How to Save at the Grocery Store is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

This is a guest post from Kennedi at the blog Face and Fitness, a brand-new Yakezie Challenger site. Face & Fitness is a women’s personal finance blog. It covers health and beauty on a budget.  Feel free to drop on by and check it out!

Many people – myself included — splurge at the local supermarket. Its just groceries, right? We have to eat, don’t we?

Then we get home, look at the $40 of fresh halibut and $10 tray of pre-sliced veggies, and realize we didn’t need to spend so much.  Despite what we tell ourselves, overspending at the store isn’t healthy for our bodies or our wallets.  Here are seven ways you can save money when you buy groceries.

#1: Make a list. This is helpful since you will know exactly what . . . → Read More: How to Save at the Grocery Store]]> How to Save at the Grocery Store is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

This is a guest post from Kennedi at the blog Face and Fitness, a brand-new Yakezie Challenger site. Face & Fitness is a women’s personal finance blog. It covers health and beauty on a budget.  Feel free to drop on by and check it out!

Many people – myself included — splurge at the local supermarket. Its just groceries, right? We have to eat, don’t we?

Then we get home, look at the $40 of fresh halibut and $10 tray of pre-sliced veggies, and realize we didn’t need to spend so much.  Despite what we tell ourselves, overspending at the store isn’t healthy for our bodies or our wallets.  Here are seven ways you can save money when you buy groceries.

#1: Make a list. This is helpful since you will know exactly what you want, instead of just standing in the aisle, wondering what you need. Without a list, you’re more likely to buy useless items.

#2: Have a budget. If necessary, stuff the cash into an envelope and spend ONLY that much. This will eliminate your need to guess how you spent.

#3: Bring a bag with you. This bag should be the size of the amount of groceries you want to bring home. Psychologically, this helps reduce the extra items you buy.

#4: Carry a basket instead of a shopping cart. A basket is enough to carry about 5-6 items. You’ll be less tempted to buy anything extra – especially a heavy item, like soda — because you’ll have to lug it around the store.

#5: Grab a store card if your store offers one. Store cards let you enjoy generous discounts.

#6: Check out the prices in the discount section of the store. There are usually discount racks in the back of the store. Also, check the “day-old” bakery items.

#7: Buy store-brand items. These items are normally the same in quality as their name-brand counterparts. They are sometimes also fresher than the other ones, since they are “one step closer” on in the supply/delivery chain.

Crystal’s Comments:  As I wrote yesterday, we have been splurging a lot at the grocery store.  We do follow a few of the tips above, but the one tip that I have heard about that I truly suck at AND want to work on is…buy what is in season.  Mr. BFS and I buy what we crave and that costs a bunch when I crave fruit in January that is way cheaper in July…

What grocery store tips do you use?

Frozen Yogurt is Crack is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

Food has always been a big part of our budget, but it has become a bit nuts.  I am sure this is a story you have heard before, but it has been on my mind.  It all started with an Orange Leaf frozen yogurt that opened like a mile away (aka, my dealer).

Yep, we visited Orange Leaf one time about 6 months ago, self-served ourselves a couple of cups, and it has been our crack ever since.  I think they put drugs in the mix.  Especially the flavor named “Brownie Batter”…it is just too good.  And now they introduced Chocolate Covered Rasberry…they either love me or hate me.  Between that and the employees being so nice, we go at least once a week, but usually twice.  On really bad or really good weeks, they see . . . → Read More: Frozen Yogurt is Crack]]> Frozen Yogurt is Crack is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

Food has always been a big part of our budget, but it has become a bit nuts.  I am sure this is a story you have heard before, but it has been on my mind.  It all started with an Orange Leaf frozen yogurt that opened like a mile away (aka, my dealer).

Our Addiction

Yep, we visited Orange Leaf one time about 6 months ago, self-served ourselves a couple of cups, and it has been our crack ever since.  I think they put drugs in the mix.  Especially the flavor named “Brownie Batter”…it is just too good.  And now they introduced Chocolate Covered Rasberry…they either love me or hate me.  Between that and the employees being so nice, we go at least once a week, but usually twice.  On really bad or really good weeks, they see us three times.  Let’s put it this way, we go enough that they have started squirreling away fresh waffle cones pieces for Mr. BFS just because they know he likes them on top.

At 43 cents an ounce and 5-8 ounces per person per visit, we are spending about $50-$100 a month on frozen yogurt.  That by itself isn’t busting our budget, but when we have $500 set aside for food and I started seeing $600-$800 a month food costs, I took a closer look.  You know what I found?

Our Dietary Changes

We eat out a lot more now than we did at the beginning of 2011.  We found places like Orange Leaf, a great Chinese place with awesome veggies down the street from there, and the yumminess of Chick Fila.  So our restaurant spending increased.

We also eat more expensive foods at home.  We seem to go out 3-4 times a week to get out of the house or because we are craving a specific food.  And at home, we used to be okay with grilled chicken and green beans.  Now Mr. BFS has started tackling more intense recipes like chicken pot pies, gumbos, fajitas, lasagna, and more.  And we are hosting more get-togethers like potlucks at our home.  It’s been absolutely awesome, but more ingredients cost more money.

Our Plan

So what are we going to do?  Honestly…probably nothing.  We are spending less on gasoline, less on toll roads, and less on work clothes.  We decided we are going to try to stay within our $500 food budget, but I am not going to play the enforcer on anything.  We aren’t gaining weight, are making enough to cover our expenses, are on track to pay off our mortgage by June, and are also saving a bunch for our future.  I think I am not going to press this particular issue.

So why did I bring it up?  Because it has been on my mind.  I started this blog to show that you can be financially responsible and have fun in life by prioritizing your spending.  I figured this was one of those times I am putting our priorities out there.

Do you have a splurge you are okay with?

My Tax Return and Me is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

Sandy at First Gen American has proposed another Coffee Talk.  This is when she presents a topic and as many bloggers as possible jump in on the same day to cover it from their unique point of view.  This month’s topic asked what our tax return would say about us to an eccentric entrepreneur – would it help us secure our dream job?

Here are the only things I can deduce based on our tax return:

What My Parents Taught Me About Finance is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

The following is a guest post from a true friend, Suba at Wealth Informatics.  She is such an awesome blogger and a sincerely sweet person.  Please check out her site for yourself – believe me, you will want to sign up for her RSS feed if nothing else.  Her posts are so informative.  I have been begging her to write for me regularly for more than a year now, lol.  If you don’t know her in some way, I would highly suggest trying.  I am a better person for knowing her.

February is National Parent Leadership Month, which highlights the role parents play in shaping the lives of their children. I personally feel that parents have the power and the responsibility to teach their kids to be good financial citizens.

What did my parents directly . . . → Read More: What My Parents Taught Me About Finance]]> What My Parents Taught Me About Finance is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

The following is a guest post from a true friend, Suba at Wealth Informatics.  She is such an awesome blogger and a sincerely sweet person.  Please check out her site for yourself – believe me, you will want to sign up for her RSS feed if nothing else.  Her posts are so informative.  I have been begging her to write for me regularly for more than a year now, lol.  If you don’t know her in some way, I would highly suggest trying.  I am a better person for knowing her.

February is National Parent Leadership Month, which highlights the role parents play in shaping the lives of their children. I personally feel that parents have the power and the responsibility to teach their kids to be good financial citizens.

What did my parents directly teach me about finance? Nothing.

Umm… What?

First, a bit of a background about me. I came to the US less than 10 years ago. I grew up in India, in a middle class family (read monthly income : 200 USD). My parents, my grandparents, my sister, and I shared a one bedroom home. Both of us got an excellent education, new clothes when necessary, encouragement to pursue whatever hobby that interested us (as long as it didn’t affect our education), and the freedom to ask questions.

So even though my parents didn’t sit and talk money with us and teach us how to handle money, I learned a lot from them without even realizing it.

Debt

Even when I lived paycheck to paycheck for a couple of years after I started earning, I never got into debt. Now after getting a good handle on my finances, I realize why.

Growing up, my mother used to tell me a lot of stories. In one of the stories, she described a scene when the villain knew that he is going to lose very colorfully.  Roughly translated it went something like – “Like a fish in a poisoned pond, like the wax near a hot flame; like a toad caught between the venomous jaws of a snake; the villain panicked and was as scared as a person in debt”.

By association, debt thus became this horrible, horrible situation in my mind. The image stuck with me; I never want to be a toad that is caught in between the jaws of a snake. I never want to be in debt.

I can still hear my mother’s voice in my head when I am tempted to buy something that I didn’t budget for. She would have repeated this line many, many times over the course of the 21 years I lived at home. She inadvertently made sure her daughter had a deep fear of debt.

Choices

My parents never said “no” when it came to education or learning a new skill. If I wanted to learn music, they made room for it in the budget. If I wanted frivolous toys on the other hand, I had to justify it. If I wanted to buy a new dress, I had to explain what was wrong with the ones I had. They made decisions constantly based on priorities. Their priorities and my priorities might not have matched , but I learned to value conscious decisions rather than just going with frugal decisions.

Charity

My parents never budgeted for charitable giving. But when my close friend couldn’t afford to pay for her education, my parents offered to pay for her books, exam fees and even her first semester of college. So even though I was not told to give to charity, I know first hand what impact that small help had on my friend. My friend, because of her education, is now much better off than she was growing up. I am proud to say that my parents had a part in that.

Budgeting

My mother handled most of our finances. We didn’t have credit cards or even debit cards, everything was cash. She used to collect every single receipt and enter it in a diary. When I was 18, I started getting a modest allowance. She asked me to record my spending, which of course as a “I know better than you” teenager, I never did. With 20-20 hindsight though, this is one skill I wish I learned from her. I didn’t have many expenses at the time and because I was living with my parents, I never experienced emotional spending. After being on my own for the first time, I succumbed to it. But after I saw the err in my ways, thanks to my mother, I had the foundation to bounce back pretty quickly.

Ask Questions

I know a lot of parents get tired of kids asking questions. My father is a scientist. He was disappointed if we accepted anything without asking questions. I saw him work relentlessly day and night when he couldn’t find answer to a question. For him, self satisfaction is the death of science. Fortunately, that stuck with me and I expanded it beyond science. I know the day I stop asking questions, I will stop growing as a person. I sincerely hope I will be able to encourage this with my own children.

Entitlement

I am really, really thankful to my parents and my best friend for teaching me not to expect anything. My parents were poor growing up, they worked hard for every single penny. They never once expected to be given anything, and in turn, made us justify our wants. We didn’t have a cushy life, in fact, there were many times when life dealt them lemons. Never once did I see them sit and complain that it was unfair. I don’t have the mental strength of my parents, I have the victim mentality, but thinking about them and what they would do in my situation is my pick-me-up.

Appreciation

This goes hand in hand with entitlement. My parents were always grateful for what they had and they made sure to tell us the sacrifices their parents made to bring them to where they are.

A Very Solid Foundation

More than anything, they provided a solid education, support, and a moral foundation that helped me realize that hard work and smart decisions will take you where you want to go.

They didn’t teach me about money. I never learnt anything about investing or real estate. We never had a lot of money to talk about expensive buying decisions. But they showed me by example, that if I wanted something, I have to work for it.

Whatever I am today is because of them. As an adult I feel that the choices I make today are based on the principles and values I gained as a child and young adult. Me and my sister were given the ability to make our own decisions, good or bad, and learn from them. But we could make our decisions with confidence only because they gave us a good foundation on which we can build our lives. I understand I am very fortunate and I am forever grateful for that.

What was your story growing up? How did it affect how you handle money today? Do our parents’ money decisions define us?

Crystal’s Comments:  This explains why I am so much more spoiled than Suba.  I do have an inherent sense of entitlement that I have been trying to suppress since no one is entitled to anything.  Unless the term “I deserve” is followed by “whatever I work for”, then I cringe.  I have caught myself “deserving” many things in my life and popped myself on the back of the head for it.  I deserve nothing other than what I earn through my actions and my work eithic.  I will just keep repeating that to myself over and over again…

Our Stock Portfolio – 2012 Update is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

I realized a couple of weeks ago that I hadn’t updated any of you about our stock portfolio holdings for about a year.  I still dislike stocks and market stats since they seem foreign to me, so Mr. BFS does most of our investing.  Here are the current stocks we are investing in, their current dividend yield, and what Mr. BFS said about them:

Bristol Myers Squibb Co (BMY) – 4.19% Yield – “Good drug company that pays a nice dividend.”

Conoco Phillips (COP) – 3.81% Yield – “With the price of oil fluctuating, other companies were spending a lot of money to find new things but COP decided to wait to see what would happen. In the meantime, they are slowing growing their dividend payout too.”

Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD) – 4.95% Yield . . . → Read More: Our Stock Portfolio – 2012 Update]]> Our Stock Portfolio – 2012 Update is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

I realized a couple of weeks ago that I hadn’t updated any of you about our stock portfolio holdings for about a year.  I still dislike stocks and market stats since they seem foreign to me, so Mr. BFS does most of our investing.  Here are the current stocks we are investing in, their current dividend yield, and what Mr. BFS said about them:

Bristol Myers Squibb Co (BMY) – 4.19% Yield – “Good drug company that pays a nice dividend.”

Conoco Phillips (COP) – 3.81% Yield – “With the price of oil fluctuating, other companies were spending a lot of money to find new things but COP decided to wait to see what would happen. In the meantime, they are slowing growing their dividend payout too.”

Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD) – 4.95% Yield – “It’s a Houston energy company that pays a nice dividend.”

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FSUMF) – 1.74% Yield – FSUMF mines iron. Mr. BFS thought that since iron is useful in the making of steel, and steel is needed right now, this was a good deal.  We’ve held them for more than a year hoping they would close a deal with China, they haven’t yet, but that is still on the table.

General Electric Co (GE) – 3.62% Yield – “Great price at the time with a decent dividend payout.”  Over the last year, they cut this dividend but the stock price is slowly climbing.

Intel Corp (INTC) – 3.16% Yield – “Good yield and a solid company.”

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) – 3.47% Yield – “Bought it at a steal and great payouts.”

Lowe’s Companies Inc (LOW) – 2.08% Yield – “With the housing situation, I thought people would start sprucing up their homes to get them to sell.  We didn’t hit the jackpot but we haven’t lost either.”

McDonald’s Corp (MCD) – 2.85% Yield – He also bought it cheap and likes the payout.  They have also exploded since we bought in.

People’s United Financial Inc (PBCT) – 5.14% Yield – “They have a fairly good dividend and regional banks are doing very well – better than national banks.”

PepsiCo Inc (PEP) – 3.10% Yield – “Great price at the time and we’re getting an excellent return.”

Sysco Corporation (SYY) – 3.55% Yield – “This was an economic play.” Mr. BFS figured that everybody needs food and the drought that has been happening in the South may be causing a rise in food prices soon.

AT&T Inc (T) – 5.95% Yield – He said they have a great yield and are a huge, solid company.

Thompson Creek Metals Co Inc (TC) – 0% Yield – We invested in Thompson Creek since it’s one of the largest miners of an ore nick-named “Molly”, which is used in the refining of steel. Since China is going through an industrial revolution, Mr. BFS thought that this would do really well too.  This still hasn’t happened, but Mr. BFS is hopeful and we aren’t losing anything but opportunity cost while we wait.

So there you go.   My 401(k) is in the Vanguard 2035 target date mutual fund and was fully vested before I quit in July 2011, so it’s staying put for now.  One of our Roth IRA’s is in the Fidelity 2040 target date mutual fund that I selected and Mr. BFS uses our other Roth IRA to invest in more dividend stocks.  We use our Scottrade account to spread out between the ones I listed above.

What are you investing in lately?

**This post is not to be used as a suggestion for investments. This is simply what we own. Make up your own mind and don’t whine to me if something tanks, thanks!**

Weekly Favorites, Gratitude, and Giveaways #56 is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

Tips for Planning your Wedding on a Budget is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

The following is a guest post from Ellen at Fun With English, where she explores the origin of English words and expressions. In her spare time, she is on her own journey to improve her financial knowledge!  She’s guest posted here several times before with ones like How to Save Money on a Road Trip and Impulse Shopping and Discount Chocolate.

I’ve noticed a lot of ads for wedding shows, so I know it is wedding planning season.   I’ll freely admit my wedding was not nearly as economical as Crystal’s , but I think I’ve still got some good planning tips to share!

1.  Start saving now.  As soon as you get engaged, you should start putting money away.  We had a rough idea of the overall budget that . . . → Read More: Tips for Planning your Wedding on a Budget]]> Tips for Planning your Wedding on a Budget is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

The following is a guest post from Ellen at Fun With English, where she explores the origin of English words and expressions. In her spare time, she is on her own journey to improve her financial knowledge!  She’s guest posted here several times before with ones like How to Save Money on a Road Trip and Impulse Shopping and Discount Chocolate.

I’ve noticed a lot of ads for wedding shows, so I know it is wedding planning season.   I’ll freely admit my wedding was not nearly as economical as Crystal’s , but I think I’ve still got some good planning tips to share!

Tips for a Wedding on a Budget

1.  Start saving now.  As soon as you get engaged, you should start putting money away.  We had a rough idea of the overall budget that what we wanted to spend on our wedding, so, once we got engaged, we started putting a lump sum away each month.  Our goal was to have enough money saved by our wedding date (we got married about a year after we got engaged) that we would have enough to cover all our costs.

2.  Figure out what is really important to you in your wedding.  Do you want something small and intimate? A big blowout?  Perhaps you’re not big on a sit down dinner, but an open bar is a must.  Talk things through with your better half (and other family members if you’re feeling generous/crazy), and see what matters to them.  For me – I really wanted a 3-tier cake. I don’t know why, but in my head, my wedding cake was always 3 tiers, so that was a must.

3.  Search for talented and connected friends and family members.   My now sister-in-law is an excellent photographer and kindly did our photos.  Ask around – perhaps someone you know would like to DJ, or works at a flower shop and can give you a discount.  Make sure you budget in something to compensate them for their time and efforts.   

4.  Reduce, reuse, recycle.  You can reuse family rings as is (hey, Prince William did it!) or have them reset into a new setting.  Reuse flowers from the ceremony at the reception – we put our bridesmaid’s boquets in vases to decorate the head table. And speaking of wedding party – try to save costs for them as well.  We picked the least expensive tux for our ushers, and I let my bridesmaid pick out their own dresses, all just keeping in a common colour scheme.

My Summary

In the end – with a sit down dinner and open bar, my wedding ran a bit over $ 10,000 (this was 8 years ago). Not frugal by any stretch, but certainly cheaper than the average cost of a wedding!  

My last tip is this – plan wisely, but don’t overdo it. I had $10,000 as a budget in my head and freaked out any time I thought we might go over.  I also cheaped out on my bridesmaid hair and makeup (I should have helped cover it, but didn’t), and I really regret that.

What is the best money saving tip you have? Is there something you spent money on you shouldn’t have? Or  something you wish you had spent money on?

Crystal’s Comments:  I highly suggest having a videographer if you think you may want a video of the ceremony later.  That is my only regret.  We didn’t splurge on much at all and had a fantastic wedding – really, we absolutely loved it.

New Health Insurance – Check! is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

Yay, Mr. BFS and I have health insurance!!!  It actually ended up being way easier to initially find than I thought it would be, but picking the right insurance policy still was a pain in the booty.  I really dislike trying to guess at our future needs, so we just tried to find something similar to what we had and picked from there.

I asked a few fellow work-from-home bloggers how they found health insurance, and Esurance kept coming up over and over again.  They do indeed make it dang easy to find a variety of plans to choose from.  Here is how I searched for us:

1.  I selected “Health Insurance” from their drop-down menu and typed in our Zip Code.

2.  I filled out the Applicant Information screen and the part that . . . → Read More: New Health Insurance – Check!]]> New Health Insurance – Check! is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

Yay, Mr. BFS and I have health insurance!!!  It actually ended up being way easier to initially find than I thought it would be, but picking the right insurance policy still was a pain in the booty.  I really dislike trying to guess at our future needs, so we just tried to find something similar to what we had and picked from there.

Using Esurance

I asked a few fellow work-from-home bloggers how they found health insurance, and Esurance kept coming up over and over again.  They do indeed make it dang easy to find a variety of plans to choose from.  Here is how I searched for us:

1.  I selected “Health Insurance” from their drop-down menu and typed in our Zip Code.

2.  I filled out the Applicant Information screen and the part that popped up for my spouse in less than a minute.

3.  102 plans popped up but I clicked on the tab “Plans with Your Doctor” since I love our doctor.

4.  That still gave me 4 different companies with over 100 options total.

5.  We narrowed down our choices by deciding to only look at similar plans to what we had.

6.  Once we found two we liked, I called our doctor the next day and made sure either plan would work and asked for a suggestion.  My doctor’s coworker said that both plans would be about the same but mentioned that one company was harder to work with than most.

7.  We decided to go with the cheaper plan that was also easier for my doctor’s office to work with and I filled out all of the info requested in less than 45 minutes.

8.  We were approved for coverage within 24 hours and it started the day after my husband’s old insurance stopped.

Our Old Health Insurance versus Our New Health Insurance

Here is a quick breakdown of the health insurance we had through my husband’s job as a school librarian.

Old Health Insurance

• $3500 annual family deductible
• $5000 additional family annual coinsurance maximum ($8500 a year maximum out of pocket)
• 20% coinsurance
• There were no copays for doctor’s visits, just coinsurance, so they just gave us $750 a year in a Health Fund to use for expenses before we started covering 20% of everything.
• Our total cost was about $500 per month.

New Health Insurance

• $5000 annual family deductible
• $4500 additional family annual coinsurance maximum ($9500 a year maximum out of pocket)
• 20% coinsurance
• Two $30 doctor’s visits per year and the 20% coinsurance thereafter.  I asked my doctor’s assistant about regular costs of visits – they would range from $80 for a sore throat to $200 if some tests needed to be ran for an infection.
• Our total cost is now $310 per month.

My Thoughts Overall

As long as we keep at least $10,000 a year on hand for health emergencies, we are good to go.  Plus we are now saving about $2280 per year in health insurance premiums, which will make up for that loss of $750 upfront.  Prescription drugs may cost a little more for non-generics, but even if the costs double (worst-case scenario based on what drugs I could look up that we have ever been prescribed), we’d only be looking at $1000 a year extra or less, which still keeps our total costs cheaper overall.

The only draw back to non-employee health care is that normal pregnancies would not be covered at all.  Just in case we do ever decide to have a baby, I looked into the costs in this area, and if we pay for the visits and delivery costs in cash, we could cover everything with about $5000.  And if anything goes abnormally, our insurance kicks in anyway for any surgery to fix me or the baby.

So, overall, I am happy.  We are insured.  We already keep $10,000 on hand for emergencies like medical problems, so this will work fine for us.  If we stay healthy, woot!  If we don’t, we can afford the consequences. All in all, I am satisfied.

Have you ever had to find your own health insurance?  Was the process similar?

January 2012 Blog Statistics and Income Update is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

Quick review since I know some of you only tune in for this monthly peek, lol.  I started Budgeting in the Fun Stuff in February 2010, started Crystal-For-Hire Blog Advertising Services in April 2011, started working from home in July 2011, and Mr. BFS joined me at home in January 2012.  WOOT!!!  I have never worked harder in my life, but WOOT!!!

Yep, it’s been crazy busy here.  Hubby and I need at least $8000 a month to cover expenses, basic savings, and taxes.  But we are aiming for $15,000 a month so we can pay off our mortgage by June 2012, build up our emergency fund even more, and invest lots and lots for our future since I have no idea how long this can really last.

I figured the best way to . . . → Read More: January 2012 Blog Statistics and Income Update]]> January 2012 Blog Statistics and Income Update is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

Quick review since I know some of you only tune in for this monthly peek, lol.  I started Budgeting in the Fun Stuff in February 2010, started Crystal-For-Hire Blog Advertising Services in April 2011, started working from home in July 2011, and Mr. BFS joined me at home in January 2012.  WOOT!!!  I have never worked harder in my life, but WOOT!!!

Yep, it’s been crazy busy here.  Hubby and I need at least $8000 a month to cover expenses, basic savings, and taxes.  But we are aiming for $15,000 a month so we can pay off our mortgage by June 2012, build up our emergency fund even more, and invest lots and lots for our future since I have no idea how long this can really last.

I figured the best way to keep my eye on the prize is to hit monthly targets, so I started posting here. Between that and the fact there seems to be major interest in the subject, I started an update around the 1st of every month of my blogging stats and income generated.

Here the goals for January 2012 followed by the results:

• Alexa Ranking: 35,000 / 37,095
• Visits: 19,000 / 20,235
• Unique Visitors: 15,000 / 15,218
• Pageviews: 30,000 / 36,379
• RSS subscribers: 800 / 1004
• Twitter followers: 1250 / 1159
• Traffic breakdown: 7000 from Referring Sites (5785), 3000 from Direct Traffic (3314), 8000 from Search Engines (9962), 1000 from Other (1174)
• Blogging Income: $10,000 / $20,280.12

Monthly Income Breakdown

• Advertising on BFS: $3101.91
• Advertising on My Other Blogs: $1060.00
• Writing (Staff Writing and Freelancing): $175.00
• Blogging Services (Running advertising on other sites and freelance tasks): $15,943.21

I had $2301.08 in expenses as well which included $807.91 in Paypal fees, my basic expenses, and blog empire expansion. That came to 11.35% in expenses. If you’d like to see my exact blogging expenses breakdown for this month, check out How I Make Money Blogging. I have been attempting to keep them at 15% or less of my overall income. That said, my net profit this month before a third goes to taxes was $17,979.04. WHOO-HOO!!!

Goals for February:

• Alexa Ranking: 36,000
• Visits: 22,000
• Unique Visitors: 16,000
• Pageviews: 38,000
• RSS subscribers: 1050
• Twitter followers: 1250
• Traffic breakdown: 7000 from Referring Sites, 4000 from Direct Traffic, 10,000 from Search Engines, 1000 from Other
• Blogging Income: $15,000

Any questions, comments, or advice? As I mentioned, I go into more detail with my income and expenses on the 1st of the month at http://howimakemoneyblogging.com/, but feel free to ask anything you’d like at either site!!!

Cutting Back to Make Room for More Fun is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

This article was written by Jessica at Everything Finance. Everything Finance is a site about just that, everything related to finance.  If you like what you see here, make sure to stop by or better yet subscribe to our feed so you don’t miss a thing.

I once had a favorite hobby. I wasn’t all that great at it, but it was such fun and so relaxing that I enjoyed it more than anything. I had to put a stop to it when I was married because we simply couldn’t afford it anymore.

I loved doing pottery. The attention I had to put to centering my pile of clay helped clear my mind and it was very therapeutic. It helped me get through a number of emotional hurdles. But the cost of clay, . . . → Read More: Cutting Back to Make Room for More Fun]]> Cutting Back to Make Room for More Fun is a post from: Budgeting In the Fun Stuff

This article was written by Jessica at Everything Finance. Everything Finance is a site about just that, everything related to finance.  If you like what you see here, make sure to stop by or better yet subscribe to our feed so you don’t miss a thing.

I once had a favorite hobby. I wasn’t all that great at it, but it was such fun and so relaxing that I enjoyed it more than anything. I had to put a stop to it when I was married because we simply couldn’t afford it anymore.

I loved doing pottery. The attention I had to put to centering my pile of clay helped clear my mind and it was very therapeutic. It helped me get through a number of emotional hurdles. But the cost of clay, studio time, glazes, and renting a kiln were not conducive to my budget. I’ve recently formed a leap list and on it is to make room for pottery again.

I plan to keep my budget to the very minimum to make sure I have as much money as possible available to indulge in pottery. I’m going to work at it regularly to make sure that I’m always using an effective budget.  I’ve come up with a list of items that are the biggest budget busters and I’m looking at ways to trim the fat, so to speak.

Dining Out

This is by and large the biggest budget buster of all budget busters. It is almost completely unnecessary. Simple planning can alleviate almost all dining out. Planning your meals weekly so as to avoid the inevitable “what’s for dinner” questions will stop those last minute pizza deliveries. Planning snacks and lunches when running errands will keep you out of the drive-thru. Carrying a small picnic basket with non-perishable snacks in the trunk is a great way to cover yourself when you have forgotten to plan.

Cable Television

I have lived without cable television for almost a year. I have only watched it when I’m at my mother’s house. Honestly, I haven’t missed it much at all. I watch the shows I like most online and I use the library to borrow movies when I am in the mood. I recently purchased a $10 tv antenna to watch the local channels and honestly, I wish I hadn’t. The programming is very uninteresting for the most part. I find myself turning off the tv more and more after just a short while.

Cell Phone

I understand the addiction to cell phones, especially smartphones. I am as addicted to mine as many but at one time, it was even worse. In a moment of desperation, I canceled my data plan and started using an older model phone that did not have anything but the ability to make phone calls and send text messages (which I didn’t do much of). I was very happy during those months and I saved myself about $30 each month.

Groceries

One of the easiest ways to adjust your budget is through your grocery spending. Using coupons is probably the best way to do so. Adding in a trip to a drugstore each week to take advantage of their deals will help save you money as well. You can easily save 40% a month by using coupons. Eating cheaper is another way to cull your grocery expenses.

Internet

This is a potential deal breaker for many. One area that I am not willing to back away from. I simply must have the internet to do my job effectively. I lived without internet for 6 weeks in the fall and it ended up costing me money by not having it at home. However, for some, this could be a way to save $35 a month or more. If you have access to the internet at work during the day, there may be little need to be online at night. Or maybe you can find a hotspot nearby to get your surfing in.

Utilities

It may be surprising to some to find out that you can save money on your utilities. Contacting your current provider and asking for tips is a start. Some companies will put a device on your furnace and a/c which is set to shut it off during certain times of the day. You won’t really notice it on there and the utility company will offer you a discount to have it done. You can also shop around. There are co-ops that provide electricity, frequently at a lower rate than a larger company. Also, ask your provider about even billing. This could help keep your monthly budget on track.

Careful examination of your budget will show you places where you can cut expenses. If you find that you have trimmed as much as you possibly can, it may be time to increase your income or look to alternatives to the fun you typically seek. For me, there are full and partial scholarships to a local arts center that I am going to apply for. I’m also going to see if I can do some bartering by checking to see if they would like to add social media to their services or maybe write an article for their website each month.

Budgeting fun into your life is something that takes work but leaving room for it is essential for a happy, healthy life.

Crystal’s Comments:  When we look to trim the fat off of our budget, we look at food first too.  But honestly, everything else listed would be on our last things to cut list since we are that addicted to cable, cell phones, and the internet…

What would you cut?