I do realize the why of it and it stems from pure laziness. There are a few extra steps you have to take in order to bring your lunch to work regularly. One is preparation. I am one of those people that has no time in the morning, so I need to prepare my lunch the night before. Preparation also means making enough dinner so that I may have leftovers to take to work for lunch the next morning.

I came across this article regarding a Bring Your Lunch to Work contest and thought it would be interesting to see what kinds of lunches the winners of the contest had. To my surprise, the contest winners’ lunches consisted of things that looked way too complicated and fancy for me to ever even make for dinner, let alone lunch at work. Greens pie with kale and swiss chard? Uh no. I’ve never even made a regular pie. And to tell you the truth, I think I burned an already prepared pie in the oven once. Call me simple, but I wondered also if chard was actually a typo and was supposed to actually be swiss cheese.

Except I have heard of swiss chard. Not sure what it is, I did have the Food Network at one time.

Here I thought my fantastic recipe for Chicken Salad sandwiches was pretty fancy. That’s what’s usually in my lunchbox. Some kind of sandwich, some veggies, fruit or whatever I have around the house at the time, which means there will never be potstickers in my lunchbox either.

I think I will consider experimenting with some new things though, which could possibly put me back on the track to taking my lunch to work again. Would also help make dinnertime a little more interesting too.

Do you experiment with new foods for your lunches? Or do you take the basics like I used to?

Would be interesting to know what others are doing. If you have any tips for taking lunch to work, I’d be interested in those also.

And although I watched the movie with her, my mind was still going and working and wondering. Trying to keep track of the things I still need to get finished up tonight. Did I forget something? I always forget something. Unfortunately, I don’t remember much about Ponyo. Luckily, the Movie Gallery is going out of business so DVDs are less than $5. Since we don’t have satellite television anymore I’ve been buying really cheap movies to watch. So, we can watch it again sometime and maybe I’ll pay attention.

Frugalness and making money and budgeting can get out of hand, I think. We can become so focused on the making of money that we forget why we are making the money. In my case, I want to get out of debt, I want to take care of my daughter, I want to give her a good life until she is able to give herself a fantastic life on her own.

Giving her a good life though doesn’t mean buying her games I don’t have time to play and providing nice clothes so the other kids and parents don’t pity her for having an unmarried mother. (That’s actually for my benefit anyway. I doubt anyone else really cares what my 6 year old is wearing.)

A good life for my daughter also has to include time and sharing. Doing things together, having fun, enjoying today because today is short. She’s 6 and it seems like only yesterday she was learning to walk. Based upon this definition, have I given her a good life so far? Maybe not.

I’m considering taking her to the movies this weekend. Not because I have a coupon or there’s a great deal. Movie theaters don’t really fit into my budget. My bills are not paid and I am not out of debt (yet). I’m taking her because we deserve it. She puts up with me and watches me work until she goes to bed daily. She understands when I tell her we don’t have money for that, although she did suggest once to just go that machine at the gas station to get some. There is room in everyone’s budget to forget about the budget and to consider what we’re doing and if in the long run it will be worth it.

To me, it is worth all of the work. But sometimes we need to breathe a little. Which means movies or dinner or vacations we can’t really afford, and if things really work out…maybe even a trip to Hollywood. Or Texas, she has suggested that too.

Have a great weekend, everyone! (And spend a little. You won’t die.)

It seems I’m a bit late to the party because Mint.com has been around for quite a while, since 2005 to be exact, but finding Mint has literally turned out to be everything I’ve been looking for and needing in personal finance management. No more Quicken or Microsoft Money software, Mint pretty much covers everything. There is nothing to download and the best part of all…it’s FREE.

How Does Mint Work?

First you connect  your account to the bank accounts that you want included, in my case I connected all of them, including the new ING savings account I recently opened. All of your transactions are pulled into the site where they are classified into categories like Food and Dining and Auto as well as Income. I was worried that I wouldn’t have all of my information for the entire year for tax time, but it ended up pulling in transactions from as far back as December of 2009. So now at the end of the year I’ll be able to just look at an expense and get a quick total of how much was spent, or I can get the total income from specific sources of my freelance work without adding them manually.

Is It Safe?

The largest question that most people have is whether it’s safe to have all of your information in one place such as this. I don’t worry too much about these things because I assume no one’s going to steal the information of a broke person. If they do, they aren’t going to get much and they aren’t very smart. It would be the equivalent to robbing a bank and walking out with $20.

Mint.com does address the safety issues and according to the website the reasons it is safe for use are basically the following:

1.  No personal information is needed to set up an account with Mint.com (just an email, password and zip code). No pin numbers, Social Security Numbers or other identifiable information is needed.

2.  Mint.com uses the same encryption security as banks use, so if you’re banking online it’s pretty much the same. Their practices are monitored and verified similar to banking institutions as well with TRUSTe, VeriSign and Hackersafe, and and are supported by RSA Security.

3. No money can be transferred. Mint’s service is a read only service so neither you nor anyone else can transfer funds through any bank accounts with the Mint.com. It is strictly used for managing and organizing your finances.

What’s So EPIC About Mint.com?

Besides the things I’ve covered so far, you can also set up budgets and receive alerts when you are exceeding them. For instance if  you set up a budget of $50 per month on dining out, you’ll get an alert when you’re near it. You are also able to add any kind of account which includes Investments, Auto Loans and Credit Cards so you can actually see how much is being paid and where the money is going.

Mint.com also provides you with pie charts to view how much you’re spending in each category and other helpful graphs to track trends. I can’t say enough how helpful it is to be able to log on and see this information without doing anything but logging on.

I’m sticking with Mint.com unless something really wonky happens in the future. I can’t think of anything that covers all of my finances so easily and costs nothing. Gone are the days of manually filling in spreadsheets and going through bank account transactions one at a time. I set up the account and had all of my information right in front of my face within a half hour.

Of course, I came across this service looking for iPhone apps, but you do not have to have an iPhone to use it. I have the app so I can check things out on my phone if I need to, and receive the alerts on my phone, but you could easily just log on to a computer if you needed to.

Now that, my friends, is organization. Let me know what you think…

Could the Magic Jack be an answer to #2 on my To Do List? In case you’re wondering, the Magic Jack is a small device you plug a phone into and then connect it to your computer and you can make phone calls. The cost of the Magic Jack is around $40.00 at Best Buy, which includes service for a year, and then it’s $20.00 per year after that.

The only issue I can see with this device is that you have to have an internet connection (not dial up obviously), and I would assume if your computer isn’t on or connected, you won’t get any phone calls. No big deal, to me.

To confuse us even more, I read today that Magic Jack has a device for cell phones now as well. This Magic Jack connects your internet to your cell phone, enabling cell phone calls without using any of your minutes. This one I’m not sure about as there’s a good chance that cell phone carriers are not going to be happy about this.

So, my question is: Is it worth trying out? Or is it just another expense (albeit a small one) that I’ll end up cutting from the budget anyway? How important is it that I be able to use a phone other than my cell phone at home? Obviously given the options I would not go back to a regular phone company for a landline and instead would try the Magic Jack. A landline costs at least $20 a month vs. the Magic Jack at $20 per year. No question which is the better choice.

I have included a video of a news piece that I found on Youtube. It gives you a better idea how it works. I’d also be interested in hearing from anyone that has tried the Magic Jack.

Let me know what you think!

6. Paying Bills Early or On Time
It goes without saying that people that manage their finances online pay less in late fees, not to mention saving on the postage. I should know from paying all of my credit cards online. I can’t remember the last time I paid a late fee for a credit card payment. Utilities and other bills though, are a different story. I don’t want to even speculate how much I’ve paid to the electric and gas companies in late fees. For some reason I haven’t managed these accounts online when I could and my plan is to start paying everything online that I possibly can.

I suppose I could round out the 2010 To Do List to an even 10 but these six I think are the most important things I feel like I should focus on. Plus, with any goal, we need to make sure they don’t get out of hand, and become unattainable. Notice there isn’t anything about keeping a spotless home….bahahaha…

What do you plan on working on or changing this year? (Seriously…)

However, being that it is only January 4th and far too early to admit that 2010 kicked my arse I figured I better try to get on top of it quickly. I’m not one for resolutions because it doesn’t work to make them and I’m sure you’ve read everyone else’s list of resolutions anyway (Hint: they’re going to lose weight, quit smoking or treat the earth better.) Instead, I’ve started my 2010 To Do List. Is there anything better than a To Do List that you have a whole year to complete?

2010 To Do List

1. Cable is Going to Stop Robbing Me
I’ve posted about the ridiculous cost of Dish network, so it isn’t really cable that is robbing me. BUT…since I live in an area where I can only get reliable high speed internet from the cable company, I am still being robbed by cable. My internet, which granted is way more valuable than the dish, costs almost the same. How ridiculous is that? So, besides finding and deciding upon an alternative to Dish network for the television (I have looked into the digital converter but haven’t actually committed) I’ll need to research my options for the internet as well. Reminder: My Dish network contract is up in February so it’s decision time…

2. I Will Resolve My Phone Situation
I’m down to only a cell phone on a very basic package, but I feel like it’s still costing me too much money. I’ve written in the past about my intentions to try the Walmart prepaid phone with Straight Talk and other options, but again as with the Dish, we’re dealing with a contract. I have to buckle down and calculate whether the savings are worth buying out of the contract and if it isn’t I need to shut my mouth and accept that this is what I’m stuck with.

3. The Art of the Menu and Grocery List
No matter how much coupon searching I do (which I’ve started, by the way) it matters little when I’m wandering the grocery store and can’t remember what I’m out of. My current grocery list consists of bananas, mayo and hot sauce, because I’m out of two and one my daughter added. Although these are things I need, they don’t make a meal thus making my list useless. I plan on putting together a practical menu so I can plan my grocery list better.

Well, that’s three big ones. I’ll add more the next time, although I know it would be pointless to still be adding to my To Do List in August. I’ll finish it up way sooner than that…promise.

Even still, I was considering buying myself something for Christmas. I figured I worked pretty hard and did a good job paying my bills and not wasting money so maybe I should splurge on something for myself. The problem with this thought is that you shouldn’t really get rewarded for doing what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to pay your bills. You’re not supposed to waste money. Treating myself for those things is kind of dumb.

Not only that, it would be somewhat counter productive I think. It’s the habit of frivolous spending that needs to be changed (at least in my situation) and giving myself a break even at Christmas  is a recipe for disaster.

Maybe a small bottle of nail polish or something is fine. A fancy coffee from Starbucks.  I was actually thinking about going big though, like UGG boots or a new digital camera. Granted, I don’t need either of these things and the 100-200 that they would cost could be much better spent on paying down the new $1700 medical bills.

I’m guessing a lot of people have this problem at this time of the year. Fighting the urge to be frivolous or spend too much money because, hey, it’s Christmas. Why not? Wait until after Christmas and once you’ve read everyone’s “I went into debt for the holidays” stories and you’ll realize why not. We work too hard to throw it all away just because it’s the holiday season. I don’t want to sound like Queen of the Pollyannas, but Christmas is not supposed to be about spending a truck load of money anyway. Don’t go bananas and stick to your budgets all the way through. You’ll feel better after Christmas if you do.

Okay, maybe not as big, but to me it’s pretty phenomenal. I actually have money in my bank account and am projecting extra money by the time the bills are paid. At least for this month it seems that stuffing down bologna sandwiches and not spending any money has started to pay off.

In fact, I’ve been obsessing with the fact that somehow I missed a large bill or have forgotten to pay something. I am actually spending the weekend going over my budget and figuring out what I have left to pay and where any extra money should go. So far I know I’ll be paying extra on any bills I need to pay off and putting something in savings. I’d really like to have an emergency fund for those times that something comes up and usually sets me back because I don’t have any money in the budget for it. Of course I need to budget for Christmas as well.

It’s a good feeling, really. You’d be amazed how motivated you’ll become when you can finally see that hard work and being frugal actually works. I’ve been hesitant about spending any money until I figure out exactly what I’m going to do; it’s easy to think “woohoo! I’m ahead! I should go spend it.” That of course, is what keeps broke people broke. Generally we spend money when we get it. Think about where our tax refunds usually go. Do we ever put it in a savings account? Consider why so many broke people win the lottery and end up broke again a few years later. We don’t change our habits, we don’t learn how to manage our money. Getting more of it usually just means spending and wasting more.

I can’t speak for all broke people, just myself and others that I know. It’s true that sometimes no matter how hard a person tries, there’s a possibility that they might not ever get ahead. But, I refuse to believe I’m one of those people. So I can whine about being a single mom and working a bazillion hours a week as much as I want to. This month is proof that if I keep at it, I will get ahead. And you know what? It hasn’t been all that painful. I still got ice cream when my daughter had to get two shots, I still went out to eat with my sister and her family on Halloween (with their 20% off coupon, of course) and my daughter still gets to watch a DVD once in a while. All things considered, we have a pretty darn good thing going on over here.

Remember to pat yourself on the back no matter how small an accomplishment it may seem. Yes, I still have enormous medical bills  and credit cards to pay on, but it’s looking up. I can finally see that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and one day (hope hope) I won’t have those ridiculous med bills or credit card payments. I might even be able to splurge on ham sandwiches instead of bologna soon…what do you think?

Have a great weekend, and here’s hoping you all find something to be proud of…

The most unnecessary expenses usually occurred on the weekends when I was hanging out with my daughter. I need to research cheap and free things to do with her. I also noticed that we still spend money on food PLUS the groceries which can rack up quite an amount also.

Granted, my daughter’s birthday was a large added expense, but in any given month there’s a good chance that there will be an extra expense of $100-200.  One month it’s the car. Another month it’ll be an emergency medical bill. There is always something. To me, this means that I not only need an emergency fund but a birthday/holiday gift fund as well. Someone’s birthday is always right around the corner.

The one expense that I can’t do anything about is the gas. I could be more diligent about finding cheaper gas and using the coupons for pennies off and that would save me some money. Otherwise I basically drive to work and home–no excessive spending there.

The purpose of Operation WITHIMMG was to find out how much money I actually spend in order to figure out if it would be worth trying the no spending at all for a month experiment. $600 would definitely be worth trying it, there are a lot of bills and things I could’ve used that for. The only thing is, there’s no way I could try the experiment around the holidays. I would definitely have to spend money in the next couple months on holiday stuff.

I’m considering maybe the beginning of the year since around February I can have my dish canceled also. I’m foreseeing 2010 as a very frugal year for me with spending being very minimal.

All in all, it was a great experiment to try out. You’d be surprised how much extra you spend, even for someone that is very conscious of saving and budgeting.

1.  Cheap Gifts

I’m all for saving money and not buying people extravagant gifts, especially when you can’t afford it. I can’t stand giving or getting gifts just for the sake of giving or getting a gift. As mentioned before, I can’t really think of a time that a gift from a dollar store is necessary. Save the buck and buy a meaningful card if you have to. The one exception to this rule is small gifts for young children. There are great deals on kids toys at the dollar store once in a while.

2.  Pain and Suffering

I can’t stand when people will put off health check ups or refuse to take their children to the doctor because of saving money. I admit that I do think hard about these things and I hate a medical bill as much as anyone but our health and the health of our families should not be held hostage to frugalness. I hate the fact that when I am sick or something happens to my daughter I do think of the cost, but if it’s time to go to the clinic or emergency room, you can bet we’ll be there regardless.

3.  Cheating to Save Money

Sure it saves money to sneak your own food into the theater or to lie about your age or a child’s age to get a discount at a restaurant but in the end, it is cheating. I’m sorry but if you have to have snacks at the theater than either buy the ones they offer or don’t go to the theater, rent the DVD and stay home with your own food.

As far as age discounts go, it isn’t setting a good example to children, obviously, but again, if you don’t want to cough up the extra money for the truth then maybe consider eating somewhere else, looking online for restaurant coupons and deals or not eating out at all.

4.  Washing Aluminum Foil

There are people that swear by this and will argue to the death that washing and reusing aluminum foil saves money and saves the earth at the same time. Fine, I’ll do my part and throw it in the recycling bin but I refuse to rewash and reuse it. I think anything that is painfully inconvenient or and does not save me more than $2 a year is not worth it. One of the reasons I have not yet tried the homemade coffee filter dryer sheets yet. I will have time one day to actually make them, but right now it isn’t on my ridiculously long list of things to do. In fact, a lot of homemade things that take too much time and effort are probably on my mental list of frugal things I hate.

5.  Cheap Food

Don’t get me wrong, I do like saving money on the grocery bill. But, I hate buying something cheap that doesn’t taste good. The perfect example would be those less than a dollar packs of sliced cheese. I know, sliced cheese costs almost $4 sometimes, but the other cheese doesn’t even taste like cheese. Besides, I’m pretty sure that if it doesn’t melt when you put it on broccoli and just kind of crumbles, then it might not be that great for your health either.

With that in mind, I also hate taking my lunch to work. I do it because it’s smart and healthy but don’t get me wrong, I’d much prefer to eat out everyday.

There is a difference between being frugal and being cheap. I think that we should consider why we’re doing the things we’re doing, if it actually saves us money and if it is worth living by the Frugal Gods’ standards. Some things you have to spend a couple bucks on, like it or not.

Operation WITHIMMG:

Day 29-0

Day 30-0

I will be extending Operation Where in the Heck is My Money Going through the weekend and post the conclusion on Monday.