This was me all over again.

Tuesday to Friday of this week, I did the unthinkable: I went back to work.

But only because I agreed to train my replacement before I left.

Well, he finally started, and I honored my word.

I gotta tell ya. It was rough.

Take a month off work and see how enthusiastically you spring out of bed on your first, or even your second, day back. Just the thought of going into the office caused my innards to tense up.

By Friday morning, I felt great. But that’s probably because I heard smoothies were arriving in the afternoon. Plus, Superbowl Sunday is coming up, and I can’t wait to master my eating-a-chicken-wing-with-one-hand technique.

On Tuesday, I attended an awesome happy hour sponsored by the good folks of TurboTax.

Although I didn’t win an iToy this time, I didn’t leave empty handed. Be on the look out for the TurboTax Premier 2012 giveaway.

I want to finish my taxes before holding the giveaway. I’d like to provide an honest assessment of the software. So, we can discuss this matter again around, say, April 15th.

In addition to consuming two glasses of Pinot Grigio and the best fried cheese I’ve ever had, I caught up with personal finance bloggers I haven’t seen in over a year:

• J. Money at Budgets are Sexy
• Ginger at Girls Just Wanna Have Funds
• Jim Wang at Bargaineering
• Joy at Debt Hater
• Brian Scheur at My Next Buck
• Stephen Popick at Coffee Cents
• Paranoid Asteroid
• TeacHer Finance (This was actually my first time meeting [I cannot remember her name for all the skinny jeans in Lil' Wayne's closet], but she was cool.)

Dumb Question of the Week

“Are you getting paid for being here?”

I must’ve heard this question at least three times. What money-grubbing, newly jobless, entrepreneur would leave her business to work for a highly profitable corporation during the warmest week in February on record and NOT get paid for her services? Who’d do that? Who?!

Carnival Love (sung to the tune of Computer Love)

You Have More Than You Think was featured in several blog carnivals this week. Check ‘em out.

• Carnival of Wealth, pre-Super Bowl Edition at Control Your Cash
• Carnival of Financial Camaraderie at My University Money
• Canadian Finance Carnival at Canadian Finance Blog

Favorite Quotes

“A man’s got to believe in something. I believe I’ll have another drink.” – W. C. Fields

“Once during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.” – W.C. Fields

“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.” – Ernest Hemingway

Intervention via Infographic

You might have a problem when a Twitterized version of yourself is holding a glass of wine. We can thank Visual.ly for the wake up call.

Interesting Search Phrases

“How to get a cheap high”

What…Why…Huh???

“bring a flask to restaurant”

Yes. Flasks aren’t just for convenience anymore. Financially conscious, think aheaders use them too.

“3 things motivated sellers want more than cash”

I don’t know what you’re hoping to find buddy, but you should probably talk to the guy from search phrase #1.

“10 ways to use box wine”

You’re asking too much of boxed wine. I’m guessing you mistakenly appended a “0″ to “1″ and an “s” to “way”, because there’s only 1 way I know to use boxed wine and that’s to drink it.

“broke a ikea piece during assembly”

Sorry, man. It happens to the best of us.

Recommended Reading

• Money Mamba: How to Ace an Interview in 1 Hour
• Len Penzo: The 5 Most Misleading Grocery Items Shoppers Waste Money On
• Squirrelers: Going Beyond the Resume: How will Job Searching Change in the Future? 
• 20′s Finances: Furnishing Your Apartment from Ikea
• MoneyNing: The Perfect Second Income Stream: Rent Out Your Stuff

Have a great weekend and a Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!!

Homemade chocolate covered strawberries

Let’s get one thing straight. I’m probably the most non-romantical woman you’ll ever meet.

1. I refuse to allocate one crevice of brain space to remembering anniversaries.
2. It’s my long held belief that weddings are a waste of money, and thus, stupid.
3. Gift giving was never an activity I wanted to get caught up in. I just don’t care enough.

But Valentine’s Day is special. I have no idea why it’s so important to me.

Side note: A lot of men try to weasel out of celebrating Valentine’s Day with the tiredest of tired excuses, “It’s a made up holiday. I’d rather treat you as if every day is Valentine’s Day.” Guys, that’s garbage, and you know it. You don’t have to take out a cash advance to show your significant other how wonderful she is.

Back to the matter at hand. Although I expect great things from my mate on Valentine’s Day, it’s quite possible I’ve never given anything in return.

Before now, reciprocation hadn’t crossed my mind.

This February 14th will be different. I want to do something nice for my chocolate loving Valentine.

So, I decided to learn how to make chocolate covered strawberries for him.

Back in the mid-2000sies, I’d spend like $3 on ONE. That’s madness!

With a $4.50 bag of chocolate and a $2.00 pound of strawberries, you can make, um, *doing the math* a whole bunch of chocolate covered strawberries for cheap.

It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s delicious.

Here’s how it’s done.

What You Need

• Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips – 11.5 ounce bag (Opt for cheap, low quality chocolate, and – trust me – you’ll hate yourself for it.)
• Fresh Strawberries – 1 pound
• Wax Paper
• Cookie Sheet
• Microwave Safe Bowl
• Spoon (For stirring.)

What You Do

• Cover your cookie sheet with a large piece of wax paper.
• Clean strawberries with a damp paper towel, and set aside.
• Pour a generous amount of chocolate chips into a microwave safe container. Don’t skimp. It’s amazing how much chocolate each strawberry uses.
• Melt chocolate. Set your microwave’s power at 50%. Heat chocolate chips in 15 – 30 second increments, stirring occasionally, until completely melted.
• Hold a single strawberry by its leaves, and dip it into the melted chocolate. Perform stirring motion with the strawberry to adequately cover it with chocolate. The chocolate doesn’t have to reach the very top.
• Slowly lift strawberry out of melted chocolate, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl.
• Hold strawberry upside down in your hand, forcing the chocolate to run up the strawberry without dripping onto your table or counter top.
• Place strawberry on cookie sheet.
• Repeat until all strawberries are covered in chocolate.
• Refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Eat and enjoy!

WARNING: Food porn below. NSFHF (Not Safe for Hungry Folks)

Clean strawberries on a cookie sheet

Bowl of Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips

Bowl of melted milk chocolate

Tray of melted chocolate covered strawberries

Another tray of melted chocolate covered strawberries

Chocolate covered strawberries

What are your frugal ideas for Valentine’s Day?

Unless I find a way to drastically increase my income between now and the end of March. It looks like my hopes for a week long vacation in Barbados have been dashed.

I’m disappointed, but if Winter 2012 continues as it has, missing the Caribbean this year might not be the worst thing to happen since the cancellation of Arrested Development.

Plus, there are more important – and perhaps even funner – experiences I’m spending money on.

For instance, my mama’s 60th birthday is approaching. And my brother and I want to get the family together for an entire weekend to celebrate. So, we’re planning a trip to Orlando in March. I’ve been tasked with the responsibility of finding accommodations for up to 17 people. Sending 100 emails to different vacation rental property owners to see if they’ll rent a 7-bedroom house for two nights is gonna grrreat.

I was a no show in 2011, but this year I’m going to FinCon12. For the time being, I’ll budget as if I’m paying the full price for registration. But you know as well as I do that the hunt is officially on for a promotional discount code AND someone to sponsor my attendance to the event.

The only company I despise more than Comcast is…Never mind, I hate them more than anything. Since February 2009, like an idiot, I’ve paid Comcast a monthly modem rental fee. It started at $5 and has ballooned to $7. I’m pretty sure the price of my monthly internet service is rising at the same rate as health care costs in America. To that I say, enough of this [expletive]. Comcast can go straight to hell. I’m buying a modem.

In January, I had the pleasure of paying 100% of my health insurance premiums. I went ahead and paid for February as well. That’s why you’ll see a $0 amount for the expense this month. But next month, you can look forward to me budgeting $391 for health insurance.

Well, those are just a few of the items I wanted to highlight.

Without further delay, feast your eyes on the February 2012 Budget.

How do you plan on reducing your expenses this month?

Recently, I announced I quit my job and my reasons for doing so.

When you tell people you’re quitting your job, they picture you lounging around the house all day with a head full of rollers, a cigarette dangling from the side of your mouth, wearing a dingy pair of smelly, pink pajamas.

That’s not how it works.

Those who’ve made the leap into entrepreneurship develop a new appreciation for the saying, “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

Now, more than ever, it’s absolutely critical I stay productive.

One of the first things I learned during my freshman year at the University of Central Florida was this:

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

While listening to The Strangest Secret by Earl Nightingale, I learned that Dorothea Brande once said,

Act as if it were impossible to fail.

From those two insightful quotes, I concluded that failure can be avoided if you act and if you plan. You need an action plan.

What I have here is an action plan for my action plan. A list of rules I’ve committed to following. 

Rule #1 - Somehow, some way, each day, interact with a fellow human being. I know you don’t like people, but locking yourself up in your apartment all day will lead to both insanity as well as Rickets. Who’s gonna respect the advice of a bowlegged, crazy person?

Rule #2 – When you notice doubt and fear creeping into your thoughts, remember this:

Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. ~ William Shakespeare

If you have trouble internally motivating yourself, there’s no shame in turning to the experts for inspiration. Listen to a motivational speech by Tony Robbins or Zig Ziglar. Study Dan Miller’s No More Mondays.

Rule #3 – Recognize failure for what it is. Sure, you’re pretty awesome. Maybe you’re the most awesomest person on the planet, but you will fail at some things. Sleep easy knowing that failure is only feedback.

Identify what you did wrong, what you should’ve done differently, and what you’ll do next time to accomplish your objective. And then…keep it moving.

Rule #4 – Realize that perfectionism cripples success.

Endlessly tweaking blog posts, videos and other content doesn’t benefit anyone.

Quit perfect. It’s an unnecessary obstacle. 90 percent perfect and shared with the world always changes more lives than 100 percent perfect and stuck in your head. ~ Jon Acuff

Rule #5 – If you feel overwhelmed by all the work you have to do, stop!

Write down ONE thing you want to get done, create a list of action items for it, and work your plan step by step. Remain singularly focused on that one thing, and clear your mind of everything else. Who says it’s got to be all or nothing?

Rule #6 – Stay sexy. A healthy Shawanda is a happy Shawanda. Why? Because even when things aren’t totally going your way, you can look in the mirror and honestly say, “At least I still look good.”

Rule #7 - Focus on the positive.

You can think good thoughts. You can think bad thoughts.

It’s easier for a human being to think negatively than positively. That’s why only five percent are successful. ~ Earl Nightingale

Regardless, it’s important to remember you have a choice.

Rule #8 – When you shut down your computer for the night, you have four options:

1) Write. Doesn’t matter what you write. Just put some words on a piece of paper.

2) Read a book. Not a magazine, not a blog post, not Facebook status updates, an actual book whether it’s electronic, paper, or inscribed on stone tablets.

3) Listen to a podcast. Feel free to document what you learn as well as any content ideas you have while listening.

4) Sleep. If necessary, use an ASMR video to help you relax.

Rule #9 – Spend at least 15 minutes or so every day tidying up. Your apartment is your home/office/sanctuary.

Pursuing your dreams required you to make serious financial sacrifices. As such, you’ll have to give up little luxuries you were accustomed to. That can take its toll. You don’t want to feel like a filthy, poor person, do you?

Rule #10 - Surround yourself with positive, like-minded people.

People are like elevators, they can take you up or they can take you down. ~ Zachery Tims

Rule #11 – When you’re suffering from writer’s block, stand up. Literally, stand up. Our human brain evolved to function while physically in motion.

The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the office. ~ Robert Frost

Rule #12 – Whether online or offline, be unapologetically self promotional without being spammy.

Rule #13 –  Track your progress.

What gets measured gets managed. ~ Peter Drucker

Rule # 14 – Don’t let business cards go unanswered. Nowadays, there’s simply no excuse. Either connect with the person on LinkedIn, send them a Facebook friend request, or follow them Twitter. And stop beating yourself up for not sending an it-was-a-pleasure-meeting-you email to everyone you meet.

Rule #15 – No multitasking allowed UNLESS you’re combining two mindless tasks. Such as washing dishes and listening to a podcast. Keep a notebook handy so that you can capture ideas and interesting facts learned.

Rule #16 – Make your activities time based. For instance, instead of creating tasks like “write one blog post” say “write for 2 hours”. Instead of saying “read 50 pages” say “read for 1 hour.” Certain activities have a funny way of stealing time from other things you need to do.

Rule #17 – Don’t feel inadequate or envious because of what others in your field have accomplished.

Look at competition as a great source of inspiration. ~ David Novak, CEO of Yum Brands

Rule #18 – Assess the effectiveness of your social media interactions. There’s a fine line between online branding and wasting time.

Rule #19 – Accept defeat. Give it the old college try and then quit. And then come back to it. And then quit again. And then come back to it. And then give up and hire someone else to do it! You’re not to become frustrated, forsake every other task on your to do list, sacrifice your relationships, or get fat trying to figure out how to do something that should be outsourced.

Do what you do best, and let others do what they do best. ~ Unknown

Rule #20 – Make time for education. You must strike a balance between learning and doing. Don’t learn so much you never do. Don’t do so much you never learn. Set aside time to learn every day. During this time, think about ways you can effectively use what you’ve learned.

Learn a little.

Do a little.

What rules would you create for yourself to effectively accomplish your goals as an entrepreneur?

[Read this section first. Then, check out the giveaway mentioned below.]

Of all the line items in my budget, food is the one that causes me the most trouble. Lately, my home cooked meals have been pretty delicious. But that truth doesn’t erase my cravings for familiar dishes at my favorite restaurants.

To help me stay on track this week, I’m challenging myself to a fast that involves eating two types of meals: 1) Home cooked 2) Restaurant cooked and paid for by someone else. Note that discounted alcoholic beverages consumed during happy hour are not meals. Therefore, I make no commitment to sacrifice them for my weekly challenge.

Additionally, I started the challenge on Sunday. I’d like you to join me, but I wanted to let you know I’ve already gotten a head start. This was necessary. You see, I plan on watching the Super Bowl at what might be the best restaurant in all of D.C.

I’m almost too embarrassed to admit this, but there have been mumblings about an all-you-can-eat buffet at this place. And I fully intend on shutting it down. By the time Super Bowl Sunday rolls around, I’ll be ready to gorge myself. (Gorging one’s self  is culturally acceptable on holidays, and for Americans, February 5th, 2012 qualifies as one.)

Menu Plan for the Week of January 30, 2012

This week, the menu plan is simple.

Monday: White Bean Chicken Chili (leftover from last week)

Tuesday: Pork Chops, Zucchini & Squash with Yellow Rice

Wednesday/Thursday: Beef Chili (made using McCormick’s Original Chili Seasoning Mix)

Friday: Slow Cooked Ribs, Cheesy Ramen Noodles and Broccoli

Saturday: Fried Catfish and French Fries

Super Bowl Sunday: All hail the buffet!!!

Giveaway! (Super Easy to Enter)

If you haven’t already done so, please enter my $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway. I don’t think I could’ve made entering the contest any easier. All you have to do is “like” the You Have More Than You Think Facebook fan page. In order for your entry to count, use the form included in the article linked to above.

Hurry!!! No entries will be accepted after Tuesday, January 31st at 11:59 PM EST.

Rookie Cook Tip – How to Bring Cold Butter to Room Temperature Quickly

You’re probably aware that certain recipes call for room temperature butter. Unfortunately, when the mood for a cooked-from-scratch sour cream pound cake strikes, you don’t want to wait an hours or so for butter to soften. Using the microwave to get the job done could lead to overheating your butter and compromising the integrity of your recipe.

The simplest way to bring cold butter to room temperature is to slice it in small squares, about a 1/4 of an inch thick or smaller.

You can also try another great method to soften butter quickly that I found over at Simply Recipes. Place the desired amount of butter between two sheets of wax paper, and flatten it with a rolling pin. That’s it! PURE genius, I tell ya!

For more menu plans, check out Menu Plan Monday at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

It’s not often we talk about credit on You Have More Than You Think. But recently, I had a conversation with a friend that reminded me how important it is to have stellar credit.

I’ve been nagging her about refinancing the mortgages on some real estate she owns.

Unfortunately, my friend’s credit isn’t great. Which means getting approved for the lowest mortgage interest rates is challenging.

Although I’m clearly not a fan of debt. I, strangely, don’t have a problem with credit.

My friend’s inability to take advantage of historically low interest rates will cost her tens – maybe even hundreds – of thousands of dollars.

You can’t pickle enough cucumbers, make enough laundry detergent, or chocolate cover enough strawberries to yield that level of savings. That’s some serious cash.

So, I feel compelled to write this blog post about how to build or rebuild a good credit history.

Enter secured credit cards.

Back when I was a youngster, building credit was easy.

Banks lured poor – and I literally do mean poor – college students into applying for credit cards with t-shirts and 6-inch cold cut coupons.

With no credit history and no income, my 18-year old self was approved for a MasterCard with a $1,000 credit limit. Ah, those were the good ol’ days.

After the Credit CARD Act of 2009 passed into law, individuals under the age of 21 couldn’t get a credit card without a cosigner or (gasp) proof of adequate income to repay the obligation.

But all hope is not lost.

Secured Credit Cards Explained

When you don’t have a credit history, people don’t want to loan you money.

And why should they? They don’t know you. And there’s no reputable person who’ll vouch for your character.

Would you lend a complete stranger money? Of course not.

Maybe if said stranger gave you something of value in return, you’d make the loan.

In the event the borrower fails to repay the debt, collection is a breeze.

Instead of standing in her front yard shouting, “I want my scrilla!” you tell that grimy hussy you’re keeping her stuff.

Sure. You probably won’t collect any late fees or interest charged for the loan, but at least you recoup your principal.

A secured credit card works the same way.

For example, you apply for a credit card with a $500 limit. Once approved, you deposit $500 into an account the lender will hold as collateral.

You can use a secured card how you’d used an unsecured (I believe the technical term is “regular”) credit card.

If you’re good, you can move to a traditional credit card in about a year or so.

Important Matters

Before applying for a secured credit card, make sure your account’s activity will be reported to the three major credit bureaus: Trans Union, Equifax, Experian. Otherwise, you’re not building a credit history.

You may have to pay an application fee, and you’ll likely be subjected to an annual fee for the secured credit card. Therefore, it’s important to comparison shop. If you’re a member of a credit union, you should start your search there as they tend to hit you with lower fees. Also, compare benefits and features of several secured credit cards at Bankrate.com.

After you receive your secured credit card, it’s imperative you do at least two things for me:

1. Don’t go over your credit limit. Not much to elaborate on there. Just don’t do it.

2. Pay your bill time. Thirty-five percent of your FICO score (the credit scoring model used by most lenders) is determined by your payment history.

You can practically eliminate the risk of missing your due date by setting up automatic minimum payments on your account.

If you don’t maintain enough money in your checking account to cover a $15 to $35 monthly payment, then as my mother always says when we don’t have our priorities straight, “You worried ’bout the wrong thang.”

Get your money right first, pimp. (Loosely translated in nerd speak that’s “Practice proper money management principles first, and then worry about building a good credit history…pimp. Haha! I couldn’t help myself.)

What tools have you used to successfully build or rebuild a good history?

Should you be using all of that dishwasher detergent?

Most of us automatically fill the detergent slot in our dishwasher to the top. Take a moment to read your detergent box. Many of them advise using as little as 1 tablespoon of detergent, which is less than half the size of most dishwashers’ detergent slots. This will make that box or bottle go twice as far!

Part of being successful is knowing when you’re, um, ultra mediocre.

And right now, the You Have More Than You Think Facebook fan page is downright pathetic.

Including myself, only 23 people have “liked” it.

Facebook won’t even let you customize your page’s domain with a number like that.

So here’s my solution: B.R.I.B.E.R.Y.

For a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card (it’s actually two $25 gift cards but they work just the same), all you have to do is “like” my fan page.

You’re probably thinking, “Why should I like your fan page?”

Two reasons.

1. I, literally, just told you about the opportunity to win $50 in Amazon gift cards. Try to pay attention next time.

2. You gain access to exclusive content as well as giveaways and promotions that aren’t available on the blog.

In case you’re wondering, “liking” the fan page is the ONLY action you can take to participate in the giveaway.

If you already “like” me, you’re automatically entered to win a separate $10 Amazon gift card without taking any further action.

The contest ends on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST.

Use the form below to enter.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Baby wipes are very expensive, especially on top of buying diapers!

Try this money saver for at-home diaper changes: kick your disposable baby wipe habit. Instead, pick up washcloths from a discount store or make your own reusable baby wipes out of old t-shirts or receiving blankets. The number of reusable wipes you need on hand depends on how often you do laundry. Keep them either in the bathroom or at the diaper changing table. Wet one just before the diaper change. Afterward, toss it in the diaper pail to be washed. Keep the disposable wipes for the diaper bag.

Bonus: Make your own baby wipes.

Photo credit: BabyZing

When you take prescription medication, try to use generics instead of brand name formulas. Ask your doctor to allow your pharmacy to fill the prescription with a generic. Go to your health insurance plan’s web site to learn about generics for the drugs you take and how much you could save. You can also look up generic equivalents using the Food & Drug Administration’s Orange Book or RxList. Check out How to Find Cheap Prescription Drugs for other techniques you can use to reduce the costs of medicine.