General Discussion Please read our Forum Rules before posting
Feel free to talk about anything and everything about money. |

01-15-2007, 07:36 PM
|
 |
Administrator
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,182
Points: 373279.80
Donate
|
|
Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
|

01-15-2007, 08:54 PM
|
 |
$ Saving College Senior
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York State of Mind
Posts: 1,893
Points: 201181.98
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
This will be a tough choice to make as all the candidates are worthy! 
|

01-16-2007, 05:50 AM
|
|
Foot in mouth diseased
|
|
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,190
Points: 16265.40
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
Yeah, tough one.
|

01-16-2007, 06:27 AM
|
 |
$ Saving College Dept. Head
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 7,792
Points: 92599.40
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
I wonder why no one is voting??
|

01-16-2007, 07:05 AM
|
 |
$ Saving College Senior
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: MidSouth
Posts: 2,275
Points: 19460.90
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
How do we vote Jeffrey?
|

01-16-2007, 08:28 AM
|
|
Foot in mouth diseased
|
|
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,190
Points: 16265.40
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
There are 6 voters so far, but only 12 votes. It's possible that some may not realize that you can vote up to 3 candidates. Just thought it's worth mentioning that....
|

01-16-2007, 10:01 AM
|
|
$ Saving College Freshman
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 663
Points: 5599.50
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
My thinking may be pretty biased. I do not do the challenge but every time I think of the $20 saving challenge, Ima pops in my mind. She is often encouraging people to do it. I been a slow poke to get this started myself and then there is always Ima persistent encouragement. I think she is a great advertiser for that and that is why I chose her.
I still have not given up on getting started with this.
|

01-16-2007, 11:36 AM
|
 |
$ Saving HS Senior
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: FL
Posts: 339
Points: 5728.90
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
I agree with gruntha, I have been trying to keep up with her...lol
Amber
|

01-16-2007, 12:20 PM
|
 |
$ Saving College Dept. Head
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 7,792
Points: 92599.40
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
Thank you Gruntina. Now, have you started this year's challenge yet?? 
|

01-16-2007, 08:35 PM
|
 |
$ Saving College Senior
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New York State of Mind
Posts: 1,893
Points: 201181.98
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
I know I have!  
|

01-16-2007, 09:33 PM
|
|
$ Saving College Sophomore
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 897
Points: 6563.00
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
I'm wondering if the nominees would be willing to write a brief summary of their $20 challenge for the year (their project or goals, and the results), or if they already did a year-end summary in their blogs, point us to that entry? Perhaps I'm just dense --- I want to vote but I'm having a bit of a tough time backtracking reading all of the entries. I joined the forum in September so didn't follow the challenges throughout the year.
|

01-17-2007, 06:51 AM
|
|
$ Saving College Junior
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Northern Missouri
Posts: 1,268
Points: 21050.30
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Gruntina
My thinking may be pretty biased. I do not do the challenge but every time I think of the $20 saving challenge, Ima pops in my mind. She is often encouraging people to do it. I been a slow poke to get this started myself and then there is always Ima persistent encouragement. I think she is a great advertiser for that and that is why I chose her.
|
Well, if Ima does win, we know where her $20 will go!!!
|

01-17-2007, 06:59 AM
|
 |
$ Saving College Dept. Head
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 7,792
Points: 92599.40
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
You are right, If I win any money, it will go into my current $20 challenge. Saving money is fun!  [Automated by GetSmile]
|

01-17-2007, 08:50 AM
|
 |
$ Saving College Dept. Head
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: North Georgia
Posts: 7,792
Points: 92599.40
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
scfr (smart couples finish rich), this is what I did.
I started with $20 and started saving using coupons. (I had not been a big couponer before) I add that money. I also got store cards for all the grocery stores and drug stores. I save everything I can using those cards.
I pay myself $1 for every mile I walk on my treadmill and everytime I do 20 flights of stairs in our house.
I pay myself if I have a "no gas" day. It costs $1 to get to town and back.
I read my meter every day and keep the hot water heater off. I budget $160 a month for electric and when I am below this, I put the difference in my challenge money.
My husband does house plans once in a blue moon, (draws them) and I add that money to the challenge.
I take surveys and receive small checks from them.
I save all my change and deposit it once a month.
Once in a while, we will get an unexpected check or a bonus.
Sometimes other envelopes will become overbudgeted and I can use that money.
The biggest thing I did was have a talk with a building supply company that we have dealt with for 23 years.
I pointed out that I get 10% coupons all the time from Home Depot, but we continue to buy most of our stuff from the local store.
They decided to give us a rebate back and we received 3 checks during the year that total more than $5000 and I added that to my challenge.
I was able to save a total of $20,025.00 this year on the challenge. This was above and beyond my usual savings out of my husband's earning.
|

01-17-2007, 09:05 AM
|
 |
$ Saving Jr. College Student
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 436
Points: 7216.70
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
LOL! I didn't even realize I had been nominated! I started my $20 challenge in 2006 by paying for a copy of my police records and other stuff that I needed to apply for an English-teaching position, and, taught 8 hours/week during the first few months...later on switched to provinding administrative services to non-domiciled people (foreigners trying to set up businesses in my country, just making basic phone calls, typing up some documents, some light translations, etc.) all these were included in my $20 challenge...alternative sources of income that were not considered were: toy and school supply sales that we generally do every year....total without these was: $3,690.95 ($309.05 "short" of my goal of $4,000 for the year)...if we were to include the sales, then total for the year would have been $4,640.95
__________________
Debt is the worst poverty. ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732
|

01-17-2007, 09:09 AM
|
 |
$ Saving College Senior
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: MidSouth
Posts: 2,275
Points: 19460.90
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
I find, scrounge and accept donations. As I already had tightened to the bone, was attempting to show what you can come up with that would normally just slip away - it's goes to our mortgage paydown.
How's that for brief??? hahahaaaaa 
__________________
"Economy is a poor man's revenue; extravagance, a rich man's ruin." ~~??, frontspiece, The American Frugal Housewife, by Lydia Maria Child, Harper & Row, 1836 edition (dedicated to those who are not ashamed of economy).
|

01-17-2007, 09:38 AM
|
|
$ Saving College Sophomore
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 897
Points: 6563.00
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
Wow - Such an ambitious bunch here!!! Holy cow!
Thanks so much Ima, Miclason, and LuxL for posting the summaries ---It REALLY helps. I see the poll closes on the 22nd so I'll wait a day or two more and see if anyone else posts.
|

01-17-2007, 05:43 PM
|
|
$ Saving College Sophomore
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Northern CA
Posts: 943
Points: 11502.20
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
My Challenge was to live on California Minimum Wage for a year. I started March 1, so I'll be continuing until Feb. 28.
By living on CA Minimum Wage, I am limited to $1026 a month, after taxes. My monthly summary recap for December gives figures here.
I had already been frugal, so I had already been saving plenty; I only counted increased savings on My Challenge; I compared spending to 2005.
In 2005, I spent $1592 a month average on all bills/needs/wants. (I have been tracking every penny in Quicken since 1998.) I'm actually living on less than half of my net income. The only exception I made was for world travel; I did go to Croatia and Bosnia and London for 2-1/2 weeks, and posted details of costs here.
My favorite post about My Challenge is here.
As of December 31, I have spent an average of $942 each month; I have spent less than my "allowed" $1026 because I have banked/budgeted for certain categories that aren't routine monthly bills, such as car repair. The $20 portion is that I spent $19.95 to purchase the YouNeedaBudget spreadsheet in order to keep track of My Challenge.
From the above recap post:
I spent $1592 a month last year. My Challenge savings are the difference, $1592-$1026= $566 times 10 months = $5,660.
Add to that $263 in “savings” and $24.48 in my emergency fund, I’ve saved $5,947.48. If I take out what I spend in Europe, $1809.64, which is not part of my Challenge, I’ve saved $4,137.84 living on CA Minimum Wage for 10 months.
(I've saved a lot more than $4,137.84 in terms of how much of my paycheck I'm spending; I consider "only" the $4,137.84 (so far) as Challenge Savings because it only includes increased savings due to My Challenge. )
Didn't know I was nominated; thanks, guys.
|

01-17-2007, 08:28 PM
|
 |
$ Saving HS Senior
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: FL
Posts: 339
Points: 5728.90
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by scfr
I'm wondering if the nominees would be willing to write a brief summary of their $20 challenge for the year (their project or goals, and the results), or if they already did a year-end summary in their blogs, point us to that entry? Perhaps I'm just dense --- I want to vote but I'm having a bit of a tough time backtracking reading all of the entries. I joined the forum in September so didn't follow the challenges throughout the year.
|
Originally I started off saving for a house and then I decided to use the funds to pay off debt, and pay off debt is what I did. I paid off a total of 9 credit cards close to $6000 so I am happy and one student loan ($300). Some things I did was:
*added a buck for the days i did not spend any money
*If I spent money on things I did not need I matched that amount
*Rounded up all my change
*I pay bills online so what I would have paid in stamps I added to the challenge
* I also matched what I saved in coupons
basically that was it, I am just happy I have no more cc debt
Now for 2007 I will save for my first home and pay off my last student loan
|

01-20-2007, 08:40 AM
|
 |
$ Saving College Senior
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: MidSouth
Posts: 2,275
Points: 19460.90
Donate
|
|
Re: Vote: Top 2006 $20 Challenges
*Bump*, and of course, I'd be 'ahem' honored...
(and nice to note that some of my nominees are front runners!! Way to go ladies!!)
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:31 PM.
|
|