October 30, 2000
For most of my life I haven't given much weight to astrology and other theories that predict your personality. For one thing, the most detailed of "charts" usually includes good things that ANYONE would find true of themselves, and likewise for bad things. I do have a number of very intelligent friends, however, who say there is more to it than that. And much as I hate to admit it, there are elements of my sign that really do coincide with elements of my personality.

I'm a Taurus, and supposedly we are a group obsessed with money. This may in fact explain some of my money issues. I have always had a sincere love of fine things, but I've also always lived in fear of going broke. So, I try to keep track of what I spend--and I'm always looking for better ways to do it.

In this issue, I'm bringing you some advice on how you can keep track of every penny, in preparation for setting up a realistic budget. Out of deference to my nesting side, I've also included a little bit of information about resources that will help you make your home more, well, homey--for cheap.

And because the other part of my Taurean nature is constantly hungry, and wanting to cook something tasty, there's a piece in this newsletter that talks about cooking for better health. Enjoy and learn!

Share your wisdom! If you've got something good to say that's relevant to our discussions, in an article 300-500 words long, please send it to me! I'm also always looking for feedback about what I do, so send that along, too! Contact me at Betsy@herreality.com

Betsy Boyd
Editor, Her reality.com

Chances are, you're carrying more debt than you want to. Student loans are a great investment, because when you take them out you're really investing in yourself. But they linger. I'll never forget the story my sister told me of the professor for one of her classes who came dancing into class one day and announced that he'd finally paid off all of his student loans. He was at least 50.

Now, I don't want that to happen to me, and I'm fairly certain you don't want that to happen to you, either. The most important first step to managing and conquering debt--any kind of debt--is to set up a budget, and commit to digging your way out. But that's what everybody says, right? How do you actually do it? The first thing is to figure out how much you are spending. Though you may feel you can barely live within the income you make, chances are there are some relatively painless ways to economize here and there that will add up. The guides I've seen recommend that you don't overlook things like the morning coffee when you're trying to track your spending. Here's a start: buy a traveling cup, brew your coffee at home, and save $2.50 or more every day on that wake-up cup.

Start by buying a small notebook, or setting aside an easily- accessible page on your planner, and literally WRITE DOWN EVERY PENNY YOU SPEND. Whether it's by credit card, debit card, cash, check, or change, one week's careful attention should be enough to get you in the habit. Keep doing it for two more weeks, and use those numbers to help get a fix on your spending.

Here's a great tool to help you see where you can cut what you're spending. You plug in what you could cut in certain categories (they provide you with ideas, but you can alter them if you like)--I just plugged in a cut of 50% for several of the categories. Once you've done that, it calculates how much money you'll save over ten years, and at your retirement age --that drop in the bucket can mean big bucks.

In the next issue, I'll write about using this spending information to help you set up a budget you can live with.