Last week I decided that I should start writing a series on my blog. In part for my readers' enjoyment, but mostly because it would encourage me to start writing more. It's not that I've been at a loss for material lately, it's just that I haven't really been that inspired to sit down and write. (Hence the week and a half between me deciding to start a series and actually writing it) So, I'm hoping this will change.
Of course, then it came time to decide what to write about. It had to be something that could sustain several posts, but not be redundant or boring. Since I couldn't actually think of something new to write about, I decided to reach into the archives of my brain and pull out one of my favorite gems...Michelle's Key Strategies for Becoming a Millionaire by Age 30.
Now I know what you're thinking...But Michelle, you're 30. Are you a millionaire? No I'm not. But that's only because I started developing Michelle's Key Strategies for Becoming a Millionaire by Age 30 when I was like 27. I'm sure you can agree that three years, no matter how many strategies you adopt, is not much time to become a millionaire. I've changed my own personal plan to be called Michelle's Key Strategies for Michelle to Become a Millionaire by Age 40. But for everyone else, it will stay at 30.
Now some of you may be thinking...But Michelle, I am older than 30. Can I still become a millionaire? Yes you can. But, you need to bump up your goal age to the next big decade you'll be hitting. And, if you're a LOT older than 30, you should probably bump it up two decades because you have been a non-millionaire for a very long time and are probably really set in your non-millionaire ways, so it will be more difficult for you to adopt my key strategies. Consider that my first key strategy for you.
There are a few things you need to know about Michelle's Key Strategies for Becoming a Millionaire by Age 30. First off, you need to keep in mind that they are not tips. These are strategies. So while the item may seem menial or strange to you, there is probably a good reason why it is on the list. Which I will explain. Secondly, these are extremely easy items to incorporate into your life. There are a lot of articles out there about how to become a millionaire that involve investment strategies, mutual funds, stocks etc. That stuff is way too complicated for me. My key strategies don't require you to know much, or anything, about money or finances. Lastly, there are no guarantees that these strategies will actually work, so please don't hold me responsible if they don't. Until I actually become a millionaire, I consider these strategies to still be in the testing phase.
So, without further ado, I present to you Michelle's Key Strategies for Becoming a Millionaire by Age 30. The first entry is below. I'll tag these entries with "Millionaire" so it'll be easy to follow along. Enjoy!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Becoming a Millionaire - Get a Low Paying Job
(I thought it would probably be best to shorten Michelle's Key Strategies for Becoming a Millionaire by Age 30 to just "Becoming a Millionaire." At least for title purposes.)
There's no better way to introduce Michelle's Key Strategies for Becoming a Millionaire by Age 30 than with one of the most important key strategies...getting a low paying job. This may seem contradictory to the long term goal, but it's not. Here's why.
Low paying jobs teach you a lot. When you are making hardly any money and are forced to live on your own, pay your own rent and bills, buy your own food and clothing, and attempt to put away something for the future, you learn a LOT about money.
The best time to get a low paying job is right out of college. That's because:
A) Your parents have been paying for everything for like 22/23 years, so you will be grateful for any salary that allows you financial freedom and a sense of pride.
B) You've never had a real job before so you have no idea about how much money you should be making and you will be content to live happily in ignorant bliss.
C) You will learn how to live inexpensively and spend the rest of your life living as if you're making hardly any money.
Sure that's the time that you want to go out, show off your brand new education and make a big splash in the working world, but you need to put that on hold. You can make a splash anytime. Out of college, you want to accept a job making peanuts.
In my first job out of college, I made $24,000 a year. Yup! And I'm not ashamed to admit it! (well, maybe a little) I was the morning news producer for a TV station in Fresno working 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. In fact, I was offered another job at the same time at another TV station and I would have made $23,000, produced the 6pm show (very prestigious) and lived only about an hour from home. But when I did the math and compared the cost of living, I chose the crappy overnight job in nowhere-Fresno because, due to the dirt-cheap cost of living, I would actually be making $8,000 a year more than the other job. Now who's the chump?!
Working at that job I learned how to balance a budget, find happiness buying my food at Grocery Outlet, wear clothes until they either didn't fit or were horrifically out of style, and eat at only cheap hole-in-the-wall restaurants (which were usually the best anyway). I managed to save enough money to buy a car, move to a nicer apartment ($650 a month rent was considered moving up!) and, most importantly, spent the next several years living as if I still made $24,000 a year. Not that I made THAT much more money at my next job, but I had learned to love a hermit and Scrooge-like existence that allowed me to save nearly every penny I earned. And those pennies come in handy!
So forget about applying for jobs where you'll make a comfortable living. Those jobs are highly overrated, at least until you're in your late 20s. Take a job that allows you to enjoy many years of a Scrooge-like existence, counting your stacks of pennies by candlelight and waiting for the day for it to all add up to a million dollars.
There's no better way to introduce Michelle's Key Strategies for Becoming a Millionaire by Age 30 than with one of the most important key strategies...getting a low paying job. This may seem contradictory to the long term goal, but it's not. Here's why.
Low paying jobs teach you a lot. When you are making hardly any money and are forced to live on your own, pay your own rent and bills, buy your own food and clothing, and attempt to put away something for the future, you learn a LOT about money.
The best time to get a low paying job is right out of college. That's because:
A) Your parents have been paying for everything for like 22/23 years, so you will be grateful for any salary that allows you financial freedom and a sense of pride.
B) You've never had a real job before so you have no idea about how much money you should be making and you will be content to live happily in ignorant bliss.
C) You will learn how to live inexpensively and spend the rest of your life living as if you're making hardly any money.
Sure that's the time that you want to go out, show off your brand new education and make a big splash in the working world, but you need to put that on hold. You can make a splash anytime. Out of college, you want to accept a job making peanuts.
In my first job out of college, I made $24,000 a year. Yup! And I'm not ashamed to admit it! (well, maybe a little) I was the morning news producer for a TV station in Fresno working 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. In fact, I was offered another job at the same time at another TV station and I would have made $23,000, produced the 6pm show (very prestigious) and lived only about an hour from home. But when I did the math and compared the cost of living, I chose the crappy overnight job in nowhere-Fresno because, due to the dirt-cheap cost of living, I would actually be making $8,000 a year more than the other job. Now who's the chump?!
Working at that job I learned how to balance a budget, find happiness buying my food at Grocery Outlet, wear clothes until they either didn't fit or were horrifically out of style, and eat at only cheap hole-in-the-wall restaurants (which were usually the best anyway). I managed to save enough money to buy a car, move to a nicer apartment ($650 a month rent was considered moving up!) and, most importantly, spent the next several years living as if I still made $24,000 a year. Not that I made THAT much more money at my next job, but I had learned to love a hermit and Scrooge-like existence that allowed me to save nearly every penny I earned. And those pennies come in handy!
So forget about applying for jobs where you'll make a comfortable living. Those jobs are highly overrated, at least until you're in your late 20s. Take a job that allows you to enjoy many years of a Scrooge-like existence, counting your stacks of pennies by candlelight and waiting for the day for it to all add up to a million dollars.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Why I Don't Watch Disaster Movies
About a month ago, Dan rented the movie 2012 from Netflix. He asked if I wanted to watch it, but I said "no, I don't like disaster movies. Plus, 2012 is like two years away so I'm probably going to get really depressed and think that the world is going to end soon." Obviously.
Over the next few weeks, the movie just sat around the house. I kept telling him that he needed to watch it so we could return to get a new (better) movie, but he always claimed he never had the time. Finally, Carolyn was over on Saturday and suggested we watch a movie. Driven purely by the motivation of getting this movie out of the house and returned to Netflix so we could get something that I wanted to see, I said "fine, let's watch 2012. That was followed by two hours of scenes like this:
Over the next few weeks, the movie just sat around the house. I kept telling him that he needed to watch it so we could return to get a new (better) movie, but he always claimed he never had the time. Finally, Carolyn was over on Saturday and suggested we watch a movie. Driven purely by the motivation of getting this movie out of the house and returned to Netflix so we could get something that I wanted to see, I said "fine, let's watch 2012. That was followed by two hours of scenes like this:
It was a fairly ridiculous movie actually. In reality, the main characters should have died in the first 10 minutes, but they were always spared thanks to their sheer determination and unbelievable speed and agility of their car/camper/plane/feet. Dan kept laughing and saying how unbelievable the scenes were, and that nothing like that could ever happen. And I believed him. Surprisingly, I wasn't totally depressed afterward and didn't have too many thoughts about squeezing as much living as I can into the next two years before the world ends. I was fine. Or so I thought.
Then came Sunday night. There I was, fast asleep in my nice comfy bed, when I was gently transported to Las Vegas in my dream. Dan and I were walking down the strip hand-in-hand and having a great time. All of a sudden, the sky turned black. People started screaming and running everywhere. It was mass chaos and total pandemonium. What's going on?? I asked. Dan pointed up at the sky. LOOK! he screamed as the hotels started crumbling around us. Piece by piece, huge chunks of the buildings were slamming down around us, flattening the poor, helpless tourists who were standing just feet away. RUN! I yelled. We ran across the street dodging chunks of debris. Noticing that the buildings were now falling into the street, I figured that we needed to get to water and then we'd be safe. I spotted the lake in front of the Bellagio, pulled Dan in and swam to the center. Phew! We were safe. That's when I looked up and saw this headed right for us:
The top of the stratosphere hotel. We were killed immediately and transported to heaven, where everything was orange and glowing and looked sort of pixelated like watching a TV channel that was out of focus. I remember thinking ok, this isn't so bad. Then I woke up. It wasn't until I was doing my make up and getting ready for work that I realized the dream was, in all likelihood, inspired by 2012. And that is why I don't watch disaster movies.
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