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..

Patting myself on the back; It's been 4 weeks.

January 28, 2011

Zero shopping. Hundreds of things I want.

Four weeks seems like a tiny kilometer on the road to recovery when you look at the whole grand scheme of things doesn’t it? I always find that once you put a timer or clock on something, it seems as though time goes slower; creeping along at a snails pace. Then each day, afternoon, hour becomes an accomplishment; a countdown really.

As triumphant as I feel, I can’t help but think about these last four weeks and how I’ve dealt with them. I’ve been alright, I guess. Have I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs in agony?!? Rip out my hair in desperation? Have i wanted to binge, purge, binge and purge once more for good luck?? [clothing wise, of course]. WELL, Im not going to dignify those questions with an answer. A pictures worth a thousand words right?

Okay, okay let’s be honest; it’s been painful!! I miss online window shopping SOOOO MUCH! I use to spend so much time looking at beautiful clothing, shoes and jewelry; daydreaming about endless outfits. Wait..whaaa? “I use to spend so much time looking at clothing, shoes and jewelry; daydreaming about endless outfits.”?

WOW. No wonder I never got anything done. No wonder there was never enough time for laundry, knitting, scrapbooking, cleaning, spending time with the bf, sports, social life and weekends. It was always wasted in front of the computer; all of it taking a back seat to my shopping addiction. I would literally spend hours trying to find the best bang for my buck.

So, I say: It’s time to start doing something a little more proactive with all those extra hours in the day! Get off your computers, stay outta those malls!

xoxo - 4 weeks girl..

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..