Yakezie.com

There have been very few moments that compare to the time I received the email from Sam confirming my acceptance into Yakezie. I am grateful to Sam to allow me to join with Delta class – many of whom have been my friends from the beginning. It just seems right.

My Introduction to Yakezie

It was this past summer after I stumbled upon one of Derek’s posts at Life and My Finances that I realized that I too could be a financial blogger. I had been reading about finances a lot for nearly a year and I started to share this information with my friends. After being inspired by Derek and coming back to his site frequently, I finally noticed the Yakezie badge. I clicked through and started searching the forums. To make a long story short, I realized that I needed to join Yakezie – and join I did!

About 20’s Finances Read More

Hi, My name is Andy Hough and I’m happy to post that my blog Tight Fisted Miser is now a member of the Yakezie Network. It has taken a while, some of you might remember that I took part in the Yakezie Challenge way back during the Alpha Class when there was no Yakezie forums but just an email list. Many of my fellow Yakezie have assumed that I was already a Yakezie member.

My journey to becoming a Yakezie member took longer than most and I’ll share the story of that journey with you.

About Tight Fisted Miser Read More

Hello folks, friends, and fellow Yakezie members. I’m Shawanda @TheyCallMeCheap Greene, the self righteously witty blog master behind You Have More Than You Think.

Whew! I finally made it! I’m here to tell it. Bloggin’ ain’t easy.

My Money Habits

For the most part, I’ve been pretty responsible with my money. I’m not clawing my way out of $100k in credit card debt.  But, at the tender-ish age of 30, I also can’t report a net worth of $200k like other more prudent personal finance bloggers.

Frankly, I’m just a girl that’s passionate about money management. So I talk about it and write about it and stuff.

Spending money isn’t fun for me. If I don’t need to use money, I won’t. When I do, I try to use as little as possible to get the job done.

My philosophy when it comes to spending is “Big or small, I sweat it all.” I don’t care what it is, I ask myself these questions before buying it.

• Do I need it?
• Do I want it?
• Will I use it?
• Can it wait?
• Can I get it for free?

Over the last few years, frugality has become sexy, but I like having a nice, fat income too. (Since I recently left a job that provided that, I have my work cut out for me.)

Although money can’t buy everything, I bet it buys a lot a things you really enjoy. It’s only logical you’d strive to make as much money as necessary to buy those things.

BUT there comes a point where cash inflow isn’t the problem. If we’re smart, many of us have plenty of money to fulfill our needs and some left over to acquire our basic wants.

I believe that, and so I live it.

So, Why Did I Start Blogging? Read More

If there is one thing that I have learned to do in life, it is to learn from my mistakes.  It is a good thing, too, since I have made plenty of them and can usually end up better off in the end.  The same holds true for my experience with the Yakezie Network.  You see, the Delta Class is actually my second attempt at joining.  During the first attempt, I didn’t really fully understand the level of commitment, nor did I feel like I had a blog worthy of consideration.

That makes my admission as part of the Delta Class even more special.  I took stock of what went wrong the first time, made some adjustments, and was able to get the job done the second time around.  Of course, I had lots of encouragement and help from other Challengers and Members and for that I am immensely thankful.

One Big Family Read More

“Why do you give away so much information and advice?”

That’s a question I hear a lot.  People say that I could be making a ton of money charging people as clients for a lot of the information I put in my blog or when I’m just just talking to someone casually.  The thing is, I really enjoy talking to people about their businesses and financial matters.  It gives me a sense of pride knowing that I can help a person to understand something that once confused them or give them ideas to improve their situation.

The question comes up a little bit more when people read my blog.  Actually, it may be the second most commonly asked question after “What is that blog-thing you do?”  But, to understand why I do what I do, people need to know the story behind my early professional experience.

An eye-opening experience Read More