Tag: @shemakescents

The Envelope System Saves $$$

Published on by Danielle YB Vason195 Comments

Someone pinned this picture on Pinterest of them dividing their money into different envelops as suggested by financial expert, Dave Ramsey. His explanation of the envelope system was simple and made cents/sense, so I thought I’d share it. My thoughts are in PINK, of course. I hope you enjoy!

~Danielle

Get on a Simple System

The key component to Dave Ramsey’s, “Total Money Makeover” is the envelope system. What is the envelope system, you ask? Well, according to Ramsey, its “way to handle money still works. People used to always use cash envelopes to control their monthly spending, but very few do in today’s card swiping culture”. I will say that it works and the comments to post prove it. Check out Ramsey’s simple basics for starting a cash envelope system.

  1. Budget each paycheck. Budget is a dirty word to most people, but you must budget down to the last dime if you’re going to successfully implement the envelope system. While I know plenty of people who budget a certain percentage of each check, I budget specific figures.
  2. Divide and conquer. Of course, there will be budget items that you cannot include in your envelope system, like bills paid by check or automatic withdraw. However, you can create categories like food, gas, clothing, and entertainment. I usually work off three main categories: groceries, restaurants/entertainment, personal maintenance (hair, nails, or anything that will help me feel “pretty”). I chose these categories for myself because these are the areas I could be tempted to overspend. I pay my bills off the top and then I budget each paycheck into these categories, which were listed in order of importance.
  3. Fill ‘er Up. After you’ve categorized your cash expenses, fill each envelope with the money allotted for it in your budget. For example, if you allow $100 for clothing, put $100 in cash in your clothing envelope for the month.

From Ramsey

When it’s gone, it’s gone. Once you’ve spent all the money in a given envelope, you’re done spending for that category. If you go on a shopping spree and spend the $100 in your clothing envelope, you can’t spend any more on clothes until you budget for that category again. That means no visits to the ATM to withdraw more money!

Don’t be tempted. While debit cards can’t get you directly into debt, if used carelessly, they can cause you to over-spend. There’s something psychological about spending cash that hurts more than swiping a piece of plastic. If spending cash whenever possible can become a habit, you’ll be less likely to over-spend or buy on impulse.

Give it time. It will take a few months to perfect your envelope system. Don’t give up after a month or two if it’s not clicking. You’ll get the hang of it and see how beneficial the envelope system is as you dump debt, build wealth, and achieve financial peace! See … simple! Truth… I sort of fell of the wagon for a while. I actually, couldn’t remember what purse I put the envelopes in until today, when I found them, and I had $20 in my restaurant fund. I started back on the system TODAY!!! It takes work but most great things do….

photo credit: Tales From the Coop Keeper | content: David Ramsey

What are your categories for your envelopes?

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High-Low: Starbucks Hack!

Published on by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

I think this will be me and Denia’s next project… pictures to follow.

This looks so awesome! Kerry from Squawk Fox provides a step by step that looks so delicious. Think is will taste as good as the original? For $.32, it is worth investigating from the She Makes Cents team. We will let you know how it turns out. In the meantime, check out the post here!!!

What do you think? Fab, right?

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inform and inspire ways to use your “cents” to live a fab life

Missoni for Target!

Published on by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

I checked out Target today and there was nothing left on the racks!

Did I mention that due to overwhelming activity, target.com is temporarily down? I guess I will have to reminisce on my older posts…

Missoni Designer Collaboration

It looks like Italian brand, Missoni, is the latest Designer Collaboration for Target. Designer Collaborations is an expansion of Target’s existing designer fashion program and each collection is available only for a limited time. This particular collaboration will only be available at select store between September 13th – October 22nd. . Designer Collaborations is a unique program that features well-established designers who draw inspiration from a collaborative partner, muse or creative element. It is a new and exciting way of delivering the latest styles to our contemporary female guests at the prices they expect from Target.

In the meantime, check some of my favs from the Missoni Brand:

Missoni Ad

Missoni Ad

Did I mention that Missoni has also tapped into knits for your home?

Missoni Pattern

Missoni

As I get more info, I will pass it along…

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4 Simple Ways to Save on Your Next Power Bill

Published on by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

Saving Money is a Breeze!

For the past few months, I have noticed a trend with my Georgia Power bill- It keeps going up! I’m not the only one experiencing this either. If you are looking for some ways to see a difference and keep your wallet a little fatter, check out some suggestions for simple ways to save your cents. ENERGY STAR estimates that a knowledgeable homeowner or skilled contractor can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs (or up to 10% on their total annual energy bill) by sealing and insulating.

Air Sealing


Many air leaks and drafts – like those around windows and doors – are easy to find because they are easy to feel. But holes hidden in attics, basements, and crawlspaces are usually bigger problems. Sealing these leaks with caulk, spray foam, or weather stripping will have a great impact on improving your comfort and reducing utility bills.

Programmable Thermostat


Did You Know?

The average household spends more than $2,200 a year on energy bills – nearly half of which goes to heating and cooling. Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings. When I first bought my house, I made sure that I had a programmable thermostat. However, I later found out that I was not optimizing my saving because of that temperatures I programmed the thermostat to, actually caused it to work harder. Thus, I was not saving $$$ 😕

Proper Use Guidelines for Programmable Thermostats (from Energy Star)

Through proper use of a programmable thermostat (using the four pre-programmed settings) you can save about $180* every year in energy costs.

Rules of Thumb for Proper Use:

  1. Keep the temperature set at its energy savings set-points for long periods of time (at least eight hours), for example, during the day, when no one is at home, and through the night, after bedtime.
  2. All thermostats let you temporarily make an area warmer or cooler, without erasing the pre-set programming. This override is cancelled automatically at the next program period. You use more energy (and end up paying more on energy bills) if you consistently “hold” or over-ride the pre-programmed settings.
  3. Units typically have two types of hold features: (a) hold/permanent/vacation; (b) temporary. Avoid using the hold/permanent/vacation feature to manage day to day temperature settings. “Hold” or “vacation” features are best when you’re planning to be away for an extended period. Set this feature at a constant, efficient temperature (i.e. several degrees warmer temperature in summer, several degrees cooler during winter), when going away for the weekend or on vacation. You’ll waste energy and money if you leave the “hold” feature at the comfort setting while you’re away.
  4. Cranking your unit up to 90 degrees or down to 40 degrees, for example, will not heat or cool your house any faster. Most thermostats begin to heat or cool at a set time, to reach setpoint temperatures sometime thereafter. Units with adaptive (smart/intelligent) recovery features are an exception to this rule — Adaptive recovery units are constantly calculating the amount of time required to heat or cool the house, so that it reaches that temperature when the homeowner programmed it. By “examining” the performance of the past few days the thermostat can keep track of the seasons. In this way, your house is always at the comfort levels when occupied, but saving the most energy when unoccupied.
  5. Many homes use just one thermostat to control the whole house. If your home has multiple heating or cooling zones, you’ll need a programmed setback thermostat for each zone to maximize comfort, convenience and energy savings throughout the house.
  6. If your programmable thermostat runs on batteries, don’t forget to change the batteries each year. Some units will indicate when batteries must be changed.

*The $180 savings assumes a typical, single-family home with a 10 hour daytime setback of 8° F in winter and setup of 7° F in summer, and an 8 hour nighttime setback of 8° F in winter and a setup of 4° F in summer.

Lighting


Change to compact florescent light bulbs. They provide bright warm light while using 75% less energy than standard lighting – they also generate 75% less heat and last up to 10 times longer. Replacing a 100-watt incandescent bulb with a 23-watt compact fluorescent bulb can save you up to $30 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. Learn more about ENERGY STAR lighting products.

Power Strips


Use a power strip as a central “turn off” point when you are done using equipment. Even when turned off, electronic and IT equipment often use a small amount of electricity. U.S. households spend approximately $100 per year to power devices while they are in a low power mode, roughly 8 percent of household electricity costs. Using a power strip for your computer and all peripheral equipment allows you to completely disconnect the power supply from the power source, eliminating standby power consumption.

I was watching The View not too long ago, and they had a surge protector that had a timer on it. The timer turns the outlet off after a pre-selected time. According to the show, charging your cell phone and other electronic devices overnight kills the battery. The power strip with the timer will not only save you on energy cost, but will also lengthen the life of your electronic devices.

Want More Ways to Save, Check out these tips from ENERGY STAR


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Changes in Our “New” Economy

Published on by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment

This morning I replied to the question,What lifestyle changes have you made in our “new” economy?   Here is my reply:

Creating the blog She Makes Cents, has been one way were I am held accountable for my financial decision…since I’m blogging about it. In our “new” economy and for research for my site, I now do the following:

  • I make spending and saving goals for the month. Then I tell the people around me my goals. That way, when I start to slip or go regress to old habits, I have a support system to help keep me on track.
  • I am notorious for going to restaurants multiple times a week. I now make sure I eat before leaving the house and I pack fruit and random snacks in my bag. That way, when I start to get “snacky” I don’t have to make a trip to the vending machine, closet Chick-fil-A, or restaurant.
  • I track my spending. EVERYTHING! I tried it because of a suggestion from this financial writer. It really adds some perspective to your spending habits and it made/makes me think hard about my purchases and the motivation/emotion behind them. (You can download the original template I used from author Catey Hill, here).
  • I opened an alternate email account and I send email coupons and store sign ups here.
  • Before I go out, I check out Groupon Now, HalfOffDepot.com, & Living Social. Why pay full price when you can get a better deal on the same product and service?

    I have more tips; check out SMC Money Journal & Fix Your Finances!

This question got me thinking about you SMC readers.

What changes have you made, if any, in our “new” economy?

Have you benefitted from any advice you read on here?

I’d love to hear from YOU!

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Missoni for Target!

Published on by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

This is a sneak peek so…this is all the information I have.

Missoni Designer Collaboration

It looks like Italian brand, Missoni, is the latest Designer Collaboration for Target. Designer Collaborations is an expansion of Target’s existing designer fashion program and each collection is available only for a limited time. This particular collaboration will only be available at select store between September 12th – October 22nd. . Designer Collaborations is a unique program that features well-established designers who draw inspiration from a collaborative partner, muse or creative element. It is a new and exciting way of delivering the latest styles to our contemporary female guests at the prices they expect from Target.

In the meantime, check some of my favs from the Missoni Brand:

Missoni Ad

Missoni Ad

Did I mention that Missoni has also tapped into knits for your home?

Missoni Pattern

Missoni

As I get more info, I will pass it along…

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Email SMC: shemakescents@gmail.com

How the Debt Deal Affects You, Your Future, & Your Money

Published on by Danielle YB VasonLeave a comment


President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak on the debt deal today at 12:15 pm. While people are spending quality time giving their opinions on what was decided and placing blame, I would rather take this time to explain exactly how some of the decisions will directly affect YOU! To be honest, I haven’t been following the “debt ceiling crisis” of 2011 because it quickly became childish with Twitter wars and the blame game. One thing I know for sure is that undergrads and postgraduate students will be hit hard. As a means to recover funds to keep the nation from further defaulting on their loans, the government has decided to end subsidized loans for graduate students. Subsidized loans are loans that do not accrue interest as long as you are still in school. Traditionally, you would begin to pay the loan with interest back 6 months after you get your degree. Now, graduate students will have to start paying on their loans while in school. CNN Money adds, “Under the agreement, a special credit for all students who make 12 months of on-time loan payments would also be axed.”

What about the undergrads?

I remember a time when I thought that you go to high school and get good grades so that you will get into a great college. You then go to a great college and continue to get good grades so that you will graduate, get a great job or continue for your Masters, JD, or Med School. Like magic, I thought this was the automatic path for good students. It wasn’t until I graduated from Spelman that I realized exactly how poor the economy was. I also learned during that time that my competition in the work field and for graduate school was not only recent grads, but also older adults who have been in working and building their resume’s for years. That was my first major adult reality check.

What about the undergrads looking for entry to graduate school? Or even people like me looking to go back to school to get another degree. As I see it, education is getting more expensive and unfortunately, students who would benefit from expounding their knowledge in their intended field are forced to place economics over education. Does it make you feel better to know that the cuts are expected to save the government $21.6 billion (with a B) over the next ten years….?

What do you think?

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5 Ways to Make Outlet Shopping More Enjoyable

Published on by Danielle YB Vason3 Comments

On Tuesday, I took a trip to the North Georgia premium outlets with visiting family from out of time. My intention was to enjoy girl time with my cousin and Aunts and not to blow my budget.  Maybe a shirt or two, at most.  Certainly, I didn’t anticipate the goodies I would walk away with. Good thing, I knew a few ways to save even more when outlet shopping. Here are some of my tricks.

Bring cash

Bringing cash reduces my chances of overspending. Unlike a card, you can physically see your cash stack dwindle down with every purchase you make.  When people make purchases with cash, they take longer to ponder the value of what they are buying as opposed to mindless shopping.

Begin at Customer ServiceCustomer Service

Customer Service is not only full of pamphlets and maps, but also information regarding sales and special offers. Go here first and pick up a booklet. It should include a list of all of the stores and coupons/special savings to particular stores. I saw a coupon for $15 off, unfortunately it was for a clothing store that I don’t shop.

Don’t Spend All of Your Money in the First StoreShopping

Remember the girl from Confessions of a Shopaholic? She spent ALL of her money on shopping and did not take care of her financial responsibilities. Don’t be like her!! True Story- Once we got to the outlets, my little cousin wanted to stop in a teen clothing store. She was picking up items and I told her, “Don’t spend it all here. Now that we know what they have and what you like, let’s see if any other stores have anything better or for less. If not, and you remember that shirt after we have hit up the other stores, we will come back”.

Use your time wisely

While shopping, one of my aunts pulled out a map of the outlet and highlighted all of the stores she was interested in visiting. The outlet was set up in color-coded zones and paralleled the map provided at customer service. She then wrote down each color section that had stores that we were planning on visiting and then wrote down how many stores were in each color zone. The whole process took about two minutes but it saved so much time in the end. I find that people are extremely excited when they get to the outlets and quickly become overwhelmed and exhausted. This way, you can ensure that you hit the stores you absolutely love and you don’t waste your time randomly looking in other places.

Only buy what you love

Don’t waste money on things you like when you can buy things you love. Often times, I have found myself spending MORE money just because it was a good deal. A good example of this would be the red Jessica Simpson pumps I bought for football season. First of all, I had NOT intended on buying anything. Secondly, I went into a store that was not on the list; although, I am super pleased that I did. Thirdly, I found myself searching for another pair of shoes just because the sales associate kindly mentioned that I could save 50% if I bought another pair for equal or less value. I spent about 5 minutes searching for another pair when it hit me, why would I spend extra money for something that is not in my budget and that I don’t love? Just because it is a good deal does not mean that it is the best deal for you!

What’s Your Go To Shopping Tip?

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College Students: How to Save Up To 80% on your Textbooks

Published on by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

Rent Books from Amazon

As an English major at Spelman College, I could easily spend $500 on books for one semester. It all depended on the classes and professors that I put on my schedule. While some classes required one or two major textbooks that cost a fortune, other classes required several books at a time and no you did NOT get the “hookup” if your professor wrote the book (s/o to Dr. Harper at Spelman College and her Langston Hughes class). Did I mention that I took a full load every semester for two and a half year straight, which meant a lot of books?

Rent Textbooks Electronically from. . .

Luckily, the college students of today do not have to worry about that. Today, Amazon.com announced the launch of Kindle Textbook Rental–now students can save up to 80% off textbook list prices by renting from the Kindle Store. Tens of thousands of textbooks are available for the 2011 school year from leading textbook publishers such as John Wiley & Sons, Elsevier and Taylor & Francis. Students can find details about the program at www.amazon.com/kindletextbooks. Kindle Textbook Rental offers the ability to customize rental periods to any length between 30 and 360 days, so students only pay for the specific amount of time they need a book. Students can also easily extend any rental period in increments as small as one day or choose to purchase the book they are renting at any time. Kindle Textbooks are “Rent Once, Read Everywhere” as they can be read across the most popular devices with FREE Kindle Reading Apps for PC, Mac, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and Android-based devices.

What the folks at Amazon have to say. . .

“Students tell us that they enjoy the low prices we offer on new and used print textbooks. Now we’re excited to offer students an option to rent Kindle textbooks and only pay for the time they need–with savings up to 80% off the print list price on a 30-day rental. We’ve done a little something extra we think students will enjoy. Normally, when you sell your print textbook at the end of the semester you lose all the margin notes and highlights you made as you were studying. We’re extending our Whispersync technology so that you get to keep and access all of your notes and highlighted content in the Amazon Cloud, available anytime, anywhere – even after a rental expires. If you choose to rent again or buy at a later time, your notes will be there just as you left them, perfectly Whispersynced.”

            -David Limp, VP of Amazon Kindle

 

Personally, I believe this can be a great deal! Parents, professors, and students good luck with the upcoming school year! Hopefully, this information provides you with another financial option for purchasing some of your back to school needs.

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5 Money Saving Lessons Learned from Extreme Couponing

Published on by Danielle YB Vason1 Comment

…and the #SMCmoneytribe member of the week is… TRACI!

Happy Friday SMC readers! SMC reader, Traci from Flor inspired today’s post. I was checking out some older posts about how to get the most out of coupons, when she commented yesterday on a few lessons she has learned from watching TLC’s Extreme Couponing this past season. I thought they were great tips and I wanted to share them where everyone can benefit.

5 Killer Lessons Learned from “Extreme Couponing”…

The average person will not need to go to the “Extreme”. However, I did learn a few lessons and the series opened my eyes to a different approach to shopping.

  1. Purchasing items when they are on sale as opposed to when you need them. If you are a woman, you will need tampons. Purchase them when they are BOGO and combine with your coupons just makes cents. You may have six boxes under your sink but it is [almost] not doubt they will get used.

2. Coordinate your coupons with store promotions. Most stores do this regularly. Purchase two Sunday Papers (The First Sunday of the month has the most and best coupons). The double coupons are well worth the $3 price and there may be an interesting article in the paper.

3. The retailer with the lowest initial price may not have the best deal. If Walmart has BBQ Sauce for $2.98 ea and Winn Dixie has the same sauce $3.59 at Buy One get One Free. Winn Dixie has the best deal. You have saved $2.37 on WD BOGO vs. purchasing two at $2.98 from Wally-World.

4. You can use double coupons on BOGO items. You have technically purchased two items. If you have two coupons each for $1.00 off the BBQ Sauce, you can use both coupons. Therefore, you actually pay $1.59 for two bottles of BBQ Sauce.

5. I hadn’t really shopped at Winn Dixie in a while, just the occasional in and out run. However, with their Fuel Perks promotions and BOGO, they will more than likely be my grocery retailer of choice. My coworker recently saved $1.10/gallon on gas. Now you do have to use these Fuel Perks at specific gas stations but at $1.10 in savings, you still won’t be able to find a better deal.

It is a new way of approaching shopping. I don’t have a stockpile but I do see the logic in saving on what you can so that when you need to purchase fresh produce at regular cost you still have the savings.

SAVING IS EXCITING!!!

Traci

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