• FIRE Financial Independence, Retire Early

    Money Mindset Makeover Challenge-Day 4-Income and Expenses

    Yesterday we focused on net worth and today we’re going to break down income and expenses on a monthly basis. Income Under the first column, write down all your income for the month It could be money from your job, side gig, interest earned, rental income… Next, focus on expenses. Write down what you pay out each month It could be mortgage, insurance, car payment, utility bills, gas for the car, groceries. Don’t overlook anything. You might also have yearly fees for things like membership sites so take that amount and divide it by 12. Total up each column. Is there a negative number or a plus? I know lots…

    Comments Off on Money Mindset Makeover Challenge-Day 4-Income and Expenses
  • FIRE Financial Independence, Retire Early

    Money Mindset Makeover-Day Three-Net Worth

    It’s day three of the Money Mindset Makeover and today we’re going to focus on net worth and our assets and liabilities. One of the questions on yesterday’s quiz was about this topic. Not everyone can tell you the dollar amount in each of the above categories but it’s essential information. You might think you have more assets than you actually do or you weren’t aware (when you added up all the credit card balances), just how much you really owed. Today, sit down and either on pen and paper or a computer, make two columns. One you’ll mark assets under which you’ll make a list of everything you owe…

    Comments Off on Money Mindset Makeover-Day Three-Net Worth
  • FIRE Financial Independence, Retire Early

    Money Makeover Challenge-Day Two

    It’s day two and I thought I’d post some questions we need to ask ourselves as we make our way through the rest of the month. Either take pen and paper or use your laptop for your responses. We’ll do a final check in on March 1st so you can gauge our progress. What would you say is your biggest money challenge? It could be you can’t save even a penny, you have lots of credit card debt or you can’t get motivated enough to find ways to save money. If you lost your job or source of income, how long do you think you’d be able to continue paying…

    Comments Off on Money Makeover Challenge-Day Two
  • Business Talk,  FIRE Financial Independence, Retire Early,  working from home

    Money Challenges in February

    Ready to get a new money mindset? February is usually all about romance, hearts, chocolate and flowers, but seems like this year it’s going to be about money. Not only am I having a money makeover challenge here at BSG, but Angela Wills is too. First about the BSG challenge which is free to you. Each day, starting on Monday Feb 1st and finishing on Sunday Feb 28th, I’ll be posting a different money challenge for you. Nothing that’s too hard but things that I hope will get you thinking about how you view money, past ‘relationships’ you have with money, tips on budgeting, ways to save money and also…

    Comments Off on Money Challenges in February
  • Business Talk,  FIRE Financial Independence, Retire Early

    28 Day Money Challenge

    Do you need to rethink your finances? Need to make a budget and finally stick with it? Save for a rainy day? Set up a source for passive income? If any of the above apply to you then get ready for the 1st annual Budget Smart Girl Money Makeover challenge that runs from Feb 1st-28th. 28 days to rethink your money mindset. We’ll focus on why we often fail when it comes to budgets and sticking with them. How to make your money work for you. We’ll look resources to help you with your money. Ways to save money. Ways to make money. I’m still planning this challenge as I…

    Comments Off on 28 Day Money Challenge
  • Business Talk,  FIRE Financial Independence, Retire Early

    Saving Money in 2021

    What steps did you take in 2020 to save money? As we approach the end of the year, now is a great time to take a look back and see how well you did with sticking with a budget. Didn’t have one, or had one and didn’t stay with it? My motto is if you fail the first time, the great thing is there’s always tomorrow and another chance. Here are some things to think about in 2021 Getting Rid of Stuff You Don’t Use I’m not talking about the treadmill you use once in a blue moon…although you could sell it and stash the money away for emergencies. I’m…

    Comments Off on Saving Money in 2021
  • budget talk

    Are You too Busy to Save Money?

    Posting something on the site was on my to do list for today, but then as usual my morning got busier and I thought I’ll put it off until tomorrow. That’s what I’ve been doing a lot lately, and the main reason the posts have been less frequent over the last year or two. This time’s different. I’ve forced myself to sit and write something which actually made me realize what the topic of the post should be- Are we all too busy to save money? Making the most of our money and budget is all about being on top of things like bills and payments we make every week. Sometimes I’m so busy that…

    Comments Off on Are You too Busy to Save Money?
  • budget talk

    Peach and Ginger Jam

    When fruit is plentiful I love to make batches of homemade jam. In fact, I haven’t purchased any store bought brands for four years. Like all things cooking, I often look for ways I can cut down on time. Although you still need to use canning skills to preserve this jam, it’s prepared in the microwave which speeds up the process and also lessens the heat in the kitchen. Most of the time I’ve used peaches in this recipe, but I think nectarines would work just as well. My next tweak for this one is using mangoes so feel free to give them a try too. 4 large peaches, peeled, and cut into1/2…

    Comments Off on Peach and Ginger Jam
  • Uncategorized

    Stop Wasting Food

    We all do it…buy food, forget to eat it and the garbage bin becomes the recipient of our wasted dollars. Vegetables always seem to be my Achilles’ Heel. Sometimes I’m cleaning out the produce bin and find an item that I can no longer identitfy. So one of my New Year’s resolutions is to make sure that doesn’t happen…or at least less often in 2011. Whatever your Achilles’ Heel, here are some things I’ve found helps keep me on track. Plan Ahead I know this take extra time and most of us don’t have a lot of it right now. However, when you’re putting together your shopping list think about…

    Comments Off on Stop Wasting Food
  • budget talk

    Ways to Save Money on Organic Foods

    I have to admit I’m a fan of organic foods, but as you know I also like to save money too. Here are some ways I’ve found to strike a happy balance between the two. What’s Important to You? What are some of your family’s favorite foods? What foods do you eat on a regular basis? If one particular food is on the top of the list, then maybe that’s the one you should think about buying in an organic version. Sticking with a food budget often means looking at what’s a priority for you. If eating more organic food is important, then rethink your budget. Maybe switch to a…

    Comments Off on Ways to Save Money on Organic Foods

If you don't want to miss all the good things coming up on Budget Smart Girl, including special deals, be sure to sign up to become a subscriber.

You have successfully subscribed to the newsletter

There was an error while trying to send your request. Please try again.

will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing.