Goals Check in February/March and New Goals for April

Just realized I haven't updated this blog since the end of January.

Fail, Whit. Fail so hard!

Here is a cute picture of Boomer and I from Easter Weekend to make up for it!

Anyway these were the goals I set for myself:

• Read 4 books - I started The Prince Lestat last night and it seems pretty good so far. 
• PASS!!! - The Prince Lestat,The Fifth Gospel, Rosemary, The Oregon Trail, The Wise King, The Taming of the Queen, and Outlander...again. 
• File taxes. Just do it Whitney. Also, send refund straight to savings.
• PASS - filed, got  the refund back, saved most of it!

• Start looking for/buy a dresser. Stop living like a college student.
• Sort of PASS - I know which one I want and I've almost saved the amount I need. 
• Keep up with the budgeting. - so far so good, just need to stay consistent.
• FAIL - I have not kept up with my budget as I should. Getting back on track this month.
• No food purchases at work. Yes this is a repeat, but its a HUGE money saver. Also its a lot healthier for me since I tend to choose burgers and fries at work. (Also cake, cookies, pies, you get the idea.)
• Super FAIL - I have got to get a handle on this. I will do so well for a week...and then fall off the wagon hard. 
• Save $300 - also a repeat, but I've got weddings to go to, trips to take, and concerts to attend!
• PASS - I'm really quite proud of how on top of it I've been with the savings game. 

Alright, so moving on to April goals.

• Sign up Boomer for Summer Camp
• Clean up Budget
• Finally actually buy the dresser
• Read 3 books
• Save $300
• Raise 401k contribution 1% (trying to reach my company match percentage by November!)
• Work out 3x per week.

Yes the Queen of "I don't work out" Land...is finally ready too. I haven't been sleeping well, and I'm just generally unhappy with my current skinnyfat situation. I may still fit in a size 4/6 BUT, I am most definitely out of shape. I had to run maybe 300ft yesterday to not get rained on and I thought I was dying. Can't breath, chest pains dying. That isn't ok. 

What are you up to for April? 

January Goals Check In

Well that went incredibly fast!

I can't believe we are already at the end of the month. Without further ado, let's see how I did.

• 1.      No food purchases at work - D+
• 2.      Save $300 - A+
• 3.      Gather all my tax information to file 2015 taxes, and school forms for Boomer - A+
• 4.      Record all transaction in YNAB and do my darnedest to STAY. ON. BUDGET.- C

Let's start with #1. I started the month very strong, and didn't purchase ANYTHING for the first two weeks of January. Then the last two weeks we had buy meetings with partners from overseas and well...entertaining involves eating and snacking. Overall though I did pretty well and have gotten pretty good at planning a week's worth of lunches for Boomer and myself.

#2 - Saving money is a lot less painful when you automate it. If you count my retirement savings for the month I surpassed my $300 goal!

#3 - Again...very easy. Everyone mails you everything so all you have to do is make sure your address is up to date AND that you don't lose anything. I've actually already entered it all into Turbo Tax...I just haven't hit the file now button.  \

#4 - I've done pretty well with the budget for the month. I've stayed on track entering purchases and paying attention to category balances. The last two weeks have been a little crazy so I've probably missed a few, but I have this weekend to reconcile all my info. I definitely blew the budget in one category. My wheel broke (Thanks Ohio potholes) and I had to pay for a new one. I need to be a lot better about saving for car repairs. They are inevitable, and I know the next expense coming is tires. Yay.

So onto February goals!!!

• Read 4 books - I started The Prince Lestat last night and it seems pretty good so far.
• File taxes. Just do it Whitney. Also, send refund straight to savings.
• Start looking for/buy a dresser. Stop living like a college student.
• Keep up with the budgeting. - so far so good, just need to stay consistent.
• No food purchases at work. Yes this is a repeat, but its a HUGE money saver. Also its a lot healthier for me since I tend to choose burgers and fries at work. (Also cake, cookies, pies, you get the idea.)
• Save $300 - also a repeat, but I've got weddings to go to, trips to take, and concerts to attend!

So what are your goals for February? Also my mom's birthday is coming up...any gift suggestions?

A Girl and Her Money : January 2016 Goals and Check In

It's my first post of 2016!

Many moons ago (6/24/2014 to be exact) I was really into personal finance. I was writing 'A Girl and Her Money' posts on Wednesdays. Well, I'm really into personal finance still/again and it's Wednesday and I have money things to talk about.

In my last post I talked about how 'adulting' was my word for 2016, and one of the things I mentioned was rolling over a 401k into an IRA. I mentioned that if I didn't know how to do something like that, I would ask and figure it out. Technically I opened the IRA before the end of 2015, but that is neither here nor there. Turns out it is really easy. Pick a company. Call them. Tell them you want to open a roll over IRA account. Call your old retirement company. Tell them you wan to rollover your 401k. Tell them how to make out the check. Deposit check. DONE!

Last night, I received my check, and with the miracles of modern technology deposited that bad boy with my phone on my Fidelity app. (Fidelity isn't sponsoring this post, that is just the company I chose to go with.) It was super easy (once I got my hands to stop shaking....dang coffee) and this morning it was credited to my new IRA retirement account. Easy as pie!

By the way where did that statement 'easy as pie' come from? Have you made a pie? I wouldn't exactly call that easy.

So that is my financial check in for the beginning of the month! Now here are my goals for this month:

• 1.      No food purchases at work
•  I started a new job, and said new job has an AMAZING café. I was going to this cafeteria for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack almost every day. This translated to 66+ debit card transaction last month and a busted budget. No bueno.
• 2.      Save $300
• This is automatically moved from checking to savings every pay day so I don’t even notice it is gone.
• 3.      Gather all my tax information to file 2015 taxes, and school forms for Boomer
• 4.      Record all transaction in YNAB and do my darnedest to STAY. ON. BUDGET.

I'll let you know on the 27th (last Wednesday of the month) how it went!

What are your goals, financial or otherwise, for this month?

 

A Girl And Her Money : 5 Ways to Save Money Grocery Shopping

Recently, i.e. Sunday, I blew my grocery budget almost for the entire month in one trip. Whoops. However it's provided good material to share with all of my readers coming along with me on my journey to be financially savvy! Here are 5 tips to help you save!

1. Have A Plan

I ended up at the store, spur of the moment with Mom and Boomer. I had no plan and ended up just throwing things into my cart. Recipe for disaster. I'm not saying you need to have a complete meal plan (although it helps), but having a general idea of what meals you'd like to prepare and what you need to replenish is important.

2. Have Time

I didn't drive myself, and we had an overtired Boomer. Which means I was rushed. So once again this led to me throwing random things in my cart. I'm not saying you need to set aside 2 hours to grocery shop, just make sure you have the necessary time to prepare.

3. Eat first

I was so hungry when I was in the store Sunday, which means in addition to not having a plan, or time, my stomach was driving my choices. So I ended up with nacho fixings, and three boxes of instant oatmeal, but no idea what to make for dinner that night once I got home with all that crazy stuff! Also...the combination of feeling rushed and being hungry led to Hangry Whit. All bad.

4. Go for the off brand

Trust me. Kroger oaty-o's taste exactly like Cheerios. As does the instant oatmeal. I'll confess though. I will put nothing but Aunt Jemimah's Butter Lite syrup on my pancakes...so...cut back where you can.

5. Take advantage of coupons and store savings!

I am a loyal Kroger customer. So sometimes I get special coupons based on my shopping habits. Also I use digital coupons that I can load directly to my loyalty card, which in turn adds up to savings on gas too! Lots of different stores offer different programs, and there are a TON of blogs out there that tell you the best deals based on coupons and store sales.

So basically. Do the complete opposite of what I did Sunday, and you should be GOLDEN.

Any tips from you ladies on how to save the green when shopping for food?

A Girl and Her Money : Well...How Do You Save?

Hey Guys!

Back with another installment of A Girl and Her Money!!

Awhile back, Alisha who blogs over at Alisha Nicole, left me a comment asking if I'd blogged about the ways I saved money. I promised her a post so here it is. These are the ways that I've been saving money so far on my money journey, and I'm no expert, but it seems to be working so far.

1. Track Your Spending

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For about two months, when I was using YNAB incorrectly, I basically just entered every transaction I made without setting a budget. Many online banking sites allow you to track your spending as well. After two months I realized I was spending A LOT of money on food. Fast food, impulse grocery shopping, snacks at work. I was also emotionally spending. Crappy day? New nail polish! Bad mood? Oooooh hair products!!

2. Stop the Bleeding
Once you know where you money is going and where you are overspending its easier to cut back and trim. I realized I was spending like crazy on food, so I knew I needed to start planning better. I go to the grocery store on Sunday armed with a loose meal plan for the week. Lunches for Boomer and I, plus dinner. (Breakfast is pretty simple in our house, and I don't feel the need to 'plan'.)

3.Cut The Cord

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This isn't for everyone, but I canceled cable. As much as we use Netflix, it just wasn't worth it, and it wasn't adding anything valuable to our home time. I also cut our land line. I'm not even sure why we had that dinosaur.

4. Ye Have Not, Because Ye Ask Not. 
Loose Biblical paraphrase, but important. Nothing is ever set in stone. Negotiate. Ask if you're really getting the best deal. I got my cell phone plan lowered by $40 just by telling them I wasn't happy with my rate, and asking if there was anything they could do. Same with my cable before I decided to chuck it all together. You can also barter. Do you have a skill that's worth money? Look into what you can trade for it!

5. Plan!
This is huge. Do you know that you have bigger expenses coming up. Start saving now. I put aside money every month for my quarterly renters insurance. I have a rough estimate of how much Boomer's summer camp will cost, so I set aside some of my tax refund NOW to pay for it LATER.

6. Save a little room for fun...
If you follow me on IG, then you know I haven't given up my love of beauty products or eating out. Each time I'm paid and I work on my budget I set aside a little fun money. I have found that for myself, if I cut out EVERYTHING, I am much more likely to just give up on trying to budget and save.

What about you guys? Any helpful tips, or things that have worked for you? I'd love to hear about it!

A Girl and Her Money : What do I Tackle First: Debt or an Emergency Fund?

Hello all!

Boomer is off school yet again today, and my car got stuck twice this morning! This winter is SO MUCH FUN. Anyway on to today's topic.

I find it odd that about 6 months into my journey to be more financially literate and aware, friends are now turning to me to ask questions and advice. Case in point last week, when a girlfriend asked me

'Whitney, should I have an emergency fund in place first, or pay off my credit card?'

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While I'm no expert (yet), based on what I've read and my own personal experience here is my $0.02 worth. I think it is important to set yourself up with some sort of emergency fund FIRST. A lot of people throw out amounts of $500-1000. I think that is a good place to start depending on your income. Here's why.

Let's say you throwing all your extra money at your credit card. You're making a dent in it, but then you blow out a tire. It's not in your budget, so how are you going to pay for this unexpected expense. That's right. You'll whip out your trusty credit card again and run up the balance, negating all the hard work you'd put into paying it off. Now if you'd had $500-1000 socked away you could have just dipped into it to take care of this emergency.

Depending on what your situation is, building up a small emergency fund shouldn't be too difficult. I've only been saving towards rebuilding mine since December and I'm already at $300. Cut out a few Starbucks trips here and there, and pack a few lunches and you'll be surprised how much money you can 'find' in your budget. It's not easy, and it's not quick, but it takes awhile to dig out of any financial mess you're in.

Bottom line: Keep paying those minimums until you have an emergency fund in place to cushion yourself.

For me, at first it seemed like all this work was a drop in the bucket. All told I am about $90,000 in debt.

$90,000.

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Thank you student loans for 93% of that number.

When I stopped focusing on and being overwhelmed by that big number, I was able to focus on smaller goals. I can be proud that my savings are progressing. I can be excited that I threw an extra $75 on my car payment last month. Every little change and improvement to your finances is worth it!

It seems like financial health is something you guys are interested in based on the comments I've been receiving. Is there anything you'd like me to talk about in the future? I've already got one request for a post about how I'm saving money in my budget from Alisha so that's in the works! I also love reading the Sally and Perkins posts from Erin!

You can read my first A Girl and Her Money post HERE.

Beauty Talk: Motions Naturally You Review

I've been into beauty products, makeup, cosmetics, and all for ages.

I think it was the hair challenge with Boomer that really got me back into using products, experimenting and wanting to write about it. Last week we talked all about combating the dry skin and hair brought on by the cold winter air. This week I'm reviewing a hair product.

I mean, I've got about 3ft worth. Might as well try out new stuff.

I picked this up in the beauty aisle of Kroger. I literally can't go down it without buying something.

What it says it does: Significantly increases moisturization, curl definition, shine and strength of your natural hair.

Verdict : This one is a bust for me.

The product itself is somewhat sticky to the touch. It didn't really define my curls as I prefer them and rather than moisturizing, my hair seemed dry after I used it. I only used this for a few wash and go styles (literally wash your hair, put in product, and leave the house), but I'm going to give it one more try for a twist out (where I  partition my hair and put it into twists or braids overnight, then take it down in the morning) and I'll report back.

Any products out there you're loving lately?

Also let's talk about the spending freeze for January. Rather the spending freeze that wasn't. I feel off the wagon hard, treating Boomer for great behavior and grades at school, and treating myself. There were also a few eating out moments. I will say though that by using my YNAB app which I talked about in this post, I was able to stay in budget and not overspend. I was able to put away a little more into my emergency fund, and pay a little extra on my car note. So even though I definitely spent, I didn't over spend and I didn't lose sight of my goals. I'm going to try this again the next time the ladies host a link up and try to plan a little better!

Monthly Wrap Up: Goals for February 2014

I'm kind of loving that the last day of the month is a Friday.
I dunno...I'm weird like that.

So let's wrap up January's goals!

1. More water
This is a win. I've done a VERY good job with this lately. Yay. Go me.

2.Weekly Savings Goals
This is also a win. I'm totally on track although after reading an article about it...I'm considering going about it differently.

3. Read some non-fiction.
Umm...loss. For sure. I did read plenty o' fiction!

The Dream Theives by Maggie Stiefvater (Book2 of the Raven Boys Series)

• Not as good as the first book, but I'll still read the next one.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth (Book 3 of the Divergent series)

• Didn't I say don't do some Mockingjay stuff to me Veronica?!?!? This is how you end the series?!!?!?

4. Open Boomer's savings account.
WIN! We went to the bank and opened it up. We also sat with the banker and had a good age appropriate talk about the importance of savings, and how to manage our money. Yay!

3/4 ain't too shabby people. Not too shabby at all!

So, Goals for February.

Obviously I'm hoping that the saving, water, and reading habits from January and December will carry over. I think after two months they are officially habits.

1. Make healthier meal choices.
Basically I've been able to get away with eating whatever I want and not gaining large amounts of weight. Although today I looked down at my right foot and saw quite the collection of spider veins. So basically my body is saying...we might not make you fat, but your body is breaking down in other ways. So I need to get it together!

2. Involve Boomer in food prep.
I want her to start being a little more self sufficient, and I think helping me prepare meals and lunches will help her with that.

3. Exercise at least 2x per week.
This goes back to the spidery veins too. I sit at my desk ALL. DAY. LONG. I need to add in some activity. ASAP.

4. Make at least 1 phone call to out of town friends per week.
I'm woefully out of touch with my friends, which is ironic considering how much I talk about blogging friends. So I need to do better about this. Just a quick phone call reaching out and catching up.

What are your plans for February? I'd love to hear them!

A Girl and Her Money : A Budget That Works For Me

Hello All!

How many of you get to the end of the month and wonder 'Where did all my money go???' Maybe some of you don't even make it to the end of the month. I hear a lot of my friends laugh when people talk about living pay check to paycheck. More like paycheck to 5 days before next paycheck. Does this sound like you? It surely was me. I couldn't figure out how I was technically making more than I ever had in my life, but I was still broke.

I was also living in a land called DENIAL about my student loans. Do you know I had never once throughout my collegiate years stopped to add up how much debt I was taking on. I didn't once I graduated either. It wasn't until I realized that they were coming due, and I had no way to pay them that I finally pulled my head out of the sand and added it all up.

It was depressing. Sobering. Terrifying. How on earth was I ever going to pay off that kind of debt? I mean serious debt. Including my car, all totaled up, we were dangerously close to six-figure range. Add that kind of debt, to a single mom making a modest salary recovering from divorce, and well...you have a recipe for a weekend of depressed Netflix binging and not getting off the couch. After all was said and done with the divorce I was months behind on pretty much every bill you can imagine. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul, negotiating payment plans and then renegotiating...I knew I couldn't keep going like that.

I spent several days complaining about my debt to income ration to my cousin. She listened patiently and then once again gently suggested I use a program she'd been using with great success for awhile. She'd mentioned it a few times, but I kind of laughed her off. I thought in my head, 'Oh she's older than I am, and way more established in her career, of COURSE budgeting and debt payoff comes easy to here!' This time though I was desperate. I was willing to do ANYTHING to stop the bleeding. (I've also learned no matter what your age or financial status, personal finance is a tricky thing for everyone.)

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So I downloaded the free trial of YNAB. Loaded it up to my computer and my iphone and started the budgeting thing. YNAB is a lot like a...digital envelope system. I knew envelopes with cash in them wouldn't work for me, and I'd tried Mint once before, but this looked interesting.At first I did it all wrong. I didn't understand the 4 rules, I was sporadically recording my spending and it was a mess. Then I took some of their free classes, and it totally clicked. I actually ended up winning a copy of the software in the class I was taking. (It was meant to be I tell ya!)

A little bit about YNAB. It's based on the principles of 4 rules:

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1.  Give every dollar a job - anytime you receive any kind of income, enter it into your budget and give it a job. Every. Single. Dollar. Dollars floating around with no purpose aren't working for you, and it's an easy way to lose track of you money. Resulting in those 'Where did my paycheck go?!' moments.
2.  Save for a rainy day -  Those yearly/quarterly expenses that come up like insurance, oil changes, memberships ect? Save for them every month. By saving a little bit at a time, you eliminate those 'surprises' where you suddenly have to come up with $500. This is also where your emergency fund goes for any other unexpected things that always pop up.
3.  Roll with the punches -  This is my favorite rule. Your life changes, and your budget needs to be flexible too. Does this mean you can take your rent money to buy shoes? No, but if you need to take $20 out of your gas funds for an impromptu girls night that's ok! Your budget has to work with you and for you, otherwise you won't stick with it.
4.  Live on last months income - Eventually the idea is that you will save up a 'buffer' equal to your monthly income. This will eliminate the stress of waiting for your next paycheck to come so you can pay bills. The money will already be there and it's replenished each month.

Another great thing about YNAB is all the support that comes with it! There is a blog that is updated often with budget breakdowns/critiques, information about finances, and pod casts. There are also the support forums which I love. The YNAB staff frequents them, as well as the other users. The community there is very hands on and helpful. Its kind of like anonymous finance blogging! YNAB also offers MANY free live online classes about how to use the software and make it work for you!

So there you have it. My brief sermon on the budgeting system and software that works for me. With the YNAB app on my phone I'm able to quickly glance at my category balances and determine how much I have to spend, as well as enter transactions quickly and easily on the go so I can track and stay on top of my spending. I was able to see just in the first month I was spending WAY too much on fast food and snacks and curb my spending accordingly. I'm no YNAB expert like some of the people you will meet on the forums, but I'm liking the changes I've seen in my financial health just in a few months.

I've gotten feedback from a few readers that they'd like to hear about my financial journey, and its absolutely a work in progress, but if there is anything you'd like me to talk about in future posts or questions you have please let me know!

*I was not compensated to write this post, all opinions are my own.*

Goals: November roundup and December Goals

Hey All-

Slowly but surely I am climbing out of the coma induced by Thanksgivukkah. I have eaten so much food since last Wednesday night I can't even think straight. So...let's ease back into blogging with a recap of November goals.

November Goals 

1. Read More

I count this as a WIN!

I read :

Something Borrowed (Good, but I'd already seen the movie)
The Butler (Meh)
Divergent (Liked this a lot)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (This book was awesome)

Boomer read:

The Betsy Tacy Tib collection (4 chapter stories)
Started reading The Secret Garden with me, complete with British/UK accents.

2. Stay On Budget

I'm counting this as a WIN also. I was able to DRASTICALLY cut back on money spent on eating out, while maintaining a reasonable grocery budget. The financial aftermath of a divorce is NO FUN, but I feel like there is light at the end of this tunnel. If you guys would like me to blog more about budgeting and money stuff just let me know. I'll tell you right now I'm not getting into exactly how much money I bring home, but I'd love to discuss my budget, and debt goals if you're interested!

3. Exercise 1x a week.

Umm...this is a LOSS for sure. I dance around the house a lot, so does that count?

4. Get 2/3rds of Holiday Shopping Done

This is....a win? I mean I got Hanukkah shopping done...and one Christmas gift done. I still need to get Christmas gifts for Momm, Boomer, and Jack though. Yes the cat is getting a gift, I already told you I'm a crazy cat lady.

Ok so goals for December!

1. Keep reading.

Its been nice ending my day quietly curled up on my broken couch turning actual pages in my books. Also I'd really like to finish the Divergent series. I'm a sucker for distopian novels apparently.

2. Drink More Water

Since I failed miserably at the work out goal...maybe I should start small by upping my water intake.

3. Finish Christmas Shopping.

Duh. I have to.

4. Continue to stay on budget...and put away $50 into rebuilding my emergency fund.

I think it's better for me to start small with my financial goals...especially considering how much student loan debt I'm carrying...