HOW DO I ADULT: Part Four Saving

Easy Ways to Save

Now that you've got that job you're gonna have some money and what are you gonna do with it? Well for a lot of people the answer is live paycheck to paycheck and buy a bunch of fun stuff with the left over money from your expenses. And that's fine if that's what you want to do, but chances are you've got a plan that requires some serious dough. 

Colleges these days are costing a small fortune every year that you attend. In comparison buying a car or going on vacation don't seem like that much of a price tag but you're definitely going to need to save up a bit first. 

Some Saving Strategies

***These figures below are not always realistic to your situation. Many make more, as well as have rent payments to worry about. Please keep that in mind when looking at the money map out.***

First we must recognize what we spend and on what. So first and foremost, before any of these saving strategies are used go through a two week cycle and write it all down. 

Let's say you get paid $300 for your check. 

$60 goes to gas in those two weeks.

$100 goes to food(grocery store).

$100 goes to bills.

That leaves you with $40. Not a lot, but what do you do with it? Chances are you don't put it into saving and your last $40 gets used on a dinner date. While that is something you will have to let yourself have once in a while that will get you nowhere with saving. 

Now that you know just how much is absolutely necessary you can start these ideas.

Idea One: The Loose Change

Ok so this isn't news to anyone and in fact it's one of the most common saving techniques out there, but it works. Every day when you get home empty any loose change in your wallet into a jar. You'll be surprised how much change you accumulate over the course of the weeks and when your jar is full either roll it up and take it to a bank to get cash, or take it to a grocery store with a cash counting machine and use that money for your groceries that week. 

PROS: Easy and leaves you a lot of cash for spending.

CONS: Not a lot of profit, cash machines usually charge a small fee for counting.

Idea Two: Use That Card (Wisely)

This one is a bit more risky if you don't pay attention. In this strategy you will use your credit card to buy the necessities like gas and groceries. Then you have a full paycheck to use. Of course a part of the paycheck-usually about $30-will go to paying the card and then you can put away almost the rest of the check. So in the above scenario if gas and groceries are paid for that only leaves bills-to which I had already added a card payment. So you now have $200 to put away each paycheck. 

Idea Three: Percentages

This works similar to the above listed however in this one you find out the excess money you have and take a percentage every time. When I was saving to go to Europe I was putting 80% of my excess money into the account because the deadline was higher and sooner. However, my saving now fits more of a 60% of excess funds. The percentage depends on you but the higher the percentage the sooner you will reach your goal. It's also an idea to rotate when you pay to your savings. For instance if you get paid twice a month use first paycheck as a 80% payout to savings and use the second as a 20% payout. This way you can still afford to do and buy things you want. 

Idea Four: Diet and Saving

One of the biggest dents in my wallet is eating out. A run to McDonalds, lunch at Subway, a drink from Starbucks...it adds up fast. Not to mention how bad a diet that regularly includes fast food is. So here's the deal. Everytime you want fast food you look at the price. Instead of paying $8.73 for a meal put $8.73 into savings. At that second. Right then. Now, you can still buy your meal but you will now be able to buy one less meal than before and you will have added money to your savings. This applies to all frivolous spending. Match the price in your savings. You'll find quickly that you realize you don't need the fast food anymore now that it is 'costing' you double. 

Idea Four: Create Levels

Having a large goal can be daunting and personally I get discouraged quickly. I like lists and the ability to check things off. It feels like a small victory to me. Therefore, make a list of 'levels' to complete and the reward for each level obtained. Let's say you need to save $10,000 to move. 

LEVEL 1: The U-haul. When you have saved enough money for the U-Haul or something along these lines you are rewarded.

LEVEL 2: Down Deposit on the place.

LEVEL 3: First month's rent.

Etc.

This way you can see exactly what you have saved up for and exactly what more you need to do. Plus who doesn't love to celebrate!

Well,these have been four ideas for strategies on how to save. The most important thing for this is to remember that everything really does count. A penny a day is only $3.65 BUT that $3.65 could pay for your coconut drink in Hawaii. Now imagine a dollar a day. Two dollars a day and so forth? Not so bad eh? Stay strong, plan trips and live life!

HOW DO I ADULT? Part Three: Credit

Building Your Credit

Last time we talked about Credit Cards. These are one way to build your credit. The nasty thing about credit is that they want you to have multiple lines of long lasting credit. So even though my score is the low 700's, it's not a good score because I only have one line of credit that is less than a year old. 

What do they consider in your credit score?

Let's address each of these.

ON TIME PAYMENTS:

This is pretty self explanatory. PAY ON TIME. This is critical. Every credit card will have a payment due date. Know when it is. Write it in your calendar if you have to. Let's say you get paid on the 1st and the 15th of every month, but your credit card payment is due the 13th. You will have to make sure you save the money needed for the payment. If you owe $30 on your card and you don't trust yourself to not spend it on your debit card, take out the money and put it away until the 11th or so when you will put the money back into your account so you can pay. If you're lucky enough to have a credit card through your bank it should give you the option to simply pay online. For most cards (especially the brand specific cards like Target and Victoria's Secret) there is an app you can download to make payments. You can also pay by check, but be sure to send the check at least 5 days early so that they have time to receive it and process it before the due date.

CAPACITY USED

The capacity is your limit. So let's say you have a $300 limit. It looks better to spend only a fraction of that limit than it does to max your card. This is why it is good to use your card for specific things like gas, grocery food and medicine. These are all relatively low cost things that you only buy 2-4 times a month. It would be hard to max your credit card by only buying gas with it for a month, whereas buying books, fast food, movie tickets, etc will add up. If you are the type of person who forgets what they've spent get a check book or a place to write it down. Keep track. 

LENGTH OF CREDIT HISTORY

This one is unfortunately out of your hands. All you can do is get the cards started ASAP. The fun part about this-and by fun I mean not fun at all-is that they look at the average "Age" of your credit. So if you opened a line of credit(let's say a Target credit card) when you were 18 and are now 20 you age is 2 years. However, the minute you open a new account the age goes down. Why? Averaging. Welcome back to elementary school math. You have one account that is 2 years old and one that is 0 years old. How old is your credit? 1 year. You add them all together and divide by the amount there are and there you have it. So try to get a couple started around the same time and then take turns with what you use. Get ONE credit card, one or more of the brand specific cards like Target or Victoria's Secret and if it so happens you have a loan at the same time then you've got them all started at once and your credit will continue to age. I am included on an auto loan that my dad took out and so my credit builds with his as we pay. This is a good way to get a loan without crazy interest. Find an adult with credit to take out a loan with you as a copayer. You will both increase credit. However, many adults will not want to do this if they think you will not pay the loan so be aware of that. 

TYPES OF CREDIT USED

This goes along with what we just talked about in length of history. Having several types of credit is best. So a credit card is one type, a loan is another. Here is a link to a site that describes the types more in depth.  

PAST CREDIT APPLICATIONS

Each time you apply for a new line of credit your score will drop by 10%. So while you want to have a variety of lines of credit try not to open too many accounts. Four should be a good number. Don't worry about the points you lose, you will earn them back if you do everything else you are supposed to. 

Well, that was a brain work out. Credit is complex and really annoying to be honest, but it is unfortunately necessary for day to day life. Please, research the subject more if you have any questions and any person at your local bank should be able to help you with these questions as well. Don't stress, it's all going good and you got this. 

HOW DO I ADULT? Part Two: Credit Card

Getting a Credit Card

The Do's and Dont's

Getting a credit card is sadly a very important part of being an adult. Credit itself is necessary for almost anything in life, like renting an apartment or getting a loan for school or for a car. Credit is key, and the easiest way to get it-and destroy it-is a credit card. 

Most banks will not give a credit card to anyone without already established credit, but if your bank will always get that credit card first. Go in to your local branch and ask them about applying. I've only dealt with Chase and CitiBank but neither of them would give me a credit card-and I have one line of good credit already. 

Don't worry, there are a million other places to get a credit card. BE CAREFUL. Before signing up for one read about it. Google the card and see what people have to say. Does it have a high interest rate? (NOTE: An interest rate refers to the percentage they charge on balances. If I spend $500 on my credit card and it has a 1% interest rate then I will end up paying more than the $500 over a course of time.) Remember, a credit card is just a fancy way of borrowing money from somebody.This isn't free money at all. 

Personally I got the Capital One Journey Card. This card is an annual fee free student card. If you have no credit the limit usually gets put at about $300 max. So if you have $300 limit, when you spend $100 you now have $200 left. If you pay back $50 your limit goes up $50. The limit does not reset, you simply pay it off and then more becomes available. 

DO

Spend less than your limit if at all possible. 

Spend it on important things like food(grocery store) or gas(try not to get in the habit of buying things you can't afford with a credit card just because you can)

Make your payments on time every time. If you can pay a little more than the minimum payment. For this card I mentioned the minimum payment is $30 so I'd pay $35. It pays back more quickly, you get less interest and it looks better. 

DON'T

Max your card repeatedly.

Pay late

Pay the minimum payment every time

Buy frivolous things like food (fast food), Gadgets, toys, movies.

Get more than one card to start with.

Get behind in your payments. Spend what you can pay back, again this isn't free money you are simply borrowing. 

Slowly but surely you will begin to build your credit. If you can't get a normal credit card try applying for other cards like the Victoria's Secret credit card or the Target credit card. These will also help your credit and you are almost always approved. 

That's all for today's post. Stay positive, stay strong and don't worry you got this. 

UNDERSTANDING HUMANITY: Part One Sexualities

A Guide to Sexuality

Suitable for Work

It is an often observed fact that we as people are not as informed as we could be about other people's life styles. It is ok to not know, however ignorance is no excuse for rudeness. The following post is entirely LGBTQ friendly and if you are not a fan of that you probably won't be a fan of anything else I plan to post on Mondays. I refuse to apologize. 

With that said, here is a quick guide to understanding the different orientations and what to avoid in order to be polite.  

Heterosexual

Physical or emotional attraction to the opposite binary gender. There is nothing wrong with being heterosexual, just like there is nothing wrong with any other orientation. Avoid calling this 'normal' or 'regular' because statistically that's not quite true. 

Homosexual

Physical or emotional attraction to the same binary gender. Do not ask who the butch is or who wears the pants in the relationship. It is an equal partnership and their respective submissive and dominant roles are not your business nor should it be. 

Bisexual

Physical or emotional attraction to both binary genders. Do not call them gay or homosexual, they are their own orientation. A bisexual can be in a relationship that is considered heterosexual and still be bisexual. They will always be bisexual regardless of who they are dating. 

Asexual

No sexual drive. They can be attracted to people, they can recognize attractiveness and they can enjoy a romantic relationship, however they do not crave sex. Never say that this will change when they find the right person and never assume that they cannot be in a relationship. 

Aromantic

No romantic desire to be with a person. They may want a platonic relationship and this can be a life partnership. They can be any other orientation, like whoever they want or no one at all. This orientation refers only to the lack of desire for a romantic relationship.

Pansexual

Literally everything is on the table. They refuse to acknowledge gender in the role of attraction or romance. This includes transgender or agender people as well, simply anyone. This does not mean they are gay, they are not, bisexual and they are not indecisive. 

Demisexual

A demisexual does not experience a physical attraction until they have formed an emotional bond with someone. A way to understand this better, but not the actual way this works is that an asexual found a person that was an exception to them simply because of how much they loved them. Demi's are not asexual and they aren't indecisive. They are demisexual. Always.

Skoliosexual

They are attracted to non-binary sexes such as genderqueer and transexual. Do not ask if they are interested in men or women, the answer is no. 

These are the sexualities that I know of and if I missed anyone or misdecribed something please let me know and I will fix it immediately. This is a site that will help with any terminology you may not know.

Remember that we are here for something and while not everyone can agree what for we can all agree that it is not to destroy the lives of others. Let's teach love and tolerance not hate and discrimination. Let's recognize everyone's right to decide who and what they are and not question "what is wrong with them" because there is nothing wrong with them there is something wrong with our concept of them. Let's let everyone live as they wish to live and let's live how we want to live regardless of other's actions. 

Preach love, swallow hate. 

Educate Ignorance, shut down violence.

HOW DO I ADULT? Part One: Jobs

Getting A Job

One of the very first "adult" struggles you will face is getting a job. A job is really important, and not just for money. A job will teach you lots of things that will be useful to you as a student, a parent, a friend or really anything you choose to be. Jobs can teach us how to handle immense stress with a time limit, they teach us multitasking skills and perseverance. They teach us that anyone is replaceable and therefore we must be the best we can be. 

Getting a job is actually pretty easy, all it takes is perseverance. You usually can't just apply to one place and then get the job immediately. You have to apply EVERYWHERE you'd be ok to work at, and then you have to come back and call to check on your application. 

First thing's first though, let's get that resume built:

To Build a Resume

You can find resume template all over the internet by simply searching resume template. If you have Microsoft Word there are templates available for free there. If you do not, there is no problem because all in all a resume needs only a few key things.

-Contact information: Name, phone number, email address, physical address, age.

-References: Past employers, past coworkers and if you have neither, personal references at least 4 years of acquaintance. 

-Skills: What can you do well? Can you speak a second language? Can you clean really well? Have you ever been a part of a leadership program or academic club?

-Why do you want to work here? Explain why-aside from money-you want to work here? Do you like this company's product? Their service? Their motto?

So a general sketch of a resume is born. Mine would look something like this:

Sierra Simmons

Born 4-30-95

1-805-555-9583

authorchick13@gmail.com

1000 House Road, Mt. Cool, CA 85993

Prior Experience

Olive Garden (include specific restaurants address and phone number)

Manager- Suzy Hale

Worked from 3-6-02 through 5-8-11

Reason I left: I moved, I quit, Too far, etc.

Michael's (Include address and phone number)

Manager-Torence Howell

Worked from 5-9-11 through 8-3-12

Reason I left: Family issues, school, found a better job etc.

Family Restaurant 101 (address and number)

Manager- Kelly Brisbane

Worked from 2000-July 2009

Reason I left: School, Out of Business, family moved etc.

Personal References

(NOTE: ALWAYS ask before putting someone on a reference)

Riley Green- known for 8 years (include phone number)

Jeremy Klipp- past coworker known for 4 years  (include phone number)

Josephine Freeman-writing club teacher known for 3 years (include number)

***You want around 4 references, try to pick people who would say the absolute best about you. Include past coworkers if you can as they can vouch for your work ethic, past teachers work for that too. Family friends are fine, but don't ONLY have family friends and make sure that you've known them a while. Try to avoid having family members as your references unless they were your coworker, or boss.***

Skills

12+ years in customer service

Intermediate French

Multi-tasking

Can sew

Has been in charge of a team before (costuming)

Good on computers

Why Do I want to Work Here

Your company seems to be a fun, functional and hardworking place. I enjoy the company slogan of 'The Customer is Always Right'. I really like fabric and would love the opportunity to work with it. I like working in the food industry because it is fast paced and you get to meet a lot of people.

***Bring up points that will also reflect well on you. For instance, I like to meet people probably means you're good at customer service. Mentioning their slogan or past deeds shows that you did research and are willing tolook into things.***

Those are the basics of the resume. Something like what I've done above would be seen as perfectly acceptable to most places. Try to include something personal so that they can remember your resume easier. Things like: Can sew. Maybe it doesn't apply to the job at hand, but they will remember it. 

It can be hard in the beginning when you don't have prior work experience, but don't let that discourage you. You can put a lot of things under past work experience. Baby sitting, garden work for a neighbor, dog walking, theater productions, school leadership programs, etc.

Getting a job is the first step to becoming an adult in most cases. Even if it's at McDonald's, even if it's just one day a week, it is important. 

This concludes my first blog post in the series of How Do I Adult? Feel free to email me with questions or concerns or if you have a topic you'd like me to cover. Until then, don't stress you got this!