Holiday Savings & New Year Spending

2013, Here We Come

So I know Christmas has passed and the New Year is here to stay but I wanted to touch on a couple of saving tips for Christmas 2013. I also wanted to mention one way to get your finances in order, and start the year off on the right foot.

Kroger Gas Points

The first tip is to take advantage of Kroger gift card deals during the Christmas season.  When you purchase gift cards during the holiday season you get 4x the fuel points.  My husband and I live in a small town and don't have too many options so we had already decided on Lowe's for our Christmas tree.  We bought a Lowe's gift card at Kroger, saved .40 cents on gas, and used the gift card to buy our tree.

A Costco Christmas

Secondly, if Lowe's isn't an option I found out this year that Costco sells awesome Christmas trees for really cheap.  If we had a Costco's in town I would have saved $10 on our tree.

Tomato Trees

Lastly, as far as Christmas savings go, is an idea I read about in a magazine.  This Spring/Summer we grew our own tomato plants.  After the plants died off I just put the tomato cages in storage.  I assumed they would take up space in our storage shed, until I read of an idea where you turn the cages up side down and wrap them with Christmas lights to look like Christmas trees.  I thought this was an awesome cheap idea.

New Year, New Spending Habits

When my husband and I first got married finances always seemed to be an area of unnecessary conflict.  I have a background in finance and had to know where every dollar was going.  My husband, well lets just say felt almost the complete opposite of myself.  We both realized we had to do something.  One of my best friends and mentor suggested this website called www.mvelopes.com.   It has radically changed our finances.  I never thought I could ever say that I could let my husband manage our money and that is exactly the place I find myself today.  It is so user friendly and has tutorials to help you figure out everything.  It links with your bank account and pulls all your debits/credits over and then you place them into funded "envelopes".  My husband funds every envelope with a percentage of everything we make.  We both have a "fun" envelope, that allows us to spend without feeling guilty, and we have a folder set aside just for giving.  It is nice to know there is money being saved up just to give away to others.  Financial freedom has to be one of the best feelings in the world.  Mvelopes has allowed me to completely hand over our finances to my husband and know that we are saving, both in the long and short term, and we are able to plan ahead.  I can not recommend this website enough, it will change your life.

Tonight I enjoyed a basic black cup of coffee.  Sometimes the simplest form is the best.

Make it Great!

- CTaylor

Taylor 1.5

What a year this first year and a half of marriage has been.  It has flown by so fast but at the same time it feels like we have been together forever.  This year has held a ton of memories for both Joshua and me.  I should have started writing forever ago because it is hard to remember everything by the end of the year.  We celebrated our one year anniversary this year in charming Savannah and loved every minute of it, especially the much needed couple’s massage.  We have enjoyed being able to travel together anywhere and everywhere.  We have spent many weekends just getting away, to places like Memphis, Tunica, and of course back home to Atlanta.  This year though, I (Camille) enjoyed taking Joshua to California to meet family for my cousin’s wedding, and to see where I am from.  Outside of traveling we have enjoyed turning our house into a home.  Joshua has turned out to be quite the carpenter and has made me shelves, frames, candle holders, a dining room table, a bench, and an entertainment center. In the pictures you can see the entertainment center, table, bench, and palette shelves.

I have found a love for cooking and have put to good use everything in my kitchen.  Joshua this year got promoted to Sergeant and I took a new position within my bank.  I am now a financial services representative, and have enjoyed getting to know so many people in town. After getting married Joshua and I jump a few borders and found ourselves in Starkville, MS, where Joshua is finishing up his degree in Construction Management.  He is also working for a construction company, West Brothers’ Construction, when he is not in classes.  I am so proud of him. We so enjoyed the Holidays and getting to spend much needed time with family.  We look forward to this next year together and what the Lord has planned for us.  Joshua has one year left in school, and we know that God has something awesome in store for us both now and after he graduates.  We love all of you and wish you your best year yet!   

-The Taylors

3 Savings Suggestions

Three years ago a regular of mine at Starbucks brought in boxes and boxes of Gillette razors because he ran a warehouse that distributed them, and if a box was damaged all the contents were "damaged out".  He brought in Mach3 razors and Venus razors.  Although at the time all I used were disposables I knew the cost of razors, so I grabbed a hand full.  When I got home I realized I happened to have a  Mach3 disposable razor.  I realized that I could pull the head off of the disposable one, that was supposed to be thrown away, and the heads for the more expensive razors would fit on it.  For the past two years I have used the same disposable razor handle and just replaced the blades with the free ones.  Come to find out the expensive Mach3 Turbo Razor, that my husband has, uses the same razors also.  So today, because I am at home sick, I thought I would see if the Venus razors would fit my disposable razor, AND THEY DID!  Who would have thought that the super cheap disposable razors fit the more expensive blades.  Don't waste money buying the Venus whole razors, just get the cheap disposable razors and replace with whatever Gillette blades you prefer.

On another note due to being sick I have took several baths now.  I thought I would splash in some of the eucalyptus I bought from my local discount nutrition store.  After spending way too much money purchasing oils at Aveda and all natural grocery stores my sister-in-law told me that Discount Nutrition sold essential oils for nothing, AND THEY DO!  I got a 4 fl. oz. bottle of eucalyptus for $9.99, compared to $14.00 for 1 fl. oz, and a 1 fl. oz bottle of lavender for $7.99, compared to $17.00 for 1 fl. oz.  The eucalyptus is great not only to put in the tub but also to put a little under your nose, just like Vicks vapor rub.

The other suggestion I thought of while in the tub was the idea of replacing shaving cream with conditioner.  I started doing this years ago and stopped.  I started doing it again because my arm pits always seem to be so sensitive when I shave, which is probably because I only shave with water.  I had got a free sample of Pantene Pro V conditioner in the mail and because I don't use conditioner it was sitting in my guest bathroom toiletry basket.  I pulled it out and put it on my arm pits and to my surprise shaving them didn't hurt as bad as it usually does.  After using it on my arm pits I used it on my legs, it was awesome.  Like I said I used to do this years ago on my legs and just stopped, I guess when I ran out.  The benefits to using conditioner over shaving cream. 1) It is CHEAPER 2) It doesn't build up as much as shaving cream does on the razor 3) It softens your leg hair and 4) It softens your legs.  My legs are noticeably softer when I get out of the shower.

Ok, now last piece of advice. This doesn't help you save, that's why it wasn't included in the title total. If you struggle with dandruff, like myself, and don't use conditioner, try using it in the winter to help with dry scalp.  If you are like myself and don't use conditioner, because it has been said to promote hair loss due to loosens the hair in the follicle, using it in the winter prevents your scalp from drying.  I started using conditioner a couple of weeks ago, just every other shower, and I have noticed a remarkable difference

Today I enjoyed a cup of Darjeeling Tea with a tablespoon of honey and milk. I bought a 7 oz box for $4.99 at a local Indian Grocery store in Atlanta.

-CTaylor

Fast Approaching Holidays

There are so many signs that the holidays are here, beginning with all of my magazine subscriptions being lined with holiday ideas: decorating, food, and entertaining. I guess it is time to clean out everything and pull out the holiday stuff. We have been organizing our closets and putting away our summer stuff and sorting between give away and consignment. We have a consignment shop here in town that you make 50% of the sale, and whatever doesn't sell after 90 days is donated. I love this because it’s like the last ditch stop to make any money off of clothes before passing them to someone else. We recently hosted a yard sale with some of our friends and we quickly realized that clothes don't sale, so I think this is the best option.

Speaking of holidays, I have enjoyed decorating for fall and have enjoyed hosting family and friends and knowing that my hard work is not going unnoticed. However, the Christmas decorations may not be seen as much because we might not have family in town, but they are totally worth it. I don't know what it is about this season but it's like something changes and Christmas decorations just help to change peoples' moods, at least it does mine.

I am looking forward to really helping with the Thanksgiving feast this year, especially because I am really getting into couponing and how to really work the system. We recently took a shopping trip to Kroger, instead of Wal-Mart, to see if my new found tricks made a difference, and they did. Before going to the grocery store I decided to hit couponmom.com just to see if I could get any last minute deals. As I was scanning the website I ran across two tutorials and I felt empowered to take what I learned and really save some money. I also recently found out, through Extremecouponing on TLC, that Kroger doubles every coupon that's .50 cents or less. I got all of my normal shopping done plus stuff for stuffing (4x the recipe) and green bean casserole (3x the recipe) for $143.00. I saved over $60, plus got us .10 off a gallon at their fuel center. Although this bill might seem high to some I was blown away at how many things I got for pennys, and I feel like it is just the beginning.

So back to the holidays. We are planning our Christmas photo op to send out for Christmas cards and I really like this one:

 I better start writing these cards; time sure does fly around the Holidays.

Tonight I enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey Crème (Teavana), with a teaspoon of honey and a splash of milk.

Earl Grey Creme Black Tea (teavana.com)

$5.20/20oz.

High tea is further elevated with tart bergamot orange tastefully tempered by creamy Madagascar vanilla then blended with the classic pomp of an Earl Grey black tea. A majestically smooth confection that is now available any time the senses desire. Sprinkled with sunny blue cornflowers, this full leaf wonder is divinely delicious with a silky sweet finish. Dairy Free. Smooth infusion with bergamot overtones

-CTaylor

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