One of my goals for this year was to deal with my money “issues”. Of course, at the beginning of the year, the issues included worrying about money, feeling guilty about money, having to check the bank account every morning to make sure there’s enough money left to last us until pay day, etc. I had no idea just a few months ago that I’d soon be worrying about total global economic collapse.

But, then again, am I worrying about it? Um. Not really.

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My husband and I had one of our money talks. We’d just watched Anderson Cooper on CNN speak about the economic crisis in the US and had also reviewed our finances. As in business and life, you have more money when, a) you spend less or b) you make more. Currently we’re in the spend less category, already conscious consumers, we looked at how we could spend less. Eeeshk! Buy cheaper stuff? The word frugal conjures up “cheap” for me so I checked the definition: “economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful.” I love not wasting and I can be prudent. So we put our heads together and came up with a plan.

Our Monthly Thoughtful Savings List:

Milk: no more organic milk, save $30.00
Newspapers: read on line, save $20.00
Fruit and veggies: buy from local produce shop, save $75.00
$5 organic chocolate bars: only once a week, save $20.00
Dry cleaning: hand wash clothes, save $30.00
Lunch: take to work, save $150.00
House cleaner: down to twice a month, save $100.00
Coffee: bring from home, save $50.00
Bus to work: savings in gas $80.00
Make wine with friends: (it tastes fabulous), save $100.00
Greeting cards:create my own, save $20.00

TOTAL monthly savings: $ 575.00

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We all have something to give. Time. Money. Information. Wisdom.
The more we give of our natural gifts, the more we get in return.

THIS WEEK: Think about what you’re great at.

Make a list and make it long. Nothing is too trivial, grand or abstract…home renos, buying art, collecting recipes, non-judgmental listening, finding romance, raising loving kids, negotiating big purchases; baking, making money, knowing lot’s of people, reading amazing books; copy editing or closet organizing; giving terrific parties, neck rubs, or spiritual perspective.

Consider two or three things on your list that give you the most fun and fulfillment, and put them into a form to give away…via a donation, a conversation, a thoughtful email, or an offer to help out for an afternoon.

Feel the rewards of doing what comes so naturally to you. Notice how immensely constructive ease can be.

This summer our family took a long overseas trip—it was wonderful, and it was hard not to notice how much money we were spending. This month, I am opening up a local office outside my home and suddenly the expenses are piling up—rent, new phone, liability insurance, printing postcards to let everyone know…and the list goes on. Not surprisingly money has become more of a topic of conversation at home and it is not always a warm and fuzzy one.

As the money magnet expert, Morgana Rae will tell you, money can feel dangerous; it can break up families. When we start to unpack our beliefs about money, we discover that we may be in a long-term unhealthy relationship with none other than our own personal version of a jerk. Of course we are not cultivating a healthy relationship with money—s/he is so unattractive!

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Guy Kawasaki is like, the Patron Saint of Entrepreneurs. In fact, when our Daily Q&A asked y’all, “What’s the best business book you’ve read?“, Guy’s The Art of The Start came up again and again. His new book, Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition is out next month. Guy’s blog is one of the best there is for business-life perspective. And being prone to starting things, Kawasaki recently launched ALLTOP (which is one of those ideas that I wished I’d thought of.) Think of it as an “online magazine rack” of popular topics - blogs galore categorized under every topic conceivable.

So needless to say, it’s an honour to ask Mr. Kawasaki…

How do you know when you’re inspired?
If you have to ask if you’re inspired, you’re probably not. It’s as simple as that. When something inspires me, I immediately wonder how I can incorporate it in my blog, speeches, tweets, or businesses. Great artists know what to steal.

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