Blog Archives
#CentsAbility Challenge Complete-ish. Financial Literacy Tune-Up Required!
My goal for the Manulife 30-Day #CentsAbility Challenge was to measure my monthly successes and savings, down to the penny. I happily snapped photos of my savings strategies and frugal lifestyle hacks and shared them on Instagram and Twitter, then celebrated the tiny daily achievements of the other #CentsAbility challengers with hearts, thumbs & stars (that’s how us bloggy-types operate!).
- I saved money by using coupons and price-matching with Flipp at the grocery store
- I saved money by washing our laundry in cold water during off-peak hours and hanging it out to dry
- I saved money by working from home and thereby avoiding daycare fees, the cost of commuting, having a professional wardrobe, etc,
- I made extra money by selling our stuff on UsedOttawa.com
Saving was a cinch! Measuring all of those savings, however, turned out to be a very unmanageable goal …. and almost impossible to calculate! Turns out there isn’t an app that says “Way to go, Christa, you just saved $4 by showering your kids at the YMCA after swimming lessons and taking advantage of the towel service included in your membership!”
Something that became glaringly obvious to me, when I lined up all my Instagram photos in my mid-challenge blog post with $2 saved here, and $6 saved there, was that my savings are on a really SMALL scale. And while I’m a firm believer in “it all adds up”, the #CentsAbility challenge has reminded me that I need to take a second look at some of the bigger pieces in our monthly budget.
It’s time for a Financial Literacy Tune-Up
October was a month of #CentsAbility and monitoring my day-to-day spending habits. I’m devoting the next few months to assessing and changing some of the services we’re paying for each month in our household so that I really understand where my money is going. The fact that November is Financial Literacy Month is perfect timing! There are oodles of resources and #FLM2014 reminders floating around to help me make sure that I’m not wasting money on these bigger budget pieces, and that I’m tapping into the right resources to stretch my savings even further. As such, it’s time for a Financial Literacy Tune-Up!
My Financial Literacy Tune-Up to-do-list includes:
- trim our satellite channels to the bare minimum
- research Netflix and online streaming as an alternative to satellite in 2015
- check my internet & home phone bundle to find possible savings
- research options to cut home phone land line in 2015
- touch base with Insurance Broker to find possible savings, including bundling life insurance
- touch base with Mortgage Broker to find possible savings
- connect with a financial advisor to review longterm savings strategies
- research credit union or change of bank to save on fees
- increase automatic savings contributions
- research tankless water heaters so we can cut our monthly hot water tank rental
I’m not sure how long it will take me to get through the entire list, and I suspect the list will grow as I discover other monthly charges that have been coasting under my radar over the past few years. I’m grateful to the #CentsAbility challenge for inspiring me to dig a little deeper into my Save-at-Home-Mom strategy to make sure that I’m saving on all levels and stretching those savings as far as possible by tapping into resources available.
So as the 30–Day #CentsAbility challenge comes to a close, I’m ready to start my next challenge, to make sure I’m #DiligentWithMyDollars. Any words of advice? Or at least a catchier hasthtag?! Drop a line in the comments below!
#CentsAbility Check-in
As part of the Manulife 30-Day #CentsAbility Challenge, I’ve been snapping photos of my daily efforts to save money and cut splurges for the month of October. Along with my fellow #CentsAbility challengers, I post my pictures along with a money saving tip to Instagram and Twitter (are we following each other?). Here are some of the ways I’ve saved money and lived a more “CentsAble” lifestyle since October 1st ….
Saved $25 on luggage fee when flying with Porter by packing empty bag in my suitcase for conference swag
Saved $80 on cab fare by taking advantage of conference perks #ChevyBliss
Saved $100 by wearing the same dress as last year to Blissdom Canada Social Media Conference
Saved $40 on Thrift Store #ThrowbackThursday party costume
Saved $25 with DIY manicure
Saved $75 on cab fare by taking Go Bus to Union Station
Will save $23 on next Via Rail trip thanks to late train claim
Saved money by biking to swimming lessons at the Y!
Saved $7 parking fee by validating stub with grocery purchase
Saved money on baths & laundry by taking showers & using towel service after swimming lessons; included in our YMCA membership
Saved $6 with healthier DIY lunchables
Saved $2 by using jar of applesauce instead of single serve cups for daycare crew
Saved marriage by unplugging phone for Thanksgiving weekend with family!
Saved $6 by price-matching fruit at Walmart with Flipp app
Saved $4 on this battery powered toothbrush by stacking coupon with clearance price #stockingstuffer
Saved time & money by carving this watermelon into 11 servings for daycare crew & lunchboxes
Saved $10K this year by not not sending our kids to daycare
Saved $45 by serving DIY bugs ‘n cheese from Bulk Barn when the kids requested a trip to Boston Pizza
Saved time & money by pouring leftover tea kettle over eggs for next day lunchboxes #HarnessTheHeat
If I add up all these savings …. (ok, ok, Oct 17 post is a bit extreme. but it IS the biggest part of my Save-at-Home-Mom story!
There are still 11 days to go in the challenge and so far I’ve done well with resisting the little splurges that can really add up over the course of time. Our Hallowe’en costumes aren’t complete, and we’ll be attending a couple of Hallowe’en parties – let’s see if I can get through it all without blowing the budget! All in all, #CentsAbility has been a fun way to keep track of all the little ways we can save money, and I’ve been inspired to trim our budget even further with the creativity and savvy of the other #CentsAbility posts on Instagram and Twitter.
How do you save?
Drop a line in the comments below, or better yet, snap a photo and join in the Manulife 30-Day CentsAbility Challenge by posting your picture to Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with the hashtag #CentsAbility!
Make your own Healthier Lunchables – Today’s #CentsAbility Tip!
Christa Clips compares the cost of pre-made lunchable kits to a healthier DIY version. It’s all part of the 30 Day #CentsAbility Challenge!
I’ve packed a homemade version of lunchables once a week in our childrens’ lunchboxes for the past 5 years. I know without a doubt that it’s a healthier option, and I’ve always wondered how it compared price-wise. As part of the Manulife 30 Day #CentsAbility Challenge, I’m tracking how much money I’m “saving” each day and finally took the time to calculate what it costs to make a healthier DIY lunchable.
Here’s what it cost me to make a DIY lunchable for our school lunchboxes today:
- $1 worth of ham (1/8 of a whole ham on sale for $7.99)
- $.05 worth of carrots (half of a carrot from a 2 lbg bag on sale for $1)
- $.17 worth of Wheat Thins crackers (1/10 of a box on sale for $1.77)
- $.55 worth of marble cheese (1/8 of a bar on sale for $4.44)
Total cost: $2.22
I’ve never seen the pre-fab lunch kits on sale for that low. In fact, I’ve seen them full priced as high as $3.99 for a much smaller portion. The #CentsAbility challenge has reminded me that eating healthier doesn’t always have to cost more!
How have you saved money today?
