|
Alright, I really, really don't want to get E/N about this, but suffice it to say I come from a somewhat prosperous background and fortunately am nowhere near swimming in debt, and probably never will be. The problem is that in my life a lot has been taken care of for me, therefore there hasn't been much pressure to learn how to do things myself, financially speaking. But I'm well into my twenties right now and fully recognize the need to do so. I tend to be disorganized and scatterbrained, and prefer to keep things simple as I can get a little overwhelmed when they're not. I tried taking an accounting class once and that didn't go so well. My slow reading speed is also a hindrance when it comes to learning new skills. How can I begin approaching the complex world of personal financial responsibility starting from scratch? I assume my first step is to start keeping a monthly record of where money comes in and goes out, right? Is this something I should just cobble together in an excel spreadsheet? Is there a (very very basic) template I can use to begin? I really feel like an imbecile with these sorts of things. Part of the impetus for coming here and asking is that I've begun selling things online, and have netted several thousand dollars over the past few months. This is something I can easily see continuing and expanding, and I know that I have to get much more organized with it. I'm honestly not sure how and at what point it officially becomes a business and how to properly run it. Elijya fucked around with this message at 11:27 on Apr 29, 2010 |
#
¿
Apr 29, 2010 10:25
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 7, 2024 11:09 |
|
|
Pillowpants posted:Are you having trouble saving money or do you just spend too much? Probably a little bit of both. When I first opened my checking and savings accounts when I was younger it was with about 7K that had been saved up for me (something to do with being a student while I was being supported by a working parent over the age of 65). At some point I remember that growing to about 12k when I was working a lot. But for the past couple of years it's never been much over 3K, although it's held pretty steady. I think when I see that it's close to or under a grand, I cut down, and when it gets over three I start to spend. I usually wind up with about 3K a month after taxes. I pay my bills when they come in, and I more or less buy what I'd like when I want, but I don't do anything to document or track any of this (other than a drawer stuffed with receipts and my check register). I don't like the idea of being in debt (other than my mortgage) so I'm sure I'll always do my best to stay in the black, but I know there have to be a lot more things I could be doing so my savings grow instead of merely holding. I've actually never even filled out a deposit slip. I just use the ATM. Elijya fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Apr 29, 2010 |
|
#
¿
Apr 29, 2010 13:43
|
|
|
Opinions on Amway? A girl I'm dating signed up for it about 6 months ago, before we met, and so far isn't really making any money off it. She dragged me to one of the seminars since they always try to recruit new people, but motivational speaker types don't really work on me (fortunately) so I got out of there as quick as I could. My 5 minutes of research tells me they're two steps away from being a pyramid scam, and have been sued for being so in the past but it never sticks. Supposedly 50% of people make no money off of it, and the overall average is only $100 a month. But of course, at these seminars they brought out all their 'platinum sellers' who all talked about how well it worked for them and they were all dressed very professionally. I get it: "Give us $240 dollars and sell our stuff and this could be you!" I don't really know the details of what she's doing, but when I ask her to explain it she gets defensive and can't answer simple questions. I tell her I think it's a waste of time and there are other things she could try to do to make extra money, but she seems entirely convinced by their propaganda. I concede that yes, it is technically possible to make money off of it, and with that she feels she's won the discussion. Unfortunately, that possibility I think only exists for people who absolutely dedicate their time to the system and are good salesmen (which I don't think she is). So is there any insight anyone can give me on Amway (beyond their totally biased literature package) and confirm/deny that it's a waste of time? (at least for her). And if it is, any suggestions on how to de-program her? slap me silly posted:There's a 26-page thread about that stuff: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3258090 Ah much thanks. I didn't even know the acronym "MLM" so I wouldn't have known to look for that. Elijya fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Jun 30, 2010 |
|
#
¿
Jun 30, 2010 03:57
|
|