Day 30

Your day of appreciation!  You've organized, scrutinized, and smartened up your money life in just 30 days.  Now its time to pat yourself on the back. Plan a potluck dinner party, and brag about your progress.


I think I will skip the potluck dinner party and let myself finish my last 50 Shades of Grey book tonight.  Ya-hoo!

Day 29

Purse purge!  You've already tidied up your spending habits - now it's time to slim your wallet.  Toss old receipts once they've shown up on your statements, and carry only one credit card.  Remove your Social Security card; carrying it around makes you vulnerable to indentity theft.


Done and done! ; ) 

Day 28

Find out if you're underpaid.  This cleanse is only one half of getting your financial life in order; the other is earning more.  Compare your salary to industry averages at glassdoor.com or by meeting with other people in your field.  If your pay is on the low end, think about what you'll need to do to ask for a raise.


Being a teacher, my salary is based on a scale.  It is not possible to ask for a raise, you can only complete more graduate work to get paid more.  That is exactly what I am doing!

Day 27

Tweak your student loans.  The government's little-known Income-Based Repayment plan lets some borrowers make payments based on their family size and earnings, not on what they owe.  See if you qualify and learn more at ibrinfo.org


Thank you thank you to my Mom and Dad...no student loans for me!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Happy Happy Birthday to the BEST Mommy!

Day 26

Learn from your financially solid friends.  Research shows that our pals influence everything from our weight to our drinking habits, and that shopping with a thrifty friend could make us much likelier to spend less.  Ask one of your pals who seems to have her financial life in order about her saving strategies.  Tell her you'd love her support to help you stay on track once the cleanse is over.


I have someone in mind for this...but I am not telling because she reads this blog!  You may know who you are... ; ) 

Day 25

Now, make sure you're on schedule.  If you have a 401(k), find out what changes you need to make to maximize your investment.  Or, consider a Roth IRA, where your money will grow tax-free.


Again, I'm skipping this.  I do want to open a Roth IRA though someday!

Day 24

Pinpoint your retirement needs.  Use the site choosetosave.org/ballpark to get an estimate on how much you'll need to retire the way you want to.  No more guessing if you're saving enough!


Woah, this was way too overwhelming for me.  I think I will continue doing what I am doing and worry about upping my retirement in a little while.  At least we are saving!

Day 23

Plug some new numbers into your cell.  Having easy access to important phone numbers means you'll be more likely to call for help when you run into problems.  So program in customer service lines for you bank, credit card, 401(k), and student loan providers.


Or...just have an iphone! ; )

HOUSE!

So...I think we bought a house!  I do not want to go crazy with details for fear that something falls through.  We have our inspection Monday, so keep your fingers crossed!

Day 21 and 22

Consider changing banks.  Big ones often charge higher fees and have more surprise fines then community banks or credit unions.


Hmmm, this one I think I am going to skip this one.  I like Chase overall and do not want to transfer ALL of our stuff.  I also like that my bill paying is all set up.

Day 20

Cash in those gift cards!  Don't let your gift cards sit around until the last minute, it's free money!


I am going to try to use mine this weekend, I have a few from teaching presents.  Let's see if I can spend less money by using gift cards instead!

Day 19

Slash your phone bill.  Eight out of 10 people overpay for cell-phone service, meaning they're locked in to a pricier plan that they really need, according to research.  Check your last bill to see how many minutes or texts were unused.  If it's a lot, downgrade your plan.


I have already checked this and am on the lowest plan for the iphone!  I can go cheaper, but can not have the iphone for that and I can not live without it!

Day 18

Try a D.I.Y. mani.  If you're a fixture at your nail place, try alternating pro polishes with at-home touch-ups


Well...I have an appt at 4 today for my nails.  BUT after today I will do my own in between! ; ) 

Day 17

Give shopping bookmarks the boot.  The easier it is to shop, the likelier you are to do it.  Comb your web browser's bookmarks folder and remove all those tempting shopping links.  And "un-like" too.


Fortunately, I do not fall into this trap.  I am more of a mall shopper.  I do not have anything bookmarked!

Day 16

Get cable for less.  Call your provider and see if you can get a scaled back package.  Look into HuluPlus or Netflix, which stream a selection of shows and movies from around $8 a month.  You'll need a Roku or Xbox to connect these services to your TV.


This is something I want to wait to look into until we move.  Unfortunately, I live with a sports fanatic who enjoys having everything at his fingertips.  We pay soooo much for cable though!

Day 15

Shop for lunches for next week.  You don't have to brown bag it forever, but do it five days in a row, to get yourself in the habit.  Transfer the money you would've spent (the average is $7.50 a day) to your savings account, and put it toward your main money goal.


Being a teacher, this has always been my life.  However, I never thought about transferring the money to savings.  If only I could get David to jump on board with this...

Day 14

Automate!  Accidentally missing a bill's due date can cost you $25 in late fees.  Sign up for automatic bill pay.  Consistently paying can help raise your credit score. You can also set up bank transfers to a set amount from your checking account into a savings account each month.


This took me a while, but I finally starting doing this.  There was something cathartic for me to write a check out.  However, once I realized how easy it was to pay automatically, I stuck with that instead of the checks!

Kardashians

Living in Chicago, there are frequently celebrities coming for appearances and signings.  Two weeks ago, LC (Lauren Conrad) from Laguna Beach and The Hills (David was obsessed) was here.  We called the bookstore she was out and they said it was a mad house, so we did not go.  Two days later, we heard that Kim and Khloe Kardashian were coming to the mall by us.  We decided to go, knowing that we probably wouldn't see anything.  Well, we were right, we only caught a quick glimpse while riding up the escalator, but it was a fun evening out!

Easter

We stayed home for Easter this year because Passover was the same weekend.  My sister was also coming into town from Georgia the next weekend, so it made more sense to go home then.  

So what do you do when you stay home for Easter?  Go to the Cubs game of course!  We started the day at Frances (a tradition for David) and had great seats for the game.  John came along and sat with a friend. We were in the sun for the game and it felt great!

Day 13

Move some debt around.  If you're carrying big credit card balances, consider transferring them to the one with the lowest rate.  


FYI - If you have a Chase account, this is not possible!  They will not let you move any balances, so I am stuck.  Blah!

Day 12

Shop for the best credit card.  Pull out that debt list you made on Day 1 and see if any of your credit cards have interest rates over 16 percent.  If so, think about getting a new one.
I already did this while getting myself ready for applying for a mortgage. I have one card that has a 0% balance which is nice. The other two are David's cards but they are under 16%. Blah...credit cards...

Spring Break

Well, I have been so tied up in my "money cleanse" lately that I have forgotten to post about our lives!  


A couple weeks back we had my spring break.  We did not go anywhere because we are in the midst of this fun time of saving money...blah!  I did have a good break though!  I was able to see lots of friends, The Hunger Games, The Lorax (I'm a teacher), go to the Kenosha outlets, and spend a day with David downtown.  We were going to spend the night, but the hotel was super sketchy so we just decided to go home!  I would have preferred being somewhere warmer...but it was a good break!

Day 11

Check your credit.  Your credit score is like a report card for your financial life.  


Whew, already done!  We had ours check while getting the pre-approval for our new mortgage (well...if we find a house...)  I am happy to say that we are doing good!  Be careful though, we have gotten on a re accruing charge for finding out our score in the past with freecreditreport.com!