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Free Seminar! Money Questions for Women

March 10, 2019 by moneysavingduo Leave a Comment

Would you like to get a better handle on your own personal finances? Join Erin Ludwig, Edward Jones Advisor at Mid Michigan College’s Mt. Pleasant campus for a free and informative seminar March 19th at noon.

Money Questions for Women - Lifelong Learning Event at Mid Michigan College — Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Are you a woman looking to get serious about your finances? We love that Mid Michigan College is hosting this lifelong learning event for women in our own community!

Whether you’re paying off debt, ready to invest or are simply looking for ways to get started with a budget, this event is for you.

Bring your own lunch and discover how to set financial goals and create a strategy to get you where you want to be.

Cookies and beverages provided.

For more information, check out Mid Michigan College’s Lifelong Learning & Continuing Education web page.

Three Lessons We’ve Learned While Paying Off Debt

February 23, 2019 by Kati Mora Leave a Comment

Like most people, Aaron and I didn’t know much about how to handle money when we first got married. Mind you, we were only twenty when we said ‘I do,’ but it took us a good portion of our twenties to even recognize that taking our finances seriously mattered.

Three Lessons Learned While Paying Off Debt

When our oldest turned 10, we really felt the need to get our acts together. Those ten years flew by and we knew the next eight would as well. When we had kids I knew that I wanted to provide some sort of financial nest egg for them once they headed off to college or into a career, but at this point in our lives, it wasn’t looking like that would be a realistic possibility.

So, we got to work. And through this process we’ve not only tackled a huge amount of debt, but we’ve learned quite a bit about ourselves as well. Looking back, here are just a few of the lessons we’ve learned along the way.

We really don’t need a whole lot of stuff. One of the biggest realizations we had early on in this process was that we didn’t need as much stuff as we were typically buying. When we started to look for ways to cut our spending, we began to realize that a grocery trip was never just a grocery trip. We’d shop at Meijer or Walmart and end up buying products outside the grocery aisles we didn’t even need, but would find at a great price.

Once we realized this, we stopped shopping at these locations for our weekly grocery trip and chose a store that primarily had only the groceries we needed. And we don’t really miss all that stuff that randomly filled our carts and our homes years ago.

Life is still enjoyable even when you’re frugal. Actually, it may be even more enjoyable! As we’ve spent less over the years, I’ve found myself more grateful for what I do have. We’ve also discovered that there are plenty of ways to enjoy your time together that don’t cost anything extra. That’s why we’re always trying to highlight free and fun activities for local families to participate in. It is possible to enjoy quality time together without spending a lot of cash.

Cooking tasty meals just takes practice. When Aaron and I first got married, I remember making him homemade goulash… and it was awful! He tried really hard to look happy with the meal, but the truth was, it was TERRIBLE! This resulted in us eating at restaurants way too often early in our marriage. But when we got serious about our finances, we realized that cooking meals that taste great at home just takes practice.

I feel much more comfortable in the kitchen then I did all those years ago and I think my family will agree that I make some pretty great tasting food now.

And if that’s not enough proof that I’ve learned to hold my own in the kitchen, you should probably know that I WON a cooking competition while competing against legit FOOD BLOGGERS just a couple of years ago! Seriously. Me!

Although becoming more frugal may seem like a total buzz-kill, we’ve found the opposite to be true. Its allowed us to get closer as a family, working together to creatively save money and have fun at the same time. Its also allowed us to be more grateful for what we have and enhance skills that we can be proud of.

Overall, this journey hasn’t just been one that has helped us live a more financially free life, but one that has led us to discover all sorts of wonderful surprises along the way.

What have you discovered if on a similar journey? Or what would you hope to see if you embarked on one?

Going to the Movies? Keep It Affordable With These Great Tips

February 7, 2019 by Kati Mora Leave a Comment

Who doesn’t love going to the theater? Watching a movie on the big screen is a whole lot of fun, but lets be real… it can be down right costly! Luckily, we’ve discovered a few ways to save big at the movies.

Scout out ticket prices before you go. We’ve recently discovered a few smaller theaters in our area that charge less than the larger theaters do. If you live in Mid-Michigan, you should bookmark these theater options:

Ideal Theater in Clare, MI – Tickets are $5 for each adult, $4 for each child 12 and under.

Crystal Box Office Theater in Crystal, MI – Tickets for the 7pm show are $5 each and only $3 for the 3:30 pm show. Concessions are also inexpensive – you can get a small soda and a small popcorn for only $3.25!

Check for special offers and discounts. Even the larger theaters typically have discount nights or special events where you can see movies at a lower price or in some cases, even for free.

Celebration Cinema, for example, offers a discounted movie every Sunday night and recently launched T.A.C.O Tuesdays (Tickets Are Cheap on Tuesdays). Both specials feature $6 ticket pricing. Celebration Cinema also features the FLICK Family Film Festival at select times throughout the year were kids 12 and under can go and see a movie for free.

NCG Cinemas, with a location in Midland, Alma and Lansing, also features discounted ticket pricing on Tuesdays. Reel Deal Tuesdays allow you to get discounted tickets and concessions. We’re told ticket prices are only $5 on Tuesday; however, couldn’t confirm this on their website.

Sign up for a reward program if its offered. Since Celebration Cinema is the theater in our town, we made sure to sign up for their rewards program. It didn’t cost us anything to sign up, but when we go to see movies we often receive special discounts on tickets or concessions. Sometimes we even get free concession items if we’ve garnered enough points.

A couple of weeks ago, my youngest and I went to the movies and we received $4 off our tickets. Worth the free sign up if you ask me. NCG Cinemas also offer a customer rewards program.

Eat before you go to the show. We know how hard it can be to resist that buttery popcorn you smell as soon as you open the theater door, but if you’re looking for ways to keep movies affordable, eating at home before you go can be a great way to save a few extra dollars.

What are your favorite ways to save money at the movies? Share your top tips in the comments.

Our No Spend Weekend Adventures

January 27, 2019 by Kati Mora Leave a Comment

Every so often we decide to host a “no spend weekend.” The concept is rather simple – don’t spend any money on anything other than the essentials. But not every no spend weekend looks the same.

After Aaron’s birthday weekend, we decided it might be wise to embrace what we affectionately refer to as our “No Spend Weekend” – a weekend where we don’t spend money on anything other than the essentials.

Typically, this means we still go grocery shopping for the week. Other than that though, we intentionally look for activities to enjoy at home that cost us nothing.

Although these weekend’s were a little challenging at first, we’ve come to really enjoy the opportunity they provide. Before the weekend we brainstorm ways to spend our time. This weekend our activities included:

An epic battle of Settler’s of Catan. The boys and I just learned how to play this game; although full disclosure, we’ve owned this game for a few years now. It took a little effort to learn how to play (thanks YouTube how-to videos!) but once we figured it out, we’ve found that its a game we all enjoy.

Finally hanging up artwork in our basement! We’ve had really good intentions to get all our artwork up on the walls of our basement, but it also happens to be an activity that is super easy to put on the back burner. We thought this weekend would be the perfect time to do this and it was.

Michigan Copper Image with Barn Wood frame — Isn’t this beautiful? This is one of the art pieces we hung up in our basement – we’re going for an adventures in Michigan theme.

Watching a movie we already own that we haven’t watched in awhile. Our family loves to have movie nights where we make popcorn and rent a movie to watch on the weekend. This weekend though we opted for a movie we already own but haven’t watched in awhile. Ben’s been reading Lord of the Rings so we thought it be fun to watch this movie together.

Have you ever implemented a “no spend weekend?” What are some of your favorite no-cost activities?

Our Ultimate Money Saving Grocery Shopping App List

December 11, 2018 by moneysavingduo 3 Comments

This post contains referral and affiliate links meaning that if you sign up for one of the apps discussed below, we may be compensated for that referral. The views expressed our ours alone and we do use these apps regularly for personal use.

Looking for ways to reduce your grocery bill but don’t want to mess with the headache of coupons in the checkout line? If you have a smart phone, there is a better way. Take a look at our favorite apps that will help you save money with little extra effort.

Over the years we’ve worked hard to get our grocery budget down. We use to spend ~$200 a visit, but now we tend to average about $115 a week. These apps let me save even more by providing cash back or rewarding me with gift cards I can use on future purchases.

Ibotta. If you’re only going to download one app, this would be the one I’d suggest. I’ve cashed out the most often with the Ibotta app and I really appreciate how easy it is to use. Unlike other apps, Ibotta will often have “no brand” offers on things like milk, bread, eggs, produce and general receipts. This means you can get cash back for buying some of the basics.

To date, we’ve used this app throughout the year and cashed out $237.21 in 2018.

Want to give Ibotta a try? Sign up with our affiliate link and you’ll get $10 cash back when you submit your first receipt.

Checkout 51. Checkout 51 works similarly to Ibotta in that it features various cash back offers on specific products. Offers are updated every Thursday and are often available in limited quantity. To be honest, the products featured typically aren’t the ones our family buys on a regular basis and sometimes the quantity required to purchase seems rather high, but every now and then we are able to find items and deals that do work for us.

Checkout 51 has also offered cash for watching videos in the past, but hasn’t done so recently.

To date, we’ve cashed out $92.10 in 2018 and have used the app throughout the year.

Want to give Checkout 51 a try? Sign up through our affiliate link and you’ll get $5 when you redeem your first offer.

Receipt Hog. Another one of my favorites is Receipt Hog. With this app, you don’t have to select individual items to claim rewards. Instead, you simply upload your receipt and receive coins for each one you upload. There is a limit on how many tokens you can receive each week, but I’ve only ever reached that threshold once. And every week you upload at least one receipt you’ll get a chance for extra coins by earning spins on the slot machine. You’ll also get additional opportunity for more coins as you level up.

Occasionally Receipt Hog will give you bonus points for answering questions about a recent purchase. as well.

To date, we’ve cashed out $25 and have been using the app since July.

Want to give Receipt Hog a try? Sign up here.

FetchRewards. This is another very easy app to use. Simply select which special offers you want to claim and select the brand names you typically purchase. When you scan your receipt you’ll get points for the items in your cart that fit under one of those brands or meet the criteria for your special offer. Every receipt you upload from the grocery store automatically gives you 25 points regardless of whether any specific items are present. Points can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards.

We’ve only been using this app since August and have already redeemed $16 via Amazon, Target and Walmart combined. Its been a great way to save a little extra money on Christmas gifts this year.

Want to give FetchRewards a try? Download at www.fetchrewards.com and use our referral code PD1CE to get 2000 points just for starting.

ShopKick. If you enjoy scavenger hunts, this app is for you. You can get “kicks” for walking into certain stores and for scanning bar codes on various items. This means it is possible to get rewards without having to actually make a purchase; however, if you happen to purchase the items you scan, you’ll get even more kicks to play with. Kicks can be exchanged for gift cards… or a Vespa. We’re always curious if anyone has scored enough kicks for that. We tend to use our kicks to redeem gift cards.

Want to give ShopKick a try? Use our referral code SHOP307617 when you download it and you’ll get 250 kicks once you scan your first item or complete a walk-in. 500 kicks = approximately $2.

Drop. This app is a little unique in that you don’t have to upload any receipts. Instead, you link your credit card and choose 5 stores or restaurants you frequent. Whenever you use your linked card to make purchases at those places, you’ll receive a certain number of points for every dollar you spend.

Bonus – once you’ve claimed 5 deals, you get to score bonus points by playing a Snake game! Aaron was made for this app.

We chose Target, Bath and Body Works, Starbucks, McDonalds, and Chipotle for our five core destinations. But other offers come in from time to time as well. So far we’ve earned about $23 back through this app which can be redeemed through a variety of gift cards.

Want to give Drop a try? Use our referral code x4u82 to sign up and get 5000 points (equivalent to $5) when you link your first card.

Have used any of the above apps to get cash back or redeem gift cards? Which is your favorite? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Five Ways to Stop Spending and Start Saving Money Today

December 4, 2018 by moneysavingduo 2 Comments

Who doesn’t love a good deal? Finding ways to save money on items you need is one thing, but its super easy to end up spending more because it seems like you’re spending less.

Even when we didn’t take our finances too seriously, it never felt like we lived extravagantly. Instead, we found ourselves spending our money on little things we probably didn’t even really need. I say that because I can’t even remember what we bought or how we spent our money. It definitely wasn’t on extravagant big ticket items. No, our money got eaten up by small purchases – a movie we found on sale while shopping for groceries – an extra meal (or two!) out at a restaurant – or immediate purchases on items we found on sale or “for a good deal.”

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a meal out or taking advantage of a good deal – but only if you can afford it or if it actually helps keep more money in your pocket.

We put a stop to our extra spending by implementing the following:

Shopping at an actual grocery store. One of the first changes we made was to shop at an actual grocery store – not an everything store. This dramatically reduced our weekly grocery bill because we weren’t adding things we didn’t really need to our cart. Most of those items were cheap items we didn’t need anyways and by not having to pass them in the aisles, we were able to drastically reduce our weekly spending with this small change.

Create a plan for each dollar you have. If you don’t have a plan for every dollar in your budget, chances are you’ll spend more. By giving your money a purpose, its much more challenging to use it for other things – you know it has an important role to play in the goals you’ve set.

Buy less, do more. Its tempting to think that you need more stuff to enjoy life more. We’ve found the opposite to be the case. Instead, we find that there are plenty of activities our family can do together that either cost very little or nothing at all. From dance parties to walks, we enjoy spending time together more than just getting stuff.

Delay gratification. We live in a world where its easy to spend money and there are so many tempting ways to use it. From items we know we’d love to have to experiences we know we’d enjoy, its never hard to give your money away. But sometimes we may find that something shiny and new is just that – shiny and new. And when we slow down to determine whether its really worth the investment, the answer might not always be yes. Give yourself a set amount of time to wait before you spend your money. If you still want the item or feel it would be a worthy investment of your dollar, go for it.

Ask yourself this simple question. Will this add value to my life? This question can help you determine whether the purchase is an investment in your life or simply a “whim” purchase. Both purchases are completely fine and we all make them; however, if you are looking to reduce your spending, pay off debt, or live within your means, it may be a question worth asking to ensure that what you spend impacts your life in a positive way.

What strategies have you implemented to spend less and live more? We’d love to hear all about it!

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