What is all the Hype About?

So unless you just really ignore the world around you, you have probably heard about CBD oil.  It is everywhere right now. The question everyone has is, Does it work?

 Yes it does is the answer. I have personally been using it since October of 2018.  I had such severe back pain I could not sleep through the night.  I would wake up and have to reposition myself every two hours.  It was horrible to say the least.  I never felt rested and my body could not recharge and heal itself.  I was so miserable, it was effecting everything.  I had no energy to get things done.  I also have anxiety which was getting out of control and that was effecting my ability to function.

I was actually on one of my Facebook pages that has to do with work and a lady mentioned it.  I decided to ask some questions.  After talking for a bit I decided it couldn't make things any worse.  I made a purchase and signed up to sell it at the same time.  I am so glad I made the choice to use it.

For the first time in two years I actually slept through the night.  I was so shocked when the alarm went off and I had not woken up during the night.  After a few days I noticed my pain was not really a thing anymore and I could get through my shift at work without feeling like I had been beat up. I was able to be calmer through out the day as well.  It was amazing how much better I was doing using a natural product.

I have begun to tell others about my experience because I want everyone to be able to receive the benefits of this great product.  It really is an amazing thing.  On a completely unintentional side I have also lost 20m pounds.  I have not been able to lose weight for years.  This was a great side effect to me.

If you want to know more please visit my web site at cbdwithbecky.com  and learn about the different products we have.  I encourage you to try one of our sample packs to see how it can help you.  You will be amazed at what our products can do for you.

Do You Need Extra Cash?

So this will be quick.  If you are in need of extra cash go to https://www.instagc.com/420755
You can earn as little or much as you want.  It is great if you have a bill to pay each month that is an extra like Netflix.  I make sure I make enough each month to cover Netflix.  I get to watch my shows and movies and I never actually pay for it.

You can watch videos, take surveys, print coupons, and so many other things to earn points and from now until the end of the year they are giving you a bonus!  For the points you earn each week you will earn a percentage extra as a bonus.  The more points you earn the bigger the bonus percentage gets.  You could pay for your whole Christmas if you really wanted to.  I have been using it for a few years.  Last year I made over $400 extra dollars just using this site.  This year I am behind but I have still made over $100.  By the time this month is over I will have earned enough to cover Netflix for a year and have a little extra.  What are you waiting for?

Thanks for reading.  Until next time.

How I Got Rid Of My Kidney Stone (read till the end)

So as most of you know I have had a couple of kidney stones.  If you know anything about them they are painful and not easy to pass once they are of  larger size.  My first one was 9 mm and required two different surgeries before it finally came out.  After that I thought I was good to go and would just need regular heck ups to make sure I was ok.

This was not the case.  I ended up with a 6 mm stone at the beginning of this year.  I knew before I even went to the hospital what it was.  The pain was horrible.  If you have ever given birth then take labor pains and times it by a minimum of ten.  After going to the hospital I was given pain meds and told to go to my specialist.  By the time I saw him the pain was better so we decided to wait.  Then a week later I went back.  Not in pain I made the choice to wait.  My Dr. told me if I waited much longer I risked damage so surgery was looking like my only option.  I was told I would need another CT scan to see what was happening then we could decide from there.

Well for a couple of reasons I won't waste time explaining I didn't get the CT for another month.  In that time I decided to do some research on naturals ways to get rid of kidney stones.  I read multiple articles and learned of the same basic ingredients people had used with success.  Mind you there were a lot of opinions on how to get rid of them and how much of certain things you should eat or drink.  Some people swore by methods that were illegal as well.  I was not going that route.  I decided to use the ingredients that came up the most but do it my way.


For two weeks before the scan I used my remedy in hopes that it would at least shrink the stone enough they would let me wait to pass it.  After the scan it was almost a month before I saw the Dr.  I went in that day expecting to hear the words surgery.  I am not scared of surgery by any means but as a single parent it is hard to find a ride and set up a person to be with my princess in case of a seizure.

The Dr. came in ad to my surprise said I was fine.  I didn't need to come back for a whole year.  The stone was gone.  As the nurse was leaving she asked if I had passed it because she had never heard of some one passing a stone that big on their own.  I told her I was just as surprised and told her what I had done.  She was very impressed

So here is what you need to get started.  Lemons, pure honey, coconut oil, and organic apple cider vinegar.  I know seems to easy but it really is.  During the day you will make what I call a tea basically.  Get a coffee or tea mug and squeeze a half of lemon into the cup.  Then put in honey I just put in what looked about a teaspoon.  Then add a tablespoon of coconut oil.  Then fill with hot water.  I used my Kurig.  I filled the cup about half full of water put it in the Kurig then did the ingredients and then pushed start.  Drink the whole thing.  Later in the evening you need a large water bottle.  You put a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in it and fill the rest of the way with water.  It taste bad really I will not lie, but it works.  Do this for 2 weeks.  After that you can do it a couple times a week just to stay flushed out.

Why it works.  Here is what I learned.  The lemon and apple cider vinegar dissolve the stone over time.  The honey act as an antibacterial to keep your tube clean and repair quicker.  Stones have sharp edges that shred the tube as it passes.  This is where the oil helps it lubricates the tube to help the stone slide easier.  So there you have it.  I know this was long but hopefully it can help some one else.

A Money Check In

So I was doing a series of posts on how to pay down your debt and save a little.  I shared how I use my small change to grow my savings and ways that I earn extra money and Amazon points so I can keep up on my spending and putting money away.  I do not make a lot of money by any means but I have putt away $500 in one savings and about $150 in another.  Plus I got all of my daughter's sweet 16 decorations for free so far.  Plus her gifts and I have already started purchasing her Christmas gifts.

I have been able to go without using my credit cards for quite a while now which is raising my credit score.  It is not rising in speedy leaps but it is rising which is getting me baby steps closer to where I want to be.  One of these days I will be debt free and be able to do what I want because my score will be amazing.  It will make it so I can get things I want and have low interest rates which will be like paying same as cash.  A lot of things I will be able to pay cash for because I will have money in my savings to do what I want with.

The secret is that it isn't a race to get there it is about taking the steps to get there.  If you are always trying to put away $20 but have to use it because that is a big chunk out of your budget then what is the point you are getting no where.  If you save a little at a time so that you really don't notice then you will not feel burdened by actually saving money.

Believe me if I can do this so can you.  Even if you just start by saving pennies.  After that you can work your way up.  The hardest part is starting.  it is like losing weight, they say the first 10 pounds is the hardest but once you do your body gets going and you can keep going because you are motivated.  Once you save $10 you will want to do $20 and then $30. It will be exciting to see your balance going up.

Get started.  Do not wait.  If I can do it on a single income you can make it work too.  I am here if you have questions or just need motivation.  Do not hesitate to talk to me.  I am happy to help.

Something Different

So I am doing something different.  I am trying something new for health care.  It is called Oil Pulling.  It is where you swish oil (coconut is recommended) in your mouth for 20 minutes.  It is supposed to help whiten teeth and pull out toxins.  I have no idea if it works or not but I figure it can not hurt considering coconut oil is supposed to be healthy any way.

So the idea is to swish a tablespoon of oil around your mouth for 20 minutes.  This is a lot of oil and time so I decided on Sunday to do a teaspoon for as long as I could.  I tried to melt it a little before hand in the teaspoon but that was not really a good plan it was a drippy so I just put it in my mouth and began to swish.

I do not even think I made it 5 minutes.  It was sad really.  I have not done it since because it is not part of my routine but plan to do it again tonight.  I did notice my teeth felt different after I did it though.  I am not sure of any toxin release but there are people that swear by this.  I am going to update you as I keep trying it.  I think this time I am going to put some in a cup and melt it a little in the microwave because swishing lumpy coconut oil is not fun.

Keep checking back to see how this goes. Plus check out my posts on saving money and paying down debt.

Getting to Savings

So I hope you are doing well with your savings and paying down your debt.  Even after not having a regular 9-5 job I am still making sure to work on my bills and putting a little away.  It is not as much as I used to do to the circumstances but I have not given up.

I have stayed dedicated to using my surveys and other income earning opportunities.  I just finished buying more medical stuff for my daughter using the points I had and I am on my way to getting her the birthday gifts for her sweet 16.  I am so excited to realize I have more in the bank now than when I worked a regular job every day.  I knew as a kid I was meant for something different but as I have grown and had a child I felt like I needed to fit into the mainstream world.  After the recent events it just confirmed that I am not meant for a typical job.

As I am looking for my great idea, I continue to use the extra income so it does not get eaten up in a month.  Been there done that and it is not fun. So I have given you a few of my favorites so far and now her come a couple more.  These take a little longer to add up but it does add up and you can use them simultaneously so between the 2 of them you can cash out $60.  It may not seem like a lot but when added to the other earnings it can make a difference.   I just used one to buy my daughters expensive vitamins.

You open emails, watch videos, and can take surveys.  The first one is Inbox Dollars (http://www.inboxdollars.com/?r=ref17133614&s=7).  The next one is Send Earnings (http://www.sendearnings.com/?r=ref4476777&s=7).  Each email is $.02, videos depend on the video, and surveys vary as well.  It will not make you rich but again it adds up.  Each cash out is $30 so again the two together mean an extra $60.  Who couldn't use an extra $60.

Ok time to go make some money.  No excuses.  My daughter was in the ER and I knew it would be awhile so I took my laptop and while she watched TV or was getting a test done and the Dr's were not there, I worked on making money.  Remember Instagc that I told you about in the previous post's?  Yeah I have made over $100 this year just using that.  It doesn't include the other sites at all.

We are on this journey together and we will make it.  Share your stories, ask questions we are here for eachother.

Just Talking

So things have been a little crazy.  I have my kidney stone and I am trying to avoid surgical removal but my Dr. is starting to push it.  My daughter was very sick over the weekend and then missed three days of school with it being so close to the end.   I am working with her to try to get her grades to where they should be but it is hard when she is sick a lot between migraines, seizures, and regular illness.  Her grades are not that bad all things considered but I know she wants to do better, and I know she absolutely can.

At least I am home right now so that has been extra helpful during this time.  I am really working on ideas to stay home permanently.  I have already researched insurance for individuals so that I know what it will cost each month to insure us on my own.  Now it is time to start putting my skills to use and seeing what  can pull off.  There are plenty of people who have figured out how to make money at home and still pay bills and such.  If they can I am determined to figure it out for myself.

My next post will have some more helpful hints on how to earn some extra money.  I have been doing very well.  I just bought my daughter some more of her medical stuff she needed and didn't pay a cent and her party is pretty much covered other than the actual day of and a hoop skirt for the dress. I have actually never had this much money in my accounts at once other than tax time.  I have been doing my best to save money as much as I can.  I did spend some more money on a couple of my credit cards but it was for a gift and my house, but I have only used them about 3 times in the month and a half that I have been home.

Our journey together is one that will take some time but in the end will be worth it.  If you have any success stories I would love to hear them.

Use Your Opinion To Make Money

So getting back to to making some extra money I have some more ways to help you get some extra funds to help with paying bills and adding to your savings account.  Believe me they work.  I have actually cashed out from everything I am telling you about.  I am only going to tell you about ones that I have actually earned money from.  My two other posts have information about ways that I have actually made money.

As a reminder of one of my favorite is InstaGC (https://www.instagc.com/420755).  I was just able to purchase $140.00 worth of birthday decorations for $10 byways are  using the points I earned to get Amazon codes.  I really like this site because you can get cash or gift cards.  I have cashed out money as well but right now i am working on a sweet 16 party so it is going to that.  I do about $1 a day as my goal but there are some people on there that have made $20 a day.  I just want to do other things during the day.

My other ways are surveys.  They can take some time to complete and it does take some dedication but you can make some money.  One that I started in the beginning is Opinion Outpost (opinionoutpost.com).  You can get cash, Amazon codes, and some other things as well.  You take surveys they send to your email and they are worth different point values once you get the amount you need to cash out then you can get the item you want.  This one is also good because you can cash out $10 at a time which is nice because the others you have to earn $25-$50 before cash out.  That means you can have money faster so it is quite helpful.

Another is Survey Savvy (http://www.surveysavvy.com/?m=5766848).  This is hit and miss on getting qualified on the surveys but the reason I like them so much is because you can cash out for $1.  See I am very inpatient about wanting to cash out so this one is nice because I do not have to wait long.  As soon as my account is credited I can send for a check.  I really like that idea.  So this is a good one if you are like me.

Well if you are like me you don't want to read a super long page either so I am going to stop for now.  I will give you some more options to choose from in other posts so you do not get overwhelmed.  We are in this together and I am here to help.  I want to help you get the freedom from debt you are looking for and I am doing it with you.

Get Money Back From Shopping

I hope you are doing well with your savings and debt reduction.  It is such a great feeling to know that you are getting closer to living the way you want.  You should really be proud of yourself for taking this journey.  No matter how far you have gotten just be proud of yourself that you are continuing to work on it.  Some weeks will be easier and some you may have to make some adjustments due to an unexpected situation.  The goal is to keep going.  I have paid off 2 cards I have about $600 in savings and I am about to pay most of the balance off on another.

Today I am going to tell you how I get money back when I shop.  I like to use Ebates. You can check it out by clicking this link http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=beL25MhNpsK0Et5ppi%2FbBQ%3D%3D&eeid=28187 ( if you sign up I get a referral for this one)  You can shop at a ton of stores online and then depending on the store you will get either a percentage of your purchase back or a set dollar amount.  So far I have gotten back about $30 and my next check is already up to $16 from just making the purchases I already wanted to any way. Also I like that they have a reminder button you can download to your computer so if you are on the site of a company they work with it starts flashing so you can be reminded to get money back.

I have gotten money for buying things from Victoria Secret, Fingerhut, Amazon, Ebay, Kohl's, JcPenney, Jelly Belly candy, and I even got money back for doing my Taxes online with Turbo Tax.  It is really nice to get money back for buying things you need anyway.  Also during Christmas it is great because you can get some money back on all the gifts you buy so it doesn't seem so bad afterward.  Who couldn't use some money back after Christmas.

You are doing great.  Keep up the good work.  We are in this together and I know you can do this.

Feeling Pretty Good

So for a long time things were really rough.  Then all of the sudden the other day I was sitting here doing my surveys and such and it hit me.  I was fine.  I wasn't stressed even though a lot of things were crazy.  I was relaxed and at peace with my situation.  I didn't care that things were going wrong. I was just enjoying sitting with my daughter and doing my thing.  It was a great feeling.

As you all know it has been a long time that things have been going crazy for me.  Every day I woke up worried about what was going to go wrong and would I make it just one more day.  This day it was all gone.  I wasn't worried, or stressed or anything of the sort.  I was just at peace.  It was an amazing moment for me.  It has been so long but I got there.  Every day since I have thought about that feeling and I keep it going.  Not every day is perfect and sunshine but I am still here.

I am also thinking about taking a big step into a career change where I am in charge.  I want to help people.  I want it to be in a big way though so I am thinking of becoming a life coach.  I can help people figure out what they want to do and how to get there.  I am not sure this is my true calling but it has been on my mind day after day for at least a week now so I am researching the topic.  I think it would be amazing to help others find their true passion and how to get there.

I am ready to change and do big things with my life.  I know I am poor in money but I am rich in faith and spirit.  I am going to make it.  So will you.

Down With The Pounds

So I am down 5 more pounds.  I am working on eating out less to start.  I got a little side tracked and was eating out a little too much.  I have continued to have my smoothies with the protein powder.  I really like buying the frozen fruit at #Target.  It is very tasty and makes things very simple.  I have the #Nutribullet and I just put in the fruit and powder and blend it in the to go cup and drink it at work.

I have not started back to the gym yet.  I really need to go but I have napping way to much again.  That is a big down fall of mine.  Over the years I have been napping so much it is crazy.  I take my daughter to school then come sleep until the last minute before work.  Sooo not healthy.  Today I decided to stay awake.  Napping is a hard habit to break when you have been doing it for like 9 years now.

So what is your favorite way to spend your extra morning time?  What do you get done before leaving to work?  I will have an extra hour after I go to the gym when I start o I want some ideas of things I can accomplish with my extra time before I have to get ready to go.

Weight Update

So I am down 5 pounds.  It is not a ton but it is a start.  I have continued to use the smoothies with the protein powder.  I have tried not to eat fast food as much and keep the sugary drinks low.  I will never completely cut out #coke but I do try to not over do it either.  My goal is no more than one a day but some times I have more than that and it is ok too.  I will be attempting to go back to the gym starting Monday however I have been in quite a bit of pain so we shall see how that starts out.

I am not trying to starve myself nor deprive myself.  I am just trying to be a healthier me and a more confident me.  You do not have to be a size 2 in order to be happy.  If you are being healthy and you are you are happy at a size 10 then that is fine too.  It is all about how you feel about yourself and if you are happy.  Now I am not promoting being 300 pounds and thinking that is fine but I am not saying you have to be a twig either.  If what you are doing is making you unhealthy or unhappy then you should fix it. You do not want to die at 35 because you loved cheeseburgers too much but having them now and then is not the end of the world

I will continue my journey until I am happy with the results.  I am not sure what size that will make me.  I do know that what ever size I end up it will be what I am happy with and not a number that some chart has labeled me as needing to be.

On To Healthier things

Awhile back I was going to take you on my journey of weight loss.  Unfortunately things did not work out the way I planned.  I was not on a good schedule and such.  Well I am going to get started again.  To update everyone I am no longer pregnant so I can start this journey again.  I will be honest so others can feel more secure in doing this as well.

I am starting out at 199 pounds.  This is quite big for me since I am only about 5 foot.  I gather all my fat in my mid section so it looks very odd.  I used to weigh about 104 pounds so I went up quite a bit obviously.  I hope you will join me in this if nothing else just to be a healthier you.  The whole goal is to be healthy.  I will tal about numbers but the real goal is to think more about our bodies.

My first effort is my morning smoothie.  I have a #Nutribullet and I use frozen fruit for the most part.  I do add bananas and apples at times as well.  I then add some protein powder and then blend it and take it to work with me.  I need to add exercise so I have a gym membership and intend to start going starting on Monday.  Lets do this together.  It is better when you have motivation and a group to do it with. The more support we all have the better we will do.

#letsgetmoving

Better than the 52 Week Challenge.

Okay so a lot of people have been talking about the 52 week challenge.  It is meant to help you save over $1000.00 by the end of the year.  The goal is whatever week you are on that is how many dollars you put in savings.  So week 5 would be $5.  In theory this is a good idea but what about week 40?  Can you be sure you can put $40 in savings and not touch it?  Do you have that much money to put away at one time?

I know that for me personally I will never just have $50 to put in at once.  I want to save money but I need a way that works in my budget.  So what should you do?  Dollar bills and change.  All week long set aside any $1 bills and change.  For my bills I just use an old #simplyorange juice bottle or put them in a separate  part of my wallet.  Then when you know you are going to the bank you take it with you and put it in your savings.  This is far less demanding than having to have a certain amount each week.  You barely notice that you are saving.

It is also less stressful.  This way you do not have a certain amount to save.  You save what you actually have.  You don't have to worry about catch up weeks if you miss one.  I once saved over $100 in one month just by doing this.  I was able to use it to pay a bill that I was running short on later.

I absolutely recommend this method.  If you can't do the $1 bills right away start with your change.  It really does add up.  You would be surprised at how much you can really save by just putting spare change aside.  My advice is to just try it for a couple months and see how it goes.  Do not keep it at home too long though.  You want to put it in some type of saving so it can earn some interest.  Even if it is not a ton earning some free money is always nice.  Then as the interest comes in you earn interest on that interest.

So give it a try.  What is the worst that will happen?  You will save money and have some extra in case something happens. Oh the horror of having extra cash.  Just kidding but really give it a try I bet you will be happy you did.

Happy New Year!

So it is 2015.  Hopefully you have learned a few tips to give you a great year.  I am really excited about this year.  I feel like I am going to get somewhere.  I feel like that My debt is going to be gone this year other than student loans.  Those are going to be the last things I tackle.  I will be using the many I get from saving so much to make the payment.  It will be refreshing to know that is the end of my debt.

I hope that you guys will have a great year and start to get ahead on your debt.  It is really a great feeling to get to keep some of that money you work so hard to make.  It is tiring to go to work every day and have nothing to show for it.  I will be so excited when I start getting paid and the money is actually mine to do as I wish not figure out who I can pay this week and who will have to wait until the next payday.  I get 3 pay checks this month and taxes are right around the corner.

The best thing about taxes is you can pay off something.  I don't care if it is the smallest bill you have, pay it off.  That will free up not only your money but it will help free you from stress.  Then you can concentrate on other bills.  I already know what I am doing with my taxes.  I have been planning it for months.  I know what I want to accomplish when I get my return.  I know what I need to do to get ahead.

You should sit down and make a list.  It doesn't matter if you don't know how much you are going to get.  You know what you need to pay off.  So put it in writing from most important to what you would like to pay off but can wait a minute.  The goal is to be ready so when that money gets there.  You will have a set plan.  Then you follow it.  That is all there is too it.  Now if between now and then something major happens you can adjust the list but the main thing is to be ready and have a plan.  The problem is that most people get so excited about getting them they start thinking about all the stuff they can buy.  They make these purchases but never take care of the old debt so then they have all this new stuff but still no money.  Not a good plan.  You just start regretting what you did and then you really can't enjoy the new stuff.

So I hope you will join me this year in making this year our best debt free year ever.  I hope that you will find your way to becoming debt free.  What ever works for you I hope you will use it and get to a comfortable relationship with your money.

No Card No Problem

So I explained to you how I have ditched my Debit Card and use cash now.  I do have a couple credit cards for emergency purposes.  I would just like to clarify that.  I love using cash for many reasons.  I can see it go.  I know exactly what is happening to it.  When it is gone it is gone so there is no over drafting my account on accident.  As stated in my article about how to save money we don't have it helps me build up my savings with out even noticing it is gone.

When you use your debit card you just swipe but you do not really have that connection of giving it away.  When you have to physically give it to some one it clicks a little different and when they hand a little less back than what you gave them, that is a connection.  If you are out shopping and only have a certain amount of cash on hand to spend you know you can not go over.  There is no picking up a few extras because you know you don't have it.

Another question is now how do I pay my bill?  Well there is the old fashioned method  Write a check and mail it to whom eve you need to pay.  This does require buying stamps and with a few companies envelopes.  If you have a Dollar Tree near you this  is a great place to save money on stuff like that.  Then there is the newer method.  It is electronic withdrawal which the company can set up over the phone or you can set up an account with the company and make a payment each month or  there is .online banking.  I still have a checking account for certain things so I use my online bill pay.  My money get directly deposited in my account on pay day and then I go into my bill payer and tell the bank when I want the money o be sent to the company I am paying.  It is super easy and convenient.  You can even make payments to people so if you need to pay back "Aunt Jackie" who you only see like maybe once a month you can put her in your bill pay and then she will get a check right from the bank.

You have many options to help deal with this new adventure.  It does take some time and a little effort but if you stick with it you will find that you will see progress that is actually getting you some where.  It didn't happen over night but slowly I have figured out what is working and I am getting there.  Next I think we will talk about how to tackle paying bills in general especially if you get paid less than weekly.  Thanks for reading and lets get saving.

Hi

So I stopped writing for a bit because it looked as if I was only writing to myself.  I have since seen that there have been a lot of page views.  Not sure if I am really helping or not but with more people reading it can't hurt to keep going.  I will be writing another piece shortly.  This one will be No Card Got Bills:  How do I pay them now?

I will be discussing exactly how to pay and manage your bills even with out having your debit card to take care of it.  I know it will be tricky at first as most of us rely on our card.  I still have not reordered one and it has been at least 6 months now with out it.  I am actually enjoying it.

How Do We Save Money We Don't Have

So there are articles everywhere on how to save money.  They explain how to save a bunch and get your debt paid off.  The problem you ask?  Well they always use big number like saving hundreds or thousands at once.  Sometimes it is even you should save 50% of your income.  Well if you are like me you don't have that kind of money.  If you put that much in savings your bills would never get paid off.  So what is the solution?

Well I have tried a lot of things.  One thing that was useful was the envelope system.  This is where you take out the exact amount of money you will spend from your pay check and label an envelope for each thing you would spend money on.  For example your car loan, groceries, eating out if you intend on doing that.  You only take cash out of the envelope that you intend on using it for.  Once the envelope is empty you have no more money for that particular activity until you get paid again.  In theory it really does work, if you can stick with it.  I was able to for  little while but then I found myself sneaking a dollar from this envelope to go to the other envelope and then I gave up.  If you can do it then by all means go for it.  Just wasn't my thing.

What did work you ask?  Saving the money I already had.  Didn't I just say I had none to save?  Well that is the trick.  First you get a jar and a savings account.  Preferably find a saving that you will earn decent interest from.  Then comes the easy part.  Say you have a $20 and you spend say $13.75,   You now have 6.25 in change.  Take the $1.25 and put it in the jar.  Every time you get coin or dollar bill you put it in the jar.  You are less likely to miss small change than you are trying to put away a $10 each time.  Then when your jar is full you take it and put it in your savings.  Then the best part it is so easy.  You leave it there.  For me it is a little easier because I work at a bank so I can deposit mine as soon as I get them.

The beauty of this is that you don't really notice your money going because it is such a small amount at a time.  I mean will you really notice that $.20 cents is not in your pocket.  Most likely not.  It is actually nice to not carry around loads of change.  It adds up quicker than you think.  Before you know it you will have saved $100 easy.  Now you have options once it builds up.  My advice?  Leave it alone as long as you can.  Although if you have saved $100 and have a bill that needs to be paid off then do it.  The nice thing is what you can do with that extra money.  This will be the topic of my next post.

Remember if you have ideas please share.  We are in this together.  You may have a suggestion that I have not even thought of.  Thank you for reading and see you next time.

Where Is Everyone??????

So I am writing these posts hoping I am helping some one out there.  I would really like to hear any feed back you have.  If you want me to change anything or add something.  I really hope that something I have said is useful to any one out there.  I have more helpful tips to share but I want to make sure that people are actually seeing them.

If you have questions or even some input of your own I would love to hear from you.  I would love the interaction from you guys.  I am doing this to help you so what ever you want to add please feel free.  Just like in school, no question is too small.  You may have the same question as some else and if we share we can all help each other and make our lives a little better.

Ditch The Debit Card!!!!!!

Ok, so I know what you are thinking,  This lady is crazy!  You can not possibly  make it through the day without your little plastic friend.  It would bring an end to your world if you didn't have that little rectangle available at all times.  If you could not simply swipe the card through the reader then what would you possibly do?  It is ok I have a plan and a reason.

So true a debit card is convenient.  Yes it is way more simple than carry around cash. The thing is that problems can also arise out of a debit card that can really wreck your road to recovery.  Debit cards are so easy to use that a person can get carried away just swiping all the time.  One little mistake and you could be cleaning up the mess for an extra month or more.  Who wants to deal with all of that when you are already trying to get your budget together.

 1.  You go on a day of errands and have to hit 5 stores that day. You do good on the first couple of stops making sure you put your receipt away but by the 4th store you are tired and just want to be done and forget to get it.  While this seems easy enough, what if it is for gas and it only shows up as 0.00 because it is still pending and you wait 2 days to fill in your check book.  You forget how much you spent and guess you are $3.00 off on your guess now your book is wrong and you go about your spending.  Then BAM!!!! Over draft charge.  You may even forget to write it in all together in the first place and there it is a fee just because you forgot one transaction.  Now you are negative and either have to keep using the card and make it worse, use your credit card which will now incur interest or dip into your savings.  All of which defeat the whole purpose of what you are working for.

2.  You buy a trial of something because you can put it on your card and it seems cheap.  Then you forget to cancel it and now you are paying $80 for a trial item because they have your card number and can automatically bill you.  Once again you are hit with fees and looking to pay for everything you just did again defeating the purpose.

3.  As we have found time and time again they are not super secure either and when you are trying to save money because you don't have any, you can't afford an act of fraud.  Depending on the situation it could take 30 days before you get your money back.  My guess is if you are reading this then you can not afford to wait 30 days to get your money back

Now lets get to what you should do.  CASH!  That is right plane old paper bills and coins.  This is the perfect way to stay on track.  I am not saying no electronic use.  You can pay your bills online to save driving every where and wasting gas which of course costs money.  You keep track of how much you have after bills by doing that in a check log.  What is left after you get paid and deduct your bills is the cash you have to spend until your next payday.  THAT IS IT.

You only get what your check log says you have.  You then take out the cash and that is what you use.  This is also helpful because it is more visual too.  You are physically giving away your hard earned money which can be harder the less you have.  When you actually have to hand over a $5 for that one cup of coffee it starts to sink in that you are giving away a lot of money for one little thing.  You go out to eat and you have to use a $20 and only get a $5 back it really does hit a nerve and you will start watching what you are doing more.  When you only have $20 left and payday is still 4 days away you will be much more careful.

How do I know this?  I have been doing it now for 5 months.  I don't even have an ATM card now.  There are times where things have come up and unfortunately I have had to use a card or my savings and that is also life.  The important thing is that because I have been working to change my situation I actually had money on my card or cash in the savings.  I made sure to keep myself accountable.

It isn't always easy and I know every situation is unique.  I am not going to tell you to save $50 every check because I couldn't do it and still have money.  I am giving you tips to help you get the start you need and you can customize it to fit you.  I work at a bank so I can get the money out when needed but you may still need an ATM card just in case, that is what will work for you.  Until next time.  Keep up the good work.  I would love to hear if any one has been using my steps and how it is working for them.