Joes Map

I have helped many people choose new places to live and work, a real estate choice is a big decision to make. The first thing I do is make a list of the places that people travel most often. For many people it is the drive to and from work, the grocery store, etc. Some people have specific things they do often as well, if you travel to a particular country club, or golf course every weekend, jot that down.

When you are considering a new place to move, consider the travel distance and time it will take you to get from work to home, if you move 20 miles away, certainly you can find a new grocery store, but will you have to travel even further to get to your gym where you have a 3 year membership?

Consider these things, plot them out on a map, add up the gas, add up the time, and you may find that a pricier piece of real estate is actually saving you money and time.

I often use yahoo maps for distances like these.

The cost of gas will probably not get back to the 99 cents per gallon that I once remembered it being. It’s funny to me to see people complaining so much about money spent on gas when most people don’t do much to save money is their automobile fuel expenditures. It also surprises me that most people probably don’t really realize how much money we are all really spending on gas. I could go into detail about how much More percentage wise and pull some average figures, but I encourage you to simply add up how many gallons you use each week, and multiply that by how much gas is. Then take that figure and consider that gas was about a dollar per gallon not long ago. You look at how much more you are spending each year. Then take into account how many people are doing the same. That’s a lot of people spending a lot of money.

Of course you should also think about the delivery of goods at and services that we all use and how it is costing more to transport all of the food and supplies that we all use.

There are several good things we should all do in order to get better gas mileage and save on gas in general. Everyone should have their cars and trucks engines and exhaust systems checked out, tuned up and or fixed. There are real savings when it comes to having a well oil machine working for you rather than against your bank account. Small issues like new spark plugs, a replaced oxygen sensor and clean fuel and air filters can make a big different difference throughout the year. Also cost keep up with your tire pressure, especially when the temperature change, having the wrong air pressure in your tires costs you more money at the gas pump.

There are many more things most people can do to use less gasoline, I suggest people start finding ways to drive less, there are many ways to make this a reality. More on that in another post.

Traveling with other people, carpooling, even finding ways to save when you go on vacation will all make a big impact on the gasoline we consume. Also consider when you are looking for a new place to live, that real estate is often priced according to amenities nearby, sometimes it saves you more time and money ti live in a place that is a little more expensive with the monthly payment. If you travel a lot with your vehicle, living closer to the places you travel most makes the most sense.

Saving money saves life.

This is something that I make all of my clients do, and everyone should do it at least once a year. Look into your insurance. Are you paying for insurance that you really don’t need? I was paying for earthquake insurance for years, and I love far away form any major fault lines.

Is your insurance enough? Believe it, you can save a lot of money by having more insurance too. If you have a lot of jewelry, or guns, or a home office, make sure that those things are covered by your current policy. I have heard weeping horror stories about entire collections that were destroyed by a fire, and the people who lost it all thought that everything in their home was covered, but their policy did not cover more than $1,000 for jewelry, and their collection would of cost for than $10,000 to replace.

Be sure to find out what your policy covers, is it replacement value, or current value? This could cost you in several ways, it is good to know before you need to replace computers for your business that you will be able to replace them if something happens.

Another thing to keep an eye out for is coverage for your land, home or business itself. Many people are surprised to find that their policy only covers 80% of the value of the home, this is common, it protects your mortgage holder, but it doesn’t do much for you if have $50,000 in equity, yet your insurance will not pay you a dime of that.

Most of my clients end up adding some coverage to their policies, and it costs very little, but it’s the only way to get the peace of mind that they thought they should already have.

Most people I have talked to know that they can pay off a mortgage in 15 years instead of 30 by paying extra money each month, but most people do not do it. When friends are looking to buy real estate I often try to talk them into buying something cheaper. It makes much more sense to me to have something you can pay off quickly, own, and get into buying more property.

If I told you that living in a slightly cheaper neighborhood today could net you 3 houses to own in the same time you would be paying for that big house that stretches your budget, would you consider it then?

Another way to convince friends to calculate their mortgage payments and options is to give them the jail scenario. If you have no house payment, and bills, you would be free. Free to do what you want when you want. If you have that mortgage bill coming every month for 30 years, that’s like a life sentence. Wouldn’t you rather be free in 15 years instead of 30?

Start calculating your mortgage options now!

There are a million ways to save money with your business, there are some things that I do that make a huge difference when the end of the year comes around. Not all of the things I do will make sense for every business, but to get your mind map flowing, here’s  few things to consider.

I use one cell phone, I have a generic voice mail. No need for three cell phones for 3 businesses.

I have a home office, I meet clients at coffee shops, and big meetings get a ballroom on an off day at one of the hotels.

When I go on vacation I plan it around a convention or other business trip, this gets me the tax deduction for the flight. I often get cheaper hotel rates for the vacation since I often book 4 or more nights for the business part of the trip as well.

I use contractors, not employees. This works well for me and the people I contract with.

I use skype, yahoo messenger and email as much as possible. If I needed to call long distance I would plan the call to make it after hours here and in the right time for the time zone I am calling. I don’t accept faxes, I make anyone trying to fax me scan it and email it. No need to have something else on all day that I hardly use.

What do you do to save with your business?