Roam If You Want To...

My boyfriend is a pilot. The man flies here and the man flies there and in between, I get to see him and we drink wine and we do his laundry. It's a thrilling life. Actually, his job is pretty amazing.

For those of you who don't know, Eric was born without a right hand. He has a left hand and an arm, and if he ever flew your plane, you'd never know there was anything different about him. Not only is he the best pilot I've ever flown with (and I say that having flown with several people), but he also has a kind of drive and ambition that some other pilots just can't match, and it's evident when he gets into that front seat and lifts the plane off the runway.

Anyway, being in love with a pilot, especially such a gifted one, comes with many requirements. I have to be ready to listen to the stories about grumpy passengers, grumpy flight attendants and grumpy captains. I have to spend a lot of days and nights away from him. (Thank God for FaceTime.) I have to be ready to glow with pride whenever he tells me about anything he does (this one comes pretty easily). And thanks to the invention of flight benefits for “significant others” I get to be ready to travel anytime!

That's right, be jealous. I have been blessed with the luxury of free flight on Delta Airlines, and I have been putting it to good use. So far I've been able to fly to:

Memphis- to hang out with Eric and eat some amazing fried chicken at Uncle Lou's.

Dallas- to see my family, of course!

Colorado- to go skiing and spend time with Eric's aunt and uncle and their adorable kids.

Minneapolis- to hang out with Eric and enjoy a super nice hotel and a trip to the Mall of America.

Tulsa- to be with Eric and his family during and after his back surgery.

Virginia- to see my Grammy.

That's like. A million airline miles. I counted.

Anyway, all this flying has led to new skills, one of which is packing all of my essentials with very little space. I've gotten pretty good. As most of you know, paying for checked luggage is a drag, and you can bring two carry-ons with you onto the plane. I plan to share with you my packing strategies, tips, and product recommendations that have allowed me to stick to the 2-bag limit, and still have extra room for souvenirs! Or Eric's extra stuff that he wants me to take back to Chicago! Check back soon to see what to pack, how to pack it, and what to pack it in for your next airborne adventure

Saving Series: Tip 5! Last One!

TIP #5: PRIORITIZE YOUR SAVINGS

In August of 2011 I moved to Chicago with less than $400 to my name. I had an apartment to pay for, books to buy, and I was also hoping to be able to eat. One of the reasons graduate school and my subsequent move to Chicago was possible was that I was offered financial help from Loyola as a research assistant. This meant that my tuition was covered, and I was to receive a monthly stipend on which to live. Pretty swanky!

Except. Chicago is expensive. My apartment costs almost twice what I paid in Norman, for a little more than half of the space. So even though my income is higher, my cost of living is higher. In fact, my ratio of income to cost of living is exactly the same as it was in Oklahoma. Despite this, however, my bank account looks drastically different than it did a year ago. That is solely because of my new budget.

After I tracked my spending and made my cutbacks, I set goals for myself. I knew I wanted to start saving a percentage of my income each month, and I also wanted to put aside a little amount each month for my student loans.

So I did a little math. I figured out what my income would be each month. I subtracted all my necessary expenses. Then, based on my tracking, I budgeted for groceries. Then I subtracted the percentage that I wanted to put into savings. (Use your judgment for that one. I aimed for 10%.) Last, I decided how much I wanted to put aside for loans. The leftover amount was my spending money.

You can tweak and adjust your budget if you want to save a little less or a little more, or if you want to put money aside for a more short-term goal, like an appliance or a trip. Just try to be honest about what you can do, based on your tracking.

Here is an imaginary budget just to show you what I'm talking about:

INCOME	NECESSARY	SAVE
1400- Work	600-Rent 150-Food 60- Insurance 40-Internet/Cable	150-long-term 150-short term 40-loans
TOTAL: 1400	850	340

By deciding what you want to save first, you can determine your leftover money to spend. For this imaginary budget, the spending money would be $210.

It's easier to save when you've already got it figured into your budget. Instead of hoping there is money leftover each month, go ahead and put it aside. I use a budget like this to keep track of everything and it has changed my life. I went from being broke to already having 3 months of rent saved. I keep my budget in a pretty journal I got for Christmas. I write my budget for each month on a separate page and I track my spending to make sure I stick to it. So far it's been extremely successful. Now it's your turn. Again, whether it's a pretty journal, a spreadsheet on your computer, or a dry-erase board, write. it. down. This way you know exactly where you are every day and you can adjust accordingly.

Saving Series: Tip 4

TIP #4: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE STUFF!

Some of you may have read my previous post about websites that give you rewards for doing surveys and shopping, but I'm going to plug them here again. Some of my favorite FREE sites are:

MyPoints.com

e-rewards.com

Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk.com)

MyCokeRewards.com

Using these websites is a really easy way to add a little extra here and there. I love using the Coke Rewards website for magazines; currently I have subscriptions to Better Homes & Gardens, Self, and Martha Stewart, all from the codes on Coca-Cola bottle caps and boxes. If you figure $20/year for each subscription, I just saved myself $60!

The e-rewards and MyPoints sites are great for earning points to use toward gift cards to places like Olive Garden, Target, CVS, American Eagle, Kohl's--- and the list goes on. I hardly ever shop for brand new clothes (I'm a Goodwill girl) but with gift cards from these sites I've been able to treat myself to some fancier new duds from Kohl's, and I'm currently planning to hunt down a new swimsuit from American Eagle as well. It feels great to go out and shop full price when I'm not actually paying for anything!

There are plenty of other programs out there that give you rewards for doing things you already do. Sign up for hotel reward programs. Even if you're only in a hotel a few nights a year, most programs let you keep your points and over time, you can trade them in for airline miles, or hotel stays, or extra perks like room service when you're there. Sign up for a store card at your local grocery store. At most places this is free to do, and you can upload coupons from the store website to your store card-- no more printing! Plus, the store card can save you a LOT of money. Eric and I have a card at the grocery store up here in Chicago and I'm amazed at how much more money we save even though we're bringing home the same amount of food.

Think about your regular purchases, and your larger purchases. Where have you been shopping? Do the stores you visit regularly have some kind of membership program that you can take advantage of? Have you been on an airplane in the last year? Sign up for miles. Do you visit any restaurants or fast food places that have a reward card, like buy 7 sandwiches, get the 8^th free? Grab one! Even places you may not have thought of before, like auto shops, might have something they can offer you. I had a card for Midas that got me my 4^th oil change for free-- it was a life-saver when I was living in Norman and my funds were limited.

There is plenty of free stuff out there. You just have to find it! Don't be too shy to ask friends, family, and store managers. Remember, the worst a store manager can say is, “I'm sorry, we don't offer that.” Now get out there and start signing up!

Saving Series: Tip 3

TIP #3: IDENTIFY YOUR BIGGEST “EXTRA” AND ADJUST

The next area where I worked to cut back was my “Extras” category. This included pretty much everything besides bills and food. I wrote down what I spent on clothes, gifts, beauty products, books, movies, office supplies, coffee dates. (I consider coffee an “extra” rather than a food because for me, coffee was usually a social thing. I occasionally grabbed a Starbucks drink for myself, but it was always as an activity rather than part of a meal.)

The first thing I changed was-- you guessed it-- my Starbucks spending. It was a pretty big extra. Now, for those of you who don't know, Starbucks has a rewards program wherein you register your gift card online for free and every time you spend, it keeps track. You can add money to the same card over time instead of spending cash. For every drink you buy, you get a “star”, and for every 15 “stars” you spend, you earn a free drink. Plus you get a free drink on your birthday, and you get free extras, like flavors and whipped cream, etc.

So anyway, I cut back on how often I went to Starbucks, but when I did go, I used my Starbucks card and reloaded as needed. This way I got the most out of each trip, and I now receive a free drink each year, plus a free drink every 15 visits. Though now it takes longer to earn that drink, it'll be there eventually, and I'll enjoy it guilt-free, with more money in my pocket.

I now usually only go to Starbucks every 2-3 months, almost always with friends, and sometimes when I'm at the airport. In between visits, I make coffee at home. I found a great blend and I'll add extra milk, or cinnamon, or vanilla to it whenever I want something different. This way I still get variety, but instead of spending $6 and getting two drinks, I get about 35.

What is your biggest extra? Do you get a regular Starbucks drink like me? Or do you splurge on a pedicure regularly? Instead of going to the nail salon once every 2 weeks, could you go once a month and invest in a quality polish and hand moisturizer that you can use at home in between? You'll get many more uses out of the polish and moisturizer per dollar than you would for the same amount at a salon. Do you spend a lot on clothes each month? Go through your closet and find some items you haven't worn in ages. Visit a resale shop or a thrift store. 

(Your knee-jerk reaction to “thrift store” might be to freak out about cheap items and germs, but I have a few words for you: French Connection, Abercrombie, Kenneth Cole, George, American Eagle, Old Navy. These are just a few of the brands I've found while scouring the racks, and with one wash in hot water, those old clothes come out new and ready to be enjoyed for a fraction of the original price. Plus, you can usually find amazing vintage items that will really make a statement. Just last month I bought 12 items for work at Goodwill-- for $35. That's less than $3 for quality brand dress pants, blouses, and sweaters for work. And the money goes to help a great charity.)

It's perfectly okay to have extras-- without them, we'd all go crazy! After all, that's the point of having money to spend, right? But by spending smarter and finding ways to maximize your dollar on your extras, you'll also be able to channel funds into other important areas, like savings and retirement, that will serve you well later on. Just remember, a little sacrifice and creativity now can mean a huge payout later.

Saving Series: Tip 2

TIP #2: CUT BACK ON FOOD SPENDING

Once I created my spending chart and saw where my money was going, I was able to start thinking about where I needed to make some changes. The first area I made changes was my Food category. I was eating out a lot more than I realized, at fast food places and restaurants, and my actual grocery spending was pretty high, too. I had to figure out how to make some changes.

First, I cut back on how often I ate out. Instead of grabbing fast food once a week, I aimed for once every two weeks. Instead of eating at a restaurant twice a month, I aimed for once a month, and so on. As for my groceries, the quickest way to lower my bill was to switch to store-brand items. Instead of buying Tyson chicken, for example, I bought Target's brand. Instead of buying Tostitos, I bought the off-brand tortilla chips, and so on. I now regularly buy off-brand chips, milk, frozen vegetables, canned goods, and other staples such as flour, rice and sugar. I still pay attention to labels to make sure that I'm buying safe and responsible products, but I spend a lot less. AND-- it all tastes the same.

Obviously people who maintain a vegetarian, organic, or vegan diet may find it more challenging to cut the grocery bill because those products tend to be more expensive and more limited as far as availability and choice. Unfortunately, I enjoy the blessings of animal products so I don't really have any advice for you, other than to come back to the good life!

Just kidding.

But while we're on the subject, another change I made, very recently, was to try to include more vegetarian meals in my diet. This has not only cut back the amount of fat and cholesterol I'm consuming, but it has also cut back on spending. Veggies are cheaper than meat. Who knew?

So, can you go from 8 meals out to 4 each month? Can you switch to off-brand versions of your groceries? Can you buy sugar-free drink mixes (sold in containers of 6 packets, each packet makes 2 quarts) instead of spending $2 on a 2-liter of soda? Try to embrace your inner chef. Instead of buying a burrito bowl and chips from Chipotle, make your own at home! Instead of going to Olive Garden for pasta and salad, create your own pasta dish at home and enjoy the leftovers for lunch. Finding recipes you like makes it easier to eat at home, and it saves you the extra $5 tip, plus the gas, you'd spend on a meal at a restaurant.

Saving Series: Tip 1

TIP #1: TRACK YOUR SPENDING FOR A MONTH

The first step I took to get my finances in order was to grab a stack of paper and a small notebook and to start writing down every single cent that I spent for a month. I kept the paper out on my desk at all times so it was always ready, and so that I wouldn't forget to write things down. I also kept the small notebook in my car so that I could write down expenses from things like gas and fast food. I copied those onto the larger paper at home.

I did this for a month to get an idea of what my spending really looked like. I made columns: one for necessary spending, such as rent, insurance, gas, bills, etc. Another column was for food, both groceries and eating out. Another was for everything else. I also jotted a note next to each amount I recorded saying where I spent it. It looked something like this:

NECESSARY	FOOD	EVERYTHING ELSE
$430- rent	$35- Target	$12- eyebrow wax
$50- OGE utilities	$8- Chipotle	$22- Kohl's
$55- insurance	$22- The Mont

At the end of the month I totaled the amount of money I earned at my job. Then I totaled all of the columns in my spending chart. I subtracted my spending from my income and got a concrete, exact number of how far beyond my income I was actually going. This gave me a real starting point from which to figure out a realistic budget that I could actually maintain.

So! Grab yourself a notebook, a spreadsheet, a dry-erase board, a can of spray paint-- anything that works for you, and start tracking. Write down everything, even if you're a little ashamed after you've splurged. If you're not honest from the start, you'll create an unrealistic chart, which means an unrealistic budget. Write down your bills, your food, what you leave in tips, all of it. Also, keep track of what you earn. Keep it all in one master chart. At the end of the month, total everything and see if you're below or beyond your means. This will be your starting point.

If You're Broke, Fix It!

Last spring I was getting ready to graduate from college and move across the country to start graduate school. It was a huge step, and I was going to need some funds to make the move possible. However, I realized that although I was working, my bank account balance kept getting smaller and smaller. I wasn't saving at all, and I was apparently living beyond my means, even though I tried to be careful with my money. It turned out that mentally keeping a budget was not working for me. By the time I moved to Chicago, I had seriously run out of money and I was dangerously close to being completely broke. As in zero dollars. As in, Hey mom, can I move back home? Big trouble.

Fast forward to today. I have money in my spending account. I have money in my checking account. And I have money in my long-term savings account. That's like, triple the amount of accounts I had before.

So what happened? I didn't just grow money in my tiny solitary confinement sized studio apartment. I actively took steps to create, adjust and maintain a household budget that prioritized long-term saving and still gave me wiggle-room for spending.

Over the next few days I would like to share with you how I did this; I want to share with you how I went from less than $400 to my name in August to having extra money in my savings account, all on an income of less than $20,000. I won't get specific because I don't want anyone to show up and steal my wallet, but I will include realistic figures to show how it really is possible to create a bounty with very little. Stay tuned!

Blackberry Cobbler-- with all its ingredients

A couple of weeks ago I went to Virginia to visit my Grammy. It was a much-needed trip to get away from everything, and it was also a great opportunity to see some family that I don't get to see that often. As in, maybe once or twice a year, tops. It was a great time. We relaxed at the lake house, we shopped at Goodwill and found me a pile of new-ish work clothes for less than $40, and we got to experience a rare Virginia tornado outbreak! I don't know how I got so lucky!

We also made cobbler. Before I share the recipe for this cobbler, I need to share a story.

When I was about 7 or 8 years old I was in Virginia with my family and we were staying at Grammy's house. My great-grandmother Nenam lived close by, too, and we spent the day with her in Salem. While we were at Nenam's house, we picked blackberries fresh off the bushes and we made this amazing cobbler. Even as a kid, I loved this cobbler, so I made a mental note of how everything was done so that we could make it at home, too. When we were back at Grammy's house in Roanoke I insisted on making the cobbler the way Nenam made it-- the way I remembered her making it. As you can probable foresee, it didn't turn out too well.

I refused to use the correct kind of flour and the cobbler ended up as more of a gooey fruit mess that was not at all delicious. However, my grandpa Bobby, wanting to spare my feelings, said that it was the best cobbler he'd ever had, and he ate every bite.

Now that I'm older and wiser and only slightly less stubborn, I was willing to follow Grammy's recipe, and we made a wonderful cobbler during my visit. This time, everyone finished theirs and there was no pretending required.

You'll need:

1 stick butter

1 cup self-rising flour (or add 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt to your regular flour)

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 can fruit (or 2 small plastic containers)

Melt the butter in a baking dish.

Mix the flour, sugar, and milk in a bowl and then pour the batter over the butter in the dish.

Top with the fruit.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes