Fabulous Financials

Occasionally, I receive an email from a fabulous reader that makes me pause for the cause.  You know, the kind that makes me want to say WTF.  Sometimes, the person has read my blog long enough to say “WTF!” for me. LOL!  And if you make me say WTF, you can guarantee it’ll make the blog. LOL!  So my fabulous reader who sent the following email, you asked for it.  LOL!

Dear Single Ma,

I have never written to you before, and I am well aware that I risk becoming one of your “WTF?” examples that I occasionally see on your blog, but recent events in my social circle are driving me nuts.

I know 2 families who have lost an income during the past six months:

Family A
Two adults, one pre-schooler. Pre-layoff income in the six-figures, with no debt whatsoever (including cars and mortgage), according to Mrs. A. She works part-time and sends her child to a private school from 8:30 to 5:00 every day, and employs a cleaning service. When Mr. A was laid off, he received 6 months in severance pay as well as 6 months of benefits. Mrs. A. has declined to increase her hours at work.

Family B
Two adults, two kindergartners, one toddler. Pre-layoff income in the high five figures, with a mortgage. For 18 months Mrs. B was a stay-at-home mom before resuming full-time work as a journalist. Shortly after her return to the workforce, Mr. B’s employer closed its doors. He received six months of severance without benefits. After 5 months of looking aggressively for a job, Mr. B is still unemployed and is a stay-at-home dad while Mrs. B works full-time, often on weekends.

Witnessing the very different ways in which these families have handled their new circumstances has inspired and horrified me. The one who seems to have the most (at least financially) is complaining the most. Mrs. A recently threw an unemployment party for her husband, which was a pot luck because of their “reduced circumstances,” according to the invitation. Family B attended this party, economical but flavorful side dish in hand.

So what’s my point? Aside from wanting to smack Mrs. A every time she complains about her grocery bill at Whole Foods, I would love to see an article about perceived scarcity, or a false sense of scarcity, counting your blessings, or whatever you’d like to call it. I don’t particularly want a kick in the ass, but if you think I need one I’m willing to face that also.

Hmm…I won’t do any kicking today (only because it’s Sunday LOL), but let me dissect this information with a few assumptions: Read more »

Dear Single Ma,

I’ve been following your blog off and on for the past couple of years. I’m very interested in personal finance, and even had a personal finance blog myself for a time.

Since writing the blog, I finished my second year of business school. I’m about to start a real job, by which I mean a job that requires dressing up, and I feel incredibly intimidated. I hate wearing heels. I only own one pantsuit, the one that I wear to interviews. At the same time, I recognize that it’s time to “grow up”, and that looking good matters in the business world.

I’ve admired how you were able to save so much money while dressing fabulously, and I’d love to hear more about the latter one of these days. What does your wardrobe look like? What kinds of clothes would you buy if you were just starting out?

Most of my female friends aren’t business types, and so I know no one I really feel comfortable asking. Would love any advice you might have.

Keep it up and all the best!

CONGRATS on your first ‘real’ job!! And GOOD LUCK with the rest of B-school!! Your email sounds like something I would have written 10 years ago. How cute! LOL Well missy, you’re in luck because Single Ma is feeling and looking fabulous today. So let’s start with your questions… Read more »

photo credit: CJ Sorg

A fabulous reader sent me this MSNBC article, titled “For Frugalists, Bargain Hunting is a Lifestyle.” Subtitled, For these extreme anti-consumers, your trash is their food, furniture…

Is the title enough to make you say WTF? Oh well, check it out!

It’s no secret that American culture is a consumer culture…On the opposite end of the spectrum are the few people who call themselves anti-consumerists, freegans, frugalists or just plain Dumpster divers…these people delight in drastically reducing their consumer spending, finding life’s essentials at bargain prices or paying nothing at all.

The article goes on to give us a few examples. Here’s Rebecca:

Rebecca, 51, owns a small duplex and has a job running an art program for a health care organization…And she gets 99 percent of her food from the Dumpster.

“It’s so easy to eat for free,” she says. “The only things I buy are butter and milk.”

And here’s Prieur:

[Prieur] says his trash bin excursions have netted him smoked salmon, high-end bacon, olive oil, plenty of produce and other goodies. Prieur, who owns a piece of land but has no permanent home, estimates that when he’s staying with his sister in Seattle, he gets 20 to 30 percent of his groceries from garbage bins.

Then we get a glimpse into an actual dumpster diving excursion:

When Rebecca reaches the grocery store, she moves with purpose across the parking lot to a fenced-in Dumpster. With practiced nonchalance, she opens the gate and walks in, closing it behind her. On the ground, she immediately finds a bag of baby squashes. They go in the backpack to be steamed up for dinner.

Next, she hikes herself up and peers in the Dumpster itself. Out comes a bag of popcorn, a bag of granola and a package of rice. All are torn, but the contents appear clean.

Rebecca passes up pasta and a few other items, explaining that she prefers ready-made food because she doesn’t like to cook.

The granola isn’t her taste, either — she’s a self-described picky eater — but she can give it to her boyfriend.

She also passes up a bag of flavored potato chips, explaining, “I don’t like salt and vinegar.”

Climbing out of the Dumpster, Rebecca opens the gate again and heads out.

In 10 years of serious Dumpster diving, Rebecca says she’s never gotten sick eating food from the trash.

Wait. Let me get this straight. A dumpster diving picky eater.

Yea, I read that right…

A.

Dumpster.

Diving.

Picky.

Eater.

Umm, wow!

Now if the thought of dumpster diving isn’t nasty enough, at least the chic is selective about the crap she eats from the trash! But get this. When something she picks from the trash isn’t her preference, she’ll give it to her “boyfriend” or feed it to the dog. Oh lawd, I have no words! LOL!

Clearly, the choice for these two dumpster divers isn’t about money. As with most frugal people, it’s a personal preference and a lifestyle. These two just so happen to be uh…extreme whack.

If you’ve read the article, do you think they’re creative or just plain nasty?

[Thanks Rufina]

According to this CNN article:

If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she’d rake in a nifty sum of nearly $117,000 a year.

The eighth annual survey calculated a mom’s market value by studying pay levels for 10 job titles with duties that a typical mom performs, ranging from housekeeper and day care center teacher to van driver, psychologist and chief executive officer.

…the annual salary for a stay-at-home mom would be $116,805, while a working mom who also juggles an outside job would get $68,405 for her motherly duties.

Well damn! If they g’on cut my salary in half for working outside the home, can a sista get a vacation or something?

And umm, I need compensation for my labor pains too.

Oh yea, one more thing. Now that I’m raising a teenager, I need a 25% premium for hazardous duty pay. This ish is dangerous to your health!

What do you think of this silly survey?

[hat tip to BK for sending]

photo credit: lumaxart

Last week, I solicited your input to learn more about my readers and what you would like to read on Fabulous Financials. Your responses were very helpful, so THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! The polls were open for one week and there were over 600 responses. Below are the results and a collection of what you would like to read on Fabulous Financials.

1. GENDER

Not surprised, 90% of my readers are female. The other 10% that make up the weaker sex (lol), umm…how can I make my blog more interesting for you?

2. AGE

Again, not that surprised, over 80% of my readers are in their 20s and 30s.

3. EDUCATION

Almost 80% of my readers are college educated and 28% of that number hold graduate degrees. A highly intelligent group and I’m not surprised by that at all.

4. FAMILY

I was a bit surprised by this one though. 44% of my readers are single with “no children” and 35% are “married” with/without children, which means only 21% of my readers are single parents. Interesting. As a single parent, I never thought I would appeal to any other group, so this is a good thing. It tells me that I’ve crossed a boundary and appeal to a wider audience. This makes me think of the African American actor/actress that crosses the color lines on the big screen and mainstream media. I don’t know why, but it’s an odd measure of success. LOL

My blog has certainly evolved over the years. However, I need not forget where I came from, who I am, OR the original intent when I first started this blog over 2 years ago. So the poll results also tell me that I should try harder to reach other single parents. As one of the fastest growing family unit in the United States, single parents need encouragement, motivation, and tips on how to overcome the financial challenges of being mommy AND daddy.

Too often, single parents are viewed as poor victims. And sometimes, we perpetuate the stereotype. But in my not so humble opinion, I think it’s BS. Yes, we are victims of circumstance, but life goes on and circumstances can be changed. The way I see it, being a single parent is a responsibility, not a label - nor does it define my success or failure in life. As I’ve learned through trial and error, I want other single parents to realize:

• Child support is your legal right, but it may not come.
• Buying your children toys and name brand clothes are nice, but they aren’t necessary.
• Government assistance is there if you need it, but it’s only supposed to be temporary.
• Use the system to your advantage, but parlay those same skills into a career.
• Think about how your children will eat for today, but “plan” for the future.
• Make sacrifices for your children, but take care of yourself first.
• Your knight in shining armor may never come, deal with it.

There’s so much I can share, so much I can teach, so much I can give to other single parents. I just need to figure out how. I’m open to ideas/suggestions.

5. HOUSING

The rent vs. own poll was split equally. With the current housing market, it’s no surprise that people are torn. My feet are firmly planted in both, but I don’t know which I prefer more.

I assume the 7% who selected ‘temporary’ housing meant college campus or with relatives during a life transition.

6. EMPLOYMENT

81% of my readers are tolling away on the CSS, either full time OR part time. Another 16% are self employed or in school, which is great, but I’d like to know something. How in the heck do we find time to blog, read blogs, and/or comment on blogs all damn day? Ha!

3% of my readers are unemployed. Hmm…I’d like to speak with at least one of them so I can write a post about dealing with unemployment. If you fall in this category, please email me.

7. GEOGRAPHY

Most of my readers are evenly spread all over the US, but 9.4% are outside the US. I checked the map that logged your IP addresses and I see many of you hail from Canada, Bahamas, Antigua, Barbados, China, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Finland, and lots more. Wooo-weee!

*waving* Heeeeeeey!!

My passport is looking a little empty and I need a vacation. Email me, pleeeeeeeease! I’d like to know what you love the most about your country so I can decide where I want to visit. LOL I prefer emails in English, but if not, I can translate using this free website. Thank ya kindly.

8. HOUSEHOLD GROSS INCOME

Over 55% of my readers earn between $25k and $75k. This reminds me of a post written by Madame X, titled What’s Up With Middle Class. I wonder if this poll/salary range is representative of what is now considered “middle” class America.

Nearly 22% of my readers earn over $100k. I wonder what attracts this group to my blog. I don’t write about advanced or complex personal finance topics. Unlike other PF bloggers, I tend to keep it simple and primarily focus on the details of my own personal financials.

9. DEBT BALANCE

25% of my readers are either debt free or non-mortgage debt free! Wooo-weee!! FABULOUS!! But nearly 50% owe more than $10k and 28% of that number owe more than $30k.

This tells me three things: 1) my readers are loyal because I haven’t written a debt reduction post in months (lol), 2) I should write a post on life after debt, and 3) I need to write about debt reduction more often. Although no one specifically suggested it, the numbers speak to me loud and clear. I know I said I wasn’t going to write anymore debt reduction posts after I became debt free, but I realize that was selfish. I’ll do a better job to address your needs in the future - maybe even offer another debt payoff incentive if there’s enough participation.

10. TYPES OF DEBT

Almost 50% of my readers said credit cards and student loans were part of their debt mix. Student loans are a necessary evil. Trust me, I’ve had my share. But the credit card debt concerns me. What’s going on? Do we have champagne taste and beer money? Or did life throw us lemons and we’re still trying to make lemonade? Talk to me.

11. NET WORTH

Over 42% of my readers either don’t know their net worth or have a negative net worth. I can probably help in this area by first explaining what net worth means and what it consists of, then bring you resources/information to help you climb out of the debt hole (see #9). Eventually, the net worth will take care of itself.

Over 5% of my readers have a net worth that exceed 1/2 million dollars. I’m intrigued, so I’d like to know if these readers: 1) have a PF blog I can read, 2) would be willing to write a guest post about their approach to personal finances, and 3) can offer any quick words of wisdom for us in the comments section. Thank ya kindly!

12. PHASE OF PERSONAL FINANCE JOURNEY

Consistent with previous results, 51% of my readers are focusing on debt reduction. 57% are also focusing on saving, which is equally important. If you apply all of your resources towards debt reduction without a safety net, it will only increase the risk of more debt when something unexpected happens.

Less than 10% of my readers are living paycheck to paycheck. I’m glad this is a small number, wish it were smaller, but it tells me most of you don’t have to live beyond your means. Instead, you have the extra resources to reduce debt, build a safety net, and/or contribute to retirement.

13. BLOGGERS

35% of my readers are bloggers. I expected that % to be larger. Nearly 50% read but don’t comment and only 30% subscribe to my feed. Whaaaaaaat?!?! :-O

Is this because you don’t understand feeds -or- you didn’t know you could subscribe to my feed through a reader -or- you didn’t know you could subscribe to my feed via email?

What I like most about subscribing is receiving the alerts when a site I read is updated. Instead of checking the site multiple times a day, I just wait for the alert, then I know there’s something new to read. It truly makes life easy. So I hope you consider joining the other 1,000+ readers and subscribe to Fabulous Financials today.

14. YOUR BLOG TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

You are interested in reading more topics about my money in general (70%), my savings (60%), my career (59%), my investments (57%), Mr. Eye Candy & BabyGirl (both 46%), my credit (33%), and my shopping escapades are the least preferred (30%). Another 4% suggested “other” topics in the comments and via email, which include:

• What was the kick in the pants that turned my life around?
• How I manage money differently than the rest of my family
• My graduate school experience as a single parent
• Suggestions for recent graduates
• Managing student loans
• How did I fund my college education
• Detailed summary of big ticket purchases (ex: new car and new tires posts)
• My rants and general entries that make people laugh
• How I deal with stressful/difficult situations
• My salary and what I spend it on
• Appropriate office attire
• How to build a professional wardrobe on a budget
• Investing for non-retirement
• BabyGirl and her friends’ (i.e. teens) attitudes about money
• Encourage others to become debt free

You guys have given me some very interesting writing ideas and I will attempt to address each and every one of them. Please feel free email me with new suggestions any time. I can’t promise I’ll use your suggestion right away, but I’ll definitely add it to the list for future reference.

Also, if you’re passionate about a PF related topic, I welcome guest post submissions to be featured on Fabulous Financials. They help a sista out during dry spells. LOL

And by the way, if you missed them, the polls are still open. Thanks again for participating!