So All About That: Square Cash

I was one of those kids who wasn't allowed to get a credit or debit card until I went to college. I never really minded, because I never ran into any problems just using cash in high school. However, since getting a debit card a couple years ago, I've found that I never have cash on me anymore. This proves inconvenient whenever I'm out with friends and we're faced with a bill that can't be split. This happens at restaurants, when getting gas, when paying for a hotel room, etc.. It also happens when someone runs errands and picks me up something.
So, I've been looking for an easy way to pay back my friends (and have them pay me back) without having to start carrying around cash. I'm pretty picky about what I connect my bank account/debit card to, so it was a bit of a difficult search. Finally, though, I found Square Cash.

After looking at a handful of money sharing apps, Square Cash won out because...

1. It's super easy to set up: just make a profile and link to your debit card. 
2. I felt super safe and comfortable linking to my debit card because it's set up more like an online payment than like an extension of my bank account. 
3. You can set it up so that you have to enter the 3 digit code on the back of your card any time you want to send money. That way, there's no unwanted transactions, be they by a thief or the inside of your pocket.
4. It's extremely secure in that you have to request a code sent to your registered phone number or email address to login to a new device. 
5. It's simple and easy to use. There are no unnecessary extra features or pages to sift through before I get to pay/receive money.
6. It keeps track of your transaction activity. This is good for reference and safety purposes. Plus, all you need to do is screenshot it and send it to someone if they *claim* they never received the payment.

In short, I use Square Cash because it lives up to its 5 star rating (!!) by 600+ users on the App store.

Check out Square Cash on Facebook and Twitter for more information and to see what people have to say about it!

Thank you to Square Cash and Her Campus Media for partnering on this post!

A Broke Girl's Guide to a Quarterly Budget

Managing money is hard. As simple as it seems to tell yourself to only spend the bare minimum each month, if you don't keep track of what you're spending your money can really get away from you. I know I've had days where I look at my bank account total and think, "where the hell did all my money go?" I know I hate the feeling of not having control over my finances, and I'm assuming I'm not the only one. So, I'm sharing my budget planning system with you all!

I've been budgeting my money since I was 13 and got quite a bit of money for my Bat Mitzvah. My parents were always really big on teaching fiscal management (my favorite childhood game was Cashflow, which was basically a board game with the stock market and financial investments). As an adult looking back on it, I see now that that was not a typical childhood experience. It was, however, a part of my life that taught me lessons to manage my money in ways that I still very much use today.

Over the years I've developed a system for budgeting my money with the help of my dad. It's based on the quarter system, as my school is, and I revise the budget every three months accordingly. Below is an example of a budget based on my system. I've never actually demonstrated my system, so stay with me if it gets confusing and feel free to comment below with any questions or clarifications! 

The first step in creating your own budget is identifying what you consistently spend money on. Groceries, the bus, prescription medication, birthday presents, eating out, concerts, trips, cleaning supplies, and shopping are the main things I spend money on each quarter. You might spend money similarly, or you might add or discard a couple things to your list. Just remember: if you spend money on it, add it to the list!

Once you know what you spend money on regularly, establish as many categories as necessary to include all expenses while still condensing the list. I, for instance, have 8 categories: health, shopping, presents, food, home, entertainment, bus/travel, and in case of emergency. I'm still always redesigning how I categorize my spending. This quarter I added the in case of emergency category after taking my dog to the vet last quarter and realizing I hadn't accounted for anything like that in my budget. Notice how I don't have living/tuition expenses listed in my budget: because my room is included in the school bill, I simply pay one fixed payment at the beginning of each quarter. Any extra money I have to spend in that area is portioned into the "home" category. One thing I found helpful when I first started this process was having a "miscellaneous" category, which has since been dissolved.

Ok, now it's time to determine how much money you are going to let yourself spend on each category in the timespan of your budget. Before anything else, you'll want to establish how much money you can financially afford to spend in a year. See how much money you have in your bank account(s) and estimate how much money you will be making this year. I recommend setting some of your earnings aside and budgeting the rest, but I am not here to tell you how to live your life!
Remember that list that you made at the very beginning of this process of your usual expenses? Now it's time to apply monetary value to each one! I've attached an example of how I usually complete this process.

A few things to keep in mind when reading this list: there are three months in this example budget, with eleven total weeks. Anything that I have to purchase every month or every week is accounted for by multiplying the amount I spend each time by the number of times I will have to do it during this quarter. Medication, for example, is bought once a month. At a fixed price of $2, making this purchase three times a quarter means I will have to spend $6 on medication total this quarter. 

My advice would be to start by identifying the essential items on your list of expenses. Groceries, for example, should definitely be accounted for. It isn't until you know how much money you will spend on the essentials this quarter that you will be able to determine how much you should be spending on, say, Starbucks this quarter. Then and only then should you start budgeting your less-essential expenses with the remainder of your total quarterly budget.

Some expenses have a predetermined cost, whereas others do not. The medication from the example above is something that has a predetermined cost, whereas something like the entertainment budget has to be estimated. In the case of the entertainment budget, my reasoning for this estimation is simple: if I were to treat myself to a movie, which is typically a $15 experience, every week, I would be spending $165 over the course of 11 weeks. You can see a similar process in the estimations for my shopping, presents, eating out, and general home maintenance expenses. After years of using this budget system, I still mess around with these estimations, and so should you! Just because 20 year old you doesn't buy designer clothing doesn't mean 25 year old you will feel the same way and follow the same budget. 

After adding together your estimated expenses and deciding how much money total you'll spend this quarter, it's time to create a method of monitoring your spending. I personally use a Google Spreadsheet to keep track of what I spend and when, as you can see in the first example photo. It only takes basic Excel knowledge to be able to put this together, but I might eventually write a post about the logistics of setting it up. You could also use a written method or even a budgeting app to keep track of your spending in comparison to your budget. However you end up monitoring your spending, I'd advise you to keep a running total of how much you've spent in each category and how much you have left to spend in each category. Adding up your total expenses at the end of the quarter and comparing it to how much you'd budgeted yourself spending is something you should only ever do the first time you make a budget to learn the reality of your spending habits. After that, you should also monitor how much money you have left in your budget to spend in any given category to avoid overspending.

To quote Melissa Levin: Wow, wow, wow! That was a lot of information. I sincerely hope I didn't leave anything essential out, and if I did, please comment below and let me know!

Weekly Sales Report: September 22

Romwe

Free shipping on all orders

Expiration date: September 25

My pick: this black and white purse

Jolly Chic

$3 off any order more than $5

Expiration date: September 30

My pick: this "sorry" crop top

OASAP

15% off first purchase

Expiration date: none

My pick: this lace kimono

CiChic

15% off your first order

Expiration date: none

My pick: this pink and black mini dress

Sales Report: September 17

Gap

35% off regular priced items with promo code SCORE

Expiration date: September 18

My pick: these jersey knit leggings

e.l.f.

50% off orders of $25 or more with promo code FALL50

Expiration date: September 22

My pick: this cream eyeliner in Plum Purple

Weekly Sales Report: September 15

As embarrassing as it is, one of my favorite things to do is search the internet for sales and promo codes. Even though I very rarely buy anything, it's still a nice stress relief. I've decided to start sharing my finds with you every week in my weekly sales report.

Choies

15% off any order with the promo code SEP15aff

Expiration date: September 30

My pick: this "girls bite back" t-shirt

Rose Wholesale

10% off site wide with the promo code Sep0915

Expiration date: September 25

My pick: this mesh striped dress

Front Row Shop

10% off with the promo code FRONT10

Expiration date: September 30

My pick: this metal cuff

Gap

35% off regularly priced items with promo code THANKS

Expiration date: September 16

My pick: this umbrella

What I'm Saving For

Until I was 16 years old, I saved almost every penny that came my way in my bank account. As a result, I'm very fortunate to have quite a savings account set up for myself. While I mostly plan on using my savings for things like tuition and maybe rent, it's taught me how to save for things that I really want. You'd be surprised with what you can afford when you put away every coin or $5 bills into a savings fund. Here's what I'm stuffing my piggy bank for!

This is my dream purse, and I knew it as soon as I laid eyes on it in this modern.girl blog post. The only problem is that Celine doesn't make this color bag anymore. Oh well; as I search for it in used clothing stores and on eBay, I have time to save up.

As much as I love my old digital camera, it's outlived it's approximated shelf-life. I've had it since my 16th birthday and, while 3.5 years isn't very long, it's pretty impressive considering it was less than $100 for a piece of technology. Now it's time that I moved up in terms of photography equipment, and this Sony Point and Shoot camera seems to be the perfect option for me. I'm no photographer, but I know enough to know that I want something with an adjustable focus and the ability to take a higher-quality picture. Plus, it's well-within my price range.

After spending 9 months in Málaga and Fuengirola, España, the area holds some dear memories that make up a huge part of who I am. I was lucky to be a Rotary Youth Exchange Student, and my sister was lucky to go through the same program to Caen, France for a month this summer. When I first came back from Spain, Lauren and I made a pact that we would one day return to visit my other home. Since then, we've added Lauren's other home to the itinerary and made tentative plans for the summer after her senior year; the summer of 2016. I've been saving every coin for the cause for the last 4 years, and when I was working at Deschutes Brewery I saved every $5 and $10 bill that I got when I was tipped out. As of the beginning of this summer, I'm about 1/10th of the way there; but I'm hoping to be able to afford it in time for the trip.

My blog, my rules: saving money on textbooks

The idea of paying full price for anything is a hard concept for me; so much so that I've come up with ways to evade doing so. I use coupons, shop sales, and compare prices. The most important thing I think I save money on is textbooks. Every quarter my books can cost upwards of $200-- an amount I simply can't stand putting in my budget. So, I do what I can to avoid paying full price for my school books. How much did I save this quarter?

$134?! That's enough money to buy...

• This Kate Spade wallet
• This Stella and Dot necklace
• This cape from Mango
• This sweater from J. Crew

In all reality, though, I'll probably just save this money to put towards books in the future. No matter what I do with the money, it's still exciting that I have it. I want you to be as excited as I am-- so I'm sharing some of my tips to spend less on textbooks.

1. Buy used. You can sometimes end up finding the same book for half the price if you're willing to deal with a wrinkled page or two or some highlighting. Think of it as using the textbooks you used in high school, only with one previous owner instead of six or seven.
2. Rent. For those of you who don't highlight or take notes in the books themselves, save yourself the trouble of actually buying the book and just rent it. Pro: it's often a third of the price to rent instead of buying. Con: you have to keep it in relatively pristine condition, which can be harder than it sounds.
3. Search 3rd party sellers. My personal go-to is Amazon, but I've heard people having success with SlugBooks. Whichever site you decide to use, remember to search by the ISBN instead of the title: last year I had a textbook that was three years older than the version we were using, so it was kind of a coin toss as to whether or not my reading pages would be the same as the rest of the class's.
4. Peruse used book stores. This option kind of scares me because there's a chance that you're not going to find your textbook in time for the semester to start, but I've heard stories of people finding their book for a tenth of the price. I personally shop for any literary books required for a class in used book stores, as they're more likely to be there.

*Bonus* 5. Sell your books at the end of the semester. Sometimes your campus bookstore won't take your book for whatever reason (condition, overstock issues, etc.) but it's certainly worth trying. One semester I almost made back every penny that I spent on textbooks through a combination of buying them cheap and selling them to a store that charges full price for used textbooks.

Good luck and happy shopping!

What's New?

Since my last day at my summer job two weeks ago, I've thrown myself into improving and perfecting this blog. Of course, this is a task that will never be completed, but I am pretty proud of what I've accomplished in the last 12 days. In case any of you were wondering what some of my new features are/what they do, here you have them; in a nice, tidy list.

If any of you have ever wished you could shop directly from Wanelo, or if you've wished there was more variety on Fancy, then Shopcade is perfect for you. It combines the easy-to-use layout of Wanelo with the shopping features of Fancy, and can be used for entertainment like Pinterest. It's great for bloggers because with every purchase that someone makes at your recommendation, you make a small commission. The widget creator (as seen above) even allows you to post your recommendations directly to your blog so people can see what you're buying, ogling, and admiring. *Bonus*: if you join the site, it'll notify you when something you've favorited goes on sale or when there's a coupon that can apply for it. Savings without the effort? Yes, please!

I've been working on the background stuff for becoming a social media consultant for the last month now, and I'm excited that I've come so far. Tell your friends to check out my social media consultant page on this blog-- I work locally but am open to the idea of expanding!

I recently joined CJ Affiliate by Conversant and ShareASale, websites that act as the middle-man between bloggers and merchants' affiliate programs. After applying and being accepted, I've been able to partner with some of my favorite brands and stores; a real dream come true. They give me access to promotion codes and sale alerts that I can share with you and, when you click on their ads, the merchants will reward me with a commission! Here are some of my favorite sales going on right now:

    

My blog, my rules: What not to buy

A couple of months ago I made a post about how I'm able to go shopping so frequently and still maintain a $40 a month clothing budget. For those of you who still need a little help in the shopping department, here is a similar post to keep you stylish and your bank account happy: a post about what you shouldn't buy.

Now, I'm usually pretty opposed to presenting things in the negative. It's basic psychology that people are less likely to listen to "don't" and are more likely to listen to "do". But sometimes, especially in regards to money, you need to be told "no". So in the interest of saving money, tell yourself "no" if you find yourself in these situations.

1. You can't afford it. While some things are worth a splurge, it's always worth it to plan your big purchases and save spontaneity for smaller things. Making even one purchase that you can't afford can lead to a dangerous spiral of more splurges and a diminishing bank account.

2. You're not positively thrilled to have it in your closet. I've seen a lot of purchases that follow the statement, "eh, it'll work". Chances are, if you don't love it, you'll only ever wear it on laundry day. It's not worth buying something that you're not going to want to wear. Wouldn't you rather spend that same money on piece that you absolutely have to have?

3. You already own something exactly like it. Sure, you know you'll wear it... But if you only have one item that can only be distinguished by the brand on its tag, you'll end up with a closet that looks a lot like Little Orphan Annie's. It's worth it to just do an extra load of laundry if you really need to wear your black maxi skirt five days in a row (a dilemma I have personally faced on more than one occasion).

4. It doesn't fit properly. Chances are, you're not going to see this item again until the next time you go through your closet to get rid of things you've outgrown. The fact is, you won't wear something if it's way too small or way too tight. A skirt that's a little too short is one thing; a blouse that visibly stretches to button over your breasts is another. Ditch both and look for something you won't have to fix up.

5. Similarly, if you don't feel comfortable in it. This is one of my main rules of personal style: prioritize wearing what makes you feel comfortable. To some people, this means the physical comfort of sweats and a sports bra. To others, it means feeling attractive in a bodycon dress and cowboy boots. If something you're not physically or mentally comfortable wearing something in the dressing room, you're definitely not going to be comfortable wearing it out in public. You should never have to settle for wearing something that makes you feel self-conscious.

6. It's a trend. Admittedly, I can be pretty quick to jump on-board with certain trends, but one always has to know where to draw the line. For me, that line is my current color obsession: lime-yellow. I've used the color in a pedicure and in plenty of Pinterest posts, but I've abstained from adding it to my closet simply because I know that in a couple of months, I will no longer be obsessed with it. What am I supposed to do with a closet of things that I, along with the general public, don't like anymore? A key to this tip is trying to figure out which trends genuinely match your sense of style and which trends you like simply because they're constantly being pushed in your face. Would you have bought this particular piece one, two, three months ago? If not, chances are you won't wear it one, two, or three months from now.

7. It's not versatile. It's so tempting to spring for that stunning bodysuit or those one-of-a-kind stilettos, but there's nothing more disappointing than having something beautiful in your closet that you never get to wear. If you can afford to shop for every holiday (4th of July apparel, anyone?), formal event, and costume party in your life, all the power to you. If not, stick to buying things that can be worn more than once to really get the bang for your buck.

8. You like it, but... Stop right there. If you see the problem with the piece in the manipulative lighting of the store, you can bet it's all you'll be able to see in the harsher light of reality when you get home. Don't settle for "but"; you can find something you like, no ifs ands or buts!

9. You like it better on the hanger. One thing I always find myself talking about when I'm shopping is the concept of a visual closet. A visual closet is something I came up with to hypothetically store all the clothing that looks beautiful hanging up but terrible on (for me, this display of ornate clothing would consist of: paper-thin tank tops and that one type of a-line dress). Unless you have a visual closet, don't buy things that amaze you on the hanger but only serve to disappoint when put on. What's in your closet is meant to be worn, not simply admired from afar.

10. Its main appeal is its designer label. I'll admit that, especially lately, I've been pretty guilty of desiring any number of items simply because they were made by one of my favorite brands. Again, I'd suggest stepping back and asking yourself if you'd buy the item if it were from, say, Walmart. Buy something for the piece itself, not for the bragging rights that come with a designer label.

To Splurge or To Save

Since finals finished a week ago, I've been busy all day every day working to save money for the school year. As exhausting as working in a restaurant is, it's also very rewarding in quite a few ways; the obvious way being the paycheck I get every other week. Now, this is the first time in nine months that I'm seeing steady money, and I've decided to treat myself with my first paycheck to reward myself for going directly from finals to 7 hours on my feet a day. The only question is, do I splurge or save when treating myself? I'm always quite the proponent of saving money when shopping, but in this case, a small splurge might be worth it to make myself feel more excited to work the rest of the summer. As I haven't yet decided, I've compiled a wish list with both an expensive and a cheap option.