Girls Just Wanna Have Funds Women's Personal Finance Blog

The significant other of an acquaintance passed away and while I sent my condolences I couldn’t help but wonder how she would move through financially this year.  I kept thinking did he have life insurance?  Were they a two income household?  Did she depend on him to help her with paying the bills?  Of course these things run trough MY mind right?  I am praying that in this economy that she will be OK. I turned to hubby and asked about our life insurance and I feel we should have more.  We don’t have children or any significant responsibilities so ... Read More »

Financial independence is at the core of the American Dream. No one sets out fresh out of college with aspirations and hopes of being dead broke at the end of their life! But the unfortunate reality is that scores of people find themselves in significant personal and household debt by the age of 30. Fortunately, there is good news. No matter how bad your current financial situation is, there is hope. If you take the right steps today, you can still reach your financial goals and find true financial independence. Paying Down Debt The first major step a person must ... Read More »

Yes, I know we’ve discussed this topic ad nauseum here and where the post first went live as a guest post at Consumerism Commentary. In my defense of bringing this up again, I was contacted by ABCNews to discuss my views on marriage and money as it relates to the book: Smart Girls Marry Money: How Women Have Been Duped Into the Romantic Dream–And How They’re Paying For It. And, while I think certain phrases are used mainly for shock value to pull the reader in, I generally agree with the premise.  Don’t let sensationalized romanticism be your sole guide ... Read More »

The new year is around the corner and we’re all thinking about how to make better decisions so that we come out of top financially.  Take a look at the list below and incorporate a few, if not all into your daily financial life.  Commit to being a better steward of your finances and you will certainly reap the benefits. Create Your Financial Plan  and spend some time each week developing and reviewing your plan to make it happen.  With every financial transaction, top of mind should be “how does this fit in with my financial goals?”. Daily: Take 10 ... Read More »

Most people see buying a home as a part of the “American Dream”, well for most it’s become a nightmare.  Buying a home is pretty much the best way to throw your money away and here’s why.  Renters win because they have the flexibility that homeowners do not and after 30 years alone of paying interest to the bank, you’ve lost out on any potential monetary benefit. You never truly own the home.  Even after paying off the mortgage, there’s still property taxes, HOA fees, home insurance and other mandatory costs which make buying a home a veritable money pit. ... Read More »

As we ramp up financial plans and resolutions for the new year, we’re all looking for ways to make extra money.  It’s no secret – if there’s debt to be paid, there’s money to be made.  Check out the following ways to make extra money while putting a dent in your debt or better yet saving for a rainy day. Pet Sitting, Especially Overnight Pet Sitting Pet sitting is a great money maker as pet owners are willing to shell out the cash to make certain their pets don’t lose their furry minds while they are gone on vacation or ... Read More »

It’s that time of year again and we’re in the mindset where we begin to think about the things we’d like to do better next year.   Financial resolutions are often high on the list with much “spend less, save more” promises that never seem to quite make it past Valentines Day. Plan For The Future Create A Financial Plan:  Getting started with improving your finances requires first developing a plan for success.  A financial plan is the foundation upon which all your plans exist.  Without this plan, it’s impossible to have goal directed success as it relates to your finances.  ... Read More »

  In our next series of Avon interviews, I had the pleasure of interviewing Avon superstar, Denise.  Like Becky, she makes money selling Avon products to friends and family and has tons of fun doing it!  While interviewing Denise it became immediately clear that we share many of the same values around women and money which made this interview easy with many “yes, me too!” moments. What’s Her Story? Denise is a mom who has been selling Avon for about 3 years now.  She happened upon Avon due to the pending birth of her son, however she’d recently lost her ... Read More »

With the new year upon us in a few weeks, you may be thinking about jump starting your finances.  This is pretty common as people tend to engage in a review of their financial life around this time of year in an effort to make resolutions. Your financial plan may be one of those elusive resolutions and you may be even thinking, “5 years is too long for me to “plan” but in reality it isn’t.  We aren’t addressing what to do when you reach retirement or any other really long term goal.  Think of 5 years as the standard. ... Read More »

There was a time when I cared about these things we tend to call holy grails of personal finance.  You know, obsessing about checking your credit score, buying a home – those things that cause you to rack your brain at night if you’re one these personal finance types who cares about these things. I stopped caring a long time ago because in the grand scheme of things they don’t affect how I sleep at night.  At one time yes, but these days?  No. Car Insurance There was a time when I cared about how a speeding ticket would impact ... Read More »

Check out my guest post on Taming Your Achilles’ Heel for Financial Freedom.   Thank you Flexo for allowing me to post about a topic that’s really personal so my hope is that it helps someone tame their own Achilles’ Heel when working towards financial freedom. Here’s an excerpt: Taming your Achilles’ heel will take introspection and honesty while making some hard decisions about how to change your spending habits. Deciding to take this on will be difficult but the results are worth it in the end. To recap: Identify your “heart,” where you spend most of your money. Decide to ... Read More »

Over the last few years, I’ve test driven several account aggregation systems in hopes to find that one tool that gives me everything I need in one money management suite. I tend to look for certain features before taking it for a test drive.  If I don’t see anything about bank level security then I know they don’t allow users to connect directly with their banks. I don’t bother signing up because this is always a deal breaker for me. Why Is This Important? I’m lazy and live in an increasingly fast paced digital on demand world.  So do most ... Read More »

  The art of shopping has become quite a complicated affair. It has become an art form because on one side you have the business owner who has to keep selling or he or she doesn’t make a living, and the consumers on the other side who really only want to buy what they need but are tempted on all fronts to buy more. It is more than an art form. This is a very real battle.  Instead of going through this constant battle, I’d rather get everyday savings with Walgreens coupons. Much research goes on behind the scenes to ... Read More »

Given the state of the economy, job losses which can result in significant life changes and the inevitable struggle to pay bills are expected.  However, the biggest culprit seems to be overspending and the lack of a financial plan. Every time someone says: I’m broke… I don’t know how I’ll make it to payday…I need to make more money… I can’t keep living like this…. I ask them so how much did the 6 happy hours this month cost you?  How about the weekend trips to the club or random shopping sprees cluttering your closet with things you don’t need? ... Read More »

(image: momlogic) Is there a perceived loss of equity and partnership because a stay at home wife/mom isn’t “pulling her financial weight”?  Given the feminist fight for equality, should women make the choice to stay at home?  Will our daughters revolt when all is said and done? Let’s rehash this debate shall we? Historically on this blog, and I’m sure many other sites-the stay at home mom vs stay at home wife vs working mom/wife debate has been heated and at times unbearable to watch or read.  It’s one of those debates that stirs the ire of many women who ... Read More »