The Go Green Challenge Comes to an End

First let me start out by saying I DID use my debit card on Monday and Tuesday of this week to get gas and groceries, but I refrained from any unessesary spending which was very tempting while I was out and about. My girlfriend gave me $3 bucks so I wouldn't have to use my card to buy a book that I so desparately wanted which was cool because I haven't put the book down yet!

All in all the challege was a great sucess. I learned many many lessons and figured out that as long as you have a plan for your money it always works out. For the month of July I will be holding a yard sale with my best friend, and hopefully will generate enough cash to go clothes shopping with at the outlet mall.

I am also looking forward to couponing. Ever since I started collecting them I have formed a habit of checking to see if what I need from the store has a coupon. So far I haven't been able to save anything with a coupon but hey its only been 3 weeks, so im going to give it time. Going green brought me closer to my kitchen which was a welcomed experience as well. I look forward to doing a budget in July and all the way through becoming debt free. I would like to say thanks to Young Mogul In Training and her friends for doing the challenge with me and hope you got as much out of it as I did!!

Until next time, use cash and go green!!

Facing Giants (my own)

Yesterday was a particularly interesting day as I decided I was going to face some things I had been putting off due to fear.

As you all know my home had an offer placed on it over a week ago. For the most part I have been blessed to supply everything the realtor is asking for considering they basically need your whole life when doing a short sale. However as of late my realtor hasn't been so pleasant and each day my frustration has been growing. Well I decided that I need to put an end to the madness! Throughout the process of purchasing my first home and selling it now it has never been pleasant. One of the reasons I got my real estate license was so that I COULD be the good agent and people wouldn't have to put up with the agent that bites! I currently don't actively sell real estate but it is one of my future goals when all this debt is paid off and I have built up a hefty bank account. Anywhoot so I wrote a letter to the company expressing my concerns and my good friend helped me draft the letter.

Im usually not so good at confrontation but its something that I feel God is bring out of me because as I get older things like this will come up and if I don't face it (just like the car situation) I will be left with a mess on my hands. So here is the letter I wrote....

Dear Mr. Jon Swords,

This e-mail is being sent to inform you that, I have applied and paid for the home inspection for 12851 Riverview St which is Scheduled for July 1,2010. I would also like to make you aware of several issues that have arisen in my attempts to sale my property, namely, my dissatisfaction with
the service I have received from my agent John Lewis.

First, is the issue regarding the property not being able to be entered at the time the agent wanted to do a showing. I received an email days later stating there was a chain on the door. When I contacted Mr. Lewis regarding not notifying me sooner, His response to me was "I did not have your number". This was extremely disappointing as the sale of the property is important to me and should be important to your company as well. I had expected that any time there would be an issue regarding the property, at the very least the real estate office would be contacted in order to obtain my number on file in order to schedule appointments.

Second, I do not appreciate being told things at the last minute, i.e. being informed about the inspection cost and fees regarding the law firm's negotiation of the short sale. It is unnecessarily
stressful to receive news that has financial ramifications for me that is likely information my agent could have shared earlier.

Finally, I question Mr. Lewis's level of professionalism. When communicating with me about the inspection cost and law fees, he made racially offensive comments about Detroit's former mayor. He insinuated that I am on a first-name basis with the former mayor and that if I had a problem with
paying for the inspection, that I should take it up with Kwame. I am a black woman, who was raised in the city of Detroit but find it highly offensive that someone I have a business relationship with--Mr. Lewis--would make any hint of associating me with someone who has been convicted of a crime.

Based on the issues above I would like to request another agent to complete this process. Though we are in the final stages of the sale of this property, I expect professionalism and good customer service from the agency. My experiences are not enabling me to give good reviews or referrals
for your agency. I desire a more positive and professional relationship. If your company cannot provide me with another agent, I have made arrangement to do business with another company.

I look forward to being in communication with you regarding the new agent who will be assigned to work with me to sale my property.

Respectfully,

Kimike Clark

Oprahs Debt Diet

I caught my first episode of the debt diet series yesterday and it was pretty good. If you get an opportunity please tune in, as they talk about a lot of things that Dave Ramsey covers!! Not to mention the entertainment value is pretty appealing if you have been on this journey for a while and can remember some of the same struggles....

Go Green 'Money cometh my way"

Its a funny thing how God works!! Yesterday I had put the last of my go green challenge money into the gas tank, all $13 dollars. The day before I had spent $20 bucks on a new outfit and the plan was to not eat out for the next 7 days! Well low and behold yesterday I recieved $80 dollars!!! It was totally unexpected but perfect timing. I ended up using half of the $80 to take my 2 girlfriends to dinner and I do have plans for the other $40 bucks but im going to try to be as wise as possible with it.

So over the last couple weeks I have received a total of $125 semi extra dollars!! Getting all this money has reminded me a lot of the old days when I use to budget and what Dave Ramsey would refer to as "found money" when you have a plan for your money, you always end up with extra or more some how. When I use to budget that was always proven to be true so its nice to have the feeling back. So with the help of loving people my go green challenge just may be a success!! stay tuned!!

If I Was A Boy and My Go Green Challenge

I am a beyonce fan (don't judge me lol) and if there was any song I could relate to right now it would be "If I were a boy". I hate it so much when men KNOW they can take advantage of you JUST because you are a woman!! My initial thought when the situation came up (Which I will share in a second) was see if I had a boyfriend none of this would have happened. But then I recanted that statement and told my self I just need to learn to think like a man.

The story:

As you all know I brought a new car a few months ago. Since then the old car had been sitting at the mechanics shop ever since then. So recently he called me and told me to come get it. So since I knew the car wasn't worth much, which is what he has been telling me for the last two months. I called someone to go pick it up! I get a call today saying the POLICE are at the shop and my mechanic wants to take me to small claims court if I don't bring him $50 bucks. I had to go to the bank and get $50 bucks to keep the peace. When I get to the shop he starts going on about how mad he is at the guy who came to get the car (basically he took it out on me by charging me the money to keep the car). Then he goes on grilling me about who I sold the car too and how he could have gotten me $150 for the car!! hello you told me it was worth 0 DOLLARS!! Im not a mind reader.

Point is I believe I was seriously taken advanage of and it makes me wonder, how many other times I have been taken advantage of. Thankfully it wasn't over a lot of money but I really believe I need to step up my game as a woman and learn the tricks of the trade so it doesn't end up costing me MORE money.

Black People and Debt Freedom

I would like to start this post by saying, I don't have any statistics, no hard core facts or research. This is just my observation of things going on around me every day.

If you know anything about me you know that I am a big fan of wealth building and debt freedom. I have developed this passion over the last two years and its continually growing. While I have enjoyed the process of becoming debt free myself, I have enjoyed helping people more. But one thing I have noticed over the years is that black people don't wanna get outta debt!!!

I remember last year going to a Dave Ramsey Live event and seeing over 5,000 people in attendance. I think I could count on 2 hands how many black people I saw. Now I know the economy isn't the greatest but I do remember those tickets being $10 bucks at one point in time. Heck me and my family went for free due to volunteering. There is a lot of free information out there about getting out of debt yet it seems my people don't care and this frustrates me. I was talking to my pastor about the issue and his words were "you know we don't like to pay for stuff" Thats a funny statement because I see people all the time with the latest cars, clothes, and shoes everyday.

I used to think nobody wanted the information because most of us had it all together, well over the years I learned that certainly isn't true. So what is it about our culture that can't grasp the need to not leave debt to our families? My pastor was telling me how if we didn't charge or slap Dave Ramsey on everything then maybe it would sell. I am pretty confident in my ability to teach this stuff but Dave Ramsey has a little bit better track record than I do. My passion for this stuff is serious and I just hate that people miss out due to stubbornness. Over the next year I plan to work at getting this information out to my church family. I hate not having to charge money knowing I PAID my own money to get the materials in the first place, not to mention the stuff works if you actually apply it.

There will be a time when I can stand in front of an audience and be bold enough to say "cut it out". Im working courage but seriously this is bugging the crap outta me. At any rate, im determined to make it out of the race and PROVE what can be done when you build wealth, give and save. If I eventually gotta pay for people to go through financial peace my self I will, thats just how much I care about this.

So I ask, why do you think people shy away from becoming financially stable?

My $25 Dollar Living Room!

So my living room is 95% complete thanks to my mother who is queen of bargain shopping. This whole room has been empty (minus the tv and stand) for almost a year up until now. When I moved into my place I had nothing, zippo, zilch, nada. This was my first place since living in a college apartment complex with roommates, furniture and drama included lol.

I was so happy to have my own place, that I didn't even need furniture I was just happy to be living on my own again. Last year was a very trying time in regards to becoming debt free, I had very bad credit so not too many people would rent to me, and I lived with 2 other girls which I can safely say they were the spawn of Satan no kidding!! But looking back through the sacrifice I mad it and now slowly coming full circle.

This living room is very important to me because it represents my sacrifice and testimony in that when you WAIT things will eventually fall into place. There has been many a days when I wanted to just say bunk it and buy all new furniture and go nuts at ikea or something but I held back. Funny thing is I prayed for furniture that wouldn't cost me and well God hears ALL prayers because 2 months after I prayed that prayer it came to pass! My living room needs a few more touches but the bulk of it is complete and I am so very proud and thankful for my momma and her looking out for me. So here is the break down of cost, who says you can't design on a dime!!

Couch - Free from freecycle.org which is a website were people just give stuff away. The couch came in almost like new condition and all I did was brought new stuffing for the pillows and re-stuffed them.

Chairs - Free from a friend of a co-worker. There are 6 chairs total which I have sitting at the table I brought from a yard sale a while back ago. Eventually I want to buy a nice set but for now it works!

Coffee table- $5 bucks at a yard sale. My mom found this table and its actually a super cool table that the people purchased from Ikea. Its my favorite part of the whole room.

Tv stand - $20 walmart- my ex boyfriend gave me the t.v and I refuse to purchase a new tv right now but when I am debt free its on and popping!

Eventually I want to buy a rug, and hang some pictures, and wall art, so how did we do?

(the view outside my window)

Still Going Strong on The Go Green Challenge!

I have $50 dollars to my name and a friend wants me to buy knives on sale, arggggg!!

This week I haven't done any huge spending but it still adds up.

$11 contribution to baby shower gift
$5 mail off papers for the sale of my home
$20 gas
$6 hair care items


I have been doing a great job eating in, which has now become the easy part. There is a softball game on Wednesday I have to pay $6 for, and the baby shower/potluck on Thursday which I have no idea what my food contribution will be.




Im trying to be veeeeeeeeeery careful with what I have left, does anyone believe I can make it 2 whole weeks on $50 bucks? assuming I don't spend any this weekend! Oh and I have to get my news paper for my coupons!! *goes to change jar*

Got An Offer On The House!!!

My realtor called today and advised me there is an offer on the house!! Im excited and nervous because the negotiations start with the bank as soon as an offer is submitted and its up to them to decide what they are willing to accept. I have never been faced with a short sale so God willing this goes proper I will share the details of everything that happened during the process.

Thanks for the prayers keep em coming!!

Hard Work Pays!!

After a longgggggggggg weekend of baby sitting I am finally back to the normal week. I learn a LOT of lessons from watching my friends kids from Friday-Sunday; 1. I need a bigger house to have all the kids Im thinking of having, 2. never leave the house without wetwipes, and have a stock full of bandages, and always cook at home because children like to waste food, shocking I know!

I had a fun time with the kids and I probably will try to visit with them more often now that they are out of school. Anywhoot so their mom gives me these cool postcards $20 bucks and two movie tickets to my favorite theater. She is always giving me things I do expect so the gifts were well received and will certainly help my entertainment budget of $0.

This week I am going to spend some time doing as much free stuff as possible. A co-worker invited me to some undisclosed event which means they usually want to sell stuff, but im going anyways because I heard a free gift was involved. Also I plan to spend a little time honing my couponging skills, and organizing all the pictures I printed from my cd's and camera. Eventually I am going to turn them into scrap books but one thing at a time.

Go Green Day 13 ***Update***

Yesterday I dipped into the gas budget for a graduation party yikes!!! I took $25 dollars out of it and I promise it won't happen again!

So here is what the rest of the weekend looked like

$20 to take 2 children and myself to see karate kid, great movie by the way!
$12 dollars at Mcdonalds - They had happy meals and I had some salads which I brought extra for later.
$5 at the hallmark store for a hoops and yoyo graduation card (I love hoops and yoyo everything)

$1.50 for a Sunday paper so I can start my couponing adventure.

Free Redbox Movie

All ya gotta do is like them on their friends page on facebook!!!!! click on the picture!

My food budget is almost gone

So as you know I have been working my go green challenge and to my dismay, I only have a couple bucks left in my food budget. You might be wondering how did you blow $200 in 12 days right? I know it kinda sounds obsurd but healthy food cost a lot more money which is what I have been eating a LOT of. On top of that since I haven't cooked in ages my pantry was pretty bare, leaving me to basically need to buy a bunch of staple items. Fortunately now that I will commit to cooking on a regular basis I won't have to buy so much stuff each time I make a trip to the store. I am going to try to stretch these last few bucks but in the mean time I am going to work on saving for the next trip.

Which leads me to couponmom.com. I came across this site while browsing Debt Kicking Mama's popular blogs list. I have always known about coupon mom but figure it would be too much work to try to "Save". However my mind is changing quickly the more my food budget dwindles down. So this weekend I am going to spend some time discovering how this coupon thing works. I will post my progress so that people can see it really works. I won't actually start using the system until July which is when I can replenish my food account.

Stay tuned!

Go Green Day 11 ***Update***

I ask everyone to send up prayers regarding my house for sale in Detroit. There was a showing yesterday for a potential purchase. I would really love for this weight to be lifted from me and it would be super great news if they put in an offer so keep your fingers crossed!

Go green is still strong, I think I have about 30 buck in spending money and 30 bucks in food money. Plenty gas money!

I almost went to the atm today to get 10 dollars to give for some tamales I had purchase and I didn't bring the food envelope to work obviously. So I asked my co-worker to front me the money and she agreed. So the challenge is still in tact, almost busted it but im staying strong!!!

Ways To Live Well for Less

This article comes for Ladies Home Journal.com. I was reading the magazine, while waiting for my dentist appt, and the magazine is packed with lots of cool articles. Check this out:

1. Many museums, zoos, and aquariums waive their admission fees one day a week or on certain dates throughout the year. Check their Web sites for details.

2. If you have high-speed Internet service, you can watch TV shows and movies for free on demand at hulu.com. Search thousands of current and past shows, movies, and other content.

3. Set up a free account at pandora.com. List several of your favorite songs or artists and a super-computer will create personalized "radio stations" based on the music you love the most.

4. You can often get free admission to classical music performances by attending a dress rehearsal. Check the Web site of your city's symphony orchestra or opera company for details.

5. Plan your trip during "shoulder season"-- between peak and off seasons. The weather is good, the crowds small, and the prices at least 30 percent lower.

Cancun: May, August, November
Caribbean: January, February
Honolulu: September to November
Las Vegas: January, October, November
London: March, April, September
Los Angeles: March, April, September to November
Miami: January, July, August
New York: September, October
Orlando: May to August
Paris: March, April, August to October
San Francisco: March, April, September, October
Seattle: March, April, November
Washington, D.C.: January, March, April, September to November

6. Add some veggies, herbs, and leftover meat to packaged ramen noodles and you've got a surprisingly sophisticated soup or fried noodle dish.

7.Comparison shopping sites such as nextag.com, bizrate.com and pricegrabber.com allow you to type in the brand and model name of products and see the price you'll pay at a variety of stores (including shipping and sales tax).

8. At ebates.com you can shop at hundreds of e-tailers and get cash back for every purchase. E-tailers pay ebates.com a fee for referring you to them, and credits you back a portion -- from 2 to 20 percent of your purchase amount.

9. Want to buy something online from J.Crew, Gap, or others? Type the brand name and "coupon" in Google and a host of Web sites (savings.com, retailmenot.com, dealtaker.com) will provide you with coupon codes.

10. call a beauty academy or cosmetology school in your area and volunteer to have your hair done by a trainee. A full head of highlights might set you back just $37; single-process color a mere $20.

11. Shelling out $70 a month for your iPhone service? Then download a few apps that push your finances back in the other direction.

RedLaser ($1.99): When shopping, aim the iPhone's camera at a product's bar code and find out what other retailers -- both local stores and Web sites -- are charging for the same product.

Tip Calculator (99 cents): Key in the price of your meal and the percentage you want to leave, and it'll give you the exact tip amount. Plus it can help split a bill if you're with a group.

RepairPal (free): Ever wonder whether your car mechanic is charging you a fair price? This app gives you ballpark repair costs for any post-1990 vehicle.

GasBuddy ($2.99): This app uses the phone's GPS to give you current prices at nearby gas stations, plus directions to get there, so you can fill up for less.

Mint.COM (free): Links to your banking, loan, credit card, and investment accounts to analyze your finances -- and warns about low balances and nearing credit limits.

Yowza (free): Searches out coupons for stores within 15 miles of your current location. No need to print the results -- the clerk can scan the bar code from your phone.

CardBank (99 cents): Store your preferred-shopper cards electronically so you don't have to carry them in your wallet or on your keychain. The clerk can scan your code right from the phone's screen.

They even show blog land some love at the very end of the article, nice perks when you make it to the top eh?

wisebread.com: How to "live large on a small budget."

frugaldad.com: Sound advice for keeping your family away from debt and risk.

wealthpilgrim.com: Tips from a financial adviser who learned the hard way.

livingonadime.com: A mother and daughter teach lessons in frugality.

getrichslowly.com: Learn better money management from a regular guy.

thecentsiblelife.com: How one mother is getting her family out of debt.

Free Apple Ipad Giveaway!!!

Christian PF is celebrating their 3 year anniversary by giving away an IPAD!!!! I love personal finance blogs and I love free stuff even more! I am registering and signing up everywhere! considering my cell phone got dropped in the toilet and my computer is on the verge of a meltdown I could use some new technology in my life!

Tonight Im cleaning out my closet!

Ok so I don't listen to Eminem any more but the picture is kinda fitting. Last night I felt compelled to get rid of all the stuff I was not wearing and donate it to goodwill. It left my closet bare but it needed to be done. Now that everything is out I can focus on creating the wardrobe that is timeless. Over the next couple weeks I am going to research where I can get the best deals, and best quality. Hopefully by the time the month ends I will have prepared myself for a new wardrobe by planning first and I won't go shopping until I know all the ends and outs and what I need to get. Im excited about the research because I really want to get this right. So if anyone knows any good shopping tips or stores feel free to let me know!!

Go Green Day 5 What have I learned?

Saturday is day 5 and I have $36 dollars left over in my blow account. Yesterday I went to family dollar, and purchased cleaning supplies, soap powder, and floor rugs for the bathroom. Its amazing how quickly you can blow through funds when you aren't paying attention. I have to admit though spending cash really does hurt. Makes me wish I had done this a long time ago. The good news is, there is good news!

I returned something I brought from target 2 weeks ago and got $10 credited to my debit card. A friend from church needed me to do her hair yesterday which it was all good until it rained (it frizzed back up) she is suppose to pay me on Sunday for at least attempting but if she doesn't its cool. My co-worker also asked me to do some data entry stuff for her business which I have been working on this weekend which should yield me a good $50 bucks.

Its pretty interesting how when I set a goal not to spend, the Lord provides me opportunities to actually make money.

Some other great things is I am spending a lot of time getting organized at home and planning more things out. The area that has improved greatly is the eating/cooking department. I have been making all of my meals and honestly it feels great. I feel better when I have planned out what I am going to cook for dinner, instead of wasting gas driving around town trying to find decent fast food. Im also finding cooking very relaxing. Because I actually plan time to cook in my day, its no so rushed which gives me time to experiment and also have snacks and lunch through the day so that while im cooking im not starved.

I am looking forward to the next few weeks to see a change in habits and progression. Its yet to early to say if I will fully adopt this plan in the coming months but its hopeful!

Gratitude Friday Be Happy

I haven't done a gratitude Friday in a while seems like, but I have a lot to be grateful for. A good friend reminded me of how far I have come and how proud of me she is. I remember praying a prayer to God to send me love, and surround me with people that would uplift me. Certainly he has answered that prayer.

I look forward to the next great thing God is gonna do in my life, and honestly even if he doesn't do another thing I will be satisfied.

Yesterday I did some spending and here is the breakdown

$30 sams club - groceries
$37 krogers - groceries
$12 krogers - Brought a cheese grader
$25 meijer - groceries
$1 walmart -groceries

It felt really good to grocery shop and work on getting back to cooking. I cleaned out my pantry, organized my frig, cut up veggies n all. I am so excited about becoming the woman I would like to be and, I am realizing how wonderful it makes me feel to take care of business, and relax when its all done.

How To Create a Budget

This article comes from the Money Girl's quick and dirty tips for a richer life. I really enjoy this site so I hope the information is helpful to those looking to gain financial freedom.

Why You Need to Budget

If you always have plenty of money to pay your bills on time, in addition to maintaining a healthy emergency fund, investing for your retirement, and saving for all your other goals, then you probably don’t need a spending strategy.

But if you’re struggling at all with your cash inflows and outflows, you need a simple spending strategy. That’s because it’s difficult to improve what you don’t measure. What you believe is going on can actually be very different from the reality of a situation. You may think the amount you spend on groceries or entertainment is reasonable, for example, but do you really know exactly how much that is, on average, each month? Until you dig a little deeper into your spending patterns, you won’t have all the information necessary to make good decisions and beneficial changes.

Create a Spending Strategy

I’m intentionally not telling you to “create a budget,” because if you’re like me, that mandate just sounds too stringent. A budget, for many, implies doing without and never being able to enjoy oneself. But a “spending strategy,” on the other hand, embraces the fact that you’re going to spend. It’s just a matter of making sure that you do it in a deliberate and smart way with your end goal in mind. The purpose of creating a spending strategy is to analyze where your money goes and to put you in control of your cash flow.

It’s All About Money Management

A spending strategy embraces the fact that you’re going to spend; it helps you spend smarter.
There’s a black hole that seems to suck up our money when we’re not looking. An essential element to eliminating debt and saving money to meet financial goals--like saving for a vacation or for retirement-- is to keep your money away from the black hole by improving your money management skills. That starts with doing a spending analysis to monitor all the many ways you pay bills, splurge, give to others, and possibly fritter away money.

I believe that a spending strategy should not make you miserable; otherwise, you’re apt to rebel against it. Its implementation should get you excited, because it’ll move you closer and closer to what’s truly important to you—living debt free and having money for what matters most. In fact, you may get so excited about reaching those goals that you’ll enjoy cutting out spending on the things that don’t matter to you. It can become a game for some people who really get fired-up about seeing their goals become a reality.

How to Create a Spending Strategy

I recommend that you enter the data for your spending strategy on a spreadsheet or in a financial program, but a piece of paper will work just fine too. The first task is to estimate your monthly after-tax income. For some this is easy because you receive a regular paycheck. For others who are paid on commission or who are self-employed, you’ll need to come up with a realistic monthly estimate.

Document Your Fixed Expenses

The second task is to enter all of your fixed monthly expenses below your income. Fixed expenses, such as rent, a mortgage, or home utilities, are those recurring costs that you must pay every month because they’re vital for your well-being or are commitments you’ve already made. Label each category or payment on a separate row. Don’t forget to account for any automatic payroll deductions that you may have for workplace insurance or savings to a retirement plan. Some fixed expenses you don’t actually pay for in equal amounts each month, so come up with a monthly average. For example, if you pay insurance just twice a year, calculate the annual amount you pay, and then divide by 12. Or if your utility bills fluctuate a lot, research the total you paid for a full 12 month period and divide by 12.

Estimate Your Variable Expenses

The third task is to enter all your variable monthly expenses below your fixed expenses. Variable expenses are those that can change each month or are discretionary. Dining out, buying clothes, groceries, a haircut, etc. could be some of your variable expense categories. Try to think of all the ways you spend money. Maybe going to the movies or to a local coffee shop are black holes for your money. If so, be sure to create separate categories just for them. Enter your actual expenses from at least three previous months by looking at charges in your checkbook register or bank statements. If you don’t have these, you’ll simply need to start tracking your expenses going forward.

When you subtract your monthly fixed and variable expenses from your monthly after-tax income, what you have left-over is called your discretionary income. It’s an important number because it’s what you have to pay down debt and build wealth for the future. The obvious goal is to make that number as big as possible. That can be accomplished by increasing your income or by decreasing your expenses, or by doing both.


For more tips visit Money girl quick and dirty tips

Go Green Day 2

Wow yesterday was interesting, I purposefully asked for small bills at the bank so that if anything random came about I wouldn't constantly be breaking bills. God is good and he has worked things out. Its amazing what you find to spend money on! None the less the show must go on.....

Its gonna be a rocky week if I don't find time to grocery shop which is a key element in this program. I could go before bible study today, even though it might be a little rushed. I would have to get my grocery list done at work. I don't want to go in the store without a game plan otherwise I will end up forgetting things, and needing to return multiple times during the week which I would like to avoid.

I am going to (today) make a meal plan so I will know exactly what I need from the store to make the meals.

Here is how money was spent yesterday

$5 - A group of us co-workers brought flowers for my old boss who lost her mother over the holiday.

$3 - side salad and baked potato at wendys

$7 - A book I have been wanting to purchase that was on sale for half off!!

Grand total spend on day 1 $15 dollars

This isn't bad considering what a normal day looks like which would be like $20 bucks on fast food alone.

I am already making progress because this could have EASILY BEEN 3 debit card transactions. Im loving cash already!!!!

Go Green Day 1 ***Update***

Alright the budget is finished!!!


Young Mogul from Mogul In Training was SOOOOO brave enough to join me on this challenge and I am super excited about having a partner in this!!! Its not to late to join in on the excitement. For all of you who think this is something just as simple as not using credit/or debit cards its not. Its about planning ahead, budgeting and exploring ways to have fun on a budget.

I pulled out my old Dave Ramsey envelope system to help me track my spending.

Rules :

1. No atm or bank transactions (except for emergencies *gas*)

2. No using the debt card

3. No co mingling of funds (basically once the blow money is gone im hit!)

I have taken out $450 dollars and the break down is this





$150 for gas

$200 food - I plan to cook this entire time with a couple of exceptions for traveling

$100 Misc - This includes any randomness which the day has just begun and already shelled out 5 bucks for something to do at work and also my co-worker is talking about a baby shower so I have to buy a gift (might make one lol)

I purposefully padded the gas and food budget, because I tend to travel on whims to cities 45 min to an hour away at times usually its back home to Detroit. Hopefully there will be money left over, which means most of my time is being spend cooking my own meals and hanging out at the clubhouse pool entertaining myself.


Im going to try to do updates daily here and on facebook.



Here we Go!!!! (got my go green t-shirt on)

Go Green Day 1

Today will be my first day with cash only. I haven't done my budget yet but soon as Its finished I will post it here. I will do a day to day check up of what I am spending as well.

Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday!