Teaching Kids about money, budgeting, paying bills....

Teaching kids about healthy financial habits can be daunting when you are still struggling with healthy habits yourself. It doesn't have to be daunting though, discussing some of those hard issues in terms that they can understand can be healthy. It's sort of like saying "look see mom/dad made some mistakes, we all do, and we are working on fixing them" and then explaining how people fix their financial mistakes.

All of that being said I have an older daughter she is *almost* a teenager *yikes*, at 12 she gets a lot more than she did at say 3. She sees and hears me talking about budget and bills often. A few weeks ago she asked me about how a budget works and "how do you pay your bills?" I was surprised by this. She has always been a fairly observant child. Her father and I are not together, he is no better with money than I used to be he just had lots more of it than I did to spend. Our daughter has never really seen a good example of saving, spending, and paying bills... until now.

Mint.com has a really great blog/article about teaching kids budgets, I encourage you all to read it. In fact Mint.com is a really great (and free even!) website to check out and familiarize yourselves with. I think for my child though going more in depth is what she is asking for.

With my daughter's needs/wants to learn personal finance and budgeting this week we are starting something new. I will give her an allowance for time she has worked over and above family chores that everyone does, she will work with me to create a budget on saving to spend on a goal, savings for college, and spending money. I will take her to the bank and help her learn to fill out deposit slips (and when the time comes withdraw slips) and how to balance her savings accounts and keep track of what money is for what things. I am also going to show her my pay, where things go to, where they come out and how much is left at the end of the month/day/week... Not all kids can handle that I don't think nor should they, my child seems to have a need/want for that to understand. This need/want stems a bit from how she learns anything new and her abilities to really take the information in.

Most of all, I want my child to have a better understanding of personal finance than I did so when she makes mistakes she knows how to correct them. I was never taught anything about budgeting, making money, paying bills, writing checks, or balancing a check book. Nothing at all, I was thrown into it and failed miserably, I'm working at teaching myself now but I'd like for my daughter to know better. Whether she makes the right choices by having the right knowledge is totally up to her. I can instill the right things and educate her with the knowledge and then it is in her hands on how she applies all of those things.

Photo By: Matt McGee

Its a bust...

The garage sale had one successful day, but not it is a bust. We had hoped the weather man would be wrong but he was not and it is very stormy here today.

I made about $40, my boyfriends sister made about $130... the other two at the sale didn't do as good, either way one day of sales and over $200 worth of stuff was sold between 4 people that isn't bad.

Since the sale was at my boyfriends sister's home and she doesn't want to hold the sale tomorrow as planned this is what I have made. She may be willing to do another sale on another weekend, I hope so because I have a bed that I think will sell for a decent price otherwise everything is going to goodwill.

I'm a little disappointed, but I have taken today for some much needed R & R and that has been nice. I love the rain and so I can try and be happy with that. I can't say though that I wish I had a house to hold a sale at instead of depending on others to do this.

More shout outs.

The other day I did a post that was supposed to be about Making Extra Cash it really turned into a shout out. I wanted to continue to do the shout outs so here they are.

Another single woman (and single mom too boot) Jen at Lifestyle of a Divorced Single Mom, she not only knows how to juggle one income but doing it with more than one kid. She knows the unexpectedness that can come up and the expected that does but you just don't have it to plan for. Not only that but Jen is one of the main reasons I realized I could really do this budgeting thing, she gave me a great spreadsheet that really is detailed and works. She has been doing great at her goal setting and holding herself accountable each month, again she inspired me so look for something new from me soon.

There is Brian (oh, yes a man who happens to be married even so far he has broken the mold on my shout outs), he is the author of Over 40 Overweight and In Debt, I think he's got a correlation there indeed. In fact, I haven't read it yet but Frugal Dad (another great PF blogger) just posted an article on being overweight and in debt. Brian has just gotten back to blogging again and I hope he stays around I always enjoyed that he is just real in his posts he doesn't putz around and make excuses we are both in the same boat here overweight and in debt, maybe with some blogger collaboration we can both attain our goals together. I'm so excited to read Frugal Dad's article today and hopefully Brian will see it too.

One of the more successful single moms in the PF blogosphere is Single Ma at Fabulous Financials. She really is an inspiration about being all you can be and striving for the best. While I can tell we don't have the same career interests we do have similar mind frames. When I see that she has gotten so far and worked hard but I can go back and read that she too made mistakes along the way I'm inspired. Like Jen at Lifestyle of a Divorced Single Mom, Single Ma is a great goal setter and a true inspiration. Single Ma is a the point I could be at if I had worked things differently, while I was in a feel sorry for myself phase about being a single, unwed, teen aged mom she was out working her goals for the future and it shows. In fact, her blog is ear marked and her about me section is shared with any new teen mom I come across.

There are so many that deserve a shout out but many of you probably already know about Trent at The Simple Dollar, Weakonomics, The New Frugal Mom, not to be confused with The Frugal Girl, Spilling Buckets, Smarty Pig, My Money Shrugged and many more you can see on my blog roll.

If you know of others not on my blog roll or in my shout outs I'd love to read them, many of the people I read daily are found through others blog rolls so I encourage all of you to update yours frequently. I plan on making it a periodic thing I do.

Grocery Shopping

I do my grocery shopping in what I call three tiers. I shop typically at 3-4 different stores. Save-A-Lot, Aldi, Kroger and Meijer.

I first shop for the sale meats at the beginning of the month, I stop at Kroger and check for great deals on their 'Managers Specials' which is meat that needs to be sold that day or the next. Sometimes there is nothing but often times I find really good deals. One time I got two New York Strip steaks for $1.75, often times I find a flat flank type steak that is large enough to feed two of us for a normal dinner of steak and something with it or three of us for steak fajitas and walk out paying less than $4 for the steak. Next I go to Save-A-Lot and find the good deals on meats there. I stock my freezer usually for a few weeks to a month.

Next, I come home and I separate and put things away.

Within a week or so I check out the sales ads for Kroger and Meijer. I plan out meals based on the meat I have in the freezer and what is on sale and where. Usually one or the other store has better deals it varies. I plan out my shopping trip to one or the other store, I omit anything that I can get at Aldi's for cheaper based on the sales there.

By the third week we are running out of things that we get at Aldi's and it is time for the meals for items I need there. I again check Meijer and Kroger's sales ads just in case and decide Aldi's, Meijer, or Kroger and shop accordingly.

With this plan I end up spending somewhere between $40-$70/week not bad for someone that hasn't used coupons and is feeding 3 people breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

My next goal is to incorporate coupons. I hope to have a stock of staples we use most often by getting them as cheap as possible through sales AND coupons. With any luck I can take it a step further but for now to learn how to do this right I'll do it with our staples.

Since our local farmers markets are open finally I shop there too and get produce really cheap, there is a great one on my way home from work so it takes barely anytime to stop in every week or two.

Recently, I stuck to a fairly strict budget sort of like an envelope system. I didn't trust myself totally with an envelope system so I purchased a prepaid credit card and loaded my grocery money on there. If I had a true emergency that I had to redo my grocery budget I could but I kept it strictly for food, not even other things such as toiletries. It worked out really well and I think I'm ready to go to an envelope system now it really helped keep me in control knowing for a fact there was only so much there before it was gone. I may even make and document a grocery shopping diary.... who knows

I have to admit I'm not the best at following a list but I have been trying, making lists and remembering them is also an issue I'm working on.

Photo by: Amy.Arch

Making extra cash

Recently, I posted about earning some extra money and starting a side business. I was really excited, and I'm still in the beginning stages of starting what Samantha Gregory @ Rich Single Momma calls a Side Hustle (I just love that name for earning extra cash).

Samantha isn't the only blogger I've been reading who posts about earning extra income Dawn at Fighting Foreclosure has some really great ideas too. In fact I'm having a garage sale this weekend, she just had one too. I was going to sell books online with what I read from Dawn's blog but decided against it, I don't have the space to store them so off they go into the garage sale. I will be selling my textbooks online though and it will be helpful to re-read Dawn's on-line bookstore posts.

I really enjoy reading blogs from other single women making it by budgeting and being financially healthy, by far because I have been a single woman making it on my own I relate far more to them. Others out there have some great advice but I have to take it in and apply it to my situation with a little more attention than that of advice or words I've read from another single blogger.

For instance, Immer at Mein Taglich Brots who is starting her journey down the Bankruptcy road, she is a little ahead of me plus its great to know I'm not alone. I'm hoping this garage sale will in part help pay for my attorney to file. Then there is Betty at Bouncing Back from Bankruptcy who has completed the Bankruptcy process and it is refreshing to read her posts to see what life is like for someone afterwards. Oddly, it just occurred to me like both of the other bloggers they are single women too. I think I may come up with a blog roll for people in the PF blogosphere that are single. I find I get the best/most applicable PF information right in those types of blogs.

I read each blog I read though because I enjoy them. This post wasn't meant to be a big shout out but it has turned into one. Perhaps I should change the name, but I think I will leave it alone for now... maybe I'll do a part two later on with more of my thoughts... yes, yes I will.

Disclaimer... if you did not make it in this blog post it isn't because I don't love reading your blog its just that its still early when I started this and the reason I'll be doing a part 2... not everyone will make it but eventually I'll likely have posted your blog at least once on mine because you all have made me think and ponder and evaluate... soon enough you'll write a post and I'll say oh yeah, how cool is that? And I'll want to shout it out to everyone who reads my blog. That's just who I am. Holy, run on sentence.... I'd fix it but if you know me personally you know I probably would have just spoken all that in one big ole run on sentence ha.

More to come on my earning extra cash and thoughts on it....

Photo by: Julie92881

Medical crisis and bankruptcy

I am currently reading an article about 'Financial Medicine' over in the Personal Finances section at The Wall Street Journal

The article states that 6 out of 10 bankruptcies are filed due to medical reasons (illness). This is a big reason I am filing so there is some comfort in that I'm not alone. I also find it interesting that there is such a stigma attached to filing bankruptcy yet over half of the reason is inadequate health care or illness. Now I know some things medically can be prevented however things such as getting into a major car accident or having an inherited disease and other issues. I will try not to get into the political aspect of our health care system and the likes.

The article encourages you to check out your policies and plan from there. What is your lifetime maximum, did you even know you had a lifetime maximum? What would happen if you hit that maximum? What about yearly maximums?

What are your risk factors? Do you know what your plan covers should one of your risk factors (Cancer, diabetes....) come into play? What about medications? I know my plan only offers a slight discount on medications.

Often times I have to go without medication if there isn't a cheap alternative because the insurance just doesn't offer enough of a discount. For instance I once got a needed RX there was no alternative to it and the RX was about $115 every 30 days I needed to take this for a few months my discount plan offered $3 off. Other times I only pay a very small percentage so it all depends on what it is covering.

You could just need something as simple as physical therapy, something else I found out is very expensive. Physical therapy is usually prescribed 2-3 times a week for at least 4 weeks, what is your co-pay? Mine is $30 a visit plus 20% of various things such as the charge for equipment used, or the massage therapist etc... for me in the end I had to decide that physical therapy was just too much money in light of having to file because of these types of reasons to begin with. I do have flex spending but obviously not enough to cover PT with possibly needing surgery too (also have to pay 20% of that, you can imagine it could get costly quick).

Karen Pollitz, a research professor at Georgetown was quoted in the article saying "It's perilous to assume that we are protected just because we have a health-insurance card in our wallet." How insightful really! For me this one sentence is so powerful.

What are you doing to protect yourself?

Photo By: jwblinn

Spending for 6/8/09

So it was 9:30 before I could sit down to even think about dinner last night. Last night was an unplanned Wendy's night so I spent $12.96 yesterday at Wendy's because I was also so tired I didn't care that we ordered the more expensive items.

I will be grocery shopping this week and need to find quick things for nights like this. I leave the house at 4:30 am and last night I wasn't home again until 9:30 pm.

Banking for me versus a cash system

I'm not good at this banking thing, I'm especially not so great at the balancing thing.

I tried to make things simple 3 accounts

Savings/Overdraft protection
Checking for bills
Checking for spending/necessities (grocery shopping, gas, some variable bills)

I didn't do so hot, but I got back on the horse and tried again, only I did it again.

With that said. I'm keeping 2 accounts the savings/overdraft protection account and one checking account. I'm getting rid of the debit cards (although for the bill paying account I will keep the number to pay over the phone if I need to, just not the card). The other account I'm getting rid of and I'm going to a cash/envelope system.

I'm also going to start tracking my spending here on the blog.

I'm not sure where I am going wrong. I tracked my spending before and I was surprised with how much money I was spending in places like the gas station buying 'extras' and the likes.

I know one thing is I don't have a set grocery budget, I'm not quite sure how to create one... I just buy some weeks only what we really need to get by and some weeks when sales are great and I actually have the cash I stock up on expensive items. I know this is one of my big budget busters so maybe if I just buckle down with a cash only system I can get this done and get on a good track.

I'm really trying not to get frustrated or down about this, in the past by now I'd have totally given up. I'm going to keep getting back on this PF horse and keep riding hoping I fall less and less as time goes by.

I'm also toying with getting rid of everything but the savings and getting money orders each week when I get paid for bills then putting those together to mail off payment.

Financial Security

Those two words financial and security have never been two things combined I thought were ever in my path. That was the past, today I do know they are but I need to do a lot of work.

I found with the stresses in life right now I'm not necessarily reverting to my old ways, however... I'm not exactly financially healthy right now either. I may not be rushing out to shop till I drop but I still made some costly mistakes. This is a learning curve though, I learned I need to watch more than just shopping, using extra gas to go somewhere (even somewhere free), and just plain ole not preparing for upcoming expenses (ie. kiddos softball expenses which I underestimated by a long shot).

So, with that said I'm making a very conscience effort to try and blog more often even through the time crunch and stress. This is what I need to make time for and no excuses. I am not going to be doing WWYD Wednesdays mostly because I don't want to put a specific day I have to post a specific something as I don't need to add to my work load at the moment, but also because I was having trouble coming up with more scenarios. So I decided that I am going to start writing ideas as they come to me and when I have a list of them, I'll start them back up again. Maybe when I have writers block about that I'll find a new 'segment' to replace it but I want that planned out too. Organization is what it is all about, really everything important in life. Organization is also something that I was never good at.

With organization in mind, I have two days off this week but they are not my normal days. I will take one of the days to organize at least one of my closets at home. This needs to be done, I need to find ways to organize things and the practice will be good. Also, I need to get ready for a garage sale and I can't even begin to go down to my storage cage in the basement until I organize. On the same front I'm organizing at work too, I'm cleaning up the tech library and organizing it to fit company needs and customer needs as well as creating a safer/healthier work environment.

Wish me luck and please cross your fingers I don't get lost somewhere in the abyss of a closet ha!

WWYD Wednesday: Buyouts

Around here many face taking a buyout or face possible layoff, as a matter of fact many have already chosen one over the other.

I have many friends who have made one decision over the other. Some have had success with leaving the state after taking a buyout, those that have stayed have not fared well. Others have stayed only to be laid off later without the option of the buyout but have unemployment. Some have opted not to take a buyout and have done well doing so but may still be in danger now.

I work at the airport and I am seeing many taking buyouts from Delta and Northwest and some who are staying as well. My company is contracted and I do not have that option but we face possible layoff as our contract is up for bid now.

I read an article at DetNews.com on this very subject. Many families are facing the decision on what to do.

WWYD if you were faced with the possible fate of the Auto workers here?

If you took a buyout how would you plan so that you don't fall to the fate that others have?

If you would ride it out what would you do to protect yourself financially?

Photo By: Forbes.com

Even when you change your past will still haunt you for some time.

So I shouldn't have posted in more than one place that I haven't overdrawn my account since starting to make healthier financial decisions because I did it in two separate accounts now. Well the first one is my fault the second one is sort of but sort of not too.

The first one I overdrew because I accidentally used the wrong card. I have since wrote on the back the 'name' of the account so I don't do that again. I have two checking accounts at one bank and one is for bills the other is for 'spending' right now it is for groceries, entertainment, gas for the car....

So I used the bill one and there was not enough money in there, they took from my savings to cover it but there wasn't enough money there either so I over drafted plus there is a $10 fee if the bank transfers your money and an overdraft fee as well as a daily fee for the overdraft UGH!!

So far $133 overdrawn YIKES!! Just in that account. I need to sit down and talk to them and see what can be waived, I'm going to explain the situation and hope that I get someone nice to help me out a bit. I'm also going to point out that when you get your card(s) in the mail it doesn't include even the name of the account (primary, secondary, student, free checking... nothing) so it is a bit confusing. It can't hurt to ask and try.

The next one is I must have had my checks somewhere in my old checking account, where I'm still getting my direct deposit, and then distributing the money myself until I know I have what is needed where figured out to a science, because someone stole two checks. Now that account is overdrawn, I'm still waiting on the copy of the check so I can make a dispute and a police report. In the mean time my account is overdrawn and I have no money. For the first time in ages I had to borrow some money from my mom (which makes me feel like total crap) for gas in my car. She had $20. If push comes to shove I may have to figure out a way to work on Thursday as I'm not sure I have enough gas.

I will be closing this bank account because they are being total jerks. For instance there is a $28 fee to stop payment on any checks. If you do an investigation and see my checks were indeed stolen I think it would be good customer service to waive this fee but not so. I will give them another chance to waive this fee but I find it absurd to pay and I have spoken to other bank employees for other banks and they all say their banks would waive that fee in this case.

There are other consequences here as well... I have major tooth pain and a slight fever, which likely means infection. I have no cash to go to the dentist. I'm not borrowing the money for that, I do get paid Friday after all. My flex spending is frozen right now because they are disputing something or another that has me quite confused. I can submit a bill I've paid but not use my flex spending card (I get a debit type card so it can come right out of there right away and I don't have to wait for reimbursement).

See I have no money because I got paid on Friday and by Friday evening this is what happened I hadn't had a chance to transfer any of the money. I have stopped my direct deposit for now, I'll just have to cash my check the old fashioned way. I also saw I had other overdraft/bounced fees in the account from a few days before when the check tried to clear the first time. So they've tried this check twice now. I looked in my check book and sure enough the check trying to clear and the next check are missing. I had mandatory inspection and repairs recently by the city (not my complex) that I wasn't home for not sure if it could have happened then or what. There is no one really in my home but my checkbook has been coming to work with me the past 2 weeks since I needed the routing number and it has been in my work bag so I guess there is a slight possibility there too.

Photo By: og2t**brzegowiec

WWYD Wedensday: Discretionary Income

I was reading online and stumbled upon a WWYD link. I thought it might be fun to answer the question.

Being in the situation I am in now, I would choose option B. I know what having no emergency fund can do to a person. Not only what no e-fund does financially but your health too the stress is pretty high. I'd rather take a extra time in paying off debt and have the cushion there. It never seemed an option for me so I'm working on that right now.

Chances are you'll run into some unexpected expense in the 12 months you are paying off the card, or at least that is my experience. Car repairs, home repairs, unexpected medical bills... the list can go on and on.

So WWYD? Please explain... especially if you'd pick option A. I want to hear from you.

Photo By: pickuppennies

Biggest Financial Decision of My Life

So I promised an update, to be honest I've been avoiding it. I feel shame, I feel lots of things.

I spoke with a lawyer, a financial advisor and a credit counselor. All agree that I am in no position to pay off all of this debt, further I keep receiving summons for various creditors and at this point I'm in too deep.

I must file bankruptcy. I've researched, I've agonized, cried, thrown a fit, and felt relief a bit.

The thing is I don't have a whole heck of a lot of consumer debt, I won't get into numbers here but suffice it to say that I'm not here because of credit cards and overextending myself. I'm here because of not ever saving maybe and huge amounts of other types of debt.

I'm at a point where I want to evaluate how I can keep this from happening and I can't say that I can. I can create an e-fund but in order to cover the expenses that are causing this I'd have to have such a sum in there that I'd be hard pressed to save that much in 5 years or less. This is definitely something I need to ponder quite a bit more.

For now... I'm feeling encouraged by this actually and quite a bit of relief. I'm still scared to answer my phone and tell them what the attorney told me to tell them (them being the creditors/collectors).

I can't pay for this attorney up front... I put down a small sum and will pay him off over 10 months and then he will file. In the mean time if I receive any summons for court he told me different things I can file so I'm not garnished and they realize I'm in the middle of all getting a bankruptcy started.

I'm hoping that since school will be out for a bit I'll have some time to earn some extra money to go towards the lawyer. I plan on a garage sale hopefully by the end of June. It won't yield much but its something. I plan on the more expensive items to go up on e-bay. I don't know what else I plan quite yet but I'm hoping that I can earn the cash quickly and just be done with the whole thing.

I did get some good news out of all of this too, but I'm still processing it and how it will all work out.

Overspending

I've blogged about my overspending last week and reflected on it. This week I'm feeling the pain of that overspending. I'm broke!

I hate that feeling and it brings back all the old anxiety.

I've long had bills that are in collections and I've never done much about them. I always took a head in the sand approach and I can see how that didn't work for me in a positive direction. That is what this blog is for.

I've ordered my credit reports and I'm calling for the bills I've thrown out (note the head in the sand approach). I'm making some very tough decisions, some I feel are a must but it has me conflicted. Some I knew I should have done a long time ago. I made a mess.

This past week though I was able to see something different because I have been blogging and that is that this head in the sand approach needed to stop, the whole thing just has to let up. It causes me stress and that causes health problems. I'm still young and can overcome all of it and be financially successful. Again, this is why I started this blog to become responsible with financial decisions and become what I know I can be. I have goals I plan on posting about this week, I want to see those goals actually happen and in order to do that I can't just blog about it but I have to take action. I blogged about that at the beginning of this month; it was here. My first step is to create my goals and actually work on them as well as creating a sidebar with those nifty markers that show progress (note to self: find out how in the world you do those, THIS week).

I'm making a very difficult financial decision at the moment and I will blog about them when those decisions are fully made. Whatever decision I do make the turn around is near. I have an appointment Thursday so expect an update by the latest early next week as to what I decided to do about my finances.

Accountability was my number one goal for this blog so I'm holding some accountability here and doing what I need to do.

Photo By: Examiner Carmen Gage Ackert

Have you found motivation?

I lack motivation lately. My last post talked about emotional spending and the problem I've had with it in the past. I'm excited to tell you I have been doing well. I did again overspend... at the grocery store, but not by much. My cupboards, fridge, and freezer were bare because I've been trying to use up stuff that was in there first.

Anyway, I think my ADD is taking me off into other posts ha!

I'm lacking motivation lately, I'm proud of accomplishments I have made but I don't feel motivated to do them. I just do them. I know I'm over scheduled and over booked and that has a lot to do with it. So I've made a decision this morning, well half a decision I need to think it through just a bit, school is out in just a couple of weeks. If I can get through that period then I can make some real progress towards some of my goals. I'll put a few of them on the back burner for now and just get through this rough patch. I'm stressed and being stressed will only make for stressed attempts at my biggest short term/long term goal right now. I'll still make little steps in these two weeks but I'm not going to jump in it full force because I know what that will do to me.

Where do you find your motivation? Do you take a step back ever for the greater good of your goals?

Photo By: Combined Media

Emotional Spending

I have had a problem with emotional spending most of my life. Granted it isn't as bad as some others but if you compare incomes it really is my percentage of income spent on emotional spending is about the same as some of the others in real financial trouble with really high debt. My debt isn't that high but it is too high for my income that is for sure.

I realized this in therapy actually that when things get really rough I spend the money rather than taking it and allocated what I do have in the best way possible. Since I realized that a few years ago I've tried to be better but I still slip up more often than I would like to.

The past few weeks have been super stressful and I can feel that urge to shop again. I even have done it grocery shopping, I'll see a good deal and buy some stuff I don't really need just because it seems at the time to satisfy and reduce the stress and anxiety. That is temporary though. My habit has always been about finding a deal, it has to be a really good deal to make those feelings go away. It is almost no different than an alcoholic is with drinking and masking things inside. I've gone out and bought CFL's on sale to reduce my electric bill out of my budget even to 'satisfy' this 'need' or urge. I guess if you have this issue mine is of the least destructive kind because I buy things that make my financial life easier sometimes although in the grand scheme of things I make it harder on myself for the time being. The list goes on and on about the things I have bought in the name of emotional spending and the need to be frugal at it at the same time. Its not really frugal though if I'm over extending on my budget now is it?

I realized I was spiraling though and I decided to start walking when I feel that anxiety and urge. Its working and best of all its free. Not that I haven't been off the wagon this week because I spent too much on lunches out but this time will be different I'll have to make concessions the rest of the month (maybe even the next one) to make up for that.

I'm so much more satisfied with the walking now that I'm actually doing it, changing my stress and anxiety relief habits into healthy ones is a hard road. The fact that I am changing it to not just healthy decisions but for my body too makes the walking even that much more satisfying in fact. I'm hoping as I get more strength and endurance I can add in some work out videos too. For now the weather is beautiful and I don't own a bike so walking is free and that is what I will do. I do plan on budgeting in a used bike before summer hits so I can bike ride with my daughter. We have a beautiful metro park within walking distance. It was so refreshing to take a walk with my child and talk to her and listen to her thoughts as well. Walking by myself when things are at their worst is most helpful and I've gotten up at work and left my desk about 2 or 3 times this week to take a walk. What a difference that has made with the desire to just call in and stay in bed as well.

Anyway this post is mostly about my accomplishment this week. I took that anxiety and stress and I didn't go out shopping... instead I did a free activity that both reduced the stress and anxiety and didn't give in to that addiction. Even if I did over spend on lunches, I have a plan for next week since I know it will be stressful the rest of the month. I'm bringing things into work to put in the fridge so I don't have to pack a lunch daily it will just be there then I remove the excuse to go and get lunch while I'm working. Overall I call that a great success!

WWYD Wedensday: Tax Day Edition

Since today is tax day our WWYD is tax related.

I'll put a spin onto it, lets first discuss what we are doing with our refunds. Mine goes right back to the IRS to pay back taxes... I know, I know but at least I'm getting it paid off. What are you doing with yours?

Also here is a link for Tax Day freebies, let us know if you utilize any of them. Look at the link there are also links within with tax tips and tax information for all of us but mostly for you last minuet folks.

So now for the WWYD:

You've gotten your refund you have several places you can allocate it to:

• Your Emergency fund which is almost non-existent but you are plugging away on
• Spending on a much wanted and useful item you've been trying to save for
• Much needed car repairs
• Paying off a credit card
• A vacation you couldn't afford otherwise

So, WWYD? Tell us why. I tried to think of different possible scenarios that cover someone just starting out in the healthy financial journey because that is where I am at and I believe many people are hurting right now so that can help those people too. If you have other things to add please do add them.

Photo By: reallyboring

Utilizing Employee Benefits

I have pretty craptastic health and dental insurance fairly good dental and vision. Dental is good because of the orthodontics plan and we are majorly utilizing this. My daughter got braces in September of 2008 and they are mighty expensive if you don't have coverage. In fact, she has 3 dental plans on her until these braces come off. We are lucky in that sense that instead of parenting married we parent jointly, which means my daughter has a step-mom who also carries her on her insurance as well as her father and I.

While those benefits aren't the best I do have benefits at least. However, I also have a ton of other benefits I haven't ever really used. I've decided I'm going to start utilizing them especially the EAP (Employee Assistance Program).

Some of my available benefits in addition to insurance and salary are:

401k - They match. They also contribute even if you aren't contributing how cool is that? I'm not utilizing it to its full potential and I am not contributing at the moment. I think its safe to say that most people have a little anxiety after so many lost so much of their retirements my mom who is 55 lost almost $200k that's a lot of money for someone nearing retirement to loose in their plan. Heck its a lot of money for anyone to loose.

Auto/Home Insurance - This works like a group rate type of thing, you get a discount just for being an employee and other discounts for getting automatic deductions from your paycheck. At the moment I am not eligible for this because the insurance company said they didn't give a reason but you know what I'm going to find out (I think my credit score just sucks enough they don't want me).

Employee Discounts - Too many things to list, hotel discounts, car rentals, cell phone plan discounts, attraction discounts, vehicle discounts (supplier benefit), various home repair discounts (HVAC, plumbing supplies) as we provide these services as well, and really many other items. This will really help whenever I finally buy a home.

Foundation - This is a charity part of the organization I work for, if I do a fundraiser and apply and get approved for a charity of my choice my company will match it. I'll be utilizing this for my 3-Day Walk.

Savings Bonds - I know wha??? That's what I was thinking too but apparently I can purchase them and have a weekly amount taken from my check until they are paid off. Kind of neat, I'll have to check that out more

Scholarships - This is for the children of employees, I don't plan on being here that long but its nice to know if I am my kid can apply and maybe get a scholarship out of the deal

Stock Purchase Plan - I think this has been offered everywhere I've ever been. I've never really participated but one day I will.

Thanks program - This is an employee incentive/recognition program. I don't see it being utilized to its potential at my branch though.

The EAP though, I'm going to utilize that on Thursday to get help financially. They have financial advisers and I think I could benefit even from just a small bit of help here. So many things I can get from the EAP. I'll let you all know how it goes.

What are your benefits you aren't using to their full potential? I urge you to find out what they are and see if there is something offered to you that you aren't using.

Photo By: mathowie

Banking Day The New Financial Life Has Begun

In my last post, Making Uniformed Decisions When Banking, I discussed in part the old me and how I went right to that when I was excited I was approved for the bank account at a certain banking establishment. Instead of researching I just willy nilly applied at one got approved and went woohoo!! I should have researched then applied.

So I did my research and wrote my lists of pros and cons. I found only one bank in my area where banking would be convenient as well (an important factor for me as it is part of keeping me organized enough) that had a promotion $50 to start a new account. That's a pretty good promotion. None of the other banks even had those little gifts they give you but that's not really what is most important in the grand scheme of things I was soon to find out. The bank that did have the $50 for opening an account also did not have half of the features I was looking for and their fee schedule was a bit much for me, when I look at what fees I usually encounter I wanted to find a bank that had no fees or low fees for those items.

After all my research at about 5 or so different banks I came to my conclusion and guess what? It was the original bank I hastily applied at and went woohoo about. I opened two checking accounts with them and a savings account (which is also linked to both checking accounts as an overdraft protection). I think I will open another savings with ING Direct as well but I'm going to wait a bit on it.

While I still ended up in the same place I am so glad I did do the research and did it all the right way so that I could practice safe and healthy financial decisions. Part of becoming healthy financially is doing those things consistently.

Now I must really try and reach my goal of creating a budget so I know what goes into what account and work on keeping it balanced. I need to pick a day to do that weekly balancing and going over the budget that will work for me.

Picture by: Terri Zwierzynki