Ok, so I know all the preaching we do to you about savings your dollar bills, I know you wonder “well, can I even enjoy life??” And the answer to that difficult question is “of course!” Wait, Wait… before you bust out your debit card or bombard your parents for a ridiculous amount of money, take a breath and finish reading this full article missy! Ok, so yes life is about enjoying all your moments on this beautiful earth. The trick is finding the balance of having a ball in life without splurging every 2 seconds. Truthfully, if you are constantly in need to buy new things ALL the time, you may be in search for something much deeper that money can’t buy (that’s a whole different article though!). But back to the matter at hand how, what is and when you should create your wish list!

Hmm so you want to know what it is…Huh?- So what is a wish list?? A wish list is a list of all the items you want or all the things you want to do but just currently can’t chuck out the cash for it. You can either have a written list of everything you would want to do or visual pics of what you want. The key is to keep it in a place where you will see it pretty often. On your bulletin board, in your locker, on your ceiling …all awesome places for your list.

Why?? Why?? Why??-The next question that is sputtering from your lips is “Why do I need to create a list, am I getting graded for this??’ Well, since you asked I guess, I can spill the magic behind your wish list! A “wish list” is VERY useful because it helps you stay on your budget and allows you to focus on achieving one item at a time rather than trying to walk out with the entire mall. With any goal in life you focus, work hard, and bam! You achieve it! Well, it’s the same idea with savings! It will give you discipline. When you do get to cross out things off your list, you will appreciate so much more! It’s true, when you spend your own money, you’ll treat it like gold! Yes, GOLD!

But When??– Now…duh! Yes, at this very moment pick up a pen and a piece of paper and go at it! Create a list of 5 items you want or things you want to do and doodle away. Now the key is to save up from allowances and your part time gig to buy one of your wishes. Once YOU save for it (not your parents) you will get in a groove that you will have you saying “Hey, this is not sooo bad after all.” And will have you playing Fifth Harmony’s “Worth Harmony” on repeat! Go for it!

It’s the NEW year and being smart about your funds is just as important as sporting the hottest fashion trends out right now. Hmmm… think about it. If you don’t know how to save how are you going to buy those hot shoes for your bestie’s party next month? Your parents are going to start giving you that good ol’ side eye the next time you kindly reach your hand out for more money. So hey, before they even give you the “You need to start being responsible” speech beat them to the punch and watch your account grow! Ok, ok enough of the speech let’s see if you are a Budgetnista or not?

Closet Check!– Yes, I know the feeling of fresh clothes in your closet is somewhat addictive! You can feel yourself wanting to rip off the tags as soon as you pull it out the bag and find the perfect place to debut the new piece to your clothes collection. BUT ask yourself how often do you buy new clothes? And where are your fave stores? Do you give yourself a spending limit before going out? Is your wardrobe a mixture of higher, lower and don’t forget thrift pieces?

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Foodie?? You’re telling yourself look, I’m not in 2nd grade anymore and packing lunches are the most annoying thing in the world. I know it seems like all 5 minutes of you preparing a meal the next day is life threatening but its not. How many times do you go to the drive thru after class? Or how many McGriddle wrappers are in the back of your car? Setting aside 10 extra minutes to eat breakfast at home or throwing a snack for after school will save up! You’ve probably spent 10 bucks in just vending machines already…Think about it.

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Small Temptations– Well, you know that they say it’s not the big problems that drive you crazy but the small bumps in the road that will drive you up the wall. Well, it’s same for your budget. Is it easy for you to get sidetracked? Do you make a lot of thoughtless purchases? It’s not always the huge purchases that makes your account slowly dwindle, it’s more of your small daily temptations that add up! From the Redbox picks to the Passion Fruit Ice Tea from Starbucks to the new nail polish you snagged at the drugstore. If you really added up a week of your random buys, you just saved up for your prom shoes…Yes, it’s true.

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Real dope girls can be fly on a budget! Save + be fab!

It’s about that time again! Holiday commercials, pumpkin spice latte in the air and empty pockets? Yes, we get it.  Even though it’s a festive time a year that doesn’t mean your pockets always match the season. Between homecoming, costumes and gearing up for gift giving season you might need a few extra dollars your way. So what’s better than a part-time gig to help you stack up for the holiday? Check out these quick tips to get a head start on your search!

Start Early + Research- Ok, yes there are numerous job openings but that doesn’t mean it will always stays that way! To not get left in the dust create a quick list of places that you would like to work + that are hiring.  This makes your search clear, focus & easier for you to snag a gig.

Fun times, Fun place? – Just because it’s work doesn’t mean you have to dread going there. While you’re on your job search and pick a place where you actually shop or an environment you enjoy.  Find a place you like and go for it! This makes your work days go by faster and you’ll actually want to learn more about your job that can aid you in the future. Also, a killer discount always helps when it comes to gift giving!

Second Glance +Follow Up- So before you turn in your resume take a second glance! If you’re submitting it in person or online make sure to double check your resume for the correct info & proper presentation. Also, make sure to follow up to make sure it’s received!

Group Budget – Ok, so it’s no secret that being a student doesn’t automatically make you rich. So instead of trying to impress your friends with what you can buy just be honest that you want to be mindful on your spending habits.  Creating a budget of what the group wants to spend takes the pressure off of everyone!

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 Free Finds- Umm summer is right around the corner and you know exactly what that means, right? Free everything! Ok,  maybe not everything but festivals, concerts, BBQ’s … you get our drift. So do your research and find fun places to that are kind to your pockets.

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Girls Night In- Sometimes it’s better to just stay in rather than being on the scene. Resetting , chatting + veggin’  out are all perfect ways to chill out and catch up with your besties. Who doesn’t love comfy girl talk?

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SWAP over SHOP!- Shopping! Yes, we all wish we had an unlimited amount to spend on new trends each season! Hmmm so instead of shopping you should have a swap out with your friends. You know  your friend’s cute necklace that you’re always gagging over  and your statement ring she raves about …just swap it out. Time to trade!

Happy savings, babes!

This morning – as I maneuvered between rooms, getting ready for work – I heard the email notification from my phone – and because I have become slave to the aging iphone 4 – I run every time it calls out to me, anticipating good news regarding Knowledge Bank or correspondence regarding my recent job search. Nothing makes a day start better than a good-news email at 7:30 in the morning. Consequently, nothing makes a day start worse than a bad-news email at 7:30 in the morning. But because I can sometimes be over confident -there’s a little foreshadowing here – I always assume my inbox bears good news, but this morning would be different.

At 7:30 in the morning – before normal business hours – I received an email stating that after much consideration, another candidate had been selected for the position I had interviewed for 22 hours and 45 minutes ago. When I read the email, I immediately had 3 thoughts:

1. Who could have been a better candidate than me?

2. How can “much” consideration be given in 22 hours and 45 minutes?

3. They probably sent this email to the wrong person. I’ll wait for the apology to come later

today.

I went ahead to work like every other day. At the exact moment I’m typing this sentence, it’s been 7 hours and and 15 minutes since I received the “mistakenly sent” rejection email and I have yet to receive the apology email. This leads me to one conclusion. It’s time to swallow the hard pill and accept the fact that I’m not getting the job.

Thankfully, I’m still employed with what my parent’s generation would consider “a good job”, but I still felt this was a perfect “you gone learn today” moment for the CORE readers. So, here’s your lesson…

There are approximately 27 million Americans who are currently unemployed in this country. A significant number of these are teens. Additionally, there are millions of other people who are underemployed. How would you feel if you were the best dancer in school, yet you’re selected to play the tambourine instead of selected as a majorette? That’s almost what it’s like to be underemployed.

So, as we approach the summer break and teens across the country begin applying for summer jobs, I want to share a few lessons that can be learned from the brashness and stupidity I displayed prior to and during my interview.

Lesson 1. Give yourself some “just in case something happens” time.

When reading the second paragraph of this post, did you ever wonder why I was being so exact with the time? The time is branded into my memory because I was 15 minutes late for my interview. Being on time is rule #1 when preparing for interviews and I understood this 16 years ago when I applied for my first job. Unfortunately, there was a massive concoction of failure that added to my tardiness, but it’s still my responsibility to allot enough “just in case something happens” time so that I am punctual for my first impression. Just like we save money for those “just in case” moments, plan on giving yourself “just in case” time when preparing for an interview. Normally 15-30 minutes is sufficient depending on where you live. Yesterday I sure needed fifteen. smh

Lesson 2. Who you talking to?

Have you ever gotten a little sassy with your mom and she hits you with the “who you talking to” response? Think of mom the next time you are preparing for your interview. Not because your interviewer “brought you into this world so they’ll take you out”, but because it’s important to understand the position, personality and temperament of the person that’s interviewing you. The person conducting my interview, was the person that I would be reporting to if I was awarded the job. He wasn’t a big personality guy. He was very mild mannered. He didn’t seem to be into a lot of small talk (maybe because we were short 15 minutes.) But, I’m sort of the opposite. I view the interview as my time to shine (because it is). I want the interviewer to know that I am confident in my skills and abilities and I have no problem verbalizing that. Problem is – and this I can’t prove – I think I may have been too enthusiastic and maybe too ambitious for him. I don’t believe in being someone you are not, but I do believe there were some nonverbal cues from the interviewer that were indications for me to tone it down a bit.

3. Be Yourself

Your personality is just as important to your viability for a new job as your experience and skills. Let the hiring manager know who they maybe hiring during the interview. You want a company to accept you for who you are. Now, I’m not condoning the neck tattoo or wearing purple lipstick to the interview. However, I am condoning the vibrant personality associated with the person that wears purple lipstick on the weekends.

4. Watch Your Mouth!

The interview is a time for you to sell yourself, sell your skills, sell your strengths and sell your experiences. I think I sold myself straight down the river. I sold myself, I sold my skills, I sold my strengths and I sold my experiences. I should have stopped there. I went ahead and sold my ambition too. Now in some circumstances this can be perceived as an asset to the interviewer. But you have to be conscience of “who you talking to”? The guy who was interviewing me had recently lost 3 members of his team. He had only been in his role for 5 months. So the last thing he needed to hear from me was how this position would help further my career. It’s important to know when to hit the brakes. If that job was at an intersection, I cruised straight through the red light.

There isn’t an exact science to perfecting every interview. Truth is you could follow every lesson in this article and still not land the next gig you interview for. But as you’ve learned in some of my other posts, perseverance is a key ingredient to success in life and just because you’ve
heard 2 no’s doesn’t mean your next interview won’t end in a yes.

C.Hale

Ok so we’re officially in spring and that means hot spring & summer sales! Ok, before we all get too excited lets’ bring it back for a little bit. I know money is something we all love to spend but hmmm maybe not so much manage. Here are a couple tips that will have you not just rockin’ a fly clutch but making sure it is full as well!

Vision Board– Just a little reminder. The best way to see and to reach a savings goal is to visually see it. So whatever you’re saving for cut out a picture and put it on your wall or bulletin board. This way you’ll be constantly reminded of why you need to save and much more careful of what you spend your money on.

Rainy Days– Yes, we would love to live in a perfect world where we know what would happen next but unfortunately we don’t (at least it keeps life exciting, right?). Anyways let’s jump back on track. So you never know what can happen and yes that includes unexpected expenses. I know looking at your checks you feel like you don’t have enough money to save, well you’re wrong. You do not have to put hundreds in the bank a week, just put what you can afford. Instead of agreeing on an amount of what you would save because your check changes every week, agree on a percentage. So let’s say every two weeks you put 10% of your check. Trust me…it adds up!

“You Can’t Touch This”– Just like MC Hammer said as he rocked the stage same goes with you and your savings account. As excited as you get by how much you are savings you have after couple of months, make sure you do not touch it. And if you do it has to be in emergency situations in which the savings were made for! Oh and let me get one thing clear the shoe sale at the boutique does not quite make the cut!! I know it may seem like self torture now but you will thank me for this later

Score! It’s A Goal– Once you get in the habit of tracking what you spend (I promise it won’t seem like a chore after awhile) you can begin setting goals for yourself. You’ll begin to see and notice spending patterns you have within yourself. You can slowly begin to cut back on what you notice what you spend a lot of money on. And each week you should have atleast one goal. If it’s bringing your lunch or cutting back on your destinations to not go over your gas money, it will all help at the end.

-C.O.R.E Fam

So you have a sickness. You haven’t admit it to anyone and the doctor says no matter how much antibiotics you take or sleep you get, they can’t patch you up. Ok here it goes, for some reason every time money touches your hand it disappears in  less than 5 seconds! As soon as you reach out to receive it you already know that it’s going to vanish within the next 24 hours.  So you need to find a cure asap! Because trying to save for the prom dress you spotted 2 weeks ago, your allowance and part time gig are just not cutting it like it used to. Here are a few key ways to stretch that dollar bill!

Food– Yes, every type of fast food joint is just “oh so conveniently” placed right around your school. So picking up a breakfast sandwich or smashing a Whopper is as easy as 1, 2, 3! But as quick as you are to pull out your wallet to pick up the addictive but unhealthy foods, have you been just as quick to add how much you spend in a week or even a month on food?? I know you love running away from the truth… but it will set you free! You already know what I’m going to say. Instead of constantly swiping your card try carrying snacks you can throw in your bag. Munch on healthy snacks throughout the day so not only you save money but then you’re not scarfing down the closest big mac in hands reach when you get a chance. So you can’t cut cold turkey?? Ok so make it a treat!  Maybe just treat your self on Fridays until you ween yourself off completely.

Clothing– Clothes are a slice piece of heaven for you. You love everything about fashion and style so you feel like that’s where should your money go, right?? Wrong! You can still scream “style icon” on a budget! You can give yourself mini shopping sprees and not come up broke. So thrifting is one of our faves ways to get unique clothing on a budget. But even if “thrifting” is not your thing all your fave boutiques and stores have great sales atleast a couple of times a year! So I know that getting tons of emails can some what be annoying but they may be you ticket to saving you a good amount of money a month. The next time you shop make sure you receive their email blasts so you can hold out your shopping spree until it hits.

Entertainment– Give yourself a weekend budget in order to not over spend. Headed to the movies?? Have a ‘pitch in’ meal before you go! The money you guys spend on individual snacks you could have a hefty feast between the 4 of you guys! Instead of spending 20 bucks you guys can have taco night for the whole night. Also as a new driver you’re just realizing why your mom would silently curse to herself each time she passes a gas station…because it is nowhere near cheap to drive! So instead of driving aimlessly around the city have a set map of your stops so you can cut down on gas money also.

Well it’s better to learn it now then being old and unfabulous, right??

-Natasha

Check out Courtney Hale as he schools you on Personal Capital—–>

PersonalCapital from Courtney Hale on Vimeo.

Being a fly teenage has pressures that only one could imagine. Not only do you deal with the expectations from every adult in your life but also social pressures from others around you and yes that includes keeping up with the latest of everything. From technology to fashion, it’s as if the walls are closing in second by second to ensure yourself you stay current! Well, well do not pull out your hair stressing on how to save, that’s what we’

re here for! Check out some ways how you save and make that dollar stretch!

Company You Keep– Ok so you know how the say “watch the company you keep?” Well, you know it’s a true statement in regards shopping buddies as well. If you know that it’s difficult for you to say the word “no” when it comes to shopping, watch the shopping buddy who joins you. If your friend constantly is swiping left and right, she’s more than likely is going to want you do the same and this is where pressure comes into play when dealing with unnecessary spending. So the next time you going to shop for something specific bring a laid back friend or just hit the boutique by yourself. Sometimes shopping solo is the best way too! Less stress, less opinions and no pressures!

Weekend Fun??– Give yourself a weekend budget in order to not over spend. Sooo headed to the movies?? Have a pitch in meal before you go! The money you guys spend on individual snacks you could have a hefty feast between the 4 of you guys! So instead of spending 20 bucks you guys can have taco night for the whole night.Also as a new driver you’re just realizing why your mom would silently curse to herself each time she passes a gas station…because it is no where near cheap to drive! So instead of driving aimlessly around the city have a set map of your stops so you can cut down on gas money also

Refocus!! -Ok, I know the fact that your parents wouldn’t give you money to buy the $150.00 pair of shoes that everybody has made you feel like the end of the world is here. But I’m going to let you in on a little a secret…life goes on. I know your day to day let downs seem never ending and although you should live for today you should still plan for tomorrow as well. So even though it may seem like everybody else is keeping up on the latest trends, saving and setting money to the side is more fulfilling. So even though you may not have every latest thing, once you head off to college you will have enough money aside to not only easily pay for your books but to have a comfortable amount to live on and not scraping last minute. Just saying.

Ok so we’re officially a couple of months in the new year and how are you doing with budgeting? I know money is something we all love to spend but hmmm maybe not so much manage. It’s a new year which means it’s time for you to turn over a new leaf. Here are a couple tips that will have you not just rockin’ a fly clutch but making sure it is full as well!

Vision Board– Just a little reminder. The best way to see and to reach a savings goal is to visually see it. So whatever you’re saving for cut out a picture and put it on your wall or bulletin board. This way you’ll be constantly reminded of why you need to save and much more careful of what you spend your money on.

Rainy Days– Yes, we would love to live in a perfect world where we know what would happen next but unfortunately we don’t (at least it keeps life exciting, right?). Anyways let’s jump back on track. So you never know what can happen and yes that includes unexpected expenses. I know looking at your checks you feel like you don’t have enough money to save, well you’re wrong. You do not have to put hundreds in the bank a week, just put what you can afford. Instead of agreeing on an amount of what you would save because your check changes every week, agree on a percentage. So let’s say every two weeks you put 10% of your check. Trust me…it adds up!

“You Can’t Touch This”– Just like MC Hammer said as he rocked the stage same goes with you and your savings account. As excited as you get by how much you are savings you have after couple of months, make sure you do not touch it. And if you do it has to be in emergency situations in which the savings were made for! Oh and let me get one thing clear the shoe sale at the boutique does not quite make the cut!! I know it may seem like self torture now but you will thank me for this later

Score! It’s A Goal– Once you get in the habit of tracking what you spend (I promise it won’t seem like a chore after awhile) you can begin setting goals for yourself. You’ll begin to see and notice spending patterns you have within yourself. You can slowly begin to cut back on what you notice what you spend a lot of money on. And each week you should have atleast one goal. If it’s bringing your lunch or cutting back on your destinations to not go over your gas money, it will all help at the end.

-C.O.R.E Fam