September 20, 2018

Healthier Ways To Manage Your Money

 
Note: This post has been contributed.
Managing your money is a 24/7 job. If you want to protect your finances then you need to keep on top of your income and outgoings, as we’ll discuss in this article. It’s very important to have a financial plan in place to ensure that you never have to worry about money. After all, money shouldn’t be the primary focus in life. Once you become a master of financial management, you can finally stop worrying about where your savings are going. Here are some healthier ways to manage your money.
Budgeting yourself.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to manage your money responsibly is to regularly track your income and expenditures. Your income is probably fixed (although it could vary if you take on board the advice in the next point), but your expenses might fluctuate from month to month. The best way to ensure you know where your money is going to start budgeting yourself. Start off with your basic costs because they’re probably relatively fixed (unless you do a lot more driving or use a lot more electricity on a particular month).
Once you’ve calculated how much money you need to set aside for the essentials, you’ll know how much remains for non-essentials. But you might want to start putting some of that excess income into your savings account so that you’re prepared for the future. It’s always smart to think ahead when it comes to managing your money. And, as for your basic expenses, you might be able to reduce those in smart ways, too. You could save money on energy by insulating your windows, and you could save money on gas by limiting your car usage as much as possible; walk or cycle to town instead. It’ll be good for your health.
Investing your money intelligently.
Rather than spending your money on things that add nothing to your life, you should aim to invest it in ways that could increase your overall wealth and provide a better financial future for you and your family. You might want to learn about spreadbetting if you’re looking for a good investment opportunity. Doing your research to learn about the workings of the market could really help you to make educated decisions as to how you should use your money. Investing can bring in new sources of income, increase your wealth, and help you improve your financial situation. As long as you don’t jump into opportunities without considering the latest market trends, you should be able to make sizeable returns on your investments.
Keeping on top of debt.
Not all debt is avoidable. Many people borrow money to put themselves through college or to afford the down deposit on their first houses. But the important thing is that you don’t take on too much debt. The best way to manage your money effectively is to pay off your debt in regular installments. As mentioned on this site in the past, debt should be avoided (wherever possible), but the crucial thing is that any debt you do accumulate is paid off on time. Don’t borrow money that you can’t afford to pay back. The rest of the financial advice in this article should help you if you’re struggling to cover your costs. In particular, the previous point should have given you some helpful pointers to boost your disposable income if your bank account is often quite empty after the bills have been paid.
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September 7, 2018

Improving Your Sense of Wellbeing With a New Exercise Regime

 
Note: This post has been contributed.
 
 
We are all well aware that we need to maintain a thorough exercise regime in order to keep ourselves in peak physical condition. This is why we all try to fit at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, into our weekly routines and regimes. But did you ever consider how exercise can affect your overall sense of wellbeing? Nowadays, we are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of our mental health and emotional wellbeing, and exercise is a brilliant way to improve your overall mood. If you feel that your current exercise regime isn’t ticking all of your boxes when it comes to maintaining a good quality of life on an emotional or mental level, here are a few different regimes that you might want to try out instead!
The Gym
The gym is an easy form of exercise to get yourself involved with. You don’t have to rely on the presence of anyone else and many gyms are now open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, which allows you to head to the establishment and exercise as and when you please. There also tends to be a wide range of equipment on offer, meaning that you can exercise in a wide variety of ways in a small space. One day you can focus on your arms, the next your legs, the next your core. The exercise, in general, has been found to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. It also gives you an escape from the worries and stresses of your day to day life, providing you with a period where you can put your phone aside, focus on a given activity, and avoid any unrelated distractions.
Basketball
Team sports are brilliant for lifting your mood. So, let’s focus on basketball Why? Well, not only does the exercise itself benefit you in the way mentioned above, but seeing as it is a team sport, it encourages you to socialise and communicate effectively with others. It’s a great way to instill a little team spirit into your life, and to make new friends who you might not have ever met in any other social situation in your life. You can just throw on your basketball uniforms and head to the court. What’s more? Once you know the rules of the game, you can head to the pub or another meeting place and watch professional matches together on the television. This is a great way of mixing sport with social interaction!
Trial and Error
Different sports and regimes will prove preferable to different people. So, take on the mindset of trial and error and don’t feel like you have to stick with anything that you’re uncomfortable with. You will find something that suits you down to a tee eventually!
As you can see, exercise can prove beneficial to you in more ways than working you out physically. Give the above options a chance and you should find your sense of wellbeing improving in next to no time!
 
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September 6, 2018

Money Management the Christian Way

 
Note: This post has been contributed.
 
 
You might think that money and your faith have very little to do with one another apart from maybe donating a little to your church and a chosen charity each month, but you would be quite wrong. The bible actually has quite a lot to say about money and its management and by following its teachings on the subject, you can take better control of your finances and develop a much healthier relationship with money…
All Things Come from and Belong to God
The first thing you need to know is that everything we have here on earth comes from God and all of our posessions belong to him. When you begin to view money in this way, it can help to relieve some of your anxiety around your finances, because you will come to realize that everything is unfolding as it should do and that your money is never really yours - not completely anyway. Obviously, we all need a certain amount of money to get by and we must all work hard and make good decision in our financial life, but ultimately God can look after our money much better than we can and giving it up to him, looking to him for advice and acting more mindfully around money will help us to have a far better relationship with it.
Debt is to Be Avoided
Most Americans are managing at least a small amount of debt, so there is no need to feel embarrassed or ashamed if you too have racked up debt. However, it is worth noting that the bible is very clear on the fact that God does not want people to be in debt. Quotes like Romans 13:8: "Owe no man anything, but to love one another" and Proverbs 22:7 which states that borrowers are servants to those who lend them money make it very clear that debt is not ideal. So, if you’re currently in debt, see what you can do to get out of it fast; that could mean getting a debt consolidation loan on the web, talking to a debt counselor to help you come up with a plan, or simply tweaking your budget so that you can clear your credit card balance a little quicker. Once your debt is gone, do whatever you can to avoid putting yourself in that position again, but know that if there are emergencies and it is unavoidable, that you will not be judged harshly and you can always get back to a place of no debt again with the right effort.
Being Rich is Not the Ultimate Goal
A lot of people make a lot of bad decisions and do things that are less than kind and respectable in order to make more money and get as rich as they can. Although it is fine to work hard and enjoy the fruits of your labor, the bible is clear that the love of money is the root of many evils and that going after wealth above all else is a bad idea. Knowing this is so helpful in life because it allows you to take the pressure off and pursue forms of work that you enjoy and which serve others, if you want to, rather than those which will make you money, but also bring unhappiness and compromise to your life. It also helps us to better appreciate exactly what we do have, which is certainly the route to greater happiness here on earth.
Greed is Not Good
There are countless people who would strongly disagree with this statement, but from the Christian perspective, there is nothing good about greed. There are countless bible verses that talk about the importance of charity, which show just how important it is to use your money for good. It is really helpful to give a percentage of whatever you have to those in need. Not only does it show you how abundant you really are, but it also helps others, and it makes you think more about money, what it is, how it is and should one used and how much you really need to be happy, which can help to prevent you from getting into debt or going after more money at the expense of everything else in your life.
That is not to say that you should not save money for a rainy day. It is important that everyone, even Christians, save enough money for emergencies, so that they do not end up getting into debt and so that it is possible to look after oneself and one’s family, as well as the wider community. So, do open a savings account, but be as generous as you can with your money too.
Money is Not God
A lot of people in the 21st Century seem to almost worship money, They judge others and themselves, not on their character or their good deeeds, but on how much money they have in the bank. The bible is very clear that this is wrong; it says that you cannot serve God and mammon. What does this mean in practical terms? That money is a tool just like any other, and although it is pretty impossible to function without it in the modern world, you should not look at it as anything more than a tool like a hammer or a screwdriver. Or is nothing special and you should not elevate its status. It is worshipping money that leads to people being reckless, wracking up credit card debts, working themselves into the ground, lying and stealing to get more and that is one of the worst things anyone can do.
The Bottom Line
The bible has a lot to say about money, but its primary message is that we should not get caught up in the pursual of riches. We should not get into debt or put ourselves into compromising situations for it. We should be careful with money, work for what we have and be generous where we can. This will lead to a healthy relationship with our finances.
 
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September 4, 2018

Why We Need To Treat Staff Better

 
Note: This post has been contributed.
When you’re in business, there’s a lot you have to cope with, especially on the shop floor. You have customers milling in and out, you have shelves to keep stocked and sorted, and you’ve got your staff to look out for. Your staff are the backbone of your business, the ones who keep it turning when you can’t; because of this, they need to come first in your business plan.
If you’re someone who’s looking to start a business, or you’re putting together your first payroll, or you’re just someone who’s looking to make better office relations a couple years into it, here’s the tips you need for making sure your staff are always treated properly.
Make sure the smiles on employee faces aren’t just there for show! (Source)
Good Relations = Good Atmosphere
This equation will always be relevant to a workplace, no matter the work they do inside it. As long as you’ve got some good relations amongst your workstaff, you’re going to have a much more positive feeling whenever you walk into work in the morning. And then there’s the idea that you could even start to make some friends; just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you can’t be approachable!
People such as Yvonne Yancy strive to promote this side of the HR department, as it’s very clear to experts that always having a positive office atmosphere, and clear boundaries with your staff, is the most effective way to succeed at business. You don’t want your internal relations bouncing around all the time - it’s a killer for productivity! So make sure you’ve always got ice breaking activities whenever someone new starts, that your staff are never in rivalry with each other (friendly competition is just fine, however), and that you’re never playing favorites.
It Makes for a Great Innovation Ground
If you treat your staff well, you’re going to have plenty of talent flying around, and the people under you are always going to go the extra mile for making sure customers are happy. And when the customers are happy, your profits are going to go up and up! So always keep the idea of allowing your employees to grow in your mind; they won’t treat you as a stepping stone when you put some good trust and the ability for initiative in their hands.
Not to mention, having two or three or four heads on a matter is always going to be better than just your own. So be sure to hand out managerial promotions whenever you see someone show the potential to handle one. And people will be happy to take on longer, harder hours for the time, attention, and money you lay at their doorstep! You have a clear eye for talent, make sure you don’t waste any that walks through your door.
Treating employees well means a company is always going to have a good business model on their side. If you’re an entrepreneur, make sure you’re playing by these rules above all else.
 
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September 4, 2018

The Entrepreneurial Lessons We Can All Learn From Anthony Bourdain

 
Note: This post has been contributed.  
File:Anthony Bourdain 2014 (cropped).jpg
So many of us were left reeling in the shock that, earlier this year, Anthony Bourdain had shuffled off this mortal coil. But, for all of his ventures in front of the camera, many of us still view him as one of the most authentic chefs to come out of New York City in the last 25 years. Let's not forget, he was one hell of an entrepreneur, and are there any lessons we can learn from this modern master, and apply it to our own restaurant businesses?
Show Respect
If there's anything we can learn from him at face value is that through his show No Reservations, he was incredibly respectful to other cultures. He tried any food that was offered to him, as he knew the families that presented these strange and exotic dishes were unable to afford to eat most of the time. We can apply this to our business acumen by doing very simple things, greet the customers and show them how grateful you are that they've chosen your restaurant. And even if an employee has made a grave error, do you need to fly off the handle about it? Think twice.
Always Be Curious
In life, we need to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone, and he did this with enthusiasm, unlike anyone. He was always keen to try new things, and we should all take this on board when pushing our restaurants further. Taking risks needs to be the fundamental backbone of what we do. And if you don't have a curious mindset, and you've stuck to the same menu for as long as you can remember, practicing curiosity is something we can all do; it's a matter of habit. You can look on FastCompany.com to get a few ideas of the habits of curious people, and this is what will help you develop as an entrepreneur.
Learn From Your Mistakes
As he frequently admitted, he was no saint, and whatever the mistakes we all make in life, either on a personal or professional level, taking these opportunities to learn is essential to our growth and development. Whether you have made frequent administrative mistakes, or you've hired the wrong person, there are so many things we can do to build on these mistakes to improve ourselves and our business. Even from the administrative side, you can view RestaurantAccountingServices.com for various restaurant-oriented tools to improve your business. If we don't learn from our mistakes, then there is no point in us ever progressing beyond our remit.
Last, but certainly not least, he was someone who enjoyed life. If you find yourself bound by the pressures of running a business, you need to take a step back and look at if you are actually enjoying the ride. This is as important to your sense of self as it is to your culinary passions. You've got to make the most of what you've got, and if you're not happy running your business, you need to change it, so you don't have any regrets. His passing has left a mark on the restaurant world, but there are so many things that we can learn from how he lived his life to improve us and our business.
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