Whether you have bad credit or no credit, having a credit card is a vital part of having good credit. For me, I am working on increasing my score and I need a credit card. I haven’t had a credit card in years and I do not have many things on my credit report. I need to diversify my credit report. If you are in my shoes where you need to beef up your credit report, responsibly using a credit card is the perfect way. Let’s talk about the facts. Secured Credit Card Unsecured Credit Card When you are building your credit a secured card is a great way to do it. It is not glamorous nor does it come with all the cute credit card perks but it will get you there. So what are my options? In this order: Discover It – Secured Credit Card Open Sky -…
We have all been in interviews and they can be awkward. Minimize your awkwardness by preparing for your interview by going through test questions with a friend so that you are sharp and ready. When interviewing there is always an area I struggled with, which is when the interviewer asks me if I have any questions for them and I quickly say no. I learned from several HR professionals that asking questions and researching the company prior to the interview will give you an advantage. Here are some questions you could ask the interviewer or panel at the end of the interview to show that you are serious about being hired. Based on my credentials & background, do you have any reservations about my candidacy? What are the next steps in the interview process? Can you tell me more about the day-to-day responsibilities of this job? What do you think…
At my age completing college can be challenging and even overwhelming at times. When you are a teenager who is freshly coming into college you are likely to have one main responsibility, college. As an adult student, I have to manage more than just college. I must manage all my responsibilities including college, work, my personal life, and my health. Paying for school without any additional financial help makes those responsibilities even more challenging than it is. Up against the odds, I know that I am diligent and strong enough to not let my responsibilities keep me from my goal. I completed three semesters at a community college with one semester off before being admitted into Belmont, so I am mostly still mentally prepared to be in school. I know I will have to make more adjustments this spring semester after having a semester off. Balance and sacrifice are the…
Save Money the Easy Way, Don’t Lift a Finger with Digit One of my all time favorite money apps is Digit. Digit has a dope algorithm that monitors your spending and takes money you wouldn’t notice and places it in a FDIC insured account. So basically, you are saving without actually having to save. HOW DOPE!! Additionally, Digit tells you exactly how much you have in your linked account everyday for me it’s around 9 a.m. You hardly ever have to log into the app as Digit can communicate to you thru text. Right now, I dont have the Digit app on my phone. You can sign up and communicate with Digit via text. You can simply send a text with key words or emojis. For instance, if you send the umbrella with raindrops emoji, it will tell you how much you have saved in your Digit account. I put…
I was born and raised in Oakland, CA but I left right after I turned 18 and haven’t looked back. My brother still lives there at one point he was considering moving in with me in Nashville, TN. So when talking to my dad about it he said, “If your brother is going to move there, make him sleep on the couch because if you make his life there too comfortable he will never move out.” Another time I was talking to him about work and I can’t remember the specifics but his response was basically, you have to be uncomfortable sometimes to get what you want. Sometimes he would even tell me that I had to eat crow, which is exceptionally difficult for me, a person who always feels like their best isn’t good enough. Dad always had these little gems that would ripple into a much louder message…
Budgeting Tips for Beginners Most of us want to budget but budgeting seems complicated and time consuming. I even found myself looking for apps to make it simple but could never find the perfect app. With most apps you have to link your bank account and put a lot of energy into categorizing purchases to find out how much you spend where to adjust your life in a particular area. That seemed to be more time consuming than just figuring it out on my own. I took some time out and said to myself how can i make this easy enough for me to actually want to do it but accurate. First thing I decided to do was to break my income into three accounts; bills, saving, and spending. Then I had to figure out how much I needed to put into each account. So boom, I needed to know…
The Me Too movement has opened up the conversation about sexual harassment, rape and rape culture. For centuries, women have been taken advantage of by men, but there is a group we never discuss and their contribution to rape culture and sexual harassment. Oftentimes, women forget that they too can be predatory and not solely the victim. As a lesbian, straight women have been predatory to me and I’ve witnessed them do it to other lesbians. My friend Mimi said, “They always become predators once they hear I am gay, from the touching to the rubbing and it’s always I’ve never kissed a girl before, they think it’s okay because they are also women but the shit is mighty uncomfortable. I’ve had women literally kiss me without my permission because it’s what girls do.” Straight women believe that it is harmless to push their fantasies on lesbian women but it…
This is a good look for work and easy to pull off. If you buy men’s pants and jackets whether you are male or female, I recommend finding a good cheap tailor. If your city has a K&G they always keep a good tailor on hand who is reasonable. INC Men’s Slim-Fit Glen Plaid Pants Everyday Crew-Neck Sweater for Men Men’s Slim Fit Essential Oxford Dress Shirt Oxblood The Rome Boot INC Stretch Slim-Fit Blazer
What to Know About Business Casual (From a Masc Perspective) Let me be real — business casual used to feel like a personality killer to me. Like… you mean to tell me I gotta walk into work looking like every other person in a navy button-down and khakis? That never sat right with me. Especially as a masculine-presenting woman, where style already feels like a balancing act between how you see yourself and how the world reads you. I like structure. I like clean fits. I like looking put together. But I also like looking like me. And for a long time, business casual felt like it was asking me to shrink that. Typically, in work environments, most masculine-presenting people (and men in general) default to the easy go-to: polos, button-downs, and pants. Clean. Simple. Predictable. And listen — there’s nothing wrong with that. I wear that too. But where…
So many things affect finding a style that looks right on you. Honey, let me tell you, this has always been a struggle for me. I’ve always wanted to have a certain look yet, never could figure out how to pull it off. What I learned is that my struggle was bigger than what I wanted but was more about how I felt. I’m not insecure but I’m fasho self conscious. Being a Black woman who is a masculine presenting lesbian (stud *inserts eye roll), I constantly thought about how something looks on me, would this look good, or even how would people perceive me. I work in an environment that is easily 95% (and I’m being generous) white and in the south, if not this job, any other environment here. I often wondered if what I wear is too masculine would people feel a way about how I look.…