September: Our Savings Month

Our family is on a “no-nonessential spending kick” for September. Why? We had a few hangover bills from a summer vacation and three unexpected car repairs. So a spending freeze seemed like a sane way to get our budget back on track.

Now, we’re pretty careful with our money anyway, so I thought, “How hard can this be?” Well, it’s only September 2. And I’ll tell ya the truth: It’s very, very hard!

I read a suggestion in financial celebrity Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan (which I downloaded for free; you can still read the first chapter here). It was: Don’t spend ANYTHING for one day. So during the last part of August, I kept trying to do that, in preparation for September. Emphasis on “kept trying.” I’d think: OK, this is an easy day to spend nothing. Then we desperately needed milk. Or it was my “mom’s night out” and I wanted to buy a cup of coffee with a friend. Or I needed to send in a check for my daughters’ lunch money.

So I’d put off the “spend nothing day” until tomorrow. But the funny thing was that something kept popping up—sometimes a need, sometimes a very strong “want”—and I found it really tough to go even one single day without spending at least a few bucks! I wondered: How the heck are we going to get through September?

Spending–and saving–money with Mickey Mouse

This year’s family spending controversy was this: New kitchen floor or first family trip to Disneyland? Floor or happy kids? Floor or magical family time together? You guessed it: We chose Disneyland.

A major trip like this (we went in July) is quite out of character (pun intended) for my husband and me. When we spend money, it tends to be on our house or our kids’ education–stuff we feel will really last. We love to travel, but lately it’s been sooo easy to put it off. It seems a bit, well, luxurious when there are always so many things that need to be done/paid for at home: New roof, new dishwasher, leaking frig….and of course, the ancient, cracking kitchen floor.

Welcome Home: A happy byproduct of the recession

Do tight economic times have you spending more time at home with your kids? If so, you’re not alone. And it can be a good thing. Check out this article: Tough times mean family time at home.

My question: Will we keep this up even after the recessions passes? I hope so.

Cut costs with a shopping list

Yep, it’s annoying, but I’ve converted to using a shopping list whenever I hit the stores. Particularly the grocery stores. It’s not a new idea, but it’s getting new attention now that we’re all trying to cut back on impulse spending.

I have a standing list on my computer that includes most of our family’s every-week buys. It’s organized by section of store: Produce, Dairy, etc. (Download a Microsoft Word version of my  Grocery List and customize it to your own needs). I just print out a half dozen copies and keep them in my kitchen cabinet. Every week I put a new one up on our frig, so hubby and I can both check off the items we need as we go. I’ve never understood why anyone would keep a grocery list on a chalkboard or dry-erase board. You’ve just got to rewrite it on paper before you leave the house.

I haven’t tried these yet, but apparently a number of companies are now offering online grocery lists. Let me know if you try any of these:  Grocerlist, GroceryWiz, Grocery Note, Knotler,  and Ziplist.

Save money by growing your groceries

Our project for this summer: Start a vegetable garden. Not only do we hope to save money on produce, I think it will be fun, too!

We’re planning to install two 4′ x 4′ raised garden boxes on the narrow south side of our house. One will be a “salad garden” with arugula, lettuce and other greens. The second will be an “Italian garden” with basil, parsley, tomatoes and the like.

I’ve been wondering, though, how we’d know if we’re really saving money by growing our own veggies.Then I came upon this cool savings calculator that  helps you figure out how much you save by planting your own vegetable garden. Perfect! Now I’m off to the nursery to buy basil and blueberry bushes and tomatoes….

Zen money management

Ahhh. I love my new bills/receipt organizer. It truly makes me feel more peaceful when I use it.

I PAY most bills online, but I still accumulate a bit of financial paper. So I’ve used this simple collection method for many years. My old accordion file had seen better days so I was thrilled when I found this cool one (by Real Simple) at Target. This one is quite similar.

When I get bills in the mail, I plop them into either the “15th” or “30th” category since I pay bills twice a month. I also have a tab for household receipts (HH Receipts), which are ATM and debit receipts I keep until I balance my computerized checkbook–I use Quicken. And I have categories for my personal receipts (Teri Rec.), my elderly dad’s receipts since I handle his money (George Rec.), Statements (to balance) and Discuss (talk over with my hubby).

That’s it. Everything I need to pay bills is in this portable little folder. Once I’ve balanced our accounts or paid bills, I shred. I don’t save much, other than receipts for big purchases or tax-related items, since I can get copies of almost everything else online. Plus, have you EVER gone back to look at an old electric bill? Not me. The less paper, the more zen-like I feel. Ommmm.

Cash in on Your Kids– my new e-book about parenting writing!

I’m so excited! Two of my writing colleagues–Kris Bordessa and Jeannette Moninger-- and I just released a great (if I may say so myself) e-book on how to get started writing for magazines about parenting and kids. It’s Cash in on Your Kids: Parenting Queries that Worked and you can check it out here.

Between the three of us, we write for some great, national newsstand publications– Parenting, Family Fun, Parents, Real Simple, Redbook, Better Homes and Gardens and many more. When we interview parents for articles for these cool magazines, they often ask how we got started doing this kind of writing, what it pays, etc. The real question behind their questions: “Could I maybe do this myself?” Kris, Jeannette and I say yes, you can! Unfortunately, we don’t have time to coach every potential parenting writer who approaches us, so Cash in on Your Kids is our answer.

Two great reasons to read this book: 1) In addition to covering the basics on how to get started as a freelance parenting writer, we include 16 of our actual proposals to big-name magazines–the real queries we sent to actual editors. We tell you why the story proposal was a hit and what we got paid (anywhere from $300 to $3,600). You can learn to write your own queries by reading and analyzing ours.  2) We share email formats for many of the major parenting publications–info you won’t have unless you’re already an established freelance writer.

Watch out for iTunes credit card fraud

Over the weekend, my SIL told me someone fraudulently tried to charge hundreds of dollars to her credit card for electronics. Thankfully, her card issuer flagged the purchase as suspicious and alerted her. They immediately issued her a new card.

But when my SIL went over past credit card statements to see if there were other bad transactions, she found a little trail of microcharges that were NOT hers. Some were so small she didn’t notice them the first time around. Apparently, the small charges are “tests” the thieves use to see if 1) Your card is good and 2) Whether you’ll notice their activity on your account.

I opened my credit card statement today and couldn’t believe it: It happened to me, too!

Advanced tips for grocery savings

I’ve been “playing” The Grocery Game for more than a year. See this post for more info, but it’s basically an online service that tracks weekly sales at your selected grocery store (I use Safeway), notifies you and tells you how to combine sales with coupons for really incredible savings.

I thought I was doing a decent job of using the Game’s principles. Then I read founder Teri Gault’s newest book. It really opened my eyes.

I realized I wasn’t really doing the Game with full power. After reading this book (it’s a quick, fun read), I buckled down and really shopped right. In just one month, I dropped our household grocery budget (2 adults, 2 kids) by $125! From $560 down to $425. And I don’t think we’ve ever had more food in our pantry and freezer, seriously. I’m actually excited to see how little I can spend this month.

I will say that my husband was a little worried when he saw how much food I bought last month. He was SURE I must be going over budget. But when I showed him the cash left over at the end of February, he became a huge supporter.

And the most fun of all? Sounds silly, but it’s being congratulated by the checkers at my local Safeway for the great deals I’m getting! They’re starting to ask me how I’m doing it. Kudos to Teri Gault and her saving system! I think she is fab. (And not just because we have the same first name.)

Pets with purpose: Chickens

One of my all-time favorite money-saving family projects of the past year is our cute backyard chickens. Ok, ok, we also wanted some outdoor pets, since my hubby is allergic to the standard indoor stuff (cats, dogs, rabbits, gerbils, etc.). But seriously, now that organic, free-range eggs are getting so spendy, our girls are definitely earning their keep!

Each of our girls lays an egg a day–fewer during the shorter days of winter. If you’ve never had a really fresh egg, it’s a real treat. The yolks are so rich they’re almost orange. And they come from very happy, doted-upon chickens.

You don’t need to have a farm to have chickens. We’re in a typical, urban neighborhood (50 x 100 lot) and we can have ‘em. In fact, two other neighbors within 5 blocks have chickens. As someone said (I forget who), “chickens are the new pug”!

This cracked me up–Manhattanites with chickens. But we actually kept ours (these folks gave up on having a coop in their co-op). And our girls seem to be putting up with us pretty well.