Author: Michele Heyward

Strategic, innovative engineer with planning & execution skills which get desired results. I love to travel, listen to music* dancing* study best practices for debt elimination*learning to weight lifting* getting back into eating clean.

Financial Fast Day 5 of 21: What has been the most difficult habit to overcome so far?

On By Michele HeywardIn Finances, Personal GrowthLeave a comment

As I entered Day 5 of the fast, I started to lose steam. I wanted to return to my old habits. I didn’t realize I would feel this way so I hadn’t planned any way to combat what I now call my “spending” addiction.”

The financial fast was making me be more purposeful with my actions. As I reflected, I realized I let my emotions be the driver behind many of my purchases. For instance, if I “felt” tired I simple bought convenience food.  When I was bored I would go to Target or some other store to have something to do.

Now I was using my budget so I didn’t spend money that wasn’t allocated to cleaning supplies, food, clothing, etc. But I wasn’t making fully consciences decisions with my money. My emotions were in control of the money I spent more than my mind was.

Anytime I wanted to go shopping or out to get food, I reminded myself I was on a financial fast. I also began to note when I would generally needed a shopping fix. I started becoming more focused on my financial goals. I started reviewing my goals DAILY! This aided in keeping me on track.

IMPULSE shipping is not your friend. You will end up with less cash and mostly items that decrease in value. I looked around my home and decided it was time to DECLUTTER all these items I didn’t use. I had items to be donated that included: wall art, clothing, irons, drapes, small kitchen, picture frames and so much more. This was stuff I bought, didn’t use or had duplicates of because of impulse buying.

I can now see CLEARLY! I must reign in my emotions to be a better steward of my money.  While I still feel the “need” to buy, I now have a few methods to counteract the feeling. PROGRESS!ManagedMoneyHasPurpose

Financial Fast Day 4 of 21: Having financial goals?

On By Michele HeywardIn Finances, Personal GrowthLeave a comment

Do you have financial goals? Have you written down your financial goals? Are your goals measurable? These are questions which drove me to participate in a financial fast. I have financial goals to be financially healthy, financially wise and financially prepared.

I am a goal oriented person. For me, goals help me stay in alignment with my future aspirations. Don’t get me wrong, I do stray but without my goals I believe I would just end up lost in a forest called life. So I started doing a goal pyramid which I implemented as part of my financial fast.

Basic Format of a Financial Goal Pyramid
Basic Format of a Financial Goal Pyramid

I began with a long term or annual goal (12 months or longer to achieve). My goal was to save $5000. Why $5000? It seemed like a reasonably emergency fund to have. You never know when you will have an emergency.

From the annual goal, I developed monthly goals. These monthly goals were changes to be made in less than 12 months. My monthly goals were actions I could take a month at a time. For instance, I would pay off or down one of three debts I had remaining. Once paid off I would “snowball” that payment amount into paying off another bill. Example 1: Payoff $800 credit card bill by October 1, 2015. Example 2: Reduce my grocery bill by 60% by May 31, 2015.

My weekly goals were more planning. I utilized my meal plans to not only keep me on track but to reduce my fuel costs. One method for a great gas saving tip was only going to the grocery store once a week or every two weeks. Using the Gasbuddy app to find the most affordable fuel was critical too saving me money too. I only did laundry on the weekends late at night when rates were cheaper. I also ran my dishwasher late at night for the same reason. I participated in a 52 weeks savings challenge wherein I saved my change.

My daily goals were actions I could take today. First goal was cutting off my cable, downgrading my gym membership and not dining out. The cable would save me $55 per month. My gym membership downgrade was $10 per month savings. While the not dining out was $250 per month savings. I would be able to achieve my long term in less than 18 months. Turning off lights in rooms I was not in and turning down my thermostat. Lastly, funneling all my savings to my online savings account was one of the most important goals I achieved.

As you can see the daily goals roll up into the weekly goals. The weekly goals roll up into the monthly goals and the monthly goals roll up into my annual goal. Making small incremental changes to your finances will create a better financial future for you. Do make small changes that give a long lasting impact to reaching your financial goals.

Financial Fast Day 3 of 21: Not Being Wasteful

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As I was progressing throughout the fast, I was cutting back go grocery shopping. I needed to find ways to using or preserve my fresh fruits and vegetables. I found great methods that were easy and cheap. I also wanted to find new recipes for my food.

I did some research online and found a few websites wherein I could list the food items to make and meal. The sites would give me a recipe or a few. I mean I would have it making meals from some of my mismatched food items. It weirded me out at first but then the recipes seemed really tasty. The websites I liked the best include: Myfridgefood.com, Pinterest.com, allrecipes.com and recipes.com

I found a few methods to maintain or preserve my fruits and vegetables. I froze grapes and ate them frozen. A nice cool treat to have in the summer heat. I also froze ripe bananas to make into ice cream. A “diamond” Pinterest recipe I found. I chopped onions and peppers, placed them into freezer bags then froze them. They are best if used in baked dishes because they are soggy if thawed. This is a lesson learned.

I would wash my berries in apple cider vinegar. I bought apples because they last a very long time compared to other fruits. I made apple sage chicken sausages for a breakfast protein. I then made a dessert with brown sugar, apples and sweet potatoes. These are not typical food combinations for me but I truly enjoyed them.

I learned to infuse my water with fruit. I started adding berries, oranges and lemons. I then tried cucumber which I have never done before. I had to be a bit adventurous right? Besides it was either try this or the cucumbers were going to spoil.

I wasn’t as successful with my herbs. I found ways to maintain them like chop them up and place them in ice trays with olive oil. That didn’t seem too appetizing to me for some of the recipes I use my herbs.

I found great options for cauliflower. I now make my own cauliflower rice. It makes a great fried rice meal. I even have a mashed cauliflower with zucchini and cheese dish I enjoy. The cauliflower poppers are next on my list of foods to make at home.

Let’s talk about my experience with zucchini. I didn’t find a way to remain fresh longer so I tried making zucchini bread. I have tried several recipes and I have yet to bake a loaf I enjoyed. So I found a stuffed zucchini recipe. These come out very well and I truly enjoy eating them.

I consider this a WIN today. I learned how to make my fresh fruits and veggies last longer. For many of the items that I didn’t find a preservation hack, I found recipes to utilize them. So I pat myself on the back because I had a problem and looked for solutions.

Financial Fast Day 2 of 21: Did I fail to LAUNCH?

On By Michele HeywardIn Finances, Personal GrowthLeave a comment

Uhm…well I didn’t fail to plan but did I fail to LAUNCH?  Better yet, how did my plan to SUCCEED go? Did I fail on my second day of the financial fast? These are all very valid questions for me to address. Many times we have what seem like SOLID PLANS with focus and details, yet nothing happens.

Well on day 2 of the financial fast I was still holding STRONG. Well as strongly as you can for the second day of the fast. I was packing a cooler full of food for work. I had a quiche for breakfast, chicken salad for lunch and salmon for dinner with various fruits, veggies and potatoes as snacks and sides. I drank mostly water throughout the day.

For evening entertainment, I had a variety of activities. I did Pilates for an hour. I called family and friends for a few hours to catch up. I posted on Facebook and Twitter with various articles and quotes. I read articles and some pages of my e-book. I was CHANGING! I didn’t find the need to go to the store to fill avoid from being bored.

Not only had I LAUNCHED, I was beginning to GROW. Was it comfortable making the changes? Uhm…no! But this only meant what I suspected; I was not completely in control of the money I was spending. While I never ran a credit card up to its limit or spent my rent money on a 55” flat screen, it meant I was not being the best steward of my money. I had room for improvement and the next 19 days would definitely show me where this improvement would be.

I was easily stacking “coins” from not dining out. I was saving money by not running into Target for this or that. I wasn’t going to the drive-thru when I had cupboards and refrigerator packed with nutritious food. I found myself enjoying more of my own cooking and feeling great about it. I didn’t lose time from cooking my meals because I would have one day of meal preparation. This consisted of me making 5-6 meals for the week along with any sides. I was happy to see leftovers on long days of work. In all, I was treating myself better by controlling my food, money and body. LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL…now let’s see me orbit.

Financial Fast Day 1 of 21: How did I prepare for the fast?

On By Michele HeywardIn Finances, Personal Growth, Saving MoneyLeave a comment

Once I read the guidelines for the financial fast, I knew I need to preplan. I couldn’t be sporadic about my meals or go into emotional spending. I couldn’t do emotional eating either. So I actually laid out a plan to be successful during the fast.

I reviewed my schedule for any special events, business trips or holidays.  I would have to take. There was only one business trip I would have to book using my corporate credit card during the fast.  I was determined it will be the ONLY instance a credit card would be used.

Special Events – One of my nieces had a birthday party during the financial fast. Luckily for me, I had purchased a comforter on clearance a couple of months prior. Originally, this was going to be a Christmas gift but oh well. I was hoping my niece wouldn’t ask for me to take her to Longhorn a birthday dinner. She didn’t so DISASTER averted.

Meals – I developed a meal plan. First I took inventory of the food I already had at home. I then made a simple and easy to follow meal plan:

Entrée Side/Snack
Salmon Shrimp Stir Fry Kale, Bananas Celery, Tomatoes
Meatloaf Chicken Soup Blueberry Tart Blueberries
Tuna Muffins Chili Cauliflower Rice Carrots, Pineapple
Stuffed Zucchini Chicken & Apple Sausage Zucchini Bread Cauliflower, Spinach
Chicken Salad Tacos Cheesy Zucchini Rice Sweet Potatoes
Hard boiled Eggs Omelet Muffin Coconut Cupcake Garlic, White Potatoes
Hamburgers Chicken Fajita Soup One Ingredient Ice Cream Cheese, Cucumbers
Quiche w/ Grd Turkey Salisbury Steak Sunflower Seeds Oranges, Watermelon
Pork chops Sweet Potato Pancakes Grapes,  Brussel Sprouts Almonds, Walnuts

I utilized Pinterest to find new recipes with items I had on hand. Example is the one ingredient ice cream. It is just a frozen banana put into a food processor or blender until it reaches a smooth ice cream like texture. I added frozen fruit, flavored egg whites and whey protein powder to create different flavors.

Entertainment – the internet has great FREE entertainment and of course CBS has the Young and the Restless available online. I as have Hulu and Amazon Prime along with read books and the gym to occupy my time. I did some self-development activities and started building my own blog.

Boredom – I did have a couple of ideas of how to cure my boredom. My boredom activities included cleaning, organizing, blogging, looking for a mastermind group and driving around my new neighborhood.

Most of the planned activities worked for me during the financial fast.

Your Clarity leads to Cashflow

What Is A Financial Fast & Why I did it for 21 Days?

On By Michele HeywardIn Finances, Personal Growth, Saving MoneyLeave a comment

In my quest to be DEBT FREE, I was introduced to the Financial Fast. The one I was introduced to was based on Michelle Singletary’s book, “The 21 Day Financial Fast.” While it is a Christian based fast, you can do the fast with eliminating the Christian focus. But do the fast as you see fit for you and your faith. However, stay within the basic frame work I have identified later in the blog.

Why do a financial fast? I wanted to see where I could save MORE money that I had already identified in my budget. I knew I was staying in budget and that I could be saving MORE money. The financial fast limited my ability to spend money,  so that I could see the ABUNDANCE I had in my home and to use what I already had instead of spending more money.

During the 21-day Financial Fast, I was supposed to essentially go “Cold Turkey” on all nonessential purchases. I will let you know over the next 21 days how it went for me.

During the fast:

  • I could not use Credit Cards/Debit Cards. This is a “Cash Only Fast”. I was supposed to take out a certain amount of cash at the start. The rule of thumb is $200. However, this cash is to ONLY BE USED ON NECESSITIES.
  • No restaurant meals. No fast food meals. No purchasing breakfast or lunch at work. No stopping for coffee. I prepared all of our meals, including lunch. I found a huge portion of my savings in this very area.
  • No Mall Shopping, retail stores, online shopping. Window shopping is off-limits. When you window shop, you’re more likely to run out and make impulse purchases at the conclusion of the fast. This is discouraged. The goal is to try to institute a total lifestyle change.
  • No spending on entertainment. Don’t go to the movie, or do anything which will result in your spending money. Find things to do that are free of charge.
  • Bills are still permitted to be paid electronically online, however, this is an opportunity to use the budget provided to the group to determine which expenses could be cut out and saved.
  • Gift cards couldn’t be used to buy items that I don’t need.

Does this seem difficult? Any type of change is! For a better financial future, I was willing to do this fast for ONLY 21 days. I was happy and astounded by the findings. Follow me for the next 21 days as I discuss the challenges, failures and SUCCESSES of my 21 day Financial Fast.

Growth Comes when you step out of your comfort zone

The Voice in Your Head

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Over the past year my mom closed her 30+ year old business. It was very difficult for her to do. She struggled to keep her business going and had placed much hard work and dedication into her business. Her journey into entrepreneurship piqued my interest in how, why and when did my mom start her business.

You see we live in a small rural town in South Carolina. There are not many chain businesses and those that are in town are franchised by locals. The good paying jobs have dwindled like other towns and cities in the US. So with a decline in jobs and my mom being in retirement age I wanted to know how did she get started? So I asked her and these are my mom’s responses with my take-a-ways:

  1. Why? God sent my mom a message and she responded to it. God told
    No perfect time to chase your dreams so start NOW
    No perfect time to chase your dreams so start NOW

    my mom to teach the children in the community. See my mom started teaching in the South Carolina public school system in 1969 but stopped around 1977 and started working at H&R Block. This is a huge difference in career paths right? She started her business AND worked there to have cash to run the business. Her office was 12 miles away from her business and my mom didn’t learn to drive until 1991 which is 10 years after she started her business. In rural towns, if you don’t know how to drive you will have “limited” opportunities. Take-A-Way #1: If there is a barrier, you find a way to overcome it.

  2. How? My grandmother gave my mom $1000 seed money, my uncles/aunts bought items and drove the items 90 miles one way. A young neighbor helped my mom for free in cleaning the building she housed her daycare. My mom bought the building she housed her daycare in directly from the owner without a loan from a bank. My dad’s cousin was a social worker and told my mom the licensing process. Take-A-Way #2: Your support can come from several places when you are an entrepreneur. Use your network as you will have more supporters than you may realize.
  3. When? The time was when God spoke to her. My mom worked 7 days a week, still had to keep house (my dad worked full time doing 12 hour shifts, drove 1.5 hours to work one-way and worked side jobs), worked tax season for extra income, raised 5 kids and ran her business. Was it easy? No but God gave her direction and there was no other options.Take-A-Way #3: When you have NO OTHER options then the time is now!
  4. Bonus: My mom had no experience or process to start or operate a business. Yet she did it anyway. Whatever fears or doubts she had didn’t matter because her vision and purpose were CLEAR. Nothing else mattered. Take-A-Way #4: The time is NOW. Don’t delay.

Take the time to ask questions to the leaders, business owners, educators, long time residents and legends in your area. I am sure there will be nuggets of information you can gather, share, learn from and grow.

Why I Love Working in Construction

On By Michele HeywardIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Picture of construction crew & mgt after last steel piece is placed.
Picture of construction crew & mgt after last steel piece is placed.

So many people think I’m crazy for being a woman and a construction engineer. But actually, I think you are crazy for not even considering it as a career. I travel around the country to help build different energy projects. I wear a hard hat, bright as hell safety vest, steel-toed boots and safety glasses. I get to guide the future of ENERGY in the United States and it EXCITES me.

Here’s why. In construction it is NEVER boring. Construction is a rapid fire type industry and I get some much enjoyment from working under the pressure. I love the pace and everyday being different.  Something always fails go as planned. Material is delivered late, engineering drawing has an error, a contractor doesn’t understand a detail on an engineering drawing, on and on and on. It is a team environment from upper management to craft personnel. It supports the economy from around the country and sometimes the world.  Even with the complexity of construction projects, most  are successfully completed.

I get to use my innate analytical skills to address problems and determine how they impact various aspects of the project. When an issue has to be addressed, I must immediately decide which is more important to address – items on my “ABC” To Do List or the new issue. Will the new issue immediately impact the project schedule or not? Will this new issue impact the project budget and to what amount? Will the issue be of high importance to my client or not? Will this issue impact other contractors or not? It’s a brain teaser of sorts…I LOVE brain teasers.

I can discuss the issue with my team – project manager, construction manager, material manager, project controls lead and others. I can review the project schedule and budget to identify impacts. After some consideration, I make recommendations which are seriously considered and usually used to remedy the situation.  Did I tell you that I do this in a span of 10 minutes or less many times?

My project manager and previous program manager also let me lead processes and manage contractors. It feels great to have people ask you for help and direction. It feels even better to be able to address them appropriately. The best part is seeing dirt move and things begin to “grow” from it. Like a phoenix it will rise!

But like any job, it ain’t all sunny days and no rain. I’m away from my family often, steel-toed boots aren’t cute and wearing jeans five-days a week gets mundane for me. However, I get to fly home once a month to see my family which makes each trip home special. While my life isn’t perfect, it is the life that is perfect for me…at least for now.

Be the Genuine You

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Your Dreams Need EnergySince I travel a lot, I change doctors, dentist, etc often. I was looking for a doctor and found a group that could fit my needs. Out of all the pictures of the doctors, there was only one WITHOUT his white coat and he had a genuine smile. That is who I selected. He had a great bedside manner, soft spoken and extremely approachable. People look for the genuine YOU to connect with, especially when doing business. Go and have FUN in all that you do in life because people desire to see who we really are. People will think of you what they may, no matter how you selective you maybe about the things you say or do (or NOT say or do). You will have wasted time and energy to present someone other than your genuine self and would have LOSS more than you had bargained for in the beginning.

Never sacrifice your TRUE self for another, a job/career, your self-worth or any material item. Instead being who you truly are will render more satisfaction in your daily life, living a passionate life when your true self shines from within to others.

How to be the genuine you?

  1. Wear the colors, patterns, etc. that make you SMILE from ear to ear!
  2. Write down your top 10 to do list and GO FOR IT!
  3. Smile, cry, grin, love as you desire and need to for nothing is forever.
  4. Plan for TOMORROW but enjoy today with a good glass of wine, your favorite book in a foreign country, beach or mountain top.
  5. YELL, SCREAM, HOOT, HOLLER for your favorite sports team be it in a bar, stadium or living room.
  6. Don’t just dream but LIVE your dreams.
  7. Don’t save those shoes, dresses, jewelry, bottle of champagne for that special moment. That moment is HERE and NOW!

Pop the cork to being the GENUINE you!

EngiNerds Only Know Being Different & Strange  

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As an enginerd (engineer nerd), I’m always perplexed when people say I live and do different things than most because to me it’s nothing new, different or special. Then my sisters remind me that I’ve always been different. I have come to embrace who I am and to live my life as I desire.

‪#‎AllIn ‪#‎Gemini‪#‎DareToBeDifferent ‪#‎BornToBeDifferent

You see my career as a construction engineer has me jumping from one location to another location, usually remote locations.  But I enjoy moving around the country managing construction projects. Each one is different from the previous one so I can to learn and grow.

While many see a building being built, I see a safety hazard, concrete forms being placed and rebar being tied. I can see the method and madness. I can see the possibilities in an old structure and tell you what it once was. The enginerd in me never STOPS. I can be on vacation and analyze how a process can be more efficient from restaurant service to a school of fish swimming in the ocean.

While my life is not ideal all the time, it is mine.  Through it all, I have grown leaps and bounds. This country girl has found that being different and strange is to be leader, to be admired, to be desired and to be encouraged. No longer do I need to fit in or prescribe to someone else’s definition of who I should be or what I should do. Instead, this enginerd loves being nerdy, loves being off beat, wearing heels, going for walks in the park, loving the Flash television show/Big Bang Theory/Downton Abbey/ Arrow, you can be lonely in a crowded space, friends come for reasons or seasons and many more offbeat  and sometimes popular things.

I have never thought of engineering as a field I would grow personally. But what does a teenager know when selecting a college major. What I have learned thus far in my journey is:

  1. Snow is HIGHLYL overrated.
  2. Home cooking is the best.
  3. Sweet tea is NOT everywhere.
  4. Summer is still my favorite time of year.
  5. I am happy alone and with my own thoughts.
  6. I am enjoying the journey
  7. It is ok to feel lonely…

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