When I was a little girl, it took me several tries before I finally mastered the art of riding a bicycle that was not equipped with training wheels and a pink and white basket. Conversely, when I was a high school student, it took me more than one trip to the DMV before I was the proud owner of a driver’s license. In short, moving vehicles are not my forte. But for real…in the midst of my maneuvering mishaps, I learned a valuable lesson:

It often takes more than one failure to perfect (or at least improve) the status quo.

The same situation applies to money management. I entered college completely oblivious about anything and everything that has to do with handling money. However, over the past year, I have learned more about money control than I ever learned in the past two decades. After my Dad set me up with a checking account at a local bank within the first few weeks of my college career, I took advantage of the belief that I had plenty of money to last me a semester. Nevertheless, as the weeks started to pass and my bank account started to dwindle, I realized that money is not disposable, especially since I did not have a job to replenish what I was spending. Wow; I could say that I had an epiphanic moment…or I could say that I had just gotten some common sense knocked into me.

It took me a couple of arbitrary purchases and a shameful conversation with my Dad in order for me to learn my lesson about money management in college. As I am entering my sophomore year, I feel as though my checkbook is in a better place than it has ever been. I regularly do several small tasks in order to make sure that my money is under control…under MY control.

First, I balance my checkbook on a regular basis; therefore, I always know the status of my checking account. One of my initial mistakes was writing checks and not recording the information in my checking log for several days, often weeks.

Next, my paycheck is directly deposited into my bank account. I worked at a food establishment for a summer in which I received weekly checks that I cashed at my workplace. It was definitely tempting for me to purchase unnecessary items while carrying around a wad of cash, using that rationale that I had plenty of green paper to justify the purchase. In layman’s terms, go for the direct deposit route.

Further, it is imperative to be intentional about purchases. Don’t go shopping just for the sake of going shopping; be evaluative. If you realize that you need a new pair of tennis shoes, go to the store to buy a new pair of tennis shoes; do not meander into another department or even check out the clearance racks. It does not matter if something is a good deal, for it is not worth buying unless you really need it.

After traversing over gravel for a little too long and getting stuck in one too many potholes, I feel as though from here on out it will be smooth sailing.

This week’s guest writer is Laura. We know that she’s a fantastic biker now, an avid reader, and a wild singer. She loves giving back to the community, and Aridni feels lucky that she’s offered her Indiana perspective for our Saturday Strategies.

If you’d be interested in being our next Saturday Strategist, let us know..

Somehow in the adorable family, suburban home, and picket fence of the American Dream, we got tricked. We wanted security, and we thought American industry could provide.

But when you think of Donald Trump, what are the two nasty words you also think of? “YOU’RE FIRED!”

Where’s the security in that? I’m starting to wonder if being self-employed isn’t really the most secure option out there. Think about it: you sure can’t be fired or laid off. Self employment is risky at first, but if you work hard enough at the right business idea, you’ll succeed. You’re the boss, so you don’t have to deal with the dirt to move up or fight your way through the muck for raises and promotions. Heck, when you’re the boss, you the only people you work with are the people you want to work with.

The greatest bonus, I think, is that your ideas get heard and get implemented. The harder you work, the more money you make.

One of my greatest friends spent his entire life focusing on aviation; he felt bound to be an airline pilot. Yet when he landed his dream job, he found the position wasn’t such a dream. He was barely home, barely sleeping, and barely breaking even. He was paying rent in several cities, eating out when he stayed at hotels, and getting paid little by the hour… but only for certain types of hours that he worked.

He was put on part-time, dashing his dreams. He started becoming an independent airplane mechanic. No one thought “airplane mechanic” sounded prestigious. But he LOVED it. He was making far more money, setting his own hours, and doing the work that he chose to do. Now his dreams always consist of self-employment, never the airlines.

How come we never think that being an established self-employed person is secure?

One of the tasks I have been assigned to work on during the morning is the creation of an employee handbook. I labor over how many vacation hours an employee at my company can earn so that he can see his daughter’s Christmas play at school or take the family to the country. Oh the poor suckers who must stick to these rules and regulations that I enter onto my screen!

My boss is at the gym, buying large elaborate Starbucks beverages, and taking time to look beautiful for the day while I work. …while it hits me. She won’t have to follow any of these policies. I’m getting paid by the hour to make up rules for myself and co-workers. Working for someone else feels like a loss of freedom.

I know that the best thing that I can financially and economically do right now is to continue writing this policy manual and following the commands of my employer. But I’d like to generate more income.

An employee finds a second job. An entrepreneur finds an opportunity.

My weekends are tied up with an out-of-town investment project for the future. Yet the rest of the week?

My current schedule Monday through Friday:
7 to 5:30 spent preparing for work, working, loading the dishwasher, and not really feeling productive in my personal development. Sure I feel that my boss benefited from my day, though I’m not sure if I have. So I’m left with the rest of the evening. Aridni articles are being written. The daily tasks like laundry, dinner, and bills are being paid. But what about the rest of the time?

I have set a goal: develop supplemental sources of income that are capable of generating enough money to pay my half of our monthly housing expense, $400.

Questions I am asking myself as I prepare this journey that you should consider for yourself:

1. Why have I chosen my goal’what’s so important about it? And what is the purpose?
2. What nonessentials am I willing to cut from my life so that my goal can happen?
3. What’s my deadline? Or am I even setting a specific deadline?
4. If my goal isn’t achieved by one strategy, will I give up or will I try another strategy?
5. What types of resources and support systems do I need to tap into?
6. Is my husband willing to stand by me, listen to my ideas, and encourage me? And when he isn’t there to fuel my tank, can I still survive?
7. Where am I going to hang those little sticky notes of motivation in my house?
8. What are those stick notes going to say?
9. Every night, ask myself: What did I learn today that can make my performance better for tomorrow?

How does the idea of having more money than you need make you feel? Take out a pen and paper and write this down:

I want to be wealthy so that I can ______________________.

To reach my goal, I am willing to sacrifice the following: _____________________.

My husband and I often discuss these two questions to better understand our mission and keep ourselves in check:
We want to be wealthy so that we can ‘point blank’ enrich our lives and give back to the community. We believe that each person has a responsibility to give back to society. My husband wants to make a positive contribution to alternative energy, more intelligent use of resources like wind, and ideas like the electric car. In other words, he wants to work against the major oil companies and car manufacturers; which obviously translates into low-paying work. At the same time, he wants to support our family, we both want to get more education, and we want to travel (he’s from Germany. What could we do to even afford live there a few years?). I think of all of the volunteer activities I’d like to do, all of the really cool but no money jobs I’d like to try, pro bono work I want to offer, and how much time I want to devote to my future family the way my mom dedicated herself to me.

Can a person hold wealth and still hold integrity? Your thoughts establish the role of money in your life. I only hope that through Aridni, we can help readers establish a positive, ethical means to their ultimate dream.

For question two, my husband and I figure we are risking only two things with our investment strategies: security and time.

If we or you feel fearful, uncertainty is going to take control. If you feel good about yourself and the efforts you are making, your positive ideas can cultivate more change and more satisfaction. I hope that Aridni generates more people like my husband who want to find a way to dedicate themselves to change our country desperately needs. With fuel prices alone, I’m sure you can agree. All I know is that I had more cheaters in my college business ethics 400-level class than any other class. How can we live that way?

Pull out your piece of (recycled?) paper one more time and answer the following:
Do you make/want to make money by creating for other people or by competing and cheating other people?

Do you devote yourself to the highest good, not just for yourself, but for as many people as you can touch?

Would you get satisfaction signing up for multiple rewards cards from companies who don’t catch your trickery because it means more money for you?

Do your methods of making money imply selfishness and greed in the eyes of others?

Does every dollar that you make equal a dollar that another person loses?

And finally, years from now, if you were to teach a thousand people how to become wealthy the way you did, would you have done these people and society a disservice?

In your quest for wealth, remember to give. Exhaust yourself in personal sacrifice.