Saturday, May 24, 2008

Tip 2: Stop Spending

This is the second in my random installments of money tips. Once when managing the finances for a candidate for a national association office, her campaign co-chairman suggested that rather than continue to raise funds, we just look at what we really didn't need to spend. It was good advice.

Tip 2: Stop Spending.

An obvious way to have more money is to stop spending money, yet it's one of those tips that always need to be listed. Several friends and colleagues have found times in their lives where a serious financial situation - illness, job loss or salary downsizing (personal or spouse), personal emergency or even huge college costs - made them need to immediately look at spending.

It might be tremendously easier than you'd imagine to seriously look at what spending money on, and just stop or significantly decrease. And then you'll wonder why you didn't stop years ago. If in a two-income family, try living on one salary for a month or two and saving the rest (or cut 1/3 if one salary). Might be more manageable than imagined, and could cause you to consider spending less generally.

Same is true with association finances. When the economy falters, money is often needed but it's also often considered a bad time to seek more money. Check ways to stop spending.

Why wait for the financial emergency?

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