Stop Lying to Me!

So no one is actually lying to me but ME! When you have debt some people tend to lie to themselves. They are afraid to check their checking account balance and credit card statements because they know it will ruin their day. 

From my last post you can tell I am pretty open about my finances. But it took me a while to get this way. I was the person afraid to look at my credit statement because I knew it was high!! I would pay the cards off but a few months later I was buying something else.

In November 2018 I had to start being honest with myself.  I had to stop telling myself that it wasn’t that bad and it’s okay because I was saving a good amount of money. I was putting more than most into my 401K/TSP and my side hustles were bringing in a good chunk of change! 

How can you be honest with yourself? The first step is writing it out! Write down everything debt or spending habit that you might have. Come up with a plan! 
When I did this it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I knew what I had to work toward to be in a better financial space! 

That leads me into the current status of my financial journey. I am still using my cash envelopes. It is a struggle spending only what is in that envelope category. However, I am getting use to managing my budget and learning my spending habits. I had not swiped or used a credit card online since November 2018. 

BUT I had to find a method to be able to use my card online because as you know online shopping is the best! :) Amazon is probably my favorite shopping site. I have an Amazon store card as well as PayPal credit. So what I did was have an allotment from my paycheck into one of my other checking accounts that I do not use just for shopping online. We are going to call this account the"Shop Account". When I want to purchase something online I use either the Amazon card or the PayPal credit (only if the same amount of money is in the Shop Account). Once the amount has been charged to the credit card then I turn around and pay the balance off using the Shop Account. I only buy online if I need it. For an example, I needed to purchase some photography lights for my photography business so I bought those on Amazon. I try my hardest not to buy unnecessary things while I am paying off debt because that extra money can go towards an additional payment. 

I am not saying credit cards are bad. Credit cards are actually great if you know how to use them. You can use them but pay off the ENTIRE balance before the next billing cycle. This not only will keep you out of the hole but it also will boost your credit score! 

The journey has been challenging but I know that this is only temporary! Once my debt is paid off I will be able to enjoy more without feeling buyers remorse! Don’t get me wrong I still enjoy hanging out and buying things I want but just on a smaller and smarter scale.

As always pray while on your financial journey and stay focused! Try your best to surround yourself with like minded people! 

Love, 

Kinna

Where Is All My Money?

Money makes the world go round! You need to have it no matter who are you and what you do. The secret is if you cannot manage your money while making minimum wage you sure won't be able to manage it when you're making six figures!

I learned this the hard way. When I was in high school and would get paid on Friday I would blow my whole check during the weekend and Monday morning I would be asking my mom for gas money. When I turned 18 I got my first credit card and within 2 months I maxed out my little $700 credit limit. Little did I know that those bad money habits would follow me well into adulthood until I learned to fix them.  

Once I graduated from undergrad I started making more money and each year my annual salary continued to grow tremendously. The problem was that every time I received a raise I found a way to make a new bill. New tv, new sofa, new something and all on credit. I always paid off the bill in months to come. But here is the thing I never was struggling financially. When I got paid I had money to pay my bills, put money in my savings account, and still have some fun money. Some may say well seems like you are doing fine to me! Yes, I was doing fine but I could have been doing better! 

Here is what I mean...when you keep your expenses low you have more money to save and more money to experience life.

 November 2018 I found a book named Money Diaries by Lindsey Stanberry. I have been thinking about writing my own book about young woman and men and our finances. The first step in writing your own book is researching others in the same category and that's how I found Money Diaries. I won't give you all the details because you just need to read it :) I will say it will definitely open your eyes when it comes to spending and saving money.

As I was reading this book my brain started to work on overload. All I could think about is budgeting, saving, and where the heck all my money was going.

Here is how I got started.

1. I am not a professional financial advisor. These are only my experiences and opinions. One day I would love to become a personal financial advisor. As my friends and family are already asking me about what I am doing and how can they join the journey.

2. I made a budget binder. I went on my favorite site, YouTube! Yep YouTube, I spend more time on there than IG or FB. I found a YouTuber who had a binder I liked and I mocked her templates and added my own touches. Here is the link to a video I made for my friends on YouTube because the video was too long to send in a text.

3. I wrote out my debt from smallest to largest. Credit cards, student loans, and car. I did not include my mortgage. I have only been a homeowner for going on 3 years so I have a long way to go and can tackle that once I tackle the bills that are smaller than the mortgage.

4. I ordered some cash envelopes. Not sure if you heard of Dave Ramsey but he is financial genesis. He suggest a zero based budget. Meaning you tell every dollar when you get paid where to go. So when I get paid I calculate all my bills and pay those and whatever is leftover I divide that up into different categories. Such as fun, groceries, household, beauty, business expenses, and sinking funds (I will write another post about sinking funds and my savings accounts). If there is any money leftover in the envelope the next payday I just leave the money in there. The fun envelope is always empty lol.

5. I did a test run. Budgeting is a learning task. I took the whole month of December 2018 and found out what worked for me and what didn't (I will have another post on this as well).

6. I started my debt snowball. I focused on credit cards first because those are smaller than the students loans and car loan. I paid off the first two credit cards with some cash I had in my savings. I felt it was no point to have all this money in one of my savings account, with no interest, and have debt. Then I decided to sell my second car. I love it but I don't drive it as much as my primary car. Plus I can only drive one at a time :)
As I pay off one debt I roll that money into the next debt. My plan is to keep finding ways to get extra cash. I already have three side hustles so from those I will use the money for debt as well as extra spending money when need be.

Step 6 is where I stop and I update you as I go along.

The main purpose of all this is I don't want to look back 5 years from now wishing that I would have started 5 years ago. Over the past 4 years I have taken amazing vacations and bought things that I wanted but I want to be able to take vacations with ease and purchase things without having buying remorse.

If this is something you want to do stay focus and pray about before you start.

Love,

Kinna

Who do you Pray for?

Selfless prayers. Prayers that do not benefit you and only you. Over the years I have learned that we must pray for other people. I have said many times that I was going to pray for a person and I simply forget. But now as I get older I realize that it is my duty as a Christian to prayer for other people.


The bible tells us in Philippians 2:3-4 " Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others".


God also tells us "When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret , will reward you" (Matthew 6:6). No need to publish to the world on Facebook and Instagram that you prayed for someone and you want someone to give you a pat on the back. Pray in secret.


Personally I pray for people who do not even ask for prayer, I pray for people who have no idea who I am but someone they know told me about them and I sent up a prayer for them. It is detrimental that we pray for more than just ourselves. It can actually strengthen our relationship with God. Focus less on ourselves and more on God.


I have a prayer list that I keep in my bible with peoples names on the list. Beside their name is a quick phase of what I ask God to work on in their lives. Some people I can check off very quickly but others God has some serious work for them to do and I continue to pray for them until God has worked it out. It is a feeling that can't be taken from you when you know you prayed in secret for a person and it manifest in their lives right in front of your eyes.


Take less time praying for that new car, new job and some extra cash to flow in  and pray for someone else. Pray that their finances improve, pray that their marriage gets better and even pray that they continue to be happy and blessed.




Until Next Time!
      Be blessed --- Kinna

What you think is good?

Have you had something so good in your life you didn't want to lose it. You hold on so tight that it practically hurts you. I mean literally hurts you mentally and physically! But in the back of your head God has told you repeatedlly that he has something 10 times better than that and its all for you, you don't have to fight for it because he made it especially for you. However, because you are afraid of the unknown you just can't seem to let go of this "thing" you think is so good!

God has yelled it to you, he was whispered it to you, he has had another person tell you, he pretty much found every way to convey this message to you but you just don't want to listen.

I'll tell you where I am going with this. Every tuesday at my job we have bible study. So for the last month we haven't had it. I seen a lady in the hallway that attends also and we start talking then we see the leader of the bible study and I yell "I was just talking about you" He turns around and comes back my way and randomly asks  "Are you ready to teach" Of course I said no. Long story short we ended up in a conference room and he was telling me that God wants to bring something out of me and whether I want him to or not he will. It is going to be the easy way or the hard way. He then ask me what is my fear. I said the unknown and the future.

I will be totally honest with you; when I find something that works for me I stick with it. I don't want anything to change because more than likely I am happy. I am afraid of what the future might bring me. The challenges that I will have to face (Getting hurt and giving up something that I don't want to leave my life). It may seem unreal to some who know me because of where I am and what I came from but its true.

So how do I get this fear out of my life and learn to take a leap of faith. Well faith is exactly what I need along with a big dose of TRUST! God's reasoning is beyond our understanding and his plans will happen whether we want them to or not. So if you are like me and afraid of what the future might bring. Let go and let God handle all the hard work and trust him. I am trying my best. I will say it is the hardest thing I have ever done and that may seem unbelievable but it is. I love Jesus! But I am human living in a world of uncertainly and as long as I express my feelings to God he will help me through it all.

I have to meditate on this scripture everyday to get me through. It is on my desk along with many others.

Proverbs 3:5-6 
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He will make your paths straight.


Love Always, 

Kinna 

Powerless

Think about the word powerless it means without ability, "influence" or power. I so often write on trusting God but today I thought about being powerless as a person not having any "influence" just simply trusting God and allowing no one to "influence" you other wise. After reading a post on Instagram today I realized that the thing I need work on more is trusting God. I can't walk around and say I am a Christian and I believe that Jesus died on the cross for MY sins and rose on the third day and not trust him, that is insane! 

God has all the power he tells the wind which way to blow and has control over everything on this earth. Which means I am powerless, I have no "influence" on God's decisions. Now don't take that out of context I simply mean that we have no control over our lives. We were sent here to do his work for his will. 

So we must stop trying to control people and situations in our lives. Let go of trying to control a person in hopes that they will do what you want them to do. If God wanted you to be involved or with that person he will make certain of that. If God wanted you to have a new car he will make certain of that. Don't rush it. Be silent and still in God's presence and allow him to perform miracles and bring unbelievable happiness in your life. And all at the same time focused on him. I read something today in my daily devotional that said "pray while focusing on God's Greatness, our troubles will shrink to proper proportions." -- see we are praying and focusing on our problems, I always say we because I include myself with every blog I write. Instead we should be focused on who God is and all that he is capable of doing. 

As I write this blog I give my worries to God and know that he knows what's best for my life. He knows what makes me happy and what makes me sad. And unlike like any person in this world, he always and always wants best for you so trust him with your life and realize that you are powerless and the alpha and the omega has all the POWER! 

and said: “ Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. (2 Chronicles 20:6 NIV)

Love always, 

Kinna 😘

Ugh Not in the Mood to Pray!

Some days I will admit I don’t feel like praying. I have so much on my heart and mind that it “seems” like it would take too much of my strength to even utter a word to begin praying. But once I let go of my selfish mindset and truly think about how the prayer will ease my mind. I let it all flow out.

Prayer changes things and prayer is our one connection through Jesus Christ to get to God.  

Prayer is so important it builds your relationship with God and shows him that no matter what is going on we desire to take our worries, concerns and burdens to him. A lot of times we run to our friends and family with our problems but never take them to God. The one person who is omnipresence and knows exactly what we are feeling and going through; he is just waiting for us to talk to him. He will guide us in the direction that will be less stressful.

James 4:3 says “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Ensure that when you pray your motives are not directed to your own selfish ways. Pray that whatever it is to glorify God and only him. Less of you and more of him! At times we are so busy worried about getting what we “want” (because it is not a need) that we forgot about God and what it may do to his heart. Be intentional with your prayers; intentionally praying that God will work everything out for his greater good. We sometimes pray that we get a new car, get this promotion at work or better yet praying that the person who we are so in love with will always be by our sides but we don’t pray that God will provide us with dependable and safe transportation, that God will increase our income so that we may give generously to other and at the same time maintain our own households and lastly pray that God will bless us with someone who loves Christ just as much we do (I say we because I included myself being that I am guilty of this also). Change the perspective of your prayers.

Understand also when you pray that your prayers may not be answered right away. Everything is always on God's timing and not our own. Be patient in knowing that God will provide for you when the timing is right. Every situation, every trail, every challenge, every hardship and even every good thing works out for your good.  

Romans 8:28 says “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

I encourage you to trust God; that he will provide for you and renew your mind and heart. Pray and cry out to him all your worries. Observe the goodness that he will bring into your life and the joy that reflects from it all.

Love always,

Kinna

Alone

So I had to go out of town for my job for 2 weeks about 600 miles from home. I had a short flights the first was about 25 minutes with a hour and half lay over and the second was about a hour and 20 minutes. The whole time I was walking through the airports I was thinking OH GOSH  what am I am going to do in a city where I don't know not a soul. Yes I am staying in a really nice hotel and have a rental car to go where I need to go. But I was going to be all ALONE. 

This was the first time as a young adult that I had to really be on my own. No family, no friends, just me. Yes I have my phone, computer, iPad and all the other great stuff to keep my to connected to everyone back home. But I had no one here with my in the flesh. 

I will admit when I first got to the hotel I cried like a baby. Saying that I wanted to go home. I am the type of person who holds in all their emotions until I am alone and then let it all out. I never want anyone to see me in my vulnerable state of mind(I know you're thinking "You are being vulnerable now"...but I have been working on this for a while and I am getting better). So after about 20 minutes of having pity on myself and crying like I had just lost everything in my life. I sat up and said to myself "You can either sit here and be sad for the next 2 weeks or you can get up unpack and make yourself comfortable and make the best out of the next 2 weeks" So I got up and said a prayer to God and asked for strength, unpacked, took a shower, and relaxed! 

I thought I was alone for a moment. Until I said that quick prayer. At times in our lives we think and we may be all alone but in reality God is with us the whole time. Just talk to him and let him know why you feel alone. He will comfort you. That is what he did for me. I was missing everyone back home as soon as I walked in the hotel. I forgot to mention that before I had this big break down in the hotel I went to dinner alone; which I had never done before. I went to this little diner across the street from hotel and as I was sitting there I was thinking "Dinner alone every night" and that is when it really started to hit me. I dropped a tear and asked for my check. Then as soon I walked in the hotel room I broke down. 

The enemy wanted me to think I had no one that I was all alone with his evil thoughts. But I had a plan for him...God has me every step of the way! So I decided to make the best out it! When I got off of work today I went for a walk downtown (where my hotel is) and grabbed some food. Even chatted with my mom for most of my walk. It was so relaxing. I refuse to let the enemy think that he has the best of me. Not only that I am going to take advantage to learn all that I can for work. God provided me this opportunity and I will not let it slip out of my hands. 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you note forsake you" 

-- Deuteronomy 31:6

Until Next Time

---Kinna