Crazy Ways to Save

shirt-ssbf's from gap, vest-gap,dress (as a skirt)-express,belt-j.crew, boots-aldo

I was feeling kind of shmirpy today until I stumbled across this article on bankrate.com. The title says it all: "Extreme Saving: 20 Strange Ways to save." It was based on reader's submissions (in 2003) and is clearly laced with plenty of sarcasm but it was too hilarious to not share. Here are some of my favorites: 

Whenever my family goes to a fast-food place, we grab handfuls of the free ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, etc. Then at home my kids transfer the contents of the ketchup packets into the partially full bottle. We have only had to buy one large ketchup bottle in the last two years! Haven't bought salt and pepper in ages. It's a real giveaway!

 Unplug clocks in your house while sleeping.

Next time you need an umbrella, go to your local public library and ask for the lost and found department. Tell them that you left your black umbrella at the library last month. They will show you a selection of several black umbrellas. Select the most expensive and it's yours. The bigger the library, the better the selection of umbrellas

Train your cats to use the toilet! I was spending a fortune on kitty litter until I read about teaching your cat to use the toilet. It took a little training, but eventually they got it. They're neat about it and I save lots of money! (my favorite)

What's even more hilarious then the act themselves is how little money taking these kind of tips seriously will save you over time. Yes, every little bit helps but is it worth being the crazy family who steals ketchup packets for $20 a year? Probably not.

Since it's Friday, and my weekend has already begun, let's have some fun. My extreme savings tip: Only buy clothes that you and your manfriend/girlfriend/significant other can both wear! It will cut the cost of shopping in half!

Now it's your turn.. What's your extreme savings tip?

Weekly Money Check-up

image

It's been a couple weeks since I've done a Money Check-up, I've seen Alyson doing them, and Nelly too so I thought I better practice what I preach. As always, this post is from My Pretty Pennies. If you'd like to participate head over to her blog, copy the questions and answer away!

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on a new hard drive for my laptop. It's a long story, but I've gotten the blue screen more then any person should the last few days. It's time. PS bear with the me while I go through the process of installing everything.

2. Today I feel empowered towards money. (Thanks to my newly minted goals and a fast approaching pay day)

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free/inexpensive thing I did last week that made me happy: I made my first cheesecake! Watch out Cheesecake Factory.

4. I will consider this week a success if I finish my midterm paper on Friday AND bridesmaid dress shopping on Saturday ends successfully, with a dress.

5. This year for Halloween I am dressing up as nothing. So pathetic. The last three years of college  I was a Police Officer, The Ladies Man, and K-Fed. I figured I hit my peak, it was time to walk away from the whole costume gig.

Anyone have plans for the weekend?

Tackling Debt, again.

I'm going to tell you guys something that I'm not too proud to admit. I've had a serious case of the "I Wants" lately. My shopping has been creeping out of control and has been taking focus away from my financial goals. Having a new jacket or shirt or shoes has started to take precedence over my debt payments. Clearly not the direction I want to be heading. I need to get my financial house in order and really focus on implementing action steps in order to reach my goals and attain financial freedom. In order to do that I decided to use an exercise similar to the one Jess from JessLC used to sort through her worries by modifying it just slightly.

There are tons of financial goals swirling around in my head right now including paying off student loans, saving for a wedding, and saving for retirement so I needed to narrow my focus. I chose to limit this exercise to the three most pressing right.

First I wrote out what those three financial goals were. 

Then, I wrote out the dollar amount of the goal (how much I owed or wanted to save) and what I was currently paying towards that goal.

Third, on the back of each card, I established action steps for achieving my goal and a target date for it's completion.

The way I determined my target date was by using the present value, expected future value (0 for my loans) the interest rate, and various payment amounts to derive the number of time periods different payments would achieve. I tried to use payment amounts that were realistic for me and my budget now so I did not take into account any future salary increases or other forms of income. My target dates are set by simply by me doing the minimum. Any extra amounts of money thrown at these goals would result in achieving my goal sooner (major incentive).

Fourth, I put them on the wall next to my desk, a place that makes it impossible to lose sight of them.

  The 5th step now will be to go back every few months and evaluate my progress and set new target dates depending on how well or not so well I'm doing.

That's it. That's how I spent my Saturday morning. I feel better though, more in control than I ever have been. Seeing the numbers written out in front of me and taking the time to do the math and see the results in months on how long it will take me completely kicked the crap out of the "I Wants". I'm totally focused on the prize... zero consumer debt and a healthy emergency fund.

Too Easy?

top-gap, jean leggings- old navy, shoes-old navy, necklace-my own creation

 

I don't exactly fit the role of a housewife. I can't cook, I hate to clean, and I only do the laundry because I know SSBF won't. Despite all of that I still try my best to bake on occasion mostly to satisfy my own sweet tooth.

On the menu this week: Cheesecake. It was my very first one. All things considered, I'd say it turned out pretty well. I think next time I have to do a better job of crushing up the ginger snaps I used as the crust but that's just a technicality, they did not effect the overall taste.  

 

As far as clothing goes, I'm happy to report there were no new purchases this weekend but on the other hand I've been somewhat uninspired lately. I've been defaulting to jeans, a very easy and typical look for me. Even SSBF noticed I was "just wearing jeans and a t-shirt". In my defense our low-key lifestyle usually only demands jeans and a t-shirt. Not to mention that jeans tend to overrun my closet. I love them. I could live in them. If life took a turn for the worse you could find me huddled in the corner of my cardboard box draped in my jeans for warmth. Point is they are awesome, they are comfortable, they are easy. It doesn't take much to make them look good. So why actually think in the morning when I know that I can easily style up a pair of jeans. Because this is life, and when something is easy, it means you aren't trying hard enough.

 

Ok, maybe that's not 100% true but think about it, if you just sit back and let things come as they may are you really achieving what you want? Maybe I'm grasping at straws to make the act of getting dressed in the morning more than what it is but it could have a bearing on our overall character.

 

What do you think? Am I crazy? Is this too ridiculous to ponder on a Monday? What's your easy outfit to fall back on?

 

Warm and Cozy Knits

sweater-minkpink via piperlime, leggings-gap, boots-rocketdog via dsw, ring-janeys jewels

Did you ever wish you could just wrap yourself in a blanket and go to work. Well that's kind of what I did yesterday. Wednesday's are never really my day. I always seem to wake up in a haze after two nights in a row of class. I'm sore from the gym, and SSBF always tells me our refrigerator is broken. Ok, that last part's not true always it was just this one time. As in yesterday. I think it might be karma. Anyway I wrapped myself in this incredibly soft mohair sweater from MinkPink and went to work... sans shower. Just a normal Wednesday.

I came home last night to the the newest J.Crew catalogue, which is always an exciting occasion. While flipping through this page caught my eye. I think the fashion gods were trying to tell me something.

j.crew

Noted.

Shop Money Smart Fashion!



actual closet pictured

Since moving into our house last summer my clothes have managed to creep into all three bedroom closets! It's absolutely ridiculous. Normally, I would throw everything in a hefty bag and schlep it over to the goodwill to donate (and claim my $500 no questions asked tax deduction). I started thinking though, why should I give my clothes to someone else to sell when I could easily do that myself! Yes, I realize Goodwill helps the greater good blah blah blah, but let's face it. I'd like to keep as much money in my wallet as possible. There are good things I could do with that money like buy a new pair a shoes or er. pay off debt. Either one.

There is only a few items up right now that are mainly "where to work" (i.e trousers, skirt, trench coat) pieces but I've got a whole heap of stuff (including a few bags) I will be posting as time allows. I might even be able to strong arm SSBF into giving up some of the clothes he doesn't wear anymore for your man-friends.

Head on over to my shop page and take a look around.

Prices for items are listed directly below the picture. In addition I will charge $2.95/order for shipping(if you buy multiple items I will only charge once for shipping!) If you have any questions or want to purchase just e-mail me. All payments will be accepted through paypal only.

You guys are seriously the best, I hope you know that. Thanks for taking the time to check it out and for reading my ramblings so often!

 

I Think I'm Stealing from my Wireless Carrier

cartoon credit here

True Story.

I switched jobs back in May and have "forgotten" to inform my wireless company about the change because of all things, my former company gets a better discount. A much better discount. Like 19% compared to 12%. Which over the year adds up to $240 saved on my $100/month bill as opposed to $144.  I never really gave it much thought until today when I received an e-mail that changes had been made to my account "in accordance with the agreement made with my employer". At first I had thought that I had been busted and in turn they had removed the discount but instead when I logged into my account I found out they had increased it by 1% (nice).

I really have never even thought twice about my decision to continue to use my former employers discount  until Debt Ninja wrote this post last week about his friend. Long story short his friend paid for lunch with a $20 and received $24 back in change. Debt Ninja made the point that his friend was stealing. Which made me start to think. Does this count as stealing?

Really I like to think I'm just taking advantage of an inefficient system that also happens to overcharge for cellphone service. (Come on, does text messaging really have to cost so darn much) However the moral part of me, the same part that felt guilty for winning the Coach gift card on my own blog, kind of feels like I should fess up.

What would you do?

Larriland Farms

jacket-express, shirt-old navy, denim leggings-old navy, boots- zigi soho via dsw

SSBF and I decided to enjoy some amazing fall weather this weekend by heading out to a local "pick your own" farm called Larriland. They are open all year and have different fruits depending on the growing season we've only ever gone in October when they have all the typical fall fare. It's a really nice place, but man is it crowded. That is one thing I can't stand about Maryland. When we lived in Michigan we went to a place called Uncle John's  which in my mind will always be the ideal. It was never too crowded and there was lots of different things to see which spread the crowds out (when they existed).

I'll admit, I've been wearing this jacket a lot lately. I think it's because I bought it in February, so last fall I didn't get the chance to wear the crap out of it. Personally though I don't think you can go wrong with a (faux) leather jacket. It's the perfect weight for cool fall weather and it always looks good. I don't normally dress to my surroundings but I couldn't resist a plaid shirt on a farm.

With that being said, I've been shopping way too much lately. The shirt and the jean leggings are both new as of a week ago. SSBF and I went into Old Navy the morning of their big birthday sale looking for a coat for him. We left with no coat, but 2 sweaters for him and that stuff for me. Fast forward to today when we innocently stopped in J.Crew after dinner and left with a shirt and belt for me and khakis and a henley for him. To my credit, I did not pay full price for a single item. However, no matter how much I saved, if I'm spending money, I'm simply not saving. I think I sense some sort of challenge in my future. Or I will just stop buying SSBF stuff, a lot of my money seems to go to him.

Hmmm.. I think I may be on to something.

Guest Post on "260 Days No Repeats"!

After all the shennanigans of this week I totally forgot about the guest post I did for Iris over at "260 Days No Repeats", that is until I saw Friday night.

 I insist you check it out!

I also insist you have an amazing weekend!
I love October.

photo from here

Getting Dressed with My Eyes Closed

jean leggings & t-shirt: gap, blazer: j.crew, boots: coach

Ah! This post was supposed to go up earlier! Thank you blogger for not doing what you were supposed to.

Wednesday was one of those days. You know, when the outfit you picked out in your head the night before doesn't look exactly how you want it to, your hair refuses to curl despite how much hairspray you use, and then after fighting a losing battle with your unruly hair for 45 minutes you leave a half an hour late for work. Yup. One of those days. Everything I had planned today seemed to have a funny way of going up in smoke. On the bright side I wasn't alone. Right around lunch time my little outlook box popped up with my most recent email, subject line "I'm Grumpy". Despite my bad mood I just couldn't help but giggle. SSBF seems to read my mind. I don't know how he does it. Needless to say though with two grumpy people pictures were not exactly a hoot.

Clearly, this is not the outfit I picked out in my head. As much as I love it. It's too easy. This kind of outfit has become second nature to me. Signature Grace if you will. The outfit I had planned involved a dress, tights, these amazing boots, and a tbd cardigan/blazer. Some people may think its predictable even boring to have a "style". I on the other hand think its comforting. An easy go to when mornings go awry, a back-up plan if you will.

Btw, these boots are what I bought with my gift card. I was so excited! I have a tendency to choose flat boots, so these are an awesome and comfortable alternative.

How is every ones week? I know how Alyson's is. Congratulations on the new job:)

Inspired by: Vogue UK

I came across these pictures thanks to Wolf and Willow. They were part of a recent spread by Vogue UK.

There are many things I could say about them but I will only say this, I've never wanted red suede platform clogs more than I do right now.

Lunch for Less: Black Bean Quesadilla

When I started diving in and eliminating unnecessary expenses from my budget one of the first items to go was lunch, as in the take out variety. In a typical work week I would eat out at least 3-4 times a week and spend about $45-50 dollars per week, that's almost $200 a month! At first it was challenging because I'm not a very good cook nor do I have the desire to become one. I relied on lunchmeat and PB&J, but that can only go so far.  That's when I began looking for alternatives that met this criteria:

1. Healthy
2. Cheap, like $10-$15 for the week cheap.
3. Easy to make.
4. Delicious, naturally.

With a serious emphasis on number three.

One day quite a while a go while perusing Women's Health I came across this recipe for Black Bean Quesadillas.


1 tsp jarred chopped garlic
1 c low-fat Mexican cheese blend
1 can (15 oz) no-salt-added or low-sodium black beans
1 can (15 oz) low-sodium diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 tbsp ground cumin ( I only use 1)
Fajita size flour tortillas ( I use wheat)

To cook, basically mix all the ingredients above with the exception of the cheese and tortillas together and let simmer on medium heat until all the liquid evaporates (I'd say 20-25 mins). I let the black bean mix cool and refrigerate. The morning of I heat a tortilla about (30 seconds). Scoop about 2tbsp of the black beans on, cover with cheese and fold the other over. Done.

Healthy? Yes, according to Women's Health the black bean quesadillas have about 330 calories and 8 grams of fat per serving. (Probably less if you make it last 5 days).

Cheap? You bet. The can of black beans and tomatoes cost around $1 each, the tortillas probably $1.50-$2 and cheese you can probably buy a bag of shredded for the most $2-$3.00. The investment comes with the spices with Cumin costing around $4-$5 a jar and the chopped garlic maybe $3. Total initial investment is still only around $14 and is even less the second time around.

Easy? Hell yes. Just our the ingredients directly into the pan, stir, and stir again every few minutes.

Delicious? Absolutely. I like a little kick to my food and cumin adds just that.

Add in a couple pieces of fruit, yogurt, and maybe some baby carrots and you can have delicious, nutritious, and budget friendly lunch for the whole week.

Unfamiliar Territory

 shirt-gap, pants & scarf -j.crew, boots-aldo, jacket-express

I've been feeling quite comfortable in my clothes lately so that meant it was time for a little change. I guess not really a change, but I needed to push myself a little further outside of my comfort zone. Wearing all black is not novel for most, but for me it is unfamiliar territory. Although monotone, all black tends to attract a lot of attention. It was fun and exciting to wear. I felt very European, or at least like I had some street cred.

Unfortunately I forgot how early the sun goes down here around this time of year and SSBF and I were frantically trying to get these in on Friday before we lost too much light-mission not accomplished. As you can see they turned out a little grainy and overexposed in some cases (ahem #3, I liked it too much not to share). Oh well. At least I have the end of daylight savings to look forward to. Otherwise it was a low key weekend. SSBF and I watched the Michigan State-Michigan football game, ate at our favorite restaurant, and of course watched the Phillies.

How was your weekend?

You asked for it

I've gotten a few questions through formspring and in my comments recently that I wanted to take the time to answer. I'm trying to be as productive in my personal life and I am at work, so instead of answering a bunch of one-offs I thought I would answer them here. So I hope this helps answer any nagging questions you may have. If not feel free to keep on asking.

1. How old are  you?

That's an easy one! I'm 26

2. How do you keep track of every little purchase?

The short answer on this is I kind of don't. When I first started I would write down every little thing in a notebook I carried in my handbag. Then once a week I would transfer my scribblings to an excel spreadsheet to keep track of totals. About 18 month ago I opened a rewards card that pays a percentage of my monthly bill to my Sallie Mae serviced student loans so I've consolidated a majority of my spending to that card and check my balance about once a week.

The only thing I still write down is cash purchases. They happen less frequently, but can get me in trouble because I can lose track of what and where I spend it easily.

3. What are you top 3 favorite places to shop?

This is a tough one. My number one place to shop is definitely J.Crew. I am a sucker for almost anything they put together. However 2 and 3 and the rest are kind of a toss up. I'd say I shop at Gap pretty often to call it a favorite but a lot of their stuff is hit or miss. Martin & Osa was a favorite, but then it was closed. I love Anthropologie but usually end up just browsing because of the prices. I also enjoy online shops like Modcloth, Spotted Moth, and Ruche but I prefer buying in person so I can feel the quality of item before buying. Hm, I don't want to sound like a cop out so I will say:

1.J.Crew

2. Gap

3. Modcloth

4. Who takes your pictures for you?

SSBF takes my pictures for me, begrudgingly. He is a good sport on most occasions and I love him for it. Neither of us have ever taken a class on photography and we use a point and shoot so I realize my pictures don't even compare to some of the other blogger out there, but it's all in good fun isn't it?

5. What does the tattoo on your foot say?

My foot says "Kristi" with a skull and cross bones. She is one of my best friends. I don't want to into specifics but the night I got this tattoo involved a lot of drinking, a lot of music, and a skull and crossbones tank top.

I also received a question asking about the graphs on my sidebar that keep track of my debt payments. It's HTML code, if you e-mail me I will provide it to you.

Whew. That was harder than I thought. If you have any other questions, keep'em coming!

Have a good weekend!

Go Green

coat-express, sweater-gap, tank-j.crew, pants-martin&osa, pumps-steve madden via DSW

I am a layering machine. In college I used to wear a minimum of three shirts on most days. One of them always being a white a-shirt, more commonly known as a "wifebeater". I've since graduated from college and politically incorrect tank tops but I will never be too old for layering.

My favorite thing about this outfit is that not one item cost more than $50. I bought every single last one on killer sale. Not to brag but even that buttery soft faux leather coat only set me back $40! Ah, end of season sales. My second favorite thing is my hunter green grandpa/mr.roger's cardigan, or as SSBF would say, my Michigan State green cardigan. In fact, every green thing I wear or touch seems to inspire SSBF to yell "Go Green" which then requires me to reply with "Go White". This exchange probably seems strange to the outsider when we're shopping together but once a Spartan, always a Spartan.  Third is the trousers. As much as I blab on about skirts, deep in my heart I'm a pants girl and these make me happy. This pair especially. They have a narrow but slightly loose cut which makes them a great complement to all kinds of tops. On Tuesday I went with a straight look but I also love to pair them with a boxy or more generous top to play with the silhouette.

By the way, that's Dolce (his brother is Gabbana) in the last picture. He talks a lot. I think he wanted to say hi. If you think that's cute you should see Chloe, she gives kisses. Fashion, finance and cats. I've got it all.

Inspired by: Coach

Are you guys excited to find out who won the giveaway?! Me too. But first, lets talk about some of the goodies I found while perusing Coach's website. I was looking for something to spend my giftcard on and what I found was that I need a few more giftcards to afford what I really want! Nonetheless here are my top nine favorite items that I would buy if it was 2005 (because I would have bought anything back then).

1. Audrie Boot $398
2. Cassy Wedge $178
3. Madison gathered leather Sophia Satchel $498
4.Kristin Leather Pleated Satchel $398
5. Madison Large Shoulder Bag $498
6. Kristin Checkbook Wallet $238
7. Aliza Bootie $188
8. Poppy Sequins Disco Bag $148
9. Sienna Jacket $698
all at coach.com

I seriously love all of these things. My "I love you" list for fall goes something like this: boots, pumpkin donuts, leather jackets, SSBF, and large satchels. The wallet and the sequins are just for good measure. Truth is, I bought one of them! Can you guess which one?

Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for....
The winner of the $100 Coach Gift Card was:

B.

Congrats B!
Thank you all so much for entering. It really means a lot to me to be able to give away this giftcard to one of my readers.
Hopefully there will be many more giveaways in our future!

Snowflaking Recap

Snowflaking is a derivative of the "snowball" method of paying down debt.

For those of you that are new to to the blog, during the month of September I set up budgets for my variable expenses and kept track of my spending throughout the month. My goal was at the end of the month to take any money that wasn't consumed and put it towards my debt. 

As you can see from my chart above, it did not work out so well. I totally overspent on clothing cancelling out any gains I had made in the other categories. In my defense, September is historically a high spending month for me in the clothing category. I Blame it on the changing of the seasons. If I hadn't of overspent there I would have had around $58 dollars to add to my credit card payment this month (not to shabby). Instead it appears that I would have to take $4.95 away from my CC payment.

The good thing about this method is that it really calls attention to an extra money you have in your budget. The downside of this method is that it requires a little extra legwork each month coming up with realistic estimates and plenty of self-control to keep you under budget. I think that this would be great for someone just starting down the road of repayment for someone who knows the ins and outs of their budget it's less helpful. Ultimately I'd give it a thumbs middle. (I said it SSBF).

As for the next month I have no idea what I will be doing! Any one out there have any ideas? I'm looking at you PF bloggers! Help!

All Wrapped Up

 

Wrap Sweater-Express (last year), Pants-Old Navy, Shoes-Nordstrom (last year)

 Holy crap it finally feels like fall! I was excited on Saturday morning to wake up to crisp fall air. I've been so ready for this. Did you all enjoy the weekend? I had to spend most of mine  inside working on a Value Stream Map. Lame. Why did I go back to school again? Oh yeah, because I couldn't afford my student loan payments. It's a terrible reason but it's partly true. I did want to get an MBA, but the fact that I couldn't pay both my credit cards and student loan payments expedited the decision to go back.

Anyway....

Saturday morning I rummaged around in my closet for the longest time looking for the quintessential fall outfit. At first I had paired this sweater with some tall boots. I decided against my initial inclination because I didn't want it to look like autumn threw-up all over me. Plus, it was still going to be in the high 60's so I didn't want to look desperate either. I've been hiding these cropped khakis from you all for awhile now. I bought them about mid-August and have been wearing them mostly on non picture days. They are quickly becoming on of my favorite things because they are a great alternative to jeans.

I want to apologize too, I was kind of a bad blogger this week whether you noticed it or not. I hit you with that awesome giveaway on Tuesday and then not much else. Normally I fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to posts. However, I've been feeling kind of overwhelmed with school and work and by the time I would get home at night I was exhausted leaving me creatively drained. In light of this I've decided to Money Smart Fashion on a little bit of a schedule. Don't hold me to it (or do) but I'm thinking it will look a little something like this:

Monday: Weekend Outfit Post
Tuesday: Money Post
Wednesday: Inspired By
Thursday: Weekday Outfit Post
Friday: Miscellaneous

I hope your excited! I know I am. I think this schedule will help me focus so I don't randomly go on with no direction. I also wanted to quickly welcome all the new readers to Money Smart Fashion. I realize most of you probably chose to follow so you could win the gift card (I would totally do the same) but I hope that you will stick around! If you ever have any questions please don't hesitate to ask, you can leave a comment, formspring me, or just e-mail :)