Hi from your community leader
Hi everyone,
Saving money is very rewarding!
I’m your new “Grow Your Green” (GYG) community manager, CashCat.
If you’re reading our “Grow Your Green” posts, chances are you’re trying to save money — whether it’s to buy a new iPod or go on a dream vacation or for your retirement. We’re all here for some personal financial goals, and contributing your comments and ideas to GrowYourGreencampaign.com is a great way to help and encourage one another along the way.
I know I need the help. Saving is hard for me. Especially when there are so many cute outfits and cool gadgets to buy, and so many fun things to do and great restaurants to try in the Bay Area. Still, whenever the cashier is ringing up my new sweater or charging me for another appetizer, there is always a nagging voice in the back of my head that says, “Cat, you should be saving this money for when you really need it.”
Logically, I know this. After all, saving money for a rainy day is one of those lessons you hear time and time again. The question is: do you listen to the adage?
Saving is also becoming a lot more difficult for many of us because of this slumping economy. Now that so many of us are seeing those “rainy days,” it’s more important than ever for us to figure out how to be smart with our money, while not compromising our quality of life.
I don’t have many answers but I am doing my homework on how to be financially smart. I’ll share what I learn with you. In the meantime, if you have any tips or ideas you’d like to share with the GYG community, feel free to chime in.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
~CashCat
I’ve started using Mint.com. It’s a free personal finance organizer that tracks your spending and automatically puts it into categories. When I saw how much I was spending on eating out, I nearly fell over. I think half the battle is realizing where your money is going. Many people, including myself, don’t even think about that.