Tax-Free Shopping Weekend : VisitKC.com Official Travel Source
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Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Shopping to Save Money
Today I've been shopping online to save some money on my monthly recurring expenses that are not 100% necessities, but very nice to haves. For instance: cell phones, cable, internet and home phone service. We all sort of need these, but they are not part of the 4 Walls that Dave Ramsey always talks about that we all NEED:
- Food
- Shelter (including utilities)
- Transportation
- Clothing (basic clothes that fit you and your family, not designer, brand new stuff)
So I thought I would start with our cell phone plans. My husband and I both use our cell phones for business and personal calls. We'd like to use them for calling, texting and using the Internet, again, all nice to have but not 100% necessary.
After reviewing many plans from many carriers on http://myrateplan.com/ I've come to the conclusion that we are actually paying a pretty good rate for everything that we "want". We both have an unlimited bundled plan from Sprint that includes: voice, text and data. We could reduce our bills by eliminating some of the nice to haves, like texting and unlimited Internet on our phones.
I like this site because it gave me information on various plans from various companies and I was also able to review different phones. I'm not going to be ordering any thing from the site, just using it for research, so I can't comment on that part of the site.
Next on to our home phone, cable, internet and business phone plans. Then insurance: home, auto, health, liability, umbrella, disability and life, whew. I'll be working on those some more tomorrow. I'll let you know what I find out.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Free Budgeting Forms
Check out these Free forms from Dave Ramsey's site:
http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/?FuseAction=dspContent&intContentID=3006&ictid=Useful_Tools
http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/?FuseAction=dspContent&intContentID=3006&ictid=Useful_Tools
BUDGET - The Dreaded B Word
Yes, most people hate the word budget. What do you think of when someone says that word?
I know what I thought every time my husband tried to get me to do a budget, "too restrictive", "too complicated", it'll take "too much time". I was not about to do a budget. I was fine just hoping that there was money in the checking account to pay all of the bills. If the balance was getting low, I'd transfer some money from another account. Ah, but what happens if there isn't any money in another account? That's when we'd use the ole "Credit Card" or "Line of Credit", as our "emergency fund". Quite a scary way to live.
So when I first started budgeting in the Summer of 2008 I was SHOCKED at how much money we were spending each month and especially shocked about WHAT we were spending our money on.
The first thing to do when you are going to begin living on a budget is to track your expenses for at least one month. Sometimes it's easy to just look back at a bank statement or through your online banking account to get the history that you need to begin formulating a budget. That's what I did. I looked online and started a spreadsheet that included all of those expenses divided between ongoing, recurring "fixed" expenses and then the "variable" expenses.
Fixed Expenses include: mortgage, utilities, insurance, tithing to your church, school tuition, car payments, etc. The expenses that are the same each month.
Variable Expenses include: groceries, clothing, entertainment, gifts, toiletries, etc. The expenses that "vary" month by month. Sometimes you have them, sometimes you don't and the amounts may not always be the same.
To squeeze the most out of our budget I began to re-evaluate all of our expenses, did we REALLY need to spend money on that? I called all of our utilities and got on the level-pay programs so that I could better budget each month for those expenses. I also re-negotiated things like phone, cable, internet, cell phones and insurance. I canceled several things that we were not really using that much like our Netflix membership and dropped our YMCA membership from a family membership to individual since I was the only one going (then I actually started going on a regular basis so I wasn't throwing money away).
I started planning our meals for the week before I went to the grocery store. This really helped me reduce our grocery expenses and also helped us stop wasting so much food. Because we had our meals planned, we were also less likely to opt for take out or going out to eat and we are now eating more healthfully.
For entertainment, we decided to cut this by doing more things together as a family like going bike riding, or on a picnic or for a simple walk and playing at the park. Of course we got more benefits out of these things besides just saving money, we're spending more time with each other and we're exercising.
Now I use coupons and look online to find specials before we go out. I'll talk more about some of the web sites and other tools I've been using to save money on entertainment expenses in another post.
Don't be afraid of the budget. Instead of being restrictive, it can actually give you control and more information so that you feel more secure about what is happening with your money. And it's a template for you and your spouse to talk about your money plans on a regular basis. That's how I feel about it now.
I know what I thought every time my husband tried to get me to do a budget, "too restrictive", "too complicated", it'll take "too much time". I was not about to do a budget. I was fine just hoping that there was money in the checking account to pay all of the bills. If the balance was getting low, I'd transfer some money from another account. Ah, but what happens if there isn't any money in another account? That's when we'd use the ole "Credit Card" or "Line of Credit", as our "emergency fund". Quite a scary way to live.
So when I first started budgeting in the Summer of 2008 I was SHOCKED at how much money we were spending each month and especially shocked about WHAT we were spending our money on.
The first thing to do when you are going to begin living on a budget is to track your expenses for at least one month. Sometimes it's easy to just look back at a bank statement or through your online banking account to get the history that you need to begin formulating a budget. That's what I did. I looked online and started a spreadsheet that included all of those expenses divided between ongoing, recurring "fixed" expenses and then the "variable" expenses.
Fixed Expenses include: mortgage, utilities, insurance, tithing to your church, school tuition, car payments, etc. The expenses that are the same each month.
Variable Expenses include: groceries, clothing, entertainment, gifts, toiletries, etc. The expenses that "vary" month by month. Sometimes you have them, sometimes you don't and the amounts may not always be the same.
To squeeze the most out of our budget I began to re-evaluate all of our expenses, did we REALLY need to spend money on that? I called all of our utilities and got on the level-pay programs so that I could better budget each month for those expenses. I also re-negotiated things like phone, cable, internet, cell phones and insurance. I canceled several things that we were not really using that much like our Netflix membership and dropped our YMCA membership from a family membership to individual since I was the only one going (then I actually started going on a regular basis so I wasn't throwing money away).
I started planning our meals for the week before I went to the grocery store. This really helped me reduce our grocery expenses and also helped us stop wasting so much food. Because we had our meals planned, we were also less likely to opt for take out or going out to eat and we are now eating more healthfully.
For entertainment, we decided to cut this by doing more things together as a family like going bike riding, or on a picnic or for a simple walk and playing at the park. Of course we got more benefits out of these things besides just saving money, we're spending more time with each other and we're exercising.
Now I use coupons and look online to find specials before we go out. I'll talk more about some of the web sites and other tools I've been using to save money on entertainment expenses in another post.
Don't be afraid of the budget. Instead of being restrictive, it can actually give you control and more information so that you feel more secure about what is happening with your money. And it's a template for you and your spouse to talk about your money plans on a regular basis. That's how I feel about it now.
How I Met Dave Ramsey
I was first introduced Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover personal finance system in the winter of 2006. While I was on vacation I was listening to his book on my iPod. I remember sitting by the pool in Mexico listening to the book thinking to myself "that's not us, we don't borrow money from cash checking or title pawning companies" we're doing just fine. What I now realize is that I must have dozed off during the most important parts of the book. I guess I took a pretty long nap in the sun that day.
Then I started listening to Dave on the radio in Kansas City on 710 AM occasionally when I was in the car running errands. Dave's system was SO simple and he was always SO consistent in his message, I was really drawn to that. When we returned from adopting our daughter in China in the Spring of 2008 I had an offer from one of my Realtor friends to go to see Dave Ramsey Live in Kansas City. I jumped at the opportunity and dragged my husband along. It was the best $60 I've ever spent.
After seeing Dave live, we decided to attend Dave's Financial Peace University program at KC Life Church. I was amazed that my husband and I didn't miss one of the 13 classes over that summer. We made it a major priority and it completely changed the way we looked at our personal finances. During those 13 weeks, we started living by a budget, we cut our expenses significantly, we started communicating about money and making joint decisions and we began to pay off debt.
By the end of the 13 weeks we realized that we had been going through life way too fast. We were just so busy that we didn't "have time to talk about money" or to "plan our financial futures". Luckily we had made some good financial decisions. But we had also made some other bad decisions with our money, like borrowing way too much.
By the fall of 2008 we had "straightened out" many of the issues that we had created with our money and were on a more secure financial path. It was then that I was called to teach the Financial Peace University program at our church, St. Elizabeth's in Kansas City. I spent the next 13 weeks facilitating the program to 15 people. In the Spring of 2009 our pastor asked me to teach the class again and this time 75 people signed up to take the class. I am so proud of all of the Financial Peace University graduates. It's a big commitment, but so worth it.
Then I started listening to Dave on the radio in Kansas City on 710 AM occasionally when I was in the car running errands. Dave's system was SO simple and he was always SO consistent in his message, I was really drawn to that. When we returned from adopting our daughter in China in the Spring of 2008 I had an offer from one of my Realtor friends to go to see Dave Ramsey Live in Kansas City. I jumped at the opportunity and dragged my husband along. It was the best $60 I've ever spent.
After seeing Dave live, we decided to attend Dave's Financial Peace University program at KC Life Church. I was amazed that my husband and I didn't miss one of the 13 classes over that summer. We made it a major priority and it completely changed the way we looked at our personal finances. During those 13 weeks, we started living by a budget, we cut our expenses significantly, we started communicating about money and making joint decisions and we began to pay off debt.
By the end of the 13 weeks we realized that we had been going through life way too fast. We were just so busy that we didn't "have time to talk about money" or to "plan our financial futures". Luckily we had made some good financial decisions. But we had also made some other bad decisions with our money, like borrowing way too much.
By the fall of 2008 we had "straightened out" many of the issues that we had created with our money and were on a more secure financial path. It was then that I was called to teach the Financial Peace University program at our church, St. Elizabeth's in Kansas City. I spent the next 13 weeks facilitating the program to 15 people. In the Spring of 2009 our pastor asked me to teach the class again and this time 75 people signed up to take the class. I am so proud of all of the Financial Peace University graduates. It's a big commitment, but so worth it.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Welcome and About Me
Welcome to Saubers & Co. Personal Coaching's Blog. This Blog has been created in order to support my Personal Finance Coaching clients and others with current information and helpful tips on Managing Personal Finances.
I'll start out by introducing myself to you. My name is Melissa Saubers and I have lived in Kansas City, Missouri since I graduated from Central Missouri State University (now known as UCM) in May of 1991.
Since that time I have worked in several different industries for both small and large companies, eventually becoming an Entrepreneur, working for my self. First I sold newspaper advertising, then worked for a radio station as their Public Relations and Promotions Director. Then I worked at Sprint for 10 years in various capacities: Sales, Customer Service, Project Management, Training, Product Management and eBusiness. While at Sprint I completed my Masters in Management from Baker University.
In the Fall of 2001, I left Sprint and starting helping my husband run his company, Brookside Roofing, serving as Vice President in charge of "Internal Operations". This role has allowed me to learn how a small business works from the inside out, including: marketing, advertising, business building, customer contact, billing, accounts receivable, budgeting, and all other financial management aspects of running a small business. During this time I have been using QuickBooks to manage the company's financials.
In the Fall of 2002, I became a Realtor and actively sold real estate until the Summer of 2008. In the Spring of 2008, my husband and I adopted a 3-year old little girl from China and I decided to spend the Summer transitioning with her.
During the winter of 2007-2008 my husband and I experienced the current recession a little earlier than most people. We were both working in industries that were negatively affected by the downturn in the economy and we both felt the downturn significantly. We experienced several months with out income, yet all of our personal and business expenses still stayed the same and in the midst of this lack of income, we proceeded to finish the adoption of our new daughter and travel to China to meet her. Suddenly a large glass of VERY cold water was splashed in our face and it WOKE us up. We had to make some drastic changes in order to survive what looked like was going to be a long recession. We adjusted very quickly and have completely changed our lives. I'll talk more about what we specifically did to adjust in my next post.
Thanks for reading more about me!
I'll start out by introducing myself to you. My name is Melissa Saubers and I have lived in Kansas City, Missouri since I graduated from Central Missouri State University (now known as UCM) in May of 1991.
Since that time I have worked in several different industries for both small and large companies, eventually becoming an Entrepreneur, working for my self. First I sold newspaper advertising, then worked for a radio station as their Public Relations and Promotions Director. Then I worked at Sprint for 10 years in various capacities: Sales, Customer Service, Project Management, Training, Product Management and eBusiness. While at Sprint I completed my Masters in Management from Baker University.
In the Fall of 2001, I left Sprint and starting helping my husband run his company, Brookside Roofing, serving as Vice President in charge of "Internal Operations". This role has allowed me to learn how a small business works from the inside out, including: marketing, advertising, business building, customer contact, billing, accounts receivable, budgeting, and all other financial management aspects of running a small business. During this time I have been using QuickBooks to manage the company's financials.
In the Fall of 2002, I became a Realtor and actively sold real estate until the Summer of 2008. In the Spring of 2008, my husband and I adopted a 3-year old little girl from China and I decided to spend the Summer transitioning with her.
During the winter of 2007-2008 my husband and I experienced the current recession a little earlier than most people. We were both working in industries that were negatively affected by the downturn in the economy and we both felt the downturn significantly. We experienced several months with out income, yet all of our personal and business expenses still stayed the same and in the midst of this lack of income, we proceeded to finish the adoption of our new daughter and travel to China to meet her. Suddenly a large glass of VERY cold water was splashed in our face and it WOKE us up. We had to make some drastic changes in order to survive what looked like was going to be a long recession. We adjusted very quickly and have completely changed our lives. I'll talk more about what we specifically did to adjust in my next post.
Thanks for reading more about me!
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