01Feb 2017 by Women's Money
A Rose on Any Other Day

A Rose on Any Other Day

Budgeting, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Relationships & Money
If you’ve recently visited a store, you know Valentine’s Day is almost here. I’m a huge romantic sap and love the idea of Valentine’s Day, but the hype is a little out of control. Yes, chocolate is delicious and roses are pretty, but they are also expensive extras. While it is definitely important to take time to appreciate your significant other, and Valentine’s Day is a good day to do so, it’s important not to break the bank in the process.Valentine’s Day is on a Tuesday this year. My boyfriend and I both work all day, and  after a long day at work I'm about as romantic as a bag of potato chips. So we’ve decided to wait and celebrate a few days after when it fits our schedule better.…
Read More
26Jan 2017 by Women's Money
Follow Your Funds

Follow Your Funds

Budgeting, Goals / Taking Action, Miscellaneous, Take Action
There’s always pressure to make changes around the new year. Aside from my annual resolution to exercise more, this year I decided to track of my spending. Unlike exercise, it’s an easy habit to maintain, and like exercise it improves my long term well-being.The last time that anyone stressed the value of tracking your spending to me was in middle school when we learned about balancing checkbooks. I occasionally started a log in high school but never maintained it. In college, I didn’t even attempt to keep track, I would just periodically check my bank account balance online. As years went by, this system became less and less sustainable. I decided to make two big changes to the way I spend. 1) I use cash for most of my daily…
Read More
23Jan 2017 by Women's Money

Stop Letting Your Money Manage You

Budgeting, Goals / Taking Action, Miscellaneous, Take Action
Confession time… I have never had a formal budget. I would put money aside for my bills, but as far as groceries, gas, and all my other spending, it was a free for all. Honestly, I was scared of writing a budget because it meant I would have to face up to my bad spending habits. The issue with not taking time to budget and actually plan how to spend your money, is that you put yourself at the mercy of your own fear and bad habits. It wasn’t a sustainable life style and I felt perpetually broke and stressed.I was doing it to myself, of course. Although I didn’t realize it then, by not writing a budget and taking control of my money, I was choosing to be stressed,…
Read More
24Nov 2016 by Women's Money

Budgeting: There’s an App for that

Budgeting, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Take Action
Budget, budget, who’s got the budget? Not me, I’m afraid. A budget is one of those things I know I should have but just haven’t quite figured out. Luckily, there’s an app for that! Actually, there are a lot of apps for that and I decided to review the top three (according to iTunes ratings) to see which app fits my needs best, and might just fit yours too!Daily BudgetAs you might expect from the name, this is app calculates how much you can afford to spend in a day!Pros: It has the highest rating on iTunes, a very attractive design, and is very user friendly. You put in your (monthly, bimonthly, weekly) income and follow that with your expenses. It has several pre-set categories of expense, but provides the…
Read More
21Nov 2016 by Women's Money
Don’t Let Thanksgiving Gobble Your Money!

Don’t Let Thanksgiving Gobble Your Money!

#WMWeek17, Budgeting, Miscellaneous
The holiday season approaches, heralded by cold weather and Thanksgiving. Even (especially) turkeys know the holidays are stressful. Between higher power bills, gathering relatives, mass cooking, and gifts it’s a wonder any of us make it through. Although we’re not quite to Thanksgiving, our winter holidays loom in the background. For now, let’s  make it through Turkey Day with minimal financial stress. 1. What are Your Needs?In other words, how many people are you feeding? This is a pretty basic question you probably already know the answer too, or could easily determine. For 8 people buy a 12-pound turkey. For 10, buy a 15-pound turkey. (Follow that link for more information.)What if you have less than 8 people? My mom only had 3 people to cook for, which made a turkey…
Read More
10Nov 2016 by Women's Money
Acorns to Assets: Preparing Financially for 2017

Acorns to Assets: Preparing Financially for 2017

#WMWeek17, Budgeting, Debt, Entrepreneurship / Making Money, Goals / Taking Action, Take Action, Women's Money Week
So 2017 is approaching and your financial situation is less than ideal. Believe me, a broke college graduate, when I say I understand. But it’s time to take that mess and sort it out. A scary prospect? Absolutely. But one of the most important things to remember is that building a stable financial life is a process. It’s not going to happen overnight, and that’s okay. I have a few tips and tricks to help begin the process of turning your financial acorns into 2017’s assets.1. BUILD THAT BUDGET!The key word here is “build”. Your budget is your plan for how you will spend your income, and as you change your spending habits and lifestyle your budget should reflect those changes.The first step in building a budget is tracking your spending.…
Read More
04Nov 2016 by Women's Money

Savings: There’s an App for that

Budgeting, Goals / Taking Action, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Saving & Investing
If you’re like me, you probably have a savings account but not a plan for putting money in it. These apps are specifically designed to help with your savings plan.I should let you know that this is NOT a sponsored review. This is a REAL review. No company asked us to do this, I just did this out of my own curiosity and desire to pass along some good tips.Money Box This was by far the most user friendly app I reviewed.  It had a simple tutorial displayed the moment I opened the app or used a feature for the first time. The app is designed to help you save money for specific goals, like school, a car, or a vacation, and helps make that goal solid in your mind. You…
Read More
13Oct 2016 by Women's Money
7 Ways Your Bank May Be Robbing You Blind

7 Ways Your Bank May Be Robbing You Blind

#WMWeek17, banking, Budgeting, Debt, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Saving & Investing, Women's Money Week
Putting money in the bank always feels satisfying. But how do you decide which bank to put your money in? The first thing to consider when choosing a bank isn’t their rewards program or the quality of their commercials. It’s their fees. Realistically, whatever bank you use is going to charge fees, but you want to keep as much of your money as possible and not give it to the bank. Look at your bank, are you getting robbed of your money little by little?  Researching the type of fees associated with checking or savings accounts will save you money in the long run, because you can choose a bank with the lowest number of fees and avoid triggering circumstances.Overdraft fees are one of the most common bank fees. Putting…
Read More