Well I made it to day one!

I've decided to start a new style to my blog too. I'm one of those people that needs structure so I'm bringing it to my blog too. It should allow you all an easier reading experience too.

My blog will now feature

1. A commentary beginning. This might be a gripe, a vent, a complaint or an exciting victory, just depends on my mood and the day :-) You know how that goes!

2. Next will be a call to action to better your financial future.

3. Will be an insight into my work life.

4. A recap of last nights dinner. I know this sounds crazy but as a self proclaimed "foody" who can't cook and doesn't eat meat, I love to read about other peoples dinner happenings and I figured I can't be the only one, right?

5. Will be the main guts of the blog and in this series tips, info, and ways to save your home or save money on home ownership.

I'm excited to see how this will play-out over this next month. I hop you all will join me with your thoughts, questions and opinions!

Here we go!



Today's thoughts is brought to you by Mc Donalds! I'm trying to understand why Mc Donald's would allow a check casher/ pay day loan company to open a kiosk inside one of their restaurants. Better yet, I'm not sure why I care so much. I drove by a Mc Donald's and actually started laughing when I saw it, and I still don't know why it's still in my head. I really do not care for these pay day loans. I believe that in a true emergency everything is fair game, but they just seem to be the worst ones out there, and then to see it in a Mc Donald's, well, I guess it bothers me because it just makes it too convenient. Enough said.

The action for today is to call your creditors:
Here's how it's going to work.I know I've said this before but the first step to financial freedom is to pick up the phone. How many phone calls do you need to make that you've been putting off? I admit to needing to having calls that need to be made too. It seems like the majority of the time I remember that I need to call someone after business hours. I've been keeping a running list of "to do's" but I often joke in my mind that I should keep another list of places that I keep my master list!

So your list of people to call should include the following people.

1. All creditors- including your credit card company, mortgage company, and anyone else you owe money too. This is especially important if you are having problems paying all your bills. The point of your call is to ask in every which way if they can lower your rate and payments.

2. Utility companies-phone, cell phone, cable, dsl, dish, propane (you get the picture) You want to ask if there are any specials or different programs that lower your monthly bills. You'll be surprised how eager they are to help... many people on the other end of the line are feeling the pinch of this economy too, and who better to "know" the ways to a discounted bill than them.

3. Your insurance companies- This might not be on the top of your list of places to save, but it should be! With the right agent, who knows what questions to ask, you can save 20% or more by either switching companies or making small changes with your existing policies.

4. Your pharmacist and doctor- Both of these medical care professionals either have samples or know of programs that can help you save on your prescriptions.

Today's work activityis not too exciting. It seems we are having a problem locating a property that a bank needs some info. on. I've tried every which way, but everything I can find says it's vacant land and all the maps (and me driving for hours) don't show the house even exists. We'll figure it out, it's just frustrating. On another note, since the fires in October, I have done reports on house that truly no longer exist. Saddest one was a person who's escrow closed the day before the house burnt down. Talk about bad luck... their solution was to never make a payment. I know there's more to the story, but there were no winners in this deal, except for the sellers, I guess you could say they had really good luck, but even that sounds wrong.

On a happy note, we received another bank owned listing today. We'll be going out and checking to see if it's vacant. If someone is still living there we'll be offering them "cash for keys" which is paying them money to leave the property in a good, clean condition within a certain about of time. I'll blog more on that later.

Dinner last night was spaghetti and turkey sausage. It's amazing how cheap spaghetti can be. But do you ever wonder why Italian food at a restaurant can be some of the most expensive when the ingredients are the cheapest? Same goes for Chinese food. So the spaghetti was $1, the sauce $1 and the sausage was on sale as it was purchased on the sell by date for $3.45. So $5.45 for a dinner of 4. Not bad. Had this been at a restaurant I'm sure we would have been looking at at least $50 and that includes no beverages as we only drink water!

Deed In Lou of Foreclosure is the real estate topic for the day. First of all a deed in lou of foreclosure is when the bank agrees to take title to the property by the homeowner signing over ownership back to the lender. The former homeowner then walks away from the property and the loan (in most cases). I chose to talk about a deed in lou today because this is one of the most asked questions I get. On first look it seems that this could be a great solution to both the homeowners problems and the banks. You would think that the banks would jump at just taking the asset (the property) back without having to spend the time or money with a foreclosure. Unfortunately for anyone hoping to do this, I have only seen one property where the bank agreed to this and I've seen thousands of tax documents on different properties. From what home owners have told me the banks will say it's a possibility and request that you send in the financial packet and then say that they are not doing deed in lou's. Here are the reasons that banks are not open to deed in lou's even though it would save them money on the whole foreclosure and eviction process.

1. The banks don't want to make it easy to walk away from your home. Can you imagine if they said yes to every homeowner that has negative equity in their home regardless if they can afford the payment? By saying yes to one homeowner they are opening the floodgates to other homeowners requests. Which leads me into reason #2.

2. Banks try hard not to flood certain markets with foreclosures. They know that if they were to accept a deed in lou then the home would become instantly marketable and if they already have an over abundance of properties they are trying to sell, then they would further bring down the values of all the properties. If they can slow the process they can possibly slow the devaluation of their assets.

3. Banks hurt their balance sheets and financial worth every time they have to add an asset back under their ownership. It's in their best interest to slow down the acquiring of properties and clear out the ones they have on the books before they take more.

As you can see there's a lot more to the deed in lou for the banks. I think everyone would agree that it would be easiest and best for the homeowner to do a deed in lou, but the banks have decided that it's not in their best interest. If you are hoping to do a deed in lou, please contact your lender and explain your situation. Your best chance is to send them their packet filled out with your financial situation outlined, but just be prepared for a battle. There are other options available and be open to what they can offer. Just remember not to accept an offer from the bank that puts you in an even worse position.

Tomorrow we'll dig into short sales!

I shared that my website (www.noexcusebudget.com) is getting more and more visitors as the economy goes farther into a recession (yes, I've decided to call it what it is, regardless if the "experts" call it one or not) but the cat's out of the bag as to what my day job is (bank owned property specialist) and I've been receiving emails from people wanting to buy a foreclosure and from those wanting to avoid one. Here's my first post in my month long real estate series.

When I started this blog I had really strong feelings about budgeting and being responsible for your own actions. Well, I still do, but I've realized over the past couple of years that I live in a glass house, especially when I use this blog as a diary of sorts.

Real Estate has been my passion and means of financial support and when the market tanked I went into shock. I long said that it couldn't keep going up at the rate it was. Around here the median home price would have been 2 million dollars in a few short years. What I didn't expect was for it to crash in the way that it did. It was practically overnight when the sub-prime mortgages dried up and loans were nearly impossible to get. Thankfully my shock was short lived and I had to change directions. I was able to "get with the game" before it was too late for me and I now sell bank owned properties in Southern California.



Back to my glass house... surrounding myself with bank owned sales (REO's, real estate owned) has opened my eyes to the fact that nobody, no matter how well prepared you are, is immune to loosing your home. Now you can say "what if it's paid for", well what if you have no money for taxes? In my area you have 3 years before you loose your home to unpaid taxes, but still there are people who stay in financial shock for years. It can be debilitating and so can major medical issues, death, divorce. etc. There are so many scenarios that I have seen where people loose their homes in scenarios I never though imaginable. Even people who have owned their homes for 20 or 30 years and refinanced their homes during the peak can become homeless. These people will never "recover", they are retired and on a set income. Who's to blame, they are and maybe others too. It's not my place to place blame and it's won't change anything at this point. I just hope we all learn from this. Don't get me wrong, these homeowners made a very poor choice in taking out all that money and agreeing to a repayment term that they could not afford, but who knows what they were told. Maybe someone swore to them that they would be able to refi. to a better rate and term that they could afford, and when that time actually came to refi. these same people told the homeowners that the loans were no longer available. Again, I've learned not to judge.

To keep me from getting down and depressed about all these different senarious, I focus on the good side of my job...and that is to get new owners, who can afford to maintain their homes, to buy these empty homes thus helping the neighborhood recover which is good for all the other homeowners.

Here's a few tips if you are facing any type of default on your mortgage.


#1. Consult a real estate professional for a current market value of your property. We call these "CMA's". You need to know if you have equity or how much you are upside down.

#2. Re-do your budget (be sure to use my free budget worksheets) to see where your money is going and where it needs to go.

#3. Call your mortgage company and explain your situation and see what they can offer you to help you save your home.

#4. Don't go into shock. Remember to eat and sleep. This is a temporary situation. No matter what the outcome is, this will not last forever. I'm hearing more and more about people ending their lives over their housing problems. If you feel depressed and need help, please get help. Call your local hospital for a referral to a mental health professional. If the situation is acute, call 911!

#5. Don't use all your money to pay bills... sounds strange, but keep some cash around incase of a real emergency. Prioritize your bills.

1. Food
2. Personal care products (toilet paper, toothpaste, soap, etc.)
3. Gas and car payment (especially if you work outside the home)
4. Utilities
5. Mortgage (if you rent this might need to be higher on the list)

July brings a new month for us all. My goal is to blog everyday. Every time I try to do this some disaster gets in my way (literally, death, fires, you name it) but I'm going to try again. This month will be dedicated everything real estate. I'll be posting about short sale, what happens if you do loose your home and ways to save your home.

If anyone has real estate questions please feel free to send me an email. Please note that our brokerage (Sale Pros Realty) is in California. Laws vary by state. I'm more than happy to offer assistance and/or referrals outside of California, but it will generic in nature as I am only licensed in Ca.

and that was only making lunch. So the kids wanted soup. They've been begging me for weeks, and now my youngest swore she was getting a cold and soup was the only thing that would save her. Normally this would have been an easy request to satisfy. I'd go to the pantry and open a can of soup. Done!

Not this time, they wanted homemade soup. My oldest was convinced that homemade soup would make her sibling healthier... and who was I to say no.

So I look in the freezer and found one of those little chickens that they have ready and hot at the grocery store, of course I paid half off, or $3.00 for the sucker. It had to be used that day so I froze it. Next I pulled out some leftover (frozen) carrots, onions, and some fresh celery. I don't normally have all these on hand but I was slowly freezing any leftovers thinking this day may come and it did. I also found a loaf of frozen (half priced too) sourdough bread to go with the soup... now we were set!

That was until I realized I'd have to pick off all the meat from the chicken. That is when it started to go down hill. I might as well have shot, plucked and cleaned the darn thing myself. I felt bad. Now you remember, I'm a vegetarian raising meat eaters right? I'm one of those moms that lets her children choose their own way in life, at least food wise and mine chose to eat meat... really eat meat. So here I am.

I had to take pictures... first of the carcass.


Then of the final product... chicken noodle soup!


Finally a picture of the sourdough bread.


It was edible, or so they say. I think that some people, like myself are just not cut out to be cooks. Thank goodness that the common grocery store recognizes this and convenience foods are becoming healthier and less costly. My best grocery trick lately has been to purchase prepared foods once they are marked down. My new favorite grocery store, Fresh and Easy seems to mark down their bread in the afternoon. They only sell that days fresh bread. It's great to pick up and freeze. It also helps me not waste the bread as I only defrost it when I really need it.



Fresh and Easy (by the way does anyone else think that's not the best choice for a stores name? I know that it's an English Company, but really, I think about a "new" "woman of the night" if you know what I mean) Anyways, they are running a sale to promote their organic coffee. The 12 oz. bag is $2.99. I normally buy the non-organic variety for $4.99/12 oz bag, but I was even happier to buy the organic for $2.00 less. Next I used the $5/20 coupons that they mail and hand out at the store and really stocked up on coffee. I plan to go back and buy more before the sale is over, I think around the 12th of June is the end. The coffee is good too!

I've decided to post every day this month. There is a lot happening in the personal finance area these days and as usual I have a lot to say.

Hope you enjoyed my attempt at cooking. I'll keep trying. Thankfully my children are still well nourished despite my obvious shortcomings in life!

I haven't visited budget basics lately, and I think it's time to take a step back and go there again.

Budget basics can be thought of in 2 different ways. Planning and surviving.

If you are in planning mode a budget takes you through a journey into how much money you make and how much you CHOOSE to spend. You can allot a percentage to housing, transportation, food, medical, entertainment, etc. Your in good shape here. You are in control of your financial future. Enjoy the freedom and relief that comes from this. Use this time to really plan dream about the future. You can make anything a reality!

If you are in survival budgeting you list your exact expenses, then list your income and you either smile or cry! After that it's action time. My budgeting plan says to tackle every bill or expense one at a time and either cancel it (if you can) or somehow reduce it. Asking for a discount in the interest rate or service works. Whatever it takes. If it means renting out a room in your house to taking any and all odd jobs, do it.

Some people will find that they start in survival budgeting and end up in planning budgeting. By reducing expenses and increasing income you can get back on track.

Money trouble shock is a common accurance in a down economy. You might feel desperate, stuck, and ill when it all catches up to you and you realize just how bad it all is. Don't go into shock. Do everything you can to keep on going. When you get through this period your only regret will be why you didn't start recovering earlier.

Do whatever it takes to get through the day. Make a list of what you have to get done and what you should get done to better your situation. Sometimes it helps to have someone else directing you towards a better future, and your list can be this "person". Be sure to get sleep so that your awake hours are as productive as possible. Don't give up. Nothing is forever.

I think everyone needs to visit budgeting basics at least once a year just to make sure that you are on the road that you want to be, if not regroup and take a new road!

My backyard. Well maybe not exactly in my back yard... but too close. This whole economy has taken a big step in the wrong direction. Anyone who thinks that it's not that bad must live in a shell on a far away island. Restaurants are closing, food is becoming more expensive and gas... don't get me started!

I actually sold my car and got one with better gas milage. Not only is my monthly payment 1/3 less but I can use regular gas instead of premium too. I love it!

Walking through the grocery store was a reminder of how great coupons are. It is definately hard to find the time to use coupons when you are working, being a parent and just living life, but they are too great to pass up. There's nothing like the feeling of getting something for a huge discount, or free, especially when it's food. I remember when I started using coupons, I'd have family over and they thought I was the biggest money waster because I always had all of the newly released convenience foods and normally multiples of them... finally someone actually asked me about it and I explained that the best coupons were for new products and that I used them at a store that doubles the coupon and it was all free!

Even when I don't have the time to use coupons as I should I still shop the loss leaders, spagetti sauce for $1, pasta for .33, yes, I'm there loading up!

Hope you all are hanging in there. I think we're in for a ride with the real estate market, gas and food for a while... and yes the stock market too! Remember to call up you creditors and ask for a lower interest rate and also remember that nothing last forever!

My personal guide to surviving any bad situation is to “Control what you can and plan for what you can’t“.

Before you tackle this temporary financial situation (yes it is temporary no recession has ever lasted forever), access your emotional well being. The psychological effect of financial troubles can sometimes be debilitating. You need to take any and all steps to break out of the fog and start taking action. If you are really feeling blue please see a doctor or other mental health professional. Depression goes hand in hand with your inability to conquer this situation. If you need help, again please seek it.

Typically recessions last 8-16 months. Some say that this one will last 3-4 quarters or 9-12 months which would be similar to the recessions in 1969-1970 and the latest one in 2000-2001. I tend to feel that this one will last closer to 16 months, at least. During the last recession we were sent into even deeper turmoil by the events of September 11th (can you believe that was almost 7 years ago?), the already slow housing market and the internet stock market crash. Some would say that Sept. 11th helped with the recovery from the stock market crash, but I would tend to differ on that one as I know people who lost their businesses soon after due to consumers not spending for awhile after Sept. 11th, they saw no relief soon after these events.

This recession is different in many ways, especially in one big way. We are having a major credit crunch. Home loans and credit lines are not available. It’s one thing not to be able to afford the prices of homes in your area, but it’s another thing to be able to afford to buy a home but not be able to get a loan. Unless you have a very strong credit history and a hefty down payment loans are going to be too expensive, if you can even get approved. That’s not to say that it can’t be done. You can still get a mortgage, but it’s a lot harder and more expensive. The new FHA rules were a move in the right direction but I’ve yet to see it help the real estate market… maybe as we move into the spring/summer buying season we’ll see more market movement. I believe that the credit crunch is the fuel that is continuing to ignite this recession and until the credit crunch is over the recession will continue.

So what can you do to not just survive but thrive in a recession? I posted basic, easy and common sense ways in PART 1. But let’s take it up a notch and see what you can do to thrive in this economic environment.

1. Stay dedicated to your financial goals even after the media declares the recession over. Keeping at it will give you a head start on the next recession. Recessions can also be local instead of national, some areas will recover a lot sooner than others. Don’t get caught letting loose and then realize that you area is last to recover.

2. Buy a rental property is you can afford to and if you learn through research that you can come close to breaking even. Why would I recommend buying a house now? Easy, this might not be the lowest point in the real estate market, but it’s still a lot lower than it was before. As more people loose their homes these same people will need rentals to live in. There will be a need. The best part is that if you can make it “cash flow” then the payments you get every month will go towards the mortgage on the property, therefore paying it down AND during the next high market you’ll be able to sell at a profit or just let it keep getting paid down.

3. Consider changing to a recession proof job. The medical field is booming as the baby boomers age. The outlook for job retention and new hires in the medical field is very good. Why not consider going back to school to learn a new skill in the medical fiend.

4. Think of ways to make money that people always need to buy or do. Opening a restaurant would not be a good idea right now. Restaurants always feel the pain in a recession because customers cut eating out of their budgets first. But there are other business ideas to consider. Among them Debt Collection, Medical Transcribing, Handyman, and Ebay sales, etc.

See also my list of 50 Ways To Make More Money

5. Make yourself invaluable to your employer. Give your boss 150%, not just 100%. Work harder, smarter and more. Make yourself invaluable for job security. Make yourself invaluable and make your company more money. Make yourself invaluable and ask for a raise.

Here is the first part in my "surviving a recession" series... As always I like to hear your thoughts and comments! You can find more on tomorrows post and at http://www.NoExcuseBudget.com


With all the the recent turmoil in the housing market, stock market and the rise in gas prices it's normal to wonder how you and your family can survive a recession. You should be happy to hear that you are already on your way to not just surviving, but thriving in a recession, "why" you ask, because you actually have taken time out of your life to read this and care. The first step to learning how to do anything is to want to know and to search out answers.

From here there are many ways to survive any adverse economy. Lets look at some basic ideas.

1. If you have a job do your best to keep it. If you don't have a job, get one, even if it's not your dream job.

2. Consider taking on odd jobs to either pay down your debt or to build a safety cushion fund in case you do end up loosing your job.

3. Redo your budget. Write every expense you have on the No Excuse Budget Forms. Go line by line and eliminate or lower every possible expense.

4. Contact all your creditors and ask for lower rates. Call your credit card companies, your phone company and your bank, ask them all to lower your rates or fees. If they say no call them once a week until they give you something.

5. If you have a high interest rate loan or one that is about to reset, and you plan to stay in your home for any amount of time, call a trusted mortgage broker and see if your mortgage can be refinanced into a fixed, lower rate mortgage.

6. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don't count on your job always being there. Don't count on your credit lines still being available and if you are self employed don't count on always getting work from your biggest client. There is a reason that you hear the saying "diversify" and "multiple streams of income". Think of other ways you can bring in money and do it now. Start right now. I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say they wish they had started ____________ sooner. It takes time and money to make money, start right now.

7. Save any extra money in a high interest savings account. I like The Orange Savings Account It all adds up and every penny counts. As interest rates are lowered your local bank will offer lower and lower rates. Put your money in the highest interest account you can find. If you have more than 6-12 months living expenses you can afford to put the remainder above your emergency savings into more aggressive places like stocks and bonds.

8. Put your kids in public school if you have decent schools. Buy a better fuel economy vehicle if you can get a loan that has a good rate and/or you drive a lot.

9. Rethink your insurance. Make sure you have enough and that you are getting the best rates. Shop around. Nothing can be a budget killer like not having or not having enough insurance.

10. Watch for signs and act before they act for you. Is your current job showing signs that you might not have a job for much longer? Are your paychecks late? Are sales down? Start putting together your reseme and possibly even start interviewing. If you do lose your job immediately file for unemployment and start looking for another job. This is no time to feel sorry for yourself. Act immediately.


Remember it's all about money. Money coming in and money going out. Your goal is to bring in as much money as possible while, save as much of that and limit what goes out. Easier said than done at times, but you get the idea.

Here are more easy ways to save without crimping your style :-)

Get rid of any reoccurring charges that are not absolutely necessary. How many subscriptions to random things are on your credit card?

Consider getting your hair cut at a discount chain instead of your normal salon, even alternating between the two can save you money. Just for the record I get mine cut for less than $12 ($7 if I have a coupon) and I never thought I could leave a salon and a long time hairdresser, but I like the way the budget salon cuts it more... same with my nails!

Make your coffee at home. Even if you have to have Kona coffee or another expensive type making it at home at save.

Eat at home.

Use your coupons.

Buy an entertainment book.

Find a mechanic that is not only good at fixing cars, but does it for a good price.

Indulge in small ways. If you see flowers on sale for a cheap amount buy them every once in a while. Seek out ways or places to buy things that make you happy that offer them at a good price.

Use a reward credit card and actually use the rewards. My favorite credit card gives me rewards to book stores and animal supply stores... needless to say I never "buy" books or pet food... I love the library but sometimes I want to buy a reference book, or a special book for my kids, and I save the gift certificates for these reasons.

Don't become the local animal shelter. A lot of animal lovers are faced with this real problem. Once the word gets out that you are animal friendly, your home suddenly becomes a zoo. Don't let this happen to you.... it's expensive and counter productive. Instead make arrangements with an area non-kill animal shelter to bring in these homeless pets and spend your time helping at the shelter. The shelter has arrangements with Vets, food suppliers and more so your donations can go farther than they could if you opened up shop in your home.

Shop at thrift stores. This is the hardest for most people. There is a bad connotation with shopping and using stuff from thrift stores. As long as you really clean your finds you can get absolute bargains! When my children where younger I was able to buy those big plastic play structures for about 10% of their "new" cost. I cleaned the heck out of them till they shined like new.... and then sold them for a profit when my kids where done playing with them!

Birthday season used to leave me seeing RED $$$$ signs everywhere! Between my kids parties and presents for the other kids birthdays it was a lot of money! You read about the parents that pay hundreds to thousands of dollars for a child's 1st birthday party and scream and then laugh because a 1 year old would have more fun with an empty box and a cup cake!

Here is how I've learned to save while still keeping the magic of birthday fun alive!

1. Shop all year. From gifts to party supplies, keep your eyes open to bargains.

I stumbled upon a great deal on books. Hard Cover brand new books that are still shrink wrapped and sell at Barnes and Nobles for $15.99 and I bought them for $.35 each. I bought 20 and used them as party favors! I have my child write a thank you note inside the book and then we handed them out as the child left. My kids love books and these were a huge hit!

I love after holiday clearance sales. After Christmas I buy all the red and green decorations and table settings like paper plates and napkins and Valentines day and easter always have me buying red and pink... I then use these as table settings for birthday parties. I add a table setting with the child's chosen theme and I've saved about one million dollars (not really, but it feels like it when I see the prices for the real paper plates and napkins).

2. Let the Dollar Tree and Oriental Trading Company be your friend

Dollar Tree sells helium filled balloons for $1. and has tons of party favors and more for $1. I can fill a goody bag for next to nothing.

Oriental Trading Company has lots of specific themed goodies for a really good price. This one you need to plan as they ship it to you and the sooner you need it the more that the shipping costs. So if you give yourself a couple months you can really make out.

3. Coupons

I've seen lot's of the home mailers sending out coupons for discounts on jumpy's and pizza... both good choices for an easy party. I also stock up on juice and snack type foods using the Sunday coupons and get most of it for free.

4. Choose your party time carefully.

Consider having your child's party at an off time. During the week is a great time instead of the weekend if you are using any outside services. Jumpy's, clowns, face painters, etc. will be more willing to negotiate on their fees if they are booked during a normally slow time.

5. Buy presents whenever you see them.

There are some presents that are always a hit, books, art supplies, remote control cars, flying planes, etc. I buy these up whenever I see them on clearance. It saves me gas, time and my sanity not to have to run out and get another present when we get another invite to a birthday party. I do ask the parent what the child wants for their birthday and if I don't have anything on hand that would work I go out and buy something, but 95% of the time I have something.

6. Just write a check.

This seems cold , but for my siblings I just write them a check. I don't even buy a card. I realized that at this point they know what they want and are too polite to blurt out what they really want so I give them a check... but I take it a step farther. I give them $20 plus the cost of a stamp plus the cost of a card and gift bag and tissue wrap. It's almost become a fun joke but it works for us... I love to hear what they bought for their birthday.

7. Remember that the things in life that children remember and consider fun are normally free or pretty close to it.

Why not just do the homemade pizza and cupcakes party? Let the kids run around and play. Plan a scavenger hunt. Let them color the sidewalk in bright chalk!

I am a recovering restaurant eater. My problem stemmed from a lack of cooking skills (I'm a horrible cook) and a lack of time (I work every second I'm awake).

I expected the "normal" perks of eating at home like when I started eating at home as much as possible but I was surprised at the end results:

• save money on expensive eating out
• save time not waiting in lines
• eat healthier by knowing exactly what is going in your food

But I did not expect to actually save money on my grocery bill. After a few months of eating at home I tallied my receipts and I actually am saving money on my groceries compared to when I would eat out. These are the only explanations I can come up:

• I am more realistic about how much we really eat, I purchase accordingly, so there is less waste. I hate to throw out spoiled food.

• Planning our meals based on sales

• We're not eating as much, home cooked meals make us fuller?

Whatever the reason I'm enjoying the benefits and realizing I might not be the worst cook... I actually might be an okay one... not great but okay!

I'm curious are there any other cooks that might not be the best but are trying like me? Any secrets?

I find myself doing some simple little things to save money throughout the day. I decided to keep a list of them today. I realized that I'm so conditioned to save money that I had to really think about the way I did things today so that I could list them...

Here they are.

1. Wash your laundry in cold water.
2. Do more than one load of laundry at a time. Once the drier is heated up it saves energy to dry the next load.
3. Only do full loads of laundry.
4. Eat at home. I did for all three meals today.
5. Make your own coffee, don't buy it the coffee stand. I did!
6. Run all your errands at the same time to save gas. Post Office, Bank, Pick up the kids, vet, etc.
7. Never pay your bills late. Avoid late fees. I paid mine today.
8. Question any charges that don't seem right. I just took my cat to the vet for a stomach issue. When I picked him up there was a charge for a urinalysis. I asked about this charge and was told it was an error. The test was not needed and not completed. That was a $50 savings. Had it been needed I would have happily paid.
9. I bought spaghetti sauce today for $1. I'm not normally brand specific but when my favorite brand goes on sale for $1 I stock up. I just wish I had coupons for it... it would have been even cheaper!
10. Use coupons in stores and on the internet. I bought Quicken for a friend and used an great coupon to buy it (there's a list of quicken coupons here-http://www.noexcusebudget.com/quickensavings.html

Hope you can use some of these little things to save big! I'd love to hear what you do to save big in a little way! Email me! webmaster@noexcusebudget.com

PS. Just got an email first thing this morning that my website was reviewed at http://www.goreviewit.comHow fun is that? It a new website that reviews actual products and websites, (I liked the dog bone one) with videos and comments from others. I'm going to check it out more later... join me!

PPS. Yes, it was a good review!

Are you into hypermiling?

I was looking on the net for cooking help. I'm a horrible cook, but that's another post altogether... so here I am typing "chicken easy" and somehow I found a website that is dedicated to the fine art of hypermiling! From what I'm reading you can go from 22mpg to 32mpg (or the like) if you follow the steps. I'm going to try it... I'm always up for a challange. Here's a link to the hypermiling website http://www.hypermiling.com/car-mpg.html.

On another note, I haven't been to the "office from h*ll" lately. I was going to stop by and work more on it but I need a few hours stretch and I havn't found it yet. I will take pictures when I get there. I have a really bad feeling that it will have multiplied and filled up again, I hope not, but I bet it will have.

by Heather D. Reese

Now I love Thanksgiving and Christmas like the rest of the world... but I really love it in a frugal shopper way too! Grocery shopping and coupons make this the "happiest time of the year" (to the tune of Christmas music)

The first reminder that this wonderful time is approaching is when coupons for the necessity of my pantry start show up in mid October and it just gets better from there...

$3 off turkey, $1 off sugar or flour and more... you can stock your pantry and freezer for pennies on the dollar!

Here are the tips of the trade for holiday food shopping

Start with your newspaper- Keep all the coupons and the grocery coupon ads.

Match the coupons to the advertised sale prices. Remember to look for other specials like spend $25 and get a free turkey. If you have room in your freezer do this as many times as you have room for the turkeys... they keep for months in the freezer and think of all the meals you can make with a whole turkey!

This is the time to stock up.Good deals can be found and created on canned vegetables, gravy, milk, soup and more!. Look at the expiration dates on the items and buy as much as you have coupons and room for. Packaged meal products like stove top stuffing (.79 a box at Target right now and there are .50 coupons out there making it .29 a box) and instant potatoes and rice are offered at great sale prices and companies are issuing coupons for all these products. If you are a semi-homemade kind of cook then this is the best time to really stock up your pantry. Other deals you'll find are on things like frozen pies ( I normally can find these for $1.99 and then I use a $1 off coupon at a store that doubles and it's free) and canned broth. Even bottled water and soda are offered at a great savings... maybe not super bowl savings amounts... but that will be here soon enough!

by Heather D Reese

I've noticed that personality traits of financially successful people share the same basics... they are frugal, prepared, and organized. And they are smart enough to hire others with these traits if they do not come naturally to themselves.

On a simplistic level, frugal thinking will lead to increased wealth. If you are aware of your income and careful with your spending you will amass increased funds. Every expense is a chance to save in the eye of a frugal shopper. They buy low and sell high, they are the buyers in todays real estate markets. They have been sitting back and watching and waiting for this opportunity. They shop their insurance costs, car prices and loss leaders in the grocery store weekly flier. They get a thrill from saving money equal to that of a habitual gambler! They work their bank for the best rates (did you know you can bargain with your banker for a better interest rate on both loans and deposits?). They are your penny pincher's and proud of it!

Savers are also prepared people. They are prepared for a down market, natural disaster, they're grocery shopping and they children's and grandchild's college education. They plan they shopping for coupon usage and sales, and they plan their eating out based on promotions and general taste and appeal of the restaurant. They want to be recognised as successful, but they still want good tasting food and service... they hate to feel like they are wasting their money. They plan every aspect of their life in advance, but they don't feel burdened by this structuring, they feel relieved to know everything is under control.

Organization is another very important aspect in a savers life. They know that in order to keep growing their wealth they must be organized, you must know where your money is and were it's going. They organize their days based on the most efficient routes and they organize their pantries for time saving simplicity. They want to know where everything is so that they can spend less time searching for items and more time working and playing. They know that the time spent organizing is given back two fold.

Lessons we can all learn from are simple. Think of every purchase in regards to your net worth. At the grocery store ask your self if you will actually use this item before the sell by date. When shopping for a home consider if it's not only within your price range but if it will fill your needs in the years to come. If you are considering starting a family don't buy a one bedroom condo. Savers plan for the future and know that if they buy a house that will keep them happy and safe for at least 5 years they will save money. Organize your life not just your desk or pantry. Be efficient. And remember, that as long as you are doing something you love, your life is already rich!

By Heather D. Reese

For me the answer is simply yes... a dishwasher can make you happy. It's not really just a dishwasher, the dishwasher is more of a symbol of the little things in life.

I don't know how many times we have bought new appliances. We've been in real estate a while and replacing appliances was a common occurrence, but those were just part of the business. Now that the market has slowed down we're not buying as many appliance these days until yesterday.

We moved into a new house that has fabulous "bones" but could use a little cosmetic updating. Upon moving in we learned that the dishwasher was not working. We knew for us this was a need so we've spent the past month looking for the best deal. We finally found a great price, free delivery, free installation and no tax... we were sold, quite literally!

Yesterday was the first "run" for our new dishwasher. It felt so good, and then I realized it wasn't the dishwasher, it was all the little things in life that you forget about that make you feel so good!

By Heather D. Reese

It's true, it's been about 7 years since I actually "paid" for toothpaste... I assure you all that I have been using toothpaste and I have been brushing my teeth, but I just haven't had to pay for the product!

I love coupons and rebates. I hate paying for something that is going to be going down the sink. Sometimes I even get paid to bring home toothpaste... can't get much better than that!

I recently spoke to two CEO's of Major Corporations, it was a casual conversation and we got on the subject of spending money on toiletries. They BOTH said that they still use coupons to buy those products. These are mega millionaires, and they admit to using coupons too. Their take on it was that it was stupid to waste money on something that is so easy to save on. They literally said that you would never become a self made millionaire if you don't think about every purchase as a way to save! One of the wife's of the CEO said that he will go without deodorant before buying it without a coupon/not on sale. Thankfully this has never happened as there are so many coupons out there!

So here's the scoop. It's easy to not pay for your toothpaste or other health and beauty products.

Step #1- Save coupons.
Step #2- Match coupons to items on sale
Step #3- look for any available rebates on these items
Step #4- Buy item with coupon and/or fill out rebate forms and send them in.

It's best to do this is batches, called stockpiling. When you see that you can get this item for cheap or free buy as many as you can so that you can wait till the next great sale to have to buy again!

by Heather D. Reese

Once a month I take a few hours to look through last months spending. I do my best to go line by line and make notes about where I could have saved more money.

This month I'm calling every creditor (credit cards, phone company etc.) and seeing if they have any better rates or plans. Just by asking I was able to get interest rate reductions on about half of my credit cards. This is regardless if I am actually using the cards or not.

It's good to check-in with your phone, cable, satellite or cell phone company every few months as their promotions change and you can often snag a better plan.

by Heather D. Reese

I live in a smaller town in North San Diego County... with the recent disasters here I understand the importance of shopping locally and supporting the local businesses. As such I've decided to start my own "financial challenge", everyone is welcome to join in! Please be sure to email me or add a comment about your experiences.

Here is how it started. My daughter was bored and needed more books. Off to the library we went. If I had to give you all a "guess" as to the amount of money the library saves us weekly, it would be around $110. We borrow 20 books a week at around $5.50 a book, yikes $110! Not to mention the even bigger benefit, we are all reading!

Although I consider this a money saving moment, I'm working towards saving money AND supporting the local economy. We'll see how the next week plays out. I'm not going to distinguish too much between a mom and pop place and a corporate owned place as they both offer jobs to the community but if I can I'll go towards the mom and pop place!

Hopefully our local farmers market will be back on soon too, this would definately help my challenge. Latest info. looks like we lost over 22,000 fruit trees in the area due to the fires, so I'll definately want to help by buying up whatever is available.

Please share your ideas on supporting your local economic communities!

It would have seemed foolish to care about money at a crisis moment, but looking back there are lessons to learn from.

Monday started like any other day until we got the call to evacuate. I consider myself a planner. I planned as best I could for this type of event. I had all of my important documents packed and ready, gas in both cars, and a plan to get us all out... this included 2 cats, 2 dogs, 2 kids and us 2 adults. We grabbed clothes and toiletries and a few cases of water and we were gone. Although we were told to leave we had enough time to get these things. Had it looked worse we would have grabbed the kids and animals and gone.

I soon learned that there were "missing pieces" to my evacuation plan.

#1 If you have pets, include their vaccination records in your important paper box. We ended up staying the first night in a hotel that was pet friendly, however at over $400 a night we only stayed 1 night until we could come up with a better plan. The next morning I secured them a spot at a boarding facility. They were understanding and waived our proof of vaccinations but we ended up having them vaccinated any ways to the tune of over $200 because I wasn't sure if I could find another understanding boarding facility at the next stop and I didn't want to risk having no place to take them. Had I had the record, that $200 would have been saved. For the record, the place we had their shots done at was also evacuated so there was no way to get their records.

#2 Plan your evacuation routes to the east, west, north and south. Imagine a scenario that would have you traveling each way and were you would go. Had I had a list of pet friendly hotels I most likely could have found a cheaper hotel for that first night.

#3 Take whatever help is offered. People have been great around here. I was really worried about a "Katrina" like response to this disaster that we stayed away from any actual evacuation centers. Once we returned I was given a tour of one on the evacuations centers and I was beyond surprised! There were no needs or wants forgotten... Quallcomm stadium even had people giving free hand and arm massages!

The most important lesson I learned is that lives are the most important thing. Money may come and go, but you only get one chance at being alive!

My husband and I have been trading shifts helping the local fire department answer phone calls from residence about re-population and emergency needs assistance... I am so proud of our community! My thoughts are with those that are still in a state of evacuation and loss.

Now I'm no hypnotist, but these two "tricks" work. One of the keys to living on a budget is to not overspend on "wants". It's such a great feeling to make your money work for you... by putting it towards your "needs" and building your savings up for your future.

Trick #1- When you see something you want determine if it is a "need" or a "want". A need is something that you have to have in order to survive. Some peoples "needs" will actually surprise others. One person's view of a need might be strictly basic, like housing and food. Another persons "need" might include housing, food and coffee. You need to determine your "needs" and when presented with a purchase, really evaluate if you need it, or if it would be better to apply that saved money from not buying it towards savings. If you would have to use money that is supposed to be used for another item on your budget, do not spend that money!

Trick #2- Determine how many hours you would have to work in order to pay for the proposed purchase. I was talking to a bank teller once. She really liked having a cafe mocha every morning. After determining that she would have to work 25 min. (after tax's) to pay for her mocha, she decided that flavored regular coffee was a better long term choice for her. She only had to work 3 min. to pay for that!

Today's Question- I'm sure alot of you have tried these tricks or other variations of them... what are/were your favorite tricks to get you into the budget/saving mode?

First, I'd like to thank a reader (SallyC) from my website http://www.noexcusebudget.com for sending me over here! Now I'll be posting my blog here too!

I talk a lot about really taking a hard look at your spending and then cutting back. It seems to be the hardest thing to actually do, but when you actually start doing it it's actually easy. Simple things to save on gas is to group trips. When it's time to go pick up the kids from school, do your banking and go to the post office. When you are out and about remember to keep a mental note of gas prices till you have a feel for the station that has the best price. When you are getting low on gas and you are in that area of town fill up. Make saving money a regular part of your life style.

I've read so many styles of saving money... from extreme to hilarius. Some of my favorite advise (for humor value) suggested saving money by making your own lemonade at restaurants (ask for lemons and sugar) and rinse out potato chip bags, turn inside out and use as a gift bag. I'll never do either of those, first of all buying potato chips will cost you in the long run with medical bills, secondly making your own lemonade at a restaurant is just plain cheap. There is a difference between being cheap and saving money. I do recommend saving money by just ordering water at restaurants. Around here it costs about $2.50 for a drink, with 4 of us that's a $10 savings... about the same cost as the kids meals. But even more importantly water is so much better for you. How much water do you drink in a day? The recommended amount is about 8 glasses a day. Most people don't even come close. So please.... drink your water! Be healthy and save water!