You can think that it is easy to recognize excessive personal spending when you observe someone buying goods and services according to what appears to be an extensive appetite of wants. This observation maybe true, but is at risk of passing judgment, and perhaps not having enough information about the person being observed. A better approach is to evaluate personal spending within the context of fulfilling a desired goal and then decide if the spending pattern can support the resource need to accomplish the desired goal. The following is a basic plan that can quickly help you to determine excessive personal spending.

1. Establish a future reference by visualizing your desired position three to five years from today. It is best to establish the long-term position first before the short-term in order to remain focused and motivated

2. Write down this visualization in a statement titled”Vision Statement” and include a projected emotional response as you journey towards fulfillment

3. Write an achievement goal that is essential to realizing your vision within each of the following areas such as: Social – e.g. Marriage, or Children or a major vacation or a visit to at least three continents; Educational – To receive an advanced degree or certificate or Career change; Financial – Double household income or Start a business or Establish a fund for your children education; and Personal health -Actively engaged in the practice of “good” health habits

4. Project the dollar amount that will be needed to achieve your goals and realize your vision within three to five years

5. Determine your current spending pattern/month to see if you will have the resources or if you will need to make adjustments in order to realize your vision in three to five years

This step by step method allows a self-evaluation for determining your spending pattern and provides data for you to decide if you are spending excessively.

Are you really serious about budgeting and saving, or is it something you know you need to do but just can’t get started? Your journey on how to budget and save money begins with these money saving tips.

A budget means knowing what is coming in (income) and what is going out (expenses) and making sure that you can live within your means.

First of all you need to find out where your money is going and to do this you need to start a simple system of bookkeeping.

Your first money saving tip is to spend a few dollars on a notebook and a pack of pens. Yes that’s right, spend to save.

Carry your notebook with you at all times and list everything you spend for two weeks. Even if it seems unimportant and impossibly small, list it in your notebook. After the two week period you will have an idea just where your money is going. You may be surprised and even be shocked to see how much you are spending on trivial items.

Get into the habit of asking for a receipt, just as you would if you had your own business. Think of it this way — your financial wellbeing is your business. If you have missed noting an item in your notebook your receipt will help you.

Often this process can be quite sobering but once you know where all their money is going, it makes it easy to put into action a plan for change.

You may have found that a lot of your money was going on a coffee every day and bought lunches. Buying a $4 coffee every weekday for a year ends up costing more than $1,000 a year. Even spending a seemingly small sum of $5 on lunch each day would cost $1,300 in a year.

This leads to your next saving tip. Restrict your bought coffee intake and make your own coffee the rest of the time. Let a purchased coffee be a once in a while treat when meeting with a friend. Make your own lunches. This will save you a lot of money and you will get the lunch you want rather than having to choose from the cabinet in the shop when the best has gone.

Are you spending more on entrainment than you ever thought you could? Obviously you still want to have fun and be with your friends. And you still can.

This third tip encourages you to entertain your friends at home. This will allow you to hone in on your cooking skills and share time in your home environment with your friends. For the same amount of money you spend on one meal out you can entertain a few of your friends. You can all take it in turns to be host or you can get each couple to bring one of the courses. Potluck dinners have had a popular revival and are an ideal way to entertain.

After your two weeks of notebook record keeping sit down with all your financial records and fill out your budget. List everything that comes in and list everything coming out. Does your income exceed your expenses (surplus) or are you spending more than you earn (deficit).

You now have some money saving tips to help reduce your spending and you will at least have an idea where your money is going. Implementing these ideas is a start to your journey on how to budget and save money.

In this very brief introductory guide to male chastity I want to talk about some of the most immediate and critical points about the lifestyle from the perspective of couples new to it.

I’m doing this now because when I first started along this journey, I frequently found I was lost, confused, bewildered and even a bit frightened by the mass of differing, contradictory, and, in my opinion, damaging information available.

So in this brief Guide, I’ll simply go over the most important points but still talk about them in sufficient depth to get you started.

Start at the Beginning

Before we start, it’s important to grasp the fact that having a husband in chastity is not new, not “bad”, and is certainly nothing for you to fret over, whether you’re a husband who’s coming to terms with his desires (and maybe even fighting with them), or a woman whose man has confessed his interest in male chastity to you and you’re looking for information on the subject.

First, let’s think about what we actually mean when we talk about chastity. In everyday life we tend to treat chastity and celibacy as being the same. For our purposes, though, in this basic male chastity guide we’ll assume there exist some important differences:

Chastity: what we normally mean is general sexual  control and orgasm denial. So what we’re not recommending is simply not making love or engaging in sexual activity. Quite the reverse: spouses who live a male chastity lifestyle tend to find they are not only having increased hanky panky, but find themselves actually enjoying it much more than they believed they could.

What we are talking about is the wife assuming control of her man’s climaxes and not permitting him to have them unless she says he can, even if she may be “forcing” him to pleasure her in different ways not involving making love; or even if they are making love, she is not allowing him to orgasm.

As you read through this male chastity guide, you’ll come to understand why a man would want such a thing, why you would want to give it to him, and the pleasure in doing so for both of you.

Celibacy, on the other hand, is where you just don’t have sexual activity at all, say because you’re without a partner, or you’re unable to have sexual relations for any one of a number of reasons, or you’ve taken a vow of celibacy. Or perhaps there is another motive we can’t even begin to imagine. Interestingly, someone who’s celibate might actually enjoy more orgasms than someone who’s embracing the male chastity lifestyle, just because a celibate man has the chance to masturbate, but a chaste male doesn’t.

I’ll say more about celibacy in a moment and why, if you’re celibate yet still in a relationship, the male chastity lifestyle could possibly not be right for you.

Whom Is Male Chastity Right For?

I’ll go out on a limb here and say virtually any basically strong marriage will benefit from male chastity, and that includes gay couples (perhaps surprisingly!). The reasons are simultaneously both complicated and simple as you’ll see in this male chastity guide.

In fact I’ll edge out even further on the limb and declare if you’re typical healthy woman or homosexual man and you enjoy a healthy sex-life (or have previously) and you’re not incredibly prudish when it comes to sex, or painfully shy, then… you’ve most likely already dabbled with male chastity play.

Why do I say this?

Because male chastity covers a range, from short sessions of orgasm denial and teasing at one end of the scale, all the way to unending orgasm denial at the other (I’ll say a bit more about this later in this brief male chastity guide). And the majority of men and women, if not every man and woman, has, at some time, enjoyed teasing their spouse at some point by delaying orgasm even if only for a few minutes.

And if you’ve experienced that… then… well done!

You’ve already experienced male chastity.

And you both loved it, right? Even if he complained in the most delicious way at the time.

Whom is Male Chastity NOT Best For?

If you’re in a relationship and you really don’t like each other (or even if only one of you doesn’t like the other), and you’re living in mutual celibacy as a choice because you simply can’t bear the idea of him touching you (it generally is women who end up feeling this way, sadly), then aside from the comments I make here, this male chastity guide won’t help you.

If you’re in this circumstance and your lover has come to you with the plan of embracing a male chastity lifestyle and you find your heart fluttering with joy because you perhaps see it as a wonderful way of ensuring you don’t ever have to have any manner of sexual contact with him ever again… then I think you’re making a big mistake if you go ahead with it.

Because he’s suggesting this out of a desire to have greater sex with you, rather than less!

And if you’re a man reading this thinking it’s likely to help rekindle the ashes of a burned out marriage, the same comments apply: the chances are it’s just not going to work. On the contrary, it’s going to hurt you both a lot more in the long run.

If you begin to see you and your wife and your own relationship in the above few paragraphs, then I recommend you stop reading this male chastity guide and instead think long and hard about professional relationship counselling, and ultimately be prepared to end it to allow you both to move on with the remainder of your lives.

Why Would Someone Yearn For The Male Chastity Lifestyle?

Ultimately this simple male chastity guide is about pointing you in the right direction to uncover the strategies and techniques for dramatically improving your marriage by increasing the affection you feel for one another, making you grow even closer together, and allowing you to nurture a far richer, deeper and more loving understanding of each other than you presently have.

With the proviso your fundamental marriage is solid and your love for one another remains strong, even if the fires of lust are not now burning so bright as they once did, male chastity is definitely something you can safely consider at least trying.

How To Begin With Male Chastity

There is but one reason for male chastity: and that’s to improve your marriage in all ways and, as a result, make everything else in your life richer and more pleasing, too.

And for that reason it’s crucial to understand no matter how you approach it, what you choose or how you choose to implement your male chastity lifestyle, if it’s acceptable to you both, then that’s all that matters.

You might think that’s a peculiar thing for me to say; but remember one of the reasons I have written this male chastity guide is there is so little accurate information about that’s not filled with nonsense, fantasy and downright bad advice.

Now, the point to start with male chastity is… to start at the very beginning.

It’s tempting to dive straight in at the deep-end by rushing out and getting a chastity device and hoping you can snap it shut and remain chaste for a long time. And you will indeed read accounts just like that all over the Internet.

And they’re untrue.

No, I can’t prove it and you can believe them if you wish, but no one who has genuine real-life experience of male chastity will give them the slightest bit of credibility.

The reasons we know they’re just fantasy are many and varied, but please, for the present, in this male chastity guide, believe me, male chastity is just the same as any other facet of your relationship: you would do well not to rush into it and at best be disappointed and at worst unnecessarily ruin something amazing you wouldn’t have spoiled if you’d just been a bit more thoughtful.

Now, let’s assume at this time you’re sitting reading this male chastity guide together or at least you’re both at a point where you’re discussing a male chastity lifestyle as something you’re willing to explore (there are lots of easy, non-threatening and low-key ways to broach the subject with your partner whether you’re a man or a woman, but one very simple way I share with you in a different article is to use male chastity stories).

But, let’s get on with the practicalities.

First, start with a little gentle chastity play. Agree in advance you want him to satisfy you any way he likes, but make it clear you won’t allow him to make love to you and he’ll have to engage his imagination.

Massage is a good place to begin, and then remind him he has fingers and a tongue (engage your imagination, too… you’re reading a male chastity guide not a sex manual!).

The first few times you might find it difficult since it’s new territory for both of you. Make him a promise you’ll make love to him again the next morning and allow him to climax if he does a good job tonight. That way he’s not got very long to wait and he is unlikely to get huffy (he won’t plan to, but orgasm denial is all new to him, too).

After a few times you can increase the time you’re going to make him wait a little: maybe the next night, or the weekend.

If this is working well and both of you feel comfortable with the next stage, you can invest in a basic chastity cage. Now, you’ll discover literally hundreds of devices available and they’ll cost you anything from $90 for a simple plastic device to more than for a bespoke made-to-measure shiny steel full belt.

I suggest in this male chastity guide you opt for something simple and not too expensive, like the plastic devices generally are, and see how you get on. In our experience with gentle play, the plastic device was fine but it didn’t suit us at all for long-term wear. However, some people find them acceptable and effective for long-term use.

All you can do is see how it is for you.

Just don’t get your hopes up too much, too soon.

Even if his device is comfortable you might find when he gets really horny it is very uncomfortable and painful for him, and while some women claim that’s a suitable “punishment”, that’s not something I’m interested in – this is a male chastity guide, not a manual for Dominatrixes! I want to deny his orgasm and have him wanting me like crazy, not  in pain from constricted, sore and swollen balls!

In time, you’re almost certainly going to find you want to progress a little. Now, there are no hard and fast rules about this and it’s absolutely vital to determine what suits you and your partner rather than trying to adhere to what so many people in the “scene” will demand you “should” do. Believe me, many can get quite unpleasant if you don’t live your life and treat your husband or lover how they think he ought to be treated.

In the end you’ll reach a level at which you feel comfortable, and to some extent that is going to dictate the kind of device you finally end up with. Generally, in this male chastity guide, I’d recommend you get the most expensive device or belt you can stretch to, because in my experience there’s nothing quite as disheartening as a device you have to give up on because it’s not suitable for wearing for the duration you want him to wear it!

Two Last Pieces of Advice

As I wrote previously, you’ll in the end discover what works best for you both and that’s the only thing you should think about.

However, I want to make two points in this male chastity guide which I consider to be “universals”, meaning everyone I’ve ever talked who has successfully incorporated male chastity into their life agrees with me.

First, bear in mind it is supposed to be enjoyable for you both. I know there’s an element of teasing in it but you need to decide when his “no” means “yes”, and when “no” actually does mean “no”.

The second point is you need to be firm. Yes, it seems contradictory to what I’ve just said, but you must be clear about the fact he has requested this, or he’s as a minimum consented to it if the idea is yours.

In truth, he wants you to be strong with him. He might want to climax but he craves you to deny it.

I can’t stress this enough in any male chastity guide.

As an, my husband, John, whom I keep in ultra strict male chastity and orgasm denial, typically for months on end, will sometimes beg me not to let him climax because the feeling of being “in the zone” is so deeply profound.

Moreover, when it becomes too overwhelming and he begs for release, if I refuse (and under no circumstances will I give in if he’s begging for it… that’s one of my rules), then even though he moans and groans while it’s happening… after he is grateful to me for being so firm and cruel.

At the beginning I would usually cave in… and he always told me afterwards I shouldn’t have done. Men!

To Conclude

The male chastity lifestyle is electrifying, satisfying and remarkably rewarding for you and your lover.

However as with any lifestyle, it takes some imagination and work to get it exactly right. Most crucial of all is it’s your life and you ought to live it your way.

Creating a budget can be a very difficult task. Although we as consumers know that we need to pay our bills, buy our necessities, and put some money away for savings, we don’t really know how to start.

I know from personal experience how hard creating a budget can be. In the beginning stages of my road to financial freedom, I would write all my expenses down on paper and notice that I would have very little or sometimes nothing left over to save. I tell my clients that seeing everything on paper is only the first of many reality checks while starting the journey of getting their finances in order.

I think most Advisors in the financial world will agree that using budgeting categories will help you organized things tremendously. Everyone will not have the same categories thus making every budget unique.

A category simply is nothing more than a grouping mechanism. Instead of listing each credit card bill separately on my budget, I will give all of my credit cards a category, for example I will list it once as “debt”. Some other popular budgeting categories are housing, savings, utilities, charity, food, transportation, childcare, miscellaneous and income to name a few.

There are many budgeting software programs out there. I suggest however, that in the beginning stages of creating a budget you continue to track things manually. This way you’re constantly viewing how your money is being spent and staying connected to the whole budgeting process.

Another very important task of a successful budget is keeping up with your expenses and all of your receipts. Now, I know this is difficult especially when buying what we think are small insignificant items but believe me it is very important, especially for married couples. If one spouse is spending $4.00 a day per month on a Cappuccino, that one purchase is costing your household $120.00 a month. To help solve this difficult task, keep a “receipt” box in a common area and commit to tossing all of them daily. When you sit down to work on your budget pull out all of your receipts and categorize them. I suggest you do this weekly in the beginning. The box can fill up pretty quickly, especially when two people are contributing.

Last but not least give each category total a “category to income” percentage. For example look at your life though the eyes of a Lender. You should spend no more than 31% of your net income on rent or housing and that includes your mortgage payment, property taxes, insurance and in some cases homeowner association fees. If you’re spending more than 31% keep your true values. Once you tally-up all your actual category totals and convert them into percentages your “reality” picture is now painted. Hopefully you will not exceed 100%. However, if you’re over 100% seek professional help immediately because you are in big trouble and heading for a crash!

If the above process has you feeling overwhelmed don’t beat yourself up. Just make an appointment with a Counselor or Coach in your area they’ll be happy to assist you.

To lose weight has been one of the most difficult goals of many individuals nowadays. With the way our society looks at someone with a lean and fit body, who wouldn’t want to strive and look that way, too? However, it is also a known fact that there has no invention yet that will easily make us lose weight the way we want to and the way we are ready to commit ourselves into. There is really no magic pill that will easily take away all our excess flab in a blink of an eye.

Unfortunately (for some) , losing weight takes a lot of commitment and determination in order that one will succeed in the battle. It takes your complete submission to a healthy diet and some routine exercises that really takes a longer time before we will see productive results, even if we are only aiming for a few inches off our waist. And unfortunately again, this can really be a challenging and tedious journey.

So you might be wondering, after all of my hurtful facts, what can you really do in order that you will lose weight and at the same time maintain your sanity in the normal level? Well, let me give you five tips that can make you look at weight loss with a rather new perspective. Here it goes.

Tip#1 Don’t Expect Too much

You know what they say when you expect too much, you will get hurt too much too? This is basically true. Once you start a diet or an exercise plan, or even both for instance, and then someone from the gym or the TV ad says that you will lose extra pounds right away, like in just a blink of an eye, my, but don’t believe that! It does not work that way, and when you let yourself into believing that and then it did not happen, you will only be frustrated and out of focus. And when this happen, your dedication will leave you and you will find it hard to go on anymore. So, the bottom line is, be realistic. Know that when something sounds too good to be true, it certainly is.

Tip#2 Never Tell or Announce to the World That You are Dieting

Although this is natural reaction for people who start dieting for the first time, but it is not a good suggestion to tell everyone you knew that you are indeed dieting. But, this may work against your plan, since people would judge you right away and watch every step of your progress. You will certainly be uncomfortable with this, most especially so when you are eating something that these people don’t think and believe that is part of your diet. So it is better that you stay quiet first.

Tip#3 Gather as much Family and Household Support as You Can

When you venture out on your diet plan, make sure that the whole household will somehow support you in your effort. If they know that you are struggling not to eat food with sugar, tell them specifically, so that your spouse will not come home running with all the sweets in the world. If you will not get their support, you will go crazy

Tip#4 Work Out, of course

Indeed, losing weight can take a lot of time, and will really test your sanity. But, if you will include a workout as part of your routine along with your diet, you are bound to see a much quicker and more positive weight loss. You will have more energy, you can sleep better, and most of all, you will feel better about yourself, too. All of these can help you in keeping your sanity and in staying true to your plan of losing weight.