Creative Money Technique numero uno!

Ok, here you have it - Creative Money Technique numero uno! It's something I do that generates 1500$ of income a month - with little effort.

Okay, unless you live under a rock, you have no-doubt heard that the World's economy is in a bit of a melt-down. Not everyone is worried though, like Bill Gates, Sir Richard Branson, and moi - because I just got creative. (You guys must know me by now - I thrive on challenges!)

With the sub-prime loan crisis, people are losing their homes by the droves. This actually creates a unique opportunity: a hot rental market (because people have been forced out of their homes and purchasing a home is more difficult) and great real estate deals (one of my clients is buying a short-sale condo in Vegas for 210K, it was valued at 550K two years ago.)

So, this Creative Money Technique is to capitalize on the former - a hot rental market!

You don't need another investment/rental property to capitalize on the hot rental market - just look no further than that spare bedroom with the boxed x-mas tree and wrapping paper, or that unfinished basement vying for some TLC.

Those SPACES are money-makers; they just don't know it yet...

Here of some examples of "thinking outside the box" and making money on SPACE...

1. Residents in the town of Wimbledon, England rent their garage and driveway space for hundreds of dollars a day during Wimbledon.

This is called profiting from pain. The pain for Wimbledon fans = no parking. The solution = provide parking and profit.

(Why do you think bottles of H2O at Disneyland and other theme parks are like 5 bucks? They're profiting from our pain, baby!) 2. A friend rents out her spare bedroom to a business man who comes into town once a month. Interestingly enough, the business man sometimes doesn't come for months on end, or when he does it's for a day a so. He just wants a physical address to receive packages.

So my friend is getting a monthly check without anyone really being there.

3. A couple who has a large 2 bedroom house, but wanted to make better use of the space. So they particle-boarded off two extra rooms to rent out to foreign exchange students. The rent from the foreign exchange students pays 2/3rds of their mortgage.

4. A financial savvy women who will be an empty nester next fall when her last child leaves for college. Her large beautiful home in Marin is almost paid for, and she is converting her basement into a turn-key flat with a separate entrance. She will live rent-free and the rent she receives from her beautiful home will be a significant source of income.

5. One of my girlfriends, who is also a single mom, rents out her extra room to another single mom. Instead on money, her renter provides day-care and domestic duties.

6. A college student who bought a 4-bedroom house and rents out 3 of the bedrooms. Her mortgage is paid for by the rent.

These stories motivated me to simplify and cut costs. So I now rent out my extra bedroom to female Korean international students. I am completely pleased with the situation, as they provide company for me and my daughter when they are here, but most of the time they are at school or traveling on weekends.

Besides, I get a kick out of other people contributing to the mortgage bucket each month. That way I can take my extra savings and apply it to my personal goals - like living the entire summer in Europe next year.

So, you want to make money on SPACE? Here are a few steps:

1) Take inventory of where you live. Is there something - an extra bedroom, storage unit, garage - that would be more valuable rented out rather than just used as a place to store junk?

2) Take inventory of the city you live. Every city has some sort of redeeming qualities that make it sought after. Is it a college town? A tourist destination? A business center? Scenic?

Commuting difference from a major city or landmark? This is how you will market your space and find potential renters.

3) Research how much money you can charge for your offering. (Check out similar postings on craigslist, etc.)

4) Put all three together and rent it out. Cha-ching...

Ok, now you are one step closer to your vacation in the Bahamas or trekking the Himalayas...

ambition... sin or virtue??

A few weeks ago I was in LA lying out on my girlfriend's couch after a fun, yet exhaustive week at Disneyland.

My friend was at work, my daughter was asleep, and so I decided to pop in the DVD, The Other Boleyn Girl, for a little entertainment, R&R, 'me time.' Good movie... but there was one line that rocked my world for about 10.7 seconds. It was when Anne Boleyn's mother states:

"Since when has ambition become a virtue - not a sin?"

%$#*! I never knew it was a sin.

Like many people I know, I have always been ambitious. I mean, for me it's always "doing this, doing that." Going here, 'goal'ing there. Ambition is like having air in my lungs - it gives me a kick in my step, like a bit of lavender oil. Truthfully, it's been a driving force since I did my first 'bucket list' when I was in 7th grade, which read something like:

Travel around the world-

Swim the Great Barrier Reef in Australia- Be a fashion model- Be an oceanographer- Feed the children-Etc.-

Well, I've achieved some of the above, with varying levels of success (which is up to one's own perspective). But those 'bucket lists' are like my shopping lists... they navigate me through my time on earth. Maybe I won't get to all of them, but my drive to achieve them opens up new doors and experiences I may not have considered.

So, going back to ambition. Is it a sin? Well, maybe sin-like, if I trampled over other people, small animals, and children to get to my goals, like how Tonya Harding ruffed up Nancy Kerrington on her way to Olympic Gold. (oh no she didn't! oh yes I did... brings back memories, huh?)

But in Tonya's case, was that a sin or a decision that lead to a lifetime of challenges and lessons that has made her who she is today?

Sometimes I get the odd question like "did you use Rich Men to get the material for your book." (which I can totally understand some people thinking.) Of course, I say NO because after I decided to write my book, I told everyone I dated about my book. And, in almost every case, that would lead to an interesting conversation, in which my dates would give me sound bites and their advice on chapter titles... "No, you should name it this!". And it was actually one of the men I dated who encouraged me to write the book.

So I will continue being ambitious, while doing my best to keep everyone happy and adding 'good ' to the world. (and remember 'good' is relative.)

It was Dr. Wayne Dyer that said, while pointing to his mostly bald head with a few white tufts, "This is A LOT of hair in a bowl of soup."

It's all perspective, baby!!!!!

xoxoxox

Alicia

Love your emails as always!!

BTW...

Join my FB page... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=562050966

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india or bust...

It may sound like all I do is travel and date. Au Contraire mon frère …

I do work, a lot actually, but it doesn't feel like work, cause I'm doing what I love - I am a business coach, a success coach, if you will, and I help my clients take their dreams and make them a reality, by helping them focus and execute, with a whip-in-hand, take-no-prisoners, type of approach.

I started my business shortly after Goal Digger came out, as I found I had the natural inclination to motivate and charge people up, and so my business has grow exponentially.

So, one of my clients, Connie Umbenhower is currently making her dreams a reality. In four months, she has gone from Internet Technology Director to author (her book The Deity Diet comes out next month) and founder of Himalayan Boot Camp (http://www.himalayanbootcamp.com), a wellness travel company. She has also already been on TV!!

Her inaugural all-inclusive Himalayan Boot Camp will be October 25-November 1, in the foothills of the Himalayas on a 1600 acre tea plantation. She has some *screaming deals*, so check out the website for the luxurious wellness program she has created.

I will be going on this inaugural trip, and I am completely ecstatic! I think we all need cathartic travel outings, like this one, to regroup and focus on what truly matters. It gives us time to relax, focus on personal growth, but also the time to be creative in dreaming up and visualizing our life’s goals.

And I know what some of you may be thinking... "OMG, I don't have any money." "The economy is in the toilet. I just can't." “I don't have the time!" Well, that kind of thinking often times keeps you in that 'stuck mode’... maybe in a job you hate, a relationship you are not happy with, and otherwise in a deep, down dirty FUNK. Does that sound like you? Isn’t it time to get unstuck?

Since I hear these concerns often, beginning tomorrow, I will send out my 5 Creative Money Techniques to FIND and SAVE money. I say FIND because money is out there; you just need to open your eyes to receive the abundance. Look for the #1 Creative Money Technique tomorrow!

Stay tuned,

Alicia Dunams

www.goaldigger.com

http://www.new.facebook.com/inbox/#/profile.php?id=562050966&ref=profile

my date with an ex-pat, Part 2

I know y'all are dying to know - yes I went on a second date with

the ex-pat. He is still tall, good-looking and very much an

eligible bachelor, but, alas, he is back in England, as of

yesterday. A couple of you emailed me and asked where I meet such a

fine-looking thing, and I say with a red face: Craigslist (CL).

I know, I know. Craigslist is for desperate, lonely people right?

Well, I was desperate and lonely back in England a couple months

back, after coming back from my cousin's wedding where there so

much 'love and ceremony' in the air. (Bah humbug! LOL! Just kidding!)

So, I put an ad on Craigslist - it read 'American Girl in London',

and holy moly, within minutes, I was flooded with emails from some

fantastic male candidates. I mean, I've done CL in SF one or two

times and nothing, and here I am in London getting emails from

CEOs, entrepreneurs, Hedge Fund managers, barristers, etc. (I am

surprised I didn't get something from the Prime Minister). So I was

contacted by some major heavy contenders, including my ex-pat. (I

also got a few obscene pictures and someone offering to suck my

toes... so not all good, but pretty impressive in regards to CL

standards.)

Many of you may not know this, but I have been single for three

years! Other than Mr. Rich - whom I talk about extensively in Goal

Digger - and that was anything but a regular, loving relationship.

Far from it...

So, my friends, I am ready to turn a new leave and give love a

chance, and Mr. Ex-pat may have entered into an auspicious

situation.... Alicia Dunams wanting to settle down.

OMG, say it ain't so!!

Yes, I know, I know it's been only two dates, yet I approached it a

bit differently than from other dates in the past three years: I

decided not to tell him about my book. The reason: I find that fact

about me scares men off a bit... or I can definitely say it

separates the men and the boys. Since the publishing of Goal

Digger, it seems that only older, wealthy gentlemen can handle my

sass and gumption, while younger, regular-type guys systemically

"head for the hills."

Nonetheless, after Date 2, I ended up sending him a text message

about my book, as I felt dishonest holding that fact back. So I

figured I may not hear back from him. But I did.

So, on another note, the ink is drying on my Korean publishing

deal, and in celebration I am offering a 'two-fer' deal: Two Goal

Digger books for the price of one - both autographed. Go to

http://www.goaldigger.com and enter 'two-fer' or 'two for' - they

both work, to get your books TODAY.

Also, email me with questions. And I love your feedback: I read

every last one of my emails. Keep them coming....

Follow me on

Join my FB page... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=562050966

Follow me on Twitter... http://twitter.com/AliciaDunams

Regards and Kindness,

Alicia

P.S. And, as for the ex-pat, I'll keep you posted.

237 Kearny Street #174, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA

Men like Goal Digger too!

I got the following email from one of my gentlemen fans:

What you're doing is great! Even us non millionaire men can learn from this. Thanks!

Look ma... I'm going to India

Ok, most of you know me as friend, associate, "Goal Digger", and mom (well, only Izzy calls me that, unless I have some other children running around out there), and all of you, unless you are sleeping under a rock, know that I love traveling... I'm a renegade traveler, if I do say so myself.

So other than being a "Goal Digger", I also coach other entrepreneurs to achieve their personal, financial, and business goals. One of my clients, Connie Umbenhower, is doing just that with her new luxury wellness company, Himalayan Boot Camp, www.himalayanbootcamp.com.

So, I will be traveling to India this October 23-November 7, and if you want to get fit and unwind, and have a life-changing adventure, I would love for you to join me. And, get this, there is a huge discount for the inaugural journey... see below for more information... See you in the Himalayas!!
xxAlicia

Get Fit and De-stress, while Trekking the Himalayan Foothills and Dining on Local Gourmet Cuisine

Luxury wellness tour company offers a $3000 dollar inaugural discount for its one-of-a-kind exotic getaway to the Himalayan Foothills

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) July 31, 2008 -- Himalayan Boot Camp, a U.S.-based luxury wellness company, is offering a $3000 dollar discount for its two week inaugural tour to the Himalayan foothills of India, scheduled for October 23 through November 7, 2008.

Himalayan Boot Camp is an exotic, luxurious getaway that combines adventure, travel, gourmet food and personal fitness aimed at propelling your mind and body toward achieving a balanced healthy lifestyle.

Himalayan Boot Camp was founded by Connie Umbenhower, author of The Deity Diet, a book specializing in healthy Indian cuisine, scheduled to come out Winter 2008.

"The demands and stress of everyday living have left most of us with no time for much needed relaxation. We are a society running ourselves into the ground," states Connie Umbenhower. "Our boot camps are the perfect gift to pamper yourself with, to rejuvenate your energy, reconnect with nature and invigorate your body, mind and spirit."

Himalayan Boot Camp offers unparalleled, all-inclusive getaways that include luxurious accommodations at a 1600 acre tea plantation in the Himalayan foothills. It includes gourmet, health-conscious dining, as well as daily hikes and mountain excursions amidst spectacular scenery. Guests will enjoy massages, meditation and yoga classes, capping off each boot camp with a visit to the Taj Mahal.

Ultimately, the goal of the company is to provide its guests with a delightful and unforgettable experience.

For more information go to www.himalayanbootcamp.com or call 1-866-928-9911 to book now and redeem the $3,000 discount. Space is very limited.

P.S. My date with an expat

Long P.S.: So I went on a date last night with this American living
in London who is visiting SF for business. Nice chap. Mid-40s, tall,
good-looking with three kids. We had dinner at Water Bar, and the
conversation veered to marriage and kids. I would say it was more
his veering than mine - definitely so. He loved the fact I was a
mother, and went on to ask me those probing questions. You know those
questions - the ones in which you feel you are being sized up for
marriage. :)

He is a divorced man and I am a divorced woman. My marriage, which
basically, ended in a "peace out" (how sad is that) had an "easy"
divorce - we had no money and no property. But most divorces I hear
about our long, belabored, and ugly. So, what happens if you are a
woman marrying a divorced man who had one of these long, belabored,
and ugly divorces or vice versa. What are the economic implications??

That's where my friend, Adryenn Ashley, comes in. Her book launches
today, and it's all about the economics of divorce and marrying a
divorced man/woman, so check out www.marryingadivorcedman.com.

P.S.S. I will tell you later what happens between me and the
expat - if anything! :)

xoxoAlicia


237 Kearny Street #174, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA