Town Hall for Hope

Yesterday I had to run out to the post office and I happen to catch Dave Ramsey's show on and he was talking about the Town Hall for Hope Event. I had TOTALLY forgotten about it, I had heard way back about it and my prego brain lost it somewhere... :-) Anyways, I hope you can either get to watch the event live on Fox Business channel on TV this evening or maybe even still attend the event in your area if they still have seats available! It is a FREE Event!

Here a little message from the site:

Town Hall for Hope

What is Town Hall for Hope?

"Town Hall for Hope is your opportunity to sit down with people in your community for a nationwide town hall meeting led by Dave Ramsey. Thousands of venues across the country will host the event, broadcasting Dave's live presentation. In the opening half hour, Dave will offer straight talk about the economy, recession, foreclosures and more. He'll carefully explain where we've come from, where we are now, and what we should be doing with our money during this time. Then, Dave will spend an hour answering your questions live!

We'll take questions by phone, email, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and more! Check out our Get Involved page to see all the ways in which you can join in the conversation! And remember, this is a free event!"

"Connect with families across the nation for a truly radical message: HOPE.
Tired of hearing the fear, doom and gloom that’s filling the airwaves? Join Dave Ramsey for a nationwide town hall meeting and discover what’s happening with the economy, how we got here, and where we’re going. Plus, Dave will answer your questions live throughout the event!
Join us for this free event April 23 at 8:00 p.m. EDT in one of the thousands of venues across the country as we stand together to reignite the fire of hope! Learn more. "


I was excited to see that our Fox Business channel will have it on live at 7 pm so I have it set to record! Share

Year End Spending Tally

Can you BELIEVE this????

I have keep track of EVERY penny spent on grocery's and household items over the last year and here is the end tally of what I spent, saved, and made!

Retail was a total of $12,948.44- I saved a total of $11,205.76 and made a total of $1,569.22 to spend a total of $221.05!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also have a total of $51.53 in CVS and Walgreens money to start this new year off with! Not bad!

This is to a new year of savings!

And if you want to check out the spreadsheet I have designed to keep track of all this go here.

Total CVS SAVINGS:	$7,962.64
Total Retail:	$8,084.81
Total after Sales:	$5,496.04
Total Paid OOP:	$122.17
ECB's Left:	$24.61

Total Walgreens SAVINGS:	$2,602.26
Total Retail:	$2,797.06
Total after Sales:	$1919.91
Total Paid OOP:	$194.80
RR & Gift Card	$26.92

YTD 2008 SAVINGS TOTALS

2008 YTD Retail Grocery's:	$12,948.44
2008 YTD Manf. coupons used:	$5,065.38
2008 YTD $ spent on coupons:	$47.59
2008 YTD OOP Grocery spending:	$1,742.68
2008 Money Made On Selling Stock Pile Items:	$1,354.74
2008 Rebate Checks:	$214.48
2008 YTD OOP Grocery After Rebates & Selling:	$221.05

	Retail	After Sales	After Rebates and Selling
Monthly Average	$1079.04	$145.22	$18.42
Weekly Average	$249.01	$33.51	$4.24
Daily Average	$35.48	$4.90	$0.62

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NEW~ Grocery Tracking Spreadsheet

I'm SO excited to be able to offer this to you now! I just finished this today and it is NOW available to you!!!!

Buy your copy of the Grocery Tracking Spreadsheet today!

This spreadsheet is very easy to use. It will help you keep track of everything you spend and what you are saving!

I use this system to keep track of everything I spend!

Be on you way to saving money by tracking it!

Go check it out here.

A few great things about this spreadsheet:

Has 6 Tabs for stores:

CVS

Walgreen's

Super Target

Super Walmart

and 2 Extra Tabs made for Extra Stores you use. (They are set up just like Super Walmart and Super Target. You just need to Name those stores. And you can create of the extra tabs if you have lots of stores you shop at. )

Has these extra tabs to keep track of extra things:

Money spend on buying coupons

Rebate Checks Received

and a Total Page

Each tab is set to be calculated in the Total Page

How to use the sheet:

It is pretty easy to figure out how to put in your receipts for each store you shop at.

For CVS it is set up like this:

Column 1 Retail Amount

Column 2 Amount after Sales

Column 3 CVS Coupons

Column 4 Manufacture Coupons

Column 5 Total Cost

Column 6 ECB's Used

Column 7 Total OOP

Column 8 ECB's Got Back

Column 9 Total Saved

Column 10 Still have Total in ECB's

The top totals of Each column will tell you how much you saved, spend, and the amount of money you save with coupons! And it will calculate it ALL in the Totals Page for a end look at your complete spending and savings!!!

Each sheet is very much like CVS. Walgreen's has its own lingo so it along with CVS so it is a bit different but for the 2 extra, Super Walmart, and Target they have theses columns:

Retail Cost

Store Coupons

Manuf. Coupons

Gift Card Used

and Total OOP

I also created a Rebates Tab so that you can keep track of each rebate you receive! It will also take off that rebate money from the total you spent in grocery's! Did you always wonder if they where doing any good to send in? Now you KNOW!

I have it set up so you can do YEARS worth of tracking if you need! It has no end on the cells going down. I calculated ALL cells to add up on the top of your spreadsheet!

This spreadsheet is SO easy to use! I have been using it for 10 months now and have had so many people ask me how I keep such detailed track of my spending that I decided to make it available to you!

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My Cvs Deals this week and 6 months Savings...

Spent a total of $2.86

Gained $4.99 in ECB's (Getting them back up there again!!!)

Notes of worth for the last six months of Savings!

Spent a total of $100.31 OOP at CVS Jan 1-June 30

That's about $16.71 a month averaging it out.

So far I have saved a total of $5,282.97 this year at CVS alone!

And have a total of $82.97 in ECB's!

I have left on Walgreen's Gift Cards from their rebate program $69.41!

I have spent a total of $827.71 (And $100.31 of that is CVS!)

on ALL household grocery and non grocery items!

But I have made $936.81 AND gotten back $136.03 in Rebate Checks!

So I have MADE $245.13 in the last 6 months by shopping for my family!

HOW COOL IS THAT!

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Coupons a little History

Did you know:
That coupons started in 1894!
"The clever entrepreneur to first use this concept was Asa Candler, a druggist, who bought the formula for Coca-Cola that year. He gave out individual handwritten coupons for a free glass of this new fountain beverage. The next year, another assertive businessman, C.W. Post, began to promote his new health cereal with a once cent coupon, good towards the purchase of his new product Grape Nuts.
Coupons became a staple in American households by 1930, prompted by the Depression. The need to cut cost, especially the weekly grocery bill, made clipping coupons a necessity for many families. During the 1940's, chain supermarkets started their growth across the country and continued on with the coupon tradition developed in the neighborhood food stores."
Article from The History of Coupons By Brad Leary

And LOTS and LOTS of Coupon Facts that I got the following from here!!!!

Coupon Facts:
86% of the United States population uses coupons.
Shoppers saved approximately $2.6 billion last year by using coupons.
The typical coupon was worth $1.15 savings in 2006
Coupon users report an average of 11.5% savings on their grocery bill with coupons.
Manufacturers offered more than approximately $330 billion in coupon savings in 2006.

What's New?
Coupons are more influential to 18-24 year olds in four out of eight categories measured, including Electronics, Apparel, Automotive and Telecommunications.
86% of 18-24 year old consumers say that finding coupons is a reason that they go through newspaper inserts and circulars.

All Age Groups use Coupons!
Age % using coupons
18-24 71%
25-34 87%
35-44 89%
45-54 85%
55-64 90%
65+ 91%

Coupon users broken out by income:
Income % using coupons
under $25,000 86%
$25-50,000 85%
$50-$75,000 88%
$75-$100,000 88%
$100,000+ 81%
Source: Consumer Internet Survey Panel of 1,000 people

History of Coupons
1894
Coupons are born! Asa Candler, the druggist who bought the formula for Coca-Cola for $2,300, gives out handwritten tickets for a free glass of his new fountain drink.

1895
Next stop, the local grocer! C.W. Post distributes the first grocery coupon worth one cent towards his new health cereal, Grape Nuts.

1930's
Coupons are a staple in American households because of the Depression. Everyone needs to save money wherever possible, and clipping coupons clips weekly grocery bills.

1940's
Supermarkets sprout across the country and continue the coupon tradition that had begun in neighborhood groceries.

1957
The Nielsen Coupon Clearing House becomes the first clearing house devoted to coupon redemption. Coupons have created a new industry.

1965
One-half of Americans are now coupon users.

1975
Coupon popularity continues to grow. Over 35 billion coupons are distributed and 65% of American households clip!

1998
America celebrates the first National Coupon Month. Children create art designs of their favorite coupons in the 1st Annual Coupon Month.

1999
American shoppers learn how to be savvy by saving with coupons during National Coupon Month, Sept. 1999 and, real men are found to use coupons too.

2000
Parents learn how to involve children in saving with coupons for National Coupon Month 2000.

2001
Teachers use coupons to teach the value of money in the Fourth National Coupon Month.

2002
Shoppers save $3 billion dollars by redeeming 3.8 billion coupons.

2003
77% of consumers report using coupons, making it one of the most popular shopping activities in America.

2004
79% of primary shoppers report that they have used coupons.

2005
74% of coupon shoppers have used coupons in the last month.

2006
71% of young adults (age 18-24) use coupons

Anyways, coupon facts always intrest me becuase I love them so much! :-D Share

Great Post

I found this post by Common Sense with Money.

Did you know that the first coupon was issued
by Coca Cola in the mid 1890's? It was for a free
glass of cola. Did you also know that despite the
fact that only 1% of all coupons issued get
redeemed, in 2006 manufacturers issued $279
billion worth of coupons.


She talks about how the coupon industry works.

Can you beleive that only 1% of $279 BILLION of coupons
was redeemed???? I wanna stand on the roof top and cry
PEOPLE WHY ARNT YOU SAVING MONEY!!!!!

I hear the comments,
"Gosh you and your coupons"
"Man do you ever just GO BUY IT"
"Why do you worry about what you spend??? "

Becuase I do care what I am doing with my money. I care because
God commands us to care and to TAKE CARE of what he has given us.
Its my duty. Its my calling! :-D

Make it yours to! Share

Financial Shape in 2008 Challenge!

Money Saving Mom has once again challenged us with money thoughts.

I have read some good posts so far in some of the people who has put
their budgets, thoughts, and challenges on their blogs.

With me quiting my job soon we are processing and going to be figuring
out what works for us in our budget.

I have so far in the last few months been able to stay under $45.00 for
my total household budget for a week. And I have seen in the last few weeks
that I can do better than that by using CVS as a supplement grocery items and
not just for household items.
Like for instance this last week I was able to cut some big money items from
my grocery list and almost got them for free. I am hoping to be able to do this
from now on. Doesn't seem to hard. See how I did on it so far in this post. Share

EBay ~ Gift Cards

I think gift cards are great. When I have them I USE THEM!
So in light of saving, have you ever thought to buy gift cards on eBay!
For instance if you happen to spend say $25 OOP every two months
at CVS and you could get a gift card for that amount but say get it for
$20 that's saving another $5 out of your grocery money.

I have been looking up what gift cards go for at the end of auction at eBay,
(if you have an eBay acct. you can look up ended auctions to see what things
have sold for in case you didn't know) and I have figured that most gift cards
for for about 10% or 15% under there retail value. That's not bad. They higher
the amount of it the more you save.

Another thought, are you doing alot of remodeling or needing a new fridge?
Price them and then get a gift card of eBay for that store for that amount and
you will get about 10% or 15% off and when you buy bigger purchase that could
add up!!! My husband and I are going to be buying some in the next 2 months for
the purchase of our new appliances we will need in our home. Fridge, Freezer, Washer
and Dryer. So it makes a BIG difference. :-)

Or say even for Christmas shopping!
You could buy gift cards to the places you KNOW you are going to spend money.
I would price the item you are looking at. Ask the sales associate if they are going to
put that item on sale in the near future! They will tell you in most places I have found out. :-)
And then buy your gift card for a savings of the 10% or %15 and you will have
saved yourself a bit of money. :D


DON'T EVER buy gift cards in the store or restaurants!!! Buy them on eBay. Why would you pay
retail value if you can get more for your money on eBay????


Don't have an eBay! acct???? Sign up for one they are FREE to buy and will save you money and time. Share

A few Quotes

Here are a few quotes I like:

"Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship."
Benjamin Franklin

“I'm not against people having new cars. I'm against them having you. We spend a tremendous amount impressing somebody at the stoplight who we'll never meet. It makes you broke and keeps you broke.”
Dave Ramsey

"Money is only loaned to a man. He comes into the world with nothing and he leaves with nothing."
William Crapo Durant

"You can get anywhere if you simply go one step at a time."
Dave Ramsey

"Rich people buy luxuries last, while the poor and middle class tend to buy luxuries first. The poor and middle class often buy luxury items such as big houses, diamonds, furs, jewelry or boats because they want to look rich. They look rich, but in reality they just get deeper in debt on credit. The old money people, the long-term rich, built their asset column first. Then, the income generated from the asset column bought their luxuries. The poor and middle class buy luxuries with their own sweat, blood, and children's inheritance."
Robert T. Kiyosaki

"Never spend your money before you have it."
Thomas Jefferson

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery."
Charles Dickens Share