A Debt Free Christmas

Here are some guidelines for this years Christmas shopping:

1. Do not buy gifts or everyone and their mother, a simple christmas potluck or holiday card will be sufficient (I promise).
2. Do your research before you buy.
3. Make a Christmas budget so you don't get carried away!
4. When Christmas shopping for yourself - we all do it - go to websites such as Shopbop that offers free shipping and no sales tax.
5. Try to shop with your head and not your heart.
6. Give back - it feels good

And most importantly...DO NOT BUY THIS YEARS GIFTS WITH NEXT YEARS MONEY!

Email Etiquette 101

~Choose your email address wisely, it will determine how you are perceived.
~Always include a courteous greeting and closing.
~Be careful of your tone.
~SPELL CHECK, SPELL CHECK, SPELL CHECK!!!
~Do not fill in the TO field until email is completed and spell checked.
~Keep emails brief and to the point.
~Do not type in all caps.
~Keep fancy fonts and colors to a minimum.
~Chain emails are viewed as annoying by most recipients.

You can find more tips by visiting http://www.101emailetiquettetips.com.

Words From the Wise

"You learn nothing from success, because you have to repeat it."

~Karl Lagerfeld

There's an App for That

I love spending money! My credit card bill - lets not go there! One day I installed an Expense Manager on my blackberry, and now track every penny I spend.

This application creates a customized expense report according to your preferences. When tracking a purchase, you input the amount, payment method, catagory, and currency. At the end of every month you have the option of exporting this document to Excel. Expense Manager also allows you to set a monthly budget for each category, thus besides tracking your expenses it also works as a budgeting tool.  It will also help you keep track of what exactly you owe on each credit card. 

I have been trying to lower my expenses from month to month, using my previous expense reports as a threshold. Once you start seeing all the little expenses add up - i promise that you will begin to change your spending habits!

Overachiever

"The art of setting goals involves establishing specific, measurable and time-targeted objectives."

To be most effective goals should be tangible, specific, realistic and have a time targeted for completion. You need to have a plan of action to achieve goals – the more precise the better. Sometimes I get so caught up in random tasks, that I do not put enough motivation and time into the deliberate steps I need to take to achieve my goals. 

        I recently bought a miniature notebook that I carry with me everywhere. I write down every task I complete during the day. At the end of the week I compare my achievements with my goals. I then modify my objectives for the following week.

I have been using this tactic for a month now - I think It’s an amazing way to track your progress and hold yourself accountable!

Your Daily Motivation

Vacations!!!!

Pick a destination, set your goals, and go for it!

The Informational Interview

Lets be honest, people love to talk about themselves. Informational interviews are a great way to prepare for your chosen profession. It is very unlikely you will get turned down – and not only are you being provided with the inside scoop, but you will also stand out to the interviewee as a person who is passionate and hungry.  
                 
Below are some tips on how to run a successful informational interview: 

1. Always prepare your questions in advance.

2. Make your questions as specific as possible – you should already know the answers to the general questions surrounding your industry.

3. Be friendly and personable, put the interviewee at ease.

4. Do not ask for a job!!

5. Do not ask compensation questions.

6. Listen more than you talk.

7. Always send a thank you card.

The In Crowd

            We all make strive to accomplish goals in our personal and professional lives.  We gloat to anyone that will listen about our dreams and aspirations. Talk talk talk talk.... how do we ensure we are progressing in these goals? There are many people whom year after year have the same objectives – the goals themselves never evolve, and these individuals are no closer to achieving them. You do not want to fall into this category!

            It is often difficult to track your progress after college, you have to be self motivated because no one is forcing you to do the work. Many of us take noticeably longer to accomplish our goals, if not loosing sight of them first.

            One idea to ensure success is to develop a "Dream Team." These are people you meet with once a month to discuss your personal progress. Members of a Dream Team need to be highly motivated and eager to succeed. The goal is to stimulate the team to make big strides towards their professional goals on a daily basis. This type of group provides accountability. How embarrassing would it be to go to a meeting having made no progress? Exactly

Your Daily Motivation

"There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. We all have a choice. You can decide which type of person you want to be."                                                                                  ~Mary Kay Ash