Budgets Are Sexy

General

That’s an interesting name for a blog…what is the story behind it?

Oh I was just trying to come up with something a bit more risque and catchy really...I'm a huge fan of both budgets, and the adjective "sexy" (a little too much even), so I thought I'd combine them and see what happens ;) No harm in adding a little flair to the personal finance world, right?

What part of your site seems to get the most traffic, i.e. what are your readers most interested in?

My navigation links get the most traffic by far (includes my budget, best advice, my bio, etc), followed by the "sexiest posts" section which showcases my top10-ish popular articles over time. I find people like to be entertained when they're learning, so I try to keep things interesting and include the readers by asking for their own opinions and experiences. I've also noticed that there are a lot of financial voyeurs that like to see your net worth and such (admittingly, I'm one of them!), so that's always easy to find on my site.

What type of reaction have you had to your “Millionaire to-do list?

You know, that's a good question. It was quite popular last year, but I honestly haven't seen much hype about it these days. As long as people are reaching for the stars though, it's all good to me. Having that one awesome goal in mind helps you reach it much faster!

Do you see people following along with your advice?

Oh, most certainly! I'm lucky enough to have readers who communicate and leave a lot of messages, either on the blog or via direct email, so I get to hear how it's affecting other people :) A lot of the stuff I go over has been said a billion times out there, but changing up the way it's portrayed can certainly help it to sink in a bit more.

How did you come up with your “best advice” section?

There was a week last year when a whole bunch of friends and family kept asking me for my top advice, and I found I was repeating the same stuff over and over again. A lot of it had been discussed on my blog, but it was pretty much scattered all over the place - so I decided to list them all on one simple page! Now, I can easily share a link that incorporates my all-time favorite and best advice.

If you could recommend just one book to someone interested in cleaning up their finances, which would it be?

"The Richest Man In Babylon", hands down. The key to successfully reaching your financial goals is having the right mindset - and this book certainly helps you put things in perspective. Plus, it’s SUPER easy to read and broken down into cool little stories. And it’s short, which is great for those with A.D.D. like myself.

What do you think someone should do TODAY to start achieving their financial goals?

Whip out a pencil and paper and create a budget! Write down how much you'd like to spend, and bring in, for the next month and start tracking it. The minute you start doing that, you'll be ahead of the game because you KNOW, 100%, where all your money is going (whether you like it or not). I have a favorite motto: Budgeting = Confidence = Sexy!

How long have you been blogging?

Since Feb. of '08.

What got your started blogging?

I stumbled across the personal finance blogosphere the month before, and was addicted right away! I was reading 10+ blogs a day and leaving comments/emails non-stop. I realized I had a LOT more to share with everyone, and the idea of helping others really excited me so I figured I'd jump in and give it a shot :)

(*I included) I’ve noticed quite a few bloggers like to keep anonymous…What are your reasons for doing so?

Oh man, I’d love more than anything to get my real name out there (I’m a total media whore), but unfortunately it would restrict me too much. Remaining anonymous allows me to write exactly what I want, 100% from the heart, without hurting anyone’s feelings and/or getting *caught* at work giving out too much information. Plus, it lets me spill my salary and all that I owe w/out worrying about who’s actually reading it…It’s pure journalism at its finest if you ask me ;)

What is the focus of your blog, i.e. how does it set you apart from the other bloggers out there?

The focus of my blog is to share my own experience & advice with personal finance as simply, and excitingly, as I can. There are a TON of other pf blogs out there, so I do my best to add flair and a bit of "edge" to my writing style. If I'm thinking it, I spill it - whether kosher or not.

What is it you hope a reader will come away with when they visit your blog?

That we're all in this together, and that it's OKAY to talk about money! Sure it's personal and you don't want to share it with everyone you know, but the more you talk and learn about it, the better you'll become at managing it. We've all had our own crazy experiences with it, but the key is to learn from them and build up our confidence each time.

Do you like to be edgy in your posts and try and stir up some controversy?

Haha...hell yeah! You can learn from every experience out there, but most especially the controversial ones. It has a tendency to bring out our true passions and strike a nerve with our core values. Even if you don't agree w/ what's being said, you have to admit it makes life more interesting!

If yes…Do you think being edgy gives you a boost in subscribers?

Sure, most definitely. Not only does it add flair to a very dry and conservative subject, but it sets you apart from the other sites out there. And if you (as a reader) are into this sort of thing, the chances you'll stick around is much higher since there's less of "us" out there. You're bound to lose a handful of people too, of course, but they aren't your target audience anyways.