Simply Junior

Everyone I’m sure has a dream of going out on a shopping spree after winning the lottery, and just buying everything they ever imagined. Even if you know you will never be in that situation, it is fun to think about, and I bet most people think about how happy that would make them. The facts are though, that a large number of people who do win the lottery report spending a bulk of the money within the first few years, and at the end not being all that much more happier than they were before winning.

Money can make us happier, but buying things won’t keep us happy over a long period of time. Sure, you may go out and buy that sports car you always wanted, but after a couple months of driving it, the happiness will likely wear off. I’m here to argue that money can make us a lot happier, but spending money will not. Most people’s happiness comes with the knowledge of them knowing they can spend time with the people they care about, and not have to worry about anything else. This is where money can play a major role in happiness. It is those people who save their money, rather then spend it, who have been shown to be the happiest, the longest. Someone who has $5 million in the bank, and lives off the interest will have the peace of mind knowing that they are set for the rest of their life. They can spend time with their friends and family whenever they want, do not have to get up at 6am for work every morning, and can travel wherever they wish. On the other hand, the people who use that $5 million and buy sports cars, mansions, expensive suits and large boats may get happiness initially but after the initial fun wears off, they will likely feel empty inside.

Save your money, spend it, but not too liberally, and you will find that you are happier, and less stressed in your daily life. Money can not “buy” happiness, but it can certainly give you the tools to live a happier less stressful, more fulfilling life. Most of what we buy are to impress other people, rather then to fulfill our own needs or wants. Care less about what others think about you, and more about the daily peace of mind you will have with a larger nest egg.

Why Should I Budget?

- You Have Limited Income: Virtually everyone has limited or fixed income. Without budgeting you are being controlled by your environment. If you have a plan, you are more in control of your money. Without a budget, you may not really know you are spending more money than you are earning.

- So That You Know Your Limits: Knowing what your monthly expenses are projected to be and what they actually are will help you keep track of how much money you have left over for future goals and needs.

- You Have Unlimited Demands: There is an endless demand on your finances. Our commercial capitalistic society is constantly calling out for you to buy. If you have minor children, the demands are greatly increased by the things that they want, the activities they are in, and the schools they attend.

- You Want Freedom Not Bondage: Budgeting seems to be restrictive to some people. The reality is that we have to make choices between what we want at the moment and our regular bills and goals for the future. However, there is freedom in knowing what your limits are. Many people find this liberating, because it creates the opportunities to grow and mature.

- You Have Future Goals: If you are sacrificing today, it helps to know what you are saving for in the future. Obtain a financial plan so that you will know what your goals are and for what you are saving.

- You Want to be More Aware of Where Money is Going: If you do not have a budget, you may have no idea where your money is going. Knowing where you money is going will help you identify if you are spending too much money in specific areas.

- You Want Less Stress: Spending without a plan and a budget increases your stress because you do not have a well thought out plan for paying your bills and you may spend more money for fun than you can afford. Planning and budgeting will give you the peace of mind that you are on the right track.

Contract with Yourself (and between Spouse)

Budgeting is very hard for many people; therefore, it helps to have a contract with yourself. If you are married, this agreement should include your spouse. If you work together, you will usually accomplish more than you could on your own.

I hereby resolve to:

1. Start a budget, and pay attention to it weekly and monthly

2. Not spend more money than I make

3. Be in financial partnership with my spouse with no secrets between us

4. Not borrow to purchase items that depreciate in value

5. Not let my emotions make me purchase anything, including gifts

6. Not purchase something over budget unless it was unavoidable

7. Not purchase anything that I don’t really need, no matter how good the sale is

8. Not purchase something to keep up with the Joneses

9. Not apply for any new credit cards, unless lowering interest rates

10. Pay off all credit cards monthly (I will work toward paying them off)

11. Not spend money on fun things unless I have paid my monthly bills

12. My spouse and I will both be the “fun police”

13. Include children in the budgeting exercise to teach restraint

14. Not obtain high maintenance items like a pet or hobby if I can’t afford the expenses.

15. Not buy something that costs over $50 without consulting each other and the budget

Cash Flow Management Checklist

In addition to having good budgetary habits, it also helps to take advantage of money-saving measures. The following are many of the things you can do to help you save thousands of dollars per year.

- Employ tax advisors to you avoid overpaying taxes

- Use low cost investments that have low to no commissions, fees and expenses

- Shop your loans to find lowest interest rates

- Shop your insurance for the lowest prices possible.

- Buy smaller homes and cars since they require less money to maintain and insure

- Go on cheaper vacations

- Frugal travel to lower the already large consumption of your income for gasoline

- Eat out cheap, less often and at less expensive establishments and cafes

- Spend less on food by shopping at low price grocery stores and pack your lunch

- Lower home energy consumption by employing easy to find and low cost solutions

- Break smoking and excessive eating habits to save on tobacco and fast foods

- Monitor emotions to avoid depression or stress related purchases

- Obtain from the library resources about budgeting, financial planning and spending

- Go to the library for entertainment books and DVDs

- Reduce or eliminate cable TV

Budgeting Tips

Use technology or spreadsheets:

Obtain software (or use spreadsheets) that will help you pay bills and make and monitor a budget. Devote time to it by keeping track of all expenses and enter them into your software program or monthly spreadsheets each week.

Save all receipts, bills, household documents, and tax documents:

Organize these items by category into an accordion file or drawer: e.g., auto, bank, business, credit cards, dental, medical, grocery, income, insurance, mortgage, utilities, general receipts, school information, and taxes.

Balance your checkbook:

Many people don’t balance their checkbooks each month. Budgeting software makes reconciling simple, but you can read the back of your statement or make an appointment with your banker if you need to learn this skill manually.

Tax Time:

If you use budgeting software, you can run a tax summary report before you work on your taxes. If not, and if you itemize your taxes (Sched.A), you must total the appropriate columns in your spreadsheets, e.g., Medical expenses (Your accountant may provide you with an organizer to help you get ready for tax time.) Remember to place quarterly and yearly expenses on the appropriate month in your budget so that you do not overspend. For example, annual insurance payments, quarterly tax estimated payments, annual homeowners association dues, etc.

Summary

Good cash flow management is key to implementing any financial plan; commit to doing this well. No one likes self-discipline, but it is actually good for us. With proper management of your finances, you will become more confident and less stressed about your future. Remember, one bad financial decision can sometimes take years to undo. Be very careful with all decisions you make.

In the online world there are two kings when it comes to running your site and keeping it functional for the people, who support you. In one corner, you have the dedicated server. In the other, you have cloud hosting. There are others, such as the virtual private server and the shared server, but neither compares to the raw computing power, the redundancy, and the maximum uptime that these two choices afford you. If you’re struggling to decide which of these servers is right for your business, then you need to start by looking at the advantages and the disadvantages of each. All good things have a dark side. The important thing is that you look at where you are as a business, and you determine which cons will have the least amount of effect on your business.

Cloud hosting

Cloud servers operate to ensure that you are always operating quickly and efficiently. The way that a cloud host operates is this: your site is “hosted” by several different servers spread out across a geographic region. As a result, you always have the redundancy you need, meaning that if one goes out, your site doesn’t go out. You also have the assurance that your site is always loading quickly no matter where it is accessed from. This ensures that you have the chance to become a global business. You also have peace of mind that comes with knowing that you don’t have to operate the things yourself. On the downside, this form of hosting can be quite expensive, and if you don’t have the traffic for it, you could be wasting a lot of money on something that is, quite frankly, more than you need.

Dedicated hosting

Dedicated hosting is a hosting option that allows you complete and absolute autonomy over how a dedicated server is used. Instead of sharing costs with several different sites, you can enjoy the full customization option that comes with your very own server. You have the freedom to watch over your server at all times, and you have the final say over how it operates. The downside to dedicated hosting is, like cloud hosting, it can be quite expensive, made doubly so by the fact that you may have to hire a new employee just to manage all of it. For locally based businesses that will not be trying to roll out globally, these servers make the most sense. However, if you are trying to appeal to someone in another state or country, then your best bet may be to go with the cloud provider.

In both cases, your hosting company may allow both options. Look at your business, weigh the pros and cons, and decide which is best for you.

It seems everyone is now concerned about debt. After years of free spending in a good economy the reality of debt has sunk in. Overspending reached an all time high for most Americans in the last few years. Now everyone wants to know how to get out of debt and avoid debt problems.

Tips to Avoid Debt Problems

1. Stay away from credit cards. This is the easiest way to get into debt. It doesn’t take long for spending to get out of hand and for credit card debt to accumulate. When you charge something on a credit card it does not feel like you are spending money so it is easy to find yourself deep in debt.

2. Live below your means. There is no better way to guarantee no debt than to live below your means. If you consistently spend less than you earn you will not have any debt.

3. Recognize the value of money. You work hard to make money so you need to work just as hard to keep it. We tend to spend money without thinking of the purchases we make. Making an effort to be aware of spending and purchasing habits help you to appreciate the value of money and spend less.

4. Stick to a budget. A budget is a spending plan. If you don’t have a budget it is easy for spending to get out of control. Most people do not like to set up and follow a budget. But a budget is your spending and saving guide. You should not be without one.

5. Make saving money a priority. You should be saving money from every paycheck. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “pay yourself first?” That is a good rule to live by.

6. Learn to distinguish between wants and needs. It is easy to overspend on things such as cell phones, cable, Internet and other household items. It is also important to realize that excess usually leads to debt. Most Americans have more stuff than they need.

Problems with debt create stress and tension so it’s important to learn how to avoid debt. Avoiding debt requires careful planning, setting goals and self-discipline. But the reward of peace of mind makes it all worth it! Avoid debt problems to have financial freedom.

Dedicated servers, whether managed or unmanaged, are usually housed in data centres or colocation centres which are built of the most reliable equipment, power and mechanical systems. This is done for safety measures, risk reduction and scalability. Usually, dedicated unmanaged and managed servers are rented or leased by a company that provides web hosting. The server is used solely by one client and not multiple clients which gives the client full control of the server. Though managed servers are known to be the most expensive solution for maintaining a website, it is also the best solution for anyone who can afford it. It is, in fact, cheaper than purchasing your own server or hiring your own technical team. Plus, there are many providers nowadays that offer cheap dedicated server hosting.

Usually, hosting providers take care of services for managed servers as part of a package or bundled service. Some of the services include system updates, various monitoring packages, and security audits.

One of the greatest benefits you can get out of this kind of hosting is that it is controlled by experts. When we say experts, what we mean are the right people who are more than able to handle the job. They can be anywhere from Cisco certified to Microsoft certified to web component developers. All tasks that are assigned to the hosting company will be handled professionally. This means that they know their stuff and that you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Also, tasks that take so much time such as regularly taking care of security updates, operating system updates and control panel updates are the responsibility of your hosting provider. Security is always important. If you do not have time to do this, you will at least have peace of mind that somebody else is taking care of it.

Aside from security or operating system updates, there are always technical problems that often come up. Having technical support on top of every problem all the time is always a great comfort to any client. It is also a known fact that dedicated server clients are treated with the utmost priority. It is what you get in terms of what you pay for.

Managed dedicated servers are also known for having a high level of security. Stringent security measures are implemented by providers to ensure the safety of confidential data on the server. They utilise advanced security systems to prevent spammers and hackers from succeeding in entering the network. This also includes the prevention of viruses or worms from entering the network.

Managed dedicated servers are also popular for having fast response times. It is usually two times faster than that of a shared server. On a shared server, once one of the sites get a lot of traffic, this can possibly slow down the response time of your website which is never acceptable for those in the e-commerce industry.

Also, with a managed server you will have the ability to configure the server the way you want it. A problem that most clients on a shared server encounter is dealing with restrictions as to what could and could not be run on their servers, plus the permissions and settings they allowed. Having a managed server gives you more control.

Lastly, opting for this kind of hosting solution frees you from the hassle of managing your own server which can truly be time-consuming and a challenging task. A managed server is maintained by system administrators around the clock. This only means you will have more time to focus on the more important aspects of business matters. This also means you will have the luxury of spending quality time with family and friends without having to compromise your business needs. By outsourcing these services, you are not only saving time but money as well. You do not have to worry about cost and security as there are providers that offer cheap dedicated server hosting where servers are housed in secure data or colocation centres.