Genius! In theory, of course....

So this recession sucks, right? And everybody and their mother is looking for ways to make some extra smackaroonies -and this cookie is no exception. I've tried to sell stuff on ebay -a big FU to the person who bid on my crap and never contacted me about payment, and I've thought about selling everything -Dove Chocolate, Mary Kay, Avon, but... bleh. Not super interested.

I have a friend who sells Dove Chocolate, and for an initial investment of $100, you make 25% of everything you sell. Cool, no? I mean chocolate is a multi-million dollar industry. A sure thing. Um, yes, but. But, when I buy chocolate, I buy it at our local grocery store. I don't buy it at a chocolate party. And guess who would be hosting these chocolate parties? Me, that's who. Which is not really the problem. But it's a lot of work. Mostly because I wouldn't be selling candy bars, I'd be selling chocolate products. And I'd have to make all the stuff. Can we say hello 10 pounds, goodbye any pants sans elastic waists? Not for me. A la soup nazi, NEXT!

Mary Kay works similarly, but after the initial investment, you make 50% of everything you sell. Great, right? Well, in theory. Who uses Mary Kay? I buy most of my makeup at the drugstore.

And Avon? They have cute stuff. But I'm just not really interested. You might as well be asking me to sell water filters. Bleh.

Plus! The problem with all of these is that I'd be harrassing my friends and family to buy stuff from me just to, well, buy stuff from me.

And then, like the heavens opening up, it hit me!

I am passionate about clothes. What if, I could find a direct sales company for clothes? I know, right? Effing GENIUS! I love clothes, I love shopping, I love helping people shop for clothes, I love it ALL! I could even transform my little used dining room into a dressing area, complete with mirrors, rolling racks, and a changing room. It would be adorable!

But after some research, the only clothing companies that are direct sales clothing companies are too expensive and a little stuffy. I mean, if I don't spend $100 on a dress, there's no way that I would convince anyone else to do so. Plus, with Forever 21? Forget it. I'd need to find cute stuff priced between $30 - $60.

Deep sigh. Back to the drawing board.

Le Sigh

So. When I was thinking of writing this post, I started thinking about the scariest words in the English language -except for death or dying or any variation thereof, because duh, those are the granddaddies of awful words.

Anyhoodle, here's my list (in no particular order):

foreclosure
debt
layoff
recession
cancer
infertility
miscarriage

And today's word of the day: paycut. That's right, cookies. My salary has been cut 8%. FML, right?

I know that at the very least, I'm still employed. Yay for me! And after last year's setbacks, I am grateful.

But I remember four years ago when we had little debt, paid all of our bills by the 15th, and had money in the bank. Never did I think that in four years we would be going backward (financially), instead of forward.

And the thing that bothers me the most is that I had finally been on track, saving little bits of money, having an actual plan. It's like everytime I have it together, something happens and I have to start from square one. And now, starting in August, I'll have to cut an extra chunk of money out of my budget.

Deep sigh.

Confessions of a Reformed Shopaholic

Yep, you read correctly!

Here's what led to my epiphany:

I gave up shopping for Lent, and I'm proud to say that except for a necklace -which I gave myself permission to buy to accessorize a dress I was wearing to a wedding (which ironically enough I did not even wear), I did not buy myself any shoes, clothes or accessories.

It was definitely a difficult challenge, especially during the last two weeks when I was just all cracked out salivating to buy something. And I swear that if it wasn't because I promised God, I would've totally fallen off the wagon. But I really learned a lot about myself and why I shop.

Um, I don't really need a reason to shop, but being stressed (even if it's stress caused by our finances) is the largest catalyst for shopping.

I like stuff. I like looking cute. And I can justify my spending because I am not spending large amounts. Why shouldn't I buy a cute dress? It's only $20! Why shouldn't I buy these shoes? They're on sale! They make my calves look awesome! I'll find something to wear them with! Why shouldn't I buy this top? I can wear it everywhere!

But these justifications are exactly why I have no money. I mean granted, our financial picture is more complicated than this, but if I analyze my shopping, I can freely admit that I could be saving $75 - $100/month. And while that's a small amount, that small amount x 12 is a nice bit of change. Because it's more than zero.

And anything more than zero is a good thing, right?

Anyhoodle, back to this Lent business. I'm not going to lie. I bought a bunch of books, a shitload of candles (my house smells delicious, cookies -DE-LI-CIOUS), and a bunch of home accessories. However, this was not against the law.

Here's what I'm doing:

I buy myself a lot of stuff for the life I wish I had. But really? I don't need any more heels. I don't need any more sassy little dresses. Whenever I don't buy something, for whatever reason, I'm going to transfer that bit to savings. I'll keep a monthly log, and I'll post the total at the end of the month.

I get a gazillion catalogs in the mail. Constantly going through catalogs is a recipe for disaster because if I like something, I can look at it over and over again, and I can somehow convince myself that I need it. So. I'm still going to look at the catalogs, just for fun. But once I'm done, they go in the trash.

I subscribe to a bunch of magazines, but I've let some of my subscriptions lapse. For example, I love Lucky, but really? This cookie can't afford those clothes. I can't even afford the clothes in the budget issue. So no more. Especially no more gossip magazines. I can read them while I stand in line at the grocery store or when I go to the bookstore, which I totally plan on doing more often because....

I'm not going to be buying any more books. I'm going to beg my friends for books, borrow books from the library, or steal books from the bookstore. Well, not really steal per se. I'm just going to read books at the bookstore.

I'm going to read everything I can about personal finance. Right now I'm reading Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover. At the bookstore, of course.

I'm trying to sell crap on ebay (nobody has bid on this crap, but I have one watcher and hopefully it'll sell) and craigslist.org. I'm going to list something new every seven days, and any money I make will go straight into savings until I get a teeny cushion.

I'm looking for a part-time job. I'll keep you posted on this. I'd love to work 10-15 hours/week at $10 (minimum)/hour. I'm applying to anything and everything, so we'll see.

I'm looking for new car and home0wner's insurance. I'm going to get the lowest, bestest price. And I'm going to do my research because I want my money to work for me.

Now. This doesn't mean that I'm never going to buy myself anything. I love pretty things and I've bought myself some stuff since the end of Lent. I'm just saying that I'm much more aware of what I'm buying, and I'm much more honest about my motivation for buying an item. Not shopping for 40 days has really changed my internal dialogue.

So that's that. I'm excited. Let's get this bitch started!

Part-Time Lover

I'm slightly over my mini-meltdown. Slightly.

I've decided that I need to get a part-time job. I need a job that allows me to work nights and/or weekends and pays at least $10/hour. Hey, every little bit helps.

I'm currently checking job sites like monster and careerbuilder for part-time employment. I've also been scouring the internet looking for legit money-making opportunities.

I 'd love to be a dog walker or personal space/closet organizer or even a babysitter. But the truth is, in this economy, with people cutting back, there's really no market for those jobs.

I'm even considering going all Cocktail and going to bartending school.
Couldn't you see me doing this? I so could!

But those places don't advertise their course costs online. You've gotta call. And I really hate talking to people on the phone. Plus, the idea is to make money, not spend it.

I think my best bet is just to continue pursuing opportunities at Kaplan and The Princeton Review.

Any suggestions? I'm willing to try almost anything.

My next stop is strapping a mattress on my back and standing on the corner.

Just kidding. Kinda.

Pack It Up

I'm in a little bit of a funk right now. A little overwhelmed with my life, specifically our financial situation.

I'd like to pack it all up, sell it, and get the hell out of dodge.

But I know that that's not the answer.

What prompted this little meltdown? We were blessed enough to come into a wee bit of money, and it has to go toward debt. On the one hand, I'm grateful that I have this extra bit of moola to put toward our bills. On the other hand, I'm frustrated that our previous financial missteps don't allow us to enjoy this little windfall.

J and I have been in an unfortunate cycle over the last three and a half years. A BIG part of it is circumstantial -job losses (hello, four months of being unemployed), lower incomes, blah, blah, blah. But part of it is a result of "violent spending". That's a direct quote from J. Now, we're not popping bottles of Cristal or buying flat-screen T.V.'s, but every little bit adds up. I completely accept full responsibility for the financial decisions that put us where we are today.

But, cookies? It sucks. We're in a holding pattern. It's not that I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, it's just that at this point, the light is a teeny, tiny sliver of light that I really have to squint to see.

I'm trying to slowly implement some of the strategies advocated by FB, and I'm also getting this book.

And I've applied to both Kaplan and the Princeton Review to see if I can get a part-time job as an S.A.T. or GRE tutor. Working for either of these two companies would be great because the money would be worth it ($17 - $25/hour, which I think is awesome for part-time work) and the hours are flexibile, mostly nights or weekends. Getting a job and then working 10 hours/week would be a huge help, and it would still allow me to maintain my current job.

Deep sigh. I just want things to change.