1.      Happy 2005 to you all.

Welcome to the first Newsletter of 2005 and I hope you all had a Happy Christmas and New Year.

There are going to be some changes to the newsletter this year, which are being made following the feedback received from you, the readers.

Fortnightly Newsletters

The newsletter will now be delivered fortnightly, in order to give you longer to start putting the tips into action from one week until you receive the next newsletter.

The Power Question

Each newsletter, from 25^th January onwards will feature a Power Question designed to really get you thinking or taking action.

Website developments

There will also be changes to the website and some freebies for you in the next few months, so keep reading and we will supply you with links to even more valuable tips on getting More Time and More Life with Less Stress

2.      How much did Christmas cost you?

The G8 summit has been in the news recently. Gordon Brown will be proposing changes to the way developing countries pay back their debts. At the moment they are in the situation where they are paying back millions of dollars in interest while never actually clearing their original debt, which is stifling their economies and thus their chances of ever being independent in financial terms.

Does this sound like you?!

There were a number of features on TV before Christmas about credit card debt and it made for very alarming viewing. Many people are purchasing items on credit and then only ever paying the minimum charge per month. This means that, like the countries above, they will never pay off the original sum. A nice little earner for the banks, but that TV, sofa or car is going to have you paying for it long after it has become unusable if you are not careful.

Gone are the days when people saved up for something and then, only when they had the money, did they go and buy the product they wanted. The benefit of that approach was that it stopped impulse purchases.

Look around your house and count up the number of items you bought on impulse and either have never worn or used. How much money have you wasted, when you could have been putting it into your savings or using to start a property portfolio?

This is a theme we are going to come back to in future newsletters, but for now just think about the debts you have (not your mortgage for the time being) that are classed as stupid debt such as credit card interest payments, car loans (yes that is also known as a stupid debt as how many cars have you owned that have ever appreciated in value?) and how much it is costing you each month, not just in monetary terms, but emotional terms as well, while you worry about your ability to pay them off.

3.      Up Close and Personal

No one seeing the coverage of the Asian Tsunami disaster can failed to have been moved by the terrible tragedy that unfolded on Boxing Day and that continues to do so.

In a world that has been shrunk by technology it seems almost incomprehensible that those scientists who realised what was about to happen did not know who to contact, or their warnings went unheeded because people were on their Christmas break.

The response has been fantastic, and if you are still looking to make a contribution check out the World Vision site www.greatgifts.org where you can buy an emergency gift for people affected by the disaster.

For example a family cooking set will only cost you £12, your kids could buy 2 blankets from their pocket money for just £7, while £235 will buy a life-saving family tent, compared to a night out and a meal at a restaurant for you and 3-4 friends, that you probably will have forgotten about in a few weeks time.

Until the 25^th January, have a great couple of weeks!