Anybody making any?


I myself am tired of living paycheck to paycheck so I have decided on making the following changes for 2010.


1. Paying monthly bills on or before time, I'm tired of late fees. Especially when I have the money and just don't want to give it up. 5 dollar late fees mean so much more to me now.


2. Having a set amount each paycheck go to an account I don't have easy access to. Extra money to me used to mean an extra trip to the mall. That was wreckless of me...I'm getting older so my habits need to be getting wiser.

3. Pulling my credit report and making arrangements---I'll pay you if you take it off my report.



Anyone else got tips on keeping finances tight?

I'm just sayin'.

I got a good life man

water, lights, food, gas, car payments?


They say a good rule of thumb is to have about 6-8 months of monthly expenses stacked up. It used to be 3 months but seeings how lately people losing their jobs are having a harder time getting one within 3 months.

I'm just sayin'.

car payment i pay an extra 50/month so right now i'm like 250 ahead on that so just stay the course and i should be cool

I got a good life man

we're on the right track, got to pay down these CC tho...xmas 09 we kinda went nuts & undid a lot of good we had done thru the whole year...2 wks of shopping pumpd our debt right back up

it'll be back down to where it was by march/april timeframe tho


<---my id

i see you aiming @ my pedestal
http://www.formspring.me/binlahab

Planning on using your income tax return to pay down those debts?


I can't wait until I get to the point of actually not needing my tax return for nothing but to boost up my savings account.


Speaking of savings accounts, I have read that using just a plan ole savings account is so old school, at least for having most of your savings in. Money Market accounts or IRAs are the way to go to keep your money working for you instead of being stagnent. Anyone doing this?

I'm just sayin'.

IRA is most defn important unless u wanna be 1 of them old ppl greeting folks @ the door to walmart in 2050


<---my id

i see you aiming @ my pedestal
http://www.formspring.me/binlahab

I took my behind back to school after picking up a part time job at a retail store and realizing most of my coworkers were senior citizens that should be living up their retirement...but I realize now also that the education ain't gonna be enough, I need to get my savings in order now at 26.


How do you choose which institution to open your IRA up with? I can't trust just any ole body with the little bit I'll be putting in there.

I'm just sayin'.

they have products out there thats like retirement crockpots...put your $$$ in, they automatically reconfigure it the closer to retirement you get

like right now @ 26 it'd be more towards stocks

if you were 55 it'd be mostly bonds

etc


<---my id

i see you aiming @ my pedestal
http://www.formspring.me/binlahab

electronically.

for example if your car note is 300/month. and u get paid 2/month

every paycheck pay 150.00

i can't tell u the due dates of my bills, but i know that they are paid before the due date. and i don't have to wrry about one pay check being used for blah blah ablh leaving me with 20 bucks

and the other paycheck leaving me with 300 bucks.

i have the same amount of disposable cash every check


i'd also suggest getting an ally bank or ing direct account and getting a portion of your check put in there by direct deposit.

and mint.com

if u have a mac, then "debtinator" too



vince: paul wight and the rock were just kidding around. we like to make jokes, things of that nature...we like to have a good time

the rock: MAKE JOKES THE ROCK'S ASS!

I'm thinking I may need to use a full paycheck to get myself ahead a little bit before I can start this method. Cause like you said I hate having one paycheck leaving me with 30 dollars while the next is leaving me with 300 dollars.

I'm just sayin'.

double up on i paid extra each pay check and caught up

like instead of 200 each check, i paid 245 each check something like that


vince: paul wight and the rock were just kidding around. we like to make jokes, things of that nature...we like to have a good time

the rock: MAKE JOKES THE ROCK'S ASS!

I'm going to finally learn how to use the bill pay feature offered by the bank.

I'm just sayin'.

allows you to finish paying off faster

https://www.annualcreditreport.com <---free reports from all three

myfico.com <---the boards are GREAT, and fico scores (google myfico discount code before u buy your score.....u may find a discount code on the wb)

mint.com <-----effortless budgeting and tracking

ingdirect.com
ally.com<------- high interest sayvings accounts no fees, no charges

i love bank of america's keep the change program. it rounds up your purchases tot he nearest dollar and puts the difference in a savings account automatically. PLUS if u use another BOA customer to set up an account *cough cough like me cough* we BOTH get 20 bucks

i already mentioned debtinator. i can't stress how much this has helped me. i killed a 3700.00 credit card bill





vince: paul wight and the rock were just kidding around. we like to make jokes, things of that nature...we like to have a good time

the rock: MAKE JOKES THE ROCK'S ASS!

is it only for Macs?


<---my id

i see you aiming @ my pedestal
http://www.formspring.me/binlahab

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmdo7eW-FtM

it let's u know if you are gonna run out of money or not
u load all your debts and expenses in
you income
you interest rates

then pick the method how u wanna pa it off "highest rate" "lowest balance" "minimum balance" etc... it'll run till all your stuff is paid off


i set my income as less than it actually is, like if i make 1000/ month, i'll set it at 650 or 750 /month.





vince: paul wight and the rock were just kidding around. we like to make jokes, things of that nature...we like to have a good time

the rock: MAKE JOKES THE ROCK'S ASS!

and its only for mac pcs. There's got to be another program out there comparible for non mac users. Still searching...I need something like this in my life to get me started.

I'm just sayin'.

if u use debtinator BEFORE u buy a mac,.......yo ass will NEVER buy a mac lol


vince: paul wight and the rock were just kidding around. we like to make jokes, things of that nature...we like to have a good time

the rock: MAKE JOKES THE ROCK'S ASS!

RE: www.freeannualcreditreport.com

the scores

vince: paul wight and the rock were just kidding around. we like to make jokes, things of that nature...we like to have a good time

the rock: MAKE JOKES THE ROCK'S ASS!

every month, for FREE!


------------------------------
Copycat, copycat, getcha own shit, ho.

setting a bit of money aside for a vacation fund and paying double the minimum payment on my IKEA and Best Buy card so we can be done with those.

http://www.twitter.com/LipstikActivist
Tweet Me.
http://thelipstikactivist.tumblr.com/
Tumbl Me. (rawr)

Credit card debt is near nil, which is a blessing
Gotta work on this whole savings thing
So that is my real big change
I want to save up at least 1.5 years rent
So I can persue some things for awhile
-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxGveLj_EN0

part of solving the mystery of the sphinx is knowing when to keep silent

2-3 years...but before that, i was a financial mess.

so i sent them a letter asking them if out of good will, since i've been current for three years wouldn't they mind deleting the late payments off my credit report. couldn't hurt.

one of my credit cards did, the other creditors i haven't heard back from yet


vince: paul wight and the rock were just kidding around. we like to make jokes, things of that nature...we like to have a good time

the rock: MAKE JOKES THE ROCK'S ASS!

What about the stuff that's on your credit report that you are no longer making payments on, would a letter work on them too?


For example, I had a couple of months of late payments on my car this year once I got caught up I just went ahead and paid the car off but its still showing on my credit report.

I guess I could just contact the bank and find out.

I'm just sayin'.

http://www.savingforcollege.com/intro_to_529s/what-is-a-529-plan.php

VERY important & mad states are closing theirs up...get it in while the gettings good


<---my id

i see you aiming @ my pedestal
http://www.formspring.me/binlahab

but will open up some sort of savings/college account when I have em. Good info.

I'm just sayin'.

Already do the ING thing but setting aside another account for the kids & emergency funds.

My car note will be done in May so a lot of that old payment can be sent to savings.

About to be done with two more cards so - yep more savings money.

It's been a hard road but I am glad most of my debt will be paid off in 2010.
_______________________
http://www.last.fm/user/Boogiedwn/

http://card.mygamercard.net/lastgame/boogiedwn43.png

I made a separate post, but it got no love.

http://moveyourmoney.info/

while it won't help give you more money, moving your money to a local bank is a good step, and takes your money out of the hands of greedy CEO's who could care less if you fall behind on payments...in fact they are hoping that you do.


7c

and was mad that neither one of my credit unions were listed. It only listed banks I have never heard of but I'll look into those it suggested.

I'm just sayin'.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/12/bill-maher-explains-why-y_n_421084.html



7c

(don't judge me! LOL)
I have been increasing my savings. I am surprised I saved this much in 2009. I hope to double what I have saved.
I recently ordered Young Broke and Fabulous and will read that for some ideas.

I need to see what my taxes are talking about. If I get back money, I will put it in my savings account and open up a small CD. If I owe, then I will be paying out.
I want to start my own personal IRA, because my job does it but they don't match...so to me I'd rather just start my own now.

My car went out on me...but I also recently started paying back my student loans. And I need to decide if I want to take on a new car payment AND student loans. I am not feeling it. So I don't know.

And what are you doing to get it up there?

I'm just sayin'.

I had 50 points to go.
The biggest issue I am having is lack of accounts. I have only two credit cards that are currently open and revolving. I am paying off student loans (that's 1 account), my car (2 payments left), and this debt to the state of MD.

I actually bought it up more than 70 pts last year (it was BAD). I did that by pulling my reports and getting medical debts and two inaccuracies moved. And lowering my credit utilization.

I recently paid off a debt for less than half (some shit my mom did) and got them to delete that off the account. So that should be gone soon. Hopefully I will pay off my credit card within the next 4 months (it's less than $500 now but I am waiting to see what taxes is looking like because I was unemployed and worked contract so I didnt pay a lot in taxes. I might owe. again if I get back money, I will pay this off). Paying my student loans should help too. And the debt with the state should be paid off (and they said removed) by the end of 2010.

I will probably try to open up two more credit cards in the first half of 2010.

That's my basic plan but I am sure as I learn more, i will edit it.

through your bank. Basically what you are doing is setting up a loan or credit card through the bank minimum I've seen is $500 dollars and you make a payment towards it every month. They report it to the credit agencies as a good look for you.

I started this a couple of months ago. Cool thing about it is once I make the payment towards the loan the money goes right back into my savings account. Win win situation if you ask me.

I'm just sayin'.

Wachovia doesnt offer them from what I see.
But SECU does. and that's the account I have all the money saved in! I do plan on trying to get one with them and then opening up a regular credit card account with Wachovia.

so hopefully that will work out.

i will never buy another new car again, ever. if you have to do it, go used, get something affordable and economical. sacrifice style points now so that when you get older, you will be comfortable. these are things i wished i learned in my 20s.

- u already know

I have the money to do both...but then I can't do other things I want to do. Such as travel to Africa later in the year. I know that taking on a new car payment and doing student loans will cut into how much I can save.

What I could do it keep being on the bus for the next 5 or 6 months and look for a decent used car that I can buy flat out in cash.
I don't want additional monthly payments.

I am just going to see how taxes play out this year, and then make decisions. But I do want to get a CD for $1000 soon. (just a small start).

i think that is pretty cool. if you can pay cash for a nice used car, do it. what people forget about when getting a new car isn't that the car payment is crazy its that if you live in the city like i do and have a new car, your insurance is going to be ridicudumb. take baby steps. you are on the right path of cleaning up your credit. god forbid you lose a job or something, not having to worry about a car payment, a repo, and a judgment to pay the remaining balance is a nice thing to avoid.

- u already know

I was only 19 and didn't know any better.

Little did I know that 18k car I just brought lost 4k in value soon as I drove it off the lot.

I won't be buying brand new again. I'll let someone else ride around in it first.

Used is definitely the way to go.

I'm just sayin'.

you can actually get more car than when buying a new joint. I bought a 06 pathfinder with everything except leather and nav. had I tried to buy a new model, I wouldn't be able to afford the amenities.

My biggest thing. No more car notes. Done with it. Only monthly payments I want to be making till my kids are done with college are mortgage and utilities.

the balance should be about 40% of ur limit and you should pay more than minimum on it-

after you're all paid ur score stagnates unless u do something that can cause it to increase such as having an account that you pay on time...

I just wanted to pay them off and use them the correct way. and get them to start working FOR me (like using them to get the 5% cashback and credits and freebies).

What I owe discover right now is money from a cash advance I did years ago (crazy right...) and the interest on that is higher than me carrying over a balance from month to month on purchases.

so my focus is to pay them off then start fresh with them.

I use my other credit card randomly...but I pay if off in full each month.

1. I need to set up a business bank account
2. I need to consult with a CPA for tax sheltering and to figure out what to do with the mountain of taxes we already owe
3. Renogotiate and consolidate student loans if possibe (yea, i seem late on this, but oh well, sue me lol)
4. Have my biz income meet and/or exceed my job income
5. Pay off cc's by end of March
6. Creat a savings account for move to Dallas and stack chips like crazy
7. Continue/restart credit report repair

----
"I refuse to spend our hard-earned money on a bunch of pseudo-food. I will buy and eat actual food; things that God intended for us to eat...I don’t care how good you think it tastes, or how cheap it may be. It’s. Not. Food."

http://www.amazon.com/Every-Womans-Guide-Financial-Security/dp/1564142795

I'm reading it now and so far it's been a pretty good financial primer and an interesting read. I'm trying to beef up my 401(k) and savings.

Funny because I wrote a blog post about this a few weeks ago and my others are to:

1. Pay down my credit card
2. Save more
3. Spend and give more
4. Limit impulse purchases
5. Eliminate wasteful spending

they tell you what to do and no clear steps to how to do it. So I have decided on a new method, the people approach. Find out what other people are doing to keep it together. lol. I've learned a lot from this one post already.

I'm just sayin'.

...it gives you the information and lets you decide what you want to do, depending on your situation. But I like to read about money: Black Enterprise, Business Week, Michelle Singletary, Suze Orman and even financial bloggers. There are so many good resources out there. Don't sleep on what's in print though because it can be very helpful, if written in a "down-to-earth" manner. I also love the people approach too, especially if a person can break down the complicated stuff like stocks and taxes.

I didn't like to read about money until I realized I had a problem, I didn't realize I had a problem until I wanted to buy a house.

That's when I took a good look at my credit score and such and got a serious wake up call cause it wasn't pretty AT ALL.


Next time I hit up the library I'll definitely look into this book you mentioned.

Thanks for sharing the info.

I'm just sayin'.

There's another one specifically for sistahs that I let a girlfriend borrow years ago: http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Make-Your-Money-Grow/dp/0767914015
I think I'm going to check this one out from the library and finish reading it.

Also, the little and simple things like budgeting and using coupons really do count. I also bring my lunch to work everyday (SO underrated). And I barely eat out. I save at least $300 a month from each paycheck and am halfway through paying down my credit card. (The money to save and pay down debt is there, if you don't blow a chunk of it at the mall every week ) I don't make a lot of money but I make my $$ work for me.

My main $$ problem for a long time was that I hoarded money for comfort. Not healthy at all. At least I got A-1 credit out of it though But you have to spend and treat yourself (withing reason and budget) sometimes. That's why spending more is one of my goals for 2010. You sound like you're on the right track though. Great post!!

2008 was near disaster and 2009 was cleaning up the mess

2010 will be separation

i'm starting to feel like it's time to act on a house soon

you have to have e-statements, direct deposit, and a certain amount of debit card transactions per month. if you use the debit card all the time like i do, it's not hard.

most of them have a $25K balance limit on the 4% so the most you could earn is about $80/month, but that's pretty good for a sure thing

it is now at 0.75 - 0.85%

they are really trying hard to keep people's money in equities

FNBO direct offers 1.45% savings

Oh, I get depressed thinking about it.

say 'YEAH'!!!!!

http://www.daveramsey.com/category/tools/

Thanks.

I'm really trying to get a stronghold on my money cause every payday it seem to go through my hands like water and I really don't know where it goes.

I'm just sayin'.

>http://www.daveramsey.com/category/tools/


thanks

I'm just sayin'.

In addition to the great tools on the website, you can also find Dave Ramsey-endorsed professionals in your area to help you manage your investments, etc. I'm really pleased... very basic, sound financial philosophies with strategies that anyone can use if they're willing to work hard and be disciplined

<---------
Love is You.
--------->

1. $1,000 Emergency Fund
2. Pay off ALL DEBT with Debt Snowball(Start with smallest)
3. 3 to 6 Months Expenses In Savings
4. Invest 15% of Income Into Roth IRAs and Pre-Tax Retirement Plans
5. College Fund (If you have kids)
6. Pay off Your Home Early
7. Build Wealth and Give!!

My handles
http://reyhugo.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/ihilbot
facebook.com/yahzone
soundlyfemusic@gmail.com

say 'YEAH'!!!!!

lol

I'm just sayin'.

Not sharing no numbers here.

Basically enough to facilitate my moving like a pimp move.

____________________________

http://instagram.com/yogikenan
http://instagram.com/shotbykenan
http://stackoverflow.com/users/43089/triptych
http://github.com/djtriptych

I mean its not like we got access to your accounts. I don't get it.

anyhoo, how do you plan on going about saving up to this mysterious number? What's your plan of action?

I'm just sayin'.

And people accuse you of stunting. It's dumb but whatever.

My plan is already in effect as of a few months ago. I moved to a much cheaper place and cut a bunch of monthly expenses.

That alone will get me close to my goal. Adding tax refund and year-end bonus/raise will almost guarantee it assuming no new expenses.

And working on secondary income, as always.

____________________________

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http://github.com/djtriptych

lol.
that would only be the next step i could see for you.

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/10/19/pay-yourself-first/

***
I'm tryna be better off, not better than...

and I've gone from living check to check to having a tight budget and a huge increase in my savings, because now I'm monitoring every dime and categorizing all purchases.

thanks for this

Get Out the Room
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-out-the-room/id525657893

Some of y'all need this in your life: http://www.psychology.com

Yeah I realized how much I was spending on eating out.

I have a car note again for the first time in 5 years so I'm going to have to tighten up my budget. I'm going to start tracking my daily expenses again and looking for areas where I can cut expenses. All the money I saved this year is damn near depleted so an aggressive savings plans is definitely on the agenda. If at all possible I'm going to try and cut out frivolous shopping except for necessities, and bringing my lunch again.

Unfortunately I will have to use a big chunk of my tax refund to pay off small debts, then that will free up money to pay extra on my car loan and attack my one large credit card debt. Still looking for ways to make extra income as well, even if it's a temporary gig, a few months of extra income would help out tremendously.

I don't believe in luck, I believe in Jesus...(c)Farnsworth Bentley

I did that & I also I started saving more by increasing my 401k contributions & having my saving taken directly by direct deposit.

I also selected the auto-pay option for my car insurance which lowered my monthly payment.

Somebody's lying...

@Atruelady Twitter/ @Sweetesttaboos Instagram

is a plus, my insurance offered a discount for it too. 401k, I only do the max. the company matches. I talked to a financial advisor a few months back and they said anything above what the company matches is a waste, because you are limited on your investments. He said the best thing to do with that extra money is put it in a IRA.

I'm just sayin'.

i made good money this year. salary of around 80k. problem was, i spent like i made 100k. so my credit/debt situation isn't good. on top of that, my student loans are coming due. i need to start spending like i make 40k and saving more. i now see that it really isn't how much you make but how much you save that matters. my friends who made significantly less than me but had better spending habits all had a better quality of life than i had. that is where i want to be for 2010. i am so done with the materialistic rat race. no new vehicles, no crazy rent, limiting my eating out, chilling on the movies, and saying no to must have designer clothes. pay myself first is my mantra.

- u already know

is a good way of putting it. You are talking to someone who had to have a new outfit for every weekend outting trying to keep up with everybody else.


smh...no more. I'm actually going to comit to 2 outtings a month if I have to pay for it.


Movies I now watch online.

Cable disconnected as of January 2, with tv.com and fastpasstv.com who needs it?

My biggest bill right now is the cell phone...I can't shake the web package what else am I supposed to do when I'm bored out somewhere or at work or when I'm lost.

I'm just sayin'.

>i now
>see that it really isn't how much you make but how much you
>save that matters. my friends who made significantly less than
>me but had better spending habits all had a better quality of
>life than i had. that is where i want to be for 2010. i am so
>done with the materialistic rat race.

i'm almost done
i'm finding a better balance


~~~~
smart dumb niggas i see is the theme of the week on okp (c)esb
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

~~~~
smart dumb niggas i see is the theme of the week on okp (c)esb
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

Cuz Lawd knows she aint really sat down and taught me none of this... It also helps to have a loving, annoyingly-persistent-with-their-financial-advice-type friend in the banking industry.

I borrowed from my CD to pay off my medical bills, after I'm finished paying up the CD I'm gonna continue those payments and put it into my savings. I got the Keep the Change option from Bank of America and its really building up. I upped the amount contributed to my deferred comp acct at work... I might try to keep this low rent, but I REALLY need a bigger apt.

I'm spending less and saving more, hopefully I'll be a homeowner in the next couple years.

Been a huge fan and they keep offering more and more services. Recently got a $121 just for using a debit card 3 times from them. (Black Friday Deal)

Best thing about them is setting it up to pull a set amount each week automatically to be an emergency savings. I don't notice the money is gone and it gets more interest. Very intuitive website also. http://home.ingdirect.com/

If anyone wants $25 for opening an account with them let me know, I do get $10 but know I am a big supporter of ING's ease and how it's transformed my "In Case of Shit" money. Saved me when I was laid off last year. I try to keep 3 months in there and the rest I invest in the market.

See ya, JAK
http://www.staugustinepics.com/

Winner of OKP Second Photo Kontest
Pic #6 http://www.tha-renaissance.com/effstop/kontest2

which online option is best for me. ING sounds like a good one, if I decide to go with this I'll be sure to hit you up.

I'm just sayin'.

Completely depleted my savings due to various things...mainly selling my house and helping out fam.

So far I'm doing alright getting that money back.

2010 for me will include...

1. increasing savings by abt 10% bringing it to abt 35% of total income.

2. finally starting a 529 for the kids...move the small amount of savings I did for them over into that.

3. student fuckin loans...man this is making my blood pressure rise as I type this. this has been my achilles heel for the longest.

4. clean up credit due to student loans...i plan on getting another house late 2010.

5. upgrade all of my computer and photo equipment.

"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan" (c) Martin Luther King Jr.