November 2020 Money Pulse Check When it comes to your financial situation, it’s important to set goals and keep tabs on your progress along the way. If you aren’t setting goals, then what are you really working towards? And, if you aren’t keeping tabs on your progress, how do you know if you will actually reach your goals? The ability to pulse check your money at the end of each month will help! I am a firm believer in pulse checking your money and progress at the end of each month. I do month end money pulse checks myself, I help clients complete their month end money pulse checks, and in January of 2018, I started to go live at the end of each month to share my results. Every month, I quickly break down exactly how to pulse check your money, and share my month end money pulse check results. If you want a more in-depth overview of how to pulse check your month, watch the How to Pulse Check Your Money video. I hope this encourages you to start pulse checking your money each month. It’s a great way to pinpoint areas of opportunity, celebrate wins, and make sure you are on track to reach your goals. Here is a quick recap on how to pulse check your money: Refer to your budget Refer to your spending Refer to your goals Then, ask yourself the following questions: Did anything unexpected come up to throw off my budget? Should I budget for it moving forward? What areas did I overspend in? What areas did I under spend in? Did I spend more money than I made this month? How much did I contribute to my goals? Am I on track to reach my goal savings amount by my deadline? Your answers will help you plan your budget better for next month! You may even realize spending patterns you didn’t know you had. This will allow you to make changes to help you save more and manage your money better. My November month end money pulse check results: I had more money come in than expected (which is always nice). I profited $300 for the month. I saved extra, thanks to the Frugal Fall Savings Challenge I was overbudget in Personal Bills, Meals Out and Fun Spending I invested my profit via the Robinhood app Like I mentioned earlier, I hope my pulse check tutorial and results helps you to start this habit on your own! I will be going live at the end of each month on the City Girl Savings Facebook group to recap how to pulse check and sharing my results for the month. More money pulse checks are coming! -RayaThe CGS … November 2020 Money Pulse CheckRead More »

5 Things to Do Now to Set Your New Business Up for Success Just started a new business? Looking to get your business idea up and running? Well, congratulations are in order! Starting a business takes courage and is no easy feat. So, give yourself a pat on the back. Then, let’s get to work! I’m sharing 5 things to do now to set your new business up for success. Here’s the thing, if you’re brave enough to start a business, I want it to be as successful as it possibly can be. That means you need to have certain ducks in a row. Trust me, I’m speaking from experience. I did some of these things when starting City Girl Savings, and the other things, I wish I had done. Keep reading for 5 things to do instantly to make sure your new business is ready to succeed! #1 Open a Business Bank Account The first thing you should do when you set up your new business is to open a separate business bank account. It’s never a good idea to co-mingle personal money with business money. It makes for a terrible tax-season activity. It also makes it hard to understand what’s really from the business and what’s not. In order to get a business bank account set up, you’ll need to have a DBA for your business (if you’re a sole proprietor), or you’ll need your business LLC or corporation formation documents. Regardless of what form you set your business up as, you’ll need documentation to get your business bank accounts up and running. #2 Start Collecting Email Addresses Whether your business is online or brick and mortar, you want to start collecting information on your leads as soon as possible. When you start collecting email addresses, you can create a library of leads that can be reached out to on a regular basis. I wish I had paid more attention to this when I first started my business. What made it even worse is that my business is online-based, so any time a person visited my website, I lost out on capturing their information for future services. They would come to my website and leave. Who knows if I’d ever see them again? Whether you collect email addresses or another form of customer information, just start doing so as early as possible in your business. #3 Give in Exchange for Feedback and Reviews When you’re new in business, it can be hard to get the initial sales coming in. While that isn’t the case for all businesses, it was definitely the case for mine. I eventually had to give away free services to get some traction. However, it was the best thing I could’ve done for my business. I gave away a free budget plan in exchange for feedback and a review on social media. That review led to actual sales coming in instantly after the fact. It may be hard to part with your services for free or at a discount, but if it can lead you to feedback that will help you get more sales, it’s completely worth it. Make sure you’re ethical here. Don’t recruit a friend or family member to leave the review. Find your true ideal customer and target them. Those are the people you really want to be serving anyways. It may be more work in the beginning, but it will turn into more success rates in the future. #4 Create a Platform for Customers to Find You There are plenty of platform options you can choose from to help customers find you. If you like writing, consider starting a blog. If you like talking, then start a podcast. If you like being on video, start a YouTube channel. Regardless of which platform you choose, you need to establish somewhere for customers to find you and learn more about you. More and more businesses are moving to the podcast and video space, so if you’re new, I’d recommend one of those before a blog. However, you’ll still want a searchable website for your business. When you do decide on your platform and get it created, make sure you stay consistent with the content you put out there. No one takes a business seriously that disappears for months in between content being dropped. #5 Block Off Time to Work on Your Business If your new business is starting off as a side-gig or something your work on outside of your full-time job, make sure you put actual time your calendar to work on it. This is something that’s so important in the early stages because you’ll have the momentum. It’s not going to be easy to manage a day job and side hustle, so dedicating time to it will help you stay on track to work on it. If this is something you truly want, this may be a season in your life where you grind it out. You may have to say no to things that take time away from working on your business. That’s okay. As long as you know this is what you really want to do, you’ll make the sacrifice. Just know that it’s only temporary. This won’t be your life forever. If you’re struggling to allocate your income properly, schedule a free consultation with me now and let’s work through it together!Related: 5 Necessary Tools for Starting Your Side Hustle If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to getting your new business set up for success, the list above will help. Get these 5 things done first and the rest will fall in line. I’d love to know if you have started a business and what your first steps were! Is there anything you would do differently a second time around? Drop a comment to share with the CGS community. Feel … 5 Things to Do Now to Set Your New Business Up for SuccessRead More »

8 Ways to Save More Money During the Holiday Season Is it just me or do the holidays always seem to sneak up on us? Obviously, time flies. And…if it weren’t for the Frugal Fall Savings Challenge, I’d likely not be anywhere close to prepared. I don’t have a huge family that I buy holiday gifts for, but there’s still money to be spent. I know I’m not alone, and that’s why I’m sharing 8 ways to save more money during the holiday season. The holidays may sneak up on you, but there’s still plenty of opportunities to save more money. Consider the tips below when you start mapping out your holiday spending plan. And yes, you do need a holiday spending game plan! These ways to save should be incorporated! #1 Give Yourself a Spending Limit I can’t stress this enough. When you have a set limit, you know when to stop. If you go into the mall with no limit in sight, you’re bound to spend more than you should. If you’ve never given yourself a spending limit before, reflect on past holiday seasons. Do you have an idea of how much you spent in the past? Did that number hurt you financially? If you have no place to start, give yourself the same amount you spent last year. My main purpose for you is to be realistic. If you spent $1000 on gifts last year, giving yourself a limit of $250 this year isn’t very realistic. When your limits aren’t realistic, you’re more likely to exceed them – which can make you feel bad. Give yourself a number that’s realistic but also won’t put you significantly behind if spent. #2 Cut Back on Extras During the Holiday Months Did you start planning for the holidays later than planned? The best plan of attack will be to cut back on the extras while you make your way through the holiday months. Instead of going out to eat multiple times a week, stay home, and use that money to help pay for gifts. Keep in mind that the extra cutbacks are only temporary. Once the holidays are over, you can go back to your old spending patterns. The whole point is to make sure you’re not spending more money than you can afford to during the holiday season. #3 Consider the Secret Santa Method When you think about past holiday seasons and how quickly they add up, it could be time to start suggesting other gift-giving methods.  If you have a large family, suggest the Secret Santa method. Everyone picks a random name and gets a gift for that person. No one is left out and you don’t have to buy gifts for so many people. If the Secret Santa method doesn’t work well for your friends and family, suggest a gift-giving limit. No one can exceed $25 on a gift. Most likely, your friends and family also have budgets they’re sticking to. Your suggestion could be helping them stay on track as well! #4 Avoid Self-Gifting This is a hard one to do. I say that because I’ve been notorious for buying myself stuff when the holiday sales pop up. The thing is its money spent that shouldn’t be. It’s money that could be used to help you stick to your other gift-giving limits. If there are a few things you need and you’ve been waiting for the right time, different story. Just don’t go overboard with buying things for yourself. That’s a sure-fire way to throw your budget down the drain. #5 Price-Matching is a Thing Big name stores are all open to price-matching. Basically, if you find an item you bought at one store for less at another store, take it back to your store and get the difference refunded to you. This can help you save more money, but does require work and research on your part. You have to keep your eyes and ears open as you’re buying gifts. You also need to keep all your receipts handy. However, if you do this right, you could rack up quite a bit of savings! #6 Be Cautious with Sales Sales are designed to get people to spend more money than they should. While you think you’re getting a discount (and technically you are), if you weren’t planning on spending that money, it doesn’t matter how great of a discount your getting. You’re still spending money that you shouldn’t be. As long as you have your limits set, you’ll know that sales can only take you so far. Proceed with caution and stick to your limits – you’ll be just fine! #7 Look for Coupons and Coupon Codes The internet is a fascinating thing! If you haven’t scoured it already looking for coupons and coupon codes, your mind will be blown! When you have an idea of the gifts you want to buy, do an internet search to see if there are any coupons available for those gifts. You may be able to save more money on your gifts, simply by doing a little research. #8 Start Shopping Early The best thing you can do for your money and budget is to start shopping early! When you get an early start, you aren’t panicked. You can wait to see if better sales will come, or wait to see if the item gets marked own. You have time to pay the best price for your gifts. Get your holiday spending game plan in order and soon as possible. It will make for a much smoother holiday shopping experience! Related: How to Avoid Holiday Spending Anxiety The holidays don’t have to leave you broke! In fact, they should leave you ready to start the new year on a positive note! The ways to save more money during the holiday season listed above should definitely help! If you have any other ways you save money during the holidays, I’d love to know. Post a comment below to share the different ways you … 8 Ways to Save More Money During the Holiday SeasonRead More »

6 Surprising Health Concerns that Cause Headaches Do you suffer from headaches? Your day-to-day routine might be to blame. Fortunately for you, most of these hidden headache triggers can be easily fixed. According to medical studies, there are a total of fourteen different types of headaches you can experience.  Your headache symptoms can help you determine which type of headache you’re experiencing. Check out these six surprising health concerns that may be causing those awful headaches. #1 Not Drinking WaterHeadaches can have causes that aren’t due to underlying disease. Examples include lack of sleep, an incorrect eyeglass prescription, stress, loud noise exposure, or tight headwear.  Many times, a headache is also associated with not consuming enough water and becoming dehydrated. When you get dehydrated, your brain tissue loses water, causing your brain to shrink and pull away from the skull. This triggers the pain receptors surrounding the brain, giving you a headache.  Dehydration also causes your blood volume to drop that in turn lowers the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Drink plenty of water to deal with this headache trigger! #2 Computer Use Those of us that are working from home may be finding that we are looking at the computer screen longer than normal. If you’re anything like me, sometimes you’re working into the wee hours of the night.  Headaches from our computers are often caused by computer vision syndrome (CVS). In the simplest terms possible, it’s because computer screens emit blue light, which is designed to mimic the sun. If you spend extended periods of time on your computer, you might get a headache due to glare on the screen, poor lighting in your workspace, improper computer brightness, and color, or a combination of all these factors.  Try using a computer application that adjusts screen brightness and color, and take regular breaks from being in front of a screen! #3 Coffee Oddly enough, what makes caffeine effective in pain relief can also cause headaches. Since caffeine narrows the blood vessels that surround your brain, when you stop taking it they expand again, and that can cause pain.  When you combine caffeine with pain relievers, this condition is more likely. Coffee headaches are quite common: more than a billion people reportedly suffer from migraines worldwide. Headaches can also occur if your dosage tends to change from day to day drastically.  The absolute best rule of thumb is to drink coffee is in moderation. We say moderation because there are some positives in consuming caffeine. However, you should be especially cautious if you suffer from headaches—after all, you know your body better then anyone. #4 Vitamin Deficiency  If you experience pounding headaches, examining your diet and lifestyle could be key. In some cases, a vitamin deficiency leads to a worsening of headaches or even migraines.  Studies have shown that a diet deficient in vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, vitamin B6, folic acid, magnesium, and vitamin B12 could contribute to frequent migraines and other health issues.  Eat more foods like legumes, nuts, seeds, leafy vegetables, and fortified foods like breakfast cereals. There is also good evidence that magnesium deficiency can contribute to migraines. Magnesium is considered a natural “relaxer” of the muscle and nervous system. #5 Mobile Device Use Cradling your phone between your ear and your shoulder for calls lasting longer than a couple of minutes can strain your neck and lead to tension headaches. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and feel like a constant ache or pressure around the head, or a headache in the back of the head or neck.  Tension headaches are not as severe as migraines and aren’t usually accompanied by nausea and vomiting, which means they rarely stop someone from continuing their regular activities (so they’re just a huge nuisance).  Over-the-counter treatments, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen (Tylenol), are usually sufficient to treat tension headaches, which experts believe may be caused by contraction of neck and scalp muscles (including in response to stress), and possibly changes in brain chemicals. Try to use your hands-free headset, or the speaker option, whenever possible to avoid experiencing tension headaches. #6 Lack of Back Support Believe it or not, most chairs are made for the average 5-foot-8 man; if your chair is too big, it might not support your back, causing strain and headaches, says New York City physical therapist Karen Litzy.  Low back pain and headache are the leading causes of disability worldwide. Low back pain has a high healthcare burden, and in the most recent global burden of disease study, both low back pain and migraine were featured in the five leading causes.  People with both headache disorders and low back pain might constitute a neglected group that could have both conditions managed in combination rather than as separate entities. Finding a chair that fits your body or using cushions to properly support your back can help! Related: 6 Easy Ways to Be Healthier Instantly If you or someone you know has been experiencing headaches at a high volume, please see or speak with your primary care provider or healthcare provider to get the proper help needed. The unfortunate truth is we cannot determine the internal issues by looking at our body from the outside, and seeking the correct medical care is always best. Have you ever received ahead from one of these surprising ways? If yes, how did you resolve it?  Check us out on our other social platforms to keep up with all the latest finance gems, and lifestyle tips via our Instagram and Twitter @citygirlsavings. Additionally, join in the convo with the City Girl Savings community via our Facebook page. We always lo … 6 Surprising Health Concerns that Cause HeadachesRead More »

6 Ways to Make the Most of Holiday Spending The holidays are truly a wonderful time of the year. It’s the season of giving and showing others you care. While that always brings good feelings, it can lead to bad spending choices. Unfortunately, bad spending choices can have long-lasting damage. Instead of digging yourself into a deeper hole, I want you to make the most of holiday spending. I want you to spend wisely and in a way that doesn’t leave you behind financially. I’m sharing 6 ways you can make the most of holiday spending, and still come out on top with your budget! 6 Ways to Make the Most of Holiday Spending #1 – Always have a game plan before going shopping Before I became budget-conscious, the holidays would always sneak up on me. Before I knew it, another holiday season was here that I didn’t plan for. I would go buy presents without any type of plan or budget. This led to so much extra debt, that took months and months to pay off. Now, I think about my holiday shopping game plan months in advance. For example, we know Christmas is December 25th, so I’m game planning my holiday shopping in October. I’d like to work towards July or August, but I’m happy with October for now. I think about how much I want to spend in total, how much I want to spend on those I’m shopping for, and how much I want to spend on myself. I also think about what I want to get as presents. That way I’m not caught off-guard by something that’s out of budget. I know what you’re thinking, “she spends on herself during the holidays?” Yes, I do. Because the sales are too good to pass up, and I wait until this time of the year to stock up on things I need. If you need things, or you’re used to buying things for yourself, you can’t leave that out of your holiday shopping game plan! #2 – Review your spending limits and be realistic Once you’ve created your holiday shopping game plan, you need to re-review the spending limits you set. Are they realistic? You can have the best intention of only spending $25 per person, but are you capable of sticking to it? If you know you like to treat those you love during the holidays, setting an unrealistic limit sets you up for failure. I’m not saying you need to break the bank. I’m also not saying that if you can handle small limits to go higher. I’m saying that you need to be realistic with what you plan on spending. Once you’ve determined a realistic spending limit, take a look at your financials. Does that number put you back at all? Can you start saving for it early? Not only does it need to be a realistic amount to spend, but it needs to be a realistic amount you can afford. #3 – Do your research and take advantage of sales When you know your spending limits and you have an idea of what you want to buy, you can start keeping an eye out. Research the same item and different stores. Who has the best price? Who has sales coming up that can bring the price down further? Do the stores have price-matching? Do your research ahead of time, so you aren’t left with the most expensive option. #4 – Give yourself time to get all of your shopping doneThe best thing you can do for your holiday spending is starting early. When you wait until the last minute, your game plan becomes harder and harder to follow. The options are limited and the prices may be higher than what you’d pay had you started earlier. I give myself two months to get all my shopping done. That way I’m not shelling out all my money at once but over time. It also gives me more of an opportunity to stash extra money away to pay for my gifts. I usually participate in the Frugal Fall Savings Challenge to ensure I have money for holiday shopping. However, setting money aside earlier is always a good tactic. #5 – Not everyone needs you to spend money on them  If you come to find that you’re not doing a good job of sticking to your budget limits, reassess who you’re buying gifts for. I used to be the person who bought just about anyone in my life a gift. While my intentions were great, it was completely unnecessary. It also cost me a lot more money than I could afford to spend. Acquaintances and co-workers don’t need lavish gifts. If you feel compelled to get something, buy a bulk set of wine (or anything else) and parse out the inventory. You also can’t go wrong with classic Christmas cards. At the end of the day, the acknowledgment is more important than the gift behind it. #6 – If it puts you into debt, it’s not a good idea The last thing I want to leave you with is this…if your holiday spending is putting you into debt, it’s not a good idea. As hard as it may before you to limit the gifts or the spending, it’s absolutely necessary. Your friends and family don’t want you to go into debt for them. This is about you and your need to show people you care. You can show that caring in other ways. Start breaking the bad holiday spending habits now, so you can master it in the future. Ideally, you’ll be making more money every year, so you don’t want to put yourself behind for the holidays. If you have to take on debt to cover your holiday shopping, reconsider what you’re doing. If you’re struggling to allocate your income properly, schedule a free consultation with me now and let’s work through it together! Related: 6 Ways to Maximize Black Friday Shopping Like I said, the holidays are a wonderful time of the year. You just need to make sure you aren’t overindulging and starting the new year off from behind. There are still plenty of holiday seasons to come! Are you pretty good about spending money during the holidays? What tips do you have to share? Post your feedback in the Comments section … 6 Ways to Make the Most of Holiday SpendingRead More »

October 2020 Money Pulse Check When it comes to your financial situation, it’s important to set goals and keep tabs on your progress along the way. If you aren’t setting goals, then what are you really working towards? And, if you aren’t keeping tabs on your progress, how do you know if you will actually reach your goals? The ability to pulse check your money at the end of each month will help! I am a firm believer in pulse checking your money and progress at the end of each month. I do month end money pulse checks myself, I help clients complete their month end money pulse checks, and in January of 2018, I started to go live at the end of each month to share my results. Every month, I quickly break down exactly how to pulse check your money, and share my month end money pulse check results. If you want a more in-depth overview of how to pulse check your month, watch the How to Pulse Check Your Money video. I hope this encourages you to start pulse checking your money each month. It’s a great way to pinpoint areas of opportunity, celebrate wins, and make sure you are on track to reach your goals. Here is a quick recap on how to pulse check your money: Refer to your budget Refer to your spending Refer to your goals Then, ask yourself the following questions: Did anything unexpected come up to throw off my budget? Should I budget for it moving forward? What areas did I overspend in? What areas did I under spend in? Did I spend more money than I made this month? How much did I contribute to my goals? Am I on track to reach my goal savings amount by my deadline? Your answers will help you plan your budget better for next month! You may even realize spending patterns you didn’t know you had. This will allow you to make changes to help you save more and manage your money better. My October month end money pulse check results: Profited $30 for the month (made $30 more than spent). Right on track with “Dining/Meals Out” numbers. I was over budget in “Personal Bills” due to a credit card annual fee and baby shower expenses. Digit saved me an extra $235 this month (in honor of the Frugal Fall Savings Challenge).   Like I mentioned earlier, I hope my pulse check tutorial and results helps you to start this habit on your own! I will be going live at the end of each month on the City Girl Savings Facebook group to recap how to pulse check and sharing my results for the month. More money pulse checks are coming! -RayaThe CGS … October 2020 Money Pulse CheckRead More »