Yeah, I know, it can’t buy love… blah, blah. Can money BUY happiness though? In my case, it could.

I’m not a materialistic guy. I really don’t crave all the toys. It’s not something I say so you’ll think I’m above all that – I’m not. However, I do understand that one toy leads to another and so on… The toys and comforts in life aren’t all bad, they’re just not my greatest priority; they’d only bring me temporary happiness. Money can buy so much more.

Here’s how my happiness would be bought and increased 100%:

- I would no longer have to work at a job I hate and answer to people I loathe without worrying about paying the bills. +20% MORE HAPPY

- I would be able to focus my time around my kids’ days. No more scheduling or drop-off / pick-up issues. I’d have so much more energy to give them. +40% MORE HAPPY

- I could travel where and when I want, and often. +20% MORE HAPPY

- I could do things that actually make an impact in the world and bring a sense of value to my work (charity). +10% MORE HAPPY

- I could transport my kids to and from school and activities in my Porsche. +10% MORE HAPPY

What? I deserve the Porsche. Let’s just call it a sprinkle of necessary materialism… A busy single-dad’s gotta’ get around, right?

Yep… It looks like the credit channels are starting to open back up… I’m starting to get those 0 percent offers again. I know there are many financial gurus out there who will flat-out tell you to NOT bother with 0 percent interest credit cards. Honestly, I don’t understand this mindset at all. 0 percent interest credit cards and 0 percent interest offers can be great deals. Do you need to be smart about it? Absolutely.

If you are not disciplined with your credit cards, this is the only reason you should NOT bother with 0 percent interest credit cards and offers. Why? You MUST stay on top of these offers. If you have a habit of paying your credit card bills late or missing payments altogether, you should not bother with these offers. You very well may get punished terribly for such mistakes with 0 percent interest credit cards.

For instance, most of these credit offers require a minimum monthly payment. If you pay late just once, these offers will automatically adjust the interest rate from 0 percent to 20+ percent. Let’s say you owe $1000 on a big purchase such as a refridgerator and have 12-months with no interest. Now, in month 2, you pay your bill a week late – your 0 percent interest offer then converts to 22% monthly interest. If you do not have the cash to pay-off your purchase, you may be stuck paying 22% interest on your purchase for the next 10 months! That makes for one VERY expensive refridgerator (and a lot of money wasted in interest payments).

If you are disciplined with your credit cards, 0 percent interest credit cards are a GREAT deal. Even if you have the cash to pay for the purchase, why not put that cash in an interestbaring account for 12-months. Pay off the 0 percent credit account when it comes due by withdrawing the funds from the account. In this way, you are essentially making money off the credit company. Isn’t that a nice change of pace?

Just be sure to pay off the full balance on 0 percent interest credit cards and offers prior to the expiration period of the offer. If you do not, the credit company will compound 20+ percent interest beginning from the date of purchase! This is how people get crushed by these offers. You could end up paying twice as much for your purchase if this happens and that if VERY painful.

I say take advantage of 0 percent interest credit cards and related offers, but be sure you are smart about it. There is NO room for failure when it comes to these offers.

I wanted to post this printable expense tracking form / template in the hopes it may assist you in tracking your daily spending. This has been a great tool to help me track my day-to-day spending.