Everyone needs money, but not everyone needs more money, and even the most ardent Hippies use money, or some sort of valuables to trade, for the things they need to live. Money is so central to the vitality of our society that it can be compared to the blood in our bodies. It flows around the world making it possible for people to buy goods they need from a distance, and providing the materials necessary for every region for life and business.

Money is not the root of all evil, it is the "want" of money that is the original quote. I don't even think we have to put money in that equation, really it is just "want" or selfish desire, of anything or anyone, that spurs evil in peoples hearts. As long as we don't put our desires ahead of the rights of others we have no need to feel guilty about money. I can't believe how many people actually feel guilty about being successful and hold themselves back their whole lives. A person who considers others equally along with their self and works with others in a fair manner should not feel ashamed of being financially well off.

Almost everybody works, some harder than others, but life will not let most people prosper if they are lazy, and so most of us work hard. So we all have our jobs, 9-5, swing, graveyard whatever. Blue collar, white collar working day in and day out. A lot of times the spouse is working too because we can't afford to live on one income. We've become a nation worker bees, sometimes even consumerist slaves. Little time for family, friends or enjoyable activities.

Half of our time awake is spent working so we can pay for a place to sleep, and then we use the rest of our time figuring out what to spend any leftover money on. Trading time for money, it's a vicious cycle, if we could only make more money. But the more we make the more spend. How do we break out of this cycle?
It's not that we need to make more money, but we need to invest it instead of wasting it. But first we need to stop wasting what we have. We need to ask ourselves "do I really need this", "how often am I going to use this", "am I really just trying to impress people with this", and "is this quality enough to justify the price". Second we need to make our money work for us instead of working so hard for our money.

Their have always been  many millionaires in America who did not make a lot of money, who even worked menial labor jobs, they just chose to be frugal and only spending and investing wisely. I remember a story many years back of a bus driver who put his kids through college and retired a millionaire just by doing that. The book "The Millionaire Next Door" is full of examples of such success and examples of the self control necessary for anyone to be a millionaire.

In the book "The Richest Man In Babylon", the wealthy Arkad teaches his poor students to save 10% of everything they make working, and to invest it wisely (in something they understand) for the future. We've heard the advice many times "pay yourself 1st", well Arkad's 1st Rule of Gold is- 10% of everything we make is ours to keep. To save that we must have the discipline to live below our means and pay our self first.

By now you might be saying "I still need more money, I can't live below what I'm making now". I'm sure that's true, we can always use more money, and once we've built up a certain level of debt and bills it's very difficult to lower it. It's kind like the game of speed and evolution between the cheetah and the gazelle. The only way to survive is to get better. So here are my top ways, in order of difficulty, to make more money.

2. Start a business (a form of investing);

• Online business
• Ebay
• Get a book on home based business suggestions
• Rent out a room in your house
• MLM
• Have yard sales or get a booth at the swap meet and sell your own product put it online as well
• Get a second or part time job-temporarily hopefully, just to raise capital
• Put your kids to work (just kidding).

3. Get a better job

Meanwhile learn what you can about mutual funds, money market accounts, bonds, stocks, real estate and different retirement vehicles like 401K's and IRA's so that you'll know what to do with that money once you have it.

Next invest in only what you understand then give your money time to grow. First build up an emergency fund. Then set aside money to invest for retirement and just for the sake of making money. Start a  college fund for your kids (so that they can make good salaries, they'll appreciate it) and don't forget to pass on what you've learned to them.

The ultimate payoff will be time. Time to spend with family, traveling, hobbies or whatever. Free time, less stress and financial freedom that's our goal, not working until the day we die.

Some things everybody should make the effort to understand, for example nutrition, cleanliness, themselves, driving, and money. These are the basics of life. No need to feel guilty about it, you work hard for it, they are necessities. Just be compassionate, fair and charitable, and don't let people scam you, and you won't go wrong.