Jana Says

Do you need an intervention for shopping?

July 26, 2012 by Jana 2 Comments

This is a guest post from my friend Suzanne Cramer, social media specialist with Care One Credit and writer for A Straight Talk on Debt.

Do you go shopping with your girlfriend on a Saturday afternoon, charge up your credit cards, ditch the shoeboxes and bags in the trash, and when asked by your partner, “Where did those shoes come from?” say, “Oh I’ve had these for years.” If so you might need a shopping intervention.

Compulsive shopping is done by many of us as a form of therapy; I know for me it was. I would have a bad day at work, a fight with my husband, or a fall out with a friend—shopping made me feel better.

In addition to a “shopping high” I would also become obsessed with getting good deals; even if it meant I had to charge it and then face the interest charges making the deal, well no longer a deal.

If you’re obsessed with shopping and have the credit card debt to prove it, learn where to go for help, as well as tips to help you resist the urge to shop.

Recognizing that you are indeed a compulsive shopper is step one. Step two involves addressing the problem head on, perhaps with the assistance of a close friend or family member, or support group.

Stop Compulsive Shopping Today

Now that you’ve realized how out of control your shopping habits may be, there are several things you can do to prevent incurring more debt. Try these tactics for nipping compulsive shopping in the bud.

Leave the wallet behind. Out of site out of mind. Without your wallet full of store cards the mall becomes a place to get the kids out of the house, get some exercise and maybe some ideas for purchases you want to save up for. Carry a few dollars in cash to treat yourself to a coffee or ice cream cone for the kids.

Use lists when shopping. Grocery stores can be just as dangerous as the mall, especially when you are hungry or bring the kids along. In an effort to keep your grocery bill in check come prepared with a list and a budget—be sure to stick to both!

Avoid the online shopping cart. I was guilty of compulsively shopping online as well. The temptation to browse all the sites of ads you receive emails for is sometimes too great. Unsubscribe to the emails, and only shop online for items not available in stores, or for gifts. Instead of online shopping out of boredom, consider taking a walk or reading a book to fill the void.

Cash Only. By living a “cash only” lifestyle you can drastically reduce your spending. Somehow our brains make it harder for us to part with the cash than to whipping out the plastic. Use credit cards as a last resort, emergency only panic button to push in the event of a true emergency.

Get help and support. If you find you can’t overcome the shopping urge alone, there are plenty of organizations that are ready to help. Try a support group like Debtors Anonymous or visit Shopaholic No More, which claims there are more than 18 million shopaholics in America. So if you’re among them, clearly, you’re not alone.

Finally, if you are in serious credit card debt consider talking with a debt relief provider. They can help you develop a plan to conquer your credit card debt, lend support and give you the tools you need to be financially successful.

Are you a compulsive or “reformed” compulsive shopper? How did you stop your bad habits?

What’s new on the menu

July 25, 2012 by Jana 11 Comments

I’ve talked about the status of my blog and where I’d like to go before. It was always kind of vague. But now, after months of thinking and talking with others, I’ve made some concrete decisions and I wanted to share them with you.

Like two of my closest friends, I’ve been going through a blogging identity crisis. That crisis hast taken me to some weird places including starting and stopping a variety of blogs. I started them because I needed an avenue to write about subjects not related to finance. And that was fun and refreshing. But then they abruptly stopped. Mainly due to the fact that a) DMS is really where my passion is and b) I just didn’t have the time. Which left me with content strewn haphazardly about the internet. It’s not necessarily bad content. It’s just content I don’t have time to tend to and grow. Like the tomatoes on my deck.

But I digress.

In order to keep my sanity in tact and prevent all that content from being lost, I’ve decided that consolidation is the way to go. Over the next few weeks, you’ll see a variety of features added to, or taken away from, Daily Money Shot. Some of them will be completely new while others will be culled from my various sites. Here’s what you can look for:

The Aldi Experiment–This feature is already up and running (it’s a new category in the menu bar). Two years ago, on my first blog, I conducted an experiment to see how much money my family would save if we shopped almost exclusively at Aldi. During the 6 weeks of the experiment, I chronicled our budget, our menu plans and did a summary of each week. Feel free to browse some or all of that.
Sidebar Shots–This feature is currently under construction. Sometimes I like to rant about things that are only tangentially related to personal finance. Sometimes they’re not related to personal finance at all but I like to talk about them anyway. That’s where this feature comes in. It gives me a forum to talk about other topics while still trying to stay true to the mission of Daily Money Shot. Some of the content from The Jealousy Files will end up in here.
This Independent Life–A site I started to give tips on beginning to live independently (I know. I’m great with names) kind of flopped. So I’ve decided to relaunch it as a series on Daily Money Shot (how I’m going to do the series is to be determined. It will either be every day for a month or once a week for numerous weeks). I also hope to turn most of the content, with some new and unreleased information added, into an eBook. Look for that in weeks to come.
Money Tune Tuesday and Sharing Thursday–These will probably become bi-weekly features rather than weekly ones. I love these features but I can’t keep up with them in the manner that I’d like. Rather than sending them to their untimely demise, I’m just going to cut back.
My yet to be unnamed fiction book–I’m still not comfortable discussing the details of this but I do need a way to stay accountable to actually writing it. To do that, you’ll notice a progress tracker in the sidebar. Every day (or week or when I remember), I’m going to update it with the latest word count. I’m aiming for 50,000 words by December 1 (if I go over in order to completely tell the story, that’s okay, too. But 50,000 is the minimum). I figure if I make myself accountable on DMS, some of you will harass me if I fall behind.

Also, I’m trying to get to 100 individual (not blog or fan page) likes on Facebook by the end of the month. If I do, I’ll host a giveaway for $25. If I get to 200 likes, I’ll give away 2 $25 prizes. You can help make that dream come true by liking Daily Money Shot.

There are some other behind the scenes things I’ll be doing but they’re boring and I don’t think that you’d find them interesting so I’ll just keep them to myself. But what I won’t give up is telling my stories with the hope that you find something useful in them.

I hope that you’ll all stick with me over the next few weeks as I roll out the new changes and features. I promise that the DMS experience will be greatly improved as a result.

Money Tune Tuesday: Working for the Weekend

July 24, 2012 by Jana 3 Comments

Before I resigned a few weeks ago, I spent 11 years working a typical office job with all the typical trappings: annoying commute, 8 hours day with an unpaid lunch, Monday-Friday schedule with no option for telecommuting, fluorescent lights, poor morale, gray furniture, and gossipy co-workers. My work hours were filled with heartwrenching and tedious tasks, and I longed for 4 PM on Fridays when I could put it all behind me until 8 AM on Monday. Although I was doing noble, necessary work, I never really produced anything I was proud of or accomplished anything noteworthy. Except getting through each day.

Sad story. True story.

Now, as a freelancer, I don’t have a real weekend. I do need some time off, so I actually take my “weekend” on Friday and Saturday, although it’s not unusual to find me working on something on one of those days. I can’t help it. I love what I’m doing. And now, rather than the weekdays as something I have to get through in order to achieve the weekend, the weekdays are now something I look forward to just as much as I did the weekends in my previous life. It’s such a relief to wake up each day, excited about what I’m going to do rather than thinking of it as torture with a paycheck. To quote Loverboy, I’m no longer “working for the weekend” (which, incidentally, is today’s money tune. Yeah, I’m good). I now work for…well, I work because I enjoy what I do. And I’m really proud of it. Even if I don’t make a lot of money.

Much better story.

Note: Song starts at 2:25.

Back to school: Are you ready?

July 23, 2012 by Jana 6 Comments

This summer, I have to do something I’ve never had to do before. I need to go back to school shopping. Because my daughter, my little baby, is starting kindergarten.

I knew this would happen. I am prepared for it from a practical, financial standpoint (emotionally, well, that’s a different story). I have money set aside, and I plan to do my shopping soon to avoid the massive crowds in the stores the week before school starts (late August). I know that I should wait until all the crazy sales start but crowds ramp up my anxiety and that’s never fun. So, spending a few extra dollars to save my sanity is totally worth it.

But around where I live, there is something that happens that I have yet to fully understand. Every year, around back to school time, people start freaking out about having to buy school supplies, the cost of school supplies, how many items they need to buy and wow, how is it time for school already? But mainly they just freak out about having to buy supplies. Because, you know. School doesn’t start around the same time every year.

People like to talk about how “gift-oriented” events like birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries should never come as a surprise because they happen at roughly the same time every year. I feel the same way about back to school. It never ceases to amaze me how people are taken aback by the start of school (and, as a result, the number of people clamoring to take part in the free backpack program, run by a local church). If you have school aged children, you should know that every year they start a new school year. With that comes—gasp—supplies! So why not start preparing ahead of time?

Some people would read that and think “there’s no possible way I can start planning ahead of time. I just don’t have that kind of money” or “school supplies are just so expensive. There’s no way I can make my money stretch” or a variety of other excuses.

To those people, I say nonsense. It is possible to be prepared for back to school time and maximize your dollars. Here are a few suggestions as to how:

Buy items throughout the year. Sometimes crayons, glue sticks, and other basic supplies for the elementary school set go on sale. Why not take advantage of sales on items you know you’ll need and create a small stockpile? Find a few extra dollars and hit the sale. Not only will you stock up for the next year, it will also help when you need to replenish your child’s supplies during the school year (especially at the last minute). If you’re not sure of what you need, check your district’s website; a lot of them publish the supply lists.
Start a “back to school” fund. Just like you have an emergency fund, a vacation fund, a new car fund and a whatever else fund, have an account where you add a few dollars every week or two. Let’s say you add $10 a month, starting from January. By the time you would need to purchase supplies in August, you’ll have $80. Now, this amount might need to change based on the number of children you have and their grade level, but the basic concept remains the same. If it’s hard for you to find extra money within your income, try to get creative. For instance: examine your budget, determine if you can to cut back anywhere and use the difference. Perform an odd job every now and then or have a yard sale, designating that money towards your back to school fund.
Shop at dollar stores. Or other discount places. They sell most of the same supplies as office stores or big box stores, and they are often much cheaper. These types of stores will allow your dollars to stretch farther, allowing you to be able to pick up more of the items your kids will need. Yes, it might not be Crayola crayons but really, how much does it matter? Red is red. Green is green. A scissor is a scissor. And most kids aren’t going to know the difference in brands nor does anyone need to know where you purchased them. The goal is to have your child prepared for school, including having all the necessary supplies. The purchase location is irrelevant.
Reuse the previous year’s supplies. Items such as backpacks, lunch boxes, pencil cases and binders—if kept in good condition—can be used for multiple years, especially if you purchase a higher quality, sturdier items. These are often some of the most expensive items to purchase, so why not get your money’s worth by using them from year to year? When I was in high school, those monogrammed LL Bean backpacks were all the rage and most of my friends who had them used them for all 4 years. Not only did no one care, no one said anything. To save money on backpacks, look on sites like eBay. You can probably score some pretty good deals.

Some words on this advice: while these tips can be applied to all age groups, it is primarily intended for the elementary school set. Middle and high schoolers come with their own set of school supply issues that I am not yet qualified to discuss. Also, I understand that in some circumstances, it is simply not possible to plan ahead. That’s fine, and I get that. But for most of us, we possess the ability to stop being surprised by the start of school and avoid the financial pressure that comes with purchasing supplies.

Parents of school aged kids, how do you plan for back to school shopping?

My way isn’t right. And neither is yours.

July 20, 2012 by Jana 17 Comments

I’ve been cranky about a few things lately. I’ve decided that I’m going to share those things with you because you might be cranky about them, too. If not, please just bear with me. If you’re not in the mood for crankiness, that’s totally fine, too. I understand.

There is something that occurs with some regularity in the personal finance blogosphere that irks me to a fairly large degree. I’ve been struggling with how to phrase it properly but then I gave up on that so I’ll just sum it up this way:

It’s the “all or nothing” attitude that many bloggers convey.

It bothers me that many bloggers take the position that finance lives in absolutes. It does not. Finance is all about grays; it’s not black and white. What may work for one blogger may not work or cannot work for another. For instance, my family will never be a 1 car family. That works for us. But for many bloggers, they would assert that in order to be frugal or smart with money, a family must only have one car and having two cars is a sign of overspending, a waste of money, and the first step down a narrow, dirty hallway of financial irresponsibility. It’s as if they forget that there are different places in the world, complete with different circumstances and logistics. That’s not really helpful.

Neither is asserting to the world that you do not watch any television at all and are therefore more well read, more well rounded and more productive. Speaking from experience, it is possible to be a bookworm, a productive, engaged, inquisitive individual and still indulge in a crappy reality show or serial drama every now and then. Watching TV does not spell the demise of a person’s intelligence or productivity; it just means that that person likes to turn her brain off every now and then and just relax. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. TV shows in moderation do not ruin a person, but I will concede the point that too much programming might interfere with other pursuits. Depending on the person.

Then there’s the whole issue of coupons. I can’t stand this debate. Do coupons save money? Yes. Can you get really good deals if you use them? Yes. Are coupons available virtually every place you look? Yes. Are they the only way you can be a good steward of your money? No. I do not support the contention that if you do not use coupons, you are a fool who likes to throw away good money. I do, however, support the contention that if you use coupons on items that you use regularly and couple that with looking for good deals, you can save even more money. I also support the contention that coupons are not the only way to save, and to insist that they are is just bad advice.

And please don’t even get me started on saving money on raising kids written by people who don’t have them. That might be a cranky post unto itself.

If you notice a theme in my rant, it’s the fact that many bloggers refuse to accept a middle ground. Many bloggers believe that what they are spouting and preaching is the end all and be all of personal finance information. But let me make my opinion clear: No one way is right. No one way is wrong. It’s what makes personal finance personal. Each person needs to find a method or information, and then adapt that to her own life. To suggest that doing it any other way than what one particular person does our readers a disservice.

In my limited experience as a blogger, people read personal finance blogs for a variety of reasons: to learn, to be entertained (as entertaining as money can be), to commiserate, to feel less lonely in their pursuit of a more frugal lifestyle or debt repayment journey, to connect with someone who’s in the same situation, or to just pass the time during their lunch break. But whatever their reason, we have a responsibility to not insult the reader or condescend to the reader. We have a responsibility to provide information and options, and to share our stories.

Implying that only one way is correct doesn’t help. We need to accept our role as information sharers rather than information dictators.

That’s how we connect and affect change.

Do you need an intervention for shopping?

Stop Compulsive Shopping Today

What’s new on the menu

Money Tune Tuesday: Working for the Weekend

Back to school: Are you ready?

My way isn’t right. And neither is yours.

Connect with Me

Subscribe to Jana Says

Stop Compulsive Shopping Today

Jana Says on Instagram

Connect with Me

Subscribe to Jana Says