HUGE HIT TO MY CASH NET WORTH…

BUT IT FEELS GOOD!

For the last year and a half, I’ve spent literally ZERO DOLLARS on myself. I’ve always been very frugal (not quite a minimalist) and have focused my time, energy, and money on pleasing/helping others.

But this weekend…. Was ALL! ABOUT! ME! 😉 I’ve had some struggles in my personal life and hadn’t been as confident as I should be. People I love had started noticing patterns in my life that weren’t exactly normal! So after a discussion with a concerned family member, it was decided that I would treat myself for once. With that being said, I WITHDREW $500 from my investments and SPENT IT ALL ON ME!

It felt good as heck, too! I bought a boatload of clothes (much better than the thrift store clothes I used to wear all the time, some accessories (including an $85 designer wallet), and some good night’s out with friends!

Withdrawing the cash wasn’t really the wisest decision ever, but it definitely did something for me on the inside that was positive. It was like letting off a whole lotta steam that was built up! That’s the best part about personal finance….. It’s PERSONAL! So even if certain actions aren’t necessarily ‘by the book,’ some times an exception to the rules can be a healthy breath of fresh air.

I feel better. And life is good. That’s what matters most. 🙂

I GOT A BONUS!

Nothing brightens up my day more than walking to my mailbox and getting a check for $138.52!! Owwwweeeee!!!!! It’s not much but it feels good, ya’ll!

Since I’m going by the 80/20 rule, I saved 20% which was $27 (I saved $30:)) and spent the other 80% on gas, my favorite Mexican restaurant, and clothes at the thrift store (4 dress shirts and 4 pairs of slacks for $28)! After all that I still have $7 left and I’m thinking about just throwing that cash into my emergency fund!

Today was a great day already… The bonus was just that…….. A bonus. 🙂

Have an awesome day,

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I’m not one for rules. These rules are the exception, though. :)

I’ve decided to follow one set of rules during my road to building a HUGE asset base!

1. Live below my means (live on less cash than I make!)

• The 80/20 rule is what I’m going to use! – Live on 80% of take-home pay, Save/invest 20% of take-home pay

2. Increase my “means” (grow my income)

• This is one reason I’m excited about being self-employed… I get to decide how much money I make, so an increase in income is VERY, VERY possible!!

3. Follow the first two rules for the rest of my life!

• I don’t plan to follow this one to the “T” …. Because eventually I want to be able to live on 50% and save/invest 50%! 😉 Which is even better!

This December will be my first month living STRICTLY by this set of rules! &I’m looking forward to feeling like I got a raise because I’m expecting a raise in income in December (which will go along great with the $1,000 in extra income I earned this month!) and I just constructed an AMAZING and TOTALLY do-able budget for December! I’m ready to get focused and organized, financially! It looks like this will give me an AWESOME head-start to my next fiscal year starting in January!

My goal is to DOUBLE MY INCOME in 2014!

I’ll end 2013 with roughly $22,000 in total income working part-time jobs and being fairly lazy. But in December of 2014 it will be fun to see the difference in my 12 month income and overall NET WORTH  compared to 2013! Now I’m developing a better work ethic, I work a part-time and own my own business now! So seeing the difference should be interesting!

Anyways… I’m curious. What financial rules do you live by? Let me know! 🙂

Sincerely,

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MONEY MONEY MONEY MOOOOONAY!!

Hey folks! Let’s talk about money for a second! At the end of this I want your opinion! Read on, though… 🙂

A personal pet-peeve of mine is when people discount the importance of money. The statements like “It’s just money,” or any other statement that highlights the opinion that money is not important. Don’t get me wrong. Money is DEFINITELY not EVERYTHING … When you have some!!! But when you’re BROKE……… It suddenly becomes EVERYTHING!! Interesting. My goal, though, is to get some savings so that money won’t have to be everything!

Let me explain. People are important, love is important, personal passions (hobbies, pass times, etc.) are important, giving to and helping others is important!  In fact, all those things is what life is REALLY ABOUT! I’m passionate about generosity and giving and it’s one of my favorite things to do… Ever! Right now, however… Since I have a tiny savings and am basically living paycheck to paycheck, money is on my mind much of the time because MONEY is tied to my SURVIVAL! I have a tiny emergency fund and a debt that’s about to be due in a few months. It’s an absolute understatement to say money is a high priority right now. But check this out… When I have ABSOLUTELY NO DEBT and $3,000-$10,000 cash in an emergency fund and investments, will I be able to regain focus on my passions and stop working so hard?

HELL YES!!!

This is the equation and the way I see it:

BROKE PERSON = SURVIVAL(avoiding eviction, late bills, etc.) >>> PASSIONS, PEOPLE, HOBBIES,

FINANCIALLY STABLE PERSON = SURVIVAL(avoiding eviction, late bills, etc.) <<< PASSIONS, PEOPLE, HOBBIES

&That’s the key, folks. I have a goal and I’m focused on what I’ll be able to do once I become financially stable again! 😀 Money itself is not important… But WHAT IT PROVIDES is what matters! If you have good friends that you can’t spend time with because you’re busy working overtime because bills are coming up… That’s not a friend issue. It’s a money issue. Money determines the quality of food you eat, the quality of doctors you can see, the places you travel and how long you can travel (&travel broadens perspective in a positive way most times), the amount of time and/or money you can donate to different causes, and SO MANY OTHER THINGS!

The almighty dollar is not as important as what it PROVIDES. &&Money is not as important when you actually have some. &When you DO have some, it takes the backseat to the things that REALLY matter! 🙂

Tell me what you think! What’s your view on the importance of money?? I want to hear from ya!! 🙂

Yours truly,

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WHERE’S MY PAYCHECK!!!??!!!

MAN, OH MAN!! Today was a doozie! From the very beginning of my professional career, I’ve gotten my paycheck via direct deposit every other Saturday morning. I’ve loved the certainty I get from knowing that, too. This Saturday, however, I was paid a big fat $0.00! WHAT?!!? I usually don’t get up-in-arms about $$$, but as a recent entrepreneur I use the income from my job to fund my business. Thus, it’s sort of important. 🙂 I talked to my company’s headquarters to ask where the money was and they said it was sent to me via check. THEN after speaking to my office secretary I find out she put my check in the mail(?) on Saturday. Here we are on Monday and it still hasn’t reached me. I have goals to reach here!!

I had no clue people still got paid via snail mail anymore these days. Needless to say I wasn’t a happy camper today. 😐

I’m flat-broke but am eagerly waiting to save and invest!!! (Thinking about getting into real estate in some way, shape, or form… Probably in the form of tax liens…) Ahhh! I’m itching over here!!

Pray for me, folks.

Sincerely,

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Net Worth (November 2013) $528.39

I’ll do a net worth calculation every month on this blog just to show you guys where I’m at financially! There are several ways to calculate net worth (a person’s total asset value) but I’ve chosen to be strict with mine. Usually a person’s net worth calculation includes cash as well as property they own (checking/savings, investments, expensive electronics, jewelry, paid-for vehicles, etc.) minus any debt. But I’ve decided that my net worth calculations will include only my CASH MONEY minus any DEBT. My goal is $1,000,000 within 3 to 5 years! I’m obviously nowhere close to that, but hey… Gotta start somewhere, right??? Here it is…

NET WORTH (NOV. 2013)
ASSETS		THIS MONTH	DIFFERENCE	LAST MONTH
Emergency Fund		$30.50	-$297.50	$328.00
Savings		$0.37	-$26.63	$27.00
Roth IRA		$337.35	$117.35	$220.00
Mutual Fund		$160.17	$160.17	$0.00
TOTAL		$528.39	-$46.61	$575.00
LIABILITIES
Student Loan**		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
^^^Not due until April 2014		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
TOTAL		$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
NET WORTH		$528.39	-$46.61	$575.00

-My emergency fund went down due to poor planning. Thats why I’m lacking there. I’m planning on making it up in the next month and a half or so…

-I also have a tiny student loan that I won’t start paying on until April of next year so I’m not including it in my net worth quite yet! 😉

Like I said, this is a chance for me to start fresh financially! You can too!! Feel free to write a comment about where your net worth is currently and how you got there! 🙂

Sincerely,

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