Well it is something could have happened to anyone, anytime, anywhere…I have officially turned 30 years old. Sigh. It’s true. So in light of my new found “adulthood” I have decided to make some grown up changes in my life. No, I’m not talking about finally admitting that Top Ramen isn’t really food or giving up the daily struggle with my alarm clock. I am talking about money. Cold, hard cash. Well, more importantly how to keep some of it around. I decided to ask some people I know for some useful advice on how to manage my finances in the manner of a 30 year old woman. Hopefully by sharing it with all of you it will keep some of us from becoming 93 year old waitresses trying to make ends meet down the road…
“When you get your paycheck, pay your bills and then whatever you have leftover you should save half of it. Put it in an account or in a fund or a CD or whatever, just save it.” Amy, age 25
“Really good advice: don’t have kids/dogs/expensive habits and then you can save up for nice things like retirement!” Erin, age 27
“Keep a check book register, use cash, and have a good idea of what’s going on with your account.” Mariah, age 20
“Budget, budget, budget. No dollar should be spent unplanned!” Token, age 36
“I recommend starting a 401k your very first paycheck and contributing the max your company will match or at least 5%. Try and not over extend yourself on credit lines/credit cards and spend money you don’t have cause if you think about it, it will end up costing you more with interest and fees then it would to just save your money and purchase it when you have the money.” Garrett, age 22
“Try to whenever possible keep at least 2 to 3 paychecks worth of money in your savings at all times, because you just never know what could happen. This gives you a nice buffer to help you get by.” Tiffany, age 30
“You should use cash whenever possible. It’s a great visual reminder when you see your pretty monies leave your hand.” Jeff, age 38
“Have an account that is dedicated to savings that you don’t have access to via ATM. If you have to physically go to the branch to withdraw it, you’re more likely to think about it first.” Kari, age 29
“Take your credit cards and put them in water in a bowl and freeze it. If you REALLY need it you’ll have to break the ice to liberate your card which will make you think twice.” Leann, age 51
“Be careful of all of those credit card offers in the mail. They have fine print so throw those away and go see your local credit union.” Todd, age 48
To help out a little more here is the website you need to Opt Out of any unsolicited offers:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm
Thank you to everyone who helped me with this and now I turn the attention to our readers…any good tips you’d like to share?
In addition, as this first year of my thirties moves onward towards infinity, I will be taking all of you with me to explore the transition from twenty-something girl to thirty-something woman. Let’s see what we can discover about life along the way…
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