spending Archives - Women’s Money

22Mar 2017 by Women's Money No Comments

Are the Budget Blues Bringing You Down?

Budgeting, Goals / Taking Action, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Take Action

If you’ve followed my writing, I’m sure you’ve noticed several articles on budgeting. Why so many? Because a budget is one of the most valuable tools for understanding, managing, and growing your money. Yet it seems to me that many people break-out in a cold sweat the moment I say “budget”. If the B-word induces anxiety in you to the point you can’t bring yourself to write one, try changing your terminology. A budget is just a plan for how you are going to spend your money, so try calling it a “Spending Plan”. Using a Spending Plan is a small lifestyle adjustment to help you reshape your spending habits. It takes time and practice to write and use Spending Plans that are reasonable and accurate, but as you develop…

01Mar 2017 by Women's Money No Comments

Plan your Meals; Plan your Spending

Budgeting, Goals / Taking Action, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Relationships & Money, Take Action

Making food at home is an easy way to trim your spending, but it can often feel difficult to fit in cooking, and clean-up, within daily life. A few months ago, my boyfriend and I started meal planning to save money and eat healthier and so far, we’re achieving our goal. There are different kinds of meal planning. In one of the most popular methods, you plan and prepare every single meal for the week in one day. We chose to adapt this method slightly and only plan our meals for the week, but planning and preparing on the same day is very effective for many people. Here is some more information on the strategy, as well as a guide to help you start out. Because Sunday is our day…

04Feb 2017 by Women's Money No Comments

Romance on a Budget

Budgeting, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Relationships & Money

So Valentine’s Day is 10 days away and you still don’t have a gift for your significant other. Don’t worry, I’ve also been procrastinating, but we’re going to get through this together. I’ve compiled a list of low-budget gifts and dates to help us make Valentine’s a success on a budget. 1. Do-It-Yourself Date Rather than spending a bunch of money on a meal in a fancy restaurant, consider making a special meal at home. Set the mood with some candles, some flowers, music of choice, and maybe a tablecloth. It will cost you money for ingredients and some time in cooking, but you don’t have to deal with crowds, you don’t have to tip, and you already have the best seat in the house reserved. If you don’t have time…

01Feb 2017 by Women's Money No Comments

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.…

26Jan 2017 by Women's Money No Comments

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…

23Jan 2017 by Women's Money No Comments

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,…

10Nov 2016 by Women's Money No Comments

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.…

09Sep 2016 by Women's Money No Comments

Teaching Kids About Money and Business with Pokemon Go!

Budgeting, Credit, Entrepreneurship / Making Money, Saving & Investing

I began playing Pokemon Go out of curiosity. There were a lot of headlines surrounding the new phenomenon, and I wanted to experience first-hand what it was about. As I played, I became enthusiast and began writing about the game’s obvious health benefits and how it encompasses the future of mobile applications. Since I’ve been playing for a while now, I’ve observed some other subtle rewards that reinforce my appreciation for the game: most notably, Pokemon Go teaches players (hopefully young players) about money. The game is both a model for how to how to manage money and promote business.Pokestops Introduce the Concept Of Work For PayPokestops are where you go to get more supplies. When you reach a Pokestop, you spin the wheel and it releases a few assets…

21Jul 2016 by Women's Money No Comments

Is Traditional Spending Advice Leaving You Frustrated?

Budgeting, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Saving & Investing

When it comes to stopping splurge spending, we’ve probably all heard the basic advice; “don’t shop while hungry”, “make a list”, etc., but if you’re anything like me, that advice does diddly squat.I do try to eat before grocery shopping, and I do make lists, but neither of those things really stop me from walking out with at least one item more than I planned. Stores are structured to keep you, the consumer, inside and spending money; they put milk at the back of the store so you have to walk past everything and see something you want/need. While I don’t have all the answers to impulse buying, here are a few tips I’ve found helpful.1. Bring a Limited Supply of Cash. This is most helpful for making sure you…

23Mar 2016 by Women's Money No Comments

It’s time to give your finances a spring cleaning. Start with a #FinancialSelfie #WomensMoney

Budgeting, Credit, Debt, Entrepreneurship / Making Money, Goals / Taking Action, Miscellaneous, Money in Your 20s/30s/40s/50s/Retirement, Popular, Relationships & Money, Saving & Investing, Take Action

It's been almost three months since New Year's Eve. The first day of spring has passed, and holidays celebrating reflection and renewal are coming up. It's the time of "spring cleaning". It's also time to get an honest picture of your personal financial condition. Here are some quick, cool, and fairly painless ways to get your financial status reviewed:The Quickie Selfie - Takes like two minutes tops, and you instantly get a general pulse of your financial health.The Full Financial Selfie - Takes maybe five minutes, and again gives you a general (more in-depth than the quickie) pulse of where you're at financially.Financial Freedom Evaluators - If you want the real deal, in-depth experience then you want to try out the Women's Money Financial Freedom Evaluators. This gives you a more in-depth…