Keeping it simple - my finances

My life is busy. Seriously

Yours probably is too.

Greg and I have a few values which tend towards frugalness in general. One of our greatest accomplishments as a couple was paying off our 2nd mortgage and a few student loans in the space of about 3 years. It was a $44,000 accomplishment and we lived like broke people while we did it.

Now, our retirements are well funded, our kids have college funds we contribute to monthly, we have paid cash for all our cars, have a well-stocked emergency fund, monthly savings, and our only debt is our mortgage which we throw extra cash at every month.

Am I patting myself on the back? Heck yeah I am, it was hard and took a lot of time and dedication. I would definitely encourage anyone to work towards the same. Keep in mind it took us 7 years to get here and cost a LOT in terms of our marriage. You want to argue about money constantly? Do this. It's a lot of intensive arguing followed by a little bit more arguing and then eventually you fall into step together and can move forward effectively. However, it was worth walking through the fire to get here.

So, there are some things I do to stay frugal and manage my time and money. While there are whole blogs out there dedicated to such topics, I'll just cover what has worked for me here. You'll also notice that a LOT of what I do is online. That's because it saves me a ton of time to place an order online for exactly what I need rather than load up the kids, wander to the store, and buy a few things that perhaps I didn't need just to make the trip worthwhile in my brain.

So without further ado:

• Mint.com - this is a great site. Using read-only access to your financial accounts mint does an excellent job of tracking your net worth on any given day. Fantastic budgeting tool and really good automatic categorization. I've been using it for two years solid now and it just keeps getting better. They now even have a 'goals' feature which helps track your savings towards something. Check out their site and plug into it. The Iphone app is also good for checking on the go.

• DealNews - plan Christmas ahead of time, and DON'T EVER PAY RETAIL. Go to this site and keep an eye out for deals someone may like. There are watches, jewelry, gadgets, magazine subscriptions and clothing listed daily which will almost always be applicable to someone you know. Create a list ahead of time and stick to it. My recent buys have included a winter down jacket from Lands End for my daughter for $13 with free shipping, and a sapphire/diamond ring for $25.

• Amazon - In the spirit of never paying retail, keep an eye out for Amazon's grocery deals. You can get dishwasher detergent, crackers and other dry goods occasionally at rock-bottom prices. I just bought 6 jars of peanut butter for $9 with free shipping. Compare prices as this one isn't always guaranteed, but occasionally you can get a great deal.

• Groupon - Like dates or eating out? Check out this site. They have a daily deal for a lot of places, restaurants for 50% off, lots of exciting activities at discounts and the like. It's a daily deal a day and worth monitoring for things you like. I get their daily email and if there's something that looks interesting, I snap it up.

• Diapers.com - Have kids? Don't buy expensive diapers. Not only does this site have a lot of diapers at discount prices, their own brand of diapers is less expensive than Costco's. You can also still get Costco Wipes at this site (because Kirkland baby wipes are the best) Google coupons before your first order, for this and the Soap.com sister site, most new sign-ups can get 20% off.

• E-Mealz - Don't have time to plan out simple money-saving recipes? Let these gals do it for you. For a small monthly fee ($5). They shop the sales, plan the meals and tell you what to buy and how to make it. The recipes are quick, simple and cheap. They also have meal plans to meet specific dietary needs. Check it out - it may just be the solution for you.

• Craigslist.org - We purchase some clothes, furniture, and all our cars on this site. Do some deal searching, it's a constant garage sale. Need a small appliance? Look here first.

• ThredUp.com - this is a great site to swap kids clothes. Check out the concept. You stuff a priority mail box (mailed to you for free, by the site upon sign up) full of clothes, type up a description and mail it when requested. The site even lets you print the shipping slip from home and schedule a pickup. When you want a box, just pay the $13 flat fee for shipping and have it delivered in 3 days. Signup is free.

• Zenni Optical - Wear glasses? Me too. I have a hefty perscription which require super-compressed lenses. Glasses can easily cost me $500. I've searched at most online sites and HATED the styles available. Until I ran across these guys. These glasses styles are FANTASTIC. Check it out; hopefully you don't have to buy compressed lenses, if you don't, your stylish glasses will be really inexpensive. Your insurance may even cover it!

• Use the library! I love this place and it's worth mentioning. Just use the library. I'm resisting the urge for a Kindle right now. Why buy books when you can check them out and read them for FREE. I don't know about yours, but my library was just remodeled and is beautiful. There are big armchairs and reading nooks and even a fireplace with a view. Library dates are the best.

• Search out local discount stores. We have a bread store outlet just down the street from where I work and can buy fantastic healthy loaves of bread for .50/loaf. These loaves usually run $3 or more at the store. We buy all our cleaning products at our local Family Dollar as their prices on cleaning products CAN'T be beat by even the Internet. (*gasp!*) Do some Google searching by typing in key words such as 'outlet' or 'discount grocer' and then your zip code. You'll find the stores nearby and can then determine if they're worth driving to once a month or so.

• Cancel your Costco membership. We used to LOVE Costco, but found we were spending MORE per ounce/pound per item than non-name brand items at our local King Soopers (Kroger Company) Amazon can usually beat bulk prices any day, and non-name brand items are at worst, the same price - usually better though. Think long and hard before you renew that membership. We saved a TON of money by cancelling it and those $300 trips.

• Cook Beans - seriously. Buy a big bag of dry beans and cook up a big batch on Sunday. Use throughout the week for burritos, side dishes, tostadas, salads anything! They're healthy, convenient (after you've made them) and go with just about anything. Dry beans are also amazingly cheap. Can't beat em!

So that's my list so far. Little changes can eventually add up. Do some research before making large purchases, you can usually always find a deal. If you're purchasing something for a website Google coupons for that site first, you may be able to score free shipping. Good Luck!