Okay guys; I must come clean. I went out tonight with some friends and had a great time. After numerous pitchers of beer and a couple of shots, I finally had my first cigarette since i quit a few weeks ago.
I can't explain the craving that came over me. It was unbelievable. I was wearing my nicotine patch but I still had the urge to smoke.
I had 1 cigarette. Usually, while out drinking, I will go through at least a half pack (10 cigarettes). I had my one cigarette and I was done. Even after consuming a large amount of alcohol, I only had one cigarette.
I am disappointed in myself on one hand. On the other hand, I am still proud of myself for only smoking just one. I could have purchased an entire pack but just having one was enough to curb the nagging desire to have a smoke.
Am I a failure? Please, let me know what you think. Did I totally screw up?
2/1/2009: Thanks everyone for the comments and words of encouragement. It's probably not a good idea to blog after you've had a few drinks. :-)
With all the news about the rising number of foreclosed homes and rising rent prices, if you are any the market for a new home, now seems like a great time to buy a home. Not only is there a wide variety of homes to choose from, prices have continued to fall to more affordable levels.
For current homeowners that need to sell their home, times are really hard right now. If you are currently in the market for a new home, right now, you hold all the cards. Hopefully, by the time I am ready to sell my home and move on, the market will have started on the road to recovery.
Buying a home is probably the largest purchase you'll make in your lifetime so it is important to do it right. There is more to home buying than whether or not you want to live in a certain school district or if the home is on a cul-de-sac. Of course those things are important in determining whether or not you purchase a home but they should come after the financial aspect is taken care of.
Before you make to leap towards homeownership, ask yourself these five questions:
1. Is your income stable? If you don't feel your job will be there tomorrow, now is probably not the time to buy a home.
2. Do you have a downpayment? With all the instability in the housing market, mortgage lenders are requiring more money down before you are approved for a loan. These days, it will be extremely hard to obtain 100% financing for your purchase, even with an excellent credit score. After this housing fiasco, lenders want to limit the amount of risk they expose themselves to. If you put 20% down on a home, you are less likely to walk away from it because you have more to lose.
3. How's your credit? You will have a hard time getting a decent interest rate or even getting approved for a loan if you don't have a pristine credit score. These days, you will need to have a minimum credit score of 720 to get the best rates. Hint: If you are planning to purchase a home, start monitoring your credit six months to a year prior to your purchase. This way you have time to correct any errors and allow your credit score to recover. Equifax offers a service that will monitor all three bureaus for you and alert you to any changes.
4. How's your debt? Is your debt load hovering in dangerous territory? After you make your debt payments, do you barely have enough money to live in? If you answered yes to either of those questions or had to think about the answer, you probably need to wait until you've eliminated more debt before you consider purchasing a home.
5. Are you stable? If you don't plan to stay in your home at least three to five years, it is probably better to wait before purchasing a home. Typically, it takes about three to five years to recoup the cost from buying and selling a home.
6. Savings. Not only will you need to have money saved for your down payment and closing costs, you will also need to have money saved for the additional items you will need after you purchase the home. For example, when I bought my home, there were no blinds in the home and no towel or tissue paper holders. There were no ceiling fans in any of the rooms. Just purchasing those needed items cost me almost $1,000. You will also need to have an Emergency Fund in the event of a job loss or medical issue.
7. Are you ready to be your own landlord? In an apartment or other rented property, if something breaks, all it takes is a call to the landlord. The landlord owns the property and is responsible for the cost of repairs. Your cost is usually only a minor inconvenience. Once you are a homeowner, there is no one to call. Any costs related to home repairs are your responsibility.
Here are a list of financial resources that can help with your decision:
How much home can you afford?
WT Direct - High Yield Savings
Equifax Credit Watch Gold
Need to make extra cash? Promote popular financial product online. No web experience necessary!
I had my annual evaluation for 2008 yesterday. My company does performance evaluations twice a year; once around June or July and then again at the end of January. Raises are only given once a year during the January evaluation.
I went into my evaluation with an open mind and low expectations. Due to the struggling economy, there are a lot of companies that are not giving raises this year and/or trimming the payroll. Some companies are even reducing salaries or cutting the number of hours. I feel that my job is pretty secure but and I didn't think there would be any issues with my performance.
At first, it was hard to not expect any money since I received a very good raise and merit cash equal to 5% of my yearly salary in 2007. In 2008, I didn't receive the merit cash but I still received a nice raise and a $500 bonus.
After reviewing my performance with my manager, I came out of my review with a 2% raise. I was very happy to get any kind of raise; especially since a couple of my co-workers didn't get a raise at all.
What do I plan to do with my raise? It's going into the savings account of course. I've made a conscious effort for the past few years to make sure that my expenses did not increase just because my income increased.
Reminder: Please be sure to subscribe to SingleGuyMoney for more personal finance posts.
With all the uncertainty in the stock market, more people are keeping their cash in savings accounts. Most of the banks these days are paying low, low rates on savings. Why not earn a maximum return on your money with minimal risk?
I was reading through the February 2009 issue of Money Magazine and found out about a new site called MoneyAisle.
What is MoneyAisle? If you are looking for a high rate on your savings or CD, you can have banks bid for your business by offering you the best interest rates currently available.
If you are like me and are holding onto large amounts of cash, this is a good site for you. If you currently have your savings in one of the big megabanks, you are getting paid a paltry interest rate. For example, if you have $5000 in a money market account at Bank of America, you are earning an interest rate of less than 1%. If you have $25,000 sitting in the account, you are earning only 1%.
I'm currently holding my Savings Challenge funds in an ING account paying 2.4%.
Using the MoneyAisle, I was able to find a money market account paying 3.25% at First Trade Union Bank. The account is FDIC insured up to the entire amount in the account and there are no fees and a low minimum balance.
Using the site is easy and straightforward. You have an option of using the account with registering or you can register for more features. Registering is quick and allows you to build a CD ladder, compare rates and exclude certain banks.
Related Posts:
Live Like A Millionaire in 2009
December Savings Challenge Update
I've set aside a couple of hours today to work on my 2008 taxes. I used Taxcut last year and will be using it again this year to complete my federal and state taxes. I will save a lot of time by importing last years data and I'll only need to update the correct numbers. Before I get started, I'd thought I'd highlight a few articles I've enjoyed from other financial bloggers.
Carnivals
I participated in the Carnival of Debt Reduction hosted by No Debt Plan. My article, I Got A New Car Yesterday, was included in the roundup.
I also participated in the Festival of Frugality hosted by MoneyNing. My article, Ready to Quit Smoking and Save Money, was included and made Editors Pick.
Other articles I enjoyed are:
Prime Time Money paid off the car loan!!! Congratulations PT.
Gather Little by Little presents Sorta Frugal.
Wide Open Wallet presents Finding Frugality.
Five Cent Nickel is having a TurboTax and Quicken Giveaway.
I was very excited to learn I made it into the "Top 50 Debt Blogs To Watch In 2009". This is also a great place to find new blogs you may not have seen before. Out of the hundreds of financial blogs out there, making it into the top 50 is certainly an honor.
Don't forget to enter the $100 Target Giftcard giveaway!!! The contest ends next week.
This is a guest post from Wade Slome. Wade is the author of "How I Managed $20,000,000,000 by Age 32" Wade is currently on a virtual tour through cyberspace and I am happy to be able to host a guest post from him.
The financial markets were a disaster in 2008, and many investors have been left to pick up the pieces after the market collapse. So the question becomes, what now? Rather than an ad hoc strategy of constantly reacting to changing financial circumstances, it’s imperative to create an investment plan that is designed to manage volatility and meet your future goals. But before you can do that, you need to take inventory of what you have (left) and answer some crucial questions.
For most people, the value of what they own now is worth considerably less, whether it’s the house, retirement assets, or the car in the garage. Since resources are considerably more scarce, the importance of creating a plan promptly becomes that much more critical. If you are burning cash, rather than building cash, it’s time to take control of your finances. If you are not equipped to handle your own finances, then seek out an experienced AND trusted advisor.
A major reason that this financial crisis engulfed our economy was because of the insatiable appetite for debt. It was not just individuals obtaining “Option ARM” mortgages, 0% financing car loans, and no-payment-for-two-years big screen TV purchases. Corporations were credit gluttons too, especially the financial system (think Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, AIG, etc.) The overreaching behavior doesn’t stop there. Our government – and governments around the world like Iceland – became inundated with debt that will likely saddle our children with the deficit repayment burden for decades.
There is hope, however. Our sins in credit consumption are not insurmountable, if tough decisions and actions are implemented immediately. The traditional “spend-now, save-later” lifestyle needs to be reversed. Just like an unhealthy couch-potato sinking into cushion oblivion, a binging credit consumer must face the responsibility of a serious debt diet and exercise regiment to climb out of this financial hole.
The two step solution requires 2 sets of interviews.
I. Interview Yourself
- Evaluate your asset allocation: Does it match your objectives and risk tolerance level? ·
- Review Assets & Liabilities: Are there assets that can be sold? Can debt be paid down? How about your credit card (s)? Is it possible to refinance your mortgage?
- Examine what you are paying in investment fees: The less you pay, the more you keep, the earlier you retire, and the more you can spend in the future. Too many investors are paying excessive fees and they do not even know it. An annuity, although appropriate for some, is one notorious example of a hefty-fee product that often lines the brokers’ pockets.
- Ask yourself if you are saving? If you are not retired, do whatever it takes to save. If you are retired and excessively spending, explore avenues to cut costs.
- How is the advisor compensated? Is your advisor “Fee-only?” There can be inherent conflicts of interest established between client and advisor. Unlike commission based brokers that generally collect up-front fees for products sold, a Fee-only advisor’s incentives are aligned with the client. If the client’s portfolio goes down in value, the paycheck of the Fee-only advisor will suffer as well. Therefore the Fee-only advisor has the incentive to keep fees low and grow assets (not focus on cash generative commission-based product sales like a traditional broker).
- What fees are you paying?
- Is your advisor implementing cost efficient and tax efficient products and strategies? It’s not the money you make before taxes that counts, it’s the money you make after paying taxes that REALLY counts!
- Do you have access to the advisor’s regulatory ADV “brochure?”
- Experience matters. What type of credentials does the advisor hold? College degree? Masters Degree? CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation? CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER) certification?
SPECIAL NOTE
Each time you leave a comment on any or all of Wade's blog stops, you will be entered in a random drawing for a free copy of How I Managed $20,000,000,000 by Age 32. Stop by one or more scheduled blog tour stops and share your thoughts and comments with author and investing expert Wade Slome. He will check in throughout the day to answer questions, and you'll have a chance to win a copy of his book.
Wade is also offering a free ebook which shares excerpts from his book, for a limited time. Be sure to stop by his website to get a copy www.Sidoxia.com. This is your chance to take a look inside the book and to learn additional information about Wade Slome and his business.
For more information about Wade Slome and his virtual tour, check the schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/12/how-i-managed-20000000000-by-age-32-by.html
Autographed copies available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0615251587 - from Sidoxia for $23.95
Or
I can't believe it's been a week since I quit my 13+ year habit of smoking cigarettes. Around this time last week, I smoked my last cigarette. Smoking my last cigarette made me feel really good about my decision to quit. The reason I say that is that when I took the last cigarette from my pack, it was broken in half. Maybe it was some kind of sign....
I tried to stop smoking about 4 years ago but only made it 5 days. One of the reasons I think that I wasn't successful that first time was because I wasn't really motivated or ready to quit. This time, I am motivated and ready to quit. Not only and I motivated and ready to quit, I have a great support network.
I appreciated all of the positive comments and well wishes you guys left on my initial post regarding my decision to quit smoking. Not only do I have you guys to support me, I have all of my friends and co-workers helping me to continue to be a quitter. Most of them check with me daily to make sure I haven't smoked.
I also signed up with a website called Quitnet. Quitnet is a great website if you are trying to quit smoking. All you need to do is complete a short sign up form and they will send you daily tips to make the process easier. Each day, I get an email advising me of how long I have been smoke free, how many cigarettes I have not smoked, how much money I've saved and how long I've increased my lifespan.
As I mentioned in my last post, each week that I am smoke free, I will transfer $14.70 into a separate savings account to be used for whatever I want. I made my first $14.70 transfer into my ING savings account today.
The first few days without smoking were very hard. I will write a separate post on that in the next few days.
Related Posts:
I'm Ready to Quit Smoking and Save Money
Saturday January 17, 2009 is the beginning of Bring Back Thrift Week. Never heard of Bring Back Thrift Week? Neither have I but I think it is a great idea. Read this post to get a little more information about National Thrift Week and check out the website. There is also a contest for a chance to win a $100 National Savings Bond.
In 1916, with the First World War looming imminently on the horizon, the leaders of America’s major civic organizations launched an ambitious education campaign designed to ready the American public for a wartime economy. Dubbed “National Thrift Week” and sponsored primarily by the Young Men’s Christian Association (Y.M.C.A.), the campaign became a recurring celebration, beginning each year on January 17, in honor of the birthday of Benjamin Franklin, the “American apostle of thrift.”
The activities of National Thrift Week were guided by several specific principles and behaviors and each was given its own day. Hence, Americans joined together every January in celebrating Have a Bank Account Day, Invest Safely Day, Carry Life Insurance Day, Keep a Budget Day, Pay Bills Promptly Day, Own Your Home Day, and Share with Others Day. Then, as today, critics often maligned thrift as simple hoarding, but these principles demonstrate how the founders envisioned Thrift Week as so much more—they saw it not as a way to encourage miserly behavior, but instead to cultivate responsible consumerism and civic progress. Rather than self-denial, the goal was self-control. The word, “thrift,” after all, finds its root in the phrase “to thrive,” so it should come as no surprise that the slogan for Thrift Week was “For Success and Happiness.”
Even after the war had ended, the relatively prosperous decade of the 1920s witnessed the peak celebrations of National Thrift Week. By that time, the Y.M.C.A. had lined up a broad array of cosponsors, ranging from the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts to the American Red Cross and the U.S. Postal Service, totaling some fifty partnering organizations. Thrift Week celebrations were held in cities and towns across the nation.
In a testament to their popularity, President Calvin Coolidge’s secretary, C. Bascom Slemp, rather wearily wrote in response to yet another request from some local thrift leaders, “Among the most frequent [requests for a comment from President Coolidge] are requests for statements to be used in thrift campaigns.” Coolidge, himself, was seen by his countrymen as a paragon of thrift at the time, due in some measure to his political agenda (which included paying down the national debt and lowering taxes), but also in large part to the public perception of him as a frugal New England farmer.
At the community level, banks were usually more than happy to work with their local Y.M.C.A. to promote Thrift Week—especially Have a Bank Account Day—and merchants often ran special Thrift Week sales (wise spending, indeed). On the national level, the American Bankers’ Association, the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, the Association of Life Insurance Presidents, the Farm Mortgage Bankers’ Association of America, and the Retail Credit Men’s National Association all did their part to encourage responsible spending and investing. The enthusiasm for National Thrift Week carried over from the public sphere into areas of national government as well, drawing sponsorship from the U.S. Bureau of the Budget, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
True to the nature of their campaign, Thrift Week organizers were prodigious in their output of programs, speeches, publications, and educational initiatives such as institutionalized thrift curricula in public schools and wide-reaching essay contests. There were even public spectacles like thrift parades. By some estimates, the efforts of some town thrift committees cost less than $100, but they reportedly inspired behaviors that would grow many hundreds of dollars in wealth for participants.
So what happened to National Thrift Week? Where did it go? Who wouldn’t want to partake in activities that would grow their wealth by several hundred dollars? Especially when one considers that several hundred dollars in the 1920s would have been the rough equivalent of several thousand dollars today!
National Thrift Week fizzled out in 1966, after being passed from one sponsor to another. Around that same time, thrift as a national virtue seems to have faded from the collective public consciousness as well. As the ensuing decades passed, our nation entered more wars, endured periods of economic downturn, and watched complacently as both personal and national debt ballooned exponentially, seemingly without ever feeling any urgency to revive thrift as a cherished value.
Now more than ever, as we face harsh economic times once again, we should turn to back to our old friend, thrift. It may be just the thing to drag us out of this recession, and once the economy rebounds and enters the next cycle of growth our newfound appreciation of thrift will be crucial in keeping us on the right track. We will need to teach our children once more how to spend prudently, save abundantly, invest wisely, and give generously. These lessons need to be instilled in them not just in the classroom, but also by example from the supermarket to the stock market floors to the halls of power in our nation’s capital. We’ve already lost a few decades, so the sooner we start, the better. Let’s do it. Let’s commit ourselves to the task in front of us the way earlier generations did.
Let’s bring back Thrift Week!
Used with permission from the new site [www.bringbackthriftweek.org] for the Bring Back Thrift Week campaign.
It's something I've been planning to do for the past few months and I finally decided to be a quitter. I'm tired of being dependent on cigarettes and I'm tired of throwing away money on cigarettes. I've smoked them since I was about 18 years old. I only started smoking because at the time I was heading off to college and it was the "cool" thing to do. It was supposed to be a temporary thing but unfortunately, 13 years later, I'm still smoking.
If you've never smoked, you can't begin to imagine what kind of an addiction it is. I was reading the American Cancer Society website and learned that nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. As someone who is trying to quit, I believe it. I had my last cigarette around 7am yesterday morning and then put on a nicotine patch. By 10am, I had a major headache and I was a little nauseated. Usually, by that time, I would have been having my third cigarette of the day.
I know all about the health risks and that was the main reason I wanted to quit. That was a major incentive but to give me even more incentive to quit, I had to add a money related component. Not only will I be improving my health; I would also be saving money.
I've started a separate No Smoking Plan savings account at ING Direct.
Here's how it will work:
- I usually smoke about 10-15 cigarettes a day. There are 20 cigarettes in a pack.
- A pack of cigarettes costs roughly $3.40/pack. To make it easier, I am rounding up to $3.50.
- 12 cigarettes/day * 7 days/week = 84 cigarettes/20 cigarettes a pack = 4.2 packs a week.
- 4.2 packs/week * $3.50/pack = $14.70 week
- 50 weeks remaining this year * $14.70 a week = $735 potential savings at end of 2009.
$100 Target Giftcard Giveaway
Savings Challenge
2009 Financial Goals
It's time for another giveaway and I am feeling generous for the New Year. To celebrate the New Year and reaching 150,000 visitors to the site, I'm having the first giveaway of 2009!!!!
I sincerely appreciate everyone taking the time to visit and read my blog. I enjoy sharing my financial story and I hope you enjoy reading.
The Gift:
I will be giving away a free $100 Target Giftcard. I am funding this out of my own pocket and not supplied by Target. I know the economy sucks right now so to thank you for visiting my blog, I want to make that next Target purchase a little bit easier. I know I said in the last giveaway I was going to give away a book but I think this is more fun and can be put to better use!!
The Rules:
- One entry per person, duplicate entries will be disqualified. - Let's make this fair.
- Contest applies to U.S. residents only.
- I have the final say on the contest.
- I will use a random online number generator to pick the winner.
- You will have your choice of a Wal-Mart and/or Target giftcard.
- Be sure you leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.
How to Enter:
- The contest starts Sunday January 11, 2009 and will end on Saturday January 31, 2009 @ 11:59pm. I will announce the winner in a post on Sunday February 1, 2009.
- All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. I want to know - if you win, what do you plan to buy with the gift card. Your answer will not affect your chance to win.
- If you have a blog or website, mention the giveaway for an additional chance to win. You can also Stumble, Tip, etc for an additional chance to win.
- I would also hope that you will subscribe to SingleGuyMoney. This is not a requirement of the contest but it would be greatly appreciated. If you are new, be sure to take a look around the site.
- Want a free 6 month subscription to the Wall Street Journal? Visit Pecuniarities to enter.
If you are new or haven't done so already, please consider subscribing to SingleGuyMoney to be updated when there is a new post and to find out if you won!
If you are like me and you will be sending a check to the Internal Revenue Service, most likely, the only date you remember is April 15. If you make estimated tax payments, there are more dates you need to remember. Depending on your tax situation, there even more dates you need to remember.
Important 2009 First Quarter Tax Dates
January 15, 2009
Fourth quarter estimated tax payment due. If you file your tax return by February 2, 2009 and pay the tax due, you will not be penalized.
February 2, 2009
You should have received all of your W-2, 1098 and 1099 forms. These forms are required to be sent out on January 31, 2009 but since this is a Saturday, the IRS will allow extend the date until the next business day. If you have employees, be sure you meet the deadline.
February 15, 2009
If you were exempt from federal tax withholding in 2008, be sure to update your W-4 to continue the exemption thru the 2009 tax year.
March 16, 2009
Corporations - File a 2008 tax return (Form 1120) and pay any tax due. If you want an automatic 6 month extension, file Form 7004 and pay your estimated tax due.
S Corporations - File a 2008 tax return (Form 1120S) and pay any tax due. Provide each shareholder with a copy of Schedule K-1 (Shareholder's Share of Income, Deductions, Credits, etc). If you want an automatic 6 month extension, file Form 7004 and pay your estimated tax due.
April 15, 2009
Make sure you've completed and filed your 2008 tax return (Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ) and pay any tax due. If you need more time to file your return, file Form 4868 or you can get an extension via phone or Internet. Be sure yo complete your return by October 15, 2009.
- IRA and Roth IRA contributions are due by April 15, 2009.
- If you are required to file a state tax return, they are more than likely due by April 15, 2009.
- If you paid cash wages of $1600 or more in 2008 to a household employee, you must file Schedule H with your income tax return and report any employment taxes by April 15, 2009.
Yep, that's right, I got a new car yesterday. It's a brand new 2009 with 4 miles on it. It has a couple of cool extras like satellite radio, keyless entry, 6 disc CD changer, power seats and it even came with an unlimited gas card. I walked into the dealership, signed the paperwork and was out of there. I got a great deal on the vehicle because I didn't have to pay a dime!!!
For those of you that have been following the blog for awhile, you may or may not remember that I drive a company vehicle during the week and my personal vehicle after business hours and on weekends. My company policy is to replace all company vehicles once they hit 80,000 miles. My new vehicle was ordered a few months ago once I hit 77,000 miles and it arrived just in time. My odometer hit 80,000 as soon as I pulled into the dealership parking lot.
It was so nice to be in the dealership and getting a new car without worrying about what my new car payment was going to be or how I was going to fit the new monthly payment in my budget. If you are currently making a car payment each month, make it a priority to get rid of it.
When I paid off my car loan last May, it felt so good to be free of the monthly payment burden. Getting rid of debt can make you feel like a ton of bricks has been lifted off your shoulders.
I'm enjoying the new car smell now because I don't plan on buying a new car with my own money anytime soon!
Have you seen this show? It's a "reality" show on Tru TV about a company that repossesses vehicles in California's San Fernando Valley. I watched the marathon one Friday night and it seems like each repossession started and ended the same way.
When the repo team pulls up to the vehicle, three things usually happen:
- The debtor usually says that it's a mistake and the account is current. To the repo companies credit, they usually ask for some sort of receipt to verify the person made the payment before they take the vehicle. Strangely, the customer is not usually able to produce any verification of payment.
- The customer gets angry and/or wants to fight the repo team. How can you get angry when you know you haven't made your car payment? What some people fail to realize is that you do not own the car until you have paid the finance company in full. As long as the finance company holds the title or has a lien on your vehicle, they are the rightful owner.
- The repo company usually gets the vehicle. The repo company is paid by the lienholder to bring the vehicle back to them and they are usually successful.
It's sad to say that the show is almost like a comedy. There is nothing funny about someone losing their vehicle but the setup of the show is just hilarious. It almost makes you wonder whether or not the show is real.
One of the most common traits of millionaires is that they live well below their means. I think one of the biggest causes of the current housing crisis is that people were trying to "live like the Joneses" and bought a lot more house than they could afford. If you are making $100,000 a year, you probably should not be buying a $300,000 home. Surprisingly, as a whole, more millionaires live in a $300,000 home than those that cost over a million.
Believe it or not, most millionaires are actually frugal. They saved money and became millionaires by making cost-conscious decisions when it comes to big ticket items. They don't always buy the biggest home, the most expensive car or send their kids to the most expensive schools. Most millionaires don't drive a Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, or other expensive cars.
As a society, we are so quick to equate wealth with possessions. I admit that I am guilty of doing this myself. Consider this: the next time you are sitting at the traffic light and there is a BMW or Mercedes to your left and a Toyota Camry to your right, don't be so quick to assume that the person driving the BMW is the one with money. The person driving the BMW probably has a car payment the size of a mortgage payment and may be struggling to make the payment whereas the driver of the Toyota Camry may own his vehicle free and clear and is using his money to build real wealth and not just an appearance of wealth.
Let's start living like millionaires in 2009. Let's start living a frugal lifestyle and use our money to build wealth. If you are about to purchase a home, think about what you can truly afford, not what the bank will lend you.
I'm not saying you should deprive yourself of the occasional splurge. If there is something that you want to buy (excluding a house or car), go for it. Just make sure you've saved the money and are not relying on a credit card to finance the purchase (unless you pay in full each month).
I failed to complete a site review in November or December so I apologize to everyone who sent traffic to the site. I plan to do a better job in 2009 of doing a monthly site review and give credit to my fellow bloggers who send traffic to SingleGuyMoney.
I am excited about the possibilities for SingleGuyMoney in 2009. I look to continue to improve and grow the blog. One of my blog goals for 2009 is to increase RSS subscribers to 1500. As of this post, I have 891.
Hmmm, a 41% increase is a big challenge but with your help, I am confident it can be done. Tell all of your family and friends to subscribe to SingleGuyMoney. :-)
If you've referred traffic to the site, linked to a post, or sent traffic in any way, I appreciate it.
The top 10 blogs that sent traffic to SingleGuyMoney in December are:
1. Fabulous Financials - SingleMa is always at the top of the list!!
2. Being Frugal
3. My Dollar Plan
4. Budgets are Sexy
5. Paid Twice
6. Moolanomy
7. NCN Blog
8. Frugal Duchess
9. Cash Money Life
10. Frugal Bachelor
Total Site Visitors in December: 10,696
RSS Subscribers as of December 31, 2008: 890
Top 5 Most Popular Articles in December:
1. Most Reliable Used Cars
2. 2009 Financial Goals
3. SingleGuyMoney Savings Challenge
4. 2008 Financial Goals - How did I do?
5. Helping a Friend Organize Her Finances
It's a brand new year and most people resolve to make big changes in life. Whether it be to lose weight, stop smoking or save money, each year we promise we are going to do it this year.
I made the decision a few years ago that I wasn't going to make a New Years resolution. I usually ended up making the same resolutions year after year. How many times did I resolve to quit smoking or lose weight? By March or April, I I had forgotten all about what I resolved to do.
What are the top 6 most common New Year's resolutions?
- Lose Weight
- Stop Smoking
- Spend More Time With Family and Friends
- Enjoy Life More
- Financial - Get Out of Debt and/or Save More Money
- Subscribe to SingleGuyMoney (If this one was not on your list, it's really easy to do!)
