Thrifty Thrifting

Hey all,

I know it's been a really long time since I've written on here, and I'm sorry for that! School got really hectic and our lives didn't slow down until today... i finished my last final and am FREE, well at least until Monday when I start my first clinical, but honestly, it will feel freeing because I will be able to come home and not have any homework to do, I can just relax and actually have time to spend with PEOPLE instead of books!

This wednesday I went to Salvation Army in search of ANY navy blue top because I have to wear that and khakis every day for my clinical. I did not find one. On Wednesdays at the Salvation Army, all clothes are half off - I mean seriously, they're already super cheap to start with, but half off is even better!  I DID, however, find a new pair of khaki pants! It gets better... they're Banana Republic and barely worn.... even better, guess how much their final cost was.... $2.50!!! No, I did not put the decimal in the wrong place.  I think these pants were made just for me because they fit me perfectly!

Moral of the story: go to the Salvation Army on Wednesdays for clothes, a lot of times there's even stuff that still has the tags on it! What good buys have any of you found at thrift stores?


"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence" Acts 2:28

Where to Begin with Investing?

     I learned about investing when I was in college for my finance degree – but it felt like the more I learned, the more complicated it got.  When I began earning an income once I finished college and got married, I learned it wasn’t really as complicated as it seemed.  I wanted to figure out how I could take advantage of starting to invest at a young age – so I read some books, talked with wise people, and found out about the simple idea of“systematic” investing (also called "dollar cost averaging" from Benjamin Graham's book "The Intelligent Investor")

     Basically – having the discipline to set aside money each time you get a paycheck to be put into an investment account (some call it “paying yourself first”).  Discipline was the hard part – for the first time in my life, I was making my own money and paying my own bills, insurance, gas, repairs, taxes, etc. but living totally free of anyone else’s rules. All the "new money" made it really easy to go to any concert, vacation, excursion, friend’s wedding, or adventure we wanted to!  We wanted to be investing about 20% of my salary, but we had no idea how we would get there.

But discipline gave me a few ways to keep it all in check…this is how Amy and I decided to use our money to invest based on our learning:

1. 401(k) at work – Ask about a “company match.” <--(free money!) 

This is usually a potential of up to about 3% of your salary to begin your retirement savings.  

Example:

Salary: $40,000

401(k) contribution (taken out of your paycheck before taxes): $2,400 (or 6%)

Employer match: $1,200 (half of the amount you put in up to 6%)

(after maxing out the 401(k), we still have 14% to go!)

    2. IRA – Individual Retirement Arrangement (Traditional or Roth): Almost any mutual fund, stock, bond, or other investment can be put into this arrangement, depending on where you set it up.

a.       Money saved for retirement or other BIG purchases (like a house).

b.      Either before-tax (Traditional) or after-tax (Roth) – choosing one depends on what you think your tax % will be when you retire:

                                                               i.      Higher % at retirement than right now: use Roth IRA

                                                             ii.      Lower % at retirement than right now: use Traditional IRA

c.       Limited amounts allowed to be put in each year based on your income level

                                                               i.      Roth: up to $5,000 (basically)

                                                             ii.      Traditional: up to about $18,000

(This may get you up to your 20%, so you wouldn’t need to try to invest any more unless you happened upon some extra money you weren’t expecting!)

    3. If there’s still more left after those two are maxed out each year, I would look at finding a financial advisor to talk with you about your “portfolio.”  When things get past this step, they can get complicated and time-consuming.  Paying someone who knows what they’re doing is a great way to not have to spend tons of time on something you’re not an expert at.  It may cost in the beginning, but the value of their expertise and selection of investments pay off.  If you try it, but don’t like it – shop around and find another!

Does anyone else have other simple ways to invest?  Leave a comment and let us know about it!

"A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous." -Proverbs 13:22

Costs of owning a puppy and cheap dog toy ideas

We have a wonderful little schnoodle doggie named Hokie.  She is almost a year old, and she has provided many hours of entertainment, love, and joy to both of us since we got her last December.  We knew that there would be an increased cost with having a dog, so we try to cut costs whenever we can.  Here are some costs that we have incurred:

Banfield Veterinary Puppy Health Plan
Puppy Food
Frontline Plus Tick and Flea treatment (didn't work for us, she still got fleas)
Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth for flea treatment in our house
Brewers Yeast tablets (we crush one tablet over her food and mix it in - keeps fleas away)
Extra cost relating to spaying above the Health Plan
Two leashes (one lead and now we're on our second retractable leash)
Chest harness (so she doesn't choke when she gets to the end of her leash)
Other random vet bills for when she throws up
Heart Worm pills
Treats
A few toys

What we really want to share with you is how we give Hokie brand new toys without spending any extra money (these work for us, but it may vary depending on your dog's size and strength):

Empty water bottle (we take it away once she starts ripping off little plastic pieces)
Golf ball (use the range balls - much cheaper, free!)
Old socks (tie them together and they're perfect for tug o' war)
Old stuffed animals hidden away in your closets (Hokie's favorite is a Chick-Fil-A cow)
Tennis balls (of course!)
Ice Cubes (these double as a free treat)
Kong toy (you can continually fill it with peanut butter then freeze it and give it to them when you leave: to reduce separation anxiety)
Amy's contact cases that come with every bottle of solution she buys
Random metal things like mint tins and small metal bowls

"A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." -Proverbs 12:10

Getting paid to workout with Gym-Pact

Amy is naturally motivated to be awesome and disciplined - however I am not so blessed in those areas.  I need a whole lot of motivation to do that thing called "exercise."

So a few months ago, I read an article in Entrepreneur magazine about a new iPhone app and start-up company called Gym-Pact. The basic idea is using money as the motivating incentive to get you to workout -   you could earn money or lose it depending on your level of determination to get fit!

Here's how it works:

1. You download the free Gym-Pact app to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (a version for Android is coming soon!)

2.Fill out the registration and choose your PACT: this is how many days you will agree to workout and how much money you will pay if you don't stay true to your word. Disclaimer: You will also be required to enter a credit card number when you register, but you will only be charged if you don't meet your weekly PACT.

3. Your Pact runs from Monday at 12:01 AM to Sunday at 11:59 AM - in that time you need to meet your Pact by logging your agreed upon number of workouts.  During the week, you can change your PACT for next week any time up until Sunday at midnight. If you need to schedule a break for a week, you can do that too! Just go to settings and schedule a break.

4. You can either check-in at a gym (via GPS location service) or use RunKeeper's free app (you would need to download this also) as a way to log your workout - either way, it must be at least 30 minutes long (RunKeeper has a few more rules with theirs since you don't need a gym to log a workout).

5. After your PACT week is finished, your new PACT week starts.  You'll receive any email the following Tuesday showing you how much you had to pay if you didn't meet the PACT, or how much money you earned if you did meet it!  To date, Amy and I have each earned over $30 - just for working out. The real reward is that I have been working out for at least three days a week since I started, which I wouldn't have been motivated to do otherwise!

If you have questions or hesitations about it...feel free to leave a comment or email us at brentandamy349@gmail.com - we are big fans of fusing fitness with finances. Get off the couch, get out of the house, and go get your fitness on!

Saving Money 101 - just start!

Welcome to our blog's financial section. I would like to make my first post be about saving money!  Money is one of those things that seems to always run out.  One way to combat against that would be to SAVE money.  I know it seems simple, but it can be really difficult to put it into practice.  Here's a great way to begin:

Step 1: DECIDE that you are going to SAVE.  You have to make the conscious choice that you will START saving.

Step 2: PICK AN AMOUNT.  Think about a certain percentage (%) or dollar ($) amount that you will start with - then stick to it. Amy and I choose a to set aside at least 20% of our income for savings/investing - you can choose more or less depending on how much it costs for the basics and what type of future expenses you may have.

Step 3: As soon as you get paid ANY money (salary, income, gifts, birthday cards, tax refund, inheritance, etc.), take out your set amount (% or $ amount) and put it somewhere like a savings account or under your mattress (more on this later).  This is where those developing discipline skills come in handy.

Step 4: Pick someone who you trust.  Share with them how much you are setting aside each time you receive money (this could be your spouse, a parent, a close friend, or that random pen pal from Argentina).  This is so you can share your JOYs and CHALLENGEs with them about your experience with saving.

My future posts will include some ideas for places to put your SAVED money - but for now, do yourself a favor - JUST START!

Here's a great video from our friends at SNL to help you get started: "Where do you get this...SAVED MONEY???"

Savings - What Sales and Coupons will save vs. Regular

Ok, so I don’t know if I ever realized the magnitude of savings with coupons and sales because I’ve never really calculated the savings over a stretch of a couple stores/weeks, but now after doing that, it really is amazing! I know a lot of people who tell me, “it’s crazy how much I spend on groceries… stuff I need. I don’t understand how I could spend almost $100 every week.” I do! Let me show you…

I went grocery shopping to a few stores over the last two weeks when they had really good sales to stock up on stuff we will need during my school year when I won’t have as much time to shop.  I did a cost analysis of the items and I’m sure you’ll be amazed, just as I was!

This is the extensive list of items I bought:

2 bags Kroger frozen veggies

6 Kroger carb-master yogurts

2 4-packs Chobani Champions greek yogurt

6 Yoplait Greek Yogurt

2 Chobani Greek Yogurt

Gallon of skim milk

20 pack Frigo string cheese

1 bag Kraft Fresh-Take

Small piece of maple bbq salmon

2 Packs Johnsonville Chicken Sausage

1 pack Oscar Mayer Deli Turkey

1 box Fiber One almond nutty clusters cereal

*2 Boxes Shredded Wheat n’ Bran (sounds gross, but I like to mix it with sugary cereal for some fiber)

1 box Fiber-One Chewy bars

1 box Fiber-One Brownies

1 Bag teddy grahams

1 Bag mini oreos

2 bags trail mix

*2 bags Chex Mix

1 box Lance Cracker Creations

5 PowerBars

*1 ZonePerfect protein bar

3 Balance Bars

2 Met-Rx protein bars

4 Pack Knorr chicken stock

1 Box Ocean Spray individual packed fruit snacks

4 cans Ocean Spray Diet Pomegranate Blueberry sparkling juice

Mott’s Applesauce to-go

4 individual Silk Dark Chocolate Almond Milk

1 Silk Fruit & Protein

1 Sambazoan Chocolate Acai protein drink

*2 Wholly Guacamole Roasted tomato salsa

*2 Wholly Guacamole Guacamole

*2 Ken’s Salad Dressings

5 1-subject notebooks

2 boxes Hefty gallon freezer bags

2 boxes Ziploc bags

3 pack Eclipse gum

1 Small container Biz laundry detergent

1 Simple Face wash

1 Clean and Clear cream cleanser

1 Ban deodorant

1 Almay mascara

So I got some groceries as well as household items and the total without any sales or coupons would have been… drum roll…

$210!!!

Now it’s time for some math magic. I’m going to show you how sales and coupons work EXTREMELY WELL to your advantage! It’s really crazy how a little awareness of sales and clipping of coupons will help you out!

If I had not used any coupons, but had simply gotten most of these items on sale, I would have saved $70.08! That brings the total to $139.92. This is a much better price by simply paying attention to what’s on sale and buying mainly those items.

Since I did have coupons, though, I will add on those savings and show you how couponing can save you even more of a fortune! I shop at Farm Fresh on Wednesdays because they double coupons up to and including $1, and up to $0.99 every other day.  When I shopped at Harris Teeter, they were having a SUPER DOUBLE event and doubled all coupons up to and including $2!! Krogers around here always double up to and including $0.50, but never anything more, they’re just taken at face value (a $1 off coupon will get you $1 off).  Because of coupons on these trips, I saved $85.02! Here’s the math all written out (I love math by the way!)…

Total before any sales or coupons: $210

Total ONLY with sale prices: $210-$70.08= $139.92

Total with sale and COUPONS: $139.92-$85.02= $54.90

That’s a total savings of $155.10 or $155.10/$210= 73.9% for you math people like me!

I’ll let you be the judge of whether or not it’s worth it!! In my last post, I had bought some produce, so these are items other than produce because produce doesn’t usually have coupons. Refer to my previous posts, however, about sale prices of produce – you can save a bundle on these too!  Please feel free to leave a comment or email me if you have any questions on how to coupon or other sale related things like “if it says 10 for $10 do I have to buy 10?” NOOOO you do NOT have to buy 10, this simply means they cost $1 each. Did I blow your mind? Maybe not, but have fun shopping!

Kroger deals and meal plan! Until 8/25

I like trying to plan out meals, and I obviously like saving money, too! The way I make my meal plans is by using things that are on sale that week or that I already have.  Here is what I bought at Kroger today and there were a couple other things I wanted to get, but ran out of time, so I will be going later this week.  I will show you how you can make many meals out of the sale items at Kroger this week.

Kroger does this thing called a “Mega Event” where you have to buy 10 items, but you get $5 off instantly. This is a great deal if you need 10 of the items.  Turned out I needed 20, so I got $10.

I went here to find a lot of the coupon matchups if there were any - http://www.howtohaveitall.net/kroger/kroger-deals/

Here’s what I got:

Seedless Watermelon - $2.99

Red leaf lettuce - $0.99

Discount bananas (about to go bad, but they look fine to me) - $0.35

Yellow Peaches – 1.36lb at $0.99/lb = $1.34

Kroger Whole Wheat Bread - $1.09

Kroger Value Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – ($1.88/lb) - $4.46

MEGA EVENT (prices are shown with discount of $0.50 off each)

3 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta – 3 x $0.50 = $1.50

Fiber One Chewy Bars - $2 - $0.50 coupon that doubled = $1

4 Quaker quakes – 4 x $1 = $4– 2 coupons for $1/2 quaker products = $2 for 4

Milk & cereal  bars - $2 - $0.50 doubled = $1

3 Kleenex – 3 x $1 = $3- $0.50/3 doubled = $2 for 3

4 Del Monte Tomatoes – 4 x $0.50 = $2

Lady Speed Stick Deodorant - $1.50-$1 coupon = $0.50

2 Softsoap hand soap - $1.49 x 2 = $3 - $1/2 coupon = $2

Oscar Mayer Turkey Breast - $2.98-$1 = $2

All this was about $25. I am also going to get some more things…

2 Birdseye veggies – 2 x $0.87 = $1.74

Smart Balance Milk - $1.99 - $0.75 coupon = $1.25 half gallon

Here’s a suggestion for those on a tight budget – a shopping list for you and semi-meal plan!

Red leaf lettuce - $0.99

Bananas – $0.56/lb I think

Yellow Peaches – $0.99 for 1 lb

Kroger Whole Wheat Bread - $1.09

Kroger Value Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast – ($1.88/lb) - $4.46 was the smallest package I saw

Kroger Skim Milk $2.40

MEGA EVENT (prices are shown with discount of $0.50 off each)

2 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta – 2 x $0.50 = $1.00

2 Del Monte Tomatoes – 2 x $0.50 = $1

2 Birdseye veggies – 2 x $0.87 = $1.74

Oscar Mayer Turkey Breast - $2.48 - $1 coupon here https://www.facebook.com/OscarMayer/app_242767995836074  = $1.50 (make sure this one rings up right)

Kroger Cheese Singles - $1.29

Mott’s Snack & Go - $1.99 - $1 off coupon http://www.coupons.com/coupons/?pid=15493&nid=10&zid=yn07&plid=ESCRSS3024&crid=cj1041-n3&varb=1721&cid=17544382&afsrc=1 = $1

Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs - $1.99 -$1 coupon https://www.facebook.com/OscarMayer?sk=app_242767995836074&app_data = $1

That’s a total of $18 for more than enough food for a week! Here’s your meal plan – assuming you have some condiments:

BREAKFAST options

2 pieces of Toast with PB or jelly or PB with banana

Glass of milk

Fruit – banana, peach

Mott’s applesauce to go

LUNCH options

Sandwich with turkey, cheese, and lettuce – mayo mustard etc

Hot dog on whole wheat makeshift bread bun with cheese

Salad with grilled/pan fried chicken and peaches

Leftover dinner

DINNER options

Grilled Chicken topped with cheese, and veggies; side of pasta or bread

Hot dogs with makeshift bread bun with cheese, maybe mac & cheese (Kroger value brand is $0.55) and salad, maybe some veggies too

Pasta with pan fried or grilled chicken, veggies, and canned tomatoes as sauce. I would do half a can of no salt added tomatoes and half basil oregano tomatoes and add some spices of your own. And a salad

Sandwich with fruit and milk if you feel lazy

Salad with grilled/pan fried chicken and peaches

Make your own chicken salad – cook chicken, cut into chunks, add mayo and whatever else you think might be good – I like grapes or celery, I think many things would be good. Put on bread for sandwich, lettuce for salad.

Happy shopping, thanks for reading our blog!!

"But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me." Psalm 13:5

"Pretty Good" Prices

I have been grocery shopping on my own now for about 6 years, and know the prices I’ll pay for certain items.  This was harder to live by when I lived in Blacksburg and only had the option of Kroger or Food Lion, but I did the best I could. I tend to do the grocery shopping around our house because, well, my husband would rather make a home-cooked meal (which he REALLY doesn’t like doing).  I don’t blame him for not wanting to go to the store, because if he comes home and didn’t pay the right price on something, or accidentally got the $1.50/lb apples instead of the $1/lb ones, boy am I upset and then he asks me why I sent him in the first place.  So in order to avoid all that, my perfectionist self (to a fault with grocery shopping) plans and implements the grocery excursions. Here are a list of items and prices I will pay for them.  Do not be fooled, ALLLLLL of these items WILL go on sale at some point, usually at least once a month.  My philosophy is to wait it out for them to go on sale and ONLY buy what is on sale. 

(if you have specific questions about a certain fruit, veggie, or meat that I don’t have listed, feel free to message me and ask!)

Fruit: look and see what’s in season, and if it’s not in season, WAIT! (unless it’s a good price) My rule of thumb is to only buy fruit that’s under $1/lb, unless it’s something that’s not sold per lb.

$1/lb fruits– peaches, plums, apples, pears, grapes (I’ll let these slide at $1.50), nectarines

$3 each (at most) - Pineapple

$1.50 each - Cantaloupe

$0.45/lb - Bananas

$0.50/lb - Oranges

During winter months, $0.75 each Grapefruit

$1-$1.50/lb Strawberries

3/$1 Kiwi

Veggies: rule of thumb is less than $1/lb, except peppers, which should be under $1 each.  This goes for fresh, frozen, or canned.

Meat:

$1.99/lb or LESS: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts & pork chops

Split chicken breasts: $0.99/lb

No more than $2.50/lb: Chicken or turkey sausage, Ground beef (I like to get the leanest 90/10, but don’t usually buy it because it’s hardly ever this cheap)

$2.99/lb: Pork tenderloin

$5.99/lb: Porterhouse/NY  strip

Dairy:

Skim milk: $2.70 gallon

Low-fat yogurt: $0.40 each or a 4 pack - $1.50

Greek yogurt: less than $1 each (6 oz.) – usually buy this with coupons

Eggs: $1.60/dozen

Sour cream/cottage cheese: $1/lb

Cheese: $4/lb

Happy shopping everyone, I hope this helps out! And if you pay cheaper prices, PLEASE let me know, I love cheaper and I'm sure everyone else does too!

"I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galatians 2:21

Cheap Cards - you know you want them!

I found this gem about a year ago when I got married - DOLLAR STORE CARDS! They are either $0.50 or $1, compared to the $5 cards from Hallmark.  I got all my wedding cards for people and a couple other cards (8 in total) for $5! So for the price of ONE card at Hallmark, I got EIGHT (that would have been $40 at the Hallmark store)! What a steal.  Do it.  Some are really strange, but they do have good ones!

5 cards for $2.75

"Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. "  John 14:1

How I Shop

This is actually much simpler than you might think.  I have a few rules for shopping, and I stick by them ALWAYS, well almost always, unless I REALLY need something (like for a recipe I’m making that night, for instance).

 1.  I don’t buy anything that’s not on sale – really, ANYTHING. (Except at Trader Joe’s because they don’t have sales).  You may say, “produce and fresh food doesn’t go on sale,” but ohhh yes it does! More on this later.

2.  I do a little bit of planning before going to the store (I make a list and stick to it, except I let myself buy like 2 things extra).

3.   I use coupons whenever I can – this can be simple too, because I use other blogs that do the coupon matchups for me, like www.afrugalchick.com  and www.krazycouponlady.com. I get coupons from the Sunday paper or print them online from www.coupons.com, www.redplum.com, www.smartsource.com, www.bettycrocker.com, pillsbury.com, and MANY other sites – just google some.

4.  I buy some things in bulk, but I don’t buy anything I’m not going to use.

Seriously, that’s it, nothing more to it, and I get GREAT deals and save lots of money every month!

Airplane Customer Service Tips - Ask and You Shall Receive!

I'm putting this post under marriage, because working together is a GREAT aspect of marriage, and it worked out in our favor in this situation! 

As I’m writing this, I am currently on an airplane on the way to Charlotte and then to Memphis.  We got to the airport around 8:45, our flight was delayed an hour, we got on the plane, were informed there was a groundstay, and then sat on the tarmac for around 2 hours.  They told us it didn’t look good, that our flight might get cancelled, and that they were looking into alternate routes for all of us.  We figured this couldn’t be possible, so we decided to take matters into our own hands.  

I used the Kayak app on my iPhone to search for flights from Norfolk to Memphis and sorted them by leaving soonest.  There were many that would get us in to Memphis around 10 or 11 pm (original arrival time: 3 pm), but ONE that got in at 6:17 pm.  Kayak told me there were 5 seats on the first flight and 9 on the second, so Brent and I sprang into action.  He called United and, bless his heart, sat on the phone with them for over half an hour!  He told them about our situation and exactly what we wanted (the flight numbers I found).  They booked the flights for us, told us a confirmation number, and we were on our way, to the disbelief of the crew of the flight we were currently on.  They seemed very confused as to why/how we changed our flight.  We were not willing to go to Newark where there was a previous ground stay because any flight we would have planned to be on would be delayed at least another hour and a half! 

We successfully left security, got new boarding passes, went back through security, and are now on our (on-time) flight.  God is so good at coordinating schedules and being involved in every detail of our day, especially the stressful ones!  The moral of this story is that if you want something and there is a way to talk to people in order to get it, and it doesn’t harm anyone else, by all means: DO IT! You’re not hurting anyone’s feelings, being an annoyance, or embarrassing anyone, you’re just getting something more functional and sensible accomplished.  Talk to people, work out problems, we were meant for human interaction! If we had done nothing about it, we would be on the other flight going to Newark, scheduled for a flight at 5 (it’s 3 right now), which is already delayed 1 hour and 45 minutes, and who knows when we would have gotten to Memphis (no earlier than 8:30).  This way, we still get to eat dinner at the recommended Rendezvous in Memphis, PLUS, we get 2 shorter flights because we don’t have to go north to go southwest.

Our new tickets (United => USAir)

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12

Welcome

Hi friends, family and maybe some people we don't know! Brent and I would like to welcome you to our new blog, and we are so excited to get it started!! Thank you for all your support already and we hope you are excited to start learning some things we've been learning, or maybe even help contribute something.  We want this blog to be a blessing to as many people as possible because we have been blessed in learning some random tips along the way for life in general.  We're hoping to post things about how to coupon/shop for a decent price, what a good price is for items at the grocery store, ideas for workouts and recipes, other health tips, money and finance tips, what big finance terms mean and insurance things (Amy doesn't understand these well, but Brent sure does), and good times/struggles/milestones/etc. in our marriage (basically anything we think might be helpful to others, whether good or bad).  Well, that's it for now, short and sweet, and we'll let you know when we have our next post (soon!).  If you would like to subscribe to our blog (at least I think that's what it's called) you can put in your email at the bottom right of this page.

We love you all!!!!

Brent and Amy