PF Blogger Showdown #6: Fabulously Broke vs. Krystal At Work! AKA two of the feistiest bloggers around ;) And even more intriguing since they’re both anonymous.
I’ve just recently started following FB from Fabulously Broke, but Krystal‘s Give Me Back My Five Bucks (otherwise known as “Krystal At Work”) has been on my list before I even started blogging myself! What’s great about these two is that they just spill it right from the heart, no matter what’s on their mind. Sometimes it generates a little ruckus, but they stand by their words and keep on truckin’. Probably a reason they have such a cult following. Enjoy!
 Fabulously Broke1,580 Readers Fabulously Broke @brokeinthecity |
 Krystal At Work1,154 Readers Give Me Back My Five Bucks @krystalatwork |
| How long have you been blogging for? | |
| Is it sad that I actually had to look this up and find the first post I ever wrote? Never mind, don’t answer that. December 2nd 2006. Final Answer. (But I of course, haven’t aged a day…) I started blogging as a way to save money. I thought it’d suck up all of my free time (which it did and still does), and stop me from craving retail therapy by posting what I wanted to buy and ogling it… without buying it, (which it sort of works, but avoiding even going out to those stores, is even more effective than blogging). |
I’ve been blogging for 6 years, and PF blogging for 2.5 years. |
| Do you ever consider going un-anonymous? |
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| Haven’t I already? Check out my awesome head shot in the header!
Seriously, I have considered it, but I think staying in the closet helps my writing. It might be a mental thing, but I can’t be as honest or as forthcoming on my blog, if I reveal who I am to the world. It’s not that I am scared of backlash, it’s more that I don’t want my two worlds colliding: FB Online and FB Real World. You saw what happened to George Costanza! That would really suck if I went to a client and they know all the intimate details about me, my life and my finances during an interview. Can you imagine? “So, tell me about yourself. How in the hell did you manage to get $60,000 into debt?”. Or if my parents called me and said: “What the HELL are you writing on the internet about your family acting like that? Don’t you know that dirty laundry….. ***blabeddy bla bla for 5 hours*** “ Ugh. Not good. With that being said, there are a handful of people who know who I am in both worlds. |
I have considered it, but don’t think that I will. That being said, I have nothing to hide. I’m very open with my writing, but I don’t mention specific names of people or anything about my job. So if someone who knows me in my real life were to ever stumble across my blog (it’s happened a few times), I’d be fine with it. |
| What are the first 3 sites you check in the morning? | |
| It kind of varies day to day, but this is it:
1. Gmail —- for all my email accounts As for blog stats, etc… I am not really obsessed about it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s cool, but what does it really mean to me as a blogger? It doesn’t drive why I blog. |
Gmail, Facebook, Google Reader. |
| Do you have any blogger crushes? | |
| OH MY GOSH YES!!! There are so many amazing bloggers online that I have so much respect and admiration for.
For one! ————————-> You know what, forget that. Just go to FabulouslyBroke.com and check out my Blogroll. |
Over the weekend I had a dream about Punch Debt in the Face and J.Money. The three of us were at a bar, and both of them were walking around with blurred out/pixelated faces. No joke. |
| If I lent you $1,000, how long would it take for me to get it back? | |
| It depends on what I am using the money for.
Wait a minute. That reminds me, don’t YOU owe me some money? Like say, around $1000? :) |
I’d never borrow that amount of money from a friend. |
| What’s the best financial advice you’ve ever gotten? | |
| Actually, it was the first and only money advice my father ever gave me.
He told me to never carry any credit card debt and always pay the balance in full. I’m glad I listened. I’ve never paid a single red cent towards my credit card debt and I never will. (I’m pretty sure Mastercard hates me right now.) |
When I was in debt – really struggling to make ends meet, and thinking it was completely hopeless … an old friend said “when you think you can’t, you CAN.” There’s always a way out of a tough situation if you’re willing to stop complaining, stay positive and work hard. |
| Do you believe in budgeting? | |
| Heck no, don’t you read my blog!? Just kidding.
Big fan. HUGE. HUUUUGE FAN. I definitely believe in budgeting because really helped me get out of $60,000 of debt. When I first started, I thought it was a load of crock. But 18 months later, I am a full-fledged, die-hard convert and I will probably do it until I croak. Now my budgeting style is more flexible, because I just budget for my basic expenses like rent and use my ..errr… sound judgment to try and stay at a reasonable amount each month for everything else. The most important thing for me is daily, rigorous tracking of expenses. I am a bit of a nerd for numbers, and even now, it still slaps me in the face and reveals things about me that I would sometimes rather stay in denial about. |
If it weren’t for budgeting, I’d probably still be in debt. 3 years ago, I was very very strict with my budget because of my debt load and my wild spending ways. But now that I’m more confident in my ability to spend and save, my monthly budget acts more like a guideline. |
| What’s your all-time most popular post? | |
| Judging from my Popular Posts widget, it’d have to be The FB Story.
It really goes over the history of how I started and my journey through the past 3 years from being $60,000 in the red to being $70,000 in the black in 18 months. (Well, after those tax pirates got a hold of me last month to shake me down, it’s at a ~$50,000 net worth now). |
Unfortunately, it’s probably the one where I got completely ripped apart for buying a new car. I’m all for constructive criticism, but it was more about insulting me than anything else. Ahh, memories. |
| Why the fascination with Swagbucks? | |
| Are you sure you’re a PF blogger, J.? ;)
Who doesn’t love free money and gifts?!?! It almost feels illegal to be using it. Since I started, I’ve made around $15 a month. |
It’s pretty much the easiest way to make money online, because you don’t really have to do anything. Since the summer, I’ve made about $400 worth of Amazon gift cards. |
| If you had to give one up: Twitter or Facebook? |
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| Facebook. I try, but I fail at being a good Facebooker, even though we have a kinship of the same initials “FB”.
(Which by the way, totally confuses me sometimes and makes me think my friends in real life, have somehow outed me). Twitter is way more fun and interactive for me. I get to enable people to shop or eat chocolate, and pass on really weird and cool posts all with a click of a button! P.S. I think Krystal (the unofficial PF Facebook stalker) would die if she couldn’t snoop Facebook profiles. ;) |
Why are you making me choose!? Twitter, I guess. But only because it’s easier to snoop on Facebook. That’s right, I said it. |
| *BONUS* Prioritize these in order (1-3): Shopping, Sex, Blogging ;) | |
| 1. Sex — For obvious reasons, and you even get a righteous nap out of it afterwards.
2. Blogging — Love, love, LOVE it. And it’s a free activity. Me likey. 3. Shopping — Meh. I got sick of it last week for 2 hours. It’s not as fun without girlfriends. |
#1 – Sex. Because, well. Isn’t it obvious? #2 – Blogging. While not as great as #1, it’s still pretty fun. #3 – Shopping. Comes in last because I’m usually too busy with #1 and #2! :) |
| Thank you girls! Always a pleasure hearing from you :) Now it’s time to vote! Who would you like to win Showdown #6 – battle of the feisty bloggers? Submit your vote now and let us know. And as always, it’s just for fun. Both are genuinely awesome people! | |
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