Plans For 2011

I have finally sat down and made a plan for my life, well part of it anyway. I know it may not go exactly as I want it, but I am gonna do my best. I have only gotten through 2011 for the most part, but it is the beginning of the rest of my life.

To begin with I have found a school that I can attend to get my Real Estate license in a fraction of the time it would have taken me to get it at the Community College. The school is Champion School of Real Estate.  This school is also going to be a fraction of the cost. I am hoping to start after the first of the year, and should have my Realtor license by the time I have the baby in June.

After I have my license I plan on working with a Realtor company for about six months, and then I am planning on moving to Colorado by the end of the year. I want to make this move to have a new beginning in my life, and feel it will help me in every way.

Until now I have always worried about what other people think about my choice in life, but I can no longer do that. I am making a life changing plan for me and my child, and do not think anyone has any say over whether I can improve my life in this way or not. I now have my plan, and will do everything I can to make it all happen.

Need to Vent

I have been trying not to get overly stressed about my finances, but I can't help it. I am now faced with the possibility of having two new babies soon, and worried about working during all of the pregnancy. I was told I couldn't work last week because I was sick, so i missed two days of work. I only work part time as it is, and only earn minimum wage. I still have to keep my head up.

The positives of the last week or so is that the baby/babies father is starting to come back into the picture. Once he realized that I was not lying about him being the father he knew he did not want to miss everything. He did tell me that he was going to try to have everything taken care of. I truly pray that he does, because I want to be able to provide a good future for the baby/babies.

I know that everything is going to work out. I just have to stay focused on the things I want to do, and provide. I am preparing for the worse financially, and hope it does not come to it. I am hoping that i have enough put away in case I have to take maternity leave early, and plan on not receiving an income during that time. The only income that I will have coming in will be my online income, and it is not that great at the moment. Maybe I will get rich with my online work over the next six months :)  It never hurts to dream!

I Have Never Been More Motivated on My Financial Future

It is so funny how becoming pregnant has changed my thought pattern in a lot of ways. Instead of only thinking about me, I have another person to think about. I may even have two other people to think about if it turns out that I am having twins. (I will find out in a few weeks) Now I see why so many moms work there behinds off. I want to be one of those moms that work hard and can provide for there children.

I have never been so focused on making more of an income, and getting all of my finances in order. Everything has been crossing my mind; unpaid maternity leave, possibility of having to take maternity leave early, planning for the future of the baby(babies) and so much more. I am trying to plan for the harder alternatives so I can hopefully be better prepared when  thinks actually work out well. I guess its those motherly instincts that everyone has been telling me about.

School is still in my future. I have to pay $700 to a school that I went to a few years ago so I can get my transcript, and then I will be applying to attend the community college in my area. Planning for this will help my babies future, as well as my own. I just know that the next few years is going to be a struggle, but it is going to be well worth it when it is all said and done. I will be going to school to get my degree in applied science. I am wanting to get into real estate. I have wanted this for years and I am now focused on getting it done.

To prepare for everything I am pushing to earn more online so I will have an income coming in just in case my maternity leave comes early, and because my maternity leave is unpaid. The income will also help with so much more in my life. I have decided to put more of a schedule together, and just have more focus. I know that everything is going to work out, it is just going to take focus and determination from me.

Credit is going to be getting better soon

I am finally feeling a little more confident about my credit. I did have a few things removed from my credit, which will help. I have also now received my secured credit card. I have decided to use it to pay my storage bill every month, and then pay it off. This will help prevent me from using it for unnecessary purchases. The balance owed monthly will be less than half of the available balance, and it will be paid in full every month. Those two factors can greatly increase your credit score in a shorter amount of time.

In addition to my secured credit card I have been paying my monthly payment to the government student loans. I have paid the payment on time for four months now. After six months I will be able to get additional student loans, and after 9 months my student loans will actually go from a negative on my credit report to a positive.

I am figuring that my credit score will be increased by at least 100 points by April of 2011 with the things I have been doing. After my score has been increased and has some positive transactions on it I will then try to get financed for a reasonable car. This may be a little more difficult with my low income, but I am hoping that my income will actually be increased as well.

In other areas of my life:

I had to go to the hospital last night due to being sick. I have bronchitis, which is not to bad. The news is that they listened to the heartbeat and actually heard two in addition to mine. I am not 100% positive about it being twins, but it is enough to have me terrified. I am a single first time mother with a small income, and to have two babies is very scary for me. I am scared, but I know I will get through it. I feel as if this was a plan from God, and it is what he wants. I will get through it with planning, support from family, and hopefully increasing my income.

Minimum Wage

I have been reading a lot of articles about working for minimum wage, because that is what I am working for at the moment. I actually read one comment on an article that said only teenagers work for minimum wage, and that is so untrue. I actually began to be upset about it, but I shouldn't be. I have a job, and I am paying my bills. I see people all the time losing there belongings because they are to proud to work for minimum wage. You should never be ashamed to earn an honest income, even if it is much less than you are used to.

I wrote an article today about living on a minimum wage today to show people what they can do to live on minimum wage. I see this as a temporary situation, and will be bettering myself.

How to Live on a Minimum Wage

Reading Financial Articles

I have been reading a lot more about finances, and I have began to get more motivated. There is a lot of helpful information online. Three sites that I actually write for is very helpful. The sites I write for are Ehow, Firehow, and Associated Content (Now Yahoo Contributing Site). These sites not only pay me, but I get a lot of helpful information about my finances. I take a lot of time to read articles about people financial journeys, money saving advice and a lot of other things. Reading these things can be very motivational to me. I find articles that read as if you can tell the individual actually knows what they are talking about, and not that they just threw things together to make a little money online. If you are seriously trying to get your finances together, take the time to look through articles on these sites. You will be able to find things that are very helpful. You can find articles on things like; saving money, making money, investing money, and so many other things that will help you.

Just an update of everything

Well in the last couple of weeks my thoughts of my financial future have changed a lot. I am now pushing more towards making sure my child has a better future. I did get the secured credit card, which is going to help me improve my credit score. I will be opening a savings account in the next few weeks so I will have money for when the baby comes, I know how expensive babies can be. I am also looking into many types of assistance online and other money saving ideas. I am finding a lot that is very helpful.

My job is going great. The owner knows that I am pregnant and is always checking on me to ensure that I am doing OK. He has also increased my hours starting next week. I still will only be part time, but 6 hours more a week will help. Since I have quit the other job I have actually been doing a little better financially. I now only spend about $10 a week on gas, and I work at a food place so I save money on eating.

I am scared and excited all at the same time. I do feel that I will be able to provide for my child, I just have to work hard. I will go back to school after the baby is born. I have help from my family, so I will not have to pay for childcare. I am starting to put more money away because I am not only worried about me anymore. I feel as if I have more purpose now, financially and otherwise. I have more to push for. I am going to do everything I can for this baby.

Life!

Well I have been working both jobs for a few weeks and things was going good. I found out the other day that I will have to give up one of the jobs due to the hours changing, and it would be a conflict. That was fine with me, and then life sneaks up on me again. I am pregnant.

I had been trying for years to have a baby, and God chose now for me to get pregnant. It is my ex's baby, but he wants no involvement in the situation. At this point I am so thankful for my supportive family, but I have got to figure out what i am going to do financially. It is one thing to take care of myself, but a complete other to care for a child too. I am not stressing about it because I believe that God had this in his plan, and it will all work out. I am thankful for the baby and I hope I can provide it with everything I possibly can.

Start Another Job on Monday

Well I have been looking for a second job, and I have finally found one. It is not anything great at the moment, but has the possibility of being great in a few months. It will help me on my financial journey by giving me about $400 extra a month. I will be so glad when I can get my degree and really work on my career, but these two jobs will work well for a while.

Working two jobs will have it's ups and downs, but it will be worth the hard work. I still need a car, and am hopeful for an apartment in the next few months. I do feel hopeless at times, but I keep my head up and move on.

This financial journey is really starting from the beginning. I know it will begin to get better with prayers and hard work. Life is not easy, and we were never told that it would be. I have got to focus on me for a while to get my finances straight as well as the rest of my life.

Update on the Secured Credit Card

About a month ago I told everyone about the secured credit card that I had applied for. I was approved for the card, but I had to put the $200 deposit. I have not been able to come up with that amount because of my hours being cut so drastically at work. Well I will have the $200 at the beginning of November. I will have it because of my online earnings. I have chosen not to spend any of my online income, so I will have well over $200 in my Paypal account the beginning of November. I feel great knowing that I do have some money coming in every month from something that I have not put a lot of work into the last few months.

As of November I will have the secured credit card and will be able to tell everyone how much it affects my credit a few months after that. I am actually very excited to get the secured credit card, because it is a start on my credit repair process.

My At Home Income Blog

I Found Another Part Time Job

I have still been unsuccessful in finding a full time job in my local area, so I have been looking at every option. I went for an interview today, and I did get the job. It will still only be 20 hours a week, but it will be a great addition to one of my other part time jobs. I may be giving up one of my jobs, but I only work 20 hour a month at it. I will start the job in a couple of weeks as soon as the location is opened. I am hoping that this will help me get on track with my financial plans, even though I feel like I am running behind.

My other job is actually giving me more hours during the next few weeks, so my income will greatly increase. I have only been working 1-2 days a week, but they have increased it to 4. That will increase my weekly income by more that $200. My new job will work around the hours I currently work, so I am very positive about the next couple of months being positive financially.

Hopeful for Tomorrow

Since I have been having so many problems with employment I have decided to take another road. In January I will begin taking classes in a real estate program. Tomorrow I am going to take my resume and start going to different Realtors in my area. Even if they are unable to give me employment they may be able to tell me some of the best ways to get my foot in the door. It may be a long shot, but I am hopeful.

My current two jobs is not even giving me a part time pay check. One job I work 2-3 days a month doing merchandising, and the other I work 1-2 days a week doing product demos. The product demos were great in the beginning because I was working 5-6 days, but I cant continue to work somewhere that I do not have guaranteed income every week. The income I am making is not helping me reach my financial goals, they are just keeping me afloat for the time being.

If any of you have any advice for someone wanting to get there foot in the door to real estate could you please share your tips?

I applied for another job!

One of the two jobs I have been working has cut my hours by quite a bit, and I am very upset about it. I need a steady income so I can continue to move forward on my financial journey. I decided to apply for a position with a company I was a manager with a few years ago. I am hoping to get this job. I was making a steady income, had 401K, stock options, insurance, and monthly bonuses.

The only downfall was it was managing a fast food chain, and I was not sure that I wanted to return to the industry, but now I am sure. I am one that believes everything happens for a reason. I feel that maybe the reason I am having problems with my current job is that it is not what I was supposed to do. Maybe this job I used to work at is what I was meant to return to.

I will call there human resources department on Monday, and hopefully I will have good luck with them. I actually new a lot of people in the corporate offices of this business, so hopefully everything will work out.

I will not put my notice in at my current job until I get another job. This will keep a little income coming in. A small income is better than no income at all.

Some Things Will Always Change On Your Journey

There is one thing we can always depend on in life, and that is change. I had started with a fairly decent plan and I was unable to get one of the jobs. It was not a lot of additional money coming in, but it was extra to help me on my journey. Now I am looking for another job again! I still have two part time jobs, clean houses occasionally, and work online. With these three incomes I have been able to catch up on my everyday living bills. I do live with family at the moment, so that does help quite a bit. I did have an interview today. I believe the interview went well, and hopefully have another job lined up rather quickly.

Change is always going to happen in our lives. We have to take the bad changes lightly and focus on what we can do to make them a good change in all areas of our lives. As soon as something happens in our lives financially or otherwise that may affect the positive direction we are heading, we should make a plan to try and get it fixed. This is just my opinion, and I am learning that it makes me stress much less about it all.

A Book I Recommend Anyone On A Financial Journey to Read

I have been looking online and trying to learn as much as I can about different areas of finances. My sister brought me a book home yesterday, and it had a lot of great information. The book I am talking about is The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke. The writer of this helpful book is none other than Suze Orman.

I gave to say that this book is very informative. I read a few things that I already knew, but there was a lot more that I had not. You do not have to spend a fortune on this book. I went to a second hand book store and purchased it for next to nothing.

This book has led me in a good direction, and I will be purchasing some more of Suze Ormans books in the future to help. I have to say that she knows what she is doing!

Focus On Yourself For A Change

For me I have always cared for others in one way or another. I will take care of there finances, there health, there children, and worry about what will happen if I couldn't do it. It has taken me 30 years to realize that I can not really help anyone else in my life if I could not take care of myself. This has hit me hard. I do not feel as if I have wasted my time, but I do feel as if I could have done more if I would have put myself first from time to time.

I know this blog is about my personal financial journey, but this is a big part of it. For those of you who are like I was you should focus on yourself for a little while. Take control of your own finances, health, education, and other aspects of your life. Doing this will actually help others in your life as well. Remember that you are not being selfish. You want more for yourself so you can do more for yourself and others that are important to you in your life.

Always remember; "You can not take care of others until you take care of yourself!"

This is something that I have not done in my life, and I feel that it is about time for it.

Credit Repair

Since I have been working on my credit for a little while, and have learned some of the steps that actually work, I wanted to share them with everyone. I wrote an article today on Firehow. The article is How To Repair Your Own Credit. In this article I have provided steps that I have taken to help repair my family, friends, and my own credit at one time or another. In one instance I was able to increase an individuals credit score by 100 points within a year. Even if you already have decent credit, it will not hurt to try to make it even better.

Defaulted Student Loans

One of the biggest things on my credit is student loans. When you are in default on student loans it can greatly decrease your credit score. I am also wanting to return to school in January, and would not be able to get any financial aid if I am in default. Yesterday I decided to call the Department of Education to see exactly what I needed to do to get back in good standings.

Apparently there is a new program that can help. The program allows you to set up payment arrangements and get caught up. In this plan you have to make all of your default student loan payments on time, every month. If you pay all of your payments on time you will be eligible for financial aid in six months, then if you pay on time for nine months your loans will show on your credit report as a positive.

I could not pass this opportunity up. I signed up for the program and will start making payments of around $40. This is one of the biggest steps I have made in my personal financial journey, and it is going to help quite a bit.

If you have a default student loan through the government you should read this page, or call 1-800-219-7931. It is worth a try to get your finances together if you are on your own financial journey.

Secured Credit Cards

I have been looking into a variety of different ways to improve my credit. I have not gotten my score recently, but I am sure it is well below 500. This is because I have not been focused on it for one reason or another. I do not have a lot of bad things on my credit report, but I do not have resent positives either.

To have a better credit score you need current positive items. This is why I have been looking into secured credit cards. These cards allow you to put money down on a credit card, pay payments as with any other credit card, and they do report it to the credit bureaus.

Today I did a look on Google and found a few cards that interested me. I chose the Capital One Secured Credit Card. For me it seemed to be the best option. There is also a list of different secured credit cards on Credit.com. The application process took about five minutes, and was very easy. They also allow you to pay your security deposit over time. I will probably be putting my deposit within the next couple of weeks.

I am hoping that this secured credit card is going to be the beginning of me building my credit again. I am sure it will take more than just this, but it is a start.

My Financial Journey In Now begining

I have not been able to do much about my finances without working, but I now have income coming in. I started on job on Friday and the second one I will begin tomorrow. I also have my online income and I clean houses every other week. I am going to be a very busy person, but my finances are going to begin to pay off. I am currently in the process of making out a financial plan for myself with goals and deadlines. I am going to share a lot of that with the readers as soon as I am able to have it completed.

Welcome To My Blog "A Personal Financial Journey"

I want to welcome all of the readers to my new blog. I have recently began to look closely into my finances and began to worry. I am now beginning to take steps to get out of debt and get my finances in order. I feel that I may be able to help others by sharing my successes and failures.

A little about me:

I have to share a little about myself so you will know exactly where I am starting on this journey. I am 30 years old. Divorced by 20 and went through a separation a few months ago from a man that I was with for six years. In the marriage my finances took a turn for the worse when I got divorced; credit debt, foreclosure, and other misc things. Now in the relationship things began pretty well. I was making $35000 a year, paying my own bills, and only had a few bad things on my credit from the marriage. In 2004 my sister became very ill, so I became her nanny. That was a very big pay cut. There were a few other things that occurred from then till now, but it would be a long story. I basically went from taking care of everything myself to having a lot of debt. I am currently $35000 in debt.

I am now single, but had been out of work for a few months, and I live with my family. I do not have a vehicle or much else for that matter. I have made a little money working online, but not enough to pay for much. It has been a very hard few months, but I am finally getting back on track financially.

Work:

I have recently been offered two different jobs, and I have accepted both. I will be working 11am-11pm then 11pm-11am Thur-Sunday. I know that this will be a hard process, but It will be worth it financially.

This is going to be a temporary situation. In January I will begin school. That means for 4 months I will work very hard, then give up one of the jobs so I can go to school. During this time I plan on getting a lot of my finances in order.

My Blog

I plan on sharing most of my successes and failures on this blog. I know that finances are going to be a life long process for me as it is for everyone else. I am hoping that this blog can show others how they may be able to succeed and help them avoid any failures that I may have. I will also share helpful websites or articles that I may find.