Money Saving Tips

So I don’t know whether it’s the realization of all (And I mean ALL) the loans I’ve taken out for school or the knowledge of the fact that I am going to have to pay them back at some point, but recently I’ve gotten really into money, more specifically every single possible way to save money. I’m not sure exactly when it happened but not only have I realized how much money I’ve been wasting, but that there are a multitude of ways that I could have been saving money all along. So I’ve compiled a list (mainly for college students but could apply to all) of easy ways to save some money and work yourself out of college debt and loans.

1.     AVOID TAKING OUT PRIVATE LOANS. Yes it is in all caps for a reason. DON’T DO IT. Seriously. Yeah I know that college is expensive and at some point you might need to take out a loan but don’t take out a private loans, you’ll be in debt till you’re in your gave (okay that might be a slight exaggeration, but still avoid it at all costs.) If you do have to take out loans to help pay for school, like I did, stick to the subsidized and unsubsidized loans, preferably just the subsidized loan since the Federal government pays the interest on this loan vs. the unsubsidized loan in which the borrower remains responsible for the interest as well as the value of the loan.

2.     Start Building Your Credit ASAP. Because eventually you may want to buy a house or car. Along with this point also make sure that you take care of your credit, don’t let unpaid bills or late loan payments ruin that credit score, it’s not easy to get back out of debt once you’re in it, so avoid taking on more than you can handle; loans, credit cards etc.

a.     Credit Cards: personally I was against getting a credit card for a long while since I figured that it was unnecessary and would most likely result in me heading into debt, recently I caved and got two credit cards and honestly it has made me all the more responsible. However, I don’t think that all college students should get a credit card, but if you’re responsible go head and get one! Ways to avoid getting in to deep with a card, don’t buy unless you have the money in your account or pocket at the time of purchase. If I know that I can’t repay the money I’m using then and there don’t get it. Remember the key is shop within your means.

                                                        i.     If you don’t know your credit score Transunion, Equifax, and Experian all offer one free credit score a year and if you have a Discover card they send a FICO credit score with your monthly statement.

3.     CD’s! Or certificates of deposit are a certified way to not only keep your money secure but also earn some interest! Personally I love CD’s because of the fact that you don’t have to report them on FASFA since the money is frozen for the time interval you choose, and only become liquid once they mature, unless of course you choose to renew them. CD’s are pretty much offered at any bank, and each has it’s own minimum requirement for an amount to open the CD and time for maturation.

                                                        i.     Side note: CD’s make a great savings plan since if you withdraw money from the CD before the date of maturity most banks will fine you.

                                                      ii.     Added benefit most CD’s have IRA’s included (individual retirement accounts) a little extra on top of the interest you’ll get.

4.     Check that the bank you have is actually working for you. Honestly I have been with PNC since I was 13 and after working for a bank for four months I decided to research other banks to see if there was a better bank for me and wanna know what I found? Not one but TWO banks that were willing to provide me with better benefits than PNC does and were willing to work with what I wanted out of a bank. So hasta la vista PNC, and no it’s not me it’s you.

                                                        i.     Some banks actually offer accounts called Club Accounts that you can open for $1 and give you .25% interest on the money that you put in, great for saving up for a vacation, some holiday spending money, or just emergency money that could come in handy.

5.     Excel. So I’m a seriously OCD person, and so one day I made an Excel spread sheet with all the bank accounts that I had and my rainy day funds and calculated the total amount of money that I had so I could actually physically see it, and I’ve updated the spread sheet every week since. This way I can actually see where my money is going and my spend habits, when I notice my spending is getting out of control I know exactly where I can cut my spending and focusing on saving.

6.     Instantly cut your paycheck in half. (Or as much as you can put in to savings) As soon as I get paid I take money from my check and transfer parts of it into all the different accounts I have so that I’m not tempted to spend my entire check and be left with no money saved.   

                                                        i.     Spend within your means. You know how much you make and whether you can really afford that new iPhone, so don’t try to live beyond your means, it’s honestly the quickest way to get yourself into debt; and as I mentioned before it’s super easy to get into debt and almost impossible to work your way out of it.

It’s sad to say but money sorta controls almost every part of our lives, whether you wanna admit it or not you can’t live without money; so make sure that you’re at least thinking about how to cut costs or investing in some type of savings bond or retirement fund; better early and prepared than sorry later on!

To My Future Self

            So I was reading one of those recommended articles that pop up on my Facebook timeline and it was basically a list of things that everyone should do before they have kids. Now for any of you who really know me, you know that I have no intention of having kids, but the article did really interest me and so I read on and actually got a few good ideas of things I wanna do before I get older. Some of the suggestions were the generic go to a music festival, travel the world etc. etc. but one suggestion did catch my eye, it was all about how you should write a letter to your future self, kind of like a where you are now and where you see yourself in the future and to read it back later on in life.

            Now personally writing a letter to myself is kind of awkward like it almost feels like I’d be talking to myself but worse cause it would be like a legit conversation, so I’d be answering myself back anddd that just seems kinda crazy to me, but I feel like I’ve gotta try it. But then I thought I’ll probably forget to read it in the future so instead of just writing the letter, sealing it in an envelope, and tossing it to the side hopefully somewhere it won’t get lost and I can eventually find it, I figured that I’d just incorporate it into my blog so that at least I could revisit it at some point. So without further ado he’s my letter to my future self (no judgments lol it’s the first letter I ever wrote myself and I’m not quite sure how it’s going to turn out!)

            Dear Future Ashley,

                                    I don’t know when you’ll actually remember to read this letter, hopefully it’s not before you’re at least thirty-five and have figured out what your definition of the meaning of your life is supposed to be (or at least have a clue!) Writing this now at twenty it’s surreal how the best years of your life are supposed to be ahead of you yet it’s beyond terrifying that you’re embarking on the real world. Did it go ok? At this point in life I’m not sure where I’ll end up in a few years, whether I followed through with my plan to move out of Philly or if I ended up staying but regardless of where I ended up I hope that I did my twenties right and went out with a bang. I hope that whenever I do end up reading this I’ve made a bunch of mistakes, that I have hoped I could go back in time and change some choices that I’ve made, I hope that I’ve loved my friends and family with all the love I had, I hope that I’ve become the woman I know in my heart I’m on the track to finish becoming. I hope that I’ve gotten to travel the world (or at least a part of it), and pray that every new opportunity that has presented itself to me throughout my life, especially the ones that have forced me out of my comfort zone I’ve taken whether or not I enjoyed it. Above all I hope that every obstacle that I’ve been faced with throughout the years, I’ve overcome and hope that they’ve brought me closer to the people I love, taught me a lesson, and most importantly shaped me into the best version of myself that I could ever hope to be. Honestly, at this point in my life I’m not sure where I’m going or what I’m going to be, but I do hope that when I read this I can look back at these next few years and smile knowing that I’ve gained love, respect for myself and from others around me, a confidence of knowing that I may have messed up many times in life but that’s only made me better, and the assurance that despite being independent and knowing I can do it all on my own, I don’t have to because I have such an amazing support system by my side. I may not know what’ll happen in the future but somehow I just know I’ll be okay and make you, my future self, proud.

Sincerely,

Current Ashley  

The Good Old Days

            I can honestly say I miss the days when I had no phone, shared a main computer with everyone in my house, and I saw my friends face-to-face everyday outside when we’d play jump rope or ride our bikes; constantly moving. I feel such a loss for this generation because they’re growing up in an age of technology, which don’t get me wrong is great, but at the same time they’re lacking the meaningful face-to-face interaction and joy of spending the day outside with a group of their friends. That feeling of being in the now, not focusing on what’s happening in the “digital realm” but on what’s physically happening, making that count more than the likes you get on a picture.

       Long gone are the days where you would break out a pen or pencil and send a pen pal a long heart felt letter, heck half of the youth’s generation (wow that made me sound old lol!) can hardly write a sentence with proper grammar; it seems that all of the lol’s and text talk we’ve grown so accustomed to have caused us to lose our sense of punctuation, carelessly toss out the grammar rules we worked so hard to learn in middle school (yes I’m talking knowing the difference of when to use their vs. there vs. they’re). It’s a little disheartening for me to see the English language thrown around so freely in the way we speak and text today vs. how the eloquently it was used in the days of Shakespeare, when the words meant something, spoken so beautifully.

        Now don’t get me wrong, despite the fact that I write this blog, I am by no means the best writer (if you’ve noticed my sentences have a tendency to run on, oops!) But I feel like it’s just sad that with the shift towards technology we’re losing the beauty of language, and the written word. Like personally although I see the benefits of kindles, and Ipads for reading (yes I get that it saves money, books are sold cheaper on there) for me there’s nothing like holding the physical book in my hands, folding down the pages where a quote has captured my attention, getting into the mind of the author; experiencing how they feel, their thoughts, ideas, and emotions that I will never get from reading it electronically.

         So maybe I’m an old soul haha, I mean yes I thoroughly enjoy having access to Instagram, being able to check my bank account, and yes I enjoy being able to order and pay for my food on my phone, thank God for GRUBHUB (it’s my favorite app haha) I feel a pang for this generation that they don’t get to enjoy the same simplicity I was blessed with growing up. Honestly I yearn for the days where I’d get to play outside all day and then come inside eat shower and head to bed (or in my case head under the covers with a flashlight to catch up on some reading, yes Harry Potter all day every day.) There’s such a beauty in simplicity that I think at times our generation is lacking, as well as a lack of articulation, that was once had that we should find our way back to. Maybe Siri can help us out with that (;

Turn That Frown Upside Down (;

          Alright so I’m not going to lie, this gonna be another wake up call (but don’t worry it’s not on the same topic as last time) instead this time it’s a wake up call on being happy. I know, I know it sounds weird but the fact of the matter is, more often than not many people around me (friends, family, coworkers etc.) and yes myself included, get into these slumps where it seems like nothing is going right and the weight of the world is on our soldiers and I’m here to tell you IT’S NOT. You are not and will never be alone (if you’re reading this just know, whether or not I know you personally I’m always here to help and listen if you need to talk) so you shouldn’t feel so isolated; and alright this is gonna come off blunt but there are people in this world facing tribulations just as hard, if not harder than the ones that you’re personally going through so always be sure to count the blessings for what’s right in your life.

            But back to my original point on happiness, I think it’s just human nature that when things go wrong we seem to get stuck in a rut and we begin to take the sadness/suffering/whatever it is in, and it’s just not worth it. Trust me learning to stop taking things that went wrong in my life, or that upset me, personally was a hard lesson for me to not just take in but apply to my own life; but at the end of the day letting go is one of the reasons that not only am I happier, and less stressed but also that made me want to share my wisdom with others.

            So let go. Stop Taking things personally. Change the things that can be changed and accept what cannot be changed. Basically deal with whatever problems you have going on, but do not let them affect you or become all that’s on your mind, it’s just not worth it; because at the end of the day your problems will still be there and the only person hurt was you. Letting problems affect you cannot only harm your health, but your mental stability, and the relationships with loved ones and friends (99% of the people you tell your problems to are either glad you have them or genuinely do not care; and that last percent eventually gets tired of all the negativity, it’s just not a good look.)

            Instead of dwelling on the negativity surround yourself in positivity, spend time with friends who make you happy, go for long walks or bike rides (exercise increases the level of dopamine in your brain which makes you happier,) or find a hobby that takes your mind off of anything and everything, at least for a little while because a positive outlook on life not only lengthens the longevity of life, but actually makes life worth living since you’re not always miserable about something or other . (Plus no one wants to be around someone who’s constantly complaining about their lives or the people in it; remember we all have problems we’re dealing with, so continuously going on about yours is not just annoying, its rude.)

           

            A list of the Random Things That Make Me the Happiest:

• -       Bike Rides (Even though I don’t know where my bike is exactly lol…)
• -       Painting (Despite my lack of artistic ability)
• -       Writing (Obviously I mean I have a blog for a reason lol!) & Reading
• -       Movies (Fast & Furious Marathon or a Harry Potter Marathon HELLLL YES)
• -       Chocolate (obv.)
• -       Coffee (If you know me nothing makes me happier than coffee lol)

             Whatever it is that makes you happiest do it, because you deserve an all consuming sense of happiness (if at least for five minutes!) everyday. No matter what obstacles come your way, know that you are strong and smart enough to overcome them all and keep being you cause I think you're pretty damn awesome (;