I'm not a Millionaire

     I'm not a millionaire & I've never wanted to be one.  I've always wanted to live a simple lifestyle.  I hated the old adage “It takes money to make money”.  Instead I think, “Save money to make money”.
You’ve all known at least someone who invested their life savings in a moneymaking venture.  Then, some calamity happens, the bottom falls out & they are left completely broke.  Many successful entrepreneurs have hit hard times in the beginning & have had to pull themselves from near bankruptcy time & time again but finally hit pay dirt (the man who created Cabbage Patch Dolls was one of them).  Those people are not
examples of success, they are those who just hit luck at the right time.  Success for the majority is a slow & steady journey beginning with a vision, some hard work & frugality.  You all have a vision & you all work hard, but we’re going to talk about being frugal & how doing so will benefit your life.
     Does being frugal sound like the scratching on a chalkboard “screeeetttccchhhhhh?”  Do you equate frugality to being a pennypincher, tightwad or spendthrift – all words that repel you, insult your integrity, or cast a sense of doom over you?  Maybe to you, if you were to live below your means it would take you from
social status & put you in the league of Poorville patrons.  Well that just ain’t so.
     I once knew a few millionaires and most of them wore Hawaiian shirts, got barbershop haircuts & reused paperclips.  TThey shopped at Target & Costco.  They weren’t out to impress anybody by lavish lifestyles or fancy cars, but they always had a couple of hundred dollar bills in their wallets.  It’s true they
knew how to make a buck, but more importantly, they knew how to save one.
     According to money.msn.com millionaires have secrets.  Some of them are:  1) Don’t think like you are rich; 2) shop at Walmart (bargains, coupons, etc; 3) Avoid high-interest credit card debt; 4) Invest
wisely; 4) Pay taxes; 5) Educate yourself. 
     Millionaires invest wisely, work hard & live frugally.  One of the wealthiest men I knew netted $30,000 a month from rentals alone – yet, he lived his life as a simple, humble man, always paying 10% Tithes to the church, shopping for a bargain, and wearing simple clothes.  Kimberly Palmer at Yahoo Finance says:  1) Believe you can do it; 2) have a vision for success; 3) work hard; 4) live below your means.  Liz Weston on money.msn.com, said that too much debt & too little savings = bankruptcy.  She goes on to saw the millionaires she’s interviewed live by the 50/30/20 rule:
·       50% of your net income is for NEEDS (house, utilities, basic phone,
transportation, food, insurance, childcare, minimum loan payments
·       30% is for WANTS (Internet, cable, gifts, eat out, vacations,)
·       20% is for Savings and debt repayment

The main message is “Save a nickel, save a dime and you
will see happier times”.