Here are my Top 7 Tips Lists for * OverHalling * Seven Financial Areas of Your Life:

Top 7 Tips for * OverHalling * Your Food Purchases 1. Use a master grocery list 2. Make your morning drink at home 3. Stop snacking from vending machines 4. Carry your own snacks, celery sticks, carrots, broccoli spears, fresh fruit, pop corn 5. Pack your lunch 6. STOP eating out 7. Only use coupons for products you normally buy

Richard Carlson, Ph.D. gave this wonderful example on how much you can save by taking your lunch to work with you in Don’t Worry, Make Money, “For example, if you stayed on job for thirty years and substituted a $2 lunch for a $7.50 lunch at a local restaurant, $5.50-per-day savings deposited in an investment club earning 8 percent over thirty years would amount to around $100,000.”

That’s being conservative!

Top 7 Tips for * OverHalling * Your Transportation Costs 1. Find lowest priced gas station for your gasoline needs 2. Plan and map out your errands 3. Walk 4. Ride a bike 5. Public transportation 6. Car pool 7. Errand exchange with a neighbor, worker, friend, or relative

You can find lowest gas prices in your neighbor, if someone has reported in, at http://www.gasprices.com

Top 7 Tips for * OverHalling * Your Reading Costs 1. Go to library 2. Find and use a used bookstore 3. Find it on Internet 4. Borrow from friend or relative 5. Co-op on subscriptions and book clubs 6. Listen to audio tapes that you get FREE at library 7. Read book reviews first!

Top 7 Tips for * OverHalling * Your Auto Expenses 1. Learn to and do your own oil and filter change 2. Keep you car maintained 3. Drop collision and comprehension if your car is paid off 4. Sell your car if payments are too much and purchase a good, reliable used car 5. Pay off your car loan with a home equity loan and now that once car payment is tax deductible! 6. Change your deductible on auto insurance to as high as you can afford; your insurance premiums will be less 7. Maintain tire pressure and drive speed limit

No matter what your age or years of work, it’s almost never too late to start planning for your retirement. As a matter of fact, younger you are, less chance you will have of becoming destitute, or a * bag * person. I’m not trying to be funny, it can happen to you if you don’t watch what you are doing and PLAN for future.

Ponder for a minute on questions below:

~~ What kind of life do you want in your * golden years *? ~~ How will you use your retirement time, meaning, what activities, interests, or travel might you want to pursue? ~~ Will you need or want to change your housing and lifestyle completely or do you hope you can * stay where you are, doing same things you’ve always done *? ~~ If you are planning on living in a different area, what are standards of living in that area OR what are chances of standard of living increasing or decreasing where you are currently living? ~~ How might your health affect your retirement? ~~ Will you need to continue to work part-time after retirement to * make ends meet *? How will that affect your benefits? ~~ Do you want to start your own business, many people do after retirement, and how will that affect your benefits? ~~ What * support * systems do you have or need to have in place?

If a company employs you, you need to FIND OUT:

~~ if they have a retirement plan (benefits), such as a pension or 401(k) ~~ what your TOTAL monthly or lump sum disbursement will be ~~ how much you can contribute ~~ length of service required to be eligible to collect benefits ~~ age required to be eligible to collect benefits ~~ if plan will meet your needs/lifestyle after retirement