WANNA BE A BALLER....?

Like the title? That use to be my soooong! LOL!

Soooo...while making my grocery list, balancing my checkbook, and paying bills, I thought of a subject for today's post.....saving & budgeting your money! 
Now, I do not consider myself "bougie", however, I do like the finer things in life *wink*.  To have the finer things, you must have money....annnnnd to have money, you must know how to save and budget!  Keitra is probably reading this thinking "Oh gosh, look who is giving advice on budgeting!" Well I must admit, I have been horrible at it in the past, but it's time for things to change....and I challenge each of you to come along for the ride.

I have compiled a list of way to help you save and budget your money.  Some come from this good ole brain of mine, some come from my bff google, and some come from my lovely sister, Nakeitra.  I hope you enjoy :)

1. Cook at home - eating out everyday can be mega expensive (just ask me and all those personal pan pizzas).  Cook a few days out of the week and make leftovers your new best friend.

2.Make your own coffee - During college, I got in a bad habit of making routine stops to Starbucks.....that's until I ran out of Starbucks money.  For Christmas, all I wanted was a coffee maker.  Keitra bought me one, and since then I've saved approx $1/day, $5/wk, and $20/month on coffee. That may not sound like a lot, but trust me, it adds up!

3. Take your lunch - Again, eating out is expensive. Packing a small lunch can save you big bucks.

4. Make a grocery list.....and stick to it! - This is self explanatory.  I get to Wal-Mart and buy everything in sight.

5. Take out cash for the week.  Use your debit card for major purchases such as bills, gas, etc. Once you use all of your "fun money" that's it...no more shopping!

6. Buy generic items - I use to consider myself a "label whore".  I had to have the brand name everything. Through reseach, I've found that there is a very small difference between most generic and name brand items.  Don't get me wrong, I still prefer my Dr. Pepper over that man mister pibb...but for the most part, generic is okay with me.

7. Colsolidate your debt and PAY IT OFF!
This may be the hardest thing to do.  We (self included) feel as though if we pay these people the min. they will leave us alone! NO NO NO!!! All we are donig is using our hard earned money to make the financial institutions richer.  It may be tough, but try to pay all debt off as soon as possible.

8. Avoid impulse buying - This is VERY hard for me.  I see something, I want it. However, my bank account doesn't always agree with that.  My new motto is "if you can't pay cash for it,  you don't need it". I encourage you to adopt this motto and LIVE by it.

My older sister Nakeitra, and my mom, have really helped me when it comes to budgeting and saving money.  No matter how much I make, they encourage me to put at least 10% in savings.  This just gives you an extra cushion for life's unexpected events.  They have both always been huge savers. My dad and I....ehhhh we just like to splurge......so, I'm REALLY trying to do better!

I have also started to tithe on a regular.  I would get stuck in a runt and decided I did not have enough to give to God. Well, that's all wrong. He blessed me with it, so it is my duty to give back.  Once I started tithing, things really started to look up for me. 
I think I've said enough.  I'm no baller by any means, but I hope these tips at least give you a start to a more comfortable lifestyle.  Please feel free to comment and leave any tips that you have found helpful!

One more thing!...I strongly encourage you to visit Dave Ramsey's website.  Read and study his method of saving and budeting. http://www.daveramsey.com/
XOXO
t.RAE :)

LOVE to LOVE :)XOXO

Sooo, today I'm in a lovey dovey mood and I decided to share this LOVE with you(if anyone even reads this blog O_o).  Many have said that I have "love all over me". Well, it's true! I honestly believe I have found THE love of my life, Joey Sanders.  Joey and I have a very unique story.  We both graduated from Miss State, however, we met after college.  I give credit to  my sister, Nakeitra Hill, and Joey's sister, Deana Sanders-Vivians for introducing us.  During my undergraduate years I worked at Miss. State's financial aid office.  Joey(and the hundreds of other athletes) would always come in with questions regarding their account.  It became routine, I would send them upstairs to speak to a counselor.......until, I noticed this FINE young man.  Being the shy (at times) person I am, I decided not to help Mr. Sanders because I developed this huge elementary crush...go figure.  So each time he came in, I would hide behind the computer in the back and let someone help him......just letting the love of my life slip on by!
Days/weeks/months passed, we both dated other people then TAD DAH.....Joey's birthday rolled around.  Stepping out on limb, I decided to send him a "happy birthday" text.  Surprisingly, he texted back! (Although he "claims" he would have eventually texted me even if I didn't send the first text...hmmm I don't know about that). Of course I was eager to start a conversation, but I didn't want to appear "thirsty" so I abruptly ended our short text convo and continued with my daily activities.  Little did I know, 2 loving sisters were working behind the scenes in our favor.  To make a loooooooooong story short, Joey and I finally made plans for our first official date!  I was a nervous wreck! I thought Keitra was going to have to wire a microphone to her clothes and tell me what to say and when to say it!  Needless to say, everything worked out perfectly. 
I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend. Joey is my best friend and my soul mate:) We truly are blessings to each other...God knew what he was doing when he told me to send that happy bday text:)

So ladies, if you think you will never find "the one"....just wait! God has a plan!
XOXO
tRae:)

Cleaning out my closet

Sooooo, I've been contemplating creating a blog and tah-da I finally did it!  I'm not sure what I will center my posts around, however, I can guarantee you will be entertained.....my life...your entertainment!
I guess I could start by giving an update on ME! (Everybody loves talking about themselves, right?)
Well, as many of you know, I am in the big city of JACKSON, MS.  I am currently the Marketing/Public Relations Coordinator for Madison County EDA.  I really enjoy what I do, and the people I work with.  If you know me, you know that's a BIG DEAL. 

Since I promised to keep you guys entertained, I will share a little story with you. 
On yesterday, we had Coffee with U.S. Senator Thad Cochran.  Of course, this was a pretty big deal...I mean we had distinguished business men and women from Madison County in attendance.  So, being the social butterfly that I am (at times), I pranced around the lobby, awaiting visitors and issuing name tags.  After everyone was in and seated, we begin the program.  Halfway through Sen. Cochran's speech, I began to feel light headed and extremely hot.  Being the paranoid person I am, I felt as though every eye in the room was on me.  To prevent passing out in front of everyone, I decided to sneak out a side door.  I'm not so sure this was the best idea.....by the time I made it to the door, my knees collapsed.  Some random guy, helped me to a seat and got me a bottle of water. To make a long story short, I ended up paying ( literally) the doctor a visit.  I was told I have the stomach virus. It's  pretty shocking that I've never had it before!...I guess there really is a first time for everything.
Needless to say, it wouldn't be ToyaRae if I didn't nearly black out during such an important event. 

What did I learn from this? Well, I really have to start taking better care of myself.  You may not be able to prevent the stomach virus, but there are other measures that can be taken to prevent constant sickness.  I hate having such a weak immune system...if the wind blows the wrong way, I get sick:(
In the near future (b/c I know my sister will kill me if I don't) I am going to start a healthier lifestyle.  I truly belive what you eat today, affects your health tomorrow.

XOXO
t.Rae :)