Parting The Sea of Red

So, to start, my first major victory: as of Friday, my savings account is at $1,000.00 even!  My emergency fund is complete! How I got there: I started with $10.02 in my savings account. My paydays are every other Friday at both school and the tanning studio.  Between January and February, there were three pay cycles instead of two, so that put me two weeks ahead on my monthly rent.  So, on February 3rd: Amount saved: $415.00 Paycheck from the tanning studio: $136.97 Squeezed out of regular budget: $40.66 Over the next two weeks, I sold some things using Facebook Market Place: Shoes: $30 ($15 each) Earrings and bracelet: $20 And I completed an audit at Target using the Field Agent App: $5 Then, finally, my next payday: Tanning studio: $133.86 That left me with $218.51- I got home and did my monthly budget, and I had to WRING it to get that last $218.51 out, but I *think* I made it work!  Just hoping I can get through the next two weeks without having...

This week brought a victory for me: my credit card balance is at zero!  This is really, really, really great to see:   So, now comes a necessary pause in my debt reduction.  In Financial Peace University, the three initial “baby steps” are 1) Put a $1,000 emergency fund in savings, 2) Eliminate debt and 3) Put money to cover 3-6 months worth of expenses into savings.   As I mentioned earlier this month, I had put away $1,000 right when I finished FPU, but a rough financial year quickly drained it.  With a low salary and high credit card payments, I simply could not pay my bills each month and have enough left-over to save.  When I was offered a decent-paying summer job, I decided I was going to get rid of my credit card once and for all and eliminate a $100-$150 monthly bill, and use the money saved to build up my emergency fund.  Granted, if I had built up the fund first, I wouldn't have gone back into debt when I went two weeks without a paycheck or ...

Budget.   Unless you are a professional in the finance world, it’s kind of a scary-sounding word.  Can I really, accurately plan how much money I am going to need every month?  What if I mess up?  I have a feeling I'm not unique in that I put off budgeting for years because I was so afraid of doing it wrong and because of previous bad experiences (my parents tried to plan my budget for me one semester in college.  Long story short, they didn't realize how much the cost of living- even for a college student- had changed from the 1960’s until the 2000’s.  Unless you have a parent who is a certified financial planner, budgeting is something you have to learn to do on your own!).   Financial Peace University gave me some guidance in their workbook, and, while I had to make some adjustments to fit my own life, it was still a good base to work off of.  First, I had to make a list of my monthly bills:  -Rent: $830 -Phone: $100 -Utilities: $50 (give ...

So, I started this blog fresh out of graduate school- and then teacher-life took over and I put it on the back burner.  The New Year seems like a great time to revive it!   Summary of life between last entry and now: 2014-15: Lived communally with three other adults and the cutest baby ever.  Taught in a suburban school district.  Finished my Master’s Degree.  -My 1996 Oldsmobile became unsafe for commuting.  I called my dad at one point to seek advice, and he and my mom promptly went out to buy a new car for my mom, and then drove up the next day to give me my mom's old car (which should last several more years). I have awesome parents.   -Moved out in May as planned, found an apartment of my own.  Unfortunately, the cheapest apartment available is still pretty pricey.  -Was laid off from my teaching position the day after I signed my lease.  Ugh.   Summer 2015: Traveled to Mexico to visit a dear friend (tickets had already been bo...

Recently, as I was driving to work and listening to Christian radio, the hosts were discussing a "too old" list- listeners had been given lists of certain life-aspects and asked to vote on what age was "too old" for each one.  At one point, one host said, "This one I can't say I fully agree with: 'Thirty-eight is too old to live with roommates.'  Isn't the whole point of living with a roommate to save money?  Who's too old to save money?" Good question.  Who is too old to save money? Those of you who know me personally may already know that my lease on my apartment (shared with two roommates) ended August 9th, and, as my job-search hasn't landed me a teaching position yet, I had no way of getting approved for an apartment or paying rent without proof of income.  I also didn't know where I could safely move and sign a lease- I live in a huge city, and, were I to sign a lease in one area of the metro and be offered a job in a...

So, I have a confession to make to my readers.   Actually, maybe it's not as weird as I think.  It seems like a lot of people- women, in particular, are prone to this.  Especially girly, beauty-obsessed women like myself. I am a horrible goo-hoarder.   Up until recently, I could not be trusted in a drug store where cheap makeup, bath and body products, and nail polish colors (aka GOO) flow freely.  I say "up until recently" because 1) after starting my own Amway business, I have tried to be better about buying health and beauty products from myself from my own website, and online-shopping helps me be less impulsive in my purchases and 2) as I have come to better understand my own body, skin, and hair, I've realized that these cheap products don't always make good on their promises.  Even so, in the final days before a pageant, important photoshoot, or big event, I often find myself running to CVS or Target and spending money on products that prom...

For students and recent graduates, it seems like there are two options: spend your entire paycheck on organic groceries, supplements, a gym membership and a personal trainer, OR save all your money buy living off cheap junk food and never working out.  Throughout my undergraduate career I varied between the two, and ended up either loosing sleep wondering how I was going to pay my bills, or feeling like crud all the time.  This summer, I'm determined to NOT settle for either.  My health is an important investment, but it's not an investment that should eat up all of my financial resources. So, for those who are interested, here are some steps I'm taking now (and some tricks I've learned in the past) to be healthy on a budget. 1) I refuse to be ripped off at the grocery store. The nice thing about living in a big city is that I have lots of grocery options to choose from.  There are some stores (i.e. Whole Foods) that advertise pure, organic foods free of preserv...