Money Matters

All this talk about running and weight-loss and creams and I haven't even touched base with my main reason for doing all of this!
Money.
I have decided to become a millionaire.

It started a few months ago when I was going through the latest in a long list of financial crisis. A friend of mine decided to quit her job and trade stocks on her own dime and time. There were times she would make $2000 a week. To me, making $450 a week after taxes, this seemed as magical as winning the lottery. But lots of people make money through stocks, so why not me? So I headed out to the library to see if I could find a book to teach me about trading stocks.  I walked away with many books, but the one that had the most impact was a book called The Millionaire Maker. Now, I have to say this book really makes it seem easy and totally plausible to quit your job tomorrow, start a business, that will obviously be an immediate success, bringing you extra money, which you can then invest and save, making more money which you then use to re-invest in rental properties that will bring you additional income, etc... etc... that will generate this whole money-making cycle. Making you a millionaire in just 3-5 years. Provided you're not in debt. 
Yeah...
All of this sounds completely possible and these seem to be sound business practices to reach your millionaire goal. In theory. However, most of the examples in this book, even the examples of people deeply in debt, had some kind of assets to work with. 401K plans, savings, work history, houses or cars. Some kind of assets to trade, cash out, refinance, or borrow against. But I was very inspired. I wanted to quit my job immediately, start a business and jump in feet first. So I started to take a good hard  look at my life, financially, and realised... I have none of these things.
No savings, no disposable income to speak of, sometimes I have less than $5 in my account at the end of the week and its a struggle just to buy milk, no car (as I live in NYC), also no house or apartment. I rent a room on a week to week basis (that's probably not entirely legal) in what is easily the crappiest apartment I have ever lived in. (Another entry in and of itself.) I cashed out the $700 I had in 401K the last time I was laid off, so no valuables to speak of with which to sell, and I work 10-13 hours a day, 6 days a week, which leaves no time to work a second job since finding time to do laundry or buy groceries is a challenge, and since I changed careers a little over a year ago, I have very few skills and experience to pull from. Also, I have a mountain of debt, around $33,000.
So. How does someone with almost nothing become a millionaire?
For one thing, I have decided to start this blog. Partly to keep me focused on my goals, partly to inspire others in my situation and, in turn, be inspired by my readers, and, yes, partly to receive extra money from ads posted here. That's right my little sweater-monkeys, I fully intend to use all of you as part of my springboard to success. Muuah-hahahahahaha. ha. In an ethical, honest, up-front kind of way, of course!
According to The Millionaire Maker book there are many steps to becoming a millionaire and what step you start with depends on your current financial status. At the moment my only assets are my limited skill set and my job. Ideally, I will use these assets to make a money making machine (i.e.- business). My goal is to get some kind of passive income (i.e.- investments where my money works for me instead of me working for money), get out of debt, and build some kind of savings.
So first of all, I called all my credit cards and negotiated with them to lower my APR's, allowing me to make more than just the minimum payments and pay off my credit cards faster. Now, I know you can also get credit unions and debt consolidators to do this for you but so many of them are just shady con-men, out to get your money. And why pay someone else to do what you are perfectly capable of doing yourself?! My most ambitious success was when I negotiated the biggest credit card with the highest debt and APR from $260/month to $210/month. I know this doesn't seem like much, but they also lowered my APR from close to 35% (outrageous by the way) to 5% (Amen, Hallelujah)! Meaning that almost all of that $210 was now going towards paying off my balance instead of paying off my banks' salaries. They also closed my account, but the hit to my credit was a small price to pay considering I would be out from under this ginormous debt in as little as 5 years!
Unfortunately, my next highest balance refused to go lower since they were already pretty low at 9%. And my last credit card also refused to go lower. Although I don't know why. And while it was not my highest balance, it is still my highest APR at 16%. And this has earned them a place in my sights. They are now at the top of my list to pay off. I also have subsidized government student loans at the tune of $14,000 but I got very lucky and locked in an APR of 2%. And since student loans are not considered 'bad debt', I'm not too worried about this one.
BankRate.com, that will compare rates from all kinds of banks and all kinds of accounts- very helpful. I would also  suggest reading a book called, Young, Broke, and Fabulous, by Suze Orman to teach you the basics of managing your money. It's very easy to read and understandable.
Now my next step is to start some kind of cash machine (i.e.- easy money), some kind of business with a low start up and overhead, using skills I already have, which will give me money to put towards following my bigger passions and goals and starting my dream business. To do all of this though I will need to find a different job that will give me less hours and the same or equal pay to what I'm making now. Spending more time on a money making business!
So away we go my little money-makers!
And just to prove that my life is not a total crap-fest, I will share with you a song I first heard only a few short weeks after I decided to become a millionaire. I took it as a sign and I hope that all of you will enjoy it as much as I do... 
I Wanna Be a Billionaire

Ignorance is Bliss?

Today I was thinking about the creative process, my process in particular, and how knowing too much about something tends to put me in a kind of writers', or artists', block. When I was studying fashion, getting to see how The Greats work and getting involved with all the cutting edge trends. I would find myself utterly lost on how to proceed with my own designs! I was on information overload, bombarded with too many images and trends going in every possible direction. Finding my own direction and inspiration seemed impossible. I felt cursed by the infinite possibilities and options. Which one was the 'right' direction, or option, or whatever?


Now I can't speak for everyone. And I know there are plenty of people out there with completely different views but I will say this... What's wrong with not having the perfect product or idea?! Sometimes we get so bogged down in getting things 'perfect' that we never actually launch our idea/product/design etc. at all! I mean haven't you heard of Betas? Also, I can say from personal experience that sometimes Ignorance is Bliss. If I had known then what I know now, I never even would have tried to change careers the way I did.

Basically, I did a Google search for the best bakeries in NYC and just went down the list, cold-calling to see if anyone would be willing to teach me if I worked for free. I was on unemployment at the time, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to afford to make that kind of offer. As I got rejection after rejection, I finally got someone willing to interview me. He was a French pastry chef with an amazing reputation and was leaving his current job to help open an upscale Italian restaurant. He started me off on a trial period of 3 weeks to see if I worked out. Well, he must have seen something promising because I've been there over a year now! "There is just on snag," he said. "You have to be on the payroll for insurance purposes." Turns out all those restaurants were rejecting me because I wouldn't have been covered under their insurance if something happened to me in their kitchens! I would have been a huge liability! Thank God for crazy French chefs who know nothing about American laws! I couldn't believe my luck! I was actually getting paid to learn! And if I had known about the insurance situation before I started cold-calling, I don't think I would have even tried and I would not have had the amazing experiences and knowledge I have today. (Including how to say "burnt" in Italian, Spanish, and French!)

So, in some ways, yes, I think ignorance is bliss. How else can you achieve the impossible? I know many would argue that it was just blind luck, but I like to think it was because I had the gumption to put myself out there, take that first step, and jump feet first into the unknown. If no one tells you you can't do something, then maybe you can! Sometimes it's ignorance that lets you solve problems and meet your goals in fresh and exciting ways!

If you have a similar story of gumption, please email it to me and I will share the most inspiring in my next post!

And for those of you who love food as much as I do, I'm adding a page dedicated only to Foodie Films only added to my decision to pursue a career in cooking. Movies that inspire me. Maybe it's just the romantic in me, but I'm sure these
If you have your own foodie films, let me know and I'll try to add them to the list!

Cellulite

In my quest to eradicate all cellulite from my body, I have learned many interesting things...  For instance, women's fat tissue is composed differently than men's! And we are blessed by having our fat connected to our skin tissue (instead of having it sit beneath the surface of our skin, like men's fat does). Yayyyyy us. The result is that lovely thing called CELLULITE!


In the last year I have noticed cellulite emerging in, not only my butt and thighs (fairly normal), but also my stomach and calves?! WTF?! So while I know anti-cellulite creams etc are only temporary solutions, I will attempt to battle this any way I can! Exercise and weight loss should provide a more permanent solution though, which I am already on top of.


In the meantime, I have started the Fat Girl Slim regimen today! (Horrible name, I know!) The scent of this anti-cellulite lotion is minty and slightly medicinal. It seems to absorb quickly and makes my pores feel open and my skin tingly. It costs about $34 including tax, from Sephora. (Yikes!) And it contains caffeine- the latest rage in anti-cellulite/wrinkle cream.


Now, on most of my online research, this product received rave reviews and the users could see results in one week! The instructions read that you should use this twice a day, rubbing the affected area for 20-30 seconds. I'm assuming this helps to break up those pesky fat cells clumping up in my skin.
Well, I'm the kind of person who likes to try things out for myself, so we'll see if it actually follows through on it's boasts. If so, I may quickly become a fan of this product, despite it's somewhat pricey tag.


However, if anyone knows of a better product, or has used Fat Girl Slim for themselves, please leave a comment or write to me and let me know! It would be much appreciated!

Exercise Freaks

Ok. So I hate running. Well, exercise in general, but especially running. I hate it with the fiery passion of a  thousand suns. But, as you may have noticed, one of my goals is to run one mile! It all started with a bad experience in high school (don't you just love those?!).  I had been swimming for two years but when my family moved to Georgia. The state still required that I take one semester of gym, which pretty much consisted of running four days a week. Almost immediately I got horrible shin splints and spent the next three months limping to all my classes. And my coach was no help, telling me to just "run through it." I now know that the key to avoiding this terrible affliction is to stretch like crazy before and after running. (Be the rubber-band...)


Finally, at the end of these torturous three months, on the very last day of class, I ran a complete lap around the track! Naively thinking I had just ran one mile, I was ecstatic! (FYI- one mile is actually a little more than four laps around the standard track.) I felt like I had conquered the world! Like I could run forever and ever! It was the one and only time I've ever experienced that "high' that all those Exercise Freaks talk about. And then... I promptly put my sneakers under my bed and prayed I would never have to see them again.
And here I am dusting off the same sneaks, almost 10 years later, in search of that elusive runners' high (and a cheap form of exercise). I have heard that exercise will give you a sense of euphoria by boosting your endorphins.




Please see Reese Witherspoon in the Legally Blonde clip below if you don't believe me!
(It must be true if Reese says it!)




Again, even when I was swimming an hour a day for two years, I never felt this. Mostly just embarrassment for being the slowest person on the team and that teenage awkwardness that comes with wearing a bathing suit in public.


Having said this, I once had a roommate who just had to run everyday. Even if she was sick! She claimed she would feel better after running. Sweat out the sickness. Although her doctor did tell her to cut back or she would do damage to her internal organs!


So here I am, attempting to fall in love with a sport I hate. Or at least to fall into like with it. And if any of you have some advice on how to fall in love with running or if you just have a good story to tell about how you changed your mind and fell in love with something you hated I would really like to hear about it! In the meantime I'll keep you posted on any mood/appetite/weight changes in this little experiment that is my life. Oh! I also heard that exercise can suppress your appetite. I don't know if this is true but it certainly seems to make food taste better!!

Welcome

Welcome to the blog of me, Betty Smart (and sometimes not-so-smart). This is my personal blog recording all of life's little hiccups and picnics. So, you're probably asking yourself why you would possibly care about little ol'Betty Smarty-pants. Well, I'm not too sure about that myself. At the moment my life isn't going so great. Ok, well, it's a flat out mess! But I like to think of myself as a positive person and I've set some serious (dare we say... ambitious?) goals! And I hope they will inspire all of you to make and meet your own "ambitious" goals!


For starters, a little about myself now...
Stats:

• I live in NYC
• I am a pastry cook
• I am about to turn 27
• I have $75 in my bank account
• I work 60-80 hrs a week (i.e.- no social life)
• I am 5'3"
• I weigh 150 lbs.
• I am $33,000 in debt

My goals are large and many!
(Please see the 'Goals' tab at the top of my blog if this link doesn't work.)


I know, I know... It's a lot. Especially with my limited free time. You see, a little over a year ago I was laid off from my job, as so many people have been lately, and I decided to take this as an opportunity to take a look around me and explore my options. In the end I decided to switch careers from being a wannabe fashion designer (a.k.a.- personal assistant) to being a pastry cook. I was lucky enough to find an amazing French pastry chef willing to take me on even though I had no experience or education in this field. And I was getting paid too! What I didn't realize was that I would be working twice as many hours and taking a pay-cut of about $10K a year! Not to mention gaining 15lbs. And boy did I feel the changes! I decided to move to a cheaper apartment to save money and ended up moving four times in the last year! Each place worse than the last. Don't get me wrong, I actually love what I do now, even more than fashion! But I feel I traded one set of problems in for another. Did I make a good choice? Time will tell. At the moment, it doesn't seem like it. This has been one of the most difficult years of my life. But I'm hoping that with your help, encouragement and feedback I can make the impossible, possible and not just turn my life around, but make it better than before!