{Week 16 Update} 52 Week Money Challenge

52 Week ChallengeHello Lovelies and Happy Friday! We are coming to the end of week 16 of the year. So far, I have saved an extra $370.00 as of this morning when I crossed off number 11 from the Bingo Money Saving Sheet. I know many people make grand financial goals in the beginning of the year in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. The intentions are good but somewhere along the lines, people justify giving up on their resolutions because they did not make them a part of their routine. I am here to urge you if you never tried this or even if you did and stopped along the way to start the 52 Week Money Challenge (Bingo Style). You don’t have to wait until next year to start because the beauty of this challenge is that you can start anytime.  If you want my Bingo Sheet, send me an email!

Happy Saving!

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{Week 8} 52 Week Money Challenge

Hello lovelies. It’s week eight of my 52 Week Challenge and so far I have saved $190.00. While that may not sound like much, especially over the course of eight weeks, it will still add up to over $1300.00 even before I up the ante with the bonus boxes I added to my Bingo style sheet.  Since announcing my bingo style, I have been flooded by emails from people who are joining the challenge in hopes to save a little extra money to buy a car, pay down debt, save for a wedding, and finally take that vacation they always wanted.  What makes this challenge unique is I don’t even miss the money I put aside since it has been so easy to keep up.  Every Friday I pick a box and use that money to help me pay off my credit card.  My goal is to have a zero balance by August 1st of this year! 

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What are you saving for?

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She Makes Cents Ranks on 10 Best Financial Blogs for Women

bc-1January 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

 

{Chasing the Saturdays} How I Saved $500+ Before Breakfast!

she-makes-cents-saturday-post-breakfast

I woke up in a weird mood this past Saturday. I was torn between excited to tackle my never-ending to-do list and not wanting to leave the warmth of the bed. So what did I do?- A little of both. I grabbed the laptop and started to audit my flow of income and in doing so, I noticed I was missing opportunities to save more money. Before breakfast, I saved a little under $100 a year by canceling my cell phone insurance. It was one of those things that I should have done months ago, but never really got around to doing it. The two times that I actually thought about filing an insurance claim, the deductible was so expensive that it was better to just get a new phone and not having to worry about whether I would receive a new or refurbished phone from my carrier.
My first savings of the day energized me, so much so, that I called my dad to follow-up on his savings audit I did for him last year. Even when I showed my dad how he could save $1600, he actually never followed through.  It was time for me to take matters into my own hands. I started with my parents’ home phone and internet bundle and I canceled every service that they don’t use and wouldn’t miss. I reduced their monthly bill by $40 per month equalling to about $480 a year!

Are you overpaying for services you no longer use? 

Take a little time to review your statements from your service providers.  Remove extra services that you no longer use, are outdated, or that qualify as a luxury you could live without.  I did this a few months ago when I realized my cable bill included a football package.  It made NO sense/cents for me to pay for an added luxury that I didn’t even use.  Now, I am enjoying the savings more than missing the extra channels that I didn’t event know about.  If by chance, you have already eliminated every extra fee, then you should consider calling your service provider to see if there are any other discounts that can be applied to your account.   It may take a little time to get through your audit, but remember it’s better to spend some time to save some money!She Makes Cents logo

What Services Can You Remove From Your Bill to Save?
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{Money Challenge Remix} How to Save $1300+ On Any Budget

Click here for the updated 2016 version!

Okay, so we are just 3 weeks in and I started falling behind for my 52 week money challenge. I decided at the start of week one to try this challenge in reverse. That means I will be saving more money at the beginning of the year and less the closer we get to the holiday season. In my mind, this worked well. In reality, it could work well. So far, though, my results haven’t been all that great and the fact that the fiscal cliff has chopped a chuck out of my check, hasn’t helped. 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.  At the end of the year, I would still end up with the same amount of $1378 and if I am having a tough financial week, I can pick a lower amount to save.  I crossed off 52 on week one, and I will cross of 5 and 4 to represent weeks two and three.  I decided to share this to maybe motivate someone who may have been thinking about “giving up”. 

52 Week Money Challenge from She Makes Cents

{What’s Your Preference} Numerical Order, Reverse, or Bingo Style?

Email me if you want my handy Bingo Style Sheet!

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