Are you ready to jumpstart your year in 2009?
Want to earn and save as much money as possible next year?
Well, so do I!! Remember, Saving and Earning BOTH affect your families bottom line.
In January, I sit down and plan out my goals for the year, put together my budget and basically prepare for another year of managing our families finances to the best of our abilities.
This means, I am going thru every method I use during the year to kick start us into gear. It is a month full of method madness! :-)
And, I am inviting all of you to join in with me this year!
Interested in participating? I hope so!
Join me each day, beginning January 2nd, as I walk us through each piece of saving and earning and what you need to do that day! It will be busy, but it will be worth it! In some cases, you may even see financial benefit to your family immediately. In other cases, you might already be a guru and have been following along with me last year. Either way, it is the time to refresh and prepare/organize for the New Year!
In addition, I will have a fun prize to raffle off at the end of the month for those participating in the event with me. More to come on that!
Want a quick overview of what each day will hold?
- Goals
- Budget
- Preparation
Then, into the methods:
- Sale Shopping
- Groceries
- Online Offers
- Credit Cards
- Checking/Saving Accounts
- Banks
- Loyalty Programs
- Rebates
- Online Shopping
- Insurance
- Prescriptions
- Utilities/Household Bills
- Surveys/Market Research
- Mystery Shopping
- Free Trials
- Donations
- Mail Offers
- Eating Out
- Online Searching
- Cash Back Sites
- Freebies
- Customer Service
Here's to a financially successful year for all of us!
13 comments:
I think I'm going to join you. We just found out we're pregnant, and I'd really like to get a good plan for the finances next year. I'm going to link to this from my blog if you don't mind.
I can't wait to get started on this! I swing through highs and lows when it comes to finances, and I really need this motivation! :)
Count me in! My husband officaly retires from Active Duty Air Force on 1 Jan. and I can use all the help I can get us living on just his retirement check while he hunts for another job! Thanks!
I am definitely on board for all the 2009 success. you have been so helpful to me and my family since I found your site last month. Thanks so much for all your effort and time.
Oh, yeah! Can't wait!! Awesome idea, thanks for helping us get organized in the new year.
Thanks Carrie! I'm excited to start a through plan in Jan. Could you explain how you do your running saving and earning money tab? For instance, you say you have ECB to use. If I had $35 worth of ECB and I bought $35 I would just say I saved $35. Do you say you earned the ECB and then say you spent that money in your budget? Please explain your reasoning in your explanations. There is a sense of accomplishment to say I earned the $35 but I don't like to say I spent the $35. Am I making sense? Help.
Wahoo! I am excited! It is amazing that you are 'doing the legwork' for us! Thank you for that!!!!
Game On ;)
Evelyn,
Thanks for the question and it is a good one.
For my blog purposes, you will notice I always lump all my savings and earnings together when doing my Week In Review. I do this, so that I make the point to all that saving is just as important as earning...and both affect your overall family financial picture.
In regards to how I break it out on my own spreadsheet at home...it is pretty simple ( not much different than what you see online ) except I have a column for earnings and one for savings.
With ECBs, I calculate these as SAVINGS. AND, I don't count them in my numbers UNTIL I redeem them.
Here is why....
First, I try to view earnings as something I would report when doing my taxes and thus pay Income taxes on.
Even if I redeemed more than $600 ECBs, I still wouldn't have to report as income tax. So, would I pay Income taxes on ECBs? No. Thus, it my mind, it is a savings.
I also don't log it until I actually use it. Why? Because they do expire and I could lose out on them. I try to never do this, but anything could happen.
If you look at your CVS receipt, it will show you total saved when you shop. This will take into account any ECBs you used on that trip. That is an easy way to know what to log.
The ECBs that print out on the bottom will NOT show on total saved for that trip until you actually use them to purchas something on your next trip.
Hope that makes more sense.
I'm looking forwarded to joining you on this journey. Our goal is to be debt free by December 31, 2009! :) So any little savings and extra money here and there will help us accomplish that goal. I love your website and you have already helped us a great deal~thank you! Looking forward to 2009!!!
Hi Carrie,
I can't wait to read what's coming next!
I just wanted to thank you for this blog. I've been reading for the past several months and have found many of your tips to be really helpful.
Normally I'm a pretty big saver and also earn extra money on the side,(oh, how I LOVE putting all that into and Excel spreadsheet:) but it's always great to learn what others are doing to save and earn more $.
I usually just toss all the junk mail from credit card companies and banks, but from reading here, I know not to do that anymore!
Just yesterday I signed up to get a $20 visa gift card by signing up for a fraud protection service for $7.99. According to the fine print I can cancel and get my $7.99 back and keep the $20 gift card. Yea!!
Thanks for the tips,
Trixie
http://farmhomelife.blogspot.com/
Sounds great to me. I'd like to join you. I was introduced to money saving mom midyear and really thats been the extent of what I'm doing. I'm excited to learn from you.
Count me in! I can't wait to start earing/saving even more money...your blog has been an inspiration for me to start managing my family's money even better.
Thanks for all you do!!!
CarrieY
Carrie,
Thanks for your explanations. I have been mulling it over. I looked on your week in review and you can not tell earnings vs savings apart. Is it just mental note?
Another example. I used a card I got from Lowes that was $10 off $25 purchase. We were painting and I used it. Would you put down a $10 savings?
Then would your yearly total be
Interest
coupons (what would you call it)
bank offers
etc.
Grand total
Did I make sense? I want to make my running total for next year. I want to see what I earn and save, but I am also trying to get a budget and be able to put cost in categories. Any help in this area?
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