Things to Stop Spending Money (or So Much Money) On

Money can be a stressful, awkward topic, or it can be a straightforward one. It all depends on your mindset around it. Avoiding your finances isn’t the answer. 

I love learning about personal finance. So, today I wanted to go through some things you should stop spending money on (or so much money on). 

It’s really just a blog post to get you thinking about where your money is going, and maybe where you can cut back. 

I’ve taken the liberty to split these up into “budget” categories. And there are so many other things you can spend or not spend money on. This is just a sample list to get those brain juices of yours flowing. 

Housing

+ a house/apartment you can’t afford (or barely can)

     - can you downsize, move to a different part of the city?

+ decor/furniture

     - pinterest makes you want to throw everything out and buy all new things

     - get creative and thoughtful about what you fill your space with

     - thrifted, second hand are great options

     - shop around and buy for longevity

+ leaving lights/electronics on

     - small but it adds up

+ keeping your air/heat too high

     - if it’s 90 degrees outside and you have your air cranked so high that you have to wear pants and a sweater inside you can probably turn it up a few degrees

+ one use/disposables 

     - this one doesn’t really have a category, but if you’re using paper towels, dryer sheets, plastic utensils or paper plates seriously consider using a reusable, more sustainable option (you’ll save a lot of money too)

Food

+ eating out

     - duh, we know this one adds up, but it’s such an easy way to cut back on how much you’re spending

+ getting coffee

     - $5 drinks every day adds up quickly, even though at the time it doesn’t seem like much

+ bottled water/soda/drinks in general

     - once again, adds up quickly, carry around your own reusable bottle

+ overbuying groceries/ letting them go to waste

     - this is just a lack of planning, don’t go shopping without a well thought out list made from what you actually plan to cook for meals that week. 

Personal

+ getting your nails and hair done

     - do your nails at home

     - go to a cheaper salon

     - stop dying your hair

+ clothes

     - buy second hand

     - adopt a capsule wardrobe

     - minimalism is a beautiful thing

+ gym/class membership

     - I’m not saying don’t work out, but why do you have a gym membership you don’t use? 

     - I love love love hot yoga, but I can’t afford that shit

+ makeup/hair products

     - I used to work with this girl who was always worrying about paying for her rent, groceries, you name it, but then would show up with toiletry bags full of expensive makeup from Sephora

+ not taking care of your teeth/health

     - eat healthy, brush and floss

     - yeah there things outside our power when it comes to our health, but there’s so much that is preventable by what we eat and do with our bodies

Entertainment

+ subscriptions you don’t use

     - you’d be amazed how many things we are subscribed too

     - is there a way you can go in on a netflix subscription with a friend or family member?

+ cable

     - we don’t, and have never owned a TV, cable is expensive

+ alcohol/going out to bars

     - I don’t enjoy the bar scene anymore anyways, but working at a bar I was amazed with how much people would spend on going out every single weekend

+ going to the movies

     - is there a cheap movie night in your town, ours is Tuesday

     - rent a movie at home, or one you already own

+ concerts

     - I’m not a big concert goer, but this is another thing that’s an obvious cut for me

Transportation

+ buying a car you can’t afford

     - yes, most people need a car to get to and from work, but there are so many people that get rid of a car that they’ve already paid for to start paying for a new car loan to keep up with everyone around them

+ paying too much for travel/flights 

     - do your research, check out all your options between driving, flying, trains and buses

     - keep you eyes out for a good deal 

+ snacks/food while traveling 

     - I always try to pack some snacks and food when I travel (I’m always hungry), as well as a reusable water bottle

     - If you wait to buy food at the airport or at a gas station, it’s probably neither cheap or healthy 

There are so many ways you can cut back on your spending, many of which I didn’t list here. I think it’s just good to assess your finances and where your money is going regularly. And when you have the cash flow to splurge, go for it. But I’ve known so many people that are living beyond their means and that really stresses me out. 

How do you cut back on your spending? What are some things you’ve stopped spending money on? 

Saving Money on a Trip

I just recently went on a weekend trip to Chicago, and have two trips on the docket for July. So, today I wanted to share with you how I go about saving some money while traveling (more locally). 

If you're looking for how to use credit cards to get airline miles, or how to get free accomodations this isn't the blog post for you. This is just me looking at the general areas of travel and things to consider when choosing what to do. 

+ Transportation — Flying is super convenient and there are plenty of great deals out there for flights. But if it’s close enough and there’s a group of you going driving is a great option. I spent around $30 to get to Chicago and back while a plane ride would have been probably over $300. I could have also taken a train but that would have been around $150. And my final option would have been the megabits which is a cool $40. My point here is research your options. 

+ Food — One great example of this is one night we were going to this really cool rooftop bar that had appetizers, but I knew it would be a bit more spendy. Some people weren’t hungry or had already gotten food so I grabbed a 6” sandwich from Subway on my way there, which was $4, filled me up and saved me a pretty penny. Another option is to split a meal with someone else there. And finally just look at the menu for cheap options. Even if it’s a more expensive place you can make a reasonable meal out of something there without spending too much. For example you could get an appetizer and a side instead of a main course meal.

Also if you’re staying at a hotel, take advantage of that free hotel breakfast even if it’s not the best meal you’ve ever eaten. And don’t forget to pack your own snacks. This is always something I do whether I’m flying or driving. You’re going to want snacks and it’ll save you money to bring your own instead having to buy them in the airport or at a gas station. Not to mention you’ll probably pack a lot healthier options then what will be available. 

And finally in this category, depending on where you’re staying, go buy groceries and cook instead of eating out every meal. This is just one of my favorite things to do in general when we travel but making your own food is going to save you money too. Obviously you can’t really cook in a hotel room (unless it has a kitchen), but if you’re staying at an Airbnb or with someone else, cook that food.

+ Alcohol — I didn’t drink on my most recent trip, but the rest of the girls all brought their own alcohol or bought it from the store to drink in our hotel room so they didn’t have to spend as much when we went out. Obviously not drinking is cheapest in this category, but also limiting the amount you drink, or ordering cheaper drinks is another option too. I normally don’t order more than one drink at dinner when we go out, unless it’s happy hour. 

+ Accommodations — Once again, shop around. Look at the differences between hotels, hostels and Airbnb. Are you traveling alone or in a group, because groups have pretty great buying power. Or can you stay with a friend you know who lives there? We usually always go with an Airbnb when we travel internationally because of price and it’s usually more fun so you can feel like you’re “in it” in a new city. We shared rooms in Chicago, and four girls in a room is obviously a lot cheaper than just one or two people per room. 

Speaking of where we stayed, you’ll also want to consider location. While further out places are probably cheaper you need to do some research and calculate how much you would be spending on transportation to get to where you want to be in that city. Because if you have to spend a bunch on the subway or Uber, it might actually be cheaper to spend a bit more and be closer to the center of action. We could walk to dinner and the bars each night instead of having to get three Ubers for our group. 

+ Entertainment — It’s definitely OK to pay for some activities especially if it’s significant to where you’re traveling, but don’t blow the bank on a ton of activities, when there are plenty of fun free things to do. I loved our tour of the Palais de Papas in Avignon, France, but I also love going on hikes or just exploring the streets of a new place. 

There’s obviously many other ways to save some money. But these are some of the big areas you can look at. Travel doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. 

Benefits of a Capsule Wardrobe

I’ve been really into the benefits of things recently. And one of my favorite topics is minimalism and one branch of that for me is my capsule wardrobe. While you 100% don’t need to have a capsule to be a “minimalist” it is something that I have found beneficial for nearly two years now (to be honest I can’t actually recall how long it’s been). 

One obvious benefit for me has been less laundry. I go through phases of wearing strikingly similar outfits for months at a time. You know the t-shirt and jeans sort of thing. And I will rewear the same pair or two of jeans all week long, and sometimes the same two or three shirts. 

And I’m going to let you in on a secret: I only do my laundry once a week. And I know that’s probably pretty common for most people but even at the end of the week I have to combine loads with Michael because often times I don’t have enough for a full load of laundry. 

For me it’s not the collecting of dirty clothes and putting them through the washer. It’s the folding and hanging back of of said clean clothes that isn’t my favorite part. And with a capsule wardrobe this process has been cut down so much from where it used to be. Not to mention you could go weeks without doing laundry because of everything you owned. So when it did come time to do laundry it was a downright nightmare! 

Next on my list of benefits: easier decisions each morning. I like to savor that good morning brain juice for important decisions to be made, not on mundane things like what should I wear today. I can literally open up my closet, grab an outfit in 10 seconds, put it on and feel great about how I look that day. Because I don’t have a bajillion pieces of clothing to sift through each morning I can save my brain power for work. 

And the next one kind of goes along with that, but basically you like everything you have to choose from, which in turn helps define your personal style. I don’t keep things that don’t fit me, I don’t like how they look or that I feel don’t reflect my style. While I don’t think I could describe what my personal style is to you, I guarantee you can see it via what I wear. I don’t hold onto old pieces that I’m not into anymore. 

Moving right along: you only have season appropriate clothes to choose from. This means I have my capsule full of sweaters in the winter and flowy dresses in the spring and summer. I don’t have to wade through everything I own to find something that works for the weather that day. I know that from the selection I have set out in my closet there is going to be a simple, quick option for me. 

And finally I think my favorite perk is having a capsule has made me a more conscious consumer, I don’t get swept up into fads that pass quicker than you can blink and in the end I’m saving a boatload of money. I used to go to the thrift store to just see what they had. And because everything was just a couple bucks I didn’t feel guilty buying whatever it was. But I ended up with so many things I never wore for one reason or another, and I just had way more than I could actually wear. 

I now think through everything I buy, and it makes the process so much more enjoyable but also when I finally do make the purchase I am so much more excited about it, and that excitement lasts. And although now I’m more willing to invest a bit more into something in the long run I’m saving money because those things last longer and I’m not just buying cheap crap willy nilly.

Why do you like having a capsule wardrobe? 

My 2018 Goals

I know, I just bashed on New Years Resolutions last week, but it’s not setting goals that I have a problem with. It’s thinking that you can only do it for New Years and if you slip up once then you should just quit until next year. 

I first made “resolutions” two years ago. Last year I set separate goals for my personal and professional life, and this year I’m going to do the same.

So, without further ado, here are my 2018 goals!

PROFESSIONAL

+ create two new courses — I already know what I want them to be, and have started working on one, but the goal is to complete them and get them online for people to have.

+ create a workshop — I already have the concept of what I want it to be, it’s just a matter of putting my head down to finish creating it. And then (deep breathe) hold the workshop.

+ talk in front of an audience — Is anyone else shy? I’m really good behind a camera and a computer because I can think through and edit what I want to say. But when you’re in front of a crowd there’s no going back. 

+ expand my second channel — I started a second channel in 2017 (that was actually one of my goals), but this year I’m very excited to see it expand from just a vlog channel.

+ release new merch collection — You guys loved my FemmeHead shirts and totes, so I’m going to release more! I want to create a few new designs as well as offer more of the original design. 

+ 100,000 YouTube subscribers — Yup, the big One, Zero, Zero. I’m roughly around 37,000ish away from it. And I think I can do it! (But it’s never about the number of subscribers for me. It’s about who I’m actually able to help. It’s just been a fun little goal to set myself since I started on YouTube).

PERSONAL

+ learn to play a song on the uke — I bought a ukulele over a year ago, and while I’ve gone through phases of practicing I’ve never learned an entire song. 

+ participate in a race — I think this might become a yearly goal for me. I had the same goal last year and I ended up doing my first 5k, triathlon and marathon. Boom!

+ take myself on solo dates — There are places around town (the botanical garden comes to mind) where I’ve always wanted to go but haven’t because I didn’t have someone to go with. So now, I want to take myself on at least one solo date a month. 

+ keep all of my receipts — Yup, boring, but for accounting and tax purposes it would make it a lot easier if I had my paper receipts. (Thankfully a lot of my buying is done online). 

+ pay off my student loans — When I first graduated I made the goal of two years. And I was on track, but then I met a boy and had to rebalance my finances. Well, I’ve kept paying off more than what I owe and I’m down to just above $5,000. Can I pay that off this year? 

+ hang out with a family member and a friend once a week —spending time with those I love has taken more of a priority over this past year, and I’ve done such a great job I want to keep at it!

+ produce less waste/buy less plastic — When I first discovered the zero waste and minimalist lifestyles I did a great job of reducing the amount of waste I created. Well, so many freaking things come in plastic, and I want to make it a goal this year to cut down on plastic overall. 

What are some of your goals that you're most excited for this year? 

Discovering Lagom + How It Fits Into My Life

I first discovered hygge and it wasn’t long after that I stumbled upon lagom.

While there is no direct translation from Swedish, I liked the definition “not too little, not too much, just right.” 

I saw someone refer to it as the “Goldilocks" amount. And another said lagom is closer to “optimal”. Overall, it is a lifestyle of balance, sustainability, and frugality. 

For a minimalist like myself, lagom speaks to me. I think a lot of people think minimalism is about owning nothing, living in a destitute house of white walls, a mattress on the floor and one plate and fork. And it couldn’t be further from that. 

While yes there are those that enjoy minimalism in its extreme the vast majority of us look at it as a way to go about life. A conscious choice to be selective about what we let into our lives. Whether that’s physical things, people, experiences. It’s all about refining it down to just what brings you happiness. 

Why bother with the rest everything if it’s just going to clutter up your space and your mind? 

Unlike hygge, lagom isn’t a moment or an experience, it’s much more of an overarching concept to live by. 

When you get down to it, lagom is about striving for a balanced life that can lead you to live in your most natural state. 

Funny enough most Swedes will go “meh” at the mention of lagom because for them its something that means average and boring to them. But the rest of the world is jumping on the lagom train.  

I’m all for taking these concepts like hygge and lagom and finding the aspects of them that speak to me and infusing that into my life to make it all that much better. 

So, here’s the bits of it that speak to me:

Balanced Eating — I’ve never been too strict with what I eat. And the great thing about being vegan is I can eat as much as I want on a whole foods plant-based diet. But there will always be a place in my heart (and my stomach) for sweet things. If I’m focused on getting enough nutrition through fruits, veggies, nuts seeds, grains, etc. then I can have my cake and eat it too! 

Wasting Less — I’ve made some big changes over the past two years when it comes to this. And for the most part, they’re  simple switches. Getting reusable shopping bags, coffee cups, not overbuying on food. I don’t leave the lights on when they’re not needed, or the water running while I brush my teeth. I walk or ride my bike when possible (and it helps not having my own car). I recycle, I reuse, and the amount of trash I produce has dropped drastically. I’m still far from zero waste but I’d love to get there one day. 

Getting Rid of the Excess — Decluttering is one of the most beautiful things I do for myself. It is addicting first off because you have this amazing feeling of lightness and freedom after going through your belongings. And there’s nothing better than having just what you need, and when all of those belongings have a home. Decisions are easier, cleaning is easier. It’s a win, win!

Being a Conscious Consumer — If I want to buy something new it first gets put on my ‘want list’ and it sits there while I research the best option, cost, where I can get it from, whether I can get it second hand, etc. And often times I find that things will sit on my ‘want list’ and eventually I realize, meh I really don’t want/need that and it gets taken off the list. Decluttering was a great way to jump start how I viewed buying stuff. The same goes for starting a capsule wardrobe. 

Creating a Capsule Wardrobe — Speaking of that, it intimidated me at first but once I finally went for it and curated a capsule for each season my mornings have been so much simpler. Why have all of your clothes all together when you probably can’t even wear half of it? This doesn’t mean I’m stuck with only that capsule for the season. If I realize there’s something I need I’ll add it. And it’s a great way to actually see what you need, and what you don’t wear, and can pass along. 

Having a Mindful Work/Life Balance — This one can be tricky regardless of whether you work for someone or you work for yourself. Personally, work and non-work can blend together. Especially since I work from home. But a few things that have really helped is creating a little home office in the corner of our guest bedroom, knowing that “Right, I’m going to sit down to work from 8 -5 today.” I also find that getting ready for work (getting dressed, etc.) helps get me into the mindset. I also don’t jump straight into work in the morning or work up until bedtime either. I make sure I have time before and after my work day to do things for myself. Whether that’s journaling, yoga, meditation, hanging out with friends or family. You need to make time for yourself outside of work. 

Overall, I think there are so many elements of lagom that are already a part of my life. But I’m all for discovering new concepts and finding inspiration in them. And sharing them with you!

Are you into hygge or lagom, or is there another catchy term you are inspired by? 

Using Pinterest to Create Dream Board

I love the concept of dream boards. 

My teenage bedroom was essentially four walls of dream boards, or whatever I decided was worthy of getting cut out of a Teen Vogue and taped on my wall. 

I don’t collect magazines anymore, nor do I find my “dream life” in them. 

But do you know what has come along since my moody teenage days?

Pinterest. 

I don’t even have to explain what it is: the internet’s dream board. 

We’ve all spent countless hours pinning drool worthy recipes, outfits that are a little too perfect and a detailed plan of our dream wedding before we even had serious boyfriends. 

I’ve seriously curbed my Pinterest addiction since college, but I’ve found it a cathartic exercise to collect and curate different aspects of the dream life I strive for.

In January I chose two guiding words for 2017: Ignite and Radiate. And I created a board of different images and quotes that spoke to those words that I’ll scroll through every now and then. 

And one of the best features of Pinterest? Secret boards. 

No more scouring magazines, scissors and glue for this girl. 

My most recent secret board creation? One I dubbed, “Beautiful Abundance” where I put all the things I’m working to manifest in my life. 

And if you hear the term “manifest” and want to gag a little bit, stick with me. I was once in your shoes not that long ago. 

Then I discovered “Letters to the Universe”, dipping my toes into manifesting, and things started to happen. 

I asked the Universe for freelance opportunities and I got an email from a gal I went on to do a internship/mentorship for. 

I asked for more money opportunities, and my mom called to ask for help with two painting jobs, totaling over $1600 in less than three weeks. 

“I’ve got to put this power to good use!” I thought. 

So, back to my “Beautiful Abundance” board. I created it as a place to put all the things I wanted to manifest for my future. And not my “where will you be in 10 years” future. My 6 months - 5 years plan. 

While it’s obviously important to consider where you want to be in 15 years time I think so many people spend all their wishing on years and years down the road. 

What about the life we’re living in the here in now? 

Why not focus on that? I know I am. 

Fill your dream boards, your vision boards, whatever you want to call them with things that make you feel something. That get you excited to work towards your goals. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m a visual person so actually seeing something versus just writing it down (which I also think is important) sparks something different in my brain, making it seem like more of a possibility for reality. 

So, go and spend some time on Pinterest (I’m giving you permission) and make a board that is just for curating your dream life. Don’t hold yourself back, fill it with images, words and whatever else feel right to you. 

Go back and look back on it here and there, edit it and refine it to keep it up to date with what you want. And just let it soak in, think about how it would feel to have or be whatever it is. Visualize that, and magical things will start to happen. 

Why I Have $100,000 On My Wall

Last week I wrote a post about lessons I had learned from the book “Get Rich, Lucky Bitch” which I devoured and thoroughly enjoyed. 

One of the glaring realizations was that I had this subconscious belief that I only deserved to make the bare minimum needed to survive. 

But what happens when your goals change, what you want changes? What if a house and a family doesn’t seem so distant? 

The answer: you’re going to need more money. 

I realized that I thought making more money than I “needed” was greedy. That I should only want what I need and nothing more. 

Why set big goals if you have enough now?

Well, I realized it wasn’t about being ungrateful for what I already have. It’s about growing, as a person, as a business, and it’s OK if you desires and goals change. 

It doesn’t take much money for me to support myself at this point in life. I’m pretty proud of that fact, but I also discovered that the idea of making “a lot” of money freaked me out, gave me these weird, cringey feelings that I didn’t like. 

In the book she talks about clients who had the goals of making six figures, seven figures, and each time I found myself a bit bug eyed thinking, “That’s sooo much money!” 

When I thought about what it would be like to make six figures I found myself really uncomfortable with the idea of that much money. 

I’m a far way off from that income goal, but how could I ever expect myself to seek out more money if I wasn’t even comfortable with the idea of making more money. 

Essentially, I was repelling money and opportunities that led to more money because I didn’t think I needed it nor deserved it. I was uncomfortable with it. 

So, I’ve started doing a few things to change my attitude towards making more money. 

One, slightly absurd, thing I’ve done is put “$100,000” on the bottom of my felt letter board that sits on my desk. 

And when I first put it up there I would hide it behind candles, embarrassed that it was even there. But slowly, as I sit down and look at it every day I’m becoming more and more comfortable with it. Slowly but surely it doesn’t seem so absurd, it doesn’t seem so greedy, it doesn’t seem so impossible. 

I’ve also started putting up little positive money affirmations on sticky notes above my desk. 

I’m slowly chipping away at my preconceived notions about income and self-worth. 

I want things in life, and I want them sooner rather than later. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Having goals doesn’t make me greedy. I’m not harming anyone to get there. 

I love learning about personal finance and money mindsets. Money will probably always be taboo, but it doesn’t mean I can’t change my own attitude towards the matter. 

What are some of the big money lessons you’ve learned so far in life?

Lessons From "Get Rich, Lucky Bitch"

I don’t know about you, but I love reading books about money. And I’m not talking about financial planning (that’s important too), I’m talking about unpacking our beliefs and mindsets surrounding money. 

Because I’m always so surprised with how many there are. And not only that but recognizing how they are inadvertently impacting my day to day decisions, and therefore my overall financial well-being. 

I recently tore through the book, Get Rich Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas, which digs into how our subconscious money mindsets can be sabotaging our financial possibilities. 

It’s chock full of inspiration, so I recommend picking it up if you're into that sort of stuff, but I wanted to go ahead and share some of those nuggets with you today. 

You’re going to have to dig into your money past if there’s any hope for your future. And that’s because how you’ve been raised to feel and think about money most definitely is impacting your relationship with money today. 

Start from your earliest memory about money and work your way up.

Give yourself time to do this exercise, it takes awhile and the more time you spend with it, the more memories come up. You’re going to have to deconstruct how those memories could be impacting you still today.  

Every day write down a list of all the money that comes into your life. Like attracts like, so the more money you realize you have the more money will start flowing to you. 

When you think you don’t have enough, when you don’t know how much you actually have you can be a bit more careless with your money. You might be twiddling away your money in tiny increments for things that you don’t even actually want or care about. 

And when I consistently do this exercise I am amazed with the abundance I actually have compared to what I thought I was making. I’m far from a millionaire, but there have been plenty of months where I make double or triple of what I think I’m making, all because I wasn’t keeping track of it. 

Put yourself in situations where you feel rich. Expect good things to happen to you. Lucky people are overwhelmingly grateful and take responsibility for their lives

She also suggest reprogramming yourself to say yes to money and opportunities to make money. I found three dollars on the floor of a bathroom at a campground. Gross? Probably. But you bet your sweet tushy I snatched that money up and said "YES! Thank you Universe!" Be grateful for what you have. 

Emotions live in our bodies. If you don’t try and feel wealthy now with what you have, you won’t feel wealthy with a million dollars.

Yeah really nice cars are cool, but I’m so grateful for owning my dream bike (a Bianchi), and know that it is more than enough when it comes to the realm of transportation. If you can’t find gratitude in what you have now, you’re never going to be satisfied because there will always be something bigger, something better, something newer to get. Don’t get trapped in that cycle. 

Money loves clarity. When you know exactly WHAT you’re working towards, you will start to act in more positive ways towards your goals. Write down numerical values next to each of the goals, so you know how much it is actually going to cost you to have it. Change the rules of how you think you have to get it. Like farts, goals are better out than in, so release them into the world and onto some paper today!

Get clear with what you want because how are you expected to get something if you don’t know what it is? We all wish for more money, but why do we want more money? What is it that we want to have or do? And how realistic is that goal? Take travel for example, it’s something almost everyone wants to do, but don’t think they can afford. I’ll let you in on a secret, it’s so much more attainable than you think. 

Worse Case Scenario exercise. Voicing those little fears, even if they’re completely irrational, releases their hold on you and you can feel good about becoming rich. You can’t create an amazing life and receive outrageous abundance with an underlying fear that you’re a bad person. 

This was a fun exercise. So, you’ve written out your goals, what you want. Now it’s time to write down all the bad things that could possibly happen if you achieved those goals. 

“My partner will feel inadequate."

“I’ll spend it all."

“I’ll turn into a bad, greedy person.” 

As you look back over the list you’ll start to see how crazy those beliefs are, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re there, and could be stopping you from reaching for more. 

You might find yourself thinking, “I shouldn’t want that”. It’s like at some point we’ve been told you shouldn’t want to have the best. It’s so common for women to put unconscious limits on how much they are “allowed” to earn. 

Isn’t this the truth? I’ve realized that I’ve been conditioned to think it’s greedy to want more than what you need to survive. How silly is that? And I’ve also recognized that continuing with this belief is going to limit me from reaching big goals I want in the near future: Buying a house, starting a family. Those things take money, and it’s not a “bad” thing to want those things. 

It’s so important to surround yourself with success; we are so influenced by the people around us. Connect with women who are going where you want to go. Everyone you are with on a day-to-day level, your friends, your success team, your partner, needs to be lifting you up not dragging you down with obligation, negativity and poverty mindset.

This is true in all areas in life. Do you and your friends spend your time together complaining about one thing or another? We’re all guilty of it. But you need to start living the life you’re trying to achieve. Whether it’s putting yourself into situations to expand and grow, reaching out to someone who inspires you or meeting up with women you find inspirational. Surround yourself with what you want to be in the world. 

Your income is unlimited. Your potential is unlimited. 

I just want to end with this today. We are constantly limiting ourselves to what we think we can achieve. But if you head out into the world telling yourself you are limitless you start to notice things, people, opportunities, ideas. And you go for it because you’re not limiting yourself to where you’re currently at in the world. 

Some Of My Favorite YouTube Channels

I’ve been watching YouTube videos since high school, and while my interests have changed over the years I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite people on YouTube. 

In no particular order, here are some people/channels I love:

Sarah Lemkus 

She has an adorable little vegan family, and they live in New Zealand. She shares a lot of What I Eat In A Day videos, as well as her life in New Zealand as well as travel. 

Ellen Fisher 

Possibly my favorite family on YouTube. Ellen has a heart of gold, her husband is a sweetheart and she has two super adorable boys. She talks all things vegan, sustainable living, and her life in Hawaii. 

Raw Alignment 

She talks a lot about self-love and being vegan. She also shares her adventures, her workouts and just general feel good messages. 

Sailing LaVagabonde 

This sweet couple travel the world on their sailboat, and you get to go along on all their adventures. [And it is because of them that I discovered Patreon. It is what makes their adventure possible, and now I have a Patreon for those who want to support FemmeHead.] 

Kathleen Lights 

I’m used to watch a lot of makeup YouTubers, but over the years my interests have changed, but I will always watch Kathleen. And that’s for her personality.

Damon and Jo 

You don’t have to be rich to travel the world, and these two are a complete hoot while doing it. They have vibrant personalities and share practical travel tips. 

Sarah Norse 

She is one of those people who is living the life she wants. She does a lot of traveling, moving countries with her husband. She shares videos all about minimalism, money, travel and lifestyle. 

Alli Cherry 

She has a great esthetic, personality and shares videos on a range of topics. Everything from design, cool flea market finds, sustainable living, natural products and travel and camping videos. 

Ollie Ritchie 

Pure inspiration for beautiful videos. Gives you this nostalgic feeling for memories, places and people in your past. 

Wild Daze 

An eclectic gal sharing her adventures around the world. She’s based in the UK, goes to festivals, shares her wacky style and is unapologetically herself. 

Coolripa 

I always wanted to be the girl in high school who made her own clothes, but I didn’t have the skill or patience to do so. This girl takes her thrift store finds and turns them into adorable outfits that you want to wear. 

Lavendaire 

A calming influence on your life. She talks about minimalism, personal growth, and creating the life you want to live.  

Muchelleb 

She’s all about creating the lifestyle and space you want to live in, covering how to simplify your space, be intentional about your life, goals, minimalism and goodness like this. 

Shameless Maya 

I sometimes struggle when it comes to technology, but anytime I need an answer or some inspiration I head over to her channel. I really enjoy her Tech Talk Tuesdays as well as her just explaining different methods and techniques. 

BuzzFeed Unsolved 

I love watching BuzzFeed, but one of my favorite series currently is BuzzFeed Unsolved. They’re a hilarious duo who travel to haunted places, often staying the night, sharing the history and trying to stir up some ghosts. 

SoSonia on SoulPancake 

She makes me feel good, she makes me think and she inspires me to get creative. 

These aren’t all the channels I like, but I didn’t want to go on forever. Hopefully this will help you discover a new channel or two that you like!

Having a Money Minute

Repeat after me: Money is not the enemy.

I’ve talked a few times before about the importance of learning about, and paying attention to your money.

People think that by ignoring it they won’t have to deal with it. But choosing not to do anything is still an action. 

And no matter how much or how little money you feel like you have, paying attention to it is important. 

So, today I wanted to talk about taking a money minute. 

Some people do this once a day, a week, a month or less than that. 

Right now I’m in-between once a week and once a month, and I want to get back to once a week. 

And this is what a money minute means to me:

Pulling up my bank account and my credit card online. 

Going through both and writing down every dollar spent and made in my bullet journal. 

I have a number of payments automated, but the bigger ones I still do manually:

+ student loan payment

+ rent

+ credit card

By going through my bank and credit card statement I can keep an eye on where I’m spending money, maybe a subscription I don’t use that I need to cancel, things like that. 

It’s also a great time to see where you’re at in your budget, whether what you’re making is enough to support how much you’re spending. 

And if it isn’t adding up it’s a great motivator to cut back spending and amp up your income. 

Don’t ignore your finances. 

And if you don’t feel comfortable with them, you need to force yourself look at them, make yourself learn about personal finance. 

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to money. 

I truly believe that the more attention you pay to your finances the better you will do financially. 

The Beauty of Multiple Streams of Income

I’m trying to remember a time when I only had one job. 

You see, I’ve always worked a variety of odd jobs. I helped my parents flip houses from junior high through high school, then I worked in a coffee shop, a mall, my college, a restaurant, another restaurant and another restaurant, all while nannying and painting on the side. 

And I think there’s something awesome about realizing that your money doesn’t have to come from just one place. 

I think that’s pretty freeing as well. 

And don't for a second think that I'm bragging, gloating about how rich I am. 

I'm neither. (Gloating nor rich).

Even now that I have FemmeHead, my money I make through that doesn’t come from just one place either. And I think that’s a big misconception/confusion people have when wanting to start an online business. 

I know I was really confused for a long time how people made money online. 

So, I wanted to break down all the various places I currently have money coming from. 

Let’s start with FemmeHead:

 + I make money when people take/buy one of my courses.

+ I make money when someone does 1-on-1 coaching with me. 

+ I make money through affiliate codes (such as Amazon, Daysy, and RubyCup). 

+ I make money from YouTube through ad revenue. It starts trickling in at a few cents a day, then a few dollars a day, and so on. It took me a year on YouTube before I had that cents to dollars jump. And over the past month YouTube has been struggling with advertisers so I've seen a 50% cut in my revenue from them. 

None of these things on its own could even come close to being able to support me. With all of them combined I almost have enough to get by. 

This is where you have to make the decision to find other sources of income. And when you’re starting off there shouldn't be that embarrassment of “Well, I work here."

For me this used to be waitressing. And I struggled talking to people about where I worked. I had a lot of internalized guilt and embarrassment when it came to this. 

I absolutely dreaded the question, “So, Victoria. What do you do?"

We all want to have some super cool, super professional answer to this. 

And the sucky part of this is that I actually really enjoyed working there. I just really got bogged down with the judgemental looks, and “oh, so where do you go to school?” (assuming that's the only reason I would work there). Things like that. 

Now, that I quit waitressing, but I’m not quite to the point where I can fully support myself just with FemmeHead, I’ve had to look into other avenues of making money. 

And yes, believe me this is a point of stress at times, but I try to look at it as a fun challenge. 

This has involved both creating new parts of FemmeHead, as well as using skills I already have outside of FemmeHead. 

I’m constantly creating new things for my business, (I’m currently working on merchandise and a workshop). And I have started painting houses on the side. 

One of the perks of living in Des Moines is the cost of it all is fairly low in comparison to other parts of the country. I hear what people pay for just rent in some cities and I’ll just about choke on what I’m eating/drinking. 

And because I live with someone, our costs are all pretty much split, which makes things like rent and groceries really manageable. 

So I guess what I’m saying is that you have to look at the big picture.

What are your necessities? Are there certain expenses that you view as "must haves" but really could be cut back on a bit?

Don’t limit yourself to one “job". I know this is nothing new. People work two, three jobs all of the time.

Use the skill sets you have and build on them.

And don’t be embarrassed by what you do. I spent too long with a lot of anxiety built up around all of this. But as soon as I decided to "own it", life became much more enjoyable. 

[Potentially sad news: I have been reassessing FemmeHead this week. At the end of the day it is my business and livelihood, so with the ad revenue issues on YouTube, I'm most likely going to have to take a step back a bit from videos, and focus more of my time elsewhere. But I don't want to stop making videos all together. I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to support what I do on YouTube. If this calls out to you, go check out my Patreon page to see how you can support the work done at FemmeHead.]

No Eat Out November

Yesterday marked the beginning of the third annual No-Eat-Out November.

It’s a concept I came up with as a fun way to challenge Michael and I to reset our habits on eating out vs. making meals at home, which is a great way to save some money. 

November works well for us because we normally go on our big trip sometime during October. When we get back we’re always in the mood to sharpen up on our money saving skills. 

For whatever reason this month long challenge seems to work better than just saying to one another “oh, we should try and do a better job of eating at home” (we’ll say this every now and then throughout the year if we’ve fallen into an eating out rut). 

And while we technically spend time together if we go out to eat, it’s not like the date nights you see in the movie. Going out to eat loses it’s luster if you do it pretty often. 

Now, eating at home on the other hand can be pretty exciting if done with a little bit of planning. If you know you’re going to be doing it, you can take the time to plan out more exciting meals than normal. 

We can all admit that we are guilty of getting stuck in meal ruts, eating the same thing day after day. And sometimes it just takes a little challenge to spice up dinnertime. 

It was during this challenge two years ago that we first made Polish periogi, and were shocked to realize how easy it was. It’s a great time to try out different soup recipes and make big batches to eat over the course of a few days. 

We did our grocery shopping for the week quickly last night, trying to get fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a few ingredients we could combine with things we already have at home. 

But starting next week I will take the time to take stock of what we still have in the fridge and cupboards, and plan out a few new meals for the week before doing my grocery shopping. 

So, if you’ve been looking for a little financial challenge, join me this year for No-Eat-Out November.