PayingForPlaying's Personal Finance Blog

So I've been toying a bit with Associated Content. It's a website that let's you submit pieces of original work, and they pay you. You can write about anything you want (as you will see). And they pay you when they publish your work - so it doesn't even have to be viewed - which makes it a lot better deal in my opinion, much better than AdSense!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/347108/an_early_birds_guide_to_destin_dinners.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/346429/the_best_tasting_diet_soft_drinks.html

The money I make I am putting into my EF. So I'm pretty excited about this!

Okay, I couldn't wait until next week to update! I just have to share my victories with you guys! I have reduced my consumer debt by $2194.95 in less than two months. In fact, it's actually less than that, but I am still waiting on two of my accounts to update. I just like sharing with everyone because it feels so good, and I want to remember this feeling when I start to slide (hopefully that won't happen).

I haven't updated as much on here as I had planned. I've actually been spending more time on my other blog (the one I hopefully make some money off of .... shhhh).

I will try to get on here as often as I can though!

I started a new blog yesterday - using blogger.com. I added the link to "Sites I Frequent," but here is the link if you wish to visit:

http://payingforplaying.blogspot.com/

I set up an AdSense account through Google, and I'm trying to use my other blog to make money So if you'd like to help out, please visit the blog, and if you really want to help, just click on one of the ads! I honestly have no idea if I will make any money doing this, but I will definitely keep you all updated!

Okay, so I was bad today, and decided to go out for lunch. I just can't stay couped up at work all day! I need to find something to do during lunch that is free! Any who, I didn't spend a lot of money, just ordered off the Dollar Menu @ Burger King. It wasn't even that great really, I will try to keep that in mind next time! Luckily I only spent $3. But that's $3 that could have gone into my EF Maybe this will make me be good the rest of the week. All I can do is try!

I'm not sure that I will be giving myself weekly goals, but I thought I would for this week at least. After purchasing my $1.00 soda this morning (I'm a non-coffee drinker, so I have to get my caffeine fix some way), I've decided to not purchase any more food-to-go for the rest of the week. When I got to work, I checked to make sure I have enough frozen entrees to get my through lunch this week - I do, six left, in fact! I have a dinner date tomorrow night, and I will just eat microwave popcorn or cereal the other nights. And I have enough packages of crackers to last me until Thursday. With that being said, I'm still going to have to pick up a few groceries for this weekend. Thursday afternoon through Sunday evening I will be baby-sitting, so I figure I need to pick up a few "adult" snacks. Don't get my wrong, I love chicken nuggets, Pop Tarts and fruit snacks just as much as any kid

I'm really trying to think about the fact that I will be making a lot of money this weekend, and not thinking how jealous I am that my neighbors are going to "my favorite place on earth." I will be taking a trip there myself over Labor Day, so I'm trying not to be too bummed!

So I know I told everyone I would be sending all of my babysitting money straight to my crecit card. Last night, however, I started thinking about my emergency fund. I've read over and over about how important it is to have an EF. This I do not have. My emergency fund has been praying for no emergencies! And, in the back of my mind, knowing that I have two open credit lines with several hundred dollars available in case of an emergency. But seeing as I am trying to wean myself off credit cards, I have decided I can't rely on them for emergencies either (but I am still not closing either of those accounts - just in case)!

With that being said, I've decided to start up an EF. Hopefully no major emergencies come up, because it is going to be a slow-growing account! But I've decided to stash $25 a paycheck into the account, and then just $5 or $10 whenever I run into some extra $$$. So I will be starting my EF with a whopping $5!

But I'm not stopping there. I've also realized that I have a couple of trips coming up that I need to set money aside for. So, I will be following my EF guidelines and stashing the same amount of cash to these funds as well.

Along with my EF, I will have "My Best Friend's Wedding Fund" - and no, not like the movie. In October, I will be a bridesmaid in a beach wedding (luckily - cheap shoes!), but I know there will be bar tabs and that sort of thing, so I need a little bit saved up.

Then the very next weekend (translation: no time to save up more money) is what I will call "My Tim Tebow Weekend." Yes, I am a UK alum, and yes, I love UK football, but hello - have you seen Tim Tebow??? So anyway, there will be money for tickets and a hotel, I guess, since it I'm thinking it's going to be a girl's weekend. Now I just have to devise a plan to meet Tim. I know my way around the Home Team locker room, but I never would have thought I needed to learn where the VISITING team's locker room was! I'll keep you posted on that front!

So now all I have to do is set up a couple of savings accounts. I've read about ING accounts. Does anyone have any favorites though? I literally will be opening these with like $5 deposits. I would like something that pays interest, maybe 4% to 5%??? I don't really want to put the money in my local bank's savings account. I earn like no interest, plus it is too easy for me to transfer into my checking account!

Thanks for any advice in advance!

I have sucessfully spent NO money this weekend (and don't plan to tomorrow either)! That's quite the feat considering I visited one of my favorite shopping locals (Lexington - cute shops and name-brand stores - a great place for a small-town gal). As I type, I am making money as well Yes, babysitting is tough work, luckily, I have company. The weekend has been great - a new baby girl to visit, free dinner courtesy of the rents, time well-spent with the Captain. A girl could only be so lucky! And making money to top that off!!!

I promise that I will deposit the check tomorrow and will go onto my online banking to send the entire amount to CC #1. In the past, anytime I made extra money, I would think, "okay, I have an extra x amount of dollars, what can I buy?" Then I would proceed to shop on jcrew.com or order a new piece of beach art or a sea bag (which was a really cool purchase by the way). Lately though, any "extra" work I do, I have been submitting that whole amount to my highest interest credit card. I swear, I have turned over a new leaf!

Really, babysitting isn't that tough anymore. I love these kids, I just have to get through the initial "I don't like you," "you go home" phase one is going through. I've already had a couple of good laughs tonight as well. Bath-time came around, so it was "potty" time. The Prince (as I call him) decided to "stand up" this time. Not thinking much of it, I was like, "oh okay." Then I realized that 3-year-olds really can't aim. I scream for the Captain, but it was too late The mess wasn't too hard to clean up fortunately!

Oops! There went crashing the blue lego house! I guess that's my cue to go!

So after a month of internet searching, I have devised my debt paydown plan. I'm hoping it takes me less than a year to knock this out!

I've learned a lot about "snowballing" my payments into my highest APR credit card. I've been doing so, but my APRs have actually changed a bit recently. Even so, the payments are all going to debt reduction. So I'm now paying the minimum on all my cards, except for CC #1 (with the highest APR). I'm taking everything I have left over and putting it on that card. But I will continue paying the minimums - as they are now - and that way, once those balances go down a bit, I will actually be paying a couple of extra dollars a month on them. Hopefully in the next few months, I'll have two or three more card balances gone.

Also in the past month, I've read Suze Orman's book, "Young, Fabulous & Broke" (thanks for the gift, Captain). With what I've learned from that book, as well as internet sites, I've armed myself with tools I need to get my credit score in check. So far, I've convinced 4 creditors to lower my APR and I've re-opened two accounts. I know that might sound like the last thing I need to do, but wait! I've learned that I need to work on my debt to credit limit ratio. Who knew it would hurt your credit score to close accounts with balances on them! My college roommates "froze my assets" once - that didn't help. I've cut up my Victoria's Secret card before, unfortunately, I memorized the account number. My last hope was closing the accounts. But now I know not to do that! So, like I said, I've got a couple of accounts open, and I even got my credit limit increased on another card. I promise I'm not using any of them though!

Sure, we all have our own story behind our debt - consumer debt, student loans, mortgages, vehicles, medical bills, and so on. The sad truth of mine is, it's ALL consumer debt. Too many trips to Victoria's Secret, numerous bar tabs, new outfits for Keeneland or a new shirt for a UK game, spring breaks, bachelorette parties -- it all adds up! All the way up to $13,642.54. Eeeek! That was back in June, when I made the realization that my non-profit paycheck wasn't keeping up with my material-girl shopping sprees! I've been extremely committed the past month and a half to reducing my debt, and I've already paid down over $1000.

So that's me in a nutshell. I'm hoping this blog will help me to stay accountable over the next year during my "debt management journey."