“Just buy my program and YOU will be a millionaire like ME.”

“ANYONE can make money now by buying and selling commodities.”

“Even YOU cou can invest in real estate with no money down.”

“Absolutely NO experience needed.”

When you hear comments like the ones above, run in the other direction. You are being scammed. Do not send $19.95 for an informational brochure, do not call the toll free number, do not even let these programs take up space in your head. They are designed to make money for their creators by taking money from you.

Many of them are risky. Most of them are bogus. The vast majority are money making scams.

Here’s the real deal. There are no shortcuts to making money and becoming successful. It takes imagination, hard work, and the ability to pick yourself up after multiple failures. You cannot be a successful commodities trader from your living room. You will not become the next Donald Trump with no money down and no experience in real estate. There is no informational brochure that will earn you millions for the low price of $19.95.

These are tough times and the scammers are coming out of the woodwork. Do yourself a favor and do not be a victim of a money making scam. Work hard, pay yourself first, and save money where you can.

Life is a marathon, not a sprint.

We are suggesting that you bite the bullet and cut out the booze and cigarettes. As a reward, join a gym. I can pretty much guarantee you that the monthly fee will be less than it costs for a pack a day smoker and less than a few nights out at the bars. In addition, if you are committed to using your new gym membership to the fullest, you will be far less tempted to cheat and return to your booze and cigarettes. This is because it is much harder to workout the day after having a cigarette or even one drink and also because you will want to look as good as everyone else at the gym. Being surrounded by in-shape, good-looking people is a huge motivator to keep showing up for your workouts and not to do things that make reaching your fitness goals more difficult. Who wants to be the fat, hungover person who smells like cigarettes in the gym? No one.

Added benefits are better sleep, increased productivity at work, greater energy during the day and less mindless eating. All of these things help you save money. You’ll be less likely to need medical care, which can also be a huge money-saver.

Let’s be clear. This is a trade. Don’t just join a gym and keep the booze and cigarettes on board. That’s like wearing a life preserver and wearing lead boots. Get rid of the bad stuff and treat yourself to a gym membership.

Just think about it. There have been nearly a million US layoffs in 2009 alone. Many of these people received no severance pay, no skills training, or anything else that would ease the transition into a new career. To put it bluntly, they are screwed. Had they invested in themselves and worked hard to create multiple income streams, the pain of a layoff would not have been as acute.

The harsh reality of today’s business world is that we cannot “trust” our employers to “take care of us”. For the most part, they will accept your labor and pay you a fair wage. Anything more is highly unlikely, no matter what kinds of promises you are given.

In addition, the old model of hourly wages is a losing game. Because of technology and innovation, many of the jobs that had previously been paid a high hourly wage (like auto workers for instance) can be automated or done more cheaply abroad. The focus needs to be on results and value creation. If you can create more value in one hour than someone can create in 100 hours, you can and should be paid more for that one hour than the other person is paid for 100 hours. I realize this is offensive to some people but times have changed and the only way to ensure your own security is to adapt to the changes.

Even if you own your own business, you should be developing more than one revenue source. Imagine if you were the top seller of Widget A and some innovation came along that made Widget B far more relevant overnight. Your Widget A is suddenly worthless to your previous customers. If your entire business was built around Widget A, you are looking at some hard times ahead. But if you had previously developed a Widget B business, you could shift your focus and your resources to your Widget B division, easing the pain of the Widget A business destruction.

So how do you go about diversifying your income?

Well, it’s easier to do if you work for yourself but everyone (even employees) can and should do it. Here are a few tips:

1. Perform an honest and real inventory of your skills and your ability to create value.

2. Having completed an honest and in-depth skills inventory, take a look at what you are currently doing and look for untapped areas of value creation (i.e. low hanging fruit). For example, if you are knowledgeable in a trade, maybe you could teach a class at night or start a blog about your profession. Or maybe you could write a how-to guide and sell it as an e-book. These things diversify your sources of income within your body of knowledge.

3. Start an automatic investment plan. Use dollar cost averaging and put a fixed percentage of your weekly earnings into an index fund or a bank account. The magic of compound interest will ensure that your invested money works for you day and night.

4. Pay attention to the things you could use to help you in your life. For example, is there some gadget or tool that would make your life a lot easier? Have you looked for it and cannot find anyone selling it? That could be your cue to develop and sell the gadget yourself. I used gadget as an example but it could easily be software, information, or a service.

5. Leverage the information economy. There is no medium that provides greater leverage and lower risk than information services. Contrary to traditional business ventures, creating an income stream in the world of information does not require much of an up-front investment. Spend time on the internet looking at what people are selling and getting paid for. Maybe there is something that you could do better or similarly in another area of focus. What are you currently paying for online? Somewhere, someone is receiving your payment as a source of his income. Why can’t that be you?

6. If you work for someone else, negotiate the ability to “moonlight”. Some employers prohibit their employees from developing alternate income streams. This is nothing more than an attempt to control employees. If your employer does not allow you to develop multiple streams of income, ask him to double your salary and provide you with contractual job security (i.e. you get paid for x years no matter what). Chances are your employer will not want to do this and will acquiesce to your request to diversify your income.

7. If your employer is stubborn and does not want to allow you to work outside of your job with him, you should probably find a new place to work and negotiate a moonlighting provision from the start. But since it is not always feasible to find a new job, you can take advantage of internet privacy features to get yourself started. When registering a domain name, choose the privacy option. Also, don’t use your home phone number or address during any communications related to your new income source. Instead, get a PO box and a virtual voicemail box. (A virtual voicemail box is a unique phone number assigned to you that allows you to record a greeting and have customers leave you messages. It’s cheaper than a cell phone and costs much less.) Don’t use your name in your new email address either. Choose a generic email address like “contact@domain.com” or “support@domain.com”. If you are creative enough, you can keep your information private.

The above tips are just a few ways to get you thinking about diversifying your sources of income. Ultimately, diversifying your sources of income is the only way to achieve any measure of true security in today’s economy.

1. Write it down.
2. Make a budget.
3. Pay yourself first.
4. Examine your monthly debits.
5. Be realistic about your cable television needs.
6. Ditch the land line.
7. Get an unlimited text messaging plan.
8. Talk to your spouse and/or children about your economic situation.
9. Shop with a list and stick to it.
10. Use coupon codes when shopping online.
11. Make day trips close to home instead of going on an extravagant vacation.
12. Develop a “prison workout.”
13. Buy a coffeemaker.
14. Drink lots of water.
15. If you’re a man, cut your own hair.
16. If you’re single, use an online dating service.
17. Wake up early.
18. Press “Mute” during commercials.
19. Sleep on it.
20. Avoid “convenience” stores.
21. Unless you drive a Ferrari, don’t buy premium gasoline.
22. Reduce your stress.
23. Clean out your closets and your garage.
24. Bring your lunch.
25. Pay more than the minimum credit card payment each month.
26. Pay off high interest rate credit cards first.
27. Bathe and brush your own pet.
28. Develop a charity plan.
29. Eat at restaurants on special occasions only.
30. Never sign up for store credit cards.
31. Be smart about who you let into your inbox.
32. Use your public library.
33. Have a snack and drink a large glass of water before going shopping.
34. Get a Netflix membership.
35. Use movie theater outings for special occasions only.
36. If you have pets, find a veterinarian who offers free ancillary care.
37. If you don’t drink, never “split the check” with people who do.
38. Take digital photos and store them on your computer.
39. Always carry an energy bar.
40. Use a water filter.
41. If you are single, go for a walk on your first dates.
42. Never use ATM’s that charge a fee.
43. Forget about picking stocks.
44. Buy store-brand trash bags.
45. Join a professional association.
46. Buy your clothing from outlet stores.
47. Never borrow money to pay for food, utilities or clothing.
48. If your employer matches 401k contributions, contribute (at minimum) the percentage they match.
49. Stay away from the freezer aisle.
50. Go outside for some fresh air and sunlight.
51. Call your credit card companies and ask them to lower your rates.
52. Buy dessert at the grocery store.
53. Become familiar with all of the benefits offered by your employer and use them.
54. Cancel your newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
55. Don’t leave your job until you have another one lined up.
56. Never buy anything located near the checkout counter.
57. Don’t use your checking account overdraft protection as a regular line of credit.
58. Trade babysitting nights with a friend or neighbor.
59. Ask for discounts on products and services.
60. Sleep for eight hours each night.
61. If you can’t pay all of your taxes, set up an installment plan.
62. Monitor your credit.
63. Avoid checking account overdraft and credit card over limit fees.
64. Use store discount cards.
65. Pay your bills on time.
66. If you’re signing up for a monthly service, ask for any setup fees to be waived.
67. If you can’t pay a bill, call your creditor and ask to work out a payment plan.
68. Ask your boss whether layoffs are planned at your company.
69. Open your mail.
70. Use dollar-cost averaging to invest in an index fund.
71. Trade in your booze and cigarettes for a gym membership.
72. If you have cable television, skip the HDTV purchase.
73. Never take an early withdrawal from your retirement account.
74. Take public transportation when possible.
75. If you have to drive to work, set up a carpool.
76. Buy generic prescription medication when available.
77. Use coupons for grocery shopping.
78. Don’t exceed the posted speed limit.
79. Consider public school for your kids.
80. Beware of phone/cable/internet bundles.
81. Turn down the heat.
82. Avoid flagship shopping districts.
83. Forget about keeping up with the Joneses.
84. Before making a large purchase, calculate how many hours of work it takes for you to make that much money.
85. Instead of giving a birthday or Christmas gift, write a heartfelt letter to someone.
86. Don’t buy lottery tickets.
87. Use positive self-talk to attract wealth and income.
88. If you work for someone else, start a side business.
89. Beware of the grocery shrink ray.
90. Know how much you and your time are worth.
91. If you are single, do not get involved in any way with a spendthrift.
92. If you need to purchase an expensive item, bring competitors’ advertisements with you to the store.
93. Don’t read catalogs (even for fun).
94. Don’t lend money to your friends.
95. Don’t “invest” in “get rich quick” programs.
96. No one needs 50 pairs of shoes.
97. Do not go to Las Vegas or Atlantic City (or anywhere else where gambling is legal).
98. Diversify your sources of income.
99. Live like your parents lived.
100. Don’t go it alone.