Happy 1st Friday of 2017 everyone and welcome to the 2017 version of the She Makes Cents Money Challenge! Need a quick overview of the She Makes Cents Money Challenge?… click here. If you know me, you know I LOVE Fridays. It’s the day I eat tacos and drink margaritas with a sugar rim, it kicks off the weekend, and it’s the day I make smart money moves on the She Makes Cents Bingo Money Challenge!
The Benefits
They say you should do something today that your future self will thank you for and that is what this money challenge is for me and the #SMCmoneytribe. As a part of the #SMCmoneytribe you will take this financial journey with the best accountability partners….other readers like you. Last year I paid off my credit card completely and I am still carrying a zero balance (insert angels singing…seriously can you hear them?). While I have used the money from this challenge to help pay down debt, other members of the tribe have used their savings to go on vacations, pay for professional certifications, holiday gifts for family, and to ramp up their emergency funds. By accepting this challenge, you will gain more than the financial payout… you will gain a new sense of discipline, determination, and better money habits overall.
Should you get off track, you can always catch up or start over, we just ask that you don’t give up on this challenge, your goals, or yourself. YOU can do it and you have an entire TRIBE of people cheering you on!
Double the Fun
This year I have talked the Mr. into participating…sort of like a dollar for dollar matching. For every number I cross off and save, he will match it. If we decided to “double of fun” last year, we would have saved almost $4,000.00 together. I’m doing this with the hubby because we have a shared travel goals and an invested goal to reduce my student loan debt. The cool thing is that you don’t need a spouse to double your savings, you can do this with anyone who you know and trust who shares your goal. Saving for a girl’s trip, why not combine efforts with your bestie(s)?
If you share your progress on social media (which I highly recommend), please make sure you use the hashtags #SMCmoneytribe so the tribe can cheer you on!
How to Join the Challenge
Want to join the #SMCmoneytribe to get access to a tribe of goal minded accountability partners who are invested in your success and your FREE bingo money guide? Click here, fill in your info, and we will do the rest.
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I pose this question every year and 2017 is no different. What one word reflects your vision for 2017? So many of you submitted thoughtful responses via the 
Four years ago was my year of BALANCE, 2014 was my year of FOCUS, 2015 was my year of PASSION, 2016 was my year of BRAVERY, and I welcome my year of INTENTION. I am working very hard to make sure that my words and actions are in line with the following criteria: Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it truthful? As each year passes, I take a moment and reflect on why I chose my earlier words, where I was in my personal development for that to be a necessary focus, and how I incorporated the meaning of those words in my life. 
Today’s Monday Motivation comes from Simone Biles. Below is a picture Simone put on Twitter with that caption: “out dream yourself”. When you were a child, I’m confident that you believed that you could be anything you wanted to be. I dreamed of being the first ballerina firefighter. Even though people laughed when I said it, I never stopped believing I could actually do it. My parents supported that goal and I have a picture somewhere of me with a plastic firefighter hat on while wearing a pink tulle tutu. I didn’t become the first ballerina firefighter only because I outgrew that dream.
A few weeks ago, I received the Vanish Foundation Stick & Brush from Hourglass Cosmetics via Influenster for testing purposes. Its claim to fame is having the coverage of a concealer, fluidity of a liquid, and the weightlessness of a powder for undetectable full coverage. Well….I put that to the test. First, I selected the color from a computer screen so I worried if the foundation would even match my skin tone. If you are a frequent reader of shemakescents.com, you know that I never leave the house without mascara or a spritz of perfume. PERIOD. Those are my beauty standards and I take them very seriously. Lately though, with the surge of regular women rocking fully contoured faces on the daily, I have been compelled to add to my makeup repertoire. In the past few months, I have spent a good bit of money for drug store foundations/concealers in an attempt to discover a perfect color match and consistency. The sad part is, I spend money on those foundations that I use occasionally since foundation isn’t normally in my daily routine.
shemakescents 