. A fun-loving person with a heart of gold, JoAnn has two passions: saving money and staying physically fit. She jogs seven miles daily around her neighborhood, rain or shine. While she tries to eat healthy, you might catch her sticking her hand into the cookie jar every now and then. JoAnn has both a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Master's Degree in Education. Although she will always be a Texan, she traveled the world during her father's Air Force career. She currently lives in San Diego with her husband of 38 years, enjoying their grandkids and life.

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PREFACE

We have all had our what if moments… What if I had saved more money? What if I had not gotten that tattoo? What if I had finished college, bought that new dress or pair of shoes? We all have regrets in our lives, but the real lesson lies in what we learn from them. I am writing this book because I want you to have a long and healthy, financially fit life. Saving money is not just something to do; it is a way to live.

I think about saving the same way that I think about exercising. Becoming a disciplined saver is not easy. Losing weight is not easy either. Now that I am older, I realize that if I want to live a long life, I will need to exercise, have will power, be disciplined, and prepare for those days when my body does not want to do anything but lie on the couch. The same thing holds true with becoming a saver. No one really wants to save money. When you save money, you sacrifice what you want now for peace of mind in what you will have when you get older. Some of you may say, What if I don’t live that long? I want to enjoy my money now. That is just an excuse to keep overspending even though you know deep down that you should not. There is always going to be something that you will want to spend money on, but if you can postpone that purchase, or just go without it, you can save that extra money. I hope that the simple and easy tips that I have written will inspire you to manage your money, so that you can begin your journey to financial success.

How does becoming financially fit and being physically fit relate to one another? We all know that exercising is very important to staying fit. Just as you must choose what you can and cannot eat for healthy eating, you have to know when to put down the credit card to become financially healthy. Before I begin to exercise, I prepare myself for my run. I stretch my muscles, put on the right type of clothes, and drink lots of water; the same can be said about saving. To become a disciplined saver, you must have a game plan for saving. You want to have a plan with short, medium, and long-term goals. Once you meet your short-term goal, you will be more excited about saving for the long term.

The second way saving is like exercising is in commitment. My body lets me know when it is ready to stop running. I become tired, I run slower, and I begin thinking to myself, Am I going to be able to finish this run? Even though my body is weak, I press on because I am committed to staying healthy, and before I know it, I am finished.  The same thing is true with saving. To be able to save money, you must make a commitment with yourself and your significant other (if you have one) about where your money is going and how much you have available to spend each week and/or month. You will need to know if your significant other will support you in saving money. Are you both working toward the same goals? If you are not, maybe you should change your mind set. When you are trying to lose weight, it helps to read labels so that you will know what is in the food you are eating, so you can avoid eating the wrong types of food. In the same way, to become a disciplined saver,