Fabulous Financials

“Do what I have to do, so I can do what I want to do.” - The Great Debaters

I know I’m late, but I finally got around to watching the Great Debaters this weekend.  The quote above is one a father taught his son.  Although he was referring to working hard and doing well in school before pursuing extracurricular activities, I can apply the quote to many areas of my life - especially finances.

Do what I have to do…

• Work hard smart and remain competitive in my career field
• Maximize my income
• Track my expenses and live beneath my means
• Practice delayed gratification
• Pay my credit card balance(s) in full every month
• Pay ALL bills on time
• Save for emergencies
• Invest for retirement

…so I can do what I want to do.

• Pursue a better job whenever I am ready or quit a job when I’m not happy
• Live day to day without worry about bills, food, needs, OR wants
• Comfort in knowing money will be the least of my concerns in an emergency
• Comfort in knowing my golden years will truly be GOLDEN
• Pampering myself with hair, mani, pedi and spa days
• Dine out whenever the mood strikes me
• Plan a spontaneous vacation
• Donate money without thinking twice
• Forgive an unpaid personal loan without forgetting resentment
• Shop for shoes, shoes, and more shoes

By making responsible financial decisions, even when I don’t wanna, I have the flexibility and freedom to make other decisions that bring me joy.

I won’t even lie.  Man, it’s hard!!  Especially when I have to ignore flashy distractions that provide a temporary thrill.  You know, like the iPhone.  That shiny, black Mercedes CLK.  A fully furnished, 3 bedroom, single family home in my current zip code.  A Dior handbag.  Or a pair of Cavalli shoes.  It’s soooo easy to say “screw this” and go on a spending spree.  I can, but I won’t.  At the end of the day, what does all of that “stuff” get me?  Nothing, but debt and stress…and maybe a few bragging rights to impress people I don’t even like.

Instead, I do what I have to do, so I can do what I want to do.  And live life on MY terms.

I’m reading a book titled “You’re Broke Because You Want to Be” and let me tell ya, this author is hee-larr-y-us!! Whew!! And y’all think I’m a riot? With every page, all I could do is shake my head and crack up laughing. LOL But I can’t give you too many details right now because I have to save them for my review. However, there was ONE thing in particular that resonated with me and I just had to write about it.

The author said…FOLLOW THE MONEY

You’re probably saying, so…and? Well he then goes on to say “money is a dead giveaway of what is important in anyone’s life.” In other words, if you want to know what’s important to someone, look at where they spend their money. Hmm…what does he mean by that? I had to think about it for a minute and let it marinate.

Are sports important to you? Then you probably spend most of your money on game tickets, paraphernalia, or electronics to make game watching better.

Is travel important to you? Most of your money is probably spent on vacations.

Is fashion important to you? Most of your money is probably spent on clothes, shoes, and accessories.

Hmm…then I realized he was on to something. At the beginning of every year, my credit card company sends me an itemized report of my spending. Very similar to my own annual review, the detailed report from the credit card company shows how much I spent on dining out, groceries, transportation, travel, etc. It’s really an eye opener. According to the 2007 reports, my priorities were debt reduction and housing. And that’s about right.

The same is true for the flip side. No one will ever tell you they value bad habits, but if they’re spending most of their money on - let’s say, smoking or drinking or drugging - their habits are obviously more important to them than anything else in life. Another example - and I’m gonna put myself on blast with this one - a person can not honestly say they value their relationship with God (Bu.ddha, Al.lah, Jeh.ovah, whatever…) when their spending patterns reflect tithes/offerings as their smallest spending category.  If you don’t value your religion, then that’s ok…I guess.

The point is…Follow Your Money.

What do you think is important?

What does your money say is important?

If they are different, reevaluate your spending habits and get them aligned with each other.

Single Ma Out! - at least until tomorrow.  I’m having a TERRIBLE day.

“Nuptials without Fabulous Financials are just two broke people with a license to file a joint tax return.” — Yours Truly

HA HA HA

THAT one is going in the book!

*thinking* I’m so corny but I crack myself up sometimes. LOL

“Budget: a mathematical confirmation of your suspicions.”
– .A.A. Latimer

Thanks Ms. Jayy!

In undergrad, my favorite teacher was Mr. K. He had a long azz German name with a bunch of consonants so we just shortened it and called him Mr. K. He was a cool dude, so he didn’t mind. He taught Organizational Behavior and Senior Seminar for Business. Everyone hated the latter course because it was pass or fail and you couldn’t graduate without it - no test, no right or wrong, just papers, group projects, and presentations. Some were known to repeat it a time or two. LOL Mr. K. was no joke, but he was fair and we all loved him. Immediately, I knew he would influence my life.

First day of OB, he divided us into groups and made us play monopoly. I was like whaaaaaaa! We played that game for 2 days and it was fun! On the 3rd day (Friday), he announced our first assignment and it was due first thing Monday morning. We were like WTF, we haven’t done anything yet!! Hmph, little did we know! LOL We had to write a point paper on our monopoly strategy, observations of our opponents, lessons learned and how certain people assumed specific roles within each group. The following week, we had group presentations and he chose one detail from each project to illustrate how our results corresponded with the real business world. I was amazed by what I learned from playing the game of monopoly in the classroom. Since then, I’ve never viewed monopoly the same.

Another thing I admired about this professor, he was professional and articulate, yet creative and persuasive. Actually, those are qualities I admire in all people. *office eye candy anyone. LOL* It’s hard to find all of those characteristics in one person, but when I do, I never forget them. I think it takes a special skill when a person can speak to many different people from various social classes, backgrounds, nationalities, and ethnicities and hold their attention for a lengthy period of time. Furthermore, to engage those people so well that you convince them to do something they’ve never considered or always struggled with and leave a lasting footprint in their minds. Even if they don’t remember your name, they will always remember 1) what you taught them and 2) how you made them feel when you were in their presence. This is the type of person I aspire to be.

Anyhoo, I’m reminiscing tonight because one of the most powerful things this professor ever said to me - well not directly to me, but to the class - that I’ll never forget was:

A college degree does not make you smart. It empowers you with a tool to make smart choices.

In the second class, I also remember him saying:

If you don’t like what you do, then do something else.

Those two quotes are so deeply embedded in my brain. Although simplistic, many people fail to realize their own inner strength, so truly embracing either quote is nearly impossible. “Not I!” said Single Ma - back then at the tender age of 20 something. And now again, at the ripe age of 30 something.

Due to recent developments, I’ve finally decided it’s time to throw my hat back into the ring. The past 6 months have literally worn me out. This opportunity has been priceless, but I can’t do this anymore. My quality of life is non-existent and my BabyGirl is competing for her mommy’s attention. Not worth it and no amount of $$ can convince me otherwise.

I’m officially back on the market again!

So far, I’ve been on two interviews, two more scheduled for next week, and one tentative offer in hand.

Let’s see…

I’ve passed GO (advanced degree & career w/ opportunity)

Collected $200 (earn a decent salary)

Own property (my rental)

Strategy in check (assertive go getter)

And life is just beginning!

I guess you could say I’m learning to master the game of monopoly.