Paul Brant, 70, bought his last new truck 13 years ago. Ever since then he's been saving up for his next new one, which he bought Friday with $26,670 in rolled quarters and dollar coins. Clinton County Indiana Sheriff's deputies escorted Brant to Mike Raisor Dodge where the estimated half a ton of rolled coins was traded for a 2008 half-ton 4X4 Dodge Ram.

One of the dealer's sales reps, Keith Gephart, said they appreciated Brant's patronage, but all those coins presented a problem. "No bank wants to take them," Gephart told The Times newspaper in Frankfort, Ind. "We've got a Loomis armored car coming."

Brant, 70, says he is as thrifty as his father was, who, Brant says, used to take his family on vacation with the change he'd saved up.

By the way, when Brant bought his previous Dodge truck in 1994, he paid for the whole thing with all the quarters he'd saved up over 23 years. And with the nickels, dimes and pennies, he bought his wife a new Dodge Neon.

Thanks to Bryce Williams for sending this to us!  

When asked "Pardon me sir, but how do I get to Carnegie Hall?" Pianist Arthur Rubenstein replies with the immortal words "Practice, practice, practice." There are those of us that ask ourselves a similar question every day. How do I become more successful? How do I get myself out of this financial hole? How do I move forward? We buy books, attend seminars and classes, work with a coach and yet we still seem stuck. What gives? We know where we want to go, we know how to get there, why aren't we seeing progress? (Not to be confused with not seeing progress as quickly as we'd like, which is usually tomorrow.. or..  yesterday.)

Often times I'll check in with a client to see how they're progressing only to find that they haven't been practicing. They haven't been keeping up with a cash flow plan, or practicing good priority management. We leave the last seminar we attended full of inspiration and good intentions, ready to do what it takes. And yet, something always comes along that makes the path harder to travel.  It's easy to get distracted when the plasma TV we all dreamed of goes on sale or the refrigerator breaks down.  We emotionally fall apart, often finding it difficult to get that same passion going again. Success is gritty work and it requires a long term commitment to giving it absolutely everything you've got.

There's an old saying that says genius is one part inspiration, one part perspiration and one part vegetation! Yup! Carrots..  Carrots are the key to success.. um.. wait a minute, that's not right is it.. OK.. What Thomas Edison said was that genius was one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.  When we are trying to achieve success, inspiration while important, is such a very small part of the equation. Our effort, our blood, sweat and tears is what is going to get the job done. So after you read that motivational book, listen to that inspirational audio tape or go to that seminar.. you're going to have to get your hands dirty. A lot. You're going to have to do the things that lead to success over and over and over again. That means if you've been sloppy with your finances, then you sit down, sharpen the pencil and get that cash flow plan done. Every pay period, no matter what! Decided you want to be debt free? Have you drawn that line in the sand and said you're not going to borrow money any more no matter what? Then something comes up, and you find yourself tempted to borrow money just this once, to make this deal work, because this situation is different. Trouble is.. if you cross that line.. the next time something comes up, you'll find another way to rationalize the situation and the line even easier to cross.   

If you are going to be successful at whatever you're trying to do, make yourself a "No matter what" promise. If you've had it with debt, and you've decided to do whatever it takes to become debt free, then don't borrow money, no matter what! When that "thing" comes up, and it always will, find another way around it and eventually you'll be debt free! Talk yourself into borrowing money just one more time and you'll always be in debt!  Budgeting is not that hard.. there's no excuse for not doing it! If you need help, just ask! Yes there's always something more exciting to do.. but it's one of those things that needs to be done no matter what!  So if you really want to be successful, then practice, practice, practice!  And while you're doing that.. I'm going for more carrots.

 "Do, or do not, there is no try."

      -  Yoda  "The Empire Strikes Back"