The Budgeting Babe » Media http://thebudgetingbabe.com A personal finance blog for career minded women with small budgets and big dreams. Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:01:30 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 401K Savings Up – Nice Work! http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2011/05/16/401k-savings-up-nice-work/ http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2011/05/16/401k-savings-up-nice-work/#comments Mon, 16 May 2011 03:41:12 +0000 The Budgeting Babe http://thebudgetingbabe.com/?p=1043 Congratulations guys and gals! According to the USA Today, “At the end of the first quarter, the average 401(k) balance hit $74,900, a 12% jump from a year ago. That marks the highest level since Fidelity started tracking account balances at the end of 1998.”  (Get the entire article here.) Natch, there’s still room for [...]

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]]> Congratulations guys and gals! According to the USA Today, “At the end of the first quarter, the average 401(k) balance hit $74,900, a 12% jump from a year ago. That marks the highest level since Fidelity started tracking account balances at the end of 1998.”  (Get the entire article here.)

Natch, there’s still room for improvement … The USA Today article says most people are saving about three percent when they should be saving about 10.  But a bump in savings is always nice to see.

Does 10 percent seem high to you? Well, here’s one way to get there. If you’re saving three percent now, increase your savings next month to four percent. See if you notice a difference. If you can live with the change, wait another month and then raise it to five percent. Repeat this as long as you can. This slow and steady approach was the technique I used to increase my contribution from three percent to 10 percent, and you know what? I didn’t even notice the difference.

As for my savings, my 401K is doing better than it was in 2008, when it lost 40 percent of its value in one year. It’s nice to see it growing month after month now that I’ve FINALLY rolled everything over and set up my contributions correctly following January’s system error mess.

How is your 401K doing? I’d love to hear from you about it. Let me know!

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]]> http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2011/05/16/401k-savings-up-nice-work/feed/ 13 Budgeting Babe on CNN.com! http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/17/budgeting-babe-on-cnn-com/ http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/17/budgeting-babe-on-cnn-com/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:44:00 +0000 The Budgeting Babe http://thebudgetingbabe.com/?p=507 CNN.com Thrift fashions on the money during recession By Lisa France … Nicole Mladic is the “babe” behind the “Budgeting Babe” blog for “young, working women who want to spend like Carrie in a Jimmy Choo store but have a budget closer to Roseanne.” Mladic said she encourages her readers to not only shop thrift, [...]

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CNN.com
Thrift fashions on the money during recession
By Lisa France

… Nicole Mladic is the “babe” behind the “Budgeting Babe” blog for “young, working women who want to spend like Carrie in a Jimmy Choo store but have a budget closer to Roseanne.”

Mladic said she encourages her readers to not only shop thrift, but also to be generous in their giving.

“I make sure to thin out my wardrobe every so often,” she said. “Any pieces that I am not wearing, I donate.”

That type of generosity is much appreciated, especially in the current economy…

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]]> http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/17/budgeting-babe-on-cnn-com/feed/ 13 Budgeting Babe on Twitter (and Many Other PF Bloggers, too!) http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/15/budgeting-babe-on-twitter-and-many-other-pf-bloggers-too/ http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/15/budgeting-babe-on-twitter-and-many-other-pf-bloggers-too/#comments Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:16:00 +0000 The Budgeting Babe http://thebudgetingbabe.com/?p=505 For Twitter fans: You can now follow me there (http://twitter.com/budgetingbabe). I’ll try to pepper in deals, tips and links along with the more usual updates on where I am and what I’m doing. I’ll also occasionally look for stories ideas and sources there. A ton of PF bloggers are already on Twitter – Bible Money [...]

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For Twitter fans: You can now follow me there (http://twitter.com/budgetingbabe). I’ll try to pepper in deals, tips and links along with the more usual updates on where I am and what I’m doing. I’ll also occasionally look for stories ideas and sources there.

A ton of PF bloggers are already on Twitter – Bible Money Matters is way ahead and already has compiled a list of 125 people PF junkies should follow on Twitter.

In case you have troubles with BMM’s list, I’m republishing it here.
1. http://twitter.com/ptmoney
2. http://twitter.com/remodelthislife
3. http://twitter.com/glblguy
4. http://twitter.com/freefrombroke
5. http://twitter.com/christianpf
6. http://twitter.com/sensetosave
7. http://twitter.com/MoneyNing
8. http://twitter.com/MilkYourMoney
9. http://twitter.com/paidtwice
10. http://twitter.com/SmartyPig
11. http://twitter.com/TheHappyRock
12. http://twitter.com/FourPillars
13. http://twitter.com/jnickles
14. http://twitter.com/ThatOneCaveman
15. http://twitter.com/marubozo
16. http://twitter.com/ifeelgod
17. http://twitter.com/mrsmicah
18. http://twitter.com/hank_MiB
19. http://twitter.com/bripblap
20. http://twitter.com/Miss_Thrifty
21. http://twitter.com/Finc_confluence
22. http://twitter.com/ncheapskate
23. http://twitter.com/moneymender
24. http://twitter.com/RCThinkWealth
25. http://twitter.com/Green_Panda
26. http://twitter.com/nodebtplan
27. http://twitter.com/sforzley
28. http://twitter.com/ebillme
29. http://twitter.com/Shayna
30. http://twitter.com/budgetsaresexy
31. http://twitter.com/Andys2i
32. http://twitter.com/pfhacks
33. http://twitter.com/MoneyWatch
34. http://twitter.com/moneylovechangeb
35. http://twitter.com/frugalbabe
36. http://twitter.com/moneycoach
37. http://twitter.com/PenelopePince
38. http://twitter.com/squawkfox
39. http://twitter.com/nomorespending
40. http://twitter.com/MMarquit
41. http://twitter.com/mytwodollars
42. http://twitter.com/frugalinva
43. http://twitter.com/aroundthesun
44. http://twitter.com/cheapcheapcheap
45. http://twitter.com/Kidscash
46. http://twitter.com/bargainist
47. http://twitter.com/BargainBanana
48. http://twitter.com/mbhunter
49. http://twitter.com/DebtDiva
50. http://twitter.com/FredPeters
51. http://twitter.com/taxtweet
52. http://twitter.com/banker_girl
53. http://twitter.com/elym
54. http://twitter.com/L_buckets
55. http://twitter.com/moneymanagement
56. http://twitter.com/3princessesmomm
57. http://twitter.com/JennFowler
58. http://twitter.com/debtfreerev
59. http://twitter.com/simplemom
60. http://twitter.com/SunFinancial
61. http://twitter.com/moolanomy
62. http://twitter.com/MoneySmart
63. http://twitter.com/GBlogger
64. http://twitter.com/MatthewDP
65. http://twitter.com/wisdomjournal
66. http://twitter.com/moneywatch
67. http://twitter.com/FrugalTrader
68. http://twitter.com/MJTM
69. http://twitter.com/BudgetPulse
70. http://twitter.com/passiveincome
71. http://twitter.com/TheMoneyHawk
72. http://twitter.com/PennyCoach
73. http://twitter.com/MsMoneySavvy
74. http://twitter.com/prosperousfool
75. http://twitter.com/loveGodnotmoney
76. http://twitter.com/BudgetNerd
77. http://twitter.com/framblings
78. http://twitter.com/nickelsndimes
79. http://twitter.com/LazyManAndMoney
80. http://twitter.com/moneymonk
81. http://twitter.com/Frugal_Frank
82. http://twitter.com/brokegrad
83. http://twitter.com/preciouspennies
84. http://twitter.com/FinanceGirl
85. http://twitter.com/debitvscredit
86. http://twitter.com/RichChristian
87. http://twitter.com/SingleGuyMoney
88. http://twitter.com/ToughMoneyLove
89. http://twitter.com/bargainbriana
90. http://twitter.com/MoneySavingGuid
91. http://twitter.com/centsiblesaving
92. http://twitter.com/BoomerinthePew
93. http://twitter.com/MsPennyPincher
94. http://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl
95. http://twitter.com/WideOpenWallet
96. http://twitter.com/FrugalJulie
97. http://twitter.com/AlmostFrugal
98. http://twitter.com/ChicShoppaChick
99. http://twitter.com/gearedinvestor
100. http://twitter.com/kingdomfirstmom
101. http://twitter.com/FeedTheBull
102. http://twitter.com/marty0518
103. http://twitter.com/breakingeven
104. http://twitter.com/debtrepreneur
105. http://twitter.com/moneybluebook
106. http://twitter.com/mydrblog
107. http://twitter.com/CWRandall
108. http://twitter.com/moneyconfession
109. http://twitter.com/debtkid
110. http://twitter.com/mommieswithcent
111. http://twitter.com/saverqueen
112. http://twitter.com/thewriterscoin
113. http://twitter.com/daylatebuckshrt
114. http://twitter.com/thepennymine
115. http://twitter.com/creditgeek
116. http://twitter.com/creditfreedom
117. http://twitter.com/frugalfreebies
118. http://twitter.com/ThriftyJinxy
119. http://twitter.com/MomsWhoSave
120. http://twitter.com/jasonmitchener (now a contributor to this site!)
121. http://twitter.com/pennypinchingp
122. http://twitter.com/thefrugalmomma
123. http://twitter.com/CommnSenseMoney
124. http://twitter.com/Debtwarriors
125. http://twitter.com/BSimple

As I get more familiar with Twitter, I will go through and highlight those who are good resources for guys and gals in their 20′s and 30′s. Now I’m off to go update my list of folks to follow… exciting!

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]]> http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/15/budgeting-babe-on-twitter-and-many-other-pf-bloggers-too/feed/ 19 Good Find: Jean Chatzky’s Blog http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/06/good-find-jean-chatzkys-blog/ http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/06/good-find-jean-chatzkys-blog/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:12:00 +0000 The Budgeting Babe http://thebudgetingbabe.com/?p=502 I like Jean Chatzky, and not just because last year her publisher sent me a free copy of her book, Make Money, Not Excuses to review (though that was pretty sweet). I like her because she’s smart and practical, and I can understand her. But I don’t have time in the morning to watch her [...]

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I like Jean Chatzky, and not just because last year her publisher sent me a free copy of her book, Make Money, Not Excuses to review (though that was pretty sweet). I like her because she’s smart and practical, and I can understand her. But I don’t have time in the morning to watch her on TV (true story: I do not wake up one millisecond before I absolutely have to. Most days I hit the snooze button four to five times before getting out of bed). So I rarely get to catch her live.

But today I came across her blog and want to share it with you. Click here to read about Jean’s positive outlook and soak in her advice.

The blog is good; her topics are interesting and informative and given that it’s her full-time career, she obviously catches a lot of things that us part-timers miss. Plus, I found her blog to be more relevant to this Budgeting Babe than some of her books, which seemed to speak to women of a different life stage than mine.

Thanks for the good work Jean! Your perspective is refreshing for those of us in the trenches.

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]]> http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2009/03/06/good-find-jean-chatzkys-blog/feed/ 3 Budgeting Babe Podcast on US News!! http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2008/06/04/budgeting-babe-podcast-on-us-news/ http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2008/06/04/budgeting-babe-podcast-on-us-news/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:42:00 +0000 The Budgeting Babe http://thebudgetingbabe.com/?p=418 Check out this interview I did with Kimberly Palmer at US News & Report. I think it’s worth a listen over your lunch break. Podcast: Being Young and Thifty US News & World Report Interviewer: Kimberly Palmer What do you guys think?

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]]> Check out this interview I did with Kimberly Palmer at US News & Report. I think it’s worth a listen over your lunch break.

Podcast: Being Young and Thifty
US News & World Report
Interviewer: Kimberly Palmer

What do you guys think?


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]]> http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2008/06/04/budgeting-babe-podcast-on-us-news/feed/ 4 Budgeting Babe on CBS News: Frugal Fashion http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2008/04/04/budgeting-babe-on-cbs-news-frugal-fashion/ http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2008/04/04/budgeting-babe-on-cbs-news-frugal-fashion/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 01:26:00 +0000 The Budgeting Babe http://thebudgetingbabe.com/?p=389 Here is the CBS Evening News story featuring The Budgeting Babe… Saving Green is the New Black. And here is the extended interview that aired online only: I’m really happy with the way everything turned out. As I said, it was a wonderful experience. Roughly one week after I received the initial e-mail from CBS [...]

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]]> Here is the CBS Evening News story featuring The Budgeting Babe… Saving Green is the New Black.

And here is the extended interview that aired online only:

I’m really happy with the way everything turned out.

As I said, it was a wonderful experience. Roughly one week after I received the initial e-mail from CBS expressing interest in my blog, the amazing Kelly Wallace and her fantastic CBS producer, Tony, flew out to Chicago to film my friends and I talking about fashion and finance. We spoke for about an hour and I was surprised by how in-depth the conversation turned; we talked about the importance of living within your means, saving for goals and retirement, the housing market, the impact of the economy on fashion and a multitude of other things. We then went back to my office, where both Kelly and Tony experienced the luxury of sitting on the purple yoga ball that is my chair (you can see it in the interview), and we talked about my blog.

Truth be told, I was a nervous wreck the morning of the interview. But we had a lot of fun, the conversation was good and I had two of my closest friends at my side to boost my confidence. And I must say, as you can tell from the second interview, they did beautifully on camera! They were smart, funny and well-spoken. I was so impressed!

During the week since taping ended, I’ve been frantically calling, e-mailing, Facebooking and texting my friends and family to let them know about air time. Although they were a little nervous when I got bumped by a bunch of newts on Tuesday (LOL!), in the end they were so happy and proud to see the story. I’m so lucky to have their support.

Now that it’s all over, I’m actually kind of excited to get back to my regular life. I have piles of laundry to do, several big projects at work that need attention, my heat just broke (fabulous), my lease needs to be signed, my taxes aren’t done yet and I have to pick out an outfit for a fancy party this weekend. Ahhh…. normalcy. My 15 seconds was fun but now this Budgeting Babe has to get back to reality.

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]]> http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2008/04/04/budgeting-babe-on-cbs-news-frugal-fashion/feed/ 34 Cool Career Blog http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2007/11/09/cool-career-blog/ http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2007/11/09/cool-career-blog/#comments Fri, 09 Nov 2007 22:29:00 +0000 The Budgeting Babe http://thebudgetingbabe.com/?p=326 Boys and girls, add this to your list of cool things to read this weekend targeting the young and smart: The New York Times Shifting Careers Blog Marci’s written some good posts as of late.

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]]> Boys and girls, add this to your list of cool things to read this weekend targeting the young and smart:

The New York Times Shifting Careers Blog

Marci’s written some good posts as of late.

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]]> http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2007/11/09/cool-career-blog/feed/ 1 Budgeting Babe in the Wall Street Journal http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2005/03/05/budgeting-babe-in-the-wall-street-journal/ http://thebudgetingbabe.com/2005/03/05/budgeting-babe-in-the-wall-street-journal/#comments Sat, 05 Mar 2005 22:22:00 +0000 The Budgeting Babe http://thebudgetingbabe.com/?p=57 At first I thought he was joking. I received an email from what looked like someone in sales talking about a great write up “The Budgeting Babe” received in the Wall Street Journal online. Considering how prestigious a “media hit” we in the public relations industry consider the Journal, I immediately scoffed and prepared to [...]

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]]> At first I thought he was joking.

I received an email from what looked like someone in sales talking about a great write up “The Budgeting Babe” received in the Wall Street Journal online. Considering how prestigious a “media hit” we in the public relations industry consider the Journal, I immediately scoffed and prepared to trash the note. But curiousity got the better of me, and after a quick search, I discovered that this site, along with many other excellent personal finance blogs, did indeed receive a great mention in Terri Cullen’s Fiscally Fit column.

Read the article here:
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB110974163972268078-IdjgYNglah4oJuoZnuGb6eJm4,00.html

Inside you’ll find information about a lot of the sites linked to this page, from PFBlog to MyMoney Blog to Savvy Saver. Terri interviewed a few authors as well to get the inside perspective on why we blog.

As I’ve mentioned before, saving is much less interesting to talk about than spending. It’s a long, slow process, takes tons of dedication and doesn’t provide much excitement. But Kudos to all the authors mentioned in the article – many who I corresponded with when starting my blog. We’re getting there, slowly but surely, and getting noticed in the process!

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