Drum roll please...WE'RE MARRIED!!!

That's right - as of this sec. we are officially married ;)

And it feels awesome! Well ... i'm pretty sure it feels awesome, i'm probably more nervous than anything right now with all those faces staring up at me! That's right, I am still up there on the alter as you're reading this- how cool is that? i SO heart blogger ... and Mrs. Budgetsaresexy!

(it's party time!)

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The time has come - I'm off to be hitched!

That's right my dear friends, tomorrow I go from "singlehood" to "chained", i mean "married" ;) It was a fun 27 years going it alone, and now i shall be blessed with a family. Oooooh, i could have little J's running around now too - woohoo!

And if you're wondering how you'll keep entertained while we're away, worry no more. I have a few nuggets lined up, and they'll be sure to do the trick:

• Guest posts from awesome bloggers & readers such as yourself.
• Random posts that i have future dated (savvy, huh?)
• And semi-tipsy updates if i can sneak online ;)
  

And if you go through all that, and you STILL need something juicy, then check out (and bookmark) one of the best sites e-v-e-r: The Chuck Norris Random Fact Generator!

You're in good hands my loved ones. I'm off to get hitched now and get to honeymooning, but while i'm gone next week you just remember one thing - don't do anything i wouldn't do!

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Holy Cow, these gas prices are no joke!

I know there's been a 345,456,77.15 articles out there on this whole gas fiasco, but it wasn't until last night's fill up that it actually hit me...

These gas prices are ridiculous! I could have bought a used computer instead! (okay, so that's a little exaggeration...but great googly moogly just the same.)

Care to take a guess how much it cost me to fill up my SUV? And keep in mind, I have a Toyota Highlander which is quite respectable in it's class for consumption: $60.56 - for less than 16 gallons!

I know it's not the end of the world, some people are spending over $4.50/gallon. But it's just that i kinda blocked the whole gas thing out, and was doing SO good at not letting it get to me :( Needless to say, selling the car will be back on the consideration list again.

Wanna know the saddest part about this? The other day when i was going through my old planner (from back in the college days) i found a "receipts" pouch and took a stroll back memory lane. I nearly fell over at what i saw: Gas per gallon back then - $1.02.

W-O-W.

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Check this - a Funeral Home is now serving Coffee!

OMG, can you imagine?! According to the last page in June's SmartMoney mag., even funeral homes are now dishing out coffee! And you wanna know the sad part? I can't even tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing. haha...and that's coming from ME - the kind of caffeine hemself!

It surely can't beat out a Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, but boy does that sound convenient. And even if it IS a bit freaky, you know it'll make the place smell better! (sorry, i couldn't resist). I dunno, it really doesn't surprise me when i stop to think about it.

It goes on to say:

"It doesn't take an anthropogist to explain what's up: Americans are busy and would eat breakfast at the DMV if it were convenient"

OH MY GOSHHH - now that's funny! And SO true. You know I'd be the first in line. I mean, you have to get there like at 6am to freakin' stand in line and wait for it to open anyways, so why not down a hearty breakfast while you wait? $hit, my body would actually applaud me for it - beats out my usual yogurt anytime ;)

It actually reminds me of an old college idea i had: An "all you can eat" cereal bar! It's basically just this place where you'd pay a general membership (sorta like a gym), and you can eat and go as you please.

Want a quick snack on our way to work? Bingo! Feeling lazy and don't want to cook dinner? Stop on by! It would be open 24x7 and fully stocked with every kind of cereal and milk you can find. That's all it would serve. Well, that and coffee of course.

Okay, so i'm way off topic now. But the point is, if you know of a person who'd pick up a coffee at some weirdo spot, you can bet there's 1,000 others out there ready to do the same. I say bring it on! Isn't that why we love America anyways?

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Wanna celebrity guest post on my blog?

Then you've come to the right place! According to that countdown over there, yours truly is about to get hitched, and will soon be off honeymooning. And since i'm a slacker and haven't checked to see if we'll have internet access (or if the Mrs. will even allow such a thing) i figured it's a great time to showcase some other talent out there ;)

So if you're a blogger (or not), and you'd like to write a guest post, here are the deets:

• Deadline: send by 3pm on Sunday - June 1st
• Contact: J (at) budgetsaresexy (dot) com
• Format: html file, word file, email, whatever floats your boat.
• Guidelines: i really don't have any, as long as it's personal finance-ish related and you dig it. as you can tell, i'm not all that strict ;)
• **I will, however, need to edit/format them to look nice and purrty on the site.

That's about it! Holler if you're interested, and don't holler if you're not (unless you wanna say hi). And in the meantime ... Get Sexcited!

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10 Reasons to be "cool" and make your own cards.

As you can tell from that sexy doodle to the left, I like to make my own cards to send out ;)

And I like to think those on the receiving end enjoy them just as much! Who WOULDN'T want a personally crafted note from their friend or family member?

Whether you're sending a thank you note, a miss you card, or even a birthday card, making it yourself shoots you right onto the awesome list. But don't take my word for it -

Here are 10 good reasons to help convince you:

1. Making your own cards cost you nada, zilch, absolutely zero George Washingtons.
2. Making your own cards are "cooler" than sending a store card.
3. Making your own card is faster. No driving, searching, and ringing up needed - it only takes 5-10 minutes, depending on your craftiness.
4. Making your own card allows you to be a kid again and get creative.
5. You can make your own card at work while on a break (or not on a break).
6. You can show off your penmanship. (only a plus if you have impeccable skill)
7. You only need 1 piece of paper, and 1 pen. (or a couple pieces of paper and a couple of pens, if you are a fancy pants. allow more than 10 mins in this case)
8. The receiver will be *shocked* by getting something hand-written these days!
9. The receiver will believe you spent quality time on them. (they will believe anything in the state of shock)
10. The receiver will actually READ all of it's content. (those 6 paragraph poems never get read...)
11. *Bonus* The receiver will love you, adding you to the top of their list!

I can go on and on, but i think i have proven my point. And if you're still not convinced, go ahead and mail me that $4 you are about to give away, and I'll make one up for you ;) The only disservice you'll be doing is to Hallmark, and there are plenty of other people out there giving in to their peer pressure. So remember - Don't be a 'tard, Make your own card.

ps: i have had wayyyyy too much coffee today!

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This week in Carnival-Land and Link Lovin'

I really don't like calling them "carnivals", but i guess it's just the term that is used around town. Oh well, it's not doing any harm i suppose ;) Here are this week's carnivals that I participated in, with the first one awarding me with my very first "editor's pick"! Weeeee.

1. Carnival of Personal Finance #154 - hosted by Canadian Dream: Free at 45
2. Festival of Frugality #127 - hosted by Funny About Money
3. Carnival of Debt Reduction #141 (Enemies of the Doctor Edition) - hosted by Consumerism Commentary
4. Money Hacks Carnival #14 (Weird Golf Facts Edition) - hosted by PT Money

And here are my recent top 5 referrers!

• Dink's Finance
• Frugal Babe
• Chicky Finance
• Clever Dude
• Give Me Back My Five Bucks

I got mad love and respect for all of you. Keep the blogging alive!

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To whomever "StumbleUpon"'d yesterday's post...

Congratulations, You are my new favorite person!
I just logged on to view my stats, and was surprised to see an extra 200+ hits from StumbledUpon alone! I'm glad you enjoyed my "would you rather". You are a beautiful, beautiful person, and i love you. Please take this gift if you haven't done so already ;)

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Checking in on the old New Year's resolutions.

Could it be that i've actually STUCK by them this year? I was thinking about this as i drifted off to sleep last night (pretty dorky, i know) and thought it would be cool to post them here and make sure all is still dandy. And after looking at them for a few seconds, it's actually pretty damn funny cuz all of this was BEFORE this blog was even created :)

I guess it goes to show that if you write them down somewhere, you'll get closer to accomplishing them. Or perhaps even just setting realistic goals, and those that you're actually INTERESTED in! Either way, I'm happy to report that I have broken a 27 year losing streak:

My 2008 New Year's Resolutions:

1) Start using a budget (a what?). A+
Boyyyyy, this was def. the old me! Can you believe i never even USED a budget? haha... good thing i'm still going strong with this blog. Would be pretty embarrassing if i DIDN'T use a budget considering the name and all ;) Budgeting has seriously kept me on track so far - esp. on those days when I wanna splurge a little.

2) Learn more about finances; stocks, mutual funds, reits, etc. B+
Oh yeah, definitely still on track with this one too. While i'm still pretty far away from being an expert, i'm at least starting to pick up on the terms and the main benefits of one category over another. With the only exception of the "reits". I know they have to do with real estate and all, but that's about it. I saw that term in some book i was reading ;)

3) Learn more about web design. A
For sure! Getting this blog up and running was a def. push into it that i needed. While I've always known the basic fundamentals of designing for the web, I hadn't really expanded my knowledge until this guy was up. I'd like to wrap my head around CSS and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) a bit more though, so that's next on the list to do.

4) And finally, read more....helps 2 & 3 out, eh? A+
This has been my biggest obstacle, but i'm proud to say i've been kicking it's a$$ since January! haha... And by "kicking it's a$$" i mean by reading books like a normal person ;) I say that because i usually HATE reading, and thus never used to do it. This year, however, i've learned that choosing the right books makes a world of difference. As of date, i've finished 3 finance books - The Millionaire Next Door (review coming soon), The Automatic Millionaire, and A Million Bucks by 30, and continue to read the following magazines monthly: Money, Smart Money, and Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

And they say people with A.D.D. can't keep goals ;) It has been a remarkable year so far, and I'd like to thank some final people before I retreat to the office for some actual "work-work". As much as I'd like to say i'm THE MAN here, i cannot take full credit. (cue the tears)

First, I'd like to give a BIG thanks to Mrs. Budgetsaresexy. Your frugalness is far sexier than you will ever know, and I heart you like woah!
Secondly, I'd like to thank all of YOU guys here in Blogtopia. Without you, I'd be a goner :)
And lastly, I'd like to thank the Academy...i don't know why.

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Would you rather...Default on all loans, OR...

I know i just did one of these last week (the George Bush deal), but they're so much fun! And plus it's Memorial Day - which means it's a holiday, and I can do whatever i want ;) That, and it's also my blog. haha...

Since I won't be up bright and early like usual on a Monday morning, I was sure to plop this one up at 1a.m., just for you!

Please to enjoy:

"Would you rather... Default on all loans, credit cards, mortgages, etc for 5 months straight (no payments allowed at all, no matter what even if you have the money) - OR would you rather give Uncle Sam a one time $20,000 check to avoid it all together?"

And you have to pick one. It'll suck either way, but which would be better? That's the tricky part. I'll post my answer later ;)

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It's all about the Benjamins, what!

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest" - Benjamin Franklin

Happy holiday weekend everyone! Eat lots of food, and down a lot of beer milk. (or just read a lot of blogs, it's all good for the heart either way)

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4 Stages you'll encounter during a "No Spend" challenge.

You get damn proud of yourself, that's what! haha... That is, until, you take a break from it and go on a splurging trip ;) Fortunately, that never happened to me, but if i have any more of the days like the one I had yesterday, it becomes a scary possibility.

Today's post is about the roller coaster your mind goes on during these sexy No Spend challenges.

Or, shall i say, what happened to ME when I did this for a good 40 days over Lent. I was reminded of this internal battle as i was commenting away on No More Spending's post on giving it a shot for 6 months! I would LOVE to say i could do that, but I know myself way too much to give that a shot these days.

As I was writing my novel of a comment, it reminded me of all the stages i had gone through when giving this a shot. Everyone's brains are different of course, but if you've never tried it, it's safe to say you'll probably go through something similar:

1. Ah i can do this, no problem at all! Looking back, what was i smoking?! The "i can do this" part was right, but the "no problem at all" part? HAH. I mean, in a way you HAVE to think this though or you wouldn't even start on such a crazy adventure, but i know not to kid myself the next go around ;)
2. WOW, I spend a loooooooooooot of money. Yup, that's where the "a-ha!" moment hits you. I always thought i was a savvy spender, and for the most part i am, but when it came to picking up a cple things here and there, that $hit adds up!
3. I just bought something? Even when you have your eyes open at all times, sometimes you don't realize you're spending money!!! I messed up 1 time during my stint, and I didn't even know it until hours later. Know what it was? iTunes! I'm so used to previewing all the new music out there, and w/out even *thinking* twice just clicking away and buying songs here and there. They're only $0.99 a piece, but that still counts against you my friend.
4. This is EASY peazy - I can go on forever! I hit this part after about 3 weeks. Once your mind set gets on track, it's like you don't even have to think about it anymore. You get good at knowing what IS, and what ISN'T a necessity, and usually you've knocked away all those iTunes and Amazon habits. Once you hit this point, "not spending" becomes routine, and you can usually last longer than your original goal - if you're up for it.

That's not so bad, right? There's a lot of factors that play a part in this of course, such as your age, circle of friends, already formed spending habits, etc, but the "cycle" is pretty much the same.

If you've never given it a shot, I challenge you to do so! Start out with just a week, and work yourself up to longer if you get something out of it. And if you need some motivation, just take a look at some of your favorite blogs out there - most of them have given it a shot at one point or another. Hell, Saving 4 Later does a good 150+ "No Spend Days" a year!

And if you're already golden, then I salute you good sir (or madam). And be sure to tell me all of your sexy secrets so that I may knock off a cple years of work ;)

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Sometimes i get tired of saving...

It's just SOOOO boring at times, ya know?! Every day i hear stories of what a co-worker bought, or where there going to spend even more buckets of money, and it reminds me of being 10 all over again. Man, that was the life! haha.... so carefree, so relaxing.

I definitely don't wanna be one of those people, but the idea of "not thinking" about money sure sounds like a beautiful thing right now...

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Care for some redesigned paper money?

How crazy would that be!
Turns out you can't distinguish a $1 bill from a $100 bill if you tried with your eyes closed. Huh. So who cares, right?

Well, it turns out THE BLIND Care!!! (oh yeahhhhh - d'uh).

Think about it for a sec- close your eyes, reach into your pocket and try to figure out which bills are which (might need to try w/ a $5 instead of a $100...unless you're blingin' like that). I tried, and I surely can't tell the difference. And according to the research, not many can either.

It's definitely something to ponder though, and while it hasn't yet been figured out, at least The American Council of the Blind has finally gotten their word through to the US Court of Appeals yesterday. But it's already taken them a good 6 years to get to this point, so who knows when a change will happen. "The U.S." understands how this can be a problem for the blind, but they feel that they have been adapting just fine. And by adapt, they mean "asking clerks for help" or "folding down corners of certain bills".

It actually reminds me of the story on Ray Charles, and how in the movie "Ray" he asked to get paid in all $1 bills so that no one can rip him off. Now, THAT's an idea :) It's probably not the best solution to deal with it (or "adapt" as the U.S. puts it.) but it does the trick. Some of the REAL suggestions being considered are the following:

1. Change the actual sizes of the money. Totally makes sense, plenty of countries have this...or at least used to. Would be kinda weird for us at first, but we'd get used to it.
2. Start printing them with raised marks or other distinguishing features. Yup, that too would do the trick. I'd actually like! Adds some more texture to the paper, and will automatically get the entire US population to know how to "read" 1, 5, 10, and 20! haha... i vote for this one.

The whole thing is pretty interesting either way, I'm just hoping we can find a nice way to make everyone happy! We'll see what happens :)

Check out this Yahoo article for more in depth info.

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Wedding gift'ers are going crazy on us!

The presents are starting to flow in now, and we're getting some pretty generous checks - we're talking about ones for $100 and $150 a PIECE!!! I'm not sure what the average amount people usually give, but anything over $50 seems like a lot to me. I can understand if close family members or best friends want to give a little extra, but we're getting a lot from guests that aren't even COMING to the wedding! WTF? I guess we have some good fans ;)

Being the curious little badger that I am, I took it upon myself to do some research and I came across an interesting little blurb from WeddingBasics.com:

"Guests are not required to bring a wedding gift to the wedding which is one of the reasons you should never make mention of gifts with your wedding invitation. However, social etiquette indicates that if you are invited to a wedding you should send a gift to the couple whether or not you plan to attend."

First off, i thought it was a mandatory thing! haha...not that i personally care, it just seems to be the case. I guess that's where "social" etiquette comes in. To be honest, the whole gift registry thing was the only part where Mrs Budgetsaresexy and I got into some arguments :(

I didn't want to put a billion things on our registries cuz I feel that we (or I should say "I") already have most of this stuff, but she thought we needed to so that people know what to give us, and so that we could also have more "joint" stuff. At any rate, we're totally passed all that now, but it never fails to get a bit crazy when money starts playing a part.

Secondly (sorry, got a little sidetracked there) i guess it IS a rule of thumb to send a gift whether you're coming or not. That's quite a shock to me, esp. looking back at all those I didn't attend - YIKES! I'll just blame it on all those brain cells i lost back in College ;) I don't think many people expect any big gifts from college kids anyways, so whatever.

Okay that's enough wedding talk for now. I can seriously go on and on about all this stuff, but I'm sure not everyone wants to read about it - I know i don't want to any more! I can tell you one thing though, it'll be GREAT not having to worry about this stuff ever again. Crazy kids and their crazy weddings.

-------------------
If you're itching for more though, check out these oldies:
- Mrs. Budgetsaresexy on frugal wedding-ness
- Two rants and two helpful hints
- Wedding budget for $10k? Fingers crossed!
- I just spent $170 in under 5 minutes

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This week's carnival action - opah!

I think I'll be featuring a weekly carnival posting as times goes on - there are some REALLY freakin' good stuff out there! Plus it's a great way to check out some sites you might not as otherwise found. I'm not gonna say they're as sexy, of course, but you can definitely pick up some great tips :)

Here are the carnivals I participated in during the week:

• Money Hacks Carnival #12 - "The Twelve Labours of Heracles" edition, hosted by Can I Get Rich on a Salary
• Festival of Frugality #126 - "If I had a Car" edition, hosted by The Financial Blogger
• Carnival of Personal Finance #153 - "The Q&A" edition, hosted by Money and Values
• Money Hacks Carnival #13 - "Money Savings Hacks" edition, hosted by Moolonomy

And here are some of my personal favorite articles from other bloggers:

• Think Your Way to Wealth did an awesome posting about the 2 tools he found online to help save gas! The best is the image he has up on the post though, haha... it's a good one.
• The Debt-Free Playbook Blog found an awesome tool where you can email your future self! There are a few other ways to set this up if your technically challenged, but this looks like a super easy way to also do it - plus, what an interesting way to keep you on track.
• The Festival of Frugality and a nice and simple tip: USE YOUR LIBRARY. Is it bad that i had totally forgotten that they still exist? haha...while i like to save all my financial books (it helps me to remember all of the tips!), there's no reason to keep the other 50+ i'll never read again.
• Harvesting Dollars had a well rounded post on Emergency Funds, and shares different strategies and mind sets about them. Have you ever asked yourself what an "emergency" really IS for you? Def. something to consider if/when something should happen - although i hope it never does ;)

That's it for this week! Thank goodness for pf blogs - i seriously learn sooooo much! If only i could extend the hours of each day...

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Book Review: A Million Bucks by 30

BOOK: A Million Bucks by 30
AUTHOR: Alan Corey
SEXINESS: 17 (that's a lot)

I think someone cloned me, and wrote a book! haha... well, in the writing style that is - I'm def. not as brave and/or close to reaching that $1Million mark! A very fun read though, nonetheless. I can say one thing, it def. won't be like any other financial books out there, that's for sure ;)

Remember how I posted about my millionaire to-do list earlier? Well, think of this book as the final product of that, but with a totally different approach to it. Along with a healthy mix of adventure, and college spirit!

That being said, I wouldn't say this is for everyone. While his stories and tips are pretty damn fascinating, it's definitely for a "younger" audience (think early 20's, 30's). I'm not sure the "mature" kind would allow for such humor and select curse words scattered about. But, then again, if you're even on my blog reading this, it might be exactly what you're looking for ;)

Here's an excerpt from one of his "extreme cheapskate strategies":

"Buy one pair of multipurpose shoes a year. Don't buy any others. If shoes make or break you with any business deal, date, or interview, believe me, unless it's a girl with a foot fetish, it isn't the shoes."

Haha...see, totally funny! AND budget conscious. Without going too much into it, here are four key ingredients which helped him along his journey:

1. He's frugal. And I'm not talking about a little here and there, i'm talking about hardcore frugalness. The king of Ramen, and the master of ghetto living - all in the name of saving $$$.
2. He does his research. This is probably key #1 to his accomplishments, he doesn't do anything without consuming all he can on the subject.
3. He buys real estate. Mainly to "flip" or to rent out as an investment. This is especially where #2 above comes in - if you know what you're doing, there's money to be made.
4. He's extremely outgoing. If there's anything this guy has that sets him apart from all other wannabe millionaires out there - this is it. It takes a LOT of guts to do *most* of the things he talks about in this book, and there's no way it can be done w/ out this trait. Did I mention he's a self-proclaimed "Reality Whore"?

To be honest, that's really the whole kit and caboodle. You mix that with some personal tips and a butt-load of crazy adventures, and you've got your self a nice little read here. And there's something to be said for the way he conveys his messages. He's actually a really intelligent guy (in case i've already scared you away):

"I like to think that making a million dollars is like losing fifty pounds: Both
provide new freedoms and options to the people who achieve these goals, but
neither of these objectives can be achieved overnight...Just like there is no
product that will help you lose twenty pounds in a week, the chances that you'll
make a ton of cash overnight are pretty slim (so to speak)."

He doesn't go too much into step by step processes such as The Automatic Milionaire, but it's definitely a great motivational read. And while I, personally, don't have the balls to follow through with such tenacity, i'd be lying if i said it didn't get me to revisit my game plan!

------------
* You can buy the book here: A Million Bucks by 30
* And you can check out other book reviews here: Book Reviews

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George Bush offers to give you $2 million, BUT...

One of my favorite games EVER is playing "would you rather" - especially on long road trips with all of my friends. While most of the questions end up turning out pretty graphic and need censorship (sorry, can't post those here!), they always start out nice and thought-provoking like, "would you rather be super hot but smell horrible, OR would you rather be ugly but smell incredible 24/7?". Then there's the "If you had to lose a limb, which one would you choose?" type questions that ensue.

Fun, right? haha... while the majority of the questions center around good looks and/or just really really childish stuff, they almost inevitably go down the money route as well, like the famous, "What would you do with a million dollars?" one. Not EXACTLY a "would you rather" question, but nonetheless interesting ... and thus the reason for this post ;)

So the other day when i came across a questions and answer posting by Frugal Dad, I thought to my self - what better way to participate than by submitting my own wild question?

And here's what i came up with:

“George Bush offers to give you $2 Million in exactly 3 years from now (signed contract and all), BUT in order for you to get it, you have to give up EVERY PENNY you have right now - all savings, retirement, etc. Would you do it?”

Before you answer it yourself, keep in mind the following:

1. All savings, home equity, brokerage, 401(k), etc are all wiped out to a zero balance, both for you and your spouse/partner - so as of today, you'd have $0.00 to your name.
2. BUT, you'd also still have your current salary, part-time jobs, etc., so money would flow in.

Basically, you'd be somewhat screwed in an emergency (as your emergency fund would also have been wiped clear), BUT you'd be all set 3 years from now! If you're already in debt and don't have much saved anyway though, then the answer is easy. But what if you have a family to feed, or have amassed quit a bit over the years? Is it worth the sacrifice?

Well, here's how Frugal Dad answered it (w/out my further clarification) -

"Creative question! Well, you didn’t mention my income - would I have to give that up, too? If not, I suppose we could continue to live on my income and put off saving and investing for the future windfall. However, if I had to completely give up all forms of money and income, then my answer would be no deal. Maybe if I was a single guy I could just float though life for the next three years, but as a husband and father with mouths to feed I need to maintain a certain quality of life for my children. No amount of promised money in the future could cause me to sacrifice their well-being, even temporarily."!

Smart man ;) I can only *hope* to make the same money-related decisions if/when I become a dad! As it stand right now, i'd have to take the $2 mil in 3 years for sure. Even w/ my super savings plan , I still have 15 years or so to go until I reach the $1mil mark anyways, so it's an easy call. This, of course, is without running it by Mrs. Budgetsaresexy though! haha ... I'm not sure she'd want to start out married life flat broke ;)

Either way, I always enjoy hearing how others would handle such questions. It certainly makes life more interesting!

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Woohoo - i'm gonna be rich!

According to this awesome little quiz that is ;) I saw it over on alwaystheplanner.blogspot.com, who saw it on someone else's blog, who saw it from their momma's...well, you get the point.

If you wanna waste 5 minutes and answer some pretty silly questions, this is the game for you! And I believe i even saw the word "sexy" appear in it somewhere... or a least I envisioned it.

Okay, so yeah - play and have fun:

10,999,943 How much money will you be worth?

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J's Graphic "Design Shop" is now open :)

Aww yeahhhhh - My virtual shop is now ready for some happy customers!
If you know of anyone looking for some extra help sprucing up their logos, blogs, websites, or anything else out there - shoot 'em on by! You might even get a nice little present from me ;)

Gotta make some sort of money on my bloggy blog, right? I mean, this IS a blog about money management and all. haha... and don't get me wrong, the $2.70 I've earned so far is def. something for sharing my passion w/ the world - but it sure ain't sexy!

So, until the big boys start rolling in and purchasing my online real estate, it is time to get creative (no pun intended) and help my fellow bloggers/companies out with some nifty graphic design. Plus, putting my old college degree to use sure would make momma proud ;)

Now onto the juicy stuff - my rates. I'm still in the process of working it all out, and most will be on a case by case basis, but here's a list of what you could expect:

• For my "advertise here" icons - FREE (click here for an assortment)
• For smaller projects - $15.00 per graphic (perhaps to supplement or promote articles? example)
• For average projects - $25.00 per graphic
• For larger projects - $50.00 per graphic
• For custom logos - $100.00 per logo - a STEAL...for now ;)
• For monthly "design help" - $100/mo. I'd basically be your right hand man for any design-related needs that would come up throughout the month (within reason, of course).
• My design skills for your _____ ? That's right, i'm a bartering man too.

I'll update this as time goes on, but at least it gives you an idea right? I'm pretty flexible when it comes down to all this stuff - especially if you catch me on a good day! haha...You can contact me below, or shoot me an email at J (at) budgetsaresexy.com.

So that's it folks. Keep me in your pocket for whenever a need might arise. And remember, the early blogger gets the worm! (i don't know what i said that...it really doesn't make sense.)

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Here are some FREE icons if anyone wants to use them :)

I'm starting to create some images I find useful, and thought I'd pass them along if anyone else wants to use them as well :) I'll probably end up adding some more down the road too, so be sure to check back every now and then. Now time to post about my newly found "design shop" - woohoo!

"Your Ad Here" <img src="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/images/advertising/your_ad_here_165x125.gif" alt="Advertise Here" style="border:none;" />

"Your Ad Here" <img src="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/images/advertising/your_ad_here_165x300.gif" alt="Advertise Here" style="border:none;" />

"This Space For Rent" <img src="http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/images/advertising/this_space_for_rent_165x300.gif" alt="This Space for Rent" style="border:none;" />

Also, if you'd like any of these at a certain size, just holler and i'll see what i can do.

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Get your FREE iced coffee toay!

I'm sooooo late on this today (what can i say, i'm busy actually "working"), but i've seen it posted all over everyone's blogs and thought I would pass it along - on the slight chance this golden nugget had escaped your ears & eyes too:

Dunkin Donuts is giving away FREE 16 oz. iced coffees today until 10PM.

You can check out their website for more info, but that's reallly all you need to