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Get Your Money Together: your purr-fect finance workbook

Created by Lillian from Oh My Dollar!

A fun, accessible illustrated workbook for your money - with cats explaining everything from budgeting to retirement.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Last 30 hours - ONE BIG STRETCH GOAL - the 401Kittens video
over 6 years ago – Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 06:42:50 PM

WE DID IT! OVER $12,750 raised! Merit badges are a thing!

Please join me tomorrow at our kickstarter livestream show to celebrate the end of the campaign - you can submit financial questions here to be answered on air.

I wasn't planning to try for a 3rd stretch goal, but I was reminded of the person who made a kickstarter looking for $10 to make potato salad and ended up raising over $55,000.

I believe we're doing something a little more important than one potato salad here: so who's to say we can't reach to $15,000?

A kitten-filled purr-sonal finance video
A kitten-filled purr-sonal finance video

If we reach $15,000, I will make a youtube video, with a minimum of 3 actual adorable kittens with me*, in costume, explaining 401(K)s and IRAs. 

Let's call it 401Kittens.

I can't think of a good pun for IRA
I can't think of a good pun for IRA

Now, I already have made over 10 hours of video content on money management, but it's all part of Get Your Money Together bootcamp, which is not free. This will be the first time an Oh My Dollar! educational video will be totally free to anyone. Plus, there will be kittens.

I am also pretty sure this is the first time anyone will make an investing educational video with kittens (though I did find this video of a cat who carries around dollar bills.)

So if you'd like to see that, please help share the campaign. Over 30% of our backers have come via referrals from y'all. It really does help! You can help spread the word:

Let's see if we can get to $15,000. We might fail, but it's worth trying!

We've all already taken one giant leap for feline financial literacy. My cat, Dora, has taught me that if I aim for the top (of the fridge), I might just land the jump.

*Specific kittens have not been identified, however we have a handshake deal for kitten logistics & sourcing via a local foster cat group.

Two reward levels added! + Livestream on Saturday night! � � �
over 6 years ago – Wed, Nov 15, 2017 at 07:27:10 PM

We're just 3 days from the close of the campaign, and we're tantalizingly close to our last stretch goal - as of this writing, we're just $726 away from our stretch goal!!

Three things are going to happen if we reach the $12,000 stretch goal:

  • Every single physical book backer will get a sheet of purrsonal finance merit badges stickers for free! 
  • Ebook-only backers will be able to add a sheet of stickers on after the campaign for just $2.
  • Dora, the Oh My Dollar! Chief Feline Officer, will roll around in this pile of real shredded money the Federal Reserve gave us, and we'll turn it into gifs for you. � � � �
Dora holding her stash
Dora holding her stash

I will also be able to pay myself a little bit of money after expenses + taxes (about a month's pay) if we hit that stretch goal. Can you help me get there? Share the project with your friends, upgrade your pledge from an e-book to a real book (Did I mention the books have sexy gold foil on the cover!?) 

We added two tiers this morning, and one of them is already almost sold out! 

  • Bowie of Your Choice Online Workshop: $325 - I will dress as the Bowie of your choice and deliver a 60-minute online workshop to your group on the money topic you'd like (budgeting, investing, credit.)
  • A money workshop for you + friends!: $450 - I will deliver a 90-minute class on a personal finance topic (i.e. budgeting, investing, or credit) to the group of your choice of any size. Bring personal finance to your office, your favorite cat cafe, your friends, your favorite shelter, your co-working space, your crustpunk housing co-op. 

And one last reminder: we're doing a Kickstarter Livestream from 6:30PM - 7:30PM Pacific on the final night of the campaign! You can sign up to be notified when we go live at this link. I'll be answering financial questions from any backers that tune in! Aaron even made a robotic bell that rings every time we get a pledge.

Looking so much forward to spreading some cats + glitter + fiscal meownagement around the world!

Lillian

$10,000!!!! Purr-sonal finance merit badges + wrap party details
over 6 years ago – Thu, Nov 09, 2017 at 07:18:16 PM

Umm. I can't really get over it. We crossed $10,000 today!  I am as happy as Maru in a box.

EVERY SINGLE BACKER will get an audio version of the workbook. And we're officially at the point where I will be able to pay myself (about $600 after taxes) a little bit. But most importantly, thanks to your generosity, 198 books will be going to low-income folks through our Pay It Fur-ward program AT NO COST TO THEM. 

Oh My Dollar! has confirmed its first non-profit partner for programming in 2018 -  where these books will be going! I'll be delivering in-person financial literacy education (with cats & glitter, of course!) to GLBTQ young adults (ages 14-24) in transitional housing. Many of these youth are homeless because of their sexuality/gender (i.e. kicked out their house usually because they're gay/trans*/gender non-conforming).

I'm really excited to do work with these brave youth on tackling their money as they get their feet under them, and your support will make that possible. Thank you all! 

So what about that next stretch goal?

We're just 9 days from the end of the campaign, and I have one last hope & dream I'm trying to make happen. If we reach $12,000,  I will be able to include a free sheet of kitten-themed purr-sonal finance merit badge stickers for every single physical book backer (ebook-only backers will be able to add on sticker delivery for $2 after the campaign).

Why? Well, because I like merit badges and wish there were more of them for everyday life.


I think that you deserve a merit badge for opening your first Roth IRA or finally rolling over that 401K from your old job. I believe that dealing with your money deserves some Girl Scout style accolades, and cute cats make everything a little better.

You, too, could have merit badges like this kitten! (photo from Girl Scouts)
You, too, could have merit badges like this kitten! (photo from Girl Scouts)

But I only want the BEST stickers (nice vinyl ones) so I need to get enough in the coffers to do beautiful die-cut sheets of kitten stickers. So please share the campaign and help us get to $12,000 so we can all have some purr-fect merit badges.

Last but not least: It's A WRAP (party)!

We're having a live podcast & wrap party in Portland on November 18th. 

It's free but seats are reserved, so book your spot! Come join if you're in town - we will have Lacroix, cats, and purr-sonal finance fun

If you're not in Portland, we'll be livestreaming here on Kickstarter live from 6:30PM Pacific on November 18 (click here to find out what time that is for you.)

 

Meow-nificent! WE DID IT! - time for the streeeettttch goal!
over 6 years ago – Fri, Oct 27, 2017 at 05:30:45 PM

You all are spectacul-purr!! We did it - we're 100% funded! Purrsonal finance is going to be a genre, starting with Get Your Money Together workbook - thanks to all of your support. 

Dora, the official feline of Oh My Dollar!, tried to crack open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. 

Time to claw open the champagne!
Time to claw open the champagne!

Thanks to your generous Pay-it-Furward contributions, 107 books will be donated through our non-profit programs! Let's keep it coming! 

Even though we're fully funded, the campaign goal was set to exactly break even after expenses - but if we get to $10,000, not only will we be able to get more cat-filled purrsonal finance out in the hands of those that need it, I'll be able to create an audio edition of the workbook.

This way you can listen on your commute, while you garden, or wherever you need a little more fiscal meownagement in your life.

$10,000 unlocks an audio edition!
$10,000 unlocks an audio edition!

Last but not least, by popular request, I've opened up 5 more spots for the sold out Your Cat Included - where your fav feline will be immortalized by our illustrator into the book's pages! Get em while they're hot!

YOU ARE ALL AHHHHHHHH-MAAAAZZZINNNNG!

Lillian

P.S. If you're in the Portland area, keep your eye out for an invitation to the wrap party & live 1-year anniversary podcast on Saturday, November 18th, at 6:30PM at Open Signal.

You are purr-tacular!
over 6 years ago – Wed, Oct 11, 2017 at 07:28:31 PM

Friends, felines, and strangers-that-I-hope-will-be-friends-soon,

Thank you so much for the amazing supurrt this first day of the Kickstarter. We managed to raise over 50% of the project goal in the first 24 hours of the campaign! <3 <3 That's some real scratch!

When I set this goal (based on lots of excel spreadsheets and nail-biting), I didn't know if it was possible. Now it's seeming truly probable that together we'll be able to bring some feline-filled financial education into the world. What a dream! 

Everything I do with this project is because I just genuinely want to see more accessible, fun financial education in the world that addresses real money questions without assumptions. Money stuff is scary, emotional, and really, sometimes a cat just makes it a little bit easier.

You all are helping me make that possible. Not only that, 20% of you are choosing Pay It Fur-ward which means I'll be able to teach financial literacy to even more low-income adults at no cost to them - now with even more kittens to help get the message across.

If you have a chance, and you know someone who could use this project, please share it directly or on social media. Especially as the initial fur-our wanes, the shares really help keep the project alive and kicking. Remember, funding is all-or-nothing, and we still have a ways to go!

Any questions or concerns, feel free to drop me a line through Kickstarter or via email at [email protected]

❤️   Lillian, AKA Ziggy Starbudget