DailySaving

Mind & Body Boost for kids

2011-11-04T04:21:00.000-07:00

"I want to put my kids in the best possible situation to succeed and be happy." A worthy pursuit and a familiar parental refrain. The idea of that big goal can be overwhelming and frustrating at times but just any other big goal, we need to prioritize and take action. So we start with the basics of safety, healthy foods/lifestyle, financial responsibility, and reading habits (WIP), from there a popular thought is to expose kids to various activities and see what they like and are good at...

Here's one for mind, one for body that we have taken action on to help develop healthy, active, hopefully life long habits.

PLAY CHESS. The benefits are well documented. Discipline, Patience, Math Skills, Memory, Strategize, Analyze, Sportsmanship, etc. I certainly could have used a bit more exposure to those skills early on!

Our son received a "Rivals" chess set (Red Sox/Yankees) for an early birthday which made it interesting enough to pique his young curiosity. A few after school chess classes with their friends and it was off to the races! You can play chess when you're 100 and derive benefits today.

RUN! (or walk)We have always enjoyed this activity as a family, since the kids were babies in the double jogging stroller. Recently, our son ran a 5k with one of his soccer buddies. They ran 3.1 miles in 24 minutes! They loved the race environment (music, the crowd, the race T-shirt, and especially the free food and goodies after the race!) Two days after the race he asked me, "Dad, is there another 5k race this weekend? Sign me up." You never know what will stick.

There is plenty left to explore (languages to gardening, the list is endless) but we need to start somewhere. What are some things you have done to get your kids off to a great start?

Focus on the 4C's

2011-09-23T04:34:00.000-07:00

A small growing company and a small growing family both need leadership to be successful.

I'm "working" with both and I realize they have a lot in common. I'm a firm believer in good KISS (Keep it simple, sista!) and in my attempt to simplify and to build sustainable leadership, I never shy away from a good acronym.

CLEAR Vision- "Where are we going!?"

COMMUNICATION- Do not assume that your kids or your employees/co-workers know what you're thinking and don't assume you know what they're thinking! One of my favorite illustrations of this point is the comparison of these two employee engagement lists. They are almost completely upside down.
1.) Top 10 things that are important to employees (employees responses)
2.) Top 10 things that are important to employees (manager's responses)
Managers think they know what is important to employees, many do not. Do you think you know what is important to your kids? Don't assume.

COACHING- Pay close attention, ask thoughtful questions, be a good listener, provide honest feedback, and build a realistic plan to improve that includes their input. Give yourself the best chance to make a positive impact with your team and your kids. Coach 'em up!

CAREER Development- Showing the people around you that you care about their future is important. Talking about and planning for the future are proven keys to employee engagement at work. My kids are still in the, "I want to be an NBA player" phase of career development but it's on my radar. I am keeping a resume-like log of the highlights of their young "careers" that will help them to understand the details of who they are based on their own past performance.

I have been conducting a lot of interviews for sales and sales management positions recently. I have been amazed at the inability of so many to provide an honest, compelling narrative of who they are, through past experiences, how those experiences have shaped what they enjoy professionally, what they are good at, and what they are working on to improve. It is important for a candidate to have a humble and healthy sense of self. That gives me the confidence to believe that they know what type of position they are likely to be successful in and that they are not just looking for a paycheck. The good one's have that story locked down, the rest spin a bunch of non-sequitors and leave random bits of information for me to piece together. Those interviews leave me thinking about how to do it better.

I want to give my kids the tools to do it better. I'll start with 4C's.

Did I miss the 5th C?

And we're back...

2011-08-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

We leave the U.S. and the markets crash. We arrive in the U.K. and London burns. Good thing nothing crazy happened when we were in Paris, that city is absolutely perfect the way it is!

Things are expensive over there and the exchange rate doesn't help but the opportunity to experience some of Europe with our kids was worth every over priced British Pound and Euro. Exposing them to a world outside of what we live every day and helping them to understand and experience that it is a big world out there, is truly a priceless experience. They probably won't remember too many trip details down the road, the recall will begin to take shape around the pictures and video. But who knows what the long term impact will be? We will continue to provide experiences to challenge and expand their developing minds to recognize the amazing possibilities and opportunities they have before them.

Enough of that! We had a blast and by following some of my own saving/spending rules, it was not a budget busting experience. Whoa!

These kids hardly know who the Beatles are but they got the full-on Abbey Road experience!

Time to start planning the next trip... where should we head next??
Brian

London & Paris vacation for 12 Days!

2011-08-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

We have been lucky enough to connect with a friend in London who has offered up her spacious flat for a few days. We are staying for 10 days in jolly-old-England and a few in Paris. Vacation jackpot for our family!!! Time to turn the daily saving into daily spending!! (just for a bit)

No computers, just cameras to capture as many amazing moments as possible. Our kids are 9 & 10 and excited to go. We've planned pretty well (I hope!) and have some British Pounds and Euros in hand...

Time to make some memories!!!

My apologies in advance to my #FF buddies on 8/5 but I'll make it up.

Off to London for some of the old and some of the new...

Talk soon,
Brian

3 Interview topics for work and home

2011-07-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been spending a lot of time consulting (as you may have noticed from my sporadic blog activity-- bad form, I know). The company is hiring a few people and I'm leading the interview processes. I've tightened up the job descriptions (based on the general goals and specific expectations for the position), written compelling (hopefully) job posts and outlined the phone and face-to-face interviews. Ready to roll!

Going through this exercise got me thinking about my role at home...

Are my skills good enough to actually get this job at home if I had to apply for it?!

I ask candidates questions that lead to insights about skills and experiences that are likely to transfer into success in the key competency areas of the job. Drive and the pursuit of continuous improvement are basic expectations at work. Do I have that at home? Probably not as much as I should. Sometimes I need to remind myself that my "work family" isn't the real one and the real one should get my best effort. Always.

Here are a few core competencies and questions that seem to apply for the job at home AND work:

Planning: "How/When do you plan your day and your week? How/When do you set your goals for yourself?"
Organization: "How do you keep yourself organized. Tell me about a recent project you organized and what you might do differently next time. How did you prioritize the steps of the project?"

My personal favorites: Self-Awareness, Improvement:
- "When was the last time you asked for feedback? What did you learn about yourself? What action steps did you take to improve?"
- What is the one area you feel you could improve upon that would make the greatest impact on those around you? What have you done in the last 30 days to develop in that area?

Based on your answers, would you give you the job?

Leader Learning

2011-05-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday I get a nice measured dose of leadership sandwiched between coffee and coupons. An interview with one interesting leader can be found each week on page 2 of the New York Times business section, "The Corner Office" (July 10: Plants & People parallels: Weed, Water, Nurture) by Adam Bryant duputy national editor of the New York Times.

The topics are interesting and insightful from leader backgrounds to interview questions, employee motivators to current management challenges. If you're interested in improving any leading or managing that you do... this is a great way to do it.

Today's interview was about how early childhood work ethic influenced professional success. I had my son (10) read it and we talked about it. This is just one of the many examples of how this series has impacted my efforts leading at home.

It's a quick, quality read and with kids running around on a Sundy morning, that's a must!

Here is just a sample, the month of May, of the headlines that drill down into great learning and useable leadership fodder for work and home:

May 29, 2011

Liz Elting, TransPerfect

A Work Ethic Shaped at an Early Age

May 22, 2011

DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU

Barry Salzberg

The Right Job? It’s Much Like the Right Spouse

May 15, 2011

INWOOD HOUSE

Linda Lausell Bryant

Note to Staff: We're a Team, Not a Family

May 8, 2011

ARUBA NETWORKS

Dominic Orr

Yes, Everyone Can Be Stupid for a Minute

A great learning tool. Keep up the great work and thank you for sharing these valuable insights Adam! (@nytcorneroffice)

Guest Post on OurMomSpot

2011-05-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

My guest post on OurMomSpot:

Read about what it's like to be a Stay at Home Dad!
#Parents #Marriage @DailySaving

http://t.co/dLHLZVb via @OurMomSpot

Thanks for all the support!
Brian

Grocer plays on pump pressure. 3 flags.

2011-05-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

"Spend $15 on things you don't usually buy and
probably won't use and save $1 on $40 of gas!"

-the fine, fine print

We know that sellers go to great lengths to contact and manipulate buyers. The goal being to have us buy, buy again and buy more still, certainly more than your frugal self budgeted. We have seen an explosion in rewards programs, CareCards, store specific bucks, loyalty programs, etc. Does your keychain look like you're on the janitorial staff at the high school? Those are, in part, intended to have us feel like we are special, part of the group, and as a result, getting a good deal from our pals, uhm, sellers. When you stop to think about it, they all subtly play on some very basic human needs we all have, recognition, acceptance, and being part of something. Fine.

Hey, have you seen the price of gas lately!? Looks like $5 per gallon this summer. WHAT?! That's crazy!! "but wait", says my local grocer, "allow me to play on your fear and anger. I will comfort you with a deal, friend." Game on.

I've seen a few fringe "gas rewards" programs but the full-court press is on as gas prices continue to climb. As with any advertised sale or deal, you've got to break it down into little pieces to get to the bottom line and determine if it's a good deal for you. Here are a few things to consider before you buy that $2 box of fruit gushers to save 30 cents on gas.

1. First PLAN to buy what you NEED based on the PRICE of that item alone. Don't consider buying dog biscuits to get 100 points that will turn into 25 cents next week if you make it to the only Shell station across town, when you don't even have a dog. Really, only if the program fits YOU, not the other way around, proceed...

2. RUN THE NUMBERS: Let's say you do plan to buy what you need at the price you want it at and you manage to get 200 points, whoa! How much gas do you need and what's the total savings? Scratch it out on paper and decide for yourself if it's worth it.

3. APPROVED GAS STATIONS: Make sure you know where you can use the gas points and that it is convenient enough for you to actually use. We'd hate to see you do all this work and then not even use your points!

Good luck!
What has your gas rewards experience been?

Suze's grade is in...

2011-05-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

How did we do with our "How Am I Doing?" Segment ?

Our segment aired Saturday night (4/30/11) on The Suze Orman Show on CNBC. Suze went over the details of our situation and handed out her grade:

First of all, thanks to all of you for your support, RT's, and well wishes on my little segment. It was fun and I'm grateful to Suze for taking the time to provide us with good, objective feedback. Now it's time to work on the plan... our way to an A. Thanks, Suze!

Brian

Time for Suze to rock some feedback for DailySaving!

2011-04-26T07:21:00.000-07:00

I love to get and give feedback. I've come to realize I need it. It's how we get better and help others to do the same. My career as a coach, manager, and director has conditioned me to think, "How are we doing and how can we do better?" When I was working full-time, that type of communication was free flowing. Being home now, my kids are not really into the notion of performance planning and formal performance reviews! Imagine that. Although those things do take place in different forms at home, there is a significant feedback void for me, especially in my new areas of responsibility.

I am no longer accountable for a sales team of 100 sales reps and 10 managers, now one of my top priorities is family finance. I always balanced the checkbook, paid the bills, etc., but I have taken a much deeper dive into the books now that I have more time to do it. One of the frustrating things for me has been, "How am I really doing??" I talk often about defining your own reality and Suze Orman has recently been talking about "Standing in your Truth", both the first step to making real improvements to your current situation.

One of the ways I put myself to the test, to see how I'm really doing, was getting in touch with the aforementioned Suz and opening the family books to her. They thought my story was compelling enough for a spot on her show! I put the numbers together for her and taped the segment a few weeks ago. It is airing this weekend on CNBC!!!

Brian:

Your "How am I Doing" segment will be on this Saturday, 4/30/11. The Suze Orman Show airs on CNBC at 9:00pm eastern and repeats again at 12:00 midnight.

Thank you again for participating on the show.

Producer
Suze Orman Show/CNBC

My need for feedback (I'm sure there's plenty of deep-seated insecurity in there too!) to improve drove me to find some new ways to get it and now it's out there for everyone to see... Oh my. Wish me luck!!! And if you get a chance tune in, let me know what you think! (you know I love feedback...)

4-30-11 RESULTS

How else do you measure your own performance (family, financial, etc.) when there is not a formal feedback mechanism in place?

A journey from 'Bigger is Better' to Bulk Blurs.

2011-04-06T06:31:00.000-07:00

A wholesale club always holds the promise of a HUGE deal, doesn't it?

I've gotten pretty good with quick calculations to determine per unit pricing. I feel like Rain Man as I pass through the aisles tying to spot a good deal. That has proven to be the quickest way to slice through the hype of sale noise, BOGO, 2 for X, and other assorted hooks to get us to buy any given product.

After 45 minutes of walking the cold cavernous aisles, I found two deals. That was it. I remember how I used to shop here, overloading my oversized shopping cart, when I didn't pay really close attention to pricing and certainly didn't have a budget that I stuck to. I was an easy target, a dream customer.

I just picked stuff up and felt like I wouldn't have to buy it again in a while, therefore, it was a good deal. I was all wrapped up in Bigger is Better. I was drinking the warehouse kool-aid and buying the 5 pound bag of kitty litter when I really only needed... wait, I didn't even have a cat!! It was a hypnotic-like experience. Advantage: Big Box.

There are bargains to be had I'm sure but I didn't find many. Now I didn't have the in-store coupons and I know bulk purchases are good for concession stands but I couldn't help seeing generics in place of most of this stuff and envisioning where I could get the same item, per unit cost, cheaper.

I felt terrible when I thought about my spending habits in this place years ago. I really wasted a lot of money but I didn't realize it at the time. I didn't know what things cost to the extent that I do now and I literally paid for my ignorance. I wish I had saved those bucks then and bought AAPL stock instead...

Every store creates its own reality inside their walls and I blindly bought into Bigger is Better. My recent walk through, as a better educated consumer since my last walk through, made me dizzy.

I see it clearly now, Bulk Blurs.

What has your warehouse shopping experience been?

Listen. Your favorite topic is YOU.

2011-03-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Listening is underrated. It is too often overlooked and not worked on like many other skills. How many times have you heard, or even said, "you have two ears and one mouth for a reason", "listen more, speak less", "be a good listener, your ears will never get you in trouble",
"everybody lies but it doesn't matter because nobody listens"? There are a lot of thoughts on the subject because it's something we know we don't do so well. Studies generally show that 1/2 of what is heard is not remembered. Lovely.

We can become better listeners. There are plenty of approaches and methods that can help us to become active listeners. Understand your own communication style, that of the audience, focus, ask clarifying questions, summarize what you hear and repeat it back, supportive body language, etc. These are all things that we can do to improve our own individual listening skills. That is within our control.

There is another way to improve listening skills. The listening skills of others. You can have a direct impact on the quality of their listening by what you say and of course, how you say it. But first, understand one thing:

Your favorite topic is you.

Whether it's kids, interests, opinions, or recent experiences, we love talking about ourselves. It makes sense, it is the one topic we know better than any other and better than anyone else. Some people are a little better at controlling their enthusiasm for themselves and some are shy about it but we all do love this topic.

In sales, networking, or social events a primary goal is to get the other person talking about themselves. It's a comfortable place for anyone to go and it makes them feel good, which helps them feel good about you. When they are comfortable and "warmed up", the guard is down and they are more likely to be engaged, not defensive, and that sets the stage for a better listener.

Now, when you've got someone primed and ready to listen... be careful not to spend too much time on your favorite subject! Listen for that too.

Road to listening improvement:
1- Practice active listening.
2- Be aware of their favorite subject and help them get there with good questions.
3- Be aware of YOUR favorite subject. Don't overdue it, people tune out, become bad listeners... and that's NOT what we're going for.

Plan to Save- a few options for Spring

2011-03-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

Winter vacation is over, the temperature is rising, and the snow is melting in the yard. That's the good news. The bad news is that I get a clear picture of how awful my lawn looks. I have a lot of spring cleaning to do.
Great, another expense looms large on the horizon. If I don't plan for it, it will cost me. Cost me in purchases that I will make on their terms instead of mine. Advantage: big box store. They love a desperate, unprepared customer, don't they?

However, it's not too late to plan to save. I received a 10% off coupon in the mail for Lowe's Home Improvement Store. Good start. Knowing that I have a number of things to buy and will end up spending money there, I look through my "gift card bulletin board" to see if I can get any help there. I read recently that the average household has > $300 in unused gift cards lying around! I keep them all out in the open on full display so I don't forget about them. Out of sight, out of mind. I found a few bucks in there but still not enough to make me feel like I'm making a dent. I will also search for weekly sale items to add some savings.

Opening a store credit card is an option for additional savings on a one time purchase but that's not a good practice for your credit rating so I don't consider that a practical option to save on this purchase.

Discount gift cards are the best option I have found once I got over my own personal stigma of them... Remember that nervous feeling you had when you used a home-printed copy of a ticket or coupon for the first time? I thought an alarm was going to go off when they scanned it and security was going to come out and cuff me for trying scam the store. I'm over that feeling now and have used these discounted cards several times. (20% from Ann Taylor- that's a win/win for my wife and me!)

ABC Gift Cards and Plastic Jungle are the two spots I have used to save between 7-22% on things I was going to buy anyway. That's a built-in discount, a reward for my planning is how I like to think about it. And on top of the sale and the coupon, I'm on my way to saving 20%+!

All it takes is a bit of planning. The savings is there. I hope my sad lawn and I will prosper from this effort this spring.

What else do you do to save a few bucks on upcoming large purchases?

Do you know your number? Go Micro.

2011-02-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

Recent economic challenges have forced many people to take a closer look at their finances and that, of course, is a good thing. The practical matters of spending less than you earn, saving, and budgeting have become familiar practices for more people than ever before. I hope it sticks (we can be a fickle bunch, can't we?) but that's another topic for another day.
Once you really dig into your finances, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Since I've been home and really digging into our own situation, I quickly realized that there are many different ways to peel this onion and I found it fairly difficult to assess how we were really doing. The main question is, "Can we sustain our current earning/spending pace and still achieve our goals?" If not, what has to change?, if so, how can we do better?

Regardless of what the reality of our situation is, the goal is to do better than we are doing right now. Ok, how do we get started, there is so much to think about and it can take a lot of time to assess, research, then take action. Where to begin???

The longest journey starts with a small step, right? One of the first things I did was to give myself an idea of how much money we had to spend per day. It just felt more manageable, like I had more control... Take all the fixed costs out (mortgage, rent, avg. utilities, forced savings, etc.) and subtract that from the dollars coming in after taxes. Then divide that by the number of days in the month and there's a real number I can keep in my head as we spend money throughout the month. When you keep track of every dollar you spend each day you can see how you're doing against that number. Instant feedback. It's not the most important number in your personal finance arsenal but I find it to be a good guideline that sticks with me and has helped me to make some good decisions along the way.

Yes, I'm micro-managing our home finances. It wasn't my style when I was managing people but the money can't make good decisions for itself and it doesn't give me any feedback. Therefore, we need to be involved in every action and every decision.

My number is $63.

Do you know your number?

The Excellence lesson from Lombardi

2011-02-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl is this weekend and how can you think of the Green Bay Packers without thinking of Coach Lombardi? He has become an icon for excellence that transcends sports. We often see quotes and pictures of the legendary coach around people and things associated with success.

When I think about all the great achievements and the many different ways he has impacted leadership it starts to get overwhelming. So I quickly click down into, "What's the take away for ME?" In the spirit of keeping it simple, what are the thing(s) that I can relate to, understand, believe in, and realistically implement? If I get too fired up about too much, there will be NO meaningful takeaway. I will just have a nice feel good moment and then go back to doing the same things...

I ran into a few Lombardi-isms this week but in the spirit of taking action, I've got to keep the list short and focused. (Here is a long list of Lombardi quotes)

He used an Aristotle quote as the basis for the way he and his teams conducted themselves on the field and off the field. When I feel like slacking, this is a go to thought for me. When I'm tired and my kids are ready to give up, or give a lousy effort when practicing something, or when we would practice different sales approaches at meetings, I always tried to keep this in mind. It's been a steady guide to keep us on track...

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an art but a habit."

Thanks Coach. Go Pack, GO!

Which Lombardi-ism has made an impact on you?

The staying power of the hand written note.

2011-02-03T09:29:00.000-08:00

What are the things that have had the most impact on you over the years? Little things do mean a lot and a hand written note, on the surface, is a little thing. It is widely recognized as a good practice in business. I've found that it works at home too.

Taking time out of a busy schedule and caring enough to pull out a card, or just a piece of paper and write, not type, a message of thanks, appreciation, or acknowledgement of a job well done. A message to let someone know that you have recognized their efforts and that you care. We're all human and it feels good to be appreciated.

Recognized when you're not expecting it. Everyone gets a nice card on their birthday or even a bit of recognition at a meeting but when you don't see it coming, it feels more sincere and often has a greater impact.

The hand-written note stands the test of time in the age of crazy schedules and a seemingly always full Inbox. I still have a few that were given to me over the years and as I reflect back on them, I realize what a profound impact they really did have. I always enjoyed writing them and "finding something right" that a member of the team had done. It always let them know you were paying attention to the details. That also had the added benefit of letting them know I was paying attention. Nothing wrong with that!

I recently thought that I should give it a try here at home. I wrote a note to my son and one to my daughter as I sat at each of their desks while they were at school one day. I know that they both still have them, they mentioned it to Mom... my daughter also told her that, "I keep everything Dad writes to me." Well, not sure that's 100% accurate but I'll take the sentiment!

It's a practice that should not be overlooked. I need to do more of it.

Have you had any experiences +/- on the subject?

Leadership Philosophy (home/work): Expectations & Feedback

2011-01-31T04:10:00.000-08:00

It wasn't exactly Tuesdays with Morrie but it was a big deal. My Dad just retired and has to make his own transition to a full time life at home. I just made a similar transition a year ago and he was actually asking ME for advice rather than the other way around.

Blown away, I found myself having a conversation wearing my "coach" hat with the coach himself. I love this hat. I built my career on helping my sales reps and managers focus on clear goals, listen to the challenges they were facing, ask good questions to stimulate thought (available resources) and creativity (new ideas/resources), and provide the coaching support to help them achieve their goals. This is my passion and what I have done successfully for 20 years. Now I found myself actually applying these skills to a discussion with my father.

My management philosophy (past work and now home) boils down to goal clarity, excellent communication, and continuous improvement (a culture of not being too satisfied and that it's ok to make mistakes). You've got to know where you're going and make sure that all behaviors are aligned to help you get there. Ok, those are a few management buzzwords and I know I got a few Dilbert-like comments during meetings when I used them, so I adopted a basic phrase that I beat like a drum. It stuck and it always seemed to apply to help directors lead, and my managers coach more effectively. It even applied to my Dad in his transition. I also realized that I use it, unconsciously, with my kids.

EXPECTATIONS & FEEDBACK.

We know that much employee frustration (family too when you think about it) comes from the fact that they truly don't know what's expected of them. Goals and objectives need to be clear and confirmation of understanding needs to be established, which is often taken for granted. I ask my kids to, "repeat back to me what you just heard me say", sounds basic but a lot of communication is lost in translation somewhere and is therefore ineffective. Don't assume. Make sure the EXPECTATION is clear. Allow for discussion and input to make sure that it is realistic and attainable but in the end it must be clear, well established and agreed to.

That's the easy part. Feedback is fun and easy when it's good but when behavior falls off course and isn't where it should be... we need to have the courage to have an uncomfortable conversation to provide quality feedback. Feedback that is objective, honest, fact-based, clear, concise, and definitely not emotionally charged. What makes this Step #2 MUCH easier is if you have done Step #1 correctly. If the expectations are clear and agreed upon, you can guide the other person to discuss how their own objective behavior is is falling short of expectations that you have discussed together in detail. It can be a conversation that you initiate and guide that leads to another discussion about how to correct, or improve that behavior in the future. The tone of the discussion is not accusatory, "you failed", but one of isolating specific behaviors and finding ways to do it better next time. Creating an environment of trust and collaboration is a key ingredient to success.

I applied it at work, I use it at home (could still do it more consistently), and this student just got to use it with the teacher. Thanks for asking, Dad. I love this stuff!

A front row seat. Lucky Me.

2011-01-20T03:55:00.000-08:00

I miss the rat race. I'm very competitive and love to work. I've been home for a while now and when I'm paying attention there are great moments that give real meaning to what my role at home has become. Yesterday was one of those moments.
Like I'm keeping this to myself?! Can't do it... sorry.
My son Michael is 10, in the 4th grade. Just starting to get into fairly serious stuff... He finished first in a classroom geography test. That made him the rep of his class for the school geography bee, which was held yesterday. Each class in the school (4th-6th) had one kid as the rep (12 classes).

He was nervous going in but studied hard two days before the school assembly... He made it through the first 3 elimination rounds and into the finals!! He lost the whole thing by one question to a 6th grader. He's the first 4th grader in school history to make it to the finals!!
He was so happy, his teacher was fired up. So proud!

Exhibit 37a on the list of reasons why I'm happy to be home. I have a front row seat. Lucky me.

Decision Making: Don't leave it up to the waiter.

2010-12-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

We were out to dinner last night and my wife couldn't decide between two interesting fish and chicken dishes. She asked the waiter to help make her decision, "Which is better?" she asked.
I waited tables through college, I've been on the receiving end of this question. The answer is driven by the selfish pursuit of the big tip, gotta hedge your bets... but there is also personal bias and the reality of how you're feeling at that moment. The trouble is they don't have any understanding of YOU. How can anyone provide advice (large or small) that is a fit for you if they don't really understand you?

That got me thinking about the financial advice that I have asked for and taken over the years. I asked some pretty smart people. People I looked up to and respected. I was confident that I was getting really good guidance and I did get some that was a good fit for me. What I failed to realize at the time was that the advice-giver, always well-intentioned, was not perfectly equipped to make the decision for me. That falls to me, not the waiter.

Everyone has different priorities, goals and values. Everyone is at a different point on their journey. We see the world, our finances, and each other differently. There are many things that influence any advice, or coaching, that is given. When people start to assume what's important to you, or guess what you would be most happy with, good, sound advice can become misguided. It's pretty complex when I reflect back on the advice I got and how my decisions were influenced by that advice. For example, the smartest guy in the room convinced me that leasing a car at one point in my career was the way to go. I did it. I look back on that bad decision as something I should have done differently. His advice was influenced by his own situation and priorities and maybe a few assumptions of what he thought would be best for me. I didn't trust myself enough to make my own decision.

What's good for one is not good for all, no matter how good the source of the advice. You've got to listen to yourself after you've collected as much good info (research, advice, etc.) as you can. Be open to all of it but at the end of the day, you have to live with the decision. Make sure it's a good fit for YOU.

Don't leave it up to the waiter.

Pay it forward. It helps keep the budget in line.

2010-12-15T09:34:00.000-08:00

I'm on a new kick. Laundering money. At least it feels that way.

We all know that a cardinal rule of personal finance is, "Don't spend money you don't have." Easier said than done, right? I have a Upromise MC. We're trying to stuff a few extra bucks into the 529's we have set up for the kids. Upromise gives 2-5% cash back on all purchases made with the card. It's not a ton of money but we might as well get something for spending.

One of the features I like most about this cc, unlike other cards (Amex, etc.) is that I can transfer more money to the card than my current balance. I love it! It's a great budgeting tool. I can better plan out and pay for the coming week of spending with $$ I HAVE. Remember the days before the now ubiquitous online account management/billing/payment functions? Get that cc bill and hold your breath opening it to see what the damage was for the month? That was like driving a car on the highway blindfolded!

My Sunday planning exercises consist of the basic coupons, store specials, and road map of the week (where and when I will make stops based on the weekly menu, etc.) but there is also the budgeting exercise. Paying Forward the money that I currently have, over to the the money that I plan to spend. I roughly calculate what I can and will spend for the week. This exercise helps to make better pre-decisions about what to buy and what NOT to buy based on the $$ I actually have. I then move that money out of checking and over to Upromise. I just turned my credit card into a debit card, while reaping the benefits of the credit card. I'm using the cc as a vehicle to get something for, well, nothing. It's also insurance against paying an outrageous rate for the "privilege" of the monthly minimum.

Transactions show up in the account almost instantaneously. I'm addicted to my balance, check it probably too much but I am always aware of what I have and what I owe. PAID IN FULL ahead of time has a much nicer feel than opening up that envelope, or email for the mystery amount...

I'm sure it's not how the credit card companies drew it up but good planning and paying it forward can give you a better handle and a more realistic view of your money from week to week.

Don't fall for the lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig.

2010-11-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

Today I broke one of my own cardinal rules. In fairness to me (excuse alert!), I was out of my routine.
I headed out to get boots for my daughter. I had 2 coupons in hand, ready to bag my bargain. That part went well, I even picked up a Christmas gift off the Clearance rack. That was one rule I did follow today, always check the clearance rack. But then...

It was still early so I drifted into the grocery store (Dave's) right next door, pricey but they do have free coffee. I found myself under siege! Holiday deals, music, decorations, BOGO's left and right, all attacking my senses, making the all too familiar play for my dollar. Very clever, Dave. But not so fast! "I am a disciplined consumer and I won't fall for your emotional, superficial ploys", I thought. It was at that moment I realized I was losing ground in the very grocery battle I had planned so hard to win... With coffee in hand, I subconsciously reached for my weekly grocery plan, listing the things I will buy this week based on sales and coupons, arranged in envelopes by store. I didn't bring it! I feel odd even writing that but all that corporate training and organization has to creep out somewhere. All I had was the store flier. I felt like I had brought a knife to a gun fight. It reminded me of a few things:

This is the shopping/spending season. Consumers tend to get wrapped up in the season and are not as disciplined with their money. Planning (70% of purchases are unplanned- get into the other 30%) and Discipline (stick to the plan!) are frugally important this season.

Don't leave home without it. Toss the plan, coupon book, etc., in the car whenever you go out. You never know when you're going to need it.

Stores work very hard to get you to buy more. They play on your emotion (holiday joy) and work the science (from colors, to music, carpeting to product placement, etc.) Keep your guard up.

Create the plan and stick to it. That will give you a better chance to identify and avoid the pigs (the stuff you don't NEED)... Today, I saw a sale basket with balloons, "Priced to move- WOW!" The item was still a pig to me, even though it had lipstick on it.

What are some other holiday traps you are on the lookout for this year?

Help someone get an early start. They will be benefit greatly.

2010-11-08T07:45:00.000-08:00

I've spent much of my time at home trying to figure out if I should be worried. Another chapter in my personal "define your reality" series... What I have learned is that I put a tremendous asset on my side: time.

I have parents that struggled, worked hard, and were frugal at every turn. I was lucky, I learned a lot from them that has helped to shape my own saving and frugality. Then, I got out of college and got lucky again. I got a job where I was able to learn about retirement savings. I remember one chart they showed at one of those retirement seminars (see below), that further impacted my approach to savings. It made a dramatic impact on my life. Saving became a priority for me. Those learnings have shaped my current financial situation that is on solid ground right now as I cross the 40-line...

Nature or Nurture? I don't have any research to go on but most money behavior and attitudes are learned. We CAN have an impact on others (kids, nephews, friends) to further the understanding of this simple concept that makes such a difference.

Help someone, or help yourself, to get the bug for saving and saving early. Put time on your side. The numbers don't lie. Markets change and interest rates fluctuate but the test of time is one we can help others to pass. Money stigma be damned. (talk about it!!) This is a big positive impact you can have on others. Think of the possibilities.

Save early and often. A (free) interest calculator to run your numbers.

Chart 1: Initial investment at 45 years old: $10k, $5k each year up to 65 => $216,000 (My Investment= $110k)

Chart 2: Initial investment at 25 years old: $10k, $6k each year up to 65 => $1,031,429 (My Investment= $250k)

Make sure you see the differences on the Y-axis

A Financial iPOD for all ages

2010-11-04T03:50:00.000-07:00

I want my kids to grow up with a firm handle on personal financial responsibility, embedded in their little brains tomorrow as deeply and comfortably as the things they do so effortlessly today. Technology
and music are two things that come to mind as things that come easily, they enjoy and don't even have to think about. That's where I want them to be with money. Comfortable and confident. I'm working on the plan that will hopefully pay off for them down the road. (work in progress!)

My friends at smartcookies.com recently asked, "What are your two biggest financial challenges?" Great question. Most responses were eliminating debt and saving money. As I read through, I kept coming back to a few basics that are important at any level... fusing the two, a new toy!

A Financial iPOD would make a great gift for anyone! I'd like my kids to rock out to the sweet financial musings of CNBC. HA! Forget the toy, let's get practical...

iPlanning Organizing Discipline

When we fail to plan, we plan to fail. It is clear that we don't do enough planning. Too busy, who has the time?! We've got to make time for the things that are important. Planning time to make sure we are on track to achieving family and personal goals is always time well spent. I try to keep the components of the plan in front of us. Allowance, bills, what things cost, 529 savings and statements. Good planning and communication of that plan is good for business. "It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan" Eleanor Roosevelt

"Don't agonize, organize", "Organize your life around your dreams and watch your dreams come true", "Order is the foundation of all things". Take your pick! Your personal financial systems, bills, goals, etc., have to be aligned is such a way that you can make sense of it, understand it, and manage it to improve. When chaos, or a lack of understanding reigns supreme in this area, bad things happen! My online folders and accounts are organized like my sock drawer. Ha! (mint.com helps too) The kids have their savings passbooks, where they stockpile allowance, and a log of spend/save/give (spotty usage- I need to do better here.) Next, I want to put together binders for their 529 statements so they can see what goes in. I think it's a good entry point into market discussions too. Mailed statements have their names on it, that's always fun.

Discipline doesn't mean we get taken out to the wood shed when we make a mistake. It simply means we need to have the self-discipline to commit to a well thought out plan, good organized practices, and continuous improvement along the way. The greatest plan in the world is a colossal failure if not acted upon.

Until Apple churns out a Financial iPOD... We'll keep workin' it everyday.

The other Family Planning

2010-10-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

I usually spend Sunday night and Monday morning planning out my week, making sure every day is as efficient and productive as possible. Some weeks are better than others but things have been rolling along pretty well as I cross the one year milestone of running the family business... The kids seem to be doing fine, my wife is thriving at work, not worrying too much about me burning down the house, or allowing the kids to do so. It looks like I'm doing ok on the day-to-day requirements but then I started thinking about the big picture... Are we on track? On track to what?

It is so easy to get caught up in the daily chaos that days, weeks, months fly by... "where does the time go?" I realized my micro-managing, penny-pinching, daily activities are fine but I need to get more on the offensive side with the big picture. Don't just work the daily plan and HOPE that everything turns out ok. HOPE is not a strategy. Are these daily activities truly aligned with our family goals and priorities? I've got to make sure that the next phase of our lives doesn't just happen to us. Time to capture some ideas for a family plan. It's not anything we don't already think about but when it's down on paper and you put some action behind it, good things happen. Here are some of the big buckets I've been working with.

Financial Goals: This is the one where the most time and energy is spent, it's fairly easy to define and everyone has these goals, right? "What's your number?" Retirement, vacations, monthly cash flow, etc. This is why I'm pinching pennies. I know what college costs, I need to save more!

Health: Diet & Activity. This one starts with me. I have MS, I need to take care of me for all of us. Gym, diet, (minimize red wine intake-- doh!!) I have goals to create an active lifestyle for the whole family. We've been running 5k's together for years. Sure the kids are in it for the donuts after the race... whatever it takes! Keep 'em moving. Diet is the other one. I love grocery bargains but I am very conscious of not contributing to the ongoing obesity epidemic. Be creative and load up on those fruits and veggies! I cut fresh veggies and put them out for the kids just before dinner. They eat them up like a bowl full of chips! Added bonus: don't have to battle DURING dinner.

Activities: Keeping them busy but not over-scheduled is the trick. Our philosophy is "expose them to as much as possible" in the pursuit of letting them find what they enjoy and are good at.

Academics: I've tried to set the schedule and make it predictable so we get into a good routine. Reading, homework, playing chess, and challenging them along the way, looking for teachable moments is where I'm at. I've got to get better here... How do you emphasize academics with your family?

Relationships: Manners, Charity, Thank You notes, treatment of friends, feelings, all that good stuff. I gotta get this one right. I think a good minimum rule of thumb is, "Don't be a jackass."

Career Plan: I don't know what the next chapter holds for me but I need to keep my finger on the pulse... I can't forget about this while I'm running the family business.

Just taking a few minutes to make sure all that daily madness is moving our family in the direction we want to be headed. How do you keep your crew on track?

What am I missing??

They bet you will make a mistake. They're usually right.

2010-09-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

I was blazing though my food shopping route today, working the plan that I had put together on Sunday. I had my sale items listed by store with the coupons organized in their respective store envelope. Every shopping trip is a game to me, who will get the better of this transaction, Them or Me?
Have I prepared to win, or am I in a rush, and therefore will my time become more valuable than my money, so I will overpay for items because I did not properly prepare? I hate to lose...

I was reminded of two key factors in this game:

Discipline is an easy one for this exercise. Did I hold myself accountable to do the proper planning to win, or did I not? If you don't have the proper game plan, how can you expect to win consistently?

Motivation is important to excel at anything. "What's my motivation?" Saving money, family, college savings, etc., those are great but can sometimes feel a little too abstract to keep me fired up for the daily fight. I need some raw meat... "good vs. evil", that should do it!

You don't have to look too hard to find it. I remembered today that I had a $3 coupon at Walgreens (similar to CVS Extra Care Bucks) good for use on my next purchase with a few days before expiration. If you're not organized, that little piece of paper will get lost. Have you ever lost track of a mail-in rebate offer? They usually win these games.

They are betting that you will make a mistake. Maybe you will lose the paper, or miss the deadline. Perhaps you will just get too busy and forget about it. The odds are in their favor. They wouldn't keep running these programs if the odds were in YOUR favor. They are making a promise of future payment that they usually don't have to make good on.
Advantage: Them.

When we game plan, demonstrate the discipline to stick to that plan, and find our motivation... We tips the scales back in our favor. Advantage: US.

How do you stay fired up?

Best time to buy it, is when you don't need it

2010-09-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Pressure creates a sense of urgency. That can be a good thing. Positive Pressure can force your hand to 'get things done'.
The flip side of that coin is that pressure, real or perceived, can force us to rush and 'just get it done'. Adding the speedy "just" seems to take away from the quality of the action.

I've recently applied that line of thinking to my shopping and I've found that there is tremendous savings in there... We all know it, it's not a big secret, but it has not been an active part of my plan. It should be. When you take the pressure out of the purchase, you remove the "just", and increase the quality of the decision.

Prices are at a premium when things are in demand the most. Duh. But do you actively plan and are you disciplined enough to consistently benefit from this cyclical fact of the marketplace? I don't. I should do better.

I was in Target yesterday. I stumbled up the woefully depleted Summer Section. It looked like they had a "bring in your 3 year old kids to design the section of our store that no one cares about" Day. Thanks kids! I got 3 planters ($0.74, .74, .24!) and 6 citronella candles for $1.88. I need to be looking for other summer items that stores are simply looking to get rid of.

2 Take-away actions for me to improve:

~ I will take the pressure OFF by actively planning and looking OFF-$eason.
~ Every time I walk into a store... self, "Find the clearance rack."

This isn't anything we don't already know but the key is to make it a habit, part of the plan and eventually what you do instinctively. That's where the DailySaving is...

How do you make this work for you?

Saving Tip: Just Do... Nothing. It's the new Something.

2010-09-14T05:27:00.000-07:00

"The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. "

— Michael Porter (Harvard Business School professor)

It feels like everyone is making a play for our dollars, so many ads and outlets trying to beat the bucks out of us...

I try to see those sales efforts for what they are and make better informed decisions about where I choose to put my money. I've done the math but sometimes, I just don't have it in me. That happened recently and then it hit me. I logged a "ZERO" on my spending sheet for that day. Whoa!!

Just Do It... Nothing. It pays!

I've been spending all this time reading, clipping, sorting, and searching for the perfect deals, when all I really had to do was nothing! Ok, that's not THE answer but it should be part of the plan. Identify what NOT to do and make it part of your plan. I've been too caught up in finding the best deals possible. Sometimes the best deal is NO DEAL.

~ Plan not to order out for pizza: We got into the lazy habit of making the call almost every Friday night for pizza. I created that habit and expectation for our kids. We've since replaced it with "kid's cook" or home made pizza where they help and choose the toppings. We work to make it fun for all of us and save serious $$ in the process. The wine is cheaper too. Cheers!
~ Plan not to leave the house: I was in a routine of heading out, almost daily when the kids left for school, on a mission to find all those deals I worked so hard to find. I'm planning to block out one more day per week that I will stay home and use what I've stocked up on... The key is to fill that time so I'm not crawling the walls... blog, read, clean, run. There's plenty to do!
~ Plan not to go to Home Depot this week: I had another bad habit of wandering the warehouse aisles of HD. There are always things that need to be done at home, right? I will plan not to put myself in that position to spend.
~ Plan not to have the same holiday: We have the wheels turning over here to try and spend more time and effort for charity this upcoming holiday season rather than the typical holiday overspending. This is shaping up to be a really good thing all the way around. I'll keep you posted.

PLAN to give it a try, you might be surprised what you can do without. I found that when we forced the hand of the family to deal with change or get creative with a new situation, we all learn a lot from it. Just Do something different...

Pop Quiz: What's the real deal? Do the math...

2010-09-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

They say that education is the great equalizer.

Let's apply that to our shopping efforts and take a step toward leveling the playing field. The playing field is not level.
Stores and companies spend lots of time and money to tip the scales in their favor. The more educated we become as consumers the better chance we have to make better purchasing decisions everyday.

Confusion is one tactic clearly used by stores everyday. They work to have us buy more than we plan for or even need. Consumers need to know what things cost so we can identify a real deal when we see one.

Pricing strategy is a big source of that confusion. I pulled these examples directly from just 1 grocery store flyer this week. See how quickly you can turn these numbers into per unit costs... the actual cost of one single item. Back to school, time for a new math habit?

Let's start off easy:
10 for $10, 2/$5, 2/$3

Good start. Now try these:
4 for $10, 4/$6, 8/$10

Extra credit: 3 for $10, 10/$4.50, 4/$14

Why not just tell us how much each item costs and let us decide? Because confusion can be profitable.

Get into a new habit of knowing what these numbers are immediately when you see them. This working knowledge will help you to make more informed purchasing decisions. TIP: I put my cell phone on "calculator" before I go in the store to help with the per unit pricing calculations.

answers: $1, 2.50, 1.50, 2.50, 1.50, 1.25, 3.33, .45, 3.5, respectively.
How many did you get?

It seems confusing and unnecessary. But when you can process actual pricing faster, and don't get frustrated by it, it helps you make better buying decisions. Advantage: us!

What else do you do to give yourself a chance to save more?

Saving Tip: Making Location & Loyalty choices

2010-09-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

People ask me where to start. One place to go for a quick win is to review your "shopping universe". I got into a bad habit. I went to the same place for the same stuff all the time.
I rationalized that behavior with the time vs. money tradeoff, "I don't have time to do better!" I thought if I used a coupon, OR bought something on sale at my local grocery location, I had won.

"Tax that foolish man!" I was definitely penalized.

Make sure you put yourself in the right location to get the best prices for the products you need. Don't limit yourself to just a few shopping options.

BIG CHAIN STORES spend a lot of money to build a relationship with you. (rewards programs, care cards, discounts, store coupons, email, etc.) They want your (blind) loyalty so you don't cheat on them. They spend a lot of effort getting you into their store and once they have you there, they dazzle your senses using sights, sounds, and smells to keep you there to SPEND! Just because you have a coupon doesn't make it the best deal for you. I've tried to be a little more cynical, it helps me to make better informed decisions.

Be open to alternative shopping locations.

~ There is a Pepperidge Farms FACTORY/OUTLET STORE in my area. Daily, they get various leftover products from the factory. Hit or miss but great deals! Today they had goldfish bags, Buy4 get one free for $3. That's $.60 per 6.6oz. bag. That's nuts! If you waited for a sale and a coupon to stack for a specific location... you'd be waiting a long time.

~ ALDI. No frills. It took me a while to step into this place, my own stigma hangups I guess, but I'm glad I did expand my shopping universe here. They have their own brands, nothing is familiar but when you compare ingredients and prices, it really is powerful. Again, if I stayed "loyal" to the old location, I would be locked into an additional "foolish shopper tax" of 20-80%

~ DISCOUNT GROCERY: Price-Rite is near me. I'm not crazy about the produce but they have many of the EXACT same products Goya canned beans, Chonabi greek yogurt, etc. (FST 10-60%)

Adding some new locations (also, flea markets, pharmacies, etc) to my shopping universe has helped me avoid my personal "foolish shopper tax"!

Turn FST (foolish shopper tax) into DailySaving.

Make conscious decisions about Location & Loyalty. What changes have you made in your universe?

Buyer Beware: Learn from my Sunday Shop mistake: B-

2010-09-05T09:45:00.000-07:00

It started off promising. Today was all set up for a good day of planning for a solid week of savings.

Then the phone rang.
All of the sudden we're having people over for a holiday weekend cookout. Great! But true to my nature I see many things in dollars and cents. "What does this do to my budget and how can I pull it off without busting that budget?" I quickly take inventory of what we have to feed our guests. Hot dogs, burgers, buns, condiments, veggies, pasta salad, chips, and all s'mores ingredients, a good solid base. I'm psyched. I then consult the entertainer (my wife Lori) to see what else we need to complete a rockin' holiday menu. She tells me that some fresh cilantro for the pasta salad and steak tips should round things out nicely. Good, I'll add it to my list that I've created from the week's sales fliers.

I'm on my way and the budget should be ok... I planned pretty well but I wasn't as disciplined as I should have been to maximize the savings on this trip. It wasn't a big deal but every little bit helps and new habits and truly changed behavior will solidify savings, not just on this day, but future days.

Learn from your mistakes.

1. Moving quickly, I forgot the extra reusable bags. Stop & Shop pays for each one you use. I left money on the table. That doesn't make me happy.

2. I was moving too fast and missed the fine print on the coupon that I was using for a sale item. "MUST BUY 2." I felt like the product, the store, and the cashier all said, together in unison, "GOTCHA!" as the cashier alerted me to my oversight. I needed the item, so I took it anyway. Rookie mistake. I felt like I got punched in the stomach. NNNewman!

I'll do better next time. Plan to improve:

~ Make sure reusable bags are left in both cars so I will not forget and will always collect that savings.
~ I think I should circle, or highlight, that tricky, often overlooked, language on coupons. "Must buy 2", or specific size or type. Coupons are sometimes for a new brand they are trying to move in an existing line. Read carefully.

I did use two reusable bags, stack a few coupons on sale items, and I did hit the discount veggie rack early enough to get some good stuff. Final grade: B-

Making mistakes is ok, as long as we learn from them.

Everyone wants what you have! Your $$

2010-09-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Attitudes about money have a big impact on your cash flow.

I've recently had an attitude adjustment.

I'm at home with the kids and playing the new role of financial watchdog, working the "other side" of the family balance sheet for a change. I've always been pretty good at it but now I have to be really good at it.

I have an extensive sales background. I know sales speak when I hear it and recognize sales activity when I see it. Now, I have become a total sales hawk... It's a game to me now and I'm bringin' the attitude! My favorite phrase has become, "Whoa, not so fast!"

The sights, smells, and sounds that work to manipulate our purchasing behavior is overwhelming. Every time you walk into a store, turn on the TV, open the newspaper, your Twitter account, or drive by a billboard, someone is trying to sell you something. I've been trying to make my kids aware of what's really going on and now that they receive allowance, it comes to life. Hopefully it sticks.

Never, Never, Never forget that it is your money and YOU freely make choices about what to do with it. Don't get pushed around and don't make excuses for sales behavior. Many do and pay for it.

Every time I enter a sales situation, no matter how subtle, I envision the store, the cashier, my TV, a DM, slipping me a note. "Give us your money." They might as well be, it is their ultimate goal. They do not care about me, my family, or my situation, regardless of how nice they seem. I love sales people, don't get me wrong but this is not about people. It is about situations, motives, and your own fiscal discipline. Don't forget that their goals are not the same as yours. They want your money but it is your decision whether you want to give it to them or not.

Stay strong and stick to your plan. Bring the attitude!

Saving Tip: ABC's work!

2010-08-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Love the Lowe's! I need to find a way to save on my addiction...

I recently had a very good experience with ABC Gift Cards. We first tried it for an Ann Taylor gift card, 30% off. That was perfect for back to school shopping for my wife. I was skeptical at first but did some digging and it seemed legit.
The BBB gives it an "A" on an A+ to F scale.

OK, the card is a good deal on the surface but what happens when something goes wrong? How is their customer service?

I had trouble ordering my Lowe's card (recent promotion, save an additional 2%), checkout timed me out twice and I didn't get a confirmation. I didn't think it went through... until I checked my cc transactions online (DailyActivity!) I was charged BOTH times and had no confirmation! Oh, boy, here we go... time to contact the company. Fingers crossed...

I received an e-mail follow up to the phone call I had received within 3 hours of my initial email. I responded and by the next (this) morning I had a confirmation for the 1 Lowe's gift card I intended to purchase and follow up that the additional charge will be removed. WOW! That was easy and very well done on their end. Nice job, ABC Gift Cards !

I just got a 10% discount coupon in the mail from Lowe's, I have the GC, and to complete the tri-fecta, I will keep looking for those store sales, or discontinued items in-store. I'm going to be buying things at this store anyway, I might as well plan to $ave ahead of time!

Good luck! Any other thoughts or proven tricks to add? Thanks ~ Brian

"How did you do that?" said the man behind the register..

2010-08-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

I like feedback. I like to know how I'm doing, I'll take it wherever I can get it...
One of my favorite places to get it is when I do some shopping. Good feedback today:

"How did you do that?

It cost us (CVS) $1.48 for you to take these 7 things out of our store."

We know that feedback has a big impact on people... You made my day, sir!

The answer to his question is simple. Planning & Execution. For this shop specifically, I picked up sales items, got $2.50 EB back for the toothpaste and I had a few ECB's (extra care bucks) that I used to pay.

PLANNING: sooooooo important. Sit with the Sunday paper and circle, or cut out the deals you find. Take time going through coupon Mom, redplum, coupons.com, etc. Try to stack a coupon onto a sale and if you hit it right (it takes persistence), the elusive CVS tri-fecta: sale, coupon, ECB! Keep it all organized. I have an envelope for each store I shop at, that accepts coupons, and then get ready to use it...

EXECUTE: Time to take your plan, get to the store with your list, and stick to it. Know that they are trying to "up-sell" you once you are in the store. Sights, sounds, smells... It's all working against you to $pend more. You've got to be on your toes or you will spend more than you planned and THAT is not part of the plan (see above. Ha!) At check out, watch the register because mistakes can be made. I have had to bring certain sales to the attention of a CVS cashier more than once because they didn't have the sale in the register yet... That is where preparation pays off. When I have the cut out of their circular as evidence of the sale, they don't push back. I feel like trying to win a court case sometimes..."As you can clearly see, here in Exhibit A."

Whatever it takes, right? I'm on a budget here!

Any feedback? What did I miss, what could I do better?

Thanks,

Brian

Success is where preparation meets...

2010-08-24T04:35:00.000-07:00

Be ready.

Always look for ways to improve along the journey.

Year 1: SAVED some, LEARNED more

2010-08-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love to save money? I want to do it any way I can! Almost.

After about a year of finding my way in this transition to SAHD, I've established some boundaries.

1. I love and appreciate all the work that so many people do out there to find coupons, sales, great deals, and how to save money on almost any purchase. It is clear that I do not have the interest or abilities to do that digging. So many do a great job, why re-invent the wheel?

2. I am not yet at the point where I am acting on all possible ways to save money. I am not yet making Christmas ornaments out of egg shells. But I do love a good yard sale!

3. Gotta KISS... Keep It Simple S(complete this term as you see fit). It is more important than ever being home with the kids AND doing so much of this online work, it is easy to get distracted, waste time, and stray from the priority at hand. I need to focus and simplify. It is not easy but a worthwhile pursuit.

Keeping it simple, while focusing on priorities and providing a few practical take-aways is what I strive to do for myself, my family, and here on the DailySaving blog. On with it!!

MICRO-MANAGE your finances. I never considered myself to be a micro-manager as a sales leader but that was when I worked with talented people who could deliver results beyond what I could simply tell them to do... Money can't do that. Money will wander off and find it's way into trouble. Most of the time I won't even know where it is, or what it's doing!

~ Keep track of what you spend. You've heard that a million times for a reason. (MominManagement suggests Mint.com) I like that one too...

~ Know what your financial reality is in REAL-TIME. Pay cash more often. It pays. Online payment is still a FREE gift. Use it. I'm obsessed, use it almost everyday. It helps.

~ Know what things cost. It takes practice but it helps you to realize when a sale is really a sale. After one year, my brain is like a (slow) computer as I go up and down grocery aisles computing whether that item is actually a good deal or not. I think it's becoming a sickness... More on this later.

Take one idea. Plan and try to implement it. Get a little bit better today.

I'm wouldn't say I'm over the top (yet), I've never walked out of a grocery store with a carriage full of groceries for $3.24 but I do want to get better. All this stuff from Walgreens that we actually use, I got for $1.06. Whoa! I've saved some but learned more in this past year.

New School Year... New Habits start now.

2010-08-19T05:13:00.000-07:00

"It's the most wonderful time, of the year!"

Classic! Like it or not, it is that time of year and kids everywhere are beginning to grow and improve already. It is the new school year.

Take a minute to think about where they were one year ago and look at how they have changed, grown, and improved over the last 12 months. It is amazing and a live-in reminder of how fast the time does go...

Now think about yourself over that same year. What areas have you improved in, or have you just been treading water, trying to keep up? This is a great time of year for all of us to commit to change. All the kids are doin' it! So why not us? This is a great opportunity to LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

Any change is hard and we know it takes 8-12 times of doing something before it becomes a new habit but let's ride this wave of new beginnings and get to it! A few things to keep in mind:

PRIORITIZE: There is so much out there, it's easy to get distracted. What's most important to you and really worth committing to?

START SMALL: build on small changes to generate positive momentum. If you get shut out early, you won't stay with it. (ala New Year's resolutions)

WRITE IT DOWN: If you can't see it, you are less likely to do it.

SHARE IT: Do you check your children's homework? Show the family what you're doing. It sets a great example! They are wonderful support and will keep you honest!

CELEBRATE SUCCESSES: When the kids get an "A" we reinforce that win, don't we?

Make winning a family habit and enjoy the growth and improvement in each person! Lead the way.

My change is to better plan our weeks at home from meals to school lunches and chores... I'm getting the crew together to gather input on how we can best do this. I have a few ideas but I'm not the brains of the operation, our team always generates great output. I'm excited to facilitate and listen!

What are some other keys to making the small improvements stick?
Thanks! Brian

2010-08-06T06:11:00.001-07:00

You don't get what you don't ask for. I got a free oil change on my re-call visit to Toyota. They are prepared to give it but won't give it if they don't have to. Lesson Learned. Speak up! This is your hard earned money. Don't give it up easily!

Back to BASICs

2010-08-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

We can all do better when it comes to living within our means. I read something somewhere that, "70% of Americans live like they are in the top 1%"

That is a bold and un-scientific statement, but it does paint a clear picture. A wild picture supported by a noisy backdrop of ugly economic numbers.

Recently, my wife and I have made some major life changes, resulting in a "focus on what you can control and recognize what you cannot control" kick with our kids. Whatever your circumstances, it’s a great reminder and starting point to make some changes, for all of us right now whether you are in that 70%, or think you are in the other 30.

For us, that focus means taking control and getting back to BASICs. I have worked through these steps for the last year and have cut our family spending by 40%! It has been a positive financial and emotional journey for our family.

Step #1: BASELINE: accurately determine your current economic reality. This is your baseline from which all of your progress will be measured. When you get rolling and implement your plan, you will see significant changes from this starting point and everyone will breath a bit easier...

-a Keep track of everything you spend. Everyone gets a blank tracking sheet, a calendar page will work. Capture every penny spent. Two months is a fair sample size.

-b Calculate Cash Flow. Income(minus)Expenses= Cash Flow. There are a lot of expenses out there that you might not think about. Use the tracking logs from above to make sure you have an accurate picture of what you spend. There are plenty of good, free spreadsheets out there, or you can make your own.

Step #2: ASSESS: Now you’ve established an accurate baseline, you must assess your priorities. Before making sweeping changes, make sure that important areas for your family have been identified and discussed. Communication through any type of change is critical.

Give everyone an assignment. "Tomorrow night after dinner, we will each share a list of 3 things that are truly important to you, or that you love to do, or what you just can’t do without." The idea is to find a conversation starter to help identify what’s most important to your family.

Step #3 STRATEGIZE: Now that you know where you stand and what’s important to your crew, it’s time to brainstorm and research ideas on ways to improve both sides of the cash flow equation. You need a game plan, a strategy. "How can we earn more dollars?", "How can we save more of the dollars we spend?", "What can we do without, what could we use less of, what are our wants vs. the needs?" Consider everything. Have that conversation and then turn the talk into action! It doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be major but it does have to be specific. Write down the improvements (just a few to start, easy ones. Change is hard. You want to have some early wins to get things rolling) that you all agree you can take action on immediately.

Step #4 IMPLEMENT: Right now you are well on your way to making great improvements that will have a profound impact on your family! The communication that has taken place so far is important and very eye opening. It is a wonderful exercise and learning experience for the whole family. But all of that work means very little if the plan is not implemented. You must take action. Action will happen if you plan for it. Don’t assume it will happen. Take the family calendar out and write in what changed behavior will take place and when. I heard it when we started this leg of the journey, "yeah, yeah, we don’t need to do that, we got it, this isn’t rocket science." It’s common knowledge: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Too much work has gone into this BASIC plan, don’t take this critical step for granted!

Step#5 CIRCLE back: Circle back and evaluate how things went. What went well? Celebrate your success (within the budget of course!) You must take the time to recognize your efforts. That is the fuel that will keep things moving forward. What didn’t work this week? Why didn’t it work and what can we plan to do differently next time? This is how you will improve next week and the next week, and the week after that. Eventually this will become a routine, second nature. That’s when you really start to see results that make a difference.

That’s a good, BASIC start for now, to get better today and set your crew up for success tomorrow. There are a million details you could add or consider left out of this BASIC plan but don’t hesitate. Put a BASIC plan together and add your own flavor but take action now. "A good plan acted on today is better than a perfect plan executed next week"

The End of Men? A new beginning.

2010-07-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

2 facts jump out from this article in the Atlantic Monthly... "Earlier this year, women became the majority of the workforce for the first time in U.S. history. And for every two men who get a college degree this year, three women will do the same."

A little quick math suggests that some roles might be changing on the home front. They already have on mine...

I hear a lot of stories, many driven by the economy, of Daddy reluctantly doing, or not doing, various forms of "woman's work" when forced to play a new role at home. Get with the program, boys! Take those skills from the workplace, apply them to home/family and help the team win! It has been a wonderful and productive time for me; I really would not change a thing. A lot of us have just been asked to play a different position on the team because things are changing, economy and otherwise.

How many times do we hear about a player who is asked to doing something that they didn't sign up for on a team and refuse to do it with a smile? What's our reaction? "BUM! He's only looking out for himself!" Many of us have been asked to play a new position on our team. This is a great opportunity for the entire family to leverage strengths placed in different areas. Change is good. You will discover things you didn't know were there. Focus on what's important, get priorities aligned, and put a plan in place. Then, take your team to new heights while being a great role model for a new generation.

No, not the end of men, but it is a new day. Seize it and enjoy.

Do you really HAVE kids??

2010-07-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

Text from iphone to eBlooger... One of the primary benefits of being @home is this time with the kids. Swim lessons today, priceless!

Reminds me of a hotel advertisement, of all things, that hangs in my office.

"You don't really have kids,

you only borrow them for a few years."

Save like you have to UPDATE: courtesy NYTimes

2010-07-21T04:27:00.000-07:00

“One of the reasons that the re- covery has lost momentum is that high-end consumers have become more jittery and more cautious,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics. (NYTimes 7-17-10)

We were just talking about this! Everyone is showing signs of saving like they have to. Whether you need to or not, it's a good idea to run a tight ship and save like you have to because someday, you just might have to. Looks like some of these folks are feeling like they have to. I hope it's not too late!

Calculate your cash flow number (or update it), and then reduce the income number. Go through that list of expenses and figure out what can/will be cut.

"Practice like it's a game so the game will feel like practice" #quote

Practice saving like you have to because someday your game may come.

Have you changed any personal finance habits lately?

Communicate Fun: Tumblr is rockin' & growing!

2010-07-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Tumblr is now a TOP 50 site! No wonder, it's easy and very cool.

A great way to improve your family communication while decreasing the threat of the dreaded pop-in... The blog of our crew is above. Tumblr is growing, give it a shot! Anything better? How do you keep in touch?

Organizing: Reality Check

2010-07-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

There are so many awful economic numbers out there that don't seem to be getting any better... There are are lots people in trouble, let's hope not many are saying, "it's the other guy, not me." Pick a number, any number: 31% have NOT saved for retirement, average household has $8k credit card debt, 43% of families spend more than they make, by most accounts, 70% of American's live like the top 1%. So odds are that at least one of those really nice cars I saw on the road today must belong to one of our statistics, right? Do you know enough about your financial situation to know if that might be you?

We must clearly define your reality.

Take a close look. Look at every label and under every rock while you take take complete inventory of what you use and spend. Then look at what you can and cannot, or will not, live without. We all have our personal comfort zones, which should be tested but we do have our limits... I will tell you right now, I am not yet at the point where I will make my own toothpaste. You? But I am crazy with the coupons, that's a project I can manage. It fits who I am. There are so many ideas and suggestions out there for saving/managing our money, we can't possibly do them all. After you take that close look. What will change?

Prioritize and take action. (all you need is a spreadsheet with two columns. ( 1.- what we spend $ on/ 2.- negotiable or not?)

Once you have an accurate picture of your current reality, only then can you make lasting changes. Don't be another bad statistic.

Communicate FUN: Family Blog

2010-07-20T03:51:00.000-07:00

"Send pictures of the ba-by!" Which # request is the one that makes you blow a gasket?! The family blog has ended those requests entirely, which is good for the sanity of all those involved... A family blog is a great way, easy and flexible, to keep everyone updated with what's happening with your crew. The video feature on tumblr.com is fantastic! There are may easy ways to get one up and rolling.

How do you keep in touch with your family?

New Blog. SMART goals.

2010-07-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

I'm just getting started and I couldn't be more excited about the VALUE of my message yet I'm still poking around, talking, reading, listening and trying to learn about the best way to go about my business... There is so much great (and not so great) material out here, it is easy to get distracted, overwhelmed, and ultimately lost. So as I go through this process (I'm sure many of you can tell me how long I can expect it to last), I'm reminded of a few things but one struck me this morning... I must have goals. When we have goals, they must be SMART.

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time-bound

Seems like most people know that there must be goals in here somewhere but without the guidelines of the widely applicable SMART acronym, we can get distracted, overwhelmed, and ultimately lost... sounds familiar.

Set goals. Be smart.

How do you stay on track??

Save like you need to

2010-07-19T09:28:00.000-07:00

Foreclosure rates are up again in the first half of 2010, clearly, we are not out of our collective financial mess yet, even if the market is over 10,000. I wonder what percentage of this increase was due to poor budgeting, or planning, and a lack of self-control with credit and pursuit of the finer things... How much of this increase could have been prevented if only there was more attention to the details of the family balance sheet, and/or a greater focus on saving?

There is still plenty of job loss and tough situations that are difficult to overcome that I'm sure are represented in this increase and have little to do with a lack of discipline or responsibility. That should be reason enough for all of us to take some time to do a few things to make sure you be alright should the unexpected hit you!

They say the best time to look for a job is when you already have one. Maybe saving and strong budgeting and planning is best done when you really don't need to do it to make ends meet.

Take a few minutes to save like you have to. Look at your budget, your cash flow... What would you do differently if you or your spouse lost your job? What if certain variable expenses increased unexpectedly (heating, gas prices, insurance, etc) What would you do more or less of? Prioritize the things you could go without in the worst case scenario... then implement some of those withholdings on a trial basis, you might be surprised! BANG! You just saved a few extra bucks for those kids to get to college! When of course you are disciplined enough (as I know you are ;)) to save that money you just made.

I have gone through this exercise with my family (because we now have to and I wish I did this when I did NOT have to!) and we have some good new money habits. I have cut our grocery budget in half and everyone is a bit more aware of what we are spending and questioning whether or not its a good idea. The discussions about money with my two kids (both almost 10) have been outstanding. I can see how their feelings about money are being shaped as we speak. I hope we are doing a good job!

Save like you need to. Give it a shot because someday you might.

Numbers we know... The one we don't.

2010-05-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

There are many numbers in your life that you know off the top of your head. Your birthday, height, weight (I didn't say we had to necessarily like all the numbers), .406 (?), your anniversary (hopefully!), etc. But there is one number that we should know that most of us don't. Some don't know what it is, some don't know how to get, others have trouble calculating it, and some just don't want to know. Ignorance is bliss!

Cash Flow.

It's a critical number that we should all have a handle on. It can tell you about the present and it can also tell you something about your future. It will tell you if you are sinking or swimming today and it will tell you if you will be able so save a dollar tomorrow.

If your cash flow is positive, things could be going swimmingly at the moment and you should look to save those extra dollars. If your cash flow is negative, you will have to take those dollars from somewhere else to keep your head above water.

Defining your current reality is the first important step to getting your financial house in order. Your Cash Flow number is a good place to start. If you don't know where you are, you will not be able to figure out how to get to where you want to be. (unlike Google Maps, there isn't something free and easy that will tell your current location, or cash flow position, thus giving you a starting point from which to build a good plan!) (calling for directions, what's the first thing they ask you, "Ok, where are you coming from?", next time you call, answer, "I have no idea", see where that gets you!) We all have goals and ideas about where we want to be but without knowing where you are at the moment, you cannot begin to put a good plan together that will guide you that goal. Define your current reality. Know your cash flow number. (In it's simplest form your cash flow number is calculated as Income - Expenses (all of them! That is a trickier exercise that you first think.)

Once you see that number for your household, the wheels start to turn. That's what happened to me. "WHAT?!?" I went through the 7 stages of grief in a weekend and then decided to get to work on Monday morning. I needed to find ways to save money every day to help our family reach our goals!! DailySaving. That's what this blog is about.

I commit to finding and sharing very good, practical, and simple ways to save on a daily basis. There is a lot great information out there, so how do we choose where to start or what to do?

The best plan is the implemented plan. Let's move forward! I hope you will join me and help us all identify and get better at improving our numbers.

Getting Started @ home

2009-11-20T13:38:00.001-08:00

Monday morning. I wake up and do not have an office to go to, no voicemail or email to check. I am officially a fish out of water but I can't sit still. My wife just got a great new job and the kids need to get to school. There is work that needs to be done. Let's get to it!

The first thing I need to after the kids leave for school is to go through everything that we have here and take inventory. I need to take time to see what we've got and make a broad list of anything and everything that I don't understand or that could use some improvement.

- Is the "house in order"? Physically and Financially. What needs work?
- what do we, don't we have streamlined? How about online accounts, passwords?
- Insurance. I think I might actually give the gecco a call!
- I've heard a lot about those 529's and we have two kids that are only 10 years away from college. OH MY!!
- What are those things that we've been talking about for a while, what are the "nice to do's"? We've been so busy working on the "need to do's."
- Those family photos have been piling up, I need to get those files cleaned up! What's the best way to do that?
- OK, my wife is at work, I just realized that all the leadership skills in the world aren't going to feed my kids. I need to get my act together in the kitchen.
- Before I can do that, I need food to work with, right? We need a shopping plan!
- The family income has been downsized, we will need to downsize the other side of the balance sheet too. Actually looking forward to that assignment.

I'm sure there is more to add to the list but this transition is overwhelming enough. I'll start with this list!