#43: 6 Negative Thoughts Hurting Your Money Situation I’m a firm believer in the power of the mind. Think positive and positive happens. Think negative and negative happens. Whether you believe in the power of positivity or not, a shift in how you think about money or your situation can spark amazing change. With that being said, if negativity is your go-to state of mind, it’s time to change things up. In this episode, I’m sharing 6 negative thoughts that could be hurting your money situation so you can recognize those thoughts and turn them around. Here’s a glance at this episode: [02:11] People have over 60,000 thoughts in a day. Imagine the impact of a majority of those thoughts were negative! [05:40] Do you struggle with taking compliments? This could be a sign you’re negative and don’t even realize it. [07:32] I’m sharing six negative thoughts that could be hurting your money situation so you can recognize and make positive changes. Click here to listen! Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I … #43: 6 Negative Thoughts Hurting Your Money SituationRead More »

5 Ways to Mentally Prepare for the Holiday Season The holiday season can bring joy and love for some, while others are enraged and just plain over it. Holiday seasons look and feel different for every single person depending on where they are in their life. At times people can feel extra pressure to do certain things when the holidays come around. We want you to mentally prepare for the holiday season, so it’s filled with happiness! Making sure you get all your loved ones that special gift. Preparing huge hour-long meals only to be enjoyed and eaten in minutes. Though the holidays are a time to be grateful for family and friends, we can’t seem to shake the idea that society adds an extra layer of stress when it isn’t warranted. Check out these five ways to mentally prepare for this year’s holiday season. #1 Don’t CompareRule number one that should never be broken (during the holiday season or any other time) is to not compare your current situation to someone else’s. This is especially true with gift-giving or decorating. When you compare, it just makes you feel depressed that you couldn’t give as much as your neighbor or other family member during the holiday season. Begin mentally preparing now that what you can do is enough. Your friends and family will love you just the same. Prices are increasing across the board, so don’t let comparison add another layer of stress. As hard as it can be, don’t compare, besides as the old saying goes “comparison is the thief of joy”. Material things will come and fade. The holiday season is about being present and enjoying your loved ones because tomorrow is never promised. #2 Be Realistic During the holiday season, we tend to live in an unrealistic world where overspending is done, and debt is increased. Be realistic with yourself and your pocketbook. To help mentally prepare this holiday season, we suggest pulling from your holiday savings shopping fund. Make sure you read 6 Things to Do Now to Get Your Budget Holiday Ready! Whatever is in your holiday savings account is free to use at your leisure and when it’s depleted do not dip into any other savings. Or worse, use debt. Being real with yourself will avoid any high expectations and let down. If it helps you stay on track, communicate with your friends, family, and co-workers that this year you may not be participating in Secret Santa, or that you may want to celebrate the holidays differently this year. Being honest and realistic with not just yourself but those you are celebrating with will take a major load off your mental because there will be no room for assumptions or let downs. #3 Plan Accordingly There is nothing wrong with winging it and celebrating on the fly this holiday season, though it’s important to keep in mind when there’s no planning involved there’s a higher risk of things falling through the cracks. To give your mental some peace this holiday season, you should plan any celebrations ahead of time. That way everything runs according to plan. If you’re thinking of possibly doing a potluck this year instead of leaving all the dishes to one person, communicate and plan with your party so everyone can enjoy their time. When you plan, you iron out any setbacks that could potentially take place. This helps you get ahead of any issues in a timely manner and come up with a positive solution.  #4 Partner UpDon’t be a superhero and try to handle all the holiday shenanigans solo! This holiday season, partner up with a family member or friend and have some fun. Whether that means hitting up the stores, dividing and conquering the gift purchases, or splitting up which meals are going to be prepared by who. Having a partner makes things fun and less intimidating so round up your tribe and get to going. The holidays can be stressful for many reasons, including financial stress so partnering up could even include going half on purchasing gifts this season. #5 Have Fun Above all else, it’s important to always find joy in things. Having fun with anything not only makes time go by quicker, but it also removes any negativity and mental stress. Throughout the holiday season, be sure to add a little fun flare to whatever you are doing. If it’s creating your list, consider making homemade Christmas cards! If it’s holiday shopping, make a game out of it and count how many Santa hats you can spot people wearing in a store. Or count how often you hear a certain Christmas song? “All I Want for Christmas”, anyone?! Fun suggestions like this helps you realize the joy in the season. Related: 6 Ways to Be Stress Free for the Holidays Although these are just few ideas to earn some extra cash, there are plenty of options out there. Have you tried any of the methods listed above? If so, which one was your favorite and why? Check out our Facebook page and do not forget to join the Facebook group to keep up with all of our newest City Girl fun. Also, follow us on our other social media accounts Instagram and Twitter at @citgirlsavings, we will be sure to give … 5 Ways to Mentally Prepare for the Holiday SeasonRead More »

7 Ways to Save Money on Makeup Before I became a “City Girl Savings” gal, my biggest budget buster was definitely my “Beauty/Grooming” area. I thought it was justified – I went to makeup school for a bit, was occasionally doing freelance makeup, and I thought I could afford it. Well, March 2020 happened, and well, you know what came next. Without going too deep into my “rock bottom” moment (maybe another blog for another day), if I wanted to still be creative in makeup, I had to quickly learn how to cut my beauty category. Keep reading to learn how to creatively save money on makeup! #1 Use What You Already HaveI can only speak for myself, but more than likely you have a mini Sephora/Ulta in your beauty stash and you don’t even realize it! I know it can be hard to try to keep up with all the new makeup releases. From the new “must-have” eyeshadow palette, a new drop from Fenty Beauty (Hey, RiRi girl), or whatever celebrity decides to break into the beauty world.  However, make it a goal to use the palettes you already have and “hit pan”, meaning to use it up until you get to the bottom of the pan! Also, you really don’t need 8 different red lipsticks…I know what you’re thinking, but you really don’t. Keep reading on how you can get creative with the makeup products you already have. Just PLEASE make sure to check the expiration dates on your products!  #2 Buy Budget-Friendly Brands Now I know this may be one of the most obvious tips, and I’ve already written an article about my favorite budget-friendly makeup brands, but please don’t think that your makeup application will look impeccable using only fancy, expensive, department store brands. In fact, some of the best makeup brands are affordable or can be found at your local drugstore. Brands such as Colourpop, Morphe, and NYX are super affordable and have every product you can think of to complete a full face of makeup! Most of these brands do n’t have products that cost more than $20, which is a great buy…and some of these brands arguably provide better application than the expensive brands. #3 Use Less Depending on your lifestyle and the seasons, you can definitely get away with a minimal and effortless beauty! Sometimes we don’t realize just how much makeup we’re wasting by just applying way more than we need. For instance, if you work from home full-time, or even hybrid, chances are you’re not wearing a full face of makeup while you’re working.  Now, perhaps you have a role that requires you to be on camera for meetings, I highly doubt anyone is going to notice your makeup. If I am working from home that day, I have no issue with applying just face powder/tinted moisturizer, lip gloss, and mascara. Aim for looking presentable and use less makeup.  Also – who really wants to wear a full face of makeup in the summer anyways? Less is More#4 Create Your OwnMY FAVORITE MAKEUP HACK!! I believe that makeup should be multipurpose, and I need to get all my money’s worth haha! When I was in makeup school (before TikTok and Instagram beauty influencers became popular), my makeup teacher taught me to never invest in makeup products that couldn’t be used for more than one purpose. Please see my short list of hacks, you’re welcome 🙂 Use lipstick as cream blush Use eyeshadow as blush, contour, and highlighter Use foundation as concealer and concealer as an eyeshadow base Use eyebrow pencils for lip liners and lip liners as eyeliners Mix clear lip gloss with a colored eyeshadow for a new lip color Essentially, as my makeup teacher said, “a cream is a cream, a powder is a powder, a liquid is a liquid, and a pencil is a pencil”. My rule of thumb, as long as you have 1-2 eyeshadow palettes (a neutral and a color palette), you’ll be fine. #5 Be Intentional This was something that I had to learn. I was just buying makeup just to be buying it. There was no reason why I was in Sephora when I was barely able to afford my minimum credit card payment (oh and I was definitely putting Sephora on that credit card too).  It was really bad when I would buy something only to discover that I already had that  product, and guess what – I was so lazy that I didn’t even bother returning it, I would just keep it. I had to start asking myself, “What do I really need from Sephora? Am I just buying because I’m bored? Why am I here again?” No lie, I’m super proud of myself and my progress 🙂 #6 Don’t Succumb to Beauty Influencers Social media and the influencer culture is truly a phenomenon that we really didn’t see coming 10-15 years ago! If I would have known that I can become a millionaire by posting makeup looks, I would have started a long time ago haha! However, social media can be a place where it’s very easy to feel like you aren’t “enough” and it can even affect your budget.  But next time you see a James Charles or a Jackie Aina, or another popular beauty influencer’s new makeup “haul”, always remember that they most likely did not use their own money to purchase those products. They are paid by these companies to give rave reviews so their followers will buy. I’m also willing to bet (in fact, I know so), that a lot of them are not huge fans of the products. #7 Find Your Signature Look Last but not least, you have to find your style of makeup and find your signature look. What’s a lipstick that looks amazing on you? If you don’t like false lashes, don’t wear them! If you think you look like a clown when you wear highlighter, don’t wear it! What I love about celebrities like Gwen Stefani, Taylor Swift, and Jennifer Lopez is that they know what makeup looks work for them and they stick with it. Gwen and Taylor love a bold red lip, so we’ll usually see them with a bold red lip. Jennifer looks amazing in her “J.Lo bronze glow”, that’s her signature look.  Finding your signature look will not only save you time, but money as well because you’re not going to question your makeup stash or feel like you constantly need to update your look. Don’t fix what’s not broken!  Related:5 Easy DIY Milk Bath Recipes Although these are just few ideas to earn some extra cash, there are plenty of options out there. Have you tried any of the methods listed above? If so, which one was your favorite and why? Check out our Facebook page and do not forget to join the Facebook group to keep up with all of our newest City Girl fun. Also, follow us on our other social media accounts Instagram and Twitter at @citgirlsavings, we will be sure to give a follow right back! -Lena The CGS … 7 Ways to Save Money on MakeupRead More »

#42: Budgeting as a Single Mom with Dyana from Money Boss Mama I’m not a mama…yet. I mean, who knows what the future holds.However, if I were a mom, I have no doubt that my budgeting practices would be taken up a few notches to make sure my kiddos, along with me, my priorities and goals were covered!That’s why I’m so excited to talk with Dyana from Money Boss Mama in this episode.Dyana’s going to share how she budgets as a single mom, makes time for herself and helps set her kids up for success.For all the mamas out there in the City Girl Savings community, this one’s for you!Here’s a glance at this episode:[04:28] Dyana shares how Money Boss Mama came to be and how quickly she saw success with it on social media.[09:58] Learn how Dyana felt when she found out she was pregnant and the mindset shifts that happened when she learned she would be a mom.[20:47] Dyana challenges listeners to think about their goals as it relates to their kids. She shares how she got her kids started with savings and assets at an early age.[32:00] Let budgeting be a liberating experience by recognizing what it actually is and how it can be used to your advantage.[37:20] Dyana gives her guidance for current and expecting moms.Click here to listen!Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts“I … #42: Budgeting as a Single Mom with Dyana from Money Boss MamaRead More »

Sometimes, debt can’t be avoided. We need money and we don’t have any available, so we turn to loans and credit cards. It’s the natural way of our society, and sometimes, taking on credit can be helpful. Unfor […]