Three Money Hacks To Stop Overspending

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Three Financial Hacks To Stop Overspending

Are you ready for my three financial hacks to stop overspending for good?  Well get ready.  Today is all about how to approaching shopping in a new light.  A light that’s clear and actually brightens all the areas you need to be focusing on before clicking that checkout button or before stepping into your checkout line.

Watch today’s video for the three financial hacks.  You can watch online or down below:

  1. Don’t fall for the sales trap.  Stores are really good at marketing, friends.  They have large departments full of staff members that are dedicated to dreaming up new sales and tricks to get you in the door.  They’re good at it.They have a team dedicated to online ads (you know the ones you see all over after you look at one item – I still can’t shake the ad for black pants that I browsed weeks ago).  They have staff dedicated to print ads, social media posts and tv commercials.Don’t fall for these traps.  Most of the time you’re not saving more money (sometimes, yes).  Their goal is to trick our brains into thinking we’re saving a ton so that we spend more in the end.
  2. Learn to go without.  Now I’m not talking about go without water or power or coffee.  But I’m talking about learning to give up some of the smaller purchases.  I mentioned a few of these in a post about what we gave up and have never looked back on.  But think outside the box on things you could give up – cable, subscription services, coffee house runs, buying your lunch every single day while at work.
  3. Pause before you click checkout.  Are you an online shopping junkie?  I am… to a point.  I prefer to do 90% of my shopping online.  Now that Walmart even has online grocery pick up ordering (new to grocery pick up – check it out with my referral link) I do even more from my phone or laptop.  When you live in a smaller town, online is convenient and you find variety of options that you just don’t find at your local Walmart of JC Penney.However, I have a rule that I try to stick with.  If I’m doing any major online shopping – clothes, large ticket items, a big order on Amazon then I pause.  I wait about12-24 hours before I actually press checkout.  I recommend you do the same.You need to make sure, really sure that you actually want and need those items.  Sure adding $20 more will get you to free shipping, but shipping only costs $5.  Do you need to spend an extra $15?  Get what I’m saying.  You need to think it over and make sure what’s in your cart – all of it is needed and are things you can afford.

What are some of your financial hacks to make sure you don’t overspend while shopping?

Are you a big impulse shopper? Check out my post to help cut that habit out.

Want more help?

Grab the 9-step guide for Budget Success

Grab my 9-step Budget Success Checklist to help take better control of your money.  That way when it’s time to do some shopping you’ll have the confidence that you have the money and all your bills are taken care of.

How To Take Charge Of Your Week

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

how to take charge of your week

Are you ready to take charge of your week so you can get more done?  Well let’s jump right in!

Since I can remember I have loved having a day planner.  In high school I carried one with me everywhere.  I’m not sure why, it wasn’t like I had a TON to do, but it made me feel important.  In college I opted for an hourly day planner.  I was so busy!

In reality I felt that it made me appear busier than I was – I had arrows drawn, I had a color code that I followed and I made sure to write down every homework assignment that was due in fear of forgetting.

Nowadays my love of planners is still strong.  Every few years I splurge on a nice paper planner, only to have it collect dust just a few short weeks after it’s arrival.  Not that I’m not busy for a planner – in my adult life I desperately need a planner to keep it all straight!  But as a mom I have found that carrying one less thing around in my bag was for the best.  So now I opt for my Google calendar.  I am still an avid fan of color coding, but now I’ve had time blocking to the mix.

When it comes to setting myself up for success it really falls down to just a few steps to take charge of my week.

Step One: My calendar. 

I always take a quick look on Sunday at my week ahead.  I use my calendar for just about everything.  Here’s my list of color codes – work, volunteer organizations I’m involved in, family events, just myself, and blog.

I tend to do a quick glance at my calendar to make sure I know of any appointments the week ahead.  That way if I need to coordinate anything with J then I can go ahead and get it taken care of.

Step Two: My to-do list.

My to-do list is my new baby blanket at this point.  I never leave home without.  It’s called my mom notebook and it’s priceless around here.  Whenever I have a thought pop into my brain it gets written down in my mom notebook.

Then I tend to organize my notebook into a few categories – work, blog, and other.  Other usually consists of family to-dos and groups I’m involved in. Once it’s organized then I use that to pull my top three for the day.

Step Three. Meal planning.

Planning out our weekly dinners and making sure lunches are covered is crucial.  Not only when it comes to time, but also to our budget.  We tend to meal plan for two weeks at a time, which is awesome.  We grab the bulk of our items when we do our heavy grocery shopping every two weeks and then any small items like produce and milk once a week.  It helps us from overspending, helps us from eating out too much (thanks to the no eating out challenge we tried awhile back), and from wasting food we buy.  You can grab my two week meal planner here.

Step Four. Sleep.

Yes, sleep.  On Sunday I tend to go to bed at a decent hour so that I can make sure I’m well rested for the upcoming week.  It’s not always the easiest to go to bed early, especially with a stubborn toddler, but I try.  I have found that going to bed early helps me wake up without hitting the snooze a thousand times and gives me time to get ready before our little man wakes for the day.

How To Chase Your Goals and Be A Good Parent

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

how to chase your dreams and be a good parent

It’s late. Real late.  I’m sitting in my family room curled up on my couch in the dark.  I should be in bed, well actually I went to bed hours ago, but haven’t been able to fall asleep.  My mind is racing with remembering all. the. things. that still need to get done.

There’s a lot of them.

Tomorrow morning I’m stepping onto a stage in front of over 350+ women, local business owners, and speakers.  I have to give a presentation, introduce some amazing people and stay on top of all the details.  Oh and did I mention our keynote speaker is the one and only Egypt Sherrod?  Yep, that Egypt of HGTV.  I’m nervous.

Don’t get me wrong, typically I thrive under pressure.  As in make the game winning three-point shot (well back in 5th grade because that’s the last time I was taller than anyone else!), but you get the idea.  There’s a lot riding on my shoulder’s for this conference.

Yes, I’ve had some amazing women standing alongside me.  They’ve helped organize and plan every moment of tomorrow, but at the end of the day it’s still my name listed in that book as the conference director.

I don’t like failing.

Not that I think tomorrow will be a failure – far from it!  I just know that there will be a lot of moving parts and I should be sleeping.

I just can’t.

Do you remember the first day of school as a little girl? Giddy with excitement, couldn’t sleep, planned every conversation you were going to have, thought out the perfect first day of school outfit and you sprung out of bed way too early.  That’s how I feel.

These past 9 months have been a whirlwind with work, this blog and business, my family, traveling, and conference planning – not too mention all the other facets of my life.

This month especially because of course a conference for 350+ people wasn’t enough to keep me busy so I started an advanced accounting class at a local college, decided to declutter, organize and clean every room, closet, and space in our home (all thanks to buying a new couch).

I’m not real sure where I was headed with this post – as I type it my title is still blank and that’s usually my first step in planning out something.  However, I just felt like it was necessary to share where my mind is at, my heart is at and my goals are at.

You see, I am a big believer (huge) in chasing dreams, setting goals and then knocking them down.  I’m also a big fan of my family.  I do believe you can have it both – a career and a family – and be successful at both of them.  I think you just need to follow a few things to help you figure out how to chase your dreams and be a good parent.  Here’s what has helped me along the way:

  1. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  This is a tough one for most moms, me included. You have to ask for help.  It can be big help (like planning a conference) or medium help (like asking a grandparent to pick up your son from daycare so you can work a little longer) or even small help (like asking a friend to help you find the perfect outfit for a big event so you can feel confident).  Whatever the help is – ask for it.  You may not even know what all you need help with, but if someone offers don’t take offense.  Let them help you.
  2. Break goals into chunks.  If you have a big goal or deadline or conference then break it up.  Spend time deciding what steps you need to help reach your goal and then start crossing them off.  Breaking your goals into chunks will also help when you’re trying to figure out who to ask help from (see point one for reference).
  3. Realize it’s okay to not be perfect.  Sometimes in our busy seasons some things slip through the cracks and that’s okay.  Maybe you decide it’s easy slow cooker and casserole meals for dinners.  Maybe you stop worrying about your house being perfect.  Or maybe, just maybe you stay up a little too late to get all your thoughts out of your head.  Part of the realization is knowing when enough is enough.  When you accidentally throw away your kid’s sock and put the empty sour cream container in the dirty clothes basket (and not realize it for several hours) then it’s time to take a break.  That’s when it’s time slow down, breathe and take some time away from pushing yourself so hard.
  4. Remember what’s most important.  In times of goal crushing and dream chasing it can be very easy to get wrapped up in it all.  You’re excited to almost cross another step off your list and you find yourself ignoring what’s most important.  You miss dinners with the family, skipped another night of tucking your little one into bed or were so rushed in the mornings that you felt as if you were a robot just going through the motions.  It’s important to remember why we have these goals in the first place.  Perhaps we’re trying to make more so we can provide for our kids so we can do more fun stuff together.  Whatever your reason – remember it, write it down and know it.

What are some of your tips for how to chase your dreams and be a good parent?  Let me know in the comments or share it on Instagram and tag @meredithrines.

How To Afford Those Big Purchases

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

how to afford those big purchases, pay cash for big items

Making larger purchases can be scary – especially when your not sure how to afford those big purchases.

Recently our family decided it was time for an upgrade on new furniture for our home (watch the video to see why it was time).  My husband and I knew the need for new furniture was coming and we were proactive when it came to saving and making sure we got a good deal.

I’m sharing with you three steps in teaching you how to afford those big purchases without sacrificing each month.  The best part?  If you follow these steps you’ll be able to finally stop using credit cards to pay for those big ticket items and start paying cash.

In today’s video, get ready with me as I chit chat about how we recently afforded new family room, kitchen and other furniture for our house.  Plus, I’m sharing how we’re getting by during this limbo of selling old furniture while waiting on the new pieces to arrive. You can watch online or down below:

Tweet this video

Resources mention in today’s video:

How we use our sinking funds

organize your sinking funds

 

How to set the right financial goals for your family.

 

How To Set The Right Financial Goals, financial goals, meredith rines, meredithrines, merelynne, budget blogger, financial freedom, set financial goals, afford anything you want

Need more help?

Ready to start paying cash for those big purchases? Grab the Sinking Funds Checklist to help you go from credit to cash.  This guide walks you through setting up the right sinking funds for your family, knowing how much to save and then teaches you how to easily track your progress.

Easy DIY Grandparents Day Card {The Perfect Craft for Your Kids}

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

grandparents day card, easy grandparents day gift, diy grandparents day gift, cheap grandparents day gift, grandparents day, gift for grandma, gift for grandpa

Are you needing a last minute Grandparents Day card for this weekend?  Well I got you covered! This is actually the gift we put together last year when I realized it was National Grandparents Day around 2:30 in the afternoon (oops!).  You can use what you already have on hand, which means no running to the store and you can save a little bit of money in the process.

 

Here’s what you need:

2 pieces of construction paper (you’ll need two different colors, I used white and blue)
2-4 different colors of paint
1 sealable baggie
pair of scissors
glue
stick on letters or markers (if you don’t have any stick on letters OR if you have nice handwriting)
1 marker

Here’s how to make this super easy DIY Grandparents Day Card:

Cut out a shape with one of the colors of construction paper – I picked a heart, but you could pick a circle, square or even a star.  

Add a few drops of paint to your shape and then slide into a baggie.  I used my mess-free baby painting technique at this point.  It really helps save the clean-up time and you don’t have a toddler running around your house covered in paint.

Slide the painted masterpiece out and let dry.  You can take a hairdryer to it to speed up the process like I did (I told you I remembered late in the day).

grandparents day card, easy grandparents day gift, diy grandparents day gift, cheap grandparents day gift, grandparents day, gift for grandma, gift for grandpa

While the paint is drying you can decorate the front part of the card.  Here you can have your little one color on it, you can write on it or you can take the easy way and use stick on letters.  I found a sheet of silver letters in my old scrapbooking materials that were hidden in a closet.  After realizing I had just enough letters, my decision was made for me.

After the paint has dried, glue your painted piece into the middle and fold.  You can take a marker to sign your little one’s name and put the date on there, too.

That’s it.

Super simple.

Like I said above, this is what we did last year for Grandparents Day.  It was a huge hit!  Every grandparent loves to get artwork from their grandchildren – it’s a known fact.  Why I like having the artwork take up the whole inside of the card was because they can now frame it or hang it on the fridge to see the whole design.  

How To Budget Consistently (Save More Money)

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

how to budget consistently, tips to save more money

Let’s face it we always have great intentions to take better control of our spending.  We set goals, we work hard and yet, somehow after a few months we let things slip.  We get tired of budgeting, we feel overwhelmed and we just give up.

It happens.

But you need to stop the cycle and start making things more simple.  It only takes three steps to start to budget consistently.  Three.  That’s it.

Why do you even want to budget consistently?  Well for starters you’ll be able to start saving more money and start paying down your debt faster.  Wouldn’t life be easier if you had a little extra money each month or didn’t have to worry about this payment, that payment.  Think about what you would do if you had more money in your savings account – all your little expenses wouldn’t be such an emergency.

It would be nice.

In today’s video I’m sharing with you how to budget consistently so that you can actually start saving money.  You can watch the video online or down below:

tweet this video.

To recap the video, you need to follow these three steps to budget consistently:

THE WHY: Remember why you are wanting to take control of your finances.  Are you wanting to provide more for your children, pay off your debt, plan for your future, or something else?  Know your why, write it down and remember it.

THE HOW: Figure out how you’re going to budget your money.  You may want to keep things simple with simply tracking your expenses and income to make sure you don’t go in the red.  Perhaps you’re a spreadsheet queen (like me) and want more details to get your hands on.  You can use the Chief Financial Officer Bundle to set goals for your spending, track your expenses, and reach your saving targets.

If you’re first getting starting with your budget I recommend just starting to track your spending.  The same idea of keeping a food journal to help you lose weight, when you become aware of how much you’re spending then you’re more likely to spend less.  Watch my video on the easiest method to track your spending, which only has two requirements: a pen and an envelope.

SET REMINDERS: To get in the habit of budgeting consistently you need to remind yourself to do it.  Set weekly reminders in your Google Calendar or on your phone to go off at the same time and same day each week.

Need More Help?

Grab the 9-step guide for Budget Success

Grab my Budget Success Checklist mentioned in the video.  This 9-step guide will help you create the perfect budget for you and your family.  It breaks down each step so that you don’t feel overwhelmed, confused or lost.  You’re finally be able to create a workable budget that fits your goals.

Favorite Social Media Tools To Save Time & Grow Your Business

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

favorite social media tools to save time

Want to know something about me?  Efficiency is my middle name.

Okay, well maybe not legally.  But it’s still a big part of me.

We all are given 24 hours a day to get whatever is we want done.  So it’s important to be sure to spend it wisely.  Finding tools and shortcuts can help you spend less time doing the things that need to get done, but aren’t always the most exciting things.

Here’s the truth about me (and probably most of us moms, too) – we are masters of the schedule, multi-tasking ninjas and somehow still manages to kiss every boo-boo and ouchie.  We work hard at our careers, build businesses on the side, grow amazing families, and so much more.

So when it comes to the tools I use to help me save time so that I can spend more of it with our son while my business is growing in the background.  Not too long ago I shared a post about favorite apps that help me save money.  So this time around I wanted to share my productivity hacks. Here are my favorite go-to tools to save time and help me grow my business:

PERSONAL TOOLS:

Walmart Grocery App (if you haven’t tried the Grocery Pickup yet, you’re missing out.  It makes life so much easier and grocery shopping a breeze)

Walmart App (I am a big fan of the Savings Catcher App, which can be used whether I shop in-store or do the grocery pickup)

Ibotta (Sign up using my referral link and get an extra $10)

Ebates (You can signup using my referral link to get an extra $10)

Amazon (If I can’t find something at my local Walmart then I prefer to order on Amazon)

Google Photos (I have all my camera’s pictures backed up to Google so that way I can access them anywhere and if something should happen to my phone, I still have my images)

BUSINESS TOOLS:

Canva (I use the online version and the iPhone app)

Instagram

Later (this amazing tool let’s you schedule Instagram posts, Facebook posts and Twitter posts all with just a few clicks.  I can pre-plan all my social media posts for the week to share my new blog posts and videos so that when the week gets away from me I don’t have to worry about it.  They have a free version, which I used for almost a year before upgrading.  Sign up and get 10 free posts to try it out)

Tailwind (This helps me boost all my recent blog posts and Youtube videos on my Pinterest boards – you can sign up using my referral link.)

Pinterest

VSCO (This is my favorite app to edit pictures for my social media posts – it’s free, easy to use and doesn’t erase my original image)

Trello (this project management tool is the perfect solution to hold all the things that need to get done – editorial calendar, goals, things to do, business information, etc. I created a tutorial of how I use Trello, you can watch it here)

What tools do you use to save you time?  Leave a comment and let me know!

How To Use Your Sinking Funds Template and Start Tackling Your Money

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

how to use your sinking funds spreadsheet

If you’re new around here then you may not have discovered my deep love for budgeting yet.  But it’s there, let me assure you.

I’m a stronger believer that you have to budget for the life you dream of and that means buckling down to make some serious money changes.  For our family that mean cooking at home more often and watching how much we piled into our grocery cart.

A lot of the changes aren’t hard and require a little bit of prep work – like meal planning, which has had huge benefits for us.  Not only are we saving money, but now dinner prep isn’t all on me.  If J gets home before me then he can easily see what we’re supposed to have for dinner and get it started.  That means most nights dinner is almost finished by the time I pick up our little guy and get home – so nice!

One of the hardest changes has been with the actual budget.  I think most of you can agree budgeting is not your favorite thing to do on the weekends.  However, I would argue that knowing where your spending your money has been a huge eyeopener for you – it has for us!  If I’m being honest, sometimes I forget about going through the McDonald’s drive-thru for that extra snack or to calm down a hangry two year old.

I introduced an update Sinking Funds Template a few months ago and I have received some really great feedback for it (THANK YOU!)!  The template has really transformed the daunting task of saving the right amount of money into simply tracking what we’re doing.  We open the template, enter how much we spent and where it was at and then the spreadsheet automatically adds up our monthly totals.

We no longer have to go line-by-line to manually add each goal we’re saving for, each time we spent money for something and all the other misc. goals that we struggle keeping straight.  This new system makes it a breeze!  We can easily open up the template, which I try to do a few times each week, add in any changes and click save.

Today I wanted to share with you an overview of the  Sinking Funds Template.  I’ve had a great response from when it was introduced a few months ago, but I also have received a few questions, too.  I thought I could easily answer the questions I have received and any questions that may not have been asked yet.

The biggest change with this new version is that each goal can have it’s own target date.  So if you’re saving for a vacation in June you can also easily save for your property taxes that are due in December.  Multiple goals, multiple target dates, and only one monthly savings amount.

Let’s walk through how to use the Sinking Funds Template so you can take control over your money.  This spreadsheet is what our family has been using for months now and we’ve noticed a huge shift in our savings (meaning we’re saving more!).

Check out today’s video where I walk you through how to use the CFO Bundle and set it up for you.  You can watch online or down below:

tweet this video!

See what I mean? Super easy to set it up and personalize it to your family.  Plus, the way the monthly tracking is setup it makes keeping up with how much your saving and spending that much easier.  You can grab the Sinking Funds Template over in the shop.

Oh and because I love you – I’m offering 25% off the new template for a limited time (and that code might just work for anything in the shop!). Just enter SINKING at checkout.  You can grab it for a great deal until end of September.

Want more help?

organize your sinking funds

Check out my Sinking Funds guide, which will help you determine the exact categories you need to be saving for.  Plus. I break down the steps you need to know how much to save for all your bills, financial goals and repair categories.

The Categories For Your Budget (How Much You Should Budget For Each Category)

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

how much you should budget each month

Tired of asking yourself (and other experts) how much you should budget each month when it comes to groceries, mortgage, and everything else?  Well you’re in luck!

I’ve got the magic formula.

This formula is what my family uses and has helped us pay off over $40,000 worth of debt in under three years.  It’s also the same formula that allowed my husband to take a year off of work to go back to school full-time.  It literally saved our butts so that we could still enjoy our lives while making less money.

It’s the key to really zeroing in on a budget that fits your family.

In today’s video I’m sharing the magic formula so that no matter you income level you can determine exactly how much you should be budgeting for each category.  This formula can be applied if only one person works, both of you work, you’re renting your home, you’ve bought your home, live in a city, live in the country – wherever.  It’s a universal formula that can be applied to your entire budget to help you determine a healthy spending amount.

This formula works great if you’re tired of living paycheck-to-paycheck.  If you’re trying to pay down your bills so that you can finally get ahead then you need to watch this video.  You can watch the video online or down below:

Click to tweet this video!

Leave a comment letting me know one thing you were surprised by when determining how much you should budget each month!

 

Need More Help?

Grab my Budget Success Checklist mentioned in the video.  This 9-step guide will help you create the perfect budget for you and your family.  It breaks down each step so that you don’t feel overwhelmed, confused or lost.  You’re finally be able to create a workable budget that fits your goals.

How To Shut Off Work & Focus On What’s Most Important

Posted on by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

how to shut off work & focus on what's important

Oh my goodness.  This is the post I desperately needed today.  I don’t know about you, but work can start to become an all-encompassing thing around our household.

As someone who has a career outside the home and still trying to build a business, it can be hard to shut the laptop off and focus on what’s most important – which is my family.

The last few weeks, as I felt my busy season coming to an end I’ve found myself more and more ready to shut off work.  I was feeling the urge to be more present with our son and to really focus on the needs of my family.

Have you ever noticed that pull and desire?  It can be hard to tell yourself to stop working on something that has a deadline (either real or self-given) and turn your brain off from even thinking about it.  Even if I was playing with our son, I usually had my phone next to me to right down ideas or things to do.

That’s not the kind of mother I want to be.

So here I am, busy season over and I’m learning to shut off work and focus on what’s most important to me – my husband, my son and myself.

Here’s what I’ve found to really help and when you’re ready, give these a try:

Give Yourself Permission

This can be the hardest step, but that’s why it’s first.  Give yourself the okay to shut everything down.  It’s okay to make your project wait until tomorrow.  To not finish those calls late at night so you can actually eat dinner with your family.  It’s okay to come home from work and not open your laptop even once.  It’s okay.

Give yourself the permission to really be in the moment and do what you love, whatever that is.

Decide What Excites You Most

An easy way to help you focus on what’s most important is deciding what excites you.  What are passionate about? What motivates you to work so hard?  Use those tools to find something to focus on other than work.  It might be your family – if that’s the case then find something fun to do together.  It might be painting – well then block out time so that you can paint at the end of the day, each morning or on the weekends.  Find something that makes you excited and chase it.

Prioritize Your List Before Stopping

This one is a stress reducer.  If you spend the last 5-10 minutes each work day to decide on your top three for the next day then you will be able to walk away much easier.  Decide what tasks really need to get done tomorrow so that when you leave you don’t feel as if you have an uncompleted cycle.  It could be a simple list of your tip three – the top three things that have to get done.  Maybe you just need to make an segmented list that includes client work, administrative tasks, and other.  That way you have a few in each category to help you feel more at ease.

I tend to keep a running to do list all day on my desk.  It has everything that needs to get done – client work, administrative tasks, other, etc.  Then at the end of the day, I copy that list over to a new sheet of paper. I remove everything that was accomplished that day and then write my new list in order of priority.  That way when I come back in the next day I know exactly where to start to get the most important thing done.

You can also keep a running list of non-important items.  When you add something to your to-do list, but find that you never have the time to actually get it done, then maybe it’s time to move it.  So create a list on your computer that is a running to-do list of non-important and non-urgent tasks.  When you find yourself out of more important tasks or with just a few minutes in between meetings then you can open this list to knock off something small.

What are you doing to help you shut off work and focus on what’s most important?