Lifestyle – Page 15 – shemakescents

{Giveaway Winner} She Makes Cents Congratulates….

Published on February 24, 2014March 14, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

I want to take a moment to congratulate our giveaway winner, Bree S. of Illinois! When asked about her financial goals for 2014, Bree replied, “One of my financial goals this year is to be able to actually budget (yes I said the B word!) myself so that I can afford to move-out and have my own apartment. As a college graduate working full-time, this would be the ultimate reward to finally feel independent. It would only make “cents” “. Please accept this as a small token of my appreciation for your reading and commenting on shemakescents.com!

Stay Connected!

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{Beauty Cents} Have We Forgotten What True Beauty Looks Like?

Published on February 18, 2014February 18, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

Real Women, Real Reactions!

BuzzFeed asked women to take part in an experiment where they were treated to hair and makeup by a glam squad and then modeled in a professional photo shoot. After the shoot, a Photoshop expert retouched the photos to make the women look like the glamorous cover models we see on magazines. They were thinner, lighter in complexion, and smoother. Each woman was shown the picture of their “transformations” and their reaction was not what many would expect.

I recently read a comment someone posted in reaction to the picture below of models and their “before” look (no makeup and pre-photoshop). The person tagged the picture with the comment, “this should make you feel better about yourself”. I personally do not resonate with this reaction. As women we have to stop chasing perfection and start embracing ourselves and each other for the things that make us beautiful and unique. What is perfect, anyway? Beauty is the opposite of perfection; it’s about confidence, charisma, and character!

What makes you beautiful?

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{Week 6 Check In} 52 Week Money Challenge Bingo Style!!

Published on February 7, 2014April 4, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason10 Comments

It’s Friday and your weekly reminder to make your deposit toward your 52 Week Money Challenge. At the end of your 52 weeks, you have an extra $1300.00+ to use however you decide. I do it every Friday and I urge you to do so. The more consistent you are in the beginning the more likely you are to be successful doing it. I completed the challenge last year, which helped me to pay down my credit card balance, as well as, pay for holiday gifts. We are on week six of 2014 and I have used my savings to continue to pay down my credit card debt (just like last year). So far I have saved $99.00, every bit counts, and I am less than six months away from a zero balance on my credit card. If you would like my BINGO style sheet, email me with SUBJECT: SMC Bingo Style Sheet.

What are you saving for?

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{GratiTuesday} Cheers to Being Prosperous & Productive in 2014!

Published on February 4, 2014February 4, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

We are only one month and four days into the new year and I have heard several people say they need a do over. A good friend of mine even messaged me to let me know that she was planning on celebrating the New Year AGAIN as sort of a mental refresh. I came across this and it gave me the refresh I needed to help me tweak my outlook on this strange year, thus far. I am thankful to see a new year and a new day and I am going to live the life I always imagined. That may mean making some changes, but I will have a positive, prosperous, and productive 2014 and I wish you the same.

Pass On the Encouragement: Sharing is Caring

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{Lifestyle Cents} Highly Successful People Make This Type of List…

Published on January 30, 2014January 30, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

she decided to start living the life she imagined…

I’m always reading something and back in December, I came across another one of those Things Successful People Do Differently articles. This article, however, has changed the way I approach goals for myself. As I was going down the list, I was giving myself mental gold stars for every bullet point that I was doing at that time. Read something educational everyday- Check. Keep a To-Do List- Check Check

Then the article mentioned that in addition to To-Do lists, which I am notorious for making, highly successful people are said to make and keep a current “To Be” list. I immediately grabbed a pen and paper and started listing who I wanted to be. Why hadn’t I thought of this before? Or had I? Like so many people, I have taken to Pinterest to design my perfect hypothetical wedding, plan the design for my perfectly organized home, cook like a chef, have a body like a model, a bank account like a Hilton (seriously with all of the high fashion pins I have, I would need that type of budget) and if I were anything like my Pinterest persona, I was able to drop random knowledge about random things at the drop of a hat. Did you know that marshmallows help brown sugar stay soft? Perhaps, I thought to myself, these boards I created for myself are puzzle pieces that make up the person I’m looking to become. My To-Be list is a daily reminder to do something that helps me be the person I want to be. Every time I look at my list or add something to it, I become laser focus on becoming the person I want to be.
Check Out Some of the Points from my December To-Be List:

I want to be…

organized, punctual, chic,
polished, grounded, fit,
healthy,
supportive, well spoken, charitable, prepared,

financially free

Yes, I will continue to pre-plan my wedding because I hope to be a bride someday. As far as having a home that reflects my style, why wait. I have yet to pin a picture of a beautifully decorated home that was cluttered and unorganized. Before trying to spend money on more stuff, I have started simplifying and repurposing what I already have. Instead of just pinning pictures of delicious looking meals, I have started to cook the very recipes I was saving. As far as my high fashion pins, I know it is smart to have investment pieces so I must choose wisely. I decided to start living the life I imagined by penning it (pen to paper) and acting accordingly… you know instead of just Pinning It.

Who Do You Want to Be?

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She Makes Cents Ranks on 10 Best Financial Blogs for Women

Published on January 16, 2014March 7, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason7 Comments

bc-1 January 16, 2014

I can’t think of a more fitting time to start my SMC Journal than today. Yesterday, I received a surprising email from a representative from BadCredit.org, a site created to help Americans with subpar credit find the information and resources they need to make successful credit decisions. The email was to inform me that SheMakesCents.com was named one of 10 Best Finance Blogs for Women. It’s so exciting to know that people out there in cyberspace are actually reading MY blog and visiting MY site. I hope that any recognition from being included on this list opens doors for the site so that I can continue to inspire YOU, the reader. The fab life doesn’t have to come at a hefty price tag. It’s especially fulfilling to know that I have awesome readers out there who not only share their own stories with me, but readers who are willing to join me on my own journey toward financial freedom.

xoxo, Danielle

{SMC Giveaway} Fabulous Cha-Ching Money Purse!!!

Published on January 2, 2014February 24, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

Hello lovelies and welcome to a New Year. In celebration of the wonderful changes and resolutions that will actually happen this year (fingers crossed), I want to reward YOU, the readers of SMC, with a small token of my appreciation. To enter the giveaway, please “share” your favorite SMC post (hint hint… the share buttons are located on the bottom of this post) with the hashtag #shemakescents and leave a cool comment below telling me one financial goals for the new year. One lucky winner will have the choice between being Pretty In Pink or Chic in Black. Good Luck!

Fine Print: The giveaway begins on Thursday, January 2, 2014 and all entries must be received by Saturday, February 1st, 2014 at midnight (EST). The winner will be chosen at random and announced on SheMakesCents.com on Friday, February 7, 2014.

Which Do You Like Best? Black or Pink?

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{Hello 2014} January Photo-A-Day Challenge

Published on December 31, 2013February 24, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

Lights. Camera. Action!

Hello lovelies! It’s time for you to grab your cameras and join our January photo challenge. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone’s Day 24 pictures featuring their 52 Week Money Challenge (Bingo Remix) and the progress you all are making toward your financial goals in the new year. Want to join me for the challenge? Use #shemakescents and #photoaday when uploading to instagram, twitter, & facebook!

Use hashtag #shemakescents and #photoaday

Which Do Use Most? Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook?

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{Money & Friendships} How to Take the Eek Out of Splitting Costs with Friends

Published on December 17, 2013January 13, 2014 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

Gone are the days of six girlfriends splitting the cost of a hotel suite for spring break. If you haven’t realized it, we are now adults and we have new…more grown up financial dilemmas. I have never been one who is weird about money and friends, but I know people who dare not mix the two. I get it; I myself have been burned by the combination, more so from splitting checks than from lending money. Which is why I have to ask myself, how do you take the eek out of splitting bills with friends? Yes, girlfriend, your I.O.U is denied!

Know the Correct Price of the Total Bill

The operative words in this section are CORRECT and TOTAL. It is very easy for people to use lazy math when figuring out who owns what. For example, every time I go to a concert with a group, one person always ends up purchasing all the tickets to make sure that we all get seats together. If concert tickets are $90.00 a pop and everyone pays $90.00 to that lucky friend who pulled the short end of the stick, then that friend is actually losing money. Why, you ask? Well, lets just say the circle of friends used lazy math that did not include taxes and convenience fees. That $90.00 ticket comes with a $16.95 convenience fee, and $7.00 in taxes, multiplied times all four friends, equals no bueno for the one who put it on their card and almost $100.00 of unpaid money.

Cash is King

There is nothing more uncomfortable than getting a restaurant bill and trying to figure out who had the two crab cakes, who got a salad, and who just ordered a glass of wine. Do you split the bill evenly among the people at the table or are guests responsible for their own food? What happens when the payment options include a credit card, debit card, gift card, Groupon, and cash? To take the eek out of splitting the bill and saving your server his or her patience, I suggest making plan for payment clear when getting a group together. Start by letting people know if there is a minimum per person or suggest that everyone brings cash because the restaurant does not split checks. Doing this in advance helps people prepare. Wouldn’t you rather people remember how fun catching up with friends was and not how people where counting money in the corner to make sure that the bill (with tip) was paid.

There’s An App for That!

Okay, so there is an app for everything and now technology has caught up to this uncomfortable scenario. You can now deposit checks with the click of a camera and pay someone back with an email. The options are endless and the excuses are no longer valid. In a post for Daily Muse, Emily Nickerson shares what she refers to as 5 Genius Apps for Splitting Bills with Friends. According to Nickerson, “there are a bunch of great apps that do the calculating—and in some cases even the communicating—for you”. I can only image the number of people who lose out on their money because they don’t want to have that uncomfortable conversation. Of the apps listed, I must say I enjoy the ease of Splitwise… and it’s FREE!

What is Your Experience Splitting Costs with Friends?

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