BFF Dave is HILARIOUS. I would definitely be his friend.
Last night's class was in regards to how men and women relate with money - and our differences. I was laughing, as was the entire class, when various examples were thrown out because I could so see myself in one category and Peter in another.
In the past year I've had to (drastically) change my spending habits. I was guilty of being what BFF Dave called a "Free Spirit." I have an unhealthy addiction to shopping. I lovingly refer to it as 'retail therapy.' Let me tell you, my 'retail therapy' cost me more than my brief stint in actual therapy so my shopping wasn't always therapeutic. I have become more of a "Nerd" in the fact that I like saving money, I like seeing where my money is going and I am much more disciplined than I was in the past.
It's only been a week but I've made a few strides in my debt pay-down and savings:
May 17 New emergency fund: $0
May 17 Balance on my car: $7,426.99
May 17 Balance on my student loans: $46,248.21
May 24 New emergency fund: $115 (+$115)
May 24 Balance on my car: $7,444.11 (+17.12)
May 24 Balance on my student loans: $46,031.77 (-216.44)
(Balance is the wrong term; I should be using "Pay off amount" as that's the number I've been looking at.)
Totals for 13-week class:
Money saved: $115
Debt paid down: $199.32
**Principal Balance on Student Loans as of May 24, 2011: $45,943.88
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Virtual Insanity: 5k Facebook Event - Feel free to join!
I have been SERIOUSLY slacking in the exercise and motivation department. Through conversations with sparkfriends and 'in person' friends, I realize that I need to make exercise a priority and that I work best when I have a goal in mind.
Thus, Virtual Insanity was born. Virtual Insanity currently is a 5k challenge where those who would like to participate can pledge to complete a 5k on July 9th either by walking or running. While it isn't an organized event at a specific location, the beauty of it is that you can participate where you are and whenever is convenient for you.
I hope you'll join me! The virtual race day is Saturday, July 9th which is six weeks from this coming Saturday, May 29th.
The link to the facebook event is HERE!
Thus, Virtual Insanity was born. Virtual Insanity currently is a 5k challenge where those who would like to participate can pledge to complete a 5k on July 9th either by walking or running. While it isn't an organized event at a specific location, the beauty of it is that you can participate where you are and whenever is convenient for you.
I hope you'll join me! The virtual race day is Saturday, July 9th which is six weeks from this coming Saturday, May 29th.
The link to the facebook event is HERE!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Financial Peace University Class 1: Super Saving!
"Winning at money is 80 percent behavior and 20 percent head knowledge. Most of us know what to do, but we just don’t do it." - Dave Ramsey
Last night I started my first of a 13-week class, Financial Peace University (FPU). FPU was created by BFF Dave and is designed to help you learn how to better manage your money. This week's class spoke about savings and how it is crucial to make savings a priority.
As I've mentioned before, the first of the seven baby steps from Dave Ramsey is to start a $1000 emergency fund. Though I have worked on this baby step in the past, my plan is to restart this step and hopefully save a $1000 throughout the class. While it is said most people can do this in a month, I know that would be quite the hefty challenge to do in a month so I'm giving myself a bit more time.
For this week, we will be reading various chapters in BFF Dave's book, Financial Peace Revisited as well as creating a 'quickie budget.'
So, here are my beginning totals. According to data from the class, the average person pays down approximately $5000 of his or her debt and is able to save approximately $2000 during the duration of the class.
New emergency fund: $0
Balance on my car: $7,426.99
Balance on my student loans: $46,248.21
I challenge anyone to embark on this 13-week journey with me! Maybe you would like to create your emergency fund or would like to try to pay off a credit card. Let me know if you would like to motivate each other along the way!
My goal is to post an update from the class and updated totals every Wednesday as my class is every Tuesday through August 9th.
Last night I started my first of a 13-week class, Financial Peace University (FPU). FPU was created by BFF Dave and is designed to help you learn how to better manage your money. This week's class spoke about savings and how it is crucial to make savings a priority.
As I've mentioned before, the first of the seven baby steps from Dave Ramsey is to start a $1000 emergency fund. Though I have worked on this baby step in the past, my plan is to restart this step and hopefully save a $1000 throughout the class. While it is said most people can do this in a month, I know that would be quite the hefty challenge to do in a month so I'm giving myself a bit more time.
For this week, we will be reading various chapters in BFF Dave's book, Financial Peace Revisited as well as creating a 'quickie budget.'
So, here are my beginning totals. According to data from the class, the average person pays down approximately $5000 of his or her debt and is able to save approximately $2000 during the duration of the class.
New emergency fund: $0
Balance on my car: $7,426.99
Balance on my student loans: $46,248.21
I challenge anyone to embark on this 13-week journey with me! Maybe you would like to create your emergency fund or would like to try to pay off a credit card. Let me know if you would like to motivate each other along the way!
My goal is to post an update from the class and updated totals every Wednesday as my class is every Tuesday through August 9th.
Monday, May 9, 2011
it's not you. it's me.
dear former motivated-self,
i'm sorry. it's not you. it's me. i'm the one that has been lazy, been complacent and been eating like the world is ending tomorrow. but at least you'll be nice and warm with that extra FOUR pounds i have helped packed on over the past couple weeks right (in addition to the other four you had already gained)? no? bummer.
i promised to love, honor and obey our new lifestyle, perspective and body; however, i haven't lived up to my half of the bargain. i've been consistently nagging you to make poor choices and to skip out on exercising.
i know you are frustrated and this sounds like every other time you've succeeded in losing weight just to gain it back, but you have come too far to fail.
let's try this again. start over. fresh.
please?
-lazy self
dear lazy self,
you lied. you said that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. that's a load of crap recently. i still feel that way, but you...you gave in! you had fried foods! you had a mountain-load of twix bars! you had margaritas! how can you expect to get healthy if you can't avoid, or at least moderate, temptation? huh?
you have so many people cheering you on and looking at you to be a good example of health. do you really want to let them down? more importantly, do you want to let yourself down?
you get ONE more chance to get it right. starting today. but instead of saying all of the right things, i don't want your plan. i want you to tell me what you've DONE so next week, i expect a full report showing me what you did all this week. whether it is exercising 10 minutes a day, drinking water, etc. i don't care. just SHOW me something.
believe it or not, i want you to succeed. so starting today, with your 4.4 (let's be precise shall we?) weight gain, you are re-starting - again - at 210.4.
your goal is to eventually be at 158, but for now, we'll take just getting you to 199.9...can you do that for yourself?
i miss being around. you are much more fun, energetic and you feel better when you are your motivated, active, healthy self.
get your act together.
-motivated self
i'm sorry. it's not you. it's me. i'm the one that has been lazy, been complacent and been eating like the world is ending tomorrow. but at least you'll be nice and warm with that extra FOUR pounds i have helped packed on over the past couple weeks right (in addition to the other four you had already gained)? no? bummer.
i promised to love, honor and obey our new lifestyle, perspective and body; however, i haven't lived up to my half of the bargain. i've been consistently nagging you to make poor choices and to skip out on exercising.
i know you are frustrated and this sounds like every other time you've succeeded in losing weight just to gain it back, but you have come too far to fail.
let's try this again. start over. fresh.
please?
-lazy self
dear lazy self,
you lied. you said that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. that's a load of crap recently. i still feel that way, but you...you gave in! you had fried foods! you had a mountain-load of twix bars! you had margaritas! how can you expect to get healthy if you can't avoid, or at least moderate, temptation? huh?
you have so many people cheering you on and looking at you to be a good example of health. do you really want to let them down? more importantly, do you want to let yourself down?
you get ONE more chance to get it right. starting today. but instead of saying all of the right things, i don't want your plan. i want you to tell me what you've DONE so next week, i expect a full report showing me what you did all this week. whether it is exercising 10 minutes a day, drinking water, etc. i don't care. just SHOW me something.
believe it or not, i want you to succeed. so starting today, with your 4.4 (let's be precise shall we?) weight gain, you are re-starting - again - at 210.4.
your goal is to eventually be at 158, but for now, we'll take just getting you to 199.9...can you do that for yourself?
i miss being around. you are much more fun, energetic and you feel better when you are your motivated, active, healthy self.
get your act together.
-motivated self
Monday, May 2, 2011
Makeover May!
Alright. It's May. May 2nd.
That means there are approximately 117 days until our wedding, which also means I have 116 days to become the happy, healthy (and hopefully pretty) bride I hope to be - so I need a plan.
And I need a plan that is measurable, broken up over smaller goal points and manageable for me.
So, I've started with May. What is my plan for May?
Let's break it down even further, what can I commit to for the next four weeks from Monday May 2nd through Sunday May 29th?
Some of these goals might sound odd, but they are things I have been struggling with lately.
1. I will not purchase any of our trigger foods for our apartment. Trigger foods include but are not limited to: break-and-bake cookies, pastries, sweets, candy, take-out pizza, etc. I will be mindful of the foods that I purchase and examine nutrition labels.
2. I will use my Sparkpeople.com tracker to log my fitness minutes, food choices, water, goals, etc.
3. I will run a minimum of two times per week.
4. I will ride the stationary bike once per week.
5. I will participate in the 100-push-up challenge.
6. I will ramp up my beauty routine to make sure my skin, nails, hair, etc. look wonderful not only for the big day, but so that I start to feel pretty and confident in my daily life. Also, I must remember to take my vitamins.
7. I will switch my weigh-in day back to Monday. I feel like I will be more accountable over the weekends if I know my weigh-in is on Monday. I will continue to post weekly weigh-in pictures, and I will resume the pictures next Monday.
8. I will put a positive spin on things. For example, instead of focusing on how sore I feel from working out (or completing a 10k this past Saturday), I will remember that I pushed my body to do something that I didn't think was possible.
9. I WILL GET TO 'ONE'-DERLAND! Bye-bye 2-ville! (aka, in the next four weeks, I WILL get to 199.9 or less. WILL.)
Ready, set, go!
That means there are approximately 117 days until our wedding, which also means I have 116 days to become the happy, healthy (and hopefully pretty) bride I hope to be - so I need a plan.
And I need a plan that is measurable, broken up over smaller goal points and manageable for me.
So, I've started with May. What is my plan for May?
Let's break it down even further, what can I commit to for the next four weeks from Monday May 2nd through Sunday May 29th?
Some of these goals might sound odd, but they are things I have been struggling with lately.
1. I will not purchase any of our trigger foods for our apartment. Trigger foods include but are not limited to: break-and-bake cookies, pastries, sweets, candy, take-out pizza, etc. I will be mindful of the foods that I purchase and examine nutrition labels.
2. I will use my Sparkpeople.com tracker to log my fitness minutes, food choices, water, goals, etc.
3. I will run a minimum of two times per week.
4. I will ride the stationary bike once per week.
5. I will participate in the 100-push-up challenge.
6. I will ramp up my beauty routine to make sure my skin, nails, hair, etc. look wonderful not only for the big day, but so that I start to feel pretty and confident in my daily life. Also, I must remember to take my vitamins.
7. I will switch my weigh-in day back to Monday. I feel like I will be more accountable over the weekends if I know my weigh-in is on Monday. I will continue to post weekly weigh-in pictures, and I will resume the pictures next Monday.
8. I will put a positive spin on things. For example, instead of focusing on how sore I feel from working out (or completing a 10k this past Saturday), I will remember that I pushed my body to do something that I didn't think was possible.
9. I WILL GET TO 'ONE'-DERLAND! Bye-bye 2-ville! (aka, in the next four weeks, I WILL get to 199.9 or less. WILL.)
Ready, set, go!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Disappointing weigh-in Wednesday...
I shouldn't be too upset considering I haven't been very active and I had an awful weekend of eating (Easter yumminess) but it would have been nice to see a weight loss this week.
Starting weight (with weekly weigh-ins): 206
Current weight: 206
Difference: 0
Also, the 10k is this weekend. *shudder*
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Beginner Couponing 101
Let me start off by saying that I, myself, am totally a beginning coupon-er :)
I LOVE that everyone enjoys seeing the deals that I get and asks me for tips. I hope that along the way, I can get better and we can all help each other be savvy, saving shoppers!
Where do I get my coupons?
There are a TON of ways to get coupons. I subscribe to the Sunday-only Washington Post. Truthfully, I receive my subscription for free (currently) because I had left over flying flyer miles from when I worked at UVA and had to fly a lot.
Aside from the Washington Post, there are ways to get them online. I'm partial to coupons.com because I access their site through Swagbucks. By printing my coupons.com from the Swagbucks website, I get 10 Swagbucks for every coupon I redeem. This has helped me get (so far) $85 FREE dollars worth of Amazon.com giftcards. If you are interested in signing up for Swagbucks, click HERE and you can sign up! If you have questions about Swagbucks, let me know!
Links to print coupons:
Coupons.com (without signing up for Swagbucks)
Smart Source
Mambo Sprouts (organic and green living ones!)
How do I get the best deals possible?
My suggestions for getting the best deals possible are really easy but can take a little bit more time. I like to check the weekly advertisements to see what is on sale, then match my coupons to the sale items.
Stores like Target and Rite Aid have their own coupons. For Target, it is as simple as going to THIS website and printing them but for Rite Aid, you do have to watch their videos HERE - but it is worth it because for both Target and Rite Aid, you can use one of their store coupons PLUS a manufacturer's coupon (also called 'stacking').
Yes, it does take some time, but I do NOT spend that much time with my couponing. A little planning can go along way! A few ways to save big: take a few minutes to check the sales paper to see what is one sale, plan your menu for the week - perhaps plan around what's on sale, see what coupons you have to go along with your sale items. That's it! You're bound to save money with just a few easy steps.
How do I organize my coupons?
I'm not gonna lie, I have a binder. I love my binder. It is just a regular, three-prong binder. I picked up the little plastic holders that hold baseball cards and use those to display my coupons. I use one pocket per coupon so that it is easy to see which coupons I have. They aren't organized alphabetically, but because I can see the coupon through the plastic, it is easy to see which items I have coupons for when I'm at the store.
I also have a smaller, accordion-type folder that is often called a 'coupon organizer' or even a check organizer. I do use that sometimes when I have coupons that are stackable so that I appear organized when I go to the store.
How do I hear about deals, super double coupon days, etc?
Social media is a beautiful thing. I follow all sorts of grocery stores (Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Bloom, Giant) through a variety of means: Twitter, Facebook and email listservs. I have a 'junk' email address that I use for shopping and list sign up so my 'real' email address isn't cluttered with sales and deals. Even if you don't get their emails or their hard-copy flyers, you can go to the grocery store websites and view their weekly ads. Also, you can create a shopping list so you'll know exactly what you are looking for when you go to the store!
Bonus information: Harris Teeter is having Super Double Coupon days starting tomorrow, Wed. April 27th through Tues. May 3rd! (The folks I follow on social media post this type of information every day! It's great!)
How do I get things for free?
I absolutely love getting things for free. A lot of companies use Facebook to advertise free items. Also, I follow a lot money saving blogs. I learned about these blogs from my little sister in my sorority - who also has her own savings blog now! From the blogs to other social media outlets, I've heard about many giveaways and it is always fun coming home to freebies in my mailbox!
A great site for free items is All You. You can sign up for their daily email and they will direct you to various to sites to sign up for the free item of the day, or give you instructions on how to receive the free thing.
Some of my favorite deal blogs (who you can also follow on Twitter and Facebook for some) include:
Money Saving Mom
Deal Seeking Mom
Smart Couponing
Living Rich with Coupons
A Happy Saver
A final suggestion for blogs/deal sites is to look up some in your area. For example, if I want deals specific for the Northern Virginia area, there are two blogs I go to:
Capitally Frugal
Coupon Cravings
Any final tips or suggestions?
Couponing can be fun and it can save you money but I advise you to proceed with caution. Yes, it might be awesome to get a lot of things for free or for pennies but unless you have the space and want to be prepared for the next 150 years, it's NOT necessary to be an extremely extreme couponer. Also, it is important to make sure you are using coupons for items you need or would be purchasing without the coupon. If you buy something just because you have a coupon and you don't use the item, you have lost money.
Also, from a nutritional stand point, make sure those foods you buy with coupons aren't overly processed; it can be so easy to get sucked into purchasing foods that aren't high quality because you have a coupon.
As I get better in my couponing, I'll post follow-up posts but for now: What do you think? How can we help each other become savvy, smart shoppers? Feel free to post suggestions below!
I LOVE that everyone enjoys seeing the deals that I get and asks me for tips. I hope that along the way, I can get better and we can all help each other be savvy, saving shoppers!
Where do I get my coupons?
There are a TON of ways to get coupons. I subscribe to the Sunday-only Washington Post. Truthfully, I receive my subscription for free (currently) because I had left over flying flyer miles from when I worked at UVA and had to fly a lot.
Aside from the Washington Post, there are ways to get them online. I'm partial to coupons.com because I access their site through Swagbucks. By printing my coupons.com from the Swagbucks website, I get 10 Swagbucks for every coupon I redeem. This has helped me get (so far) $85 FREE dollars worth of Amazon.com giftcards. If you are interested in signing up for Swagbucks, click HERE and you can sign up! If you have questions about Swagbucks, let me know!
Links to print coupons:
Coupons.com (without signing up for Swagbucks)
Smart Source
Mambo Sprouts (organic and green living ones!)
How do I get the best deals possible?
My suggestions for getting the best deals possible are really easy but can take a little bit more time. I like to check the weekly advertisements to see what is on sale, then match my coupons to the sale items.
Stores like Target and Rite Aid have their own coupons. For Target, it is as simple as going to THIS website and printing them but for Rite Aid, you do have to watch their videos HERE - but it is worth it because for both Target and Rite Aid, you can use one of their store coupons PLUS a manufacturer's coupon (also called 'stacking').
Yes, it does take some time, but I do NOT spend that much time with my couponing. A little planning can go along way! A few ways to save big: take a few minutes to check the sales paper to see what is one sale, plan your menu for the week - perhaps plan around what's on sale, see what coupons you have to go along with your sale items. That's it! You're bound to save money with just a few easy steps.
How do I organize my coupons?
I'm not gonna lie, I have a binder. I love my binder. It is just a regular, three-prong binder. I picked up the little plastic holders that hold baseball cards and use those to display my coupons. I use one pocket per coupon so that it is easy to see which coupons I have. They aren't organized alphabetically, but because I can see the coupon through the plastic, it is easy to see which items I have coupons for when I'm at the store.
I also have a smaller, accordion-type folder that is often called a 'coupon organizer' or even a check organizer. I do use that sometimes when I have coupons that are stackable so that I appear organized when I go to the store.
How do I hear about deals, super double coupon days, etc?
Social media is a beautiful thing. I follow all sorts of grocery stores (Wegmans, Harris Teeter, Bloom, Giant) through a variety of means: Twitter, Facebook and email listservs. I have a 'junk' email address that I use for shopping and list sign up so my 'real' email address isn't cluttered with sales and deals. Even if you don't get their emails or their hard-copy flyers, you can go to the grocery store websites and view their weekly ads. Also, you can create a shopping list so you'll know exactly what you are looking for when you go to the store!
Bonus information: Harris Teeter is having Super Double Coupon days starting tomorrow, Wed. April 27th through Tues. May 3rd! (The folks I follow on social media post this type of information every day! It's great!)
How do I get things for free?
I absolutely love getting things for free. A lot of companies use Facebook to advertise free items. Also, I follow a lot money saving blogs. I learned about these blogs from my little sister in my sorority - who also has her own savings blog now! From the blogs to other social media outlets, I've heard about many giveaways and it is always fun coming home to freebies in my mailbox!
A great site for free items is All You. You can sign up for their daily email and they will direct you to various to sites to sign up for the free item of the day, or give you instructions on how to receive the free thing.
Some of my favorite deal blogs (who you can also follow on Twitter and Facebook for some) include:
Money Saving Mom
Deal Seeking Mom
Smart Couponing
Living Rich with Coupons
A Happy Saver
A final suggestion for blogs/deal sites is to look up some in your area. For example, if I want deals specific for the Northern Virginia area, there are two blogs I go to:
Capitally Frugal
Coupon Cravings
Any final tips or suggestions?
Couponing can be fun and it can save you money but I advise you to proceed with caution. Yes, it might be awesome to get a lot of things for free or for pennies but unless you have the space and want to be prepared for the next 150 years, it's NOT necessary to be an extremely extreme couponer. Also, it is important to make sure you are using coupons for items you need or would be purchasing without the coupon. If you buy something just because you have a coupon and you don't use the item, you have lost money.
Also, from a nutritional stand point, make sure those foods you buy with coupons aren't overly processed; it can be so easy to get sucked into purchasing foods that aren't high quality because you have a coupon.
As I get better in my couponing, I'll post follow-up posts but for now: What do you think? How can we help each other become savvy, smart shoppers? Feel free to post suggestions below!
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