ss_blog_claim=fe98d9023b9fa8831fe7f8d67562e3ce






Jul. 23, 2008

Insurance


Posted in Frugality

After my last post I remembered something else that I need to get in order in the next couple of days.  I am going to make all of our family doctor appointments.  I already did the dentist for eveyone.  Next I think I will move on to the eye doctors and ten check-ups.  It is very important to take care of your family.  It is so much better to keep your family well with regular check-ups.

Rich and I have been talking about some of the ways we would like to take care of our family.  One of the things we would like to do is get life insurance for the both of us.  In the past we thought this was a silly idea.  But now I realize that it is a very responsible idea.  Although we hate to think of the idea of dying we know that it is ineviable. 

Life insurance is not all we have thought about.  There is also burial insurance which is so valuable.  We learned recently how expensive a burial is.  I wouldn't want to leave that burden on my family while they were already grieving. 

One last thing that we really need to look at is mortgage insurance.  This is not just a piece of paper but an investment in peace of mind.  How great it will be to know that with mortgage protection insurance my house wil be paid for in the event that there is still a mortgage on it.  I never knew this was a real option.

So there you have.  We have entered our thirties and see our need for financial responsibility in more than one way.


Jul. 17, 2008

Financial Responsibility


Posted in Frugality

Well it has been about 6 months since I seriously began looking at how we use the money we have in our daily lives.  Doing this has caused us to begin to look at money in a whole new way.  One of the first things that we did was create for ourselves a budget.  And even more than that, we stuck to it.  It was no longer a dreadful thing to look at our bills each month.  Once we were able to pay off all of our credit debt that we had acquired it was actually an exciting time for us.  It is a lot more exciting to do your bills when you have the finances to do them with.  Our credit debt had taken over our financial lives and begun to put the strangle on us like a python.  So once it was finally gone it was like a refreshing breath of air for us. 

Now that we have finally gotten our bills in order and under control.  I think that it may be time to move on to the next step in financial responsibility.  Rich works for a union now that offers a pension that is really great.  But as we have seen in the news that last couple of years, you can't count on a company or union to be there necessarily when it comes time for you to retire.  So we are thinking that one of our next steps should be some type of retirement. 

We also have heard that it is a good idea to have an emergency savings account that is equal to six months of pay.  I am sure that this may seem like an impossibility to some people.  I know it did to us just six months ago.  But now we have started to put the money we would have spent on our credit bills into a savings account. 

lastly we are thinking that with Kalene getting closer and closer to entering college, we should be putting away money for that.  I know we should have thought of this a long time ago.  But we basically were very irresponsible financially.  We are not sure what kind of educational savings account we should choose. 

There is so much to think about.  We do we go next?  Maybe we will seek some advise from a financial advisor.  Have you ever used a financial advisor? 


Jul. 8, 2008

Are You Financially Fit?


Posted in Frugality

 

I am pretty sure that I have shared with you how I am in the process of getting a bit more fit.  And although going to the gym regularly does seem to be working on getting myself physically fit.  I also need to focus on another area of fitness. 

I need to be financially fit.  One of the very first steps to being on your way to finacial fitness is to take a really good look at exactly where you are financially.  This is where your starting point is going to be.

At Bills.com they have a nifty little test to let you know just exactly where you stand financially.  It is called the Bills IQ test.  Most of us do not really ever take the time to see all of our bills and understand them. 

The last thing I ever want to go through is a Bankruptcy.  I have known a couple of people who have had to go through with this process.  And after speaking with them about it, I am confident that it is something I do not need to experience first hand.

So I decided a few months back that I was going to learn all I can about my current bills situation.  This all begins with knowing my Bills IQ.  Once I have that score I can spend some time at Bills.com coming up with a plan of action for truely becoming financially fit.


Jun. 20, 2008

Seven Tips for Saving Ink


Posted in Frugality

As some of you already know I have been using coupons to save a ton of money at the grocery store.  Seriously I have cut my grocery costs in half just by learning how to shop using coupons.  Some of the best coupons out there are the printable ones that I find online.  I do not mind the time it takes to find, print, and cut out these coupons.  One thing that I started to notice in printing these coupons is that I am going through ink a little faster than I normally would. 

I started thinking that maybe this was not really saving me money if I was spending more on ink.  Then I found out about a site that lets you know about all the best ink prices out there.  They even let you know about any coupon codes to make the prices even better.  They have eveything listed from discount laser toner for HP LaserJets to remanufactured cartridges.  I have a Lexmark all in one that uses some pretty expensive ink.  So any help I can get in the cost area is welcomed by me. 

Another thing that I have done is look into all the different ways to make my ink stretch further.  Since I am not going to give up the coupons I just need to come up with new ways to save my money in the ink department.  Here's an article called Seven Tips for Saving Ink that I found to be very helpful. 

So how do you make your ink stretch?  I would love to hear any ideas you have. 

*Kristie*


Jun. 14, 2008

Vista Print


Posted in Frugality

Vista Print is by far one of the greatest printing sites that I have ever come across.  When Rich first decided to open his own Home Improvement company the first thing we knew that we needed to buy in the area of advertising were business cards.  Vista Print was perfect for us.  They have all kinds of options that you can choose in order to customize your business cards.  They have preloaded images that you can pick from.  Or if those do not fit your needs then you can upload your own image as well.  You can choose a glossy or matte finish.  And then you can choose from a number of things to have printed on the back of your business cards as well. 

This company is so professional.  Everything that we have ever ordered from them has arrived in a very timely manner and in great condition.  Vista Print has never let me down.  Some of the other products that we have ordered through their site are self inking stamps, personalized notepads, postcards, and magnets made from our business card template.  Everything was great. 

Also they usually offer a ton of their products for free anfter shipping costs.  So if you are looking for any of these things, I cannot recommend Vista Print highly enough.


Jun. 7, 2008

Super Saving Saturday


Posted in Frugality

My Super Saving Saturday post is up over at my other site This Side of Eternity.

I've had a pretty good week of savings.  I've given myself a grocery goal of $50 a week or $200 a month.  So far I think I'm doing alright.  I spent $59.38 this week.  I'm curious to see how I do with this budget and the crazy rising costs of food lately.

And on a side note, I've created a neat little button that you can add to your side bar so that it's easy for you to find your way to This Side of Eternity any time you'd like and not miss any of my posts from there.

 

 

 

Just go ahead and copy and the code in the box and then add the code to your sidebar.  Then whenever you would like to go to This Side of Eternity, you can click on you very own button.  If you do chose to use the button I'd love it if you'd leave my a comment with you sites address so I can see how it looks.

*Kristie*


Jun. 3, 2008

My Steps to Saving Money


Posted in Frugality

I have this pile of coupons just sitting here on my desk waiting for me to take care of them.  I don't know why I have allowed 2 weeks to go by without going through them.  I can blame it on being busy, which I have been.  I've been spending a lot more time outside which I'm sure that most of you can relate to.  However I needed to remind myself why I should be more diligent about keeping things in order.  Have you ever felt like trying to save money had become a burden?  Or worse yet, an idol?  You can read my new post on my steps to saving money at This Side of Eternity.

*Kristie*


May. 28, 2008

My Steps to Saving Money


Posted in Frugality

I have been writing a series all about my steps to saving money on my other blog.  I thought maybe you would like to read about it too.  I have only wrote a couple of posts about it so far, so you will be able to catch very quickly.  If you would like to read them head on over to This Side of Eternity to catch the latest post.  Then you can look for the other 2 posts that are labeled My Steps to Saving Money or just check them out here and here

*Kristie*



1 of 4
Last Page | Next Page



Site Meter


«  July 2008  »
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 




Copy and paste the code below if you'd like to add my button to your blog!

Recent Thoughts

Richie Was Attacked By.....A Cougar!?!?
Insurance
Plans
Orderly Business
The Rundown











Categories

Home School Thoughts
Keeping the Home
Just for Fun
Random Thoughts
Blogger Friend School
Family
Free Stuff
Frugality
My Faith
Weekly Menus
Super Savings Saturday



Links

Home
View my profile
Archives
My Blog's RSS
Ambleside
Tammy's Recipes
With Great Joy
Happy To Be Called "Mommy"
Training Hearts
Laine's Letters
The Urban Homemaker
My Cozy Little Cottage



Free Weekly Audio Book Downloads


YOU NEED A STORY

LIVING BOOKS FOR THE EARS

My Family

Rich & Kristie



Kalene's Reading List


Song for a Dark Queen
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
To Kill A Mockingbird
Beowolf
The Sword and the Circle
Leven Thumps
Masada
Sir Gawaine and the Green Knight
Unveiling Islam
The Sword, The Ring, and The Parchment

Richie's
Reading List


The Tough Winter
Pompeii...Buried Alive
The Sword and The Tree
Be A Wolf
Young King Arthur
Look What Came From France
Favorite Fairy Tales Told in France
Brenden the Navigator
The Horn of Roland


Favorite Resources

Typing
Seterra Geography
Homeschool Radio Shows
You Need A Story
SEARCHLit.org

Richie's Studies

Our Studies

The Bible
Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History
Keys for Kids
Truthquest Ancient History
The Story of the World
Write Source 2000
Saxon Math
Apologia General Science
Explode the Code
Italics
Mep Math
Seterra Geography
Typing
Kalene's studies

Where I Like Wandering

TOSPUBLISHER
Tami
tn3jcarter
EmptyNestMom
ClassicalEducation4Me
KeepingtheHome
JeannieFulbright
DianaWaring
HSBCompanyBlog
DandelionSeeds
TEACHmagazine
Titus2woman
Tiany
MakariosMom
MaryBeth
Christy
FaithfulGrace
heartofwisdom
Confessor
Kalene
Richie
HeartSchooling
barrynmissy1972
blessedwifeandmommy
LindaI
Happygirl17
cricket313
snider6intx
Dewgin
Homeschooling6
GenesisFamily
JacqueDixonSoulRestES
homeschoolingmommaof4
reformingmama
theheartofthehome
Kelly1611KJV
andijeane
antelopehead
MasterWindu
truthfulone
pureone
rcelliott
AHappyHome
aCleanHeart
ApplesofGold
AuntLisa
Christina31
Emmy
Lordofthestrings
kingdomlifemom
gardenbunny
Keri
onfire
Kristi
butterflyschoolmom
jenn4him
jillconnelly
eclecticeducation
bethanyrae
lovinlife
cricket
hsbliteraryclub
proverbsmomof3
bookgirl07
kancel
Thill
MayTheyBeMightyMen
sixfolks




Homeschool Resources

Homeschool Legal Defense
Homeschool Tracker
Home School, Inc.
Homeschool Central
Donna Young's Resources
Homeschool ID Cards
Blank History lesson planning sheet for Truth Quest

Free Educational Games

Art Appreciation Game
Art Detective Game
Games of Strategy
Baseball Math
Lots of Games
More Games

Graphics Credits

Country Patch Collections
Graphics by Irene
Moose Creek Originals
Home Sweet Homepage
Creative Ladies Ministry
Amreta's Graphic Corner
Caleb's Country Corner
A Source of Joy
Hearts Warming Holidays


Page 1 of 4




Homeschool Buyers Co-op




Please rate it at
The Mom Blogs


Google Page Rank







What Richie is Learning
Happy Birthday
Ode to Joy
Amazing Grace
Scooby Doo
We Three Kings
Awesome God



What Kalene is Learning
Only Hope
Fur Elise
Moonlight Sonata
The First Noel
Here I am to Worship


My Daily Bread



My Bloginality is INTJ!!!

As an INTJ, you are Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging. This makes your primary focus on Introverted Thinking with an Extraverted Intution.

1 of 4
Last Page | Next Page