Taking a page out of No Debt Plan’s book the mastermind behind Stretchy Dollar asked to do a subscriber swap with me. Essentially all we ask is that you go ahead and subscribe to the other’s blog and try it out for a week. If you like what they have to say stick with it. If you don’t ditch it. I think if you take the time and subscribe you will be better off than before. Everyone has a different vantage point on finance so the more input you have the better off you will be. So go ahead and subscribe to the RSS Feed or the e-mail updates at StretchyDollar.com.
Q1.) What would you say the purpose of Stretchy Dollar is? What is the mission of your blog?
I would say that the purpose of StretchyDollar is to help people use their money wisely. I understand the motivation behind frugality and I think it is an extremely worthwhile pursuit, but it’s not the only way to save money. StretchyDollar.com is a resource for different ideas about budgeting and saving. It’s geared towards those who are just getting started and those who don’t have much to work with.
Q2.) Why did you start blogging, what motivates you to continue?
I started blogging because I wanted a hobby where I could be creative and learn at the same time. I remember reading a lot of personal finance blogs and getting a lot out of them, and thought it would be a good outlet for me. I enjoy learning from others and I really like the “community” aspect of blogs – comments, subscribers, guest posts, etc. I think it’s a cool “group-learning” environment where everyone has something to share.
Q3.) Is this your only online venture or do you have others?
This is the only one that is moving ahead full steam. I have a smaller “blog”-type venture called blogmediakits.com. It’s just getting rolling, but I hope it can be a resource for people who want media kits for their blogs and want to learn about how they can manage the advertising better on their blogs/sites. (Shameless plug – if you have a blog – check it out!)
Q4.) What is your background? Are you in banking, finance, or accounting? What do you think qualifies you to blog about finance?
I’m an advertising major, and that qualifies me to talk about personal finance. Just kidding. I try to take the tone of “sharing what I learn” on StretchyDollar.com. I’m not a financial expert, just a guy who’s trying to get creative in the ways he makes and saves money. I love to learn and read and will occasionally share things from books I’ve enjoyed, but most of the posts reference lessons I’ve learned in my life.
Q5.) If you could start over blogging again what would you have done different?
I would have talked to more ‘experts’. They know a lot and can save you a lot of wasted time/effort on things that aren’t going to work. I think it would have changed the approach that I took to StretchyDollar.com, and I know it has changed my approach to new projects in the future.
Q6.) Are you a full time blogger/do you hope to be one in the future?
I’m not full time right now, and while it would be awesome, I don’t know if that’s my end goal. I enjoy writing and getting in touch with people, but I envision blogging being just one of the many activities that occupy my life in the future. If it can support some or all of my adventures, that would be cool, if not, I’m sure something else will.
Q7.) What about personal finance do you wish you had been taught in school and what are your thoughts on the lack of good PF education in school?
I wish they would have taught us the concept “Some of what you make is yours to keep” (Richest Man in Babylon) – saving some part of all the money I make. I’m not a saver by nature. I think personal finance deserves as place in schools. One way to think about it is that it would lead to the alleviation of a lot of other problems if people knew how to manage their finances better. Money (or lack thereof) causes a lot of problems, and if people controlled it instead of it controlling them, I think the world would be a better place.
Q8.) What books would you recommend to my readers to learn more about finance and investing?
Top 3?
3. 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget
(all touch on investing but don’t go into it very much – I’m still very much a beginner on that topic)
If you still aren’t convinced that you want to Subscribe to Stretchy Dollar why don’t you drop by there and check out a couple of my favorite posts from his site:
…Or Do without This is the fourth part of a four part series on frugalness called Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without
There was a great article on Saving Money on Minimum Wage, it is a great resource for those just starting to work.
Finally if you have ever wondered what to do to Dispute a Credit Card Charge here is a great how to.
Once you have subscribed to his blog, and hopefully you are already subscribed to mine check out Stretchy Dollar’s Interview of Me
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