Today I posted my second-ever online income report video. I like uploading this particular content for a couple of reasons...
1) I try to be as transparent as possible when it comes to the content on my channel. Salary, debt, health and now online income are all fair game. Transparency allows me to fully explain myself in videos and gives me a chance to provide clarity when describing our household budget or how to got into debt in the first place.
2) I had quite a time trying to navigate the possibilities of the online-income world. From YouTube to affiliate programs and partnerships, I slowly and steadily researched the different methods and avenues used to create revenue from what I'd been posting to YouTube. My channel was also what inspired me to create my Etsy Shop. My love of budgeting and working a plan to pay down our debt made the path much more clear.
3) Having an online archive of my progress (and set-backs!) is a good tool for me to use when reflecting on what's worked and what hasn't. It's all a learning process; some methods that worked last year - or even last month - may not work in the future. Tracking your efforts and ultimately your progress and growth is always a great step toward improvement.
If you'd like to watch the full video of how well my online income generated in September, just CLICK HERE!
Just posted my fourth video for Vlogtober and I have to admit, I'm enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. Since my YouTube channel primarily focuses around budget-related content, I wasn't sure that "Vlogtober" would be the best fit. However, as a viewer myself, I'm always intrigued to see the "behind-the-scenes" of my favorite YouTubers. Catching a glimpse of real life makes certain videos/channels even more relatable.
Yesterday's vlog was a little on the uneventful side but it gave me a chance to feature one of our sweet pugs and allow her a little camera time!
Facing your overall debt can be overwhelming. I don't recommend looking at the "big numbers" every time you sit down to budget your weekly paycheck however, it's good to check your balances on a regular basis to see what type of progress your making. If your numbers are remaining stagnant, it may be time to kick things up a bit by creating a more aggressive payment plan.
Remember, not all debt is created equal. I try not to stress over investment debt such as our mortgage. Although it's a huge debt, it's one that will serve us later in the form of equity. Other debts such as student or personal loans and of course, credit cards - those are debts where you should focus your undivided attention when it comes to budgeting. Getting rid of revolving credit or loan items will free up your money from being bogged down by large payments and accumulating interest.
To print out a simple spreadsheet where you can record and analyze your debt, click HERE for a free printable.
For more videos on our budget plans, debt and my planners, check out my YouTube channel HERE.
It's hard to believe that we're almost approaching June marking the half-way point of 2019. In an effort to prepare (early) for the holidays, I've put together a 6-month savings plan that, if followed, will generate $500 in holiday saving by December - just in time to kick off your Christmas shopping!
Every year I say I'm going to open up a Christmas Club Savings account at my bank and every year, I don't do it. It never feels like the right time to start saving for the next holiday season when the first one isn't over. This modest six-month plan starts long after the holidays have wrapped up and now is the best time to start stocking away for this year!
If you follow the simple savings plan, you will have $500 saved. Depending on what time of the month you add to the savings, you could even have the entire amount by Black Friday - just in time to enjoy all the holiday deals! Of course, you can always add more to the plan - if you have extra, it wouldn't hurt to bump up your monthly allotments, especially if you have a long Christmas list to cover.
Join me this June in kicking off our Christmas Savings Plan! A full video about this will be uploaded soon so please make sure to check out my YouTube channel:
I've been really excited to film a video showing how I make my own laminated planner inserts for my Happy Planner! Ever since I started using my laminating machine, I've been coming up with more and more projects I can do with it, most recently, cash envelopes and these helpful daily routine inserts you see here.
Steps are as follows...
1. Print out your daily task list(s). Mine include morning and nighttime routines as well as cleaning to-dos.
2. Choose the scrap paper you want to appear on the back of each list.
3. Cut all papers to Happy Planner size. My inserts were for my Classic planner so the paper size is 7"W x 9.25H.
4. Place your printed list and scrapbook paper back-to-back, so both are facing outward. You do not need to glue or tape them together.
5. Place papers in a laminating pouch; feed through laminator carefully. (I choose 5 mil on my laminator even if my pouches are 3 mil). Take extra care to make sure the laminated piece comes out straight.
6. Trim excess lamination where needed.
7. Hole punch your laminated piece with the Happy Planner punch, or a round punch if using inside a 3-ring binder.
8. Write on your laminated pieces with dry erase marker for easy re-use.
This project couldn't be easier but if you aren't able to make your own, you can order a set personalized to your own to-do lists by contacting me directly here. Prices vary depending on number of inserts you'd like.
For a peek at the entire process from start to finish, view the full video below:
After months and months of concentrating all our efforts on paying
down the first of two major credit card debts, we are ready for a change. For
quite some time, all of our extra money was devoted to quick, aggressive,
multiple payments to our credit card. For all our efforts, the payoff was worth
it. We paid down $14,400 in credit card debt within 6.5 months.
Some of this debt was eradicated by using savings, tax
refunds and bonuses from work. If we had extra money coming in, it was just as
quickly sent back out in the form of electronic payments on our credit card.
Things were moving along swiftly, but that method didn’t leave us much to apply
toward savings or other expenses.
In fact, many of our incidental or “splurge” spends were
funded from our savings account. It was very important to us – more important,
in fact – that we erase the credit card debt before worrying about the state of
our savings. Credit card interest is something that can increase your overall
debt balances as well as increase minimum payments. Paying that off was first priority.
Now that our first credit card debt has been eliminated (bye
bye!), we’re focusing on our second – and notably larger – credit card debt
that was converted from a home equity loan. Transferring a home equity loan to
a credit card – even a zero percent interest card – can be dangerous ground.
The terms of the card allow us fifteen months to pay off the entire balance
($22,000) and that’s no easy task. This limited amount of time forces us to be
aggressive, once again, with our payments, or face the impending interest that
will be accrued should we not bring our balance to zero in the allotted time.
There are two options if the card isn’t paid in full, in
time. The first will be to assume the remainder of the debt with interest and
keep plugging along until the balance is paid in full. The second option is to
once again transfer the remaining amount to another credit card offering
zero-percent interest. That option depends on a few different factors, the
first being the availability of such an offer. Availability is based on your
credit worthiness, available credit resources and the assumption that a viable
offer will be presented in time.
All things considered, we won’t stress about our payments or
deadline. Instead, we’ll continue to add to our minimum payments with maximum
effort and see where we’re at in about a year. At that time, we’ll analyze our
situation and create a plan based on current circumstances. We’ve gone back to
the cash envelope system – a method that will allow us to budget ourselves with
cash and avoid unnecessary credit usage. I’ve always been a fan of the cash
envelope system – it’s a great way to allocate appropriate monies toward the
categories you decide are highest priority. Although using cash envelopes will
slightly take away from our previous system of putting every last penny on
debt, it will allow us some breathing room and the ability to focus on the big
picture, rather than anxiously race toward the finish.
For the companion video to our re-adoption of
cash envelopes, click below…
1. Get Back to Basics This one is simple but also often overlooked. There are hundreds of small tweaks you can make to your every day life that will make it easier to keep some of your hard-earned money in your pocket. Some obvious ones include: A. Lower your cable bill. B. Eat at home more often. C. Make your own coffee (or specialty drink). D. Upcycle! Restore things like furniture and save hundreds.
2. Entertain at Home Consider hosting a wine night or BBQ cook-out with family and friends. By planning ahead and shopping smartly, feeding a crowd doesn't have to break the bank. You also don't have to host an epic party - by putting out a few appetizers and beverages, you can relax and enjoy your company without splurging on restaurant prices and gratuities.
3. Cancel Unnecessary Subscriptions While it's fun to receive splurgy little packages in the mail, you may find that they're consuming a not-so-tiny chunk of your bank account every month. Go over any subscription services you have including beauty boxes, Amazon auto-deliveries, home shopping auto-deliveries, etc. Take a moment to decide if those items are still wanted or needed. If not, take the time to cancel. It's so easy to remain enrolled in an unwanted service just because we haven't made the time to cancel.
4. Shop Around for Groceries The newly remodeled grocery store right around the corner may not offer the best deals when it comes to food shopping. Treat your grocery outings like any other shopping excursion - take your time, read the circulars, browse and compare. I didn't always like Aldi - I didn't think it had a nice atmosphere and I wasn't impressed with their selection but I am so glad I gave it another chance! Most Aldi stores have remodeled and increased their offerings. If you haven't been to an Aldi - or other discount grocery chain - in a while, make the time to check it out again. You may be glad you gave it another chance.
5. Replace Lighting with Energy Efficient Bulbs This may seem like a no-brainer, but for a long time, I didn't want to replace our good olf-fashioned 60 watt bulbs with the energy-efficient variety. I didn't like how they looked and they were quite expensive. Energy-efficiency has come a long way in a relatively short period of time and now you can find energy-efficient bulbs that have the same look and soft lighting as the old ones. In order to realize maximum savings (this is important), you need to change all your bulbs - lamps, overhead lights, ceiling fans, etc. Changing a few here and there won't give you the same instantly recognizable savings on your electric bill as changing all at once.
6. (Re)Visit Your Local Library The corner library isn't the same place it was twenty years ago...or even twenty months ago. Libraries are offering more media options today including eBooks, magazines, best-sellers and even portable-audio devices (at some locations) that you can borrow to listen to your audio book selection. They still offer DVDs and CDs, too. Before you spend money on that next pricey hardback or Kindle book, check your library to see if it's in stock. Almost every book that I read on my Kindle is borrowed from my local library. If they don't have what I'm looking for, I can further check our state-wide borrowing database. Today's libraries have come a long way!
7. Meal Prep/Plan Ahead Meal prepping involves more than long stretches of cooking on a Sunday. If you sit down with paper and pen (or in my case, a Happy Planner Notebook), you can figure out how to get the most of your meals, starting with menu writing and savvy grocery shopping.
8. Revisit Your Hobbies Especially if they were pricey! Before you get into your next outdoor activity, sport or even craft, make sure you haven't neglected or left something unfinished, first. That's not to say avoid new hobbies and interests all-together, but those activities can be pricey and potentially require a lot of spending to have what you need to get started. Choose any new interest by considering available finances.
9. Lower Credit Card Interest If you have any revolving credit card debt, it may be worth contacting those banks to see if they'll work with you on a lower interest rate. If you have an excellent payment history with them and some longevity to your account, they may be willing to decrease your rate, potentially saving you money in lower payments and a lower balance in the long run.
10. Wash Your Car at Home Many car washes offer subscription services that allow you to wash your car several times a monthy and in some cases, even daily! However, if you're pulling your car through one of those automated bays and paying by the wash, you can be paying anywhere from a few dollars to an upwards of $15 or more. In that case, washing your car at home can be more economical. If you want your car detailed, doing it yourself is definitely more economical. Looking into your spending habits - even on something as typical as this - can potentially save you a lot.
Those are my first ten of many, money-saving tips. Check back for more ways to save and creative ways to keep yourself on a budget.
To view the companion video on my YouTube Channel, click below...
Today I posted my second-ever online income report video. I like uploading this particular content for a couple of reasons...
