It’s been a long time since I’ve owned individual stocks (6 years), and I’m feelin’ lucky! The market’s down, our savings are up, and I’m ready to give it the ol’ college try again. Plus, I’m a lot better off financially and emotionally than I was the last time I gave it a shot.

6 years ago I was just rollin’ the dice and doing my best to outgame the system. Sometimes I won (bought XMSR @ $20 one day, and then sold it months later @ $29), while other times I crashed and burned (bought Sirius @ $2.25, then sold it weeks later for $1, only to watch it go right back up). The reality of it all was that I just didn’t have a game plan. All I knew was that I a) wanted to be a baller and “trade” stocks, and b) wanted to make some fast money with no effort ;)

Needless to say I was a financial loon, and certainly no baller. Although I’m sure E*Trade loved me! They tend to like it when you drop $10 a trade every other day, haha…even worse, I was losing a sizeable chunk of money right from the get-go! If you’re only playing with $100 or $200 of stock to begin with, you’re automatically giving away 5-10% every time you hit that buy or sell button. I was seriously smoking something, and it wasn’t the good stuff either! (not that i know what the “good stuff” is or anything)

But if you’re gonna play the game, you’ve got to have a plan. And this time I have one :) You ready for it? It’s gonna blow your mind I just know it! Okay, here we go….drum roll please….bah-buh-bah-bah, alright, here it is! My plan is….I’m going to invest it for the long haul. Sexy, huh?! haha….well, it may not SEEM all hot & juicy, but it’s a lot better a plan. You see, I’m not in the business of making quick cash anymore. Nope, I’m ready to kick back, be patient, and watch it grow over time while I earn my wrinkles.

I’ve also decided to give myself an allowance for this, and it’s all money I can live without. That way, if my repeat performance sucks again I’m not gonna lose any sleep over it. No siree, it’ll be just like taking a trip to Vegas, except with better odds. In Vegas, I bring $200 bucks to “play” the tables, and when I lose (because I always do) I’m cut off – no hitting up that ATM again. In this new venture, I bring that same $200 and when it’s spent it’s spent – no going back and xfering in more money to “break even”. This way I get to have a little fun, but at the same time I don’t go overboard.

Plus, I’m not counting on becoming a millionaire off it or anything. I just want a little more investing experience while I have the means to do so – and while the market is still so freakin’ low… and I’m not gonna sell it every time it takes a dip either. This time around it’s all about buying it low and holding onto it baby! I doubt I’ll pick the right stocks at the right times, but you know what? That’s okay. It’s just time daddy gets a new toy to play with ;) I love my mutual & money market funds, but every now and then ya gotta spice things up a bit. And for me, that time is now.