Proverbs 24:33-34 Budget Wisdom

A special acknowledgment from the the late, great Christian financial counselor and radio host, Larry Burkett.  I am currently reading his book, Answers to Your Family's Financial Questions.  He stresses the importance of making a budget and "the most important step:  live within the budget!"  There is a lot of time, energy, and even stress in setting up your initial budget.  But now the real work begins - making your budget work for you and you working for your budget.  It takes discipline and dedication, planning and purpose, and attention to detail.  Proverbs 24:33-34 says "A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want like an armed man."  Once your budget is in place, stay true to it, don't get lazy, and only rest in the satisfaction of a job well done.

What goes out...Must come in!

Have you been asking yourself, "Where does all of my money go?" Are you living paycheck to paycheck and it seems like payday Friday will never get here? Putting yourself and your family on a budget is the first step in finding out where your money is being spent. http://www.bankrate.com/  has some great budgeting tools including a sample spreadsheet, budget calculators, and tutorials to help start you on your way to financial independence. Copy and paste this link from bankrate.com - http://www.bankrate.com/finance/financial-literacy/budgeting-tools-tips-and-work-sheets.aspx  Start with the Daily Expense Tracker worksheet and use it every day for one month. Include all expenses including bills, lunch, groceries, gas, etc - everytime you use cash, check, or credit. Then copy and past this link - http://www.bankrate.com/finance/money-guides/free-household-budgeting-work-sheet.aspx - to get a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to help outline your income, expenses, and monthly budget. Knowing where and how your money is used is the first step to financial freedom and becoming debt free. Don't be discouraged - when you complete your first budget and have control of your finances, anything is possible!
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Oh, Oh, It's Magic! Save $$$ On Your Mortgage

Do you want a tip that will literally save you thousands of dollars in interest? By making one extra payment per year on your mortgage, you can literally take years off of your mortgage and save thousands of dollars. For example, if you have a $100,000 mortgage at 6% for 30 years, your monthly payment is $599.55. By making one extra payment of $599.55 per year, you'll reduce your payback time by 5-1/2 years and save over $23,000 in total interest. Wow! Banks will allow you to make extra payments against principal at any time. You can accomplish this in a variety of ways - but the easiest is to simply add 1/12 of your monthly total to your monthly payment. In this example, by simply adding $49.96 to $599.55 every month will save thousands of dollars. Another strategy would be to make an extra monthly payment every month that you receive an extra "paycheck". For example, most people get paid 26 weeks over a year - resulting in two months that have "extra" paychecks. In this example, if you doubled your mortgage payment in each of these months, the mortgage payback time would be reduced by 9 years and have savings of over $37,000 in interest. You can check it out yourself against your own mortgage by using the mortgage calculator at www.bankrate.com (see link below). It's not magic, but it will make you feel like a financial wizard!

Eat for Free, Play for Free, maybe even pocket some cash...

Have you ever heard of mystery shoppers? Yes, there are legitimate businesses that will pay you to visit restaurants and stores so you can provide customer feedback. I've been a member of www.mysteryguestinc.com for over three years. I've dined at McFadden's and Smokey Bones in Grand Rapids, Mecosta County Hospital, and even shopped at the Disney Store courtesy of them. Meals were paid in full and even received a $5 kicker for going. I've also signed up at www.secretshopper.com but have yet to visit one of their clients. I can vouch for these two websites - check it out. But if you sign up for others, be sure to do your homework first. Check out reviews on line and even visit the Better Business Bureau. Hey, who said there's no such thing as a free lunch?

Ready for Back to School?

This week at Meijer there are some grocery sales to help get you ready for school.

Juicy Juice 8-pack individual servings are on sale for 2/$5. There is a coupon at Meijer Mealbox www.meijer.com for $1 off 3. You can also print additional coupons at www.juicyjuice.com

Ziploc storage and lunch bags. On sale 2 for $4 - Meijer Mealbox has a coupone for $1.50 off 2. Couponmom.com has a coupon for $1.00/2 bags or $1.50/2 containers, you can piggyback them on to the sale for additional discount resulting in a grand total of 2 Ziploc items for $1.50 or $1.00!!!

24-pack of Meijer .5 liter bottles on sale 2 for $5!

Refreshing Run

I'm signed up for a 5k race this Saturday - Spectrum Health Reed City Crossroads 5k. I took a couple of days off (Sun-Tues), ran a nice easy 20min run last night, and then a 30min run tonight. My legs feel great and refreshed - I'm going to take tomorrow off (except for a run around the block with my 4 year old daughter) - and be well-rested for Saturday. Next time you're feeling beat up from running, or work, or the internet or friends or enemies - trying taking a break. Go for a walk, find a place to read quietly, or maybe just take a nap! You'll feel refreshed and ready to run!

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31

Diaper Dandy

Do you need a great deal on diapers? Amazon.com currently has 30% off diapers when you use their "Subscribe and Save" option. You can also tag on an additional 20% off coupon from the August or September issues of Parents and Parenting magazines. Last week I purchased a 252 count Pampers Swaddlers, size 1-2, for $23.99 - equaling less than 10 cents per diaper. After you recieve your shipment, you can then cancel your Subscribe and Save option within Amazon. This includes free shipping! Great value!

Woot! Woot! Woot!

There's a woot-off going on! Check out www.woot.com for some awesome deals. Usually woot.com has a deal of the day that you can take advantage of until it's gone - but today...it's a woot-off!!! A multitude of items are up for grabs at great prices and only $5.00 shipping. Items range from laptops to cameras to games to headphones to MP3 players to beef jerky and more! It's a site that I check daily and have gotten some awesome deals. It's even more fun when it's a woot-off. The woot-off could go for one day or more. I've seen it go for as much as three days. Check it out - today and every day to get some great deals!

Coupon Clipping Chaos!

Are you looking for some great places to find coupons without searching all over the internet? There are multiple places online, but the best site I've found so far is www.couponmom.com . There are links to coupons.com, redplum, and more - all without signing up or sharing your personal info. A lot of these are duplicates from the Sunday paper - so if you cut out one from there, you might be able to find an additional one or two at couponmom.com. Also, if you have multiple computers at your household, you can print additional coupons. Our local library also has a coupon swap area - maybe your library does also - or, if not, it could be a great future program for your library to support! Happy clipping!

I'm One Smart Piggy!

Have you been looking for ways to save for big budget items while earning a fair and highly competitive interest return? Check out www.smartypig.com! I've used this site for just under two years and have only positive reviews. Save for annual taxes, annual insurance costs, etc. I use mine for property taxes, Michigan State season football tickets, and Christmas savings. I also use mine for a general savings account - all while currently earning 2.15%. Instead of using your credit card, save for it - all with a competitive interest rate and no debt! Check out and let me know if you have any questions!

Lean on the budget too!

If you know me, I like to save money! I am a coupon clipping, deal finding, money saving geek! So, in an attempt to find new ways to stay on top of the blog, I'm goint to add some money saving tips as well as some awesome deal finds. I live in Northern Michigan and my grocery store of choice is Meijer - so I'll be posting some of those deals on here. If you live in the Midwest - you're in luck!

Today's deal - Malt-O-Meal Cereal this week at Meijer. The Meijer sales price is $1.29 per bag. Mealbox at Meijer.com has Meijer coupons that you can print that will get you $1.00 off 2 bags. If you go to Maltomeal.com and sign up - go to Cereal Central, click on the Money tab, and you'll find a coupon for "Buy 3 bags, get one free". So, when totaling all together, it will be 59 cents a bag!!!

Also - Meijer has Lean Cuisine frozen dinners 5 for $10 - buy 5 get a free Market Cuisines dinner. Mealbox at Meijer.com has a coupon for $2 off 3. So, buy 6 Lean Cuisines for $12, subtract $4 in coupons - you get 6 meals for $8 plus one free Market Cuisies dinner - not a bad deal!