Girls Just Wanna Have Funds » Uncategorized

Dominican Hair Care Rates: NY vs DC

Ginger — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 10:00:08 +0000

[ Aside: Feel free to skip this post as it isn't personal finance related so much as it is my ranting about the price differences between Dominican hair care in NY and DC]

If you’re a woman with textured hair then you know that Dominican Salons are the best thing when it comes to healthy, straight and shiny hair while on a budget. This picture says it all:

Need I say more?

While in NYC this weekend I realized how much I miss this aspect of the city. Being able to walk up the street and get a wash and set for $20 and walk out with shiny, bouncy hair.

DC? Different Story. I’ve seen the same service for $75+, yes a relaxer with a deep conditioner at a Dominican Salon in DC can cost that much.

What’s the difference you ask? Nothing. NYC is home to all things related to Dominican hair care. They perfected the art of the roller set and blow out. They use their own products straight from the Dominican Republic in many cases and lines start to form outside on a Saturday morning starting around 7am.

It’s that serious.

I’m not sure what’s up with the salons here in DC but I’m over them starting yesterday.

On the upside I did find an Ethiopian Salon which is an Aveda Concept Salon which boasts the same, if not better results than a Dominican salon so I’m game. I’ll stopping by there this week to take a looksee and see how their technique fairs against the new Aveda Concept salon.

Maybe I’ll share pictures.

Toodles.

Reader Mail, Financial Advice and Site Improvements

Ginger — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:40:57 +0000

I have quite a few drafts in the works but I feel compelled to write this post to keep all of you up to date with what’s going on behind the scenes.

Since the NBC airing over the weekend I have been swarmed with requests for state chapters, financial advice and of course I am busy trying to meet the demand by making the appropriate website adjustments. As you know I also manage the DC Meetup Group and we have had quite the surge in membership as well. We are now 270+ strong here in DC!

I’d like to address the following:

Reader Requests for Financial Advice

I’ve received several requests for financial advice and my heart goes out to all of you as you’ve chose to share some very personal issues with me. I have not responded as I am planning to forward your emails and requests to our financial advisor Velma Colfack. I am not in any way certified or licensed to give financial advice and I believe this is the best option for all of us. I dont want to give bad advice and I want you to receive the best advice. So if I haven’t responded it is because I am forwarding your questions to Velma so she may give the appropriate advice for your situation.

Reader Mail

I am doing my best to get back to each of you that have requested state chapters where you have requested them. If you are interested in leading a state chapters please use the contact form to send me an email and I will get you started. I want all of you to be able to interact with each other in person and online so this is not a problem. I have created an online community for all of you at Ning.com and while it is not complete, please feel free to go there and join in on the discussions. I know that most of you are not in the DC area and won’t be able to attend our meetings.

There’s tons of things in the works on how exactly we plan to do this. That said I am in talks with the powers that be so stay tuned!

Site Improvements and Changes

Do you like the new color scheme? I thought I’d give us a makeover! Well that and it integrates with the new Ning.com community forum. So take a gander as I work to get everything updated while changing a few things here and there.

Consider yourselves updated!

How We Saved Over 50% On Auto Repairs

Ginger — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:00:24 +0000

photo credit: margaritanitz

Saturday we got into a car accident with another pickup truck. We’re ok but the driver side mirror needs replacing. Today we began calling around for estimates at several auto body repair shops and received estimates up to $314. For a frikkin side mirror? Come again? On our way back from NY 3 weeks ago we we hit a bump in the road and that ripped open the gas tank and THAT was $414 and with significantly more labor. Y’all I’ve had a lot going on, LOL! These fools had the nerve to tell us that the specific PART would cost us $206 which we knew off the bat was BS. It takes less than an hour to install and complete the replacement so we jumped online. After all, we’re not in a rush to get it done and since we are leaving this week for Florida, we can wait for an online store to ship it to us.

The quotes ranged from $89-$129 for the part which would then take a few days to arrive. Again, we’re in no rush since we’re leaving town this week. We go into Auto Zone and they quoted us $89 for the mirror and it will be here tomorrow morning. I then got a recommendation for a local body shop and after consulting with the owner, he’ll do the replacement for $45.

The total cost to us? $134 not including taxes.

We saved $180 on the total cost to replace the mirror and $117 on the part had we not done our own research and ordered the mirror ourselves.

The Lesson?

Shop Around.

Do Your Research.

Autobody shops will charge you as much as they can get away with, especially when they think you don’t know much about the process. Educate yourselves, get online and make sure you know your stuff before walking into a dealership or auto body shop.

Cheers!

You’ve Got Mail: Reader Questions Answered

Ginger — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:00:19 +0000

photo credit: yanyin

With the mention from Good Morning America and the Wall Street Journal came more than a few questions from new readers. First, I’d like to say thank you for taking the time to read through the site and send in your questions. I love reader mail! I’ll just say that some of you didn’t reserve asking even what some would consider rather personal questions but I’m happy to share. I answered some of those questions via email. The rest, I answered here.

Now on to question #1

I’m looking for resources on investing for women. Are there any articles
on your site that offer advice to 30 something woman who is FINALLY trying
to get on the right track by investing? Thank you!

I haven’t written much for the investing crowd because I don’t do much active investing myself. I am rather passive and truth be told I am rather intimidated by the stock market. I know, the girl power thing, breaking financial ceilings and all don’t quite go with my admitted intimidation by the stock market. But, what I can tell you is that fellow blogger Millionaire Mommy Next Door has written awesome articles around this subject. Some of my favorite investing articles from her include:

I live in , can I attend one of your meetups?

You sure can! We welcome all women who want to take charge of their finances. If you are coming from out of state then you should sign up for the meetup so that you will get updates and notifications about our upcoming events along with any changes that may happen before the event dates such as a rain location or cancellation. Please note that unless we have a someone who is qualified to speak to you about your financial situation, nothing is to be taken from any member of the group as financial advice.

Are you a financial advisor? What is your background in personal finance?

I am none of the above, just a woman obsessed with her own personal finances, frugality and real estate. However, I do feel qualified to share my own story in an effort to engender others to do the same. Too often personal finance is seen as a taboo that no one talks about openly, yet they may be facing the same situation. By opening the dialogue here amongst the mainly female readership, I hope that we CAN break financial ceilings as women tend to keep mum around money issues due to lack of knowledge or the age old taboo about not talking about personal finances ever.

Hi Ginger, I’m so glad I came to your site from the WSJ article. Do you have any advice on how to talk to my fiance about what will be OUR money as of August 30, 2008?

You may want to read through the following articles to gain some clarity on how best to approach your fiance about how you’ll manage your finances once you’re married. This is something that should have been discussed before this point, but better late than never. You’ll have an adjustment period as one talk won’t nip everything in the bud but that’s what it’s all about, trial and error. Good luck!

Are you in debt? What is your financial situation and why don’t you post your specific debt load, personal income as other PF bloggers do?

Yes, I am in debt up to my eyeballs! LOL! I kid but between my student loan debt and mortgage we are looking at paying off a pretty penny. But I can’t say that I am worried about it because we have a plan to knock out the student loan debt with my salary in 5 years. We have some consumer debt but that is on track to be paid off within a few months. The mortgage will be paid off once we decide to sell but I can’t say that we will be here long enough to really consider paying it off ourselves.

I don’t post our personal income or debt information because my husband is rather uncomfortable with doing so and I have to respect that as we have quite a few people within our personal circle that read the blog (hi!). We don’t mind discussing specific situations amongst friends but he draws the line at sharing with the Internet PF reader/blogger community at large. And, his specific salary information is off limits to everyone except for my self and his superiors.

I see where you state that you’re a student and graduating this year. What do you do outside of that and what are your plans after you graduate?

That’s all up in the air right now and I am doing some planning as to what my next major step will be. While I want to work in my chosen field of psychology, I realize that I have so many other competing interests and I am blessed to be able to have my hand in most if not all of them right now. Besides interning and taking the last of my classes I am also a writer for a local real estate company where I write about the local DC Metro real estate. The articles there range from the informative to local real estate issues and news as it happens here in DC Metro. I also own two other websites/blogs and plan to put those into development towards the end of the summer. My other interests lie in criminal investigations, yoga and art/design.

Ultimately, I’d like whatever I end up doing to be able to give me the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world as long as I have an Internet connection. I don’t fancy being tied to a desk or a schedule and in exploring my options I hope to be able to have this figured out by the end of the year. I must say that my career development professor has been instrumental in helping me realize that I don’t have to follow the masses and get a desk job just to satisfy the requirement of the standard 9-5 after graduation. Life is made to be lived by my rules and if that means that I carve out how I want to live it then so be it. I look forward to the outcome and Im having fun with it as I go along as I am going through one of those periods where I am firmly entrenched in the busom of self discovery and I’m loving it!

Ideally, I’d love to become a life coach, maintain this website and others, sell a few books, open up a Phoenix Yoga practice in a trendy section of DC and start a nonprofit. So you see, I have quite a few things on the horizon and I am working my way to the end goal whatever that may be. There was a time when that would have frightened me to say that out loud but I have learned to take joy in the journey and not the destination.

That’s all for now, I will try to make this a weekly installation as more questions come in.

Happy Monday!

Im Around And Falling In Love With Blogging Again!

Ginger — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:00:52 +0000

photo credit: dpadua

Some of you have noticed I havent been posting as much as I used to and that’s due to juggling quite a few priorities but towards the end of June I will be back on schedule. If you read this site often then you know that my FIL is now living with us and so my attention has been mostly diverted towards his care and overall making sure that he has everything he needs.

This has been a life changing experience wrought with ups and downs but I can safely say that he is moving in the right direction. I’ve gotten so much mail asking about him and some of you have provided some really great resources, things I would never have come across, so I thank all of you for your kind wishes and offers of support. The good news is that his renal functioning (kidneys) went from 20% to 35% AND he is down to only 3 medications from 10 initially when he left the hospital. So he is making good progress. The struggle lies within implementing these new dietary and increased physical exercise on his own. I generally don’t deal too tough with older people because I find them…well, ornery and as we like to say in Jamaica, “crotchety“. So this has been an ongoing challenge.

I am also in the midst of summer classes (ZZZzzzzz) and my final internship so I have 12 hour days in addition to classes. Needless to say I can’t wait until I am done with this part of my life! I knew 2008 would be rough but goodness, no one told me it would be this hard. The man and I are also leaving for Florida a week so the regular posting schedule should be up and running by then.

Add to the plate a new writing job for a real estate company here in DC. I love it as I get to revel in my obsession for DC metro real estate but I am waiting for my session I class to be over so that I can make more time to write more articles. That and I need to get better with time management but after long days and driving all around the beltway I am pooped when I get home in the evenings. The perk of this job is that I telecommute, so I work from home which is sweet and makes for good summer writing under a shade or by the pool.

Finally, I will be adding 2 new bloggers to the team as I’d like to increase the variety in perspectives here on the blog. I do have one confirmed new blogger so far and will be introducing her to you all in the coming week. So look out for that!

Thanks for being patient during this transitional time. I know that quite a few bloggers quit during the first year but I have no intentions of quitting.

Clarification Re: Things That Piss Me Off!

Ginger — Fri, 30 May 2008 23:22:37 +0000

Some of you have disagreed with my post about food stamp recipients and that’s totally fine. But I feel that some of you may be taking it in the spirit that I am sitting on a high horse looking down on food stamp recipients. Let me clarify a few things.

1. My issues lies with people who look to the government to supplement their entire budget while making a living off receiving checks from Uncle Sam. Food stamps are supposed to be a supplement, not your entire budget.

2. I realize that some people make bad decisions but I will not further enable them especially when the tools and resources are within their reach and they choose not to utilize them. I worked as a case manager with women who would go out and buy crab meat, shrimp, t-bone steak with their food stamps and then complain they had nothing left until the first of the month. Then further go on to complain that Uncle Sam needs to give them more money. Im sorry, I can’t and will not get with that mentality. Perhaps, I should have clarified that point within the post but this is where my issues lies, with people who have no ambition or desire to get off government assistance but will make every effort to remain on it.

3. I don’t have to lead a check to check life to understand their plight. As a case manager I created budgets, taught women how to shop and use coupons while saving money so the food stamps would last through the next month. These were women receiving food stamps, TANF and in some cases SSDI. They were not working and were living on a fixed income and their budget was TIGHT. My point is that if they can learn how to do this, so can others. I am not in the business of enabling anyone. If this sounds elitist then *shrug* that’s really how the cookie crumbles in my world. As a child of a mom who was on food stamps who hustled to make things stretch, I understand, but I shouldn’t have to qualify myself as such in order to be received as someone who understands their plight.

Hope that clears things up. If not, we will have to agree to disagree.

This Blog, My Articles and Your Rights As Readers

Ginger — Fri, 30 May 2008 22:47:42 +0000

photo credit: Rich Anderson

I realize that from time to time there will be articles I write here that may be “controversial” and/or offensive, but keep in mind that I pay the hosting fees here, no one else. I encourage healthy discussions on topics you may disagree with and trust me I get enough mail disagreeing with some of my posts. But when you resort to name calling and becoming belligerent I will block your IP address and delete your comments.

I really don’t fancy Internet drama as much as some people would like to think otherwise. I love it when we disagree, but we can find a way to do it in a manner that is representative of adult discourse, not children in a playground. You have the right to come on over, read to your heart’s content, hell disagree if you must, but keep it clean.

I usually disagree with bloggers who get surly with readers but I fully understand now that the Internet is filled with folks who will take what I write personally and really, to the heart. Please, don’t, I certainly don’t have it in mind to offend any of you personally but I write my opinions based on how I feel and I have deemed that to be ok. You don’t have to come back but you are also welcome to write me if you feel something I’ve said offends you or if you disagree.

But in short, say what you want about me and the blog, but once it becomes disrespectful, it will not be entertained nor tolerated here.

MMMKAY?

Got questions? Use the comment box or feel free to shoot me an email via the contact form.

Please and Thank ya!

Sallie Mae No Longer Consolidating Student Loans

Ginger — Mon, 26 May 2008 14:47:47 +0000

Imagine my surprise when I call to get some information on my loans and what my payments will be once I finish my program, Sallie tells me they are no longer consolidating loans because the government tightening has made it no longer profitable for them.

From their website:

Private student loan consolidation

Thank you for your interest in Sallie Mae, the nation’s leading provider of saving- and paying-for-college programs. We have temporarily suspended offering our private consolidation loan program. No new private consolidation loan requests will be processed at this time.

Federal student loan consolidation

Sallie Mae’s Federal Consolidation Loan service is not available at this time.

Severe legislative cuts made by Congress made federal loan consolidation uneconomical. This, combined with the credit market deterioration, has caused us to suspend participation in the federal consolidation loan program.

Then the rep tries to put a spin on it by stating that it may not be beneficial for the borrower because we would be locked in with no opportunity to get a lower rate if it comes along. But the rest of us know that this also leaves us open to increasing rates if we do not consolidate.

I am too through with Sallie Mae at this point, I’ve actually liked them even while every one else sang their hatred from the mountain tops.

At this time, I need options, and I need them fast. I will be done in December with the possibility of going back to school in January, however, I need o figure out how to switch lenders so that I can consolidate when the time comes. Shoot me in the comments for this but can I call a customer service center that doesn’t link to somewhere in India?? I want to RIP my hair out every time one of them picks up the phone and its muffled and I can hardly understand them while it sounds like they are reading from a script! I have no issues with THEM being Indian, I have issues with Sallie using this method of customer service which only further infuriates me while I repeat each and every question. My option? Hang up, call back and o through the same dance with another rep.

ARGHH!

Oh and my payment when I graduate? $825. You read that right, $825, but Im not worried, we have a plan to knock out the loans in 2 years so Im cool on that, I just need to consolidate and get a lower rate.

Any recommendations? Advice? Suggestions?

(Photo: abcnews.com )

Please Welcome AJ To The Family!

Ginger — Sun, 18 May 2008 15:50:15 +0000

photo credit: HiggySTFC

Well after 2 weeks of isolation, twice daily Clavomox, AD cat food and lots of love and attention AJ had his final check up yesterday and he has been cleared to integrate with our other two cats, Max and Scotch! He is such a sweet cat and managed to brighten my day on more than a few occasions over the last 2 weeks. I sound corny but seeing his strength to move towards living as he is now when he was literally 2 days from dying inspired me. I gave him lots of “you’re gonna make it” pep talks on many a late night, corny I know but Lord knows this cat warms my heart.

While still in the early stages of pneumonia, I woke up at 3-4 in the morning to make sure he was still breathing. Now he’s scampering about the house with Max and Scotch while Max annoys the hell out of him. He and Max are brothers but from a different litter but Max is younger so he spends his days following AJ around trying to jump on his back. Scotch is the oldest and more settled so he just watches them horse around, he gets in where he fits in when he feels like it. So now we have three, and Im done, the man wants a dog (Husky and a German Shepherd) next so I think by the end of the summer we will see how that works out.

Here are a few pics for you cat lovers:

Here he is the first couple of days in isolation, he could barely breathe but by day 5 he was able to sleep as he is in the second picture. Before that he was sleeping upright because he was sneezing, congested and it took so much work breathing that he couldn’t sleep peacefully.

All better!!!! I can’t get a good picture of him because he’s too busy running around but this is the best I could so today.

The other two rascals, Max and Scotch. This is Scotch’s default pose when laying around the house, LOL!

Yes, I am aware they are all orange tabbies, and hard to tell apart. But Max and AJ have the same long bushy tail and long hair while Scotch has a shorter tail, shorter hair and more defined markings.

On Food Stamps And Still Hungry @ $280 A Month

Ginger — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:18:35 +0000

photo credit: LabGP & SigOther

Would you believe that in this day and age where we have coupons, food banks and discount supermarkets like Shoppers, people are still complaining about not being able to make it on $280 a month using food stamps for a family of two? The CNN Money Article-On Food Stamps And Still Hungry, seems to think so.

Don’t break out the tearjerker food stamp stories yet, I am only discussing the case detailed in the article where the woman and her young daughter are receiving food stamps but state that it is still not enough. While I know that food stamp allotments are generally lacking I feel that this young woman needs to work her resources effectively especially since she receives a free lunch at her culinary arts program.

I’d like to offer her some advice:

1. Apply for WIC. WIC stands for Women, Infants and Children and will further subsidize food costs by allowing you to purchase the foods and beverages on the WIC food list.

2. Sign up for groceries with ShareDC.Org. This program allows its recipients to receive 2 bags of groceries for $18. This month’s package includes:

Chicken Thighs
Tiliapia Fillets
Chicken Nuggets
Flame Broiled Beef Steaks
Sweet Italian Sausage
Frozen Waffles
Wafer Cookies
Potatoes
Onions
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

This program serves the DC Metro area where this young lady lives however there are other programs such as Angel Food ministries where others can obtain food at low prices.

3. Stalk The Sunday Paper For Local Sales And Clip Coupons. This doesnt need much explaining, whatever staples aren’t covered by the above programs then try to find coupons for them in the Sunday paper and supermarket flyers.

4. Limit Your Meat And Dairy Intake. With rising food prices, these two items have seen the sharpest increases along with cheese, bread and milk. Many of you will disagree however I challenge you to find alternatives for 2-3 months and see what the difference in your wallet and health. I am a recovering meat eater so this works for us, I implore you to give it a try.Â Eating healthy does not always mean expensive.

Granted I do not have children but she has resources available to her that will make it easier to get groceries for the month, especially here in the DC area where they have a myriad of programs to help women and children. $280 breaks down to $70 per week and that can easily be subsidized with the resources outlined above.

What advice or commentary do you have for this young lady’s situation?

Girls Just Wanna Have Funds » Uncategorized

Dominican Hair Care Rates: NY vs DC

Most Commented Posts

Reader Mail, Financial Advice and Site Improvements

Most Commented Posts

How We Saved Over 50% On Auto Repairs

Most Commented Posts

You’ve Got Mail: Reader Questions Answered

Most Commented Posts

Im Around And Falling In Love With Blogging Again!

Most Commented Posts

Clarification Re: Things That Piss Me Off!

Most Commented Posts

This Blog, My Articles and Your Rights As Readers

Most Commented Posts

Sallie Mae No Longer Consolidating Student Loans

Most Commented Posts

Please Welcome AJ To The Family!

Most Commented Posts

On Food Stamps And Still Hungry @ $280 A Month

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