however, no need for an iphone to get epic win– the ipod touch runs the same software at a lower price and without service contracts, data charges, etc., etc..

RE: EPIC WIN

Sounds like a lot of fun! I’ve never liked “quest” type video games because they seem to me a lot like a job with no salary. Now this makes work a game– but the results are real, not just virtual.

Anyway, I don’t think that you need to look for a computer game that does this. Rather, look for an IPHONE EMULATOR that you can use to run your app.

I haven’t had a chance to find one yet, but there are plenty out there. Just google “iphone emulator” or “iphone simulator” and you’ll find all kinds.

Saving is not as measurable (for me at least) when you’re just dumping it into savings account each month or transferring it to a Roth IRA. I think that is because it is so automated (and ingrained) for me now. Maybe I need to just step back each month and celebrate exactly what we’ve saved.

Automate what you are currently doing and start earning more. That’s what I have done. If its boring and repeatable it can be automated. Every single one of our bills are paid automatically. Trash, water, sewer, cell phone, both cars, insurance, retirement, emergency fund, 529, ect. I dont have to think about it.

I automated everything before my credit cards were paid off. Once they were automatically paid off I just tweaked the payment amounts to other things. I only have to make adjustments every few months and I still check statements and look at my accounts almost daily but I rarely have to do something.

Now I work on side projects like a little web business I’ve got going, volunteering, fitness.

So if you know what your enough is, you should know whether or not you can afford that on a lower salary or if you need to cut back/earn more. Your goal shouldn’t be to maximize your accounts, but to put away enough to ensure that your future will be secure. There doesn’t have to be no end limit– you can set a lower goal.

I’m considering quitting my job, but losing my high income for a likely lower income is stressing me out. For me, success is a rising savings/investment account and I know quitting is going to make those dollar amounts go down. But situations like this is exactly why I was saving!

I think looking at account balances as a measure of success is dangerous. Unless you’re going to die with loads of money, your attitude is going to have to change eventually, and it might be a difficult transition to make.

I noticed that some plastic transfer proposals. Some offer a low 0,99% transfer interest rate.

Here’s the idea: Chip the big loan with small, achievable transfers, one at a time.

Now, this is certainly not for anyone, and let’s be honest, probably only for those who unlocked the discipline-never-missed-a-payment in-year achievement.

Do some budget math and evaluate how much you could transfer on a low TIR credit card. Maybe you can transfer 500$ on a promotion, and repay this transfer at the same time you pay your other big loan.

My student loan is currently at 6%, while my credit card bank offers me 0,99% transfer rates. I could break down my big loan in smaller amounts and save the 5,01% difference.

Why would I do this?
1 – Stepping stones help to see the way.
2 – Save a little money.
3 – Spread the wealth. Instead of sending all my money to one bank, I share their profit, thus less for them

Cheers!

This post reminds me of a video I watched about “the gameification of everything.” It’s about how Facebook games (like Farmville) are changing the future of advertising. The presenter predicts that advertisers will create point systems to reward people for using their brands and even watching their advertisements. It’s an interesting idea to use the same psychological tactics to create a game for your own benefit.

I need to re-focus and make it a game! Thanks!

Then, each time I made an extra payment, I added another dot showing the actual remaining principal.

Now, when you still owe a lot as I did (my big loan was a mortgage), this is still not that exciting, so I also calculated how much time I was cutting off the end of my loan. (When I started, I was only paying off about $35 worth of principal each month with the rest going to interest, but that meant that paying an additional $100 was cutting off almost three months from the length of my loan.)

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@Mimi #12, it’s awesome that one of you can have been jobless for so long, and yet your biggest worries are about finding the money for new glasses rather than figuring out how to stay in your house or apartment or how to get enough to eat every month. To me, that’s the real motivator–when something can go really wrong, and things are still okay.

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For more ideas, I look to super frugal blogs. I have learned to make pie crusts more easily and learned to make macaroni and cheese from just macaroni, milk, and cheese.

(Let’s not talk about how I just bought a more expensive car than I had planned to. I did pay cash, but I had to raid other savings categories such as vacations to do it.)

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As some other people have implied, now that you don’t need to spend so much energy learning how to do this, maybe you can spend your extra energy on something more fun (but also free) such as organizing your house, writing a novel, learning stuff with your kids.

We did the same with debt. We printed out little $100 bills representing all of our debt and taped them together in a long string. Sadly, there were 350 of them. Each time we made a debt payment we cut off the number of bills and set fire to them. When we burned the last mini Benji’s we did the dance of joy.

If you are bored and want to challenge yourself to paying your longer term debts down faster, how about creating extra income each month? Start with earning an extra $100 one month, then try and double that the next month, and so on. It can be a game in itself. And the great thing is, you are increasing your income rather than just cutting expenses. I’m all for getting rich slowly, but it doesn’t mean you have to live within the boundaries of a job. Think outside the box and start to create things on your own. It is amazing what can happen when you just take action.

For myself, using mint.com has been a great tool for tracking my finances and saving money. Just being aware of what I am spending keeps my finances under control.

Instead, I celebrate milestones, like hitting $100K in my 401K, hitting 10K in my savings, etc.

Finding victories is key. I used to hang onto every word on some PF blogs. Now, they’re more of the same.

Just automate if you’re able to, and enjoy everything else!