Money Challenge 2017 | February Savings Recap

Published on February 28, 2017March 1, 2017 by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

Hello #SMCmoneytribe! Can you believe that we just finished the second month of the she makes cents 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge? I sure can’t. As we approach a new month I can’t help by wonder, how many of you are still going strong on the challenge? According to Business Insider, 80% of people fail their New Year Resolutions by February. It is easy to have a laser focus on your money, career, and lifestyle goals when a clear transition is before you. Think about all of the people who vow to do better in the new year, who will start clean eating on Monday (aka the start of the new week), and who pledge to start saving more once they earn their next paycheck. Anybody recognize themselves in the statements above?… as I raise my own hand. The thing about all of those examples is that is pushes off you goals to another day; therefore, delaying your ultimate reward- a goal accomplished. Last Friday marked the end of month 2 for the she makes cents 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge and the best thing about our money challenge is that you can easily catch up if you have fallen behind or you start over. The greatest thing about this challenge is that as long as you don’t stop, you will win at your financial goals.

February Recap

Below is the financial breakdown for the month of February. As you can see, I crossed off lower numbers than the previous month. I saved an extra $41.00 this month putting me at a YTD of $149.00. I am really looking forward to March. Hopefully, I will cross off my first bonus box of the year.

How Are You Doing on the Money Challenge? I’d love to hear from you!

{2016 Money Recap} She Makes Cents Money Challenge Success!!

Published on December 30, 2016May 23, 2017 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Hello #SMCmoneytribe! It’s the last Friday of the year and I am so happy to hear from you all who are completing the She Makes Cents 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge today and tomorrow. I officially finished mine today! In the past three years I have attempted to complete this challenge, I would accomplish a short term goal and just stop. This year, however, I have made it all the way to the end thanks to my accountability partners in the #SMCmoneytribe, as well as, my will to stay focus on my goals of zero credit card debt (mission accomplished) and snowballing my student loans (current goal in progress). 2016-52-week-money-challenge

She Makes Cents Money Challenge vs. the 52 Week Money Challenge

The She Makes Cents Money Challenge is a variation of the traditional 52 Week Money Challenge. In the traditional version, participants save a specific dollar amount based on the corresponding week. For example on week one you save $1.00 and on week 52 you save $52.00. Doing it this way would have you shelling out the bigger bucks in the weeks leading up to the holidays. No Bueno. Also, doing the traditional version only leaves you with $1378.00, which is not bad for money that you would normally spend unintentionally, but it could be better. With the She Makes Cents BINGO Money Challenge, you have the same time period, 52 weeks, but you empowered to decide how much you save on a weekly basis. You control your own money and have the ability to cross of boxes that correspond to your current financial situation at any given time, which is how is should always be. Plus with the bonus boxes you can save $1900.00+.

The Breakdown of Money

This past year, I found myself keeping track of the weekly and monthly savings and comparing the amounts during my frequent progress reports. I saved the most money in the month of January with $286.00 and the least amount of money during the month of September with $76.00. Below is my breakdown of the monthly savings that reflect my grand total savings for 2016… an even $1900.00!!!! 2016-money-challenge-yearly-report

Join the #SMCmoneytribe

Thank you to everyone who did this challenge this past year. It was so much fun. We all cultivated the habit of saving and you might have made a new friend in the process like I did, hi Alysa! 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 money guide? Click here, fill in your info, and we will do the rest. Mark your calender’s for the next round of the challenge starting January 7th!

shemakescents{at}gmail {dot}com | Instagram @shemakescents

{Money Goals} This Money Challenge Beats All Other Money Challenges

Published on September 10, 2016 by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Hello Lovelies. Welcome to the weekend! It’s time for check-in for the shemakescents 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge (if you are new to shemakescents.com, click here for a recap of the challenge). Today I crossed off $37.00 on the BINGO Challenge putting me at a year to date total of $1498.00. My year to date total is just one example of how this version of the 52 Week Challenge can help you double your savings opportunity. The original version caps your savings potential at $1378.00, which I have already surpassed. From January to July, I used this money to help me pay down my credit card payments faster. From July to today, I have saved $800+ on this challenge to make a principal payment to my student loans once I get to the $1000.00 mark.

How can you save too?

The great thing about this challenge, is that you can start anytime and it works on everyone’s budget. Just email us at info@shemakescents.com for your FREE copy of the BINGO Money Challenge sheet. The best way to stay in the challenge is to join our Twitter/Facebook check-ins so that you have the support of the community of readers participating in the challenge. To join the twitter check-in, simply tweet me!

Tweet: I joined the @shemakescents 52 Week BINGO Money Challenge to help me reach my #moneygoals.

shemakescents{at}gmail {dot}com | Instagram @shemakescents

{Every Woman Should Have} The Protection of a Slush Fund

Published on March 29, 2016March 29, 2016 by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

This is not a typical savings post, but a post that might just save you. I learned a very adult lesson when I was just a teenager watching a friend’s mother pick up the pieces after a messy divorce. To my knowledge, it was he who messed up…..so how in the world did she have to downgrade the lifestyle that they built together and he upgraded? The simple answer, he probably had the better lawyer. They shared an account but she didn’t have an account all by herself. At 15 years old, I learned that life happens and not everyone gets the happily ever after they were expecting. More importantly, I learned that every woman should have a her own money. I vowed that would NEVER be me. That was the year I started saving my own money.

The Protection of a Slush Fund

Creating a Slush Fund for yourself isn’t a selfish act nor does it have to be a sneaky one. In this post, Fortune Magazine author, Jean Chatzky, cites a study conducted by Princeton Research Associates for CreditCards.com. According to the study, “7.2 million Americans (4.4 million men and 2.8 million women to be precise) have a bank account or credit card that their spouse or live-in partner doesn’t know about”. That kind of omission in a relationship is not my personal cup of tea. I believe in the “yours-mines-ours” approach where the lines are clear and the division of funds works for both parties. This “Yours-Mines-Ours” strategy is me taking an active role in my personal finances and joint finances. Gone are the days where women are expected to blindly allow their spouses to run their financial house without know how the money is flowing in and out.

Regardless of your relationship status, YOU have a responsibility of building your financial house on a stronger foundation. Be proud of that. Be clear about your expectations. Be smart about your money. Every woman should have a protective slush fund because no one can protect you like you.

shemakescents{at}gmail {dot}com | Instagram @shemakescents

You’re married, so should you have your own slush fund?