Category Archives: Money Matters

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My 12 Goals for 2015: January’s Update

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My 12 Goals in 2015

January overall was a good month.  By setting fewer goals, I feel  focused, and I am seeing some positive impact on a couple areas of my life.

Here is my progress in January:

My 12 Goals for 2015

Health

  • Work out 2 times per week, work up to 3 times per week by April
    • Worked out 6 times, plus one full day snowmobiling, and one afternoon of burning brush.  Still have a ways to go with this goal.
  • Drink more water (60oz a day)
    • This has been an adjustment.  Most days I am getting 40 oz.  15 days out of the month I consumed 60 oz.

    • Mind

  • Keep a Gratitude Journal (make two entries per day)
    • Nailed this one!
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    Be Intentional With Your Money In 2015 With These Budget Tools

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    Be Intentional With Your Money In 2015

    Budget Tools

    Recently, I was asked how Galen and I keep track of our finances.  Here is a little overview on some great tools to help you mange your money with more intention in 2015.

    Mint
    Galen and I use mint.com to stay on top of our finances.  The best part of this website is its ability to link your accounts from checking and savings, to your mortgage and investments.  Mint.com shows all your expenses in real time. I love that Galen and I both have access to this info on our phones and can check it no matter where we travel.  Mint.com allows you to set up your monthly budget and it will keep track of your progress.  I like that you can set up email reminders when bills are due, low balance alerts, and unusual spending.  In the beginning many purchases show as uncategorized.  Make sure you take a couple of minutes each week to update expenses to show the correct category.  It doesn’t take long to switch the category and I have found mint.com is the easiest and quickest way to keep track of where our money is going.  Another feature I like is the option to link our investment accounts and the ability to keep track of our saving goals.  The main downfall is, that since the site is free to use, you will see a number of ads.  I ignore all the ads and have turned off notifications so I don’t have to contend with ads in my email inbox.  The key to success with mint.com is to keep your categories simple.  For example instead of listing each vehicle you own just use transportation for all your auto expenses. We use the following categories: Giving, Saving, Home, Utilities, Transportation, Restaurants, Groceries, Clothing, Entertainment, Medical, Insurance, and Personal.  You may have more or less, just find something that works for you and your family.

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    12 Goals For 2015

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    2015 with Goals middle

    I will be honest with you, I am not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the whole concept of a fresh new year, and a new beginning, but I think New Year’s Resolutions just set me up for failure.  It is crazy but only 8% of people who make New Year’s Resolutions actually achieve them.

    I am a big fan of goal setting.  Goal setting is much different than New Year’s resolutions.  It breaks down big dreams into bite sized tasks.  I have found goals work best for me when they are specific, measurable, and have a deadline.

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    Save Money Shopping Online!

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    double cash back

    Christmas is just around the corner and I find myself shopping for many gifts online.  Shopping online is not only convenient, but it can also save you money.  When shopping online I am not temped by all those impulse items that stores want you to add to your shopping cart during this crazy time of year.  Shopping online keeps me focused on my list at hand.

    For many years I have used the website www.retailmenot.com to find coupon and promo codes.  They are the best coupon code website in existence right now.  From their homepage type the store you are shopping at and a long list of coupon/promo codes appears that have been rated by their large community of users.  More often than not, I’m able to find at least one code that works for my order.

    I am super excited to share with you a cash back website that I just learned about called Ebates.  If you shop online take a look at this. Cash-back sites like Ebates work with online stores to offer you a percentage—usually somewhere between 3–6% of your total purchase—back as a cash rebate. While 3–6% might not seem like much, it can really add up over time.

    If you’re already going to be making the online purchase, you might as well get a little money back too, right? After all, it’s essentially “free” money!

    To ensure your cash back is credited to your account, go to Ebates and search for the store you would like to shop at, then click through the store link. Shop like normal.  This should guarantee that you are credited for your purchases. Don’t forget to go to Ebates first, every time you shop online, to earn cash back for your purchases. You can sign up for free by clicking on this link Ebates.

    Bonus: This week you can earn double cash back with many stores.

    Cyber Monday I earned the following cash back:
    $11.13 from my Kohl’s order,
    $5.70 from my Wal-Mart order
    $29.70 from my Snapfish order.

    That is a total of $46.53 from my shopping in just one day which was above and beyond all the sales from Cyber Monday.  Plus, when I signed up for Ebates I also received a $10 gift card from Wal-Mart as a bonus.

    Ebates will mail the rebate check in February. It is pretty straight forward and there are no strings attached.  They mail checks 4 times a year.  I can’t believe I just learned about this. Sign up today to earn cash back on all your Christmas shopping!  Sign up right now to get started earning your cash back by clicking on this link Ebates.

    I would love to hear how you save money shopping online.  Leave a comment below.

    All the best
    CranberryCarrie