Counting Pennies ~ Cooperation

When it comes to money there are generally two kinds of people. Spenders and savers. And oddly enough, it seems that most long term relationships are made up of one of each.

I have had the subject of love and money on my mind lately. Particularly, how the two affect each other and how we handle it.

My husband happens to be the spender in our marriage. He thinks nothing of dropping fifty dollars here and seventy dollars there. If he wants something and the money is readily available, he will buy it. I am the opposite. I stress out about spending twenty dollars at a time. But instead of making me want to save even more, watching him spend money like it grows on trees actually makes me resent all the things he buys for himself. In turn, I want to go out and buy the things that I really want. It just seems unfair. Why can't I buy myself nice things, too? I make money. I pay bills. But then there are two people recklessly spending money with no regard for the future.

I have thought and thought about how to address this issue. I can't tell my husband that he can't buy things for himself. He works for his money and has every right to decide where it goes. And I can't very well throw reason out the window and spend every dime I make to match his spending habits. So, my rule for cooperation......

Rule #4: Two wrongs don't make a right.

Just do what you know needs to be done. If you are the Saver of the relationship, that means that you keep your cool and continue to make responsible spending decisions, regardless of what the other party is doing. Keep on keeping on. If you are the Spender, however, maybe you could take a moment to consider how the other party feels about your spending habits. Two wrongs don't make a right. But two rights do make a left, as in money "left" over for emergencies. Corny, yes. But true.


*pic from here.

Counting Pennies ~ Common Cents

Money Saving Rule #3: Pay your bills on time!!!

This little bit of advice may sound stupidly obvious. But if you actually pay your bills manually, like me, this is a waste of money that will sneak up on you.
I used to be the best at keeping my bills paid and paying them on time. I never had a late charge. I never paid interest. There was no way I was going to let someone weasel me out of a dime more than I owed them.

But then there was life. A husband. More bills. Quitting my job. All of the sudden, it seems impossible to keep up with the bills that roll into the mailbox each month. I refuse to do my banking and bill paying online because I like to actually see what goes in and comes out of my account. It's too easy to ignore those bills and never check up on them when they are automatically drafted. And each time a bill goes in late (even if just by a day or two) a few more dollars has to come out of my pocket. Late fees add up, people!

Common sense and perseverance go a long way in saving money. And honestly, there's no better place to start than with the obvious. Am I right?

Pay your bills on time. It saves you money. Easy. Class dismissed.


*awesome quote found here.

Counting Pennies ~ Waste Not.

Back with another rule for money saving in 2012. We've all heard the old saying "Waste not. Want not." Even though I'm pretty sure that there will always be something else that I want, I do believe in getting your money's worth and not wasting what you already have. I have been one of those "scrape the bottom of the jar" kind of people my whole life. Want proof? Just take a look at my current lotion situation.

One of the main reasons that I buy lotion in a tube is so I can cut it in half when it gets low and slip the top half over the bottom, like a lid. The plastic container on the right was the leftovers from a pump bottle. Instead of losing all that lotion, I cut the bottle open and scraped out the portion that was left in there to die. Silly? Not exactly. Just look at how much product I saved!

Money Rule #2 for 2012: Be aware of waste. Pinpoint which items in your home go to waste most often and figure out a way to use them instead of lose them.

I'm pretty good at using up bath products. But in the kitchen? I could stand to be more thrifty. More food goes to waste in our house than I even want to discuss. I have been trying to get better at cooking only enough for the Hub and I to eat, so we have no leftovers. When making a large batch of something, like soup, it's a good idea to split the remaining portions up and freeze them for quick meals when you don't feel like cooking. Use those extra tidbits of ingredients in the fridge to make a frittata or a stir-fry.

Pay attention all over the house. Be aware of everything you put in the garbage. Is there a way to get more use out of it? Have you gotten your money's worth out of it? Are you only throwing it out because you have replaced it already?

Let's waste less and save more.

Counting Pennies

Having several goals this year (which we will discuss eventually), money has been the topic on my mind lately. Particularly, saving more and spending less.

As you have probably already figured out, I am not a big spender, but I still have room for improvement. The hubby is much more free with his cash flow and needs to be reminded often of how quickly it disappears. So, I thought now would be the perfect time to start a little weekly post on money matters. I'll share a few little thoughts and tips for saving money and hope that we all save a few more pennies in the process.

I am going to start this series off with a new rule. This came to me yesterday while using a gift card that I received for Christmas. While shopping in one of my favorite stores, I realized that I am always drawn to the same things, over and over. There are those few things that seem to appeal to me whether I am in need of them or not. I know my weaknesses. { *fingernail polish *blankets *pajama pants *shoes *paper products *makeup.} And I bet I'm not the only one. Do you have a weakness for certain things? So what do we do when we come across yet another great deal on the softest, cuddliest pair of pajama pants (or whatever your vice is) ever? We start counting, that's what.

New Rule for 2012: When the urge hits to buy something new, I will stop and count how many of said items I already have at home.

So, let's say that the pj's were the item of question. Upon the initial "oooh. what pretty colors. i love the plaid flannel!"....... I would follow up with "I already have two pairs of flannel, two pairs of fleece, one pair of cotton (three of which happen to be plaid)". Obviously, I am not in need of another pair of pajama pants. See how that works? I'm going to be doing a whole lot more counting in the future.

Will you try this tip? Let me know what you think. Let's save some $$$!!!


* photo from here.