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Avatar photo About Kristina Tahnyak

Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.

Why Do You Save Money?

reasons for saving money, saving money tips, saving money advice

bagsIt seems that everywhere we turn nowadays someone is trying to help us save money on something. 

I have not always been a saver, and I have not always been great with money.  But now I am happy to say that I am financially responsible and I successfully manage my money.  However, this took years of learning about money, changing my financial habits, and learning from my past mistakes.  I definitely did not become a saver overnight.

Maybe the recent recession as well as the fear of another recession is why everyone is talking about different ways that we can save money.  Or maybe the saving strategies were always right in front of my face and I just chose to ignore them for 27 years.  Either way, I am wondering why people chose to save money.

I asked a few of my coworkers, family members, and friends why they chose to save money. I honestly believe that saving money is a choice because we could definitely chose to spend our money instead of saving it.  A very common answer from my coworkers about why they chose to save money was “because I can.” One of my cousins said that she doesn’t consider herself to be a saver.  My cousin doesn’t live pay check to pay check and she doesn’t spend all of her money on her living expenses.  She just (forcefully and unknowingly) saves money because she doesn’t spend all of her disposable income each month.

My cousin doesn’t consider herself a saver because doesn’t actively save. She just lets all of her unspent money accumulate in her bank account and this is just always how she has lived.  She doesn’t set up regular contributions into a “savings account.” My cousin pays her bills, she doesn’t live extravagantly, and she leaves all the rest of her money in her bank account.  I guess she is a saver without even knowing it.

Here are some other reasons why people chose to save money:

 – Saving Helps Us Afford The Things We Want.  Some people have the habit of spending all of the money in their bank accounts, therefore they save so that they don’t spend. Saving money allows people to buy items that we want and do the things in life that we really want to do.  If we didn’t save money then our bank accounts would be empty.

– Saving Money Means Having More Money.  People who are not in the habit of saving money are usually in the habit of spending money.  If we chose to save then we can start building assets and increasing our net worth.  If we chose to spend all of our money we will never have a retirement fund or an emergency savings fund.

– Saving is Not a Trend, It’s a Way of Life.  Getting into the habit of saving may be a lifestyle change or some people, or it may just be a way of life for some other people.  We may have to make the conscious decision to be financially responsible and save our money, or we may just be saving as a force of habit.  My cousin is a perfect example, she doesn’t consider herself a saver because she doesn’t actively save through a regular contributions into a savings account. She just has a simple lifestyle where she only spends money on her monthly expenses.

– Saving Provides Financial Stability.  Money can be a security blanket.  Having savings can ensure that we are able to retire someday.  It also protects us in case of an emergency.

– Saving Keeps Us Out of Debt. If we lose our job or if we have an expensive emergency, saving money can keep us out of debt.  In my previous financial life I used to spend every single dollar I earned on electronics, furniture, personal items, and vacations.  If I had an emergency I would use my credit card and accumulate debt with interest payments.  I am glad that my costly habit is all in the past.

Have you always been a Saver?

Photo by Denna Jones

The Pros and Cons of Buying Real Estate

real estate advice, pros and cons of buying a house, buying a home

real estate advice, pros and cons of buying a house, buying a home

Buying a home is a common part of many American’s financial journey.  Buying a piece of property – whether it’s your primary residence or an investment property – can be a good investment.  This is because real estate values tend to increase over time and, if you rent it out your real estate, you can bring in more income every month than the expenses cost.  However being a property owner or landlord isn’t always a good fit for everyone.   Here are some of the pros and cons of buying real estate.

The Pros of Buying Real Estate

More Freedom: When you purchase a primary residence the property is your own.  You no longer need to deal with rental agreements, annual lease renewals (I know because I bought my place back in 2015) and landlords.  You own the property and land and you’re free to do as you please with it, as long as it’s allowed under city bylaws.

Homes Increase In Value: Even if the value of your property decreases over time due to the economy, city and neighborhood it is very unlikely that your property will ever be worth $0.  This means that buying real estate will usually increase your net worth, especially as the years pass and your mortgage loan value decreases.  The value of your net worth is the total value of your assets minus your debts.  If the mortgage loan on your property is paid off then your net worth increases based on the current market value of the home.

Mortgage Payments Work In Your Favor:  While mortgage payments are a net loss, they’re preferable to rent payments. Renting is like throwing away money because you’re paying someone else to live in their property.  When you’re the property owner you are paying a mortgage loan to the bank and if you’ve bought a rental property then a tenant is paying you. Both of these result in better long term results for owners.

You Can Borrow Against Your Real Estate: Real estate can also be used as collateral.  This means you can borrow against the equity in your home.  This gives you more options than renters.

Tax Benefits:  Another major pro of buying real estate is the tax benefits.  In the United States, interest paid on a mortgage is deductible, as are property taxes in many cases.

The Cons of Buying Real Estate

You Have To Do All the Work: When you’re the property owner there isn’t a landlord who you can call when something goes wrong such as if a pipe bursts or if the hot water heater breaks down.  The cost of home repairs and upkeep can quickly add up and that can be an expense home owners just aren’t ready for.  This is why it’s important to have an emergency savings fund for your home – just in case the unexpected pops up.

Owning is Expensive: Owning is mentally expensive. Having a mortgage payment, negotiating interest rates with your bank and saving for a down payment can be stressful.  Owning is also financially expensive, In addition to the monthly utilities (i.e. heat and hot water) and the mortgage payment there are other costs associated with owning a property such as property taxes.  Keep this in mind if you’re thinking of buying real estate.

In contrast, renters have fixed costs. When you’re renting you just have one payment to make every month – the rent.  You don’t need to worry about things like property taxes and down payment when you’re a renter.  This is why the carefree and no-responsibility lifestyle of renters may be preferred.

Real Estate Has High Transaction Costs: Since most people only purchase a small number of homes in their lifetime, realtors and lenders have little incentive to reduce transaction costs.  Real estate can cost up to 6% of the value of the home to sell. In some states, such as California, state governments charge thousands of dollars in transaction fees.

What’s Better? Owning or Not?

On balance, if you plan to stay in your home for the next couple of years, its far better to own than rent.  This is because owning gives you appreciation advantages, tax advantages and flexibility that renting does not.

Do you rent or own your home?

Read More:

All’s Fair In Love And Real Estate: What To Know About Buying a Home With Your Spouse

buying a home, couples buying a home, buying a home with your spouse

House in Spain

Good morning Dinks.  Are you thinking of buying a home this spring? Maybe you are buying a first home with your spouse or maybe you are thinking of upgrading.  Buying a home can be overwhelming and we want to make the process as easy as possible for you.  How can we do that?  By giving you some step by step tips on how to buy your next home.

We sat down with Penelope Graham from Rate Supermarket and asked her what couples need to know about buying a home together.

 What is the first step couples should take when they want to start saving together for a home if they have never talked about joint finances?

The first step is to get on the same page in regards to ownership goals. Make a checklist and ask yourself the following questions:

When do you want to buy your home?

How much will you each contribute to the down payment and how long will it take you to save?

Will you contribute your savings to a joint account, or will your respective savings be kept in separately?

It’s important to set a timeline and a plan you will achieve together. It’s equally important to be transparent with the status of your home savings with your spouse.  Keep in mind that your mortgage rate and qualification will be based on both of your credit scores.  It’s best to share any skeletons in your financial closet as soon as possible.

Other than the down payment, what are other expenses couples should plan for?

There are so many additional costs associated with buying a home, some mandatory and others advisable.

For example, if you’re not married it may be a good idea to prepare an agreement that states what will happen to the assets if the relationship doesn’t last. It may not be romantic, but it is important that you have a plan for dividing your equity should you have to sell your home.  This can protect you from huge financial ruin later on.

Other buying costs to be aware of include:

– Lawyer fees

– Appraisal fees

– Land survey

– Home inspection (bring in your own even if the seller is also having an inspection conducted)

– Mortgage default insurance (if you’re paying less than 20 per cent down)

– Property and home insurance

Click here to learn more about these different home buying costs.

How can couples find the best interest rate for their mortgage?

If there was ever a time to comparison shop, this is it!  One major fault of consumers today is they are loyal to their home banks, some of you may have been with the same lender since you were kids.  However, not looking around for the best interest rate can be costly.

Comparing rates offered by other lenders or credit unions can really save you a bundle – we’re talking thousands of dollars – over the course of your mortgage.  It’s also smart to find a mortgage product with flexible prepayment privileges, which will allow you to pay your mortgage off sooner, and save tons on your interest payments over time. Try a rate comparison site, or seek out the help of a mortgage broker.

These are just a few tips to get you started on the homebuyer process.  Stay tuned because next week Graham will be back with more tips for couples who want to buy a home.

RSM bio: Penelope Graham is the Editor of Money Wise, RateSupermarket.ca’s learning resource and blog. RateSupermarket.ca is Canada’s comprehensive financial rates comparison site, offering consumers transparent access to the best mortgage rates, credit cards, GICs, insurance and more. 

Photo by tahnyakristina

Expenses That Dinks Should Not Have, But Do.

Hello DINKS. Correct me if I am wrong, but we are “supposed” to have less monthly expenses as dual income no kid’s couples than our counterparts who are families with kids. Am I correct? I was going over my personal expenses for last month and I realized that I actually spent money on costs, that as one half of a dinks couple, I am not supposed to have.

Parents who read Dinks Finance please don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely not saying that I am spending the equivalent on my miscellaneous expenses that you are  spending on raising your child (or children), but I did have some expenses last month that were kid-related and I don’t even have kids.

3 Kid-Related Expenses that Dinks Should Not Have:

1. Clothing and Toys for Kids. I don’t have children and I am not planning on having kids anytime soon (or ever) but last month I spent over $200 on clothing and toys for kids.  I am 31 years old and it seems that I am at the baby-making age. Last month I went to two baby showers for a couple of my friends and my niece also had her 4th birthday party. This added up to over $200 in gifts for kids that I don’t even have.  I am not sure what the average cost of kid-related expenses is per month, but I find it hard to believe that kids really need over $200 per month in clothes.

2. Your Annual School Tax Bill. Every quarter people pay one forth of their total annual school taxes and one forth of their total annual property tax bill.  I live in a 21 floor high rise building in the middle of downtown, there are no schools within several blocks and I honestly don’t understand why I am paying a school tax bill for a service that I am not using.  I am all in favour of kids getting an education; I just don’t think that I should have to pay for it.

3. Bulk Shopping for Two.  A few years ago my boyfriend Nick and I started to shop for our budget instead of shopping for convenience.  Shopping for convenience saves time, but it definitely doesn’t save money.  Budget friendly shopping definitely saves money, but at the same time I often find myself living without things that I want.  When I do our weekly grocery shopping I only buy items that are on sale, if I really want something and it’s not on sale I wait for another week.  Extra food is more of a splurge than a necessity, so as long as I buy enough food each week for Nick and I to eat 3 meals a day, I am happy.

Another habit that I picked up while learning to shop on a budget is to find a balance between saving money and hoarding stock.  I used to only buy household items such as toothpaste, toilet paper, laundry supplies and dish soap when I needed them and very often that meant paying full price. However, now I buy household items when they are on sale.  I try not to buy too many household items in bulk because unused items are also a waste of money.

Read More

Is it Smart or Selfish To Be A DINK?

What Do You Do If Your Wife Yells At You

Our Top Ways To Make Extra Money

Sovereign Citizens Don’t Pay Taxes or Parking Tickets

sovereign citizens, tax exempted, perks of a sovereign citizen

American FlagI recently learned about an extreme movement in the United States and I really felt the need to share.

Sovereign Citizens are US citizens who wish to become independent from the state.  The Sovereign Citizen Movement is complete government anarchy, they do not want to answer to any form of US Government and they fell the Government influence in the US should be minimal.

The status of being a Sovereign Citizen is not legally recognized by the United States Government and has previously been rejected in several court cases.  The request for citizens to become sovereign was also declined by the Internal Revenue Agency.

What is a Sovereign Citizen?

Sovereign Citizens are opposed to anything related to the US Government. They consider themselves independent from the state; therefore, they feel the need to answer only to and only obey English common law.

Sovereign Citizens are the exact opposite of (normal) Federal Citizens. They do not conform to anything government induced including federal laws and federal taxes.  Sovereign Citizens want to be completely self regulated with no control or outside influence by the US federal government.

What is the Sovereign Citizen Movement?

The Sovereign Citizen Movement started in the 1970’s as an anti US Government movement; Sovereign Citizens feel that the ideal Government presence is a minimalist one. Sovereign Citizens are Financial Scheme Promoters and Commentators; they are fighting to become independent from the state because they feel the Federal Government abuses their power.

Sovereign Citizens do not feel the need to answer to US Federal Government and therefore they are fighting to become free of any legal constraints. Sovereign Citizens want to have no ties to the Federal Government whatsoever, including accepting US Currency.  That’s right! Sovereign Citizens do not recognize US Currency.

Since Sovereign Citizens do not recognize the law they also don’t hold themselves accountable for breaking any laws.  People have declared Sovereign Citizenship to evade all types of criminal charges from parking tickets to drug allegations.

Sovereign Citizens do not want to pay taxes and feel that the entire US tax system is actually forced slavery by the US Federal Government.  They feel the Federal Government is using tax paying federal citizens to repay the US Governments international debt.

Taxes are a very controversial topic among the Sovereign Citizen Movement; however the Internal Revenue Agency disagrees.  Citizens can be fined up to $5,000 if they try to falsely file a tax return as a Sovereign Citizen. The Sovereign Citizen movement has also influenced other extreme movements such as the Tax Protestor movement and the Christian Patriot movement.

What are Your Thoughts on Sovereign Citizens?

I couldn’t even imagine a world where I was not accountable for my actions and I didn’t have to pay taxes.  No one likes to pay taxes, but we all have to do it to keep our roads paved and our children educated. The more I read about Sovereign Citizens the more outraged I become.  Why the hell would anyone not want to be a federal citizen of the United States of America?

If we don’t accept the Federal Government as our governing body and if we don’t pay our taxes, we cannot benefit from municipal, state, and federal services.  I am the first to admit that I hate paying taxes, but I love receiving a tax refund.  Honestly, does rejecting the US Currency seem a little bit extreme to anyone else?

If US citizens do not answer to the federal government and if we aren’t held accountable for our actions, we would be living in complete chaos.  People may not agree that the US Federal Government is managing our international debt very well, but they are managing it a lot better than if no one was managing it at all.

Photo by Mrs Dkrebs

Should You Give Back The Ring?

engagement ring, breaking off the engagement, breaking up

engagement ring, breaking off the engagement, breaking up

Hello DINKS.  Today we are discussing what happens and ways that we can adjust when our relationship comes to an end. 

This past week two of my DINK girlfriends found themselves back on the singles market and adjusting to their new lives with a single income.  Maybe it was the stress of the holidays aftermath, or maybe it was the stress of the winter blues; but either way two of my thirty something year old girlfriends are now back on the market.

I know that some of our DINKS Finance readers are happily married, some readers are remarried with merged families, and I know that some of our DINKS Finance readers are unmarried DINKS.  I am not married to my boyfriend Nick but I would definitely like to have a ring…someday.  My question to you DINKS is… if you promise to live your life with someone, and the relationship ends before the marriage starts, should you give back the ring?

An engagement ring is a gift that turns a boyfriend into a fiancé and it turns a girlfriend into a bride to be.  But is an engagement ring really a gift?  I am not 100% sure!  Some people think that an engagement ring is a gift, but generally gifts are given on specific occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and graduations.  I am not sure that an engagement is a special occasion.  When a relationship comes to an end usually people don’t ask for all of their gifts from birthdays past to be returned, and therefore we shouldn’t ask for our engagement ring back, if we honestly consider it to be a gift.

Speaking of, the most popular engagement ring, according to Blue Nile, is French Pavé Diamond Engagement Ring in 14k White Gold (1/4 ct. tw.).  It basically looks like this:

Unfortunately, the French Pavé Diamond is now temporarily unavailable at Amazon due to its overwhelming and staggering popularity.

The 1.4 Carat Princess Designer ring sells for something like $2,070 on Amazon. The Houston Diamond District guarantees that it is a 100% conflict-free diamond.

Engagement ring
Amazon

Amazon also has ton of engagement rings, which can be fun to look at, here.

Some people consider an engagement ring to be a promise, a promise to get married and spend the rest of our lives with someone, supposedly the person whom we want to spend the rest of our life.  However, promises are sometimes broken and if that promise is broken maybe we have the right to ask for the engagement ring back.  I would love to know how our male DINKS readers feel about this.  If you spent $3000 on an engagement ring and made a promise to marry your girlfriend, but then your girlfriend broke that promise, would you expect to get the ring back?

My friend Carol-Anne decided not to give back the engagement ring to her former fiancé.  She decided to break off the 1 year engagement to her 3 year boyfriend after he wasn’t willing to relocate with her to pursue her career goals.  Carol-Anne told her ex-fiance that she was keeping the engagement ring that he gave to her and in exchange he could keep the Playstation 3 that she gave to him as a birthday gift since both items have approximately the same value.  Maybe an engagement ring should be treated as a gift, but maybe it should become communal property within a couple and the value of the asset should be divided if the relationship comes to an end.

I cannot speak from experience because I have never been engaged, but I think that I would give back the engagement ring because I wouldn’t want to look at (or continuing wearing) a daily reminder of my failed relationship.  On the other hand, an engagement ring is an asset; maybe I would keep the ring and sell it for the current market value to help fund my new single income life.

What would you do?

(Photo by Lucas_James)

DINKS: Smart or Selfish?

how to pamper your baby... by nicephore.
I am 29 years old and I am a DINK.  I am in a dual income no kids relationship.  I enjoy working and I enjoy spending my money on clothes, trips, and (more recently) my car.  However, as I get closer to becoming 30 years old (in October) I am starting to ask myself…Do I want Kids?

I don’t think that I do, because children seem like kind of a hassle. Kids are loud and needy, and they take up a lot of time.   Now if I want to go out to a movie or for drinks after work I can.  If I don’t feel like cooking dinner I can have a bowl of cereal.  If I want to take a nap after work and eat later on at night I can.  However, when you have children, you need to have dinner on the table every night.  You need to have a daily routine.

I haven’t spent a lot of time with anyone under the age of 20 years old. I babysat for a bit when I was in my teens, but other than that I don’t have any contact with children. None of my friends have kids. I also don’t have any living things in my apartment. Not a plant, not a dog, I don’t even have a goldfish. I have never really taken care of anyone or anything except myself.  Maybe I am selfish, but maybe I am smart.

This past weekend I was shopping in the mall and I was in a woman’s clothing store.  As a mother tried on her clothes she left her child to run around like a caged animal who had just been released. When I looked over to see what the crazy kid was doing, I realized that he was licking the mirror.  Yes, you read it right! The little kid was putting his saliva all over the public mirror.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, the proceeded to make “finger paint drawings” with his own spit. How gross is that? No, I don’t think I want kids.  Or do I?

I do know that I don’t want to regret my decision not to have kids later on when I am 40 years old. I don’t want to wake up one day in 10 or 15 years and wish I had children. I am at a crossroads, when I am at a personal crossroads in my life I make lists.  It helps me to regroup and in a way it calms me down. So here it is… My Pro and Con List for Having Children:

PROS:

  1. You will never be alone
  2. You can share your wealth with another person
  3. ???
  4. ???
  5. ???

CONS:

  1. You are responsible for the kid “until death do you part”
  2. Kids are Noisy
  3. Kids are Dirty (I hate germs)
  4. Kids are Expensive
  5. ???

That’s all I could come up with, and you can see, the Cons outweigh the Pros. Can you help me fill in the blanks?

More from Dinks:

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(Photo By NicePhore)

How to Get Your Dream Honeymoon with Credit Card Rewards

credit card rewards, dream honeymoon, credit card

sunset-658583_1920

Your wedding is one of the greatest days of your life, but it’s also one of the most expensive. However, there’s a way to make this day of major spending into a reward opportunity, like I have.

By selecting the best credit card, you can actually use your wedding to help pay for another major part of getting married: your honeymoon.

Use a cash-back card to save smart

When you use a cash-back credit card to pay for your wedding purchases, save the cash back received in a designated savings account for your honeymoon. This is a great way to use necessary wedding expenses to fund the vacation of your dreams. Most cards give 1% to 2% back on all purchases, but many will offer a promotional rate as high as 5% on certain purchases when you sign up, like the SimplyCash Card from American Express. If you’re shopping for a new credit card, look for a cash-back rewards card that’ll let you maximize your rewards during the months you’ll be spending the most for your wedding.

Some cards have cash-back limits, so it’s worthwhile to strategically stagger your purchases when you can. For example, put the deposit down on your wedding venue one month, then order your invitations the next, and then book your photographer in the following month. By staging major costs a few months apart, not only do you maximize your credit card rewards, you make it easier on your monthly budget to pay the bill in full. Remember, cash-back rewards can easily be negated by interest charges, so make sure to pay off your credit card balance each month before its due!

Use a travel rewards card to fund your dreams

Most travel rewards credit cards come with signup bonuses equivalent to hundreds of dollars in travel spend on flights and hotels, which will allow you to kick-start your honeymoon travel fund. When you use these cards on large wedding purchases, you can rack up more points rather quickly. By the time your Big Day rolls around, you could have round-trip flights or hotel rooms covered. Some travel cards, like the BMO World Elite Mastercard, even cover taxes and fees and have no blackout travel dates while allowing you to earn 2 points per dollar on all purchases.

In addition to vacation rewards, travel credit cards often provide perks like flight and baggage insurance. This can save you hundreds of dollars in third-party travel insurance, and protects you in case of things like flight cancellations or baggage loss.

Use both!

Because the average wedding costs nearly $31,000, chances are you might not be able to pay the entire bill with a single credit card. By splitting purchases on different credit cards between you and your partner, you can maximize the points, rewards, and cash back you collect. No matter what you do, remember to make the most of your big day – in rewards and memories!

Author: Kerri-Lynn McAllister is the Marketing Director at RateHub.ca, a website that compares mortgage rates, credit cards and deposit rates with the goal to empower Canadians to search smarter and save money. Kerri-Lynn is getting married in August 2016.

Photo from Pixabay

5 Things I’ve Learned from DINKS

lessons learned, DINKs, saying goodbye

lessons learned, DINKs, saying goodbye

This post has been six years in the making.  I started on this journey with Dinks Finance back in 2009 and to say my life is in a completely different plan now than it was back then would be an understatement. Back then I was recently unemployed because of the market crash and in the darkest financial place I’ve ever been.  Now I have a career I love, I’m about to celebrate my three year anniversary with my employer, Nick and I have been together 16 years and I can finally say I don’t worry about money every day.

One of the best parts of my financial, personal and emotional transformation over the last six years is that you’ve been with me all along the way.  I would like to thank you for being loyal readers of Dinks Finance and helping me through tough situations such as the lost of my step brother and the struggle of paying off over $50k of debt.  I truly appreciate all your comments, stories and advice.

Although this is my last entry, Dinks will live on.  I don’t have any details about the new writer who will be joining you, but I am sure they’ll continue to tell the story of how money and relationships can happily co-exist.

Thanks to you here are some of the best things I’ve learned with my time at Dinks Finance:

Online relationships are real relationships

Dinks Finance was my first paid blogging job and it truly started my freelance career.  I have to say the online personal finance community welcomed me with open arms and today some of my best friends are people I met right here.  I wouldn’t be where I am today – a successful freelance writer and social media consultant – if I didn’t have the network of other personal finance bloggers.

Specifically I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to J.Money for giving me my first shot, Ginger for always encouraging me to try new things, Shannyn for your brand and blog coaching and Carrie for always supporting everything I do, Vanessa for being your awesome self and Mel for being able to take an awful situation and turn it into a fun experience.  I wouldn’t be here without you guys.

Everyone makes money mistakes

I never talked about my money struggles in real life because as a Financial Planner I should have known better and all my friends worked in banking so they did know better.  Talking about  my debt, tears and sleepless nights with you was both therapeutic and comforting.

It was nice to know that there was a whole world of people on the internet who were experiencing the same struggles and were willing to talk about it to help each other through the mess.

Discipline is the key to success

Trust me when I say there have been times I wanted to throw in the towel over the last six years.  That’s the thing about success: when you get good it doesn’t get easier, it just gets to be more work.  I gave up a lot to launch  my freelance career, but you know what?  If I had to do it all over again I wouldn’t change a thing.  Long days, short nights and time away from my relationship helped me pay off all my debt and start building a positive net worth.

Money isn’t always the most important thing

Blogging, freelance writing and consulting helped me earn extra income, pay off my debt, start saving and of course discover my love of travel at the age of 30.  However over time I’ve come to learn it’s not the most important thing.

Money took a toll on my relationship and I was lucky enough that Nick stood by me in deepest, darkest times.  He was there when we were so broke that we couldn’t afford to eat and he was there when I was so obsessed with making money that I put working before us.  For that I will always be grateful and never ever again take our relationship for granted.

New beginnings aren’t so scary

I’ve always been afraid of change.  I don’t like it, at least I didn’t.  But after six years, five different employers and a market crash I’ve come to learn that change is just a part of life.

With that I leave you.  Thank you again for helping me grow up from a lost 29 year old to a successful and confident 35 year old.  I hope we can stay in touch.  You can find me on Twitter @TahnyaKristina.

Take care DINKS.

 

How to Tackle Your Goals in 4 Easy Steps

goal setting, tackling goals, goal tips

goal setting, tackling goals, goal tips

The year is winding down and  it’s time to check in on our goal progress for this year as well as set our personal and financial goals for the New Year.  As you know I set some pretty aggressive personal, professional and money goals for myself this year.

For my money goal I wanted to save a set dollar amount (I prefer it over percentages because I like to have fixed goals and work towards a set target), in my professional life I wanted to learn more about SEO and although I’m far from being a master I am comfortable that my knowledge has grown substantially.  It should be no surprise that my personal goal including travelling.  I wanted to travel as often as possible and with four trips to New York City this year I feel my mission was accomplished.

My goals for the new year include focusing on my own projects, enjoying my life more and taking better care of my health.  At first glance they all seem like pretty easy goals right?  But the truth is each one requires a separate set of skills that I’m not totally convinced I have.

Here are four steps to help you tackle new goals:

Prioritize and focus

Although all my goals are achievable (fingers crossed) I don’t have time or the energy to give 100% to each of them.  Focusing on my health is the priority and that will naturally get better as I start to work less and free up more time for fun things.  By no means do I hate my life right now, but I do spend an enormous time working and a lot of time worrying about what I have to get done.  That definitely has to stop.

Rearrange your schedule

When adding new goals it’s just common sense that some other tasks have to be dropped to free up time.  As much as we would like to think we’re superheroes we just can’t do it all – there just aren’t that many hours in the day.

With my new priorities it’s only natural that I have to take a step back from other commitments and unfortunately Dinks Finance is one of them.  This is my last week with Dinks and Wednesday will be my last post.

Don’t be afraid of a new start

Dinks Finance has been a big part of the last six years of my life and although it’s hard to picture my life without it, I’m looking forward to what’s to come.  I’ve wanted to get in shape for a long time and with 10-12 hour workdays I just never had the time – at least that’s what I told myself.  I will now be able to enjoy yoga and going to the gym four days a week.

I’m excited about starting new projects.  As you know a fresh start can be both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.  My new ventures include partnering with a friend to start a travel blog and launching my own social media consulting business.

Check in on the progress

I don’t think I would have achieved any of my three goals this year if I didn’t check in on the progress.  I had to cut out spending (and travelling) to make sure I achieved my savings goal.  However you want to do it – apps, spreadsheets, daily reminders – make sure you continue to check in on the status of your progress.

We have two months left in the year and I’ve achieved all my goals.  Now that’s something to be proud of.

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