Bank finance articles and tips

As an aspiring investor on a lower class income, I've become well versed at saving money in intuitive ways. I refuse to use my income as an excuse to not get ahead in life, and the last few years have taught me it is very possible to save money even if your not making a lot of it.

1. Eat Healthy - Eating healthier is a fantastic way to save more money and improve the quality of your life. Gas and food tend to be the most we spend on, so if you can cut back on one or both of these, your ahead of the game. To begin eating healthy, think simple. Thinking simplistically has many applications in life, even in investing. Media and society have over analyzed and complicated very simple ideas, usually to spread fear (how they make their money). Realizing that there`s a lot of noise, taking a step back and thinking/ challenging what society deems as normal is a worthwhile practice.

For quite some time, I've mainly been eating plain oats w/ ground cinnamon, peanuts/ almonds, bananas and water. I usually spend about $15 a month on groceries for myself on the above items. This may not be realistic if you're supporting a family, but the principal is the same; a person can have a healthy diet spending much much less than the normal person. My restaurant dates usually consist of the McDonalds $1.39 value meal (My fave is the Jr Chicken). I don`t get french fries anymore and generally try to stay away from anything deep fried and sugar (pop, soda). I try to eat 5 times a day.

I know, this is far from perfect, and I'm sure there`s a better diet out there in Men`s Health magazine or something if you want to get ripped. As it relates to saving money when your poor (like me), I find this a reasonable approach to a cheap/ somewhat healthy diet. Now I just have to eat more veggies.

2. Know Your Vice - Nobody`s perfect. Most people along the way have picked up a bad habit or two, such as, but not exclusively, alcohol, drugs, smoking or a nasty candy and chocolate eating habit (my vice). Coming to terms with yourself and acknowledging your vice is an important step to being comfortable in your own shoes and not allowing your vice to take control.

Sounds cliché, but anything in moderation is generally OK. I'm not going to preach, don`t do drugs or stop drinking alcohol but know this, if you do any of these in excess, it`s impossible to save money if your poor. Admitting to and controlling your vice will allow you to save more, and improve the quality of your life as well.

3. Find Happiness and Follow Your Dreams - What do you love? - Do it a little every day. If you don't know what you love, then spend an hour a day trying to find out what you love. Relationships are great, but 'I love my partner or children' is not a suitable answer. This is something for yourself that you can console in when life isn't perfect. Maybe it's a hobby, working out, reading, a sport; for me it's analyzing businesses, saving, investing and minimalism.

When you're happy and following your dreams at all costs, you don't need to spend on anything to fill emotional voids. If you stick to following your dreams, you'll feel a sense of achievement and self-fulfillment that you would never get by doing the acceptable norm. (what I mean by acceptable norm i.e. 9-5 job, mindless spending, empty emotions, letting other people influence your decisions usually for the worse, not challenging societal norms etc.)

It just so happens that all 3 of these steps improve the quality of your life emotionally and physically, as well as helping you save more money. Don't wait, be open to change for the better and dare to make positive changes.

John Laframboise is founder and author at http://www.riseofamillionaire.com, a personal finance Blog that follows his progress to become a millionaire. John has held positions within the Canadian banking industry and has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Windsor in Canada.

By John Laframboise