best money saving blogs for women

{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.

{The Countdown Begins} She Makes Cents Returns

Published on December 17, 2015January 7, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

Food For Thought: Finances & Job Security

Published on October 13, 2014October 13, 2014 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Truth- There is nothing secure about job security. In fact, the emotional and physical stress that people experience over worry of losing a job and not being able to keep up a lifestyle or provide for a family is all too common. According to this article from the Wall Street Journal, “As many as two-thirds of people in the U.S. don’t have the recommended six months of expenses saved. The percentage of people with savings enough to cover at least three months shrank to 40 % in 2014, compared with 45%, a year earlier.”

So when do you make a plan for the worst? Well, it’s better to have one in place before you need it…and I hope you will never need it. Having the recommended six months of expenses is just that- a recommendation. You have to figure out what amount works best for you and if you are like me, having a goal and a plan to get more than the recommended amount would put my mind at ease, since it can still take more than six months to secure a new place on your career path. The good news is, it is never too late to start protecting yourself financially. Are you saving enough? If not, don’t undercut yourself by saving a little this week and skipping next week. Get in the habit of paying yourself first! You owe it to yourself and those you support to be financially secure in a world where job security isn’t secure.

Companies are downsizing, departments are being eliminated, and employers are trimming the fat. If you lost your job today, how long would you be able to survive financially?

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{Splurge or Save} Christian Louboutin Nail Polish

Published on July 24, 2014August 13, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

Anyone who knows me personally, knows that I have an affinity toward nail polish. The Mr. once described my behavior in a Sephora on the Las Vegas strip as a “lioness approaching her prey”. With that being said, I have tried it all and I must say, nail polish should not be a splurge. Take the Christian Louboutin nail lacquer that was released yesterday. For $50.00 a bottle, that is smaller than the average nail polish bottle I might add, what are you getting?- A nice rouge polish that can be replicated with OPI or even NYX polish (which is becoming my new favorite because of how long it lasts). You see, you are paying for a name, cool branding with the spiked top, and for people to see you wearing Christian Louboutin. But unlike his shoes, which can be readily identified by their distinctive red bottoms, no one is going to recognize your Rouge Louboutin polish. Think about it like this, 12 bottles of polish could buy you a pair of Louboutin heels…which I would consider a better investment, by far.

Splurge or Save? : SAVE

Would you spend $50.00 for nail polish?

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{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?

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{Week 14 Update} 52 Week Money Challenge

Published on April 4, 2014January 22, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

It’s Friday already and time for your 52 Week Money Challenge reminder. For those of you, like me, who began on January 3, 2014, we are 14 weeks in for this year! Today, I crossed off $25.00 from the SMC bingo style money sheet , which puts me at a grand total of an extra $344.00 saved thus far. The closer we get to August 1, 2014, my goal date to have a zero balance on my credit card, the more excited I get. In some ways, the feeling I get every time I see the balance drop is becoming stronger than the high I get from shopping. I am planning for big things to happen THIS MONTH by paying my set payment of $300.00 per month + the 52 Week Challenge each Friday + the possibility of a somewhat risky financial move, which I will talk about in Monday’s post. Stay tuned to see how I plan to slash my credit card balance from $1345.00 (current balance) to less than $500.00 by the end of the month by taking of gamble with my finances. If you want big rewards, sometimes you have to take big risks!

{Business Cents} Is Thinking Like A Woman Not Enough to Become A Boss?

Published on March 20, 2014March 20, 2014 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

I like the quote “Act like a Lady, Think like a Boss”, but after admittedly over thinking it, it might not be as empowering as I once believed. Perhaps, the shift in my thought process came after the quote was expanded to say, “look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, & work like a boss”. First off, I’m not a girl, rather a grown woman climbing the corporate ladder and this quote, in my opinion, perpetuates two very poignant paradigms that have been instilled in our culture. The first, that thinking like a man yields better professional results and the second; thinking like a woman is inferior. Is thinking like a woman not enough to become a boss? Is this part of the reason gender and pay inequality is still very present in the workplace? Better yet, are we losing the “corporate game” because we are playing “like a girl”?

Join SMC next Wednesday as we begin our “Like a Girl” series as I take on topics of Women, Business, & Money explored through studies, career experts, and personal experiences. My goal is to redefine the standard of measurement while shedding light on some awesome women who are kicking ass and taking names in their careers!

Your Thoughts…?

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