Monthly Archives: May 2011

Reduce Your Student Loan Debt Class of 2011

Posted on by

0

Graduation

Congratulations to the Class of 2011. That’s right, graduation season is here and for those who believe the world is going to end tomorrow, you are in luck! You see, dear ole Sallie Mae is coming for you 6 months to the day that you walk across that stage… but if the world ends, you don’t have to worry about student loans and the debt that comes with it, now do you? If I were as sure as others that the world is about to end, I would have chucked the deuces at my girl, Sallie in a heartbeat. Let me just say that student loans and the debt that comes with it are not all bad and while you could believe months from now that Sallie Mae is the devil, she doesn’t have to be. Think about it, Sallie was like your home girl, bestie, or fav from school who let you borrow a few hundred or thousand dollars here or there when you needed that new computer, housing, or were falling financially shy of your balance to register for class. She said, “Don’t worry about it; I’ll take care of it. You will pay me back someday”. Well recent graduates, someday is sooner than you think! She wants her money NOW!!!

Here are some steps that should help you adjust to the change in your relationship:

  • Don’t Fall for the Minimum Payment Game. If you can, always pay more than the minimum payment. The same rules for paying the minimum of credit cards apply here. You can do this one of two ways. For an entire year, I paid my Sallie Mae bill twice (the 15th and the last day of every month). Doing so, allowed me to get my payments a year in advance so while I was not working, my Sallie Mae bill was still current. One thing I would point out, that I actually forgot during my year off from paying Sallie Mae, is that interest accrues daily. If I had the opportunity to do it again, I would still pay twice but I would apply the first payment to current bill and the second full payment to the balance. That way, I will pay the balance down without wasting extra money on interest. Plus, doing this will shorten the life of the loan.
  • Find out if there is a pre-payment penalty for your loan(s). If there is no penalty, you should set aside some graduation money and start paying down your BALANCE before your official payments begin.
  • Consolidate. Consolidating your student loan(s) means that you take out a new loan to cover all of your old loans.
    Instead of have a bunch of different loans, you now make one payment that represents a combination of all of your student loan debt. No more multiple payments and due dates. Plus, you can take the lowest interest rate to apply to your newly consolidated loan, lower your monthly payments, and easily apply for alternate payment plans if your financial situation changes. As with most things, consolidating has its cons. Some have pre-payment penalties (mine didn’t), lowering your monthly payments could end up in extending the life of your loan, and there is the potential for more interest. Do your homework for this one- what works for one does not work for all.
  • Student Loan Debt is a good thing? Yep. Paying off your student loans is an excellent way to establish good credit. If you pay on time and pay more than the minimum, you will be well on your way to good credit. Visit, here, to learn other ways to raise your credit score.

Let us end this post on a fantastic note, congratulating the graduates of 2011. If you graduated this year, congrats to you as well.

Congrats to the Following Graduates

De’Jonique Garrison

Micki Jackson

Teraneshia Nash

Jay Cuyler

Cameisha Clark

Serena Rogers

_________________________________________

Lauren Travis, JD

Christian Mitchell, MA

Tiffany Davenport, DPT

Akilah Bacy, JD

 

 

 

 Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates.

Like what you saw?  Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

 


 

19 FREE Kindle eBooks

Posted on by

0

 

Like what you saw?  Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

 Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates.

STONEnyc: Find Fab Jewelry on Any Budget

Posted on by

0

Once upon a time a woman let go of all inhibitions and allowed Prince Charming access to her sole(s). Yes, a pair of shoes transformed Cinderella, a working woman, into royalty…. If only this were true in real life. While I don’t own a pair of glass slippers, I do own a fabulous pair of Chanel sandals purchased first semester of my freshman year of college. I love them. I love them. I love them….and boy oh boy the secrets they would tell if shoes could talk. I believe the first confession would be about how I bought a pair of $1000 Chanel sandals from Bergdorf’s on sale for a little under $200 (Thank you God for a size 35.5 shoe) or how those very same shoes were born from a labor of love, also known as a shopping-showdown. Disclaimer: It would not be in your best interest to come between me and a sale. Back then, finding deals of that magnitude were best done in person, now-a-days you might be just as lucky on the web. Now I won’t reveal ALL of my little pleasures, but one good place to start would have to be STONEnyc.

STONEnyc is not a shoe store, it is an online boutique featuring jewelry and accessories by designers from New York to Los Angeles, Canada and beyond. Did I mention it is also one of my newest secret happy places? Why?

Find out in my Top 5 Reasons to check out STONEnyc:

  1. The Mission is Awesome:to be an outlet that encourages women to create their own style.
  2. One of A Kind: rarely will you hear someone say, “oh I have those earrings” when you rock pieces from STONEnyc.
  3. Crystal Whalum: owner and one fly chick who I met while she was making her mark by influencing AUC (Atlanta University Center) fashions one bracelet at a time. She is gorgeous, humble, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
  4. The Price is Right: The price points fall within everyone’s budget. For example, rings range between $15- $295.
  5. Promos: Not too long ago, STONEnyc offered a giveaway to their Twitter followers. I would encourage you to follow @mySTONEnyc and @shemakescents for future promos.

In the meantime, check out a few of my favs. I found my slippers from Chanel, I found my special ring from STONEnyc, where is my Prince Charming? j/k

Gold Big Bow Ring

 

Statement Necklace from STONEnyc

 

 

Charm Bracelet

 

Click here for the entire STONEnyc Collection

 Follow @mySTONEnyc

 

Like what you saw?  Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

 Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates.

 

Swap Party: Renew Your Wardrobe on a Budget

Posted on by

0

I have two words for you:  SWAP-PARTY!  For those of you who are unfamiliar, a fashion swap party is a creative and cost efficient way to renew your wardrobe and possibly clean out your closet at the same time. This Saturday, May 14, 2011 Fashion Envy, LLC and PGRDresses have joined forces to bring Atlanta the most anticipated SWAPINISTA DAY PARTY.  Are you ready?

To participate you must bring at least 3 new or gently used articles of clothing and/or  accessories.  Think about the rules for selling to a consignment shop and apply those same rules here.  Gently used… is not ambiguous so please bring your clothes to the swap party clean and in a ready to wear condition.  Your items will then be ranked on a silver, gold, and platinum system that corresponds to swap bucks.  Silver equals 1 swap buck and represents economy brands like Walmart and Target.  Gold equals 2 swap bucks and represents department store brands.  Platinum equals 3 swap bucks and represents designer label brands.

If this isn’t reason enough to grab your girlfriends for a chance to update your clothing and accessory game, please allow me to share my 3 top reasons for attending this particular swap party.

  1. The Vendor Suite.  Discounts, freebies, samples…oh my!!  Perhaps, Saturday will be the day you find out about a business you never heard of.  I think this is a great opportunity to meet the represented businesses, don’t you?

VENDOR SUITE

Funky Flair Boutique

Metropolitan Frock

Sassy Mitchell

Cupcake Diva LLC

Carson Bryce Trading Company

 2. The Pamper Lounge.  Upon purchase of your ticket, you are given the options of spa and/or salon services.  I chose the massage and I can’t wait!!

PAMPERING LOUNGE

Chair Massages by Develon Anthony

EyeBrow Threading by Baziara Campbell

Eye Make-up Application

3. The Feeling of Philanthropy.  Do good feel good.  Unclaimed items and a percentage of the proceeds will go to a non-profit.

See you at 2pm on Saturday at the Emerging Art Scene at Castleberry Point.  For advanced tickets, click here.

Like what you saw?  Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

 Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates.


SMC Answers Email Question: How to Get the Most Out of Coupons

Posted on by

2

Today, I will be providing information to answer an email question that was submitted to She Makes Cents via my About.Me page, which by the way you should totally check out!

I’m trying the coupon bit, can you please show me how to use them, I guess coupon 101, and how to get the most out of my coupons, I often see where folks buy $600.00- 1100.00 in value , but pay $50.00 or less, can you teach me how to do that?

First off, congratulations on making the decision to start reevaluating ways to make your money work for you and not the other way around. To be honest, I do not coupon to this degree where I buy ”$600.00-$1100.00 in value, but pay [around] $50.00 or less”, but I have seen it done. If this is the level of couponing that you aspire to, then there are a few things that you must consider:

  • Keep an ongoing grocery list. This helpful because it I find it easier to jot down an item I’m running low on or completely out of when I’m thinking about it. That way, it ensures that it makes it on my list. If I start a grocery list right before I go to the store, I risk forgetting something I actually need or spending money on products that I didn’t know I already had.

     

  • You must be extremely organized. Keeping up with coupons to multiple stores can easily become overwhelming if you do not have a system in place. Reuse a folder or an old note book where you store your coupons. Find a way of filing that works for you. For example, you can store coupons by type of product (groceries, health and beauty, fashion, restaurants, etc) or by store.

 

  • Don’t get tricked into buying things you don’t need. Stick to your list. Review your ongoing list before you actually go shopping. Then compare the list of items (including specific brands) on your list to your library of coupons you have compiled and filed away oh so neatly in your folder or notebook. Just because the coupons mentions that you have to buy three of the same products to get .75 off, doesn’t mean it is a good deal. Who really needs three containers of mayonnaise any ways?  Remember the tour of Amanda’s stockpile from TLC’s Extreme Couponing?

 

  • Know the stores’ policy about couponing. Some stores allow manufactures coupons and some don’t. In addition, some stores allow the practice of double couponing and some don’t.

 

  • Read the small print. So this one is self explanatory, yet few people actually take the time to read the tiny print. Think about it for a second, they make it small for a reason. It’s better to know the limitations of the deal before your get to the cash register.

 HOW TO SPEND $16 FOR $75 WORTH OF STUFF AT TARGET

 

CHECK OUT WHAT $20 AND COUPONS WILL GET YOU…YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE IT

 

 

Like what you saw?  Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

 Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates

 


 

9 FREE Kindle eBooks

Posted on by

2

Update: How to Get FREE Internet- The Legal Way

Posted on by

1

So, I’m in my office. My lemongrass candle is burning and I am typing away…when all of the sudden I get a text message

Free T-Mobile Msg: Phone Tethering & Wi-Fi Sharing access has been blocked. Please add a Phone Tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing plan available at my.tmobile.com

Apparently for $14.99 a month, I can continue using my cell as a portable hotspot. While I know everything has a price, I do find myself a little frustrated. For one, I now have to add an additional bill for internet, which definitely sucks. But more importantly, I find myself frustrated with T-Mobile with whom I called to get clarification. Remember this from How to Get FREE Internet- The Legal  Way:

While nothing in life is free, my newly discovered internet access is not the result of adding an additional bill.  Just to make sure it was not too good to be true, I called my cell phone provider, T-Mobile, to confirm that using the “portable hotspot” from my phone would not affect my bill.  The T-Mobile representative informed me that using my phone as a portable hotspot, would not affect my bill because I currently have an unlimited data plan. 

I don’t like to receive half-truths and I definitely don’t like to write them here in She Makes Cents. The information presented in the April 27, 2011 post included the disclaimer about the information being true to my knowledge. I now officially present this update as a partial retraction.

Honestly, $14.99 a month isn’t bad for portable internet and it is a plan that I will consider when researching internet service providers. Until then, I guess I’m back to working on SMC from the land of free internet, also known as my parents’ house.

Like what you saw?  Share the knowledge with the “share” buttons below.

 Subscribe via email or RSS Feed for FREE updates.