A word on Mint.com

I try every month to keep an eye on how much money we're spending, compared to how much we're bringing in. However, with a checking account, two savings accounts, 401ks, various credit cards, and our mortgage, it's a lot to keep track of.

Back in my single days, I used Mint.com  to keep track of my finances. As my husband and I started combining our accounts, I lost track of my Mint account, and stopped using it.

Now that we're settled in our accounts and trying extra-hard to save some cash in 2011--we have many out of town weddings to travel to, as well as hoping to take a trip to Europe in the summer-- I decided to make a new Mint account. The best part is that my husband and I can both log on whenever we want to check out our funds, see how much we are spending, or track our investments. Since I've always been the one to manage our finances, it's nice that now he is in the loop without having to ask me a lot of questions!

There are lots of other great features that Mint.com has. My fave five are:

1. Payment reminders: Mint emails me a few days before my credit card payments or mortgage payment are due
2. Long term goals: Mint lets you track specific savings goals and follow your progress.
3. Categories: It divides all of your spending into customizable categories--rent/mortgage, entertainment, travel, utilities, and it shows you all of your different categories in a pie graph. 
4. Accounts: Mint links all of your accounts in one place, and keeps them constantly updated. I can see the status of all of my accounts in one place, without having to log in to each of my accounts online separately. 
5. It's free! 

Oh...and there's a mobile app!

Small Business Saturday

Saturday, November 27th is Small Business Saturday. Amidst Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and general holiday fever, it's important to remember to shop at locally owned stores. (Yes, I realize this is sponsored by American Express, but regardless, they bring up a good point.

I am a big fan of shopping locally, especially when it comes to restaurants. I try to eat at local Seattle restaurants as much as I can, instead of big chain restaurants like Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory, etc.

According to the Small Business Saturday website :

• For every $100 spent at local small businesses, $68 returns to the community.
• Small businesses employ half of all private sector employees.
• For every year over the last decade, 60%-80% of new jobs were generated by small businesses. 

Obviously, our current precarious economic problem is complex and not easily solved, but shopping at local small businesses has a direct impact on job growth and puts dollars back into your local community. 

As you shop for the holidays, try out a few new stores in your neighborhood where you've never shopped before. 

Winter Weeknights

Who says all the fun has to be saved up for the weekend! Here in the Northwest, this time of year, it's dark by 4:45 pm. If you don't want to be relegated to nights on the couch and constant TV/movie watching, it's time to get creative. 

We call these Middle School Dates--bowling, ice skating, museums, etc. But instead of spending your Friday or Saturday night at these places (after all, we discovered that Saturday night is "teen night" at our local ice rink--yikes!), why not make a mid-week event out of it. Check out your local bowling alley or skating rink's weekday prices. You'll be surprised how much money you'll save. Come on, your bowling skills don't magically improve just because it's the weekend.

Bottom Line: Our local bowling alley has $3 games, $3 shoe rentals, and $3 beers on Tuesday nights. We spent a total of $12 each. Had we gone on Friday or Saturday night, it would have been $30/hour per lane, $4 for shoes, and $5.50 for drinks, for a grand total of $24.50 per person. Going on a Tuesday saved us roughly 50%. 

Coupon Clipping for the 21st Century

We've all been stuck in the grocery store checkout line behind the little old lady with a million coupons. Don't be one of those ladies (or gentlemen). Most grocery store coupons are for junk food, aren't that great of a deal, or expire before you remember to use them. Unless you have the time to commit to using coupons, it most likely won't be worth your time or money.

Here's a better idea: Pick your ten favorite stores--clothing, sporting goods, restaurants, furniture, whatever, and sign up for their online coupons. Most national chain stores offer serious discounts every few weeks, including free shipping, buy one get one free, etc.

Yes, you'll get a ton of emails in your inbox, but here's an easy tip: Either set up a separate email address for these offers or set up your email to filter those particular emails into a separate folder, bypassing your inbox. That way, you'll have the coupons when you need them, but won't be tempted to buy things you wouldn't buy otherwise.

Bottom Line: 30% off DSW, 40% off one item at Michaels, free shipping at Banana Republic, and more, all in one week.

Winter is Coming!

I've never been good at skiing. I never got good at it, and I hate being cold. However, winter is long, cold and rainy here in the Northwest, and I decided this year is the year to embrace the winter--so I'm going to learn to snowboard. We're surrounded by ski resorts, the closest only being 45 minutes away.

Snowboards are expensive...really expensive. However, a few weekends ago I found a store called Next Adventure, in Portland. Oregon. This store is super legit. Not only do they have an actual "bargain basement", but this time of year, it's full of used ski and snowboard gear.

I picked up a board (pink and girly!), super nice bindings, and Salomon boots, all for $165.

Bottom Line:
Snowboard: $90 (instead of $300 plus)
Boots: $50 (instead of $250)
Bindings: $25 (instead of $150)

Total Savings: $535

Snowboard rentals at the mountain are between $30 and $50 a day, so as long as I go snowboarding at least 5 times this season, I'm in the clear, and will have the new gear for years to come.

If you are interested in learning a new sport, find a local used sporting gear store near you. Make sure you like the sport before investing a lot of cash into first-rate gear.

Now I just need to learn how to snowboard...