Last Monday I started a new project. A friend has been asking me for help for months now and I finally said yes, but I knew it was going to be a big project that would take time... time I really don't have. So here's the scoop... she is a very busy executive that spends her "free" time working/volunteering for various non profits. She owns 2 companies and numerous real estate properties and her office was a mess! No, REALLY a mess. I think she was scared to use the trash can because she was worried she would need whatever she threw away, but when she did need something she couldn't find it.

The thing is I really like organizing offices. It's a sickness I have and I don't often advertise this side of my "hobby". If I got paid for it maybe I would, but making paper go where it is supposed to makes me happy. I'm thinking it's some sort of a control issue on my part... I can control paper... and it never talks back.

Back to the crazy office...So I blocked off 4 hours on Monday. I really thought that I could get everything sorted in 4 hours. I was so wrong. I only got through about half of the office. I will take pictures today and post them later. After the 4 hours were done I was exhausted but happy to see the floor. I am not kidding.

This is a perfect example of what I've been preaching for years. They need to teach budgeting and personal finance in high school and college. Not text book teachings, but real life lessons. How many of us started our bad money habits in the college aged years of our life? It's the 18+ years that we develop an unhealthy use of credit cards when we should be saving every penny. I see very successful people that could use a basic lesson on personal finance and organization. It's not that these people are on the verge of bankruptcy (although some are) but it's just that they are time pressed and overwhelmed by the piles of papers so their options are to hire a CPA or bookkeeper to do the sorting and bookkeeping or put up with the mess.

After organizing quite a few offices, the most frustrating thing I've noticed is that people often pay their bills late, but not so late that it affects their credit. I hate seeing someone pay a bill a day or two after it was due. They know that the long term affects of their laziness (it's different if you don't have the money to pay the bills on time) is JUST a late fee, but what if you saved all those late fees in an investment account? You could have a large nest egg... yikes, it's easy to pay your bills on time, especially with the No Excuse Budget... oh well!

So how organized is your office? Mine stays pretty well organized, except my overflow box. I have a box that I put papers and magazine and coupons in. Anything that I want to look at or might need in the future I put in this box. I've found that I end up throwing most of it out without having looked at it though. I always have such great dreams of having time to read it all, but I never do.

I'm going to try and take pictures of this crazy office and I'll post them later. We're expecting a big storm so it just depends on timing. I laugh at saying a big storm as a So Cal big storm is like a drizzle to everyone else!

Really, who new grocery shopping could be so fun... and teach a 7 year old about money?

Fresh and Easy has come to town and I never thought I'd be this happy! It's not just the $5 off a $20 purchase coupon that they are giving out either (although the coupon lover in me was delighted), but the prices and freshness of their products are what really make this grocery store great!

The first time I knew about Fresh and Easy was when I noticed that the town next to mine was getting some MAJOR updating on one of their older, run down shopping centers... It's always nice to see a deserving neighborhood get revitalized... it almost empowers all the surrounding areas and encourages everyone else to care about their neighborhood again.

A few months later I saw the same thing happening in my little town. Although my town as a whole has great character there was one shopping center that needed a little TLC and Fresh and Easy remodled this one too! The shopping center looks wonderful now, complete with the communities quaint character shining through... and the store hasn't even opened yet!

Back to the store itself, because honestly looks are good, but the goods are what count. I first stopped at the Fresh and Easy in the neighboring community by myself. I figured it was either going to be good or bad, and if it was bad I wanted out of there asap, and bringing the kids would slow me down. The first thing I noticed was the brightness of the store. Not to the point that my eyes hurt, but to the point where I could see the product and read the ingredients. The aisles where wide and the whole store was clean. Wondering employees were spread out to see to the needs and questions of all customers, and there is even a sample bar in the back of the store where you can taste all of their specialty items.

Some of our new favorite items are :

Field green salad $1.99 This salad could easily feed 4. It comes with a bunch of different lettuce types, carrot shreds, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes and the most delicious balsamic vinaigrette. You could easily eat it for lunch as it even comes with an individual napkin and fork!

Ready to eat mac n' cheese $2.99 Both the kids and us adults liked it... rare!

Butter $2.08 Good price out here!

Pizza dough Ready to use $.99 Tastes great!

Frozen bag of broccoli florets $1.29

Tomato and mozzarella sandwich $2.99 This is so good! It's a baguette with aoli, Buffalo mozzarella, fresh sliced tomatoes and water cress. It's one of those things that you crave!

Peanut Butter $1.89

And so much more. I know that I like to see prices so I included a few. There is also a whole section of fresh baked stuff like bread, scones, muffins, and lots of dessert items.

I could go on and on but the reason I really like Fresh and Easy is because my kids now want to help around the house more. I'm sure Fresh and Easy had no idea that their store could make my kids want to do extra chores to make more money to spend on groceries. It's not that we don't have more than enough food at home, it's not that I make them buy their own groceries, it's just that they love Fresh and Easy! They love to pick their own food (I rarely have had to say no to anything they sell), they love to budget the money they have and discover how much more items they can buy if they use a coupon. They love scanning their own purchases and bagging the groceries. They especially love the fresh fruit selection and the baby carrots. I love that they eat the baby carrots and fresh fruit and don't complain when I say we need to go grocery shopping when we run out of milk!

I had resolved to write a post for my blog everyday. By the 2nd of January I had already failed. The truth is that I did actually write the posts, they just didn't get posted. I'm the type that once I write it I'm over it... I'm already sick of the "idea" I wrote about. Are any of you like that? So I'm saving those posts for a time when I'm without inspiration.

It's funny everyone thinks that April is the busiest time of year for money stuff, but in reality I think it's January. I've been bombarded (in a good way) with questions about my budget system and that's why I never posted my articles... just ran out of time.

So here is the number one question and answer I've received over the past few weeks.

Question: What's the most important thing I can do to help me with organizing my finances now?

Answer: I think the most important thing you can do today is to get a box and an envelope... and a pen!

I actually gave this as gifts this year (along with a real gift). At first my friends and family thought I was really weird... but now they get it. This is so easy but for the beginning budgeter or the un-organized it really helps and works.

Large Envelope- The type that can hold an 8x10 piece of paper. Write TAXES on the front. This is the time of year when all of your important tax papers are mailed... your CPA will send your planner (if you use a CPA) your mortgage company will send your interest paid statement, your bank will send your interest earned statement and you'll get any 1099's from any independent contractor work and your employer will send your earning statement. You should receive all by the first week of February, if you don't call! You don't have to do anything with all this right now, just having a place to put all of this will help tremendously when it's time to do your taxes.

Box- I don't care if you use a fancy plastic box or a card board box, as long as it holds papers, a large amount of paper... your good to go! You'll need to put every important paper and all receipts into this box. Even if you have no time to file or do anything else... you'll be set when you do have time to do more because everything will be in one spot when you do.

So those are the 2 most important steps to take now. All you old budgeting pros I'm sure have already done this, but for you beginners this is a good place to start!

By Heather D. Reese


This is a follow up to yesterdays post, why I love credit cards.

I find that in my life there are things that I have a love hate relationship with, credit cards are definitely one of them. I love the benefits they offer, and I’ve weeded out the bad cards in my “portfolio”, but hearing others horror stories keeps the memory of the bad cards fresh in my mind.



Here are my top 10 reasons to hate credit cards.



1. Two cycle billing. Some credit cards still do this and it’s amazing that consumers let them. Two cycle billing is often discovered by the consumer when they pay off their credit card. The next month they get a bill for interest even though they paid off the card in full last month. Not only does two cycle billing eliminate your grace period, but With two-cycle billing, the average daily balance used to calculate interest charges is calculated from two billing cycles rather than one costing you more money!

How to avoid this- Check the fine print in that little booklet that the credit card company sends you every year. If this is not your oldest most established credit card, or your highest limit one, consider replacing this card with a friendlier, single cycle credit card.



2. Universal default. This topic alone deserves it’s own post, but the skinny on this is that if you default on any obligation your credit card can impose a default rate. It can be quite a shock and surprise when you open your credit card statement and find your minimum payment doubled and your interest rate is now 30%. The ultimate betrayal is when universal default causes unrecoverable damages. Everyone has gone through issues in life, a birth, a death, a natural disaster, etc. One late payment and all your credit cards can raise their rates and what was a temporary situation that can be fixed is now a situation where you are forced into bankruptcy.

How to avoid this- Many credit card issuers are moving away from universal default… are yours? Time to call them up and ask! If you can ditch the ones that still do universal default all the better. Now before you ask why I didn’t simply say don’t pay your obligations late, let me say that all care should be taken to pay your bills on time (more are http://www.NoExcuseBudget.com ) but there are times when these things are out of our hands as in life events, and credit card processing errors, and it takes much time and heartache to straighten out the mess. By avoiding cards that use universal default you avoid the whole mess.



3. High interest rates- Not too much to say on this one other than charger be ware! There is no excuse for such high interest rates. Even with less than stellar credit you can find a card with a descent interest rate. Credit unions are the best for this. Last I checked Navy Federal has a card with a regular non-promotion rate of 7.9 for purchases. That’s a great purchase rate… and it comes with rewards!

How to avoid this- Shop, shop, shop! Not for things, but for a good card. Call or surf the net to your favorite financial institution and see what they have to offer. Be sure to inquire about the rates for different uses. If you are often taking cash advances you’ll need to consider that rate too!

4. Rewards that are hard to use- Can you imagine a rewards card that only lets you use the rewards on the third Tuesday in February, but only on leap years? Okay, so this is an exaggeration, but there are some cards that make it extremely difficult to ever even use the rewards.

How to avoid this- Reading the rewards fine print will help, but a good internet search for others experiences redeeming rewards will bring the biggest insight into how easy it really will be to acquire and use your rewards.




5. Yearly membership fees- Another crap fee, pardon the expletive. Today there are so many cards out there that a yearly fee is a thing of the past, or should be. It used to be the cards with the best reward would always charge a yearly fee, this is not the case anymore. You can find a really good rewards card without a yearly fee.

How to avoid this- Sometimes it may make sense to pay a yearly fee. Often this will be with a business card or line of credit, not so much with consumer cards. If you are really happy with the benefits your card offers and the benefit way out ways the cost of the yearly fee, keep your card, but do call up your credit card issuer every year to ask them to waive the yearly fee even if you have to threaten to close the account. They will often waive the yearly fee each year, even when they say “ this year only”!



6. Pathetic fraud protection- Credit card issuers declining charges for ridiculous reasons all in the name of fraud protection. A few years ago we were traveling for business. It was a 6 hour road trip. We filled up on gas in our home town. About 4 hours later we filled up again. I’m one of those people who hates to get too low on gas so we really just got about ½ a tank of gas then. When we reached our destination we again filled up the next day before a day of driving around. I figured we didn’t know the place too well so it was best to fill up by the hotel. Went to fill up and the charge was declined… called the issuer who told me they suspected fraud. No problem I appreciated their vigilance against unauthorized charges. I assured them with every security question that I was me, and that all was well. They said no problem, you’ll be receiving a call shortly, answer the questions and your card will be good to go again… “okay, do you want my cell phone number”, I asked? No the customer service rep responded, we’ll be calling at your home phone number… needless to say, I did not use that card for the rest of the trip!

How to avoid this- Call your credit card issuer before you travel or make out of the normal charges. Do not assume that one card is enough if that is going to be your only payment option, always bring one or two or even three cards for trips. Always try to make a photo-copy of the cards you bring when traveling incase your wallet is stolen, you’ll then have the 800 #’s of the cards that were lost and you can call and have them re-issue you a new card with a new number.



7. They make it hard to actually dispute a charge and get your money back. When you really need the fraud protection they make it as hard as possible to get your money back. Aside from the normal questions, do you have your card in your possession, when was it last used… the questions get more and more ridiculous and the credit card issuers try to side with the business more and more often, and it makes sense when you think about how much money that the businesses pay to even take credit cards, but it doesn’t make it right. Jumping through hoops is an understatement when it comes to the forms you have to fill out and then have notarized (a cost you have to eat). You’ll feel like they think you are the one committing fraud not the true criminal.

How to avoid this- Keep good records when it comes to using your credit card. Follow the disputed charge rules very carefully and write down the name of the customer service rep. you deal with along with notes of your conversations. Most importantly, check your credit card and bank statements at least monthly… if you have quicken or other money management software you should be downloading your charges daily and looking for inconsistencies.



8. American expresses financial review- Few have heard of this fun little game that Amex. plays until they ask you to play! Normally Amex. only issues a financial review when you have both a charge card (no set limit, pay in full monthly) and a credit card. This combo seems to set them off. An Amex financial review will include providing them with pay stubs, bank statements, your blood type and your first born. Well maybe not all those things, but by the time your done you’ll feel like you did give blood and not only will they likely still close your accounts, but it’ll hurt your credit report to have an account read “closed by credit grantor”.

How to avoid this- Consider having either a charge card or a credit card through Amex, not both.


9. Non existent customer service. You need an answer to a simple question. You Can’t log -on to your account online, you need to change your address… there are lot’s of reasons to need to call your credit card issuers, and you have been on hold for over an hour and all you can do is keep going through their automated system, yet they promise your call will be answered by the next available rep… of and your call is REALLLLLLYYYYY important! Customer service is just not like it used to be and credit cards seem to have the worst!

How to avoid this- There might be no way to avoid this, but you can at least plan for it. Call your credit cards during off peak hours, normally early morning Tuesday-Thursday. Keep notes of who you talk to and if you are not satisfied ask to speak to a supervisor. If you are still not happy send them a letter. It’s easy to find the head cheeses info on the internet now, the office of the president normally has a “gripe” department that really does try to help and often can and will.



10. Pre-approved offers. I hate pre-approved offers. I’ve opted-out, deleted myself from mailing lists and I still get pre-approved offers… my shredder is overflowing with these offers. My shredder actually overheats and smokes. I hate all the waste and I hate having to sit for hours every month and shred unwanted offers. At least most credit cards offers now come without your name on the fake credit card in the letters, those fake cards were the worst on my shredder, and we all know I’m too money conscience to buy a new shredder until mine completely stops shredding!



How to avoid this- Opt-out, be added to all do not call and do not mail lists, and don’t be like me, buy a bigger better shredder. In today’s world your best defense from identity theft is a shredder and never revealing personal information to those who really do not need it. Carefully read all of the fine print that you are send from your creditors each year and individually opt out to each creditor.



The moral of the story is that it’s all about finding the right card for you.

by Heather D Reese

Most “heavy shoppers” love credit cards. I used to be a “heavy shopper”, groceries, clothes, dog food, it didn’t matter, if you could buy it, I wanted to buy it. If I could use a credit card a credit card to pay for it, even better… Then came kids. My whole life changed. Shopping took on a whole new meaning. I was now responsible for someone else and I could care less about shopping for all the crap I did before. I shopped for diapers, formula and baby food, for baby clothes, medicine and juice, then one day it hit me… this baby is just going to poop in these diapers, and I’m going to need to buy even more to be pooped and peed in. Why not try to get the best deal on something that’s not going to increase my net worth and that in essence will be thrown away as quick as I can buy it.

This is where my love affair with credit cards came from. It wasn’t during the days of my overspending, it was from my days of deal shopping (today).

With any love affair there are the good days and the bad days, but the following make my good days far better than the bad days!

1. Choose a card that offers rewards you will actually use. If you are scared to fly and only will do so once every 10 years to go to a funeral, your miles will expire before any friends or relatives will.

2. Pay attention to the interest rate. On the off chance that something comes up and you have to carry a balance choose a card that had a lower interest rate. Start with your local credit union.

3. Pick a good card. Stay away from double billing cycles.

4. Be aware of any extras your credit card offers. Some offer extended warranties for all products bought on the card, others offer rental car insurance, shop around for the benefits that you will use the most.

5. Do you drive a lot for work? Consider a gas card that gives you cash back on your gas/fuel purchases.


A real reminder of the benefits of using a credit card vs. a debit card was sent to me right before Christmas by one of my No Excuse Budget Readers. Sue sent me an e-mail explaining her situation. Sue was working with very limited funds for this Christmas. Her husband had just taken a new job (a better one) but she would be loosing out on one paycheck since her husbands new job required 2 weeks of training at no pay. She budgeted enough to buy each of her grandchildren one special gift. She watched for sales and saw a great deal… she spent her budgeted amount at the retailer using her debit card. They were to ship her the item as soon as they came in. By mid December she was worried, the product had not arrived. She called the retailer and was told they were not going to be able to fill her order… and no substitutions were allowed. The worst part was that the refund was expected to take 8 weeks because they process it via check as it was a debit card transaction, had she used a credit card, it would have been in her account within 48 hours. To say she was crushed was an understatement.

I often preach that credit cards can be one of the best tools to your financial success and I’m saying it again today… when used responsibly, you might fall in love with credit cards too!