tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.comments2014-11-25T20:32:15.143-05:00Money TripMarc Bastienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-40144703991746832552014-11-25T20:32:15.143-05:002014-11-25T20:32:15.143-05:00Hey Marc,
Great piece! You really pull all of th...Hey Marc, <br /><br />Great piece! You really pull all of the essential elements together that make a successful interview process. I wish I had read this 20 years ago!tim moorenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-25822538692585414562013-07-11T07:19:01.141-04:002013-07-11T07:19:01.141-04:00Great insight, Marc---you hit all the right points...Great insight, Marc---you hit all the right points. It is nice to know in our fast-paced world of technology, people can still slow down and retain their humanity. I too am always on the lookout for examples of people extending themselves, be it a waitress who delivers an unexpected refill of soda or the mailman bringing a package up to my porch instead of hanging it off the mailbox. It is great to know that good ol' customer service is alive. And the steps that it takes are not that difficult---not nearly as tough as my smartphone.Tim Moorehttp://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=245240220&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profilenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-26890805086932137112012-04-11T10:49:00.104-04:002012-04-11T10:49:00.104-04:00I agree. Since you’ve already “worked and saved”, ...I agree. Since you’ve already “worked and saved”, go ahead and enjoy your money. Savings is just delayed consumption, so eventually it is okay to spend. That said, there are many people who spend, but haven’t saved. For example, 40% of US citizens save nothing for retirement, but many of them are keeping up appearances with new cars and fine homes, and going deeply into debt to do so. That’s crazy. This post is for them.Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-89639688585498380722012-04-11T06:31:49.779-04:002012-04-11T06:31:49.779-04:00Great story and advice....but for me, i believe if...Great story and advice....but for me, i believe if you worked hard and saved all your life, and you have no children, i believe in splurging for yourself...What do you save for all these years? Nursing home bills? Have you ever seen a Brinks Truck in a funeral procession...? I am going to spend & enjoy..Why should we leave it for others to enjoy after we are gone!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-73803943852596979972012-04-09T20:42:44.117-04:002012-04-09T20:42:44.117-04:00No problem; you were always a good writer. Will p...No problem; you were always a good writer. Will post on my FB page.... somehow I have over 500 friends so it will def get out there :-)<br />take care and keep writing!Anne Scola Vivianihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162991010738911435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-63187454693936323292012-04-09T09:31:30.961-04:002012-04-09T09:31:30.961-04:00Wow Diane! Nicely done! Congratulations on your su...Wow Diane! Nicely done! Congratulations on your success!<br /><br />I am humbled that you took my advice and so happy to hear that it worked for you! Thanks for checking in to let me know how it went. <br /><br />Cheers! MarcMarc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-37479919763264378232012-04-09T08:48:05.549-04:002012-04-09T08:48:05.549-04:00Hi Marc,
I am excited to report your tip work. I ...Hi Marc,<br /><br />I am excited to report your tip work. I figured out my minimum and stuck to it. It was hard because of the economy I was nervous to negotiate thinking they would just say take it or leave it since they have more applicants waiting behind me. I figured I had to go for it since I would not be happy accepting less than I am worth. It all paid off. We reached a nice compromise above my minimum and I start work on 4/23. Thanks.<br /><br />DianeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-53174095259519258062012-04-07T11:27:40.008-04:002012-04-07T11:27:40.008-04:00Anne,
Thanks for your kind words. I do try to loo...Anne,<br /><br />Thanks for your kind words. I do try to look at things differently. If you keep coming by, I'll keep writing. Since you liked what you read, I'd be grateful if you would consider joining my "marketing team" by posting a link to my blog on your Facebook page from time to time. Thanks again!Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-53474938157473513662012-04-07T11:20:56.094-04:002012-04-07T11:20:56.094-04:00If discovering how rich you are has you feeling ge...If discovering how rich you are has you feeling generous, I recommend the charity Food For the Poor. 96.8% of donations go right into food, water and shelter for the world's poorest. This might be the most efficient charity there is. I let them automatically hit my checking account once a month to make sure I always do my part.<br /><br />http://www.foodforthepoor.org/Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-43909097551606869972012-04-07T08:50:41.755-04:002012-04-07T08:50:41.755-04:00What a fabulous site to change your life by! I lo...What a fabulous site to change your life by! I loved finding out that poverty level in the US puts me in the top 11.8% of the world! No wonder it takes so little to feed starving children in another country.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-49207495910457417092012-04-07T02:42:40.015-04:002012-04-07T02:42:40.015-04:00Hi Marc
Saw your link on Bryan's page; your b...Hi Marc<br /><br />Saw your link on Bryan's page; your blogs are really good! The angles you are approaching are interesting. Hope to see more!<br /><br />Take care<br />AnneAnne Scola Vivianihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162991010738911435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-42841211614868383592012-04-06T10:34:52.434-04:002012-04-06T10:34:52.434-04:00Appreciation, enjoyment, creativity, deliberate an...Appreciation, enjoyment, creativity, deliberate and mindful consumption; your comment illustrates nicely that abundance is all about attitude! As you have demonstrated, saving money can be a fun and enriching lifestyle choice, rather than an exercise in austerity and sacrifice. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing your recommendation. My wife is preparing to take her first sewing class, so this might be a good time to get that book into our home – from the library, of course.Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-58429093607260406042012-04-06T10:32:56.504-04:002012-04-06T10:32:56.504-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-62484111860037859212012-04-06T10:19:58.593-04:002012-04-06T10:19:58.593-04:00Good call! I believe your family will be stronger ...Good call! I believe your family will be stronger because of what you have done. I don't think most people have a clue how much their TV robs them of peace and prosperity. (I'm actually working on a post on this very topic.) As you have discovered, there are 100 better ways to spend 4-5 hours a night. <br /><br />First of all, most of the programming is a cesspool of immorality and violence (not that I have any strong opinions on the matter). Beyond that, most TV characters are portrayed as being affluent. Often, their standard of living on TV is well beyond what the character could afford in "real life." This subliminally creates unrealistic expectations about how life should be, which contributes to widespread discontentment, depression and DEBT!Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-82290788327819989862012-04-06T09:58:27.470-04:002012-04-06T09:58:27.470-04:00Good question. You need to provide enough detail f...Good question. You need to provide enough detail for the exercise to be useful, but you don't always need to record every single individual item. I group purchases into categories. For example, If I went to the supermarket and spent $100 on food, I would just write: Food - $100. But, if I went to the supermarket and bought food, shampoo, a lawn chair and birthday balloons, then I would break it out by category or item and record what I had spent in each category. In this second case, just writing "Supermarket - $100" would not provide enough useful detail. The occasion when this exercise is most challenging is when you go to a place like Wal*Mart or Target, since you can easily have 10 different categories in the cart.Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-62956213291352393522012-04-06T08:16:11.377-04:002012-04-06T08:16:11.377-04:00One of the best decisions we made as a family was ...One of the best decisions we made as a family was giving up cable. I had wanted to do it for a couple of years but no one else (hubby) agreed. Then a few months ago we HAD to because of financial struggles. I was like, "YES! Finally going to give this thing a try!" After the first month of whining and complaining, we got used to it. Now we spend more time doing other things and don't have all that immoral junk flowing into our children's brains! The "path to abundance and peace".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-60765483217614403032012-04-06T08:01:21.439-04:002012-04-06T08:01:21.439-04:00Mark, how specific do I have to be? Would it be ok...Mark, how specific do I have to be? Would it be ok to just write "4/7 Walmart $78.65"? Or could I add details like "home goods, food, health & beauty, birthday gift"? Or do I need to be very specific and write every item from that purchase: "toilet paper, 4 boxes cereal, 2 boxes bandaids, spray gel, gift for niece, etc"? And if so, do I need to write the price for each item or just the total purchase? I guess if I write every item I could see when I grab an impulse item like that adorable t-shirt for Gaby, but that could be pretty time consuming. What do you recommend? -BeckyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-45993914354070288312012-04-05T23:16:20.351-04:002012-04-05T23:16:20.351-04:00Ok, this isn't a financial book per se, the Al...Ok, this isn't a financial book per se, the Alabama Stitch Book by Natalie Chanin, which is a book about hand sewing, the slow food movement, using local resources, and recycling. Mostly its a sewing book that teaches some ways to make, reuse clothing in beautiful (not teenage hipster) ways. It got me sewing again, gardening, led me to a web group where you pledged to not buy any new clothes for a certain length of time, but to remake thrifted clothes or what you had in your closet, I haven't bought "new" clothes in about four years, I've taught my daughter to sew and knit, felt really creative for the first time in a long time and started a business. The point is it's possible to find ways to save money that can be as rewarding as ways of earning it. And in doing so I have managed to get my family back to the way I was raised, not to waste anything, to appreciate what we have, and enjoy the process.Spindlejigshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09339798862966323109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-70032167858826155462012-04-03T00:41:13.177-04:002012-04-03T00:41:13.177-04:00Yay BGW!
Just imagine if you had good budgeting h...Yay BGW!<br /><br />Just imagine if you had good budgeting habits in place and then your income increased, too. You would be an unstoppable wealth building machine! (Or at least you'd be able to finish those projects.)<br /><br />I once heard it said that we can have whatever we want, we just need to be willing to give up something else. I think that sums up the budgeting process pretty well. <br /><br />Good luck and thanks for stopping by! <br />MarcMarc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-48329924931728012922012-04-03T00:33:31.733-04:002012-04-03T00:33:31.733-04:00Diane,
Thanks for reading my blog. I'm truly ...Diane,<br /><br />Thanks for reading my blog. I'm truly glad I could be of service! <br /><br />Negotiating a job offer can be stressful and exciting. I've heard it said that this is the only time when you can earn $1,000 a minute. Figure out what you are worth, and stick to your guns. I'll give you a tip: When I am anticipating an offer, I write the minimum I'll accept on a card and put it in my wallet. This helps to insure that I don't sell myself short by accepting less than I am worth. Also, it could be useful in negotiations. If you bothered to write the magic number down before you arrived, they'll know you are serious.Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-60589863258685853932012-04-02T13:44:28.919-04:002012-04-02T13:44:28.919-04:00Yay Marc!!
You know, I do sit around saying...if ...Yay Marc!! <br />You know, I do sit around saying...if only we made a little more money we could get these projects done around the house, etc. Your article is a reminder that it simply takes effective BUDGETING (whew, its even hard for me to type) of the income we do have to achieve our goals. Thanks for the reminder! However, I'm still going to try to make more $:)<br />bgwAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-33341302068388237472012-04-02T09:48:07.655-04:002012-04-02T09:48:07.655-04:00Good Morning Marc,
I enjoyed your post today. Pe...Good Morning Marc, <br /><br />I enjoyed your post today. Perfect timing as I am entering the negotiating part of a job offer. Your post has given me a boost of confidence. If we fail to reach a happy agreement at least I know there is something else out there for me and I should not sell myself short. <br />Hope all is well with you and keep posting because we are reading! <br /><br />DianeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-60889897300821265902012-03-30T11:11:30.258-04:002012-03-30T11:11:30.258-04:00Hi Becky. Thanks for your comment. I am glad that ...Hi Becky. Thanks for your comment. I am glad that I have inspired you! <br /><br />Finding the time to budget can be challenging. I know there are times when I'd much rather just watch a movie or go to bed. Perhaps you should try the envelope system? There is less keeping track that way. You do the budget, fill the envelopes, and live your life. However, even this system requires some initial homework, since you need to track spending in order to know how much to put in your envelopes. Good luck, and let me know how you do!Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-74034738055760348852012-03-30T10:06:49.008-04:002012-03-30T10:06:49.008-04:00Thank you Mark for the guidance! Silvio and I have...Thank you Mark for the guidance! Silvio and I have tried this once or twice but we're not consistently reviewing it. To be honest, we're so busy it's hard to find the time. We're lucky if we get a date night in once a month. We'd hate to trade that in for a financial meeting. lol The other issue is I'm very, and I mean VERY ADD, and keeping track of numbers (and receipts) are quite a challenge for me! But your article inspires me to really try to get on track with this. We NEED to!! I'm going to have Silvio read this so we can come up with a plan. Thanks again! -BeckyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5170520271492664674.post-46022418557557177672012-03-26T20:54:01.227-04:002012-03-26T20:54:01.227-04:00Hi Jess. Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you ...Hi Jess. Thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you are enjoying the blog! My goal is to help people, so if you are being helped then I am gratified. You will have to let me know how the envelope plan works out for you. I'm willing to bet that you will end the month with money to spare, and probably have a few creative meals along the way. ••• Thanks for sharing your change saving idea. I usually spend my change because it prevents me from having to break large bills, but maybe I will give it a try. ••• I promise to keep posting if you promise to keep reading! Thanks again for your comments.Marc Bastienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05965814348215591236noreply@blogger.com