Wedding Cost Estimator + My Wedding Budget

In the many hours I've spent googling wedding stuff, I found a really cool Wedding Cost Estimator tool.  The website CostOfWedding.com has polled women all across the country about their wedding expenditures, and used their responses to create a wedding cost calculator that factors in your location.

Click to go to the calculator

Just enter your zip code, answer a few questions, and with just a few clicks the tool will spit out a cost estimate for your wedding that you can print or export to an Excel spreadsheet.  Here's my estimate based on the info I put in:

Financial Advice from a Fortune Cookie

I cracked open a leftover fortune cookie today and was surprised to see this little nugget of financial wisdom:

Glad to see I'm on the right track! lol

Spring Forward: Bouncing Back from Money Mishaps

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. -Carl Bard

Whether you are just starting out on your financial journey or trying to get back on track after a setback, this "money stuff" can seem a little overwhelming. We all have felt this way at some point, but instead of letting our money get the best of us, let's resolve to Spring Forward from our setbacks this year.  Here are some ways to bounce back after some common money mishaps:

Surprise Income: The Do’s & Don’ts

When I was in college, I had two extra holidays on my calendar: “Tax Refund” Day (I was always working or doing an internship) and “Student-loans-were-dispersed” Day. I celebrated these holidays every year…I decorated my closet with new clothes. I ate (sit-down restaurants), drank (top shelf baby), and was definitely merry. I told myself that if I got money that I didn’t expect, I could blow it all without feeling guilty…after all, “unaccounted for” money did not exist. That means that refund checks, birthday money, and even the “gas money” my grandmother slipped me every time I went to visit, all disappeared without a trace.

My Financial Story

Early Years

Growing up, I was the scrooge of the family. I collected coins for years, and as a result I amassed (what seemed like) a mountain of shoeboxes filled with rolled pennies. I had a piggy bank, a mini “safe” with a numerical code protecting my treasure, and a book bag stuffed to the brim with pennies from my great-grandmother. When I was old enough to earn an allowance, you better believe I kept a wad of money stuffed under my mattress. Once my father went a whole month without giving me an allowance; I took a sheet of copier paper and a black pen, and drafted an agreement stating that he would give me an allowance every two weeks. I made him sign it, and even asked my mother to notarize it (although she refused)! You would think that a girl with this attitude towards money would become a personal finance pro by the time I began my first job, right? WRONG! I developed a love for the hip hop/rap culture and a tiny crush on Damon Dash, so my weekly minimum-wage paychecks often turned into a fresh pair of Roc-a-wear jeans. Then I wanted the Roc-a-wear velour tracksuits…and the Roc-a-wear handbags…and the jewelry. I guess you could say that I was a full blown Label Whore. Luckily all that changed when I went off to college…