Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Money Matters: Clean Out Your Purses

I feel like our purses and wallets are a sneak peak into our finances and our lives. I believe how well we keep the things that hold the representation of our finances reflect how we feel and deal with our finances.

I was watching my mother clean out one of purses so she could switch items into another purse to take with her to an on oscar party she attends every year. And in doing so, it was littered with receipts, old napkins and tissues and just stuff that should’ve been trashed awhile ago. I wanted to be like, “eww” but she’s my mother. Yet, I still felt eww about how managed her purse was. As a mature woman, why hadn’t she gotten a better system of cleaning out her purse? Why after so many years does she treat her purse like a trash can?

But — being frank, here — my mother isn’t the best at managing money. She isn’t the worst, but she won’t be holding any top 100 spots in the immediate future. Money has always been a tool for her to spend. And sadly, this applies to many women I know. They’re always scrambling around to make it to the next pay period. And it’s not a junky purse. It’s a junky lifestyle. Careless purchases. Impulsive spending. Emotional shopping. Just no regard for their financial future. Like, none. And so, they’re broke or short on money or have no savings. Or — usually– a combination of it all.

I don’t know if I mentioned the “broke girl” from my former job, but in case I didn’t, let me give you the run down:

She lives paycheck because it’s very important to her she has a social life. She’s $15,000 in credit card debt. She never pays off a purchase once she used her credit card so she always carries a balance and pays the minimum. Her total minimum payment is about $300 for all 3 credit cards. She paid $700 for her cat and only feeds her cat expensive food even when she doesn’t have food for herself. When she’s unable to prepare lunch from home for a workday, she puts it on her credit card. She has no savings. Doesn’t believe in 401k so she doesn’t have a retirement account or savings or a plan of anything sort.

I’m not making any of this up. She’s told me all this herself. And she’s not alone. Many women treat their lives like a junky purse. Like, one day it’s all gonna get magically cleaned out sorted and whoosh — everything will be better.

Sorry, ladies. You gotta start cleaning out purses and now. There is no fairy Godmother out there waving and magically fixing all your financial problems. You, my dears, have got to do that yourself.

Turn them purses upside down!

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

New York, New York…

🎶 Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today/ I got to be a part of it/New York, New York…🎶

But just for a couple of days. Today is day two of my new job and they have flown me out for their retreat in New York. Holla, holla. By the time you have read this, I’ve been in the air for about two hours going on three. This my first time to New York. I’m way excited and way nervous at the same time. Nervous about the weather more than anything else because I’ve spent the past few days looking for winter coats. But we don’t have that sh*t in L.A. At least, not east coast winter coats, so this will be a very new experience in that sense.

But other than that, I am just jazzed about getting to travel for work so soon. Getting to travel to a place I’ve never been before and have wanted to go, so that’s marvelous altogether. But when I return, I’m excited that my new work will be extremely aligned with my personal values and I’ll be making more money doing something I actually care about.

Is it all about the money for me? Yes and no. That’s the best honest way I can answer that. Yes, because a hustlin’ girl has got to eat… and pay rent… and commute… and pay the T-Mobile bill… and pay down her student loan debt. Y’know, just “life” things. And at the same time, no, because I don’t want money to be my motivating factor to do and try and have new things even though money gives you power to change your life for the better.

You’ll still see me hustlin’, trust and believe.

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Happy Friday: Working On It

Happy happy Friday, everyone!

I hope your February is going swimmingly this far. As for me, hell yes!! Today, I start my new job in Downtown L.A. Happy to be starting this next chapter of my career. Super excited about it. Nervous as well. But I figure if I wasn’t nervous about my new job and doing a job, then this transition wouldn’t be a good next step.

But it is. And I feel it’s going to help me with so many other things I want to accomplish professionally in the coming years. I’m just going to absorb as much as I can and take it all in.

I’ll still be hustlin’, I’ll still be grinding and taking on gigs here and there as it fits in my schedule. Nothing on that front changes. And it shouldn’t. Lots of times when we start making more money and get a promotion or move up in some way, we begin to push ourselves less and rest on our laurels thinking we’ve already proven to world what we can do. We plateau. I never want to plateau. I never want to be done. If I’m done, then I need to be dead. And if I’m dead, then I’m empty. I have finished everything I set to do, living every dream I wanted to live and have nothing else to give.

But, no. So faaaarrrr from that. Right now I’m it working it to work to where I want to be. As I know we all. Me, I’m still just working on it.

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

WHEN: You Start Laying the Foundation

It feels good to have something go right in my life plan right now. It really does. And I literally make a life plan every year, very similar to someone who makes a business plan. The only difference between my personal plan and a business plan is that my plans are written out in 6 month increments. And it’s not because I don’t have a vision for myself. I do. Pleeeeasssseee read some of my earlier posts as to my obsession with side hustlin’ and turning my hustles in a self sustaining and successful business. I got vision.

However, a plan requires thought and estimates as to what steps need to be taken. It requires actions that need to be executed to accomplish the goal. And for me, I can only see 6 months down the road as to what I could do to get there. Now, whether I’m correct in assuming what steps need to be taken is one thing. But I study what I’ve been doing to help me gauge where I need to be going.

The other day I was sitting with my friend, Elle, when she stumbled across my 2019 life plan on my kitchen table and saw items that I highlighted in yellow signifying they’ve been accomplished. And she was proud of me. I was proud of me. Understand we were on third bottle of wine that night so we could’ve been in our feelings, but I starting seeing myself in the early stages of my dream. I started seeing the foundation I was laying and had spent so many years working to establish.

It’s not huge. It’s far from completed. But it’s a firm start. It’s my start. And it’s moving me forward.

What does your foundation look like?

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

This Week’s Goal: Finishing Lesa’s Website

A former coworker and friend of mine is launching a candle making business on the side (the company I keep are side hustlers too, I’m all about that life). It’s called Lesa’s Candles, obviously named after her. She’s a crafty time of person. She knits scarves (I have one), she makes lotions and creams and also candles. It’s just something she likes to do. So, after having to take a medical leave of absence from her job, she decided she was going to throw as much of her time as she could physically afford into her candle making business until she healthy and able to go back to work.

And knowing that I know a little about a lot, she asked me for my assistance with her website, which I readily agreed to do. But it’s stalled. First it was her, now it’s me. And now that I have everything from her to get started, I need to get started and finish all in one breath. I need to help her make money as if I was working on this website for me.

So that’s my goal for this week. Work on my friend’s website so she too can generate extra income and build a supplemental income stream. As all us ladies should. Once I’m done, I’ll share the link with you and can give me your honest feedback. You can hold me to both the deadline and the link to share.

Honestly.

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Working 5 to 9: Just Enjoying the Moment

So my last day at a job I didn’t like working for company that couldn’t care less was this past Monday. Yes, we were open on President’s Day and no, we’ve never received any holiday pay for coming in or shorter hours for the slower pace of work. But now I’m free of that. Free from my coworkers — bye, bye Mimi, the office snitch — free from my employer. I’m free from my supervisor who enjoys switching my schedule at her whim as if I don’t have a life outside of the company. I’m free from the kind of work I hate. I’m free from colleagues throwing one another under the bus. I’m free from poorly supported software platforms that constantly malfunction. I’m free from appreciation lunches but no raises. I’m just free.

So, yesterday I got to see for myself what people do in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. And what I learned is that they do whatever they want. Now I enjoyed this all day yestersay and will be enjoying this for another day as I start my new job on Friday and it is a spectacular feeling. To be in the moment. To relish and enjoy the moments presented in front of us. It’s hard to do — for me, at least– much of the time.

That’s what I disliked most about my old job. There were never moments I enjoyed other than clocking out. I came to resent going to work. I tried meditating in the morning, I tried practicing gratitude including the fact I had a job that allowed me to cover my bills. I tried working out before I went to work to get me pumped up. But, none of it worked. Nothing I did helped me digest my job or the compnay.

Until I sent my resignation letter.

That was the best feeling ever! And from that moment on, I’ve just been enjoying the seconds that past, the thoughts that run across my mind. I’ve enjoyed letting go of something that was drilling away at my spirit and embraced a new opportunity.

That’s been the best moment of my week.

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Money Matters: Cutting Back on Your Spending

As a hustler, one of our biggest obstacles is money. I mean, isn’t that the reason we got into side hustlin’ to begin with? But not just making more money, but managing it, saving it and as we all do at some point, spending it. But sometimes we forget to shift our mindset about our money from spender to saver.

One of the best ways to get in the habit of saving more of our hard earn extra greenbacks is to start cutting back on the things we’re already spending on that we don’t need.

Side hustlin’ is not about wants, it’s about needs. Supporting the needs, fulfilling the needs, saving for future needs and of course, needing to earn more. Wants go out the window (at least for a little bit).

To help you better manage your side hustlin’ money, cut back on your Starbucks or Coffeebean drinks. Skip Kindle for your books and go to the library. They got digital copies too, now. Pack snacks for on the go and lunches for work. Bring water with you wherever you go to avoid the temptation of spending on convenience store drinks. Limit your Uber or Lyft rides to a reasonable number and on a need basis per month. Shop at the Dollar Tree for office and work supplies. Need a better outfit to impress a prestigious client? Good Will. Or ThredUp. Or Poshmark. Second hand is your friend.

As you can see, whatever you need to get your side hustle off the ground and start bringing in real dollars begins with you first changing where your money goes. If you wanna see more money coming in, start by letting less money go out. Then your side hustle money will really look good. Hello!

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Hard Work Ahead

Yes, there will be. That is, hard work ahead.

And short hours on sleep. Late nights working on projects. Negotiations with clients. Following up with clients and quality assurance. Marketing tactics and strategies. Growing pains. A shrinking social circle. A desire to sleep and stay in. Shorter sleep. Less personal time. Constant emails. Dozens of text. Scheduling of phone calls. Invoices and statements. The tracking of payments. Increased local travel. Brainstorming sessions. Conference calls. Website up dates. Ask for reviews and recommendations. Networking events. Handing out business cards. Follow-up calls. Thank you notes.

Yes, there will be hard work ahead. But, as they say. No risk, no reward.

You ready?

Posted on by Female, Single & Hustlin'

Happy Friday: Next Chapter

I started this site with the frustration of being under employed and overworked, upset with my current employment situation and exploring my options via side hustlin’.

After a couple of years of job hunting I finally landed a better paying job with better benefits and a more manageable schedule, while still working on solidifying and establishing my part time business.

I feel… like a load has been lifted off my back. So thrilled, so relieved….so open to better possibilities. I feel like I’m stepping into the next chapter of my life and it looks so much better than the chapters I’ve left behind.

Will I still side hustle? Hell, yeah!! Not for the financial necessity but rather the joy, the adventure of it and the professional growth of it all.

My next chapter is going up.