Things I wish I a decade ago

As I turn 30, there are a few things I wish I knew a decade ago.



1. Credit card debt is not good. A credit card is a tool not to be abused. Don't carry a balance.



2. An emergency fund is a necessity.



3. 4 years of college will go by so fast. Use every opportunity. An unpaid internship is not a bad thing. Let no opportunity pass you by, it is not all about money.



4. Network, Network, Network. Those contacts will be invaluable in the future.

5. Don't stress about your undergraduate major. You may not even use it directly in future jobs. The world doesn't stop if your major isn't declared by sophomore year.

6. Men come and go. Period. The End.

I will add to this list as time goes by.

Summer....kids...Money

The school year is almost over. This means it's time to find something for the kids to do for the entire summer. So far I've come up with a reading program held at Fordham University. It is for 1 month, once per week at a whopping cost of $299. Seems a bit much, but I am strongly contemplating it for both kids for the latter part of the summer. For the beginning of the summer, I am still stumped. A co-worker suggested boys and girls club. I am going to figure this whole thing out before the end of the school year which is June 28th.

So if you are in the NYC area please drop some suggestions.

Financial Updates

Checking account problem
I recently had an oops! Forgot to enter a few things in my register and my checking account into the negative. Thank goodness I checked my account online and noticed before the day ended. I was able to transfer money in.

There are a few things I will be doing to make sure that doesn't happen again:

Keep a larger buffer of cash in my checking account. Apparently am not the most organized person and am cutting it close.

In addition to my paper check register am going to start using Excel to track my checking account.

Use my debit card less and use cash more. That way if I forget a purchase or two it doesn't turn into a huge problem for me.

Tax Refund, 5K challenge, Eating Heatlhy, Exercise, blah, blah

According to the IRS's website my tax refund should be here before the end of the month. This means I will be able to complete my goals for singlema and RevancheGS $5K/5K challenge. Savings to date total $1,000. In my quest to loose 7lbs this month for the challenge, I did 4 mins on the treadmill and 50 leg presses.

In my quest to drop ** lbs, LOL, I joined a local gym in my neighborhood. The cost of this gym is $35 per month. This $35 isn't an additional expense because am eating out less and using that money to pay for the gym.

Eating healthier also costs more. There are now weekly runs to the store to get fruits and vegetables. Am, also trying out new vegetables. Thanks to my tweeps for keeping me motivated. A few days ago I tried kale, it was ok. I'll be trying it again.

I now make smoothies when am in a hurry in the morning instead of buying breakfast. Healthier, tastier and cheaper.