WARNING: Video contains a video girl, PG-13 content.

They say Reading is Fundamental. Well, I don’t know who “they” are, but “they” are right. Da Hustler — in spite of all that you see on this site — does not know everything about saving money and getting deals, and as a result, I have to continuously read and research to stay on top of my game. One way that gain knowledge on the inexpensive side is to scour the internet, find relevant and interesting articles, see how it could fit into my life or the lives of others, then tell everyone that I know. In doing this, I often come across references to books, and instead of going to Amazon or eBay to see how cheap I can get them for, last year I dusted off my library card and went there instead.

This approach to furthering your education is often overlooked unless you are in public school or college. It seems that once you become a member of the “real world,” you are taught to buy items at retail so your local shopkeeper can take expensive vacations on your dime (then give you the honor of viewing the photos, how thoughtful). This extends to groceries, cars, dining out, and even reading. Take a look at how advertising has bamboozled all of us over the years:

• Common belief: Need food? The supermarket is your best bet (processed, preservatives added, higher cost)
• Overlooked reality: Your local farmers market is often cheaper and has truly fresh produce, a larger selection of organic items and meats with no hormones added

• Common belief: To get to work, you need a car.
• Overlooked reality: Public transit goes farther than you may think, just take the time to do a little research. Also, check into express buses that serve remote areas, car & van pools, or get some much needed exercise and ride a bicycle or walk to work! You save on gas and aren’t polluting the environment as much as the next guy!

• Common belief: Want to read a good book? Buy one at Barnes & Noble or Borders, and you might even save 30% off the newsstand price
• Overlooked reality: Your local library has many of the same bestsellers, and you’ll save 100% off the newsstand price.

• Common belief: Want to see a good movie? Head on over to an AMC, Regal or Loews cineplex. You’ll even pay less when you go see a matinee ($7.25/ticket is still $29 for a family of four, and you haven’t even bought the concessions yet!)
• Overlooked reality: Forget Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, the new place to get your movies is RedBox for $1/day rentals. Even better, check your local library for good and independent titles you never knew existed, and pay nothing!

These are just a few examples of what can be accomplished when you do not accept what society deems as “standard” and you challenge the status quo. When i found out about the wonders of the library and how it has evolved from when I was a kid, I was simply amazed. Libraries are starting to become your central location for anything media, and the best part is that you don’t have to pay for it! Check out some of the other benefits of using your library card:

• Access to prescription drug discounts and other health care benefits
• Help with taxes (some will even help you file your return for free)
• Access to technological resources (computer equipment, projectors, media readers) with on-site technical staff
• Get discounts at some retailers when you show your card
• Meeting rooms available just for the asking
• Prepare for presentations much cheaper than using a place such as FedEx Kinkos
• Assistance with your child’s schoolwork (or maybe even yours!)
• Download audiobooks, music and eMovies
• Play games and get involved in gaming tournaments
• Have books mailed to you if you cannot get to a branch
• Get free prom dresses for girls (could wedding gowns be next?)
• Learn a new language
• Learn to read
• Vote
• Wireless internet hotspot
• Check out materials in an adjacent county/library system
• Take computer learning courses

There are many others, but some are specific to your local system, so check with them to be sure of all that’s available to you. in addition, don’t limit yourself to just one library system! These entities often work with each other, and there may be ways to get access to another system without having to pay a non-resident fee. The combined services of the library network can lower the total cost of living, while still providing you with the same quality of life that you have now (or better!). So yeah, you still may have to be quiet (and please place your cell phones on silent), but in the end, silently saving money this way is a hustle that many of us will want to shout about!

This ain’t biology class, however.

The mindset, craft and skill that surgeons use on an almost daily basis is the same thing that you and I must have when doing the hustle (no, not the dance). Being “surgical” is so profound that it found its way into the lines recited by Denzel Washington in Training Day. Lately I have really been thinking about this in my daily grind, and it has helped immensely because I plan out things way in advance instead of waiting for the last possible moment, a.k.a. procrastination:

The money needed to be spent for the upcoming week.

The routes I take to get to the places I want to go.

The posts I do for this website.

The goals I have for the current year.

In doing this, it has truly maximized the amount of money I’ve saved, and also the amount I’m able to earn. For instance, holding yourself to a budget will allow you to almost predict with precision how much money you will have for bills, household expenses, fun, etc., instead of being surprised that the ATM will not give you any money when you stick your card in. You no longer live paycheck to paycheck because you know what you can and can’t afford, and you find that this “new lifestyle” offers you the ability to afford many of the things you want, and conversely, you find that you won’t want many of the things you previously did!

Huh?!

Yes, you will find that once you have the capacity to buy something or do something, it’s not as appealing as it once was, especially if it is a frivolous decision or purchase. It’s kinda like going to the grocery store when you’re not hungry: you tend to stick to your list more (your established goals) versus making impulse purchases (being frivolous, undisciplined). These lessons are not new, they have been all around us for quite some time now, but the only way they truly sink in is when you finally get tired of living life the way you have been, or when you tell your mind that it is time to do something different.

But that’s not enough.

Once you make this decision, you have to continuously tell yourself that this “new lifestyle” is really what you want, because you will have the tendency to fall back on what you know, what is familiar, what you have been doing for so long. This is a fancy way of saying you have to develop new habits that will lead you to the place that you want to go. Da Hustler did this over the past few months with the electricity bill. Tired of seeing the high energy usage and consequently, the higher bills, I decided to do something about it. Beginning in January, I decided to switch off the things I wasn’t using at the fuse box. All the rooms or items that weren’t in use, I decided to stop paying for the convenience of having them ready at all times. I also started checking my electricity meter everyday, one to be sure that the power company wasn’t getting over on me, and two to monitor my own usage. One would think that if the power company isn’t getting over, why monitor the usage? Well, once you know the average amount of energy you use in a day, you have a better chance of lowering your usage through conservation.

In addition to monitoring everything, I also looked at my past usage over the past six years and noticed the trends: more energy used during the winter (heating) and summer (cooling) months. Now because of where I live, this trend will not likely cease just because I have changed my habits, because humans want to be warmer when it is cooler and vice versa. I will still use more during these times than in the spring and fall, but I will use considerably less than I have ever used. And as the saying goes, less is more.

This is just one example of how you can be surgical, but I’ve noticed that once you start, you will want to do more, deciding that it’s not cool to give away money, but rather cool to make your money work for you. Cut your bills by any percentage, and place that money in a high-yield interest-bearing account such as ING (in fact, send me an e-mail, and I’ll send you a link to get you an extra $25 in your account when you deposit $250!).

Be surgical. Keep your money. Don’t allow decisions to be made for you. Make a better life for yourself. And to borrow yet again from Training Day: “The [ish] is chess, not checkers!”

Makes you wanna get your hustle on and do more with your life, eh? Tell me what you thought about this below!

After months and months of hiatus, Da Hustler is back and better than ever!

Welcome back, Hustler.

For all my readers and fans out there, I missed you all so much, but it’s good to be back in the fold again, giving you the advice that needs to be given! A lot has changed since my last official “hustle” posting (officially 7 months, 21 days ago as of 4/7/08), including gas prices that have surged past the psychological $3/gallon mark, fears of the dreaded “R” word (recession), and a new version of WordPress that is much different than version 2.1 or 2.2 that existed when I first started the site!

First off, the impending recession. So what? If one is on the horizon, fine. If not, fine still. This doesn’t affect true hustlers, because we just adjust to the present conditions, and keep it moving. So don’t be pulled in or affect by the “fear mongering” that the media is trying to place in to people’s minds. I say, if it’s not an incoming missile from a hostile nation, an invasion of Earth by some real, bona fide aliens, or the coming of God himself, it’s probably getting too much media attention anyway, and if you’re watching TV too much, you’re not out hustling, which hits home and you should worry then!

Now gas.

If nothing else, this alone should inspire ALL of you out there to get ya hustle on! Da Hustler’s ride takes premium gasoline, and let me tell you, it hurts me every time I visit the gas station, no matter how much money I have in my pocket! I’ll post more info on what I have done to alleviate the pressure, and I promise it will be something that most of you all would not expect.

And finally, without further ado, I present the return of the hustle.

So, in anticipation of all the questions some of you may have, I’ve included a short FAQ to explain my whereabouts and the future of the site:

1. Where da #&@! have you been?
   Great question! I’ve truly been on hiatus, experiencing some of the highs and lows that come with life. One of the great things about being away is that I have gone through the ups and downs of owning and maintaining a website, and with that knowledge I am better able to help my fellow hustlers.Remember reading on many sites how you will get a creative burst of energy when you first start out, then you will not post as much, all the while thinking that would not happen to My New Hustle.Boy was I wrong!

   I will outline what happens in a future post, not only to help stop anyone else from doing what I did, but also so that you can notice if you see yourself embarking on the same road, and some of the traits that are associated with it. It’s not an entirely bad thing – kinda like how your parents tell you about the things they did so you don’t follow in their footsteps, but you almost have to follow in their footsteps to either end the temptation in your mind, or better understand why they said what they said in the first place. But the important thing is to hop right back on that horse and ride it to the end of the race. We all stumble and fall, but it’s not the fact that you fell – it’s what you do about it that matters the most.

2. Can we expect to see more of the same great posts as before?
   Of course! I’ve been doing more research and employing some techniques into my daily hustle, and I can’t wait to share those things with you all. Some are very unconventional, but I promise if you are willing to step outside of the box, you will rise a lot faster than the average American (and that’s saying a LOT!) Also coming back will be the themed days, such as Hustler’s Inspiration, Hustle Highlights and Hustle Tips, along with brand new ones that are sure to shock your mind! (but shortly thereafter, satisfy your wallet!)
3. Will you ever leave us again?
   When I hit my first billion, there is a good chance I will be on an island somewhere letting life pass me by for a couple of weeks. I’ll bring a long a camera to tape the footage and show you guys though.

   I don’t plan to have an absence as severe as the last, but I promise I will let you guys know before it happens, and give you some articles and/or assignments to do while I am gone.

4. So what is the site going to be like now?
   I have a lot of great plans for this site! It will be more interactive, have more great content, and be organized in a way that you can access older content faster and easier. The layout will also change as I am planning to get the site professionally redone, kinda like what ProBlogger did with his site. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

Until then, feel free to let me have it by leaving some comments below.