Staying Married is the Way to Riches

This post is for all those lovely couples who are contemplating marriage.

This is the season for such things. Rings are given during Christmas or Valentines Day and then the wedding is planned for May or June (sometimes July). That's real cute, but take some advice from an old married person who has been in a relationship for a very, very, very long time. Who has been married for a while too (over a decade or two).

If you marry and wish to become rich . . . Divorce, Separation, whatever . . is not an option. So if you are marrying, make sure you marry for life.

As I often say to my husband . . . "know this now, if it doesn't work out (our marriage) you are just going to have to live the rest of your life and die, hating me, 'cause there will be no divorce. We'll be 90-year-old-grumps throwing our false teeth at each other while we rock on the porch, but got-damn it, we will STILL be married."

I'm not giving my riches up for ANYONE. And divorce/separation is the fasted way to lose all you have worked hard for. You can recover from BANKRUPTCY faster than a divorce. Unfortunately for my poor husband, because I know this is true . . . he's stuck. (You have my permission to feel sorry for him.)

Okay, so how do you make sure you have a long-lasting marriage so you can stay rich? 'Cause everyone tells you to "stay married" but, frankly, no one tells you how to do that.

As I look back at what made my marriage work -- the only thing I can pinpoint that was different from my divorced (and poor) friends were . . . my husband and I discussed every - I MEAN EVERY - topic you can think of before we really committed.

Not that we agreed on much of them. We didn't.

But we knew where each other stood on . . .
1. In-laws and having in-laws stay with us for an extended time (more than 2 weeks).
2. What we thought of each others mother (honestly)
3. Kids - what to do with them,what we expect from them, and how to get what we expected.
4. Sex - how much, how often and what positions (that one was fun)
5. Hygiene
6. Cleanliness of the house
7. Who cooks and why
8. Money -- this one was long and varied and got us in a lot of arguments (better BEFORE than AFTER the wedding).
9. If we won the lottery what would we do?
10. If one of use died what would we do?
11. If one of us cheated on one another what would we do?
12. If we were on a sinking ship and there was room for the kid or the spouse -- which one would we pick and why?
13. If either of us was raped or violently assaulted, how would we feel, how would we handle it?
14. If either of us lost a job or experienced bankruptcy, what would we feel . . . what would we do?
15. What is the one deal-breaker for you in marriage (meaning, if it happened it means instant divorce).

These were the top 15 questions, but really the questions were nearly endless. But before we discussed them in depth, we made sure to point out to each other that it was okay not to agree. We understood that many of these questions were tough to answer and the discussion was solely to gain insight on really who you are connecting with. It also lets you know (or anticipate) what to expect when life gives you those dirty little "gotchas." Those unexpected turns in the road.

Because really, that's all divorce is a symbol of . . . there was an unexpected turn in the road and one person went one way and the other went another -- 'cause they have two different pages of the roadmap. Ask some questions before the trip. Make sure you are on the same page and keep all your riches (especially the ones that can't be counted).

The Model Millionaire by Oscar Wilde

I was re-introduced to Oscar Wilde the other day (I could not appreciate him in high school -- what kid would appreciate an old dead guy?) Anyway, this guy had some very practical advice and I've decided to read some of his stuff. Currently, I found this little anecdote of his . . .

Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed.

The poor should be practical and prosaic. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.

The Model Millionaire - Oscar Wilde



Hey, ain't Oscar cold pimpin' with his cane and fur and everything? -- sorry, couldn't help commenting on that.

 
Oscar Wilde's Wit and Wisdom: A Book of Quotations by Wilde, Oscar/ Do (Google Affiliate Ad)

November was a bitch with a long wicked knife

SSHHH!!!
Originally uploaded by LISA M G

Okay, yeah, so I disappeared in November. Basically, for all you nosey people out there - I had my head down and my nose to the gridstone -- working. Basically, making a path for all the riches 2008 is holding for me.

There are several things I'm going to do to make my dream come true -- November was the month that I set everything up to get the ball rolling. So, I had no time to come through and discuss it with you guys. Sorry about that.

But because of my hard work, my dedication and stubborness (not to mention the many all-nighters I pulled). I feel that I am well on my way to making my dream come true - $3,000,000!

What am I doing precisely to make that grand bit of cash? Patience, patience . . . you are going to see. I am now organized and all set up to be able to blog AND do all the activities I have on board to make lots of money. I want to thank you all that came by, even when my blog seemed dead.

I plan to retroactively fill November up with posts (I had written the posts previously - it's just that blogger doesn't have an auto post feature, so I have to do it manually), so visit often and go BACK in time for some good information on telecommuting and becoming rich.

Here we go . . .

Rumors of my death . . .

Okay, folks I've been out of commission for a couple of weeks. No, I'm not dead. No, the blog is not dead. In fact I have over 100 posts ready to "become live" with a click of my finger. The problem with this is, Blogspot does not let you indicate automated future posting.

Oh Blogspot, when will you give us an "automated posting" feature? Truly, that's all I want for Christmas. I think I speak for many people using your wonderful system when I say that being able to write a blog post and indicate on what day it should go "live" would be so very wonderful. It would help busy people like me become much more consistent in our blog posting . . . thus allow you guys to hold on to your large blog audience . . . thus create more revenue for you. Please, please ole' great programmers in the sky of blog universe -- could you make this happen for us lowly bloggers?

Just for my readers, I didn't forget about you. I just couldn't lift my head from the pillow for a week. And then last week I had to catch up on work (you, know the thing that pays the bills? -- I'm not a millionaire yet). But I'm back now, so look for more help in finding telecommuting jobs, more discussion on mad schemes to make more money, and tips on how to KEEP said money.

Thanks for understanding.
Telemill

There would have been no housing bubble if we would have followed 2 simple rules . . .

Stumbled upon a blog called Everything Finance . . . good stuff, go read. The author had a simple, yet very truthful post on the 25 ways to grow rich (actually, to live comfortably). And he/she bolded rules 3 and 4.

3. Spend no more than 2 1/2 times your income on a home. For a down payment, it's best to come up with at least 20%

4. Your total housing payments should not exceed 28% of your gross income. Total debt payments should come in under 36%

And I thought to myself, what the hell happened to good old-fashioned common sense? The above rules make utter sense. And if we would have held FIRM to that sense (by "we", I mean the collective population) we would not be in a housing bubble (or housing deflation) right now. How did this happen? Did greed really make this happen? "Greed" is really that powerful that we will set aside good sense to follow it -- to believe that gaining 10% - 15% - 25% appreciation in one year can carry on forever? Did people REALLY and truly believe this? Or were they just bull-shitting so the next guy would jump in the game and continue the "appreciation" run?

I mean, the people that bought a house for $600,000 put $10,000 into "renovations" and turned it over the next year for $750,000 . . . did they really believe that this would continue? Or in the back of their mind they said "Whoo, got away with it. Hope this crazy "appreciation" scam holds out 'til I sell my other three houses."

The two rules above are so common sense, so "fundamental" -- how did we get into the 5 and 6 times your salary for a house purchase is okay pot? Are we the simple minded frogs that get cooked alive because the heat was slowly turned up?

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You're Serious Fee

I see this statement all the time. 'We request that you send us $25 to make sure you are a serious applicant.'

Yeah, right! Let me show you the ridiculousness of this statement.

Let's suppose you own a company, BCD Inc. You need an employee. You look at two resumes and competency test scores. One guy really fits the bill. This guy has experience, the skills and
education you need; and in addition, you see from his competency scores, he's fast and accurate too. The other applicant has the skills you require, but he's kinda slow and has a questionable
employment history (actually, he has been fired from his last two jobs). Now BCD Inc., also requires from applicants a 'make sure you're serious fee.'

Now this is the dilemma, what if the first applicant doesn't have the money? What if the second questionable applicant does have the money? Would you hire the questionable guy?

Let me answer for you . . . NO you wouldn't. You would want the better employee that will work fast, do a better job and make you lots of money. You wouldn't care about how much money an employee has to give you, because that is not where your bottom-line - your profits - come from. Your profits will come from competent and fast employees doing the business of the business. Would you actually turn down a great employee just because they don't have an admissions fee? A materials fee? A starting fee?

Yeah, when you look at the telecommuting from the employer's eyes -- all those scamming schemes become real clear don't they?

Congratulations, you have passed Scammers 101. Go out and get that work-at-home jobs with confidence that you will NOT become a victim of a scam.

Other ways scammers try to get ya':

Scammer Fee #2 - Administration Fees

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual/Training Fee

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You Are Serious Fee (You Are Here)

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee

"We find your resume impressive and would like to offer you the job we advertised. But before we can proceed, you must pay our registration fee."

Puleeze!

The only time I've paid a registration fee is to take a college course, join a conference or drive my car. I'm not paying registration fees for a job. I don't care if your company's headquarters are in another country. If you really want my skills, my knowledge and my know-how to help you company make money -- you'll pay my registration fees, buddy.

Other ways scammers try to get ya':

Scammer Fee #2 - Administration Fees

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual/Training Fee

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee (You Are Here)

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You Are Serious Fee

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual or Training Fee

Have you heard about the new manual fee? No? How about a training fee?

If you have encountered this fee, it means you must pay for the instruction on how to do your new job. Let me say this again, in case you didn't get it. The employer is asking you to pay for your own on-the-job training! What the . . .

Let's pretend . . .
It's the first day of your new job. The office assistant shows you to your desk. The boss greets you and asks you if you are ready to get to work. You answer yes and rub your hands eagerly.

'Okay,' he says, 'I'll tell you the first few duties that's required for your job, but first you must pay me $25.00 for my time and the hand-outs I've prepared to help you understand the tasks you need to complete.'

Huh?

Don't laugh; this is not so ridiculous. This is exactly what happens when you accept the Manual and Training Fee requests of scam artist employers.

Nope. We're not falling for that one either.

Other ways scammers try to get ya':

Scammer Fee #2 - Administration Fees

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual/Training Fee (You Are Here)

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You Are Serious Fee

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee

Starting Fee? What the heck is this? I've never had to pay an employer to start working!

Well, many scammers would gently explain to you (like you were some kind of slow-minded individual) that there are many people who want to work from home. That you are one of the fortunate few being considered. That they have been burned by those wanting to work from home in the past. So, what they want you to do is send them some money -- a starting fee. And with your first paycheck (an indicator that you are doing the work properly) they will refund that fee in full. It's just a way to protect themselves from those awful people who are scamming businesses by saying that they want to work from home. (funny!)

Whenever I've started a job, I was always concerned with how much 'I' (the employee) would be paid and when my first check would arrive. Working off a starting fee or waiting for a refund of my money is not my idea of successfully working from home.

Question: Have you ever paid an non-telecommuting, regular "brick and morter" employer a starting fee?

I don't think so.

Other ways scammers try to get ya':

Scammer Fee #2 - Administration Fees

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee (You Are Here)

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual/Training Fee

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You Are Serious Fee

Tele-Jobs: VIPdesk

"VIPdesk specializes in delivering Concierge Programs, Virtual Contact Center Services, and Reward Redemption Services for national brand leaders in the travel, auto, financial services, and retail industries."

Don't worry, they are looking for "employees," so send your resume (you don't have to incorporate).

Go to "Join our Team" in the menu bar.

You May Wish to Read About:

Other companies that offer Telecommuting Jobs

************************************************************************

Please remember, dear job hunter, if your qualifications and experience do not fit the position, do us all a favor and refrain from applying. Employers do not want to be bombarded with resumes of people who can not do the job.

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee

The materials fee is the excuse used typically for work-at-home crafts positions.

This one is easy to avoid. Ask them where you can purchase the materials. What third party or wholesaler do they recommend?

If they can't offer that information because they must supply the materials 'to guarantee quality of the product' then ask them:
'Why are you giving away your tax deduction?' Remember, all items purchased by a business are tax deductible, if they have you purchase it, they are gaining an income.

And believe me, these scammers have made their business income when you've send the check for the materials.

Other ways scammers try to get ya':

 Scammer Fee #2 - Administration Fee

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee (You Are Here)

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual/Training Fee

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You Are Serious Fee



Scams, Schemes, and Fraud: How Not to Become a Victim by Johnson, Shir (Google Affiliate Ad)

Tele-Jobs: Tutor.com

From their website:

Tutor.com is the world leader in live, on demand tutoring and homework help services. Every day, thousands of students come to us for help with homework, projects, essays, exam review and research. We connect each student with a real tutor, for a live, one-to-one tutoring session online. Students who use Tutor.com tell us that we've helped them complete their homework assignments, improve their grades and feel more confident about their school work.
Tutor.com seeks highly motivated contributors with the ability and desire to operate in a challenging, fast-paced environment to fill the following roles and job locations. If you would like to apply, please forward your resume, cover letter and salary requirements to hrjobs@tutor.com.

Visit their website and click on "Become an Online Tutor" - this is the category with the most home-based jobs.

You May Wish to Read About:

Other companies that offer Telecommuting Jobs

************************************************************************

Please remember, dear job hunter, if your qualifications and experience do not fit the position, do us all a favor and refrain from applying. Employers do not want to be bombarded with resumes of people who can not do the job.

Telecommuting Jobs, Work at home jobs, telework, hom

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs

All software and equipment costs so employees can get the job done are tax deductible for the business which hires the employee or independent contractor.

If you need special software to do the job, you (the job seeker) should never purchase it from the employer. Note that I did not say, 'Never buy software needed to fulfill a position.' You may purchase software, just get it from someone other than the employer. Find out if you can purchase it from a large chain
store or the actual software company instead. If the employer IS the software company then one of the perks of working for a "real" employer is -- you guessed it -- free software use at the job!

You see purchasing from the employer means they generate income from the sales of the software, not from whatever they claim to do. This especially applies to those in clerical positions. Look through the Sunday Classifieds in your local paper. Examine the clerical positions - what software are employers requiring? They usually require either WordPerfect or Microsoft Word, right? Do you see any other off-brand name software in these listings? Probably not. You see everyone is using well-known software these days, everyone has 'standardized' the skills needed. Why would this company be the only company in the nation to use a special word processing package?

Even as an independent contractor working with software companies. If the client wishes that I use their software -- they give it to me free of charge. It's just common courtesy and expected if you are going to work for them and help them make the big bucks, right?

Don't fall for the old -- you have to buy this software from us -- trick.

Want to know more ways scammers separate you from your money?  Read these blog posts too:

Scammer Fee #2 - The Administration Fee

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs (You Are Here)

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual/Training Fee

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You Are Serious Fee


Scams, Schemes, and Fraud: How Not to Become a Victim by Johnson, Shir (Google Affiliate Ad)

Scammer Fee #2 - The Administration Fee

Many scammers will send you an e-mail talking about how excited they are about your resume. How they can't wait to meet you or talk to you. But first, before you can proceed any further in the application process -- you must pay an Administration Fee. You see, there are so many people that want this job, and your would-be-employer needs to differentiate between the "serious applicants" and the "not so serious applicants."

Get real! Let me show you the silliness of this type of fee.

Have you ever encountered a regular, on-site employer that has ever asked for $10 or $20 dollars to process your application or your employee records? Have they asked for money to set you up with a desk, a phone and e-mail service for you?

If you haven't yet realized, it is unethical to ask an employee to pay for something that a business can receive a tax deduction for doing. Yes, companies receive a tax deduction for equipment, software, furniture, salaries and benefits of their employees. On the other hand, everything you (the employee) purchase from the company is considered income for that company and is taxed.

Now ask this question the next time someone asks for payment of administrative fees: 'Isn't this a tax deductible for your business? Why would you want me to pay for that?' And watch them squirm.

If they are in business to sell a product or a service, then their fees to their clients should cover all employee costs, period. If their business can not cover employee's costs then you don't want to work for them. Look, if they can't afford the costs to "look" for viable employees -- then there is great doubt that they have enough money to pay your salary. Case closed.

Don't be a sucker for the Administrative/Processing Fee line.

Other ways scammers try to get ya':

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual/Training Fee

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You Are Serious Fee



Scams by Bercowetz, Cynthia S. [Paperback] (Google Affiliate Ad)

Scammer Fee #1 - A True Employer Will Not Ask You For Money

It seems that there are a lot of people looking for work-at-home opportunities and are still getting scammed out there. In light of this problem, I thought I would begin October with a little lesson in how not to become a victim of work at home scams.

This is a multi-part series that will hopefully give you enough information that you can effectively look for telecommuting jobs without the fear of being ripped off by the many (and I mean tens of thousands) of people that are looking for those individuals so desperate to work from home that they will try anything . . . even things that don't sound or look right.

First of all, I want to say to those looking for telecommuting work, know that a true employer will NOT ask for your money. In a "real" work opportunity, money goes from the employer to you (not in the other direction - ever). So, if you make a pact with yourself to never give money to a potential employer than you have won 80% the battle of never getting ripped off. There is still that chance that you do work (spend valuable time and energy) and an employer neglects to pay you for it. But that does not happen very often, because the real goal of scammers is to get your money and get ghost (disappear).

I hope you benefit greatly from Scammer 101 lesson plan. Let me know if you like it and please don't hesitate to share your scam stories . . . you never know how it could help out a fellow reader of this blog.

Want to know more ways scammers seperate you from your money?  Read these blog posts too:

Scammer Fee #2 - The Administration Fee

Scammer Fee #3 - Software Costs

Scammer Fee #4 - Materials Fee

Scammer Fee #5 - Starting Fee

Scammer Fee #6 - Manual/Training Fee

Scammer Fee #7 - Registration Fee

Scammer Fee #8 - Make Sure You Are Serious Fee

I haven't seen that many fees since I last opened a bank account with Bank of America!


Scams, Schemes, and Fraud: How Not to Become a Victim by Johnson, Shir (Google Affiliate Ad)

Wow, I need some inspiration today

Don't give up ... no matter what!
Originally uploaded by sunny_julez

Everything seems to be going wrong.

Have you ever had one of those times when nothing you do is right? Everything you do seems to fail or fall flat?

Man, I've been working really hard, staying up long hours, doing lots of stuff that have amounted to "what seems like" nothing:
-- I've made only $7 on Adsense
-- I didn't get all the work done on my TO DO list
-- My tire went flat
-- My kid is expecting this wonderful birthday party and I haven't the energy to do it
-- A fraudulent charge appeared on my account, now my ATM and my bank account is frozen for 10 days
-- Visits to my blog are at an all time low

And that's just the short list . . .

I better get a bit of inspiration going here before I go out side, plop down on the curb and pull out my harmonica.

Then, I happened upon a little webpage called: Don't Give Up -- thank you Lord.

Did you know:

• As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a businessman. As a lawyer in Springfield, he was too impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned to politics and was defeated in his first try for the legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the senatorial election of 1858. At about that time, he wrote in a letter to a friend, "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth."
  
• Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62. He later wrote, "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up." (his capitals, mind you)
  
• Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was "sub-normal," and one of his teachers described him as "mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish dreams." He was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. He did eventually learn to speak and read. Even to do a little math.
  
• Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he succeeded.
  
• R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York City caught on.
  
• Michael Jordan and Bob Cousy were each cut from their high school basketball teams. Jordan once observed, "I've failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed."
  
• After Carl Lewis won the gold medal for the long jump in the 1996 Olympic games, he was asked to what he attributed his longevity, having competed for almost 20 years. He said, "Remembering that you have both wins and losses along the way. I don't take either one too seriously."
  
• Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." He went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim on the grounds that it would only attract riffraff.
  
• 27 publishers rejected Dr. Seuss's first book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

And there is so much more fascinating instances were people donned the habit of the Energizer Bunny and kept going . . . and going . . . and going. Made me feel so much better, made my problems and obstacles look so minuscule compared to mine. If you are having as bad a day as I'm having . . . go to: Don't Give Up.

In whatever you do . . . Don't give up!

It's not about who you know, but how many people you know

Did you realize that if you knew 100,000 people (and they knew you in return) all you would have to do is ask each one of them for $10 and you would be a millionaire?

If you had a business with 100,000 customers, all you would need is an one item that cost $15.00 and you would profit $1,000,000 (because you need $500,000 for taxes, business expenses, advertising, etc.)

So, what does this tell you . . . it tells me that McDonalds who has billions and billions of people served, has billions and billions of dollars just from the sale of $2.49 Large Fries!

That's so unfair! All I want is measly million (Okay, 3 million in 2 days -- why do you have to be so technical?) [Eye roll].

I remember reading in Millionaire Blueprints Magazine that this guy called Joe Girard was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the No. 1 retail car salesman in history -- all because he understood the concept of the more people you know, the more money you can make.

Basically, he developed a database of everyone he knew and met.

"Joe developed a system of staying in contact with his customers and potential clients. For every phone call or personal contact he made, Joe would write down on a file card any relevant information. He then sent everybody on his list a unique greeting card every single month. These weren't high-pressure sales letters, just friendly reminders to let people know that he was thinking about him."

Millionaire Blueprints, Jan-Feb 2006, pg 63

Joe would send people birthday cards, 12-month follow-up referral cards and monthly "howdy do?" cards. Pretty soon he was sending out tens of thousands of cards every month -- and he was getting millions in business every year.

Wow, what a simple concept that we overlook. I mean, sending notes through the mail can cost you a bundle, but sending people e-mail and e-cards and newsletters cost you nothing! Why aren't more people taking advantage of that? Why aren't "I" taking advantage of that?

A new goal for Telemill: Acquire a database of 300,000 people that regularly receive some sort of information from me monthly. So, where to start -- let me get out my Christmas List . . .

Have you ever lost time?

Okay, I'm working -- plugging along, getting some things crossed off of my TO DO list and I'm feeling accomplished today.

Then I take a break and grab some food. While happily chowing I click on my Stumble Upon button.

Don't know what that is? Well it's an evil little thing. It sits on your tool bar and when you click on it, it just randomly takes you to some of the coolest sites that you would never find yourself in a million years. So getting back to my story -- I click the stupid button.

And I came upon a website that is (for me) like Kryptonite to Superman. I just couldn't fight it. I was caught, trapped . . . and I lost 2 hours playing with the dog-gone thing!

It's called Idea Generator and it's simple really. You press the button and crazy ideas randomly pop up and it's so darn silly . . . and amazingly simple . . . and totally enthralling to me (yeah, I'm a simple minded smoe). Anyway, I took my break at 11:45 and now it's 1:45 . . . I lost 2 hours playing with this thing.

So now, I have to make up for it. So if the next few post if you read about some crazy concepts like: "eco-friendly rural sex toys" or "wicker growing machines" or even, "inexpensive edible appliances," then you know that I continued playing with this crazy web toy and I had to write on one of its generated ideas to justify my lose of productivity.

Pray for me. [Sigh]

A big thanks [feel the sarcasm] to Insanely Great News for introducing me to the un-productivity gun that would be Idea Generator.

Bryan C Fleming's Millionaire Dollar Club

As you know, I'm always on the look out to help my readers (and myself) find ways and methods to reach the Millionaire Club. I came across Bryan C. Fleming the author of "Home of the Million Dollar Savings Club."

He has an excellent post entitled: Million Dollar Savings Club Turns 1 Year Old that outlines a really painless and easy way to save money. And the wonderful thing about this is he's taking the journey along with everyone else and he documents it right here.

He seems to be having good success with his method and it's worth a shot if you decide to do it.

Cleaning up can make you a millionaire (share what you know)

Want to know how to make millions? It's easy: Share what you know.

Yes, it's that easy. Package what you know and share it, then as the word gets out that you "know your stuff" package the information and sell it!

That's what Fly Lady did. I ought to know because I was there when she first started. Basically, she was a woman that started a website talking about how cleaning used to frazzle her -- the responsibility of keeping things clean; the clutter drowning her and her family; the sheer frustration that it seemed that she couldn't do anything "right now" because there was too much stuff in the way.

So, she started with her kitchen sink. She cleaned out her kitchen sink and made it sparkle. And the way she did it -- it just nearly choked me when I read it. Basically, she took all the dirty dishes, put them UNDER the sink. Closed the cabinet doors and cleaned her sink, put some glass cleaner on it, made it shine and sparkle . . . and instantly felt better.

She promised herself that no matter what happened in her entire house, she would keep the kitchen sink clean. And her "clean-ness" radiated from that spot. She went on to clean the surrounding area and keeping that clean . . . and ultimately devised easy ways and systems to keep everything in your house clean with very little effort.

And then, she told everyone about it.

Her friends started doing it with great success. Then they told friends and she had to find a way to package the information so she didn't have to repeat her story over and over again. And guess what? Now, she's a millionaire. Don't believe me? Read her story: Choas to Clean in 31 Baby Steps.

I personally know her methods work because I've been using them for years. I discovered her in 2002, when I was overwhelmed with my new business and writing a book. I needed to keep my house clean and someone on a discussion board recommended visiting her website. Thank you Fly Lady!

Anyway, the point is every one of us has expertise, know-how, something we know to do that others could benefit from. It's probably stuff you don't think twice about because you know it so well. But let me challenge you a bit -- next time someone says to you, "How the hell you know how to do that?" or "Wow, that's amazing you know all about this stuff." or "Can you teach me to do that?"

Perhaps that's your million dollar money sign. Maybe you should think about using that knowledge in some way: write a book, create a class, consult, etc. to create the financial abundance you've always wanted. Just like Fly Lady.