Money, money, money... its what makes the world go round, isn't it? It can't buy you happiness and it can't buy you love but it sure does make it easier to pursue those things on your own.

Unfortunately, not everyone has as much money as they'd like and despite their very best efforts to get ahead, financial freedom always seems to be just out of their reach.

What to do, what to do?

Unless you have an inside line on the lottery or expect a big inheritance sometime soon, you're going to have to make your own fortune and that means a whole new outlook on life. For starters, you're going to have to change the way you think about money. No more "wanting", "envying" or "wishing". Prosperity doesn't work that way. Instead, you have to act and think as if you already have everything you need because in fact, you do.

No, I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy a new Porsche. What I'm saying is that to get from point A to point B, you need to behave as if you had made that transition long ago. For example...

People with money might live the good life but if you look closely, you'll notice that they're still very frugal where it counts. Okay, maybe not ALL rich people, but we're going to pattern ourselves after those that are because we want this to be a one-way ticket, right? We don't want to wake up one day and discover our money is all gone, now do we?

I didn't think so.

So, let's start our behavior modification with saving.

The thing about living payday to payday is that when you do finally get a windfall, you're so excited you tend to be more generous and carefree with your money than you should. Its like a metaphorical *whew* because now you have a little room to relax and breathe. But let that guard down and before you know it, you're right back to the old payday-to-payday" syndrome again.

The other problem with this payday-to-payday mentality is that you're not allowing for any surprises and as we all know, life is just full of surprises. Your tire goes flat, your car breaks down, the refrigerator goes out or perhaps little Jimmy needs a new pair

of shoes. Life doesn't wait for your next paycheck and even if it did, you've likely budgeted down to the penny which means something else will have to wait.

This is no way to get ahead.

So, here's your first assignment (yes, there's homework in this Hub :)

You're going to find a way to save 5% of your income every month. Come on... its 5%. If you make $2000 a month, that's just a hundred bucks. Give up two dinners at a nice restaurant or four nights eating fast food and you're there. Can't do 5%? Then how about 2%? The point is to start paying yourself first, regardless of the amount. You can always increase your savings as your financial picture improves.

Next, you're going to take this money and put it to work by opening a high-yield savings account. What's high-yield?

Most traditional savings accounts pay an average of one-half of one percent interest on your balance. That means that your $100 savings account would earn you a whopping 50 cents in interest. I know, I know... you're drooling already aren't you?

Instead of waiting for your golden years to see any real interest accrue, you're going to go for a high-yield account that will pay an average of 5% in interest. At 5%, that $100 is going to earn you $5.00 in free money. How's that for a savings strategy?

Where can you find these high yield savings accounts? Here's some links to get you started.

Okay, obviously if you're going to get rich, you're going to need more money. The question is: how?

Basically, there are two ways to increase your income: get a better job or start your own business. We're going to talk about those options here as well as a third alternative: doing both.

Getting a Better Job

One of the fastest ways to boost your income is to get a better-paying job. A bigger paycheck means more money to work with and the increase is instant with little investment from you. But if you want a better job, you're going to have to work for it.

• Writing A Resume - Before you venture out to prospective employers, you needto freshen up that resume of yours. Start by giving some thought to what kind of job you're looking for and what skills would likely be needed. Remember, you're trying to move up so if you need to brush up or expand your skill set, now would be the time to do it. Keep your resume short and to-the-point - two pages max, one page is even better. Organize your resume so that your strongest selling point is listed first. For example, if you're relying on your years of experience, have your resume start with that section. Want them to focus on your education? Then put your schooling at the top of the page. Try to find a creative or unique "something" that will make your resume standout fromthe rest. Turn it into a webpage for example or perhaps a brightly-colored brochure.
• Where to Hunt - Sending out one or two resumes will have you job-hunting for the next six months to a year AT BEST. Instead, let the pros do the work for you by signing up with a few employment agencies and headhunters. Yes, you can still job-hunt on your own (and you should) but many of the best jobs never make it to the papers because the employment agency gets it filled fast.
• The Art of the Interview - Your resume helped you get in the door, now the interview is where you'll close the deal. Be friendly, lean forward and look your interviewer in the eyes. Try to minimize the number of times you say "ah", "um" and "you know". Dress to impress, smile and don't forget to breathe.

Starting Your Own Business

In my book "The Working Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom", I said that "you will never get to where you want to be if you're waiting for someone else to take you there" and I firmly believe that's true.

The best way to create the future of your dreams is ... well, to create the future of your dreams. With your own business, you're in control. Yes, that means that you'll take on all the risk but it also means that you'll reap all the rewards.

And its those rewards that we're looking for.

What kind of business could you start? How about becoming a freelance writer? Start

your own insurance agency. Partner up with some companies that drop-ship and sell merchandise online. Or even better, clean out your garage and start your own e-Bay business. The truth is, there are a number of ways to go into business for yourself and they don't require long hours or big investments. Give some thought to what you like to do, including your hobbies, interests and professional background, and then see how you could turn that into a thriving business.

Trust me... the possibilities are endless.

Doing Both

I mentioned earlier that there was a third way to increase your income: doing both. The best time to start your own business is when you're still employed. Why? Because while your current employment continues to pay your bills, you can treat any money made from your new business as profit. Having trouble finding a way to save that 5%? Here's your answer. Wish you had more money to invest in your advertising? Now you do. If you quit your day-job before your new business is off the ground, you'll have to make enough to cover all your expenses and quite frankly, that's hard for a brand new business to do. Instead, keep working and build your new business up on a part-time basis. Then, when its ready, you can make the transition from employee to self-employed without a big financial hardship.

To really be effective in your quest for financial freedom, you need to reduce your expenses where you can. Pay down your debt, learn to bargain shop... the less you spend, the more you can save.

Should you use that 5% you're saving to pay off your bills?

Theoretically, yes since on paper, you'll pay more in interest than you would save by tucking the money away in those high-yield savings accounts. But before you withdraw your savings, consider this: the whole point of creating that little nest egg was to give you some breathing room. As your balance grows, your savings will act as an emergency fund for all those little surprises we talked about earlier. Send it to your credit card companies, and you're back to payday-to-payday with nothing to back you up.

Instead, leave your savings in tact. If necessary, split your 5% between your savings and your credit cards, just as long as you continue to give something back to yourself.

Paying off your debt isn't the only way to reduce your expenses. Try some of these as well:

• Call your credit card companies and ask them about lowering your finance rate.

• Put your cards away so that you're not tempted to charge.
• Use coupons at the grocery store.
• Buy off-brand when you can (its cheaper)
• Actually mail in those rebates
• Comparison shop for big items
• Cut down on fast-food outings.
• Rent the DVD instead of going to the movie
• Do your own nails/hair instead of going to a salon
• Subscribe to your favorite magazines instead of buying them off the shelf

Okay, having established your emergency fund, paid down your expenses and began your quest to increase your income, you're ready to consider investing.

Just like the high-yield account will help your savings grow, a good investing strategy will help you build the financial picture you've envisioned.

Don't know how to invest?

Not to worry... there are a number of resources to help you out. For starters (and this is the last self-promo I'll include in this hub :), The Working Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom. There are also a number of websites such as Beginner's Investing at About.com, Greekshares.com and e-Investing.com.

One word of caution: Don't try to "get rich quick". Do your research and start out slow. Investing can be a little complex at times so be sure you understand the risk before you make the jump.