Tag: Free

Ways to Fund Your Bucket List

Published on by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

SMC Answers Your Email Questions:

Good Morning,

I have started to create a bucket list and I have found that actually doing a lot of things requires a lot of money. How do I fund my bucket list activities on a budget?

Congratulations on starting your bucket list or a kick ass lifestyle list, as one blogger refers to it. I think that is pretty awesome! I have found that bucket lists activities bring happiness and remind people to have fun and be open to new experiences. However, paying for these experiences can quickly add up. My bucket list is a mix of activities and experiences that could break the bank or that don’t require any money at all. First off, I would evaluate the items you have listed on your list already. Do they all include some type of financial component? If so, try adding some free activities that you always wanted to do but never made time for. I’ve always wanted to witness a birth and that’s free. Next, try signing up for flash sale sites like Groupon.com, HalfoffDepot.com, and Living Social because they are always having great deals. I’m not sure what exactly is on your list, but I can show you some of the deals I have found that correlate with my own list (btw, if anyone wants to donate to my bucket list fund, email me:)…:

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Another way you can help to fund you bucket list/kickass lifestyle list is by adding an additional category to your financial budget. Assuming you divide your income, you could start a rainy day fund by putting aside extra change into a piggy bank and cashing it in every few months, add $10-$20 here or there by reducing your Starbucks visits every now and then, or even ask for activities for gifts for your birthday, graduation, anniversaries, or special holidays. People used to laugh at me for saving pennies. I thought then and I still believe now that every penny counts and it proved true the first time I emptied my little red wagon that held about $75 in spare change. That $75 could have paid for the Smoky Mountain Adventure Package, above, which includes zip lining, rafting, river tubing (something I’ve done before and really enjoy) and horseback riding (another pastime I once enjoyed). Lastly, I would try to space out the activities. You don’t have to become a adrenaline junky overnight. Overall, remember that it is supposed to be fun and even life altering.. don’t get caught up in the finances.

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How to Get the Most Out of Coupons

Published on by Danielle YB Vason2 Comments

Today, I will be providing information to answer an email question that was submitted to She Makes Cents via my About.Me page, which by the way you should totally check out!

I’m trying the coupon bit, can you please show me how to use them, I guess coupon 101, and how to get the most out of my coupons, I often see where folks buy $600.00- 1100.00 in value , but pay $50.00 or less, can you teach me how to do that?

First off, congratulations on making the decision to start reevaluating ways to make your money work for you and not the other way around. To be honest, I do not coupon to this degree where I buy “$600.00-$1100.00 in value, but pay [around] $50.00 or less”, but I have seen it done. If this is the level of couponing that you aspire to, then there are a few things that you must consider:

  • Keep an ongoing grocery list. This helpful because it I find it easier to jot down an item I’m running low on or completely out of when I’m thinking about it. That way, it ensures that it makes it on my list. If I start a grocery list right before I go to the store, I risk forgetting something I actually need or spending money on products that I didn’t know I already had.
  • You must be extremely organized. Keeping up with coupons to multiple stores can easily become overwhelming if you do not have a system in place. Reuse a folder or an old note book where you store your coupons. Find a way of filing that works for you. For example, you can store coupons by type of product (groceries, health and beauty, fashion, restaurants, etc) or by store.
  • Don’t get tricked into buying things you don’t need. Stick to your list. Review your ongoing list before you actually go shopping. Then compare the list of items (including specific brands) on your list to your library of coupons you have compiled and filed away oh so neatly in your folder or notebook. Just because the coupons mentions that you have to buy three of the same products to get .75 off, doesn’t mean it is a good deal. Who really needs three containers of mayonnaise any ways? 
  • Know the stores’ policy about couponing. Some stores allow manufactures coupons and some don’t. In addition, some stores allow the practice of double couponing and some don’t.
  • Read the small print. So this one is self explanatory, yet few people actually take the time to read the tiny print. Think about it for a second, they make it small for a reason. It’s better to know the limitations of the deal before your get to the cash register.

 HOW TO SPEND $16 FOR $75 WORTH OF STUFF AT TARGET

 

CHECK OUT WHAT $20 AND COUPONS WILL GET YOU…YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE IT

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