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Ahh, the joys of moving in with your significant other! You get to sleep in the same bed, where you’re the first and last part of each other’s days. You are guaranteed someone to snuggle with, eat dinner with, discover that you both are obsessed with South Park… it’s amazing!

And then you’ve got the piles of clothes left all over the place where the person last wearing them stood just prior to removing them. You’ve got dirty dishes in the sink and nothing in the dishwasher. You’ve got hair in the tub. You’ve got piles of random things everywhere. You’re constantly being asked, “Honey? Have you seen my ____________?” Oh, and who was it that ate the last of the cookies but didn’t throw out the box?

And let’s not even discuss the toilet. I’ve decided that the toilet is one of those male/female battles that will rarely be won.

I’m totally no angel when it comes to neat and organized. However I never realized just how angelic I was about it until the boy and I moved in together. It’s already gotten to the point where I’ve decided that instead of nagging (because I seriously don’t have the energy for that), that it’s probably best for me just to be that ever-so-stereotypical “housewife” type and just do it all myself. Yup, I’ll keep things clean, he’ll keep spoiling me by making dinner most nights, fixing the things that are broken around the house, and bringing me a glass of wine in bed.

But it’s still the organizational process of all of this that gets frustrating. I moved into his place, so we’ve got all his “stuff” to get through before I can even finish moving my stuff in (thanks for the continued storage space, Dad).

I’m discovering too, that the same goes for finances and bills. We discussed how we were going to handle things, but basically we’ve both got fairly fluctuating incomes. I’ve been the one who’s had a decent stranglehold on her financial situation, however, and he’s quite the opposite. I’m still working on the best way to make budgets and such for that kind of thing, but it’s definitely an experience!

So while in an ideal world, two people would fall in love who have the same cleanliness habits, great finances, amazing organizational skills with everything in life. I’m sure there are couples out there who were lucky enough to find themselves in that situation, but the reality is that most people aren’t that much in the same boat with everything. I guess I’m a firm believer in the idea that if you love someone, you find a way to make things work. Give and take. Compromise. Part of being a team in a relationship is figuring out who’s good at what and having each others’ skills make up for their own individual lacking thereof.

So how did you and your significant other get through these kinds of changes? Most specifically, anyone have any success stories?

Trent says that money isn’t the true gauge with which to measure how rich you are.

In the end, being rich has nothing to do with money. It has to do with being happy with what you have and not desiring more. Being rich is having enough. Some people working minimum wage jobs are rich and some people with millions in the bank are not.

Awh, how sweet! Let’s take a word that typically conjures up the thought of a wealthy individual or existence, and on a personal finance blog, twist it up to use another definition of the word. Then we can all clasp our hands with glee in knowing that wow… we’re already rich!

And then we wake up the next morning and look at our bank statement and bills, see ourselves to be a hundred or two short, and reality comes crashing down on our heads. Oh, joy.

Not to take much away from Trent – I love the guy’s blog, and he’s been a huge inspiration to me. We’ve disagreed in the past, but for the most part, he’s on target with his writings. Sorry, man… not this time. I feel like you were grasping and straws and basking in the glow of your newborn son when you wrote that. (Genuine congrats, by the way!)

So. That being said, I know that I’m far from rich, and I want to take this inspiration from Trent to talk about what it is that I feel would make me “rich” (in the financial sense, of course).

To me, the definition revolves around being not only financially sound, or having your children be well taken care of, but yes… it’s having the luxury of not worrying about that bill that’s looming. Or the fact that you can take the time to take a vacation wherever you want and spend time making memories. Sure, you can make memories in your living room, but you can’t see the Eiffel Tower in person from there. I’d feel rich if I could have the ability to take off an afternoon and bring a few girlfriends for a full spa treatment – and pay their way. I’d feel rich if I had the cars, home, boat, and abilities that truly wealthy people do.

Does this make me materialistic? Possibly. Does it make me a ruthless greed? No. Does it make me a bad person? Sorry, I know I’m not a bad person. I know that my priorities are firmly in place, and that I’m doing everything in my power to take care of those priorities, and achieve my dreams and goals.

I want a family. I want a career that makes me eager to get to work every day. I want a clean, healthy home. I want my future children to grow up healthy, to be good people. I want to be able to feed them good food, put them in nice clothes, and yes… spoil them a little. I want to continue to volunteer my time when I can, to help others. I want to love and feel love in return. There’s nothing wrong with wanting these things for myself and my future family. If it means that I’d have to be “rich” in order to have these things (and let’s face it, it would), then yes. I want to be rich.

I’m really tired of the idea that life can be amazing and wonderful when you’re broke. It reminds me of an argument I once got in with a woman on a very popular weight loss site. She was a paying member, as was I, and the main purpose for paying is to have tools to help you lose weight. In a message board area, there was a woman bemoaning her lack of love life and blaming it on her weight. At the time, I could more than sympathize with her.

Next thing you know, there’s this woman whose photo and profile showed her to be well over 300 pounds. She comes in and starts telling everyone how happy she is. “Fat and happy” is what she called it. She said that not all fat people are sad, lonely, or depressed (which of course, I’m sure is very true) and she said that there is nothing about her weight that has ever, or would ever bring her down, even for a moment.

Wait. What?

I’m sorry, but you can probably guess where I’m going with this… CLEARLY, if you’re trying to lose weight, you’re unhappy with your weight. If you’re unhappy with it, there’s a reason. It’s holding you back from SOMETHING that would make you happy. Be it a clean bill of health from your doctor, to being able to ride on a roller coaster, to wearing less expensive, pretty clothing. SOMETHING is bothering you. You’re not entirely blissful all the time. At some point, you stood in a dressing room full of clothes that don’t fit and cried. At some point, someone you wanted to know rejected you for your size. At some point, you tried to do something physical that you could not, because of your weight.

Just like I can’t believe that this woman is totally, 100% blissful all the time, I refuse to believe that anyone can be totally, 100% blissful about their finances all the time. Even if you’re not truly wanting for anything, you’ve got a good grip on your money, and you’re planning properly for your future, something will happen at some point in time that will make you wish you were “rich”. Doesn’t mean you don’t feel fulfilled when you play with your kids or make love to your partner. It just means that at some point, you’re wishing that you had MORE.

So that’s the end of my rant I suppose. I know I’m not rich yet. Far from it. Are you?

Yes, it’s a real, paper calendar notebook. I write in it with a real pen. I love the computer for everything it is, but having this little notebook and taking the time to look at it because it sits right on my desk is awesome. I get such gratification from hearing the pen scratch across the paper when I get to mark something as paid. It’s great to see that I only owe say, $20 as a minimum payment, but to be able to write down a higher number like $50 or $100 next to that hash mark.

Doing this is helping me keep track of what money is due and when. I’m going to start adding the boyfriend’s bills to it too, so I can help him keep track as well. I think this is one of those all-important first steps to getting on track financially, wouldn’t you agree?

Sure, there are lots of ways to track spending, earning, bills, and so on. Spreadsheets are great for budgeting, to-do lists are great for tracking bills and payments. Email reminders, alerts on your phone, you name it.

In fact, here’s a list of some great computer/online tools for doing exactly this stuff. If you’re so wrapped up in living a technologically advanced lifestyle, that you can’t even DREAM of having a paper notebook and pen, then maybe some of these will help you.

What methods are you using to keep track of your finances? Do you have any online/computer based tools I haven’t listed here that you just can’t do without? Share in the comments!

It’s a simple site, but it’s nice to use and there are lots of others in the tips and journals sections who can both offer advice or help you feel less alone in your fight.

Anyway, here’s what I came up with…

Basically, here’s the breakdown:

All checking and savings accounts included in “Cash”, both business and personal accounts.
Cars is my 2004 PT Cruiser.
Retirement is my Simple IRA.
Student Loans is my consolidated Sallie Mae loan.
Other Debts are medical bills, etc.

Right now, the only “past due” stuff I have are the medical bills and the Sallie Mae student loans. I really don’t like that bitch.

I had issues with a couple clients. Total, estimated worst-case-scenario financial loss this means for me in 2010? $13,ooo

In moving in with my boyfriend, I have sort of taken on a bit of his previous financial issues. No, I’m not paying all his bills or anything like that, but his financial past is now affecting my present. We talked, a LOT, and he’s on board with working together to sort out all the money stuff and get back on track. Sure, that last part’s a plus, but it’s getting to that point that’s going to be a struggle.

I realized that when it comes to money now, I’m very much like my mother, who panics when her bank balance drops below a certain number. I do the same thing. She has a bound set of index cards she uses to track her monthly bills, their due dates, the amount, and when she paid it. She’s got this thing laid out for months in advance. I do the same thing.

It’s scary as hell to sit here and worry about what would happen if something happened to my bf and he couldn’t work. What if we get married and have kids, and all of  the sudden, he’s laid up for months with a back injury (he already has a bad back)? I’ve just lost $13,000 potential income for this year, and what happens to us if something bad happens to either of us?

I know, I know… “That’s why you need to have an emergency fund.” I can hear all you Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey fans out there chanting. But it’s stressful to try to pay all the bills and stay on top of them, and STILL save enough toward an emergency fund. Especially when we’re both in situations where our monthly income varies so much.

I would love NOTHING more than to be able to say that every week I’d put “even the smallest amount, say, $10″ away. But what always happens is that I’ll do that, and then in 2-3 weeks, something happens and I need that money. Either a job didn’t come through or a client is late paying, or I blow a tire, or something happens and medicine is needed… SOMETHING always happens to drain that emergency fund before it ever becomes something substantial.

I’m really hoping to hear that I’m not alone in this, and that someone out there feels this paralyzing fear that I do. I’m scared to death that something’s going to happen and I won’t be able to pay my health insurance and they’ll cancel me. (Don’t get me started on Obama’s cute little plan… even if it is worth something, you’re talking 3-4 years before it ever goes into true effect. Of course, I’m pretty afraid it’s not going to be worth anything to someone like me except costing me more in taxes so I can take care of people who don’t WANT to work, but I digress…)

I’m just having that anxiety thing… you know? Before now, I was living in the house I grew up in, paying so much less in bills than I am now. I was barely making it some months before, but I always had that safety net to carry me through when I needed it. Now, I have no room for a safety net and I’m terrified about my balance on the high-wire.

I have a history of bad balance and broken ankles, you know.

So there it is… my heart, laid out on the line. I’m freaking terrified.

I’ve been talking with my dear friend Gayla from MomGadget and we’re going to work together to bring C3 to a whole new, awesome level!

We’ve got major plans in store, so it’s going to take a while. Meanwhile I’m going to be adding in regular blog entries and so on around here. I’ve got LOTS to say, and lots of work to do around here to get things up and running the way we’re envisioning, but I encourage you to stick around for sure!

We’re going to help all you work-at-home peeps to promote your stuff, learn more about how to market your self-employed self, and all kinds of personal finance stories, tips, and cool stuff.

I need to get organized.
I need to get things planned.

Goals, baby. I’ve got goals.

Image via CrunchBase

Have any of you ever heard of Etsy?

Listen carefully… if you’re creative or crafty in any way, shape or form, and you’re not selling your wares on Etsy, you’re missing the damn boat.

I have a friend who is selling her paintings there (successfully, I might add) for over $400 EACH. Some are going for $650 or higher.

I have another friend who has made over $30,000 in one year, by selling her art dolls.

Others are making thousands selling handcrafted jewelry, crocheted or knitted items, art/altered books, photography, digital paintings, doll clothes, prints, graphics, you name it. It’s amazing, and I’m ready to start trying it myself.

I’ve long been an “artsy” type. Paintings, sculptures, jewelry, crochet… I do it. Now I’ve got more motivation to actually finish my projects, because I’m going to sell them on Etsy. I’ll keep you posted on how I do, maybe with monthly reports, etc.

Bottom line, if it’s made by hand, you can sell it on Etsy, and that includes digital items and graphics.

So what are YOU going to sell in your Etsy shop!?

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Okay, it’s great news! The highest national average was in July 2008, at $4.11 and now the national average is $2.10 per gallon.

I really, honestly swore that we were never going to see it drop below $3/gallon. I was convinced that since we were all going to be so used to paying that much, that the oil/gas companies weren’t going to let it drop. I mean, two whole dollars less over the course of less than six months?

Stupid thoughts (Or, things I think of as possibilities, but don’t necessarily hold any factual evidence):

1. Gas never needed to be that high in the first place. It was a scam. It was a ploy to get more of our money into the economy.
2. Automotive companies won’t need as much of (if any) bailout now, because they can go back to charging what they were for trucks and SUV’s.
3. People are going to continue to contribute to ruining the environment, now that gas is back down. Viva la Hummer! *eyeroll*
4. Americans aren’t going to learn a thing from this. Sure, there are hippies and frugalites abound, but for the most part, this country’s still going to keep wasting fossil fuels.
5. Uh, does this mean my home heating oil will get cheaper, too?

So yes, we know that the gas price drop is going to help us in the pockets (especially those of us who traded in gas hog vehicles for higher MPGs) but what does this really mean for the American economy? Everything else went up in cost because of the fuel costs, so now that they’re down, will everything else go back down too? Can we finally buy that box of Wheat Thins for less than two bucks?

Thoughts?

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Citizens Bank has just relaunched a promotion for their Green$ense setup. Green$ense allows you to EARN up to $120 a year for using your Citizens checking card for paperless transactions. They’ve got a promotional game giveaway going on through the month of November 2008 that helps teach you where you can save money and energy in your home, as well as a game for a chance to win $50 (you can play once per day), and then they give you details on the program.

Grow Your Green$ense (the “Promotion”) is open only to legal residents of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, or Vermont who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry.

Limit: Each participant may enter/play one (1) time per day during the Promotion Period (November 1 – November 30, 2008).

Sweepstakes Prize: ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: $10,000 Citizens Bank or Charter One Gift Card. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): $10,000. Odds of winning the Sweepstakes Prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.

Instant Win Game Prizes: THIRTY (30) FIRST PRIZES (1 per day): $50 Citizens Bank or Charter One Gift Card. ARV: $50. Limit: One (1) Instant Win Game prize per person.
TOTAL ARV OF ALL PRIZES: $11,500.

I’ve been looking to change banks, to be honest. After getting hit with fees up the yin-yang and dealing with lazy reporting to the web service, rude tellers, too many “maintenance periods” where I can’t access my account statement, and a fee (and majorly complex process) for accessing their bill pay system, I’m thinking that Citizens might have what I need… plus I can earn $120 a year!? Shoot… I’m off to sign up NOW.