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March's Daily Assignments for Financial Freedom
2 years ago
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Hot!
The Daily Assignment for March 11th:
**Declutter your paperwork.**
Go through your files, your mail, any paper piles, and toss, shred, file or act on everything you find. If you take this daily assignment seriously, it may take you a while. Include your kids in the "fun" by letting them shred stuff or make baskets with trash balls. Make it your mission today to find every scrap of paper in your habitat and corral it into one place, where you'll figure out what to do with it all.
Toss. Shred. File. Act.
March 12th
2 years ago
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The Daily Assignment for March 12th is to go through your clothes, shoes and accessories (jewelry, ties, belts, etc.) and find out what you don't need anymore. Set up piles:
Donate. Sell. Keep.
When you've decided what is worth selling, and what should be donated, take steps to do it right away! Don't wait. This assignment isn't finished till you've actually gotten rid of these items. Take the pile you're keeping and organize it so that you can easily see what you own. That way, you can reduce the "I've got nothing to wear and should probably go shopping" impulse. If your clothes are out of style, worn, don't fit you right or just don't flatter you, sell them. Use the profits to buy new clothes that are timeless and fit perfectly. If you sell ten items, you should be able to buy at least three new things with the money you make. You'll have fewer things, but more things you actually enjoy, and which flatter you.
March 13
2 years ago
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Today's Daily Assignment is similar to yesterdays, and the day before. We continue with the inventory of home. Yesterday, we went through all of our clothing and accessories. Let's do the same with the rest of the home. What else can we donate, sell or toss? Most newspapers provide space for free ads for items under a certain amount. Our local paper's limit is $300, three ads at a time. You can sell most items in your home for under $300! If there are books you're not reading, DVDs or VHS tapes you don't watch, and pots and pans you don't use, sell them! And donate what you don't think you should bother selling. Someone else can use them.
March 14
2 years ago
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Today's assignment is to find a way to have fun without spending money. (This group has a tips list just for that!)
Figure out how to have a good time-no money involved. Will you go for a walk? Take a nice, relaxing bath and nap? Read a book? Play cards with your kids or spouse? Learn something new? Go ride a bike?
When you've figured it out-post it on our tips list!
March 15
2 years ago
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The Daily Assignment for today is to get your credit report. Go to http://www.freecreditreport.com or another reputable site. You already know how important it is to check your report. So do it! If there are any mistakes, IMMEDIATELY write to all three bureaus and ask them to investigate. If it can't be proven within a short amount of time, it will be taken off your report. Good luck!
March 16
2 years ago
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You've decluttered and organized your whole home, and put a bit of cash in your pocket. You've checked your credit report. Now it's time to figure out how much you have, how much you earn, and how much you owe.
1) List all of your assets on a piece of paper or on the computer. Assets include a car that is paid off, a home that is paid off, fine jewelry, collectibles, cash, stocks, bonds, retirement accounts, etc.
2) List all sources of income.
3) List all sources of debt. Do you have car loans, mortgage, credit card debt, student loans, personal loans? You need the name of the loan (ex: "Ford" or "Wells Fargo" or "Chris's Car" or "VISA"). It's your debt-call it whatever you want to. Then write down the amount owed, the current minimum monthly payment (if there is one), and the interest rate. If there is a piece of information missing, call someone to find out. You MUST know these four things.
Example:
My Car: $8,650 owed, $295 monthly, 3.4% interest.
Assets, income, debt. Are you surprised by any of these numbers?
March 17
2 years ago
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More fun! How can you have fun today without spending any money?? And how can you help someone else today (your mom, your spouse, your kid, the community, a friend) without spending any money?
March 18
2 years ago
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Big job today! Go to the thread about How Long to Keep Paperwork. Print it out if you have to. (Yes, the irony of creating yet another piece of paper isn't lost on me.) Then use it to go through your files. Once you're organized, it'll be much easier to stay that way. Shred whatever you no longer need. If there's something you'll need for many years, pack it and put it into your storage closet or in a safe, so it isn't in your way, but is still accessible and protected.
March 19
2 years ago
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Your mission, should you choose to accept it:
Find out your Latte Factor. Go to http://www.oprah.com/money/debtdiet/steps/debtdiet_steps_02_b.jhtml
Fill out the calculator with little daily expenses you succumb to.
March 20
2 years ago
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Easy assignment today!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/email/newsletters/preview/personalfinance.html
Subscribe to the Washington Post's personal finances e-newsletter! It's free, of course!
March 22
2 years ago
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If you have not yet filed your taxes, today's assignment is to start the process. Either call up someone to schedule an appointment (make sure it is guarenteed, and shop around for quotes on how much it'll cost), or begin doing them yourself. H&R Block's website has a pretty good free checklist of things you'll need for doing them yourself or taking them to someone else.
If you've already done your taxes, decide if you need to make any changes for next year. Then call up your HR department/payroll, etc., and make those changes NOW. Don't wait another day.
March 23
2 years ago
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Determine if there are any services you can do without: Cable, long-distance, text-messaging, webphone, gym membership, etc. If you can do without it...call them up right away to cancel. You probably pay for every day that you use it, but there's still time to get a prorated refund for March!
March 24
2 years ago
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If you're a movie-watcher, consider http://www.netflix.com instead of renting or buying movies. You'll get your fix, but it won't cost nearly so much. It's a great substitute for cable too, since you can order sitcoms and dramas, etc., old and new! If you haven't already, check it out and see if it's for you. But don't get tempted to break your bank on it. 3-movies-at-a-time, unlimited, is the MOST you probably should pay for.
March 25
2 years ago
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Pick up a good habit to replace a bad one.
Do you smoke or drink? Get addicted to working out instead. You'll save money on cigarettes or alcohol, health care and probably insurance too!
By the way, if you have recently lost a great deal of weight, stopped smoking or given up drinking, give your health and life insurance companies a call, and see if they'll lower your rate! Some will, some won't, but it's worth it to ask!
Also, if you've gotten married or just had a birthday (usually 18, 21, and 25 are the key numbers for discounts), you should call your auto insurance company to see if your rates will be lowering. If you're 50 or 65 or more, ALWAYS ask for a senior discount. You never know! It's amazing how many places will give you some money off!
If you've installed smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, security alarms, deadbolt locks, etc., let your renters or homeowners insurance company know. They're very likely to throw in a discount.
I know this is a touchy subject, and I'm not going to go into the morality and fairness of it (I'll leave that up to the pet groups on Care2), but some homeowners insurance companies charge higher premiums to people who own certain breeds of dogs or numbers of dogs or other pets. But most people don't think to let the company know when their dog has passed away. Fax or mail them the vet statement proving the dog is no longer with you, and they might drop your premium down. It's hard to remember something like that when you've just lost a family member. But it's something to keep in the back of your mind.
March 26
2 years ago
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Today's assignment: If you don't have one already, acquire a library card.
Today's libraries have videos, games, magazines, audiobooks on CD and cassette, newspapers, computers-oh yeah, and books. Find one close to you, and make a point to stop in today to see if anything's changed since the last time you were in one. Find something in there that excites you.
I especially recommend books on CD from the library to anyone who commutes to work.
While you're at it, see if they have any personal finance books or books on CD. It might not be a lot of fun, but it's free education!
March 27
2 years ago
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Relax and find a way to have fun without spending money. See our tips list if you're out of ideas.
Your best bet? Take a nice bath and read a book that's sitting on your shelf waiting to be read.
March 28
2 years ago
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Make your financial goals list, if you haven't already, and set "deadlines" for yourself.
For example: Debt paid off by April 2008. Three-Month Emergency Fund by October 2008. Purchase "new" car January 2009.
Then work out how much you will need for each item. Write these down or type them up, and put them somewhere you'll notice them frequently to keep yourself on track.
March 29
2 years ago
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Check to see if your car is due for an oil change, etc. While you're at it, have them check your car's tires. You lose a lot of gas mileage by having the wrong amount of air in your tires.
March 30
2 years ago
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Yesterday, you checked your car's tires. Today, check the inside of your car. Clean it out entirely. Pay the 50 cents to vaccuum it at a gas station. Throw away any trash, etc. Then organize the inside of it.
Reasons for this:
1) Your car is an investment. Maintain it as you go.
2) You'll feel better and trips, long and short, will be more efficient.
3) While you're doing it, take a conscious look at items you keep in the car. Keep nothing in your car that you do not need, especially valuables. Do NOT keep coins or CDs, etc., where someone can see them from outside the car!
4) Take note of the outside and inside of your car, and take pictures if you can. If you were involved in an accident, would you be able to say for sure that dent wasn't already there? If someone were to break into your car, would you know for sure what they took?
March 31
2 years ago
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It's about time to go through all of your miscellaneous paperwork again. Get it all done, and filed or shredded today, and then treat yourself to some cheap fun.
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