My Lil' Budget Book

Month 6 of Epic Mickey Debt Calendar--- BEST MONTH YET!

2012-03-01T11:00:00.004-07:00

After 6 months of working on our calendar we finally hit a very pivotal moment!

We paid off not one but TWO loans!!! Now we are snowballing-feels great!

With multiple school loans, the home remodel we had to finance through Home Depot, and the car loan we felt like we weren't making headway. BUT FINALLY! We paid off a smaller student loan and the Home Depot loan. Home Depot was a bit difficult to do; it seems as though they didn't want our money... but that's a whole other story to save for later.

Anyway, without further delay here is our....

EPIC MONTH 6!

And just in case you didn't catch last months Epic Mickey... compare our progress here.

**As a family we decided to change our lives by paying off debt. We needed motivation to keep us going. This Epic Mickey represents how much debt we owe. Each filled in square represents a dollar amount paid off. Once the entire Mickey is filled in, we will be debt free besides our home. Then we'll party in style with Disney to celebrate! We have included a monthly plan to have the savings set aside to pay for the trip too so we won't be back tracking just to celebrate. Take the journey with us as we share tips and tricks to save money, generate more money, free ourselves from the chains of debt and create a better future for our family and yours!

Yard Sale Tips

2012-03-01T08:00:00.002-07:00

Yard Sale Season is upon us. It's a great time to get rid of clutter, downsize, or empty out those storage units AND make some cash! I have done a few yard sales... and recently. I have read up on tips for yard sales and learned a few of my own.

These are the tips I suggest if you are going to be putting on a yard sale:

Some of these tips I learned from All Things Thrifty.

ADVERTISEMENT:

1) Use Craigslist.org or a local classifieds(KSL.com) to post yard sales for free. I suggest listing it about 5 days prior to the sale and then the day before the sale. Include a list of the best items for sale, the time and location, and pictures if possible.

2) Use all the same color poster board and make sure they all look alike so your potential "customers" don't get confused. Cut them in half for major stop light areas, then in fourths as you get closer to the actual location (I posted them around the entire block where we were having our sale)

3)USE A FAT BLACK PERMANENT MARKER. Simply put Yard Sale with an arrow directing traffic(make sure you know which way the arrow should point)... I left some blank just in case I need to rethink the location of the sign. If the sign is a couple of blocks away, put a simple address under the arrow.

4)Make sure you are getting every angle for drivers- 4 signs are best but AT LEAST TWO for the different directions of traffic at the major stop lights near by. Be sure to keep the signs no more than 2 blocks apart so traffic can easily spot the direction they need to go without getting lost.

DISPLAY:

There are different methods you can take for this one but these are the ones I like most.

1)ALWAYS SET UP EARLY. If your garage sale is at 8am... be there at 6am getting everything set up... PEOPLE WILL COME AT 7!!! Early bird catches the worm. Seriously! And that means YOU can get rid of more clutter.

2) Try to categorize by kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, clothing, electronics, shoes, baby gear, furniture, ect. If you have a baby crib, a stroller, baby clothes and accessories- put them all in an area of their own... just like at an actual store. This goes for everything you have for sale... have a computer desk and cords to sell? Put them together. Set up "rooms" with the furniture.

3) Clothing. This is my weak spot. I know you get more money if you iron and hang all your clothing up but the time spent doing that isn't worth it to me. So INSTEAD, I do try to hang clothing up if I have the space to do so but if not, I have a huge tarp to lay the clothing out on. Organize it by gender, size, and season. This just makes it easier for a buyer to spot what they might be looking for.

4) Bring furniture- like dressers and couches clear out to the side walk area to draw people in. And wipe down any furniture as well.

Other tips:

1) Have an overall theme for your garage sale. Once I gave everyone a free magazine with their purchase(I had a lot that were about to hit the trash) or a free mini calculator(I also had an abundance of these) if they spent $10 or more. *Back to the clothing for a second, I often use the clothing to pull people in- $2 per grocery bag(which I would have available) of clothing or 10 CENT TOPS... that keeps them looking and they may just spot something else along the way that costs a little more.

Other common themes are bake sales included with the garage sale, or hand made goods, or a lemonade stand- your kids will make it a success;)

2) Always ALWAYS try to have AT LEAST 2 families doing it together- then you can advertise honestly as a multi family yard sale... this is much more appealing because that triggers in the buyers mind- twice as much stuff to buy!

3) Pricing, I have tried both not pricing anything and pricing everything. I actually like pricing just the big ticket items, price them for MORE than you really want so the customers can haggle with you(it is part of the experience for lots of yard sale goers) then you will most likely end up with what you want for it.

4) Be sure to welcome them to your garage sale- as if they are walking into a store. Stores know what they are doing and that's why we buy from them.

5) For all the items without a price, have the lowest price in your mind that you are ok with selling it for so when someone asks, "how much?" You can either respond with "How much would you pay for it?" or you can give them a STARTING point to barter with.

All in all, be prepared, start early and have fun making some money!

Month 5 of Epic Mickey Debt Calendar

2012-02-23T16:01:00.000-07:00

A bit late on this update... somehow I thought I had it up already!

Month 6 will truly be EPIC on our trail of debt pay off so keep an eye out ;)

How to Save When Buying a Home

2012-02-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

If you are looking or will be looking to buy a home in the near future, read this article first!

February Perks!

2012-02-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: I just saved another $12 on this deal!!! With the $30 rebate you get a free year magazine subscription... BUT IF YOU DON'T WANT THAT YOU CAN SUBMIT FOR A REFUND FOR THE SUBSCRIPTION WORTH $12!!! Wahoo! A grand total of $144.87 for my new KitchenAid.

-And to think I was going to settle and buy the $100ish sunbeam mixer... so glad I didn't.

I love it when I know I'm saving money... I love it even more when I am surprised that I saved money! After several attempts to win a KitchenAid through blog giveaways over the past several years...

I finally gave in and bought one.

Freebies2Deals had a post about how you can get a 5 quart KitchenAid for as little as $155.37+tax(Normally $399).

It involved a few steps, but I was very happy to jump through a couple of hoops to get it. Especially since my husband gave me the permission to buy it(we are coming up on our 6 year anniversary... yay for early gifts)!! Yes HE ROCKS!

Basically it was on sale for $299... there was a code for 30% off(for Kohls card holders-which I AM NOT- just say no to credit cards!) or 20% for non card holders <---- That's me! The code: SMS2019 is good until March 3, 2012. And there is a $30 rebate by mail right on the Kohl's website next to the product when you add to your cart. Then if you go through Ebates you get 6% cash back from Kohls. AND THEN YOU GET $40 IN KOHLS CASH. WOW... did you follow that?

So out of pocket I paid $262 but now I have $40 Kohl's cash, $30 rebate coming, and $23 from Ebates($5 starting bonus plus $18 cash back). So a total of $169 for the KitchenAid.

Well THE FABULOUS NEWS is that I SAVED MORE! I just realized that one of the 5% perks for the month of February on my PerkStreet debit card is KOHLS.COM!!! YEAH... I just save another $13.13!!! A total of $156.87 What now!?! I saved just as much by having a DEBIT CARD instead of a CREDIT CARD with Kohl's! LOVE IT!!

Thank you PERKSTREET!

Here is my beauty in Apple Green! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! I was picky about my color selection, apple green is normally more expensive but not today!

America Saves On Insurance

2012-02-22T16:43:00.002-07:00

Another great way to save on necessities! Insurance alone can really save you money if you end up in a car accident or with a medical issue but see how you can save on the premium!

Goal Worthy...

2012-02-22T14:16:00.003-07:00

Ok, I have to admit, I've never been great with setting goals let alone, reaching the ones I have set, particularly when it comes to physical fitness-we're much better with financial goals-not perfect just much better.

I know every New Years comes around and sooo many people set goals. I find that there are 3 types of goal setting. Here are some examples.

Person 1: "I will loose weight this year"

Person 2: "I will loose 20 pounds this year"

Person 3: "I will loose 20 pounds by running 3 times a week for at least a half hour a day and eating the daily recommended fruits and veggies and I will loose it by May 1st. I will have it written on a calendar so I know exactly what I need to do each day to reach my goal"

Then there's me... I really want to loose weight but I don't have time to focus on it, I don't want to fail so I just won't set that goal- there for I'm NOT a goal setter. *Took care of that problem!!* At least the others set goals, they are headed in the right direction.

I KNOW that my rationalization is just crazy so I continue to try and do better. I advance to the person #1's position, then #2, and then with the help of friends and family, I somehow find myself committing to a goal like person #3.

My goal?
I will run a Half Marathon on July 14th, my first EVER.

Yup, and here I am publicly stating that I just told my husband I would run a HALF MARATHON! What???!!! Crazy.

My husband was first to plant the idea in my mind, then my sisters and my niece and well... I guess it'll just be a family event.

So here is my running schedule for the next few months. I've even got it written on a calendar.

Monday: RUN 30 minutes
Tuesday: REST
Wednesday: RUN 30 minutes
Thursday: RUN 30 minutes
Friday: REST
Saturday:RUN 30 minutes
Sunday:REST

Then 10 weeks before the 1/2 marathon(Which is Mid July) I will be following the same schedule as far as days but I will have an actual distance I must run each time! The training schedule and "helps" for a half marathon even said you must set goals to reach as you train. Here I go making more goals!

Wish me luck!

It has begun!!! America Saves Week on PerkStreet!

2012-02-21T15:45:00.000-07:00

All this week there will be lots of great blog posts from PerkStreet bloggers on ways to save!!!

Check it out.

Just click below to learn how to save!

I'll add the rest as they come!

Networked Blog tester...

2012-02-21T15:34:00.001-07:00

Is it working???? Just in case it won't bring up the past couple of posts... go here to read them:

How I saved WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING!!!

America SAVES week on PerkStreet!

Perk Street Series of "How To Save on..." posts coming up!

2012-02-16T11:45:00.001-07:00

Just a heads up, if you are looking for ways to save on groceries, to gas, to utilities... pay attention. Perkstreet's blog will be running a series of posts to help you out. One of which is written be me ;) And no it isn't on coupon shopping to save on groceries as one would expect!

Also, if you haven't heard, PerkStreet also has a new program call StreetSense which is designed to help you and your family tackle your finances and make them work for you!

Happy Valentines Day!

2012-02-14T13:59:00.002-07:00

If it's not too late to change your plans, delay your Valentines celebration until tomorrow... sound silly?

Well your pocket book will sure thank you! Although I do suggest talking it over with your valentine to make sure he/she agrees! :) My husband and I had decided that we should celebrate it a day late...

(who says that February 14th is the only day that you can celebrate your love anyway??)

While the kids may need to celebrate Valentines Day on February 14th...mom and dad don't have to.

(you know all those special friends at school and the yearly valentine card swaps, well lets be honest, that's not the expensive part of Valentines anyway)...

Everything from flowers, gifts and chocolates are marked way down on Feb 15th! You can also avoid the crowds that are sure to be out tonight by going out tomorrow!

So Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow ;)

Winter...

2012-01-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

Can winter reek more havoc on a family with small children or what? Any plans and goals I have set this year are on the back burner until we can stop being sick. I am sick and tired.... and I am "sick and tired of being sick and tired"- who says that?

Well, that's as close to being motivated as I can be right now. Hope you all are in better health than my little family. Ever since 2 days prior to Christmas until now, I think we have only had about 2 (ok maybe 4) days of not having someone be sick. Colds and Flus- BE GONE! PLEASE!

HUBZUB Valentine Idea

2012-01-12T10:17:00.003-07:00

Looking for a great way to save on your Valentine's Date?
Check out HubZub's Make it a Date Promo!

I was one of the first selected to preview HubZub before they launched this new website. It is great for all the Northern Utah locals who want to save.

What's different about this site compared to other daily deals sites? Savings all the time!!
So many offers are available at a time on the site and it isn't just daily. There is not an exact cut off date for each and every promo. You can browse the categories for savings to suit your needs such as Entertainment, Family Fun, Auto Services, Carpet Cleaning, and so much more! So go ahead and sign up now- it's free to sign up!

**If it's not in your area yet, be patient as they have an aggressive growth plan in place for going nation wide! You can also give them references for your area too!

2012 Financial Goals

2012-01-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

My husband says he will fill in the left ear of Mickey while I work on the rest. Mickey should be at least 1/3 the way filled in by the end of the year.

My husband and I are switching roles in the finance department, he's taking over the bills and budget so I can focus more on the family and the house.

We will have Home Depot paid off by the end of March and the car paid off by the end of the year. That's a lot to pay off but we'll do our best!

Month 4 of Epic Mickey Debt Calendar

2012-01-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

So although I'm being a bit inactive with the blog through the holidays, I still want to document our debt payoff progress. This is year end of 2011.

I hope you all have had a great 2011- saving money, paying off debt and having fun with your families!

And hope you are having a fabulous 2012! Keep clipping coupons and dumping debt!

Month 3 of Epic Mickey Debt Calendar

2011-12-12T15:48:00.002-07:00

He officially has a permanent wall space in our new home!

Month 2 of Epic Mickey Debt Calendar

2011-12-12T15:45:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit late on showing our progress but here is Month 2! Looking Good... wait until month 3 and 4! :)

Holiday Giveaways!

2011-11-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

I am looking for great giveaway sponsors to highlight on my blog. If you own a business or an Etsy shop and would like to do a giveaway(preferred) or even offer a discount to my readers(or both) I'd love to get in touch with you. I currently DO NOT CHARGE for giveaways or promotions on my blog and I don't intend to ever charge for giveaways.

Please email me at mlbb.etsy@hotmail.com for more information!

List of Daily Deal Sites to Save with!

2011-11-16T19:06:00.007-07:00

UPDATE: ALSO ENTER CODE P1070

INTO THE GIFT CARD SECTION OF YOUR ACCOUNT WITH NO MORE RACK TO GET A $10 CREDIT TOWARDS A $20 OR MORE ORDER!

If you haven't heard, Daily Deal Sites are a rockin' way to save on some great gifts and of course great items for yourself too! There are so many and it can get confusing to keep track of them so here is a list of a bunch that I have signed up for.

NoMoreRack is especially cool... they have INSANITY DEALS... and that is what they are exactly, Ipad 2's for $40ish, 52" TV's for $60, Amazon Kindle for $15.87... only a few are up for grabs and it is truly real. You have to watch close but all month long they will be selling at least 1000 items up to 95% off...

NoMoreRack

SaveMore

Screamindailydeals(now SPREEBIRD)

SimplyUT

For Traveling:
Sniqueaway

*A great thing about MOST of these sites are you can refer friends and earn cash. So once you sign up, you can get a link to share with your friends too! Each site has different terms and there are a couple that don't do it but almost all do.
I'll add other GOOD websites as I find them!

Money Making Ideas

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

I just read this article about "25 Unusual ways to Make Money Fast". Quite interesting and definitely eye opening to see what people consider as methods for making quick cash... They rank them from least desperate to most desperate.

The first few ideas are actually good normal ideas, start a part time business, sell your handmade goods on Etsy, have a garage sale, do odd jobs, take a part time job... and then it jumps to extremes for the completely desperate(and if I do say so myself, STUPID). They suggest signing up for medical tests, selling plasma(not the worst idea but not a fun one), tap into life insurance, get a payday loan, raid your IRA, Pawn your stuff as collateral for a small loan, bank your sperm, and head to the Casino's(seriously!!).

Ok, too much to address here. I think this may be obvious to some but just in case, doing medical tests are exactly that, TESTS... It makes me think the whole "not practiced on animals" is there because they practice on humans... do you want to be their guinea pig? I sure don't. I'll pass.

And then tapping into your Life Insurance and your IRA... HORRIBLE ideas. Not only will that have complete dominoe effect on your future finances that you obviously tried to prepare for but when you withdraw from your IRA or Life Insurance, you are sure to incur fees and pay taxes since it will be reported as income. I would suggest that you don't just jump to this solution. If you are that desperate, first talk to your Insurance/IRA company and ask what withdrawing would really cost you(not just fees but in the long run as well).

And then, run to the Casino's? Really? While some may win... the statistics are WAAYY against you on this one. You'll end up with less than you went in... or even worse.. broke and owing someone... and who knows what kind of someone that is. Just saying, gambling is just that. You'd be better off missing a payment or making a partial payment than heading to Vegas to loose it all!

If you want REAL ideas for making money, first turn to your own habits.

Do you buy a coke/coffee/candy bar everyday?

Do you go out to eat everyday?

Do you buy alcohol and cigarettes?

Did you buy a car that is too expensive for your budget?

Are you an impulse buyer?

Do you even budget or know what the word means(for those who are desperate enough to head to Vegas)?

These are things that you can change fairly quickly with some will power with the exception to those who may be addicted to smoking or alcohol... those of you who are... please get help... it'll save your lives and your pocket book.

If you already have cut out all of those little things that add up to a lot then try making extra income.

Here are some ideas for you that won't put you and your families future in jeopardy, and yes some of them were listed in the article I read.

*Find a job for the holidays

*Find a better paying job

*sell your stuff on Craigslist(usually you can sell it for more here than at a yardsale)

*Have a yardsale

*Take your items to a consignment shop to sell

*Open an Etsy Shop(one I'm very fond of)

*Take your talents and make them work for you(EX: Sewing, cleaning, crafting, budgeting, whatever)

*Babysit others(or start a daycare, with proper certification)

*Become a consultant for a company with great products

*Start using just cash(or get a debit card that pays you back when you shop)

Or maybe you need to find a place with less expensive rent, cut down on electrical usage, cut down on driving, car pool with friends and family. Make frozen meals ahead of time so you don't get so tempted to eat out. BUT MY GOODNESS PLEASE DON'T RUN TO VEGAS and please don't ruin your future by withdrawing IRA and Life Insurance policies!

Month 1 of Epic Mickey Debt Calendar

2011-11-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here is our first month filled in. This was for the month of September...October and November pics coming soon! :) Seriously, we love getting to fill in those squares! One day Dave Ramsey is going to here us yell "We're Debt Free!!!!!!" As you can see, there is a ways until we get to do that but each square adds momentum!

Cars 2 Deal

2011-11-07T19:12:00.001-07:00

Ok so I know this is last minute but there is still a chance for a GREAT deal! READ TODAY if you want to do it.

Buy Cars 2 Blu Ray & DVD set ($22.99 at Target)

Buy at least $10 worth of J&J Red Cross/Band Aid products at Target or Wal-mart-

$1 off one J&J Red Cross products from SS 11/6 (buy the travel size first aid kits in travel area-makes them free)

$1.50 off both Neosporin & J&J Red Cross product SS 11/06/11 (must buy both)

(bought 6 mini travel first aid kits and one neosporin...my total was $5 after cpns...but I only had $1.50 off two J&J cpns so you could get an even better deal with these coupons)

SUBMIT FOR $10 MOVIE REBATE

Buy $20 worth of Kimberly Clark products at SMITH'S-(I believe this deal ends tomorrow)

2 packs Huggies slip on Diapers $9.37 a pack but use $3.00 off coupon 10/23/11 SS

1 Huggies Wipes $1.97 use .50 cpn from 10/23/11 SS

Total $14.21 plus you get $8 in Catilina's towards your next shopping trip so like paying $6.21

SUBMIT FOR $10 MOVIE REBATE

Buy 2 packs of Rayovac Batteries at Wal-mart(or wherever sells them) about $3 each- use this FB printable cpn $1 off one (print twice)

OUhttps://www.kcc.cr.kimberly-clark.com/downloads/rebate.pd

SUBMIT FOR $5 MOVIE REBATE!!!

AFTER COUPONS AN REBATES ONLY ABOUT $14 FOR THE BLU RAY & DVD MOVIE, 2 PACKS OF DIAPERS, ONE PACK OF WIPES, 6 TRAVEL SIZE FIRST AID KITS, ONE NEOSPORIN, AND TWO PACKS OF BATTERIES!!!

If you can't get to Smith's for diaper Deal, you can go to target and get 2 packs of Huggies slip on diapers for $9.87ish each and one pack of wipes for $1.97
and use two $3 off Huggies slip on manufacturer's cpns and two $2 off Huggies slip Target cpns and one .50 cents off for one Huggies wipes
for a total of $11.21 making end total of all purchases $19 for everything! Still great!

Thanks to F2D and PassionforSavings for links to all coupons and rebates

Go Ahead...Reward YourSelf!

2011-11-07T09:00:00.005-07:00

I love Perk Street because our family gets rewards for spending cash we have on things we already buy and staying out of debt since it pays us for using our DEBIT card. I use debit instead of credit way more often and get cash back for it. I love knowing I’m earning cash back and not ever going to have to pay interest later on. It has been great. But why not reward ourselves too?

My husband and I have a pile of student debt and a car loan. We are a bit of Disney fanatics. What do the two have in common? Our reward system! We decided that to fuel our payoff plan we will have a family goal and a reward. Our family goal is to be debt free besides the mortgage. This has always been the goal but we haven’t always had a reward to fuel our energy into that goal.

Epic Mickey Debt Free Celebration Vacation Count Down
or just our Epic Mickey:)

So...we drew up a big Mickey face and made it into a graph. Our "Epic Mickey"! Each square represents a dollar amount of debt paid off. As often as we make payments to debt, we get to fill in the appropriate amount of squares. When the Mickey is filled in, we will be debt free and we will have enough saved to go on a Disney Vacation!

My kids LOVE Disney Land… and well, so do my husband and I! It is the perfect reward for our little family. The best part is that the family has to work on it together. We have the children be involved in filling in the squares and we talk about ways we can help save. Our children are little so ways for them to save are as simple as turning off the lights and not letting the water run. For us, we are trying to find ways to make more by having garage sales, crafting goods, handmade gifts, side jobs, giving up wants like eating out and keeping an endless supply of chocolate-my guilty pleasure!

Having this reward as a visual in our home every day keeps us much more focused and filling in the squares is so fun! The kids really love it too! What do you do to stay focused on your financial goals? What creative ways do you do to save money?

Remodel Pic... My boys room

2011-11-04T12:44:00.001-06:00

OK, so I am realizing that it will take quite a while before this new home looks the way I want it to. BUT I at least have one bedroom... the smallest one, but none the less, one bedroom pretty well done. It does still need some window treatments and some touch up paint plus some pictures of the family, Christ, prophet and the temple up but we're getting there.

This is my boys bedroom... can you tell he likes Woody? This is the vinyl decor that I got through CSN Stores for review. It is great! I wasn't sure that it would transfer from our old place to the new place very well but it did great!

BTW, it is very hard to get good pics of a tiny little room...

Easy Christmas Stocking stuffer... handmade craft to hold the crayons

2011-11-04T12:24:00.002-06:00

Well, if you haven't noticed, 'tis the season to prepare for Christmas! Seriously. I'm still amazed each year that Christmas creeps its way into the stores even before Halloween. I love Christmas though! Especially now that I have kids to share it with! What I don't love is the retail tag generally attached to the word Christmas. It gets so expensive! So I'm going to try and give you ideas for easy inexpensive gifts you can make!

Today, how about a Crayon Wrap?! Here is a cute tutorial, and you could mix it up a bit by making a place for a note pad, coloring book, or markers. Scraps material and a ribbon is really all you need. The tutorial shows having some liner to keep it stiff, but if you use felt than you don't have to worry about that. Dress it up how you want and you have a great stocking stuffer!

Also at Toys R Us you can get a 24 pack of crayons for 25 cents! Yup! Four packs for a $1!