Start Fresh, Start New
Posted on January 4, 2006 22 Comments
“Every day is a new day and it’s a chance to start over and clean the slate.”
- Gabrielle Reece
I’ve received many comments lately from readers who say they’re new to budgeting and saving. But for everyone who visits this site and vows to reform, there are probably 10 who just can’t commit.
Well, friends, today’s the day. Make a small change financially, and watch your life change for the better. As Gabby Reece says in the opening quote, every day is a new day, a chance to clean the slate.
In November 2004, I found myself in a terrible position. I had saved a nice pile of money living with my parents for two years after college – but after only one year on my own I practically had spent everything I saved.
A number of factors contributed to my financial demise. My rent was too high for what I could afford, I blew savings on furniture and on my computer, I liked to eat out, I was way too fond of shopping after work and most importantly, I just didn’t budget. Though I had invested in low, low yield CD’s while I lived with my parents, in October 2004, I had since moved that money into my checking account. I had no savings account, no 401K and no concept of where to begin. To make matters worse, I still had more than $10,000 of student loan debt.
I was in denial about the whole thing, too. Until I was at lunch one day and my co-workers, similar in age, were talking about their savings and 401Ks. They questioned why I had not saved more. I told them I was uninterested in learning about finances. I told myself it would be nice to have rich parents who could fund a life in the city AND a bankroll. But deep down, I couldn’t believe how behind I was.
Then, in November 2004, I opened a savings account. It wasn’t much – just $50 a month, I think. Less than the price of a new item of clothing – which I was buying in abundance at the time.
That’s how it all began. I opened a savings account. I walked my butt to the bank down the street and just did it.
I steadily increased the amount I set aside each month. The bank takes it from my paycheck automatically. Now I’m up to $200 per month. I can’t wait for my next raise to increase my savings, and I’m now looking at new and better ways to earn interest. New sweaters be damned! My money has a purpose.
That’s how I started this journey. I’m no success story yet, but I financially I’m way better off than I was two years ago.
Make a small change today and change your life. I know you can.
* * *
There goes my money…
Just got my year-end paycheck, which summarizes how I did this year. Just when I was feeling inspirational, Uncle Sam socks it to me.
$6,014.80 to Federal Taxes
$2,763.83 to Social Security
$646.38 to Medicare Taxes
$1,226.28 to IL State Income Tax
Man, I wish I had that kind of money to set aside for my personal accounts. That’s more than five times what I managed to put in my 401K (!).
* * *
Bad news: My CTA bus fare just DOUBLED (I ride an Express bus from Ogilvy) from $2.00/day to $4.00/day.
Good news: It looks like I can buy a “Link Up Pass” at Metra for $36.00 (on top of the $55.35 that I still pay for the train). That’s only nine days equivalent of payin’ cash, so it will certainly save me some green!
Sad news: Even though my fares increase, the quality of service will not, according to a CTA spokesperson. Whu?
I guess it’s still cheaper than owning a car and driving downtown everyday.
* * *
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January 5th, 2006 @ 1:47 am
You have inspired me. I’m looking for a high yield money market account right now.
January 5th, 2006 @ 5:46 pm
To Nicole Re: CTA Fares
You can also by a 7-day unlimited pass for $20 from your neighborhood Jewel or Dominick, or any currency exchange. The fare has not gone up on any of the CTA passes; only for cash paying riders.
January 5th, 2006 @ 5:52 pm
I got an unlimited link-up pass today. The problem was that my express shuttle used to cost $1.00. Cash is now $2.00 and card is $1.75.
My unlimited link-up card was $36.00. Which comes out to $1.00 per ride again if I use the bus for 18 work days this month.
I think this works well… I’ll only have to buy extra CTA rides on the weekends, I think. So my costs don’t actually go up any.
January 5th, 2006 @ 7:53 pm
OK, I shouldn’t be reading, let alone, posting a comment on your blog since it is labeled for girls but I couldn’t resist a title like The Budgeting Babe.
Great advise. I completely agree that the best way to save is to have the money taken from your paycheck directly. Also, if you have problems with impulsing shopping like I do (more CDs and DVDs than shoes, mind you) don’t have an ATM card for that account. Just make it your little, untouchable, sea-monkey and watch it grow.
January 5th, 2006 @ 8:31 pm
Funny to read this b/c i am going to help my 8 year old daughter open a savings account this weekend- maybe I should open one for myself too!
January 5th, 2006 @ 9:48 pm
Yeah Metra’s going up February 1st. My problem is it’s still more than the $105 transit check. Does your company have that for Metra and CTA? It’s saved me a ton.
January 5th, 2006 @ 10:26 pm
I am glad to see that have been able to take control of your finances and begin saving. I actually just made a post on my blog (http://timetomakecents.blogspot.com/2006/01/time-to-get-serious-about-savings.html) dealing with starting to save money as well. Too many people feel like they cannot make changes in their financial life, but it seems obvious to me that you are well aware that even small changes can have big results. I look forward to reading how your planning goes and hope that you also check out my blog, as there will be some very interesting posts made within the next few weeks.
January 5th, 2006 @ 10:30 pm
I want to say first that I love your blog. I’ve been out of college 7 months and am still living at home (in the suburbs of Chicago). The only problem with this is that b/c I’m at nearly the last suburb my Metra ticket is $136.20 each month, plus the $1.50 parking a day and the bus.
But so far I’ve managed to save $750.00 while still paying decent amounts on my debt.
Keep up the good work!
January 6th, 2006 @ 12:41 am
Put more $$ in your 401K and it won’t show as “income” and you won’t have to pay so much to Uncle Sam.
Why put so much in a lousy, no interest erning savings account when you can put that in a better Money Market or IRA? Baffles me.
January 6th, 2006 @ 2:47 pm
More bad news: the minimum payments on most credit cards is doubling. I guess there’s a pro and a con to it. Get out of debt faster, but it may be a tough adjustment to your monthly finances if you’re already just barely squeezing by. I guess it’s better to try your best to look at the glass as being half full in this case. That’s what I’m going to do.
January 6th, 2006 @ 8:34 pm
You have no business adding money to your savings account if you’re still carrying credit card debt. Pay that sh1te off!
January 6th, 2006 @ 11:17 pm
Heather, you’re all fired up! Thanks, but no need to worry about me on the credit card front. I’m all paid up. It’s student loan debt that I was referring to.
January 7th, 2006 @ 12:12 am
Great post, Nicole.
Here’s to a great 2006!
JLP
AllThingsFinancial
PS – You inspired this post.
January 7th, 2006 @ 5:13 am
My parents always told me to pay yourself before paying others. Even though I don’t get paid a whole lot I do put 10% away into a 401K account that the company deducts right from my paycheck. I know that it sounds like a lot, I have worked for this company for almost 2 years and now have $3500.00 saved up in it. I wish we had bus service here but I have to drive 35 miles to work every day. Thank you
January 9th, 2006 @ 8:51 pm
We’re glad to see that we’re not the only ones who are at their financial youth! We are also work in the loop, so knowing there is also someone else here in our situation, amidst the Gucci bags, is nice to know.
January 10th, 2006 @ 4:50 am
It’s great to watch money grow.
I get more pleasure out of checking my bank statement and seeing all those digits then i would get out of material things.
For every $ you save, the sooner you can retire. Why work until you’re 67!
January 11th, 2006 @ 7:54 pm
How about starting at “0″ Zero debt? Consider that fiscal growth can also be gained by debt reduction.
You may have already heard about various accelerated debt reduction techniques and strategies. The http://www.go2self.org/stop site offers a step by step training program with the option of getting a proposal before subscribing to the training. There is a fee for the training but the final cost is guaranteed to be zero, nothing, nada.
The ‘new’ accelerated debt reduction technique is also a bill paying method that has aided 100’s of people by independent agents in face to face presentations and subscriber services (view the Case Studies). Training is now available by e-learning using MOODLE to either self-train to develop at your own pace or with the aid of ‘personal trainers’ to quick start the learning, training and method application process.
Training occurs in stages to accommodate the various levels of subscriber needs and wants however the subscriber may choose to enter any training level without the need of prerequisites. The training program also provides written guarantees to match the level of training.
Training stages are:
Pocket – training helps subscribers understand budgeting to pay bills on time, keep control of cash, design and apply a biweekly payment plan to a target debt.
Premium – training develops a systematic payment shifting plan that reserves the payment amounts used for debt service until debts are eliminated and demonstrates the most effective use of credit cards by timing purchases.
Professional – training is the application of the Systematic Expansion of Leveraged Financing method.
Yahoo or Google ‘unlending’ to get to the SELF Management site http://www.go2self.org.
Yes this is a pitch but I think you might find this interesting enough to consider.
January 17th, 2006 @ 4:32 am
I like the Gabrielle Reece quote. My friends do something similar with ‘New Day’s Eve’. Every day is a new day that you can renew a commitment to living life to its fullest. For me, I read that as every day is a new opportunity to make a change or do something different. Saving is a really good thing to do.
I didn’t have a readily accessible savings account for a long time, but I started an ING account on a whim one night and it’s my primary savings vehicle aside from my 401k. It’s awesome! It take small steps, but regular contributions, compounded daily make all the difference.
January 25th, 2006 @ 5:49 am
Hi Blogger! Ik ben op zoek naar financieringen Zou Afab echt zo goed zijn als iedereen beweert? Of kan ik beter zoiets als Geldshop proberen?
Groetjes Albert
February 9th, 2006 @ 9:00 pm
TURN $6 INTO $15,000 IN ONLY 30 DAYS…HERES HOW!
PAYPAL VERIFIES THAT THIS $6 INVESTMENT SCHEME IS 100% LEGAL AND IS A BIG HIT
THIS YEAR SEE THEIR NOTE BELOW OR ASK THEM DIRECTLY… THIS SCHEME MIGHT TAKE
15-30 MINUTES AND JUST $6, BUT IT IS 100% WORTH IT TO MAKE THOUSANDS SO QUICKLY.
THIS IS NOT ANOTHER SCAM THAT
TAKES LOTS OF YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY; THIS IS A NO RISK INVESTMENT THAT WILL
MAKE YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS VERY EASILY AND QUICKLY.
From PayPal:
“Dear Member, it has come to our attention that there
is a paypal scheme floating around at the moment you
may have heard or seen the $6 scheme. You may have
even taken part in it well we have been asked a lot of
questions about this scheme the answer is yes it does
work and yes it is safe to use providing you follow the
rules it is legal and has made a big hit on the internet
this year. If you would like to take part in this scheme
or would like a bit more information then please see the
attached file that was kindlydonated to us. Thank you for
using PayPal!”
TURN $6 INTO $15,000 IN ONLY 30 DAYS…HERES HOW!
You have most likely seen or heard about this project
on TV programs such as 20/20 and Oprah, or you may
have read about it in the Wall Street Journal. If not,
here it is below – revealed to you in step-by-step
detail. This program is by no means new. It has been
in existence in many forms for at leasta decade. But
in the early days, it required a lot more time and
effort, as well as an investment of a few hundred
dollars. However,thanks to PayPal and the Internet,
the investment is now virtually ZERO! And what’s more,
the entire process is FASTER, EASIER, and MORE
LUCRATIVE than it has EVER been! Below is the email
sent to me:
How to Turn $6 into $15,000 in 30 Days with PayPal
I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I SAW HOW MUCH MONEY CAME FLOODING INTO MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT I
turned $6 into $14,706 within the first 30 days of operating the business plan
thatI am about to reveal to you free of charge. If you decide to take action on
the following instructions, I will GUARANTEE that you will enjoy a similar
return! STILL NEED PROOF? Here are just 3 testimonials from the countless
individuals who decided to invest nothing more than $6 and half an hour of their
time to participate in this program:
“What an amazing plan! I followed your instructions
just 3 weeks ago, and although I haven’t made 15 grand
yet, I’m already up to $9,135. I’m absolutely gob
smacked.” -Pam Whittemore , Ohio
“Well, what can I say?… THANK YOU SO MUCH! I sent 40
e-mail’s out like you said and then I just forgot about the whole thing. To be
honest, I didn’t really think anything would come of it. But when I checked my
paypal account a week later, there was over $5,000 in it! After 30 days I now
have over $11,000 to spend! I can’t thank you enough!”-Juan Tovar, NY,NY
“I was shocked when I saw how much money came
flooding into my paypal account. Within 3 weeks my
account balance has ballooned to $12,449. At first I
thought there had been some sort of error with my
account!” -Richard Barrie , Boulder,CO
The only things you will need are: An email address. A
Business PayPal account with at least $6 deposited in
it, and just 15 to 30 minutes of your time. This
program takes just half an hour to set up. After that,
there is absolutely no work whatsoever to do on your
part. You have absolutely NOTHING to lose, and there
is NO LIMIT to the amount of income you can generate
from this one single business program.
Let’s get started, just follow the instructionsexactly
as set out below and then prepare yourself for a HUGE
influx of cash over the next 30 days! Here’s what you
need to do. . .
REQUIREMENTS
#1) an email address
#2) a Premier or Business PayPal account
STEP #1 – Setting up your FREE PayPal Account
It’s extremely safe and very easy to set up a FREE
PayPal account! Copy and paste this to the address bar
https://www.paypal.com (notice the secure “https” within the link)
Be sure to sign up for a free PREMIER or BUSINESS
account (and not just a PERSONAL account) otherwise
you won’t be able to receive credit card payments from
other people.
STEP #2 – Sending PayPal money “It is an undeniable
law of the universe that we must first give in order to receive.”
Now all you have to do is send $1.00 by way of PayPal
to each of the six email addresses listed below.
Make sure the subject of the payment says… *PLEASE
PUT ME ON YOUR EMAIL LIST* (this keeps the program
100% legal.. so please don’t forget!)
Note: (If you do not see the full email address for the 6 members, just hit
reply To this email and they will show up.)
(Just in case you still haven’t opened your PayPal
account yet, use this link to open one in your name),
https://www.paypal.com
#1) darkboy50@hotmail.com
#2) btob30@hotmail.com
#3) jjohnson2854@yahoo.com
#4) Evolution3020@aol.com
#5) climhazzard88@hotmail.com
#6 spaz@neb.rr.com
Remember, all of this is ABSOLUTELY LEGAL! You are
creating a service!
If you have any doubts, please refer to Title 18 Sec.
1302 & 1241 of the United States Postal laws.
STEP #3 – Adding Your Email Address
After you send your six $1.00 payments, it’s your turn to add your email address
to the list!
Take the #1) email off the list that you see above, move the other addresses up
one (6 becomes 5 & 5 becomes 4, etc) then put YOUR email address (the one
used in your PayPal account) as #6) on the list.
**MAKE SURE THE EMAIL YOU SUPPLY IS EXACTLY AS
ITAPPEARS IN YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT.**
STEP #4 – The Pure Joy of Receiving PayPal Money!
You are now ready to post your copy of this message,
to at least 200 newsgroups, message boards, etc. (I
think there are close to 32,000 groups)
All you need is 200, but remember, the more you post,
the more money you make – as well as everyone else on
the list! In this situation your job is to let as many
people see this letter as possible. So they will make
you and me rich!!!! You can even start posting the
moment your email is confirmed. Payments will still appear in your PayPal
account even while your bank account is being confirmed.
HOW TO POST TO NEWSGROUPS & MESSAGE BOARDS
Step #1) You do not need to re-type this entire letter
to do your own posting. Simply put your CURSOR at the
beginning of this letter and drag your CURSOR to the
bottom of this document, and select ‘copy’ from the
edit menu. This will copy the entire letter into your
computer’s temporary memory.
Step #2) Open a blank ‘Notepad’ file and place your
cursor at the top of the blank page. From the ‘Edit’
menu select ‘Paste’. This will paste a copy of the
letter into notepad so that you can add your email to
the list.
Step #3) Save your new Notepad file as a .txt file. If
you want to do your postings in different sittings,
you’ll always have this file to go back to.
Step #4) Use Netscape or Internet Explorer and try
searching for various newsgroups, on-line forums,
message boards, bulletin boards, chat sites,
discussions, discussion groups, online communities,
etc. EXAMPLE: go to any search engine like yahoo.com,
google.com, altavista.com, excite.com – then search
with subjectslike ?millionaire message board? or
?money making message board? or
?opportunity message board? or ?money making
discussions? or ?business bulletin board? or ?money
making forum? etc. You will find thousands &
thousands of message boards. Click them one by one
then you will find the option to post a new message.
Step #5) Visit these message boards and post this
article as a new message by highlighting the text of
this letter and selecting ‘Paste’ from the ‘Edit’
menu. Fill in the Subject, this will be the header
that everyone sees as they scroll thru the list of
postings in a particular group, click the post message
button. You’re done with your first one!
Congratulations! THAT’S IT!! All you have to do is
jump to different newsgroups and post away. After you
get the hang of it, it will take about 30 seconds for
each newsgroup!
REMEMBER, THE MORE NEWSGROUPS AND/OR MESSAGE BOARDS YOU POST IN, THE MORE MONEY
YOU WILL MAKE!! BUT YOU HAVE TO POST A MINIMUM OF 200**
That’s it! You will begin receiving money within days!
**JUST MAKE SURE THE EMAIL YOU SUPPLY IS EXACTLY AS IT APPEARS ON PAYPAL.**
$$$$$ NOW THE WHY PART: Out of 200 postings, say I
receive only 5 replies (a very low example). So then I
Made $5.00 with my email at #6 on the letter. Now,
each of the 5 persons who just sent me $1.00 make
the MINIMUM 200 postings, each with my email at #5 and
only 5 persons respond to each of the original 5, that
is another $25.00 for me, now those 25 each make 200
MINIMUM posts with my email at #4 and only 5
replies each, I will bring in an additional $125.00!
Now, those 125 persons turn around and post the
MINIMUM 200 with my email at #3 and only receive 5
replies each, I will make an additional $625.00! OK,
now here is the fun part, each of those 625 persons post a
MINIMUM 200 letters with my email at #2 and they only
receive 5 replies that just made me $3,125.00!!! Those
3,125 persons will all deliver this message to 200
newsgroups with my email at #1 and if still 5 persons
per 200 newsgroups react I will receive $15,625.00!
With an original investment of only $6.00! AMAZING!!
When your email is no longer on the list, you just take
latest posting in the newsgroups, and send out another
$6.00 to emails on the list, putting your email at number 6
again. And start posting again.
The thing to remember is, thousands of people all over
the world are joining the internet and reading these
articles everyday, JUST LIKE YOU are now!!
So can you afford $6?? And see if it really works?? I
think so? People have said,what if the plan is played
out and no onesends you the money? So what are the
chances of that happening when there are tons of new
honest users and new honest people who are joining the
internet and newsgroups everyday and are willing to
give it a try? Estimates are at 20,000 to 50,000 new
users,every day, with thousands of those joining the
actual Internet.
Remember, play FAIRLY and HONESTLY and this will work. This really isn’t another
one of those crazy scams! As
long as people follow through with sending out $6.00,
it works!
With warm wishes, bless you and your loved ones,
https://www.paypal.com
$$$$$ REMEMBER, IT IS 100% LEGAL! DON’T PASS THIS UP!
April 21st, 2006 @ 3:03 pm
Check out flexcar.com:
Welcome to a new era in personal transportation. It’s called carsharing. You share access to hundreds of Flexcar vehicles, often within a five-minute walk of your home or work. You reserve a car online or by phone, you drive – to a meeting, to run errands, or to hit the lumber yard – and you return, all for one hourly rate that covers gas, insurance and unlimited miles. All you pay for is the drive. How simple and smart is that?
August 12th, 2009 @ 3:12 pm
THE $6 INVESTMENT THAT EARNS MILLIONS
Would you like to make $71,000 OR $250,000 in a few weeks? As seen on the Oprah Winfrey show and ABC’s 20/20.
If we all work together everyone will benefit. I've been doing this and have already made my money back plus more!!
Paypal verifies that this $6 investment program is 100% legal and is a big hit this year.
For a simple investment of 15-30 minutes and just $6, it is 100% worth it to make thousands so quickly. This is not another scam that takes lots of your hard earned money; this is a no risk investment that will make you thousands of dollars very easily and quickly.
PLEASE NOTE: Follow these directions EXACTLY, and $20,000 or more can be yours in 4 to 6 weeks. This program remains successful because of the honesty and integrity of the participants. Please continue its success by carefully adhering to the instructions.
STEP 1: Take a few minutes to join PayPal: Remember to verify your account.
To receive credit card payments from other people you must sign up for a PREMIER or BUSINESS account (not just a PERSONAL account). This is highly recommended to allow others easy payment options. Don't worry – It's FREE.
To place the initial $6 into your account, you will have to verify your bank account with PAYPAL (which may take a few days).
PAYPAL is 100% secure and is used by millions of people worldwide.
STEP 2:
1) Once you have a PayPal account running, use PayPal to post $1 to EACH of the 6 Email Addresses below because you pay people with an email address in PayPal. Select “SEND MONEY”. What you are doing is creating a service (a mailing list). This is absolutely legal! You are requesting a legitimate service and you are paying for it! Here are the 6 individual Email addresses that you have to send $1 to through PayPal for this to work properly and for you to receive money.
2) Now Send $1.00 to each of the six people on the list using PayPal, and in the comment (Subject) section type “Please add me to your list”.
Below are the emails that you transfer the money into: These groups of email addresses are PayPal IDs or usernames.
Send 1 Dollar to each group.
1) lsb3me@aol.com
2) crozean@yahoo.com
3) d.tiffer@att.net
4) arnelljohnson75@gmail.com
5) saracanshowyou@gmail.com
6) aldug_19@yahoo.com
STEP 3:
1) take the #1 Email Address off the list,
2) Move the other Email Addresses up (6 becomes 5, 5 becomes 4, etc.)
3) and add Your Email Address as number 6 on the list.
STEP 4:
1) Now, post your amended article to at least 200 news groups (there are thousands of groups).
2) And email your message to as many people you can. Remember, the more you post and email the more money you make! This is perfectly legal! HOW TO POST TO NEWS GROUPS: Search with the subject 'MILLIONAIRE MESSAGE BOARD', MONEY MAKING DISCUSSIONS', 'MONEY MAKING FORUMS', or 'BUSINESS MESSAGE BOARD', etc. You will find thousands and thousands of message boards and companies like:
1) yahoo
2) google
3) aol
4) Adsubmitter. com etc
Click on them one by one and you will find the option ‘’post a new message’’.
Then Post this article.
THE MORE NEWS GROUPS YOU POST IN, THE MORE MONEY YOU WILL MAKE!!
But you have to post a minimum of 200!
JUST MAKE SURE ALL THE ADDRESSES ARE CORRECT.
When your name is no longer on the list, you just take the latest posting in the news groups, and send out another $6.00 to Email Addresses using Paypal.
There is really nothing you can lose you either get your money back or get more than you you expected.
REMEMBER, THE MORE NEWSGROUPS YOU POST IN, THE MORE MONEY YOU WILL MAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS!!!