For the last few years, I have managed to live solidly in the middle class but only had to work part-time. I call this my semi-retirement and the joy that it brings me never gets old. It gives me the flexibility I crave with plenty of time to spend with my loved ones doing activities I enjoy. I just got home from a 3 hour shift at the Nursing home and now am getting ready to go out to lunch with my honey. Not bad for a Wednesday afternoon!
My part-time, flexible schedule works for me because several years ago, I decided to choose wealth. I got out of debt, stopped shopping for fun, cut my cable and got assertive with my money. You can learn more about how this has worked for me here and here.
As money doesn’t actually grow on trees and winning the lottery hasn’t worked for me – How does one actually choose wealth?
For me choosing wealth meant I needed to learn find ways to get assertive with my money. I had to find my voice. I had to stop just accepting what big business offered. This is still a struggle for me but now I understand the importance of it! I had 3 wins in the month of November that helped me invest $500 in my future.
In the last few weeks I have assertively taken care of 3 issues:
My car insurance was coming up for renewal and I was given a new quote of $505 for 6 months which is the equivalent of $1010 annually. I use an insurance service that will shop around for a better offer but they came up empty-handed. I called AAA to make sure the insurance person was in the building and then marched myself down there and spoke to her. I left her with my paperwork and a few hours later, got an offer from a different provider, for the exact same coverage at a cost of $812 annually! Savings of $198.
I got a bill from my dentist for $98 for a cleaning and oral evaluation. But I did not receive an oral evaluation that day as I only saw the dental hygienist. I called them and got $30 taken off of my bill.
It was time to renew my hosting service for My Little Blue Kayak and the bill was going to be over $500 for 3 years. You know how much I love this blog but that was simply too steep. I started to panic. I started to research other hosting sites, I sent my brother (Number 9) a text asking if I could pay him to transfer my site to another host. Then I calmed down and called customer service and together figured out a cheaper plan that met my needs. The new cost for 3 years was $150.
I am not a fan of the phone except for talking to my loved ones. I hate asking for a better rate, I hate registering a complaint. Essentially, I don’t want to pick up the phone at all. But I forced myself to make these 3 phone calls and as a consequence, I did not have to pay $580 out of my pocket. After I completed my happy dance, I pulled $500 from my checking account and invested it in my Vanguard account. Then I treated myself to a glass of wine!
Wealth builds slowly and small wins can add up to serious investments – but only if you actually get the money invested!
How have you assertively found ways to invest some extra cash? Is it time to pick up the phone?
Paddle on!
Lake Girl