Friends, Readers, Countrymen (& women): Although it hasn't been an official year yet since I started this blog (that happens next Friday), we are on the eve of what prompted the blog last year: Lent
Last year, you traveled with me when I resolved to give up shopping for forty days. While it wasn't a total success, it definitely helped me reflect on how I think about money and, more importantly, how I spend money.
I wish I could tell you now that I'm better off financially than I was almost a year ago, but sadly, I'm not. In fact, I'm worse off now due to having to purchase a new vehicle and various financial roadblocks we've hit along the way. For all my new-found understanding of how I spend, I really haven't changed my habits very much, if at all, which is disappointing on a lot of levels. But I'm not going to throw in the towel just yet.
This year's Lenten challenge is kind of a doozy. It's definitely going to be hard, but in a good way. Starting tomorrow, I am not allowed to purchase any food or drink item at work. If I didn't bring it in my lunch bag, I don't get to eat it. No work cafeteria, no Wawa, no Real Pizza, no lunch outings with my co-workers (sorry, girls!), no snacks or soda from the vending machine, no buying a candy bar from the sheriff's officer trying to raise money for his kid's sports teams. Nada. Since I started tracking my spending, I realized I'm wasting around $30 a month eating out when I can easily bring it from home. In fact, on some of the occasions where I grab something at lunch, I already did bring something from home, but didn't feel like eating it. That attitude has got to go. Yesterday, I had my last turkey sandwich from our work cafeteria. Today, I'm going to have my last $5 lunch combo from the pizza place down the street. Tomorrow, I'm finally going to finish off those leftovers from this weekend. Hopefully, it's not moldy.
Are you giving anything up this year?
Showing posts with label saving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saving. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Thursday, November 15, 2012
my first word
was N-O. And like most kids, I said it a lot.
It's funny to look back on because now, as an adult, I have a difficult time saying no to pretty much anything. I think (based on absolutely no research) that's common in women. The Hubs probably hates it, since now by default, he pretty much does whatever I'm doing in our spare time. Plan your party? Sure. Host Thanksgiving dinner? Okay. Help you move? We'll be there with bells on.
While I am a people pleaser, I don't say yes to things because I want the laurels. 99% of the time, I enjoy whatever I'm doing and, more importantly, helping people is what feels right to me. I'm a "fixer" by nature & if whatever you need done makes your life easier/less stressful, then I'm glad to help out.
Unfortunately, saying yes can add up, financially speaking. This week, I had to decline an invitation to a friend's bachelorette party. The reason was two-fold: I have obligations with The Hubs' family that weekend which can't be changed, but also, it would have been expensive. With the holidays coming up and having so many financial "situations" (for lack of a better term) the past few months, it's money I just can't spend right now.
I'm bummed, but the best decisions are always the hardest ones, right?
It's funny to look back on because now, as an adult, I have a difficult time saying no to pretty much anything. I think (based on absolutely no research) that's common in women. The Hubs probably hates it, since now by default, he pretty much does whatever I'm doing in our spare time. Plan your party? Sure. Host Thanksgiving dinner? Okay. Help you move? We'll be there with bells on.
While I am a people pleaser, I don't say yes to things because I want the laurels. 99% of the time, I enjoy whatever I'm doing and, more importantly, helping people is what feels right to me. I'm a "fixer" by nature & if whatever you need done makes your life easier/less stressful, then I'm glad to help out.
Unfortunately, saying yes can add up, financially speaking. This week, I had to decline an invitation to a friend's bachelorette party. The reason was two-fold: I have obligations with The Hubs' family that weekend which can't be changed, but also, it would have been expensive. With the holidays coming up and having so many financial "situations" (for lack of a better term) the past few months, it's money I just can't spend right now.
I'm bummed, but the best decisions are always the hardest ones, right?
Monday, November 5, 2012
hall-o-weenie
Your financial tip of the day: Get to the store & buy your Halloween candy for next year at 70% off. Don't buy chocolate though, it doesn't keep as well.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
tricks for treats
Well, Readers, I'm all packed up for our four day Disney excursion. I'll be back Monday to detail if I was able to stick to the budget. I am happy to report that I did not buy any new clothes for this trip, which honestly, might be a first. Actually, I did buy a new pack of socks, but those I can use all the time, so we won't count that ;-)
I'll leave you with a Yahoo article about how stores trick you into spending more money. There's some sneaky stuff going on- like increasing the size of the shopping cart so you spend more money (just another reason to use the handheld basket on smaller trips).
One of the points I could definitely relate to was rasing the price on an items just to mark it down so you feel like you're saving more money. Their example was people are more likely to buy a mixer for $399.00 marked down from $499.00 rather than buy the same mixer which isn't on sale for $349.00. Another trick is the 10 for $10 "deal": I definitely will almost always buy more of something when it's marked 10/$10 (which is what they want!) I can't tell you how many times The Hubs has said something like "You know, you don't have to buy ten of them."
Do you ever fall victim to one of their price tricks? Knowledge is half the battle!
Also, speaking of knowledge, check out my sister's blog for a post about Banned Books Week and see how many of the classics you've read. I've read a paltry 9 out of 46 books. Had I read this morning, I would've gone to the library instead of buying magazines for the plane ride tonight!
I'll leave you with a Yahoo article about how stores trick you into spending more money. There's some sneaky stuff going on- like increasing the size of the shopping cart so you spend more money (just another reason to use the handheld basket on smaller trips).
One of the points I could definitely relate to was rasing the price on an items just to mark it down so you feel like you're saving more money. Their example was people are more likely to buy a mixer for $399.00 marked down from $499.00 rather than buy the same mixer which isn't on sale for $349.00. Another trick is the 10 for $10 "deal": I definitely will almost always buy more of something when it's marked 10/$10 (which is what they want!) I can't tell you how many times The Hubs has said something like "You know, you don't have to buy ten of them."
Do you ever fall victim to one of their price tricks? Knowledge is half the battle!
Also, speaking of knowledge, check out my sister's blog for a post about Banned Books Week and see how many of the classics you've read. I've read a paltry 9 out of 46 books. Had I read this morning, I would've gone to the library instead of buying magazines for the plane ride tonight!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
magic isn't cheap
Next Wednesday, the hubs and I are traveling to the Most Magical Place on Earth (I feel the need to capitalize that, for some reason), as his cross country team is competing in the ESPN Cross Country Classic. Back when we first found out about the trip, we were both pretty psyched. I say we, because I was invited to attend as a chaperone. Sidenote: There are few words in the English language that make you feel old than chaperone.
Before you get your undies in a bunch about taxpayer money being wasted on a non-district employee such as myself (like my Mom), you should know we were responsible for paying our own way. Additionally, the girls cross country coach decided this year, the team would "upgrade" from a value resort to a moderate resort. For those of you who don't know, here are the differences:
Value Resort: Your basic amenities - food court, gift shop, pools (but no water slides), a lot of walking, sometimes long waits for the shuttles. Basically, we would be at the Wide World of Sports hotel (or other Value priced hotel) with every other cross country team attending.
Moderate Resort: A bit more upscale. There's a food court AND a table service restaurant and there are more pools (and some have water slides). The walking is about the same as well as the transportation (Disney shuttle).
I stayed in the Port Orleans Moderate resort when I went to Disney at 17. Honestly, I don't remember anything special about it. The two times the =hubs and I have gone to Disney as adults, we've stayed near Downtown Disney (because we're drunks). Personally, I would've been fine with spending less money on a Value resort this time around. But then again, when there aren't 500 obnoxious high schoolers around our resort while I'm trying to sleep - I'll be grateful.
Granted, I'm sure we saved some money by traveling in a large group, but some things are expensive in Disney no matter which way you look at it. The biggest of these is food. I did some research the other night on this and there are a few websites with helpful suggestions, but the most informative one is Mouse Savers. Every tip you could ever imagine for any Disney vacation is there.
The number #1 tip I found was that you can now bring your own water into the theme parks and fill up at the water fountains as your day goes on. Considering bottle of water usually cost at least $2, this is definitely going to come in handy. You can also bring snacks into the park as well. This weekend, we'll be picking up some travel-friendly snack packs to bring in with us.
The hubs and I also agreed to keep our meals light. He's decided to stick with two meals a day, so if he eats breakfast, he'll skip lunch, and munch on the snacks until dinner. I can't skip meals without turning into an angry bear, so my plan is to bring oatmeal that I can mix up in the room to eat for breakfast then hit the produce stand of whatever park we're in that day (there's one in every park) for a cheap, nutritious filler. Hopefully, when our day starts to wind down I'll be able to grab a few pieces of fruit for the next day as well.
For times that we have to eat in the park, Mouse Savers points out a few money-saving options:
Before you get your undies in a bunch about taxpayer money being wasted on a non-district employee such as myself (like my Mom), you should know we were responsible for paying our own way. Additionally, the girls cross country coach decided this year, the team would "upgrade" from a value resort to a moderate resort. For those of you who don't know, here are the differences:
Value Resort: Your basic amenities - food court, gift shop, pools (but no water slides), a lot of walking, sometimes long waits for the shuttles. Basically, we would be at the Wide World of Sports hotel (or other Value priced hotel) with every other cross country team attending.
Moderate Resort: A bit more upscale. There's a food court AND a table service restaurant and there are more pools (and some have water slides). The walking is about the same as well as the transportation (Disney shuttle).
I stayed in the Port Orleans Moderate resort when I went to Disney at 17. Honestly, I don't remember anything special about it. The two times the =hubs and I have gone to Disney as adults, we've stayed near Downtown Disney (because we're drunks). Personally, I would've been fine with spending less money on a Value resort this time around. But then again, when there aren't 500 obnoxious high schoolers around our resort while I'm trying to sleep - I'll be grateful.
Granted, I'm sure we saved some money by traveling in a large group, but some things are expensive in Disney no matter which way you look at it. The biggest of these is food. I did some research the other night on this and there are a few websites with helpful suggestions, but the most informative one is Mouse Savers. Every tip you could ever imagine for any Disney vacation is there.
The number #1 tip I found was that you can now bring your own water into the theme parks and fill up at the water fountains as your day goes on. Considering bottle of water usually cost at least $2, this is definitely going to come in handy. You can also bring snacks into the park as well. This weekend, we'll be picking up some travel-friendly snack packs to bring in with us.
The hubs and I also agreed to keep our meals light. He's decided to stick with two meals a day, so if he eats breakfast, he'll skip lunch, and munch on the snacks until dinner. I can't skip meals without turning into an angry bear, so my plan is to bring oatmeal that I can mix up in the room to eat for breakfast then hit the produce stand of whatever park we're in that day (there's one in every park) for a cheap, nutritious filler. Hopefully, when our day starts to wind down I'll be able to grab a few pieces of fruit for the next day as well.
For times that we have to eat in the park, Mouse Savers points out a few money-saving options:
- Split a large meal between the two of us. For example, you can get half a rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes & vegetables for about $10 in at least one restaurant at all the different parks
- Buy kids meal portions at counter service restaurant - no kid required!
- Anything offered as a combination meal you can actually get a la carte. So instead of buying a sandwich, fries, salad, and drink, we can pick & chose what we'll actually eat. No wasted food OR money.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
bundle of joy?
I think since the hubs and I started dating, it was pretty much a given (to everyone else, at least) that we would get married. So by the time we actually got married, five years later, everyone else was ready for us to start popping out kids. I fairly certain I've disappointed my fair share of in-laws with every holiday that goes by and I don't tell them I'm knocked up.
To be honest, I've never been much of a kid person. With the exception of my younger cousin, neice, and nephews, I couldn't stand children for longer than an hour or two. I had one babysitting job as a tween and that barely lasted one summer because I thought I would rip my hair out - never did that again. Ironically, kids l-o-v-e me. More than dogs do (and I l-o-v-e dogs). My mom tells me she was the same way and that I'll feel differently once my close friends start having kids. But after reading this article on Yahoo! yesterday, I'm more skeptical about having kids than ever before:
The article gives a few talking points to go over regarding the first year with baby. The most important that jumps out to me is: Will you both work or will one of you quit to care for the child? I've always said if we had kids, I would want to stay home with them until they went to school or at least work part-time. Unfortunately, at this juncture, if I got pregnant tomorrow, that option would not be on the table. We need both incomes. So then we need to factor in child care costs which averages around $1,000 a month in our area. My mom works full time and the hubs' parents are two hours away, so family help isn't something we can't count on on a daily basis.
Then there are the other obvious expenses: diapers/wipes, clothing, food, etc etc. An economy pack of newborn diapers (236 count) on Amazon costs $48.00 and a newborn can go through between 8-12 diapers per day which means that pack won't even get you through a whole month. Hopefully, you're lucky enough to get a bunch of hand-me-downs, but even buying used clothing can be expensive when compared to how fast kids grow. Lastly, there are the little expenses that you might not think about, but can add up: co-pays for doctor's visits & your health insurance premiums in general, car payments if you'll need a bigger/safer car, and all the fees associated with sports/scouts/clubs as they grow up.
The financial planner in the article recommends paying off all your credit cards and automating your retirment savings before having children. He also recommends living on less and cutting out any extra spending that you can (he suggests 90% of your take home income & stashing the extra 10%).
My bank account is screaming already.
Now I know those of you with children will talk about what a joy it all is and how it's totally worth it - but since I don't have kids, I don't particularly buy that logic. I have frequently asked my mother if all this (picture me gesturing to myself) was worth it, usually after reading an article like this. For some reason, she keeps saying yes. Maybe she's getting senile. Right now, I'm perfectly content to snuggle up with my 35 pound fur baby who, barring any emergency surgeries, will probably cost me less than $10,000 to raise. At that rate, I can adopt a second!
To be honest, I've never been much of a kid person. With the exception of my younger cousin, neice, and nephews, I couldn't stand children for longer than an hour or two. I had one babysitting job as a tween and that barely lasted one summer because I thought I would rip my hair out - never did that again. Ironically, kids l-o-v-e me. More than dogs do (and I l-o-v-e dogs). My mom tells me she was the same way and that I'll feel differently once my close friends start having kids. But after reading this article on Yahoo! yesterday, I'm more skeptical about having kids than ever before:
Now, I understand (and they point out in the article) if you really sat down to tally everything up, you would never have kids and that no one is ever "really" ready. But, since I'm blogging about money, is there really a bigger decision that captures the essence of the word "personal finance"? The choice to have a child(ren) is probably one of the biggest personal and financial decisions a person will ever make, so we should go into it as informed as possible.The government's most recent annual report reveals a middle-income family with a child born in 2010 can expect to spend roughly $227,000 for food, shelter and other expenses necessary to raise that child - $287,000 when you factor in projected inflation...the bill does not include the cost of college or anything related to the pregnancy and delivery.
The article gives a few talking points to go over regarding the first year with baby. The most important that jumps out to me is: Will you both work or will one of you quit to care for the child? I've always said if we had kids, I would want to stay home with them until they went to school or at least work part-time. Unfortunately, at this juncture, if I got pregnant tomorrow, that option would not be on the table. We need both incomes. So then we need to factor in child care costs which averages around $1,000 a month in our area. My mom works full time and the hubs' parents are two hours away, so family help isn't something we can't count on on a daily basis.
Then there are the other obvious expenses: diapers/wipes, clothing, food, etc etc. An economy pack of newborn diapers (236 count) on Amazon costs $48.00 and a newborn can go through between 8-12 diapers per day which means that pack won't even get you through a whole month. Hopefully, you're lucky enough to get a bunch of hand-me-downs, but even buying used clothing can be expensive when compared to how fast kids grow. Lastly, there are the little expenses that you might not think about, but can add up: co-pays for doctor's visits & your health insurance premiums in general, car payments if you'll need a bigger/safer car, and all the fees associated with sports/scouts/clubs as they grow up.
The financial planner in the article recommends paying off all your credit cards and automating your retirment savings before having children. He also recommends living on less and cutting out any extra spending that you can (he suggests 90% of your take home income & stashing the extra 10%).
My bank account is screaming already.
Now I know those of you with children will talk about what a joy it all is and how it's totally worth it - but since I don't have kids, I don't particularly buy that logic. I have frequently asked my mother if all this (picture me gesturing to myself) was worth it, usually after reading an article like this. For some reason, she keeps saying yes. Maybe she's getting senile. Right now, I'm perfectly content to snuggle up with my 35 pound fur baby who, barring any emergency surgeries, will probably cost me less than $10,000 to raise. At that rate, I can adopt a second!
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