Money Motivation Archives - Page 3 of 6

Motivational Tune Tuesday: Reach for the Sky

September 25, 2012 by Jana 2 Comments

As far as inspirational songs go, this one is probably one of my all time favorites. I love the message it sends–aim high, reach for your goals and live the life you want because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. And as much as I hate to say it, this is something that I’ve become all too familiar with lately (the tomorrow’s not guaranteed thing, not the reach for your goals thing).

For a very long time, I didn’t have a ton of goals. Well, that’s not exactly true. I had a lot of goals, I just didn’t want to say them out loud. Well, that also not exactly true. I would share my traditional goals but keep the dreams to myself. Because I was taught to believe that dreams are just that–dreams. Not something to strive for or even admit except in one of those wistful late night conversations that we all have after we’ve consumed too much wine or are completely sober and reflecting on what could have been. Dreams, I believed, were best kept in our head and in what we perceive as our “ideal” lives (another unattainable feat). As I write that, I realize how absolutely pathetic it sounds.

But then something happened. I’m not sure what exactly, or when the defining moment happened, but one day I woke up and realized that line of thinking was absolutely ridiculous. There is no good reason to have goals beyond getting to the next vacation time earned milestone at your job. There is no good reason not to pursue a dream, no matter how absurd it may seem to someone else. And there is no good reason to think that it’s okay to spend your life shuffling to a job that you hate just for a paycheck.

So I stopped doing that. And now that I have, I can’t imaging doing anything else.

I hope that makes sense.

Anyway, if you have about 4 minutes to spare, listen to this acoustic version Social Distortion’s “Reach for the Sky”. This version doesn’t really do the song justice but it’s the best video I could find. So tune that part out and just listen to the lyrics. They’re really good.

The fuzzy blanket phenomenon

July 16, 2012 by Jana 6 Comments

Confession: I love polka dots. Like really, really love polka dots. So it should come as no surprise that when I was in a store several months ago and saw this blanket, I bought it:

Like Linus, I take this blanket with me everywhere (and for those of you attending FinCon, it’ll most likely be with me). It’s with me when I’m sitting on our couch or in my favorite chair and, most importantly, it’s my nap blanket. And like a 3 year old, I nap almost every day. Napping is an unfortunate side effect of not being able to sleep at night but I get by. Anyway, when I nap, I lie on top of my comforter and use my fuzzy polka dot blanket instead. In fact, I use the blanket so much that something weird has happened.

That blanket has become a trigger to my body and brain to think it’s time to sleep.

Once I realized this, I started bringing the blanket to bed with me at night and guess what? I can fall asleep within a matter of minutes instead of hours. It’s pretty nice to be able to fall asleep without staring at the wall until I get bored or I’m tired of writing blog posts or book chapters in my head or cursing my family for being able to fall asleep with no issues at all. I’ve deemed this “The Fuzzy Blanket Phenomenon”.

If you think about it, the blanket can act as a metaphor for financial security. How many of us have lain awake at night, wondering how we’re going to pay the bills or buy groceries or a winter coat or put gas in the car? How many of us have spent countless nights trying to figure out how we can pull in any extra income because our kids need something important? How many of us have a contingency plan just in case something really bad happens and we’re on the verge of losing our house?

I know I’ve been there. And it’s really unsettling.

But then all of a sudden, we find something—anything—that starts to give us peace of mind. It might be a small, unexpected raise or a paid off debt or even a part-time job. It might be moving to a less expensive home or getting permission to work from home a few days a month. It might come in the form of finding a less expensive grocery store or taking the time to coupon effectively. It doesn’t really matter what form your fuzzy blanket takes; it’s just the simple fact that you found one.

Financially, my fuzzy blanket took two forms: paying off my biggest credit card and both my husband and I getting raises at work. Once those two events happened, our financial stress lessened. Payday was no longer a source of panic and the week in-between paydays was no longer a source of immense pressure. We could finally walk into a store and buy what we needed instead of having to compromise on what we needed the most and what we could do without. We didn’t have to pay extra fees on our bills just to make sure they were credited on time. We could actually buy clothes and shoes for ourselves! Those two events gave us a warm, comforting feeling. Much like what happens when I use my polka dot blanket to take a nap.

Possession of a fuzzy blanket changes your entire outlook. It means security, relaxation and relief, if even for a few hours. For me, my financial and actual fuzzy blankets give me the ability to calm down, turn off my brain from worrying and working at hyperspeed. Being able to rest, breathe and turn off means that I can function like a normal person the next day (and believe me, when I’m not well rested, I’m a mess. And angry. And kind of rude). Having that fuzzy blanket means I’m a better parent, friend, spouse, blogger, writer…everything.

It’s the best $20 I have ever spent.

Readers, what’s your fuzzy blanket (literal or metaphorical)? How has it changed your life?

Be brave

July 13, 2012 by Jana 17 Comments

Print — Image found on http:// warriorpoetblog.com

Personal finance guru Dave Ramsey coined a phrase that he repeats over and over again, like a mantra for those wanting to get out of debt and gain control over their money. He encourages his followers to think that “Debt is normal. Be weird”. It’s a nice concept, one that my husband and I used during our time paying down the bulk of our debt. The phrase kept us going when it got tiring using the money to pay off a credit card. It lifted our spirits when everyone we knew was spending and we were at home, watching another movie from the library. It became, as Mr. Ramsey intended, our family motto.

But now it’s more than a motto. It’s a way of life. We’ve become accustomed to using cash or a debit card. It’s not unheard of for us to abstain from buying something if we don’t have the money to pay for it upfront (the only exception were our cars). The list goes on. We never want to go back to the place where we barely had enough money for food because our debt was so high. So we apply what we’ve learned and choose not to make those same mistakes.

At this point, Mr. Ramsey’s version of “weird” is just our normal. And we’re okay with that. By eliminating the majority of our consumer debt, we’ve opened up a whole new world for ourselves. In this world, there’s room for a new motto:

Be brave.

Being brave is hard. It’s harder than being fearless because being fearless means just that—you have no fears. To me, being brave is admitting you have fears and doubts and insecurities and facing them head on. Being brave is standing up to what you think may knock you down, and then getting up again when it does. Being brave is exhausting because it takes all that you have to keep going even when you want to quit. Being brave is hard because it means accepting who you are, including your faults, and then admitting it. Which is never easy.

But above all, being brave is where everything starts. Without bravery, we don’t take that first step. We don’t admit what we really want out of life or a relationship (romantic or friendship or even familial). We don’t make the choice to leave something that makes us unhappy. We don’t share with the world what scares us and what’s wrong with us in the hopes that by doing so will make one less person feel alone. We don’t take that first step towards paying off our debt.

Essentially, without bravery, nothing gets done.

I never thought of myself as a brave person. I thought I was just a regular chick, floating along in my corner of the world. I didn’t think I’d ever done anything above average or out of the ordinary. And I was okay with that. Then, in one of my sleepless nights, I started doing some thinking about all that I’ve done in my life. And I realized I’m pretty damn brave! After all I’ve:

Stayed in a marriage that most people would have left
Announced to the world (or at least the readers of this site) that I have both depression and secondary infertility
Left a job that made me unhappy to pursue a career as a writer
Started, and then completed, my consumer debt payoff journey
Began this blog, and then, barely knowing anyone, attended FinCon11 3 months later

I’m sure there are a few other parts of my life that I could classify as brave but those are the highlights.

When I think about how far I’ve come as a person just by being brave (and admittedly a little weird, too), it makes me feel good about myself. I’m happy with the person I’m becoming and reflecting on those choices, I don’t think I would have done anything differently.

If you’re apprehensive about any choices you’re facing, that’s okay. It’s normal to feel that way. And it’s even more normal to take your time to make those decisions. But when it all comes down to it, you’re going to make the choice that’s best for you, even if it’s not a popular, common or even practical.

Because you are brave.

Find your one inch

July 6, 2012 by Jana 16 Comments

As I’m behind the curve on this whole “I want to be a writer” thing, I have just recently got around to reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. It’s an excellent book and I highly recommend it to anyone who is even contemplating doing any sort of writing (yes, blogging counts, too). Anyway, my favorite part of the book thus far is where she discusses the one inch picture frame.

Let me explain.

In one particular chapter, she describes the neuroses that follow most writers, as well as how overcome we can get with our ideas, leaving us paralyzed and unable to start writing even one small word. To combat this, she keeps a one inch picture frame on her desk. When she gets stuck, she looks at it and thinks about writing just enough to fill the space in that frame. It makes the task less daunting and before she knows it, the words start flowing enough to quiet the crazy talk.

Clearly, I love idea. I love it for its simplicity, its genius, its practicality and its application to so many other areas. Especially money.

Like writing, the thought of getting your finances together is overwhelming. You know there are so many places to start and figuring out which part makes for the best beginning fills you with anxiety, dread, fear and self-doubt. There are even the little voices that tell you things like “why bother? You’ll always live paycheck to paycheck” and “debt is just a part of life”. Not exactly productive thoughts (which, incidentally, is what I experience when I start to write). And these thoughts and feelings do exactly what they intend to– they prevent you from doing anything, and you remain stuck.

Stuck sucks. No one likes to be stuck. It’s a terrible place to be. And being stuck only plays into your fears and anxiety that nothing will ever be different. The next time that happens to you, think of the one inch frame. Think of one thing you can do, just one, that will get you started. If you’re not sure of what you can do to start, here are a few ideas:

Create a budget.
List your debts.
Read a finance blog or newspaper article.
Take out a personal finance book from the library.
Balance your checkbook.
Remove your credit card from your wallet.
Open a savings account.
Transfer money into an existing savings account.
Analyze your paycheck.
Start a spending journal.

Remember, whatever you choose to do doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be done. Because once you get over that hurdle of unsticking yourself, you’ll be surprised at how quickly the rest falls into place.

One more thought: don’t let the negative thoughts consume you. That’s what they want. They want you to become so insecure and negative and feel like a failure that you never get anywhere other than where you are. Don’t let that happen. You can conquer your money, debt, bad habits, writer’s block or whatever else is plaguing you.

How can I be so sure? I’m proof.

Posted with Blogsy

No-hit your debt

June 4, 2012 by Jana 4 Comments

For those of you who don’t know, I am a huge New York Mets fan. I’ve bled orange and blue since 1986 when I was 9 years old and the Mets won the World Series. At that age, it was hard not to get swept up in “Let’s Go Mets!” fever and it just stuck. Better than another disease, I suppose.

As a Mets fan, I’m well versed in lots of emotions: horror, shock, disappointment, anger, and shame. There was one year the Mets were so awful, I wanted them to keep losing just so they could be the worst ever. I mean, if we’re going to suck, might as well do it the best we can (insert dirty joke here. I could not think of another way to say that. Fine. I didn’t want to). But this past Friday, I experienced an emotion that has become a rare commodity for Mets fans: pride.

That’s right. Pride. Why? Because on June 1, 2012, the Mets finally accomplished something that had been eluding them for the 50 years of the teams’ existence. A no-hitter. It was a beautiful thing.

I didn’t actually see the game but thanks to my Mets app and the live in-game Twitter updates, I was able to follow along. It kind of felt like I was there. It didn’t matter, though. On Saturday, Mets fans all over the world walked a little taller and held theirnheadds a little higher because of 134 pitches thrown by Johan Santana, 8 runs scored, and some pretty kick ass defensive work by the rest of the team. Including me. I proudly wore my Mets shirt on Saturday, incurring some wrath of the Phillies fan who are present in abundance where I live. Then again, I’ve never cared much about being popular so the part with the Phillies fans didn’t bother me at all.

Anyway, the point is this: they did it. The Mets finally have a no hitter. And the momentum that’s picked up as a result is unbelievable to watch. Kind of like what happens when you finally pay off that one debt that kills your soul more than the rest.

When you first set out to pay off your debt, it seems insurmountable. The sheer number of bills, debts and expenses is overwhelming and exhausting. You break it down into smaller bites just for it to seem manageable (for me, I used the Dave Ramsey snowball method to do that), and you work to eliminate one at a time. But even with that, there’s still that one that stands out, like a red flag for a bull, taunting you, harassing you, doing whatever it can to make you its bitch. No matter how hard you work, that debt never seems to move in the right direction. I know because I’ve been there.

For me, that debt was my home equity loan. In one of a series of stupid financial mistakes, my husband and I took out a home equity loan to help pay down some old debt (for the record, I do not advocate this). Like any good, practical people, we incurred more debt after we took out the loan and those later debts were the ones that we paid off first. But that home equity loan just stood there, every month, making us feel like no matter how hard we tried, no matter what we did, it wasn’t going to go anywhere. It was right, too. Whenever we felt like we were in a position to pay it off, something would happen and we’d need that money for something else. We’d get thisclose and then…nothing. It seemed like paying it off was never going to happen. Kind of like the Mets and the no-hitter.

Then, one day, it all clicked. We were finally able to get it all paid off. And once that happened, everything else just fell into place. The freedom that came with eliminating that debt made us feel like it was finally possible to live a debt free life, even though we still had more to pay. But conquering that hurdle was exactly what we needed to keep going.

I wish there was a magic formula to give for making that happen. Unfortunately there’s not. All I can tell you is this: just keep working hard. Surround yourself with people who support and encourage you even when it gets difficult (Mets fans are excellent in this capacity). Tell yourself that one day, it will happen. Be patient. And never, ever give up.

If the Mets can get a no-hitter and the Red Sox can win a World Series, you can pay off debt.

Motivational Tune Tuesday: Reach for the Sky

The fuzzy blanket phenomenon

Be brave

Find your one inch

No-hit your debt

Connect with Me

Subscribe to Jana Says