If you can use a good dose of vitamin C below is a new version of orange juice with all the fiber. I adapted this from Everyday Food on YouTube.

• 1 sweet orange
• 1 grapefruit
• 2 mandarin oranges
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• splash of key lime juice

Blend all together, then enjoy! Also, wash your hands religiously, stay hydrated with water and get plenty of rest.

I'll keep repeating it until people start to get it.  Slow motion is better than no motion; baby steps are still progress.  Never get so discouraged that you give up.  Let me tell you a secret, nobody is perfect, everyone messes up.  The key is that you keep going and push through it.  Have you ever set a goal you want to achieve?  You have to keep that goal in front of you, inspiring you everyday until you achieve it.  Successful people are tenacious.  If you are on this journey with me I implore you to keep going.  I will not stop until I am debt free.  Knowing how much money I will be able to save, invest and give away once I meet this goal keeps me going.  I am 6 months into this journey, I've paid off 20% of my debt.  I had a couple of unexpected setbacks but because I have my emergency fund I was able to pay for them with cash and keep going.  The key is having an emergency fund so you don't increase your debt by paying for unexpected things with a credit card.  So where am I now?  This year I'm focused on paying off my last two credit cards and my car note.  This is a very ambitious goal because even without the unexpected setbacks I'm not scheduled to pay off my car until April 2019 according to my debt snowball.  I'm challenging myself, we will see if I make this goal.  

So, let's talk emergency funds.  We all need an emergency fund because life happens.  If you haven't been able to save up for an emergency fund I want to share a challenge that may make it easier to save.  The 52-week Money Challenge is normally used for New Year's Resolutions but you can start anytime.  The idea is that you save $1 in the first week, then gradually increase your savings a dollar each week throughout the year.  So you save $2 the second week, $3 the third week, etc..  By the end of 52 weeks you will have saved a total of $1,378.00.  The biggest complaint from people who take on this challenge is that you are saving $49, $50, $51 and $52 in the month of December.  We all know December is usually the month people spend the most money.  Starting this challenge in March or April would be ideal because people normally get their tax refunds in these months making the larger dollar amounts easier to save.  But you can also hack this challenge in many different ways, you can go in reverse/descending order, starting with $52 in the first week.  Another option is printing out the chart and choosing a different amount each week, based on how much money you have, and crossing off each amount that you save until you go through all 52 weeks.  Below is the chart of how it works and this link is to the original article I read on the website called The Financial Diet that introduced me to this challenge.  Anybody want to try this challenge?  If you have tried it before, how did you do?  What did you like and/or dislike about it?

I gave my love, I gave my life, I gave my body and mind.  We were inseparable. I guess I gave u all of my time.  And now u plead insanity and u don't even know the score
Why can't u learn 2 play the game?  Baby, don't u know that u need more? (More, more, more) - anotherloverholenyohead,  Prince

We are way too comfortable with revolving debt. After mortgage or rent, car notes are usually the next largest monthly payment. For some it may be a student loan, especially if you went to a private college or if you are a doctor or lawyer. But, the thing we need to be focused on more than anything else is this revolving debt on credit cards.

Let’s break this down so we truly understand how credit cards work and why people often advise us to:

1. Stop using credit cards
2. Pay off credit cards as soon as possible

"Interest is the penalty you pay for the right to own something in advance, that you cannot afford." - Unknown

When we use credit cards we are saying that we want something so bad that we are willing to pay more for it than it's worth. Please read that sentence again.

Let's take a look at a credit card with a $5,000 balance:

• Minimum Payment: $100.00
• Interest rate: 21%

The problem is the interest we pay. The interest rate doesn't mean you pay 21% of $5,000 or $5,000 x 0.21 = $1050. Giving you a total payment of $5,000 + $1,050 = $6,050. It works a little different than that. Let's work through this together...
*(remember you have to change percentages into decimals so 21% = 0.21)

If your interest rate is 21%, divide that by 12 months to get your monthly interest rate

• 21% / 12 months = 1.75% per month

To determine how much interest you pay each month multiply your monthly interest rate by your total balance:

• 1.75% (monthly interest rate) multiplied by your balance of $5,000 = $87.50 or
• 0.0175 x 5,000 = 87.50

This means that when you made your minimum $100 payment, $87.50 went towards interest. Which also means that your principal payment was $100-$87.50 = $12.50. You just paid down $12.50 out of $100.

At this rate it would take you 119 months to pay off a $5,000 credit card. 119 months. Let that sink in, 119 months. How did we calculate 119 months? You can use another online debt calculator like this one: http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/credit-cards/credit-card-payoff-calculator.aspx or to calculate it by hand you will need to subtract the principal payment each month and multiply the new balance by 1.75% to see how much is going towards interest versus principal (ex: $5,000 - $12.50 = $4,987.50 now multiply $4,987.50 x 0.175 = $87.28125). I did create an Amortization Schedule in an Excel Spread Sheet below to verify the accuracy of the debt calculator and to show you how much you pay towards principal and interest with each payment. This is how the credit card companies calculate the information in the box on your statement that tells you how long it will take you to pay off that credit card if you make the minimum payments versus how much is required to pay off that same credit card in 3 years.

• 119 months divided by 12 = 9.9 years or 9 years and 10 months
• Your total payment after 9.9 years: $100 x 119 = $11,900
• Which means you paid $11,900 - $5,000 = $6,900 more for something(s) that was worth only $5,000. That's more than twice what it was worth.

This is why I'm determined to get out of debt. This is why debt is slavery. This is why it's not wise to use credit cards.

Transparency Moment: When I was struggling I did the 0% interest rate credit card shuffle. I would move balances from one card to the next and take that 3% or 4% transfer fee hit if it made sense mathematically (not all cards charge you a transfer fee). But, ALWAYS do the math! Don't take a 3% fee hit if you can pay that card off in a short amount of time and the interest you pay in this time is less than the 3% fee. The beauty of the 0% credit card shuffle is it normally gives you a lower minimum payment and you forego paying any interest, which helps if you are in survival mode. The drawback is if you don't attack the balance you're just moving debt around and not making progress. It will give you a false sense of accomplishment.

Survival Tips
Now let's talk about survival tips. Like I said before, if you're in survival mode you can't hear what I'm saying anyway, trust me, I know, I've been there. When in survival mode organizing and prioritizing are a necessity. The recommended order for paying things is as follows:
1. Food
2. Utilities
3. Rent/Mortgage
4. Transportation

The basic necessities of life (food, shelter, clothing, transportation and utilities) are always a top priority when you’re under water in debt. Before a person can make any payments towards debt the four items above should be taken care of. If you can't pay the four items above then you are in emergency mode and something has to change quickly whether that is selling something like a car or even your house or finding a second job. Once you can pay all of your necessities then you can focus on your debt. The two debts you cannot play with though are tax debt and student loan debt. The last thing anyone wants is for their money to be garnished so it's important to make arrangements regarding these debts as soon as possible. You can't close your eyes and pretend they don't exist until you get more money. The rest of your debts will have to wait until you get to a stable place. So let's review, in survival mode it is recommended to first pay your four necessities bringing them current if they are not, then make arrangements for any tax or student loan debt, lastly you can start to address and pay any remaining debt.

Let me be clear, these are just recommendations, you have to choose what's most important to you. If you are a renter you know you cannot go several months without paying your rent because you will be evicted. The same applies to a car note, you can't go several months without paying your car note because they will repossess it. If these are your largest monthly debt payments, you may want to rethink selling one or both or downsizing.

The last thing I want to say is I know that each situation is different. Survival mode is scary. But I am a witness that through prayer and fasting, literally, God protected me while I was in it. No matter how hopeless your situation may look, it will change, it will turn around. Nothing in life lasts forever, nothing. Everything changes including the bad. So please be encouraged.

Progress Report: I have paid off two credit cards. I will have credit card number 3 paid off in the next few weeks. Three months completed, 33 more to go.

Little things mean a lot appreciate what you got, if you give what you have, it forever will last.  Don't sit around and wait for all the great things in your life (sweetie) little things mean a lot - Little Things, Boyz II Men

Listen, I'm sure some of you are thinking, "I can't do that...I can't pay off all my debt." Let me tell you something, you're doing it wrong. Everything you do in life starts with what you think. It is what you tell yourself that will determine what you will or won't accomplish in life. A few weeks ago I heard a radio talk show host discussing the following article about How Much Money Americans Have in Their Savings Accounts. The fact that 57% of Americans surveyed have less than $1000 in their savings accounts didn't bother me as much as a comment I read by one man after he read the article. He basically stated that it is impossible to save money because most people are too broke and the cost of goods and services keeps increasing. You can't think like that. If you believe it's impossible to save money, guess what, it will be. You can't think of your debt as the elephant you have to eat in a day. This is a step by step journey that requires a change in your mind-set. It may not happen overnight and that's okay because little things mean a lot and they add up. I would love for everyone to be on fire to get out of debt and treat it like it's the biggest emergency of their life, but everyone is different. I also realize that life is about balance and the fact is none of us can take money or possessions with us when we die. But, I am passionate about the fact that I want everyone to believe they can do anything they put their minds to, including getting out of debt. Debt is slavery!

Little things do mean a lot. What you do over time adds up. If you take a moment and calculate how much you spend a week/month on small things like eating out or buying coffee or drinks on the weekend at a bar or club, you will see how much these things add up. Over time if that money is put towards saving or paying off debt you will be on a shorter path to financial independence. Don't believe me? Lets look at one of my favorite things, the amortization schedule. I LOVE amortization schedules because they allow me to see just how much of a huge difference a small amount of money can make towards your efforts of paying off debt. This is one of the online calculators that I have used: Managing-Debt/Loan-Calculator.aspx, there are several online to choose from if you search for amortization financial calculators. When you pay down the principal of your debt it reduces the amount of interest you have to pay and cuts down on the amount of time to payoff said debt. Below is an example of an Amortization Schedule for a 4-year $18,000 loan with a 6.00% interest rate (left side). The normal payments are $422.73. If you make an additional $130.00 payment towards the principal each month you will pay this loan off in 3 years instead of 4, as shown on the right side. I love how amortization schedules show me how quickly I can move closer to paying off my debt based on the balance left. For example, with the table on the left side, let's say instead of paying an extra $130 per month you want to do one large payment of $1000 towards the principal. Looking at the balance in the right column you will see that additional payment shaved off 3 months of payments.

So where do you get an extra $130/month? Let's look at some places where you can save money, some of these have been mentioned before:

• Take public transportation to work
• Bring your lunch to work everyday
• Make your coffee at home or drink the free coffee at work
• Learn to do your own manicures/pedicures
• Reduce your cable bill
• Become more cost-efficient and reduce your power bill
• Reduce your weekly grocery bill
• Bring your own flask of alcohol when you go out with friends
• Find free entertaining things to do on the weekend like going to the park
• Sell something

Your homework: Choose one item to focus on paying off right now and enter the terms in a debt calculator. Now create an amortization schedule with your regular payments and compare that with an amortization schedule that includes the extra amount of money you want to put towards this debt. Lastly, determine how much you need to add per month to pay it off one, two or three years earlier. Now that you have this information you can decide on a strategy and amend your goal to pay off this debt earlier if you choose.

Still don't think it's possible? Here are a couple of articles on the subject for more inspiration:

• What My Immigrant Mom Can Teach You About Money – The Luxe Strategist
• A Millionaire is made ten bucks at a time - Mr. Money Mustache

Y'all think it's bougie, I'm like, it's fine but I'm tryin' to give you a million dollars worth of game for $9.99. - The Story of O.J., Jay Z.

So this new way of life isn't the easiest.  I have to constantly tell myself "you don't need that ish" every time I want a caramel macchiato or see that BR has a sale or don't feel like cooking.  This is an adjustment.  How do I stay focused? I look at my goals every single freaking day, all the time, morning, noon and night.  I'm learning to forego temporary or short-term satisfaction for my ultimate goal.  I just keep telling myself the same thing I say when I'm fasting..."this is temporary, it won't last forever."  Also, the more I do now, the shorter the time it will take for me to reach my goal.

So what's my strategy?  I'm using the debt snowball.  People have different opinions on the best method to get out of debt.  This is the one I chose because it works best for me.  You have to pick what works best for you.  Some of the strategies I've heard discussed are as follows:

• Payoff your debt in descending order of the highest interest rate to the lowest (called the debt avalanche)
• Payoff your debt in descending order of the highest minimum payment to the lowest
• Payoff your debt in ascending order of the lowest balance to the highest (called the debt snowball)

Regardless of the strategy you choose, it will work if you work it.  Consistency is the key.  So what is the Debt Snowball?  The idea is to make minimum payments on all of your debt and apply all extra funds to the debt you have prioritized as the first to payoff, the one with the lowest balance.  Once you have paid that debt off you apply the minimum payment of that debt to the next one on the list while throwing any extra funds at debt number 2.  You keep doing this until all of your debt is gone.  Below is an example of the Debt Snowball.  In this example this person's debt is listed from smallest to largest which is also the order that they will pay off their debt.  How does it work?  They will pay the minimum payment on all debt and add any extra money, in this case $200, to the Target account until it is paid off.  This will take 2 months.  Once the Target account is at a zero balance they continue to pay the minimum balance on all debt and apply the money that was going towards the Target account, $225, to the Shell account until this account has a zero balance.  You keep applying these steps until all of your debt is paid off.

So why the Debt Snowball?  Because just like a diet, people are far more encouraged to keep going when they see progress.  Is the Debt Avalanche better mathematically?  I believe the Debt Avalanche will shave off a few months towards reaching your goal but you have to crunch the numbers to make that determination.  Ultimately, you have to find the plan that works for you and stick to it.  This one works for me...as of today I have paid off two credit cards.  I will be paying off the third card by the end of this month.  

You can do anything you put your mind to, it is what you tell yourself that will determine your outcome.  I encourage myself constantly, not just with this plan of getting out of debt, it is a strategy I developed at a young age.  Every time I had to run during cheerleading or dance practice I'd tell myself "the faster you run, the faster you're done Lani."  When I fast I remind myself that this moment of forgoing food is nothing in comparison to the number of days I've eaten throughout my life, it's a minute percentage.  Further, this is a healing process that will make everything in my life better once I reach my goal.  I say to myself, "you can do anything for a day Lani."  I talk to myself A LOT!  

I have constantly prayed for wisdom, James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him."  It is wise to be a good steward of your money.  I believe the revelations I've had recently are a direct result of my prayers.  I admit I feel a little late to the party but better late than never.  Debt is voluntary slavery, it hinders you from so many things.  But like any bad habit, each individual has to come to this conclusion and be self-motivated to change when they are ready.  I also realize that when you're in survival mode, you can't hear any of what I'm saying.  I've been there, just focused on bringing in enough money to cover my bills, sometimes I simply didn't have enough, so something had to give.  Maslow's hierarchy of needs is real, I had to do what I had to do at that time in my life.  It was a choice between food, water, transportation and power versus anything else, my necessities won every time.  So, if you are still in survival mode, I encourage you to keep pushing forward, don't give up because it will get better.  I'm a living testimony.  I've gone from lack to surplus because I refused to give up.  No matter how many times I heard the word no or was rejected when I was trying to put myself in a better position, I knew and kept telling myself that God loves me too much to let me stay like this.  Guess what?  He didn't let me stay like that.  So again, I encourage you to keep pushing forward, things will change.

And deep in my heart the answer it was in me, and I made up my mind to define my own destiny - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill

I had a moment of self-loathing while digesting all of this. I was upset with me, I mean I consider myself to be fairly intelligent but I felt so dumb.  I have been wasting money and I could be a lot further in life financially.  I kept wondering, how did I get here?  Where did my miseducation start?  I've never been the type to say I deserve anything or I work too hard not to have "insert whatever luxury item" but then I realized something.  Even though those words never came out of my mouth, I was saying these exact statements through my actions.  Every time I bought something that I didn't have the cash to pay for, every time I swiped my credit card I was acting like I was entitled to these things.

Honestly, my miseducation came from several places.  I remember my first credit card, a Macy's store card that my Mom suggested so I can establish my credit.  I bought a few items and when the bill came the next month I paid off the balance in full, approximately $112.  I told a friend about this and they immediately asked me why did I do that.  I was confused, I thought you were supposed to pay what you owe and if possible, pay in full.  But this friend told me the way to get my credit score higher is by maintaining a balance and just paying the minimum.  I'm sorry to say, I listened to this friend.  Today, I have a lot of credit cards,  They don't all have a balance but I do have a lot, 13 to be exact.  Out of those 13, four have balances.  I was able to pay one off in July, a small victory for me.  I started with the one with the smallest balance, $65.  It's not much to brag about but previously I was content with paying the minimum balance, so before I set out on this journey that $65 would have taken another 3 or 4 months.  My plan is to pay off two more credit cards over the next two months.  This will leave me with two cards to focus on.  

Then there is my car note.  I never wanted a car note but the ex (how I refer to my ex-husband) totaled my old truck while we were married, so we bought another truck for me.  This time, we opted for a luxury vehicle, first mistake.  Then came the divorce and after that divorce the vehicle started going downhill.  Now this was my moment of truth.  I could buy a cash car or a less expensive vehicle, but oh no, I bought the same luxury vehicle because I became accustomed to the luxury and I didn't want to give it up, second mistake.  If I knew then what I know now...I cannot wait to pay this vehicle off!  When it comes to car notes I know several people who accept that they will always have a car note, They like upgrading their vehicles every few years so they build a car note into their monthly expenses.  But, if I can help it, I will never have a car note again.  If this truck dies, I'm buying a cash car, period!  I don't care if I'm driving an '89 Oldsmobile.  We will discuss car notes and leases at a another time.

Finally, there is my student loan, that I have deferred so many times I lost count.  Almost half of my debt is my student loan and it's all from undergraduate school.  I grew up thinking that was normal and everyone had a student loan.  Again, a lot of people I know have just come to accept their student loan as a payment they will always have.  I use to be one of those people, until I calculated the interest I will pay if I continue on my current track.  Absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable.  We will breakdown student loan payments later too.

If I had the chance to do it over again I would have never started on this downward spiral of credit cards.  It makes no sense to spend more than you earn, that displays a lack of self-discipline and self-control.  I would always buy cash cars so I wouldn't have a car note.  Lastly, I would have worked during undergraduate school so if I did have a student loan, it would be much smaller than what I have now.  But hindsight is 20/20 and I cannot dwell on the past.  So guess what?  I forgave Lani and decided to focus on the things I can change.  Again, my goal is to have all of this debt paid off in 36 months.  

Just to recap, these are the things I have changed to help meet this goal:

• I take Marta to work each day.  Now I fill my gas tank up every 3-4 weeks.  Previously I filled my gas tank up every week.  Savings: about $204/month or $2450/year
• I reduced my internet, power and cable bills. Savings: about $100/month or $1200/year
• Claimed my appropriate allowances for my tax deductions.  Savings: a lot more than the above :-)

So I found a significant amount of extra money to throw at my debt each month.  Is anybody going through these steps with me?  Were you also miseducated?

My Debt Breakdown:
Credit Card Debt: 32.0% Total Debt
Car Loan:               22.4% Total Debt
Student Loan:      45.6% Total Debt

Mini Milestone Celebration: August 21, 2017, Month 1/36 = 1 Credit Card paid off

She told me to walk this way! Talk this way! Walk this way! Talk this way, just gimme a kiss...like this - Walk This Way, Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith

How sobering was that (calculating your monthly surplus or deficit)? Now that I know exactly what I'm working with I realize I have work to do. But where in the world do I start? Well being that I don't believe anyone is the end-all be-all on any subject I decided to read as much as I could from many different sources. My goal is to be financially independent and right now, at the rate that I'm going, it will take me decades to reach this goal. I'm at a small surplus. No bueno. Below are a few sources that resonated with me once I started my research to determine the path to get me where I want to go:

• Dave Ramsey - I listened to his youtube videos and figured out his 7 baby step program (https://www.youtube.com/user/DaveRamseyShow)
• Mr. Money Mustache - This very informative website was shared with me by a colleague who is also on the road to financial independence. This blog is by a guy who retired from his job at the age of 30. (www.mrmoneymustache.com)
• Radical Personal Finance - Another youtube channel that I found very informative, he interviews a lot of people who have mastered the art of personal finance, he even has an interview with Mr. Money Mustache (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCifiRyWskTPUB5i9f1IlabQ)

I discovered there is a LOT of great information out there waiting for us to grasp. Despite every journey being different, each individual has nuggets of wisdom I can apply to my life and situation. Dave Ramsey will help you organize a plan on how to attack your debt by using his 7 baby step program. Mr. Money Mustache will help you realize how much money you waste each and every day.

Looking at my budget I calculated how much money I put into monthly debt payments. I felt so dumb when I thought about how I could be saving that money or investing into mutual funds. What is worse is when I calculated the interest I had been paying and will continue to pay if I don't make some changes. I have so much I want to share with you but I will take it step by step. Step 1 was to calculate your net income and monthly "out-go" and determine if you have a surplus or deficit. Step 2 is to calculate how much of your monthly expenses is debt payments. Now look at that number and think about what you could be doing with that money instead.

Step 3 is to formulate a plan to attack this debt in a reasonable amount of time. There are several ways you can do this, below are a few noted from my research:

• Reduce your bills. You can find a cheaper alternative to that $200 cable bill. Reduce your plan down to basic cable or no cable at all. Reduce your power bill by finding ways to be more energy efficient. Take public transportation instead of driving everywhere. Stop eating out and cook more. Remember this is only temporary until you are out of debt, not forever.
• Increase your income. This can be done by working overtime, if your job allows it, or by getting a part-time job. You can even start your own business. An unconventional way of increasing your income would be if you stop investing temporarily and/or by claiming the appropriate allowances to pay your exact tax bill instead of overpaying and receiving a refund.
• Sell something. Look around your house, there maybe gold in there that you haven't unmasked.

What I learned is that those who have successfully mastered financial independence found many different ways to accomplish the same goal. For example, Mr. Money Mustache is a huge advocate for riding bikes. It's actually a great way to stay healthy while reducing your expenses. He encourages people to ride bikes everywhere, including to and from work. While Dave Ramsey encourages you to stop investing temporarily, until you are out of debt. He also advocates looking at your tax bracket and claiming the allowances that will ensure you do not get a refund check. In other words, you pay exactly the taxes that you owe for your salary range. This was a huge eye-opener for me as I always looked forward to my refund check. But I realized that I could be using that money to pay down debt each month. Just to give you an example, if you get back a refund of $6,000, that means you are overpaying the government. That is an extra $500 per month that you could be using to pay-down debt ($6000/12 months = $500 per month)

Here are the things I did to work on Step 3:

1. I have been taking Marta since I started working at my current office. ​I fill my gas tank up every 3-4 weeks since I started taking public transportation.
2. I reduced my cable, internet and power bills.
3. I claimed the appropriate allowances so I will not receive a refund next year, I will discuss this in another post.
4. I am starting to list items on Craig'slist to sell

Now that I have made these tweaks, I have a LOT more money to attack my debt. My goal is to be debt free, except for my mortgage, in 3 years or less. If I get rid of all my monthly debt except my mortgage, I would only need a net yearly salary of $30,000 to live on very comfortably. Looking at these numbers made me want to take a shot of hard liquor. I wish I came to this realization when I was in college.

Your next homework assignment is to calculate your total amount of debt, minus your mortgage. Now set a goal date to eliminate this debt. Mine is 36 months (3 years) from now. I'm willing to make sacrifices now to reach this goal as quickly as I can. The question is how bad do I want it? It is always a question of will I, not can I.

I will admit, this is the point where Dave Ramsey and I differ. Baby step 1 of his plan states to have a $1000 emergency fund before you move to baby step 2 (eliminating debt). Let me have a moment of transparency with you. I have more than $1000 saved up and I am unwilling to part with that money because I am traumatized from my divorce. I am also still investing 6% of my income to take advantage of my employer match on my 401K. I realize that anything, I mean anything, can happen and cash is king. I'm terrified of being in survival mode again. If I can help it, I will make sure that I will never be in survival mode again in my life. So, yes, I'm willing to make sacrifices up to a point; you have to do what gives you peace. This may change in the future but it hasn't right now. I know that the faster I get rid of my debt the faster I can start back saving and investing. But right now, I'm not ready to make those two changes. However, I am a numbers person so I will calculate the mathematical differences of me applying my savings to my debt and pausing my 401K investment to make my final decision. So, this is to be continued...

In the meantime, I'll check back with you to see if you have completed your homework. In case you were wondering, below are Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps. His program is designed to be done in the order listed. Baby steps 4, 5 and 6 are supposed to be simultaneous.

*Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps:

1. Save money to establish a $1000 starter emergency fund
2. Pay off all your debt, except your mortgage, using the debt snowball
3. Build up 3-6 months of expenses in savings (ex: If your total expenses are $3000/month you need to save $9000 - $18,000)
4. Invest 15% of your income towards retirement (ex: a Roth 401K)
5. Save for your kids' college fund
6. Pay off your house in 15 years
7. Build wealth and give

Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M. Get the money, dollar, dollar bills y'all. - C.R.E.A.M., Wu-Tang Clan

Let's talk about money.  We all need it, after all even the bible says money answers everything, (Ecclesiastes 10:19).  So why is this subject so taboo and such a sore spot for everyone?  People want the appearance of having money but no one wants to talk about how much they have or how to keep it.  We all hope to attain the highest paying salary as a trophy for success but the truth is it is not how much you make, it is how much you don't spend. I'm an entrepreneur and I'm all about empowerment, but starting a business takes money.  The more you have to start, the better your branding, marketing, supplies, in short, everything.  I'm on a quest for financial independence.  Since I'm on this journey, I decided to share everything I learn along the way.  

Consider this the start of a new series...chapter 1 on my journey.  Let's start with the definition of financial independence.  The state of having sufficient personal wealth to live, without having to work actively for basic necessities.  It is the point where you have enough money to live off of the interest earned and/or investment dividends.  Once you reach this point, working is an option not a necessity.  So how do you reach this point?  Well you first have to start with looking at where you are now.  This is the elephant in the room.  Very few people know where they are on the spectrum of financial independence.  The lower end of the spectrum includes being in debt with monthly payments (credit cards, student loans, personal loans, car notes, etc.) and living paycheck to paycheck with very little, if any, money saved to achieving financial independence.  Have you ever sat down and calculated how much monthly income and monthly expenses you have?  If you haven't you don't know where you are and  you won't know what you need to do to get to where you want to be.  I implore you to calculate this number.  You have to face reality and stop ignoring the elephant in the room.  This number will tell you if you need a part-time job or some other means to increase your income because you have more expenses than monthly salary or if you need to figure out what's been drilling a hole in your wallet.  

So what brought me to this quest?  Where should I begin?  One, with everyone talking about the power of the (black) dollar it dawned on me that most people I know are still in survival mode or on the low end of the financial independence spectrum.  I began brainstorming how to change this.  Which lead me to thinking about my own financial state.  I focused on where I am, where I want to be, how to get there and the steps that I have taken to get out of survival mode.  Finally, I thought about the consumerism mindset of most Americans.  I have to admit I do not understand the sense of entitlement everyone has, I mean everyone, all ages, races, genders, etc.  How did we get to the point where we feel we deserve everything and need status symbols to feel validated and valued?  Let me be clear, this isn't a series to tell you what to do or how to think.  It is simply me sharing what I learn(ed) along the way because quite frankly I have had some revelations and some moments where I have felt down right dumb.  But you don't know what you don't know so I had to forgive myself and move forward.

If you want to take this journey with me your first assignment is to calculate where you are.  Write down your net monthly income and subtract your monthly expenses.  If you don't have any money left after the necessities (mortgage/rent, utilities, groceries, insurance, gas for transportation) and monthly payments (credit card payments, student loans, personal loans, car note, cell phone, etc.) then you know you have an income problem.  If this is the case you either need to find a way to generate more income or cut your expenses.  If you do have money left over and you're not financially independent, you know you have a spending problem on those things that are not necessities.  So let's start here and calculate your monthly balance to determine if you're operating with a surplus or deficit.  Below is an example of a single person's monthly budget with a surplus of $239.  I'll check back with you to see if you have done your homework.

I wanna be your lover, I wanna be the only one that makes you come running.  I wanna be your lover, I wanna turn you on, turn you out, all night long, make you shout.  Oh, lover!  Yeah, I wanna be the only one you come for.- I Wanna Be Your Lover, Prince

If any of you are like me then you also have a serious sweet tooth.  But I know that sugar is the devil so I do my best to limit my daily intake.  This weekend I was jonesin' for some caramel and remembered that dates taste very similar to caramel.  After searching through youtube recipe videos I combined a few and came up with this recipe.  I didn't know what to expect but I must say this is divine...and healthy.  Have you ever tried date caramel?  Did you like it?

Date Caramel
1 Cup Pitted Medjool Dates
1/4 Cup Coconut Manna or Coconut Cream
1/4 Cup lite Coconut Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 pinch Sea Salt

If your dates aren't gooey you will need to soak them in water for at least 15 minutes.  Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.  I wanted my caramel thick, if you prefer a thinner consistency that is more like a sauce you can add water until you get the consistency you want.  I would suggest no more than a couple of tablespoons at a time.

You can add date caramel to everything you would add regular caramel to: desserts, espresso or coffee drinks, ice cream or banana nice cream, etc.  I have been eating this straight no chaser, because it tastes that good to me.