Don't Bring It Home

I would not call Aimee and I financial experts. We are learning more and more everyday. Three of our main sources for learning are the Bible, Dave Ramsey and older adults who have “been there, done that”. In finances, just like healthy eating and exercise, it doesn’t matter how much you learn if you don’t put it into practice.

One of the main things we have been very good at is saving for big purchases, specifically trips. In the last year we saved for a week-long Disney World trip and will save for two more Disney World trips and a Sea World trip over the next 11 months. We wouldn’t suggest doing that much, especially while trying to sell a house, but we have a 10-year anniversary mixed in there.

The number one thing we did before any big purchases was getting out of credit card debt. That first Disney World trip would not have happened if we had any money on credit cards. Imagine if we had added a trip on top of other debts; I’m sure we would still be paying for it today if that were the case.
This brings me to the second thing we have learned, patience. A trip is not worth taking if it is not paid for in full before we leave. That Disney trip we went on was even better knowing that we paid cash for the entire thing. I don’t want to imagine the way we would have felt riding Splash Mountain and thinking about the debt waiting for us at home. It allowed us to truly enjoy our time there without the stress of how much money we were spending.

The last thing I’d like to share is plan, plan, plan! Don’t try to take a big expensive trip for next week or even next month. A trip to Europe, Hawaii, or even Disney World needs to be at least 6 months to a year of planning and saving, maybe even longer. Aimee and I have already discussed not doing another big trip after June 2011 until summer of 2012 or 2013. This would give us ample time to save and be able to do the other things we want to do financially. We will still take small weekend trips in the meantime to hotels or local resorts just so our family can get away, but they will not be a financial burden.

Whatever you and your family like to do for vacation, don’t mortgage your future or your kids’ future to have a little fun. Do it the right way. Do it in a way that you can breathe a sigh of relief when you get home.

As always, give us your thoughts!!

Grocery Shopping CAN be Fun!

WOW! I only spent half of our budget this week!! It’s only my third week back into couponing and it’s already making a huge difference. I couldn’t find much to do at CVS or Walgreen’s this week, but Kroger was having a Mega Event. All you have to do is mix and match 10 items that are specially marked and you automatically get $5 off! All it takes is planning and counting. At Wal-Mart I bought 2 bacon-wrapped filet mignon steaks for $.98. Here’s the link to a coupon for $3 off: http://chefsrequested.com/coupons-.aspx. Apparently at some Wal-Marts the price is as low as $3.28 making them only $.28!

I’m not the only one having grocery shopping success. One of my friends spent $60.08 at Kroger and saved $78.39!! WOW! That included 4 deodorants, 2 toothpastes, 2 toothbrushes and lots of snacks. She also went to CVS and spent $10.19 on stomach meds that are usually $9.99, 2 packs of facial cleansing cloths, 3 packs of gum, 3 packs of pens and dry erase markers. She did two transactions there and saved $31.55. Here’s a quote from her, “Between two stores I saved over $100 and all stuff that we will use!! Not bad for about an hour and a half of planning!”.

How did you do this week??