 Now that we've made it to the end of the year, many of us have probably reached a point of, "I need to regain control of my finances because I had too much fun this summer"...and even if you didn't have as much fun as your bank account reflects, you probably still want to tighten up for the holidays and the beginning of the year. If you related to anything that I described then you are entitled to compensation **television settlement voice** No, but if it were only that easy. Though you're not entitled to compensation based on these symptoms, we do share this feeling. To combat my frivolous spending for the last 2 and a half months, I've decided to cut out some unnecessary bills.
Every few weeks I undergo my basic self care maintenance which includes lashes, wax, nails/toes, and hair. Honestly, if you ask me all of these are non-negotiables but I felt that getting my lashes done regularly was such a waste. Don't get me wrong I was definitely cute, but to sit in the house or just go run my daily errands? No thanks. I also, started to have body dysmorphia and felt that I looked like a complete alien without my lashes so I made the executive decision to cut that expense. When it came to my hair, I decided to get hairstyles that would yield me more longevity. I was spending way too much on short term hairstyles that eventually began to add up. So away with the feed ins, pony's, and quick weaves (I don't keep these in long) and bring in the sew ins, braids, and silk presses. In doing this I only have to worry about getting it professionally done every month to two months with an exception of the silk presses. Outside of looking good, shopping makes me feel amazing. I feel like shopping to me is like cake to a fat kid. Me shopping A.K.A me running errands which consist of grocery shopping and shopping shopping. I do this at least twice a week which of course adds up (it does depend on if I find stuff or not though). Aside from grocery shopping because ya girl needs to eat, I'm not going to shop for nonessentials until the holidays but only for sales and then I'm resuming my spending freeze until March (ikyk). Another bad habit that I've recently picked up this year is eating out. Like y'all I literally bought a Dashpass from Doordash. I had to cancel that because it made it wayyyyy too easy to order your food. I also have a list of restaurants that I want to try so I was just pigging out. Not only was this an expensive habit but also a fat girl habit as well. To reduce the amount of eating out I do, I've limited my adventures to the weekend only. By planning what I'm going to cook for the week and buying quick meals or in other words meals to make when I don't feel like cooking this so far has helped me not eat out as much as I was. To improve my self discipline and make sure I don't relapse, I've decided to pick up new habits/hobbies. When I was younger I used to be such a creative person from sewing, painting, drawing, playing instruments, and everything else under the sun. I want to pick these habits up again, I want to tap back into my creative side along with spending more time sitting and not always being on the move. I want to spend my time on more meaningful things. I want to catch up on my shows that I've seem to have fallen so behind on and learn new things. All of these are just ideas and I'm not 100% sure of all the things I want to do during this time but I'll make a list and I'll be sure to share it in my update either at the beginning of next year or March. So here's to saving in Q4! May the next few months bless you financially and spiritually as you embark on saving with me (if you choose to do so)<3
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 One of the hardest things about being a college student is being able to afford to keep yourself up. In my opinion, men have it pretty easy. A haircut once a week or every other week is no comparison to the countless expenses that women have to afford including but no limited to: waxing, nails, hair, lashes, and brows. (However, some men do do some of the things that I listed) That's why I am here to help because we're all in this together and I understand the struggle.
One way to be bougie on a budget is to pick one thing that you want to continuously get done. For example, if that one thing is your nails. It may be 30 a month for just nails and toes. No extra manicure or pedicure...you can do this for yourself. Though it is nice and relaxing, this is not in the budget!! Another thing is mapping out how often you'll get whatever you pick done. Whether this is every week, every other week, or once a month. Learn how to do stuff yourself. (DIYS DUHHH) Youtube and the internet are great resources for this of course. A lot of stuff that we pay full price for, we could easily spend half of the full price by just making it ourselves. This applies mainly to things such as clothing. Now that thrifting is back in, personally I would rather spend $20 on 5-6 pieces of clothing other than $20 on one. While being bougie on a budget, know that somethings are worth an investment. It's honestly just about being smart with your money and learning how to stretch your money. Have talented friends! Personally, I have friends that know how to do everything from hair installment to hair removal haha. On a serious note however, this can save all of you money in the long run and make you money. It's a win win situation all around. My last little tip would be to create an expense spreadsheet on your income and other things you spend your money on. Do this so you can visually see where your money is going and how much you have to work with. I'm going to try this myself and hopefully all goes well and I can become a responsible spender because ya girl is getting older and life comes at you fast especially when you want to look good, feel good, go places, and do things you've never done but have financial responsibilities. And while you may not be able to do all things you want with your money, with discipline and strategy, you should be able to do a good number of things. All the things I recommended, with an exception of the last one are things that I do to save money but still look good, I hope they work for you all! <3  Tis the season of saving. One of the many challenges that someone can face during the summer is having fun without breaking the bank. Welllllll my summer hasn't been the most adventurous so far but I do have many ideas to share for fun inexpensive dates. These ideas are flexible enough to be done by yourself, with someone your dating, or your friends. Some of these are things that I want to do while others are things that I have done...by myself of course<3.
First on the list we have a simple picnic day. The picnic day can either at a park or beach. Besides food of course, this picnic date can consists of board games, painting or simply chatting. This is something you can take your time getting dressed up for to take polaroids or something you decide is just a chill day. Next up we have the museum! The museum is always a good idea and can cost little to nothing. There also different types of museums you can go to depending on your interest. (i.e. city museums, historical museums, art museums, wax museums, sex museums, and even ice cream museums...there is a museum for almost anything.) These places are good photoshoots spots for yourself and the displays because I mean you both are artwork... Another fun idea is thrifting! This activity is very inexpensive and is up to you on how much money you end up spending. Not only do you have to go to one store but you can go to a few depending on how much time you want to spend out, how much money you want to spend, and how much patience you have. A library date or a bookstore date depending on your preference. You can rent/buy a few books after just sitting and reading for a while or even grabbing a bite to eat while reading. If you this with someone else, you all can express what the book is about and what made you want to get it. Volunteering is always a good idea and you get the opportunity to be helping hand while meeting lots of good people. This also an idea that ranges based on your liking. You can volunteer at a humane society if you like dogs or at a foster care if you like children or even a soup kitchen. Just about anywhere is accepting help. Working out is always fun to do with others because it helps motivate you as well as gives you a bit of friendly competition. However, when a done alone you may be able to focus more and even tune in to yourself and get appropriate thinking time. No matter what the season is, your city or another city nearby will more than likely always be hosting something for the season (i.e summer: carnivals, fireworks, fairs; winter: ice skating, winter blasts; fall: harvest festivals; spring: flower shows) look up whats going on locally and generally this stuff should be inexpensive. Stacking your money shouldn't only be a summer time thing but something you do all year round. Why splurge on fun when you don't have to? There is always a cheaper alternative, you just have to be willing to look for it and be creative enough to think outside the box. In 2018, we want the problems of the wealthy. Some of these problems may include where to invest our money, what risks are worth it, how can we double, triple, and even quadruple the money that we have saved? As the year progresses, we will learn how to budget, save, and spend our money. Also we will learn how to willingly invest in ourselves opposed to being so quick to easily invest in others. (Investing in others is always great but when we're making the rich richer and the poor become poorer, we must take a step back and look at what needs to change.) This blog page will serve as a resource to help other save money and even teach them how to spend their money wisely.
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