July 1st is here it’s a perfect time to start your budgeting plan. Print a monthly calendar now write down each day you get paid and an average of what you get paid per check then go to your online banking or into your bank and ask for a 60 print out of activity. Keep in mind anniversaries, birthdays, weddings are usually not free. If you got paid today and you are bi-weekly congratulations this is your “extra pay month” it’s not you just get paid 3 times this month your salary is still the same no matter what. On your calendar write down all of your expenses, we buy our groceries every other Saturday, it’s on my calendar for tomorrow. My mortgage is on an auto pay for the 15th every month no surprises. My utilities are on an auto pay on my credit card so I pay them on the 22nd. Car payments are set to come out the 4th (Not this month stupid bankers) While you are looking at your bank activity where are you spending the most money? This will tell you where your priorities are, and maybe where to start the saving/selling process.
The Challenge
Can you save or make an extra $100 this month? What can you sell on a “buy, sell, trade” site either on Facebook or on Craig’s list. What could you do with an extra $100? Put it towards your $1070 savings fund? Pay off that little credit card balance? We have started selling a lot of things on the buy, sell, trade sites. You can also post used items on eBay or Amazon (That link will take you to how to sell books or other items on Amazon) My oldest son asked the other night where did all of our stuff go? Buddy we haven’t played with it in 2 years. Well I was going to. I’m sure you were buddy. Is $100 too much? How close can you come? $98? Even if it’s in your budget to go out to dinner with friends, go out and eat, hang out. Skip the drinks this month try just water or just pop a $3.00 coke is much cheeper than 3 x $7.50 cocktails at dinner. Is RedBox an option instead of going out to a new movie? Some of the most fun evenings I’ve had with my wife are sitting in sweat pants on the couch watching an old movie that one of us may have never seen or haven’t seen in a few years. Granted it’s a million degrees right now so maybe it will be sitting on the deck watching fireworks this weekend. Try taking a walk around a park or small pond or if your in Minnesota a “lake” (HA sorry couldn’t pass that one up) not rushing just being outside. Can you make coffee at home or pick one up at the gas station instead of the coffee giants? If you are getting a coffee once a week on Friday go nuts it’s your treat I’m fine with it, if you’re stopping 5 days a week minimum for a coffee you can save easily $100. There are 20 “working days” this month if your *bucks is $6 x 16 (because you want to treat yourself on Fridays) you will save $96. If you stop at the gas station instead, and it’s a $1 you are only saving $76 now were are you going to come up with $24 for the rest of the month? Cocktails, movie, sack lunch?
“NEVER QUIT. IT IS THE EASIEST COP-OUT IN THE WORLD. SET A GOAL AND DON’T QUIT UNTIL YOU ATTAIN IT. WHEN YOU DO ATTAIN IT, SET ANOTHER GOAL, AND DON’T QUIT UNTIL YOU REACH IT. NEVER QUIT.”
- PAUL “BEAR” BRYANT
Have a safe and Happy Independence Day
Thank a Vet this weekend if they have seen combat or not they earned it.
***Please be smart when selling and meet at a public place or a police station. The Papillion police department has designated meeting spots for safety for the community. Also keep in mind if someone is sending you a cashier’s check for more than you originally discussed and they tell you to cash the check and send them the rest… That is fraud!!! I will give it to you if it’s an honest mistake of $20. I had a kid in my office the other day that was exactly $1000 more than he sold the item for. I told him it sounded like fraud, he told me he didn’t think so it was a mistake. NO that is fraud!!! If you called him right now would he answer your call? Well he works nights so he sleeps during the day we just communicate via email. “Listen I can’t stop you from doing this but if you send him the money and the item you will that check will come back. I will almost guarantee.” Go to the bank it was written off of and cash it if they give you the money you have a chance of keeping the money. If that check gets returned from us we will pull the money back out of your account weather you have the funds or not.
If it seems too good to be true it is… Nobody that I have ever worked with is willing to just spend an extra $1000 because you seem legit on Craig’s list from Wisconsin on an Omaha site looking for this particular pair of kids shoes. Bad idea.