Category: She Makes Cents (Money Journal)

{Financial Goals} Tackle Your Credit Card Debt Today

Published on by Danielle YB Vason4 Comments

Slow-and-steady-moneyHave you ever heard the phrase, “a goal without a plan is just a wish”? Well I’m starting to think that is true. Like many of you, I always have financial goals… some I have shared on this blog and others I have not. As we start this brand new year, I have to ask myself, were my goals of last year actual goals or just wishes for the future? I started reflecting on this the other day while looking at older posts about financial goals. Sure, I can list some of my goals but without a plan, how can I help you as readers follow my financial journey? Isn’t that the point of all of this? I also started wondering how much is too much to share? The answers to these questions will unfold throughout 2013, but for today, getting a plan together is the priority.

The Problem: In my pre-She Makes Cents life, I worked every month and in a short amount of time, I paid off my credit card. Then the bottom fell out and I was using my credit card to simply…live (very honest moment). Long story short, my balance of about $5300 (rounding up) is nowhere near, where it should be. Why, you may ask? Because I was caught up. I started swiping to get the “cash back” deals that I told myself I would pay it off at the end of the month and didn’t. I wasn’t using my envelopes as I should have and I might not have fully realized the my new financial situation.

The Solution: In reading some of my older posts, I remembered a period where I locked my credit card up in a safe deposit box.  Initially, I just wanted to see how long I could go without credit card spending.   I wasn’t swiping, I wasn’t living beyond my means, and the balance was slowly decreasing over time. I am a very goal oriented person, so I know adding the component of an end goal date, one of the tips featured in the post How to Make and Achieve Your Goals, will help.  Thinking back, why did I ever take the card back out?

The Plan: If you are in a similar situation, this is how I plan on making this wish into a goal and a goal into a “been there done that”. While I would like to have this paid off in a year, I know I may need cushion. My end goal date for credit card payoff is August of 2014. That means, with my interest rate, I will need to be making a payment of $294.36 per month to be credit card free by next August (check out the credit card payoff calculator at the bottom of my sidebar to figure out yours).  Instead of paying the minimum, which is NEVER a good look, I will pay the fixed rate listed above or more.  Also, whenever there are cash back deals through my bank, I will use the “rewards” to pay down my credit card. In my research, I have heard the advice to pick up the phone and call your credit card company for a reduced interest rate but depending the company, they may label you as a “high risk” customer and close your account, so do your research first. 

How Are Your Eliminating Your Credit Card Debt?

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{Money & Relationships} 5 Money Questions You Need to Ask Your Significant Other TODAY!

Published on by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

Okay…so a while back I was researching ideas for the Mr.’s 30th birthday gift, when I came across an article about things couples should discuss before taking it to the next level. I read it, thought about discussing it with the Mr., and lost it. Oh well, I thought to myself, until a similar yet more thorough list came across my Pinterest feed. It’s a list of 100 questions from a book called Don’t You Dare Get Married Until You Read This! The Book of Questions for Coupless by Corey Donaldson. Let me now add the disclaimer that I get paid to design andwrite about weddings and other special event, so this type of stuff pops up in my inbox all of the time. This list, however is the most comprehensive I’ve come across, and it includes questions about MONEY. One of the major killer of marriages is MONEY and a couple’s individual and collective attitudes regarding spending, saving, and basic money management skills.  One easy example is Teresa Giudice from the New Jersey Housewives, who once famously said, “her money is her money and his money is her money”.  If you are in a serious relationship, I recommend you talk through these five questions and the others in the book, which I plan on purchasing today!

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE MONEY QUESTIONS BELOW:

1. What justifies going into debt?
2. What are all your current debts?
3. How should we prepare for a financial emergency?
4. Do you feel that lack of money is a good reason not to have children?
5. At this point in our relationship (pre-marriage), would you be comfortable transferring all of your money into my bank account?

cropped-logo-twitter2014.jpgWhat do you think about these questions?

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{Looking for Money} Simple Suggestions to Start Saving Money TODAY!

Published on by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

If I walked in a room and asked everyone who is completely debt free to raise their hands and someone did, I would truly be surprised.  It’s not because I’m unaware of the fact that debt-free people do exist, it’s just because I see an abundance of people from all walks of life trying to get their finances in a better place.  I myself am one of those people.  The inspiration for this post comes after sitting down and looking at my finances for this month.  A wrench was unexpectedly thrown into my financial pattern when a mistake was made on one of my checks (hey, it sucks but it happens).  This caused me to take a closer look at my money.  Where is it going and could I save more?

Here’s what I found:

 I started the morning trying to pay a bill online that I have already paid. What can I say, at the point in the day, I hadn’t gotten my Starbucks fix. Once on the site, though I saw something about saving money with a FREE online Energy Audit from GA Power, so I followed the link. It took less than 10 minutes and it showed me how the changes I have made over the past year have saved me money in a monthly comparison of 2011 to 2012. It also provided some suggestions for home improvements that can increase comfort while lowering monthly bills. According to Energy Star, “a home energy audit is often the first step in making your home more efficient. An audit can help you assess how much energy your home uses and evaluate what measures you can take to improve efficiency.”

After the Energy Audit, I checked out my credit card balance (insert sad face).  Just to give a little background, a few years ago I paid off my credit card by paying a set amount ($200 a month) instead of the minimum payment. During that time, I saw the decrease in the balance move rather quickly. Now, after living off of my credit card for  one year + span of not working, then a complete career change with a different kind of salary, my credit card balance hit an all time high. I’ve been working to pay it and the balance is moving in the right direction, but it’s not moving fast enough.  So, I decided to input my information into a credit card payment calculator to find out the timeframe of being credit card debt free.  I added a credit card calculator on the right panel of SMC, but I really like this one from the Consumer’s Alliance because it reveals just how much that credit card is going to cost you, or how you can pay off your existing credit card debt a bit faster.  Now, i have an exact goal date and I understand better how a few dollars can make a big difference in the end. 

Lets Connect!

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{Money Journal} The Pros and Cons to Credit Card Upgrades

Published on by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

On a given week, my mailbox is flooded with credit cards upgrade offers that I immediately place in the recycle bin. It wasn’t until about a month or two ago that I received two separate offers that made me go hmmm…, maybe I should find out more. So off to the bank I went to speak with a representative about the Limitless Card and the Cash Back card.

The Limitless Card

The first offer that intrigued me was one the limitless card, known to me as the Discipline Tester. I sparingly use my card anyway, so a limitless card would actually help boost my credit score because it eliminates the debit to credit ratio for that card. There are several downsides to this type of card, though. For those who are not careful, the limitless factor could entice one to live beyond one’s means; thus, putting the cardholder further into debt. Another disadvantage to this type of card is the higher interest associated with the card… like say around 22%, which would skyrocket even more if you were ever late for a payment. In my opinion, this card is a NO GO!

The Cash Back Card

A cash back credit card is one that offers a percentage spent back to the card holder. It’s great because you can get money back for things you would buy anyway, like gas, groceries, and sometimes travel expenses. It’s also great, because you can have the cash received applied to your credit card bill, into a checking or savings, or in some cases applied to your mortgage. It’s downside- some people get so caught up in the cash rewards that they spend more than they were initially planning on saving. Therefore, you are basically spending money to get a deal…again, NOT GOOD!

Between the two cards, I did choose to upgrade to the cash back card. I found myself briefly falling into the spending trap of the cash rewards card. On a positive note, the cash back rewards seem to be accumulating much faster than the reward points system of my previous card and I will use that money to in turn, pay down my debt.  More updates to come as I feel how it is working out.

Questions About Credit Card?  Contact Us!

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{B-day Swag} How To Get Free Stuff on Your Birthday

Published on by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

 Calling all Birthday Girls!
As I sit at the computer looking for a birthday dress, I realize that my birthday is right around the corner. But enough about my b-day. I know so many amazing people who are August babies that by the time mine comes around, I am exhausted from the celebrations! This post is for all everyone out there celebrating birthdays, especially those celebrating birthdays today: Kaylah, Nicole, Amanda, Tanika. Last year to the day, I wrote a post about birthday freebies . Now I am here to tell you what actually worked and what didn’t.

My Highest Ranked Birthday Freebie
Hands down- the best freebie I have EVER signed up for is the Chef’s Table from Bennihana! I happily used my $30 gift certificate and enjoyed an amazing evening with one of my really good friends. In addition to the amount of the gift certificate, I can’t help but love that you get an entire month to use it. With my busy work/social schedule, I can sometimes be difficult to try to claim all of the free deals in one day….especially when you should be out painting the town….well PINK!

My Own Epic Fail
I called myself signing up for the birthday club at Moes and for whatever reason, it did not workL. I’m sure this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I was really looking forward to my FREE burritos (I crave Moes all the time). This year, I will make sure I have a paper copy of my birthday email to show.

Other Companies That Offer Birthday Freebies

Tips from the pros
There’s an art to grabbing gratis goodies. Keep these strategies in mind:

  • Set up a dedicated email account for birthday swag. Even if a business promises not to sell your info to marketers, it will likely send regular messages about sales and promotions.
  • Sign up for multiple offers, then s-t-r-e-t-c-h that celebration by dining or going out for dessert out as many times as you can in your birthday month. It helps to have friends who don’t mind being the buy-one half of the BOGO offers.
  • Call to make sure the local store accepts an offer (some franchisees opt out of national promotions).
  • Bring your ID and a printout of the offer, and tell the server ahead of time, not after the check has arrived.
  • When dining out, base your tip on what you would have paid, not what you actually paid.
  • Once your child ages out of the kiddie offers, sign him or her up for the appropriate grownup ones.
  • If it’s a “no purchase required” offer, such as a free bath product, don’t feel obligated to buy something. Just say “thank you” and go.

Happy Birthday!

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{Update} Confession of my New Year Resolutions

Published on by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

New Year’s Resolutions???  That’s so January… Save more money. Eat right. Exercise more. I remember having to try at my goals again after an epic fail the first time around. I think the problem with New Year’s Resolutions is that people set either too many goals or a couple of unrealistic goals. This is why after a couple of days, resolutions seem impossible. Throughout the year, I promised to share my game plan to accomplish some of my goals and resolutions for the year- so here you go!

Check out some of my favs!

Start Putting Money Away for Emergencies

She Makes Cents

January 24, 2012: Since I’m being honest, I might as well go all in. Currently, my emergency fund looks like the sad little piggy pictured above. That’s right, even She Makes Cents, has to get her own finances together sometimes. I almost depleted my fund when… an emergency came up. I am so glad that I got myself into the habit of saving for the unexpected because life would have been so much harder without one.

April 4, 2012:  I have started my emergency fund again and I must say it feels good.  I really hope it will be a long time before I have to tap into it since there isn’t much in there and two, no one likes emergencies.

Cook More, Eat Out Less

January 24, 2012:The Mr. and I love trying new restaurant spots; consequently, we have gotten in the habit of going to restaurants multiple times a week. Sometimes, I even eat out multiple times a day. While examining our finances, we both concluded that we can’t save if we are constantly spending on dinners out every night, plus tips for the servers, plus parking. Do you see how quickly it can add up? Not only are we spending too much, but it is counteracting to my bangin’ body goal.

April 4, 2012: Well….we still eat out, but we are now more conscious of it.  Using the envelope system has really helped with this one.  I set aside a certain amount of money per check for non-grocery food expenses.  For example, I stopped at Smoothie King this morning for a Pineapple Surf and used my “restaurant fund” to essentially…fund it.  The envelope system, regarding eating out, has also forced me to really think about my motivation.  Am I really hungry?  Am I going to be social?  Now, I need to work on the “cook more” portion of this resolution.


Bangin’ Body 2012

January 24, 2012:I think this one is a little self-explanatory. I will just let these swimsuits be my inspiration. I say show it while you got it…so I have to get mine tight. Get it right, get it tight 2012!!!

April 4 2012:  I am pleased to announce that I am actually starting to see a difference in my tummy. I started jogging, stretching, and taking the dog out for longer walks.  I am also trying to eat a little better, so once swimsuit season officially begins, I hope to have accomplished my goal of losing 2 to 3 inches.  As of yesterday, I’m already down an inch.

She Makes Cents get abs

She Makes Cents


Reduce Impulse Shopping


See the World

She Makes Cents svae money
April 4 2012: So my Dad and I are getting our passports updated this week.  This is very necessary since I will be celebrating the Mr.’s 30th birthday in Germany among other places. 

Overall, I’d say that I’m not too far off of my goals for 2012.  While I could be doing better in some areas, I could also be doing A LOT worse.  In fact, as I accomplish my goals, I will start replacing them with new goals.

Let’s Connect!

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inform and inspire ways to use your “cents” to live a fab life

Whose Lifestyle Are You Funding? Yours or HERS?

Published on by Danielle YB Vason6 Comments

Are you trying to keep up with the Joneses?
How about the Housewives on Bravo? If so, you are probably guilty of spending money on the life you thought you lived, rather than the life you are actually living. The number of adults who try to emulate and even compete with their friends, foes, and even strangers on television is appalling. As a child of the entertainment industry, my parents told me at a rather young age that the majority of things you see on television are not real. What is real, though, is the increasing amount of debt that people are incurring doing this.


I was reading an article last week by author by April Dykman of Get Rich Slowly. The premise of the article was that idea that people spend for the lifestyle they want as opposed to the lifestyle one currently has. Dykman maintains that, “If you’re paying for a life you have only sometimes, you’re stealing from your most-of-the-time life. And breaking that habit can make you a whole lot happier”. This got me thinking… am I doing this? Am I spending for the lifestyle I want versus the lifestyle I have? In being honest, I’m not entirely sure. Dykman continues, “I tend to give too much thought to what I do once in a while and not enough weight to what I do every day. For example, I wear running shoes 29 days out of 30 days a month, yet I have three pairs of black flats and only one pair of running shoes.”

Click here to read Dykman’s Save on The Things You Do Daily .

What do you think ?

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The Envelope System Saves $$$

Published on by Danielle YB Vason195 Comments

Someone pinned this picture on Pinterest of them dividing their money into different envelops as suggested by financial expert, Dave Ramsey. His explanation of the envelope system was simple and made cents/sense, so I thought I’d share it. My thoughts are in PINK, of course. I hope you enjoy!

~Danielle

Get on a Simple System

The key component to Dave Ramsey’s, “Total Money Makeover” is the envelope system. What is the envelope system, you ask? Well, according to Ramsey, its “way to handle money still works. People used to always use cash envelopes to control their monthly spending, but very few do in today’s card swiping culture”. I will say that it works and the comments to post prove it. Check out Ramsey’s simple basics for starting a cash envelope system.

  1. Budget each paycheck. Budget is a dirty word to most people, but you must budget down to the last dime if you’re going to successfully implement the envelope system. While I know plenty of people who budget a certain percentage of each check, I budget specific figures.
  2. Divide and conquer. Of course, there will be budget items that you cannot include in your envelope system, like bills paid by check or automatic withdraw. However, you can create categories like food, gas, clothing, and entertainment. I usually work off three main categories: groceries, restaurants/entertainment, personal maintenance (hair, nails, or anything that will help me feel “pretty”). I chose these categories for myself because these are the areas I could be tempted to overspend. I pay my bills off the top and then I budget each paycheck into these categories, which were listed in order of importance.
  3. Fill ‘er Up. After you’ve categorized your cash expenses, fill each envelope with the money allotted for it in your budget. For example, if you allow $100 for clothing, put $100 in cash in your clothing envelope for the month.

From Ramsey

When it’s gone, it’s gone. Once you’ve spent all the money in a given envelope, you’re done spending for that category. If you go on a shopping spree and spend the $100 in your clothing envelope, you can’t spend any more on clothes until you budget for that category again. That means no visits to the ATM to withdraw more money!

Don’t be tempted. While debit cards can’t get you directly into debt, if used carelessly, they can cause you to over-spend. There’s something psychological about spending cash that hurts more than swiping a piece of plastic. If spending cash whenever possible can become a habit, you’ll be less likely to over-spend or buy on impulse.

Give it time. It will take a few months to perfect your envelope system. Don’t give up after a month or two if it’s not clicking. You’ll get the hang of it and see how beneficial the envelope system is as you dump debt, build wealth, and achieve financial peace! See … simple! Truth… I sort of fell of the wagon for a while. I actually, couldn’t remember what purse I put the envelopes in until today, when I found them, and I had $20 in my restaurant fund. I started back on the system TODAY!!! It takes work but most great things do….

photo credit: Tales From the Coop Keeper | content: David Ramsey

What are your categories for your envelopes?

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Confession of my New Year Resolutions

Published on by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

Question… have you already started to deviate from your New Year’s Resolutions? Save more money. Eat right. Exercise more. I have. Two days ago, while taking the time to make my vision board for the new year, I decided to try at these goals again. I think the problem with New Year’s Resolutions is that people set either too many goals or a couple of unrealistic goals. This is why after a couple of days, resolutions seem impossible. Throughout the year, I will share my game plan to accomplish some of my goals and resolutions for the year.

Check out some of my favs!

Start Putting Money Away for Emergencies

She Makes Cents

Since I’m being honest, I might as well go all in. Currently, my emergency fund looks like the sad little piggy pictured above. That’s right, even She Makes Cents, has to get her own finances together sometimes. I almost depleted my fund when… an emergency came up. I am so glad that I got myself into the habit of saving for the unexpected because life would have been so much harder without one.

Cook More, Eat Out Less

The Mr. and I love trying new restaurant spots; consequently, we have gotten in the habit of going to restaurants multiple times a week. Sometimes, I even eat out multiple times a day. While examining our finances, we both concluded that we can’t save if we are constantly spending on dinners out every night, plus tips for the servers, plus parking. Do you see how quickly it can add up? Not only are we spending too much, but it is counteractive to my bangin’ body goal.


Bangin’ Body 2012

I think this one is a little self-explanatory. I will just let these swimsuits be my inspiration. I say show it while you got it…so I have to get mine tight. Get it right, get it tight 2012!!!

She Makes Cents get abs

She Makes Cents


Reduce Impulse Shopping


See the World

She Makes Cents svae money
Stay tuned to see how these resolutions play out. First up in my 2012 Resolution Series will be “Stop Impulse Shopping” in which I will share my game plan to reduce and eventually quit impulse shopping all together. Until then, I’d love to hear what is on your list.

What’s on your list?

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inform and inspire ways to use your “cents” to live a fab life

Changes in Our “New” Economy

Published on by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

This morning I replied to the question,What lifestyle changes have you made in our “new” economy?   Here is my reply:

Creating the blog She Makes Cents, has been one way were I am held accountable for my financial decision…since I’m blogging about it. In our “new” economy and for research for my site, I now do the following:

  • I make spending and saving goals for the month. Then I tell the people around me my goals. That way, when I start to slip or go regress to old habits, I have a support system to help keep me on track.
  • I am notorious for going to restaurants multiple times a week. I now make sure I eat before leaving the house and I pack fruit and random snacks in my bag. That way, when I start to get “snacky” I don’t have to make a trip to the vending machine, closet Chick-fil-A, or restaurant.
  • I track my spending. EVERYTHING! I tried it because of a suggestion from this financial writer. It really adds some perspective to your spending habits and it made/makes me think hard about my purchases and the motivation/emotion behind them. (You can download the original template I used from author Catey Hill, here).
  • I opened an alternate email account and I send email coupons and store sign ups here.
  • Before I go out, I check out Groupon Now, HalfOffDepot.com, & Living Social. Why pay full price when you can get a better deal on the same product and service?

    I have more tips; check out SMC Money Journal & Fix Your Finances!

This question got me thinking about you SMC readers.

What changes have you made, if any, in our “new” economy?

Have you benefitted from any advice you read on here?

I’d love to hear from YOU!

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