30 Day Spending Cleanse Update: No eating out! It’s not like my husband and I eat out all that much, maybe once a week. Oh but I do love those times when we go out to eat, so it was a little bit difficult to go a month without it. I probably should of thought this through more and picked February for it instead of March. Anyway, I’m going to estimate we saved $350 this month from not eating out. My total for the first 4 months of my spending cleanse is $1,040. I’d like to share with you my goal for all the extra money we are saving, I feel I owe it to you for embarking on my journey with me. I am currently 15 weeks pregnant. It still feels surreal and might not sink in for another 5 months. So the money I am saving from my cleanse is going to decorate the nursery, and wow do I have a lot of pins saved for inspiration on Pinterest. Now that I have revealed my big secret, I must say there is too much information out there on pregnancy, raising children, and introducing your dog to your new baby. It’s all the same information, but I can’t stop reading about playing a crying noise to prep your dog.
I now think I have a much better idea of what it is like for someone who has no idea about money and finances, and they try to research it. I am now in my second trimester of pregnancy, and I cannot believe how overwhelming it is to just go on Pinterest! Every post says something different, and why are there 100 different NECESSARY registry checklists? I have been so stressed by the magnitude of information out there, and because of this stress and confusion, I have done nothing. It is no wonder why so many women are stuck with their finances. One writer says to pay off your mortgage, and another advisor says to keep your mortgage for tax deductions. One article says to do a Roth IRA and another says to do a Traditional IRA. And are annuities amazing, wonderful products or are they a scheme?
The more we research, the more confused we get, so we stop and avoid it. After our first doctors visit, I exclaimed to my husband, “Did you see all the brochures they gave us?” And his response was, “well yea having a baby is a pretty big deal.” Thanks for pointing out the obvious babe! So I am going to say the same to you, changing careers, retiring, or changing your situation in some way, is a BIG deal. You wouldn’t go into child birth without a plan and some research and knowledge, would you? Probably not, so why go into a major life event without some planning?
To help you sort through all the information out there, I have put together a lifestyle money quiz. Simple go through the questions, total up your scores, and send your total to Jessica.Weaver@raymondjames.com or put your score in at the bottom of the quiz. I will send you a checklist better geared for your lifestyle and goals.
Have fun!
- On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being not very and 10 being extremely: How financially independent are you? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
- At the end of each month you:
- Know the exact amount you save. 4 points
- Try to save something. 3 points
- Go into debt. 2 points
- Have no idea. 1 point
- Your next financial goal is:
- Get out of debt. 1 point
- Create an emergency fund. 2 points
- Save for a house, college, new car. 3 points
- Save for retirement. 4 points
- When it comes to investing you tend to:
- Burry your head in the sand. 1 point
- Hoard your money in the bank. 2 points
- Are extremely aggressive. 3 points
- Believe in a balanced approach. 4 points
- How do you view your money?
- I’d rather spend more money now than save for later. 1 point
- I try to save for later while still enjoy the present. 2 points
- It is a tool to get me the life I want. 3 points
- I’d rather save my money for goals down the road. 4 points
- On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being not very and 10 being extremely: How confident are you with financial terms and concepts? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
- Each month you:
- Contribute the maximum to a retirement plan. 4 points
- Try to contribute at least 5-10% of your pay. 3 points
- Think you contribute something. 2 points
- Have no idea or don’t contribute. 1 point
- If an emergency expense came up, you would:
- Have plenty of cash in the bank to cover it. 4 points
- Be able to cover part of the expense with cash. 3 points
- Put the expense on a credit card. 2 points
- Have no idea how you would pay for it. 1 point
- When it comes to insurance protection, you
- Have no idea if you have insurance or how much to have. 1 point
- Think you have something from work. 2 points
- Have some insurance, but not sure if it is enough. 3 points
- Know exactly my insurance needs and have them covered. 4 points
- On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being not very and 10 being extremely: How secure are you with your current financial plan? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10