Tag Archives: The Financial Diet

Blogger Interviews, Financial Freedom

A Look Behind the Man and the Mohawk: An Interview with Budgets are Sexy

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Image: Budgets are Sexy

Boys tell stories ’bout the man. Say I never struggled, wasn’t hungry, yeah, I doubt it – Drake, Started From The Bottom

So, who is the man behind the mohawk?

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Well, you’re about to find out.

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Just who he is.

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But first…

A shout out to all things hearts and flowers. Valentine’s Day is coming!

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Valentine’s Day!!!

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Dean: Where am I going?
Sam: Dean, it’s Valentine Day. Your favorite holiday, remember? I mean, what do you always call it – uh, Unattached Drifter Christmas?😂

Q: What did cavemen give their wives on Valentine’s Day?
A: Lots of ughs and kisses.

As you can see, J. Money is all about the love.

And so this joke is for just for you J$.

Q: What did the calculator say to the pencil on Valentine’s Day?
A: You can always count on me.

Okay. All jokes and kidding aside.

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Who are we talking with today about the sorted topic of coin? Blogger extraordinaire J. Money of Budgets Are Sexy

Sometimes I am two people. Johnny is the nice one. Cash causes all the trouble. They fight. – Johnny Cash

Let’s find out the man behind the money and the mohawk?

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Let’s not waste any time. We’re diving right into the interview.

THE INTRODUCTION 

GBM Miriam: It was great meeting the one and only J. Money at FinCon 18 in Orlando. Congrats, on being an 11-time Plutus Award winner for your blog Budgets are Sexy. You can see more about what others are saying about his blog on his press page. The accolades are well-deserved. I even included him on my list of Money advice that 10 Bloggers told me blog post! That’s because J$ does not hold anything back when it comes to talking money.

Imagine my surprise to meet the man I had been following along to and reading his stuff for the past several years.

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He was extremely nice and down-to-earth. One of the friendliest guys I have ever met!!!

He never ceases to amaze me with his sheer enthusiasm for life, unbridled passion for what he does, his unmatched love of talking all things money, and incredible charisma and good vibes is almost like nothing I have ever felt!

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It was so great to meet him. He is just awesome to be around. You can never feel bad around J$. I dare you. He’s just too friendly and cool.

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I had to reach out and ask for an interview.

MEET J. MONEY (J$ FOR SHORT 😉

This is how it feels to meet J$.

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Fun Fact: Both Carl Weathers and Schwarzenegger have starred in films with Sly Stallone. Carl Weathers had famously done Rocky just a few years before he did this film, Predator, with Ah-nuld!

For those who don’t already know the award winning blogger.

Like Jay Z said, “allow me to re-introduce myself.” 

J$ STARTS A SEXY BLOG 

1. What prompted you to start a blog about money? Why are budgets sexy?

I fell in love with the community after searching for tips back in 2007 when I bought a house with no money down and no budget whatsoever (*gasp*). I was entranced by how real and RAW people were online – especially those sharing their net worths! – and after a while I thought I’d jump into the ring myself and have a little fun… Had no idea it would completely change my life, and my finances, over a decade later!

I came up with the “budgets are sexy” concept around the time Justin Timberlake’s “I’m bringing sexy back” song was charting, and thought it went well together since budgets essentially gives you the one thing that we all strive for – confidence. The confidence to know where your money’s been, the confidence to know where you’re money’s going, and then of course the confidence it gives you within just knowing you’re on top of the game! And how sexy is that??

So, you just decided to toss your hat into the ring! Wow. That’s it. Just jump out there. Well, that’s awesome.

You only live once, that’s the motto…YOLO – Drake, The Motto

I guess you really did take YOLO to heart. ❤👍

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Well, alright! 👌

GBM Miriam: I read the Financial Diet by Chelsea Fagen and was pleasantly surprised to see you were featured in it!! Congrats!!!

2. Any favorite finance books? How come? 

My top 3 favorites are:

  • “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi (good for action taking and funny as hell)
  • “The Automatic Millionaire” by David Bach (also good for action taking)
  • “The Millionaire Next Door” by Thomas J. Stanley and and William D. Danko. (good for your *mind!*)

I also love “Essentialism” by Greg McKeown, which isn’t a finance book, but more of a lifestyle/career one which heavily influences what I spend my time on, and more importantly – what I don’t.

GBM Miriam: On your blog it states: “A personal finance blog that won’t put you to sleep.” – Benjamin Franklin

Great! Because I liked to be entertained. I don’t want to be put to sleep! I want to talk money and have some fun. They say, give the people what they want.

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I thought that quote on Franklin was pretty funny because I did a blog post on the how the 13 virtues of Benjamin Franklin can make you rich. I am a huge fan of his and that is why I like the Disney film National Treasure so much as it has B. Franklin all over it!

Are you a fan of Ben Franklin?

3. What are you reading right now? What’s on your night stand? 

I’m reading a lot of books on the history of my hometown, which I’m told is even more boring than finances 😉 There’s also a book on Benjamin Franklin that a reader mailed me – “Franklin’s Thrift: The Lost History of an American Virtue” – as he knew I’m a big fan of his habits.

Success is having to worry about every damn thing in the world, except money. – Johnny Cash

4. One thing people may not know about you?

I have mild O.C.D. as well as A.D.H.D., and I also hate public speaking… which sucks, because you could really grow an empire in this field if you love getting in front of a crowd! Here’s an awesome article I just came across btw for anyone else who suffers from “reading O.C.D.” (It’s a thing!) –> How I Overcame My Reading OCD

Started from the bottom, now we’re here. – Drake

GBM Miriam: I read online that you managed to amass $400,000 in 7 years. That’s no small feat.

I try to think positive. Write down my goals (cause you know, it’s all about the power of the pen). Visualize what I want and say my affirmations to make things come to fruition.

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But what about you? How’d you do it?

5. What’s in your wallet? How did you start building wealth? 

I’m super minimalist with my wallet (it’s actually a money clip), and I only keep a credit card in it, my debit card, and then cold hard cash along with my drivers license. Although now I realize your question is more about my proverbial wallet isn’t it? Haha…

For that I max out all my retirement accounts every year using Vanguard index funds, or more specifically – the VTSAX fund (I keep my investing simple too!). Went from $50,000 to $800,000+ by mainly doing that, along with of course cutting back and finding other avenues of income along the way… 

GBM Miriam: I appreciate that honesty right there. Thanks for keeping it 💯!!

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Just like the post you did called The Red Wedding of Net Worth Reports : $842,180.92 [Down $60,000! The Worst to Date]

You just put it out there. And that’s awesome. I need all the transparency I can get right now with the Dow Jones base jumping every other week.

I almost started to Birdbox myself like Sandra Bullock and only look at the stock market blindfolded, but then I thought to just go ahead and look at it, as it’s better to just rip a band-aid off.

Alright, it’s time for the bonus round.

My favorite part of every interview here on Greenbacks Magnet!!!

Bonus Questions (pick any of the questions from the top or below that you want to answer) 

7. What’s your favorite ’80s and/or ’90s jam? What’s on your ipod? Would you let us hook up your ‘Recently Played’ list on Spotify to our office speakers?

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Haha… I love old school rap, mixed in with a little pop and folk music for good measure. You could hook up my iPod Nano if you wanted (remember that one???) but it’s stuck in the 2000’s as I rarely download anything and tend to stick to the radio or vinyl… I love me some Johnny Cash or Chuck Berry action!

Chuck Berry huh? Anyone remember the film Back to the Future?

Well, here is Marty doing a cover of the 1958 Chuck Berry song Johnny B. Goode. Enjoy!

8. What would your autobiography be called? 

“Normal Guy Gets Lucky and Can’t Believe He Writes Down His Thoughts For a Living”

GBM Miriam: I love that title! That’s really funny, but sooooo accurate.

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9. If you found a lottery ticket that ends up winning $2 million. What would you do? 

Pay the taxes on it, spend $10,000 lavishly on friends and family, and then probably bank the rest into Vanguard funds and keep going about my business…

GBM Miriam: Smart move. Pay those taxes.

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In a weird way I actually DON’T wanna win the lottery as I want to see if I can hit financial freedom *on my own*. Not that I’d turn it down if I won, but I’d probably have to stop blogging since everyone would just assume it was the lottery that brought me to this place and write me off, haha… I already feel like I won the lottery anyways as you can tell from my autobiography! 😉

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If you notice we go from 9 to 12, that is because out of 15 (more or less) interview questions, all guests can answer whatever ones interest them the most. Skipping a few questions we move right along.

In the illustrious words of Pauly Shore, “let’s keep on cruisin’.”

12. Do you consider Monopoly to be a game that you play with friends or enemies?

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FRIENDS!! Why would you play it with enemies??? The only real problem with Monopoly is finding people who will actually *finish the game* with you since everyone bails after only like 30 mins!! The worst!!

13. If you could steal credit for any great piece of art, song, film, book etc which one would you claim?

GBM Miriam: Personally, I would want the Campbell Soup Cans by Andy Warhol.

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Painted around 1962, one painting (of the 32 cans he painted, which the canvases are on display at the Modern Museum of Art in New York) went on to fetch a record-breaking amount for an American artist of $11.8 at Christie’s auction house in May 2006. I do love some Campbell’s chicken noodle soup.

Andy Warhol also said, “the goal isn’t to live forever. It is to create something that does.” It is one of the reasons I chose to start a blog.

BAS J$: I’m gonna take the lame way out and say I wouldn’t steal anyone’s as I hate it when my stuff gets copped. Plus — I already suffer from Impostor Syndrome  just being *myself*, so there’s no way I could pull off being someone else even if I wanted to! 🙂

14. Which animal would make the best type of president if the animal kingdom ever rises up and takes over?

Unicorns? I don’t know anyone who hates them, and we sure do need some magic up in here to fix our world!! 🦄🦄🦄

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Unicorn!!!!!
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15. When it comes to making tea which answer most applies to you?

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a) I am the patron saint of tea, tea for everyone!

b) I’m not a one man Starbucks. Every man for himself.

c) I’ve only got two hands- so first come, first served.

D) COFFEE FOR LIFE!

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– J$
http://jmoney.biz

GBM Miriam: As there was only three options, J. Money decided to do a write in answer. As any boss would.

What I should have asked. And figured would be a coffee drinker’s answer.

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Well, that brings us to the end of this interview. This was a fun post and I hope a good time was had by all.

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GBM Miriam: Thank you J. Money for stopping by!! I am sure we will see each other again at the next money meets media conference as FinCon19 is coming to DC! That’s right in our neck of the woods. 😉

BAS J$: thanks again for having me! fun and creative questions 👍🙏

Want more straight forward money advice from Budgets Are Sexy?

Find him on his  website or stalk him on Instagram and connect with him on Twitter at @BudgetsAreSexy 

Blogger Interviews, Financial Freedom

A Blogger’s Tale: An Interview with Bitches Get Riches

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It’s almost Halloween! So, I will start this post like the Crypt-Keeper would on the show Tales from the Crypt on the heels of this upcoming All Hallows Eve.

Hello Boils and Ghouls! Tonight’s tale is one of money, sophistication, and women.

Topic du jour: Women who talk money. Who are the ladies behind the riches?

Before I get into the interview, I just want to start by saying this:

Thanks for coming out tonight. You could’ve been anywhere in the world. But you’re here with me, I appreciate that. – Jay Z

So, like Nas says, “Yo sit back, relax, sip your cog-ni-ac” and I hope you enjoy this blog post!

INTRODUCTIONS ARE IN ORDER

Much like Chaucer did, in A Knight’s Tale, I want to make an introduction.

Welcome Ladies and Gents!

And everybody else here NOT sitting on a financial cushion:

Today, you find yourself equals.

For you will all equally receive the same knowledge.

I have privilege, nay pleasure, of introducing you to bloggers, like no others,

Bloggers that can trace their lineage back to 2015.

I first met them at a dinner table near Orlando, Florida,

Waiting for our drinks,

Hoping that our meals would be arriving soon,

As the chips and salsa, were not enough to satisfy our hunger.

Next, Kitty amazed me still further

With her sign language skills and by telling jokes for an hour

Helping us forget we were ravenous

And to not walk across the street to the Shake Shack.

Three hours later, both ladies entertained us with stories

So, that we did not spend dinner in uncomfortable silence.

And so, without further gilding the lily,

And with no more ado,

I give you the Seekers of Financial Independence,

The Protectors of ending uncomfortable silence,

The Enforcers of Getting Rich,

The Ones —

The Only –

Bitches Get Riches!!!

MEET THE BI*CHES

GBM Miriam: It was an absolute pleasure meeting you ladies at FINCON 18 this year! Congrats, on winning the PLUTUS Award for funniest financial blog for Bitches Get Riches. Thank you for stopping by Greenbacks Magnet.

This blog is to help folks learn all things money.

I asked Kitty and Piggy to share their knowledge by answering a few questions and they so kindly said yes.

And thankfully so, I need all the help I can get because I don’t want to have to live in the forest, eat off the land, and use roots as medicine due to lack of money and financial literacy.

After the Dow dropped 800 points, I was strongly considering it, but then, like my sister, I thought if only I didn’t need tampons and to watch Supernatural…

So, here they are dropping gems right here for all to see. In the illustrious words of Sailor Moon, “And that means you!”

Fast Fact: The hand signs that Sailor Moon makes while she says her famous line, “In the name of the moon, I will punish you” means “I love you” in sign language.

Let’s get right into the interview.

BI*CHES START A BLOG

  1. What prompted you ladies to start a blog about money? 

BGR Kitty: We were the first among our group of friends to hit the classic major life milestones–marriage, buying a home, selling our souls in big girl corporate jobs. Our parents and grandparents, bless them, they meant well, but their advice was from another century. So we were always texting each other for advice. We needed help from a peer who’d been there recently. Eventually we realized there was a wealth of valuable information just sitting in our text convos, and we thought, “Hey, why not publish it?”

BGR Piggy: What Kitty said. 

  1. What are your favorite finance books? How come? 

BGR Kitty: Piggy is The Good Child and will give you real answers. But I’ll tell you that I get more out of reading advice that I don’t agree with. Bad advice fires me up. For that reason I have to say The Four Hour Workweek is my current favorite. I haaaaaaaate that book. Myopic, exploitative, and smug. Just thinking about it gets me excited!

BGR Piggy: Oh yeah this is definitely my area of expertise. I am currently reading Brynne Conroy’s “The Feminist Financial Handbook” and loving it. Like, when’s the last time you read a book on money that started with a definition of intersectional feminism? I also can’t recommend enough the classic “Your Money Or Your Life” by Vicki Robin, which is an essential read for anyone pursuing financial independence or just a better life. Then for beginners, I really enjoyed “The Financial Diet” by the brilliant Chelsea Fagan. Last but not least, I am counting down the days until Tanja Hester’s “Work Optional” is released!

  1. What are you reading right now? What’s on your night stand? 

BGR Kitty: I’m currently rereading Y the Last Man. It’s one of my absolute favorite graphic novels. It’s the story of what happens to the world when everyone with a Y chromosome dies suddenly, with the exception of one guy and his pet monkey. A fantastic piece of sci-fi that’s I mean, I love any story with roving bands of crazed misandrists. I also just started White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America.

BGR Piggy: I just finished reading “Dietland” by Sarai Walker. It’s a total mindfuck of a book, all about body positivity, subversive feminism, rape culture, and a literal feminist terrorist cell that assassinates rapists and blackmails corporations into eliminating sexist products. If your reaction to that description was “… wut?” then hey, me too!

  1. One thing people may not know about each of you?

BGR Kitty: I don’t get hangovers. (I try not to rub it in the morning after a long night of drinking, but it definitely came up at FinCon.) I also have a genetic mutation that makes my body not process cannabinoids. Finally, I can open ANY jar. Seriously, ANY jar. Given this body of evidence, it’s entirely possible that I am Bruce Willis’s character from Unbreakable.

BGR Piggy: I hate chocolate. Refuse to eat it. When I was a kid my brother and I would divide the Halloween candy between us: he’d get all the chocolate, I’d get all the non-chocolate. He also got all the cavities which I’m sure is unrelated. I also love playing blues covers of pop songs at open mics! Just learned Ariana Grande’s “Dangerous Woman.”

  1. What’s in your wallet? How did you start getting your riches? 

BGR Kitty: I have a net worth of a quarter million. I find that beyond amazing, considering I’m a working artist. Every single lucky break I’ve had in my career has been because someone believed in me and advocated for me. If I were trying to make it in the big city with just my brains and my work ethic, I’d be straight fucked. I’ve had help, lots and lots of help. That’s why I like helping other people! It both feels good and is the only karmically sensible reaction.

BGR Piggy: I love this question, but I feel like Kitty’s question is perfect. Also, the Capital One Venture card is LITERALLY in my wallet. My husband and I paid for a vacation to Portugal for our fifth anniversary using the travel points for that card. It took us about two years of earning the points, which isn’t bad for a free vacation.

BONUS ROUND

Bonus Questions (pick any of the questions from the top or below that you want to answer) 

  1. Any life or money lessons from a favorite movie or TV show you would like to share?

BGR Piggy: According to my favorite movie, The Princess Bride, you should never get involved in a land war in Asia, nor should you go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.

  1. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be? Why?

BGR Kitty: Malcolm X, especially towards the very end of his life. He’s a personal hero, and an incredibly complex figure. I’d be so interested to hear his thoughts on the state of America right now. Also, he doesn’t eat pork, and neither do I, so it would be super easy meal planning.

GBM Miriam: On your About Page it states: Who are Kitty and Piggy?

Some people wonder which of us is the Bebop, and which one’s the Rocksteady. But that question is an illusion. We are both Krangs.

So, here is my question.

  1. Why not Bebop and Rocksteady? Why 2 Krangs? Inquiring minds want to know! You said I could ask you anything. Please, no judgment.

BGR Kitty: If we’re going by the 1987 animated series, Bebop and Rocksteady–though lovable–are bunglers of the highest order. We’re strictly bunglers of the second-highest order. Like Krang, we are very goal-oriented. We too have platform dependencies (us, Patreon; him, Shredder). And most of all, we share Krang’s personality: sarcastic and demanding, with an almost admirable abiding pettiness.

  1. If you found a lottery ticket that ends up winning $1 million. What would you do? 

BGR Kitty: I would drive my van to Empire City and stay at Le Hotel with my son in the hopes that I could convince my dead wife’s possessive lesbian ex-servant to chill the fuck out. Hashtag reference! All the kids got it!

The End.

This is where the screen fades to black and the curtain closes. Please ladies take a bow!

Well, we have now come to the end of this interview. That was not only interesting, but also entertaining to say the least. I feel like I just walked out of an amateur comedy night,  open-mic contest!

BGR: Thanks Miriam!!!

GBM Miriam: Thank you Kitty and Piggy for coming aboard!! The next time we see each other the Patreon is on me!

Want more financial and life gems, from the comedy stylings of the dynamo duo of Bitches Get Riches?

Find them on them on their website and connect with them on Twitter at @BitchesGetRich