Modest Mondays...

Hate paying your cable bill every month when your local provider is offering up much cheaper deals to new customers??  Yep....a big pet peeve of mine too.  In my head the conversation usually goes like this.

"Why am I...a loyal customer...paying 50% more than these new customers that these companies have to spend money to install for "free" their cable when mine is already in?  Can't they offer me the same deal..or even better?"

So...what's a girl to do about this...well, I hop on my phone and call 'em up to let them know that they can either give me a better deal or I'm headed over to the other cable company to get my deal.  The conversation is never easy...and I dread these calls.  The first person never has enough authority to get me the deal that I consider fair so I usually have to talk to several people (and yes that sometimes includes the "termination department") to get a fair price.  But...it's worth it because it means less money out of my pocket every month.

So, seriously ya'll...its the new year and why not take a look at all of that money leaving your account every month for these kinds of things and figure out if you can get a better deal...just call, you'd be surprised at what one call can do.

Modest Mondays...its in the plan

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Meal planning is wonderful for a multitude of reasons...but money saving is a big one of those.  One of the first things I realized when I started to scrutinize where our money was going every month was that we were spending entirely too much on dining out and impromptu grocery trips.

I *try* to do meal planning every week...honestly, if I didn't we'd either be dining out or eating bologna sandwiches every night (i kid...i can't even remember the last time i had bologna).  I get flustered when I get home and realize we don't have a game plan for dinner...which is no good for anyone in my house.  So...to help resolve that issue I set a menu at the beginning of the week and do my grocery shopping around that.  I look at the sale ads (even though we do the bulk of our grocery shopping at the beloved Trader Joes and they don't do sale ads...they give you the bottom line price from the get go:)), check our cabinets, and talk to the hubs about what we haven't had in awhile and if there is anything in particular he might be jonesing for...oh, and of course I check out what's on Pinterest.  I try to buy single ingredients that I can use in multiple meals...especially with fresh herbs in the winter (during the summer I can get those jokers from the garden which is a major reason why I love having a garden).  Basil and cilantro cost more than a gallon of gas these days and that's saying a lot...SO, I generally make sure that if I have one dish I'm using it in I can find something else to incorporate it in (behold the power of Pinterest...you can search for this stuff y'all!).  And even simple things like fresh french bread with spaghetti one night and that same bread as croutons for the next night's salad.  Black beans are another favorite of mine...they work well in chili, on top of a salad, or in a burrito..but you usually don't use a whole can at once and I hate to waste stuff so I just incorporate it in to a few things.  We keep the plan flexible at our house so that if we just aren't feeling what we've got slated for that particular night we can switch it with something later in the week.  That being said, I also try to plan around what will make a lot of leftovers (behold the power of casseroles and crock pot meals) and what's just good for one night (fried fish just isn't as good the second time around) and alternate those out so that we have leftovers to take for lunch...more savings there because then you don't have to dine out for lunch or fork over extra cash at the store for lunch stuff.  I'm not much of a couponer...I'm pretty ashamed to admit it but I haven't been able to devote the week in and week out time it requires to build up a stash that's well organized so I can take full advantage...but I hear that that makes this whole meal planning business even better.  And...if you're looking for some super cute ideas on how to do organize your meal planning...mine is usually on the back of a legal pad...check out Pinterest...I've seen a ton of cute stuff dedicated to ways to make meal planning mindless and even a little fun!

I'd love to hear from y'all on how you do it in your house or other ways you save money on the food part of the monthly spend...I'm always looking for ideas to do this better!!

J

Modest Mondays

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Anyone else feel like their wee one is constantly growing out of clothes you've just bought?!  There are so many things that Addie only wore once or sadly never even got to wear at all...just sitting in her closet with the tags still on.  I LOVE clothes...and shopping...which means I'm often tempted to buy lots and lots for Addie.  I'm constantly reminding myself of what she needs and what I need to pass on!  That being said, I do try to keep my impulse shopping to a minimum to keep those $$$s in check.  So, here are a few things I've found that seem to keep things a bit more reasonable:


1. Shop CLEARANCE - Well, duh?!  But, I never leave Target or any of my other favorite stores without at least perusing the sale racks to see if I can find something for a deal.  I am ALWAYS looking at least 2 sizes ahead and I just keep a drawer in Addie's room where I stow away all of her bigger stuff.

2.  eBay - I've found some wonderful deals on smocked, specialty items, and even "lot" purchases of Carters sleepers on eBay over the last year or so.  Its very easy to get caught up in bidding wars so my approach is simple - I bid the max amount I'm willing to pay and I don't check back until the auction is over.  Kids grow so fast but I'm always impressed with the condition of these clothes!  Also, as a side note - always check what the seller is charging for shipping - sometimes the price looks awesome until you realize the seller is charging you a hefty fee for shipping.

3. Consignment stores - I've done a bit of consignment sale shopping in my day and am pretty picky about the ones I will actually visit.  There is actually only one in my area that I will buy from for Addie because the others are cluttered and make me claustrophobic.  But, I've found some AMAZING deals at this little consignment shop and highly recommend checking any out that are in your area.

4. Zulily and other deal sites - If you're looking for smocking or other specialty clothing deals (generally at least 50% off), you should check Zulily on the regular.  And, if you use Ebates (which is awesome because you earn cash back on all of your online shopping and its FREE) you can earn 3.5% cash back on your Zulily purchase, which makes it even cheaper (or at least almost covers shipping:))  My only issue with Zulily is sssllllooowww shipping times...be prepared to wait 2 weeks or more to get your items.

5.  BJs, Sams, Costco - I find the best deals on Carters, which is my choice for Addie's play clothes and sleepers, at these warehouse clubs.  I can almost always count on getting these items for $3-4 cheaper than the best deal on the Carters website or in their stores (unless of course its on the clearance rack).  The standard price for sleepers and clothing sets is generally in the $6.99 - $7.99 range which I think is a great deal on this stuff and its the same items they are selling in their stores - its not even last season's stuff!

And here are a few others that I've never actually used but have heard wonderful things about:

6. Facebook - I'm actually not on Facebook...it's the only social media outlet I have not yet indulged in but there are some awesome deals on monogrammed items on the Monogram {Re}play page and I know lots of boutiques and specialty clothing stores will run facebook auctions to sell clothes quickly and for super cheap!

7. ThredUP - This is actually an online community where you sell and buy kids clothing in bulk.  You post a box of clothes (10 or more items) and when another mom in the community purchases it, you receive $10 and the buyer pays for shipping.  When you purchase a box, you pay $10.95 for shipping and $9 for the box.  So, basically if you're selling as many boxes as you're buying, you are only paying for shipping to receive a box of clothes.  For me, I haven't joined as I am holding on to the large majority of Addie's stuff in anticipation of more children down the road but this would be awesome if you aren't planning to hold on to your kiddos clothes.

And don't forget the blog sales;)

I'd love to hear of anything else you guys are doing to save money in this department..feel free to share in the comments below!!!

Modest Mondays - Online Savings

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Welcome back to the 3rd edition of Modest Mondays!!  I've mentioned before that the hubs and I are currently looking to buy our "forever home" in about 3 years and without stashing aside a bunch of cash this won't be possible.  So, I figured I'd share with you where we are putting it while also earning a little more on the money we're setting aside, which naturally makes me smile.

I'll never forget the first time I heard about online savings accounts and the higher interest rates these accounts yield as compared to a traditional savings account at your hometown bank.  I was skeptical of the whole idea - there is comfort in being able to know where you go to find your money rather than a www address.  But, after some research and talking to some co-workers, I pulled the trigger and opened my first account with an online bank (who shall remain nameless - just a weird privacy thing with me but I hope you understand).  I didn't have much to start with but figured that earning 5-10 times the interest I was earning on my traditional savings account was still more than I was getting today.  As the hubs and I have continued to save in order to meet our financial goals and "forever home" goals the difference has really started to add up and in my eyes its free money.  There is a slight sacrifice in convenience as transfers from my online account into my checking account generally take about one business day but with careful planning this has never been an issue.  But, if you want to set-up a portion of your paycheck to deposit directly into this account you can totally do that which, means you never miss the money because you really don't see it (this always helps me:))  As far as risk is concerned, our account is FDIC insured, just as it would be in our primary bank - so no worries there!  Oh...and it too links into my mint account so its all there for me to see our complete financial picture.

I've found some great sites that also talk about the differences between the various financial institutions and the products they offer as well as different ways to save and thought it might be helpful to share those here too:

* Know the Different Types of Financial Institutions - a great synopsis of the options available to you with a little background on the "hows" and "whys" of the products offered

*Online Savings Account - a great summary of ways to rapidly build up your savings account

*Savings Advice - a great blog dedicated to finding ways to help you save

There are tons of great online banks out there offering higher interest savings than traditional banks and this is just ONE super-easy way to earn a little more on your money without really doing anything!!

J

Modest Mondays....Mint love

overview and iPhone app

*I have not been paid or incentivized in any way for this post.  The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own*

Ok...so I'm back for Round 2 of Modest Mondays and thought it might be helpful to divulge a little more about my love/hate relationship with a fun little website known as mint.com.

I LOVE it because its keeps everything (checking, savings, retirement, credit cards, home value, investments, etc.) in one place, gives me a quick snapshot of our financial situation, allows me to budget and set goals that it will track, gives me all sorts of money-saving ideas, its FREE, reminds me when I have bills due, and because I'm a huge dork - I must admit that it really excites me that I can create cool graphs (because I'm a visual learner) about our financial situation.

I HATE it because when I go over budget in any category I get a nice little email letting me know that I have exceeded my budget.  Talk about a spoiler...or if account balances get low - it reminds you of that too.  Oh...and see it tracks the value of my home and with falling market prices...the news isn't always so good.  

graph love

Seriously though...this little site makes me smile.  I usually check it once a day to make sure all of my financial transactions are properly categorized and lining up in the correct budget line and to see what our net worth is.  It is an Intuit product and claims to have the same security as online baking - I'm no IT expert so don't hold me to that but from everything I've read it seems that they mean what they say.  I've read some reviews that claimed they were slow to respond with problems but when I had a problem with my bank's balance not refreshing they fixed it in a few hours.  

To set everything up it took about 4 hours and it took me a couple weeks to figure out all of the cool things it can do.  It's just really nice to have one place that I always have access to (as well as the hubs) that keeps everything financial together....and did I mention this is FREE!  Oh...and a free app for the iPhone is a plus in my book too.

So there you have it...a quick and dirty of mint.  And if you're looking for something like this or currently paying a monthly fee for something like this...head on over and at least see what they have to offer.

J

Modest Mondays....

There's been a lot of talk around my house as of late about where we're going and when we'll pull the trigger on our "forever home"...some days I feel like our 1,400 square foot home is closing in around us and with baby #2 talk slowly starting I know its only a matter of time before we need something bigger and I want to be prepared.

All that being said, the hubs and I have historically done very well with cutting costs and getting by on little in a pinch.  When we have goals and budgets you wouldn't recognize us compared to the impulsive and reckless spenders we become without those important things.

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The past year has without doubt been one of our more impulsive and reckless years and neither of us are happy...see, money doesn't buy hapiness!!  So, what better to help than getting back to the basics and re-instituting a budget aligned with that ever-important "forever home" goal!!  I'm hoping to pass along some of our money saving tips and struggles but first thought I'd start with some budgeting basics that seem to work best for us!!

And as always, remember free advice is worth the price you pay....I'm certainly no expert in this arena, despite my accounting background, so please keep in mind these opinions are my own:)

1.  Set a reasonable budget - In other words, "don't set yourself up to fail."  Set a realistic budget that allows for unexpected doctor's co-pays, a night out to dinner, increases in gas prices, a new shirt, or maybe just a little Starbucks to make your morning.  Creating a budget that is so tight that you don't have any extra available can leave you with a bitter taste and be reason enough to abandon budgeting altogether.

2.  Get buy-in from all parties involved - I think its safe to say that in most homes, one person is primarily responsible for all of the finance stuff.  So, while that person has the most insight into whats coming in and going out, it doesnt mean that all other interested parties shouldn't have a say and agree to what is going to be spent where.  The hubs and I discuss our monthly budget as well as any extra or unusual things we know that need be included.  We are aware of our "extra" spend that is available and work together to stay within that.  It can lead to those dreaded "do you really need that" conversations but helps hold us both accountable and keep impulse spending in check.

3.  Align your budget with some long and short-term financial goals - It's much easier to do anything if you know there's a prize at the end...even if that prize is paying off credit card debt (for which you really already have the prizes).  We set quarterly, annual, and three-year goals (thanks to the "forever home" conversation) which helps us stay focused on the task at hand.  We found that only having long-term goals resulted in us always saying "we'll catch up with our savings goal next month"...and then we said the same thing the next month - cue the big fat "womp, womp."  We also like our short-term goals because nothing feels better than striking it off the list!  Long-term goals can be a bit harder to set because most of us don't know how much we'll be making or what things will be costing a few years from now but with some conservative estimates you can set some broad goals!

4.  Find a tool that keeps you accountable - We just recently started using Mint (I'm hoping to post more on that later) and its been great at tracking our spending compared to our budget as well as measuring our success in meeting our goals.  Prior to that, we used Excel spreadsheets to track everything and I loved those things...actually still using them as a back-up but they require regular updating and tracking by you...which can be quite a bit more time consuming.

5.  Simplify your life - Figure out what's worthy of being in your budget and what's not.  As of late, the hubs and I have spent some time studying where our money is going and eliminating those that we don't use or no longer find value in...for example, the newspaper.  Most days it sits on our driveway as the hubs and I catch up on the news via the internet.  Seems a little silly to be forking over $14 a month just to take-up space in our recycler!

I'm hoping to make a weekly go of these kinds of posts and share our struggles and cost-cutting measures.  There is nothing easy about the financial part of life...some days I look out back just to make sure I didn't miss a money tree in my backyard (and then remember I live in a money pit so those ideas dont reconcile)!

I'd love for you guys to share your budgeting tips or struggles and if you're at all interested in guest posting here about what does and doesn't work for you when it comes to living modestly, let me know - I'd love to have different perspectives!!

J