A New Year Doesn't Mean Spending More Money

Every year when January rolls around the corporations pull out their "New Year" tricks.
You know what I'm talking about, don't you?

The "You Need to Buy Containers/Etc. to Get Your Life Organized" mantra and they try to sell you shiny new containers, filings systems, storage boxes, etc.

But most people don't have an organizing problem, they have a "too much stuff" problem.  Ok, some folks have both a stuff problem AND and organizing problem. ;-)



Just organizing your stuff when you have too much of it will only solve your organization problem for a short time.
So let's not fall for the "if we buy more/new containers for our stuff it will solve our problem" trap.
Stop buying stuff AND containers!
Keep your money in your pocket.
And get rid of some of what you already have.
My original post about all this from Jan. 2013 is HERE if you'd like to read it.

The other New Year trick is the "You Need to Buy our Diet Product/Plan/Fitness Tracking/Equipment to Lose Weight" mantra.
All sorts of diet foods, vitamins, supplements, diet programs, gym memberships go on sale in January of each year without fail, luring folks into a better life with promises of being thinner and fitter.

Again, you don't need to buy special foods, equipment, join a club/gym/diet program to lose weight.
Find free ways to exercise(take a walk), hold yourself accountable(tell someone about your plans/goals or do your health plan with a friend or family member),eat differently of the foods you can and do already buy(or buy better foods to get you to your goals).
You shouldn't have to spend extra money to reduce your bulk/get healthier/get fitter.
And after all, these merchants are just selling you a set of "tools", tools you may not necessarily need to achieve a better health goal.  You probably already have what you need to achieve a lower weight/better health.  You just have to believe in your own power to reach those goals.

What things do retailers lure you into the stores in a new year that you fall victim to?


Sluggy

$20K Savings Challenge.....June Update

In our family we save money. It is important to us to put money aside for "rainy days".  You know.....those unexpected days when things happen in your life that you can't plan on, but that DO happen and they cost you money you didn't know you'd need to pay out.

Our income is mainly the salary my Hubs draws from his job.  We have money taken off each paycheck from the top to put into savings, before we even get our hands on it.  This money that's taken goes into various pots....life insurance, investments and retirement savings.  It's automatic so we are never tempted to NOT put it into savings.
Once the automatic savings, plus taxes and medical/dental/vision payments are taken out, it leaves what we get to "live on".  From this amount we budget for bills, both monthly and irregular bills(semi-annual, etc.) and our variable bills(like food, eating out, etc.)  Anything left over once our monthly expenses are paid, I put aside into a Savings Challenge. 

For 2013 I am continuing my Yearly Savings Challenge.  I am going to keep the Goal amount at $20,000 again this year.

On to the June report.....

I have posted my June End of Month $20K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $1,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up June in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of June with?.......$844.79

Income
We had $629.95 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted. 

Add in 2 per diem expense reimbursement check, 2 stock dividend checks, a tow reimbursement and a refund on our car insurance(from removing daughter from the policy)and we have another $214.84 not spent this month.  This brought our gain to $844.79 for June.

 

Frankly, I am shocked that we had this much leftover from June's income because it seemed we experienced way higher than normal outgo.  But looking over the Good/Bad bullet points, besides the credit card bill, everything else wasn't so bad compared to last month.

Outgo

As for the expenses this June, here are the good and the bad side of things....

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

 

*  Music lesson bill was half of it's usual amount due to teacher being away for half the month.

*  The electric bill was almost $56 less.
*  The food/toiletries bill was less than my budgeted $400 each month.

*  The cost of our prescriptions was half of what it was in May.

*  Cash withdrawals were $20 less than last month.

*  The doctor bill co-pays were under $80 this month.(Last month was over $1500.)

HERE are the BAD THINGS

 

*  Quarterly garbage bill due.
*  The phone bill was up by $2+.

*  The water bill doubled, as predicted in last month's report.  This was mainly due to the repair and refilling the pool and is expected every May or June.

*  The credit card bill....OH!, the credit card bill....lol  It was $1857+ MORE than last month.  This will be going down to $1409.21 more than last month when the freezer gets returned.  Still too high. 8-(

The Food Budget costs for June are in another post, which is located HERE.

We came in under budget by $119.26 last month.

The 2013 TOTAL so far.....
With 6 month behind us, half the year, our Savings Grand Total for 2013 stands at $12,571.63.  Only $7,438.37 left to save and 6 months left to accomplish this.

That comes out to $1,238.06 per month for the next 6 months to reach the goal.

Looking ahead for July......

*  Still waiting for medical bills to come in.  I don't know what the hold up is, but since we switched doctors to our insurance/health provider affiliated doctors, we haven't had to pay any co-pays at visits.  This is something new for us. 
 

*  I suspect once we get the new a/c system installed this month and the heat ratchets up the electric bill will increase moderately.

*  Last July we had a $1500 car repair bill.  Hubs car needs some maintenance work so it will go in for that this July.  I hope the bill is not anywhere near last July's total though.
  

*  The annual homeowner's insurance is due in July.  Last year it was $596.  Will be curious to see  how much it goes up this year.  Between that bill and the semi-annual car insurance bill which comes due in August, we need to stay as frugal as possible(outside of the planned home renovations/repairs we are paying for in July/August)with the bills.

So how was your June financially?  It was pretty much a wash for us in terms of getting ahead.
 

Did you put ordinary living expenses on a credit card last month and not pay it off in full when due?
Did you spend less than the income you had in June?
Did you received any "extra" or unexpected money in June like a tax refund, a dividend or bonus at work, and what did you do with those funds?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
Did you pay off any debts or put extra toward your mortgage principle?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out your progress too and celebrate with you!

Sluggy

Stupid Crap People Really Buy!....Episode #1

Just in time for the 2012 Holiday Shopping Season, it's a new Feature here at Chez Sluggy I like to call--

"Stupid Crap People Really Buy"

Today's Selection comes to us directly from the Sunday Coupon Inserts.  The Inserts on Sunday we get here aren't filled with lovely lovely high value coupons....no.  Instead they are filled with lovely lovely offers of fine quality merchandise that no store would deem to carry.
This particular item caught my eye recently......

It's the beautimous ELVIS FASHION BAG!

This beauty is available exclusively from the Bradford Exchange.
You know, that clearinghouse of all things "collectible".
Yes, this Elvis bag is a collectible that you can actually use to function as a purse...what a concept!

Stand in awe of it's custom designed golden faux leather featuring silhouettes of Elvis, his replica signature, the braided faux leather handle with metal rings attaching it to the bag, and a key fob with the TCB(or Taking Care of Business) charm.  Strong demand is expected so hurry and order NOW!

Now do you want to know the kind of customer I see walking around in life with this purse on their shoulder?

 
And this fine vinyl, er.....faux leather purse will run Miss "Kiss my Grits" Flo $100 in 4 easy payments(plus shipping of $10.99).
What a bargain!!!
Even if she has to tighten her Aqua net and chewing gum budget for awhile and stop throwing wild Canasta parties at the trailer park until this is paid off.

Yes, Style may be "Golden" like the ad states, but this purse is neither stylish nor golden.

Here's a thought--If you really must have an Elvis bag why not go down to one of "The Marts" and buy a plain bag, then buy some Elvis stickers and some fabric paint(though vinyl isn't really fabric, is it?) and create your own decorated bag.  This way, you save yourself a shit ton of money by not paying the extortionist price for a licensed Elvis product(which the lion's share goes to a division of JP Morgan Chase-which owns the rights to the Elvis name).  You save your money and I bet you'll have a much more tasteful and unique bag in the end.

It's just a cheap made in China bag anyway, just like all the other "faux leather" bags in the stores.  These probably cost $1.50 to produce and even with the print advertising it didn't cost anywhere near $100 to get to market.  What makes it cost $100 is the licensing and the horrendous markup charged by the owner of the bag company.
Yes, Sluggy has been watching SHARK TANK lately.....lol

And if you still have another $60 laying around to throw away, you can also buy the Elvis Performance Ballet Flats Shoes to complete your ensemble.

So I ask.....I know they must sell oodles of these......
But Who buys this crap?!?!
Anybody you know?
And what kind of need is filled in anyone with this stupid crap?
Or do people who buy stupid stuff just keep buying more and more until they end up on "Hoarders"?

Sluggy

$20K Savings Challenge Report for JULY 2012

Ok, here is my JULY Savings Challenge Update post for 2012.

This post is NOT about bragging or showing off.  It's just what we are able to save given our income and being able to hang tough against "unconscious" spending.

Just to update, My Savings Goal for the Year in 2012 is $20,000.  It's well below what I've saved in previous years I know.  But we also have a goal of paying for 4 home improvement projects at Chez Sluggy this year.  We plan on cash-flowing these projects with the additional money we save and/or our income tax refund. 
Our background info--We are a family of 5(kids are 21-16)with one living away from home.  We have 2 dogs. We own 3 cars at present and live in/own free & clear a 4 bedroom house in a small town.

On to the July report.....

I have posted my JULY End of Month $20K $AVING$ CHALLENGE Totals.
Check out the side bar to your right for the specific numbers.

I have 2 goals each month.....
The 1st is to actually finish each month in the black and not the red.
The 2nd is to hit the targeted savings amount of $1,666.67.

I have to report that we finished up July in the black!
The extra cash amount we ended the month of July with?.......$1641.83.

Income
We had $1639.44 left over from our income after our monthly expenses were deducted.
Add in $2.39 in interest income(HAHAHAHAHA!) and  you get a total of $1641.83.

Outgo
The usual along with a couple of large irregular bills......1 expected and 1 out of the ordinary.

As for the expenses this July......

HERE are the GOOD THINGS

* The water bill decreased by $30+.

* The electric bill decreased by $21+.

* The credit card bill decreased by $702.
* The cash withdrawals went down $1170.....even with that they were high!

HERE are the BAD THINGS

*  Home owner's insurance was due, but expected. $596.

*  Bill came in for the Minivan from last month's repairs. $1496.68.

The Food Budget costs for JULY are in another post, which is located HERE.

YEAR-TO-DATE GRAND TOTAL.....
With 7 month behind us, our Savings Grand Total for 2012 is $15,613.23.

We missed our monthly goal in July by $24.84. Since June's savings but us ahead for the year, I am not sweating a shortfall of $25 in July.

With 7 months done, we should be at $11,666.69  saved for the year, so we are $3946.54 ahead for the year as of now!

In the next 2 months we have largish irregular expenses coming due.
August is semi-annual car insurance at about $1500.
September is school taxes about another $1950.

They are irregular because they don't come every month....like the water or electric bill.  But two things about irregular bills--
1.They are usually for large amounts(due to the fact that they don't come round every month).
2. You KNOW THEY ARE COMING!  Yep, every year....so don't stick your head in the sand and ignore them.  Plan for them. Set a 12th of their amount aside each month so that when the due date rolls around, you have the money saved up to pay them in full.

We may actually get a break with our car insurance.  #1 Son is buying himself a car.  Since it will be in his name, he will need to have his own insurance policy, therefore we can have him taken off of our policy.  We tired to tell him that with our driving records, ages and the fact we get multiple discounts on our coverage, he's better off putting the car in our name and staying on our policy, and just paying us the extra it costs us to cover him and his car.

But 21 year old men want to feel virile and independent I guess, and paying through the nose for their own policy must be a testosterone inducing manly thing.  

But what do I know....... ;-)

At this point, I need to come up with $4386.77 for the rest of the year to make my $20K goal.  This breaks down to $877.35 per month for the next 5 months.


As for a look ahead at AUGUST.....
* Car insurance due.
* No celebrations here, no parties, just Boring McBorington at Chez Sluggy.

So how was your July financially?
Did you spend less than you made?
Did you stay within your budget or not?
How much did you save in July?

 Even if it doesn't look like a lot of money, figure out what percentage of your income you saved.  You might feel that it's a more substantial amount in those terms!

We saved 28.74% of our take home income in July.  My goal is to shoot for 50% each month. If we hadn't had that car repair bill, we could have achieved saving 55% of the take-home income. 
Dang that car repair bill! lol

Leave a comment and share with us what you did with your money, both the good and not-so good.
Did you have debt you were able to pay on?
Did you pay off a car, a house or a credit card?
Did something financial blow up on you last month?
What are you doing financially to change your life?

If you posted your financial progress on your own blog, leave a link in the comments so we can go check you out too!

Sluggy

Where Will You Be on Friday?

Will you be out with the Shopping Fanatics on Friday morning?
Or will you be snug in your bed or headed to work at that early hour?
Me?....I don't 'do' Black Friday.

Besides the fact that I don't have many people to buy "stuff" for during the Holidays, it's rare that I want/need something so badly at an insanely low price that I'd brave the traffic headaches, go out into the Chaos of Crowds and stand in lines a mile long to pay in order to save money on an electronic/appliance/toy/article of clothing/etc.
But that's just me I suppose....
Hey, I am all over a great deal but even I have my limits.

If you do have the "Shopping Monkey on your back" and you'll be hitting as many stores as time will allow in a Shopping Bachanalia, remember that all that "stuff" you buy needs to fit into your already crowded with "stuff" home and once you are done with the new "stuff", it will most likely end up clogging up a landfill somewhere....and we are fast running out of places to dispose of all our unwanted "stuff" on this planet.  Consider these points and buy judiciously if you have to purchase "stuff".

The teens mostly want cash or gift cards and Hubs and I don't need more "stuff". I'm going to try to find ways to support local businesses this year when I do buy.
I'll try to find gift cards/certificates to buy off of local small merchants(for consumables or experiences mostly)and try to stay out of the big box stores.

Speaking of big box stores and Black Friday, have a lookie at this SNL skit and tell me that this isn't where we are headed.....



Since I sold a few things on eBay on Thanksgiving(bless all those cyber shoppers with nothing to do but watch football on Thursday!lol) I'll be packing and shipping when I'm not strolling down the aisles at Rite-Aid on Friday seeing what food/HBA items I can bring home for free(or close to it).

Whatever you are doing on Black Friday, stay safe, stay sane and stay warm!

Sluggy