#it would really be something to be able to cover my monthly bills with patreon - im around halfway there!

[oooocleo]

this month weve had a selection of affectionate hetty x sura & well... whatever vik has going on............! consider supporting me to see the full versions of these & to allow me to dedicate more brain space art in general! (continually rising costs of everything is getting my ass)

patreon

[kecharacosplay]

Currently Feeling Like The Worst Person Alive

Rant post ahead, skip if you don't like sad/angry pouting.

This is my beautiful princess, Tonks. She's about 7 years old and is the most pampered baby I've ever had. She's also my first long-term cat, as before I'd only fostered a few.

She's always been a bit delicate, specifically regarding her health(little colds all the time, possibly allergies), but never anything serious...at least until the last year or so. A few months ago, she got a hematoma(swelling of the ear) that required a cannula(drain tube/surgery), and these past few weeks we've been dealing with a combination UTI/ear mites situation.

Luckily at her checkup, the ear mites seems to be taken care of, although the UTI came back after getting back from the appointment(was worried she had a blockage this time, but the pee -did- come out eventually, just took her a few tries).

So you may be wondering why I feel like a horrible person because of this? Well, it's because she also has shitty teeth and needs a deep cleaning/possible extraction...but of course it's going to cost over $700 dollars. Those who know me, and maybe those who don't can probably guess that I don't have that kind of money. I had to beg help from my parents just to cover the antibiotics/checkup(about $200 including vet fees for current issues, nearly $400 last year for the cannula).

I feel horrible because they've told me a few times over the years that her teeth weren't great and she'd probably need to have them cleaned. And because of the cost, I just keep putting it off, hoping that someday things would turn around financially and I'd be able to get her the help that she needs.

This has not happened yet...but I'm still hoping. She hasn't really been eating much the last few weeks, possibly because of the stress of medicine/appointments/uti pain...but her shitty teeth probably cause her pain every day too.

So here are my options:

1: Commissions: My primary source of income, and preferred method if I'm being honest. Cosplay costumes, dresses, purses, hell I've even done a few plushies now. If it's sewn, I can probably make it, and I use Paypal mostly(invoicing system allows for payment plans), but I also accept CashApp, Stripe, and a few others I can't remember. You can contact me about this in any form you wish. Tumblr message, IG, FB, email, anything except phone call(I don't have a 'business line', just a personal phone).

2: Patreon- I don't post newd stuff, but I do occasionally do tease things, but only for the higher tiers. I have a whole bunch of stuff planned to add to this if it ever actually gains traction, but for now I just post a set of pics(cosplay/casual/sometimes boudoir) once a week.

3: Donations- My least favorite, but possibly has the highest potential? I don't use GFM because they are greedy bastards that abuse the shit out of desperate people, so instead I use Ko-Fi(and CashApp too I guess?) If you don't wanna pay monthly, and don't have the funding for fancy-custom-made garments, but still want to help, this is the way to go. I also have a handful of digital patterns here as well, which I guess is a way to donate while still getting something back.

Sorry this griping ended up so long. I like to type when I'm extra frustrated and depressed, and I know Tumblr isn't the best place for money-raising, but I honestly just don't have the energy to attempt building a following anywhere else. I've been on IG for 8-10 years and still haven't hit 500 followers, so I just don't think I'm one of those people that flourishes in the spotlight.

Still, for the sake of my sweet little princess(I also have a dog with recently-developed seizures, and the other cat Cirilla is fine on health but just recently added to the bills with vaccine updates), I will keep trying until my dying breath.

[shinobi-isekai]

ok, so...i feel really bad about this but i’ve made a patreon. some of you may know that i graduated this past may with my master’s degree and i have been searching for employment ever since. i dont want to cross any legal lines by monetizing my fanfiction, but its the only thing i make that i know has a reader base. 

that is not to say only people who pay get to read it. i will simply be releasing the previews and chapters on patreon first and waiting a bit before making them free to access and posting on AO3 and the other platforms where my fics are posted. 

info below the cut

the lowest tier is $3 USD a month and gets you access to the previews and chapters. this was the lowest price i could enter without popups showing up to question me. I feel really bad about putting my writing behind a paywall, even a temporary one, but i need to pay my bills and feed my dogs. sorry.

the second tier is $5 USD a month, and gets you access to previews and chapters, behind the scenes content (largely my worldbuilding notes and writing process, should you be interested in that), the power to vote in polls, and the ability to make requests (of things you want to see in the stories, ships you want scenes for, short aus, etc).

The third tier is $10 USD and gets you all of the above PLUS access to live streams (if that’s even something anyone wants??) and i will make an ebook cover for you using the resources i used to make mine. 

idk if any of this interests any of you, but i really don’t know what else to do. i want to keep making content for you, but i don’t have the time or brain power to dedicate while i’m struggling to make ends meet. a little bit of help would go a long way to guarantee i’m able to keep going. 

i also understand if even a little bit is too much to promise on a regular basis, and i greatly appreciate all the donations i’ve received on Ko-Fi. I was able to pay for internet this month because of your generosity. if anyone would prefer to make one time donations rather than committing to monthly payments, please consider using my Ko-fi.

again, i want to clarify that you DO NOT have to be a patron to see any of the future chapters. they will be posted on AO3 and other sites for FREE after i make them available to patrons only for some time. this is all just a way for me to make sure i have the mental energy to even consider writing, that’s all. 

[youlighttheskyart]

Pause Patreon and Slowed Down Writing (IMPORTANT)

Hi everyone,

I have paused the billing cycle on my Patreon so that you will not be charged for your monthly pledges on September 1st. After that, I will temporary suspend my account until June 2021 - August 2021.

1) So what's going on?

- This Saturday I got a call from a principal about a contract teaching position for Grade 7/8 where I will cover a teacher's maternity leave. Essentially, I will be like their full-time teacher. I will need to focus all my time on making unit plans, marking schemes, classroom management strategies etc. This will be my first year ever doing something like this, as I'm usually a supply teacher, so I will need to concentrate on this. Mental Health wise, I will not be able to keep up with monthly oneshots or updates for stories.

2) Will I still get my August 2020 oneshots/updates/art?

- Yes! However, since I got this job last minute, please be patient with me. My number one priority right now is preparing to be a homeroom teacher for the next year. I will try to get the following done by December 2020 for those that I still owe oneshots/updates too:

- a small Yuna and Paine drabble from FFX

- an update to 'Sincerely Scattered Shards' and a oneshot in that universe

- an Aerti oneshot around 1000 words from FF7

- a Gohan/Videl oneshot around 1000 words from DBZ

- a Luna/Harry oneshot around 1000 words from HP

- completing Meteor Seeds

3) Will you still be writing for the FF7 and HP fandoms during this time?

Yes but updates will be slow and sporadic due to my schedule. I intend to restart working on 'Teaching History' for the HP fandom again, and I do have a lot of unpublished FF7 oneshots that I will be working on slowly.

4) In June 2021, will you be back to writing FF7 and HP content?

Yes, absolutely unless I get another contract position again... or maybe permanent?

5) What can we do if we still want to support you over the year?

Kofi! This way you can save your money during this time of pandemic and only donate as you go. Or if you can't donate, leave comments! If you don't have time to leave comments, just general 'You can do it' messages while I do this. And if you're a teacher, any advice on supporting teen mental health and class management would be amazing.

6) I keep seeing you update other stuff during the year that you didn't mention on this list...?

I have a 2020 Tomarry Big Bang entry that's coming up... and I do a lot of self-indulgent writing for myself and my own health for other fandoms that haven't been posted yet. Honestly, I'll write what makes me feel better at the time. I am putting my Patreon stuff as a priority, but who knows how I'll deal mentally in the future. I stress draw A LOT when I teach, so you'll see me posting art. That doesn't mean I have time to do monthly oneshots. Writing for profit, I've found, can be stressful if it's for a thing that I'm not into at that moment. So it's best for me to suspend my patreon for now (and it's better for your wallets.)

7) What if I don't want to support you anymore?

That's totally okay! Finances are tight! And opinions change! Maybe you like my stuff now but when June 2021 comes around, you're like 'Ew, Light, who's that?' and that's okay! Do what's best for you. Save your money. I'll still keep writing and I wish you all the best :)

8) In the meantime...

Wips that I will be working on slowly during the year:

1) Teaching History (is Old News)

2) Sincerely Scattered Shards

3) Meteor Seeds

And I will will be drawing

Thank you so so much for being so supportive and wonderful. A lot of you are here from the FF7 fandom and I've found you incredibly kind. I really appreciate you. All of you have helped me get through this pandemic, and I hope you help me get through this first contract position. I'll post updates on my pillowfort and twitter about my mental health.

Thank you. And see you in June, if you decide to stay :)

[genderpunktheo]

this might be too personal so i completely understand if you don’t want to answer this fully or not answer at all, but i’ve recently been watching videos on ppl’s budgets etc but a lot of them are female american influencers and while it’s interesting and useful to see how they do, i don’t understand how $3000 is an averaged monthly budget. only if you’re comfortable sharing i was wondering what your monthly budget or monthly spending is like as a british student and someone out of that sphere?

Sure, I don’t mind sharing! 

So, as a student my tuition fees are covered by a government loan, I won’t bother including that cause it goes direct from the government to my uni and I never get to even see it. 

I also receive a maintenance loan from the government three times a year - each one is supposed to cover about three months (the last three months are over the summer, we don’t get one for that since we’re not at uni). 

My last payment for this was £1312 which sounds like it would be a lot but that basically covers my rent for the term - in fact, the last term it didn’t even do that, I paid my landlord £1400 which was October, November, December rent so I had to sort out the remainder from my own money. That includes water, electricity etc. (unless we overuse it but we never have so far). Rent is so low because I live in a student house with three other people. 

These maintenance loans are means-tested based on how much your family earns - I get the lowest possible amount because the assumption is that my family earns enough to send me money to make up for it. However, because of various reasons (too private to share), my family aren’t able to do that so I just make do with what I’ve got (at least it pays my rent!! I’m very grateful for that).

In order to pay rent over the summer, I always aim to save £400 for July over the course of the year and then I pay £400 for August and £400 for September by having a summer job. 

Last year I worked for half of July which paid me £556 at the end of August. I then worked full-time hours for the whole of August and got paid £1330 at the end of September for that. 

Once summer rent was paid that then left me with £686, a large chunk of which went on my new camera for YouTube and the remainder I used to help pay for mine and my boyfriend’s anniversary trip to London. The camera was technically for work I suppose but still, I felt incredibly privileged to be in a position where I was able to do that - for the two years before, I would never have been able to make a purchase like that so it was pretty awesome!

So that rather long (sorry) explanation tells you how I sort out rent. As for everything else: 

Most students I know pay for rent out of their loans and then pay for anything else with one of three things: 

They have a really high loan amount and can live entirely off of that 

Their families send them money 

Or (the most common) they have to get a part-time job while at uni

So I’m I guess sort of in the part-time job crowd? But I’m unusual in that rather than working retail or something, I do create content and fund myself as best I can through that. 

I make about £30 a month from Patreon which I am incredibly incredibly grateful for. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on how many new and deleted pledges happen that month. 

I also get money from sales of X MARKS THE SPOT which again, varies a great deal. Usually, it’s £70 to £120 a month. 

I do some freelance work here and there. The type I’ve been doing up until now was on sites like UpWork where you write something for a client on the site - usually CVs and things like that, or content for very small websites. I’m starting to get to the point now where I feel more confident pitching to more reputable sites and making a proper go of it but I haven’t got far with that yet. Freelance is the most variable thing I do. In good months I might get £200, in the worst months, I get nothing. 

If you’re wondering whether I get money from YouTube - the answer is no, lmao. I did recently get monetised but so far that has yielded between £3 and £9 a month. You need a total of £80 to get a payout, so I still very much make videos just because I care about it! 

So all of those things together amount to between £100 and £350 a month, after rent payments. Not very much at all - I could definitely have more if I got a more traditional part-time job but I choose to make do with less money because otherwise I wouldn’t have time to make this content and I do feel that what I do is important. 

Because the amount is so varied, I make a big effort to save money during good months so that I don’t run into trouble during the bad months. Sometimes this still falls through and that’s when you’ll see me ask for some help on here - like when some lovely people sorted out for me to get a new binder (thank you!)

What I’m very good at is budgeting food. In my first year of uni I could manage £10-£15 a week during the months when I made the least (I had even less then). Now I live with my boyfriend so we haven’t had to worry so much until he lost his job last month. We spend between £25-£50 a week on food for the two of us depending on how well we’re doing and if we’ve run out of longer-lasting things. 

I have a couple of extra bills per month £10 for Spotify, £4 for a NYT subscription and one I just started - £12 for a stock media site. 

Anything else either goes into savings, pays for new clothes, snacks, occasionally going out with friends or other miscellaneous things. 

I hope this is helpful/interesting! Sorry for rambling so much haha.

[excellynt]

Ukagaka Dreams and Shining Support

The Ukagaka Dream Team community has come a long ways in the last year. We started out with just a handful of us on discord, surviving on @zarla-s​ ghost template+guide, google translate, and raw determination. We’ve grown to around 200 members, including 50 people currently working on a ghost, 25 of which have published a ghost of their own! Some already published their first ghost, but many began their ghost dev journey within our community, and cite the support of the UDT as a major contributor to their project’s completion and even as a source of personal growth. 

Last November we even made contact with the JP Ghost Dev community, including the creator of SSP and maintainer of the AYA/YAYA language we program ghosts with! Ponapalt has been awesome in helping us catch up to our JP dev counterparts and even updating SSP with new features on our behalf! 

A while ago I started a Patreon to help offset the costs of buying FTP hosting for the @ukagakadreamteam server’s ghost devs, to have in-house hosting available for those without their own website. It’s also a way for members and friends to show their appreciation for all the effort I’ve put into making our community as wonderful as it is. 

I didn’t advertise it too much because I feel weird accepting money for stuff I consider a hobby, so it was just to cover the server costs. But... 

Money is really tight right now. 

I had to drop all of my patreon subscriptions last month. I barely scraped enough to pay for rent, my credit card is close to maxing out, and things are looking grim for the coming months. 

Getting evicted would definitely put a delay on any ghost development, heh. I’d move in with my parents so I wouldn’t be homeless. Even then, I may end up on a few months hiatus due to my depressed anxiety brain telling me I’m useless and incompetent, if I don’t get some financial support from somewhere. 

I have so much planned for MVSans, YBFFlowey, and even The Little Prince ghost. But I can’t see them through without help from all of you. I appreciate all of the User Reports, like I can’t even express how much they aid my development process! But screenshots won’t put food on my table, keep a roof over my head, or pay for my cat’s and my own medical bills, and ultimately that’s the biggest determination in whether I can keep up development. 

Patreon is a fantastic platform for creators such as myself, to receive financial assistance from followers like you, in order to keep creating the content that you love. You pledge a few dollars a month as a subscription of support and you’ll receive some awesome benefits based on how much you choose to pledge! 

These are the benefit tiers I offer for those able to give financial support! 

—Your name appears here as a Candlelight Patron! —Access to patron-only posts and previews of future updates on Patreon! —Instant invite to the Ukagaka Dream Team Discord Server, with special username colors! —Access to Patrons-Only discord channel and Ghost Dev streams!

your name could be here

...

—Your name appears here as a Sunlight Patron! —All of the previous tiers benefits with patron-exclusive content and Discord perks! —You fund hosting for a Ghost Dev (including yourself!) Every $5 is another slot. —Can participate in Patron-only polls to determine the next ghost dev focus.

Feenie @gaignunkukai​

your name could be here

...

—Your name appears here as a Moonbeam Patron! —All of the previous tiers patron-exclusive content, polls, and Discord perks! —You fund hosting for 2+ Ghost Dev (including yourself!) Every $5 is another slot. —Access to Tester-Only MVSans builds and behind-the-scenes of YBFFlowey! 

Fursie @fursie-does-art

Korofel @snakeandapples 

DJ Dusk @datonegaimidnight​ 

PlantCat @cat-from-the-void 

your name could be here 

...

—Your name appears here as a Shining Star Patron! (Limit 2) —All of the previous tiers patron-exclusive content, polls, and Discord perks! —You fund hosting for 10+ Ghost Dev (including yourself!) Every $5 is another slot. —Access to top-secret beta content of any of my other ghosts including YBFFlowey, something otherwise limited to hand-selected testers on the UDT server. —You can request a custom fork of MVSans, tailored to your preferences with anything you want and updated monthly, only for you, in addition to regular MVSans content updates. —Alternative to custom fork: you can pick a simple accessory to support next in public release, or the next AU Shell to support.

your name could be here 

your name could be here (Limit 2)

—Your name permanently appears here as a Ghosts and Dreams Patron.  —You fund hosting for 20+ Ghost Dev (including yourself!) Every $5 is another slot. —All of the previous tiers patron-exclusive and access top-secret beta content, discord rewards, and MVSans development influence. —You can have a ghost made to your custom order. This may take more than a month to complete if it's a complex order.

your name could be here (Limit 1 active)

I want to continue sharing my passion for ghosts, but I can’t do that if I’m overworking myself trying to make ends meet. If you like what I do, please consider sponsoring me so I can continue doing it.

Want to support, but can’t commit to a monthly subscription? Buy me a Ko-Fi! It’s just $3! 

Ko-Fi Supporters: 

Victoria @boomable​ (special thanks for helping me set Ko-Fi up right!)

Brarb @thelibrarbian 

SarahCake @smallsarahcake

PlantCat @cat-from-the-void (special thanks for over $100 of Ko-Fi!!!)

KFC @characteroulette 

DJ Dusk @datonegaimidnight​

Fursie @fursie-does-art

your name could be here

... 

Since every one of my ongoing supporters have been a member of the UDT server, I kept my patrons up-to-date on an individual day to day basis in Discord rather than Patreon itself. Once I get some off-server patrons I’ll have a need to post special content on Patreon again, and I’ve got some fun ideas for that! 

Support me via Patreon | Ko-Fi today!

Can’t even spare a Ko-Fi? You can still help by reblogging and sharing this post, and share your enjoyment of ALL ukagaka ghosts with your friends! 

[fyperia]

Help me become a full-time indie game dev? <3

Become my patron!

As some of you may or may not know, I’m currently attending college for computer science and game development/programming. I’m on track to have two bachelor’s of science degrees by the end of the decade, and I couldn’t be happier about it! I’m apparently doing well enough that my school hired me to tutor programming students and I’ve also been asked to present some of my work to potential transfers to the game development programs. Woah. As someone with untreated illnesses that really affect my academic abilities, it’s completely surreal to me that I’ve managed to get this far. (I’m basically succeeding out of spite towards my body at this point.) I’m also the only woman in my graduating class in both of the programs I am a part of (and I’ve yet to meet any ladies in other years in either major), go figure.

I won’t bore you with the rest of my life story, but game development is my passion and I want to pursue it professionally. It’s a male-dominated career, that’s for sure, and I want to help inspire more girls to get into it! So here’s where I need some help. My portfolio sucks right now, because between classes (dual majoring is a lot of work) and several jobs, I barely have time for outside projects. However... if I were making money designing games, I’d be able to dedicate the time and expenses to build a kickass resume before I graduate, teach myself how to use software and languages my school doesn’t offer classes for, maybe land my dream internship with Blizzard (!!), and - most importantly - make something that I can share with you, the internet, my friends and followers. <3

If you want to check out some of the stuff I’ve made for class, you can head over to my itch.io page. It’s full of prorotypes that were done in about two weeks each (so don’t expect anything AAA quality!) but I’d love to expand on my favorites if I have the time. Starchaser (linked up above) is in a good place but could use controller support and some heavy polishing, and Guiding Light could shape up to be something cool with complete assets and more levels, I think.

If you’ve read all the way down here, you’re super awesome and I love you, so here’s some of the things I’d love to be able to do if I was making enough with patreon to cover my internet bill, at least:

Monthly or bi-monthly builds of games I’m working on for you guys to check out

Livestreams of me making stuff where I can talk about the development process

Tutorials on how I do things in Unity, Contstruct2, etc

Lessons on how to code, if patrons would be interested in learning!

Merchandise of my games if people like them!!?

Get my games on consoles!! (devkits have a high cost up front, and ESRB ratings for physical games are extremely pricey)

So if any of those things sound cool to you, please consider becoming my patron! Even pledges of $1/month help me - if all my followers pledged the minimum amount, I’d be making enough money to quit my jobs, pay my rent and utilities, and focus on game dev and my studies full time. Also, since I was referred to Patreon by another creator, if I get thirty patrons or more in the first thirty days, he and I both get a bunch of free money (which would be really helpful in paying our overdue bills.) If you can’t afford the monthly pledges, but would like to otherwise support me, please consider reblogging this post and/or following me on instagram, liking my facebook page, or following my patreon (it’s free to create an account, and you can get updates on all of my public content.)

Thanks for reading! xo

[officetime02-blog]

How To Use A Household Ledger To Give Your Financial Life A Fresh Start This Year

I came across the idea of a household ledger (a kakeibo, 家計簿) during a trip to Japan a few years ago, even though at the time I didn’t quite realize what they were. They’re often found in stationery stores and are essentially an inexpensive way (costing around $6) for Japanese women to keep track of their finances, bills and outgoings/incomings. 

Originally they were designed for housewives, traditional keepers of the Japanese household, and became a thing. Now you can get kakeibo in dozens of designs from cats to Moomins. Amazon Japan has pages of them up for sale at year’s end and many have plastic pockets for a pen or receipts. Most keep the same design: sections for pay, bills, and then the ability to input things you buy (on a weekly basis), be it an onigiri from FamilyMart or the cost of the internet bill. Recently, they’ve been imported into English language and become a thing. There are loads of videos on YouTube showing “Budget Plan With Me”s and many households keep what the US terms “budget books,” often oversized binders which live at home but contain every aspect of their owner’s financial lives.

I started using a somewhat overpriced kakeibo that had just been released (essentially a blank journal designed for finances in the Japanese style, with goals and motivational quotes, I’ve linked to it so you can see the inside and get a better idea of the basic layout). Then I realized it would be more efficient and cheaper to just make my own when that one ran out. So, to make yourself a kakeibo, you just need a pen, a ruler, a notebook of your choosing, some time and a couple of coffees as a motivational bonus.

I used it, at first, to help me get some personal debt down. But I found the idea of categories of spending fascinating. You see, aside from bills and big expenses, the idea of a kakeibo is that it works around categories, not each individual expenditure. What they are depends on you but I use ones like ‘groceries’, my guide dog (who has a carrot obsession) to the obscenely terrible ‘coffee/drinks out’. Each week you add or remove categories until you’ve refined what you use, personally. At the end of the week is a tally where you can add up how much you’ve spend in each category and across the board to get a better idea at where your money is going (be it spending in cash, purchases on Amazon or carrots).

Each month starts with a page where you write out your incomings (pay, benefits, side-hustle cash) and your bills. Most of the latter, in my case are paid by Direct Debit (the UK version of automatic payments) on the first of the month but there’s something almost calming about having a single page spread with dates, names and precise amounts. Especially if you then go over the paid expenses with a nice highlighter. 

All the details are there and if something changes, like the cost of your phone bill, it’s very easy to change. I also add in monthly non-utility subscriptions like Spotify, Patreon, YouTube and Netflix, all of which go out automatically but take their own chunk out of my monthly incomings. Ouch but totally worth it for keeping me sane.

The original book I using was size A5 and felt huge. Now in my second year, I wanted something smaller but still portable and something which was uniquely me. My kakeibo has plenty of numbers in but no personal information, aside from my email address in case of misplacement. Just figures and dates. Oh, and it’s one of the core items in my Every Day Carry.

I bought myself a tall slim Hobonichi Weeks Mega made using very thin but forgiving Tomoe River paper from Amazon Japan, split into a diary at the front and a good 200 blank pages at the back. The paper thickness means it doesn’t take up a lot of room but can also go anywhere with me.

I use the diary section to record notes about expenses, things I need to do (like double check a payment for the following month or note when my shopping will be delivered and the cut off for editing the order). I note my balances each day (from my current accounts to my credit card balances). I note “no spend days”(which I’m trying to do more of) and keep lists in the back like my financial goals for the next few years. 

There are “spreads” (a Bullet Journaling term referring to a double page spread) where I work through the cost of a holiday to Dublin I’m planning, how much that PlayStation 4 Pro I’ve been coveting for a year and a half will actually cost me. There’s also a list of important items I need to buy in the next few months and, of course, the weekly spreads which let me track my spending. Yes, it involves a little set up but this is easily done with that first Monday morning coffee.

I keep my kakeibo in a cover which allows me to add in a pen, a Liquid Paper pen for those annoying mistakes, a ruler and a scratch paper notebook from Muji where I can do calculations. This also comes in handy when I note down the standard cost of coffee in my favourite coffee shop chains (which really helps when you realise you drank one coffee at Costa, another in Starbucks and a third at the pub with brunch but didn’t think to get receipts).

I keep a pencil case with me which allows for color-coding payments, highlighting when my income has been paid, as well as noting down when subscriptions are due or when I get paid from my side-hustle. I have three bookmarks: one marks my week in the diary portion, the second my weekly spread and the final one whatever spread I’m working on (right now it’s a year end review).

The most important thing it’s taught me is the accountability of purchases and the peace which comes from having everything you need to hand. I plan a month ahead and am able to know how much I need for all my bills going out on January 2nd. I know exactly when I’m being paid and when those big expenses, like services charges, will be due thanks to a dedicated household expenses single spread which goes through each month of the year and lets me be able to prep for expenses a whole year in advance, from my MedicAlert subscription through to household contents insurance.

But it’s also a place I can dream, including plans for holidays and savings. One of my big aims for 2019 is to be able to get a nice £5k “cushion”/emergency fund in place for…well, emergencies. Thanks to my spread on my plans, to do that I know I need to put £100 away each week to reach my desired amount by year’s end. That’s a nice thing for aim for and I’ll probably have to find a savings tracker spread, blocks to color in or something.

I love the portability and, at the end of the year, when I do my review, I’m curious to see where I spent money for the last two month of use. I’m pretty sure that it will also help me, especially as, right at the front of I have the maxim of a British finances expert reminding me: Do I need it? Can I afford it? Will I use it? Is it worth it? Just asking myself those questions has already saved me from several impulse/Bipolar-inspired stationery binges.

I tried noting every expense in a spreadsheet, but I’ve found the old schoolness of pen and paper to be more useful and cathartic. I write things down to remember them (which reminds me to renew my Field Notes subscription…) and, surprisingly, I do. But I also have the space to plot, to focus on a more positive financial future and then try to bring it into being. Okay, there might be little deviations, but each week is a new one — and that mentality, plus that Monday morning setup time, is totally making the difference.

With the new year upon us, I really do recommend considering making your own kakeibo. If only for the amount of financial-related anxiety it helps to do away with. It’s not about fancy spreads, it’s about numbers and dates, about looking ahead and writing down those things you’d otherwise forget like car payments or an insurance renewal. Planning, writing down important payment dates and then having it with you, is a part of financial responsibility that no one tells you about but is just as important, in my humble opinion, as actually being able to pay for these things. I hope it helps you as much as it has me and, the most important thing, it doesn’t have to be something you start on January 1st either. Remember: every week is a fresh start.

Asha Bardon is a former freelance journalist turned sci-fi author and manga adaptor. They can be found on Twitter and Instagram as @ashabardon and lives in a quaint English market down with three cats and a carrot-obsessed guide dog. Their much-neglected blog can be found at www.ashabardon.com.

Image via Unsplash

Like this story? Follow The Financial Diet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for daily tips and inspiration, and sign up for our email newsletter here.

Source: https://thefinancialdiet.com/how-to-use-a-household-ledger-to-give-your-financial-life-a-fresh-start-this-year/

[theliterateape]

When Crowdfunding Resembles Opportunism or The Greed in Your Ask is Getting Obvious

By Don Hall

I most recently joined the World of Crowdfunding with my new Patreon Campaign. I’m torn as, in general, I’ve seen far too many of these efforts resemble either a corrupt civil servant trying to raise money for bail or legal fees, someone desperately using it as a replacement for medical insurance or Ian Belknap using GoFundMe to help pay for an office space so he doesn’t have to deal with his kids at home while churning out pedantic screeds on Faceborg. 

Go ahead and Google “crowdfunding abuse” and the list is long and ugly.

When Angela Vela asked me to perform a piece about Greed for her monthly show The Seven Deadly Sins, crowdfunding abuse was my target.

Dear Roger –

I know I haven’t been in touch for a while and I apologize right off the bat for not reaching out to you when you got your new job three years ago or when you got married two years ago or when you and your wife had that baby last year. Obviously, you were in my thoughts but I never took the time to connect after college. My bad, bro.

Remember the time when we both got so drunk that we ended up streaking in the Dillons parking lot? LMAO! I barely do. Thanks for bailing us both out, right?

Anyways, I’m writing to you now because I’m kind of in a bind. I wrote some bad checks about two months ago—I totally thought I had them covered but the places cashed the checks before the date I put on them—I thought you couldn’t do that but apparently you can—and the bank is totally fucking me over. Thank god I’m living with my mom, right?

Seriously, is there any chance I could borrow, like, $450 for a while until I get this all straightened out? I’m good for it, bro.

If it is, here’s my Paypal account or you can just send it directly through Chase Pay.

Thanks.

Yo, Rog!!

Long time, no see, right? How’s the wife and kid? I hope great!

The reason I’m writing is to first, apologize for not getting you that $400 back yet. I know it’s been a couple years but things have been moving really fast around here and I’m thinking you’ll thank me once you see how I spent the money I owe you. If you think of it as an investment into something amazing, I’m sure of it.

I moved out of my mom’s house into her garage (I pay rent so it’s not like charity or anything) and decided that I was going to go into a brand new field. Yes, my degree in Contemporary Greek Philosophy is valuable to me but is not what a sustainable career is made of, right?  So I looked out into the world in search of my calling, right? And it hit me right in the jaw—social media. I spend a huge amount of my time writing funny things on Facebook and Twitter, why not parlay that into a full-time career? So...

I’m in Chicago now, and I’m going to take classes at the famed Second City Training Center. You know, the place that spawned the careers of Bill Murray, Stephen Colbert, that guy from the “Sledgehammer” TV show and the voice of Homer Simpson? I figure that a degree from such an esteemed comedic institution is bound to bolster my street cred with companies looking for clever and sarcastic social media responses so I’m currently enrolled.

Here’s the thing: the $400 I owe you went to pay for some of my first eight weeks but once I get my degree and a job writing the Funny Ha-Ha, I’ll pay you back with interest. OR...

Below is a link to my new Kickstarter Campaign to raise the money to pay for all 15 levels of Second City training. I only need to raise $22,000 for this and after all those levels, I’m pretty much guaranteed a spot on SNL which would be even better than writing for Facebook. LOL! Winky emoji.

Any amount is acceptable and you know I’m good for it. A donation of $500 will get you an autographed photo and front row seats at a live taping of SNL!

Thanks!

Dear Roger –

After Second City level 7 and my continued work at Boston Market, I wanted to die every single day of my life and it took me several years to realize it was because of the environment I was in. So, I picked the next best place: San Francisco, which is close to my dad, since we’ve never gotten to have much of a relationship and I like the weather up here. I found a job (I was hired the same day as my interview, in fact) and I put a bunch of debt on a shiny new credit card to afford the move.

I got the job thinking I was all set to write those funny quips on the company’s social media (I mean, I did have seven levels at the world famous Second City, right?) but I was told I’d have to work in support for an entire year before I would be able to move to a different department. A whole year answering calls and talking to customers just for the hope that someday I’d be able to make memes and Twitter jokes. But that’s neither here nor there. Let’s get back to the situation at hand, shall we?

So here I am, 27-years-old, balancing all sorts of debt and trying to pave a life for myself that doesn’t involve crying in the bathtub every week. Every single one of my coworkers is struggling. They’re taking side jobs, they’re living at home. One of them started a GoFundMe because she couldn’t pay her rent. She ended up leaving the company and moving east, somewhere the minimum wage could double as a living wage. Another wrote on those neat whiteboards we’ve got on every floor begging for help because he was bound to be homeless in two weeks. Fortunately, someone helped him out. At least, I think they did. I actually haven’t seen him in the past few months. Do you think he’s okay? Another guy who got hired, and ultimately let go, was undoubtedly homeless. He brought a big bag with him and stocked up on all those snacks they make sure are on every floor. 

I haven’t bought groceries since I started this job. Not because I’m lazy, but because I got this ten pound bag of rice before I moved here and my meals at home (including the one I’m having as I write this) consist, by and large, of that. Because I can’t afford to buy groceries.

Will you pay my phone bill for me? I just got a text from T-Mobile telling me my bill is due. 

Look, I’ll make you a deal. You don’t have to pay my phone bill. I’ll just disconnect my phone. And I’ll disconnect my home internet, too, even though it’s the only way I can do work for my freelance gig that I haven’t been able to do since I moved here because I’m constantly too stressed to focus on anything but going to sleep as soon as I’m not at work. 

If you could help me out, my PayPal is paypal.me/jimmyzee, my Venmo is jimmyzee (no hyphen). Square Cash is cash.me/$JimZee.

Thanks, bro.

Rogerio!!

You've been so generous in the past and I'm trying to raise money to get a plane ticket and funds for the final auditions for the 2016 season of American Idol.

I went to Disney World a few years ago and did the American Idol experience attraction at MGM. I auditioned and got on the show. They do 5 shows per day where an audience picks the winner of 3 performers. At the end of the day, they have a big show where the 5 winners compete for a Dream Ticket. 

The Dream Ticket is a pass to get to the front of the American Idol Audition Line. I performed and won the small show during the day, then won the final show at the end of the day, getting me the Dream Ticket. They don't expire and you can use them at any auditions. I thought I had lost it, but in a stroke of luck (and possibly fate), I just found it in my files at home.

This could be my last chance to do it and I can't live my life wondering,"What if?" I have this amazing opportunity and hoprfully, with your help, I can live my dream and live life to the very fullest!

Thank you for the chance!!

Hey Everyone!

As many of you know, I am a HUGE fan of ULTRA Music Festival in MIAMI. This will be my 14th year attending and marks my 2nd year moderating the Facebook group. I admittedly have put in TOO MANY hours running the group, making sure it is free from spam and trolls. It has been a lot of fun but it has also stolen a ton of my time. I am hoping that some of the friendships I've made will inspire people to be generous and help me make this trip possible.

Normally March is an abundant month for me but this year I am financially "running on fumes." I have spent the last 2.5 months recovering from a broken ankle, which has kept me from working. In this time I have used up all my reserve cash and now with my trip to Florida right around the corner my credit card bills are looming. I will use this money to pay for the flight, ticket, lodging and food for during the trip. It would be the best birthday present if I got a great response.

I will be eternally grateful to everyone who helps out and would LOVE to meet up with you and take some photos at the festival. Thank you so much for your support. <3

–Jimmy Zee

Roger –

I know why you haven’t returned any of my recent texts or direct messages. You don’t believe that I’m actually sick and I guess I don’t blame you. I can assure you, the cancer is real and I don’t have anyone else to turn to. I need $4,500 to help fund a trip to St. John where there is a shaman there who they say can pray the cancer out of me. Outside shot but I’m also told that when your prognosis is this bad, you gotta bucket list that shit, right?

I know I have no right to even ask but, in case you find it in your heart to help an old (31 years is now OLD!) college buddy out, my GoFundMe profile is linked below.

Jim