Car is almost paid off!!!

Well, I was able to refinance my car and now I don't have a whole lot left on the loan. With that, I have decided that I want to start saving for a house. I'm using the savings help of Smarty Pig to help me stay focused on my goal and I'm tracking my progress very publicly (see the side bar). I've also been tracking my credit score, for free, at Quizzle and Credit Karma so that I know when my score is looking high enough to apply for a loan. My plan is to have a sizable down payment (I'm starting with a goal of 20,000 at this time) and have a better score than I do now (it's not so hot) and qualify for a loan before I start looking at houses, so I know exactly how much money I have to work with.

Resume Help!

With times being especially tight, I know many who are working on resumes, trying to figure out what they "really" want to do, and learning to live more simply. I'm posting some links for those of you who fit into that group. ;-)

ResumeBear
JobHuntersBible
How to find your passion
How to Network: For Introverts
Simple Living Manifesto: 72 ideas to simplify your life
21 easy hacks to simplify your life

Tips for 2009

Now that 2009 is here, I wanted to put up some links for how to manage one's money in the current financial state our country is in. My Two Dollars has some wonderful tips to share. I really like their idea of recording everything. I do this to stay on track with my weight loss, it only makes sense that this would help me stay on track with my budget. Sound Money Tips suggests using a money management software. I use Mint, a free money management option that is completely online. MSN has some money tips for the self-employed and 10 ways to save money in 2009. Their biggest suggestion is to save for one month's expenses. The National Foundation for Credit Counseling has a lot of advice for how to pay down your debts. If you have credit cards that you'd like to pay down, I suggest to you take a look there. Get Smart also has some tips for paying down debt. Good luck!

Blogs, Blogs, and More Blogs

As I began my journey of taming the money-stealing shrew, I discovered a lot of great blogs and websites related to money management. I wish I could have had all the information at my finger tips THEN, that I have NOW. I particularly like The Passive Dad and Not Made of Money.

Something that I am going to start doing immediately is cook at home more frequently. I know, I know, I know; eating out is expensive! I eat out at least one or two times per week, but what I'm really talking about here is cooking REAL food instead of making the frozen dinners. I eat frozen dinners almost every night. At three or four dollars per dinner, this is about $20.00 per week. Although cheaper than eating at a restaurant, I could save even more money by cooking items that are more "from scratch." I found a wonderful article at The Simple Dollar that breaks the myth (that I BELIEVED) that the dollar menus found and many fast food joints are cheaper than cooking at home. I also found a great article at Get Rich Slowly about how to cook healthful meals on a tight budget.

So, beginning this week, I will stop with the frozen dinners and start cooking. I'm going to make a shopping list and post my actual savings at the end of the week. What sort of frugal recipes do you use? How do you cook on a budget?

The Envelope System

I'm going to try something with my next paycheck. It's called the envelope system and a good description can be found here. I've done it before and it worked well for me. For some reason, I still have a terrible time keeping track of a debit card or a check book. If you're having a similar troubles, but aren't quiet as ready to chuck the debit card as I am, here are some sites to help you out.

Checkbook Balancing
Financial Musings
Checkbook Control

My Power Mall and Yuwie

I have taken on a new venture to try out for everyone. I'll be excited to see what happens so that I can report back to you. As you may recall, I signed up Yuwie, the social networking site that promises you'll get paid. I am generating an income here, but it is taking a very long time via normal social networking use. My goal was to use this site the exact same way that I use Facebook and My Space. That means, no random adds or anything. I've been using it since June and I've earned about $ .39.

The newest venture I've decided to try for you all is My Power Mall. According to the website, this is a nine-tier shopping rebate system. My only requirement is to shop from my own store monthly to remain active. I'll keep you all posted and let you know how it goes. In the mean time, stop by and do some shopping (otherwise, how will I know if it works or not?)!

Tuesday Inspiration

From the wonderful staff at Tools to Life

Focus on Empowerment

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit. - Napoleon Hill

Have you been looking for a while and wondering whether you will ever find that perfect job, or any job for that matter? Are things just not happening as fast as you would like? Are you starting to wonder if you will just give up? Sometimes looking for a job can feel like waiting for Christmas when you were a kid – it’s never going to get here. The good news is, Christmas does come and eventually you will get a job. What you first need to do is refuse to give up!

Second, maybe it is time to reorient your thinking in terms of your search. Let’s do some comparing. What can you influence? What not? .

What you can’t control:

The number of job postings

The type of job postings

The timing of decisions to hire

The decision to hire

Where the jobs are located

Shrinking job markets in your field or geographic area

What you can control:

How much time you spend focused on your search

Creating quality resumes and cover letters

Proactively going after positions you really want

Doing your homework before interviews

Networking with friends and colleagues to flush out new job leads

Relocating to stay in your field

Commuting farther than you are used to

Traveling for your job

Taking a part time or temporary position

Going back to school to update your skills

Changing careers to use your same skills in a new and growing field

Starting a business

Seek support and counseling for encouragement, if you wish.

It is easy to get stuck and stay stuck in victim thinking if you focus on the things you can’t control. So don’t focus on them! When you review theses lists, it is easy to see that there are many things that you can influence while job searching. Focusing on the “things I can control” list is what will keep you empowered and motivated to keep going!

Before long, the Get a Job Program is another way to stay motivated and focused on the right list. Christmas will come. Refuse to be a victim. Refuse to give up!

Feel free to share your experiences with the community by hitting the comment button.

Have a great week!

Brenda Griffin

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