Money, money, money, money..

If you don't do the challenges or do them to her statifaction, you don't get the money.  If you have a bad attitude, you don't get the money..

There are a few shows that I am addicted to.  Reality shows like Kourtney & Kim take New York, design shows on HGTV such as Property Virgins or Income Property...but the biggest ones are probably 'Til Debt Do U$ Part' and "Princess"  hosted by the tough as nails financial guru Gail Vaz-Oxlade.  She helps couples and individual people take control of their finaces and 'move from red to black' and rewards them with cash [to pay down their debt] if they do everything she asks of them.  [Yes, EVERYTHING]

She also works with financially irresponsible  "Princess" type girls who act as though they're entitled to everything under the moon including your wallet.   What I love about her is how she calls bullsh** on the participants when all they do is point fingers, whine or make excuses.  It really makes for entertaining television and really, she's pretty much nothing short of AMAZING!

 Check out Gail's website here!

There are a lot of great things about this website.  Aside from the advise, tips and many, many other things; there are a number of interactive worksheets to help you budget, plan, calculate and 'own up to your debt'.  You can fill them out online and print them off or you can save a copy in excel format.  Theres also a quiz to see if you're a shopaholic!  [which i'm too afraid to fill out..]

To be honest, I use one of her budget sheets daily.  And I have been for the last couple of years.  It's SOOO helpful!  I track my spending religiously.  And it helps me budget and to stay on track.  I don't know how I did it before -- I never used to budget.  Even the concept of creating a budget was so foreign to me.    I use to be the type of person who didn't care where the money went and most of the time it was just going to clothing and bank fees.  However, in the last couple of years, I've definitely become extremely aware of my finances, debt and savings and continously try to be smart with my money.  It is my money after all, shouldn't I know where it's going? So pay off your debt and start saving! Nothing beats Financial Freedom!!

This is where being on a clothing diet really helps.  Clothing, shoes & accessories are my weaknesses.  I love the idea of shopping and having bright shiny new things.  I literally daydream about shopping and cannot wait until the day I can buy something.  I have been browsing website after website mentally stocking a wishlist of items I want to purchase when I am able to.  I CAANNNN'T WAIIIITT!

Until then, I will just have to balance my budget. 

Le sigh..

One day at a time: Cliche but SO true.

January 15, 2011

I’m so thankful for TGAAD! Being on this diet will help me focus on the bigger picture and personal financial goals.

1. Save, save, SAVE for a down payment on a house.
2. Be financially stable. Being able to stand on my own two feet is very important to me.
3. Start a travel specific savings account. I don’t want to go into debt just to see the Eiffel Tower.

In the last year and a bit I’ve completely changed [most of] my spending habits. Sure I still lust after clothing, and It’s definitely been a little bit of a rollercoaster ride, but nonetheless, worth it. I went from online shopping pretty much every day, to cutting myself off cold turkey, budgeting down to the last penny, paying off my VISA™ [finally], saving money, falling off the wagon and binging once or twice, getting back on the not-so stable wagon, paying off my VISA again, to finding TGAAD. So it’s been a pretty bumpy ride and shopping will always be something I struggle with, but as long as I can rationalize with myself and decipher needs vs. wants, I think I will be ok.

It’s funny, I‘ll have really good days when I’ll think “I am SO done with shopping” and truly believe that I have conquered this whole ideology of wanting “things”. I love those days. Then there will be a wave of bad, oh-so-terrible, self-indulgent days where shopping controls my life and is literally all I can think about… followed by the inevitable binge; and furthermore – buyer’s remorse. Bleh.

What’s the moral of the story? Today is a really good day.

xoxo one day at a time girl..

Whatever, predictable is saving me $.$$

January 05, 2011

So today, I looked at my clothes with fresh, bright, optimistic eyes..  Until I was snapped back to the reality which is my closet.  Oh well, it was worth a shot.  In the end, I decided on a pair of jeans [my staple go-to pant; the new AE ones I was talking about..I can't believe how much I like them!], a flowy embellished chiffon tank, and a sparkly festive cardigan from Madewell.  Lovely if I say so myself.

..and then a thought creeped into my head: Kind. Of. Predictable. “Why?” might you ask?

Well, right now it’s VERY winter where I live.  There’s tons of snow ..and coldness.. like, I have to wear ski-pants on-a-daily-basis-type-coldness.  There’s definitely no cute winter outfits going on here or in the near future.  Theres no doubt that I lose most of my style ”mo-jo” during the winter months, since the main focus is to stay warm..

…Which ultimately leads me to no other choice but my tried and true outfit:  Jeans [of course..], a flowy tank of some sort.. paired with a cardigan.

At least I can take solace in the new clothes I ordered pre-diet that have yet to arrive  and as each day gets warmer, I will slowly swap ski-pants for skirts, winter boots for high heels, and sweaters for sleeveless tanks [not to be worn at the same time, mind you] and hopefully I can get the creative juices flowing.

Peace, Love & Happiness.