Last week I shared about looking at my bank statement and my experience seeing where my money was going. Granted I live in NYC and a large chunk of money goes to my rent and credit card bills. However another huge chunk of change goes to my food.

My Eating Out Habit

Let’s take lunch on average I spend about $8-10 per day and if you add it up to 5 days a week that total looks like $50 and for a month an average of $200. Am I eating out at fancy places? Not really. The lunch typically consist of salad or sandwich.

I come home late at night and sometimes the thought of spending half an hour to 40 minutes cooking before my meal well it becomes tiring and annoying.  My solution is to get take out from one of the 5 places open in my neighborhood.  On the average month, I would spend about $50 on weeknight takeout dinners

But that’s not all, I do like to go out for dinner once in a while with my friends in the city. On average my expense is $20-25 per dinner and at 4 times per month the figure comes to $100.

Indeed I do have a big money drain that I can make some small simple adjustments to meet my current spending plan.

My Game Plan 

• I am bringing my lunch to work at least 3 times per week.  My current work lunch budget is $20.
• I am also scheduling the time to go grocery shopping once a week. I will be alternating between the following:  Whole Foods (1 week), Trader Joes (2 weeks) and ShopRite (1 week) and my current budget for groceries is $50 per week.
• I will also prep and cook easy meals that can be assemble during work nights and lunch prep in the morning.
• I have a $50 eating out budget

Tips & Tricks that I am adopting

• I am carrying cash only for my work lunch expenses. This means that I only have $20 for the week and I will have to make it work.
• The same goes for eating out with friends I will be paying in good old cash.  I know it will make it easy to pay the bill at the end of the night.
• Create a grocery shopping list with meal plan ideas to avoid buying extra stuff that I don’t need. I will also check for potential coupons to use for the various expenses such as Greek Yogurt, house cleaning products, etc.  I will splurge on one or two ingredients that I love/enjoy such as good EVOO, cheese and other exciting splurge
• When it comes to produce, I will try to keep it seasonal as it is cheaper and the food taste much better. Hello, NJ Tomatoes how much I missed you!?
• Splurge on buying cute takeout containers that will inspire me to bring my lunch to work.
• Having fun creating new eating plans, trying new foods and bringing an extra load of abundance into my life.

What am I doing with the money that I am saving?

Putting money in my emergency fund and my clothing/self-care savings account as I want to work with a stylist and go shopping for new clothes, invest in a good everyday foundation and buy a couple of new pairs of sandals for the summer.

Important Note:

This is not a plan of deprivation or restriction. What I am trying to do is bring a new level of consciousness to my money. I want to spend my hard earned money  in the areas where I value the most which means my personal development, fitness classes, clothes and other fun expenses and adding more pleasure into my life.

I want to hear from you, what are some of the areas that you identify as your money drains? What kind of game plan do you have in place to help you change your habits?  Please leave a comment below!

After a week full of fitness fun from the Meet and Tweet and Self Workout in the Park (both reviews are forthcoming), I realized I forgot how much I missed moving my body.  Needless to say we are back in business when it comes to bringing fit back!

A few important updates: I ended my membership to Equinox this month as it became very clear that I wasn’t using it enough to justify the high price in addition to my addiction to fitness boutique classes.

Summer Fitness Bucket List

Free  Fitness Classes to Try Out:

• Hoboken Fitness in the Park Classes (Monday’s on June/July)
• Lole Showtique Fitness Classes at Pier 25  from IntenSati on Mondays to a great list of offering on Tuesdays for the summer that I am super excited to try out. Classes are on Tuesday’s at 6:30pm)
• Athleta UWS and UES are offering great classes that I am interested in trying including Stacy’s Bootcamp
• Weeklong pass for Pure Barre NYC and Yogaworks and complimentary Kiwi Sweat class (thanks to the Meet and Tweet)

Boutique Fitness Classes to try out:

• Pedal NYC- A few months ago I got offered to try out the class but life got insanely busy. So I am looking forward now signing up for a class and doing it.
• Anti-Gravity Yoga- OM Factory opened a studio in Union Square can’t wait to give this class a try
• Jersey City Fitness Bootcamp:  (A) its an outdoor bootcamp outside of my train stop in the waterfront (b) it’s not that expensive for a month long experience
• Exhale’s Core Fusion Cardio
• Bija Yoga- Goddess Circle
• 5 Rhythms 
• KatMoJam – There is a Lifebooker Loot available and it seems like the right kinda of jam for me
• Chaise23
• SurfSet when it returns to NYC in September
• SLT reformer and yoga
• Dance by Body by Simone de la Rue
• Brooklyn Bridge Bootcamp
• Hiking Yoga
• Open Air Yoga 
• Uplift

My Wishlist:

• Working with a personal trainer at least for 8 weeks to get a good fitness routine down

Fitness classes that I love to take already and I am willing to continue investing on it:

• Shrink Sessions every Wednesday
• Physique 57
• Refine Method in their new studio in Union Square
• Barry’s Bootcamp - and I am excited that it’s opening in TriBeCa soon!

Personal Goal:

• At the end of the summer, my personal goal is to be able to hold a plank without giving up for 3 minutes straight
• Post 4 workout class reviews per month

Money Bootcamp & Fitness Classes

As you know I am also taking care of my finances. This means that I will have to adjust my spending plan  to the following things less money on work lunches as well as coffee equals more money on fitness classes.  My monthly fitness class budget right now is $225 per month.  Yes this will call for some creativity, doing online search, etc.

I want to hear from you! What are some of your favorite boutique fitness classes? What are classes worth investing? Any new workout that I should try out?  Leave a comment below!

I wish I could be honest and say that I always feel 100% and that my  dark thoughts never go back to maybe this time  will work. Unfortunately that is not the case as I am struggling with just feeling the feelings as life throws a few curveballs.

A few weeks ago, my ceiling caved in and with it completely turned my home space upside down. I took days off for the construction guys to come and fix it. They didn’t show up. I had to take more time off to stay at home and now dealing with the construction. The job that was supposed to take two days now its 4 days. My room is full of dust, chaos and lack of access to the things I take for granted (my sleep sanctuary, my makeup and other beauty products, my clothes).  Yup its a chaos that I can’t even stand it. Mind you, I am comfortable with specific type of chaos but not this kind.

Here I am dealing with something that is completely out of my control. I can’t go ahead and fix the ceiling on my own. The thoughts that go through my head maybe this will be the perfect motivation to start a new diet, running program, get rid of the sugar, go on a coffee detox, maybe purge a little in secret.  I am not skinny enough, good enough, pretty enough. A whole lot of not enough.Yup that’s what’s going on in my head. It’s the motherload of the temper tantrums ready to show off its ugly head.

For today (Thursday) my choice is just to feel it. To write down how it feels in my body, what are historical messages that are coming through from feeling displaced, ignored and well deprived. To be of service to others and call newcomers who need the support. Thank Goddess that I have service commitments to speak this weekend which means that I can’t lose my abstinence because other people are counting on me.

Thank Goddess for the communities of support I have been able to be honest and share. Thank Goddess for my mom whose unconditional love and acceptance I can count on. Thank Goddess for my classmates who I can connect throughout my day. Thank Goddess that I am creating a new life for me that yes it is a lot of hard work but it is also where my passion lies.

So if you are struggling, just remember you are not alone. If you can take a moment and write down 5 things that you are grateful for and what your desires are and remember they shall all be or something better.

Feel free to leave a comment or email me at laura@joyfulshimmy.com

I am crunching the numbers and getting clear on my assets and losses.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working with Karie Hill in her Ditch Your Debt program (a full review will be forthcoming this month) where I have gained a few tools in how to look at my finances.  I decided to combined my learning from Karie’s program with what I know from working with Mama Gena and I have put together a delicious Money Date with my Benjamins the ones that I have and the ones coming my way.

Here is what you need for your own money date:

• Print out your bank statement
• If you have already link your account to Mint.com then print out the charts of the trends where you are spending your money
• Have a copy ready of all of your credit card bills- so you can list your balance, your APR interest, minimum payment
• Wear something fun or that makes you feel good, perhaps some red lipstick or those really expensive shoe splurge that you are waiting to wear for a Special Occasion- yes this is a SPECIAL occasion.
• Get your calculator, pen and paper or excel spreadsheet ready.

Here is the step by step what you need to do (or what I did):

• I got ready like any other romantic date and I met my friend for shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue. Yes we tried out different shoes and whatnot but I didn’t spend any money.
• Back to the dating preparation, I took a nice self-care bath, really dressed up and put on some sexy Nars Lipgloss.
• First, I started by writing down what are my expenses, getting clear at some of the areas that I can cut back i.e.  lunch during my work week, etc.
• I wrote down all of my credit card debt and what the interests rate are, minimum payment, etc.
• I also listed my savings accounts which I now have 4 of them (fun fund, emergency fund, a regular savings for overdraft purpose, etc).
• Then I crunch my numbers. Created a game plan a la Suze Orman/Jean Chatzky which meant I am paying down the high interest rate credit card first and then moving ahead with the other cards.  I am also saving more aggressive in my emergency fund.
• I also created a game plan of areas where I needed help  for instance bringing lunch to work as opposed to eating out, cutting down a few expenses that I could use for other areas in my life.

Where I am at today? I am excited to share that after gaining more clarity around my finances what I have today it has open up a window for opportunities. I also realized that I am not “broke” I just needed some further clarity and direction as to where my money is going to. I think from this point forward Benjamin and I are off to a good start in our relationship. Second and third dates are a must. Nope I am not going to be coy or play hard to get with this relationship.

 I want to hear from you! What are your experiences when it comes to looking at your money?

I am excited to tell you that this month I am participating in this telexperience called “Transformational Truths.“  This is the first time I shared my experience, strength and hope regarding my path to recovery overcoming bulimia outside of the 12 step rooms in NYC.  Yes I go there and share the nitty gritty of what my life used to be like living in the eating disorder jail.

What I am most excited about is that I had the honor to share my unconventional path to recovery. You get to hear the process, the how I got here 4 years later living a life that is beyond my wildest dreams.  When you are struggling with an eating disorder seeking the recovery, I remember hearing and reading oh I just recovered from bulimia then my next question is HOW? The response is oh it just happened. I wish I could tell you that my story was just like that “Oh it just happened overnight”  but the reality it wasn’t. It has been a long term process of steps, tools, programs, relapses, inside and outside help that I have picked up over the past 4 years to build a sustainable path to recovery.

Make sure to sign up and listen to my call as well as the other experts who would be sharing their experience, strength and hope in various areas.

The telexperience starts on May 12-27, 2012. If you can’t make the calls no worries, a recording would be send the next day and will be available for the next 24 hours after the call.

Happy soon to be Cinco the Mayo!

If you have your tacos and nachos ready and you long to add a protein but you bank account is low here is a recipe that cost $3.50 or less and it takes less than 15 minutes to get done. The video is short 44 seconds long… I encourage you to visit Cooking Minute  for weekly recipe videos that are 1 minute or less.

Again make sure to check out Cooking Minute for new recipes to add into your repertoire!

I have written many post on the values of daily affirmations when it comes to shifting my relationship within myself from body image to self-confidence.   As I started to tackle on this area of money, I was curious to see if affirmations can be transferable tools. I am happy to report YES it is!

My Story

At the advise of a money mentor, who encouraged me to write what were my money messages and stories.   I started to see a pattern in my thought process that reflected my daily actions around money. The areas that I felt powerless over because I was acting on autopilot, I  could see the core belief being cemented into my money story.

A sample of my money messages were:

• Money was bad and a loaded subject and should be avoided at all times. This include my fear over looking at my bank and credit card statement. I was very quick to spend it all in small vices (coffee, eating out, classes, etc).  Living paycheck to paycheck was the norm.
• I am a women which meant that I will be saved by Prince Charming, therefore whatever I earn is really play money.  How this play out is in the areas that I spend my money, everything but secured debt (purchasing a house) or investments including my retirement account.  For some odd reason, I have been holding on to this idea that I would be save.  Therefore there is no need for me to get savvy around money or to think about my own long-term.  (NOTE: If you are struggling with this belief make sure to read “Prince Charming Isn’t Coming” right NOW and then check out Barbara Stanny’s work).

Solution/ Money Mantras

As you know I am true believer that we have to shift our insides to reflects our outside and vice-versa.  Our thoughts can have the power to dictate our reality.   As a fabulous conjurer that I am, it turns out that March’s Shrink Session was all about the Benjamins.  Actually it was how we can shift our relationship with money, our thought patterns  from a place of scarcity and lack into a place of abundance. Therefore the affirmations were about to provide new money messages into our consciousness.

Here are some of my new favorite money mantra’s  from Shrink Session this March thanks to Ms. Stuts:

• I circulate my gifts. This is big when I think about money as a fluid gift from the universe; it helps me with my tithing practice
• I focus on ABUNDANCE. Yup that is where my focus lies not on scarcity and what I don’t have.
• I am a money magnet. Yup, you know I am.

I have also taken the time to create some of my own personalized Moneyantra (get it Money + Mantra= Moneyantra):

• I am smart, financially savvy women
• I conjure all of my desires and more
• I am a six-figure women
• I have clarity when it comes to my finances

I am curious to hear, what are your money messages? Do you see a connection between your thoughts and your actions? 

If you are ready to connect your money messages with your vision, then I invite you to come to the Cash Flow Conversations: Creating your Vision on May 11, 2012 from 7-9:30pm or May 13, 2012 from 3-5:30pm.

Over this past month,  I accomplished the following:

• Started an intense 90 day journey on my money issues. Here are a couple of blogs about it: How Did I get Here? and Money Clubs
• I partnered up with a Stylist friend to put together a huge designer clothes sale
• We had a nor’easter and my roof caved in. I now have a new bed, renter’s insurance and a “Rainy Day Fund”
• I shoot a cooking video for Cooking Minute
• I remained active in putting my pleasure and self-care top priority in my life thanks to my work with Mama Gena’s.
• I did a couple of presentations and speeches
• Return of Say It Do It in a different way
• My blog was nominated to Fitness Magazine’s “Best Inspirational Blog” Thank you for voting!
• I joined the Latina Lifestyle Bloggers Collective
• I celebrated 4 Years of Abstinence from Bulimia- WHAT  WHAT!

My goals and intentions for May 2012!

• Return of Shrink Sessions after a month-long hiatus due to work schedule
• More money journey sharing on the following topics: I am an underearner, my favorite financial reads, how I am ditching my debt for good and my favorite moneyantras
• More Inner Circle goodness- I got some fun exercises to expand my havingness
• Reconnect with at least two new friends throughout this month
• Post at least 8 blogs per month and 1 guest blog in some other space in cyberspace
• I am speaking at this fabulous telesummit “Transformational Truths”
• Host a Cash Flow Conversations: Creating your Vision (May 11, 2012 & May 13, 2012)
  

Do you have any April celebrations? How about any May intentions?

This book is HOT!

I have to admit I was a bit intrigue after hearing a segment in the Today Show about this book and how its suburban mom secret taking over the nation. I was curious enough to go on to Amazon to purchase the book. At that time, it was only available on  kindle only which I am grateful to have an ipad. I purchased thinking let’s see how good this book really is.

After a few chapters in, I was hooked. I don’t know if its the relationship, the dynamics taking place between Christian’s experience and expectations in a relationship as opposed to  Anastasia’s naive ideals.  Let’s just say I am hooked. I am right now on the second book and well this blog post is taking time away from the book.

The book is hot, juicy and it will ignite new thoughts and ideas.

Go ahead and indulge yourself with some 50 Shades of Gray.

xoxo

Laura

Whoa! Say it do it on a Friday?! Indeed!

Here is my commitment for this last weekend of April and early May 2012!

• Friday: Lecture tonight (Networking) and Burlesque Birthday Party with the girls
• Saturday: My anniversary from abstinence from the bulimia! A whole lot of walking throughout my day
• Sunday:  Yoga class & Getting down to business money date
• Monday/Tuesday: Business Coaching Sessions and work
• Wednesday: Shrink Sessions

Other important commitments include:

• Getting clear about my debt, income, monthly expenses!
• Assess one area that I can cut out and do it!
• Work on the content for my Self-Care Tool Kit
• Work on website stuff: testimonials page, etsy store, etc.
• Submit Ignite! Topic proposal this weekend

Upcoming Event Alert

Cash Flow Conversations: Creating a Vision

In this interactive workshop you will not only clarify your money vision and most importantly manifest it within your intended timeframe.
Friday, May 11, 2012 from 7:00-9:30pm or May 13, 2012 from 3-5:30
@ Jersey City, NJ (Exchange Place Path Stop- 1 stop away from World Trade Center)
Personal Investment $21*
RSVP today for Friday’s session here and for Sunday’s session here

10% of the funds raised will be donated to Kiva for a micro loan to a female entrepreneur in Peru

Now I want to hear from you! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? What are your goals and intentions for this upcoming week?