Hey there!
I’m trying something new this week, so let me know what you think in the comments. I want to write to you more than once a week, and I want you to get to know me better. So, inspired by my friend Emilie Aries of Bossed Up, I’m starting my own Founder Friday post.
I’ll be talking about my money habits and experiences, I’ll talk about what I’m excited about and what I’m up to. And of course, I’ll close things out with a few tips for you as you go into the weekend. Let me know if there’s anything different you would like to see from me!
How I Earned Money This Week
I think it’s important to be transparent about money, especially as a new business owner. Just because I’m getting a lot of exposure on the internet doesn’t mean that I’m earning as much money as I’d like to be earning. But I am earning some money; more than I was expecting for my first month as a full-time entrepreneur! Most of my clients pay monthly, so I’m not earning most of my money week by week, but I did have some other income this week.
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On Monday, I babysat a 2-year-old using the babysitting app Chime. I made $67 after fees for 5 hours of babysitting, with about 90 minutes commuting round-trip. I probably won’t do this again.
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I got a new one-time session client for next week. One-time coaching sessions cost $200, which I take home, minus Stripe fees.
How I Spent Money This Week
I’m trying to be very tight with money this month. It’s the first month that Dan and I are living off of his income only, so we can’t be nearly as loose with our spending. We’re also planning a wedding, so all of my business income is going straight into savings. However, life happens, so I definitely spent some money this week.
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Our largest expense this week, nearly $250, was on items for our basement Airbnb. We’re *so close *to being ready to list our space on Airbnb, but we needed a few last minute items. Luckily, we still have some savings in our house fund, so we used that to pay for this expense. We’re hoping that we’ll earn it back once we open up the basement for rent.
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I renewed my membership with the Women’s Information Network for $40 a year. This is another expense that I had money set aside for. Over the past few years, I saved money every month for non-monthly expenses like memberships, gifts, etc. So now I have a nice nest egg to cover these types of expenses for a while.
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Groceries are pretty unavoidable if you don’t want to go hungry. I’ve been doing a Whole 30 this month, so what I can eat is restricted, but I need to eat a LOT of what I do eat. So we spent about $70 on groceries, including our Hungry Harvest order.
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We have basically lived at Home Depot since we bought our home. On Wednesday, I bought $45 worth of paint for my office, which I used my business credit card for. We also bought a tile cutter for our kitchen backsplash, and some other paint supplies. Luckily, we had a Home Depot gift card, so our purchase was covered.
What I’m Writing
On Monday, I wrote about the Danish concept of Hygge. And I’m still waiting for my SmartWool socks to arrive in the mail.
What I’m Excited About
I’m going to be featured on the Being Boss podcast on Tuesday, January 30th! The hosts encourage people to call in and leave a message explaining how we are being boss in our own lives. I called a few weeks ago to tell them that I quit my day job to be a full-time business owner, and they will be playing the recording on the next episode!
Money Circle meetups started again this week! We took November and December off, but we’re back! This week, we met to set motivating goals for 2018. It was a great group, and I can’t wait for February’s gathering!
What I’m Fan-Girling Over
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Unladylike! Before Emilie and Bridget took over Stuff Mom Never Told You, Caroline and Cristen were the hosts. Now they have a brand new podcast called Unladylike, which I’m so stoked to listen to. Their first episode, all about paying for an abortion, is up now!
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My new teal accent wall in my home office! I couldn’t help but make sure my office is totally on brand, and I love how it turned out!
Money Tips to Take Into the Weekend
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Look at how much you spent this week. Then, calculate how much you have to spend this weekend.
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Choose one night to stay in and another to go out. This will ensure that you spend less, and also give you some time to recharge.
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Log into your bank accounts and take a Money Minute. You might notice something that surprises you.
That’s all from me this week. Have a great weekend!
Maggie Germano
Certified Financial Education Instructor. Feminist and financial coach for women. Founder of Money Circle.

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