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Teaching you to embrace today while making yourself a millionaire!

I wish I would have understood how easy it is to become a millionaire by starting to save small amounts of money when I was younger...

I feel compelled to share the simple concepts you can apply today....

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28 October 2009

Hawaii

If you have to travel for work - I highly recommend Hawaii! We spent 11 days on Maui and each day was better than the one before. The island of Maui is only 48 miles long and 26 miles wide but it has a very diverse climate. We were amazed that you could be in an area that is like a desert and 5 miles down the road you were in a lush rain forest. These pictures are on the Road to Hana. It takes 3 hours to go 26 miles. The road is filled with switchbacks and the beauty of the island unfolds as you make the journey. It took us 7 hours to get to Hana due to the fact that we stopped numerous times to hike or take in the beauty. Travel tip - buy a self directed CD from the Shell station for under $10, and drive it yourself vs a tour. Leave at sunrise to give yourself more time to enjoy the adventure. Even taking 7 hours to arrive in Hana - we felt rushed due to the impending sunset.


Check out the rainbow - this was at IAO Needle - waterfalls, amazing plants and flowers, rushing river in the background, and the sound of birds you couldn't see amongst the fullness of the rain forest.
IAO Needle - State Park and free parking. Amazingly beautiful. Take an umbrella - this is the only place we experienced rain the entire time we were in Maui.

Happy hour at the Shops at Wailea. From 3 -6 pm everyday you can enjoy reduced prices on food. If you don't drink alcohol two people can eat for under $15.00 and be very full. The price of food was higher than the mainland. At the grocery store we found everything is about $1.00 higher. Travel tip - bring your favorite snacks with you. We could have easily saved about $30 had we brought our own wheat thins, pretzels, crystal light packs, peanut butter, Advil, and suntan lotion.

We stayed at the Marriott in Wailea and loved it. Great beach for snorkeling and plenty of swimming pools to relax and read. This was our favorite we could feel the ocean breeze and see the beauty while keeping cool. Major travel tip - the cheapest online price for a room was $260 a night. I used priceline and got the same room for $95 a night. They charges a resort fee of $25.00 a night but that provided free parking some other extras so the total per night was $120.00, We saved over $1400 for the exact same accommodations and service.
The website bidding for travel can provide you with rates fellow travelers have received. It is broken down by state and then region. Very helpful so you don't over pay. We also used priceline for our car rental. We saved over $60 on that as well. We used frequent flyer miles for our airline tickets.
Next post will be our visit to Maui's Community College and our sailing/snorkeling trip.
Stay tuned......

22 October 2009

Business & Pleasure

Hey GenMer's! Just wanted to let you know that GenM is doing a presentation in Maui this week, so we won't be posting regularly until next week. Tune in next Tuesday when Stefan will post another edition of Tuesday's Tips!

Keep livin' the dream and Stay Tuned...

15 October 2009

Keeping Your Options Open

It is very interesting...... the way money can control every move we make in our lives. It is important to have balance. In a perfect world you would have an emergency fund, savings, no debt and a life style that fits your income.
Our youngest son Bradley started Pharmacy Graduate School at Ohio State University this fall. He had an intensive 3 year undergraduate program and was ending that fairly stressed out. While in the midst of that pressure - he decided he wanted to learn Spanish fluently. He picked up the first two classes - and then opted to go to Ecuador for the summer to be part of an intensive language program.

This was a very expensive choice. He said to me I will get plenty of experience in a Pharmacy in time - this option will not affect my "career path". In fact, it will open doors in most parts of the world.




So he applied for more loans and headed to Ecuador for the summer. It ended up being a life changing event. First, he learned Latin Spanish, he can read, text and speak fairly well. He bonded with the family he lived with and will have friends for a lifetime, he traveled all over the country and after spending time with the indigenous people and the shamans - realized he has a passion for Natural Pharmacy Options as well as Western methods.





Upon coming home he applied for a mission trip with the nursing and medical school at OSU and will be going to Honduras in December to help with dispensing the medications and explaining - yes in Spanish - how to properly use the medications prescribed.

He has also connected with Amy Greeson of the
Healing Seekers and hopes to work with her in the future.

Had we only looked at the money Brad would have missed a very important lesson in his life. He found passion, a new culture, learned a new language, made friends and had a life changing summer that has already opened two new doors for him.

Make sure you are always looking at all angles of the choices you are making. Part of Generation Millionaire is living your passion while making responsible decisions.
Stay tuned........

13 October 2009

Tuesday's Tips

Hey everyone! I'm back from my vacation with an update about how well my girlfriend did on sticking to our budget. Fortunately we did well, but unfortunately it was still an expensive trip.

Our overall budget allowed for two nights at a hotel in Hilton Head, a nice dinner out in both Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, an evening at Medieval Times in Myrtle Beach, groceries for the week, and miscellaneous spending for entertainment and souvenirs. And even though we were staying at a condo in Myrtle Beach for free, we knew there would be gas costs and other things like toll booths that would drive our spending up. We budgeted for $900, but hoped we didn't spend nearly that much.

It turned out that our nice dinners ended up being pretty affordable for us. We went to Landry's in Myrtle Beach and our 2 dinners and an appetizer totaled $71. The appetizer was amazing and our dinners were big enough to take home for lunch the next day. We went to Kingfisher in Hilton Head, at the bride and groom's request, and that was even cheaper. We ordered a pound of crab legs and boy were they awesome. We also got drinks and our total was only $50. The only downside was that there were no leftovers.

Medieval Times was sooooo much fun. I highly recommend it for families or couples or anyone wanting a fun night out. We got to eat with our hands and the food was delicious. We got drinks again, and even got to keep the cups! Plus we got a show along with the dinner because the actors were riding around on horses and jousting. I can't even describe how much fun the night was. The night was expensive though, but because we budgeted it wasn't so bad. Total night cost was $130.

The groceries were only $55 but the food lasted for the entire week plus some. I just finished eating the last of the clementines we bought for the week. In hindsight we didn't realize how many clementines came in the crate. Plus we were still able to eat healthy for the week and spend less on food.

Among the miscellaneous entertainment and spending was the Aquarium in Myrtle Beach which was $40 for a few hours of petting sting rays and watching penguins hatch. There was more than just that, but I can't write all day about an aquarium. We also purchased a Karmel Rockaccino at the KISS Coffeehouse, which was so funny. KISS really does endorse everything and anything, but they also make a good frozen coffee drink.

All in all our vacation was a huge success in both the fun department and the spending department. We spent around $850, and over half of that was the Medieval Times evening, the 2 nights out, and the hotel cost. If we could do it all over again we wouldn't have changed a thing.
Well I'm still in vacation mind mode, so I'm going on a 168 hour break. So until then Stay Tuned...

10 October 2009

$ Matters with Mary

Cleveland, OH Our last day!

After a trip down memory lane at the Lorain International Festival, we were well fed and ready for more Baseball. We had family waiting for us with the tickets for our 4th and last game. The Cleveland Indians vs. the Cincinnati Reds.

Gary’s nephew Chris, Chris’ beautiful wife Tara and 2 sons Christopher and Kyle were outside looking for us when we arrived. They had a fun evening planned and wanted to get started. Dinner was first on the list. They know us well.

There is nothing like going out to eat with locals. They took us to the Moosehead Hook and Ladder #3 in Olmsted Falls. What a great choice! The restaurant is located inside the historic Olmsted Firehouse. The food prices were affordable and the portions generous. The décor and costumed wait staff added to our enjoyment.

Travel Tip: Go off the beaten path and explore local establishments. It will make your trip unique and give you street cred with the natives.
From the restaurant we followed Chris to Progressive Field.

As we pulled into the parking lot the attendant was waving us through. Gary stopped and asked what we owed. We were told, “Nothing. The gentleman ahead of you paid for your parking.”

Impress Your Family and Friends Tip: If the opportunity ever arises - pay the toll, parking fee, etc for the guy behind you. It’s a real class act and one they won’t forget.

At the ballpark, Christopher age 11 and Kyle age 8 were a blast. Big enough to follow the game and young enough to be genuinely excited. And they could leave their parents to walk around the stadium with the “big” cousins.

It’s been a painful year for Indians fans. Tonight was no exception. The Indians lost to the Reds but nothing could take away from the experience of being with family and watching the hometown team play. Tickets were only $9 making it a fun and inexpensive night out.


This wraps up our 11 day, 7 state, “Tour of Stadiums” vacation. I hope you found a few tips to use on how to save $, find balance in your life, and have a great time. If you have any questions or comments please send them to:
GenerationMillionaire@gmail.com. Put $ Matters by Mary in the subject line. Or Twitter me at www.twitter.com/genmillionaire.

Godspeed,
Mary

01 October 2009

$ Matters with Mary

Lorain, OH International Fun, Food, and a Lighthouse

We left Cedar Point on a beautiful Saturday morning. We were on our way to Progressive Field to see our 4th and last baseball game of the trip – The Cleveland Indians vs their cross state rivals The Cincinnati Reds.

In between Sandusky and Cleveland, on the shores of Lake Erie is my hometown – Lorain. When you grow up in one place (my parents lived in the same house for over 40 years) you don’t realize the things that make your town unique. And the things you will miss when you move 500 miles away.

Like always knowing which way is North because all you had to do was point to “The Lake.” Make fun of Lake Erie all you want – it was one of the best places to spend your summer. Plus for a medium size city, Lorain has more ethnic diversity than most big cities. Who knew that meant great food, great fun, and great celebrations?

If you ever attend the Lorain International Festival you will discover more international food, dances, music, and customs than you knew existed.

Budget Tip: Check out the events in your town. You may be surprised at what you find. Admission to the Lorain International Festival is $1.00 and parking is FREE. Unbelievable.
The first thing we did at the festival was head over to the boat ride to the Lorain Lighthouse. It was amazing that this ride was even taking place. For in 1965 the Lighthouse was slated for demolition. Fortunately a group of concerned citizens saved the symbol of Lorain. We were treated to a fun boat ride and wonderful tour – inside and out – of the lighthouse.

Life Tip: Learn about the history of your hometown. Take the tours of the historical buildings and landmarks when they are offered. Doing interesting things will make you a more interesting person.
After the boat ride we were ready to eat. We were overcome with indecision! So many choices, so many foods that we cannot get in North Carolina, everything looked and smelled fabulous. We bought a variety of food and had a feast while people of different nationalities performed their native music and dances.

We would have loved to spend more time in Lorain but we had family waiting for us and a baseball game to attend. So we packed up and headed to Cleveland.




Next week – Indians vs Reds

Until then – I’m looking for fun and food in your city………………………….

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