Danielle YB Vason

What Is a Zero Based Budget & Why You Need One

Published on June 10, 2014October 16, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason5 Comments

The Zero-Based Budget

A Zero-Based Budget or “zero balance budget” forces you to justify each expense by assigning a dollar amount to every move you make with your money. That is to say, your income minus your expenses, equals zero. Radio host and financial advisor Dave Ramsey explains, “If you cover all of your expenses during the month and you have $500 left over, you aren’t done with the budget yet”. Although Ramsey speaks of the zero based budget in terms of monthly spending, I prefer to budget twice a month since I have irregular income. You know exactly where your money is going, it leaves no room for overspending, and it is based on your current needs, which are clear advantages to this type of budget.

519515599

I used to write down every expense to get an overview of how I spend money. It was good because I was able to see patterns in my spending that I was unaware of. Outside of being a very tedious task of tracking every expense (pre-smart phone apps), doing this sort of overview only happened AFTER I have already spent the money. Nowadays, I take a more proactive overview of my finances and I spend my income on paper BEFORE I spend a dime in reality by using a zero-based budget.

How to Make a Zero-Based Budget Work for YOU!

Sure there’s computer based software for budgeting, but I find a simple pleasure of the good ole’ pen to paper method. It’s my personal preference but in order for you to be diligent in your effort, you should choose whatever makes you most comfortable. Got your tools? Let’s go!

Read the Full Post Here: 6 Easy Ways to Make A Zero-Based Budget Work

Let’s Connect!

shemakescents{at}gmail {dot}com | Instagram @shemakescents

Health & Wellness Tips that Every Woman Should Know

Wellness Habits Every Woman Should Adopt for a Healthier Lifestyle

Published on June 9, 2014December 28, 2018 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

What ONE Word Do You Want People To Think Of When They Think of YOU?

Published on June 4, 2014June 3, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

Recently, I was asked this question and I admittedly I drew a blank… at least for the first few minutes of the conversation. Over the years I have gone back and forth about whether other’s views of me are important and I have come to realize that while I can’t control what other people think, I can control the energy I put out into the world. Since the conversation earlier this week, this subject has come up in both a professional and social setting where cause and effect and appearance and reality merge. Professionally, what your coworkers think of you and how they describe you to others could have an effect on your progression within your company and/or chosen field. If excellence is not your brand and others share their thoughts of you with others, you could seem to others as anything and everything less than excellent.

So I ask you…. what ONE word do you want people to think of when they think of you?

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, RSS Feed,

Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com

Still I Rise…

Published on May 28, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise.

Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928- May 28, 2014)

{Week 21 Update} 52 Week Challenge Helped Me Hit A Financial Milestone!

Published on May 24, 2014May 24, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason4 Comments

It’s week 21 of the 52 Week Challenge and I am five weeks away from the half-way point of the challenge I started on Friday, January 3, 2014. Over the course of 21 weeks, I have saved over $500.00 dollars that I would have spent on random bits and baubles. Doing this challenge, along with deciding to play a little Russian roulette with my finances, has helped me to pay off my ENTIRE credit card balance three months ahead of schedule.

While some may think a money challenge like this is not worth the effort, I strongly disagree. Not only are you putting money aside for whatever your current financial goal may be, be it paying down debt, saving for a new car or home, or planning a wedding, you are also altering your previous financial behaviors. Personal finance is 80% BEHAVIOR and only 20% HEAD KNOWLEDGE! Just taking the steps to start a challenge like this means that you are getting into the habit of saving. Becoming successful in the challenge means that it has become a part of your lifestyle and not a temporary behavior change. I urge you, if you have thought about ways to save money to try this challenge BINGO style. It’s the easiest way to save extra money under your own terms.

Email me for a copy of my 52 Week Challenge Sheet & Start the Challenge TODAY!

Let’s Connect!

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, RSS Feed,

Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com

What Salary Are You Looking For?

Published on May 21, 2014April 7, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

I talk about money every day and while the subject can be uncomfortable for some, I find it proactive and therefore worth the temporary discomfort. To me, it is better to have “the talk” early with yourself, your family, and within your relationship because you are more likely to be successful when everyone is on the same page. However, in my current job, I have found the subject of salary negotiations to be the hardest subject to bring up. I kick myself every day for not engaging in salary negotiations BEFORE accepting the job, which is a mistake that research has shown is most made by women.

In an article for Reader’s Digest, an unnamed HR professional from New York admitted, “If we ask ‘What salary are looking for?’ say you’re flexible, or say it depends on the responsibilities of the job. Try not to name a salary unless we really push you, because that gives us a leg up in negotiation”. I think this is excellent information because once you sign on the dotted lines, there is little room for renegotiating.

What is your approach to salary negotiations?

shemakescents{at}gmail {dot}com | Instagram @shemakescents

Extra! Extra! Read All About it! She Makes Cents Hits MAJOR Milestone!

Published on May 17, 2014June 9, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason6 Comments

2,000,000 Views

This has been a very busy week for SheMakesCents.com, the chic and sassy money-saving site for women that inspires ways to use your “cents” to live a fab life. I am proud to announce the site has hit the 2 MILLION views mark and I wrote my 500th post…all this week! I want to take a moment and extend gratitude to each of you who have taken the time the read my posts, comment with your thoughts, share with your friends, and trust me with your personal stories of financial worries and successes. So no more sleeping in today. Rise and shine, lovelies…..get glammed up and celebrate!. I plan to celebrate this milestone in blogging and I urge you to celebrate your financial milestones- big or small. There is no cookie cutter definition of the fab life and each of us are proving that as we redefine what it means to us. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams and I thank you all for helping me see mine materialize.

xo, Danielle

Tell Me About YOUR last MAJOR life milestone!

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, RSS Feed,

Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com

{Health & Finances} What is the difference between a Co-pay and Coinsurance?

Published on May 13, 2014May 12, 2014 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

I will admit that the topic of “health insurance” is NOT SEXY; however, when that moment comes where you are sick or injured, knowing that you will not have to come 100% out of pocket does sound attractive. Between the deadline of the Healthcare Reform Act this past March and the realization that I was no longer on my parent’s insurance, hit the reality that it is not only my financial responsibility, but also my duty to myself to figure out what it all means for my health and finances. I found myself getting frustrated during the process of picking a plan that is right for me because I was not familiar with the terminology that everyone else seemed to throw around so freely. Since my mother works in healthcare, she always took the lead in handling my medical and insurance matters for me…leaving me stressed and clueless when it came time for me to do it for myself. I wanted to know how to read my bill and what to budget for doctor’s visits. I figure, it starts by speaking the lingo.
Photo Credit: Stockphoto4u/istock.

Copayment
If you have a managed-care health insurance plan, your copayment “copay” is the fixed amount you pay for each in-network doctor’s office visit or approved medical treatment. In some plans, the copayment to see a specialist to whom you’re referred is higher than the copayment to visit your primary care physician. If you see an out-of-network provider, you are likely to be responsible for a percentage of the approved charge, called coinsurance, plus any amount above the approved charge.

Coinsurance
When your healthcare insurance has a coinsurance provision, you and your insurer divide the responsibility for paying doctor and hospital bills by splitting the costs on a percentage basis. With an 80/20 coinsurance split, for example, your insurer would pay 80%, or $80 of a $100 medical bill, and you would pay 20%, or $20. Some policies set a cap on your out-of-pocket expenses, so that the insurance company covers 95% to 100% of the cost once you have paid the specified amount.

{source: Yahoo Finance}

The Take-Away
Unfortunately, there are no one-size-fit all insurance plans for the masses. When deciding on a plan you must take into account how you regularly you see the doctor and how much you can afford should something unfortunate happen. If you see the doctor regularly, it may be beneficial to find a lower co-pay plan. The good thing is you no longer have to budget things like birth control, preventative tests, or physicals into your budget.

Let’s Connect!

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, RSS Feed,

Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com

{Style Cents} The Most Stylish Way to Destroy A Credit Card

Published on May 13, 2014May 12, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

{Photo Source: Clossette}

I saw this picture not too long ago from the blogger and self-proclaimed JeDIY master, Yuka Yoneda, of Clossette.com and my mind started to race. That’s right, you are looking at a fabulously easy DIY name necklace repurposed from her old Macy’s card. People cut up credit cards all the time to celebrate a BIG pay off, to keep themselves from going into further credit card debt, or because they were issued a new card. No matter the reason, this is definitely a more stylish option than going all Edward Scissor Hands on your old card. I still can’t fathom the thought of doing the “big chop” on my credit card once it hits a zero balance. It’s hard to shift that paradigm of having a credit card simply “in case of emergencies” but I am starting realize that is what my emergency fund is for. I’m not sure if I am ready to cut my current card, but I have a card or two that had to be replaced because of a corporate breach. If you are taking part in this DIY, remember to first demagnetize the card, shred the card after you have removed your “name plate”, and dispose on trash day.

Chic or Cheap?

FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, RSS Feed,

Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com