Tag: budget

Things I’m Loving

katemcgateLeave a comment

This week has been super taxing on me. I feel like I’m hemorrhaging money, but at the same time…I’m getting super worth it things. It’s a trade-off, but it’s all about making those sacrifices. Most of my purchases were on a need-to-buy basis and were totally selfless…I swear!

This week, I picked the lucky number to go into work at 6am…I honestly don’t mind it…but I’m just thinking about what a zombie I’ll be, and I hate it. At least I’m close to 40 hours, right?

Anyway, this blogger is super excited about her new super cute purchases that happen to be a fantastic price!

  1. Hound Dog Belle Band : Southern Proper // Girl, this baby is all the rage right now. Perfect fit, print, and width to make a statement. I can’t even stand it. Follow them here. These bands are currently on sale for $15. I know, for a headband? Yes. And you’ll love me for it.
  2. Ticket: Hot Chocolate on a Stick: I got my first hot chocolate on a stick from a secret santa at work…and I’ve been crazy about them ever since. If you go on their website, they have more variety than I’ve ever seen. Peppermint, Chili, and Chai…oh, my!
  3. David’s Tea: This new found tea shop (thanks to my coworker) has become a haven for all of the employees at my work. We get free tea after hours, and we spread the word about them like CRAZY! All of our customers have checked out David’s Tea and become enormous fans!! They have any type of tea that a tea snob could love, and then some. Check them out and sign up for their “frequent steeper” card.
  4. A Writing Competition: Yes, I said that right. I invested in myself. I trusted myself to pull out some genius words that could potentially win me money…and I’m cool with that. Google it…you can do it too.
  5. This Shirt: Francesca’s: Yes. I bought this…and I wear it out in public…and it makes people smile and laugh. Judge me, sue me, whatever. It’s comfortable and makes me look skinny. Black is slimming anyway. Buy it, rock it, and love it. Because I do.

Anyway, so I think I’m done with buying stuff for now. Got another week to go on my paycheck and I have to say…I’m rockin’ it! (If I stop now!) It’s good to pamper…especially if you don’t get out much 😉

xoxo- kate

Money Saved in Your Lunchbox

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I work at the mall…and I’m fairly lazy in my cooking escapades. We can see where this is going. Mall food. The worst, girl! Please. I’m telling you, I just want a simple hamburger and I’m paying more than what it would cost for a couple of gallons of gas in my car. I literally just can’t do it anymore. It’s not worth the money and the stomach pain.

It’s pretty simple to start meal prepping…ok, it’s simple for your fiancé to start meal prepping. The one crucial piece of advice: Make food that will keep for at least 48 hours. This means, no avocado for day 6.

It’s hard to start, but it’s easy to keep it going. In two days, I’ve seen that my bank account is staying at the same balance. Just, don’t spend that hard saved cash on some stuff you don’t need, like a super adorable shirt. Because…I didn’t get that today or anything.

This week, we made chicken salad, couscous, and celery with some mayonnaise. On the side, we made quinoa pasta and tossed it with some poppyseed salad dressing. I packed a water and a fruit bar!

Next big post should be some meal prep recipes! Stay tuned!

xoxo- Kate

The Tricks That Stores Play On You

katemcgate9 Comments

So, I feel that being an avid shopper has led me to uncover some tricky tricks that ALL stores get you with. It seems logical, but lethal. Sometimes, it’s not easy to detect these “bargains,” but to the trained eye, it is fairly simple.

Sales are a great way to increase a store’s money flow. When the word sale is However, sales are not always the greatest of bargains. Watch out for final sales and non-included items. It’s easy to play tricks on the common folks, and final sales can be a bitch to try to return. My advice? Try to weed out a bad deal with your common sense. It’s not that hard to ask an associate about the details and fine print of a sale.

Another issue I have with retail stores is the impulse buy section at the cashier and in the line. I literally think that cashiers take enjoyment out of taking more than enough time to ring you up. I know for me, I look around, touch a couple of items that sparked my interest, and I give myself a stern talk before I add the new impulse item to my bill. I don’t know what makes me more mad: the fact that the store actually got me, or that the cashier knowingly takes her time ringing me up.

Stores usually have large re-merchandising shifts that take up to 8 hours to completely revamp the look of the store. This way, the customer is more prone to purchase items that have a “focus” display. On top of that, music is carefully chosen in order to make you bop around and add more things to your cart…and they make sure there is a space for you to sit down and enjoy the ambiance.

Here’s my real opinion. Ya’ll are just losing control. Get it together, make sure to utilize your budget, and don’t drop your guard. Salespeople can be very convincing if you don’t want to be mean. Conclusion? Kindly say no. Tell the salespeople you don’t need their help…unless you really do. For some reason, I feel like I want to become friends with these people. TBH, they literally don’t care about anything but your money and your purchase. Gather your belongings and move along.

 

xoxo-kate

 

Gambling: Yay or Nay?

You just need to control yourself and walk away…

katemcgateLeave a comment

For most people, gambling can be a vice that they just can’t walk away from. For others, it is not an interest. For me, it’s a catch-22…do I voluntarily become a broke bitch? Or, do I walk away and enjoy other things in life? Although I would choose the latter, my friends would like to have a “sassy casino night” in Atlantic City in New Jersey.

What’s a girl to do? I can’t be a Debbie downer, so I’m gonna have to deal.

How To Gamble: For Non-Gamblers

Make A Budget

Make a budget and stick to it. It’s a common trend for me to verbally tell my fiancé my plan for a budget. I will say how much I am going to spend, and how much I am willing to bend on it. I’ll think about the bills I have to pay, and how much I already have on my credit card. It’s a good strategy to keep in your back pocket when you are faced with the possibility of winning millions.

Be Strong

We’ve all been there: you put in $10.00, and you win $20.00…then $35.00…then you lose it all. When you lose your budget, stop playing. STOP. Casinos now make it easier than ever to put you in debt…including a place to put your credit card, and ATM’s all over the floor. My advice? Take your budget out in cash before you get to the casino. Usually, there is a HUGE surcharge fee all up in that jawn.

Enjoy Other Things

Although casinos are based off of gambling and throwing away money, you might as well throw your money away (if you really want to) on something that has a guaranteed good or service that is beneficial to you. So, go to a show or a club at the casino. In the end, you’ll be happy and drunk. #whatcouldbebetter

Be Negative

Yep, that’s right…be negative. Be realistic. What are the actual chances that you will win millions? Nada. Sorry for the harsh reality, but it’s true. You won’t win big if you keep putting your money in. Chances are, you will lose…and lose big.

Cash Out and Walk Away

If you put in $10, and win $20…cash out. CASH OUT. Go buy yourself ice cream and walk on the boardwalk. Put that money in your money jar and consider it a lucky win. Don’t ever think that you’ll win more with one more round.

That’s it for now, stay tuned for some sassy observations in a couple of days. Should be a good time.

xoxo-kate

If you know someone with a gambling problem, visit your state’s website for a dose of reality.

The Hidden Secret

Here’s a tip

katemcgateLeave a comment

Here’s a quick story for you:

A couple of weeks ago, I was having a conversation with my mother. We were talking about saving money, and how to do it successfully. She had mentioned that her assistant principal uses a giant vase to count up her extra money. The vase is kept next to the fireplace, and she and her husband drop in their coins and extra dollars whenever they get a chance. At the end of the year, they take a vacation to Disney World! I’m not in the market for extra vacations, with buying a house and “being” and adult just around the corner. However, I did take my mom’s suggestion to start saving for our honeymoon!

Although this whole carrying cash thing is new to me, I’ve realized that every cent counts, and adds up pretty quickly!  Dropping in money everyday can be a simple task to forget, but don’t!

My hubby-to-be and I have already saved $80.00! It’s not much, but it feels great! You know it’s love when you love saving money with each other!

It’s Hard Out There For A Bride

I could literally see my wedding dreams going up in smoke.

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If there is a simple fact of life, this is one of them: Weddings cost money.  A lot of money.  So when I got engaged at 25 years old, I recognized that fact.  But I don’t think I comprehended just what weddings cost until I began to actually search.  And I should probably also mention that I am luckier than a lot of people my age.  I have two parents offering to foot the bill for my wedding.  But that is within a strict budget.

I do a lot of reading online about other people’s weddings.  I’m a female, it’s what I do, get over it.  I got in my head that I wanted to have my wedding at the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park (Philadelphia).  Then their wedding coordinator sent me an email.  I could literally see my wedding dreams going up in smoke.

I don’t know what you’re throwing in your chicken parmesan if you want me to pay you $250 to serve it to my family.  Do you make it with gold?  Does Channing Tatum himself prepare, cook, and serve my dinner? Because if you are charging me that much money per plate, after asking me to give you $5,000 to rent your hall, there had better be a Magic Mike reenactment somewhere during my reception.

After touring seven different venues, I finally found somewhere that gives me what I am looking for within my budget.  I then began to search for photographers.  Holy hell! Everything adds up quickly.  But, I should probably mention that I am not willing to compromise on this either.  I dabble in photography, so finding a good photographer is a top priority for me.  I’ve spoken to three different photographers to date, all with prices starting at $3000.  Let me try and get that past my parents.  I can hear them already… “Do you know what I could do with three grand?!”

Pictures are not JUST pictures!  They are all you have left from the day, pictures matter.  And trust me, I’ve seen some jacked up wedding photos.  I don’t want to be the memes that Kate laughs at later when she’s on her break from work.

But since the theme of Kate’s blog is shopping on a budget, I will also share the few savings I’ve had so far!

My venue is including flowers for our center pieces, and ceremony site, which saves us a ton of money to begin with.  But they also work with the same florist that we wanted to use anyway and they will give us 20% off of any additional flowers we order, so bouquets, boutonnieres, etc are discounted! Score!

Here’s another tip for those soon to be engaged: pay attention at any weddings you attend for vendors you might like. I’m choosing a DJ from a previous wedding that will offer us a photo booth and his DJ services as a package deal, and discount for a repeat booking.  Plus my brother-in-law knows his wife, so we’re hoping for a little magic there too!

A Credit Card Is Not Your Friend

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Today is a good day. I finally paid off my credit card…in full. Oh, I can’t tell you how good it feels to finally be out of debt! Well, except…you know…freakin’ Sallie Mae.

Here are a couple tips that helped me when I was trying to swim out of this black lagoon:

  1. Don’t put small purchases on your credit card We all know it’s tempting, but don’t do it!! Putting on small purchases are easier to forget than an impending big charge. The less you put on a credit card (or debit card for that matter!) the better. I have become a big believer in trying to carry cash with me, and only using cash!
  2. Swallow your fear: submit big payments If you get a paycheck for $800, and your other bills are paid, put $100 into savings and submit a BIG payment. Try to put $200-$400 for the month. The bigger, the better. You will feel like a huge weight is being lifted!
  3. Don’t swipe after you make a payment. We’ve all been there, we think that since we paid off some charges, we can continue to swipe! Our credit line is up, so why not? I’ll tell you why…because being confident about your money can be lethal. Obviously not at all times, but when you get cocky, it can be bad.
  4. Use your card for a specific thing. Whether it is for gas or food…keep it as such. Don’t go crazy using your credit card for frivolous purchases. The up side of this is that several credit cards have a special for cash back or double points for a certain thing. If it’s offered, use it. If you get double points for food and entertainment (ie: movies)…use it for just that. You can get some super fun things! (ie: points to use towards cash, gift cards, or your cc balance)

Try it, and get back to me!

 

xoxo- kate