Staying the Course

We recently did another round of radio shorts with Larry Hansgen over at 1290. One of the questions he asked was about temptation...am I tempted to go back to my old ways? Am I tempted to go back to too many dinners out, looking at commission checks as "extra money"? You betcha.

We've got a tax return on the way, and I've got some nice sales I'm getting a commission on. And I'm sorely tempted by that money, oh yes. But the majority is going to debt and savings, with one purchase. We are finally getting a new mattress...we have the same one we've had since '97. You read that right.

So, on the whole, we're looking forward to another big step forward in the Race, but also to getting a better night's sleep!

Now that we've been taught all the new habits and methods, it's time to re-learn how to stay the course. We've still got a long few months in this thing, and then goals beyond this Race. And that means not altering the course, not going back to the way it was.

Dave

Give and Take

Any relationship is about give and take. I'm glad to say that we got to give a little advice to our coach this week, and we are helping Wright-Patt save some money!

Let me set the scene: some of the member centers have little spots for the members to get refreshments...coffee, juice, that sort of thing. We recently were filmed for WDTN at GFS, one of our favorite grocery stores. They specialize in bulk purchase, and we really like the store. While we were there, Jayme and I took a look at their juice selection and found the same things they were buying at another retail store for about half the price. Well, same price, but double the amount.

So now our member center is saving money, thanks to our advice! What are you giving in the relationships in which you're used to taking?

D

Beating the Bux!

Well, last night I realized that it was no longer January (ALREADY?!), which means that I’m officially FREE!!! Hahahahahah. And boy did I make a come-back! I had not one, but TWO Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks last evening. Yeah, went a little crazy; but hey, it’s been over a MONTH!

So I treated myself a little bit… and we’ll see, over the course of this month, if it’s something I’ve backed away from or something I can’t seem to live without. With any luck, the month gave me time to get over my “addiction” to Starbucks & it can go back to being a once-in-a-while treat.

Now all I have left to do is figure out what my February “new-month resolution” is going to be & I’ll be set. More details to come.

Sort Through Those Colorful Sales

Often times, when you go to the grocery store, there are several items that are marked down – yellow tags, red tags, blue lights – a colorful array of possible savings. Just make sure you’re doing comparison shopping. This is something that my mother engrained in me from an early age and now it’s automatic when I hit the grocery store. I happened to notice myself doing it the other day & thought, hey, great blog idea!

Comparison shopping doesn’t have to be the difference between buying a generic product over a brand-named product. Sometimes you can get a discount on a big name item just by purchasing a larger or smaller size of the exact same product. For example, when I went to the store the other day to buy conditioner (which I use a TON of), the smaller bottles were on sale, but even with the sale price they were (per volume) still just slightly more than the bigger bottles. Sometimes sales are just an attention grabber.

On the flip side, companies will generally offer specials on their larger items. You may think, “why buy a small bottle of ketchup when the giant size is only a few bucks more?!” Well, you have to think about whether you’ll use the whole bottle of ketchup. Sometimes we buy huge items since they’re cheaper, in hopes that the whole product will be used. Oftentimes, those are pipe dreams, and the reality of the situation is that you could have saved a few bucks by knowing to buy only what you’ll really need.

So while a few cents may not sound like much of a difference, over the years, if you continue to comparison shop, you’ll find that you save a lot more just by taking a few extra seconds to make some quick, easy calculations.

What a Night!

This past Saturday was just GREAT!!!

I had an Awesome time with our Savings Race Family at the Nutter Center.

This was a great night for everyone ( Go WSU Raiders Go!!! )

The team ( Basketball-Raiders ) and our fans were so welcoming as we all cheered our Families on during the half-time show. We did not win but; we did get 1 basket!! That was our Goal for the night ( ha, ha )!!!

I wanted to say THANK YOU for always having faith and supporting our Bledsoe Family. Talk to you next week.

Coach Jayme :0)

The Joys of Homeownership

Last month it was the bathroom, this month it is the kitchen.

Yep, our kitchen has decided to go on strike. In one week: the stove top on our gas oven stopped igniting without the help of a lighter, the sink started to back up into and underneath our dishwasher (which is always dead), and our fridge is slowly "warming up" to the point it needs to be replaced real soon.

But facing all this we are "OK." Our coaches have taught us how to prioritize and reprioritize, and we will find the money somewhere by doing without something else. Also, thankfully we have our home shield warranty, which should cover the oven and the dishwasher and we have a "handy" friend who gives us a discount on labor and he is going to take a look at the sink. And I can take care of fixing/replacing the water damaged floor. This old house of house is teaching me to be quite the handy person :)

Cookin' Time!

Dave and I realized sometime last week that our deep freezer was getting low, only a few more meals left. Also, unbelievably, my weekend was pretty open (Dave had to work all week; he's on "sevens" right now). So, Saturday morning I made the list of recipes to make (somewhere between 10 and 15 recipes) and then the long and tedious task of multiplying the recipes and making the grocery list. Once the list was complete, it was off to GFS. Dave and I love GFS. We think the quality of bulk food (frozen and fresh) is so much better than the prepackaged food at the "other bulk stores." I was able to get most of the ingredients (mostly the veggies and meat) at GFS and then it was off to Cub for the rest of the ingredients. Came under $400 and spent less than 2 hours shopping. Yay!

I had plans to go out Saturday night, so Dave agreed to do some of the prep work (cooking and chopping the meat, chopping the veggies, etc), so almost everything was ready for me when I started to cook Sunday morning. Two friends, Christy and Heather, came over to hang out and help me prepare the meals. I am so greatful for their help. With Dave at work, I would have never gotten through half of what we did. We spent 5 hours gabbing and cooking, and it was pretty fun.

We freeze the meals in 8x8 baking pans. They all include meat and veggies in some way and are enough to feed both of us and a friend, or leftovers for the next day. This amount will continue to come in handy when we are able to adopt and bring a child into our lives. So the kitchen is still a mess (our dishwasher is broken), but we were able to prep and freeze 60 meals for $400. That's $6.66 a meal or $2.22 a person!!!!!

Update on January's Resolution

Sooooooooo… (as I’m sure you all thought I would) I went to Starbucks. But it’s not what you think!

Isn’t that what they all say?

No, really, I was invited to coffee for my brother’s birthday. My mom treated all of us to a drink of our choice, & because I had missed the birthday dinner, she also treated me to one of The Bux’s fancy new lunch wraps.

When I got my drink, it was as though I’d been lost in the desert and was looking at a mirage. I imagined that at any second it would disappear. And it did – right into my tummy.

Is this “cheating” on my resolution? I suppose it may be, but it was so good to spend time with my family, plus I didn’t have to spend any money, so I’m going to let myself slide just this one time, and I’m hoping all of you will, too.

Other than that, I have been behaving myself very well. Every day that goes by, I am less and less tempted to go there… and my savings account loves that.

The Power of a Dollar!

Nowadays, a dollar doesn’t seem to stretch as far as it used to, or as far as we’d like it to, but there is one place where a dollar could turn into one of a zillion cool items.

“Dollar stores” have been around for as long as I can remember; offering cheap prices on tons of brand name products. My favorite is the store where everything truly is a dollar or less. I pick up anything and everything that I need for my home there. Dish soap, detergent, plates (I mean, REAL plates!), cards, decorations – EVERYTHING!!! Why spend three times as much on the exact same items? Those who haven’t been to the dollar store lately may believe that what’s sold there is nothing but junk, expired, or generic items, but it’s not true! Most dollar stores buy brand name products from major retailers who are simply getting rid of their overages. And you can benefit greatly from it.

BUT….

Just remember that when you go to the dollar stores that you CAN easily overindulge! Everything is so cheap that you may walk in and grab a basket, then realize you need a cart, then stroll up to the counter with $50 worth of items. I’ve certainly been guilty of this myself. Not often, but sometimes I go there and go a little crazy. If you’re buying everything that you absolutely need, that might be alright. If it’s something you’re doing once a week, and finding that you’re taking home more “wants” than “needs,” you could be digging yourself a hole. Keep yourself on a tight leash by taking a list (& sticking to it!), as well as only the specific amount of money you plan to spend there (and maybe an extra buck or two for something fun).

If you haven’t been there lately, get out there & rediscover the power of the dollar.

Every little bit helps

I found out that I got a raise. It is not huge, but every little bit helps.

And I guess this little raise is appropriately timed as last week I finally set up my 403B retirement plan. It actually works out that I won't be "missing" much of the money that I have allotted for my retirement.

2009 is off to a good start!

Jessica

Windfall Budgeting, and the New Year...a blog entry in two acts.

Act 1

As some of you may know, I'm in a commissioned sales position. This means that my income can vary somewhat. This is a bit more complicated in my case, as my primary industry is tax preparation...making my sales very seasonal.

One of the things our wonderful coaches have helped us with is averaging the income. This time last year, I had a lot of money. But like many of us, it bled out of my checking account in little "why nots" and "we can afford its". New TV. Nights out. Dinners at good restaurants. None of these things are necessarily evil, but when they're not coupled with some form of discipline...well, suffice to say that by summer we were back in the same old boat.

This year, we took a look at the big sales commissions in a very different light. Each dollar is an opportunity to save or pay down debt. And the lesson we've taken this year is to put aside a large portion into savings, to average out the income. In July, when a sale is hard to come by, I will have a supply of funds from this sales season, left there with forethought. If this seems like a no-brainer, perhaps you're right. But sometimes the most obvious solution can be the hardest to see. When you boil it right down, there's just no such thing as "extra money."

Act 2

On New Year's Eve, we attended the Harlem Globetrotters game/performance as guests of Wright-Patt Credit Union. Other families in the Race attended as well, and it was very nice to be able to chat with them and get to know them even more. It was also very nice to see the Globetrotters. I grew up in the days of Meadowlark Lemon, Geese, and Curly. When I was a little boy, I wanted to be a Globetrotter...like every other little kid. Suffice to say, by half time I think I had reverted to about 11 years old. Unfortunately, we had to leave a few minutes early to get home and prepare for our New Year's Eve festivities. As we rang in the new year with close friends (and I'll admit that those fellows Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, and DeKuyper were in attendance) we reflected a bit on what's ahead. Amongst other things, we have another several months of the Race in front of us. With all the tools we've learned, I already feel like a winner. I am already less stressed about money, just from making progress thus far, and making some sacrifices in spending to get where we are. We've changed this year.

New Year's Day dawned, but honestly I didn't know it until around ten in the morning. But in any case, it did in fact dawn, and I'm pretty sure it dawned on a good year. If fortune's wheel hasn't turned, then at the very least Jess and I are looking at that wheel from a different perspective. May your new year be as full of promise as it may.

Dave

Warp Speed Ahead!

Wow. It’s hard to believe that the year is almost over already!

As we prepare for 2009, many of us are making new resolutions. I haven’t yet made any personal resolutions for the New Year, but for the Savings Race, I thought it would be fun (since we’re only going to be involved for about half the year) to do a “new month’s resolution” at the beginning of every month from now, until the end of the race. Then at the end of each month, I’ll update everyone in a blog, to let you know if I cheated or succeeded. I’m also going to try to convince Jayme, Kim & the Bledsoes to pick a new resolution for each month, but since I like them, I won’t force them to do it. :)

*So I’ll start with my January Savings Race resolution: This is going to be a recycled one of sorts, as a month or two ago, while Jayme and Kim started their “weight-loss” race, I said that I would stop going to Starbucks for the Pumpkin Spice Lattés that I love. I cut back a lot that month, having only ONE “PSL,” but I still went there for other delights. For the month of January, I have decided to dedicate myself to NOT going to Starbucks AT ALL.*

We’ll see how it goes… please, don’t wish me luck, wish me SAVINGS! :)

A SAFE & HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

The Holidays

In this Yule season, the days have reached their shortest and are heading back to longer sunlight. In other words, the darkness has passed. Metaphorically, I can really buy into that this year. We reexamined the way we celebrate as a family: what gifts we give, what we recieve, what is important. And this year feels like a pretty bright beginning, even with some challenges.

We spent less than we ever have on a Christmas morning, but somehow this year was every bit as good as previous years, if not better. I've got the obligatory new socks and underwear, Jess made me a box of "why-I-Love-Yous", the niece and nephew had bright smiles, and we enjoyed each other's company. And even if it is cliche to say so, family and friends is what it's all about.

Of course, it's not all sunshine and lollipops, as we've had a couple of home repair issues crop up. This week, we have to have some wiring done upstairs, as the light fixture in Jess' closet, and in the hallway, have gone the way of the dodo. It turns out the circuit is old knob and tube, so it's a bit tricky for me to replace. Fortunately, a co-worker of mine does home improvement on the side, so the price tag will be less than it could have been.

Now we're heading into New Year's Eve, and the promise of a new number on the calendar. What will the next year bring us? Well, if the Race so far is an example, it'll bring some more saving and debt reduction. And if luck and perseverance hold out, perhaps there will be an addition to the family in our future.

Dave

What will the New Year bring?

Well, now that we are winding down from the Holidays and getting ready for the new year, it is time to say goodbye to old habits and hello to new habits.

The Bledsoe family is doing such a great job at putting more money toward their credit card debit and now are putting money into a savings plan. They have learned some great information and hints from the classes that they have taken and they are very excited about their plan.

As coaches, we are gearing up for the new year with our own challenges. The weight loss race will be in full swing as of January 1st and I am personally doing my own budget for savings and paying off some personal debt.

A New Kind of Present....

My sis-in-law, Cathy, told us that what she wanted for Christmas was a deposit receipt from our savings account. So, as gifts we gave my parents, my brother, and my sis-in-law receipts showing them the amount we deposited into our Balance Builder for them. Because of this, and our wise spending for everyone else, I am happy to report that we tripled what we normally put in the Balance Builder this month, and nothing went on our credit cards for Christmas.

I <3 my Family.

Pick Up a Habit

When we think of habits, we may start to imagine someone who smokes, or incessantly bites their nails. Generally, we put a negative connotation on the word “habit;” but, by definition, it is simply a behavior pattern that has become nearly or completely involuntary (i.e.: second nature).

Some sources say that it takes 28 – 30 days to form a habit, but depending on how frequently during that time you are performing the act, other sources say it can take between 21 days and 6 weeks for the act to become truly automatic.

Our Savings Race families have been working hard to save, and have already learned new spending habits which will last a lifetime. You too can learn good spending habits, and like anything you’ll need to practice, practice, practice. In a few weeks you’ll find yourself making better spending choices and saving more money with less effort.

So next time someone asks what your worst habit is, you can wink & tell them, “saving money.”

More Info on Scams

Coach Andrea brings up a very valuable point. Not only will they send checks, they'll send emails to you constantly. I've seen countless scam emails such as this, and here's something you might not know. The vast majority of these originate in Nigeria, the product of nefarious individuals sending out the scams at internet cafes, of all places.

A site that I like to visit to stay up to date on the latest scams is www.419eater.com I'm not necessarily agreeing with everything that goes on there...but suffice to say that if you want to keep the scammers busy getting scammed themselves, this is a good website to visit. At the very least, it's a great place to get an education about those scams you receive. Bottom line: if it's too good to be true, it probably is a scam. You haven't wont the Irish lottery, there is no Saudi Millionaire with no inheritor, and there is no cancer patient looking to give you his millions. Ultimately, the scams can be pretty easy to spot, once you look at them with a skeptic's eye.

Dave

If You're Reading This, You've Won!!!

Ahhh the holidays. A time when we get together to celebrate with friends & family, eat great food, open gifts, & spend, spend, spend! This time of year can also leave you feeling like you need a money miracle; and it’s the time of year when criminals are counting on it to fill their pockets with YOUR money.

Here’s how it works:

A mysterious check arrives with a letter informing you that you’ve been “randomly” selected to do a “Secret Shopping” gig; or perhaps you’re the recent winner of an overseas lottery that you didn’t play; or even still, maybe you’ve received a grand inheritance from a relative whom you’ve never heard of, or met, in your life. If this is the case then you are the newest, unwitting participant of a SCAM!

Very clever thieves create these checks (which look 100% real!) & send them to you in hopes that you’ll deposit the check & send them a portion of the money back via Western Union. Then, when the check is returned as a fraudulent item, YOU become responsible for the funds.

As a teller, I see this happen frequently. The thieves are non-selective about who they choose as targets, but it’s especially sad to see older persons affected by this situation. I even have one member who receives these nearly once a week and they’re made out to her husband, who passed away several years ago. Disturbing - to say the least.

But you don’t have to fall victim to these scams. If you receive a check that seems too good to be true, (as the old adage goes) IT PROBABLY IS! If you’re unsure, you can call the financial institution where the check was drawn to verify funds, or take it to your financial institution, and have them look into it. DO NOT DEPOSIT THE CHECK OR HAVE IT CASHED!!!!!!!!!! I can’t stress that enough.

The scam has been around for several years, but is still going strong because people are still falling for it. Truth is, they’re good at what they do. It’s your job to be better. Keep an eye out for this and other types of fraud this holiday season, and keep your money where it belongs – in YOUR pocket (or safely tucked away in your savings account)!

We've Been Spotted!

In the past 2 months we have gotten hilarious phone calls from friends as they have walked into the member centers and seen our large card board cut-outs. And the looks we get as we sit in the Mad River location on the bench next to the cut-out waiting for our weekly meetings are priceless. But last week we had our first "official" celebrity sighting.

We dropped by Tim Horton's for some coffee (I am proud to admit I might have weaned off expensive coffees!). I ordered my basic coffee and the employee took at a look at us then asked, "This might sound really weird, but are you two in the Savings Race at Wright Patt?"

We laughed and told her yes.

Jessica

Back from Vegas!

Well, we're back. We had a great time, we met up with some friends from way out of town...one from New York, one from San Francisco. This trip has been planned for about a year, and we were very happy to get together and kick back. We did go out with a budget firmly in mind, and I'm glad to say we came out ahead. Here's a bit of what we did to keep costs down, but still have a much desired vacation.

First, we didn't gamble much. I spent $33 overall on gambling, and Jess spent $10. For my $33, I played Poker in a tournament format, and lasted about 2 hours. Unfortunately, I didn't place in the money, but I think I got my money's worth in entertainment. I don't think of a poker game as "I will win X dollars", but rather as "I will have fun, and might get my money back."

Another thing we did was to be very firm on our meals. The Luxor has a food court...so in the morning, rather than go to that tempting breakfast buffet, I went to the golden arches. $4.84 vs $16.95. Not a difficult decision at all. Lunch? Same thing for lunches. Ate cheap, with a mind on fine dining in the evening. Dinners? That's where we used our budgeted food amount for the day, and treated ourselves nicely, which I wouldn't have avoided. One of my favorite things about Las Vegas is the high volume of very good food, of any cuisine you might like.

Even in this, we went with some fluid decision making...we had planned on a very fine dining on Sunday, opting to go to Craftsteak. We discovered higher prices than we expected (over $60 a plate!), and it wasn't going to fit the day's budget. So, rather than follow through, we decided to downgrade...we had dessert only, and then went to a cheaper meal elsewhere in the MGM Grand. We saved a lot with that decision, and yet still managed to preserve the "experience" of eating there.

And for another very easy savings trick...we did a lot of the free stuff on the strip. We wandered around a few of the casinos, seeing their claims to fame...New York New York's skyline, MGM Grand's lion habitat, Venetian's Canals, and of course the Bellagio's fountain show. Grand total for all of those things? Zero dollars. ZERO.

We had plans to see two shows. We did see Cirque du Soleil's Ka, which I highly recommend. No, really, if you don't see it next time you're there, don't talk to me. You are not human. ;) An unexpected saving came up on Sunday, as we decided to opt out of seeing our second show, due to several factors, including Jess's back killing her (still dealing with the aftermath of the accident) and my getting very sleepy. We hadn't bought tickets for it yet, so, with good friends along, we just headed back to our room to hang out and jabber away into the wee hours.

Our coaches have really helped me learn how to stick to a budget, and can't wait to see what other great things we'll learn during this race. Now that we've had a relaxing time, we're ready to charge into the holidays and use this budget stick-to-itiveness to get out on the other side of them in good shape!

Dave