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Make a Call or Switch Providers....Get an intant raise!

When is the last time you checked your cable or internet bill. I mean really looked at the breakdown of charges and what you are actually paying for each month. A year ago I was only paying $19.99 a month for my internet service and this month my bill jumped to $55.95!

I am willing to bet many of you have at one time or another noticed this same turn of events with your service. It starts out so low and reasonable and then one day you are trying to figure out, "When did my bill get so high"?

Cable and Internet Providers today often get new customers with their Teaser Rates.  

They advertise extremely reasonable rates in hopes of gaining new customers and then once you are "sucked in" its pretty easy to keep you. These are simply introductory rates to keep you happy during the "Honeymoon Phase" and then as time passes (6 months to a year depending on the deal you score) the teaser rate expires and the regular price kicks in. By this time many of us are comfortable with our service, we have stopped paying attention to our monthly bill, and quite possibly, we don't realize the opportunity to save is out there! All the while the company is earning more, and you are saving less.

Make a Change!  There is a simple way for you to save money on your cable/internet bill.  It involves 4 easy steps and no more than 30 to 45 minutes of your time.

1) Check your options - See what else is being offered out there.  For me this wasn't that hard. My email inbox gets advertising for lower internet and cable offers almost daily, and the the number of commercials on TV now?  Need I say more. It's obvious the TV and internet companies are out there trying to win you over. From your competitors ads, select which offer fits your needs and is the most reasonable to you and have it ready lying in front of you. This offer, your possible new bill, looks pretty appealing doesn't it?

2) Just Ask -   Before you make any changes, pick up the phone and call you current provider. Let them know you noticed a jump in your bill and ask what can be done to reduce your rate back to the teaser rate. Feel free to let them know there are other companies out there that can offer you a lower rate.  Most often they will tell you nothing can be done or a very little discount is offered.  That's ok. You are on the right path and these operators don't have a lot of leeway with decisions they can make.

3) Ask again - There is always going to be someone higher up the chain you can speak to. Ask to speak to their manager or another department, such as a Retention Department. Going up the ladder of command will give you another shot at getting the savings you deserve.  Remember, I asked you to check your competitors offers first. Be ready to use this as back up as you are speaking to the representative. Never be forceful or demanding. Be kind and let them know you appreciate their service, and you would like to know your options. Let them know you have better offers on the table and you may have to cancel your service if you can't get a better deal.  *Be ready to follow through with this*   You may be surprised at what they can do!

4)Make the change - If your current company can't match the offer you are seeing with another company, then be ready to make the change. If will save on your monthly bill and it will be worth it.

5)Repeat the above -Remember you just signed on to a new deal. This new deal is either with your current company because they gave you an extension on your discount or a new one altogether, or you went with a new company.  This new deal is almost always just another "teaser rate" because the company will do it's best to eventually get you back up to their regular rate. Mark your calendar for 6 months to a year from now and be ready to repeat the steps above in order to keep saving!

Here is proof with my personal experience.

Current Provider - Internet only                                           Compitors Offer -Internet Only
Monthly bill = $48.95                                                                  Monthly Bill = $29.95        
Monthly modem lease = $7.00                                                     Modem Purchase = $100
                                                                                                       (mine to keep)
12 Month Total = $671.40                                                           12 Month Total = $459.40

**My current provider couldn't offer me any more of a discount because this amount was a discount from the regular rate of $92 a month! When I couldn't get my current provider any lower, I switched. I just saved myself $212 for the year PLUS I have a modem that is mine to keep rather than having to lease one! This switch only cost me about 30 minutes of my time to do the research and make the phone calls**

Good luck and don't let the providers rob you of your money any longer!

Expect the Unexpected

I hit a bit of writers block this weekend struggling with the topic of my next post, and then it came to me!

I hit the road on a beautiful drive back from Tennessee this past weekend. As I was enjoying the Spring colors, feeling the warmth of the sun shine through my car windows and, and singing at the top of my lungs to a blaring radio, I suddenly noticed it staring back at me......My engine light had come on and I was 2 hours from home. What? I gripped the steering wheel and prayed my car would make it...


Thankfully I made it home with no problems and I popped right on over to a service mechanic this morning and 4 hours later walked about the door with a car good as new. Without giving too much of the details, I will share that it was a $300 hit to my bank account. All of this occurred in a 24 hour period and not one little sign of stress, anxiety, or doubt entered my mind.  Several years ago, if this had happened to me, this peace of mind I was experiencing now, would not have been happening back then. I would have been a complete wreck because a $300 dollar bill out of nowhere was not something I used to plan for. However, because I have learned to improve my budgeting techniques, I have been able to stay in better control of my finances. The added bonus, my stress and anxiety has remarkably improved!

So my point being, I was prepared.  Are you?

As you work on your budget and try to figure out how much you should expect to spend each month in all those little categories, remember that their are 2 kinds of expenses in life.  Those that you expect to happen, and those you have no idea are coming and smack you right in the face when you least expect it.

These "expected expenses" are a little easier to budget. We know that we have to pay our housing bill. We know we have to keep the lights on. We know food has to go in our stomach.  It's the unexpected that we don't want to budget for because we hope and pray they never happen, but I'm here to tell you know, YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO PREPARED.

If you have built yourself a budget I would like you to go back and visit it now and make sure you have the following categories included.  It may not be easy to set money aside for these things, but it will give you peace of mind, and the ability to pay the bill when the worst case scenario happens.

Housing Maintenance -  Think about all your major appliances and other amenities of your house. Refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher, heating and air, water heater, swimming pool, fire place, etc. Are you prepared in the event one of these things breaks down or all the way dies on you?  Even if it is far from its life expectancy being over, you never really know if you'll have a problem.  Save a little money each month. It's up to you to decide the amount. The more you own, the more you should save. The older your belongings, the more prepared you should be.


Car Maintenance - Even if your car is brand new and you are fully insured, you never know when that out of the blue nightmare will happen. Someone smashes your window, a flat tire, etc....I'm not that savvy when it comes to the maintenance of a car so I set aside a little more than most people might to keep my peace of mind. The more you own, the more you should save. The older your belongings, the more prepared you should be.

Emergency Fund -  As much as I sit down and try to prepare myself for the unexpected I still like to have an extra cushion. I set aside a little money in this category for the truly crazy unexpected things I cant think of with my most creative imagination at work. For instance, 6 months ago someone smashed my car and stole my laptop.  I didn't ever see this coming, but thank goodness for my emergency fund!

Here are some other categories where you may not need a completely separate category, but I still encourage an added buffer in the amount you budget each month just to be safe.

• Pets - unexpected illnesses
• Children  - unexpected ANYTHING, they are kids :)
• Medical Expenses - accidents and illnesses not covered by insurance

 End of Year Reward - At the end of each year, if I have money left over because I didn't need my emergency funds I have an added bonus of money.  I then allow myself to either put that money towards goals or wishes I have set for myself. (More on that later) 

 

  

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......