I am really annoyed by being forced to wait but the documents will not be available until next week. I will file as soon as I see the document is ready so I can cross that off my checklist once and for all.

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Dr. King fought for equality and fair treatment and went through a lot to get his point across.

His supporters were beaten and jailed so that people could enjoy the same rights and freedoms as everyone else. So I challenge you today to do something nice for someone today while you are celebrating!!!!

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I hope it is not a case of more places deciding to have you log in to the system and print off your own statements because that is just annoying to me. I have no idea what my tax situation will be this year with the job loss but maybe with having a much lower income I will get a refund this year.

At the very least if I have to pay it should only be a really small amount since I did not have as much income as last year..but I won’t know until I get all those statements in my hands.

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You guys and gals have stuck with me on this wild and crazy ride and I must say that I have some of the best readers out there. I want to wish everyone a safe and happy 2012 and may we all have better financial situations moving forward.

I want to thank all of my bloggy buddies who offered advice and who commented here and also those who linked to this blog. I have made some great new friends here and I really appreciate all of you.

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I also want to thank all of the clients who placed advertising on this blog and helped me to pay the hosting fees, web technician fees and the internet bill!

I want to thank all of the guest posters who wrote for me, especially when I was in the hospital and could not think straight. You guys kept the blog going as I had posts ready to go before I went in for my surgery.

I would like to welcome all the new readers I will get in 2012 and hope to grow the blog into something bigger and better.

Have a happy new year and may God bless us all.

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I did not give expensive gifts but I think the recipients will love what they got because my gifts are very personalized and are things that those people want.

The money for those gifts came out of the Splurge Fund in ING where I had been budgeting and saving money all year round in order to be ready for Christmas.

I got THE BEST early Christmas gift from my best friend so I am good til the next set of gift giving time rolls around.

I actually ended up spending LESS on gifts than what was in the Splurge Fund so that little extra will go into my every day living expenses and I will start rebuilding the Splurge Fund when I have a steady income next year.

How are you faring with the Christmas shopping?

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One of my goals is to become more “Girlified” because I am a bit of a tomboy. I do wear skirts and dresses when the occasion warrants, but I really do feel more comfortable just wearing pants.

I have a few skirts and dresses that I bought during the year and then ended up only wearing once, before stashing them in the back of the closet, never to see the light of day again.

That is really wasting money in a way because I am not making the best use of the money I have already spent. I need to pull out those dresses and skirts (and even some shirts) and WEAR them. This will extend the life of my other clothes because I will be wearing THEM less often and they will have less wear and tear from wearing and washing.

I also do not wear jewelry, even though I did get some jewelry when my mother died. I will not try to make the effort to wear makeup because that would be too much of a stretch for me. I currently wear nail polish on my toes and a bit of lip gloss and I am out the door. I have been blessed with great skin I do not need to wear makeup so I won’t mess with what works currently.

So there is the first of my goals for the new year and it is one that will not require me to spend any more money. I will save money by using more of what I actually have and by having a greater rotation of the items that I use on a daily basis!!!

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First, when buying a new car, the customer may need to avoid telling the salesperson that he is planning to pay in cash. That’s because the salesperson might get a bigger commission if he also arranges financing for that vehicle.
So, negotiate the best deal you can and focus on getting the price you want before there is any discussion of how the deal will be structured. This means the customer needs to push back when the salesmen presses on how the vehicle will be paid for — his job after all, is to find out as much information as he can about you and your prospective purchase.

Then, once you reach an agreed upon price, let the salesman try to offer you a better deal if you finance through him. That positions the buyer to suggest he or she wants the same deal for the cash price.
One of the best ways to be sure of getting that deal is to come into a dealership at the end of the month when the salesman and the business may be trying to make a certain sales quota. And offer the cash price you want, for that day only. It turns around the car sales strategy to favor the buyer instead of the dealer — and it still helps them by moving inventory.
But paying cash for cars also means the buyer has more flexibility too. Gently used cars from individuals can be a great way to find good deals and those sellers almost always want to deal in cash because it’s just plain easier. If you have cash-on-hand, you may be able to strike a better bargain.

Finally, for an out-of-the-box solution that may also net you a great deal: finance your car through the dealership in exchange for a much better price, but only if there is no penalty for paying it off early. Get a better price and deal. Then immediately pay it all off.

Bio: Sean knows how to save money on a car, because he works for a used car dealership. The car dealership he works for sells cars, and also offers money for cars.

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Previous stereotypes of used office furniture is chipped, worn out and stained but due to new innovations in the industry such as office clearances mean that quality furniture is being recouped by furniture suppliers meaning that used office furniture is as good as new and also with some office furniture suppliers offering a reupholstery service (restores furniture to its previous glory with repairs, polishing and many more included in the service) can make it as if it was new.

One massive pull to buying used office furniture is the fact that it is so much cheaper than buying the same product brand new. You can get designer chairs for a fraction of their price, you can also get just normal chairs, then reupholster them to make the product as new and this will still be cheaper than buying them new, hence the massive pull.

Also the used office furniture may give the office an atmosphere of heritage and class if it the quality is right as the product has been used elsewhere and some people like the fact that the furniture has its own little story and this may attract them to enquiring and buying from the company.

Another pull to purchasing used office furniture is the fact that it is a green way of buying furniture as it is recycling the furniture that may have been thrown away; this means that manufacturers won’t make as many new furniture meaning it will save the raw materials used to manufacture the furniture.

Accumulating all these reasons together makes you see why buying used office furniture may be the way forward, especially in the recent economic downfall experienced around the world meaning you can get the maximum value for money whilst still incorporating quality into the furniture that you buy.

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I then lift each egg out and look the bottom and the sides I did not initially see before moving on to the next egg.

I make sure to check all twelve of the eggs and if I find one cracked egg I will move on to a new carton. This means I may spend about two minutes checking at times before I find an unblemished carton but it is worth it as I do not want to purchase any cracked eggs.

img from seriouseats.com

One lady stopped me and said she just grabs a carton and goes away and if she finds any cracked or broken eggs when she is ready to use them then she just throws them away. She said it not worth it to check the eggs since a carton is less than a dollar.

Wow.

I totally disagree because the thing I hate the most is to find a broken egg that has to be thrown away. With something so fragile WHY would you not check it before you bought it. I have found cartons where there were five or more broken eggs out of a set of twelve. That means if you just grabbed that carton you would be throwing away almost half of the eggs you bought because they could not be used.

I eat eggs every other day so it adds up over time and I just do not see the point of NOT checking and avoiding immediate wastage of my eggs.

Do YOU check your eggs?

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I had not been to CVS for a while because I was not impressed with the selection of items that gave back ECBs and I was still using up items from the stash that I had collected over the last few months. I want to start replenishing my stocks while things are on sale and I am down to the last tube of toothpaste anyway!!!!

Transaction 1

Item: Dawn dish soap

Price: $0.99

CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $0.00

Coupons used: $0.75 MFR

Item: Colgate Optic White toothbrush

Price: $3.99

CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $1.50

Coupons used: $1.50 MFR

Item: Crest toothpaste (got TWO)

Price: $2.99 each

CVS Extra Care Bucks earned: $2.00

Coupons used: $2.00 MFR

Total paid today: $10.76 , on gift card.

Total CVS Extra Care Bucks earned today: $3.50

Total out of pocket to date: $7.31

Total item cost to date: $144.06

Gift Card balance : $29.82

Total CVS Extra Care Bucks earned to date: $58.02

CVS Extra Care Bucks Used to date: $54.52

CVS Extra Care Bucks Balance: $3.50

Abbreviations used

MFR = manufacturer coupon

ECB = extra care bucks

Join me next time as I look for more ways to save money as I visit CVS.

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It is common to slowly slip into debt during the start-up stages of a small business, do you want to become another statistic? There are plenty of books and articles showing you how to save money in every aspect of your life but when focusing on saving money in starting your business you may have to get a bit creative. These tips on saving money in the start up stages of your business can be crucial to your business’s success.

It is important that you remember in the beginning stages that you shouldn’t spend money that you do not have this includes credit cards. Putting off making big purchases until you have a steady flow of income is essential.

1. Buy Recycled Printer Cartridges:

Buying recycled printer cartridges is an easy way to save you money. You can check your local listings to see if there is a local supplier near you. You can also find information about recycling and purchasing your cartridges with Eco-Office, they have a list on their website of suppliers that may be in your area.

2. Business Card Printing:

One of the first things a new business owner does is purchase business cards. Many people don’t think about how they can save money with this purchase. A good way to save money is to purchase business cards online rather than a local printing company. Business card printing can be expensive so purchasing in bulk and keeping it simple to start can help you save in the long run. This is a vital marketing technique and should be one of your first purchases.

3. Free Software:

Depending on your business it will be necessary to invest in some type of computer software. A big mistake that new business owners often make is purchasing multiple computer software without doing any research. When you are first getting started it is cheaper to go to the manufacturer’s site and check out the software, most will offer free downloads. You can also check out download.com, which offers many different software options for you to try.

4. Office:

One of the most exciting things about starting your own business is being able to have your own office. That explains why so many new business owners jump into an office contract and is having to figure out how to make those monthly payments. My suggestion is to start out of your home, it may take a little transforming but it will be worth the money you save. By setting up a desk and adding a few office supplies you will be surprised how quickly you can turn that nook in your house into a full out office.

5. Used Office Supplies:

Even though you are starting out with a home-based office you will still need certain appliances to make your business run, even from the beginning. These items are better purchased used. Office supplies such as printers, paper cutters etc. still work perfectly used but the price is cut in half. You can use Google to find office product warehouses in your area that have everything from office furniture to printers and scanners. There are also used office supply websites that offer the same products but, you will have to pay for shipping.

6. Contractor vs. Employee:

An option that many business owners do not consider is hiring an independent contractor as opposed to an employee. When your business is first getting started there will be dips in business, if you have hired employees you will still have to pay them even thought business is slow. When you have a contractor you can hire them on a need basis. A couple perks to an independent contractor is that you only pay per job and they are responsible for filing their own taxes.

7. Business Account:

In starting your business it is important that you open a business checking account so as to keep your home and business finances separate. There are many options to choose from but some banks will offer incentives when opening a business account. Chase offers free money wires and no minimum balance, they have also offered 100$ gift cards in the past when opening a business account. I suggest going in to a few different banks and getting information on their business accounts and what incentives they currently offering.

8. Shop Around:

One of the worst things that you can do when making a purchase is not shopping around. When you are looking to make a purchase whether it is big or small make sure you shop the competition. A good way to do this is to research three different forms. I like to check online, a local well-known store and a smaller local store. Larger commercial stores in your area may be more expensive because of the brand name, where as a smaller local store can be cheaper because of fewer overheads, online prices can vary depending on the company and where it is being shipped.

9. Marketing:

Marketing is a key form of selling your business to your potential clients. Some business owners go over the top with marketing right out of the gate. Marketing techniques that are free or relatively inexpensive is important to focus on. We have already discussed business cards; another example is word of mouth, when a client is happy they will tell their friends. There is no better marketing then word of mouth and it’s free! Another option for marketing is investing in clothing with your name/logo. Handing out clothing is always a good way to market your business, everyone likes clothing and you are getting a walking billboard.

10. Mentor:

One of the most important things that can save you money is finding a mentor. A mentor can save you money in so many ways from your office and marketing to who you hire. A mentor has been in your position and you have the benefit to learn from their mistakes. A good way to find a mentor is joining common social networking sites and networking with others in your industry. My suggestion is to join twitter; LinkedIn and Facebook under your business name and start adding friends!

These are only 10 ways that you can save money when starting your small business. These few thoughts are meant to get you thinking about being creative in your spending and saving when you can. These simple lifestyle changes could be the difference in your success.

This post was brought to you by Rachel from BusinessCards.org

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I am glad that I came out in the black again this month because I had a deficit to make up for in April. With this overage in the total yearly budget I now only have to make up a shortfall of $551.15 to get back on track with the budget for the year.

I went ahead and added in the expenses for my summer fun this year and even with those events included I have managed to stay under the total budget, even though the entertainment section of the budget is wildly over!!!!!

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Some areas where I overspent:

• -Entertainment
• -Health
• -Personal shopping

Some areas where I underspent:

• -Car
• -Utilities
• -Home

I did not purchase the newspaper this month and only redeemed $1.54 in coupons because I did not really have coupons for the things I wanted to purchase.

I really need to step up my coupon use in the next few months and be sure to get those c0upons used before they expire. I think that I will be taking a break from my CVS trips once the current CVS card runs out and then I will spend more time using my coupons at Wally instead.

Coupon purchase to date: $12.00

Coupon redemption to date: $24.28

Net coupon use to date: $12.28

July marks my birth and I will be celebrating in small ways EVERY day!!! They will not all be related to money but I am going to have a good time whether I lounge around read new books on the Kindle or go out to eat. I will try to keep all the categories under budget this month and I know that I will have to exclude any fun purchases from the budget since they will be coming out of the Splurge Fund.

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One of the very first things mentioned in the book is to set goals and the writer, Deborah McNaughton, lists her essential ten steps towards goal setting. I disagree with having ten steps as I believe that many of those steps could have been combined and having fewer steps makes the task seem more manageable to someone who is already feeling overwhelmed with debt. The ten steps are a good jump off point for the rest of the book because they show that getting out of debt is NOT easy or quick and you have to follow certain steps to get to each point that you desire.

The book then goes on to address the issue of WHY you are in debt in the first place and challenges readers to take a look as far back as childhood to see what your financial influences were. Only after you identify your attitudes towards and confront the reason why you are in debt can you really begin to make progress towards eliminating that debt.

Chapter four is where we really get into the details of budgets and that was one of the best parts of the book for me. The author lists the things that I did and what I recommend to readers in order to build a budget:

• Track your spending
• Track your income
• Create the actual budget
• Tweak that budget

In order to have a realistic budget you will need to track your income and spending down to the last cent for a full month. It is time consuming but if you make it a daily habit then it gets easier as time goes on.

“But I don’t want to track every cent for a month!!!”

Well then you don’t really want to get out of debt do you? The only way to get an accurate picture of what comes in and what goes out is to track it. And by tracking I mean that you write it down! The author suggests using a notebook or using software like Quicken, but a simple Excel spreadsheet works fine and it will total the values for you…no need to use a calculator. I personally have my monthly spending in Google documents so that I can access them from anywhere and I don’t need to bother with a notebook. It is also recommended to use Mint.com to track your spending electronically but remember that does not take into account cash spending at

• vending machines
• laundry
• parking meters etc.

After telling you how to create and manage your budget there are a few tips on how to effectively tweak your budget after the first 30 days so that you have a realistic representation of your actual budget. It might take a few iterations in order to get the budget the way you want it but do not give up.

The rest of the book goes on to talk about getting out of debt by increasing your income, reducing expenses and making calculated payments on your debt according to various snowball methods. In order to be totally honest the ONE point that I totally disagree with the author on is that she says the only way to get out of debt to is stop using your credit cards.

I may be the only person saying this but I think you can get out of debt while still using a credit card….because THAT IS THE WAY I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!! I stopped using the regular cards that had balances but I got ONE clean card that earned cash back and used that for daily living and used the budget money to pay off that card every week. This way goes against the ‘established’ methods of getting out of debt but it worked for me because I was able to use the cash back rewards to put towards the snowflake payments towards other debt. I kept that card at a zero balance by only purchasing what I had the money for. I paid that card EVERY week based on the total of the purchases I had made so that when the due date came along I never had a balance. It worked for me so I know it can be done….but the author chooses to follow the cash method because I guess it is easier for most people and does not take the intense effort that maintaining a clean card does.

The book ends with some information about handling identity theft, which is becoming more and more important for us today. In general, although there were a few minor things I disagreed with, this is a book that I would recommend to my readers!!!!

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In any case today is a holiday for most people but I have to work.

So enjoy the barbecues and the pool parties and everything else you have planned for the day.

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I have found a few frugal tips out that have been great and there also a few that really freak me out!!!! I decided to start a little series of Frugal Tips That I will NOT try so you can get a better idea of some of the things I think are too extreme.

One of the tips that I will not follow is Reusable Bathroom Wipes. I once wrote a post about the Poopy Cloth Patrol where it talked about people who used reusable wipes in the bathroom. This was a popular topic among some of the more frugal bloggers as they would use the wipes instead of toilet paper and would then wash them and repeat the cycle.

I am all about finding ways to save money but I just cannot see myself washing and reusing toilet products. I currently use a combination of regular toilet paper, followed by a baby wipe so it just seems really strange to me to use a cloth wipe. People who argue FOR the use of the cloth wipes instead of toilet paper say that your underwear is soaking up your bodily fluids the same way that the wipes do. I think if you really have to get down to the nitty gritty of it you can say this is technically true, however the amount that your underwear ‘soaks’ on a regular day with proper hygiene should be negligible compared to what is REALLY soaked by a cloth wipe.

Proponents of the cloth wipes also argue that when you use this system you wash a batch of wipes together in one load but that people who use regular toilet paper wash their undies together with regular clothes, which is bad. I think this is also an overreaching statement because I don’t know what they are doing to have incredibly soiled undies that cannot be washed with other clothes. Besides isn’t the point of washing to get things clean?

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Replacement Cost

1. Consider both the financial and time factor of replacing your item. For example, if you have a dryer on its last leg, it’s not necessarilyy cheaper to relocate with the appliance rather than replace it. Hypothetically, you could pay a mover to relocate it, then pay to repair it a couple of weeks later – that’s already a down payment for a new dryer. In some cases, you could buy a new dryer with that amount of money! Consider that if a mover charges by the hour and you live in the top level of an apartment with twisty stairs …doesn’t it make sense that hauling a dryer would be expensive? In addition, factor in how much storing a dryer will add to the square footage of your storage needs. More space means a higher cost.
2. Is the item replaceable? A couple of examples of irreplaceable items are a favorite item of clothing you’ll never find again or memorabilia. On the other hand, if you have three old televisions, a couple of toasters, and a couple of Foreman Grills, you probably could stand to downsize.
3. Is there an added value in keeping an item you know more about? For example, my dad once had a very old Ford truck with the gears installed upside down and he had to learn how to shift opposite of what we’re all used to. It’s not exactly a strong selling point, but to my dad it didn’t diminish the value because he was used to driving it that way.

Storage Cost

Determine how much money it will cost to store the item. For example, you may not want boxes of memorabilia to be shipped to your new home, but consider that you may need temperature control to store it, which can cost extra money. You also should consider whether you require insurance or additional security for your stored items. Also factor in when you will need to access the facility – do you need something 24/7 at all hours?

The storage cost will depend on how much space you use. On average, prices range from $40 to $225 a month for units from 5 X 5 feet to 20 X 20 feet. Online space calculators can help you determine how much room you will need, or you can call the storage company for an estimate.
Padlocks and security deposits also factor in the cost, and look out for promotions such as “first month free” or “senior discount.”

Moving Cost

As earlier mentioned, movers typically charge by the hour. However, the number of movers and mileage also factor into the decision. When deciding on a mover, research about five companies in your city and receive a quote for each. When calling for a quote, know the square footage of your current home and its entire inventory. Some companies will offer incredibly low prices, but do your homework before signing on. Any deals that seem too low or too high should be cut off your list. Next, check online reviews of the remaining companies and see what people are saying about them. Although this isn’t the most scientific method, you can pick up on insights from other customers who went through what you are now going through. However, the best case scenario is that you ask around; you can’t beat word of mouth.

Clutter Control

Organizing your items will save you money whether you’re storing or moving your items. Consider that if your belongings aren’t consolidated, it will take longer for the movers to load them into the truck. Alternatively, if your belongings are not properly condensed, they will take up more space and increase the amount of storage space you’ll need. Remember to properly label your items because your time digging through boxes looking for belongings could surely be put to much better use. And when packing your items, eliminate what you haven’t used or worn in a year – once again, extra baggage translates to extra moving and storage cost.

In his role in the self storage industry, Tim Eyre helps customers care for their cherished belongings that must be put in storage. Tim regularly visits his facilities including a Whittier Self Storage Center and enjoys learning new tips about moving and saving from his clients.

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I have found a few frugal tips out that have been great and there also a few that really freak me out!!!! I decided to start a little series of Frugal Tips That I will NOT try so you can get a better idea of some of the things I think are too extreme.

One of the tips that I will not follow is to Cut Dryer Sheets In Half. I think that for me this is a really ridiculous thing to do in order to save a little bit of money. First of all we don’t NEED dryer sheets….I went through college not using them and did not notice that much of a difference in the clothes. I really only use dryer sheets now because I like the scent!

Dryer sheets are basically cheap per sheet (no I will NOT calculate the cost of an individual sheet!!!!!!), especially when I use coupons or ECBs from CVS. I sometimes throw in TWO dryer sheets in one load of laundry!!!!!

Living on the edge here!

I will not cut a sheet in half to save money because I think that sometimes we can go too far in trying to be frugal. Do YOU cut your dryer sheets in half?

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My first thought on that was it is one of the stupidest things I have heard in a long time. Why are we reducing the amount that is paid into Social Security when Social Security payments are in danger right now. Isn’t everyone saying how it is projected that there will not be enough money to pay Social Security in a few years….which is why they are pushing people to retire later?

In any case those who have been talking about the 2% increase have been forgetting that at the same time the tax tables have changed, effectively increasing the amount that some people will pay in taxes. Our payroll department actually projected that most people will see a decrease in their paychecks because the increase in the tax tables has knocked out the decrease in Social Security payments.

Payroll quoted a range for the decrease based on their preliminary payroll runs but since I get paid on the last business day of the month I still have to wait a few days to see how this will actually affect my paycheck.

I am not too worried about the decrease because the upper limit falls within the buffer I built into my budget. I created my Zero Based Budget and then tweaked it to actually be $200 less than my actual paycheck. So since they predict the actual decrease to be an amount that is less than the buffer in my spending plan I can live with that. I certainly am not happy at the prospect of having less money because that means then there will be less that goes into various snowflake accounts…but it will certainly not kill my budget since I am already spending below my means.

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I will still continue to save money but now I am focusing on building wealth of some kind…while maintaining my debt free status.

So now onwards to building wealth!!!!!!

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