Monthly Archives: April 2011

Spending Diet April Review

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The one-month mark of Step 1 of my Spending Diet is tomorrow. For 29 days, I have been diligent about recording all purchases made and I have discovered that maintaining a Spending Chart is one of the best foundational practices for a budget. For the month of April, the majority of my purchases fell in one of three categories: gifts for others, lunches with my sister, and Mollie (my puppy). Can some of my spending be reduced? Absolutely. Out of the twelve entries made into my spending chart, only four entries made it into the “no- spending cannot be reduced” category and compared to my previous spending habits, that ain’t bad. I have found, through talking with others that one of the top reasons that people cheat and/or abandon their budget is because they go in cold turkey. Like dieting or quitting smoking, this lifestyle change proves to be more effective when one approaches the changes a little bit at a time.

Admittedly, there were times where I found myself jotting down purchase information on scrap pieces of paper, magazines, and anything I could find because I misplaced my Spending Chart. Somewhere around day 11, though, I decided to raise the stakes and lock away my credit card to reduce impulse spending- another point explained in Budgeting 101. Unfortunately, I pulled it out yesterday to pay for Mollie’s vet bill. Some days will be harder than others, but I have started to make better money management decisions… on to next month.

Spending Diet Goals for May

  • Maintain a Spending Chart for May
  • Keep Credit Card Locked Up
  • Review Current Expenses and Bills for Potential Savings
  • Cut Back on Eating Out as Much
  • Plan ahead for gifts for others

Like April, the month of May, may not be an accurate account of my normal spending habits. April was the month of baby showers. May is the month of my older sister’s wedding. I am excited, though, to see what May brings…

Is this what your monthly spending looks like?

Sunday is the first of May and I invite you to join me. Results can be better with support of others who trying to accomplish similar goals. If you are interested in starting the Spending Diet on May 1, 2011, please comment below with your goals for May.

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How to Get FREE Internet- The Legal Way

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-PLEASE CHECK HERE FOR UPDATE-

Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.

(one of my favorite quotes) 


Just when I thought I couldn’t afford another bill, things work themselves out.  This past Saturday, two random experiences met at the intersection of pure dumb luck and #winning.  The day started with my father researching cheap yet dependable internet service providers on my behalf.  Confession- since I bought my house, I still drive to my parents’ house to take advantage of their FREE internet. . . please don’t judge me:/  I need internet, but I cannot possibly afford any additional bills.   On the same day, I ended up on a dummy mission with and for my sister, which caused me to find solace in the company of my Droid.  In the midst of my boredom, I started fiddling around with my phone and. . . (insert singing angels here) I found under my wireless options a “portable hotspot”. 

It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized how awesome this was.  I hooked my phone up to computer via the USB port, named my wireless connection, and viola!  I had internet.  While this might not be important to others, internet was the last thing needed to complete my home office.  Apparently, my phone does not even have to be tethered to the computer and I can use it to as a hotspot for up to five devices. 

FREE INTERNET

While nothing in life is free, my newly discovered internet access is not the result of adding an additional bill.  Just to make sure it was not too good to be true, I called my cell phone provider, T-Mobile, to confirm that using the “portable hotspot” from my phone would not affect my bill.  The T-Mobile representative informed me that, using my phone as a portable hotspot will not affect my bill because I currently have an unlimited data plan.  If you have T-Mobile, I suggest that you look into their portable hotspot options because upgrading your bill to unlimited data and internet use could help eliminate your internet bill.  As far as savings, this worked to my benefit.  I would advise that you calculate all options before cancelling your internet service or upgrading your cell phone service to see if this is a better financial option for you.  As of April 26, 2011, all of the information presented in this post is true to my knowledge.  Technology is ever changing and now that T-Mobile has been bought out by AT&T, who knows how this deal will pan out.  For now, I will continue to run She Makes Cents from the comfort of my home, the smoothie shop down the street, or wherever my phone is in close vicinity. 

 

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5 Kindle eBook Downloads

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I don’t have a Kindle, but I have taken advantage of the FREE Kindle app for Android so that I can download How to Make Money Marketing Your Business with Tumblr. Have you taken advantage of this freebie today?

6 FREE Kindle eBook Downloads

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• FREE The Heart of Memory: A Novel by Alison Strobel
• FREE The Message by Eugene H. Peterson
• FREE Kiss Me, Stranger -3 chapters- by Ron Tanner
• FREE Beyond The Bougainvillea by Dolores L. Durando
• FREE Tales of the Revolution by Seth Godin
• FREE Deadworld by J.N. Duncan

Extreme Couponing: Is It Cost Effective?

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Extreme Couponing

Lately I’ve been hearing the phrase “extreme couponing” being thrown out in everyday conversations. This is mainly due to TLC’s show Extreme Couponing that follows shoppers as they plan and plot their way to incredible savings. Admittedly, I have not seen the show and prior to today the term “stockpile” meant nothing to me. If the clip below is any measure of what the show is like, I probably won’t be tuning in often. The people in this particular video seem very friendly; however, I found that this type of program could definitely be a trigger of my OCD. The stockpiles freak me out…seriously! Plus, I wonder how cost effective this level of couponing can be when you are constantly spending money, just because you have coupons, on items that you already own in bulk. Is this just another form of saving that I have yet to master? Or, does this type of shopping generate a similar high I can get from the purchase of a fly pair of shoes?

Savings or Waste? You be the judge as you check out the stockpile of Amanda from TLC’s Extreme Couponing!

If this is your cup of tea, TLC.com has launched the companion site http://tlc.com/extremecouponing, and a Facebook fan site is available at http://www.facebook.com/ExtremeCouponingTLC.

Budgeting 102- Spending Diet

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I saw the movie Eat Pray Love not too long ago. In it, is a reference to an old Catholic joke that I have become very fond of. In a voice-over, Liz, played by Julia Roberts, recalls the following:

I remember an Old Catholic joke about a man who spent his whole life going to a church every day and prayed to the statue of a great saint begging, “please, please, please, let me win the lottery.” Finally the exasperated statue comes to life and looks down at the begging man and says “my son, please, please, please, buy a ticket”.

Sometimes I find myself in situations where I am the one begging and sometimes I am the statue. Today, I come to you as the statue. I once heard it said that we buy what we want and beg for what we need. Is this you? Have you put you financial security at risk with things you wanted and now you are begging for a financial miracle? Be a part of your own miracle…buy a ticket. I am taking the points mentioned in Budgeting 101 step by step. Like dieting and working out, budgeting takes time, restraint, and accountability. I invite you to join me on my Spending Diet.

Write Down Everything You Spend Your Money On. Since April 1, 2011, I have been writing down EVERYTHING I have spent money on. I included this advice in Budgeting 101 with the suggestion to do this for two weeks. I would now like to retract that advice and tell you to extend it for an entire month. Every financial and money management writer will tell you to do this. Honestly, it wasn’t until the beginning of April that I actually did this myself. I thought between my memory and online banking statements, that I had an accurate grasp on how, when, where, and with whom I spent my money. SMC readers, I couldn’t have been more wrong. My spending chart has revealed that I am an emotional spender who blows a great deal of my food budget on eating out with my sister because I believe we don’t see, talk, or interact as frequently as we once did. My spending chart personified aspects by my sometimes-narcissistic personality. I made a donation to my alma mater that I really couldn’t afford, because I didn’t want to be the 5,999 person who comes shy of the 6,000 donor goal for the Founder’s Day scholarship fundraiser. I also learned that while there are aspects of my personality where I am admittedly spoiled, I also spend and give the a great deal of my money to others to make them happy. Hi, my name is Danielle and I am an emotional spender. Buy the ticket. I am putting myself in financial rehab to get back on track like my Rah Tiffany did years ago. I have locked my credit card away and most importantly, I am learning to say no to others. Catey Hill, the author of Shoo Jimmy Choo created a Day to Day Spending Chart that I particularly like. I used Hill’s chart as an example and made one that fits my own financial goals and spending style. Buy what you need and you will not have anything left to beg for. Buy a ticket and let’s start our financial journey together.

If you are interested in my own Spending Chart, please email me at shemakescent@gmail.com
subject: Spending Chart  

 

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