Friday, June 06, 2008
The Budget Blues
| By Lynn Forgy On my journey to debt freedom, I have noticed that there are times, particularly on the 5th and 20th of each month, when I began to feel dejected and almost depressed about my budget. It seems so tight at those times, largely due to the fact that I've gotten paid 5 days prior and already the money is gone to bills and leaving not as much as I would like to go towards the debt snowball.  But during those periods of "budget blues", I also notice that I began to clear out more of the clutter in my house. Ultimately, the stuff I no longer want, need or use ends up in the basement awaiting our impending yard sale. During these times I also worry away the time by making lists. A lot of members of my family are avid list makers, and not only is it a "hobby" of mine, it has become a sort of obsession. My current list entails coming up with ideas to make a little extra money - either by making things to sell or thinking of services that I could provide that others are willing to pay for. With a lot of people becoming increasingly concerned about their own budgets and financial situations, it seems like people are tightening their belts and trying to spend less money on non-essentials, which in my mind limits the possibilities on my list. But still I persevere. 1) Today, I went through the Yellow Pages of the local phone book to try to generate ideas. 2) Last week, I checked out a local grocery store's floral section (during one my mystery shops - I like to multi-task) to get ideas on putting together and selling candy vases and similar items. 3) My mother has suggested putting together a frugal book, giving recipes and suggestions on things I've done and am doing to live as minimally as possible. 4) I plan on doing more research on ChaCha.com to find out if this is something that I could do. |
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Income Ideas
| By Lynn Forgy I am always trying to come up with new ways, or tweaking my old ideas, to make money to pay towards my debt snowball. Recently, I had an email from a Yahoo group member writing about something that she's doing - ChaCha (www.ChaCha.com). I've never heard of it before then, but checked it out a little today to find out more.  According to their website: "ChaCha is a revolutionary new free mobile answers service for people on the go. ChaCha works with virtually every provider and allows people with any mobile phone device with normal SMS and voice capability – from basic flip phones to advanced smart phones – to ask any question in conversational English and receive an accurate answer as a text message in just a few minutes. With ChaCha, answers are available when you need them… anytime, anywhere. How does ChaCha work? ChaCha is much more helpful to mobile phone users than typical computer-driven search engines. ChaCha is conversational, fun, and easy to use. Simply ask your question like you are talking to a smart friend and ChaCha’s advanced technology instantly routes it to the most knowledgeable person on that topic in our guide community. Your answer is then returned to your phone as a text message within a few minutes. Just try asking a typical search engine “What hotel in downtown Cleveland has a business center?” You may get a series of links to sort through or you may just get an apology because the computer can’t answer your specific question. Wouldn’t it be better to just have the answer sent to you along with the phone number and address? That’s exactly what ChaCha’s innovative approach brings to people on the go. By combining advanced technology with its community of knowledgeable guides, ChaCha provides the answers you need while on the go." Apparently, you can sign up as a "guide" (as a guide, you would provide answers to the questions the users submit), and depending on how quick you are on supplying the answers, researching, etc., you get paid an average of $4 to $10 (again, I found this info on their website). If anyone has any real life experience with this, please feel free to email me or add your comments below. |
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Can It Be Done?
By Lynn Forgy I have set a goal for myself, some might say a very unattainable goal given my situation. Nevertheless, I said my goal aloud and am now writing it down. If I do not even try to reach it, I will not succeed. My goal: to pay off my student loan and car payment by the end of May. The numbers: approximately $15,000. This means that in addition to the $800 extra I am paying towards my debt snowball each month, I now must come up with an additional $2200 each month, or a lump sum of $11,000. Some people might say I am setting myself up to fail - maybe they're right. But I like to dream big. If I reach even half of that (a more realistic expectation), I will be happy. However, I am aiming for the big number. My first step - PRAYER. I will ask God for guidance and discernment, and try to remember that even though I want something it may not be God's will for me. Therefore, maybe my goal won't be reached and/or in the time frame I've allotted, but whatever happens I am in God's care. Through Him, the impossible becomes possible. My second step - I have given myself until the end of this year (16 days) to brainstorm as many ways as possible of earning a total of $11K in 5 months. I started a list 2 days ago, and will continue to list my ideas until December 31st. My third step - Acting on the list will begin at the first of the year. Currently, I have a full time job, as well as a part time job. Beginning in January, the income I earn from the part time job will go towards my goal. I will then need an additional $1800 per month to reach my monthly goal. I am a member of several Yahoo groups that deal with finances, and there are a plethora of ideas on making extra money. The only restrictions I have on making extra money to reach my goal are: (1) it must be legal, (2) it must not go against my morals. That shouldn't be difficult. I received a "reward" yesterday of $10.00, not much but every little amount helps. So my goal now is $10,990. |
