Broke-Ass Student

Online Bank Savings Accounts and My Experience With iGObanking

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

Here are current rates of some online savings accounts, as of December 29, 2006.

iGObanking    5.30% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured)

E*Trade    5.05% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded daily)

EmigrantDirect    5.05% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded daily)

HSBC Direct    5.05% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded monthly)

ING Direct    4.50 % APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded monthly)

I highly recommend putting money you want to remain relatively liquid in an online savings account if you haven't done so all ready. A huge incentive of online savings accounts are the competitive APY rates offered, as opposed to traditional savings accounts at physical banks. This equals a yummy, much higher interest rate for the customer. If you're still feeling a bit reluctant or need further information, be sure to check out the advantages and disadvantages of having an online savings account.

My experience with iGObanking

iGObanking currently has one of the highest rates for online savings accounts with a low minimum of $1 to open. I initially signed up with iGObanking on December 18th. The application process was relatively quick and painless, and took roughly ten minutes to complete. If you're interested in learning more about iGObanking, here is a quick rundown of what you'll need to open an account with them.

• A social security or tax ID number
• Driver's license or ID card issued by a state DMV
• Information on any loans or mortgages you currently have (they will ask a few random questions about these to help confirm your identity during the sign-up process)
• Your current bank account number and routing number for funding purposes
• For a joint account, the other individual's personal information (Secondary Applicant's name, social security or ID number, and their date of birth)

Once your application has been approved, you'll have the option to immediately transfer funds from your current bank account(s) into your new iGObanking online savings account. However, I'd recommend only transfering a small portion (even if only the initial $1 minimum to open) because you won't be able to access your account until they mail a password to your home. The letter arrived approximately a week after I completed the application process. I had put $50 in my account to start with, but it admittedly made me a little nervous when I realized I wasn't able to access my account yet. Therefore, if you're a neurotic worrier like me, it might be wiser just tossing $1-$5 into the account and waiting until the letter arrives with your password before transferring over the rest.

Once you receive your letter, you'll be able to log into your online savings account and will be prompted to change both your user name and password to your own preference. Once you obtain full access to your new online savings account, you can then continue transferring the remainder of your funds into it.

Congratulations on opening your brand new online bank savings account! You've taken a wonderful first baby step in helping your money grow and work properly for you. If you haven't all ready, acquaint yourself with the beauty of compound interest. Now you can focus on building a comfy nest egg for yourself while funneling your savings into your new high APY online savings account.

A good rule of thumb is to count up your total bills and expenses for one month, and then concentrate on saving at least four to six months worth of expenses in case of an emergency. If you're heavily in debt or a broke-ass student like me, try to save at least $500 to $1,000 in an online savings account for yourself before focusing on aggressively tackling your debt.

So, no more excuses! Today is the day to get started, as in, right now. Welcome to taking a simple yet positive approach towards building a brighter financial future.

~†~ Baby Steps are Key ~†~

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Make This Year Extraordinary

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

I hope everyone had an awsome holiday. I'm ready to hibernate for a few weeks due to the enormous amount of food I've consumed during the past three days. There have been so many different blessings in my life this year and so much to truly be grateful for. And as we settle back into our daily routines for the week, I just wanted to share this video to remind you not to get too comfy.

Find out more about Matt and his adventures at WherethehellisMatt.com.

~†~ Baby Steps are Key ~†~ 

Don't settle for ordinary. Make this coming year extraordinary <3

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Who the heck is John Chow anyway?

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

But more importantly, why should we care about this crazy Canadian?

As a complete newbie to the blogging hemisphere (Broke-Ass Student has just joyfully celebrated her one month birthday), well, I hadn’t a clue. Err...I honestly can’t even recall how I stumbled across JohnChow.com a few weeks ago, except for a vague memory of clicking on the site from another blog. Someone was in the process of giving him a nice juicy flame. Being the naturally inquisitive creature that I am, I went ahead and decided to check out the nature of the scandal for myself.

What I discovered was the personal site of an extremely successful blogger. John "Moto" Chow is an old fossil in the blogging community, and is best known for the 1999 launch of his technology site, TheTechZone, which has monsterously evolved over the years and currently contains "over 3000 pages, and gets over 200,000 page requests per day". 

John's story is the epitome of an ordinary guy next door who found the courage to follow his passion and received extraordinary success. The disclosure of his humble roots and remarkable progression to wealth via the internet, even as he struggled to survive the 2001 dot com bust, is expressed through a provocative four-part series ( I, II, III, IV ).

JohnChow.com is a more intimate blog where John provides pearls of wisdom on different topics relevant to his interests (or just the really bizarre), cites the experiences of his ever-growing empire, and basks in the controversy nipping at his heels - all while continually torturing the taste buds of his reader base with his lavish dining masquerades. He has also zestfully donated portions of his on-line wealth to various charity organizations.

When John Chow offered linkbait love in exchange for a review of his site, I gladly nibbled. However, I will make it clear that I wouldn’t have bothered typing this review if I didn’t genuinely view his site as a valuable resource to the blogging community in general. During the past month, it has become one of the few sites I religiously check in with. Yes, I have ripened into a devoted Chowhead.

John has provided countless insights into what has worked for him in constructing a lucrative professional blog. His candid posts are developed from the standpoint of a seasoned pro that has successfully established a cosy niche for himself.

If you are a beginning broke-ass novice like me, I encourage you to browse through some of his ‘Best of' topics that are relevant to your own goals. One in particular I highly recommend is the Top 10 Best Wordpress plugins. This post makes me want to weep in shame because I’m still stuck at Typepad until I can afford my own hosting. *grumble* Well, I’m currently one third of the way there. But I digress.

You may not agree with all John Chow has to say, or how he chooses to present his endeavors to the world. Hell, you might even enjoy flaming him for some of his tutti-frutti or seemingly pretentious ways (or that damn corvette of his – that bastard keeps changing colors). But I guarantee you’ll find a quality site packed with beneficial and entertaining tidbits for any serious blogger.

But don't take my word for it. Venture over to the frank ramblings of this dot com mogul and sneak a peek for yourself. At least go for the sake of the dancing bananas.

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Finding the Courage to Fail - Even as a Broke-Ass Student

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

"Oh, burp, my tummy's nice and full!"

(aka, what your piggy bank should be saying this New Years)

Darren Rowse is sponsoring a massive writing project over at ProBlogger in celebration of the coming New Year. Go check it out to win over $2,000 in various cool prizes (all winners are chosen at random simply for participating).

At the end of the project, I'll be posting some of my favorite posts and newly discovered blogs. This is a great opportunity for old and new bloggers to become better acquainted and build a community together. The first day of the project is barely over and I've all ready discovered tons of interesting websites. I look forward to what the remaining days will bring.

The theme for this mass writing project is "reviews of last year and predictions for the coming year". Go now and participate! Express yourself any way you'd like. The project is open to everyone until Thursday.

My Quiet Annual Reflection - Finding the Courage to Fail

When I reflect back on this year, I've learned an extremely valuable and poignant lesson that truly stands out in my mind. It has been finding the proper courage to take bigger risks in my life. In doing so, it also entails willingly facing the potentiality of greater failure. Perhaps I should rephrase this a bit - I've not only been accepting failure into my life, but embracing it as well. My personal journey this past year has brought me to a stunning realization. I've discovered a concept so liberating, it has literally turned my life into a tail spin.

I have never allowed myself to be afraid before, and yet be ok with that. I have never allowed myself to grow through embracing my fears or failures. Only recently have I realized how horrible this "safe" mode of thinking has really stunted my progress on many different levels.

Success Spawns from Numerous Failures

If it's one thing I look forward to bringing with me into the new year, it's the realization that I will screw up many, many times during the course of my life. Each of these failures, however, will serve as guidance tools and become sources of deeper wisdom. The key is continued perseverance, and simply not giving up when things get tough. If one avenue turns out to be a dud, there will always be zillions of others available to pursue.

I see so many people get caught up in a vicious rut because they find themselves stuck facing a dead-end street. They become afraid to step out and try something new. Perhaps, like me, they feel afraid and intimidated by the unknown. Thus they choose to remain stagnant where it feels safe and warm.

This New Years, make a list of your biggest fears. Let those little devils sit on your shoulder for an evening and dance around. Look them dead in the eye and celebrate in their disguised blessings. Imagine all the wonderful things you can accomplish by unleashing all the dread and fear in your life which is currently holding you back from what you want. So, stop sabotaging yourself!

Maybe, just maybe, today is your day to realize your passions and not look back in fear or regret.

Find your dreams and pursue them with a vengeance.

~†~ Baby Steps are Key ~†~ 

Happy upcoming New Year, everyone! Dream it, and dream big. Because if you truly believe it, you will achieve it.

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Why Frugal Living Makes Sense

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

Baby Step #10 - Saved money is a smarter approach to your goals than earned money

Living frugally means attempting to save money where you can, rather than blowing your earnings faster than your bank account can absorb it. Frugality sometimes has a bad stigma attached to it, and some people mistakenly perceive frugalness with just being a plain crabby and cheap tightwad. However, using craftily saved money towards a desired goal is much smarter than using earned money, and here’s why.

Taxes.

Let’s say you really have your heart set on a new Plasma television for around $1,000. You have two choices. You can either cut back on your other expenses to salvage enough from your current savings, or you can start increasing your earnings, let’s say by taking on a temporary second job. Once state and federal taxes have wrecked havoc on your paycheck, however, you’ll need to earn more than $1,000 in the end – hundreds more, in fact. For our coveted Plasma television, we’ll actually need to earn roughly $1,400 to cover all mandatory taxes from our paycheck.

If we instead chose to cut back in other areas of our life to use savings that have all ready been taxed, we can then plop down $1,000 and be done with it – without enduring the stress or time wasted of assimilating a second job.

This is why many financial advisors view frugality as a wonderful way to “earn” money through savings, without the headache and hassle of working more to achieve the same goal.

So how can we become more frugal to save on current earnings?

The next time you buy a product without regard to price, consider further options to help you “earn” more through savings. Here are some suggestions.

Coupons - Using coupons and coupon codes for online shopping can help save you mega bucks over time.

• Cool Savings offers a wide assortment of printable coupons on groceries, baby goods, free items, freebies, and much more.
• Coupon Cabin has the option to search for relevant coupons by item category, specific store, or by state, to locate specific malls in your area. I love this site!
• ValPak asks for your zip code, and your ready to roll.
• Custom Coupon offers hundreds of coupons on everyday items, like cereal and yoghurt.
• Coupon Surfer is a great resource for coupons on groceries, children's items, books, clothing, music, and much more.

This coupon list is by no means comprehensive. There are many sites out there geared toward helping you save on everyday items. Looking for dining coupons? Plug your area and "discount dining" into your favorite search engine and see what can be dug up.

This ABCNews article offers great advice on online shopping codes for even more savings. And another article from MSN Money shows consumers how to optimize savings to the max. With all these great resources at your fingertips on the web, you no longer have an excuse not to take advantage of nifty savings whenever possible.

Sales are also a great way to beef up your savings. If you find a coveted item, make sure to stock up during sales.

Comparison Shopping and Auction sites. Take advantage of comparison shopping and auction websites, which help find the best deals on an item. I'm in the process of putting together a more comprehensive list of resources, but here are two of my favorite sites to start.

• eBay is now the world's largest auction site. I use eBay for just about everything. I can find many items for much less than at traditional stores, even with the shipping costs, and it saves gas money to boot.


• mySimon is a great comparison shopping engine which lists the online prices for a given product at many different stores. Compare prices and watch the savings roll in.

Learn to be a gourmet chef and eat in more. You'll be amazed at the ridiculous amounts you'll save just by not eating out so much. Buy foods in bulk when possible for even more savings, or find dining coupons when you do decide to treat yourself.

Avoid impulse buying. This is a great incentive for bringing cold hard cash along on your shopping sprees. Have a clear idea of what you're looking for and stick to it. If you stumble across something you're absolutely salivating to buy, give it a day or two before going back to make the purchase. Impulse buying used to be a huge money-waster for me, and it was usually on crap I didn't even need.

Buy generic brands. Most stores are psychologically set up so that the most expensive brands are placed eye-level to the customer on the shelf. Consider looking upward or downward for cheaper generic brands. They cost less, but are just as effective.

Consignment shops, second hand stores & yard sales. Gently-used clothing stores can save you big money. I once bought a great hoodie for $1, and it's still my most comfy one! Consider selling your gently used clothing to some of these places for an added bonus.

Library. Your local library is an often overlooked but valuable resource as well. A good library is stocked with loads of books and DVDs that can be borrowed for free. For a tiny fee, my library will also request titles from other branches if they don't carry it themselves. The desired books or movies usually arrive for pickup at the nearest convenient location within 2-3 days. The fee here for this service is 25¢ per book, or $1.00 for a special Video or DVD request.

I ♥ my library.

~†~ Baby Steps are Key ~†~ 

Take advantage of great deals and start "earning" more on your savings

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Manifesting Your Destiny

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

Baby Step #9 - If you dream it and believe it, you can conceive it and achieve it.

A gentleman named Alex IMed me a few questions pertaining to inspirational Dream Coach Marcia Wieder. I'm not too familiar with her work, but I do know that David Bach, author of "The Automatic Millionaire", is a fan of hers.

Alex presented me with the following questions of Marcia's and wanted to hear my own thoughts;  What do you love? What do you want? What do you believe? And what are you willing to do about it?

I think they are valid points for anyone to consider. Here are my responses.

1. What do I love?

I love the ability to thrust myself in new experiences each day - because each of these experience help bring me closer to discovering my deepest potential. I will never stop learning or growing as an individual, and I love continually challenging myself on new and different levels. This is why I'm usually involved in many different projects at a given time.

2. What do I want?

I want to build a proper awareness (to the best of my ability, as we are all imperfect) to reality and the conditions of the world surrounding me. It is extremely important for me to tap into my essence and slowly draw it out. My ultimate goal is to use any resources at my disposal to help educate myself and others.

For example, we are abusing Mother Earth and it's becoming more and more critical for the general population to become aware of the monsterous damage we're inflicting every day. Species of animals are becoming extinct at a rate of one every three hours, the last tree in the rain forest is predicted to fall around 2043, and ecologists and economists are predicting our sea food to run out around 2048. The Amazon is declining at an alarming rate due to exports being placed before the environment.

Yes, people need money to survive. But what do they believe will happen once we've destroyed the beautiful planet we're living on? What good will all their wealth do if there is no longer an earth to support us. Delicate eco-systems are being pulverized. This just doesn't seem very smart to me. We're sabotaging ourselves and if it continues, our children will have nothing.

People need to stop and take a moment to look around to open their eyes a little bit wider. As a conditioning of our society in general, I feel we're completely wrapped up in the wrong things. This is resulting in dangerous ignorance.

3. What do I believe?

I believe each of us have a significant purpose in this life. I feel passionate in discovering mine. This will be a life-long process, I'm sure. I believe there are no coincidences in life, that our minds have immense power over our bodies, and that we each receive from the universe what we're willing to place into it. Anything is possible. If we dream it and believe it, we can achieve it.

4. What am I willing to do about it?

I feel, by bringing awareness to myself, I then have a duty to become critical and question certain attitudes and mind sets, and to bring information to others so they also have the opportunity to become critical and challenge their own perspectives.

I'm not willing to become complacent. If I can successfully bring awareness and strive to correct greater injustices in society through my actions and writing, I feel I am on a better path.

I hope I didn't come across as overly-preachy with my answers, but I do feel it's important for people to realize how much power their minds have over their destinies. For example, if you continually think on negative terms, you'll manifest loads of negativity into your life.

I am a firm believer that we should never sacrifice our dreams or compromise who we are. So what about you? Do you know where your destiny lays? Take a moment to think about it. It could dramatically change the rest of your life.

~†~ Baby Steps are Key ~†~ 

Live courageously - dream bigger and dream better

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Something is rotten in the State of Denmark

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

During a high-stress week of final exams, I stumbled across this video last night and couldn't help but laugh. Only in Copenhagen.

The Danish Road Safety Council has found an innovative new way to draw attention to speed signs and speed limits in Denmark. According to the campaign, "Despite a decrease in speed violations, 7 out of 10 Danes still exceed the speed limit on a regular basis. Respecting the speed limits is the simplest way to save lives."

If nudity doesn't offend you, view a clip of the campaign here.

I lived in Denmark for over four years and consider it my adopted second country. I've never visited a more charming, hyggelig (or cosy) destination in all my travels, and I was continually impressed by the natural and environmentally-conscious way of life there. Denmark is filled with extremely kind-hearted folk who are so positive and full of life. They are always pushing boundaries  -  all in good fun.

Oh, those silly Danes!

It took me a moment to figure out what the cab driver was saying. "Denmark has totally redeemed itself!"

hehe, det er for fedt...

With all these Scandinavian bossoms keeping abreast of current issues, is it any wonder a study from last year showed Danes as being the happiest people on earth? Or that today it was found to have the most dynamic economy in the EU, according to the World Economic Forum?

So when do we get some blonde nordic studs?

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Bank Savings Accounts

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

Baby step #8 - Online savings accounts can help stretch your dollars further

Here’s a look at some nifty Online Savings Accounts and their Current Rates as of December 10, 2006

iGObanking    5.30% APY (no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured)

E*Trade    5.05% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded daily)

EmigrantDirect    5.05% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded daily)

HSBC Direct    5.05% APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded monthly)

ING Direct    4.50 % APY ($1 to open, no minimum, no fees, FDIC insured, compounded monthly)

Does the thought of online banking make you a wee bit squeamish? So why is everyone raving about online savings accounts?

I haven’t tried one yet personally, but here are some of the advantages others have been kind enough to pass along to me:

1. The ridiculously high APY compared to traditional physical banks. Traditional banks have 2% or lower APY, as compared to online banks with 4.5% and higher. Because they exist solely in cyber space, they can forego the expensive overhead of buildings and tellers. Your Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is the interest earned in one year, taking into account the effect of compounding interest.

2. The convenience to bank anytime you want, 24 hours a day, even in your jammies. Just click your mouse and you’re ready to roll.

3. The ability to bank anywhere in the world, as long as you have access to the internet.

4. FDIC Insured. The online banks listed above are all insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. This means your bank deposits are insured by the federal corporation up to $100,000 per Social Security number. This is important because not all banks or account types are insured. When you start investing later in life, you'll be taking much more risk with your assets. But for now, this is a very safe place to put money you absolutely don't want to lose.

Some disadvantages I've heard:

1. Not as immediate as traditional savings account. I personally see that as a huge incentive not to be so eager to touch money but hey, some peeps may view that as a disadvantage. Expect an average of three to five business days between transactions.

2. Switching banks may be more cumbersome.

3. Lack of ATMs. You’ll need to either mail your checks or transfer your funds from another account.

4. Lack of tellers. You’re more at the mercy of an 800 number when you lack the convenience of talking with someone in person. If a problem arises, it’s a gamble. You could either receive friendly and knowledgeable help, or really crappy customer service.

5. Technical difficulties. Since there’s no physical branch to visit, always keep an alternative stash of money handy somewhere in case the website temporarily goes down.

With all that said, I still feel an online savings account is the best option for my small emergency savings. I need the money fairly liquid because my goal is to first and foremost eliminate my car loan debt. But since I've established a small safety cushion to fall back on in case of an emergency, an online savings account seems like the perfect place to get the most bling for my buck right now.

With all this money zipping through cyberspace, the options can be confusing.  iGObanking is currently on top with the highest rate, but that will fluctuate over the coming weeks. I'm leaning strongly on EmigrantDirect. If anyone has experience with iGObanking, let's here it.

Looks like it's time to get off my tushie and get started!

~†~ Baby Steps are Key ~†~

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Crap, I've been 'tagged'

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

Steve over at Adventure Money is calling me out. I now have to reveal five secret tidbits about myself. Here you are, Steve.

1. I am absolutely brilliant at multi-tasking procrastinating. Currently I am writing pondering a ten-page research paper while baking eating chocolate chip cookies for an upcoming Christmas party. I got roped into baking a buttload for tomorrow. 115, to be exact. Auch, that's, like, a lot of work nibbling.


2. Sometimes the world is refreshing when I view it from a different perspective. Especially upside down. I've just learned how to stand on my head in yoga class and let me tell you, it's fabulous exercise.


3. I'm fluent in Danish and semi-fluent in Swedish and Norwegian. Crazy Scandinavians. Skal vi ikke sige skål?


4. I snort sometimes when I laugh. I burp quite a bit too. I've even earned the nick-name "Burping Beauty" for my endeavors. *Burp* Oops. Damn cookies.


5. I tend to be quite anal. Stupidly so. As in, a horrible neurotic perfectionist freak. It's in my genes. I blame my parents for this kind of misfortune. No wonder I never seem to get anything done.

So those are some of my quirks. All right Amanda over at Young and Broke, you've been tagged. Time to 'fess up to five of your dirty little secrets.

=^..^=

The Money Conundrum

(Broke-Ass Student has moved to a new home! Please visit www.brokeass-student.com for further adventures and content)

Nonsensical musings on the spiritual laws that gravitate around my finances

"There is no statement so absurd that no philosopher will make it" - Cicero

Money is a necessity. It’s something we spend many long hours working hard for. To accumulate a mass amount of wealth by the end of our lives somehow signifies a great depth of success. Learning to respect money through nurturing and proper planning is a wonderful way to watch money grow. How then do so many people lose such desperate control over their money, over something they put so much emphasis on and therefore should be cherishing and nurturing, instead of allowing it to slip so frivolously through their fingers?

The Endless Pursuit of ‘Stuff’

Frivolous spending was my own downfall. I had no comprehension or meaningful insight into money for many years. I spent it faster than I could make it. Or I spent what I didn’t have for ‘stuff’ I thought I needed. Money was something I took for granted and basically abused. When I bought something really fancy for myself, the adrenaline would kick in and I would feel stoked. But it was always a short term solution. I’d quickly grow bored and disillusioned, and the item would be taken for granted. My sights would then be set on the next big fancy ‘stuff’ to acquire. And so, on and on the cycle would continue. Consumerism at its best, and society was more than willing to gorge my greed.

I finally woke up and stopped buying ‘stuff’ I didn’t need. I didn’t need it because ‘stuff’ was serving no useful purpose in my life. It was an empty and meaningless pursuit. It feels good to finally be gravitating away from the useless clutter that has only served in complicating my life. I feel I am finally on a better path.

As my respect for money develops, I also realize the irony in how rich I’ve been up to this point. Money does not automatically hand me over my happiness. It does not give me fulfillment or lead me closer to my greater purpose in life. Neither does money hold the answers to all of my probing questions, or help quench my insatiable curiosity. In the past, it has only led to items, to more ‘stuff’. More stuff’ which in turn led to more complications and more headaches. And to debt. And debt, unfortunately, results in a lot of heartache for many people in similar situations.

Money Used for Experiences Instead of Items

The experiences I’ve gone through in my life, my memories, are what I truly cherish. The experiences I’ve gained through living have brought me greater joy than collecting material things. I’ve reached the conclusion, therefore, that money is more wisely utilized for experiences instead of ‘stuff’.

When I graduated from high school, I burned with a passion to experience the world and witness life through different cultures. I worked non-stop for over a year in a crappy pizzeria joint and saved every penny I made. When I turned 19, I collected my entire savings and took a flight over the Atlantic to England. I was so enchanted with Europe that I stayed abroad and continued traveling to different countries for over four years. I visited England, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Greece during the time I spent there.

I don’t regret for a moment packing and leaving like I did, instead of falling into the rat race mentality trap of heading straight to college after high school. Hell, I didn’t even know what I wanted to do with my life at that point. And even though I was piss ass poor and it was a struggle at times, each day presented a different challenge, a new awakening for me, and I felt so alive.

The experiences I’ve obtained from my journeys and struggles make me feel inconceivably blessed. No amount of money could ever replace that.

Am I not in a sense then one of the wealthiest people alive?

Wealth through Memories

When we leave this world, we won’t be packing up and taking all of our material possessions with us. We will depart this earth with our intellect and knowledge, and the thriving memories we keep alive in our thoughts and cherish in our hearts. Money should be used for experiences which allow each of us to access the deepest plateau we’re able to reach to embrace our passions; to obtain wisdom and spiritual growth, and to extend past our comfortable boundaries and dare to attempt any accomplishment our mind is set on achieving.

For me, this doesn’t necessarily mean working my arse off just to retire early on some fancy yacht to sip Coronas all day.

The Inherent Value of Money

Money itself has no inherent value. It’s a flimsy piece of green paper that may have passed through zillions of hands before it’s placed in our own. It’s ripped and faded and full of germs. It sparkles with the dew of sweat from people who’ve become brainwashed and locked into being slaves to the system. It’s a pursuit generated from a total ‘work’ world where many fail to take a moment to sit down, take a deep breath, and recognize the beauty surrounding them each moment of every day.

I sit and contemplate what I will do when I’m out of debt from my current loans. I plan to invest wisely, to live frugally, and to not complicate my life with unnecessary crap that has no depth or meaning for me. I enjoy giving money back where I can, to try to make a difference and touch other people and circumstances in the process. Ultimately, I can leave this world with the satisfaction of knowing I took the time to quietly contemplate my role in the scheme of reality. I’ve allowed myself the time for leisure to become receptive to discovering my greater purpose in life.

Stepping off the hamster wheel 

Through leisure, through stopping the cycle of demand from a constant work world, through opening up my heart and my mind in meditation and contemplation to rejoice in my blessings, I’ve been allowed an unexpected freedom. I’ve been given the freedom to question what I’ve observed and to become skeptical – and to demand better for myself.

Money itself has not necessarily given me the freedom to embark on a personal journey of self-discovery. I’ve been able to quietly absorb the madness of a work world that continues to grind away lives through jobs people despise but yet do for money; for necessity, for survival, and for ’stuff’. Through awareness, I’ve been given the opportunity to evaluate and embrace the nature of each of our stances in the universe and see through the illusion.

I’ve been given a deeper purpose.

Money, an interesting conundrum. It can be a powerful tool and ally when properly respected and used wisely. But money can only be utilized to a certain extent in bringing wealth and security. Slaving endlessly for money at a job we’re dissatisfied with can only bring us so far on our own paths to self-discovery.

What greater gift is given to us than our time? Yet each day billions sell their time at an incredible price for the hours they work at a job they hate, and fall deeper into the pitfall of neglecting their passions in the process. Why should I continue giving away one of my most valuable possessions, my time, when it detracts from my ability to discover my purpose of serving a greater good? And how can I stop a brainwashed society from needlessly sacrificing their time and making the same mistakes?

I’ve been given the freedom to step off the hamster wheel and embrace a different perspective. I’ve accumulated extensive debt due to ignorant past mistakes, which I admit does suck. But those mistakes have only aided in my spiritual growth and served as some of my greatest teachers. So have they really been mistakes, or unexpected blessings?

I am no longer disenchanted with one set perception. At least I am no longer a victim.

What about you?

~†~ Baby Steps are Key ~†~

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