Tag Archive for Budget Ideas

Jen | February 9, 2011
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Home Budget Plan

If you  have credit card debt, try to avoid making just the minimum payments on the accounts and try to get them paid off as soon as possible.  By doing this you will be avoiding late fees and unnecessary interest.  With this being said, you should try to avoid opening up any other additional credit cards until you have your other cards paid off or are close to getting to your goal.

Get all of your bills together and start to prioritize.  Make a decision to see what needs to be paid now and what can wait a few days or weeks.  Pay them in order of importance.  If you have some overdue bills, your best bet is to contact the company you owe and see how much you owe them to date and ask them what the minimal payment you can make to get back on track.  A lot of companies out there will be happy to work with you,  if you are honest and upfront about your financial situation and show them some good faith by paying something towards what you owe and start getting back where you need to be.

Experts say saving just 10% of your paycheck a wise idea if you are on a successful budget. But when you are behind on bills, it makes no sense to stash money when you have creditors coming after you for their money.  If you do have this problem, start by getting everything paid up then once you are back on track, get back in the habit of saving and trying to reach the 10% experts say to save per pay check.

A good way to save money is to get rid of all unnecessary expenses. Movies are nice, but they are expensive and you can just as easily see them at home few weeks later for more than half the price.  Also grocery shopping is a way to save.  If you have groceries that are beginning to spoil in your cabinets or fridge, that’s a way to tell that you are spending too much money on food that will never be eaten. Determine what you can effectively do without and adjust your horizons accordingly.

Try keeping a budget journal for this month.  This is an great way to determine what and how much you are spending and where everything is going.  It is also a good way to discover if you are truly living within your means.  Divide your expense into categories such as rent, food, clothing, and utilities, etc.  I use mint.com, a free budget spread sheet that does most of the work for you, taking the info right out of your secure bank account.

Once you have this month’s worth of budget journaling, review the information and adjust your spending as needed. You may be surprised to find what you can in fact do very well without.

Think of if you have any other sources of income.  Many people work second jobs, and even a few hours a week can generate enough income to make a difference. Even if you work in your spare time such as selling on eBay, that can provide much needed financial assistance.

People say that money is power, and this may be true but, it can also be power when you learn how to best manage what you have.  So why not start today by taking charge of your financial situation, and soon enough you should be back in a positive light.

Best of Luck!

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Jen | November 19, 2009
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Family Budget Ideas

Here are some Budget ideas, I follow some of these, but its hard.  For the Satellite one, call your satellite company you can wheel and deal with them, well I was luck enough to and it got me a lower monthly bill and 3 months free of the movie channels.  Good Luck!  If you have any other ideas, please share them with us, we would love to hear them.

Tips for Sticking to a Family Budget

You have a family budget in place. Now the hard part begins—sticking to your family budget. With the demands of all the wants and needs of kids, it can be challenging to keep a close eye on your money matters. Here are some simple tips to save money and help you stick to your family budget:

* No satellite – On average, the least expensive satellite package can run anywhere from $35-$40 per month. Multiply that times twelve months and you end up with a whopping $420-$480 per year! Do away with this single bill and your family can save almost $500 every year. Now that’s an incentive!

* Limited video rentals – Many families choose to rent movies for a family night instead of going to the movies. While rentals are a huge money saver, it can still get expensive if you go overboard. Limit your rentals to two every two weeks, for example.

* Return videos early – Another cost that adds up quickly is overdue rental fees. For the cost of a few past due days on one movie, you could purchase that movie and watch it forever if you wanted to. Write yourself a note so you won’t forget to return your movie rentals on time. Even better, try using an online video rental service like Netflix. You’ll pay the same each month, pay no late fees, and get new movies every time you return one.

* Plan meals before shopping – Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. You will want to buy everything you see on the shelves. You may think it’s silly, but you will be amazed at the results if you try it.

* Buy off-brand products – Most off-brand products taste much the same as their counterparts. There are a few, like mayonnaise for example, that taste slightly different. For the most part, if you are trying to stick to a budget, buying off-brand products can save you a lot of money. And don’t forget to clip and use coupons, too!

* Bring your lunch to work – Once again, let’s do the figures. If you spend a minimum of $5.00 per day on lunch (that’s a cheap lunch!), at the end of the week, you’ve racked up $25.00. With gas prices on the rise every day, that extra $25.00 could come in handy if you drive to work, too. Instead of eating out, fix your lunch to bring with you.

* Drink water – Sodas are easy to grab and run with, but water is much healthier for you. Instead of spending money on canned drinks, buy a family-size pack of bottled water. You’ll save money and drink healthier.

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Jen | November 15, 2009
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Tips on Budgeting Your Money-Great Budget Ideas

Budget. Say it loud enough and it’s a word that makes even the toughest people cringe, if only just a little. The common misconception is that budgeting is hard, time consuming, and super-restrictive. The good news is that none of those things are actually true — budgeting is as hard as you make it. Fortunately, in the technology age, there are plenty of tools and tips out there to make budgeting pleasant and maybe even a little fun. There are five steps to building a budget the right way from the ground up, as building a budget the wrong way or too quickly can cause you to fall out of it very quickly.

Many people start budgets the way they start New Year’s Resolutions: in great haste, with a hazy goal at the end of it but nothing specific enough to take action upon. They start out excited but as challenges creep in, they get discouraged, distracted, and downright disillusioned with achieving their goal. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Tip #1: Start With Your Mindset about Money

You should begin thinking about your budget from the top down — a budget is all about the state of mind you’re in, as well as how you feel about money. What are your feelings about money? Do you believe that money is plentiful, or that there’s never enough to go around? If you think that there’s never enough money, then it will be difficult for you to develop a savings-oriented mindset. If money is scarce to you, then you will always find it difficult to hold on to money. On the other hand, if your mentality is that money has no value, you can lose it quickly by making impulsive decisions.

Tip #2: Set Realistic Goals for Your Money

Your money has more destinations than just your wallet, but the truth is that having a strong set of goals for your money helps you make better decisions. It becomes easier to pass up impulsive buys when you know what you ultimately want your money to do for you. A goal doesn’t have to be anything serious, though serious goals are important as well. A goal can be a new wardrobe, a new car, a better apartment, getting your teeth whitened, or even buying a flashy new cell phone. The sky really is the limit when it comes to building goals, but it’s important to make them realistic.

Realistic goals differ from their unrealistic counterparts in one major way: achievability. It’s a nice goal to have to be a millionaire tomorrow, but most people cannot become millionaires overnight. Same with purchasing a home — it is difficult to purchase a home without a down payment. A more realistic goal is to retire a millionaire by saving over time, or buying a home in 5 years by saving a certain amount per month.

Tip #3: Find Out All ‘Money Leaks’

Most people are concerned about where their money goes, with good reason: there never seems to be enough of it! The paycheck comes in, but it never really looks like you could have spent all of the money so quickly. These days, people tend to carry debit and credit cards more than cash. To figure out where your money is going, go back and look at your bank’s statement or credit card bill. The biggest expense that seems to accumulate very quickly is food — not just the necessities, but lunches and dinners out with friends and loved ones. This makes it easy to curb back expenses a bit by eating in. However, food is not the only expense. Look through old magazine subscriptions, newspaper subscriptions, extras on your cable or phone bill, and online purchases. It’s easy to spend a small fortune on eBay under the illusion that you’re getting a deal out of it.

Tip #4: Find Out All Sources of Income

Having multiple streams of income makes it easy to reach your goals faster — even if the secondary streams of income aren’t enough to replace your primary source of income, they provide a comfortable cushion against emergencies. You don’t have to be a Harvard MBA to create a secondary source of income — think about what you love doing. If you’re into arts and crafts, there are plenty of sites online to sell your homemade items. If you can create music or write, there are sites to sell music and unique content. There’s plenty of ways to make extra money, and providing a service in your spare time is a great way to bring in a little extra money.

If you’re not ready to take the leap into building a second stream of income, perhaps you can look to see what can be done with your primary stream of income. If you’re working for someone else, you may be able to ask for a raise based on your performance with the company. Be prepared to present a strong case for a raise and/or promotion, such as the direct value your contributions bring to the company.

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Jen | November 13, 2009
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Ten Habits to Break That Will Add Money to Your Bank Account

There are probably more than ten habits to break that will add money to your bank account, but for now we will just talk about ten of them that can add up to several hundreds of dollars. Not all habits are bad for you but they still cost money. The list below are things you may be able to cut back on or out completely. If you are having trouble making ends meet then maybe a look at some of your habits is in order.

Instead of being depressed about your financial situation or thinking about borrowing money, why not sit down and make a list of things you may be able to do without,or not eat or drink, or even go do. Tightening the belt a little for a few months can put hundreds of dollars in your pocket in some cases.

Here are ten habits to break that will add money to your bank account

  • Stopping at the local tavern for a drink or beer on the way home.
  • Driving to the store for one or two items instead of making do until the next trip(fuel)
  • Not using coupons or watching the sales ads
  • Eating out instead of cooking.
  • Using tobacco products in excess
  • Buying precooked and frozen food to cook instead of cooking from scratch
  • Sporadic Driving and Speed – takes more fuel
  • Having car washed instead of doing yourself
  • Compulsive buying – do you really need it right now?
  • Professional manicures and pedicures

These are just a few of the things you can cut out to save money. If you put your mind to it and go over your routine for the week you will probably think of a lot more. You may not have to do this forever, but long enough to either get caught up financially or pay something off so your week to week finances will be easier. Don’t feel like you are being punished because you are cutting back. Think of it as a challenge and once you see more money in your bank account it will start to be fun.

What you need to do is keep a positive mental attitude and know and believe that you can get the upper hand in your life. Some of our problems are self made so we can solve them too with just a little brainstorming. Getting ahead of finances is a very good feeling. You can probably think of a dozen more ways to save money.

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Jen | October 20, 2009
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Small costs for considerable savings-Great Budget Ideas

Small costs for considerable savings, here are six things that won’t cost you a lot but the savings can be substantial.

  • Change a light bulb; the ordinary incandescent light bulb remains the most favorite, yet over 95% of that electric current is turned directly into heat instead of light. People usually associate CFL (Compact fluorescent Light) with the one squiggly design, but the truth is they now have lots of styles and sizes.  These can be pretty expensive if you look at it in terms of the entire house so try to do it one room a month.   The initial investment can seem daunting but once it is done, your electric bills will definitely reflect the change within the first few months and they last an average of 5 years. As for Duval County, JEA actually has a program called “green partners” that will not only take your used CFL light bulbs; but you can often get up to $1.50 off your next CFL purchase.   Check your JEA website for more information on this program.
  • Change your filters; we change our filters every month due to the number of animals that live with us, but six times a year is good.  You could probably find the “permanent” filters at your local home improvement store so that you can just wash instead of replacing them every month.
  • Washing machines; heating the water is where 95% of the energy is used.  Washing only in cold and when you have a full load can save you a bundle.  Washing in hot water is considered less efficient and uses as much electricity annually as keeping your refrigerator door open 24 hours a day for a solid year.
  • That’s a wrap; for about $25.00 you can purchase a wrap for your hot water heater called a tank blanket.  This can be found at almost any home improvement store and can save around 10% on your heating costs.
  • Fix that leak; some scientists actually believe that water will be our next big crisis.  I don’t know about that but I do know that a faucet drip however small can account for hundreds of gallons of wasted water a year.  Let’s say your small leak dripped 15,140 drips every day which is equal to one gallon of water, now what if 3 of your faucets dripped? At this point you might want to remember that you pay for the water in your home twice, once when it enters and again when it leaves.
  • Dryers; These are energy drainers, if you absolutely cannot use a clothes line outside because of allergies or neighborhood rules then here are some other ways you can save.  String a line in your garage or use a few well placed hangers, if you plan your wash accordingly you can keep all delicates drying on hangers inside, this can save 2 to 3 loads a week on your dryer.  When you do use your dryer, clean the lint screen before each use.
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Jen | October 13, 2009
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Some Budget Ideas for upcoming Christmas

63 Christmas Present Ideas for under $10

1. Gourmet coffees with a personal coffee cup

2. Pound of pistachios
3. Child’s artwork, framed
4. Journal with special inscription inside
5. Teacup with box of herbal tea
6. Deck of cards and book of card game rules
7. Homemade cocoa mix in a pretty jar
8. Collage of special photos
9. Gel pens and pretty stationary
10. Bottle of sparkling cider
11. Home baked bread, include recipe
12. Disposable camera or rolls of film
13. Basket filled with deli cheese and fruit
14. Craft supplies
15. Holiday serving bowl or platter
16. Pretty basket filled with special jams or mustards
17. Decorative napkins and napkin rings
18. Fancy chocolate bars tied with a ribbon
19. Gardening gloves with a plant or flower seeds
20. Photo album, hand decorated is even better
21. Makeup tote
22. Prepaid photo developing envelopes
23. Homemade cookie mix with instructions for baking
24. Variety of bread mixes
25. Special coffee cup filled with candy
26. Fancy magazines tied together with a pretty ribbon
27. Gourmet popcorn and flavored oil
28. Locally made barbeque or steak sauce with basting brush
29. Pancake or waffle mix and a bottle of real maple syrup
30. Movie theater gift certificates
31. Board games
32. Jar of sourwood or pure honey with biscuit mix
33. Note cards and book of stamps
34. Picture frames, buy them on sale!
35. Specialty cookbook
36. Pretty glass jar filled with candy
37. Collectible sports cards
38. Muffin mixes with muffin pan
39. Books, there are still a few for under $10
40. Set of dish towels and dish cloths
41. Nail polish kit
42. Pretty night shirt
43. Basket filled with kitchen gadgets
44. Video rental gift certificates
45. Pepper mill and fresh peppercorns
46. Handwritten copies of your favorite recipes
47. For the pets, gourmet dog biscuits or cat treats
48. Baking pans and supplies
49. Prepaid long distance phone cards
50. Small clock or radio
51. Pretty box for keepsakes
52. Colorful Post-It notepads
53. Address book
54. Christmas ornaments
55. Puzzles
56. Blank video or cassette tapes
57. Sewing supplies
58. Flashlight with batteries
59. Favorite quote embroidered on a nice handkerchief
60. Makeup brush set
61. Expensive socks, still under $10
62. Special soaps and bath puff
63. and don’t forget home baked cookies!

I hope you will be inspired by this list, after all, it’s not the amount of money you spend for a gift that matters the most, but that you cared enough to give something special.

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Jen | October 8, 2009
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How to Get Free Grocery Coupons-Budget Ideas

Commodity prices have increased over the last year and several major manufacturers of grocery products both food and beverage are increasing their wholesale prices to grocery retailers. That means the prices at your local grocer will be rising as well. Since your income is not going up and maybe has been reduced due to voluntary salary reductions or involuntary layoffs how do you keep your food costs within your budgeted limits? Here are several ways how to get free grocery coupons. You can turn to private label store brands or you can start clipping coupons. Many grocers offer to double manufacturers’ coupons to fifty cents.

Giant Eagle is an exception and offers double manufacturers’ coupons to ninety nine cents. If you can combine your local grocery shopping to items on sale and with coupons you can keep your grocery expenditures to a minimum. By signing up for their rewards card and using manufacturers’ coupons not only will you save on your grocery bill but you will get twenty ($0.20) cents of a gallon of gas for every $50 you spend at Giant Eagle stores.

There are a number of sites that you can sign up for that will notify you when new grocery coupons like couponmom.com, coolsavings.com and others. One – coupons.smartsource.com is the online version of the coupon tab that comes with the Sunday paper. Instead of having to flip through all the pages and clip which coupons you want to keep, you can view them online and print only the coupons you want to use.

There are four other printable coupon sites that will allow you to print directly from your computer instead of having to use the regular paper versions. Coupons.com says you can print one hundred ($100) dollars of coupons from Huggies, Kelloggs, Kraft, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and more. Upromise offers e-coupons for sixty ($60) dollars from Huggies, Post, Palmolive, Little Debbie and many more. Smart Source offers seventy ($70) dollars from Dole, Aquafresh, Scott, Betty Crocker, Huggies and more. Finally, Red Plum offers thirty ($30) dollars in coupons from Vaseline, Hefty, Advil and many more.

All of these sites say that there is no registration necessary. When you click on the particular banner ad to get to the coupons you will be taken to a page with coupons you select to print. On the first page at coupons.com you have to enter your zip code to get the coupons allowed in your region. All coupons are bar coded and can be set to only be able to be redeemed in certain areas of the country.

Once you have entered your zip code all of the available coupons are displayed eight to a page. On the first page there is a $1 off coupon for one bottle of Welch’s fruit juice and $1 off the new Oscar Meyer Lunchables with water. To print the coupons of your choice you will need to click on the box at the lower left of each lucky coupon that says “Clip Coupon”. Currently there are one hundred forty seven (147) coupons listed. If you live in an area where your local grocery store doubles coupons like Giant Eagle I would suggest looking at any coupons less than $1. I noticed a fifty five ($0.55) cents off of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. That would be $1.10 off at Giant Eagle.

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Jen | September 28, 2009
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Supermarket Money Saving Tips – Budget Ideas

To help save you money Supermarket Voucher Codes have produced this essential top 5 list of the latest tips and tricks that will help cut your shopping bill.

By following these simple steps you could save hundreds of pounds every year.

1. Look out for the latest deals and discounts

Loyalty cards which can be a great way to get savings on the items you buy most frequently. Build up your vouchers for special occasions like birthdays and Christmas to help ease the financial pressure.

They will also regularly send out their best discount voucher codes for big savings and free delivery, as well as promotional offers and deals on your favourite items.

By collecting points from different supermarkets you will be able to collect vouchers for a number of partner companies and get discounts on holidays, electrical goods and more.

2. Try the downshift challenge

One of the most talked about money saving tips is the downshift challenge. If you drop one brand level on everything you buy you will see a huge difference once you get to the check out and it’s very unlikely you’ll notice any difference in the quality of your food.

Supermarket own brands are often produced in exactly the same way as leading brands, so once you get passed the label there should be no stopping you!

Sites like mySupermarket.co.uk allow you to easily compare products against each other, not just on price but also how healthy they are.

Throw in the discounts, coupons and promo deals mentioned in tip 1 and you’ll save even more!

3. Eat before you go shopping

It may sound obvious but you’ll be amazed at the difference if you try shopping when you’re not hungry. Those impulse buys for food you want now will be a thing of the past, and you’ll save big!

4. Write a list and stick to it

One of the simplest ways to save on your shopping trip is to go armed with a list and to make sure you stick to it. With a wealth of useful applications for your computer or phone there’s no excuse for not writing your shopping list before you head to the supermarket.

5. Use voucher codes

Get big discounts off a huge variety of items by regularly checking out voucher sites. The discounts on offer can help bring the overall amount of your shop down by a large percentage, or help you to buy regularly bought items in bulk.

You’ll also find vouchers, codes, deals and discounts for things like free home delivery, entertainment items (DVDs, CDs and books), clothing, white goods, electrical items, plus you’ll be able to increase your points with schemes like Tesco Clubcard.

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Jen | September 24, 2009
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Budget Ideas-Grocery Coupons

Grocery coupons are a great way to save money on groceries. However, it is the combination of grocery coupons and sales that will make the biggest difference at the checkout. By combining grocery coupons and store sales you can increase your saving up to 100-percent. Yes, you read that right. When combining the manufacturer coupon with the already discounted sales items, it is completely possible to get free groceries.

Collecting the grocery coupons is the first step to saving. You will also want to keep the coupons you may not think you will use. Start collecting your grocery coupons and keep them in two separate areas. The first should be the coupons you know you will use. The second is for the grocery coupon that may not get used. If you try keeping the coupons together the process can get overwhelming and seem to be more difficult than it really is.

Your next step is to collect the local sales flyers from your area to match up with your grocery coupons. Generally the easiest way to do this is to go through each ad and write down the product that is on sale and the price it is on sale for. You may also want to put a star or check mark next to the item so you know you have a coupon for it.

In order to make the most of your grocery coupons, you need to understand the coupon policies of each store. Do they have a limit on the number of like coupons you can use per transaction? Do they double or triple coupons? Can you combine their store coupon with a manufacturer coupon? One store may have an item cheaper, but if a different store will double or triple your coupon that could be a better savings.

Another step in utilizing your grocery coupon is to think outside the box. Not all your groceries have to be purchased at the grocery store. In fact, many items may be cheaper at a discount store such as Wal-Mart or Target. You may be able to find better deals at Walgreens or CVS, both of which carry a small selection if groceries. They often have great deals on cleaners or toiletries as well.

To save the most money with your grocery coupons, it does take a little more than the one stop shopping trip. However, a well planned shopping trip can ease your budget and keep your bank account happy.

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