Life is like a complex game, you either get it or you don’t. A person understands the game or “gets it” by figuring out how the world works and knowing how to get the things that she wants. The world works as a system; if you learn that system you will have an advantage over everybody else.

Each person has one or more games of her own that she can really excel at. When you know your game and know how to play, gosh you need to start making your moves. Some people buy, sell, and trade property to earn their profits like in Monopoly; others play day by day or card by card in the lone game of Solitaire; while other people invest in businesses and live from the end-of-the-month paycheck in the game Payday.

Currently I am playing the game of Life. I am at the very start of the game with a whole life still to live, not really sure what I’ll become a guru in, which is where Aridni comes in. I must make plans now, but be willing to accept the challenges that face me as I proceed through this game of Life. As I begin my future career I will be adding other games. I will learn the system and discover more fully how the world works.

Which game are you becoming the master of?

Michelle, our guest writer this week, pinches her pennies so that she can give them to others. She sings like a bird, sews up a storm, and can’t stop thinking about charity bike rides across the country. We think she rocks!

Most of us will spend our entire lives trying to make money, save, and survive. Meanwhile, others waltz into the neighborhood with huge inheritances and constant financial gifts from their affluent parents.

Seems unfair. However, “financial experts” have found that the more money adult children receive, the less money they’ll accumulate. Meanwhile, adult children given less money tend to gain the ability to save more.

You still have a shot. The reason for this difference is that it’s easier to spend someone else’s money than the hard-earned money you’ve worked for.

What if you wanted to start your own business? If you take out loans, pinch pennies, and save your money for years, you’re going to work like crazy to make your business—your money—succeed. Would you have the same drive for success if your parents decided to give you free money? I can’t imagine you would; I sure wouldn’t.

It’s hard not to be envious of people given large sums of money from their parents simply because the child popped into the right family. But is that child luckier? That child certainly won’t be reading websites like Aridni or learning to manage her own finances the way you do now. Therefore, your homework is to *attempt* to gain appreciation for your financial situation. LIFT THAT CHIN!

To truly express what I mean, I know of two stepsiblings.
By luck of the draw, the girl’s father dug ditches until he earned millions, which this teenage girl has inherited a portion of. Meanwhile, her stepbrother won’t be receiving anything since the man was but a step-father, not by-blood father.

Is it fair? Sure doesn’t seem that way. The girl is set for life, yet her brother holds a drive that I admire. He doesn’t hate his sister. In fact, he’s building a plan to amass the equivelent amount of money his sister was given. He’s going to be working for years. However, he’ll appreciate the money more. He can look at something that he would want and pass by it because the item isn’t a need. He owns two pairs of shoes, rides his bike instead of driving when he can, and turns down his heat when he’s asleep or away from home. Countless lottery winners end up blowing all of their money. Often times, people inheriting large sums of money lose theirs, too.

Will this girl end up blowing her free money? It’s tough to say. She may seem lucky as we’re getting going… yet I think I admire her brother and his drive toward financial freedom far more. Wouldn’t you say?

Asprin is asprin and water is water. Pinch a few pennies and stop buying brand name everything. Splurge on brand name shoes and clothes, chocolates, sports equipment, and other items where the brand also symbolizes quality. But you can’t make money when you spend money on huge advertising and excessive packaging. Bill Gates flies in coach, and he still gets where he’s going. Donald Trump found that saving ten cents on every light bulb he needed for his properties would save him $10,000 in one year. Pinching pennies on frivolous expenditures is, well as Martha Stewart would say, “It’s a good thing.”