Thursday, March 15, 2012

I need your help

When I started this blog, it was to help me get my mind around my money. We didn't have much, and I had to work hard to make the numbers work, and I had so much to learn.

Then at some point, I didn't have so much to learn anymore, and so I got bored. I felt like I was repeating myself, like it had all been said, like anything I wrote on here was just so obvious.

But now I'm realizing it's only obvious to me.

In the past few days I've had a few really dear friends tell me that some money advice I gave them - which after all these years seems intuitive to me - was life changing. And I can't think of anything more gratifying. So I would like to start writing here again, and to use this blog as a vehicle for sharing what I've learned and what I know, for helping other people to get their money under control. And to be perfectly honest, I could use it too, to get my fired up again and make some real progress on our money goals.

But I need your help. Because I don't know what to write. So here's what I need from you:

  • Questions - what do you need to know about money? We can have an "Ask story's money" feature, or a longer series on specific issue.
  • Challenge ideas - want to do a challenge with me? Like a grocery challenge, or an extra income challenge, or a savings challenge?
  • Guest posts - Got a financial success, or even a problem, you want to write about? Send it over.
  • Any other ideas for what to write about?

Let's get some pep back in this blog and talk about our money.

8 comments:

  1. I love this. We can also share little tips we've found to help. For instance, I hoard all change from couch cushions, etc. and I put it in a piggy bank for B. when it's full, I take it to the credit union where he has a little account and I deposit it. Just doing this has put $60+ in his account in the 8 months I've been doing it. May not seem like much, but if I do it every year until he goes to college? That's about $1300, which will pay for a semester in a dorm. I like to think of it as my own little plan that Wachovia was running for a while where they rolled the uneven change from a checking to a savings every time you make a purchase.

    I need help with groceries/toiletries/etc.

    Thanks for your help, sweets.

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  2. oh yay! i'm SO glad you're doing this. i was reading your old posts here recently and found that it made a lot of sense.... and a lot of things that are probably obvious to you are really not to me. i don't think i'm bad with money but i KNOW i could be a lot better. (and/or would be horrified if i ever added up how much money i waste on nail polish/hair products/wedding magazines that i rarely use hahaha).

    i would definitely love a grocery challenge or a savings challenge... or even a target ban. (because i can get what i "need" there other places)....

    i definitely still need help with budgeting, like how do you know what your monthly gas budget is? or groceries? coming as someone who has no budget set right now (and i suppose that's probably also due to the fact that i'm coming off of 4 years of living alone) ... how do you set those numbers when you're pretty sure you already spend too much? ... or how do you allow yourself little treats (like new shoes here and there, things for fun) amid trying to be super frugal because you know you have big things to save up for?

    or... how do you convince your "spend nothing" fiance that sometimes spending money on things that are just for fun is okay, within reason? (or maybe how do i learn that using "just for fun" as an excuse is what needs to be fixed, that i should be more like him?)

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  3. I have been having a tough time staying on budget for our groceries lately. What are some easy and not so impacting ways to save and stay on budget. I need ideas.

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  4. Here's a piece of advice: Why don't you invest your money in stock markets? This way, you can grow profits with your hard earned income in a short span of time. However, you should choose an established company that provides high security.

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  5. Money is hard to earn, but easy to burn. If you want to increase your money, you should start a small business, or invest it in the stock market. Always do something fruitful with your money instead of just using for a shopping spree. Use your money wisely!

    -Jamie Shellman

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  6. When we started our business, we didn’t have that much money to pay the staff, especially professionals. So, what we did was, we invested on business software to help us do the payroll, accounting, etc. It was a wise decision, and it helped us to save a lot. If you’re planning to invest your money on a new business, make sure to use business software, and benefit from it, over and over again.

    -Darcy Grubaugh

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  7. Not just investing, Darcy, but LONG TERM investing. Time is an investor’s best friend. Or it could be the worst enemy if, you wait too long, and that is because it takes a long while for compounding time to work its magic. The more time you give, however, the more you are able to accelerate your original investment’s potential income.

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  8. I strongly agree with Tianna. Well, the sooner you start putting your money aside, the better off your business will be. Remember the cardinal rule of investing: Buy low and sell high. :)

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