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I think when most people think of getting a raise or pay increase, they think of making more money at work. Maybe by getting a promotion and making more, or moving up a step on the pay scale. Or making more sales, getting a bonus, or even starting a business.

In my book Cash Uncomplicated, I devote an entire chapter to easy and effortless ways we can save money at the grocery store. I didn’t necessarily intend for it to be a full chapter, but as I was writing it, it became more and more clear that there was plenty of content to make it a whole chapter.

Over the past several years, I have consistently kept an emergency fund. I’ve been comfortable with about three to four months of expenses in the bank. My wife and I both have consistent sources of income so our strategy has been to hold smaller reserves and invest more aggressively.

Over the past week, there’s been a lot in the news and social media about stock speculation. GameStop in particular saw their stock prices wildly fluctuate. Wall Street hedge funds, expecting the GameStop stock to fall, have been shorting the stock.

I was inspired by an exceptional speech I heard the other day. This speech was given in 2014, so I’m a little late to the party. As I was watching it, I asked my wife if she was listening to any of it. She said she saw it when it first came out. Better late than never I guess.

Personal finance is often made into a complicated topic. Gurus try to sell you their products promising riches if you just follow their system. One “money expert” says you’ve got to do this while the other expert says do that. Inundated with information, many people get overwhelmed, say they’re “no good with money”, and give up.