Father, forgive me...

I went into Kohls today.

I swear, I was only going to go in for a minute to return something! But then...I saw it. The devious Buy One Get One Free sale. I could not resist. Temptation took over. I tried so hard to focus on the righteous thing to do - avoid spending money at all cost and run home to blog instead - but, I am weak. I left the store with a bag of merchandise, minus forty dollars in my bank account, some super cute jewelery, cough, I mean, a total sense of failure and embarassment.

So, in order to combat such instances that may arise in the future...I have written:

The Ten Commandments...Working Girl Style

1. The Lord: You shall have no other gods before me, nor idols, nor shall you make yourself an idol.

WG: (SHIT! Already broke rule number one by writing own set of commandments. Hmm...well, since I've made myself a god, I grant myself total forgiveness.) You shall not worship any sales, clearance racks, or amazingly spectacular once in a lifetime deals. Unless they offer 100% off and are completely free. Then you must worship in a ridiculous fashion.

2. The Lord: You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord.

WG: You shall not make wrongful use of your Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Bank Account, Savings Account, or money for the mortgage.

3. The Lord: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

WG: Remember payday and keep it holy. (Note to self: 'keep it holy' does not mean finding a mall in which to worship!)

4. The Lord: Honor your parents.

WG: Honor parents by practicing safe sex and not having unexpected, unplanned, costly pregnancy and small but fabulous daughter to support for eighteen years.

5. The Lord: You shall not murder.

WG: Do not kill the person you finally get to speak with after holding for two hours with your credit card company. They probably do not deserve to die. Killing them is not okay, but hoping they get a flat tire, or cancer, is okay.

6. The Lord: Do not commit adultery.

WG: Try to find nice unmarried man to date. (Also: Once a month, must go on a date with a machismo guy, who will no doubt be intimidated by my beauty and intelligence, and will insist on paying to boost his manly ego. This equals free food.)

7. The Lord: You shall not steal.

WG: Don't steal...from stores. No one in the office will really miss that box of paper clips, right? Or that roll of toilet paper? And who in the office really reads the daily newspaper? Or uses those Splenda packets besides me?? Yeah, don't steal from stores.

8. The Lord: You shall not bear false witness.

WG: What the hell does that mean? Oh well. FREEBIE!

9. The Lord: You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

WG: Don't become a lesbian. Chicks are expensive. Got it.

10. The Lord: You shall not covet your neighbor's house.

WG: You are not a reality tv show that can redecorate a house on a $1000 budget...mainly because you do not have a thousand dollars! Must not spend the mortgage money on new throw pillows!!

Do you think my new commandments will help?

Pray for me!!

Until payday,
Working Girl

Jane says...

Internet research is so tedious. How many websites can you visit that tell you the exact same thing, over and over, only in a slighty-more-difficult-to-read font?

Then...whilst online shopping for things I am not allowed to buy, I found this nugget of inspiriation from Jane magazine, which has always held a special place in my heart.

"The only real way to get out of debt is to throw wads and wads of cash at it in order to pay it down faster. However, there are things you can do to reach your goal without feeling like a total pauper. Here are four ideas:Cut back on your expenses. Share Wi-Fi with your neighbor (with or without their consent), limit your lattes and pack your damn lunch already.Put found money, like tax refunds, toward your bills. But allow yourself occasional splurges, like high-quality handmade chocolates.Carry cash. You'll be less likely to spend $80 at the bar if you don't have a tab.Make more money. Uh, hello, why do you think we tirelessly provide you with creative and fun side hustles each month? That's right, because we care."

(You should go read the side hustles, they are pretty intriguing ideas...I wish I still lived near UF so I could explore the pretend-patient gig!)

Last night, looking at all the bills, I was so discouraged! But seeing that I already made some of the right steps (paying off bills with income tax returns, "share" wireless with my neighbor) has motivated me! And if JANE says I'm on the right track...who needs all those high-profile websites with their supposed experts??

ouch

I totaled the amount of money I owe in credit card debt.


Okay. I am going to tell the world.


No, I'm not.


Forget it. The blog is off.


But, if I do this, I will be even more motivated to meet my goal.


Nope, can't do it.


Shit.


I think there is only one way out of this.

I did the math.

It will take paying .... approximately....$792.18 over the next eleven months to pay if all off.

Shit.

Until Payday,

(Dejected) Working Girl

How it all began...

My name is Working Girl, and this is my story.

I work hard for my money. I am not a lazy person. I put myself through school. I love my job, although it is one of the most notoriously underpaid professions. But, like most Americans, I struggle to make ends meet. I don't struggle because of any difficulties or hardships, I struggle because I mismanage my money.

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem. So, here goes...

I am a retail therapy junkie.
I can't say no to a good sale.
I am in debt.
I HAVE A PROBLEM!

This is a new problem for me. As a child, I was great with money. I was always a great saver and never a big spender. If I loaned my sister a dollar, I would charge her ten cents interest a day until she paid me back. Somewhere along the line, I lost these qualities. It started when I began living on my own.

Living on my own is fabulous - except when it comes to paying the bills. Although I did just purchase my first home, which I know is a wonderful investment, it only added to the list of bills I already pay. Things I never thought about before - homeowners insurance, condo fees, exterminators...it all adds up.

My biggest headache when it comes to bills are the credit cards. Some of that debt can be attributed to college (tuition, books, food, gas, beer) and some of it can be attributed to the sweet seduction of entitlement. But how did I go from someone who hates to borrow five bucks from a friend to someone who owes over eight grand to credit card companies?

Thus began my idea to blog my way to financial freedom. I know many people get paid to blog, and there are ways to use your blog to generate revenue - I plan to explore all those options. But mainly, I know that if I put my personal business and goal out here on the Internet for everyone to read...I will be motivated more than ever to succeed!

So...this is my goal:

In one year, I will no longer have any debt attributed to credit cards!


These are my rules:

1. I will put myself on a budget and stick to it.
2. I will not buy anything using my credit cards. Emergencies include family members only, and shoe sales no longer qualify.
3. I will find ways to save money in every aspect of my life. I will keep a running total of the money I have saved each month, and put that money towards paying off my debt.
4. I will look for ways to make money in every aspect of my life. Extra money made at work, at home or at play will be used to pay off my credit cards.
5. I will not limit myself on things that I love - especially travel. I will find a way to take at least one non-family/wedding related vacation this year, and I will not go further into debt by doing it nor will I let it stand in the way of accomplishing my goal.

A year seems like a long time, but hopefully, on April 15th 2008, I will be celebrating with a big bottle of champagne (paid for in cash, of course). I figured a day associated with money (tax day) is a great day to start.

Here is to my fresh financial start!

Until payday,

Working Girl