Tax Time

Confession time: I have never done my own taxes. My dad always does them. I am a self professed terrible math person who makes the most basic errors all the time. This year I decided to give it a try. H&R Block online was recommended by friends and FREE! so why not? Worst case scenario I quit and go in to the office right? So armed with our 7 W-2s and other various numbered forms I sat down for a long process.
I started out timidly, anxiously double checking each figure I entered. After the 5th W-2 (thanks to my job loving husband) I was feeling more confident. H&R walked me through each step and explained everything. So easy! Even paid the extra to file my state. So BOOM! taxes are done! I feel like a superhero! Or at least a grownup. My money resolution is really starting to come together.

My two cents on travel

Money Monday

Late again...crazy week! I had a trip to Houston, a surprise family reunion Monday and Tuesday, and now I'm on my way to San Antonio. This brings me to my topic: saving money while traveling. 

1st: Buy supplies before going

I have a notorious habit of snacking while on the road. All those little gas station stops add up. A quick trip to the store before leaving stops that habit in its tracks. Not only is it cheaper (yay coupons!) but it's also healthier. Here's my snack mix for this trip:

Nutragrain bars

Oatmeal packets

Applesauce squeezies (can you tell breakfast is my favorite meal?)

Jerky

Coconut water

2nd: Budget

This is my weak spot. Especially on trips. This weekend for example we went to my friend's baby shower (yay Penny!)

I want to buy this sweet family so much cute baby stuff. Luckily I enlisted help from my other friends and Terry to keep me on my toes. I made sure to ask them if it was a wise purchase. 9 out of 10 times it wasn't. 

3. Credit card rewards

Terry has a rewards card we use only for travel. It keeps me in the budget (hello limits!), and it gives us points for rewards on future trips. Our card of choice is the Disney card by Chase because Disney is our favorite place ever. 

These are my tricks to make travel cheaper and thus allow for more travel. Where are your favorite places to go? How to you budget to get there? 

Money Monday College Edition

Let's talk college. If you are like Terry and I, college loans are just a part of life. I am forever grateful for my degree and wouldn't have my career without it. I consider it an investment. It also brought me my husband and my best friends. But I sure would love some help paying for all that. This is where upromise comes in. Upromise by Sallie Mae applies a percentage of your shopping to pay down your loans. You can also apply a percentage to future loans. It's customizable and there are so many ways to save. 

1. Register your credit cards, debit cards, and some gift cards to get a percentage off your purchases.

2. Shop online through the upromise site. Not only do your get your percentage, but there are good deals and coupons.

3. Register your loyalty reward cards: CVS, Brookshires, and Kroger are my main cards.

4. Download the app. The app will show you local restaurants that participate. 

5. Invite your friends and family. Grandparents or any other awesome person in your life can link to your account and give your their points. 

If you have a loan through Sallie Mae, or would like an easy start to a college fund for your little one, I would highly suggest upromise. 

Nexercise!

Fitness Friday

Yay! An on time Bloggity! This week's Fitness Friday is about my favorite fitness app Nexercise! This app is free in the iTunes store. If you want to get healthy, go get it now. I'll wait...

So cool feature #1: You get points for exercising. These points can be used to get gift cards and now they've added donations. I only need 10,000 points to make a donation to the American Cancer Society or get an iTunes gift card. 

Cool feature #2: Your friends can join you and exercise together or compete. I love the flash fit mob.

Cool feature #3: It has a huge list of exercises so even I can't get bored. All it takes is 2 minutes of movement. That's a commercial, an elevator ride, waiting in line at the grocery store. And it really adds up. 

Cool feature #4: It tracks you while you're moving or you can log afterwards. It tracks distance and in some instances heart rate.

Cool feature #5: It connects with your music, Facebook, and twitter. 

For someone who is beginning my fitness journey, it's convenient and fun. For Terry, who is a more experienced fitness person, it's convenient and fun. And for free, what could it hurt. Join me next Friday for calorie tracking 101.