Today I’m happy to have Lilian Duval, author of You Never Know, grabbing a page in my notebook with some great avdvice. So, do you have anything to add to her list?

5 Ways to Rekindle Your Love for Not Loving Money

by Lilian Duval

So, an author writes a novel about a lottery winner, and now  she’s blogging about how not to love  money and how not to be  ressured to spend?

Hi, I’m Lilian Duval, author of that novel—You Never Know, the life story of a regular guy who wins the Mega Millions and ends up with so much free cash that he’s got a whole set of problems he never had before. Don’t we all wish we could have such awful problems?

Seriously, loving money and always wishing for more is the opposite of what your momma might have said—something like “Be happy with what you have.”

So here are some fun ways to have fun without paying dearly for it!

  1. Do something creative. Everybody is creative—everybody. Every day you create, without realizing it. Just speaking is an act of creation—the way you say it and the words you choose are not exactly like the way anyone else speaks. Take your natural creativity to a higher level and create something with materials at hand. Examples: A) Go through your closet and put items together that you usually don’t wear together. B) Write a journal entry, even if you don’t keep as journal (it can just be a piece of paper) in which you describe how you really feel about something. C) If you’ve ever liked to draw, even if you think you’re untalented, make an abstract picture on a full sheet of paper and color it in exactly as you like. There are endless possibilities. Why should you do these things? Because they make you feel better; they’re an expression of your individuality; and they cost nothing!
  2. Avoid free-spending friends. Or redirect your usual activities with such friends. Instead of walking through the mall, where it’s hard to hold onto your money in many ways, meet your friend in the park or on a city street and just walk and talk without spending. Invite your friend over for a potluck meal, rather than indulging in an overpriced restaurant.
  3. Love a cat or dog. My local animal shelter’s slogan is “Adopt Love,” and that’s what our four-legged critters are all about. Spend more time with your precious cat or dog, playing or brushing or just rubbing him or her behind the ears. It’s good for both of you, it costs nothing, and it enriches you beyond the reach of money.
  4. Play a sport. Or just move your body. However overscheduled your life is, there’s always time to walk up and down the stairs a few times. Or stand instead of sit. Or park farther away from the store or office than you usually do. This feels good, and it’s free!
  5. Listen to someone close to you. Of course you listen to those close to you. They wouldn’t be close if you didn’t. But do you listen 100%, or are you preoccupied with your smart phone? Do you look him or her in the eye? Do you ask to hear more? Do you put your heart into the conversation? I can’t think of a better way to give and receive love than really, really listening to one you love. And that has nothing to do with money!

* * *

Lilian Duval lives with her husband George, a native of Singapore, in a small house in New Jersey overlooking a large county park. They have two sons and a daughter, all independent and ambitious, and several cats. She’s an amateur classical guitarist and enjoys attending concerts and plays in New York City.

But writing has always been her calling. In her own words, “The most enjoyable activity I can imagine is to invent some characters, make them a little larger than life, set them bickering and thrashing against each other and their fates, and enact a fictional resolution that makes more sense than the chaos and unpredictability of our complicated lives.”

Lilian’s latest book is You Never Know: Tales of Tobias, an Accidental Lottery Winner.

You can visit Lilian’s website at www.lilianduval.com. Connect with her on Twitter at @lilianduval and Facebook at Lilian Duval.

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