5 Courses I Wish I Took in College It has been about 12 years since I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (I-L-L-I-N-I) with a degree in Media Studies and a double-minor in Gender & Women’s Studies AND Sociology. Now while I loved my major and minors, I can honestly say that I barely remember any of those specific classes I had to take, let alone the million and one prerequisite (Gen Ed) courses that most universities require in order to graduate. Now that I’m an adult and well into my career in marketing, I can’t help but think that colleges should offer courses that we will use in our daily adult life. In fact, we should have college students take an entire semester of “Adulting 101” classes that should be treated as Gen Ed courses! If I were to ever have a university named after me (Lena I. Dell University), these are the 5 courses I would require all students to take in order to graduate. Do you agree with my list?  #1 Financial Literacy This wouldn’t be a City Girl Savings article if this course wasn’t number one! I’m not ashamed to say that being within the CGS community has changed how I view my finances, but it would have been amazing if college offered a course that taught us how to budget, how to understand credit, investing, how to buy a house, taxes, you know…the financial aspects of adulting. Unfortunately, society leaves it up to the parents/guardians to teach us about personal finance, but what if they weren’t taught by their parents? Ohhh at my university, you’d need a B+ to pass 🙂 #2 Career Planning Ask yourself this question: When did you learn how to interview for a job? Better question – did you seek this skill out or was it mandatory to learn? I’m still not confident in my cover letter skills and I have been in the adult workforce for over 10 years! For women, and especially women of color, learning how to know your worth when applying for jobs AND learning how to confidently negotiate your salaries would have been gems to learn in college! I’m so happy I chose to invest in myself with job/career coaches, but it would have been so cool to learn these skills before the age of 21! #3 Personal BrandingNow this one is for my Millennials for real – how dope would it have been to learn how to market and brand ourselves right before the social media phenomenon occurred? How about being aware of your digital footprint (social media, old Tumblr blogs, opinionated think pieces) because anything on Beyonce’s internet lasts forever. I personally would have loved to learn branding etiquette in college. I think anything that relates to putting your best self into the world is a skill that should be taught to everyone, especially college students going into professional careers. Check out 5 Easy Ways to Incorporate More of You in Your Branding. #4 Home Economics Now I don’t know about you, but I wish I took this class in high school. Unfortunately, this course was just an elective in my high school…and wow, do I wish I took it!  If you grew up watching TV in the 90s, you’d know that there was ALWAYS that episode of a show where one of the main characters is doing some kind of project/activity in Home Economics. I’m just now really being intentional in learning how to cook, which I’m loving, so this would have been a great skill to learn in college – instead of just knowing how to boil water for Ramen noodles 🙂 How about learning other life skills, such as how to sew, how to change a tire, and the infamous doll baby to learn how to care for a baby…that would have been a sight to see at campus Greek parties! #5 Health & Fitness Listen, if this course was offered at the collegiate level, I probably would not have gained the Freshman 15, or 25 –  no judgment here. Learning how to properly read labels on food packaging, learning about macros, BMI, and the importance of exercise and stretching! Millennials, what body part is aching today? Haha, it’s my lower back today… This would have been a crucial class to take because when we’re young and in college, we think we’re invincible with this “Young Forever” mindset, which is great to have, but as my parents say, “Just Keep on Living”…oh, and we needed to learn the importance of sleep in college as well. Related: 5 Helpful Resources to Learn More About Finance What about you – what other adulting courses do you wish you took in college? Do you think it would have changed your career path or even how you live your life today? What was your most memorable course you took in college? Let me know! Drop a comment to share! -Le … 5 Courses I Wish I Took in CollegeRead More »

#36: Putting More of You Into Your Branding Believe me when I say nothing sells better than YOU! Whether you’re selling yourself to a job, selling yourself as a business owner, or selling yourself to a brand. I used to hide behind the City Girl Savings brand. Instead of putting my name and face out there, I’d act as if I was The CGS Team. Technically, I wasn’t acting – I was The CGS Team! My point is that I never let anyone see or hear from me…from Raya. For years I did this, and it wasn’t until I started coming out of the shadows that my business truly started to take off. In this episode, I’m sharing how you can put more of YOU into your personal or business branding. Here’s a glance at this episode: [02:10] When I started being myself, unapologetically, it has opened my business to many more opportunities. [03:42] I break down the things I would share in my content and how detailed I got with those sharing items to really put myself into the mix. [05:22] Use your thoughts as nuggets when creating your content. Sprinkle in bits and pieces of your own experiences. [07:16] An easy way to ease into sharing more about yourself is by letting people know about your favorite things. Click here to listen! Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I l … #36: Putting More of You Into Your BrandingRead More »

I personally don’t have kids (yet, who knows what the future holds ). However, if I did have them or when I do have them, you can guarantee that I’ll be teaching them about money as early as I possibly can. We liv […]

5 Hacks to Organize Your Office for Success Stepping into your office space should make you feel like you want to tackle the day and be as productive as possible. Though I understand if that’s not the case when you have paperwork ceiling high, file cabinets not being able to shut at all, on top of not knowing where anything important is when you need it! When your office is organized, you have a better sense of where things are on the fly, and it just feels better walking into your office and not running over documents! Keep reading for five hacks to organize your office for a successful tomorrow. #1 Use CalendarsThough it seems obvious, calendars can help you visualize your schedule and remind you of important events, such as holidays, anniversaries and vacation time. Whether you choose online calendars, such as Google Calendar or other apps, or a paper-and-pen notebook, calendars provide many benefits in both your academic and personal life. Calendars are easy to personalize, depending on your work habits, access to technology and other preferences.  Whether it’s a wall hanging calendar or the desk ones – every office should have one in it to make sure your organization is on point! This hack may help save you time on project deadlines and serve as a personal reminder for daily life activities. There’s less of a chance you’ll forget something because you have it written down in a calendar you frequently visit. #2 Time Management Although time management may not seem like a hack, it’s vital to work on because organization doesn’t happen overnight. Bloc off time on your calendar to dedicate a few hours to organizing your office space. Take it in chunks! Set up time to go through and trash documents. Then, take time to visualize how you want your space to be organized.  From there, take time to decide which files need to be placed in the filing cabinet and which ones can be placed on your desk in an organized manner. Once the paper is properly separated you can then start putting items away accordingly. The point is to manage your time so that your office gets organized in a way that’s the most helpful for you. #3 PurgePurging can be therapeutic for some. If you’re like me then it can be tough to part ways with things – even if it’s a post-it note that just has some motivational words written on it. However, I do encourage you to purge as much as possible when you’re cleaning and organizing your office area to avoid hoarding. Remove everything, clean it thoroughly and only put back on the desk the items that are essential. By essential, I mean the things that you refer to on a daily basis. It’s better to have the frequently-used items out, so you don’t tornado your room trying to look for them later. Anything else can be placed in your desk, filing cabinet or other storage area. #4 Invest In Furniture Sometimes, making a quick run to IKEA for a budget-friendly piece of office furniture is a must! The more storage space you have in your office, the less crowded your office can feel with documents and books. If you’re an avid reader, perhaps getting a multifunctional piece of furniture fits more into your organizational space. Or if you want to separate bills from work documents, you can purchase a filing organizer that sits on your desk along with a filing cabinet for more personal and home documents. The last thing you want to do is get cluttered because you’re mixing work and life. Some key office furniture pieces to consider: Bookcase Filing cabinet Desk (obviously) Storage container/unit #5 Get a Label Maker Let’s be real, label makers do kind of tie your office together with a pinch of organizing! They’re light, portable and those labels can help you identify items quickly, saving you time and energy. Label makers are especially helpful to those who have illegible handwriting, too. We always see them online and in stores but never really think twice when it comes to purchasing one. Well, this is your sign to pick it up and take it home. Printed labels make organization easy and help you identify what you need, when you need it. They create order where they may be chaos.   Related: 8 Chic Office Accessories to Stay Organized I hope that with these hacks you can now enjoy your office being clutter free! How many times would you say your office needs to be organized? Have you tried any of these hacks? If so, which ones worked the best and which ones the least? Stay current with all of your financial and lifestyle tips by following City Girl Savings on our Instagram @citygirlsavings, Twitter @citygirlsavings and YouTube page @cirygirlsavings. On the go? No worries! You can even catch our founder dropping financial tips on how to reach your money goals via our City Girl Savings Podcast on all listening platforms like Apple a … 5 Hacks to Organize Your Office for SuccessRead More »

#35: Breaking Free of Broke Once and For All I need to stress something for a second…and I want to stress that being “broke” is not something anyone should flaunt or speak into their life.We are what we think about. And if we’re constantly thinking we’re broke or we don’t have enough, then that becomes our truth.If you are constantly calling yourself broke, it’s time to change your tune.No more putting out into the universe that you’re broke. No more acting in accordance with that limiting belief.I’d rather you say you are a work in progress!Outside of removing “broke” from your vocabulary, in this episode, I’m sharing how you can break free from broke…once and for all!Here’s a glance at this episode:[02:35] Should you really be “broke”? I’m sharing 5 signs you probably shouldn’t be as broke as you are.[04:05] If you don’t take ownership and get your spending under control, you’ll always feel like your broke and out of control with your money.[07:20] Are you in the same spot with your money year over year? The goal is to have steady, continuous growth, even if it’s small growth.[09:32] A budget can help you understand your situation clearly and determine limits to your spending.[11:00] Instead of focusing on the money problems, focus on the solutions to the problems! A shift in mindset can go a long way.Click here to listen!Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts“I love Raya … #35: Breaking Free of Broke Once and For AllRead More »

7 Habits to Develop to Level Up Your Life My goal every day is to be a better version of myself than from the previous day. I say this, but let’s be realistic, some days I’m just grateful that I made the bed that morning (if I even got out of bed). However, the goal remains the same – just being consistent in at least trying to be better. Right now, we are in the midst of the “level up” movement, arguably brought to the mainstream by Ciara’s hit song, “Level Up”. But what exactly does “leveling up” mean? I define it for myself simply as a way to increase my personal identity, my current situation; a shift; a way to allow the Universe to shower me with abundance. Still confused? Keep reading to see what habits to develop to level up your life! #1 Create a Morning & Evening Routine Ok – now this one right here, I’m sure you’ve seen a plethora of influencers’ “My Morning/Evening Routine” videos (you know the ones, where they “wake up” and there’s magically a camera already recording).  Now don’t get me wrong, these videos are entertaining, which is why they are so powerful, but why are they popular? They provide us with structure within our days, they establish discipline and self-control, and they help prioritize your important tasks for the day. Everyone’s routines will look different, but some of my tasks in my morning routine include meditating, getting my morning walk/”strut”, and listening to either music or a motivational podcast while getting ready for work. Some of my evening routines include planning out the next day in my planner, getting in some strength training, and doing my skincare routine. Again – no routine is perfect, and newsflash – your morning and evening routines should not make you more stressed or should include so many tasks that you’re overwhelmed. Level up your routines by being consistent, but also realistic. Check out the article 7 Bright Ways to Start a Positive Day for more ideas. #2 Get Comfortable Saying “No”  “Hi, my name is Lena and I’m a recovering people-pleaser”. Let me just say that investing in a professional therapist/life coach is already a way to level up your life but the hardest truth I learned about myself through therapy was that I have always been a people-pleaser.  Now this can show up differently in self-proclaimed people-pleasers, but for me, it meant that I would always put other people’s needs, wants, and desires before mine. I never established boundaries with people because I was afraid of either hurting their feelings or making them feel uncomfortable in any way.  When I became intentional about leveling up my life, I decided to start by learning to use an amazing two-letter word, that doubles as a complete sentence, “No”. Oh you’re going to ruffle some folks’ feathers, but something I had to remember: everyone isn’t meant to go with you to the next level of your life. #3 Learn that Change is Necessary So, I was recently in the job market, researching and looking for my next job venture. After working with an amazing career coach, and re-working my resume, I felt very confident in my resume, especially my objective section! However, I remember being so annoyed that I had to revamp my objective for every job I was applying for; why couldn’t my generic objective be enough? I needed to learn how to change my mindset around objectives for jobs. Each job was different, so I needed to treat my “goal” differently for each job.  Ultimately, I learned to take this same mindset to other areas of my life. I have been wanting to lose a certain amount of weight for I don’t know how long. It wasn’t until I made a drastic change to my diet and lifestyle that I started to see some significant weight loss. When you level up, you have to do some things differently in order to get different results. #4 Practice Time ManagementThis kind of goes hand-in-hand with my first habit, but time management is one of those skills that I think should be taught in college, because as we get older with more responsibilities (jobs, families, hobbies, side hustles, etc), time (like money) needs to be managed, allotted, and budgeted.  I wrote a similar article on how to be more productive, but trust me, time management is still a skill that I am trying to master. Some people live by their Google calendars, while some do best with having their “to-do” lists on their Notes app on their phones. I grew up in the 90s, where Lisa Frank stationery was all the rage, so I love planners, cute pens, etc., and I love writing things down – so it’s really about finding the best time management system for you. Again – this is a skill that will need practice, but always remember that we all have 24 hours in a day, use that time wisely 🙂 #5 Keep Learning New Skills In addition to learning to manage your time, ALWAYS be open to learning new skills! If 2020 – 2022 has taught us anything, it’s that a traditional 9-5 job is not as “stable” as we are taught to believe and the traditional college route isn’t the ONLY path to success. So many people took the initiative to start up businesses during those unprecedented times and many others decided to look online to learn new skills!  How many of us learned how to bake sourdough bread during lockdown from TikTok or YouTube? How about learning a new language, how to create social media viral videos, or learning a new hobby? My point is, always be a learner of life as you do not know when your new skills will help you earn money in unexpected ways! #6 Always Network I know you’ve heard the saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. Well, it’s not a saying for nothing, neither is the saying, “Your network is your net worth”. So why are these sayings popular? Because they have proven to be true for a lot of people in getting to the next level in their life.  It’s like the “Six Degrees of Separation” – somebody in your circle always knows somebody who knows somebody, so always be willing to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people, go to different social events, take a class, show up!  I know it may be easier said than done, but remember, leveling up is all about growth, and it will be uncomfortable at times, but welcome the discomfort, it means you’re learning and growing into a better version of yourself. You never know, you may just meet someone who can change your life in the best way possible, so polish up, buttercup! #7 Get Physical Ok, I saved the most obvious one for last because who doesn’t want to level up their fitness game? I won’t bore you with all the benefits of exercise and nutrition, but the hard truth is this: we’re not going to be young forever, we’re not going to have the same stamina forever, and we’re not going to have Megan Thee Stallion knees forever (not even in our 30s). So what does this mean? It’s time to take control over your health TODAY! If you’re a Millennial like myself, we need to be more aware of our physical well-being so we can age gracefully! Get out and take a walk, join a gym, take some dance classes, invest in a personal trainer/nutritionist. We’re not just doing this for vanity reasons (but who wouldn’t want to look great naked), but we’re leveling up our bodies and mental health as well! Related: 9 Positive Affirmations for Happiness and Success What other ways/areas of your life are you leveling up? What habits from the list above can you incorporate in your daily life? Remember, the level up journey is a never-ending jo … 7 Habits to Develop to Level Up Your LifeRead More »

#34: How to Be Intentional with Your Money At the end of the day, it’s not about how much money you make…it’s about how intentional you are with your money. A person who makes a lot but spends a lot is less effective than the person who doesn’t make a lot but also doesn’t spend a lot. It all comes down to being intentional. Are you thinking through each purchase? Are you leveraging your money to get ahead? Regardless of how much you make, as long as you’re intentional with your money, you will see results. In this episode, I’m sharing how to be intentional with your money, so you can get ahead. Here’s a glance at this episode: [02:50] Understanding everything it takes to be familiar with your overall financial standing – all accounts included. [05:07] The first step to being more intentional with your money is knowing where you currently stand and a budget is the best way to know that information. [09:27] Overcoming the temptation to spend when I know I shouldn’t was a big factor in ultimately curbing my overall desire to spend. [11:56] Setting intentional money goals can help you stay on track and make the right financial decisions in your situation. Click here to listen! Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts “I love … #34: How to Be Intentional with Your MoneyRead More »

Back when the City Girl Savings blog launched in 2015, we had shared an article called What College Really Costs to help shed light on the rising costs associated with higher education. Here we are 7 years later, […]

No matter how old we get, the fall season will always bring “back to school” vibes! While we may not be in school anymore, the learning never stops. One area of education that should always be improving is fin […]

#33: Leveraging Social Media to Your Advantage with Ebony Smith Social media has changed the game for many people. In fact, there’s a whole industry around influencer marketing that has made regular people very wealthy. Regardless of if you want to be an influencer or not, social media can be leveraged to help build your personal brand, or the brand of your business. In this episode, I’m speaking with CGS client turned business owner Ebony Smith. Ebony took her social media marketing business full time last year and has leveraged social media to transition her business to offering CEOs operational support. Ebony shares tips and tricks to help anyone leverage social media to their advantage. Here’s a glance at this episode: [03:55] Ebony shares how her business has transitioned from graphic design to social media management to operational support. [08:35] Emotions are already high when you’re pregnant. Ebony shares how she dealt with being forced to take her business full time after maternity leave ended. [15:40] There is such a thing as posting too much content! Make sure you’re not overdoing it with your audience by posting too much. [22:20] Social media can be the catalyst for creating long-lasting relationships, both personal and business. [28:52] Dealing with bots and spam comments? You’re not alone! Learn how Instagram is trying to regulate the bots. [36:00] You don’t need to pay for a tool to post automatically to Instagram! Ebony shares this budget-friendly work around to consistent automatic posts. [40:00] Don’t give up on your social media goals! Ebony shares how you can stay focused and not worry about what other people are doing. Click here to listen! Rate, Review, & Follow on App … #33: Leveraging Social Media to Your Advantage with Ebony SmithRead More »