52 Week Money Challenge – Page 4

{Week 8 Recap} Beyonce’, Credit Cards, & the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on February 21, 2016March 3, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

Sunday- the end of the week or start of a new one? For me, it is the wrap up to week eight of 2016 and time for the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge. To chose a number for the week, I start by looking at my bank account and seeing how much I can afford pay on top of my bills and money envelopes. While I manage my money on a zero-based style budget, I do leave a little wiggle room for unexpected expenses and this BINGO Challenge. I then review my credit card statement, since that is how I am using the extra money from this challenge. Looking at the declining balance of credit card debt gets me right back on track when I start thinking about excess spending. For example, I was on the Ticketmaster site earlier this week determined to get BeeHive presale tickets for Beyonce’s Formation Tour that went on sale at 10:00am.

beyonce-10-dollar-bill

9:44 am….I had my credit card out on my desk and was ready to purchase up to four tickets on my card. But why? I love going to Beyonce’ concerts. “It’s about the experience”, is what I said to justify the “almost expense”. I have only missed one of six Beyonce’s World Tours, I Am…Sasha Fierce, so to say that I’m really missing out might be a reach.

9:58am… Credit card is in hand and I am watching the countdown clock for the start of presale tickets. I’m ready to risk my progress toward my financial milestone dates that I have set for myself as an individual and that my husband and I have set as a couple.

9:59:59… I hit refresh. Picturing me, hubs, and another friend couple having the time of our lives. Aww…the fun we are going to have.

10:00am…. I am entering my information trying to get tickets for the Atlanta show. So excited to tell the hubs that I got these tickets for us.

10:03am… “do not refresh or you will lose your place in line” Really Ticketmaster?

10:15am… The same message is on the screen when the phone rings and I have to stop #OperationFormationTour and take care of business. giphy

Looking back, I have to credit divine intervention for me aborting #OperationFormationTour. I was saved by the bell…or ring… especially considering I was prepared to spend up to $150.00 per ticket for this concert. If I am really being honest with myself, all of this was more about FOMO (fear of missing out) than seeing my fifth Beyonce’ concert. Dave Ramsey has famously affirmed, “If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else”. There are a lot of broke people going to see Beyonce’ who are sacrificing responsibilities for what I am sure will be an epic experience. I’m okay missing this concert (unless someone wants to graciously gift me tickets), if that means I am making strides to get to the point where the question changes. I am staying steadfast with my goals and very soon that the question will change from, Should we spend $150.00 per ticket? to What country to you want to see this concert in? For now, I will focus on getting my finances into formation and I will cross off $15.00 on my BINGO money sheet.

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{Week 7 Money Challenge Recap} RESET Your Goals = Success

Published on February 12, 2016February 27, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

“Personal Finance Really 80% Behavior and 20% Head Knowledge”- Dave Ramsey

We are closing out week 2 of February and I have a good feeling that people have started to forget the motivation that most feel at the very beginning of the year. Whether you have forgotten your goals, lost sight of your personal mantra for your year, or given up on your resolutions, know that it is not too late to reset. In the past three years, I’ve gotten off track more than a few times when doing this challenge. That’s why it’s called a challenge. It is not supposed to be easy. Lucky for us, my BINGO version of this challenge isn’t particularly difficult either. Making necessary changes to help you reach your goals, be it financially, socially, or vocationally is all about behavior. You have to retrain your brain and as soon as you start seeing results, you will begin to establish that positive change as a habit and one day you will look up and it will be a lifestyle. You can do it, whatever “it” may be for you. As far as this journey toward financial freedom goes, you are not alone. We are in this together. I’m proud of myself for going strong every Friday with the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge. Today I crossed off $46.00 on my BINGO money sheet for a total of $70.00 extra dollars that went toward my credit card debt (on top of the monthly minimum, of course) this month. Instead of spending $70.00 on my taco habit (Hi, my name is Danielle and I have an unhealthy LOVE of tacos) I invested that $70.00 into my financial goals.

Great job to those who are going all in and staying on the challenge like Alysa T. who check just about every Friday, Briana C., and Chris. C. I also want to welcome the newcomers to the challenge. The beauty of this challenge is that you can start or restart anytime, so if you have gotten off tract RESET today.

Twitter Check-Ins #SMCmoneytalks

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{January Recap} 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on February 5, 2016March 4, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

deuces to the week and hello to the weekend!

This past Friday I was flat out sick and unable to live blog the week 5 progress report for the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge so today’s post is a two-in-one. Last week I crossed off $41.00 on my BINGO money sheet giving me a total of $286.00 for the month of January. Think about it like this, I would end up with $3432.00 for this challenge by the end of the year if I kept repeating the same numbers from the month of January. While that sounds great for the extra money aspect of this, it isn’t that realistic for me since there were five Fridays in this month, I crossed off mostly of the larger amounts, AND did a $100.00 bonus box in week 3.

January Recap- By the Numbers

Week One: $35.00
Week Two: $40.00
Week Three $50.00 + $100.00 (bonus)
Week Four: $20.00
Week Five: $41.00

January Total: $286.00 Total Savings YTD: $310.00

Today is the first Friday of February (and my mom’s birthday….hi Mom!). I crossed of $24.00 today and applied it directly toward my first step in snowballing my credit card debt.

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{Week 4 Progress Report} 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on January 22, 2016May 23, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason10 Comments

It’s the fourth Friday of the year which means it’s time for the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge. Today I have crossed off $20.00 on my BINGO money sheet. This puts me at a total of $245.00 extra dollars to be applied to my credit card balance. What makes this challenge exciting to me is that fact that I’m saving little chucks of money that I don’t miss in my day to day life. I know with each passing week, those “little chucks of money” will start snowballing into something bigger.

Here is how month has broken down so far:

Week One: $35.00
Week Two: $40.00
Week Three $50.00 + $100.00 (bonus)
Week Four: $20.00

We are lucky enough to have five weeks in January, which is great because you gain an extra opportunity to save a little more while the momentum is good and people are still somewhat on focus with their 2016 resolutions.

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How Much Have You Saved So Far?

{Week 3 Progress Report} 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on January 15, 2016May 23, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

It’s Friday and week 3 for me for the 52 Week BINGO Challenge. This week I am crossing off $50 and my first bonus box for $100.00 for a combined savings of $150.00 for week 3 and a grand total of $225.00. Every day I receive emails with inspiring stories of people, their financial goals, and their progress of making smarter money moves. It makes me so happy to get check-ins on Fridays, especially from people who have joined the challenge. I hope is it shows readers of shemakescents that you are not on this financial journey alone.

If you would like a personalized check in, please leave your twitter handle below or tweet me at @shemakescents.

How Much Have You Saved So Far? Please Share Below.

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{Week 2 Progress Report} 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on January 8, 2016May 23, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason15 Comments

It’s the start of the year and people are still very focused with their resolutions. For some, the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge is another goal on their resolution list. For me, it has to be a lifestyle. For the past few years, I have accepted the challenge to save for a specific amount to help with paying down my credit card, saving for the holidays, or even saving to help out with my wedding to the Mr; however, once I accomplished the goal, I fell off. I was doing well with a zero balance and then I started to swipe my credit card for wedding expenses so now I am back to the beginning of Dave Ramsey’s Baby Step 2. That’s why they call it a challenge because it is challenging.

This year, I am back at the goal of wiping out my $3,886.78 credit card balance completely by or before May 1, 2016. My plan is to pay a set amount every two weeks plus the savings from BINGO money challenge, every Friday. Once the credit card balance is non-existent, I can start snowballing my student loans so I can shorten the length of the term dramatically and reduce the amount of interest I would have to pay back. Today, I marking off number 40 on my Bingo Money Sheet (leave a comment below for your FREE copy of the 2016 BINGO style sheet).

What Are You Using Your BINGO Savings For?

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{Super Charge Your 2016 Savings} 52 Week Money Challenge Like You Have Never Done Before!

Published on January 1, 2016May 23, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason22 Comments

Financial Affirmation: “I am aligned with the energy of wealth and abundance”.

Photo Credit- Colin Anderson (Getty Images)

It’s the first Friday of 2016 which means it is time for the Bingo Style version of the 52 Week Money Challenge. For the past few years, I have used the bingo format to help pay off my credit card debt, save for the holidays, and save for a little extra for a wedding. This year, I plan on using the extra money from this version of the challenge to get my credit card balance back to zero (another story for another day) and start snowballing my student loans.

Here Is How It Works!

I’m sure you have seen the original challenge floating around the internet where you make a weekly deposit that reflects the number of weeks of the year. For example, on week one you deposit $1.00 and on week 52 you deposit $52.00 and so on. However, doing it this way will have you shelling out the big bucks during the holidays when people’s money is the most limited. One year, I even attempted to do the original challenge in reverse by saving more money at the beginning of the year and less the closer we get to the holiday season. The only problem with doing it that way was that I was shelling out a lot of money right after the holidays when… for most people, money is still a little tight. I thought to myself…”Danielle, how can you find a way to honor the challenge in a way that will not hurt you financially”? Then I came up with the idea to create a “bingo” style format. At the end of the year, I would still end up with the same amount of $1378.00 and if I am having a tough financial week, I can pick a lower amount to save. The good thing about the bingo challenge is that you are able to start at any time and if you get off track, it’s easy to see where you need to make it up to get back on track. 52 Week Challenge

What Makes 2016 Different?

The power of choosing how much you want to save is what has always made the Bingo Style different from the original 52 Week Challenge. This year, though, we have upped the ante and included optional bonus+ boxes for those who are able and willing to push themselves further on this challenge. It will take more sacrifice, but it will help you gain more strength and momentum toward your financial goals since you will be saving a minimum of $1928.00 versus $1378.00.

Check Ins

You know goals are more likely to materialize when we share them with others. That being said, check ins will take place on Fridays at noon where I will share my progress on the challenge and its effect on my overall financial goals and I encourage you to do the same. I love hearing your stories of how you are doing in the challenge and the financial milestones you have accomplished by making saving a habit of your daily life. Sometimes doing it with a friend or even a blogger friend like me, keeps you better motivated since you aren’t in it alone. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, shoot me a line below or email me for the latest Bingo Style Money Challenge, free to shemakescents readers!

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{2015 Week 11 Update} 52 Week Money Challenge

Published on March 13, 2015March 9, 2015 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

I believe that through knowledge and discipline, financial peace is possible for all of us. -Dave Ramsey

I’ve been contacted by quite a few of you asking for a copy of the 52 Week Money Challenge, which shows me that I am not the only one looking to save money. While you won’t save a MAJOR windfall doing this challenge, you will gain financial discipline. It’s harder than you think to get in the habit of saving but once up pick up the skill, it’s well worth the effort. If you are new to She Makes Cents, I am happy to report that I paid off my credit card doing this challenge as additional payments over the minimum. I am now adding this extra money to my wedding savings account after I see how much I have left from doing a zero based budget…aka, my saving grace!

How Are You Going Use Your $1300+ ?

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{Cash Is Fab} How One Girl Resolves to Never Use Plastic Again!

Published on January 11, 2015 by Danielle YB Vason6 Comments

This morning I was cleaning out old files from the computer, aka procrastinating writing my next blog post, when I found an old resolution. I wrote in it December of 2013 but never posted it. I decided to post it today, however, to show what a year of working toward financial goals looked like for me. I encourage you to write down your goals so you can have a reference of just how far you have come and then take a step back and acknowledge your progress. Check out my 2014 financial goals below:

Cash Is Fab! How One Girl Resolves to Never Use Plastic Again!

Some people hear the word “resolution” and immediately shutter. I on the other hand, look at resolutions as a new beginning… a do over to do better. Hey, if you don’t like the word resolutions, substitute it for goals because everyone knows that goals are AWESOME! This year I resolve to pay off my credit card balance before my birthday in August, kick start my snowball toward financial freedom, and say no to plastic forever (ambitious, right?). I am working toward this goal by paying a set amount every two weeks (each payment over the monthly minimum) and doing the 52 Week Money Challenge (Bingo Style) every Friday. If I were okay with just paying the minimum, it would take me 4 years, instead of eight months, to complete step one of my financial plan. The Bingo version of the challenge plays a big role in completing my financial resolutions because if I am having a tough financial week, I can pick a lower amount to save. Once the credit card is paid off, my monthly credit card payments (including the 52 Week Challenge savings) will become extra payments to my student loans and so on until I have zero debt. I keep myself motivated by constantly reminding myself and my accountability partner, The Mr., of my ultimate goal to pay of all debt, credit card, student loans, and mortgage in the next ten years. If I can’t afford to pay for it in cash, I can’t afford it!

Now, one year later my credit card balance is not a concern because it is non-existent. I sometimes forget about the stress that carrying a credit card balance had on me. Yes, I paid my credit card off and before my target date by doing this risky move, which worked and then immediately backfired. I also think about how my snowball plan for my student loans has been transformed into a snowball for my October wedding expenses to the Mr. Boy oh boy, what changes can happen in a year.

Finish the Sentence: I Resolve to ________

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{Super Charge Your 2015 Savings} 52 Week Money Challenge | Bingo Style

Published on January 1, 2015May 23, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason10 Comments

Can I get a “BINGO”? It’s a new year, which means it is time for the 52 Week Money Challenge. I can tell by looking into my stats for the She Makes Cents that people are researching ways to save money in the new year. I mean really, we can all do something a little different with our financial decisions that will set us up for financial success. For the past two years now, I have taken part in the 52 Week Money Challenge. In participating for the past two years, I created a simpler way to save that was both lucrative and effortless. My She Makes Cents Bingo Style Sheet, free for She Makes Cents readers, has made it easier for those participating in the challenge to save money on one’s own terms. Using my Bingo Style Sheet has helped me to pay off my credit card debt, save for the holidays, and start saving for my wedding in October.

How Does It Work?

The original challenge was to make a weekly deposit that reflects the number of weeks of the year. For example, on week one you deposit $1.00 and on week 27 you deposit $27.00 and so on. However, doing it this way will have you shelling out the big bucks during the holidays when people’s money is the most limited. I thought to myself…”Danielle, how can you find a way to honor the challenge in a way that will not hurt you financially”? Then I came up with the idea to create a “bingo” style format. At the end of the year, I would still end up with the same amount of $1378.00 (without doing any of the bonuses) and if I am having a tough financial week, I can pick a lower amount to save. The good thing about the bingo challenge is that you are able to start at any time and if you get off track, it’s easy to see where you need to make it up to get back on track.

Still Need Motivation?

I will post my progress on Fridays and I invite you to keep us up to date on your progress. I love hearing your stories of how you are doing in the challenge and the financial milestones you have accomplished by making saving a habit of your daily life. Sometimes doing it with a friend or even a blogger like me, keeps you better motivated since you aren’t in it alone. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, shoot me a line below. Happy Saving!

How Are You Going Use Your $1300+ ?

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Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com