How to Save Money Easily

I don’t do ‘complicated’ well.

Like in Year 8 when Dean Kinred told the whole class he wanted to be my boyfriend. And in a mix of surprise, horror, and my outright non-reciprocal feelings, I agreed to "go out" with him.

Because no awkward lion maned 11-year-old girl wants to be the one to damage a hearty 12-year-old boys self-esteem - even though she really had been crushing on his friend for over a year.

(For the record, we went out for 2 days, shared a hot chocolate and then "broke up" during school camp).

Sound familiar? These people can relate to the awkwardness too.

Fast forward a few - humble - decades and now we're adults who’ve mastered "complicated" when it comes to relationships.

But when it comes to money, or saving it, the word complicated should be made illegal.

My first steps to saving..

The idea of saving after years of living in feast or famine mode with money was like reading my favourite novel in gibberish. I just couldn't grasp the possibility of being able to do it!

But in 2013 I decided to do a complete 180 on myself - no, not rekindle the non-romance with Dean from 11 years ago - actually start saving money!

It's not forensic science, you don't need to become a travel agent to "make it rain". All you need is a simple automated system. Here's how..

How to Save Money Easily

Set up small weekly automatic transfers into a savings account. See, not forensic science at all. 

I have been doing this every week since August 2013. I set up an automatic payment of $25 to be transferred into my savings account each week (which is with another bank. I find if I can't see it, I forget about it). That works out to be $1300 of savings year - which is a hell of a lot better than saving $0!

I recommend to start small. Set the amount to something you wouldn't notice - like $5. And then slowly increase the payment amount the more you feel comfortable with saving money. It would be crazy beneficial to do this alongside The 100k Experiment to boost your money manifesting mindset. Just sayin'.. ;)

Here's another few ideas that I've tried..

• Using cash. I did an experiment where I used a $100 note to see exactly what I spent that I'd usually pay for with my card. I purchased my regular coffees, chocolate, lunches, dinners etc. And it was gone within two days! It's good for a reality check but if you're just going to go back to to using your card then it defeats the purpose.


• Borrowing. I'm a serial book collector, as in I buy books I want to read and then don't read them for years. And once you add up how much you're spending within a year, it can be a few hundred dollars! I decided for books I wanted to read but wasn't pulled to buy I would borrow them from the library.


• Bartering. When we moved into our new house we needed a quite a bit of furniture, so we decided to barter with the previous owner if he would leave some of his furniture and appliances and we would agree to maintain them if they broke down or got a bit shabby. He agreed and we saved ourselves a few thousand dollars! Try it out in stores by asking for a discount and see how you go.

My philosophy is, at the end of the day if you keep it simple, it becomes easy.

Unlike my pre-teen "love affairs".


Do you have an awesome system of saving? Let us know!



Elise xo

P.S - how to stop feeling broke

How To Stop Feeling Broke

I had been dreading this weekend for over a month.


"Do I have to go? I don't want to. I can't afford it. But it's her birthday. I have to go."

To the world, I was the lucky bitch taking an "extended holiday" back home, galavanting all over the land, back and forth to the city.


And I worked hard to keep that as the perception.


Because if they found out the truth - that I'd actually moved back in with my Mother to build an online business with only $80 to my name - they'd disown me solely for my stupidity.

I came up with an array of excuses of why I couldn't go, but no matter what I did, this birthday weekend was still happening. And I was still going. And I was stone cold bitter about it.


The weekend came and went. 


I didn't have some major epiphany that you're supposed to when you're desperation mode, I didn't enjoy myself because I spent the entire time worried about my spending, and I spent my $80 which made my stomach stir.

Those were good times. Really.

Sometimes we can't help the situations we find ourselves in.


Whether a maintenance bill unbeknownst to you flopped into your lap and wiped you out till next payday.

Or you got caught up in the '60% off' Nordstrom sale. 

Or you invested in a business course and now you don't have enough money to pay your rent this week.


It can leave you (dirt) broke.


But it's not about what your situation is. It's about how you feel.

And when you feel broke, that's the danger zone.

How to Stop Feeling Broke

This is an exercise that on the surface looks stupidly simple. But if you do it properly, you wind up feeling so much better (and not broke) instantly.


1. What in your life already makes you feel abundant?

List every single thing in your life that makes you feel abundant already. Is it your car? Your relationship? Your job? House? Health? Go deep into specifics. What in that particular area of your life makes you feel abundant? Drill down even further. Why does it make you feel abundant?


2. What are some small income generating actions you can take today?


I've got your first easy action step, Join The 100k Experiment, and start manifesting your first 100k for free. You could declutter your wardrobe and sell your clothes, promote an affiliate product you love on your website or run a few discovery calls and book your next client. Get creative and think abstractly.


Remember, you have to have the mental shift first (exercise #1) before the go on to the second exercise. If you do, it will be much easier to take those actions without resistance to bring money in.


Side Note: Honestly, you can't do this exercise when you're deep in scarcity. You have to do it when you're a little less resistant, say after you've had a nap, been for a walk or when your energy is elevated. Coffee anyone?


Now I want to hear from you:

What are your tricks to get yourself out of feeling broke? Is there an exercise you go through or do you just let the feelings run their course?



Elise x

P.S - how to manifest money

6 Tips on How to Manifest Money Now

I remember very vividly back in 2010 sitting on the floor of my bedroom feeling helpless, irritated and disappointed that I had no money for the umpteenth time. To be fair I was 19, so still extremely new to bills, rent and partying!! It wasn't like I was incapable of making money and keeping it. I had many periods throughout my life where there was an abundance of money, where I was able to save $250 a week, where I could afford to go out to dinner with friends, take regular holidays, pay my bills and still have cash in the bank.

I knew The Secret, I knew the principles of the Law of Attraction, I visualized as hard as humanly possible and yet I was still broke, still complaining about the same things, still living in my shitty apartment and working in a soul-sucking job. Which is why I was so frustrated, because it obviously wasn't from a lack of opportunities or "smarts". The only difference that I could come up with between the broke years and the abundant years was my frame of mind.

It wasn't until I figured out the 6 core steps to manifesting money (and anything you want in life actually) that it was then that my "luck" started turning around big time. When I started practising the 6 steps, it's like the floodgates opened for me.

Within a month I had manifested:

• A $10,000 trip to New York to meet Taylor Swift
• $300 worth of gift vouchers
• Brand new clothes & electronics worth $500
• My old job back without interviewing (money is money, right?)
• A boyfriend! (not money related, but 5 years later I'm still with the guy!)

To be a "money magnet" as they say (so lame), you have to stick to a formula. Like with any freakin' thing you want to achieve, you have a process that you undergo to achieve it. No matter what you do. Think marathon runners vs. couch potatoes. Unlikely opponents but they both have their own 'recipe' for being successful in their "industry". ;)

GET CLEAR ON WHAT YOU DESIRE

In order to manifest money now, you have to know how much you actually want. Yeah, we all wanna win lotto and buy the All Blacks (or is that just me?), but that's the equivalent of wishing for smaller thighs while chowing down on a cream donut. Getting specific gets you energetically focused. And where focus goes, energy grows.

Task: Write down exactly what you want, all of it, no matter how "ridiculous" it may seem.


YOU NEED A REAL PURPOSE FOR IT

To overcome our money blocks and limiting money beliefs, it's not enough to know how much money you want to manifest. You need to know the why behind it. What is your purpose for having this specific thing and not something else? What do you need the money for? What will it do for you? Money needs a purpose, just like Chris Pratt's chiseled gorgeousness needs eyes to oogle it. *drooooooool*

Task: Next to your desire, write your purpose for it, why you need it in your life. This get's you clear.


FORM A CLEAR VISION IN YOUR MIND

Have a very clear, very specific mental picture of what it is you want. Be clear and express that picture to the universe: Visualize. You are like a compass. North is your desire and so you follow that, if you don't focus on your desire the needle spins randomly never getting you to your destination. Be clear and hold on to your thought!

Task: Sit quietly on your couch and form a visual of you having what you desire.


USE GRATITUDE AFFIRMATIONS

Oprah said, "The quickest way to change your life is by using gratitude". And she was right! Using gratitude affirmations is really about seeking harmony with the universe. When you express gratitude for something, it's increasing whatever it's being directed at. Love for your family, your friends, your personal items, your future etc. Remember, it's not actually about the words but about the energy you're harnessing. If your affirmation is "I want to be rich, thank you for the abundance" and you feel like crap because you just had an argument with your partner, it's not going to be as effective say when you just got home after a nature walk and you're feeling really good! Get into a daily practise of gratitude and you will start noticing changes from day one.

Task: Start a morning gratitude journal where you write 2 - 3 money manifestation affirmations each morning.


TAKE CONGRUENT INSPIRED ACTION 

Most people think of action in terms of physically making a motion towards something. But there's an even more powerful way to take action that doesn't require physical action. It's energetic action. You do this by consistently doing the first four tasks each and every day, from there you'll start to receive inspired ideas that will get you to take physical action.

Task: Hold the thought of what you want with trust & the inspired action will come to you.


BECOME AN ENERGETIC MATCH TO YOUR DESIRE

This is where most people get tripped up because they want what they want without making any changes. Having more money is a positive thing for you right? But where are you energetically? Negative? Desperate? Blah? In that state you're not an energetic match to the money. You have to bring yourself up, and others around you (because it helps your manifesting mojo) and be the positivity, the good vibes, the warm fuzzies that the money is for you. It's about being congruent, because you can't be pissed off about not having money and feel good about wishing for it at the same time. You need to have the image of wealth in your mind with the feeling of joy in your heart.

Leave a comment below and tell me how much you'd like to manifest and for what purpose? Dream big!



Elise x


P.S - 39 money affirmations

25 Of My Favourite Blogging Resources

Getting started, designing your blog & making the moolah!

• How To Start A Blog You Love: Yup, I wrote that. BOOM!


• Blog Loving: When I had my blogger training wheels, my go to girl for blog advice was Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess. I read her 5 tips for bloggers + start your blog with a bang + Blog Love eCourse and gobbled them up like lollipops.


• 10 Blog Tips: This babe wrote the Blog On, Babe series that I just couldn't get enough of. Fellow kiwi (woohoo!) Gala Darling wrote these beautifully written visual posts for budding bloggers like you and me. :)


• Lifestyle Blog Dreams: My faaaaave blogger Rosie who IS The Londoner came out with a post (lifestyle blogging 101) on how she built her little lifestyle blog to an audience of 2 million per month in less than 2 years. Yeah, I was pretty inspired!


• Crazy Blog Life: Oh yeah, when most people start their blogs they have jobs, commitments and like you know, a life! It can be chaotic trying to juggle life + a blog. Kinsey Mhire wrote an awesome-o-3000 post on productivity with her 5 tips for blogging on a busy schedule.


• Blog Design 101: If you're a bit confused on how to make your blog more attractive, I got some quick tips for ya!


• Food Bloggies: Pinch of Yum does this awesome thing once a month where they blog about making money from their food blog, their income they made & how they made it. They made $21.97 in their first month and most recently they made $17,735.97 in one month!!


• The Skinny on Blogging: Even my girl Lauren over at The Skinny Confidential says how important it is to be yourself when blogging. And she was meticulous when she was starting out!


• Kick-Ass Inspiration: Gary Vaynerchuk is one crazy ass mofo who just happened to give this awesome talk on branding in blogging. I think you'll love it.


• Legendary Blog Advice: From no one other than the incredible Tim Ferriss. You wanna know how to build a high traffic blog? Make sure you set aside an hour or so!


• Have Fun, Don't Suck: Man vs. Debt taught me how not to suck at blogging, it's a damn good read! Especially if you don't wanna suck.... :S


• Bringing Home The Bacon: At some point I'm sure you're gonna be wanting make money from your baby (not a real baby, your blog baby). Steve Pavlina wrote a SENSATIONAL article that you'll LOVE on how to make money from your blog he explains exactly how he makes money and all the ways you can do the same with your own blog (and holy crap is it a looong ass post).


•  Overnight Success! Chris Guillebeau wrote a free downloadable guide on creating a successful blog in less than a year. He did it himself and he's just an all around great guy. C'mon it's free, what else do ya want!? ;)

• Marie Forleo: Marie is my go-to woman for serious biz advice. Her video's are in-depth and super actionable.


• Sarah von Bargen: I only recently discovered this incredible lass. Her biz & blogging advice is a breathe of fresh air and her personality shines through her writing. If you like me, you'll LOVE her! :)


• Problogger: Yup, probably the best place to start when you want legit blogging tips. Make sure you bookmark these guys because they'll be your go-to resource for years!


• Nathalie Lussier: This girl is as sweet as a button! I love her vids & even her sign up is awesome.

Free Printable: The Happiness Schedule

Happiness, I believe, belongs to those who define it. Because without stating precisely what it means to you, it becomes an elusive esoteric god-like feature that only the special among us ever get to taste.

Because even if you had it sitting right there in your sweaty little lap, you wouldn't see it. Because you'll already be looking for the next "thing" to make you happy.

But when you define it as clear as the Mediterranean sea - it's yours for the taking.

Happiness is really simple if you let it be. So for now while your complexly beautiful infuriating mind is off calculating how many lattes you need to stop drinking and thank you's you need to start saying. Just start here.

Because this is happiness and it's most simplistic.

(Click image to enlarge & save to desktop)


Save it as your desktop wallpaper, pin it to one of your boards on pinterest or share it on twitter and facebook. Let this be a reminder of how simple happiness can be.

Elise xo