The (boring) secret to being rich.. And how to fund a brilliant idea

It's not what you earn, it's what you spend. 

I came across this quick article, which led to a bunch of related videos and topics. http://time.com/money/4034098/get-rich-secret/?xid=time_socialflow_facebook 

..and it's true!  The bigger the gap between what you make and what you spend, defines whether you are rich or poor. Live below your means. Live within a budget that balances, that includes a large chunk for saving as well. 

Now, if you have a goal or an idea (like any of these people on Dragon's Den for example), by all means pursue it!.. Within your means. Don't be the person going hundreds of thousands in debt for an idea, keep working or work harder to be able to fund the goal. 

I'm a big fan of the crowdfunding ventures. I support a bunch of things on Kickstarter, which is a place for artists, designers, writers, videographers, inventors and more to get their brilliant ideas funded. They offer their product or item at an extreme discount, and in various packages, to the general public with an end goal in mind. People like you and me can then go on and browse all the ideas and contribute (or buy into, literally) someone's idea to help them reach their mark. You only get charged your pledged amount if they reach their goal. I'm a supporter of a few different people and ideas, and for the most part I do it not for the item but for the person or the goal. You can also help fund a person for $1 or $5, just to track the progress of the great idea/product through the campaign and to market. I've done this too if I have no need for the item but think it's a great idea that should get funded. 

One of my favourite buys from Kickstarter and I'm going to give them a shameless plug have been the Fire & Bone team, who digitally scan animal bones and create metal mini molds of them for jewellery. I've bought way too many at this point but I think they are so incredibly cool (my favorites are the Dire Wolf and the Lynx/Bobcat) 

My other shameless plug will be a project I have waited and watched for more than a couple years called PillowTalk, which is a bracelet and speaker that shares your heartbeat with someone that isn't near you. My long distance fiancé and I kinda can't wait for this little contraption!

Other crowdfunding outlets exist, like GoFundMe which is more the everyday person hoping to fund their next computer purchase or their aunts medical bills, and Teespring which are for awesome designs on tshirts. I've been on both these sites, and other than the high shipping costs for the item we chose on Teespring, they were easy to contribute/buy. 

The secret to being rich is simply put, living within your means without debt. This all circles back to how to save money everyday, how to save for retirement and an emergency, and being surrounded by (and able to care for) the things you love.