Minty Fresh

Last summer, Jordan discovered a wonderful online tool called Mint.com. For those of you who haven't heard about it, it is a website that you link to your bank account, credit cards, school loans, savings accounts, 401k's, and any other financial "stuff" you might have going on (it is super safe and secure, otherwise Jordan would have never opened and account). This tool tracks the money coming in and out of your life. It then catagorizes what you are spending into groups that you select, i.e. food/dining, rent/mortgage, shopping, entertainment, car payment, car insurance, phone bills, etc, etc, etc...

This last summer we signed up. We didn't initially create a budget because we were honestly not sure how much we were spending each month and what exactly we were spending it on. Well, after that first month we were horribly aware of where our money was going, and how much of it was doing just that.....GOING! We sat down and looked at the areas that we could cut back. Jordan and I have always tried to live pretty simply. We don't have a new car, so we don't have a huge car payment (which we paid off last November!!), we don't have the biggest phone plan, we have the smallest cable package available, so there weren't a lot to save. The one area that surprised us the most and the area that we could effect the most was Food and Dining. It was shocking how much we spent on going out to eat as well as on groceries. In the next few weeks I'm going to go over some of the ways I have cut back because I have a feeling this is where many of us struggle. I have recently read that for most Americans the food bill is the second highest to our rent/mortgage!!

Anyways, I'm sharing this to encourage those of you who are trying to be a little more frugal and aware of your financial situation to check out this website and USE IT! It's a great way of holding yourself accountable to what you are spending every month. For some of you, you might be sickened by the percentage of your paycheck going to Starbucks and that maybe you should buy a travel mug and brew a pot of coffee at home once in a while, for others, you might find that you stop for lunch and few too many times each week and should pack a lunch a little more often. You might realize how much you are paying in credit cards fees/apr's and you need to get on the phone with your credit card companies and see if they can do anything about it? For some, you may see that little spot on the bottom of the page that gives your net worth....and it's not pretty. Some of you may realize that with a few cut backs, you could be putting some money away for a tropical vacation. Hopefully a few of you realize you have some room in your budget to send me a big fatty check :)...j/k, I wanted to see if you were still paying attention! Anyway....

Whatever it is that may surprise you the most, I think the first step to being financially responsible is being financially aware.