Vacation's All I ever Wanted

We are back from vacation. I hoped to blog during vacation but we were visiting family and it was hard to get on the computer. I was online about three times in two weeks. That time was spent checking our bank account. It was a nice time. I was ready to come home midway though. At some point you realize that you are turning into your parents. Mine were real home bodies, my dad especially. I just wanted to come home. We also were low on funds which makes vacation especially stressful.
Toward the end of vacation we were paid again and I was so excited I went back to my old spending habits - just spending without really thinking about it.
Now, back home we are struggling again! I wish I could start over with no debt and at ground zero to build it all up again. I know I would be so much smarter. Perspective.
Well, I am still trying to figure out how to make extra money since I sold everything that I was wanting to get rid of this summer. Now that the school year is starting I should have some opportunities with workshops or such but maybe not. I am going back to my old job and there might not be as many opportunities for extra income there. I am trying to think outside the box with my extra income here but I am at a loss. I wish Ramit could climb into my head and straighten me out.

So Woe is Me being a drama queen!

We got home yesterday and husband looks in bank account. He freaks out that we are not going to have enough money for our trip. We start having panic attacks and worrying.
We then sit down, go through (each of us holding a calculator to make sure we are correct) every payment and bill. Turns out we are fine. We had to change an auto bill pay for our return but other than that we are fine.
We are so used to freaking out about money. It seems like we are not used to being calm about money.
I am in a big rush now, trip starts on Saturday and I still have to clean, pack and get car cleaned.
Rush Rush Rush!

More Financial Woes

Woe is me. We are in it again. I will talk more about it tomorrow. I Zumba'd my a** off and I can barely keep my eyes open.
Sigh

Passing on GOOD $EN$E

I took daughter to the bank yesterday. They have a new saving program for children where they get pretend bucks for every deposit. After a certain amount of bucks they get to cash in for prizes. They get a new piggy bank and newsletters come in the mail for them. They also get a balance booklet.
I am really excited because I want to teach daughter how to balance a checkbook and how to be responsible with finances. She is three and I think it is important for her to know the value of money.
She was thrilled. The lady asked me how she could help me and daughter (who is the most brilliant child in the world, if I have not mentioned this before) steps in front of me and says "Hi, I would like to open a Kirby Kangaroo account please." The whole bank goes "aaaaaawwwwww." It was precious.
I am going to have to go soon tonight I went to sister's house and she just got the new zumba. OH BOY, did I shake it and I may have even broken it. I am exhausted!

Almost There

Vacation is a week away. This week my friends have all invited me somewhere. I am going to breakfast on Wednesday, pedicure on Thursday and I still need to ready the car and start packing.
All of these outings are great but cost money. Thankfully we have a few extra bucks from the garage sale or I would feel really guilty about going. I hope that we don't go crazy on spending this vacation. I hope that the autopay system is helpful and not hurtful.

In the hopes of finding something outside of selling all my stuff I found a website that I am trying to join to write prayers. I thought my first prayers were great and I hope that they enjoy them. I enjoy writing. I never thought of doing it for money. I think that is one of the great things that the book I Will Teach You To Be Rich is doing for me. I feel like it is pushing me to do more than I thought possible, to expand myself in ways I never thought I could. If I get the assignment, great, if not, I enjoyed the writing and will keep looking for places to do it.
Nice huh?

Money Frustrations - As USUAL

When you suck at money and don't make a ton of it - it really blows!
I know I am trying to dig us out of a financial hole that we dug ourselves in and it is only going to happen one day at a time, but it is so frustrating! I have been on a no interest program for teachers for the past year paying only towards my principle loan that I took out for my Masters program. I am behind by one payment and I was not able to keep my status and therefore am going to be cut off the program. Grrrr....I know it is my fault for being behind but whine whine whine. I will stop now.
I am running out of ideas on how to earn more money. I am not yet at $100 for July and I hope that I will get there. Maybe tomorrow I will wake up with brilliance and ideas!
I am off to bed to dream of millions!

Garage Sale-ing

Was waffling yesterday about whether or not we would have enough stuff to make a decent garage sale. Pulled out more stuff from who knows where to sell and actually had a good deal of it. I checked for tips from garagesalequeen.com and got started pricing, labeling and sorting things. Our computer ran out of ink last night at about ten so husband and I were handmaking signs and consequently high on permanent marker.
Got up bright and early this a.m. and placed my signs about the neighborhood. I sold for a couple of hours then it was off to ballet to take daughter to her class. Husband manned the garage sale while we went. Daughter was so cute, she asked if I was outside "sale-ing."
We got a few people. We got a few drive-by's. Great thing was that the people who did stop all purchased something. I guess I priced things better than last year because last year I had so little sales it was sad.
So I made $44.75 today and then immediately took the left over stuff to Goodwill so it would not sit in the garage for another year.
Well, I am exhausted now and off to bed with a good book.

I am now reading I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak. He is such a great writer. I love the way he expresses things.

Complaining here, complaining there...

Funny thing happened yesterday. I was getting all the stuff that I have been putting in a box in the garage marked "garage sale" and thinking that I was just full of junk! I got all the stuff last night. I really don't have that much. I decided to go through the cupboards and everything to get stuff to sell.
We had a garage sale last year and it was such a flop. I really was trying to charge much more than the people that came wanted to pay. I am charging really low prices but that said I want to sell only things I am willing to sell for very little money. I am going to go through my Christmas stuff to see what I want to sell there too.
I had a tin out and husband laughed and said that no one would buy it. I laughed and said I have seen people buy weirder things.
Off to gather more stuff! Wish me luck!

Shake that Money Maker!

Received another amazing email from Ramit Sethi today. Seriously, if you have not started reading at least the website you need to start. This guy is so funny and practical.
He was talking about how all the advice we hear is about cutting back and saving money but he recommends trying to earn more money. It is so true, we can only save so much. Even if we stopped all our fun activities completely there were certainly be an end as to how much we can save, but earning more - THAT is limitless!
As you know I am starting off by trying to earn an extra $100 per month. I met my goal for June and I am starting by trying to sell some surplus things from home. I know this is temporary but I will be purging unnecessary items while making cash on the side. That is helpful.
So this weekend I am holding my summer garage sale. I hope to make a few bucks. Wish me luck!
I am off to start getting these things ready!

Frikken Frakk!

I was visiting with a friend from out of town today at my house and my cell phone rings. I am pretty sure that anyone who might call me knows I am home. First it is my mom then my husband. Turns out that my phone service has been disconnected. We were late on our bill last month and had an autopayment scheduled for it. The autopay already left our account but apparently had not hit their system so they disconnected our service! I had to call and make another payment over the phone and it just got me frustrated.
I decided to sit and check the finances and for some reason what it says we have in our account is not what we have according to my records. Frustrating.
I have to sit and look at it again tomorrow to see where I am off. I have a massive headache and am going to bed.
Damn.

OOooOOOOOOOO, Baby Baby

Daughter and I were talking today and she asked me when her daddy would be a grandpa. I explained that when she had babies then he would be their grandpa and I would be their grandma. She then asked who would be their uncles? I almost cried because I had to tell her no one would be. She is an only child right now and so as it stands there will be no aunts and uncles. That made me so very sad. I come from a huge family with tons of uncles and aunts. My daughter also has a lot of uncles and aunts. I don't want to leave her alone in this world.
I told husband that we have one year to get our finances in order and we are going to try for another baby. Damnit. I am not leaving my grandchildren with no aunts or uncles!
What does this have to do with a blog about money? With no money we can't support our baby. We both need to work and I can't quit my job to stay home with the baby so we have to figure it all out. One year!
I am excited at the idea of it when I think about it.
We are still monitoring our finances really closely. I think that because of this we are feeling more comfortable and relaxed. I have a few more bills to fret over before we start our vacation.
When we get back in August I need to hit the ground running because I am starting a new job and daughter starts pre-school. I get teary eyed just thinking about it.
Well, until tomorrow.

Ouch!

You will think I am silly but I am limited in my typing today because I broke a nail. I never can have my nails long. As a kindergarten teacher they break so easily and often that it is futile to try to grow them. In the summer I try to grow them for as long as I can. Unfortunately this little bit of vanity hurt the hell out of me today because I went to hug my husband and caught my nail on the leather cushion of the chair and bent my nail backwards. It is now bleeding in the middle of the nail and I am wearing a Batman band-aid because that is all I could find. I know that this has nothing to do with money but while I worry about money iife goes on, the big and the small so I am expressing it here.
We had a wonderful barbecue here yesterday. I sort of lost track of my finances yesterday. There is not a day that goes by that I do not know how much I have sitting in the bank nowadays. I will go back to it tomorrow. I know we have a lot of automation going on tomorrow so it will be good to wait.
I had a little post Fourth of July barbecue here today since we made so much food. I am also having my mom, neice and nephew over for hot dogs tomorrow or we will lose it all.
I am off to finish reading my book - that is my relaxation method. Lovely.

Dreaming of the Lotto

I woke up this morning planning on what I was going to do with the THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND dollars I won in the lottery. I was so happy to pay off my house and bills and remodel and do the backyard. I was talking about building the wall I wanted and I was telling my family all about it. Then I woke up.
My husband had a dream we won a million dollars in the lottery last week!
I buy a ticket whenever I think about it but I am going to think about it a lot more. I have to say that I know people think it is a big waste of money but I like it. I like gambling a little. I am a miser when I go to casinos giving away only twenty or so dollars and I am fine with it because I go very rarely. I enjoy the thrill of what might happen. So two dollars a week is not that bad. I think it is fine.
What a great feeling it was to wake up this morning thinking of getting out of debt. That is the feeling I get reading I Will teach you. I feel like I am really going somewhere.
All these years just buying things on a whim and now I am looking around and selling these things for so much cheaper than I paid. I want to surround myself with only things that I really love, that are totally beautiful or have sentimental value for me.
I am hoping to get my husband on this money making bandwagon and start earning 100 extra per month. Together it will be easier. I think that we did a really good job in June and are starting out July great. Funny that it took a twenty-eight year old (Ramit) to make a thirty-five year old and forty-one year old grow up!
It is The Fourth Of July. Happy 4th everyone! I am off to ready the house for our family barbecue!

To blog or not to blog?

I am not that brand new to blogging. I have been blogging for about six years and I am looking at it in a new way. I never thought of using a blog to make money. I did sign up for Google Adsense with my original blog but never earned a dime. Life took over and I stopped blogging except for the occasional post here or there.
I also joined a website called Sparkpeople.com and started a blog there but I guess I never really considered it a blog. Weird huh? Well now I am noticing all these people blogging for profit and of course on my quest to make more money each month I am wondering: Am I a blogger?
I know it is funny that I never thought of myself in these terms but I did today and I was sort of shocked. I guess it is like me saying I don't cook but I cook almost every day, until someone says you are a good cook I don't see myself that way. Truth is I enjoy writing down my thoughts and (even though not a damned soul is reading this) I look forward to comments that may or may not appear! I think I am a pretty good writer. Grammar is one of my favorite things ever, along with spelling. I do like the chattiness of a blog though. Not so technical, more conversational.
Now I am wondering if I should try harder to get freelance jobs for blogging. How do you do these things?
I feel like one of those old ladies that are popping up in technology classes saying "when you say 'right click' what do you mean?" No I am not that bad, but I am not that good either. Or maybe I am. I guess I just need someone to tell me.
On a personal note I did look up Ramit Sethi on Facebook (no, I am not a stalker - or am I?) There were around five Ramit Sethi pages, I guess it is a very popular name in India (most of them were in India.)
I did not request to be his friend (even though he has around 1000 of them.) I think it might be too stalker like.
He did not have a fanpage, I would have become a fan.
I will teach you to be

I like the way you work it!

Back to reading and applying all the wonderful information from IWTYTBR. According to RAMIT your categories of spending should go something like this:
Fixed costs (utilities, debt., ect. = 50-60% of your pay.
Investments (401K, Roth IRA = 10%.
Savings (gifts, unexpected expenses, vacation) = 5-10%
Guilt Free Spending (ining Out, movies, clothes etc.) = 20-35%
I have not applied these numbers to my life just yet. I am off to vacation and just put some money into my car (to get to the vacation) and I am not there yet. It sound good though.
Investments scare me. I can't wait to do it but it scares me.
I am waiting for my autopayments to come out today too and that scares me.
I am a big FINANCIAL CHICKEN!
On my money making quest front I have sent out more books and am expecting more money soon. One place I sent books to is seding me a check for $1.00. How funny is that? I also am going to host a garage sale next Saturday. Pray that I price well and that people buy!

Personal note: I am going out to eat tonight. We decided to either take my daughter to dinner tonight or go to the amusement park in the neighboring town. I decided that dinner would be much cheaper and besides we are going to a BIG amusement park on our vacation. That is amusement enough!

And I feel fine!

I am going to keep this brief because we need to turn the computer off soon. It is thundering and lightning over here and I am typing as fast as I can.
Automation ROCKS! I swear if Ramit were here I would kiss him!
It is all looking up from here. Last month was rough. This month it looks like we are actually doing something to dig ourselves out of the hole we dug.
Our vacation planning is going well. After this post I am going to sit down and plan a budget for our vacation. I have not ever done this (hence all the feelings of guilt and nervousness after or during vacation.) It is ridiculous and I should not be allowed to call myself a grown-up I know!

The Insanity of it all!

I have all my bills set up for auto payment (well except for two.) I am nervous about it but it is going. I think it will be great when we are on vacation and the bills are just paid without us having to worry about it at all. I also want to make sure that we plan a certain amount to spend on vacation so that we don't accidentally overdraw our account.
I was going through our bills today since our autopay starts up on Friday and we should really be doing so much better than we do each month. We were amazing in June and we really stayed within our means. We did not go crazy buying things we don't need and it felt good. I don't think we lacked for anything and we actually had money left over at the end of the month.
We are debating renting a car or putting the money toward tuning up my car for the road trip instead. My husband's car needs the air conditioning fixed and so that is going to be really expensive so not an option right now. I think after this vacation it will be easier because we can start putting the extra money toward savings instead of toward the vacation.
On the other hand it is going to be really difficult because I am going to have to go back to school and won't have as much time (or patience) to be so indepth with our finances. Some days it feels like a full time job.
Today was Ramit Sethi's birthday (I am not a stalker - he sent everyone on his mailing list an email.) He asked us to list the things we have used and been successful with from his book I Will Teach You To Be Rich. I actually had a lot of things listed that I have done and been successful with. I am so proud.
I still have not implemented everything but I am getting there!

Earn $100 extra Per Month Challenge - June

In one of Ramit's emails he talks about how it is important to try to earn extra money. He does consulting/freelance and so I think it is MUCH easier for him to do this. As I mentioned I am a teacher and so I think it is difficult for me to do this unless I am interested in getting a second job- which I am not because I am also a wife and mother.
So I challenged myself this month to try to figure out how to come up with extra money. I did not start out by trying to come up with $100 like Ramit recommends but as I started doing it I figured $100 was a good goal.

Now it is not recommended by Ramit to sell things as a continual method of earning more money (unless you are making things) because eventually you will run out of stuff. Unfortunately I make nothing so I did sell stuff to earn money and this will have to be my option until I run out of stuff. I have a lot of stuff so we will see how far this gets me.

I started out by selling books online through bookscouter.com. It scouts out places that buy back books (such as Amazon.com) and then links you to their site.

So book selling so far:
-$2.25
-$9.50
-$16.00
-73.20
Total - $100.95
Then, I went on Craigslist and did a beta test on a website and got:
-$20.00
So for June, my total thus far is: $120.95!
I think I still have a couple of book orders still out there that are coming soon so my total for June might to up. If they get here in July I am counting them towards my July total.
I am also planning a garage sale for two weeks from now to help me with my July sales.

I know this has nothing to do with money but it is my release and so I write about it anyways. I love to read and I started reading my Maeve Binchy again. I am starting from the beginning so I am starting with Light a Penny Candle. I have read all of her books two or three times each and I just love them so I am starting again.

OoOooOoOooOOO - Ramit!

So in my email this morning was Ramit's IWTYTBR newsletter. He is accepting letters from people who would like a personal consultation on getting themselves automated. A thirty day automation make over. I just finished automating my bills but wonder if he could help me start to save and invest. I don't know if that is what he is looking for. As he states, he is going to be inundated with emails so I need to hurry up and decide if I am going to try to win or not. I wish I had readers to ask the opinion of them. (I am a Libra and have a terrible time making up my mind.)
In my quest to make more money and reach my goal of $100 this month, I finished my Beta test for a new website. I read the email this morning that contained the survey and I did not read it all the way through. I was supposed to reply as to whether or not I was interested in participating. I did not. (NUMBER ONE RULE that teacher's teach about assignments: Read the whole thing before you begin!!!) Anyhow, I finished it and submitted it and I hope they do not say that since I did not reply it is invalid.
I am searching money making options online and it is scary. There are so many scams out there that I hate to fall victim and ruin myself in the process. I am now searching Craigslist to try to find something (like the beta test- that was on Craigslist.com and it was perfect...unless I don't get paid because I did not follow directions.) I hope more opportunities like that come along.
I used to answer questions on JustAnswer.com and made a tiny bit of money. It was more for the fun of it. I have not answered in a long time however and I lost my status as an expert. I need to wait to be accepted again...it is a pain. I figure if I can do that a few more times I can get some money into my paypal account to use to sell Ebay items.
Summer is going to run out fast and I am going to have a full time job again. I hope that it all does not fall to the wayside like so many other times.
I think I will enter the competition. I will never know unless I try.

Forget about it!

I just returned from my cousin's daughter's birthday party. There were a ton of cousins and aunts there and even some cousins from out of state. It was a really fun time. I did not spend any money (well aside from the gift Barbie Make-Up Set and Disney Ariel, Slippers, Costume, Dress up Pretend Play Light up Shoes Girl Size 9/10) and I really enjoyed myself. I think I need to just forget about it sometimes. I get caught up in the money, spending, saving - all of it that I need to take a step back and breathe.
Now that I am back from my party though I need to finish an assignment for a beta test for a website that I signed on for. It is actually fun and I think I will stay on the site as a member after I am done. I am supposed to earn $20 dollars from the survey when I am finished.
According to I Will Teach You To Be Rich writer Ramit Sethi, we need to make more money. He suggests trying to earn an extra hundred in the first month. Selling my books so far has gotten me 12 dollars in hand. This survey is twenty dollars. More book payments are coming - hopefully before the end of the month so I meet my monthly quota. I know that nobody reads this but just in case someone does today, do you know of any ways to make extra money that have worked for you?
Well, I need to go and earn my twenty dollars.
On a personal note, I am reviewing a book called Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani. In re-reading it I am reminded of how wonderful a writer she is and how I love this book. I think I will start it again.