Two Ways We’ll Be Saving Money at Costco and Sher’s Blog Medley #3

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I am SO excited for June! I am not looking forward to a tax return, or waiting with anticipation for beach weather. I am excited because a new Costco will be opening up less than 5 minutes from our home!

Costco

If you’ve watched Khaleef’s videos on YouTube, then you know that we love Costco and shop there frequently. Right now we have two stores that are equidistant from our home, and it is a 25 minute drive to either one. When we had two cars, this wasn’t a problem because I was able to go when the store first opens, or time it so I could avoid rush hour traffic. Now, with one vehicle, a lot of times it ends up being most convenient for us to go together on a Saturday 😯 .

You can’t imagine the horrors that arise when going to Costco on the weekend!

So, the first way we’ll be saving money is on gas and wear and tear on our vehicle. It will be so helpful not driving that distance to Costco (both locations are off two extremely busy and congested highways) in rush hour or bad weather. Also, because we are buying bulk items, our car is definitely filled up and weighed down by the trip!

The second way we’ll be saving money is because the new Costco will have a gas station! The gas stations there offer lower prices than at other places. I’ve never gotten this benefit because the lines are usually long when I go! At least this way, we can schedule the best times. And since it is so close to home, getting up early won’t be too much of a hassle to save at the pump.

I think I may have a Costco opening party! Okay, I really won’t. Maybe I will have one in my mind :-). I guess I’ll just have to be careful with our budget so I am not shopping there more often since it will be so close!

Now on to the great posts from this week!

Blog Medley

I am in the group, like Jason from LiveRealNow, who has money in many locations. He shares about his efforts with debanking and the challenges he faces.

Lisha, from UpGusto, shares a 5-minute podcast that will motivate you to move towards success. This podcast was quick, and to the point. It definitely made me want to get up and move forward!

Do you have cash put aside for a rainy day? Shane from Beating Broke explains why a rainy day cash fund is a good idea. We used to have one, but really allowed that idea to slip over the last few years. We will definitely be putting this back into action.

Peter from Bible Money Matters gives monthly checklists for home maintenance. Even though we rent, we do a lot of the smaller maintenance things mentioned on this list. Our landlord has been really good about handling the major things that need to be accomplished.

I became a victim of an April Fool’s joke with this one! Derek from Money Ahoy gives shoplifting tips. He is only kidding. Read it for a laugh… only for a laugh.

Barb from Barbara Freidberg Personal Finance gives tips on how to rent an apartment. This list is almost all the steps we go through when looking for a place to rent. The only thing I would add, is to be informed about all the services available to you in that area (phone, internet, etc., even cell reception!) Having that information will effect your comfort in your new place.

The Frugalweds share a little on how they balance the line between being frugal and being cheap. The great thing is that they seem to agree on what that balance should be for them! It’s always helpful (and happier) when spouses are on the same page.

How do you handle pain and suffering? Brian from Luke1428 takes a look at the apostle Paul, the difficulties and trials he faced, and his perspective of them. Paul’s life is a great example to us of a Christian who did not have a simple, perfect life; yet, he was able to strive through the challenges, and keep moving forward.

 

I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I have. Enjoy the rest of your week!

This Is Why I Hate Debt and Sher’s Blog Medley #2

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It’s my fault. I am the one who relied on credit in the first place, therefore giving my lenders the power to determine my “worthiness”.

The other day, I got a letter in the mail saying that one of my creditors lowered my credit limit. They didn’t do it because I have been paying late (I have never ONCE in my adult life had a negative item on my credit report), and it’s not because something changed drastically regarding my credit.

They decided that I have too many cards that are close to the limit, so their solution is to lower my limit to right above what I owe them 😯 .

As a result, my credit score will be lowered.

I am upset about it, but as I stated in the first place, I am the one that put myself in this position. That’s why we are fighting so hard now.

The hard part about it is the emotional side. When I first opened the letter I was fuming, and Khaleef had to calm me down. I hate feeling de-valued. I hate feeling unworthy. Most of all, I hate giving someone/something else the ability to make me feel like that!

Debt Slave

When it comes down to it, I am striving to get to the point where my credit-worthiness will be the least of my concerns. Right now, it isn’t a big deal because we aren’t relying on a score for anything; but in the back of my mind is the idea that I could need a good score for some reason, and I want to make sure it is there.

I have considered calling the company and venting my frustrations, but the fact is they don’t OWE me anything. I am the one that became a slave to them, and now I am bound by what they say.

If you’ve ever let your debt affect you on a mental or emotional level like this, it’s time for us to liberate ourselves. Let’s work hard, fight hard, sacrifice, and stay committed so we can be free.

Now unto the great posts that hit the right notes throughout the past week!

Blog Medley

Lisha from UpGusto explains how our beliefs control our circumstances. This is a really motivating post that will get you up and moving on some of the goals you haven’t been actively pursuing.

Barbara gives us some tools and insights so you can decide if working part-time is best for your situation. A lot of my friends have small children, and this article hits many of the points they’ve considered.

Travis from Enemy of Debt writes about combining finances successfully after getting some flack feedback because he checked with his wife before a purchase. I always appreciate what Travis shares about marriage and finances since he seriously rocks in both areas!

H.D. Carver from Your Finances Simplified addresses the challenges Millenials face in saving for retirement. Social Security may not exist by the time they reach retirement age, and it is important to put a plan in place.

Eva from Teens Got Cents navigates the differences between a credit union and a bank. I agree with her that credit unions do offer benefits you won’t get at a larger bank.

 

I hope you enjoy the posts and the rest of your week 🙂 !

 

 

 

 

 

Verizon Hates Us and Sher’s Blog Medley #1

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We love our current rental. We had very specific requirements when looking around, and most were met here. There is one thing we didn’t consider when researching, and we are paying for it dearly.

Verizon does not offer high speed internet in our area. We aren’t even going crazy asking about Fios, but we want to be offered more than a land line and DirectTV.

Begging Computer

This may seem like an insignificant problem to some, but our cable company is charging exorbitant fees for high speed internet and because they have no competition, we are forced to stay with them.

It is infuriating because those services are available ALL around us, in our town, and in the town that is approximately 1 mile away from us!

So if any of you have any “pull” with Verizon and the way they extend their coverage area, hook us up! 😎

Okay, my rant is over. On to the medley!

Sher’s Blog Medley #1

Blog Medley

In honor of Self-Awareness help day, Kylie shares 12 tips to help with self-harm, depression, and other mental health disorders and her own experience with these.

Lisha from UpGusto writes about a great way she learned to recharge your life!

Where do your money habits come from? Tahnya takes a look at the money habits she shares with her sister.

Derek tells us a great way to save some money – and some pounds – when going out to eat!

Mario from Debt BLAG ponders the attractiveness of frugality.

What will be facing in the next decades? David from Financial Nerd lists mega-trends that will shape our world in the near future.

Chuck from The Tortoise Banker gives a guide to avoiding car payments.

Finance Blog Zone shows how to safe-guard yourself from credit card skimming.

Amanda from Frugal Confessions takes on the 3 best pieces of financial advice and explains them in a manner that’s easy to follow.

Barbara Freidberg had Ben from The Wealth Gospel answer the question he proposed, “In what situations is it better to have universal life, variable life, or other investment-based insurances?”

Financial Blessings – Reader Stories

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I recently posted a story about one of the many financial blessings that I have received in my life. It was inspired by a number of people who were anonymously paying off the layaway balances for random Kmart shoppers.

We are constantly bombarded with stories of corruption in financial institutions, people taking advantage of the elderly, and companies ripping off their customers for an extra buck. Then there are all of the negative personal interactions that we have in our own lives. Because of all of this, I thought it would be nice to hear about people helping each other out financially.

I asked the readers of that post to leave their stories of financial blessings in the comments.

Your Financial Blessings:

Tim @ Faith and Finance – “I remember when a guy from my home church sponsored me to go on a missions trip right before I started college. I didn’t have any money at the time and he asked if I wanted to go on the trip. I said, ‘yes, but I don’t have any money to go’ so he said ‘you’re going’ and paid the cost to go. I’ll always remember that.”

Shanendoah @ The Dog Ate My Wallet – “In highschool, I participated in an exchange group, where kids from Spain came to live with us for 2 weeks and then we would go live with them for 2. Sadly, while we could host, my mom couldn’t afford to pay for me to go. So the school in Spain paid $1,200 of the $1,500 cost, and my mom got to send me to Europe for $100/week.
I will always be grateful for the teacher who arranged that “scholarship”.”

Jeff @ Sustainable Life Blog – “I’ve only been that bad off once, when because of practices now outlawed, I spent about 80 cents more than I had in my checking account – of course, these were of varying sizes, but they put the large transaction through first, not leaving money for the other transactions to clear. I quickly got about 8 overdrafts (or more) and was charged a negative balance fee for my account on top of it all. by the next time I would have gotten paid, it would have taken up my entire check – nothing for food or rent or ANYTHING else.
My dad paid it off and I closed the account, but not after he called me a moron and suggested I get a handle on my finances. That moment was probably the turning point in my finances – i still slipped up after that, but it’s been going mostly up since.”

Elle @ Couple Money – “When I was growing up, my mom’s car broke down and needed a engine. As a single parent with 3 kids on a tight budget it was a bigger emergency than she imagined. A friend came through and offered a gift for a portion of the repairs and a no interest loan for the rest. It allowed my mom to continue working. A real blessing for our family that I never forgot.”

Jai Catalano – “I recently was in a financial bind and entered a video competition and won. I never expected to win nor get blessed with a $1000 prize.”

Pam @ Penny Saver Blog – “I remember feeling really blessed when my husband and I were first married. We didn’t have very much money but we were close friends with one couple who continually blessed us by giving us food, taking us out to eat, and being so unbelievably generous to us. It really meant a lot to us during those tight financial times. It’s so cool how God works through others around us at exactly the right time!”

Amanda L Grossman @ Frugal Confessions -“By the way–my sister and her husband were one of the beneficiaries of the Kmart person!! They had $180 of their layaway paid for them by an anonymous person.”

Ryan @ Budgetable – “This isn’t exactly “my” blessing, but a friend of mines. About a year ago he was going through some really hard times. His wife had just left him for another man, he lost his house, car…his new laptop got stolen… it was really raining hard on him. This was all within probably a 3 month span. Anyways, he got behind on his electricity bill and they shut it off. We live in Colorado and this was during the winter… heat is a MUST. He had no money to pay the bill and wasn’t sure what he was going to do. After being in the dark and cold all weekend suddenly his electricity just turned on. He called the electric company to find out what had happened. Turns out a person who wanted to remain anonymous paid his bill. He said it changed his life… after what he went through the past few months, he had been convinced the whole world was terrible.. that made him realize that there were still good people in the world.”

I think it’s inspiring to see that people are still interested in helping those in need. I think one of the common themes in all of these stories is that the recipients will not forget what was done for them! This shows us why it is so important to take notice of those in need.

photo by Salvatore Vuono

How I Feel About Money Today – 10.30.10

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Recently I came across a post asking and answering a few questions about money. I thought it was a good idea to answer these questions each week and to track the changes. I got this idea from My Pretty Pennies, and here is her most recent post.

The idea is that you list five questions about money and answer them each week. The first four questions stay the same, and the fifth one changes each week. I think it will be fun for us to look back over time and see how our answers have changed!

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on _____.

$1,200 in car repairs!

2. Today I feel _______towards money.

Upset! The IRS sent me a letter stating that I now have to pay an annual fee in order to continue preparing taxes! I thought preparers already in the system were exempt from this.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free/inexpensive thing I did last week that made me happy was_____________.

Visited a church and heard a great, uplifting, and challenging sermon. Also saw an old friend there!

4. I will consider this week a success if I _____________.

Stop focusing so much on my side business and this website. Too easy to let things slip through the cracks that way.

5. I was ____________________ years old when I got my first credit card.

18 or 19 (can’t remember the month).

So, there you have it! I plan to answer these questions once a week (changing the 5th one), and I hope you’ll join me. Please answer these questions in the comments, and discuss each other’s answers. I also want to hear your feedback about my answers.

__

Here are the questions without my answers, so you can copy them:

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on _____.

2. Today I feel _______towards money.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free/inexpensive thing I did last week that made me happy was_____________.

4. I will consider this week a success if I _____________.

5. I was ____________________  years old when I got my first credit card.

photo credit: saintfortyfive

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