The Richest Man in The Babylon: 5 Most Important Lessons

A very good summary of one of the most influential books on money!



With love,
Madeleine

How is Wealth Created

This video explains very well how the economy works and how wealth is created, starting with a fisherman's analogy. A very good video to show our kids as well.

With love,
Madeleine

5 Types of People That Will Never Be Rich

Good advice on what not to do and what kind of people to avoid if we want to get wealthy!...



With love,
Madeleine

My top 8 books on Money written by female authors

Have you noticed how many books on the topic of money have been written by men?
I had to look hard for women writers on that topic! But I am happy to report that I selected 8 of them, my favourites, which are directly related to money - and I read all of them! I also added 3 bonus ones, which are indirectly related to money.

They are not in any particular order in this list below ;-)

1.   Jen Sincero, "You are a badass at making money" (and while you're reading, get yourself the "You are a badass" too!). She is very witty and helps us look at our mindset and make the necessary changes so that we can get wealthy.

2.   Ann Wilson, "The Wealth Chef". Ann wrote her book as a cookbook. She explains principles very well and gives us the ingredients and the recipes for wealth.

3.   Denise Duffield-Thomas, "Get Rich Lucky Bitch". Denise's first book was Lucky Bitch, which I read quite a few years ago. Funny, down to earth, a very easy read. Denise has a Money Bootcamp course that she runs every year and which I followed (not an affiliate yet but I would love to!).

4.   Esther Hicks & Jerry Hicks (Abraham), "Money and the law of Attraction". You might argue that it's not written only by a woman ;-) but I even read this one twice! Simply because I think you can always get more insights from a 2^nd read and particularly on Abraham's messages.

5.   Kate Northrup, "Money: A Love Story". This one was one of the first books I read about money. I joined a FB group at the time and started a book club on it. On top of having a very good look at my money story, I got girlfriends for life from that book club! Very good exercises, and easy to read. Please do the exercises if you want to see results!

6.   Barbara Stanny, "Overcoming Underearning". This one was advised by Kate Northrup, so I got it too! Fully packed with exercises and practical advice.

7.   Amanda Steinberg, "Worth it: Your Life, Your Money, Your terms". One of the last ones I read. Very focused on the American situation with a lot about 401K and IRAs, so I learned a lot on this topic, and I could still relate it to my situation in my country. This book is also packed with real life examples and advice.

8.   Vicki Robin, "Your money or your life" (written together with Joe Dominguez). This book was originally published in 1991 and has been fully revised and updated in 2018. The authors lay out a 9-step plan to achieve financial independence. Lots of homework and food for thought!

Bonus books:

9.   Marianne Cantwell, "Be a Free Range Human". I found it very easy to read, full of tips and exercises, case studies. This one not so much about the topic of money itself, but it focuses on finding what you want to do and how to get started with it.

10.        & 11.  Rhonda Byrne, "The Power" & "The Magic". I loved those 2 books as they made me feel really good while doing the exercises and applying what's in there!

     

Which ones have you already read? I would welcome any book suggestions that you have on this topic! Happy reading!

With love,

Madeleine

How to Properly Manage Your Money

This video is a bit longer (18'), but Tom Ferry (Real Estate Coach and Entrepreneur) gives us strategies on how to manage our money like the rich.



With love,
Madeleine

3 psychological tricks to help you save money

In this short but educational video, behavioural scientist Wendy de la Rosa gives us 3 tips that will save us save money...provided we implement them! So listen carefully and do that now!



With love,
Madeleine

How to Become a Millionaire in 3 Years

In this TED talk, self-made millionnaire Daniel Ally gives us 3 tips to follow to become a millionaire. My favourite is the 3rd one, what's yours? 

With love,
Madeleine

Rich Dad Poor Dad Video Summary

In case you haven't already read this book from Robert Kyosaki (link below), here's a video summary for you. 

And in case you then want to read the book, here's where to find it:

With love,

Madeleine

3 Dream Killers... and how to get rid of them!

The great Mel Robbins tells us about 3 things that will kill our dreams and how to avoid them!



With love,
Madeleine

4 Minutes To Start Your Day Right!

This short motivational video is a very good way to start the day. Are you doing that already? If not, what are you waiting for?
Enjoy!

With love,
Madeleine

This Is Why You Can't Wake Up In The Morning - Dr. Joe Dispenza

Neuroscience specialist Dr Joe Dispenza gives us keys to get up in the morning feeling energized. Enjoy!

With love,
Madeleine

"IT'S LIKE MAGIC!" 5 Minutes Before You Fall Asleep

Dan Candell explains in this very short video what we should do just before sleeping in order to magnetize our desires. Have a try tonight!




With love,
Madeleine

5 Bad Habits to Give Up if You Want to Be Successful

Do you have any of those bad habits?
What change can you make today to become more successful?



With love,
Madeleine

30+ Tips for living below your means

Hello lovelies,

This post is my own compilation of things you can do to spend less money - without feeling on a financial diet ;-) And a special thanks to my friends who shared their ideas with me!

-       Eating / Drinking (out):

o   Eat out less often

o   If you work in an office, prepare lunch and take it with you instead of buying something. For instance you could cook enough for a few meals, take one for lunch the next day and freeze the rest (might need a microwave at the office though…)

o   When eating out, only take a main course and a coffee instead of a full menu

o   Reduce the frequency of that Starbucks coffee, you will only enjoy it more when you get it

o   Take your coffee from home in the morning in a special cup

-       Clothes / Shoes:

o   How about setting yourself a challenge of not buying any clothes and shoes for a whole month?

o   Try a 2^nd hand shop

o   Have a look at apps like Vinted for 2^nd hand quality stuff

o   Organize an afternoon with friends, to exchange clothes you don't wear anymore (preferably friends with the same size ;-))

o   Invite a friend to come and look at your dressing room, and ask her to make new outfits for you, so you might rediscover jewels you already have and had forgotten about!

-       Hobbies:

o   Reading: instead of buying printed books all the time (like I do), how about borrowing them at the library, or at least buying the kindle version that's generally cheaper

o   Crafting: I for one tend to gather lots of supplies for my crafting, I have skeins of yarns everywhere in my house but I don't think I will ever use them all… So a idea could be to do an exchange of supplies with other friends!

-       Kids' stuff:

o   Clothes etc: give them a budget and stick to it, or better give them the cash and let them manage it

o   Wait before buying something for them. If they come back to you every few days with the same request, then they might really want it, otherwise they will forget. And if they really want it, check first that it's justified…

-       Household:

o   Energy bills: Have you already checked if some providers were cheaper than yours? Are there some appliances that are always on and that you could switch off instead? Are all your bulbs low energy consumption ones?

o   Telephone/Internet/TV: Again, have you compared providers? Are you really using the cable TV or could you stop that? We have found ourselves only watching Netflix those days...

o   Groceries: Make a list and stick to it! If you don't need meat everyday, vegetables are much cheaper… Also, it's generally cheaper to cook than to buy ready-made meals (and it's much healthier!)

o   Decoration: I like changing regularly the place of the furniture and sometimes furniture itself… But instead of always buying new I also look for 2^nd hand stuff, sometimes they are real treasures, and you won't see the same anywhere else!

-       Health:

o   Have you checked how your health insurance compared with other companies? It's ok if it's more expensive, as long as you get more out of it…

o   Eat healthy, so that you stay in shape and don't need to go to the doctor!

-       Sports:

o   It's part of staying healthy, but don't you have some memberships you don't use – or not enough – that you could stop?

o   If you do sport regularly, have you made sure that what you pay is the best deal you can get (membership versus paying per lesson)? Or if you are not a regular, shouldn't you pay per lesson instead?

-       Holidays:

o   An idea is to rent out your house while you are going for holidays

o   Another is to do a house exchange, there are plenty of websites proposing that

o   Always compare prices when looking for flights and rentals, and put alerts where possible so that you can jump on the lowest price when you see it

-       Going out:

o   It doesn't always have to cost money! A walk in the forest or on the beach, bicycling with the family.

o   If you want to book an attraction, be on the look out for cheap(er) tickets, sometimes it pays off to book long in advance, or very last minute!

o   There are days when museums are free, and some places where museums are always free

-       Transportation:

o   In some places a car is necessary, but maybe one is enough, and you can rent a second one when and only when 2 are needed at the same time (or you might be able to borrow a friend's car?). When living in a city / in a country like The Netherlands where public transportation is well organized, you might be better off to not own a car and use public transportation. When you need to plan a trip to Ikea, borrow one or lend one for the day instead.

o   Taxis are quickly expensive; so only use them when it's the only option!

o   How about pumping up the tyres of your bicycle and using it to go to town? Plus, there are plenty of new means of transportation those days (which might be dangerous but up to you): an electrical step, a skateboard, a hover-board...)

-       Banks:

          o  Do you use credit cards or only debit cards? I am pretty happy that I stopped using credit
              cards a while ago and there is no way I am going back to them!
          o   Have you compared the fees between banks? Generally online banks have lower fees 
              and are as efficient…
          o   How about putting money aside to a savings account and pretend it's not there?

     

Do you have more? Can you share them in the comments? I would love to know them!

Thanks!!!

With love,

Madeleine