Saving Sites & My Budget Plan

My mom was telling me the other day about this woman she saw on TV that went shopping and got $1000 worth of groceries for 2 cents, all by using coupons. I thought this was a little extreme and I didn’t understand how that was possible. Usually coupons are “buy one get one free” sort of things, or 50% off. I know there are some out there that have free offers of a certain product but from my experience and searching I haven’t found enough of those to get me a savings of $1000! (maybe I’m not looking hard enough?)

But in any case this story inspired me. I haven’t been able to find it online, but I found something similar. The story my mom told me was that this woman would do this and had her garage set up as a pantry letting people in need come and take food and general supplies to do life. She was doing it as her form of outreach and charity work. I thought that was the coolest idea. To be so money savvy to be able to spend nothing but give so much back. That’s a true example of using your skills to help others!

Right now I’m just working on spending less through using coupons and building up my knowledge on how to use this in my budget and for my advantage but I’d love to be able to be that skilled with coupons; to be able to give away that much.

We went a little over in our spending over Christmas and New Years and I hate the idea of taking money out of savings or our emergency fund to pay for that (mainly because that’s not what it’s for! Over spending is not an emergency situation!). So the plan? Cut back on silly spending. We over spent in the grocery department and the fun money part of the budget (we got some new Christmas lights and décor, a printer, a wine kit etc.) so those areas need to be cut back in order to pay for that extra spending.

Throughout January we’ve been trying to spend nothing on groceries and just use what’s in the house. It’s made me be a lot more creative with our meals and has shown me how much stocked up food we really do have (our freezer is still half full with food!). I had to buy a few necessities along the way but in general it went pretty well and saved us a lot of unneeded spending.

And for the fun money: A few less dates out and the dates we do go on will be with coupons (mainly from the show and save) and groupons (as if they weren’t already!)

But we still haven’t paid it all off, so in my search for coupons I’ve decided that for the month of February we aren’t going to buy any non needed items (like candies, or cookies, chips, you know, that sort of things- the silly spending) and only buy what we need to make actual meal. Snacks? I’m a huge snacker and I couldn’t leave this out all together so the plan is fruit, veggies and what’s already in the house. We still have three big Tupperware containers full of Christmas baking in the freezer so if we want something sweet we have options there. And if we run out (which we certainly won’t in February! I baked A LOT!) I can always bake more because we already have the supplies.

I want to start being a lot smarter with our grocery spending because I believe this is one area where people (us included) usually go over and a lot of it is junk food that we don’t need anyway. We’re going to give this a go, see how February is and then maybe make some real permanent changes.

A friend of mine told me the other day that she has a week a month where she doesn’t buy anything and just works with food that’s already in the house. I think that’s a great idea and I might try that too at some point.

In any case I’m keeping my eye on ways to save on what I do need to buy and here are some great sites I’ve found.

groupon.com- I think this is my new favorite site. I know I went on about the Show and Save and I think that is great too but I find that groupon has a few different things to offer that aren’t in the Show and Save book. I set it up so I get the emails every day, that way I always know what’s going on and if a restaurant comes up that I’ve been wanting to try I’m ready to buy! (Nothing like trying somewhere new for half price!)

teambuy.com- I like this site too, it’s a lot like Groupon but I don’t think it’s as good and it’s for sure not as user friendly. Biggest down fall for me? For some reason it only sends me the emails on new deals sporadically and they don’t have an app. for my ipod (I wrote them in about those issues, got an email I would hear in 24 hours…never got any resolve. Nothing like bad customer services to put me of something.)

wagjag.com another savings site but this one is even worse than Team Buy but at the end of the day a deal is a deal and if they have something I want I’ll buy it!

smartcanucks.ca I find this site as more of an information site, I haven’t had a lot of success finding direct info or coupons.

save.ca- The best coupon site I have found so far. There’s not always a lot of variety but it’s super easy to use and you just pick which coupons you want and print.

gocoupons.ca- Also a good option but not quit as easy to use as save.ca

frugalshopper.ca -I find this site a lot like smartcanucks.ca it’s a lot of info but not a lot of direct deals. I think if you’re not on it all the time the info will be old pretty quick

Show and Save- Still my favorite savings book. Within a week of having it I always have it paid for ($15). I buy it every September and go through it to highlight all the different things I want to try and pick out 12 new places Marshall and I are going to go on dates to (one per month). It’s a great book and I love getting to do so much more with our money because of this book!

Entertainment Book- I hear really great things about the Entertainment Book but I am yet to try it. It’s $35 but they have a deal for $24 online right now and I’m tempted to give it a go!

flyerland.ca – I think this site is wonderful! I hate getting fliers and news papers because I look through it once and throw it away and that’s just way too wasteful for me. This site is great because you sign up, mark which store’s fliers you want to get and they email you every time that store has a new flier. It’s great for price shopping and a quick and paper free way of seeing if what you need is out there on sale.

Saving Money in Winnipeg Blog - If you live in Winnipeg and want to save money follow this blog! I don’t know if this is all she does but either way I find this blog really impressive and she’s often the first to post about a deal or coupon that I didn’t know about. She’s my source for the Cinema City coupons every month. Nothing like saving an extra dollar on an already cheap movie!

Here is what I found on the coupon lady in the states! Still an impressive story none the less! Happy saving!

Shared at: Penny Pinching Party 

The search for a warm winter mitten

So I take the bus. I have to stand outside for around 10 minutes at both of my waits, and when the weather really sucks the buses are usually late and I have to wait even longer.

For some reason I can find everything else warm but not mittens. I asked all my friends on face book and I got a lot of different suggestions. I'm always hesitant to go out and spend a bunch of money but I was getting a lot more sick of having cold and frozen hands all the time... SO I decided that I was going to go out and buy all the different gloves suggested and find something that would finally work. I was tiered of always having cold hands! (Of course I made sure I bought them at places I could do returns..Having 5 pairs of gloves that didn't work wasn't part of this plan!)

So I thought I would share this all with you. It's a relativity boring post but I thought if you're like me and have tiny hands with no fat on them to keep you warm, and sort of bad circulation this might really be helpful!

I first tried these. They were $90 gloves so I thought for sure they would be pretty good. Nope. My fingers (at -20C) got cold within 5 minutes and freezing within 10 minutes. They were by far the nicest gloves but that doesn't matter when you have no fingers!

Next I tried some Hot Paws from Costco. They were $30 but I heard they were like having heaters on your hands. Nope. Again, no good. To be honest they were a little bit better then the North Face gloves, they lasted a couple minutes more but still not good enough.
Next a tried a pair of mittens from The Bay. I can't find an exact picture but they were similar to these but darker purple and they had fur around the cuffs. They were Thinsulate 40 Gram mitts which I was told is a great rating and those should for sure do the job. They were the cheapest of all the gloves I found (on sale too) at $20. I tried them out for a couple of day, same cold testing and same results; no good at all! They lasted about 3 minutes at -20C before my fingers were cold.

The four try was a pair of Dragon Fly Thinsulate mittens from Sports Check. They were 100 Gram gloves so I was sure they had to do better then the other gloves. Nope. About the same: after 5 minutes my fingers were cold and after about 8 minutes they were freezing. Even curling them up in a ball inside the mittens didn't do much at that point. When I brought them back "Is there anything wrong with them?", "They're not warm". The cashier wasn't too sure what to say, but at least I was honest right.

Ok, so my last effort? Go to MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) and try and find something there. I spent about 30 minutes trying on all the different gloves and trying to find something that seemed that it would work better then the rest (it's amazing how little labeling is on these things!). Finally I decided on a pair of Gordini mittens. By this time I had the other four pairs of gloves going through their tests so this pair was last and boy could I tell the difference when I got to these! No, they don't work for more then half an hour out standing in the cold in -30, but at that point, I find that not much does! They work well for the 10-20 minutes I'm standing outside in -20 to -30. My hands start go get cold at the 10 minute mark and at about 20 minutes (if I haven't moved my fingers around or tried anything to keep them warm) they start to really feel frozen. But you know, considering where I live and all the other tries I've had with gloves and how poorly they did I'm taking this as a success. $40 after tax, not too bad for toasty warm fingers.

Daily Worth: Social Econom-icks

As you know I get this daily financial email and I just loved this one and thought I would share it with you. You know me, I'm all about honestly and really saying it how it is (in the right context of course) and not covering up where you're really at and what you're really about. I think this article does a great job of showing that in the financial side of things.

Social Econom-icks
By Anna Post

Someone recently asked me whether it was rude to use an expensive vodka bottle and fill it with a cheaper brand, to “keep up appearances.”

I think this gets the Oscar for Most Ridiculous Question I've been asked.

First of all, you could pour the drinks in the kitchen with no one the wiser; or better yet, not worry about serving inexpensive vodka—it's your home.

The bigger issue is that it's not always easy to be straightforward about a change in your financial circumstances—especially when it might impact how you socialize. Still, a part of good etiquette is being honest, and I advocate telling good friends the truth. If you fall off the social radar with no explanation, some may think it's a reflection on their company. It's better to say, “Dan and I are going to have to give up our Friday night dinners out, but maybe we could turn it into a movie night instead?”

Or, for the sake of privacy, don't explain: simply suggest cheaper get-togethers—free museum days, babysitting swaps, etc.

In this economy, most people will take the hint, and I bet they'll be grateful for your graciousness (and frugality). If you get the sense from a pal that a swanky restaurant meal—or expensive booze—means more than your friendship, then they're the ones who should examine their manners.

Uncork it. Is it hard to reveal to some friends that money is tight?

Daily Worth: Give Like a Celebrity

Another great email from Daily Worth that I just had to share with you guys! I think giving and donating is hugely important, even more so over the holidays and this post is full of all sorts of options!

Enjoy!

Happy giving!!

It's that year-end tug-of-war: With so many priorities putting pressure on your cashflow—gifts! parties! resisting the temptation to buy stuff for yourself!—how do you set aside money for causes you care about?

We have two answers for you:

Make It Fun. Crowdrise, the brainchild of Hollywood producer Shauna Robertson ("Super Bad") and her partner Ed Norton, is like

a philanthropic Facebook designed to help you get a charitable life.

Join Will Ferrell and others: Set up your own giving page, pick your charities—or find your friends and join their causes—and use social networking to raise cash. (All the charities are 501(c)3 organizations; donations are processed through Network for Good.)

We like Millennium Promise and Invisible Children.

Think Small. There are more children living in poverty now, owing to the recession, new research shows—and the Tory

Burch Foundation aims to be part of the solution by providing microloans to working moms in the United States who want to start their own businesses.

You can donate directly or purchase one of Tory Burch's signature items; all profits benefit the foundation. And check out some of the entrepreneurs TBF has helped (like Cousin & Co., a handbag company in Brooklyn).

Confession: Financial Respect

"And respect is where responsible spending starts."

I read this quote the other day and it really made sense to me. I love when I come across something that is so simple but yet has soo much in it you know? It says a lot but it just puts it in a way that it's like like "Yes, right, of course! As if it's that simple to understand" (but then of course comes the practice part....).

To me you really need to respect your money, respect your responsibilities, respect where you're at in life and work with it. Don't praise your money, don't envy what others have but work with what you have, work with what you can to get done what you need to and accomplish what you dream to.

I think if you don't start with respecting the awesome chance that you have in even having the amount of money you do (remember how little the rest of the world gets a day or year! Even with there lower costs of living it's nothing in comparison to you!) you won't get anywhere, and you for sure won't get to your dreams. Yes, money can't buy happiness but it's a huge tool in getting you going in all things in life! You need to use it, respect it and be responsible with it. You need to keep it in line, know where it is just like you do with a child and keep working with it until you get it to go in the right places, doing the right things. Money is a tricky thing to train (when I say money you know who's really being trained here...) but if you keep at it it learns it's lessons.

Money is either a curse or a blessing and I think it's really all in how you use it.

What do you think? What are your money theories? Struggles? Successes?

Your Hand Shake

When I shake people's hands I often get comments like "You must be a business women" or "Wow, strong hand shake". A few years ago I heard about how important your hand shake is so even since then I've really be making an effort to have some personality in my hand shake. There's nothing worse then a limp hand shake. So here's another great email from Daily Worth on just that!

Happy reading!

Want to land that job? Start with the right handshake—it’s one of the first things a job interviewer will notice, and could set you up for success versus a scoot back to square one.

Researchers at University of Manchester in England

studied what makes a great—and not-so-great shake.

Here’s what they uncovered:

Great shakes

1. Give a firm—but not too firm—squeeze using your right hand.
2. Offer about three shakes using a medium level of vigor.
3. Shake no longer than three seconds.
4. Make sure your palms are cool and dry.
5. Accompany the handshake with these actions: eye contact, a warm smile, and an appropriate verbal statement, such as your full name and, “Nice to meet you.”

“A soft handshake can indicate insecurity, whilst a quick-to-let-go handshake can suggest arrogance," added Dr. Geoffrey Beattie, a researcher on the study.

Don't sweat it
What are the biggest handshake “don’ts”?

1. Sweaty palms
2. Loose grip or limp wrist
3. Gripping too hard
4. Not making eye contact
5. Shaking too vigorously

It's worth brushing up on your handiwork: 56% of people say they’ve been the recipient of an unpleasant handshake within the last month. Don't let a bum shake ruin your job prospects.

5 Ploys that Get You to Overspend

I've told you all before about the daily financial email that I get (Daily Worth) and I've also told you how great it is so I thought I would share one of the great emails. I know I have trouble falling for some of the industries tricks so these tips for sure helped me! Happy reading!

Have you ever popped into a shop to buy "a few things"—and left with a full bag?

Get hip to stores' spend-more ploys and you can save a bundle, says

Philip Graves, author of Consumer.ology:

1. Watch out for labels
   Studies show that you're more likely to buy products labeled "sale" or "bargain price", says Dr. Lars Perner, assistant professor of clinical marketing at USC, without considering whether the item is truly a deal, and thus you end up spending more.

2. Take your time
   Retailers use scarcity language like "one day only" or "for a limited time,” to play on your fear of losing out on something, Graves says. It's a powerful inducement to buy—but don't buy it.

3. Beware of bundles
   Retailers often “bundle” products: For example, they’ll put buns, ketchup and charcoal by the hot dogs. You end up buying the related product because it's convenient—but not cost-effective.

4. Listen closely
   Slower music encourages you to linger, which means you're likely to buy more. Higher-end stores often play classical music because it helps you associate a product with excellence, and thus pay more for it, Graves adds, so listen up before you buy.

5. Look around
   Stores often place their most profitable products at eye-level, where you're more likely to see them—and more likely to buy them, Perner says. Stores also stock the shelves near checkout lines—where consumers are a captive audience—with tempting items. Look before you buy!

My Budget

I finally figured out how to get a picture of my budget (or at least the template I made!) up for you guys. I know I did my Master Budget Sheet post a while ago, but it has a lot of details and I’m totally a picture/visual person so I figured you guys would also appreciate this to go along with the details. (I know it's sort of small, but it at least gives you an idea of what I was talking about!)

Happy budgeting!

Finances 101: Playing With Budget

There are going to be times in your life that something comes up, something you really want to buy, or a small weekend trip you want to take, but you haven’t planned for it. The point of a budget is to keep your finances in check, make sure you know where your money is going, and to help you meet your financial goals right? But of course you’re going to want to treat yourself from time to time and you don’t want to always be limited.

I know for me and my husband we are on a really serious “paying off debt, saving for a house” diet budget (we’re dealing with an investment gone wrong, and paying off our car). We don’t get to go out to dinner as often as we want, or buy just anything we want. There are times (often) that we run out of grocery money and have to be creative. It’s not that we’re starving, don’t get me wrong, we eat well, but we (as people in general) are too much of consumers and just don’t buy right, or healthy, and we end up spending too much on the newest brand or style, even in food!

What I’m getting at is, even though we’re on this really tied budget, concerts come up, trips to the states, and different opportunities and with everything being covered in our budget we’ve been able to plan a weekend trip in spring to see U2 (for our one year, yay!) and get a Macbook Pro. It’s amazing how playing with the numbers a little (while still maintaining your goals) can get you other things you want! Live isn’t too fun if you’re always tight with money and never having any fun. Be smart, but reward yourself too!

If something like this happens to you here are some Steps To Success for you to make it happen:

1) See if you can take a little bit of money from here and there ($5 from groceries, $5 from your personal money, $10 from your date money etc.) over the next while to pay for that new TV or weekend away.

2) Take on extra hours at work. Don’t dig into your savings for something that isn’t an income earning purchase.

3) Redesign your whole budget. If this item or trip is important enough for you to give up or change how much you save or spend (on dates for example) then just admit it to yourself and rework your budget to accommodate it. I don’t recommend this step but there’s no point in lying to ourselves, buying it anyways, and then having it sit collecting interest on your credit card for months because we didn’t work it into the budget.

Finances 101: Daily Worth Emails

My sister suggested subscribing to the Daily Worth emails. I don’t usually like daily emails, I find them sort of annoying, but these ones are super helpful, informative, and encouraging as you set up new things for your budget and finances. It’s an American company so there are times when the emails are totally irrelevant because our investments and taxes work different in Canada but other than that it’s a great email to get and I strongly suggest it! (See the example above)

Finances 101: Wisdom, Experience & Resources

I’ve found that I can only go so far with my money, and can only be so creative until I’ve hit a wall.

When it comes to that I go to someone smart with money or a read a book or go to a course. It’s always good (and wise) to ask others how they do their finances and how they “get ahead”. There is nothing wrong with asking for help, or talking to others to get advice.

Steps To Success:

1) Ask someone out for coffee who you really admire and who is in a financial season you want to be in.

2) Take a course on good finances. There are a lot of free course out in the community at centers, libraries and churches that would boost your knowledge and point you in the right direction.

3) Read some good books and do some research. The more knowledge you have financially the better!

Some books I would suggest are: Good Debt, Bad Debt, Financial Peace and anything by Bob Ricci (he is really funny and informative on dvd as well!)

Finances 101: Credit Cards

I know using a credit card is bad and destructive for a lot of people because they don’t yet have the discipline to not over spend so I wouldn’t suggest the ideas in this post for everyone.

For those of you that have masters and conquered the credit card here are some ideas for you.

Using your credit card for all your daily purchases can be a very helpful and benifical choice for your finances:

1) The points you collect from using it can get you free travel, gift cards, or groceries which the monitory equivalent can then be put to something else.

2) Having your bills automatically charged to your credit card can help a lot with timing throughout the month what money goes where when and keeps you away from the stress of trying to get out and pay a bill.

3) Putting all your expenses on the credit card can help you from running out of money in your account for something you need now but will only have the money to pay for in the next pay period.

4) It’s aways nice to have a credit card in an emergency and if you don’t have the full amount to pay off the crises it gives you a month to go through your budget to sort it out.

I only suggest you use your credit card all the time if you watch it closely and make sure you can pay your total bill. Otherwise the interest owing may over power the actual benefits you are trying to get.

Me and my husband we get over $20 a month in points, which may not seem like a lot but it for sure adds up if you are smart with it!

Finances 101: Groceries & House Hold Supplies

Of course this is something we all need and we can’t really get around that. It seems that every year, or even every couple of months the cost for groceries and cleaning supplies goes up.

Times change, the economy changes but often our incomes don’t change as fast to go along.

Steps To Success:

1) Just like your gift fund or emergency fund pick an amount you want your grocery budget to be each month. Don’t just spend and then find the money.

2) When you set your amount stick to it. It might be hard for the first couple months to make the change from spending more then you really need to.

3) Have consequences. Like the other areas on your budget; if you go over on your groceries you have that much less to spend the next month

4) Shop wholesale. This isn’t always cheaper, so do your research, and crunch your numbers. But when it is go for it!

5) Shop for sales. Check fliers, sigh up for coupons online. If you added it up you’d be amazed at how much you save each year.

6) Cook more. The more we buy ready made foods the more money we spend, and the less healthy we are for it!

7) Be creative. Use your chicken bones to make soup. Your your left over noodles or rice for a casserole. There’s nothing wrong with “reusing”!

8) Don’t throw away left overs. That’s like throwing away half of your food, which is like throwing away half of your money!

9) There are many people out there blogging about saves they have found in their city. Find someone like that to follow and let them find the deals for you! I found a great lady (savemoneyinwinnipeg.blog.ca) in Winnipeg and so far I’ve gotten a free turkey and a $25 gift card from the promotions she’s posted!

10) Buy no name items. Make sure you read the ingredients before getting something no name. You don’t want the lack of quality to be the reason it’s an inexpensive item. But beyond that you will find there is an equivalent to almost any name brand item that is very similar other then the price.

11) Try and stay to the outside walls of the store. Almost all grocery stores are designed that the four food groups are along the outside walls and all the packaged food are down the aisles. If sight is what catches your eye and your money then stay out of the aisles!

Finances 101: His Money, Her Money

I’m a strong believer in having all your money (as a married couple) together, in a joint account, working together on things, no matter how much you each earn. But I also believe that we each need to have some spending money all our own.

Steps To Success:

1) If you agree on it, set up your own accounts to transfer your spending money into for the month (this step also helps if you are trying to surprise your spouse with a gift)


2) Decide how much you can afford to give yourselves each month. Like your date money you
want to be able to go out and have fun, and buy yourself something nice every once and a while.


3) Be realistic. You might have to tighten things up for a while to reach your goals, but you can always change your amount when things are better


4) Have consequences. Like your date money if you over spend then you have less to spend the next month. This is your own money, your own responsibility. If you over spend it’s not your spouses responsibility to bail you out.

Let's be fair!

Finances 101: The Master Budget Sheet

As you’ve started deciding your date money, spending money, gift fund, and emergency fund amounts you’re going to need a budget sheet to enter them into and to keep track.

You can go online and download a spread sheet that works for you, look for ones that give you a good idea and create your own or you can email me and i’ll spend you a template of the one I use (like the one you see below).

Steps To Success:

1) Enter all the “must haves” into your budget:

1) Groceries
2) Hydro
3) Rent/Mortgage
4) Insurance
5) Date Money
6) Emergency Fund
7) Gift Fund
8) His money, Her Money
9) Car Payments
10) Gas
11) Etc.

2) Add all the things specific for your family:

1) Kids Clothes
2) Makeup Money
3) Tool Money
4) Credit Card Debt
5) Loans
6) Giving (To your church, Sponsor Child, etc.)
7) Savings for a trip
8) Etc.

3) Create formulas to total all your expenses

4) Create a section over to to the right for your incomes that you can change every month if it is different. This will help you adjust your budget accordingly if your earnings are lower or higher.

5) Create another formulas that takes your expenses out of your earnings. What you have left should always be in the positive, if it isn’t you need to adjust your budget until it balances. The goal is to always have some left; that being the amount you put into savings.

6) Create another section over to the right listing your different accounts (gift fund, emergency fund, savings, etc.) that you can update every time you add to them.

7) If you do a lot of your spending on a credit card create another section to the right where you enter each of your purchases and when they will be paid for. This will keep you from over spending, and see what you have already spend from each area in the month

8) To the right of each item in your master budget enter notes to help you know what you have done (e.g. Gift fund: Transferred, Groceries: Spend $44.45, Hydro: Paid with Master Card, etc.)

Being this detailed isn’t for everyone, and I know that. But if you are struggling with your finances and you’re wanting to get a good grip on things, and really figure out where you are going wrong this might be a good step for a while. It will for sure help you get a handle on what you’re really putting where.

Shared at: Penny Pinching Party

Finances 101: Fun/Date Money

If you are married this budget step would be your date money. If you are single this would be your spending money for going to movies, out with friends, shopping etc.

Often we spoil ourselves a little bit too much and don’t put a limit to our spending and by the end of the month have spent way more then we realized and often don’t even know where it all went.

Steps To Success:

1) Decide how much you want to give yourself each month

2) Pick an amount that lets you go out and have fun but also is realistic with your financial goals

3) If this is for your and your spouse sit down and talk this over before you set anything “in stone”. You don’t want to be at odds on this one.

4) If you over spend don’t take the money from your savings or somewhere else to pay for it. Put yourself in the “minus” for the next month. You have to have consequences for yourself (and rewards) to keep yourself on track.

Finances 101: Gift Fund

My first suggestion would be to sit down and make a spread sheet budget of all the gifts you are planning to buy throughout the year:

1) No, not what you are going to get but for what; weddings, Mom’s birthday, your best friend, Christmas etc.

2) Give them each a line and then in the next column put how much you plan to spend on each gift.

3) Total up all the gifts, divide it by 12 and that will give you how much you need to save monthly.

4) Start a savings account (again, not accessible through your debit card) just for your gift fund

This is the most accurate way of figuring out how much you need to save for gifts and a great way to see if you can really afford it. Yes, most of us want to be generous and get really great gifts for the people we love but sometimes it’s not about how much we spend but the thought and love put into it. And when you are trying to get your finances in order sometimes you have to be a little more creative with gifts.

Steps To Success:

1) Buy gifts when they are on sale. Even though Christmas isn’t until December it’s ok to buy a gift in August if it’s a better price.

2) Make your gift. We all have talents and skills that we often ignore. Try making something for a change. Believe it or not it might be the most loved gift that person gets that year.

3) Regift. I know, I know, it’s often very frowned upon to regift but really if you do it right you can really bless someone, and why hold onto something that you don’t like that could really make someone else happy? I got some regifted things this year for Christmas and I loved them!

Like the emergency fund this might not sound that important but think of all the times that you went over budget at christmas, on gifts, and spent months paying off that credit card and getting back on track. This simple budget step will be a huge help in the end.

Finances 101: Emergency Fund

Having an emergency fund is one of the smartest things I have done for my budget, and now for my finances being married.

Steps To Success:

1) Some people say “Save 10%, give 10% and put 10% into an emergency fund” I say figure out a number that works for you, and put it into your budget. When I was single I put away $60 a month, now that I am married we put away $100 a month into our emergency fund.

2) If you don’t have a car, or house you likely don’t need to put as much away because if an emergency arrises you won’t have as high a cost (after all you don’t have break downs or furnaces going right?)

3) If you can open up a savings account that is just for your emergency fund but is not accessible from your debit card (just another safety guide from stopping you from spending it)

4) Try to build your emergency fund up to at cover 3 months expenses in case you get injured and can’t work or you lose your job.

5) Don’t touch the money unless it is truly an emergency. Start a little budget contribution for car and house repairs and up keep instead of pulling from your emergency fund.

6) If you are in the starting process of your emergency fund (and your budget allows it) put a large amount ($500, $1000 whatever you can do) in that account to get yourself going.

It might not sound like something too important but it’s a great key to keep you out of debt when those unexpected things come up!

Shared at: Penny Pinching Party 

Finances 101: The Beginning

I get asked often how I get to do all the things I do, stay out of debt and have all the nice things I have. I don’t like bragging about my success, and I don’t like to be pushing about it either, but to give you an idea of how my life has been so far and why I might have some credit in offering you advice...

At 18 I had saved up $10,000 (getting paid just above minimum wage) and went to Australia for a year to do mission work. During that year I also went to New Zealand and The Philippines.

At 20 I did a leadership training school and covered all my cost while working very part time. (Just above minimum wage)

At 21 I did a (non-paying) full time internship. During that year I also took a trip to Mexico.

At 22 I got my own apartment, all new furniture and took a trip to New York, Montreal and two other weekend shopping trip to the states.

At 23 I took a trip to Hawaii, another shopping trip to the states, and bought myself a new big screen TV and surround sound system. Oh and I got engaged and started saving for the wedding!

In my last month of being 23 I got married and took a month long honeymoon in Europe.

And that brings us to today’s date where we recently bought a new Macbook Pro (which I am using right now!) and just booked our hotel and bought our tickets to go down to the states to see U2 for our 1 year. At the same time we are paying off our car and half way to our goal for a big down payment for a house.

I know I said I don’t like bragging, and you’re probably thinking “That sure sounds like bragging to me!” but I wanted to give you an idea of what I have done, and accomplished while not getting into debt because really, are you going to listen to someone about finances when they themselves aren’t doing too well?

So there you have it, my story. I’m going to write a series of posts giving you tips, hints, suggestions and plans to get out and stay out of debt, save, form a budget, and get to do all the things you want to do and more.

I don’t boast that I know everything, or my way is the only way, I’m just going to share what’s worked for me.