Yahoo News Agrees with me! Or should I say I agree with them?

Finally a news agency is "seeing" what I have been. We're in a recession in certain geographic areas. The Yahoo News Article pretty much sums it up. (There's a link on my website to this article.)

What does this mean to you? Maybe something, hopefully nothing!

If you live in an area that you feel is in a recession, regardless if one has been officially called, take steps immediately to mediate your future losses. I have guides to surviving and thriving in a recession on my website at www.noexcusebudget.com

If your area has not been hit beef up your emergency fund just in case it does hit your area. Best case scenario you won't need the extra money and you just increased your savings. Worst case scenario you are prepared.

There are lots of ways to take advantage of a down economy... start thinking now.

As a Real Estate Professional and someone who is passionate about personal finance I also recognize that a persons house is very important to them (duh) and that there can be ways to avoid foreclosure. So along with the change to the No Excuse Budget to reflect the new economy we are all facing, I'm going to be adding a whole section on saving your house, and surviving a foreclosure. It's not a pretty subject but it needs to be discussed. Those crippled in the fear of financial troubles need an advocate and I'll be offering help with loan modifications, shortage sales and deed in lieu of foreclosure and foreclosure.

A special thanks to everyone that emailed me their stories of financial success and links to their bloggs... it'll make the No Excuse Budget even better! I can't wait to unveil the new website in the near future!

As I go about my day to day life I find myself constantly being reminded about the down turn in our economy. I never want to be the person that is constantly screaming "the sky is falling", but at the same time I feel like I owe it to the people who are facing the really tough times to know that they are not alone and that there is a problem. On the other hand I want to take my lead from Paul Revere and warn everyone that the recession could be coming to their area (if it's not already there) and that there is still time to save themselves.

Yesterday I had another "ah ha" moment when the local San Diego news said that 1 out of every 74 homes was in some sort of foreclosure. That is crazy!
The reality is that we are far from the end of this. My best guess is that we have another 2-3 years, at least, of the down market. I've said it before, banks need to get more realistic. Homeowners that can and want to stay in their homes should be given any and all assistance to make this happen. This is absolutely necessary. Banks can't even keep up with all the short sale, loan modification and deed in lou of requests. They can't even keep up on all the bank owned properties they have. If the goal is to get the housing market back on a normal healthy track than these foreclosures need to stop, and soon. We don't need another boom like we saw a few years ago, we just need people to be able to sell their homes when they need to move, first time buyers need affordable housing and move up buyers that can afford a larger payment need loans available to them.

This whole mess has humbled me. It can happen to anyone. Even if you have the best safety net and plan B, life can come at you hard. As I get older I realize that everything I thought I new I didn't really know and I also learn that I have alot to learn.

I'm trying to spend as much time on updating my website to reflect the economy and housing market which leaves little to no time on blogging. I really enjoy the blogging so I'll be back!

Hope you all are doing well! Has anyone received their simulus checks yet? How are you going to use it?

...And I need your help!

I've seen the signs. I bet you have too. We're in more than a slow financial period. I'm sounding the bells. We're in a recession. We might even be headed into a depression. I don't care about the "real" definitions any more. I posted the real meanings a month or so again, but I've decided I don't care if we really "fit" the definition.

I hated how the media acted like the end was here. They "predicted" the housing bubble for years... but now it seems like they are not as "energized" about the real problem we are facing.

I've noted how my website traffic has soured with troublesome search terms in the past month, but yesterday it reached a high for my humble little website. Action is needed and people need real answers and hope to get through this period. The No Excuse Budget is going to morph in the coming weeks into a real survival website.

Here are the sections I'm working on adding.

1. I am going to have a section just for stories of survival. Stories of hope, but more importantly what exact steps these people took to get out of a bad financial situation and where they are at now. I hate reading stories that say they were near bankruptcy and then they made millions... we need to know how, right? If you have a story to share please let me know. I'd love to add as many as possible. They more I have the more others can be helped.

2. I also will be adding a new blog and website exchange. If you have a website or blog that talks personal finance please email me and let's exchange links.

3. I'll be adding a section on debt prioritization. Assuming you have no emergency fund and you loose your job you need to know which bills to pay and how to handle the ones you can't afford to pay... along with the consequences. This is all to help soften the blow and let everyone know they are not alone.

4. The next section is going to be about the psycological effects of debt. It would be simple to say that debt can feel like you are physically being suffocated by a pillow, but that would be an understatement. I will add links to websites that talk about coping mechanisms for insomnia, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, marriage counseling and how to keep a "normal" routine for the sake of your children.

5. Losing your home. Understanding the basics of what happens when you can't pay your mortgage. From default to eviction. I won't be able to cover every states individual rules but I will be compiling a list of other websites that do. Again this section is to let you know you are not alone and an overview of what will happen and ways you can save your home.

I don't want to be an alarmist, but I think we are in for very troubled times. It would be easy for me to ignore all the signs like restaurants going out of business, rising foreclosures, gas that cost over $4.00 a gallon, and the unemployment rate sky rocketing. I could easily live in my own little world and pretend it's not effecting my life, but it is. It is effecting everyone whether you want to see it or not. It's time we all realize what is happening and take care of our families before it's too late.

Please email me if you would like to share your story of overcoming financial hardship, and/or with links to your blog or website.

webmaster@noexcusebudget.com

If you are facing a financial emergency right now, please remember that this is a temporary situation. Nothing lasts forever. Everything will be okay. Don't waste away in your troubles. Get out there and take action right now!

I'll keep this short and sweet (well not really sweet).

I think the U.S. Senate provides and encourages drug and alcohol use before they meet. How else can you explain the new suggested $7000 tax credit to anyone who buys a foreclosed home?

The worst part is that they are promoting this as "help" to homeowners and the housing markets. This is a load of crap.

The only ones benefiting from this are the banks. Yes, it's important to the housing market that the banks unload their inventory and get back to doing what they should be, making loans, but this only helps the banks, it helps NO homeowners.

If they really wanted to help homeowners and improve the housing market why not offer that incentive to ANY person that buys a property in todays market? By offering this incentive towards foreclosed, bank owned, REO properties they are hurting regular home owners who need to sell (remember them, the ones that really do need to sell). How can a regular home owner compete? They could drop their price by $7000, but then the foreclosed properties would do the same. There is no was that they can compete.

So to recap, this is a bad idea. Doing nothing would be better and no I don't really think they are drinking or doing drugs on the job... they must be sleeping through the discussion on this one!

What do you all think?

Edited to add: Neglected homes are the banks responsibility. They need to be made to mow the lawn and properly secure the home. It is the banks job to make sure homeless people are not taking over their REO's.

My point is that this hurts regular home sellers. These same people are also being hurt by REO's... I agree, but I'm starting to think that any help that is put towards the housing market is just being thrown down the toilet. I've yet to see anything offered to help homeowners... it's only helping the banks. Help the homeowners or do nothing.

I remember back in early 2001 watching the news say that gas was going to hit $3.00/gallon. I was really worried. We had a little one at home that had to go to the Dr. 2 times a week and the trip was 1 1/2 each way. Between medicine and the actual Dr. bills this was going to push us over the edge. This was when I took shopping with coupons up to the next level and we obviously survived.

Looking back $3.00 isn't so bad when you are currently paying $3.56/ gallon. Wasn't it just a few months ago when I was paying "just" $2.56/ gallon? Oh the good old days!

I'm actually doing okay with my battle over the kitchen (remember my post about being completely pathetic in the kitchen and all those great ideas I was given?). I've mastered (I'm not saying everything tastes great, but it's edible) enough menu ideas that we're not eating mac' n cheese or spaghetti every night. So the food part of my budget is doing well. Now I need to focus on gas.

We drive a lot for work. It's not unusual for us each to be on the road for 4-5 hours a day and that takes a lot of gas. We bought a sedan a few months ago and sold my husbands truck. We really needed the truck when we bought it a few years ago, but we did not have the same need for a truck anymore and we needed something that was nice to put clients in, but that also got better gas mileage. I'm so happy we did. We are saving close to $700/month since we got rid of the truck, but I can't help but think we could still do better.

My car is an SUV and although it's not the worst in gas milage it's not the best either and I really think about gas whenever I get in it. I'd love to get a smaller car but we need at least one car that can fit the whole family.

Here are the ways I'm trying to save gas... Please let me know yours too!

1. Group trips together- I do the bank, PO, kids pickup and grocery shopping all together whenever possible.

2. Don't speed. The faster you drive the quicker you burn up the gas.

3. Avoid the stop and go. I *try* to schedule appointments for times when I know there's not the usual stop and go.

4. Fill up when I see a good price. www.GasBuddy.com keeps track of gas prices and you can search by zip code.

5. Empty out my car. It's amazing how fast your car can "grow" junk. Not really, we seem to just leave stuff in the car and the more weight the car carries, the less gas mileage you get.

5. The old rule of getting your oil changed regularly and keeping my tires properly inflated.

6. No emergency runs for butter or eggs. It's not worth it to run out to the store for just eggs or butter unless I'm already out and about.

7. I buy my gas with this discover card that gives cash back on all fuel purchases. Link available at www.NoExcuseBudget.com

I think the one that is helping the most is mapping out my day the best I can. I seem to get the most bang for my buck, gas wise, is by not having to warm up a cold engine all the time and it's nice for the rest of my life to get all the errands done together and then spend the rest of the day getting actual work done.

It's not like me to get real personal. I've shared that I have kids, but not much about them... and I doubt I ever really will. Stay with me on this one. I feel like my cyber friends are my real friends, but really how well do you really know anyone? I'm not willing to put my kids out there and you'll never see a picture of them. I don't "knock" those that do share more about their kids as I do what works and makes me comfortable and others do the same. I can't say if posting about kids publically is good or bad. It's a personal choice.

When I became a REALTOR® I did not put a picture on my business card. I know that most real estate agents do, but I just felt really silly doing it and do I really need everyone to know what I look like? I since realized that future clients really like to see who they are dealing with before they meet you in person and now I have a picture on my website but still not my business card, I just can't do it. I still feel silly having it on my website, but I felt like I had to make the plunge and do it... It's not a "glamour shot" or even a professional photo, just one of me looking like I normally do! I get a laugh out of peoples pictures and then meet them and they look nothing like their picture.... either they are years older or a Pro took the picture and it's had major air brushing (don't get me wrong, I could use some air brushing).... Even the picture I use here on my blog is kinda incognito with sunglasses and such. It's how I really look, and yes I always wear sunglasses, okay not at night, but definitely during the day. I'm just one of those people who is sensitive to the sun, I burn easy too! (now I'm hearing "I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can, so I can... remember that 80's song!)

So my point is that I am a really private person. I fight with this when I write. There is so much I want to share and talk about, but I balance sharing with maintaining privacy for my families sake. When I first started my website I was shocked at the emails I received, both with what others would share with me, a complete stranger and with how my comments could be interpreted. I am lucky that I have not had any truly bizarre issues, but I am mindful of what can happen... I am putting my thoughts and my budget plan out there to the world, literally and anything can and will happen. Having said this, this is a big day for me as I am going to share a very private part of my life. I feel like it's a confession of sorts, but not in a bad way, at least I don't think so.

Here goes. For the past two years I have spent a huge amount of money to have another child. This is the only area in my life where I would ever consider racking up my credit cards. My "story" started when I went to the hospital to have a "normal" "easy" "quick" (you get the picture) test done. The test took all of 5 minutes. I went home and life was normal. Almost exactly 12 hours later I was being transfered from one hospital to another via ambulance and this started a 6 month battle against an infection that left me unable to get pregnant without IVF. Had the ordering Dr. remembered to order me an antibiotic or the performing Dr. not lied that the instruments did not have latex (I'm allergic) none of this would have happened. This was one of those times in life where anything that can go wrong did go wrong. Basically the infection destroyed both of my fallopian tubes. One tube was removed as it was filled with infection after 6 months of antibiotics, the other was lost with a ruptured ectopic. This was just last September and as horrific as it sounds, the rupture and surgery were nothing compared to loosing the baby, that broke my heart, the surgery just "broke" my tube. After this I went on to have two more early losses from IVF, (the last being right after my husbands car accident by the uninsured motorist, two weeks ago). I'm not done yet. I will keep trying, but at what cost I must ask myself.

And here is where my question starts. Are there any really good reasons to rack up your credit cards and go into debt? I want to say yes. Having another child would be worth paying down debt for the next 100 years. I promise you I would never look at the child and say "you were not worth it". I can also imagine using your credit cards to pay for health care of a family member. There is really nothing I wouldn't do for my families health and safety wise. Money is just money. Easy come, easy go. You can always make more.

I used to be a very strict no debt, don't spend more than you make, suck it up, it's your fault you are in debt, kinda person. Having started the No Excuse Budget and thus hearing others stories has changed me. Having gone through this trying time in my life has taught me so much. I am a lot less judging and although I really feel like I can budget with the best of them, and I love my No Excuse Budget system, I also know that I can learn so much from others and that the No Excuse Budget is and will continue to grow from all of this. I still contend that we must be responsible for our actions and that there is No Excuse for not having a budget, but I understand that life throws curve balls and that we must adapt. There is trully nothing we can not overcome and there are no worthy excuses.

On another note, traffic to my website has grown a lot in just the past few months. What is especially noteworthy is that I have done next to nothing to encourage this. I have done no advertising. I have been spending all of my time focusing on making money to fuel my "have a baby addiction" so I was really surprised. The number one search term was "make a budget" and "survive a recession". This worries me. I've made it very clear that I think we are in a recession, at least in certain areas and I think more people are thinking the same way. I'll be adding a page to cover these topics on http://www.NoExcuseBudget.com in the next few days. In case you were wondering, the old terms that brought me the most visitors were "free budget worksheets" and "how to make more money".

So here is my question to all you die hard budgeters and frugal friends... is there ever a good reason to rack up your credit cards? Please share with me your thoughts...

No, not the real “definition” of a recession. A true recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth in real Gross Domestic Product and we’re not there… yet. But do you think we’re in a recession based on what you are seeing in your community?

Living in Southern California it’s feels like it’s always feast or famine. Some days I am convinced that we are definitely in a recession (in certain neighborhoods at least) and then other days it almost feels like a healthy financial period. The “signs” that I see are restaurants that were normally very busy 1 ½ years ago now have empty tables and nail and hair salons are not as busy either… along with car washes and the malls.

Another really obvious sign of trouble are foreclosures. Driving through some neighborhoods they are everywhere and then in other areas they are few and far between. Just when I think it’s all going down hill I drive to another community and I don’t see even one distressed home.

Putting it all together I think that we are definitely seeing signs that we are heading towards a recession if we are not already in one, but I think that the most noteworthy piece of information is that it is localized. Some areas are really feeling the pinch and others, not so much. It appears that the hardest hit areas with foreclosure and recession like activity are the ones that have the most track homes as apposed to the areas with more custom homes.

My personal view is that although we are not in a depression based on the actual definition of the term, I believe that certain areas are definitely in a recession and that more will be soon. I don’t believe that any area is not being touched by the slow down, just not to the extent that others are.

What are you doing to recession proof your life? Are you putting away more money each month into savings? Are you thinking of back up plans incase you loose your job? Do you think that we are in a recession? What’s it like in your area?

Half the budgeting battle is cash flow, income, paycheck, otherwise know as bringing home the bacon. It's not so much what you owe, or even how much you spend as much as how much you make. It's one thing to cut back on all unnecessary spending, but it's an entirely different goal to bring in more money.

My Dad always said that cash might be king but that cash flow was God. It took me years to really get this, but it's true.

If you are new to budgeting and you want to do it well you need to do two things. Spend less and bring in more money. Either done separately will surely help, but doing both together will catapult you towards your financial goals a whole lot quicker!

A good budget allows you to have the financial security of no bad debt (your mortgage, student loans, 0% credit cards with the money sitting in a high interest earning savings account are all not bad debt) and a large emergency fund. I've put together a list of 50 ways to make more money to help you reach your financial goals. When deciding what you want to do to make more money first start with what you like to do. Next ask yourself if you are good at it. Then research research your idea to see if there is a need for it and if you can make money offering it. A good place to start your research is at http://www.craigslist.org/. Not only is craigslist free, but you can search other geographic areas to see what is missing from your area that others are offering (and making money) in others of the country.

Quick Note- Are there any stay at home Moms out there? I get tons of emails from stay at home moms... telling me that they have no idea what they could possibly do to make extra money because they have been out of the marketplace for so long being a mom. Every time I see one of these emails I'm amazed! Stay at home moms have one of the toughest jobs out there. Moms learn so many very valuable lessons just by becoming moms. Some great ideas for moms that need their self esteem boosted are babysitting, clean houses, organize kids parties, tutoring, cooking, etc. The possibilities are endless and many of these things can be done while your child is with you!


So here's the list. Please feel free to share your ideas too. I'd love to get this list over 100 to give others even more ideas! You can also find more detailed instructions for some of these ideas byclicking here!

50 ways to make more money today!



1. Mystery shopping

2. Part time jobDeliver newspaperWalmart night stocker

3. Craigslist poster, post ads on craigslist for others and make money doing it.

4. Rewards Programs- Join ebates. Whenever you make a purchase online buy through your account at ebates and earn a rebate on your purchase.

5. Recycle- yep, pick up cans and glass items and turn them in for cash.

6. Do Online surveys. There are a few posted above... join them and then read the ebook above for inside information to join many more!

7. Check to see if the government has any money that is owed to you. http://www.unclaimed.org/

8. Clean houses

9. Do yard work for a profit

10. Start your own day care

11. Construction cleanup. Call construction companies, pool builders, kitchen and bath remodelers and offer your services.

12. Start charging for your hobby- do you like to design websites? Take Photos? Make some money doing what you love.

13. Write blog articles for others...

14. Sell Avon

15. Write a book

16. Become a "at your home" call center Representative

17. Become a medical transcriber...

18. become a tutor, teach English, Spanish, french, whatever you speak

19. Do you know how to play a musical instrument? Teach it.

20. Do you know a sport, how to ride a horse? How to paint? Teach it.

21. Deliver new vehicles to new car dealerships.

22. Become a movie extra

23. Be a dog walker

24. How about a personal chef?

25. Offer yourself as a personal assistant

26. Become an Organizer. Organize garages, offices, paperwork etc. Learn all the tips of the trade

27. Write resumes for others.

28. Sell your books, CD's and DVD's online

29. Sell on Ebay. Figure out what sells that you can get for a discount and sell it.

30. Enter sweepstakes. Someone has to win, why not you?

31. Write political campaign material contact the local office and apply for a job.

32. Become a freelance translator33. In store demonstrator

34. grocery store coupon stocker

35. Write an e-book and sell it

36. Start an errand running business

37. buy and sell website domain names

38. Get paid for posting on new website forums

39. Write a newsletter and include advertising in it.

40. become a link seller. Offer your services to website owners and get paid per link you sell to other website owners.

41. Data entry

42. Host estate sales/ garage sales. Keep a percentage of the profit.

43. Sell celebrity photographs

44. become a petition peddler

45. Become a website hoster

46. Become an ebay assistant. Ebay actually sends you the leads!

47. Become a job broker. Help others find jobs.

48. Keep an eye out for good deals on the internet and resell them. Watch my tips section on the home page and pick up the bargains I post and then resell them!

49. Have a garage sale- Click here to learn how to get the most money at your next garage sale!

50. Join the Billion dollar medical transport industry. To learn how to start your own transport business