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January 2010
You are browsing the archive for January 2010.
Free Baby Formula – Finally!
My diligence has finally paid off! I signed up for Babies R’Us Rewards a couple of months ago under the pretense that I would get a free can of baby formula after buying 9. Well, I bought 9 and nothing happened. The cashier actually scanned the 10th, but I made her take it back because [...]
Spending Fast – A Couple of Surprising Challenges
At the beginning of this month, we were (myself included) slightly skeptical on how we would fare on the spending fast this month. Would we starve? Would we go through spending withdrawl? Would we quit halfway through?
So far, none of these questions have been as challenging as we thought. I know this because Dana mentioned [...]
Emergency Fund- How Should I Invest My Emergency Fund? Part 3
My answer for what you should invest in is much shorter than the list of what you should not invest your emergency fund in.
ING checking or savings- If you have been reading this blog at all, you know my heart, for savings accounts, lies at ingdirect.com.
Money Market Funds-
You will see Money market funds in your [...]
Emergency Fund – Where do I put it? Part 2
Your emergency fund is not the account that is going to build wealth. Your emergency fund should be exactly that: a fund that is accessible for an emergency. Our definition of ‘emergency’ may be different, but I think of emergencies as something unexpected, like medical expenses or a job loss. Christmas & Vacation: not an [...]
Emergency Savings- How much should I put in? (Pt. 1 of 3)
This question seems to always come up when it comes to the emergency savings. Unfortunately, there is no quick answer to this. My answer is typically: it depends (gee, thanks Bryan). My general answer is 3-6 months of living expenses. If you don’t know your monthly expenses, this would be a great first step up [...]
21 days so far, 10 to go, Spending Fast Update
Here is a breakdown of what has happened over the last week and the ups and downs of our spending fast.
Expenses since we last wrote:
$18.00 Dinner on Friday night. What can you get at a restaurant on a Daniel Fast? Water and salad.
Nevertheless, our friends really wanted to go to Golden Corral and we couldn’t [...]
Just Ask Question – Should I sell company stock to eliminate CC debt
Should I sell my company stock worth $1000.00 to pay down credit card debt? I have $6000.00 in credit card debt and am putting $800.00 of my buffer into this each month.
This is an excellent question and first of all, awesome job on the buffer of $800.00! This hunk of money will follow you through [...]
Spending Fast – Behind the Numbers (our budget breakdown)
Dana and I have been receiving questions about how we are saving a potential additional $1200.00 this month. We decided to give you a glimpse into our very unexciting 2010 budget to show you how it’s broken down.
Our average monthly expenses for 2009 were $1452.00 above and beyond our monthly bills. Some categories we stayed [...]
Auto Insurance Savings – Pay Up Front?
Our bi-annual car insurance renewal occurred on December 15. This time around I did something different: I paid the entire balance up front. The timing, in the midst of Christmas shopping season, of the premium was not very convenient, but with a little planning and some savings, paying your entire car insurance can save you [...]
Why Are We Doing the Spending Fast?
I suppose this question needs to be addressed as it seems a little bizarre. There are a couple of reasons why we are doing this.
A spending fast slows us down a little bit, which is always good after a hectic holiday season. Buying ‘things’ will not make us happy. Spending time together makes us happy. [...]