Total Money Makeover

In the last week or so I've been reading a book called "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey. I'm not a huge book-reader so it takes something extra special to grab (and hold) my attention. For those of you who haven't heard of Dave Ramsey or his philosophies about money ... you should get your hands on this book! The reason I started reading it in the first place is because I know several people who have followed his plan & have amazing things to show for it ... including student loans paid off, cars & houses purchased, & large savings accounts built up - sounds great, right!?

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It's not a get-rich-quick thing ... instead he challenges the standard American way of life in that you don't have to buy anything (& SHOULDN'T) on credit (including your car, house, etc.) & you can live debt-free. I would say that I'm good with money. I don't spend money I don't have, I try to buy things on sale, & I even own some stocks! But I didn't really have a plan. Thanks to reading this book, I have a refreshed prospective on the reality of debt & spending. This marks the beginning of my 'financial journey' to better understand & control my money. I realize this is somewhat ironic as I'm majoring in accounting! but nonetheless, there is SO much to learn ...

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I'm fortunate enough that my parents taught me in a roundabout way never to buy a car unless you could pay for it in cash, so that is one debt I'm thankful I don't have. However, I am one of those Americans that uses a credit card. I justify that it is good to use because every month it is paid off completely & it is 'helping my credit'. I am also one of those Americans that has student-loans. My current financial goal is to get those student loans PAID OFF and quick. I've kept a 'budget' for two years now ... but let's be honest, my 'budget' was really more of a record of my spending (athough it is a pretty fancy schmancy spreadsheet, color-coordinated and all)! At the end of the month I would add up how much I spent on various things & let me tell you, money goes fast! Of course I would see things I was spending too much on, like coffee and make little adjustments here & there. My adjustment for my coffee addiction was buying a Barista off Craigslist! Wah-lah, Starbucks at home! But my new perspective is to attack my finances fiercely now & not just casually like before. My new goal is go create a budget before the month comes & STICK TO IT! If I am willing to cut down on my spending in a dramatic way, I will be setting myself up for a successful financial future.

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I looked at some of the other things I can cut out - nails, tanning, & gym to name a few. I realize how much I spend on things like that & how much BETTER it would feel not to have ANY debt. It's not to say that I couldn't 'afford' those things, but when you add up what they cost - tanning $804/year, gym $480/yr, nails $600 - that's nearly $2000 that I could apply to my loans instead. I'm also going to limit what I spend on eating out, entertainment, & shopping. The concept of the book is live like no one else NOW, so you can live like no one else later. Who wants to keep up with the Joneses anyway ... the Joneses are in debt! I'm looking forward to posting more blogs about ways I've saved money, creative ways I've earned money, & progress I'm making towards getting my student loans PAID OFF. :)

For the Love of Boots

Some of my most favorite things in the whole wide world are ... shoes! But admittedly, I've never been a huge connoisseur of boots. The only boots I've owned through the years have been my cowboy boots & the occasionally used snowboarding boots. I bought a pair of velvet knee-high boots for a Halloween costume a couple years back and ever since then I've been hooked!


Which leads me to the whole point of this blog being (though rather trivial, I'm aware) that since I've moved here to Portland I have lived in & learned to absolutely love boots. I realized quickly that rain & heels just don't mix. Nor does having wet jeans & heels. I do however refuse to ever buy a pair of rain boots ...







The first 'Portland' pair of boots I bought are the brown ones. I call these my Portland pair because I also had to buy some dang jeggings in order to wear them (though I SWORE I would NEVER own a pair ... I guess I also swore I'd never live in Portland ... ). The ones (in gray) are super duper comfortable & have a little heel on the back which makes them fun to wear. Who doesn't like heels!? & last but not least, the black ones ... they are the newest edition. I like them because they have that motorcycle strap & black is my favorite.

While I do love & adore my new boots, I will always have a place in my heart (and closet) for my cowboy boots. I'm happy that while there are many things I miss about leaving Tumalo, one of the new things about Portland is the country bar nightlife. There is nothing better than a good swing dance! & who can dance without their boots anyway ;)

My Jay-Oh-Bee

I've been in Portland almost 10 weeks now & I decided it might be kinda fun to keep track of my experience here via my blog.

SO, I'll start with the whole reason I'm here in the first place: my job.

I work at Nike's World Headquarters

(Which happens to be a pretty sweet place)

This is just outside my building looking across the pond - (the disclaimer here is that it happened to be gorgeous & sunny the day this picture was taken. Those days are few & far between.)

The two pictures above I actually took the morning of Portland's 'snow/shut-down -the-city-day. They were taken from the second floor just outside the elevator looking out over the lobby. As you can see, there wasn't any snow.

(I'm not even joking, schools were closed down for the day ...)

Above is my desk/cubicle. Pretty unexciting ... but nonetheless it's where I spend my days!

This is the back of the 'Mike Schmidt' building. In case you weren't sure, it's the one I work in.

& wah-la! that is the tour! :)

Lessons to Live By

Life isn't fair. But it's still good.

When in doubt, just take the next small step.

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

Your job won't take care of you when your sick. Your friends & family will. Stay in touch.

Pay off your credit cards every month.

You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

Don't compare your life to others. you have no idea what their journey is about.

Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

It's never too late to have a happy childhood.

Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save for the special occasion. Today is special.

Over prepare, then go with the flow.

No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

What other people think about you is none of your business.

However good or bad the situation, this too shall pass.

Don't take yourself seriously. No one else does.

Believe in miracles.

God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

Your children only get one childhood.

Get outside everyday. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

If we threw our problems in a pile and looked at everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

The best is yet to come ...

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up & show up.