I was watching a show last night, The Clark Howard Show, and I saw this lady who went on a financial fast. The very thought of this is a little terrifying to me because I like new things, eating out and well - flat out I like to buy what I like. Now-that being said, my husband has a great job, pays well, and has amazing benefits. We are very fortunate to have everything we need and want, a new house, news cars and eat very well.
I am somewhat ashamed to say that we have too much. We could live with one car, we could live in an apartment, we could live without new wardrobes every season. After all people are starving, and living homeless all around this great city. With that being said, I am going to radically transform our finances all while helping others.
In a previous post you would have noted that I also have jumped on the coupon wagon-WAY before the coupon TV show. I follow a few other bloggers that post deals that are free to cheap every week, and although I don't use a lot of those products, and honestly I don't want them cluttering up my house there is no reason to not "buy" those products and give them away. I do this around Christmas but there is no reason I cannot give all year. So, I will be coupon all the free things I can get each week and making a monthly donation to my local food bank/homeless shelter. I challenge you all to do the same, make a small difference and change the world.
Also, with this radical financial overhaul I am changing how much I spend on groceries each week. I have been spending around 50 dollars a week, around is the key word. I make a very detailed list and budget each week - taking full advantage of Walmart's new price matching policy. However, if I see something I want that is not on the list, I think twice but I can always talk myself into it. After all, we can afford it so why not? I hate when food goes bad and I hate not having enough food, so it will be a fine balance. I will also try to make one trip per week, this will cut down on last minute purchases and other non-essential costs.
The cost that I am currently negotiating are:
Cable - If you call, you will most likely get a better deal. Just don't fall for last minute upgrades, or contracts!
Internet - For me this goes hand in hand with cable. It was actually cheaper to bundle together, but we can down grade the amount of speed we have, and save 20 bucks per month.
The items/luxuries I am cutting out completely are...take a deep breath...
Clothes for myself - now I say for myself because I have plenty of clothes - actually I am getting rid of a lot. My husband however has a job that may require additional clothes for travel, meetings, etc.
Magazines/books - I do not buy a lot of new books or magazines, I would estimate about 1 every other month. With each magazines costing about 5 dollars, that's 30 dollars a year. May not seem like a lot, but every bit I can throw towards savings, or a loan is great.
Eating out - this is the kicker for me. I LOVE food, I LOVE wine. I love the fellowship that comes with it. However, trying to feed 2 people for 50 dollars a week while eating at home looks a lot more appealing then spending 100 on one dinner out. Plus, I will learn to make all these great dishes at home.
With all the saving we are going to be doing, here is were the extra money will be going.
Car loan. My husband and I bought a new Jeep last year and still owe 10,000.00 on it. That number makes me shiver. So, we are hoping to have at least 5,000.00 paid off by December. That is 3 months away. EEK.
Savings. We want to up our savings by 5,000.00 by December.
This seems about impossible to me because the word Budget has never been in my vocabulary. Never. I am dedicated to paying of and saving the last 6 months of this year. I am not willing to give my money away to creditors just to borrow money. So we are paying it off years in advance! Go us!
Have any ideas on how to save money? Please Share!
Happy Saving!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Never pay someone to do something you could do yourself...
This phrase hit a chord with me today as I was driving away from the oil and lube store. I paid 25 dollars to have someone else change my oil, while in this case it was necessary due to time constraints and other errands needing to done, I cannot think of a good reason to not learn how to do this small task myself.
I rely on my husband for "manly" tasks such as this but for some reason my car is harder to change because it sits lower to the ground than most vehicles. I have decided I am learning to do this. It is not going to be pretty, and I will probably want to pull my hair out but I am going to do it! Plus, this could add up to extra income down the road for neighbors, friends and family. :) I like extra income.
Now, I am going to taking this one step further. I have recently been making my own bread for 2 reasons. 1) I recently became a Vegan and 2) Its cheaper, with no preservatives and I know exactly what is going in it! both good reasons in my book.
So, if I can make my own bread...why can't I make my own pitas, refried beans and fruit cups? - I have a great recipe for fruit cups! -
I am lucky to have a friend who just moved here from Mexico and she has shared with me how to make my own refried beans. Crock pot anyone? :) Its very easy, VERY cheap considering you can buy a bag of beans for 1.00 or a one time use can for 1.50 in my area. All you have to do is this...Buy whatever beans you want in a bag. I normally buy black or kidney. Then, add the amount you wish to make to a large crock pot then add double the amount of water. Set to low and let cook for 8 hours, checking occasionally to see if additional water is needed. Add desired salt half way through cooking. Super easy, super yummy, super CHEAP!
Pita's are going to be a wee bit more difficult to make, considering I will need it be vegan pita's. I will keep you posted on the progress.
I also loves to make my own dog toys. With a Boxer and a German Shepherd I go through alot of dog toys. I buy fleece on the discount rack because believe it or not, my dogs do not care if the toys match. :) I cut, and braid, tie in tennis balls and TADA! A new dog toy.
As far as my readers, does anyone have ideas on things we can do ourselves or make ourselves?
Happy chores!
I rely on my husband for "manly" tasks such as this but for some reason my car is harder to change because it sits lower to the ground than most vehicles. I have decided I am learning to do this. It is not going to be pretty, and I will probably want to pull my hair out but I am going to do it! Plus, this could add up to extra income down the road for neighbors, friends and family. :) I like extra income.
Now, I am going to taking this one step further. I have recently been making my own bread for 2 reasons. 1) I recently became a Vegan and 2) Its cheaper, with no preservatives and I know exactly what is going in it! both good reasons in my book.
So, if I can make my own bread...why can't I make my own pitas, refried beans and fruit cups? - I have a great recipe for fruit cups! -
I am lucky to have a friend who just moved here from Mexico and she has shared with me how to make my own refried beans. Crock pot anyone? :) Its very easy, VERY cheap considering you can buy a bag of beans for 1.00 or a one time use can for 1.50 in my area. All you have to do is this...Buy whatever beans you want in a bag. I normally buy black or kidney. Then, add the amount you wish to make to a large crock pot then add double the amount of water. Set to low and let cook for 8 hours, checking occasionally to see if additional water is needed. Add desired salt half way through cooking. Super easy, super yummy, super CHEAP!
Pita's are going to be a wee bit more difficult to make, considering I will need it be vegan pita's. I will keep you posted on the progress.
I also loves to make my own dog toys. With a Boxer and a German Shepherd I go through alot of dog toys. I buy fleece on the discount rack because believe it or not, my dogs do not care if the toys match. :) I cut, and braid, tie in tennis balls and TADA! A new dog toy.
As far as my readers, does anyone have ideas on things we can do ourselves or make ourselves?
Happy chores!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Honoring what God has giving us
Most of my other posts have been about what products we can get for little or no money. Which dont get me wrong I love doing. Now I would like to talk about how we as consumers should spend and save our money responsibly and honorably, and part of that involves how we bank and how we save.
Whoa..take a deep breath. Here we go. The constant question is Bank or Credit Union. Debit Cards or Credit Cards. I do not think I can tell you which is best for you, a lot of thought, debating and education goes behind making this decision. Here is what I do know. Many larger banks are now charging to have accounts-even for the simple stuff like having teller's perform transactions, having a certain number of transactions per month, and using the bill payer service. Credit Unions however, often have no charges on the accounts the offer. Having accounts at both places I can tell you that my experience has always been better at Credit Unions. They are non-profit financial institutions. I have never been "sold" something and they do not make commission of the loan the give me. When I walking in the door I don't feel like they see dollar signs.
I am not going to go into the details of which place is better because honestly each has pros and cons. Do you homework and we can all save more money! This makes me want to spark a challenge. I know it is already March, but lets make a goal to save 5,000 this year. What are creative ways we can save money, cut back and live frugal fulfilling lives? Lets do it together!
Here is a link to get you started in your education, its a bit biased but what article isnt?
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/BetterBanking/DitchYourBankForACreditUnion.aspx
Happy Savings!
Fifi
Whoa..take a deep breath. Here we go. The constant question is Bank or Credit Union. Debit Cards or Credit Cards. I do not think I can tell you which is best for you, a lot of thought, debating and education goes behind making this decision. Here is what I do know. Many larger banks are now charging to have accounts-even for the simple stuff like having teller's perform transactions, having a certain number of transactions per month, and using the bill payer service. Credit Unions however, often have no charges on the accounts the offer. Having accounts at both places I can tell you that my experience has always been better at Credit Unions. They are non-profit financial institutions. I have never been "sold" something and they do not make commission of the loan the give me. When I walking in the door I don't feel like they see dollar signs.
I am not going to go into the details of which place is better because honestly each has pros and cons. Do you homework and we can all save more money! This makes me want to spark a challenge. I know it is already March, but lets make a goal to save 5,000 this year. What are creative ways we can save money, cut back and live frugal fulfilling lives? Lets do it together!
Here is a link to get you started in your education, its a bit biased but what article isnt?
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/BetterBanking/DitchYourBankForACreditUnion.aspx
Happy Savings!
Fifi
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Free Books!
If you're anything like me you are actively opposing the kindle fad. I truly hate those things. In a country where the "green revolution" has been in full swing for many years, why are we created more e-waste, more wires, more computers, more everything? Why?
Ugh, Now on to the main event! I have heard people discussing at the library and school for some time now that websites exist that allow you to swap books for free with other willing swapers. Well, I'm here to tell you that is true! I am a big supporter of my local library, I can and do get lost in the rows of seemingly endless knowledge contained in those walls for hours, but lets face the facts. The library can only hold so many book and due to budget cuts the amount of new books are sure to be limited. That's where the internet can come in handy. This site allows you to type in the book(s) your looking for and presto, you find a willing person with the book you want and you give them a book they want! It kind of reminds me of pin pals in a way, only for books!
With money tight and stress high in our oh-so-thriving(not) economy make yourself a little goal to expand your knowledge, read out of your normal genre, and my favorite part-do it for free!
And in true library style you can get movies, music and games as well!
I have never tried this site before, but I have heard good reviews! Try it out and let me know how it goes!
www.swap.com
Happy Reading!
Fifi
Ugh, Now on to the main event! I have heard people discussing at the library and school for some time now that websites exist that allow you to swap books for free with other willing swapers. Well, I'm here to tell you that is true! I am a big supporter of my local library, I can and do get lost in the rows of seemingly endless knowledge contained in those walls for hours, but lets face the facts. The library can only hold so many book and due to budget cuts the amount of new books are sure to be limited. That's where the internet can come in handy. This site allows you to type in the book(s) your looking for and presto, you find a willing person with the book you want and you give them a book they want! It kind of reminds me of pin pals in a way, only for books!
With money tight and stress high in our oh-so-thriving(not) economy make yourself a little goal to expand your knowledge, read out of your normal genre, and my favorite part-do it for free!
And in true library style you can get movies, music and games as well!
I have never tried this site before, but I have heard good reviews! Try it out and let me know how it goes!
www.swap.com
Happy Reading!
Fifi
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Spring into action!
With spring technically here I can not wait until I can start planting my own fruits, vegetable, herbs and flowers. If you are just starting out let me give you some tips early on!
1) Save the seeds after you eat! - When you buy vegetables and fruits at the store-save the seeds! Store them in an air tight container such as a zip lock bag and label them until you are ready to plant them. If you buy one tomato, you will get plenty of seeds for your garden, this works for cucumbers, squash, nearly anything! This is something that few people think to do, but lets face - seeds in those cute little paper bags are the same thing you pay for many times a year when you are buying produce.
2) Shop early and thrifty! - I was recently at a local dollar store and to my surprise they had small, medium and large planters in a few different shapes for one dollar. At other stores you could pay five dollars per container. This is a deal!
3) Dirt is dirty work. - Potting soil is something that is rarely discounted to the point I want to spend money on it, but when it is stock up! Especially if you are going to be eating the items planted, splurge for the organic stuff. Why grow your own if you are going to do it the same way as the mass farmers of the world?
4) Plant herbs early and often! - I was at Target the other day and I was checking out the dollar spot and saw they had herbs with dirt and a tiny planter for one dollar. Now - in reality this probably is not a huge deal however, I bought some to experiment and they are growing after a few weeks. These can be started inside and then transplanted to an outdoor pot when needed. This way you can plant often and have fresh herbs all summer and fall.
1) Save the seeds after you eat! - When you buy vegetables and fruits at the store-save the seeds! Store them in an air tight container such as a zip lock bag and label them until you are ready to plant them. If you buy one tomato, you will get plenty of seeds for your garden, this works for cucumbers, squash, nearly anything! This is something that few people think to do, but lets face - seeds in those cute little paper bags are the same thing you pay for many times a year when you are buying produce.
2) Shop early and thrifty! - I was recently at a local dollar store and to my surprise they had small, medium and large planters in a few different shapes for one dollar. At other stores you could pay five dollars per container. This is a deal!
3) Dirt is dirty work. - Potting soil is something that is rarely discounted to the point I want to spend money on it, but when it is stock up! Especially if you are going to be eating the items planted, splurge for the organic stuff. Why grow your own if you are going to do it the same way as the mass farmers of the world?
4) Plant herbs early and often! - I was at Target the other day and I was checking out the dollar spot and saw they had herbs with dirt and a tiny planter for one dollar. Now - in reality this probably is not a huge deal however, I bought some to experiment and they are growing after a few weeks. These can be started inside and then transplanted to an outdoor pot when needed. This way you can plant often and have fresh herbs all summer and fall.
New Walmart Coupon Policy!
Although there are several changes that you should review before heading to the store, my favorite one is that they now give cash back for coupon purchases!
Example-You have a coupon for $3.00 off of a product and they product is only $2.00. You get $1.00 back in cold hard cash, or you can apply it to your other purchases! Win Win!
Check it out here.
http://walmartstores.com/7655.aspx
Happy Shopping!
Fifi
Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!
I have always been aware of the "coupon world", and I have never really coup'd till recently. And let me tell you...I left Target with 5 bags of groceries and odd and ends, spending less then five bucks and I'm never going back to the store without coupons!
In my neck of the woods you can get a Sunday paper delivered to your doorstep for a dollar a week, and on average I save 20 bucks PER PAPER. Or, if you would rather not have the paper you can download from tons of websites and print what you need! I think that's worth it! When you want to get carried away like I have, you need to monitor sales, have reward cards which are almost always free and shop with a purpose! Every time I go to the grocery store it becomes my own little black Friday sale. People give me looks as I am gathering the right coupons and sorting through my cart to make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I get to the check out line. Then the magic happens, you watch the total go from 120.00 to 110.00 to 65.00!!!! That's when the stares change, and people ask you how you do it. I give them a little smirk and move on.
The key to really saving money is only buying what you will use. If you have a coupon for cereal and don't eat cereal...then don't buy it, duh! Another key is to buy in bulk, give up brand locality and stock up when on sale. I have always been a thrifty person so brands do not mean much to me. Trying new brands can expand you're horizon, and ya' know what? They are practically the identical items! So get ova' get!
So, I challenge you to cut your grocery bill in half! Why would you not want to spend 20 min on a Sunday morning drinking a cup of joe and saving money!? It may take you some time so start small, take 20 bucks off of your weekly shopping trip. you can do it! Have questions? Follow me and ask away! I will be starting to post recipes, coupon tip and more. Have something to add? Please, Im always up for saving money.
Happy Shopping!
Fifi
In my neck of the woods you can get a Sunday paper delivered to your doorstep for a dollar a week, and on average I save 20 bucks PER PAPER. Or, if you would rather not have the paper you can download from tons of websites and print what you need! I think that's worth it! When you want to get carried away like I have, you need to monitor sales, have reward cards which are almost always free and shop with a purpose! Every time I go to the grocery store it becomes my own little black Friday sale. People give me looks as I am gathering the right coupons and sorting through my cart to make sure I have all my ducks in a row before I get to the check out line. Then the magic happens, you watch the total go from 120.00 to 110.00 to 65.00!!!! That's when the stares change, and people ask you how you do it. I give them a little smirk and move on.
The key to really saving money is only buying what you will use. If you have a coupon for cereal and don't eat cereal...then don't buy it, duh! Another key is to buy in bulk, give up brand locality and stock up when on sale. I have always been a thrifty person so brands do not mean much to me. Trying new brands can expand you're horizon, and ya' know what? They are practically the identical items! So get ova' get!
So, I challenge you to cut your grocery bill in half! Why would you not want to spend 20 min on a Sunday morning drinking a cup of joe and saving money!? It may take you some time so start small, take 20 bucks off of your weekly shopping trip. you can do it! Have questions? Follow me and ask away! I will be starting to post recipes, coupon tip and more. Have something to add? Please, Im always up for saving money.
Happy Shopping!
Fifi
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