http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Africa/Nigeria
http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/World+News/Africa/Nigeria
http://www.vanguardngr.com
punchng.com
http://dailypost.ng
http://guardian.ng
Friday, August 19, 2016
[PHOTOS] Kano Electricity Worker Electrocuted
[PHOTOS] Kano Electricity Worker Electrocuted
A 37 year old official of the Kano Electricity Distribution Company [KERDCO], Usaini Usman, was electrocuted while disconnecting an electricity cable in Kano today August 19th. Usaini lost his life after his head made contact with a high tension power line at the Federal College of Education, Kano.He was rushed to the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital where he was confirmed dead.
http://www.nigerianmonitor.com/photos-kano-electricity-worker-electrocuted/ http://www.nigerianmonitor.com/photos-kano-electricity-worker-electrocuted/
30 Clever Ways to Make Money Online
30 Clever Ways to Make Money Online
Consider selling your original Instagrams, becoming a virtual assistant or providing online tutoring.
Who doesn’t want to earn more money?
Whether it’s through part-time jobs or freelance work, adding more
dollars to your cash flow every month is always nice. But unfortunately,
not everyone has the time to pick up another job or do additional work
on the side. If that’s the case for you, don’t give up. Instead, turn to
the one thing you probably spend a majority of your time on: the
internet.
There are dozens of ways to make money online, from selling unwanted items to promoting products on Instagram or Facebook. Click through to discover 30 unique and easy ways you can earn money on online.
Read More: 9 Highest-Grossing Instagram Accounts
Read More: 25 Ways to Prevent a Tax Audit There are dozens of ways to make money online, from selling unwanted items to promoting products on Instagram or Facebook. Click through to discover 30 unique and easy ways you can earn money on online.
1. Get Paid to Take Surveys
Do you enjoy taking surveys? Some companies will pay people to take surveys so that they can gather valuable consumer and user data. It might not be the most interesting way to make a buck, but you can find websites like CashbackResearch.com that offer cash for your opinions.2. Create a Winning Blog
Writing entertaining, interesting blog posts can generate cash for you through ads, affiliate links and other revenue options. Your blogging success will depend on your writing talent, whether your blog covers a popular subject and the popularity of the links you include (whether backlinks or pay-per-click links, like Google AdWords).3. Sell Your Stuff on eBay or a Similar Outlet
The dramatic growth and success of eBay has spawned many competitors featuring auctions or online marketplaces for diverse items. Whether you want to clean out your closet and sell your designer clothing online, or develop a high-volume online store, you can make extra money or big dollars on sites such as Amazon.com, Etsy.com and more.4. Sign Up for Amazon Mechanical Turk
You probably won’t get rich completing typical tasks for the “Turk,” but you can make extra income if you are willing to perform simple tasks for clients.5. Sell Older Electronics
Do you have a compute, laptop or cellphone you no longer use? These and other tech items, although built with former generation features, often have value to others.6. List Household Items on Craigslist
Free to join and devoid of listing or selling fees, Craigslist sales can be local or national. From kitchenware to baby furniture to jobs, you can list almost anything for sale on this site.7. Self-Publish Kindle Digital Books
If you love to write and believe you can write an entertaining fiction or non-fiction book, consider authoring and publishing a digital book through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform.8. Create Niche Websites Featuring Google AdSense Ads
Creating popular niche sites can grab visitors looking for specialized information, and adding Google AdSense advertising links can be a great way to monetize the site.9. Upload YouTube Videos and Get Paid for Ad Views
You don’t need to invest in expensive video equipment. Just learn how to use your smartphone’s video capability to upload entertaining or informative videos, and opt to have ads play before your videos to get a bit of cash for each video view. YouTube star PewDiePie earned a total of $7.4 million in revenue, according to multiple media reports.10. Design Useful Apps for Mobile Devices
If you design a wildly popular app (which is harder than it sounds), you might be pleasantly surprised with the income they generate. Offering one or more apps at the iTunes or Android app store gives your creations wide exposure to prospects. And income can be generated by charging for the app, displaying in-app ads, or charging for in-app features and upgrades.Read More: 9 Highest-Grossing Instagram Accounts
11. Sell Your Time and Talents
The website Fiverr promotes members’ talent in multiple disciplines and connects them to people looking to pay for those skills. For example, if you’re a digital photo editing guru, you might find freelance projects you can complete for compensation.12. Sell the Use of Your Photos, Videos and Other Media
Some sites allow you to sell your prized photos, video b-roll, original music or illustrations while giving you the option of licensing resale rights for free. This will give you royalties for each use of your photos, videos or music, resulting in longer-term residual income.13. Sell Your Original Instagram Photos
While you can share your social media photos on Instagram, you can also sell prints of your photos for a profit on Instaprints.com and similar sites.14. Share Your Knowledge
Do you have in-depth expertise about a specific hobby or any other subject? You could create a website that offers your expertise to others for a price, like offering a music lesson over Skype for a fee or charging for video lessons on gardening. You can make extra income or become wildly successful with this method of making money online.15. Become an Amazon Associate
This program allows you to earn money by including affiliate links to different products offered by Amazon. When a visitor views your blogs or social media pages and clicks through the Amazon links on your site, you will earn commissions from Amazon on qualifying products bought during that session.16. Become an Internet Life Coach
Because of the strong interest in quality of life and work-life balance issues, life coaches have become popular in recent years. Unlike the intellectual demands of becoming a technical or executive coach, life coaching can be successful if you possess common sense, a respect for family and a commitment to enjoy life to the max every day and helping others do the same.17. Promote Organizations on Social Media
Many major retailers will pay you for promoting their businesses on your websites and social media pages. They might pay you in cash or gift cards. For example, some restaurants might give you a gift card if you check in on Facebook or Yelp.18. Promote Businesses, Products and Services via Affiliate Programs
If you have a website or blog, you can make money through affiliations with other businesses and sites, which will pay a percentage of sales you generate for the affiliate company.19. Sell Handmade Items and Crafts
For those who like to make handcrafted items, websites such as Etsy are ideal to make some money off of such hobbies. Dedicated handcrafters should check Etsy and similar sites to find the best fit for their products.20. Become a Virtual Assistant
There are freelance sites, such as the popular oDesk, that often have jobs for virtual assistants. Just as with physical assistant positions, you will get paid for helping executives with a wide variety of tasks.Read More: 20 Apps That Make You Money
21. Become a Freelance Writer
Do you have a passion for writing? If earning money by writing gets your blood moving, there are numerous websites offering assignments for aspiring and experienced writers alike.22. Sell Customized T-shirts Online
Selling graphic T-shirts is big business. Customized T-shirts with clever sayings or graphics are ideal for online sales. Sites like Teespring allow you to sell customer shirts. Teespring’s unique model allows you to design the shirt and get buyers lined up to purchase it. This saves you from the initial investment in stock and the time on processing and shipping orders, though you’ll likely make a smaller profit on each shirt sold.23. Become a Third-Party Seller on Amazon
If you’ve visited Amazon, you have seen products sold by third-parties with the comment “ships from Amazon.” These are sellers who send their products to Amazon fulfillment facilities, then Amazon lists the item and ships it when a buyer is found.24. Buy Local and Resell Online
Another great way to make money is to find things in your area that are free or cheap, and then sell them online. Many people hunt through local thrift stores for rare collectibles, vintage styles or cheap-as-dirt books or media to mark up and resell online.25. Design Websites for a Fee
If you have an interest or skill in web development, there is a big demand for designers to build winning sites for businesses or organizations. Sites like eLance.com are a good place to start to find clients and build your portfolio.26. Promote Products on Your Website
Sites like SocialSpark offer bloggers cash for authoring and posting original copy about products or services to their sites. Just make sure to pay attention to FCC disclosure requirements when you’re getting paid to promote.27. Buy Domain Names for Resale
Some people have made big dollars by owning desired domains and selling them to hungry buyers. For a minimum investment of buying domain names you feel will be popular (typically $10 to $20), you might make a big profit selling it down the line.28. Rent Out Your Driveway or Reserved Parking Spot
Parking is at a premium in most thriving cities. Renting an unused space in your driveway or vacant deeded parking space can generate additional income. Advertising availability on Craigslist exposes this opportunity to local people, and up-and-coming apps like JustPark also allow you to easily rent out your parking space when it’s not in use.29. Provide Online Tutoring
Sites like Tutor.com and TutorVista.com will connect you with people looking for help learning a subject, and you might be in particularly high demand if you’re good with math, science or a foreign language. You have to go through an application process, and once you’re approved you can start getting paid.30. Teach an Online Course
Sites like Udemy connect experts with people willing to pay to learn from them. According to its website, about 10 million students use this service, and the average instructor earnings is $8,000.
Many of us agree that Google is the best and most powerful
search engine there is. It’s so widely used that people “Google”
something, but they don’t “Yahoo!” it. It has a clean and simple
homepage (no annoying ads), and is fast and user friendly. But probably
the best thing about Google is that it is simply fun. Here are ten of
the best Google tricks, tips, Easter eggs, and secrets that make online
searching cool.
Before you proceed, though, know that some of the following tricks require you to type “Google” plus the other word and click on “I’m feeling lucky.” If you can’t find the I’m Feeling Lucky button because Google auto-completes the search for you, just hover on the suggestions offered, and the button will appear in the form of a blue hyperlink. Or you can simply click on the links below:
1. Get to Mordor using Google Maps
For the Lord of the Rings fans or just about anyone familiar with the popular LOTR memes online, you can have Google tell you how to get to the infamous Mordor. Using Google Maps, get from The Shire or Rivendell to Mordor and click on the walking directions and you’ll get a very familiar warning.
Google's walking direction to Mordor
2. Google Klingon
Okay, so you’re not much of an LOTR fan because your inner geek is really oozing with Star Trek awesomeness. And wouldn’t you know it, Google has just the thing for you! Of course, if you’re really a Star Trek super fan, you should know how to speak fluent Klingon. Test your language skill on Google’s Klingon page.
![]()
Google Klingon
3. Goglogo
Ever wanted to have your own Google? Now you can! With Goglogo, you can personalise the Google logo to whatever text you want.
![]()
Personalised Google
4. Let Me Google That For You
Know anyone too lazy to search Google on their own? Well now you can help a friend get lazier or serve a master, whatever is applicable for you. Let Me Google That For You or LMGTFY is made for people who are kind enough to help lazy people with their Google search. Simply type what you want to look for in the text box and a link to the results page will appear, which you can mail to your lazy friend or master.
![]()
Let Me Google That For You
5. Google Sphere
The earth isn’t flat, so why does Google have to be? Google Sphere takes care of that for you. Instead of boring and even image search page, Google Sphere turns it into an interactive spinning orb.
![]()
Google Sphere
6. Google Space
From earth to the space, Google has got you covered. From the same team that brought us Google Sphere, Google Space is another interactive search page that mimics anti-gravity force, much like the exact opposite of Google Gravity.
![]()
Google Space
7. Google Guitar
Google commemorated guitar genius Les Paul in 2009 (he would have turned 96 had he lived for two more years) with a homepage guitar logo that is not only playable, but also recordable.
![]()
Google Guitar
Here’s one user’s rendition of “Billie Jean”
8. Google Pac-Man
In 2010, Pac-Man celebrated its 30th anniversary, and Google was there to bring the popular 80s game back. The developers stayed true to the 8-bit masterpiece, even recreating its original bugs. Easter egg bonus: If you want to play this with a friend, just click Insert Coin twice and Ms Pac-Man will join Pac-Man in eating dots and chasing ghosts. Pac-Man is controlled using the arrow keys, while Ms Pac-Man uses WASD keys.
![]()
Google Pac-Man
9. Atari Breakout
The year 2013 is the 30th anniversary of Atari’s popular game Breakout. And just like Pacman, Breakout is pretty timeless, with kids and adults still enjoy playing it no matter how many modern games are released today. To play Breakout, simply do an image search for Atari Breakout, and everything will fall into place.
![]()
Atari Breakout on Google
10. Zerg Rush
If you’re a StarCraft player, you can employ your perfected Zerg rush tactic on Google’s Zerg Rush interactive game. Just search Zerg Rush and watch as a gang of invading Os attack your search result from all sides of the screen. You will have to vanquish them by clicking them with your mouse or, if you’re using a touch screen, with your fingers.
It’s a losing battle for you, though, since the Os are just too many to beat and the game is just designed that way. As your last search result is defeated, the Os will then form two big Gs to represent Good Game.
Before you proceed, though, know that some of the following tricks require you to type “Google” plus the other word and click on “I’m feeling lucky.” If you can’t find the I’m Feeling Lucky button because Google auto-completes the search for you, just hover on the suggestions offered, and the button will appear in the form of a blue hyperlink. Or you can simply click on the links below:
1. Get to Mordor using Google Maps
For the Lord of the Rings fans or just about anyone familiar with the popular LOTR memes online, you can have Google tell you how to get to the infamous Mordor. Using Google Maps, get from The Shire or Rivendell to Mordor and click on the walking directions and you’ll get a very familiar warning.
Google's walking direction to Mordor
2. Google Klingon
Okay, so you’re not much of an LOTR fan because your inner geek is really oozing with Star Trek awesomeness. And wouldn’t you know it, Google has just the thing for you! Of course, if you’re really a Star Trek super fan, you should know how to speak fluent Klingon. Test your language skill on Google’s Klingon page.
Google Klingon
3. Goglogo
Ever wanted to have your own Google? Now you can! With Goglogo, you can personalise the Google logo to whatever text you want.
Personalised Google
4. Let Me Google That For You
Know anyone too lazy to search Google on their own? Well now you can help a friend get lazier or serve a master, whatever is applicable for you. Let Me Google That For You or LMGTFY is made for people who are kind enough to help lazy people with their Google search. Simply type what you want to look for in the text box and a link to the results page will appear, which you can mail to your lazy friend or master.
Let Me Google That For You
5. Google Sphere
The earth isn’t flat, so why does Google have to be? Google Sphere takes care of that for you. Instead of boring and even image search page, Google Sphere turns it into an interactive spinning orb.
Google Sphere
6. Google Space
From earth to the space, Google has got you covered. From the same team that brought us Google Sphere, Google Space is another interactive search page that mimics anti-gravity force, much like the exact opposite of Google Gravity.
Google Space
7. Google Guitar
Google commemorated guitar genius Les Paul in 2009 (he would have turned 96 had he lived for two more years) with a homepage guitar logo that is not only playable, but also recordable.
Google Guitar
Here’s one user’s rendition of “Billie Jean”
8. Google Pac-Man
In 2010, Pac-Man celebrated its 30th anniversary, and Google was there to bring the popular 80s game back. The developers stayed true to the 8-bit masterpiece, even recreating its original bugs. Easter egg bonus: If you want to play this with a friend, just click Insert Coin twice and Ms Pac-Man will join Pac-Man in eating dots and chasing ghosts. Pac-Man is controlled using the arrow keys, while Ms Pac-Man uses WASD keys.
Google Pac-Man
9. Atari Breakout
The year 2013 is the 30th anniversary of Atari’s popular game Breakout. And just like Pacman, Breakout is pretty timeless, with kids and adults still enjoy playing it no matter how many modern games are released today. To play Breakout, simply do an image search for Atari Breakout, and everything will fall into place.
Atari Breakout on Google
10. Zerg Rush
If you’re a StarCraft player, you can employ your perfected Zerg rush tactic on Google’s Zerg Rush interactive game. Just search Zerg Rush and watch as a gang of invading Os attack your search result from all sides of the screen. You will have to vanquish them by clicking them with your mouse or, if you’re using a touch screen, with your fingers.
It’s a losing battle for you, though, since the Os are just too many to beat and the game is just designed that way. As your last search result is defeated, the Os will then form two big Gs to represent Good Game.
List of 31 Most Popular Google Tricks and Secrets That No One Knows.
List of 31 Most Popular Google Tricks and Secrets That No One Knows
As a World’s biggest search engine, Google is holding many secret tricks
inside it.Google have some magical search terms that will blow your
mind.So this article is all about Google tricks and secrets.So lets reveal them all.
Search conveniently
You can get your information on Google Search page without visiting any other webpage.Here are the cool Search terms that will make your search more convenient and deliver you helpful information.Try out below terms.1. Secret Calculator
Google made your calculation work easy by adding secret calculator inside the search results.Now you can do your calculations without leaving your Browser.Just open Google and search for ” Calculator ” and stylish calculator will appear on the search result page.2. OK Google
Now you can search anything on Google by just saying “OK Google“.To use this feature you must allow Google to use your Microphone.This is one of my favorite because i can search anything without touching my keyboard.To enable that feature you must click on Microphone sign in Google Search bar.3. Countdown timer
You can set timer of your choice by just typing “Set Timer” in search bar and then hit enter.Timer will appear to you and you can now set timer of your choice by clicking on it.When timer will over a sound will be played by Google.4. Do comparison
Are you health conscious? Then this is specially for you.This awesome Google feature help you to do a comparisons with Foods like how much fat and calories that contains.You can do it by searching “French Fries vs Burger“. This is coolest feature of Google.
5. Do Conversions
You can convert anything like currency,Math units and even more.Just type your value like this “cm into inches” , “meter into feet”,”Dollar into INR” or whatever you want to convert.6. Google Number Speaker
Can you speak that number 444465148245? Its really tough but Google can tell in just a sec.Just type your number in Google like this way “444465148245=English” and Google will tell you How to speak that number.
7. Sunrise and Sunset times
Know the times of Sunset and sunrise in your city by just typing “Sunset California” or “Sunrise California“.You can replace California with your country or city.8. Translator
Translate your words or sentence from one language to another in very simple way.Just type in search bar like this way “English to Spanish“.Just choose languages and write words you want to translate.9. Find Sports Schedules
Its easy to find the schedule of your favorite Sport.Type “Football Schedule” and get the schedule about running tournaments of Football.You can even get live scores of running matches by typing Score instead of schedule.10. Live Webcams
Watch the live CCTV camera footage from different areas.Type “inurl:view/view.shtml” and you will get results for live webcams only.This one is best for enjoyment and time pass for a while.11. Find Name of Movie Actor
Get information about star cast in your favorite movie by typing “Cast: Furious 7” and you will get the results of all the star cast of movie with their pictures.This is the awesome way to find the name of your favorite star in movie.
12. Get Definitions
Find the exact meaning of your word at search page without going anywhere.Just type your word followed by the term “Define”.See example if you want to define Burger type “Define Burger” in search bar and you will get your answer.13. Distance between Cities
You can easily find distance between two cities and also the estimated time to reach their.Type “Delhi to Chandigarh” and it will tell you all information like Distance,Time,Way to travel and more.Google Search Tricks and Google I’m Feeling Lucky Tricks
Google can do lot more tricks for specific search terms and some are really amazing.Have a look below.14. Barrel roll
You can rotate Google by this trick.Just type “Do a Barrel Roll” in Google Search and hit enter and then Google will take one rotation and you can do this many times.This is just for fun and you can make your friends astonished by doing this.15. Tilt
Type “Tilt” and hit enter in Google search and you will see the Google search result page will be tilted by small angle.This is just for fun nothing special.16. Flip a coin
Flip a coin is awesome way to toss online if you don’t have coin in a pocket.Type “Flip a coin” in search bar and click “I’m Feeling Lucky” button.It will take you to the awesome virtual coin and you can toss with it by clicking on it.See the picture for help.
17. Google Gravity
This is much popular trick of Google.This works when you search for ” Google Gravity ” and click on “I’m Feeling Lucky” after that objects on the page will start falling down due to gravity and you can play with it by dragging them.
18. Google Sky
Actually this is not a trick but interesting thing created by Google.Just like Google Earth you can travel to the sky in between stars.To do that just type “Google Sky” and click on I’m Feeling lucky.19. Blink HTML
Typing ” Blink HTML ” in Google search will Blink all the words “HTML” on search page and search page will look so amazing with that Blinking words.20. Google in 1998
If you haven’t seen How Google looks like in 1998 then you can experience it live.Just search for ” Google in 1998” and then Google will display its old look that was on 1998.See how Google logo looks like. 😉21. Google Sphere
Search for ” Google Sphere” and click on the first link.This will make Google revolving sphere that will move with your mouse.You can also continue your Search and that will also appear in sphere.22. Google Guitar
Guitar lovers can play Guitar on Google.Type “Google Guitar” in search bar and hit I’m Feeling lucky” it will take to you the awesome guitar that sounds with your mouse hover.You can play Happy Birthday,Harry Potter and more music with it.Guitar notes are given below the Guitar.23. Askew
Type “Askew” in Google Search and it will distort your Search page.It is just like Tilt but it also distort alphabets in search results.24. Elgoog
It is website where you can find amazing things like Google Mirror,Google Snake and much more.To visit that just type “Elgoog” in Google and click I’m Feeling lucky button.Enjoy the number of tricks on that websites.25. Google Hacker
Google created many unique pages and some are quite weird.Type on Google “xx-haxor” and click I’m Feeling lucky.That will open Google in hackers style and everything on page will show some type of coding.26. Heart Graph
You can easily draw a graph on Google by typing Graphic equation in search bar.To make the heart on Graph simply copy this equation ” sqrt(cos(x))*sin(300x)+sqrt(abs(x))-0.7)*(4-x*x)^0.01, sqrt(6-x^2), -sqrt(6-x^2) from -4.5 to 4.5 ” and paste in search bar and hit enter. You will get the blue heart on a Graph.27. Dancing YouTube
This one works on YouTube.To do fun with it open YouTube and type “Use the force, Luke” in YouTube search and result will blow your mind.Also search for “do the harlem shake” on YouTube and enjoy the magic.
Google Secret Games
You can play Secret games on Google by using following search terms.This will allow you to play classic games within Google without going to any other site.28. Atari Breakout
Gaming is always a fun and helps to kick out your boredom so this Google trick allow you to play a classic game within Google image search results. Just open images.google.com and search for “Atari Breakout” and game will appear in front of you and you can play it.
29. Google Chrome’s Secret game
This is one of the awesome trick and many people don’t know this because this game only works without internet and no one tried Google Chrome without internet.You can play this game by turning off your Internet connection and then open Google Chrome,try visiting any site and you will see the dinosaur will appear on screen then hit Space bar.You will see the Dinosaur will start running.So this is the amazing Game and also works on Google Chrome on Mobile.
30. Google Pacman
Pacman is all time popular game and you can now play it on Google.Just type ” Google Pacman ” in search and then click on thumbnail that will display on search page.Enjoy the game.31. Zerg Rush
This is pretty cool Google game and this will destroy your search result page.When you type “Zerg Rush” in search bar and hit enter , too many small ooooo will come and will try to destroy your search page and you have to kill that O’s before they destroy page.We have something extra for you
Hope you liked that awesome collections of Google Tips and Tricks . We will update this post with more Google Magic tricks and for now Lets have a look to these list posts too.17 Interesting and Coolest website For Time pass
11 Most Popular Websites for Students to learn new things
21 Inspirational and Motivational Quotes To Ensure Your Success
Monday, August 15, 2016
Things You Can Do To Find Financial Freedom
Ten Things You Can Do To Find Financial Freedom
1. Pray each day before you pay Emotional and spiritual balance will lead to Financial Freedom. So ask God to guide you and give you strength to follow the first nine steps; they are expanded and explained further at our Web site crown.org. "In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Don’t be resentful for what you don’t have. Instead be grateful for what God has provided. Financial Freedom will bring contentment; and contentment grows out of an attitude of gratitude.
2. Keep the "ultimate driving machine" You know…the one that’s paid for. Most people buy new cars because they don’t budget car-maintenance money for the car they own; when it breaks down they can’t afford to repair it. You may say, "But it’s zero money down!" But remember, those new car little- or no-money-down financial gimmicks require some budget-destroying payments. "Which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit downand calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?" (Luke 14:28). Average monthly maintenance for most cars on the road (about seven years old) is about 5 percent of a family’s budget. If you compare a monthly 5 percent of your budget for maintenance on an older car to about 15 percent to buy a new car, it’s no contest. Poor gas mileage? Forget it! It takes lots of gas to make up the cost of payments. And the number one thing you can do to find Financial Freedom in 2001:
3. Don’t keep up with the Joneses They’re in debt, too (and you can be sure they won’t make your payments for you)! "Every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind" (Ecclesiastes 4:4). Envy is the desire to achieve based on the observation of other people’s successes. Don’t set your goals based on what others have. In the long run envy and covetousness will still leave you empty, because you’ll never have enough.
4. Get in the car Take a local vacation this year. Cancun may be calling you, but there are also interesting things to see and fun things to do within a day’s drive of where you live. "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). People spend hundreds of dollars they can’t afford to travel thousands of miles to see things they might not remember next year. Has it occurred to you that people are doing just that as they come to visit areas within a three-hour drive of where you live? Go local this year. Use the road to Financial Freedom.
5. Cook a meal Discover the kitchen occasionally and reduce the number of restaurant visits. Your spouse might enjoy meal preparation more at home if some help were provided (is that you?). "Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, but he who regards reproof will be honored" (Proverbs 13:18). Almost everyone enjoys eating out occasionally. So make it part of your "entertainment" budget; but then stick to it. Save to eat at a nice place for special events rather than squandering it on fast food non-events.
6. Look at your paycheck Write the bottom-line number down, and then spend less than that. Personal savings rates are lower now than during the Great Depression. You can’t spend 104 to 112 percent of your income and continue to get away with it (despite what the government thinks). "I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your practice from your youth, that you have not obeyed My voice" (Jeremiah 22:21). Staying out of debt is no secret. Don’t spend more than you make, don’t borrow, and you’ll be on the road to financial freedom.
7. Get a grip Spending (especially for indulgences) doesn’t lift depression. In fact, after the initial rush it can make things worse. (Yes… like right after Christmas.) "He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich" (Proverbs 21:17). It’s not the cost of an item that determines whether it’s an indulgence. However, its utility does. Do you really need it?
8. Reduce your use Don’t use your credit card so much. Develop discipline in your spending habits. Take away any security you might be using in case of emergencies, like credit cards or other avenues of borrowing. If needed, cut up a few credit cards. Commit to go no further in debt and you will begin to reverse the process that produced your debt. "The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave" (Proverbs 22:7). Remember that the problem is not credit cards but the misuse of credit cards.
9. Give it away Set your priorities straight by first making some contributions. Give to God’s work; it’s His money anyway. Loosen up those purse strings; it will help loosen the grip money might have on your heart. "Be rich in good works. . . be generous and ready to share" (1 Timothy 6:18). Don’t give in order to get. However, you’ll find that when you do give, God will provide you with more to give. "Let us not love in word or with tongue, but in deed and truth" (1 John 3:18).
10. Build a budget Figure out why there’s always more month left at the end of your money. Develop a monthly budget and make it your guide to financial freedom. "Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established" (Proverbs 16:3). Whatever you think your financial goals may be, you will not successfully achieve them without first understanding God’s financial principles found in the Bible. When you do understand, then develop lifestyle goals that reflect God’s principles and work out a written plan to do so. It’s called a budget, and will lead you to financial freedom.
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