She Makes Cents (Money Journal) – Page 2

{BINGO Money Challenge} The Easiest Way to Save Money In the New Year

Published on December 17, 2016January 3, 2018 by Danielle YB Vason6 Comments

UPDATE: Click here for the 2018 version of the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge from She Makes Cents

It’s the season when people begin making new plans to start afresh in the New Year. We make goals/resolutions and we vow to take this great opportunity to reset and do better than the year before. Sound familiar? It’s important that we take time to reflect on this crazy year so we are that much more successful when we start over in 2017. Were your financial goals attained? Did you fall off? Did your goals change? easietway-toavemoney

shemakescents BINGO Money Challenge

This year some of my most basic financial goals included paying off my credit cards, snowballing my student loans, seeing the shemakescents BINGO Money Challenge to completion. For those of you who are new to shemakescents.com, the BINGO Money Challenge is a remix of the popular 52 Week Money Challenge that went viral a few years ago. 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 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. 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. The original version only has a max savings potential of $1378.00 whereas this version has an average of $1900.00+ .

This year, I have been pretty successful with this goal and my other financial goals from the standpoint that I never gave up. There were a few bumps in the road but I pushed through and so many of you did too. In pushing through, I was able to find more efficient ways to work towards my 2017 money goals.

Introducing the #SMCmoneytribe

In reflecting on the past year, I noticed that those of you who participated in the weekly check-ins for the shemakescents BINGO Money Challenge, via Twitter and the Facebook group (click the links to follow), had the highest success rates. For 2017, all those who take part in the BINGO Money Challenge will become members of the #SMCmoneytribe giving you access to personalized check-ins, support of others with similar money goals, and a FREE printable of the 2017 version of the bingo money sheet. Together we will reach our money goals and enjoy the company of other goal-oriented readers. Past members have used their savings for travel, holiday gifts, pay down debt, save for a car down payment, and pay for professional certifications. The sky is the limit with the savings because of the bonus boxes and if you really want to up the ante you can do so by doubling the value of each box.

If you would like the full benefits of joining our #SMCmoneytribe, please click here to download your money card sheet. We would love to have you apart of our group. Did I mention I have saved a little under $1,900.00 with two more weeks to go for the year?? If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@shemakescents.com .

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

{Money Goals} This Money Challenge Beats All Other Money Challenges

Published on September 10, 2016 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Hello Lovelies. Welcome to the weekend! It’s time for check-in for the shemakescents 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge (if you are new to shemakescents.com, click here for a recap of the challenge). Today I crossed off $37.00 on the BINGO Challenge putting me at a year to date total of $1498.00. My year to date total is just one example of how this version of the 52 Week Challenge can help you double your savings opportunity. The original version caps your savings potential at $1378.00, which I have already surpassed. From January to July, I used this money to help me pay down my credit card payments faster. From July to today, I have saved $800+ on this challenge to make a principal payment to my student loans once I get to the $1000.00 mark.

How can you save too?

The great thing about this challenge, is that you can start anytime and it works on everyone’s budget. Just email us at info@shemakescents.com for your FREE copy of the BINGO Money Challenge sheet. The best way to stay in the challenge is to join our Twitter/Facebook check-ins so that you have the support of the community of readers participating in the challenge. To join the twitter check-in, simply tweet me!

Tweet: I joined the @shemakescents 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge to help me reach my #moneygoals.

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

{YTD Update} 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on August 21, 2016January 22, 2017 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

As we approach the end of week 33, I must say, staying on top of the 52 Week BINGO Challenge is taking a little more discipline, for me, than in past weeks. I had a goal to pay off my credit card by August 1st and I beat that goal by a month. How, you ask? Well, the closer I got to a zero balance on that debt, the more aggressive I became with this financial goal. As always, I paid more than the minimum balance and started dumping any and all unassigned money toward that goal. In working toward the big credit card payoff, I developed a solid habit of saving. Now that this first goal is done and the high of the gratification is dwindling down, it does look slightly daunting when I look at my next goal on the snowball– my student loans with it’s $18,593.25 balance. Ugh!! I plan on making quarterly payments towards the principle with the money that was previously allocated to my credit card minimum + the 52 Week BINGO Challenge to shave off years of interest and thousands of dollars.

Heavy Chains of Habit- Good or Bad?

Chains of habit are too light until they are too heavy to be broken. Think about it like this, if you are in the habit of putting money aside every week, at the end of the year the weight of your weekly sacrifice would be greater than if you only saved for one week and then gave up. Every week, saving $10.00 here, $70.00 there, $100.00 every once in a while might not seem like a big deal at the time, but every penny adds up. Every time you save makes the habit of saving that much stronger. The same can be said for bad habits. Spending $10.00 here and $70.00 there may not seem like a big deal in the moment. But over time, that random spending becomes a bad habit and the weight of your debt becomes a heavy burden to carry.

YTD 52 Week BINGO Challenge

Doing the original 52 Week Challenge would result in $1378.00 for the entire year. Doing the #shemakescents BINGO version has me at $1395.00 YTD with another 19 weeks to go for the rest of the year.

{Reader Check In} How Are You Doing?

Published on July 8, 2016 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

I wanted to take a moment and check-in on you, readers of shemakescents. With all that is going on in the world know this, you are loved and you are important. Here at shemakecents.com that love and importance of human life transcends race, gender, class, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and any other ways that people are discriminated against. Be safe out there and keep pushing toward whatever goals you what to meet.

With that being said, I want to encourage those of you who are still committed to the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge. I am so proud of you! Saving money is the easiest part, the discipline to be consistent every week is the challenge. Today I crossed off $19.00 which puts my at a total savings of $1,194.00 (YTD). I am so close to my 1st goal of paying off my credit card balance largely in part to my discipline and support from other people in the challenge. The goal is to go into the month of August with a zero credit card balance. Stay tuned!

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

If you would like to leave an encouraging message below or an update on your savings goals, I invite you to do so in our comments section below.

{Financial Cents} BINGO Money Challenge Hits MAJOR Milestone

Published on June 18, 2016April 13, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

Hello Lovelies! I have some exciting news to share with you this morning. Yesterday I crossed off $14.00 – doesn’t sound too exciting yet, but wait for it….. – on the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge. That $14.00 put me at the $1,000.00 mark for this money challenge! –INSERT HAPPY DANCE!!!!

On the same day that I hit the $1,000.00 mark in savings, I also hit the under $1,000.00 mark in my credit card balance!!! While I am proud of the financial gains made in the first six months of this challenge, I am even more excited about the about the savings habits I have created for myself. I believe that creating a healthy savings routine is the first step on my journey to DEBT FREE living. I was chatting with a girlfriend of mine who made the observation that I have only been focusing on saving and not making increasing my sources of income a priority. In a lot of ways she was correct. I have placed a serious focus this year on saving because in the past, I would start the year strong with savings goals and plans for myself only to find some of them abandoned by mid-year. That being said, splitting my focus between increasing streams of income and saving would have only created more problems at that point in my journey when I wasn’t steadfast in making saving a priority. The phrase, “More Money, More Problems”, exists for a reason. Without a healthy savings routine and more income coming in, I could have easily created more debt and worsen bad spending habits. I have spent the first six months of this year really focusing on correcting past bad behaviors and replacing them with healthy habits. Now that I have solid saving habits, I can start also focusing on increasing income and using that increase to move on the next snowball in my overall financial plan- student loans debt. I attribute my success to personal will, saying no to social (sometimes), and having accountability partners, like readers of She Makes Cents to help keep me motivated. I would love to hear how you are doing with this challenge… the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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

Please share below or feel free to email me.

{Week 12} 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on March 20, 2016March 21, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

Hello Lovelies! I must say, this month is flying by. I am staying steadfast with my progress on the 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge, presented by shemakescents.com. I crossed off $12.00 on my BINGO money sheet. Last mentioned in week 11, I am redirecting money this month in preparation for another money goal. That being said, I have crossed off some of the lower numbers this month. This thing I love about this version of the challenge is that I can adjust my savings based off of my current goals and progress. I started this year’s challenge with over $5,000.00 is credit card debt and I am down to $2650.00. Sometimes I feel like that number is moving slowly; however, I have refused to get discouraged.

What is Keeping YOU Motivated?

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

{February Recap} 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge

Published on February 27, 2016January 22, 2017 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Happy Saturday Lovelies! I was about to do my regular weekly update when I realized that the month of February is technically over (based on our BINGO schedule). Oh how the time flies. This week I crossed off $25.00 on the shemakescents BINGO money sheet. Looking at my numbers, I was definitely able to save more in January than I was this month. I am very proud of my progress and commitment to this challenge and I am so very proud of those on this challenge with me. I have heard inspiring stories from college students, mothers, couples, and career millennials. This reveals to me that this challenge is helpful and fun for a diverse group of people. My goal for March is to exceed the savings from January (the month to beat). Since March 1st marks the 5th year anniversary for shemakescents.com I want to do it big!!

Recap By The Numbers

January- $286.00

February- by the weeks

Week Six: $24.00
Week Seven: $46.00 (Goal Reset)
Week Eight $15.00 (Get My Finances in Formation)
Week Nine: $25.00

Year to Date Total: $396.00

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

{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

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

{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.

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

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.

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