While organizing my text files this afternoon, I stumbled upon a batch of tips and tricks that got lost in the shuffle. Here are some clever ideas submitted by your fellow Get Rich Slowly readers:
Russell Heimlich wrote to share his method for organizing bank statements. He uses a three-ring binder, a stapler, and a hole-punch. I really like this method — it reminds me how we handle the finances at work. It’s a vast improvement over my system, which literally involves a series of shoeboxes.
Siri wrote to share John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s contract with his 14-year-old son for a weekly allowance. This document — from 1920 — is interesting because it shows the method a very, very rich man used to teach his offspring about money. His son was expected to:
- Save
- Contribute to charity
- Keep a record of accounts
- Be open and honest about purchases
Finally, Shabbir wrote to share a self-budgeting trick he’s developed: he uses Starbucks gift cards to budget spending on coffee. I think this is a rather clever idea. Take that, Latté Factor!
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I just started doing this with my own Starbucks card. I learned to do this from my son-in-law (who also has a Starbucks obsession).
When the card is empty (so to speak), I don’t let myself stop at Starbucks again until I can add money to it again the next month.
Unless another family member will take pity on me and purchase another pumpkin spice latte (which doesn’t happen often).
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As for the JDR contract, $1.50 in 1920 is worth about $17 in current dollars. Not actually a huge budget, if it does, in fact, cover clothing and the like for a wealthy kid. (And there were no cheap imports back then.)
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The 3-ring binder file is a total winner. I have six, which get cleaned out after tax time for each new year.
Much of what comes out in April gets shredded, and the important stuff gets filed, but because we’re all struggling with paper, what’s actually “important” at the end of the year fits in one slim file.
Some things stay, of course; maintenance records in the “car” file, original lease in the “house” file, current insurance documents, etc. That’s another plus; once filed, I never lose anything.
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I am wrestling with monthly grocery budgeting. I would love to be able to have a pre-loaded VISA debit card, but I can’t find one that is either low or no cost…any ideas? (I know about Dave Ramsey’s envelope system and will use that if I can’t find cheap/low cost pre-loaded VISA.)Thanks.
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A three ring binder would work, but now most banks will deliver your statements electronically, just save in a file on your computer. Saves on storage space and is good for the environment. A lifetime of statements can be on one disk or flash drive.
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The Starbucks card is a great idea (we use a Second Cup card here in Canuckistan, and it’s purely for coffee and tea when we’re roaming around at night and on weekends). I have used the same trick for music in the past, with an iTunes card budget.
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Now I thought I invented that Starbucks gift card idea! I talked about that one a few weeks ago on my show.
Even better is when you can get people to send you $5 Starbucks gift cards for blogging about them. Free coffee for a little blog love.
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RE: the Starbucks card
I too had a Starbucks obsession, until I became lactose intolerant, that is. Then soy intolerant. Before that, I felt I could only drink coffee if it was rich and creamy. After? Well, I got tired of paying $1.80 for something I could produce myself for half the price.
I bought a grinder and some coffee beans. I experimented with the type of grind I liked, the type of bean I liked, got used to adding only a small amount of sugar….well, you get the picture. Now I can get coffee whenever I want, take it wherever I want, all for minimum cost…..and I’m saving calories for all those fat-filled, sweetened drinks. Not preaching or anything, cuz I would still be sucking down the Starbucks premium stuff if I could!
One of my favorite places to get beans is coffeefool.com. The prices range from $30+ for a bag of Kona beans to $10 for the blends. You can also buy ground and/or flavored coffees if you like. Every time I’ve ordered, I’ve received my package within two to three days, and that’s by regular mail. You can get it faster by paying for second day shipping. The best part? Once you become a regular customer, you start getting significant discounts! Let’s just say that I recently indulged myself in a pricey Kona because of that discount.
So how about this for a saving tip? Put that $50/month (and I believe that was *per* person in the household!) toward a good coffeemaker, a good grinder, good beans, and save the card for the occasional indulgence (Out with friends? Treat ‘em! Want that holiday drink? Treat yourself!).
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I use quickbook and turbo tax to help keep me on track. And because of my great record keeping I have been able to track that I earn $600 a month in interest each month. Even with the recent tax cuts and the poor economic condition $600 in interest isn’t bad. When the markets recover I hope to report a increase.
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