starting / growing a very young business

Wow!  I have just completed the largest challenge that I have ever faced in life and it has been exhilarating!

Planning a business venture and then actually starting and operating the business for 6 months is quite a ride.  Ups and downs have been the order of the day for many of my last 365 days.  I have put my capital, heart, and soul into this venture and breaking even has been elusive at the best of times.  Marketing wisely, controlling costs, dealing with operational issues, and keeping customers happy has been a daily challenge. 

The business that I have embarked upon is a 24/7 fitness club called Anytime Fitness.  It is actually the world's largest 24hr, co-ed fitness franchise and a very impressive franchise indeed.

More details to come.....

Cheap Insurance Coverage & the Importance for your Family in Saving Money

Today, with the rising costs of food, fuel, and other of life's necessities, families are struggling to maintain their household budgets. For this reason, saving money on insurance coverage you need has become essential. When families find ways to cut down on their necessary expenses, they can put the savings towards important things. For instance, savings can be put towards such things as: children's education, paying off outstanding bills such as credit card bills, paying the mortgage, establishing an emergency fund, establishing a retirement savings plan, and much more. One necessary expense that families can reduce their costs is when they buy insurance.

Just about every family has some type of insurance, whether it is health, life, auto, or homeowners insurance. Buying cheap insurance is one way a family can cut down on a necessary expense. Fortunately, families have resources available to them to locate cheap insurance. The internet is a great resource to finding cheap insurance. Buying cheap car insurance online allows you to avoid paying high premiums so you can put the savings toward other important expenses. Cheap insurance quotes are available with just a click of the mouse.

When searching for cheap insurance online, you will find a free insurance quote tool which can be found on most insurance websites. All that you have to do is fill out a simple online form and click submit. An extensive search of an insurance policy database is performed to locate insurance policy quotes from different insurance carriers that match your needs. It will take about a minute or less to find and return a list of insurance quotes matching the criteria that you submitted in the online form. These quotes will be the cheapest quotes. You can then read through each quote to determine the best policy for you.

When looking to find ways to manage the household budget, saving money on insurance is one way you can reduce the costs of one essential expense. During these difficult economic times, we could all use a bit of extra money in our wallets. Buying cheap insurance online is one way people can save some of their hard earned money.

Busy, busy...

Sometimes life gets in the way of a great blog like the monegyardener.  I have of course been very buy launching a new franchise, buying a new home, and raising our two boys.  I will be back to the moneygardener at some point soon; I just can't say when yet.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

can a cash advance loan be paid back quickly?

A cash advance loan - money you borrow from a payday loan provider, based on your next paycheck - can be either a very useful or potentially destructive tool. Millions of people who work hard at their jobs use cash advances in order to cover unplanned, emergency costs that exceed their current checking account balances. Done right, a cash advance can be a lifesaver.

So where can a cash advance loan be a bad idea? Simply, if the borrower fails to pay it back quickly. These are designed for emergencies, and once the emergency is past the loan should be paid off. There are three ways in which the borrower can make sure they effectively pay off the cash advance in a timely fashion:

If you budget for reducing costs in the next month. In other words, you are getting the money you would use two or three weeks from now. That means you have to reduce your expenses then. Ask yourself, what expenses can be cut out next week and next month?

If your loan amount is manageable within your payscale. Your cash loan should be an amount that is reasonably within your ability to repay it. Most lenders restrict the loan to an amount less than what one paycheck would be, so in effect this is done for you. For good reason.

If you reduce expenses by a commensurate amount. One cash advance loan is not going to solve all current and future economic challenges. If you run consistently behind in expenses relative to your payscale, there is but one solution: cut back. (You could also get a second job, but in the current economic conditions that may not be an option.)

So if you decide to proceed with getting a cash advance loan - which may be the most responsible thing you could do - you are wise to plan a quick payoff. It will reduce the overall costs of the loan in fees, interest and penalties.

this has been a sponsor post and does not represent the views of themoneygardener.com

3 ways to save on your car insurance

Car insurance is mandatory for anyone who wants to legally drive on our roads and highways. Because car insurance is compulsory, most of us would love to find the cheapest car insurance policy possible without sacrificing essential coverage. Fortunately, with so many insurance providers competing for our business, there are ways that we can locate and purchase affordable car insurance. Below are 3 key ways to save on your car insurance:

1. Online Comparison: Today, the internet has become a vital tool to locating cheap products and services. When it comes to locating cheap auto insurance, consumers now have access to online search tools located on insurance sites that allow them to compare a number of car insurance policies from various insurance providers. It is an easy and fast way to receive several cheap insurance quotes. Consumers can then review each quote and the policy coverage and pick the best policy that fits their budget and coverage needs. You can save hundreds of dollars using this free search tool.

2. Cost-Cutting Measures: There are a number of things you can due to lower your insurance costs. For instance, if you pay a higher a deductible, you will pay a lower monthly premium. Sometimes you can get a discount if you pay the premium for the full year instead of monthly. You can also lower your costs by getting rid of unnecessary coverage such as collision coverage if you have a low valued car. As well, combining you car insurance policy with another policy such as your homeowners insurance policy will result in a discount.

3. Take Advantage of Discount Offers: Insurance providers will offer a number of discounts to secure your business. You can save on your car insurance by taking advantage of as many discount incentives as possible. You can get discounts for such features as: adding anti-theft devices and safety features, maintaining low-mileage, driving a fuel efficient vehicle such as a Hybrid, completing a driver safety program, maintaining a clean driving record, maintaining a good credit history, and more. As well, there are also age discounts and discounts for maintaining a certain school grade-point average.

Although you need car insurance to be able to legally drive, you do not have to pay high premiums. It is easy to locate and purchase cheap car insurance when you know all of the key ways to reducing your insurance costs.

been a while..

Wow, it really has been a long time since my last post on themoneygardener.  I've been extremely busy looking after our two kids and getting our business off the ground.  The market has been rolling right along pleasantly actually.  Seems like unemployment and  housing is taking very long to come back in the US, but I believe that it will be back and that's what the  market is anticipating.  I haven't made any trades lately, just collecting dividends and paying less attention to daily fluctuations. 

utilities increasing dividends

Energy distributor, Inter Pipeline Fund (IPL.UN) and telecommunications firm Telus (T.A) have both  hiked their dividends.  Telus by 5% and Inter Pipeline by about 7%.  These two companies are both considered utilities.  It is very nice to receive every increasing cash dividends from these two stable firms. 

free money from my online broker

I have used BMO InvestorLine to trade equities for about six years now.  Over the time that I have held my account I have seen vast improvements in their site interface, research, and functionality.  I would highly recommend InvestorLine to anyone considering opening a an investment account or switching from another broker.

If you open a minimum $10,000 account right now and use my referral code 978804481, you can receive $50 or even $100 bonus cash after you open your account! 

how rich people think

How Rich People Think is a 205 page book by Steve Siebold that I enjoyed very much.  The book basically puts forth 100 ideas on how rich people (the World Class) differ from the middle class in their way of thinking and actions.  For example:

Middle Class waits for their ship to come in...World Class builds their own ship.

Each of these comparisons are then explained in a one to two page summary after the comparision, making up a chapter.  The book is nothing if not motivating, inspiring, and forces one to begin to think outside of the box that many of us find ourselves in while enduring the rat race.  The ideas are based on a quarter century of interviews with millionaires.  If you feel that you are stuck in a rut, and are looking for some motivation whether you want to take your career in another direction, start a business, grow your business, or simply make a large investment this book might help you get into the proper mind set to do so.  You only live once so don't settle; strive for your dreams!

sold two names to raise cash

To raise some cash for a business venture I sold my entire stakes in the following stocks this week.

Saputo (SAP) - The Canadian Food producer had run up so far from my adjusted cost base that it seemed like an obvious choice to take a nice profit.  The stock is now trading at a P/E of over 18x, which strikes me as a little rich.

Scotts Miracle Gro (SMG) - This stock never really fit into my dividend growth model and the stock has run up very nicely in recent months.  The stock likely has more room to run however it seemed like an ideal time to take a profit and exit the name for the time being.

Posting on the moneygardener should pick up over the next little while as I realize I have been nowhere to be found lately.