Getting Started With My Step By Step Guide
WELCOME !!
I am so glad you have stumbled upon my blog...whether that be recently or long ago! Before we get started with the guide, I wanted to give you a break down of the set up of my blog.
1. In the right side bar, you will see my email subscription button or RSS Feed button. I highly advise you sign up to get my daily updates, as this is the best way to ensure you don't miss out on any deals I post.
I do a lot of giveaways and raffles that are only available to subscribers of this blog. You can be a subscriber via email or RSS Feed.
2. Above that, you will find my search box, so you can quickly find a past post on your own. Type a key word in, and it should take you to a link for any post related to that topic.
3. At the top of the site and on the side, you will see a topic bar. You can click on any of those buttons to take you to a certain section of my site. You can learn about my family's journey in our effort to get debt free. You can access tons of printable coupons. You can also learn about online offers. They are a valuable tool to boost your family's income if done correctly. You can gain information about how to advertise on this site should you have a product or service to sell. This is also where you can read about moi...and access my contact information.
And, that is a quick run down of my blog set up......now...scroll down for the Step by Step Guide!
Getting Started
I have appreciated all the questions from all my readers since I started my blog, and although I love emailing you back individually....I thought this would be more beneficial to everyone...including myself!
As always, contact me if you have any additional tips to share. If you have a better way of doing it...let us know! I am always looking for ways to improve.
If you haven't been able to tell, I am all about spending the least amount of time to generate the maximum benefit financially for my and your family. So, organization is one of the key factors in this.
And, with that, let's get started....
Items needed:
1.
Planners - I recommend an actual planner plus a digital planner PLUS your cell phone calendar. Why? Well, I used to do everything digitally, and then one day...well, let's just say, my computer malfunctioned and I lost everything! This could be a major setback if you are doing online offers and have to cancel on a certain day, have the phone numbers listed, etc. What would you do? SO, I keep everything on my computer, BUT I also log everything on my planner and my cell phone, too.
The other benefit? I can throw my planner in the car with me.and if I am in between errands and need to cancel an offer that day ( the phone number will be listed ) and can call and take care of business. The other benefit of having it digital, too? What if I lose my actual planner somewhere? Luckily, I can go home and pull all the info off my computer. It is just smart to have a back up!
2.
CVS Card/Grocery Store Card, etc - If you don't already have these items, you need to drive to your local stores and register for your free cards. These cards will save you a lot of money, and you can not begin getting in on the deals until you have them.
3.
Local Paper - Time to subscribe to your Sunday paper. Click here to read my article on making sure you get the best price on your paper. If you want more than one set of coupons, you can always subscribe to 2 papers. If you don't want to subscribe to the paper, the Dollar Store is a great option. You can get the Sunday paper for a buck instead of almost $2 at the store (every dollar counts). Also, see if you have friends or coworkers who don't use their coupons and if they wouldn't mind saving them for you.
In addition, All You magazine is a great resource for coupons. Every issue features high value coupons. Most contain up to $80 in coupons. If you are a regular reader of this site, I feature the great subscription deals on this magazine when they come along.5. Envelopes/Baggies - Get your hands on these and label them now. If you haven't been doing this already, start with the current month and label one for the month. Then, stick it in your purse, glove box, somewhere that it will be with you every time you go to a store.
Now, EVERY TIME you buy ANYTHING, get your receipt and immediately put it in the envelope. This not only keeps them all together for future use, but also keeps them in date order. If you ever stumble upon a rebate a month from now, you can go find the receipt and make money. Or, if you ever sign up for an offer and it gives refunds for purchases, you can go grab your receipt. OR...this happens alot, if a price goes down, you can get the lower price.
Remember, most stores allow returns for 3 months, so I always keep 3 months worth of receipt envelopes on me at all times in case I need them. After that, they get filed in my cabinet at home, just in case.
6. Coupon Filers - You need to go buy these, if you don't have them. Everyone organizes their coupons differently, but you need something. So, decide what you need and go get it. I have a coupon binder for all my grocery store coupons. Read my post
here about how to organize coupons effectively.
I keep my coupon binder in the car at all times ( Luckily, I have the hidden stow compartment in the mini van ). When, I get new coupons, I go to the van, bring the files in...file my coupons, then take it back out immediately and put it away in the van. This is important, because you never know when you are going to be running around and all of a sudden you are picking up something you KNOW you had a coupon for at home. Or, a friend asks you to meet them for lunch when you are already out. You don't want to be caught without your restaurant coupons.
AND, I keep every restaurant coupon, etc and file them. Even, if I think I will never go there. You just NEVER know!
7. File Cabinet/File Folders - If you don't have one, get an old box...something...anything! As soon as mail comes in, offers, check stubs, invoices, bills, etc begin rolling in, you need to do what you do with them ( pay them, log them/track them, cancel them...whatever ) and then file them in a file folder in your file cabinet/box.
I can guarantee, you will need to be able to go back and find information on some of this paperwork at some time during the year. And, if you can get to it in a matter or seconds, then you are more likely to follow through with whatever you need to do to get the savings or make money.
If you don't know where something is, you might just give up. And, that is money lost!
Family Bills
OK, you are now geared up with your essential tools. Today, we need to make sure our family bills are in order before we dive into actually doing surveys, mystery shopping, online offers, etc, etc.
Why? Because, once again, we want to be ORGANIZED. And, I can guarantee, once you get into all the other money making methods out there, organizing your original bills will keep getting pushed to the back burner.
So, for the next step, here is what you need to do:
1. Look at your phone bill. Make sure you are paying as little as possible for your service. Do you really need everything you are paying for? Is the same service cheaper through another provider? Take an hour to figure it out and lower your bill as much as possible.
2. Look at your internet bill. Again, determine whether you need all of the features that you are paying for. Is the service cheaper through another provider?
3. Look at your cable and satellite bill - Do you really watch all of the channels that you are currently paying for? Is the same service cheaper through another provider? If you are satisfied with your current provider, call them anyway and ask to have your bill lowered. On 9 times out of 10 they have retention specialists that will offer you 6 months free of somthing to try to keep your business. Just mark the date that this special offer expires on your personal calendar so you know to call back then for another deal :)
3. Look over your energy bill - Log onto their website or call them to see if they have any programs to reduce the cost. Then do a little research to insulate your home and do other things to reduce your energy bills. This can be a big saver in the long run. It may cost you more up front to buy an energy efficient appliance, but it pays off in the long run.
4. Look at your insurance bills - Plan some time in your schedule to call around to different providers to check their rates ( this one can be time consuming, especially if you call around to MANY different providers ). So, if you can't actually do it today, you need to pencil a day in NOW to sit down and do it. Just make sure that when you are doing this that you are comparing identical coverages so that you don't come across any issues down the line.
Do you have other bills from service providers that may be lowered?
I am still under contract with my cell phone company, but as soon as my contract is up I am going to try and get it lowered by following the same guidelines.
Remember to track everything. I always write the persons name or ID number down that I talk to, the day and time. And, of course the information they gave me. And, make sure you read my original posts, too, so you know how to go about getting the most out of your providers.
Finances
So, we have tackled gearing up....getting your bills in order...so what is the next step?
It is time to take a good look at your finances!
OK..I am not going to tell you what to invest in or anything like that. Although, I have mentioned before, you should take a look at this aspect of your life and ensure you are socking away the appropriate amount. I have always believed in the motto, " pay yourself first ". So, we sock away the appropriate percentage of our income and then live off the rest.
Debt can suck the life out of you, your family and your marriage. It is so important to get a handle on it and get debt free asap. I'm not there yet (read Our Journey), but I'm getting there one day at a time. I am an avid believer in Dave Ramsey. He has really shaped a lot of my beliefs about money and debt.
- The first step when trying to get out of debt is to list all of your debts from lowest to highest.
- You then save a mini emergency fund of $1,000.oo in case of emergency.
- After you have done these two things, you attack your first debt on your list. You use every spare cent to get rid of this debt.
- When that is accomplished, you attack debt #2 on the list. It will be easier because you now have the money that you used to pay debt #1 plus what you normally pay on debt #2.
- You continue on this way until all of your non mortgage related debt is gone. It is like a giant snowball rolling down hill because you gain momentum with every bill paid off.
- You go on from there to saving money for retirement, paying off the house... We'll get to that down the road. I'm assuming if you are reading this, you're not ready for it yet. Join the club :)
Signing Up for your Tools
So, where do we go from here?
Well, it is time to start freeing up some extra cash to put on your debt. There are many tools that will keep money in your wallet and on our debt. You start by signing up for basic online tools we need and getting the easy things out of the way. This post is going to sound like an advertisement board for all these companies, but rest assured...I use them all. And, I benefit from them.
1.
Blingo - This is a search engine powered by Google. You will usually see me reference it alot, because it is free and you can use it in place of Google or Yahoo, etc. But, it gives you a chance to win when you actually do a search on the web. Once you sign up, it is important to save it as your homepage so you begin using it.
2.
Swagbucks - This is the 1st search engine I use. It is similar to Blingo, BUT you randomly get awarded Swagbucks, which you can then redeem for gifts/giftcards. I use this company 1st, because I usually win at least once a day. Once I win my swagbuck for the day, I switch to Blingo.
I sit down once a week and print all my lists. Then, I take them, and while watching TV in the evening, pull the coupons I need. It takes no brain power of my own to figure and match everything. :-) Which is a good thing, because I'm not sure how much brain power I have left!
3.
eBay - sign up and activate your account, if you don't already have one. This is going to be a great means for you to sell certain things around the house, coupons, etc.
4. Big Crumbs - You also need to sign up for your online shopping sites. Big Crumbs gives you a percentage back of all purchases you make, including eBay items. This is a great deal. They cut you a check monthly, no matter how small it is. And, even for in store purchases, I will check online shopping sites first. Some stores will let you buy online and pick up in the store, and then you get the benefit of an extra percentage back.
5. Ebates - This is another free online shopping site. They give you $5 when you sign up and make a purchase. So, it is actually in your best interest to take advantage of the free money and find something small to buy. I will often times post offers on my blog where you can buy thru their site and qualify for this free $5 on great deals.
6. Shop at Home- Another online shopping site plus MORE! You will want to immediately register. So, the same story as Ebates. But, they also sell gift cards. Great way to get discounted gift cards. But, you can also access coupon codes for over 3,000 online retailers. You can get from 1% to 30% cash back on purchases you were going to make anyway. You'll also get a $5 sign up bonus when you join. It's free and it only takes 30 seconds to join.
7.
Mr. Rebates - Yes, yet another online shopping option. Make sure to check them out before you buy anything online and compare with the above sites. This site also give $5 free for new customers.
I am sure I will have more to add to this list in the future, but for now...these are the main companies I personally use. If you have other great sites that help you save and earn money, please comment. I am always looking for new and exciting ways to save and earn AND make my life easier!
You are now caught up, read my blog daily as I update you on deals and money makers I find, and follow along with me to make even more extra money!
Meanwhile, you can instead do a search on the topic in the new search tool I added to my site.
Further questions? Email me at
Mommyluvs2save@yahoo.com I really love helping all of you accomplish your financial goals too!
