FINALLY I have an opportunity to loll about with a cup of tea while I update my finances and catch up on some writing tasks. It took three hours to wrestle Lexi down for a decent nap today and when she insists on skipping sleep like this, she mutates into this drunk-y and crazed savage critter who bumbles into furniture and walls. WHY WILL THIS CHILD NOT SLEEP??!

Sigh. Onward to other weekend jibber jabber:

“My Financial Challenge Update”

As a stay-at-home mommy without a reliable income stream, I made a financial challenge at the start of summer to raise $1,000, somehow. This is how things currently stand:

(All income was passively made from previous writing projects & sponsors.)

June – $80.00
July – $57.71
August – $425.80
September – $0
October – $262.50 (yaaaay!)

TOTAL: $826.01

Starting in November I’ve been called to participate in a two-week focus group on lip balm (heh), which will compensate around $150. Hecka’ cool!

Broke-Ass Mommy Site Stats

Subscribers –

July 3rd:
2 subscribers (Can I send you something to express my gratitude? A jelly bean, perhaps?)

July 18th:
11 subscribers

August 8th:
18 subscribers

September 5th:
31 subscribers

October 12th:
51 subscribers

October 20th:
73 broke-ass subscribers, as of this morning. (woo-hoo!)

Alexa Rankings –

July 10th: 3,507,434
July 17th: 1,725,804
July 30th: 1,236,943
August 6th: 906,877
August 8th: 826, 155
September 5th: 369, 754
September 16th: 312,130
October 12th: 261,838
(current) October 20th: 237,847

Page Rank: 2

Here are some personal finance reads I enjoyed for your weekend perusing pleasure.

So Over This – Why I Stopped Pushing My Son to Go to College.

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff – Build A Home Series: Finally Closed (and pics!)

The Financial Blogger – Why Everybody Gets In Line to Kick Me in the Nuts???

Mo’ Money Mo’ Houses – How the Recession Has Motivated Me to Kick Ass at Life.

Finance Fox – Money Mistakes in Relationships.

Modest Money – Why I Would Never Lease A Car.

Edward Antrobus – My Money Pet Peeve: Skipping Frugality Because Earning More Is ‘Better’. (Congratulations on having your article mentioned in MSN Money, Edward!)

Femme Frugality – Frugal Tip: Student Deals and Discounts.

Club Thrifty – What I Want My Kids to Know About Money.

Pelican On Money – Get Rid of Credit Card Debt Once and for All.

Shared tweets for Broke-Ass Mommy this week. You guys are awesome!

Modest Money | @ModestMoney (Twitter)
When Life Gives You Lemons…Add Vodka | @add_vodka (Twitter)
Frugal Rules | @FrugalRules (Twitter)
Reach Financial Independence | @RFIndependence(Twitter)

Broke-Ass Mommy featured around the web:

Yakezie Carnival at CultOfMoney
Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at Master the Art of Saving
Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
Y and T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty
Carnival of MoneyPros at Making Sense of Cents

Remember my blurry spider from last time? Well, here he is again in all his glory BECAUSE HE IS SO BAD ASS. I knew I had a better pic burrowed somewhere, and I finally extracted it from one of our phones that got shoved into some random corner of the apartment after our camping trip, until it was re-discovered last night meshed in a pile with M.’s other gadgety stuff.

Presenting Itsy Bitsy, the Spider:

Rawr! Have a bad ass weekend, y’all.

hugs, me.

=^..^=

Lexi: Let me find some crickets to feast upon.

(Blurry) Spider: Git off’a my land, you #~$&@

Related posts:

• Debaucherous Foofery
• Grizzled Rock Peep
• Languorous Austerity
• Lambchops
• Airport Lounging

I was awoken at 5:15 a.m. experiencing chills and a raspy cough. And teeny, mealy fists tangled into my neck and hair.

I felt like shit and there was Lexi, peeking at me. Grinning and talking her gibberish.

Feebly I tried to coax her to lay down and snuggle into my tartan blanket, but all I managed to do was persuade her to erupt into giggles and blow raspberries against the tip of my nose.

Play time, Mommy.

My groggy mind groaned as I considered options.

If I quickly chucked her into the hallway and hid beneath the blanket, for example, would she notice the quivering mound on the bed? I could glue the door shut?

Not that I would close the door on my fifteen-month-old and lock her out to fend for herself just so I could accomplish peaceful sleep. Because that would be wrong. And our bedroom door lacks any type of locking device. Obviously someone wasn’t thinking.

Anyway.

That is how I ended up ghoul-ified on the floor at the crack of dawn beneath the bonsai plant, sitting cross-legged with my reindeer mug among the company of a stuffed fuzzy caterpillar and a lint-covered owl, while Lexi repeatedly thumped a peeling copy of BOW-WOW! PEEP! against my kneecap.

Halfway through our reading, Lexi began to sneeze. She rubbed her nose and sighed miserably. Then stared at me: Waaaaaaahhhhh!

Heeding my cue, I gathered Lexi into my arms to rock her soothingly. She nuzzled into my neck and gazed at me like I was the only face she wanted to see before the sun came up. We smiled at each other and my exhaustion ebbed away.

I knew there was a reason I suffered through a gestational period with this one. Just don’t expect too much productivity from this drowsy gal goul today.

Pardon me while I shuffle off to fetch another tissue.

=^..^=

Related posts:

• A-Weebie-Jeebies
• Daily Blather (with some kitty intestinal sauce)
• Gooshie-pie
• My Sweet Butter Sunshine
• An ‘I’m Frazzled’ Friday

Because, who doesn’t love a Broke-Ass Monday with free stuff? Enjoy this special edition—the Snowflake ‘Save Small Amounts’ Giveaway!

Enter below to win a chance at five $5 Paypal Cash prizes or one prize of $25 Paypal Cash!!

What is the snowflake savings method?

The snowflake savings method illustrates the importance of saving small amounts of money and the impact it can have on one’s financial journey.

When initially starting out, building a solid amount of savings can feel tedious and overwhelming, which is why I am a huge fan of the snowflake savings mentality. This model basically highlights how every spare amount of change is like a unique snowflake. Scrounging up a few cents here and there to throw into savings doesn’t seem very powerful at first, and yet suddenly those numerous snowflakes merge together to become a mighty snowball of goal-orientated fury.

Itty bitty amounts of savings do eventually add up, and do matter!

To further illustrate:

I grew up in a family where we never really took vacations and money was pretty tight. Nearly every evening my Mom would take my older brother and I (then four and five years old) for strolls along the river after dinner. During these walks she would scout leisurely for discarded bottles and cans along the riverbank and gather them in order to return to the local market for a small deposit. She did this for months and then used those accumulated profits to purchase us weekly musical lessons and instruments. Any leftover surplus after that was used for small, delicious treats for us all at the local ice cream counter.

Today, due to having piano and guitar training at such an early age, my talented brother—who is deeply musically-inclined—is preparing to embark on his second successful band tour, this time throughout Europe.

Every page in an elaborate novel is written word by word.
And every financial fortune is built one cent at a time.

Using creative methods, those bitty amounts of savings compile together and pack a financial wallop!

Now you can join in on the fun for the third installation of the Snowflake Method Giveaway, with our Save Small Amounts Edition!

To celebrate this concept, Jeffrey at SavingAdvice.com is hosting a ‘Save Small Amounts Through Snowflaking’ giveaway by giving $5.00 in cash through Paypal or Amazon gift card to five lucky readers and one prize of $25.00 in cash through Paypal or Amazon gift card.

Here is how you may enter for your chance to win:

Enjoy your Broke-Ass Monday and good luck to all participants!
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(If you are a blogger and interested in participating in future Snowflaking financial giveaways for your readers, you may learn more here: Snowflake Project.)

Lately it has been a hectic swirl of events with: an unexpected funeral, an out-of-state family camping trip, and a sickly one-year-old bobbing about while afflicted with pink eye. My goal has been to set aside personal time each day to write (a bit on this site and otherwise) while pushing through all this craziness without becoming unglued.

Here is a sundry wrap-up while I spend the remainder of the afternoon putting some wind back in my sails by resting—I dearly approve of this trend—and gearing up for the weekend.

Some sites I’ve been crushin’ on this week:

• First, the tragic tale at Diary of a Mad Woman, which is gripping and showcases so much courage. “The truth about surviving the suicide of my 41 year old husband, raising our 3 kids, ages 10, 5 and 2 alone, getting robbed and kidnapped at gunpoint the morning of the funeral. (Seriously, this really happened.)” I only hope I would hold my shit together and remain calm under similar circumstances.

• Then, our heroine at Sixty Payments grapples through several emotions as she embarks on a five-year journey of debt repayment through a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy in, Today We Filed.

• Finally, at Sleep Talkin’ Man, Karen records her English husband Adam during the night as he murmurs in his sleep. Unsettling, and h-i-i-i-larious. “Every time I look at you, my rectum wants to vomit up my eyeballs.” Or how about, “I loved you the minute I realized you were a tax break and you also gave head.” HAH! “Life lesson number 42: NEVER presume unicorns can ride bikes” and “Teddy bears and razor blades: Baby Emo’s birthday.”

Shared tweets for Broke-Ass Mommy this week. Thanks, you guys!

Modest Money | @ModestMoney (Twitter)
When Life Gives You Lemons…Add Vodka | @add_vodka (Twitter)
Frugal Rules | @FrugalRules (Twitter)

Broke-Ass Mommy featured around the web:

Friday Recap, A Blogoversary and a Sold Flat!! at Reach Financial Independence
The Round Table at Money Smart Guides
Carn. of Financial Camaraderie at The University of Money
Carnival of Financial Planning at The Financial Blogger
Y and T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty
Canadian PF Happy Hour at Canadian Personal Finance
Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
Yakezie Carnival at iHeartBudgets
Carnival of MoneyPros at Vanessa’s Money
Carnival of Retirement at Term Life Insurance, Inc

A peek at Broke-Ass Mommy site stats and progress

Subscribers –

July 3rd:
2 subscribers (Can I send you something to express my gratitude? A nip of sherry, perhaps?)

July 18th:
11 subscribers

August 8th:
18 subscribers

September 5th:
31 subscribers

October 12th:
50 51 broke-ass subscribers, as of this morning. (woo-hoo!)

Alexa Rankings –

July 10th: 3,507,434
July 17th: 1,725,804
July 30th: 1,236,943
August 6th: 906,877
August 8th: 826, 155
September 5th: 369, 754
September 16th: 312,130
(current) October 12th: 261,838

Page Rank: 2

Creeping onward. How is your day going? Weekends are the best, aren’t they?

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Woo-hoo, I am paying a bill and it is not making me grumpy!

Okay. I totally get that I should not be this excited over bills—especially now that my finances are in flux—but to be honest, I was completely over the moon to pay my Discover Black card bill this month. Which is totally a refreshing change from the twisted funk that bill paying usually puts me in.

It all started a few weeks ago when a promotional offer from Discover card arrived in the mail and was stashed on the coffee table for future consideration/shredding. And then for days the offer sat, glaring menacingly at me.

How dare you neglect me, you troglodyte? it hissed. I am to be used and indulged in!

The offer from Discover was to spend $1,000 by October with my newly minted Black card and then receive $100 cash back from my purchase. So finally I spent the obligatory $1,000 $1,750 and immediately paid the bill off in full.

Today my checking account was credited $100. Oh, and THIS arrived in the mail from a private collector:

Isle of Man 1 oz. gold Angel coin. My preciousss.

• Essentially I just received $100.00 off the spot price of gold for this remarkable Isle of Man gold coin, with the total cost being $1,650.

• I am fairly confident my gold Angel will appreciate (or retain its value) over the next few years much better than having those funds sit in a savings account with paltry interest rates. Eventually this piece will be converted into more tangible financial assets (dividend-paying stocks, income property, capital toward my own business, etc.)

• And if gold plummets and the price shrivels for the next twenty years, Lexi just inherited a gorgeous gold piece to use at her discretion at some point in the future.

Well played, Discover. Well played.
(Stop sending me offers, now. Please.)

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Related posts:

• The Importance of Saving: Don’t Hack Down Your Money Tree
• The Saving Conundrum. Are Savers Financial Losers?
• Overspending Alert – I Totally Blame the Duck!
• Boo To Those Sneaky Bank Fees

It was a soggy weekend for camping but we still managed to have ample fun, and on Friday night we hoisted the canoe onto our Caliber and drove a couple of hours to Willow Bay, Pennsylvania for our family weekend camping excursion.

On Saturday we indulged in a brisk paddle in the canoe and chortled our way through the Allegheny Reservoir, during a temporary Great Rift in the otherwise continuous downpour.

Lexi is pumped for her Willow Bay camping excursion

Allegheny Reservoir

Right now it feels heavenly: not to lose my shit over a drenched tent (or bedding down in chilly temperatures), and to experience the luxury of a snack while curled in a nice warm bed, while catching up on things that need catching up on.

Still recovering, so I’ll be dribbling crumbs over here if you need me. —>
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I’d love a holiday home!

Have you ever dreamed about stealing away in the dreary weather to a destination with constant warmth and sunshine? What about lodging in a place of your very own during your family’s winter weekend ski retreats? Buying a holiday home is an alluring luxury that promises to give you the best of both worlds. But what exactly can you expect when you turn this fantasy into a reality? Read on to find out.

The Basics for Beginners

At first glance, buying a holiday home will not be all that different than buying your first home was. You’ll need to determine a realistic budget for what you can afford by weighing your monthly income and current expenses against the selling price of the house. Remember to factor in utilities and maintenance fees, and determine who will be responsible for performing upkeep on the property. Carry out a property inspection and determine whether or not additional renovations and repairs will need to be made to the house, and how much they will cost.

Finally, secure a mortgage with favourable terms and rates from mortgage brokers. If you’re only planning to own the home for a short time, a variable rate mortgage with an open term may be your best bet in the current housing climate. Conversely, now is also a good time to lock into low fixed interest rates if you’re planning to own the home long-term.

Important Considerations For Renting

Things get a little trickier if you’re planning to rent out your holiday home in the off-season. The obvious plus of renting is that you’ll get the opportunity to make some money from your investment. But before that can happen, there are several considerations you need to keep in mind.

The first—and perhaps one of the most important—is location. Do some serious research on the area and the number of tourists it receives annually. Is there a demand for new rental properties or is the local housing market flooded with properties? Consider ways that you can reach niche markets—ecotourists, golfers, foodies, couples, adventure tourists, etc.—and then consider each group’s unique needs. Remember that tourists love properties with modern facilities, good views and outside recreation areas, and easy in/out access in close proximity to local restaurants, sights, and attractions. Talk with local realtors and neighbours to determine if your property is likely to do well, and how much you can expect to charge for rent.

Another major consideration is insurance. “Named perils” policies are popular with insurance companies for holiday homes, but be warned that these may not cover the cost of water damages or vandalism. Carefully review the terms and conditions of your policy as you will be financially liable for any damages not covered by it. Once you’ve calculated all these costs, you’ll have a better idea of whether or not a holiday home is worth the investment.

I am not dead, just zipping along in the car on our way to Willow Bay, Pennsylvania for two days of autumn camping fun. Will attempt to provide more tales from the tent as the weekend progresses. Have a superb Friday, everyone.

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Scrooge McDuck has long been my beloved financial hero and last night I gleefully watched these vintage Scrooge cartoons from 1967. Uncle Scrooge is giving his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie a life-lesson on finance and the nature of money, after they approach him regarding advice on what to do with their hard-earned savings of $1.95.

My little butterbean enjoyed dancing to this, as I sang, “…when you plan the bu-u-dget!” Enjoy the above gems of wisdom from Scrooge-y McDuck.

=^..^=

Related posts:

• The Importance of Saving: Don’t Hack Down Your Money Tree
• Bills Make Me Peevish and Need to Go Away
• Financial Check-Up; Our Vacation at Cape Ann
• Bitcoin, the ‘Comeback Kid’

Me again, on the couch, nibbling on a hunk of zucchini bread, with locally grown zucchini and blueberries, and trying to capture my breath. My little butterbean is blessedly asleep and it is during these quieter moments that I try to pen some musings.

And it is quite common for my thoughts to drift to finances and, in particular, on this night, to saving.

In this turbulent economic climate of nonexistent interest rates, savers are financial losers, which is why I believe it is so important for savers to shift their surplus into tangible assets which retain value or even appreciate.

I view my financial surplus (my savings) as tiny financial seedlings that—if prudently planted and nurtured—will one day grow and transform into mighty, fruit-bearing money trees.

Right now the biggest hurdle to wealth creation is finding fertile soil and a suitable planting ground in order for those first precious seedlings of savings to thrive properly.

Surplus held in a traditional savings account is rapidly losing value due to paltry interest rates and the corrosion of purchasing power. Hard-working families not completely strapped down by bills are now faced with a further challenge: how to store financial surplus, their savings, in a manner which will retain its value.

Some solutions I ponder over; storing a percentage of savings in precious metals, numismatics, antiques, collectibles and art, one’s own business (entrepreneurship), strong stocks wielding dividends (requires heftier principles), alternative currencies.

These all have inherent risks and are niches which require research and a certain level of awareness and expertise. Nowadays folks are being shaken out of passivity and forced to be more creative and knowledgeable in order to remain ahead of the insidious inflationary beast.

It is wise to choose a few niches and then become acquainted and comfortable with them until you’re a well-informed expert. (And, fortunately, there is a plethora of knowledge available online and at the local library.)

I would love to hear your thoughts. How are you combating inflation during this prickly era of suppressed interest rates?

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My Granpops peacefully succumbed to a battle with a prolonged illness this week and the reality of his passing is still seeping in.

When I was younger, us grandkids loved to crawl through the numerous tunnels of his wine cellar and I remember it feeling like a vast labyrinth; we’d stumble and giggle down in those depths, peeking at each other from behind dingy barrels with adventure unfurling in our veins.

Granpop was a scrappy immigrant who learned resourcefulness from observing his parents struggle through the Great Depression. He then applied those values as a young man to build an extremely successful steel company and went on to have six children of his own. He is survived by six great-grandchildren, including Lexi.

May your soul rest in peace, Granpops.
One day we shall meet around that fragile bend.

Laughed at this nugget. Happy Monday!

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Fun things afoot and I am slacking with updates this week, I know.

I am ferociously giddy with autumn wine-making. This week we harvested and pressed our wild apples and grapes, with two carboy-filled juic-y science experiments now bubbling in the kitchen with yeast and honey. And we are also busily traipsing through town with out-of-state relatives.

Lexi, helping prepare the press

I ate so many wild apples and grapes, I developed a tummy ache.

Further updates forthcoming. How is your week developing?

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Because, who doesn’t love a Broke-Ass Monday? Enjoy some of this fun free stuff circulating around the web.

Broke-Ass Monday

Don’t miss out on your chance to win the following items:

• Hurry coffee freaks, this ends tomorrow!! Galtime is giving away some free coffee goodies: two bags of coffee from Eight O’Clock Coffee and a travel coffee mug. (US only; ends September 18)
• Knit Babies is giving away a $100 restaurant gift plus $25 Paypal cash, wired right to your Paypal account. (ends September 22)
• Crystal from Budgeting in the Fun Stuff is giving away a 2012 Financial Conference Swag Bag. Who can resist white-chocolate covered Oreos!! (US only, ends September 30)

Good luck to all participants. See you for the next Broke-Ass Monday!

~¤~¤~

Broke-Ass Mommy participated in the following carnivals from around the web:
(a colossal thank you to all carnival hosts)

Wealth Artisan’s FinCarn at Wealth Artisan
Yakezie Carnival at Finance Product Reviews
Carnival of Retirement at Making Sense Of Cents
Carnival of MoneyPros at My University Money
Y and T’s Weekend Ramblings at Young and Thrifty

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