Message From jl

Hi Everyone!

In reviewing your responses when I asked what you will be doing - both personally and professionally - to get through the economic down-turn, I was struck by a couple of things. Y'all are smart people!

Let's take the personal, first. It's all common sense, isn't it? Not buying things we don't need. Being more frugal with what we do buy.

For instance: locking up the credit cards and using them only for real emergencies. How are we going to get through the emergency that will surely come, if we have credit cards full of Starbuck's charges?

Let me insert one thing right here, since in the past week, I've begun to see it happening.

When the economy tanks, all types of crime go up, but most especially con-jobs and scams. Seems funny to say since that's what got us here, but I'm talking about scams at the level of general population - the get-rich-quick scams.

You have NEVER needed your iCop membership as much as you will need it over the next couple of years! iCop is in its 10th year and NO organization has as good a reputation for its members being honest and ethical.

Folks are going to start getting very paranoid about buying online pretty quickly. Doesn't mean they won't do it, because they are used to doing it, now. But, they WILL have to start being even MORE careful than they've ever been before.

They will always be looking for something to tell them, "You're safe to buy here." That's the function of the iCop seal.

That iCop seal is fast becoming a necessity!

These Things Will Work ...

Stop ALL impulse buying; wait 24 hours, then, go back if we have convinced ourselves something is a necessity.

Continue to group errands together, and take other measures to save on gasoline. Yes, I know it's gone way down in price, but so what? Make new habits so they'll be in place when the price goes back up. And, it will.

USE those coupons! But, only the ones for things we always buy, anyway. Put “coupons” in Google and you'll be amazed at what you come up with. The Web is FULL of coupons!

Involve your family - even the kids. I think I've said this before: Kids actually appreciate being part of a solution. They WILL help rather than complaining. But, only if they feel part of a family project.

And, by the way - ask for THEIR ideas. Kids are WAY more creative than adults. They may seriously surprise you!

And, God forbid, use an actual budget! Do you know there's a painless way to do that?

Simply make a list of everything you pay each month. Write the date you plan to pay each bill (NOT when they are due) beside each entry.

Now, you know what you have to pay and when. You can plan for it. (Keep the list where you will see it every day.)

On things that may vary week to week, like groceries, see how much you can save when you go to the market. It's all a game! And, every 10 bucks will make you feel good.

You budgeted $100 - you spent $90. You win!

Another Trick Now, at the risk of seeming to contradict myself, here's a little trick to make all this easier for you. Listen up because this is important!

When you start feeling down, or as if you're struggling, buy something that makes you feel rich! This will be something inexpensive, but something you would never think to “splurge” on in normal circumstances.

The idea is to move beyond any feelings of deprivation. Never allow yourself to FEEL poor. Remember, getting through the tough times is merely a project - and it's perfectly okay to use tricks.

So, what do you splurge on? I could name a bazillion things, but this will be a very individual and personal thing. Just keep it under $20 and only do it when you feel the need of a little boost to keep you going.

Now, I Have a Couple of Specifics for You ...

Are you aware that your water heater is the highest user of electricity in your home? IF you have an electric water heater - not gas. DON'T try this with gas!

But, if your switch box is relatively handy, you can turn the master switch to an ELECTRIC water heater OFF when you're finished with hot water for the evening. Then, turn it back on first thing in the morning, and it will be ready to go in about 10 to 15 minutes.

You will not believe how much your electric bill goes down - not to mention the energy you're saving! You're helping the planet at the same time!

We have two things we must protect at all costs. One is our home and the other is our transportation.

Quickly, on the home ... If you're in danger of foreclosure, get in there - see the highest person up in the mortgage company you can - and negotiate right NOW! Do it BEFORE it happens!

They WILL negotiate. Go talk in person. Get it all in writing.

Next is your vehicle. If you're making payments - and if you have enough equity in the car - sell it. Then, buy a less expensive car and pay cash for it.

You can always find great deals on a used car - especially what they call “program cars” and “demonstrators.” These cars are usually only about one year old, have low mileage and still have warranties. They often sell for less than half the original cost.

You can negotiate that. Any time you have cash, you can swing amazing deals. And, they won't be selling many cars!

All it takes is patience and effort. But, most of it can be done by phone.

Figure out what you want and what you want to pay - and start calling every dealer in town. Yes, you have to be careful, but any adult can do that.

And, yes, you MAY have a bit more upkeep, but without the monthly payments, you'll be amazed at how well you can keep a car maintained.

Another big savings can be your telephone bill. I'll use my own as an example ...

I was paying Ma Bell over $100 a month for a land line, with long distance and just the services I needed. This in addition to the cell phone since most of my long distance calls need to be done during business hours. No waiting until after 8 or 9 o'clock at night or my cell phone bill would have been astronomical.

Absolutely ridiculous! So, I got rid of both. Well, sort of.

I canceled the land line and, since I have cable, I signed on with Vonage - the cable phone company. I can now call not only anywhere in the USA without additional charges, I can also call, (free) landline phones in Italy, France, Spain, UK and Ireland. PLUS, I have 25 calling features, most of which I'll never use.

What do I pay for this? $30.02 a month - and that includes all taxes. I do this directly with Vonage, even though my local cable company now offers phone service. Why?

It's because the cable company charges more for their service, and I wouldn't be able to call all those other countries. They only offer long distance in the USA.

So what about the cell phone? I got rid of it. Mostly.

I bought a pre-paid plan with about 1,000 minutes - good for a year. When the year was over, they allowed me to pay them $5.40 a month to keep the minutes until they're used up. Over two years later, I still haven't used all those minutes.

I only use that phone for two things - no one knows the number, and I always keep it turned off. It's in my purse for emergencies when I leave the house. And, I use it when we lose electricity because that causes the cable phone to go out, too.

You can set your Vonage account to forward to the cell phone number any time the cable, or electricity is down. Just turn on the cell.

I charge the cell once a month, whether it needs it or not. Then, I forget it unless I absolutely need it.

SO - instead of paying $1,200+ a year for a land line and around another $1,000 a year for the regular cell phone, I now pay less than $425 a year and have everything I need. Savings over the year? $1,775 - or $148 a month.

I know folks don't want to lose their fancy SUVs and most would have to have their constantly ringing cell phones ripped out of their cold, dead hands. But, ya know, this, too, will pass, and you can have it all back again, later.

Meanwhile, we can all learn to live (again) without taking photos with our phones and “texting” people to death. Good grief! No one can ever escape!

Do I feel like I'm living “poor.” Hell, no! I feel like I'm living SMART! Forget your "pride." (I'll spare you the quote.) No one knows what you're doing unless you tell them, anyway!

Again - it's all a GAME! And, I hope you'll share YOUR little tricks with the rest of us. Just send 'em to me!

If some of this seems extreme, the homeless population is already ballooning. Many of those folks would NEVER have believed it could happen to them! But, we never know what tomorrow might bring.

Some of these “extreme” measures may be what helps you avoid the worst. It's just a matter of using sound judgment NOW.

Next week, I'll move into how to manage your business in an economic down-turn. We have PLENTY of things we can do that are simply good business ANY time.

However, some of them will work even BETTER in times of tight money. AND, I'll tell you the MOST important thing anyone can do to cover the next couple of years successfully.

Have a fabulous week and ... keep on keepin' on!

  jl

P.S. Do YOU have the iCop seal on ALL your web sites? Scammers abound in a depressed economy. You will need the credibility of your iCop membership NOW, more than ever!

Use the iCop Seal on Every Site You Own at NO Extra Cost!

Join iCop Today!

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Online Business Trade Journal™ is published solely by dr. jl scott, Director of the International Council of Online Professionals (iCop) and may not reflect the opinion of all iCop members.

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