30 ways to increase your take-home income

A sudden promotion or raise might seem unlikely, but there are many ways to boost your paycheck that you might not have considered. Read on to discover 30 ways to increase your take-home income — some of these might even improve your quality of life at the same time.

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Estimates for outlays on sports, entertainment vary wildly

Bill Foley's bid for a National Hockey League team in Las Vegas is moving into "Phase 3" with league officials, which leaves us with this question: What does Phase 3 mean?

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5 Mistakes You Don’t Know You Are Making in the Grocery Store

Hey there!

It’s Kyle, founder of the The Penny Hoarder & lead instructor over at the Grocery Budget Makeover. This year I’m on a mission to transform the way you shop for groceries and to help you save thousands of dollars!

There are 5 mistakes you are making in the grocery store each week, and I bet you don’t know what they are. Or how much they could be costing you in grocery savings each month.

I’ve got a short video for you to watch, explaining each of the 5 mistakes.

After you watch the video, you can download the FREE cheat sheet that outlines the mistakes AND then tells you how to fix them.

Drop your email below and I’ll send you a video telling you all about those mistakes, plus a free cheat sheet that will help you identify and fix these silly little mistakes!

You in?

The post 5 Mistakes You Don’t Know You Are Making in the Grocery Store appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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How can you improve the Google ranking of your online business?

Improving Google rankings is an obsession for many online businesses, and for good reason. See how you can improve your Google ranking at HowStuffWorks.

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How can you improve the Google ranking of your online business?

Improving Google rankings is an obsession for many online businesses, and for good reason. See how you can improve your Google ranking at HowStuffWorks.

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Popular rooftop-solar program gets green light to continue for now

Nevada's popular rooftop-solar program will proceed under existing rates and rules for the short term even though a cap on net metering was hit last week, the state Public Utilities Commission decided Wednesday.

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Marketing Day: Facebook Tests Siri-Like Personal Assistant, Marketing Insights From Top CMOs & More

Here's our recap of what happened in online marketing today, as reported on Marketing Land and other places across the web.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Las Vegas jobless rate holds steady at 7 percent

The Las Vegas Valley's jobless rate held steady at 7 percent from June to July.

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Organic Trade Group Rallies Members & Supporters For “Myth-Busting” Social Media #OrganicFestival

Brands like Organic Valley, Taste of Nature, Honest Tea and Amy's Kitchen are joining the OTA in saturating social media with organic information in September.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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21 Great Teacher Discounts: Stock Up on Classroom Supplies for Less

Did you know teachers spend an average of $513 out of their own pockets each year for classroom supplies, instructional materials and professional development?

More than 99% of public school teachers spend their own money on classroom decorations, books and materials — a total of $1.6 billion each year, according to the Education Market Association.

If you’re a teacher — or you know a teacher — who needs to stock up on the essentials, check out these great teacher discounts.

And it’s not all butcher paper and crayons — snag some new duds for the school year, spruce up your computer or buy some comfy shoes from these companies.

1. Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft

Sign up for a Jo-Ann Teacher Rewards Discount Card to get 15% off all purchases.

You must provide proof that you’re a certified, credentialed or licensed teacher, home-school teacher or childcare provider.

2. Ann Taylor Loft

Shop at Ann Taylor Loft and receive 15% off all full-price purchases.

You can also take advantage of the company’s sweepstakes, $50,000 in annual grants and teacher appreciation nights. Check with your local store for details.

3. Apple

Education pricing isn’t just for teachers; school administrators, staff, home-school teachers, college students, students who have been accepted into college, and even parents of college students can all save up to $200 on a Mac and get a free pair of Beats headphones.

To take advantage of this special offer, select your school from the website’s menu. However, it’s only available until September 18, so act quickly if you want to save!

4. Barnes and Noble

Educators at pre-K through grade 12 schools, including teachers, guidance counselors, principals and reading coaches, can take advantage of Barnes and Noble’s great educator deals.

You’ll typically receive 20% off the list price of most hardback and softcover books, toys and games. Homeschooling parents can receive the discount as well as long as they provide proof of their homeschooling.

5. Cost Plus World Market

Bay Area educators can apply for a 10% discount card to use at Cost Plus World Market. This applies to teachers in San Francisco and Oakland Unified School Districts, but if you’re in another district, ask to see whether your store offers a similar deal.

6. Dell

Public school teachers get great discounts on Dell computers, software and peripherals. Check out Dell University to see available deals.

7. Half Price Books

Save 10% on your whole reading list with an Educator’s Discount Card at Half Price Books. Public or private school teachers, librarians and university teaching assistants just need to show a pay stub or employee ID to get the discount card.

8. J.Crew

Head into a J.Crew or J.Crew Factory store to receive a 15% discount. You’ll have to head to a store in person, though — you can’t get the discount online.

9. Office Depot

Office Depot offers a variety of teacher discounts (ask at your local store for details). In addition, on Teacher Appreciation Days from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, teachers receive 25% off a qualifying purchase along with a free calendar.

10. Staples

Shop at Staples and receive 10% back in rewards on teaching and art supplies as well as 5% back on other items. You can redeem those rewards on future purchases, just like a gift card.

11. STA Travel

Have the best spring break ever with STA Travel’s Teacher Discount Card.

Full-time teachers, lecturers, professors and tutors can purchase this card for $25 to get great discounts in 133 countries and at 125,000 locations. Enjoy special deals at hotels and hostels, discounts on museum admission and many other ways to save.

You don’t even have to leave home to take advantage of these deals — enjoy free Redbox rentals and discounts on Columbia Sportswear, among many other savings opportunities.

12. The Container Store

Have the most organized classroom around by joining the Organized Teacher Program at The Container Store. The program offers special deals and discounts, but act quickly because it ends on Dec. 31, 2015.

13. The New York Times

Keep your students on top of current events by snagging The New York Times at the special education rate of 99 cents for four weeks, followed by 50% off thereafter.

14. FedEx Office

Teachers, professors, faculty and staff members can enjoy a 15% discount at FedEx Office. Whether you need to print up fancy posters or send a package to your class’ pen pals, you’re covered.

15. Michaels

Decorate your classroom at with supplies from Michaels, where you’ll receive 15% off your purchases every day. This includes a variety of classroom products such as bulletin board materials and educational games, though some exclusions apply.

16. National Geographic

Pay only $1 per digital issue of National Geographic with the educational discount the magazine offers, or enjoy its wide array of free multimedia resources online.

17. Banana Republic

Bring your teacher ID into Banana Republic to enjoy 15% off your purchase. This only applies to in-store purchases, though, so you’ll have to join the rest of the back-to-school shoppers at the mall.

18. Adobe

Snag great deals on Adobe software products with the company’s educator discount program. You can save up to 60% on certain products, but must provide verification of your employment.

Home-school teachers can take advantage of the discount as well, but you’ll have to show you belong to a home schooling association and have planned a full year’s curriculum.

19. Lenovo

Faculty and staff at K-12 schools or colleges can join Lenovo’s Academic Purchase Program to receive discounts on laptops, tablets, desktop computers and more.

20. Aerosoles

Get some comfy shoes for this school year at Aerosoles, where teachers receive 15% off footwear priced $39.99 or higher. Just bring in a pay stub or place a phone order to take advantage of this deal.

21. The Limited

Educators receive 15% off every in-store purchase at The Limited. Just show your teacher ID to the store associate when you check out.

How Else Can You Save?

While these 21 deals offer great ways to save, you might also want to consider these tactics:

Ask for a Discount

Many other stores offer educator discounts, and some don’t advertise — many times you have to ask in person to get the deal.

If in doubt, ask. The worst they can say is “no”!

Check With Your Local Teacher’s Association

Many retailers and businesses offer special deals for teachers in nearby districts.

For example, this great list from the Florida Department of Education shows deals for Florida educators, including free admission to the Kennedy Space Center and Legoland, and discounts on Walt Disney World and other vacation hotspots.

It also lists deals on hotels, car rentals and retail, and special pricing for the Daytona International Speedway, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Heat and other sporting events. Ask your local teacher’s association to see if they have a list of ways you can save.

For more ideas, check out these two great lists of teacher discounts.

Your Turn: What’s your favorite teacher discount? How much has it helped you save?

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The post 21 Great Teacher Discounts: Stock Up on Classroom Supplies for Less appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Stephen Hawking's fantastic vision of black holes

Want to know what happens after you pass through a black hole? Just look around you. You might land in another universe that is similar to our own, if Stephen Hawking is right. Or in a very different one.

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US stocks rebound after six-day losing streak

U.S. stocks rebounded in afternoon trading Wednesday after slumping for six straight days on concern that growth in China was slowing more quickly than previously thought.The three major U.S. indexes dropped six days in a row heading into Wednesday. That's the longest market slide in more than three years. The Dow has fallen about 1,900 points over that period, while the slump wiped more than $2 trillion off the value of S&P 500 companies.Wednesday was the second day that [...]

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Facebook Is Testing M, A Siri-Like Personal Assistant Within Messenger

Facebook announced today that it is working on a personal assistant service called M. The service within Facebook’s Messenger application will answer user queries and provide recommendations for gifts for friends, places to dine, et cetera. That’s territory already covered by rival...

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Millions in the red, Nevada Obamacare insurer has failed

A nonprofit insurer created by the Affordable Care Act to offer health coverage in Nevada said Wednesday that it will shut down Jan. 1.

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Get Paid to Go to Weddings: This Woman Makes $1,000 a Day as a Professional Bridesmaid

Do you love weddings? Do you love them enough to attend ceremonies for couples you don’t actually know?

You might if you were getting paid. Professional bridesmaid Jen Glantz earns up to $1,000 a day helping brides prepare for and enjoy their big days.

Sound appealing? Here’s how to make money as a pro bridesmaid.

Why Would Someone Hire a Bridesmaid?

Being in the wedding party is an honor, but as any bridesmaid can attest, it’s also a lot of work. And that’s where the professional comes in.

“The Professional Bridesmaid does all the heavy lifting — so you and your girls can focus on the fun!” says Glantz’s website.

Different clients need help with different aspects of their weddings, from logistics to moral support. Some brides simply need someone to fill in after counting on friends who bailed. Glantz’s first client hired her after the original maid of honor stopped returning the bride’s phone calls.

And the pro bridesmaid business is booming. Glantz has worked with 30 brides over the past year, which means there’s a market for this type of service.

What Does a Professional Bridesmaid Do?

While wedding planners focus on vendors and venues, a professional bridesmaid does whatever the bride needs her to do.

Glantz told CNN she’ll do anything from helping manage RSVPs to planning bridal showers and bachelorette parties, organizing gift registries, and even helping brides answer nature’s call in their dresses.

She’s a one-woman MacGyver, ready to jump in and remedy just about any situation with her fanny pack full of super glue, Band Aids and other essentials.

To follow her lead, you’ll need great interpersonal and organizational skills, and you’ll need to be ready to help with everything from dress shopping to wedding budget planning.

You’ll need top-notch diplomacy skills as well. Glantz sometimes helps smooth out tricky family situations, but she’s discreet enough not to provide specifics.

How Much Can You Earn?

While you’ll want to tailor your pricing to the specific services you offer (as well as your location), you can get an idea of what to charge from Glantz’s prices.

The $199 “Virtual Bridesmaid” package offers brides assistance with itineraries, budgeting and getting organized for the big day.

The highest-priced package she offers is the “Bridesmaid By My Side,” which promises Glantz will attend the wedding to help out, and it starts at $1,000. If coming to the wedding requires travel outside of New York City, clients foot the bill for her trip.

Become a Professional Bridesmaid

If you’d like to try your hand at being a professional bridesmaid, you can strike out on your own, or you can apply to be join Glantz’s “Bridesmaids for Hire” network. She’s recruiting women all over the country to work with her, though there’s no word on potential earnings.

For more on what it’s like to be a professional bridesmaid, check out the full interview on CNN.

Your Turn: Would you consider becoming a pro bridesmaid?

Kristen Pope is a freelance writer and editor in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The post Get Paid to Go to Weddings: This Woman Makes $1,000 a Day as a Professional Bridesmaid appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Costco plans new Henderson store

Costco wants to build a new store in southwest Henderson, not far from the M Resort and Interstate 15, according to plans filed with the city this week.

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Burger King pitches 'McWhopper' to celebrate World Peace Day

Burger King has extended an olive branch to longtime rival McDonald's -- an offer to collaborate on a bold new hybrid frankenburger called the McWhopper. But McDonald's has said no.

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9 Lessons I Will Teach My Kids to Become a Millionaire (like their dad)

Every good parent wants the best for their kids. I’m certainly no exception.

I have three boys. Between them running around and playing with each other, I try to teach them some lessons. Why? Because I want to ensure I give my kids every chance possible at following in my footsteps to become millionaires.

I’m not one of those parents who will demand that their children attend an Ivy League college or start a business because I think it’s the best thing for them to do.

Instead, I’m going to try and model some best practices and habits that will hopefully influence them to strive for success in every area of their lives.

And when they get knocked down, I’ll teach them to get back up.

If you have children, I’m sure you can identify with these reasonable ideals.

So, how exactly will I encourage my kids to follow in my footsteps? Here are some of the lessons I’ll teach them:

Lesson 1: Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

Ekaterina Walter, a contributor for Forbes, quoted Jack Canfield in an article that included some powerful quotes on failure:

Everything you want is on the other side of fear.

I remember there was a period of time when I was cold calling to acquire business. I literally got rejected 100 times per day. My biggest win? I was able to get one person out of 200 to accept my business card in the mail.

I learned a valuable lesson during that difficult time: every “no” is one step closer to a “yes.” Keep on trying. Don’t give up. Find someone who will do business with you.

The fear of failure is one of the primary reasons why so many people don’t make it in business. They get rejected multiple times and then their fear gets bigger and bigger. Understandably so. Trust me, I understand rejection. But you know what you have to do when you get rejected? You have to shake it off and move on.

In fact, that’s my next point.

Lesson 2: Shake Off Rejection

There’s always going to be a hater. How do you silence the haters? Just don’t listen to them.

That’s right. You need to ignore the haters. Here’s what I mean . . . .

It’s inevitable that my kids will encounter bullies in school. While it’s important that they don’t let bullies walk all over them, they need to ignore them in the sense that they need to focus on what matters: success. They can’t let bullies stop them from studying, from working hard, and from doing the right thing.

The same lesson applies to adults. I know that if I would have listened to some of the haters in my life, I would have not written a book, started a business, or joined the National Guard.

The trouble is that it’s not always easy to identify who the haters are. Sometimes they are acquaintances, and other times they’re actually friends and family. Sometimes, people think they’re being helpful but they’re really not.

Some people don’t want to see you succeed because it makes them feel bad about themselves.

Don’t underestimate the power of this lesson. If you don’t shake off rejection, you won’t do anything in life because there will always be someone who disapproves of what you’re doing.

Lesson 3: Screw “The Man”

When you work for someone else, you’re working for “The Man.” It’s not always easy to do this. After all, as an employee you can’t implement your own policies – you have to follow the policies of your boss. And sometimes, those policies are difficult to swallow.

If you’ve ever worked in a retail store or a restaurant, I’m sure you’ve encountered a situation where you desperately wanted to do the right thing for a customer but your hands were tied because of some sort of policy. Yeah, maybe your boss let you make an exception for the customer, but it still made you look bad. No fun.

If these points aren’t the most compelling reasons to convince my kids to consider venturing out on their own, there’s one reason that might grab their attention: money. As a business owner, you have the opportunity to make more money than you could ever make as an employee.

I remember when I had gotten so fed up with compliance that I founded my wealth management firm, Alliance Wealth Management. Stepping out on my own was the best decision I could make: both financially and relationally with my clients.

Lesson 4: Take Some Daring Risks

There are so many ways in which I want to protect my children. But the thing I need to be careful of is not to discourage them from taking calculated risks. For example, climbing a tall tree for fun has very little reward and a whole lot of risk. However, being creative with a science project that the teacher may or may not not like: that has future potential. Who knows, it’s possible for kids to come up with breakthrough ideas – why not let them give it a shot?

Life is full of risk. Risk is everywhere. In fact, it’s pretty scary to think about what lurks behind every bend. Some risk is in our control, and other kinds of risk really aren’t.

In order to get ahead in the business world, it’s important to take some daring risks. I don’t mean people should do anything illegal, I just mean people should venture out when unreasonable fears start to creep in.

I remember when I started a professional blog I actually had no blogging experience. I thought blogging was doing something on MySpace. Seriously. Was starting a blog with no experience a risk? Absolutely! What is worth it? You bet it was!

By the way, when I left my old financial firm back in 2007 there was a huge risk that many of my clients wouldn’t follow me. But you know what? I survived.

I’m going to teach my kids to take reasonable risks and to not let fear get in the way.

Lesson 5: Discover Your Unique Abilities

Everyone has unique abilities. They just have to be discovered or identified.

But there’s a second part to this lesson that’s very important: stick with that unique ability and don’t let things you’re not good at get in the way of the stuff you’re great at.

For example, I discovered that my unique abilities include creating blog posts, recording videos, talking with clients, and networking with other entrepreneurs. I don’t like paperwork, behind the scenes operations, and editing.

So you know what I do? I focus on the things I’m great at and I leave the rest to the professionals. I delegate and outsource anything that doesn’t fall within the scope of my unique abilities. I hired an office manager and a junior advisor for my financial practice and also various virtual assistants to work behind the scenes.

As a result, I get more done and I’m able to fine-tune and polish my unique abilities. This means that what I do do well, I do with excellence. Excellence is a key part of becoming a millionaire. My kids need to realize that it’s not advantageous to learn to do everything, but it’s highly advantageous to learn to do a couple of things really, really well.

Lesson 6: Review Goals Consistently

Brian Tracy said it best:

People with clear, written goals, accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.

Goals are so vital to my business and life. Without goals, what does anyone have to aim for? The answer is “nothing.” Goal-setting is a motivational tool to help you accomplish more.

It’s true that you won’t always reach your goals. But when that happens, make sure to shake it off and keep striving forward. Remember what I said about not being afraid of failure?

When you review your goals on a consistent basis you’re able to reevaluate how you use your time and efforts during work. You’re also able to “test” your goals to see if they’re really the right ones for you. Imagine spending years on goals that don’t produce results! By reviewing your goals on a regular basis, you can effectively stop those goals that no longer make sense and start new ones that do.

In fact, having goals can increase your revenue which a great reason to make goals and review them consistently.

Lesson 7: Learn to Say “No”

There are always going to be people who want to take advantage of you in business. It happens to me, and it’s going to happen to my kids. Sometimes, you just have to learn to say “no” to things that are going to drag you down.

It’s okay to be picky and choosy about what you say “yes” and “no” to. If you’re the people-pleaser type, this lesson is especially important for you.

Sometimes, the easiest way to prepare to say “no” is to outline your boundaries in advance. Define what your work looks like and what it doesn’t look like. Then, when a so-called “opportunity” comes your way that looks more like a headache, you can say something like, “No thanks, I’ve decided that I only focus on working on projects that such and such and such.”

Remember, it’s not only what you say “yes” to that can make you a millionaire, it’s what you say “no” to that can really help increase the revenue.

Lesson 8: Develop and Refine Your Process

As you work in business, you’re going to find ways to improve. You might make entirely new processes or refine ones that are already working.

Over the years, I’ve refined my financial planning basics for the benefit of my customers. I found what works, and that’s why I get paid: to show them the best financial path forward.

It helps not only to review your goals, but to look at why you’re doing the things you’re doing. If your answer is that you’ve “always done it that way,” it’s probably time to look at your processes and see if new circumstances call for a new way of thinking about and completing tasks.

Lesson 9: Invest in Yourself

Did you know that the best investment can’t be found in stocks, bonds, real estate, or commodities? Although some of those might be great investments, the best investment is that which you make in yourself.

That’s why I’m focused on funding my kids’ college savings plans. I know their education is important, and I want to contribute toward it the best I can.

But I also want my kids to learn the value of education. I want them to be lifelong learners who are curious about the world and explore new concepts and ideas.

Investing in myself was the best thing I could have ever done for my success. I now have letters after my name after a lot of hard work – Jeff Rose, CFP^® – and I even happily pay $7,900 per year for a coaching program. That’s how valuable education is to me.

Education is important because it opens doors to new opportunities – money-making opportunities!

Final Thoughts

I’m excited to watch my kids grow up and to teach them how to walk in their father’s footsteps. I’ll be able to share my successes and failures, the lessons I learned, and ways they can become millionaires themselves.

But most importantly, I’ll be able to continue to teach them the most important lesson of all: to do the right thing for people and to treat people as they’d like to be treated.

This post originally appeared in Forbes.

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Money Moves to Make Before Age 30

Money might be tight, but you can still find room to save. 

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College Seniors: Do These 11 Things to Graduate With a Job

How to find your career path, market yourself and network like a pro.

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Be a Better Copywriter: 7 Lessons From 4 Legendary Books

Although digital copywriting is relatively new, copywriting has been used for hundreds of years to sell products.

Some of the best books on copywriting I have ever read were written decades ago. Some are even older than that.

And it’s a shame that they don’t get the attention they deserve—mainly because we often equate new with better.

But a lot of the new marketing and copywriting lessons and techniques you read about on blogs aren’t new at all.

In this article, I’m going to break down seven lessons from the following four books:

• Influence by Robert B. Cialdini
• Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins
• Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz
• Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman

In my mind, these four books have all achieved legendary status.

Every section of each book is gold, which is why I encourage you to read them.

That being said, I’ve picked out some of the most important lessons that I think will apply to your online marketing and business. I’ll bring any dated advice into the 21st century with some current examples of it in action.

Let’s get started… 

1. You should read the rest of this article because it’ll make you a better copywriter

Animals instinctively react to certain noises in a specific way because more often than not, that action pays off.

It turns out that even though humans might be a little higher on the sophistication scale, they too have these automatic reactions.

Dr. Ellen Langer, a renowned social scientist, conducted a study in 1978 to find out how everyday people react to certain words. She had actors approach a line of people waiting to use a Xerox (copy) machine. She instructed them to use one of the following three sentences to try to get in front of the line:

1. Request only: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”
2. Real information: “Excuse me, I have five pages.  May I use the Xerox machine because I’m in a rush?”
3. Nonsense information: “Excuse me, I have five pages.  May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?”

What do you think happened?

When no reason was given, 60% of people still allowed the actor to go ahead of them and use the Xerox machine. I’m a little surprised that it was that high.

What about when the actors said they were in a rush? Ninety-four percent of people let them go ahead.

Wow.

So, clearly you just need to come up with a great reason and you can get what you want, right?

Not quite. The final line that the actors used produced some surprising results. An incredible 93% of people still let them skip ahead.

Go back and read the line they used (#3). Their reason for jumping the line was because they needed to make copies… But of course, they needed to make copies! Why else would they want to use the copy machine?

So what can we conclude about this? It turns out that people—when not paying close attention—often follow simple scripts, just like animals.

In this case, since the favor was fairly small, the people followed this script:

favor asked > reason given > comply

But there’s one thing I left out: another part of the experiment was making a larger request. The actors used the same lines but asked to copy 20 instead of five pages.

When they did this, the actors had the following success rates:

• Request only: 24%
• Real information: 42%
• Nonsense information: 24%

In this case, the request was large enough to get people to consciously pay attention and evaluate the request. Since the last explanation was silly, it made no difference in people’s response rate compared to the request-only scenario.

Here’s the conclusion: When making a small request of readers, give any reason why they should do it.

For example:

• Could you share this article on Twitter because I would like more people to see it?
• You should read the rest of this because…(hint: go look at the headline for this section)
• Please leave a comment below because I’d like to hear what you think.

Does that make sense?

Let’s look at using “because” in action.

I’ve noticed that Pat Flynn has used this in his post introductions in the past. For the long posts (asking more), he comes up with detailed (good) reasons why the reader should read:

If it was a shorter post, he could give a briefer and less convincing reason.

The reason why “because” works is because people like to have a reason for what they’re doing. It just seems logical.

You can use this concept in blog posts, landing pages, widgets, social media, or even in emails.

I took a look at Brian Dean’s latest sales page for his course. He used the word “because” a whopping 17 times:

Does it have to be “because”? I know you’re thinking it, and it’s a great question. That original experiment only tested the word “because,” but the conclusion shows that the word doesn’t really matter.

It’s the principle that matters.

For small requests, as long as you provide a reason (any reason), readers will be more likely to comply.

2. Your product matters more than your talent

Have you ever heard the phrase:

He could sell ice to an Eskimo.

It’s often used to describe the perfect salesman: the guy who could sell someone something that they don’t need.

If there was one lesson from Scientific Advertising that you should take to heart (there are many), it’s this:

The main reason for a lack of success from advertising is selling people what they do not want.

If your conversion isn’t good, chances are it’s not because you’re not an expert salesman.

Sure, being good at selling will help you maximize your conversion rate, but the main factor behind your conversion rate is the value you provide:

So why does this matter to you and your business?

The next time you see that you conversion rates aren’t great, take a hard look at your offer.

You don’t need to read more blog posts about the latest tips and techniques to make a great landing page. You need to learn more about your visitors.

And this goes for anything, not just a landing page. If you’re trying to get visitors to click something, watch something, sign up for something… anything that requires them to give up something valuable (email address, money, a lot of time), you need to provide value.

If people aren’t signing up for your email list, instead of trying a different color button, try a different lead magnet. The more your visitors want it, the higher your conversion rate will be.

Is learning about selling and CRO pointless? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that CRO and sales techniques are useless, but they are a much smaller part of the puzzle than the value you provide.

You’ll be better off:

1. knowing exactly whom you’re targeting (hint: build a buyer persona)
2. testing different offers (find out what they value)

After you’ve done that and achieved a solid conversion rate, then start split testing your headlines, copy, and buttons.

3. Successful marketing is not guesswork

Another lesson from Scientific Advertising I wanted to include in this post is this:

Successful marketing does not involve guessing. Ever.

It sounds simple, but many “marketers” spout BS about their results without ever measuring the impact of their work.

Let me share a few stats with you…

Almost 80% of marketers do not directly track their email ROI. That’s shocking. Email marketing is one of the easier types of marketing to track.

A study found that only 44% of companies are able to measure paid search ROI effectively.

That just gives you an indication of how much low-quality work is out there. If traffic goes up over a few months, how do you know you had anything to do with it if you didn’t track it? You don’t.

If you don’t track your ROI, you could be throwing money down the drain by pursuing marketing methods that don’t produce tangible results while missing real opportunities.

Step 1: Start tracking

If you’re a marketer, you should be tracking everything you do on a client’s or your company’s site. If you’re a site owner, this would be a good time to start.

Having too much data is better than not having enough.

What do you need to track?

At the very minimum, you need to track:

• money spent
• conversions

That’s it. You can do that with free software such as Google Analytics, or you can get a little more advanced with KISSmetrics.

But what about referral traffic, search engine traffic, click-through rate on ads, etc.?

The answer is that you sometimes need to track them, and it’s usually a good idea to track them all the time. It really depends on your focus.

If 95% of your conversions come from PPC ads, then search engine traffic isn’t a big concern.

The good news is that most of this data is collected automatically by your analytics software or ad platform.

Step 2: Determine marketing ROI

Return on investment is a simple concept. You can calculate it with a simple formula:

ROI = ($ of profit)/($ of cost) * 100%

If you’re tracking your ad spend, content cost, or whatever your marketing campaign consists of, figuring out the cost is easy.

Assuming you’re tracking your sales correctly through your analytics software, it’s also fairly easy to see which sales came from your campaign.

A marketing ROI of 5-10% is your goal, but if you’re able to exceed that, you’re doing great.

Step 3: Revise marketing strategy based on ROI 

The results of a marketing campaign will tell you if you need to adjust your marketing strategy.

If you break even on your ROI, you can usually continue the campaign. Once you optimize it, you can typically achieve profitability.

If you get a negative ROI, your time and resources are probably better spent on other marketing tactics. Re-adjust your overall marketing strategy to reflect this.

4. Commit your prospect to buying

Are you a hypocrite?

Ask anyone, and they will tell you: “Of course, not!”

Which is strange when you consider that hypocrites are everywhere. In fact, most people (including myself) can point out an instance when their behavior might have been hypocritical.

So, what does this all mean? It means that sometimes people behave like hypocrites without even realizing it. But if you brought their beliefs to their attention right before that potential hypocritical action, they wouldn’t take that action.

This is a principle called consistency, explained in Cialdini’s Influence.

People like to act consistently with their principles and beliefs.

And it makes sense. The reason why we believe in and value things is because we think we’re right—we think we know what’s logical and important. So, of course, we’re going to try to act consistently with those principles and beliefs whenever we get the chance.

Use consistency in your copy: Before you ask a reader to do anything (share, answer, purchase), mention a related principle or belief. Sometimes you don’t even need to mention it explicitly. All you need to do is frame your request in terms of that principle or belief.

This is a lesson that I’ve seen many bloggers pick up on fairly recently, particularly in pop-ups.

For example, if you go to ConversionXL, you get the following pop-up:

If you’re at the blog, it’s because you’re interested in learning about optimization from some of the best pros on the topic.

It’s easy to brush off most pop-ups, but when you actually have to choose: “No, I prefer to suck at optimization,” it changes things. To choose that option, you’d have to act against your primary motivation.

Of course, exiting the pop-up doesn’t mean you suck at optimization, but this phrase alone will help the site collect an extra percent or two of its visitors’ email addresses.

5. ALL people care about these 8 things

Humans are complicated, right?

Everyone’s their own special snowflake, right?

Not quite.

Although each of us is unique in some way, we share many of the same traits.

In Cashvertising, Whitman lists the “life force 8”, which are 8 motivations of all people. At our core, we’re driven by the same things, and you can use that to write better copy.

Here are the life force 8 motivations:

1. Survival, enjoyment of life, life extension.
2. Enjoyment of food and beverages.
3. Freedom from fear, pain, and danger.
4. Sexual companionship.
5. Comfortable living conditions.
6. To be superior, winning, keeping up with the Jones.
7. Care and protection of loved ones.
8. Social approval.

We’ve known for a long time that people buy based on emotion, not logic.

If you can relate your product to any of the life force 8 factors, you can stir up emotions in your reader that will help you improve your sales and conversion rates.

I’m going to break down each of the life force 8 motivations and give you examples of how you can use them in your marketing.

1. Survival comes first: Unless someone has a mental health issue, they will do almost anything to survive.

You might have heard of or seen the movie 127 Hours. It’s based on Aron Ralston’s real-life adventure. He was exploring a canyon in Utah when he slipped and his arm became trapped between a bolder and a wall.

After exhausting all possibilities and unable to free himself, Ralston thought he was going to die. But he didn’t. Ralston amputated his own arm with a dull blade.

People will go to great lengths to survive.

If you have a product that could potentially save someone’s life, show it. If you can get a visitor to see themselves in a dangerous situation, you’ll make your sale much easier.

In one article on the Home Security Superstore website, the author writes about how pepper spray can be used to protect oneself:

Our first example today is from San Diego where a man grabbed a female pedestrian from a local roadside and sexually assaulted her until she pepper sprayed him and broke free. The assailant jumped the woman as she was leaving her car. After she sprayed him he let her go and ran off.

If you’re a guy, you might not understand how much of a common fear this is. In big cities, particularly in certain areas, assault of any kind is a serious risk for (typically) smaller women.

Every time a woman reads the above passage, it brings her very real fear to life.

They soon get to the end of the article, which has multiple links to products and reviews on the site:

Guess what most readers will do now?

If you guessed go to the store and check out pepper sprays, you’re right.

I think a short video illustration would be even more effective. The more “real” you can make it seem, the more emotional your reader will be.

2. Food is an easy sell: We are wired to like food. It’s not surprising that as food has become easier to get and more reliable to produce, people have gotten more obese.

If you have a delicious food product, you should have a pretty easy time selling it.

Describe the flavor and experience of eating your product, and people will be ready to buy it in an instant. Pictures or video will make it easy for people to imagine the taste.

Even though pizza commercials haven’t changed much in decades, they still work. All they need to do is show a few different types of pizzas, and the goal is accomplished. For example:

Are you hungry now?

However, you can easily apply this offline as well. If you do marketing for a bakery, offer free samples to people walking by. After one bite, most people won’t be able to resist walking inside and buying something. This is a big part of many big bakery chains’ marketing plans.

Finally, don’t be afraid to associate your product with food. Food will get your visitors’ attention, and if you can convince them that your product will make their meal better, they’ll buy. You can sell, for example, cookware, dishware, furniture, TVs (to watch while eating), etc.

3. No one likes fear or pain: People go to great lengths to avoid pain, and fear is just an extension of pain. Being afraid is natural when you think something bad is about to happen.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that fears and pains are based on physical problems—just as many are mental.

Again, anything you can do to clarify fears and pains and then show how your product can relieve them will help sales.

Take Logitech for example. They know that most parents fear leaving their children with babysitters, even those they trust. That’s why they market their home security cameras by speaking directly to this fear:

4. No one wants to be alone: If you’ve ever stepped foot into an Internet marketing forum, you know how popular the dating niche is. Online dating is a $2.1 billion industry.

Although most products don’t directly help people find a partner, many help indirectly. Think about products and services such as:

• clothes
• gyms/fitness classes
• personal trainers
• cosmetics
• flower shops

Basically, any product that can be framed as a tool to help you appear more appealing to the opposite sex, will awaken an emotional response.

When you see an advertisement for a gym, do you see overweight, unfit people in it? No, you see attractive models, and you feel the desire to look like them.

5. Comfort is underrated: “Comfortable living conditions” is what Whitman calls it, but I like to think of it more as a lack of stress.

Think about a time where you weren’t sure how you were going to pay rent or worried that you were going to be laid off. These are extremely stressful and worrying times. And at those times, you would have given anything to know that your bills were taken care of and that you had a steady income.

If your product helps solve a problem for people in uncomfortable situations, show it.

This is really what the insurance industry is all about. They portray their products to make you feel anxious if you don’t have them.

6. People like to win: Even though we might try not to, we constantly compare ourselves to others. We look at others to see:

• how much money they make
• how big their house is
• how happy they are
• and so on…

This is one of the biggest factors behind word-of-mouth marketing.

It’s one of the hardest emotional drivers to market to, but it can be done if you have a “high status” product.

Essentially, you need to create a product or brand that, when seen, will make others envious and cause them to want to purchase it.

Apple has done this extremely well by making electronics that are slightly more expensive than those of competitors’ but with a great look.

Everyone knows that Apple products are stylish, which is why people stand in massive lines for each product release. People want the latest product that puts them ahead of the curve:

7. We protect one another: Just as we don’t want to be alone, we also don’t want those close to us to be taken away from us or hurt.

One way of marketing your product is to tie it to the happiness of others.

In the weeks leading up to all major consumer holidays, including Valentine’s Day, companies frame their products as a way for you to show the people in your life you care about them.

8. People just want to be accepted: Yes, people want to be loved and to find a mate, but they also just want to be accepted and liked by others.

You can tap into this by marketing your product as a way for your site visitors to fit in with others or become part of a tight-knit group.

One great example of this is Tough Mudder. It’s a company that puts on insane obstacle courses. People run through water and mud, and over massive obstacles. But the real appeal is the comradery:

The event requires you to sign up and complete the challenge as a team.

In essence, the company is offering an experience that makes you think along the lines of:

“Yes, I’m paying for something that’s grueling, painful, and unpleasant. But we’re doing it together, so it’ll be fun. We’ll help each other, suffer together, and celebrate in the end together.”

6. Simplicity always wins

The hardest thing for most marketers to understand is that your visitors don’t have the same level of knowledge as you do.

You’ve likely spent years reading about marketing and learning about your product or service. This makes it really easy to talk over the head of your visitors.

The problem is that if a visitor can’t understand what you’re offering, they won’t buy.

Whitman summarizes the 4 concepts of successful simple writing in Cashvertising. Here’s my take on them:

1. Use short, simple words. There’s no need for fancy, rarely-used words. Whitman recommends writing at a 5th grade reading level. I actually write at just below a 4th grade level. You can test your writing level by pasting some of your writing into this online calculator.
2. The shorter your sentences, the better. I rarely write long sentences because that’s when they get confusing. Try to limit sentences to 10-15 words.
3. The short, short paragraph trick. Whitman correctly advises to limit regular paragraphs to 4-5 short sentences. Having even fewer is better. Most of my paragraphs consist of 1-2 sentences, which makes skimming easier.
4. Pile on personal pronouns (e.g., I, you, me, he, she, him, they, them, etc.). Writing in a conversational tone helps you connect with your readers. It helps your writing feel personal instead of it sounding like another corporate message.

While all these rules apply to print copy, they apply even more to web writing. I’ve addressed similar points in the past.

7. How to stand out from (any) competition

The final lesson is from Breakthrough Advertising, and it’s about 4 states of sophistication.

In plain terms, that means that there are 4 stages that a market can develop into. They go from stage 1 to 4:

1. You are first in your market: When you’re the absolute first to cover a topic or create a product, your copy can be simple and direct.

Put the need your product fulfills, or a claim of what it does, in the headline. That’s all you need to do to attract attention.

For example, when SEO was first starting to get popular, a simple 400-word article with “What is SEO?” in the headline was all that was needed to get traffic:

2. Second in your market: If you’re not quite the first, but you’ve caught a topic early, just take the direct claim a bit further.

For example, Buffer’s guide to beginner SEO talks about how search engines work at a basic level. It’s a good explanation of why SEO is important and how it essentially works.

3. Prospects have heard all the claims, all the extremes: Once most visitors know the basics, you need to include more practical information to sell them your product or servce.

In other words: show, don’t tell.

A guide to SEO on Search Engine Land goes through all the basics of how SEO works using videos, text, and pictures. But the creators go one step further and include links to SEO tactics and techniques.

4. Elaboration and enlargement: Once everyone meets those minimum standards, you need to go all out. You need to expand on all aspects of the content or product and make it better.

You could make it easier, quicker, more reliable, simpler, or add extra useful features to it.

To continue with our example, the SEO niche is pretty advanced now. When I created the “Advanced Guide to SEO,” I included everything about the topic. There were tons of current tactics that worked, accompanied by step-by-step instructions.

These 4 stages are essentially the Skyscraper Technique in action, except that they were written about many years ago.

Each stage of maturity for a topic or product raises the bar. Make things substantially better, and you will get attention from customers.

Either create something before it gets popular, or take it to the next level.

Conclusion

I’d like to finish this article by giving you one additional lesson: you can learn a lot from the past.

Whenever you’re learning about a new subject, whether it’s copywriting, marketing, design, or something completely different, don’t head to the most popular blogs right away.

Instead, read through some of the highest rated books of the past, no matter how old they are. You’ll learn about how some of the fundamental concepts of the field came to be. It’s those lessons that you can build upon so that you can become more adept in a particular field.

I’ve given you seven lessons that are jam-packed with useful copywriting and marketing knowledge, but I haven’t even scraped the surface of these four legendary books.

If you learned a few new things from this article, I strongly encourage you to read or re-read any or all of those books.

What other copywriting and marketing books have you read and loved? Let me know in a comment below because I’m really curious.

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7 Tips To Get The Most Out Of Survey Emails

So many survey recruitment emails seem to be sent on autopilot, without any thought of creativity or user engagement. Contributor Andrew King has suggestions to help you wake up your survey request emails -- and improve your response rates.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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5 Unexpected Benefits of Retiring Early

Early retirement can lead to exciting new interests and surprising second careers.

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A CMO’s View: Top Marketers From The World’s Biggest Brands Share Insights On Mobile, Video & More

CMOs from brands like AOL, Taco Bell and Heineken list their top three rules on a variety of digital marketing tactics.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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Succeeding In Mobile Advertising: The Journey Begins

With all eyes on mobile, columnist Rob Rasko shares what he's learned about mobile vs. desktop ad effectiveness and what works best for mobile advertising creative.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

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How to Make More Money: 7 Effective Ways to Boost Your Monthly Income

A few years ago, I was struggling. I was dealing with massive student-loan debt and cobbling together work on a part-time basis.

I’ve always lived on a pretty minimal budget, but this was the definition of a “bare bones” budget. Travel? Out of the question. I didn’t even see my parents for Christmas. I stopped going to restaurants and every purchase consumed me with anxiety.

But even though I scaled back on everything, I still didn’t have enough money to pay for my student loans or live a reasonably relaxed life.

I realized my problem wasn’t that I was an excessive spender or that I was super frivolous with my money. It was that I wasn’t earning enough. Making $12 per hour at the time and having close to $60,000 in debt wasn’t really working out for me.

I knew I had to make more money. But how? I discovered there are a lot of ways to increase your income. Here’s I did it and how you can too:

1. Pick Up Gigs on the Side

Although I was working part time, I knew it wasn’t enough to get where I wanted to go. I began a serious side hustle to make up for the lack of hours and income.

I perused Craigslist and TaskRabbit. I found gigs as an event helper for the holidays. I greeted people at parties. I cleaned up after parties. I took people’s coats. I quickly found out that the holidays are a ripe time to make extra money. I gave it my everything, even though they were pretty simple tasks.

I communicated and showed up on time. You won’t believe how doing these two small things will set you apart from other side hustlers. Because of that, I landed more gigs.

Now, every holiday season I work for the same family and get paid $20 per hour helping set up their holiday party. Another gig turned into a part-time job working with a great community I’m happy to be a part of.

I even looked for ways to make money doing things I normally do anyway. For example, I use Swagbucks when searching the Internet and make a few extra dollars a month. It adds up over time and Swagbucks even offers bonuses just for signing up.

Working gigs on the side can open up so many doors. If you’d told me three years ago that taking people’s coats at a party would turn into something else, I would’ve laughed. But you never know where a gig will take you. If nothing else, it’s a great way to meet new people and make extra income to help pay off debt, save, invest and more.

Need some ideas? Check out more than 50 side hustle ideas to get started.

2. Work Overtime

If you work at a job that offers overtime, always say “yes” to more work.

Overtime can help boost your income quickly, doing the same job you’d do anyway — just at a different time. Is your job offering more work on a holiday? Say yes. Working more hours to help out with a project? Say yes.

I’m not saying that you should have no personal life, but making yourself available and doing more work can be an easy way to get overtime — which is a great way to make more money.

3. Start Freelancing With Your Skills

Once I had thoroughly exploited the side hustle scene, I thought it was time to move on to something similar, but a little different.

I had already hustled so much and worked as a house cleaner, brand ambassador, event helper, taste tester, pet sitter and more. I was looking for something I could do a little more long term that would engage more of my skills and talents.

So I started to freelance. I began writing for others and I quickly realized how addicting it was. I enjoy writing and telling stories and getting people inspired about money.

I began freelancing by doing two things:

• Being persistent. I mentioned I was looking for work for a good six months before I saw results. I also emailed every single person I admired and asked for their advice. You’d be amazed how willing people are to dole out advice and help you along your journey.

• Using my network. There’s a saying that your network is your net worth and for me it’s so true. I have a tight-knit group of friends and bloggers here in Portland and I’ve pretty much worked for all of them in some aspect. Why? Because I’ve built a genuine relationship with them, have expressed interest in what I want and shown my value.

Don’t be afraid to ask for and tell people what you want! Nobody is a mind reader, so it behooves you to be direct.

Bold action and clear language have helped me move forward — so much so, that I quit my job almost a year ago to freelance full time. I have zero regrets and am now making much more than I did at my old nonprofit job.

If you want to start freelancing, I recommend creating a website and blog, and starting with your network first. Job boards can be low-paying and competitive. The best thing you can do is to build your reputation and your brand.

4. Sell Your Stuff

Many of us are sitting on years and years worth of stuff we keep, even though we don’t use it anymore. But the fact is, if you’re not using it anymore, it is simply taking up space.

Why not turn your stuff into extra cash? Sell your old cell phones on sites like SellCell. Bring your old CDs and books to local stores and get cash. Host a garage sale. Sell on eBay or Craigslist.

I actually have one friend who picks up perfectly good “junk” on the side of the road and sells it on eBay. Talk about a nice profit margin!

If you haven’t used your items for six months or more, let go and make some extra cash.

5. Take Advantage of the Sharing Economy

The sharing economy revolutionizes the way people make money and the way consumers have access to services. It takes out the middleman and puts consumers together with their community, so both can benefit.

To make more money with the sharing economy:

• You can rent out your car on RelayRides or Getaround
• You can become a driver for Uber or Lyft
• You can deliver food on Postmates
• You can rent out your bike, snowboard or surfboard on Spinlister

Now more than ever, you can make money off your possessions and create a lucrative side business.

6. Adjust Your Tax Withholdings

One of the simplest ways you can give yourself a boost of income is by adjusting your tax withholding. Many people enjoy getting a tax refund once a year, but let’s face it: It’s hard to do the right thing when you get a lump sum of money.

By adjusting your withholding, you’ll see more money on your paycheck now so you can pay off debt and save. You can even grow that money through investments or a savings account. Why wait to get a “bonus” once a year?

If you have any questions, discuss them with a tax professional.

7. Increase Your Rates or Negotiate a Raise

I never used to negotiate in my jobs. I was simply too happy to have a job and didn’t want to rock the boat. Now I realize I missed out on thousands of dollars in extra income by not negotiating.

Now that I’ve been a full-time freelancer for almost a year, I’ve learned the hard way how to negotiate. After working too many low-paying gigs, I’ve learned how to comfortably ask for more.

It’s all about knowing your value and being confident. Confidence is half the battle. I’d even say that confidence is just as important as talent.

If you have a job, make sure you’re negotiating regularly. If you’re a freelancer or a side hustler, raise your rates from time to time. After you prove your value and build a client base, there’s no reason to continue working for low amounts.

It’s easy to get comfortable, but you should always challenge yourself and work hard to make more.

Whether you’re struggling to pay your bills or just looking for ways to make even more money, you can use these tips to get started. Making more money can expedite your debt repayment process or completely overhaul your savings strategy.

Though I love being frugal and saving money where I can, there’s still a finite amount I can save. Conversely, my income is essentially limitless — it all just depends on how much work I can do in a day and how I price my services.

By using these strategies, I went from struggling and making $12 per hour three years ago to now making close to $50,000 a year. Anyone can make more money if they really want to.

Your Turn: What strategies have you used to make more money?

Disclosure: We have a serious Taco Bell addiction around here. The affiliate links in this post help us order off the dollar menu. Thanks for your support!

This post originally appeared on The College Investor. The College Investor helps millennials get out of student loan debt, earn more money, start investing and build real wealth.

The post How to Make More Money: 7 Effective Ways to Boost Your Monthly Income appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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Running on the Hedonic Treadmill

Going to the bookstore might give you a small burst of happiness — so you do it again, and again, and again, until after awhile, it’s no longer special; it’s just something you do, and your new ‘normal’ routine is costing you money.  Photo: Kristin Klein

One of the weirdest phenomena I have ever experienced is when I realized that I get more pleasure out of going to, say, a bookstore once a month than I get out of going to that same bookstore every day.

It sounds really weird and counterintuitive, but it’s true.

Whenever I go into a bookstore, I usually enjoy the experience. I’ll perhaps buy a book or a magazine while I’m in there and I leave feeling good.

The problem is that the good feeling I have from the experience is much smaller if I’ve been there recently. If I haven’t been in a bookstore for a while, I get a big good feeling from that visit. On the other hand, if I’m going to a bookstore after having just visited one yesterday, or having visited a bookstore several times this week, I don’t get much of a feeling at all.

It’s ordinary.

Last week, I was reading the book “The Antidote” by Oliver Burkeman, which actually discussed this phenomenon in detail. He termed it “hedonic adaptation,” but after digging directly into that term, I found that the term “hedonic treadmill,” which describes the same exact thing, to be more visually illuminating.

Here’s a brief explanation of hedonic treadmill from Wikipedia (which isn’t the perfect source, but is pretty good for a brief explanation):

The hedonic treadmill, also known as hedonic adaptation, is the observed tendency of humans to quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes.

What does that mean?

Hedonic adaptation is a process or mechanism that reduces the affective impact of emotional events. Generally, hedonic adaptation involves a happiness “set point,” whereby humans generally maintain a constant level of happiness throughout their lives, despite events that occur in their environment.

So, let’s put that in alignment with my bookstore visit.

When I visit a bookstore occasionally, it’s not a part of my normal environment. I get a burst of positive feeling which fades pretty quickly. It doesn’t last for a long time.

When I visit a bookstore regularly, it becomes a part of my normal environment. Because of that, I’m not made any happier by a bookstore visit. Furthermore, and this is the important part, I’m not any happier now than I was before the time that bookstore visits became a regular part of my life.

Thus, when I visit the bookstore infrequently enough that it’s not a regular part of my environment, I actually get bursts of joy. If I visit a bookstore more frequently than that, I lose those bursts of joy but don’t gain any overall sense of happiness about my life.

In other words, I quickly adapt to that new regular part of my environment, but it doesn’t change how I feel about myself or about the world. My relative happiness about life stays the same.

Here’s the kicker, though. When a regular part of your environment costs you money, it’s going to result in a long-term reduction in personal happiness. You’re going to see your options gradually decrease because you’re losing money to this regular part of your environment.

Again, let’s use the bookstore analogy. In the “bad old days,” I visited the bookstore so often that it was just a normal part of my environment. When I was there, I bought books regularly, but it didn’t bring me any real short-term or long-term joy – it’s just what I did.

But, over the long term, all of the money spent there caused a lot of financial problems. We found ourselves deep in consumer debt, a situation that reduced our life’s options. We couldn’t buy a house. We couldn’t take career risks. We were stuck, and that hurt.

How is this a treadmill? Once I was established in the routine of going to a bookstore, I felt a strong need to maintain that routine or else I would lose some degree of lasting happiness. In other words, what kept me going wasn’t that the bookstore visits made me happy, but that I had a strong sense that ending those bookstore visits – stepping off the treadmill, in other words – would make me sad and reduce my quality of life.

Yet, ironically, my quality of life was going down anyway due to the money I was spending there.

The solution, then, was to “get off the treadmill.” I had to stop going to that bookstore. I had to face that sense that stopping my regular bookstore visits was going to cause a horrible negative turn in my life.

Want to know what happened? I stopped going. My life didn’t get worse. In fact, it stayed pretty much the same, at least at first.

The bookstore was just one thing that I kicked off of my hedonic treadmill. I stopped going golfing really regularly. I terminated my daily coffee shop visits. I stopped going out for drinks after work. I stopped going out to eat very often, which was a “few times a week” routine.

Now? I haven’t gone golfing in years. I go to a coffee shop perhaps once every two or three months – and it’s a treat when I do. I don’t go out for drinks any more. I go out to eat with my family perhaps once every two or three weeks – and it’s a treat when I do.

Am I happy, though? Just as you might predict based on the hedonic treadmill idea, I’m basically as happy with my day-to-day life as I was back then.

However, in terms of looking forward to the future, I actually feel happier without all of that stuff in my life.

I don’t feel stress about money. I own a reasonably nice house that I live in with my family. I feel as though our future, at least for a significant while, is fairly secure.

This entire line of thinking has led me to a number of interesting conclusions.

First, I think it’s very important to continue to try to take things off of my hedonic treadmill. Are there things – particularly things with ongoing expenses – that I just consider to be a normal part of my environment that I’ve convinced myself that I can’t live without … that I actually can live without? Cable? My cell phone?

Am I just holding onto those things because I’ve convinced myself that it will be ultra-painful to put them down, but in truth it actually won’t hurt my happiness in the long run one little bit?

For me, part of continuing to grow in my personal finance journey is to try to take different things off of the “treadmill” and see how it goes. Do I need my cell phone… or is that just an illusion I’ve created for myself?

Second, I think one of the most valuable things I can do for my children is to minimize what’s on their treadmill. The less expensive their “normal” is, the easier it is for them to achieve lasting personal and financial success.

As their treadmill ratchets up over time with more and more things that are part of their normal environment, it becomes harder and harder to have other things in life. The best thing I can do for them is to help them figure out a very cost-conscious “normal” as well as an understanding that you don’t need things to make you happy.

Third, I need to be diligent about adding new things to my treadmill. I watch like a hawk for repeated expenses and, when I see them, I try hard to shoo them away and get rid of them before my sense of “normal” adapts to them, because once those things are part of the “normal,” it’s very hard to get rid of them.

Finally, I need to always remember that happiness isn’t found in “stuff” or in expensive experiences. Happiness really does come from inside you. Stuff outside of you can bring little bursts of happiness, but those bursts of happiness do not last and repeating them doesn’t help.

The only thing that creates an authentically higher level of happiness is creating a better set of opportunities for yourself – and that takes a lot of hard work.

The idea of the hedonic treadmill fits perfectly with what I’ve experienced again and again throughout my life. I’ll find something new that brings me a burst of joy, then when it fades, I want that burst again, so I’ll repeat it again. The burst becomes less and less until that new thing becomes a normal part of my life, and then I’m afraid to drop that thing because I sense that my happiness will be less if I drop it.

A much better approach is to appreciate those little bursts of happiness for what they are, recognize that if you repeat them all the time they’ll just go away, and avoid those kinds of unnecessary repeating expenses that brought you joy in the past but mostly persist out of a fear of change and potential unhappiness.

Cancel that cable. Drop that cell phone. It might seem scary, like jumping into a pond or a swimming pool, but trust me, the water is fine.

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