Family is Priceless. Be thankful.

Today is my Grandfather's 90th birthday. As his immediate family gathers around today today we plan to celebrate with a unique gift. We have all decided to sit down and write him a letter. The idea being that we would share with him amazing memories and heartfelt stories in an attempt to express how much he means to each one of us. I thought this was a great idea and something that goes along with the theme of this blog and what I believe in.  A heartfelt gift you have to put time into is so much more meaningful and something you can't put a pricetag on.

As I sat down over this past week to scribble out some memories and ideas in the first draft of my letter, I was troubled by one thing.  Why was it taking such a milestone in someones life for me to express how much they mean to me?  Shouldn't I express my love and gratitude on a more consistent basis to those that are my family and I hold so close to my heart? Shouldn't I make a better effort aside from just birthdays and anniversaries and weddings?  I don't know the answer to the why, but I do know that I should try harder and a little more often.  Family is after all, one of the most precious items on my Priceless List!

I don't mean I have to sit down and draft a 3 page letter to every person special to me, but there are times when I could do a better job at letting people know they are important and I'm grateful they are in my life. My family has given me more than they realize and I should be better about saying thank you.  While I love my grandfather, (my Papaw) dearly and I congratulate the milestone of his 90th birthday, I'm also overcome with a new found realization that I need to be more appreciative of my family.
 
It's hard to express to the world, or whoever is actually reading this blog, what family means to me. I know not everyone is blessed with the perfect parents, ideal siblings, or doting grandparents, and therefore the definition of family for many isn't always equivalent to the traditional definition. I know mine isn't. For me, family isn't just those that are blood related. It includes a group of people that have come into contact with me throughout my life and have made special efforts in making a positive and everlasting impression on the person I am today and continue to strive to be. These people, whether around my whole life or just a tiny slice of it, are dear to my heart and soul. These are people that created me, raised me, guided me, taught me, fought for me, challenged me, walked with me, loved me, believed in me, and even if it was hard, stood by me. If given the chance, these people would continue to do any of these things again today. Lucky for me, my family is not limited to my immediate blood relatives, but it includes so many others as well. From my parents, to grandparents, to siblings, to extended blood and non-blood family, to step relatives, and to my friends from young and old, I cannot believe how lucky I am to have had to so many amazing people be a part of my life.

As I challenge myself, I also challenge you to appreciate your "Family".  You can determine for yourself who your "Family" is and how you might go about this process, but please be sure to do it.  I know for me I am going to try. Giving and receiving a little gratitude and love in life is priceless, but how much more special is it, when it comes out of the blue.... just because....
 
To my family formed by blood, marriage, higschool, college, work, and many other significant milestones in my life (I hope you know who you are) THANK YOU! You're amazing  and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

Sharing my Budget Spreadsheet

Alright people! I have been promising my Excel Spreadsheet so here it is.  Trust me, the delay was only in my lack of knowledge with html coding.....but I got I figured it out!

If you have not read my previous posts and you are new to this blog, I encourage you to do so before moving forward. Here are some previous posts that will help you catch up.

Budgeting. Learning from our past, before we move forward.

Drafting your Budget

Now that we have looked back, and thought about our goals for the future, lets build us a budgeting spreadsheet that we will use to track our finances and help us really see where our money is going each month!


I have attached a copy of my spreadsheet for you to download. Please let me know if the link doesn't work.

Blank Budget


If you cant get it to open it should look something like the this....

BUDGET COLUMN -  go in and manually input your ideal budget amount each month. What you hope to earn in income should be positive (0.00) and what you hope to spend in expenses should be negative (-0.00)

ACTUAL COLUMN - At a time you decide on, pull all your account statements (credit cards, bank accounts) and go one at a time through your transactions and input them in the category you deem most appropriate.  Remember income should be put in as a positive number (0.00) and expenses should be a negative number (-0.00) I do this on the 1st and 15th of each month.

MULTIPLE ENTRIES - If you have more than one transaction in a category in a given month you will need to make sure you enter them as follows.  i.e. you go to Macy's 3 times and you see on your credit card a charge for $59, $62, and $12 and it was all for clothing.  You will need to input in the clothing category = -59 + -62+ -12

VARIANCE - This column will automatically update for you as you fill in the budget and actual column.  Also, it will automatically roll over from month to month so you never have to do a thing!  You will always know how much over or under you are in each category from month to month.

I know their are a lot of free online tools that you could jump right into at this point. If you feel confident and want to use those instead, go ahead. However, I would like to encourage everyone to start with an ole fashion Excel Spreadsheet like I did.  It will be a little more work in the beginning, but it will force you to be truly aware of where you money is going. Half the battle of budgeting isn't about how much you are spending, but acknowledging how much you are spending and realizing the  truth about your spending habits.  Doing it the ole fashion way will force you to really look at each transaction and see bit by bit where your money is going. Try this for the first 6 months and then if you want to break away to another tool, feel free....

Let it Snow.Let it Snow. Let it.....

...BLOOM!

Here in south we are known more for our yellow snow, rather than the white powder of winter.  Many of us "southerners" have to deal with dreaded seasonal allergies, yellow covered decks, roofs, and patios, and the longing to wash our cars. ARGH!

As I stepped outside to go for my run today I could feel and smell the pollen in the air and I felt so bad for all of my fellow Southerners that endure horrible allergies. For 20 + years I endured those same allergies and found it a miserable time each year. I was so overcome with misery, I couldn't enjoy the new season and all it was bringing forth.  Although pollen is seen as such a negative part of Spring, I have learned to appreciate what Spring does bring us! Despite the pollen, my run today was filled with fresh air, warm sunshine, and some of the most colorful blooms I had seen in a while.  For those that may not be able to appreciate the natural beauty of spring blooming around us due to those dreaded allergies, here are some pictures for you to enjoy. I snapped a few during my run today in hopes to pass them onto you.  I hope you can enjoy them from the comfort of your computer screen, indoors, and pollen free! A free gift from me to  all my readers.  :) Enjoy!

Thank you God for providing my neighboring gardening artists with such a fabulous canvas and art utensils!! I had a free art show today!

Tighten your wallet AND your belt. Eat healthy and save.

One of the things I found very frustrating during my bout of trying to climb out of debt was the grocery store expense.  I have always been what I consider, a healthy eater.  I'm not an extremist. I'm certainly no vegan, nor do I demand everything be purely organic, and I don't make everything from scratch. I do however, believe in moderation, the four food groups, and a colorful plate.  Do you know how frustrating it is to save money at the grocery store AND try to be healthy?   Why is it that the processed food, junk food, and pretty much "crap" is all so cheap?? All the while, the healthy, fresh, and pure food is soooooo pricey. No wonder America has an obesity problem!  Anyway, I digress....

After 5 years of learning to tighten my budget in the grocery sector of my life, I learned quite a few things.  I have managed to go from Ramon noodles and PB&J, to a healthy collection of edibles. I would like to give you a few tips on your grocery store adventures and you might be surprised at the money you can actually save! Some are very obvious simple tips we all know, yet forget from time to time and some are more can be little more time consuming and for the real dedicated!

• Always make a list before you go - This will help keep you from splurging on items you didn't really need or want to begin with
• Never go on an empty stomach - Being hungry will make EVERYTHING in the store look appetizing and before you know it, your cart has enough to feed a family of 12 for the next 2 weeks!
• Stocking Day should be shopping day - Find out when your store stocks their shelves. You will have a better selection to chose from and the items you purchase will last longer.
•  Check your supply on hand first - This can go along with making a list, but take a quick glance at what you already have so you don't buy unnecessary items.  It stinks to come home with items you already have in the fridge and pantry.
• Plan meals - Think about the week ahead and plan a few meals.  This way you have the ingredients on hand when its time to cook and you don't have to make any last minute trips to the store.
• Coupon-ers BEWARE - When used in the right way, these can be awesome! However, don't feel the need to use them on products you never intended to buy just because you will save a little. In the end you are spending more.
• Coupons can be GOOD - There is growing popularity in the use of coupons and I myself am still mastering the art. This is the best thing I have learned in just the past year thanks to a friend guiding me to the website of Southernsavers.com.  I will write more about this later.  It is a fabulous reference that will teach you the art of couponing.
• Break away from Name Brands - Brand loyalty can be a good thing, but try some store or generic brands.  They can be less expensive and just as good.

*I have many more tips to save, but don't want to OD on my first post about food. :)

Tuesday is my grocery store day. My local store puts out a lot of fresh produce on Tuesday AND discounts a lot of items they need to clear off the shelf that are nearing expiration dates. Here was my trip today.

  

 Total = $107.35


Actual Paid = $62.79

Saved 42%

How did I do this?

1) I made a list of what I needed first. My list included no NAME BRANDS or specific items. i.e. I wrote down  "milk and cereal", NOT "Mayfield and Cheerios".
2) I went to my trusty southernsavers.com.
3) I compared my list to what was listed as a deal from the website above. If there was a match and I was willing to take the deal item, I added the specific item to my list.
4) I pulled only the coupons that fit these items. I have a BIG stash of coupons.
5) For any additional items that were on my list, yet there were no deals or coupons, I kept them on my list anyway.  i.e. Bananas weren't on sale and there were no matching coupons, but they are so good for you and pretty inexpensive anyway. A weekly must-have for me.
 6) I double checked my grocery budget for the week to remind myself what I was allowed to spend.

7) I went to the store, followed my list, and came home with a thicker wallet and a healthier pantry for the week ahead.

As you can see I managed to snag up ALL FOUR food groups and get some stuff for my cat and toiletries!  Bonus! 

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!  Now, what do I want for lunch......

Be frugal, NOT cheap!

As I write about encouraging everyone to be wiser with their money and make sure you have good spending habits, I realize I also need to let everyone know that this does not mean being cheap! As you try to save a little money here and there, please always remember I'm encouraging you to be frugal, not cheap.  Here are some examples showing the difference between the two.

-The Frugal will always tip on the FULL amount, even if using coupons or discounted pricing. The Cheap may not tip at all.

-The Frugal will offer to bring dessert or appetizer when being offered a free meal at someone's house. The Cheap will continuously mooch off of free meals sent their way without ever returning the favor.

-The Frugal will still buy quality products even though they cost a little more, because they last and will save them money in the long run. The Cheap will by inexpensive products that will fall apart  fast and have to be replaced or maintained more often, resulting in higher costs.

-The Frugal will welcome the opportunity to participate in free festivals or services, but remember to leave a little in the donation plate or even volunteer from time to time. The Cheap will show up every time, take part in ever free offering sent their way, and still complain about what they didn't like about it.

-The Frugal will negotiate a better price. The Cheap will whine, complain, and pitch a fit if they don't get the price they expect.

-The Frugal will always say thank you.  The Cheap..... well.....I think you get my point now.

 If you are acting in a cheap way in order to save money, you are only hurting yourself and possibly others. The world needs to act in a more frugal way for sure, but we need LESS cheap people as well. Challenge yourself in the coming days and weeks ahead to think twice about each time you are making a money saving decision. Decide if you are being cheap or frugal.  Go for frugal every time.  I promise it will pay off in the long run.  It will better your pocketbook and give you priceless moments in life!