What is it worth to you?

Here is the BOTTOM LINE... What is THIS worth to you? This big pile of money, that is... how much is it worth? What are YOU willing to do to have this?

Through other bloggers, readers of my blogs, and friends, I have to come learn that although I may think it's nuts, not everyone is ALL about saving money! :) and that is A-OK with me. To each his own. It is what it is.

If a new car and new clothes is worth more than having the money, then by all means--BUY IT! It comes down to each individual.

There was a time in my life when having STUFF meant more than having money. Not anymore, thankfully. For MY family, it's better for us that we aren't consumed with STUFF. Don't get me wrong--we HAVE STUFF! Lots of it. Too much. And we spend money on things we shouldn't. But we are seeing the "BIGGER PICTURE" as it pertains to our family. And to US, having a big pile of money means more than a fancy car, huge house and tons of STUFF.

Just because you do NOT feel that way does not make you wrong, nor does it make ME right. It makes us who we are.

Just like with anything, I try not to force MY beliefs onto anyone. Everyone likes different things. From different styles of worship in church, to different opinions on politics. I don't try to force-feed my frugality on anyone. Through my friends, family and fellow bloggers I have learned that I have a group of support that is with me on this journey to financial freedom and I have some that aren't. and that is perfectly fine.

So the question comes down to... what is it worth to you? What are your goals? What does your financial future look like? And if it looks differently than me... that is just fine! :)

After Christmas bargains

After Christmas sales are my favorite! I get so excited. I rarely go after the actual "Christmas" items, I'm more for the non-Christmas blowouts instead! 

3 essentials that I ALWAYS pick up that are Christmas items:

-wrapping paper

-bows and ribbons

-candles 

That being said, I only go after these items every other year. I buy enough to last. 

HOLD THAT THOUGHT REAL QUICK....
** I don't recommend stocking up items for ANYONE on ANY item if you don't have the room for it! Nothing junks up a house and gets you more qualified for an episode of hoarders than having more stuff than you have space. 

*We have 2 barns. Yes, 2. One of which is dedicated the "Seasons and Events barns." I keep wrapping paper, gift bags, boxes, and sorts of home decor for the holidays in here. It's out of our way, we NEVER go in that barn except to get something specific so it's not in our way. 

Okay-- I had to say that :) 

I go after regular items that are hugely discounted. I wish I could say everything I bought but my family reads my blogs from time to time and I would hate to ruin next years Christmas for them. :) Let's just say that I am already completely done shopping for my 2 sisters, my parents, both brother in laws, one niece, next years school teachers!! 

Belk had a HUGE sale, Bath and Body had a massive sale, and pretty much every store around had huge discounts and incentives. I have harped on this before in many posts. It's so important to me to buy nice gifts for people without spending all the money! After Christmas is without a doubt the BEST time to buy on almost anything! 

While I say NO very often to spending unnecessary money, buying bargains NOW will only help you LATER!

What about you?! Did you find any good bargains this year?! 

Dave Ramsey steps....in case you need reminding!

Get a full outline HERE.

Baby Steps:

1. Save up $1000.00 for your emergency fund.
2. Debt snowball!
3. 3-6 months worth of bills in savings
4. invest 15% of household income into IRA and other pre-tax retirement accounts
5. College funding for children
6. Pay off home early!
7. Build wealth and GIVE!

Okay so these are the baby steps that Dave Ramsey tells us to use. He is so wise. If you look at his plan it TOTALLY makes sense. And the best part is that you aren't trying to do 7 things at once. So many (from talking with people, financial tv shows, radio shows, etc) people are trying to pay off debt, save money, invest in their accounts, etc, ALL at the same time! Dave Ramsey takes the load off. By following his steps, you will SEE just how easy it can be.

Me personally... I will set aside money to help my daughter through school. BUT, I am not paying for all of her school. I believe in working hard, getting  scholarships, getting a job, and being there to help and support your kids without doing it all. That's my philosophy--i am not downing ANYONE elses. that's just me. So I don't have to save up TONS for college. I know in my heart the amount I would like to provide her with when she graduates high school, and that is that. I don't own a home. ONE day I plan to do that again, but that is in my ten year plan. I know the kind of house I want and I am willing to wait for it and save for it.

I am currently on babystep #3. I have 3 months saved worth of bills, but I would feel much more comfortable if I had all 6 months saved. This economy is scary, and I feel much more at ease with money put aside. I have NO debt, and I have an emergency fund. YAY!

So my goal is for the next 3 months to SAVE SAVE SAVE so that I can obtain the goal of 6 months worth of bills in savings. THEN, I plan to open a separate account to essentially start over with my savings. I am not going to touch my 6 months worth of bills until I HAVE to, and if I never do--then fabulous! But IF I do, I want other money waiting on me.

The goal for 2012 is this... SAVE. Save it all--save as much as you can.

What about your? What step are you on? What progress have you made??

Top 5 things to do with your tax refund

I personally am not a huge fan of getting a tax refund. LET ME EXPLAIN before you start thinking I am crazy...

I'd rather have the RIGHT amount of taxes taken out each month. That way I have a little bit more money to work with on a monthly basis instead of getting a big check at one time and trying to do something super productive with it.

here's the top 5 things you can do with your tax refund.

1. Pay off debt. Duh. Obviously THIS should come first. If you have debt, use this money to pay it off.

2. If you do NOT have debt then KUDOS to you :) But this would be a great way to start your emergency fund. No matter how big or small the check is--this is the perfect way to jump start your emergency fund. This is always a hard step for people... putting back that money every month is hard for a lot of people especially when it's just 20 bucks here, 15 there, etc. SO, by putting your tax refund in savings you can see a nice chunk which makes it easier to put more money back. (It's a mental thing...trust me.)

3. If you have no debt, plus your emergency fund you could always begin the 3 months worth of bills savings account. This would be your NEXT step on your financial journey and your debt free life.

4. Let's say you have ALL of these steps completed or MOSTLY completed... maybe this would be the perfect time to take your family on a vacation, or a weekend trip with the hubs, OR, just MAYBE you have worked really hard to get your self into a financially free situation and you deserve a spa day and a new outfit. :) I'm ALL for rewarding myself for good behavior!

5. Lastly... maybe this would be a good time to get a jump start on NEXT years taxes. Use this money for donation purposes, for tithing, for giving to charity--anything that would give you a jump on next years taxes and give you a nice break.

there ya go--the top 5 things to do with your tax refund.

And if you OWE money on your taxes, well, that will be another post :)

My room make-over challenge

I rarely get magazines in the mail or buy them. Actually, i NEVER do that. The library gets EVERY single magazine and I can go read them for free there. Ya know me... cheap is good--free is SO much better. BUT, if I can get a subscription for free than I ALWAYS do it. Even if it's just so that my daughter can have a magazine to cut up and make collages out of. ANYWAYS--I get Better Homes and Gardens for free which is awesome. I usually read it in 2 seconds and chunk it. Or attempt one of the "Fat burning" workouts they have in the back. But last week they sent January's edition and it was all about getting organized in the new year. I have known I needed to do that but i didn't even wanna THINK about it. BOO on organizing. I love it when it's done, but I HATE the process. So I knew that I had to make it fun.

Let me explain... my husband and I are both in school. We both work. We both have kids. We both have bills. We BOTH have crap that somehow ALWAYS ends up on the kitchen counter. (Grrrr....) So I KNEW that I needed an "office" type space. We now have a much bigger house and actually have the room for it so I knew at some point i'd have to transform the guest room to contain at least a desk for studying, bill writing, etc. But when i got this magazine i got SUPER inspired to start early.

Here is the picture that gave me the idea in the first place... (WARNING--my finished product will NOT look like this)

I challenged myself to do this in $100 dollars or less. So I set out on a journey... I found the desk first. KNEW I had to start somewhere... I bought this bargain for $25 bucks. It's not big, it's not small--it is PERFECT!!!!!!!

Then it was time to look for something to hang over the desk. Not a regular old peg board kinda thing, but something different. Something that could look like art, but could also allow me to tack things to it... so i headed to Michaels. I bought 2 pieces of styrofoam then went to Wally World and bought some fabric.

So fun, SO easy!! buy styrofoam of whatever size you are wanting. (This could serve as wall art, or as a board to hold memos, or a board to hold bows... it could really be ANYTHING you want it to be.) Then buy the fabric. Pretend you are wrapping a present. That's how you get the clean lines, pull the fabric tight and staple away!

It's not complete. I still have plenty of things that i need to find to go on the desk for organization purposes and some cute things just to have. :) But i am SO pumped at what I have so far!!!





While living debt free...

or ALMOST debt free, there is still financial things to contemplate.

Do you pay off your credit cards and pay them off like Dave Ramsey suggests? I love that man, and I can't stand that man. read more of my love-hate relationship with the Ramsey man here and here.

My point... if you are working to build credit, mantain good credit and keep a constant run on your credit then you MUST use credit cards. i know Dave Ramsey would die if he read this, but I hate to tell him that I am right. Take it from someone that is credit conscious and keeps an eye on my credit often, you have to use them some.

So while you are paying off debt, be careful before you throw the cards away or in the shredder. Pick one thing a month that you charge. For me, it's been my water bill. I charge it every month, get the bill from my credit card and then pay it. No interest charged, but for that month i got a "1" on my credit report. That's a GOOD thing.

Live debt free. do NOT be chained to the chairs of debt, but be smart about keeping your credit looking sharp and clean. you don't want to pay off debt, and then stop using any form of credit for 10 years and then go try to buy a house. the bank will NOT lend you the money because of the lapse in your credit report (that and other reasons like how the banks aren't giving money away period these days).

Be smart about it.

Any suggestions?

Yep--another one!

Be sure and check out my NEW blog!

http://www.minimalisticmatthews.blogspot.com/

It's different from this blog in that I don't post coupons, store specials, etc. This new blog is dedicated strictly to living a minimalistic lifestyle. The two blogs DO go hand in hand... you can't live on less if you don't save more kinda thing, but they will not be re-posts from the other.

I encourage you to check it out. I'd appreciate it! And tell a friend :)

My summer of cheap and free fun!

I was thinking today about what a terrific summer this has been! I have read some great books, seen some great movies, gained a little culture in my life, enjoyed time with my friends and family... and have spent VERY little.

I go to the library weekly. If not to get books and movies for my daughter, i'm getting some for ME! :) I know I harp on the library a lot and probably gets annoying... but I have thoroughly enjoyed some good summer reads and just picked up one more :) I have saved money on rentals for my daughter by allowing to check out movies at the library AND I did Netflix. (That's another story... i'm mad about their price increase)

I have done some "museum-ing" which has been fun (and of course I have found coupons). I've been able to visit our local museum (family pass) and even the The William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. My husband and I went to the arkansas sports hall of fame museum (bought that on Groupon-super cheap).

We paid the $2.00 extra to add dvd rentals to Netflix and have spent the summer catching up on some great ones!

We have used the MESS out of our pool! It's free, and it's there... TADA! When I get down on us renting I think about the joys of having the pool and it makes me feel better! (of course some of my bf's just bought a house that happened to have a pool right next to it--lucky! i'm praying that will happen to us too!)

With the exception of using money available to me at the consigment shop (I had earned it through selling items) and birthday money I haven't really spent a dime on clothing. I've learned to trim my own bangs (and no, they don't look TERRIBLE, just not great) and have avoided that expense.

I guess my point is that we haven't missed out on ANYTHING and we have spent so VERY little this summer. It's been good. I'm proud of us. YAY Matthews family! :)

FREE SHOUT WIPES!

http://www.becausecheaperisbetter.blogspot.com/

I saw a post from the above blogger this morning on getting free SHOUT wipes through facebook! so I followed her advice and I got em! Now its your turn!

LIKE SHOUT on facebook and request a free sample of wipes. GO GET EM!