I recently found out about two really great opportunities for professionals not in the workforce to find flexible part-time work they’re qualified for. (My company actually employs a similar group – but for retirees, which is how I caught wind of the industry.) The two are below:
MomCorps is a company what provides companies direct access to previously untapped segment of exceptional talent – professional women who have opted out of the workforce to care for children. Flexible Executives offers companies qualified candidates for project-based work at discounted rates. Companies can secure top talent for economical rates and professional women can choose stimulating work on their terms and timelines. If you happen to find yourself out of the workforce for a myriad of reasons, kind of nice to tuck away in your for-reference folder…
Friday, August 1, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
End of July Wrap-Up and August Goal: Budget Itemization
I’ve updated my July net worth – woohoo, +7% to $41,600. Most of this was my end of year bonus. I also took down the estimated value of my car from $9,000 to $7,000. It’s probably still a little high, especially in these anti-SUV times, so I’ll keep recognizing the depreciation over the next few months. Spending-wise, I blew it a bit with my friend’s visit at the end of the month. Otherwise, I think I would have come in at my budget. As it is I’m quite a bit over.
As for August goals – there’s just one – Budget Itemization! Seven sexy syllables that I’m going to be immersed in for the next few hours and committed to for the rest of the month. I’m trying out a bit of a budget rehaul:
1) I have committed to trying the “envelope” style budgeting for one category: eating and drinking out at restaurants. This is the one category where I always overspend and I think actually seeing the money disappear will help out a lot with reigning in spending.
2) I’m also going to work on a WEEKLY budget for restaurants - $50 a week (that includes everything from food to drinks to coffees out.
3) Next, I’m going to get really detailed about my current budget categories. Instead of “entertainment,” I’m going to start itemizing movies vs. books, etc. That way in the next few months I’ll have even more new information about how to save smart.
All in all, I have a pretty positive attitude about my financial outlook for the rest of the year. I’m getting better at least! Also, the Guy and I were thisclose to scoring free tickets to Lollapalooza in Chicago this weekend. We didn’t win them, which may have been a financial blessing considering all of the gas and expenses we’d have incurred to go. Still… it would have been fun.
As for August goals – there’s just one – Budget Itemization! Seven sexy syllables that I’m going to be immersed in for the next few hours and committed to for the rest of the month. I’m trying out a bit of a budget rehaul:
1) I have committed to trying the “envelope” style budgeting for one category: eating and drinking out at restaurants. This is the one category where I always overspend and I think actually seeing the money disappear will help out a lot with reigning in spending.
2) I’m also going to work on a WEEKLY budget for restaurants - $50 a week (that includes everything from food to drinks to coffees out.
3) Next, I’m going to get really detailed about my current budget categories. Instead of “entertainment,” I’m going to start itemizing movies vs. books, etc. That way in the next few months I’ll have even more new information about how to save smart.
All in all, I have a pretty positive attitude about my financial outlook for the rest of the year. I’m getting better at least! Also, the Guy and I were thisclose to scoring free tickets to Lollapalooza in Chicago this weekend. We didn’t win them, which may have been a financial blessing considering all of the gas and expenses we’d have incurred to go. Still… it would have been fun.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
My Personal Financial History
I’ve been meaning to do this for awhile – I was inspired by Living Almost Large’s Weekly round-up for the PFBloggers. And I’ve finally penned my personal financial history – mostly my job outlook and what I’ve learned from my family. I’ve only been on this personal finance journey for a year, and still have a lot to learn!
Looking back on it, I have worked a lot of jobs. In high school I was a hostess, sometimes waitress at a small chain steakhouse, and at one time an administrative assistant for a local business owner. Oh and clothes folder extraordinaire at American Eagle. In college, I was an after-school nanny for two kids of Harvard professors, babysitter at a local church’s morning care program, towel folder and card swiper front desk gal at a gym, and that’s just the non-professional jobs.
I also interned at a small business publisher in Boston as an editorial assistant. The following year, I was the assistant to a Sony Pictures publicist. And now finally I’m settled into my first post-grad job, working in marketing for a consumer-packaged-goods firm.
None of these are what I’d really like to be doing = writing. I haven’t been audacious enough to pursue this aggressively. I’ve felt the need for a financial cushion before I get to venture out into the non-salaried land of writing the stories and truths I love and think are meaningful to share. I do think it’s important – I just wasn’t raised to rely on my parents for too long. My only worry is that I won’t actually take a break from building that cushion once I get too far down the road.
Though we were more of a doing-just-fine than a well-to-do family, and I wouldn’t quite say my brother or I was “spoiled,” my parents were definitely very giving – they were “we want you to have it” people. Clothes or gadgets or sports gear or some other little trinket, they indulged us, and enjoyed doing it. We weren’t wealthy. Though their sacrifices weren’t always visible to me, I know they must have made them to give that way. That’s one of the things that keeps me a bit scared of becoming a parent – I’m not sure when I’m going to be ready to be that selfless. I think that’s one of the things they taught me: the pleasure of money – being able to spend freely on others, giving them things they like. They didn’t have a lot of self-restraint when it came to buying us things we wanted, and I don’t either now when it comes to gifts. I way overspend on gifts, and I guess that’s where it comes from.
My mom was very diligent about the checkbook – my mom handled all of our expenses. She would do them all at once and mail them off right away. I think that’s the only real lesson imparted that I remember: a general take-care-of-it-first conscientiousness about putting finances in order. Our home was also pretty modest, and I remember it was a very exciting day (and very much known in the house) when my parents had paid off the house. But there was not a great deal of nuance beyond that, and I have had to learn a lot on my own. I do feel like a bit of a bootstraps budgeter at times, but recognize that I’ve had it really good in a lot of ways – no major setbacks and lots of lucky breaks.
That’s my very simple personal finance history. What’s yours? In four paragraphs or four sentences…
Looking back on it, I have worked a lot of jobs. In high school I was a hostess, sometimes waitress at a small chain steakhouse, and at one time an administrative assistant for a local business owner. Oh and clothes folder extraordinaire at American Eagle. In college, I was an after-school nanny for two kids of Harvard professors, babysitter at a local church’s morning care program, towel folder and card swiper front desk gal at a gym, and that’s just the non-professional jobs.
I also interned at a small business publisher in Boston as an editorial assistant. The following year, I was the assistant to a Sony Pictures publicist. And now finally I’m settled into my first post-grad job, working in marketing for a consumer-packaged-goods firm.
None of these are what I’d really like to be doing = writing. I haven’t been audacious enough to pursue this aggressively. I’ve felt the need for a financial cushion before I get to venture out into the non-salaried land of writing the stories and truths I love and think are meaningful to share. I do think it’s important – I just wasn’t raised to rely on my parents for too long. My only worry is that I won’t actually take a break from building that cushion once I get too far down the road.
Though we were more of a doing-just-fine than a well-to-do family, and I wouldn’t quite say my brother or I was “spoiled,” my parents were definitely very giving – they were “we want you to have it” people. Clothes or gadgets or sports gear or some other little trinket, they indulged us, and enjoyed doing it. We weren’t wealthy. Though their sacrifices weren’t always visible to me, I know they must have made them to give that way. That’s one of the things that keeps me a bit scared of becoming a parent – I’m not sure when I’m going to be ready to be that selfless. I think that’s one of the things they taught me: the pleasure of money – being able to spend freely on others, giving them things they like. They didn’t have a lot of self-restraint when it came to buying us things we wanted, and I don’t either now when it comes to gifts. I way overspend on gifts, and I guess that’s where it comes from.
My mom was very diligent about the checkbook – my mom handled all of our expenses. She would do them all at once and mail them off right away. I think that’s the only real lesson imparted that I remember: a general take-care-of-it-first conscientiousness about putting finances in order. Our home was also pretty modest, and I remember it was a very exciting day (and very much known in the house) when my parents had paid off the house. But there was not a great deal of nuance beyond that, and I have had to learn a lot on my own. I do feel like a bit of a bootstraps budgeter at times, but recognize that I’ve had it really good in a lot of ways – no major setbacks and lots of lucky breaks.
That’s my very simple personal finance history. What’s yours? In four paragraphs or four sentences…
Monday, July 28, 2008
Weekend Reflections from LA
Just had a fantastic weekend with a friend from school who was in from LA. We had a lovely time, really great fireworks display on Saturday night, a night out downtown at an open-bar sponsored by the MBA association. A day out on the boat, skiing and tubing (my arms are so sore, it hurts to squeeze my toothpaste now). And questionably great conversation: the nuances of how to order frozen custard recipes off the menu, our theory on how Bush created reality TV (“No Stupid Star Left Behind”), and what makes a good parody movie (I can tell you it’s not Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story). And at brunch Sunday morning we also talked about my blogging. We had a nice discussion of standards of life in various cities and where you get to make choices, and where you just have to cope. My LA friend pays $1400 rent for a 1BR similar to mine in Santa Monica (I pay $950 living thisclose to the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis – the Manhattan of the Midwest). Looking at living anywhere other than I live now is going to be a reality check. (Sidenote: this was a nice instruction manual on predicting exactly how much more or less expensive your new city will be, from Punny.org)
My LA friend also posed the question as to what percent of my gross income I save. She reports saving 10% of her gross income. I wasn’t really sure offhand, so of course I had to come back and calc’ up a lot of different percentages – when I do total it all up, I found that I am saving about 15% of my takeaway pay (after taxes, 401(k), healthcare deductions etc). That doesn’t feel bad, but knowing that she saves 10% of her gross is probably a bigger number. AND she lives in a more expensive place. So that is rejuvenating me to try to ramp this up. For August I’m already planning on 16% and I think my goal will be to reach 19% by the end of this calendar year.
Also, thanks to Ellen from Wormbook for pointing out that the resource I was looking for in my last post is actually called Buxfer!
My LA friend also posed the question as to what percent of my gross income I save. She reports saving 10% of her gross income. I wasn’t really sure offhand, so of course I had to come back and calc’ up a lot of different percentages – when I do total it all up, I found that I am saving about 15% of my takeaway pay (after taxes, 401(k), healthcare deductions etc). That doesn’t feel bad, but knowing that she saves 10% of her gross is probably a bigger number. AND she lives in a more expensive place. So that is rejuvenating me to try to ramp this up. For August I’m already planning on 16% and I think my goal will be to reach 19% by the end of this calendar year.
Also, thanks to Ellen from Wormbook for pointing out that the resource I was looking for in my last post is actually called Buxfer!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Bucks for / fer / phor?
Help! This weekend I heard some friends talking about “bucks – fur” (my phonetic rendering of what it sounds like they were saying), a website that helps roommates, sig others and friends tidily divide up what each owes towards certain shared expenses. This would be an online forum where you enter in who buys the milk and bread the most in a shared living environment and end up at a more “even” total of who owes what. Not that I want to micromanage yet another element of my financial life with the Guy, but it might be nice to try out instead of doing the mental tally.
Has anyone heard of this site and can anyone share the actual web address? My initial searches have turned up empty.
Has anyone heard of this site and can anyone share the actual web address? My initial searches have turned up empty.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Increasing Automatic Deductions.... Bit by Bit
Automatic deductions work really well for me – in fact, any tactic by which I can trick myself into saving more money is what works best. I have a hard time keeping to a budget, only because I don’t like tracking it. It’s easy for me to say no to myself. But it’s hard when saying no to myself means saying no to someone else, i.e. the Guy or friends. So by upping these automatic deduction amounts gradually, hopefully I’ll be able to ramp up without being budget Nazi. So for my business school savings account, I’ll up the current $100 a month that I contribute to $125 a month. For travel, my transfer isn’t automatic yet, but the bi-monthly $50 I contribute will now be $60 and 75 per deposit.
Otherwise, I’m really looking for other tricky strategies to get myself to save more without feeling it. The $5 bill tactic pointed out by Boston Gal from the Globe was interesting, but I never (NEVER) pay in cash – always on a card to get the points. So that won’t really work for me. Ideally I want something that takes no time, no discipline, just tactics… ha, any ideas?
Otherwise, I’m really looking for other tricky strategies to get myself to save more without feeling it. The $5 bill tactic pointed out by Boston Gal from the Globe was interesting, but I never (NEVER) pay in cash – always on a card to get the points. So that won’t really work for me. Ideally I want something that takes no time, no discipline, just tactics… ha, any ideas?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
People Currently Reading...
I think I found something else to add to that financial wants list - the Amazon Kindle. I am just not a gadget geek, have no desire to wait in line for the 3g iphone, but as someone who has been carrying a book around everywhere [even movie theaters!] since she was seven, THIS is technology I can use.
Also, decided to add a currently reading gizmo to the site... still on Jane Eyre, but always looking for good next-read's. :)
Also, if you haven't seen the People Reading blog, you've got to check it out - currently featuring random Californians encountered on the street and sidewalks reading. I'm at my blog quota, but if I weren't, I would definitely start one of these for the Twin Cities.
Also, decided to add a currently reading gizmo to the site... still on Jane Eyre, but always looking for good next-read's. :)
Also, if you haven't seen the People Reading blog, you've got to check it out - currently featuring random Californians encountered on the street and sidewalks reading. I'm at my blog quota, but if I weren't, I would definitely start one of these for the Twin Cities.
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