money school: forward filing

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file this under the top of your to-do list! this file folder system was taken from this book. i think it is a huge MUST for every family to do this together so that everyone is on the same page. if you don't have kids just omit #11. this filing process keeps all of your important documents safe and sound and nicely organized. this makes finding things and tracking your finances ten times easier. also, God forbid that something happens to you, this system will serve as a road map for your friends and family.

1. tax returns

-have 8 folders, 1 for the last 8 years

-include w2s, 1099s, and your tax returns in each folder

2. retirement accounts

-ira and 401k statements (have ind. folders for each)

3. social security statements

-email ssa.gov to receive them if you don't have them

4. investment accounts

-mutual funds, brokerage accounts, individual stocks (have ind. folders for each)

5. savings + checking

-monthly statements for each account (have ind. folders for each account)

6. household accounts

-house title

-home improvements: keep receipts here for home improvements because they can be added to the cost basis of your house when you sell it

-home mortgage: check your statements monthly to ensure that they are accurate. mistakes happen often.

7. credit card DEBT

keep debt in all caps to drive you crazy. make a folder for each card.

8. other liabilities

-college loans, car loans, personal loans, etc (have ind. folders for each)

9. insurance

-health, life, car, homeowners, long term care, disability (have ind. folders for each)

10. family will or trust

-copy of will or trust along with the business card of the attorney who set it up

11. children's accounts

-college savings, investments on child's behalf (have ind. folders for each)

12. finishrich planner

-you'll need the book for this!

don't fear the internet

scared of html?

want to learn how to make your website prettier?

jessica hische, genius illustrator and mastermind behind should i work for free has joined forces with Russ Maschmeyer to teach everyone not to fear the internet. easy to understand videos walk you through basic html as well as programming.

thanks to danni from oh, hello friend for the heads up.

in real life: this past weekend

-we brunched here. i get the omelette and delicately drench it with the supplied melted butter.-we met justin and karen's darling amelia. full head of spikey hair. favorite.-we had christy and erik over for kabobs (summer must include kabobs) and frozen pink cheesecake.
fourth of july weekend will be here before we know it. got any plans?we have a baby "party" (see above) and will probably do something that involves a grill.

recipe: pink cheesecake

i have been dreaming of making this cheesecake ever since i first laid eyes on it. this perfect summer cake is the genius creation of one of my favorite blogs, green kitchen stories. it is the perfect amount of sweet with only natural sweeteners (the recipe calls for honey, but i was out so i substituted it for maple syrup). it tastes like strawberry sorbet lounging on the perfect crust. the filling would also work perfectly for popsicles.

i made this for dessert saturday night. a pregnant lady was in attendance. i figured she would be appreciate it.

for those of you looking for a healthy dessert, look no further.

this week's intention: be creative

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just a couple of things i've pinned recently to my "make" board.i've been in a creative rut, so what better intention to have right? when i'm feeling anxious and yucky creating something is the best medicine. no time to be down. my goal (er intention) for this week is to make something for a friend, make something for matilda, and attempt to make something for our home. looking forward to being crafty for absolutely no reason.
also, this thought for the week:
"i shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision i had in childhood and try at least for a little while, to be, in the words of lewis carroll, the 'child of the pure unclouded brow, and dreaming eyes of wonder.' "-clyde kilby's resolutions taken from here.
anything on your "to make" list?

hearted: lilac nails

spotted on nicole richie, cupcakes and cashmere, cup of jo, and my ever-with-it sister.

happy friday!

money school: what is a roth ira?

enchantment under the sea coin purse by kate spade

a roth ira's (individual retirement account) main advantage is that instead of giving a tax break upfront, you won't get taxed on the money once you begin to withdraw it during retirement. this is awesome because the money will already be taxed and once it starts growing interest and you're ready to use that money it is all yours. roth iras make a great supplement to a 401k.

most accounts will not allow you to contribute more than $5000 a year if you are under 50, that's around $417 a month. your annual income must exceed $5000 in order to contribute that much. (here's hoping, right?)

a roth ira may contain investments in the following:

real estate (gonna pass on this right now)

mutual funds

stocks and bonds

securities

certificates of deposit

notes

we will go through each of these types of investments and what they mean in the next few weeks. for now... set up that roth ira! each day that goes by that you aren't saving costs you big time in the long run. any great experiences or recommendations when it comes to roth iras?

in real life: the crib

my girl. these images will help calm and nurture me through the abundance of FREAK OUTs we've been experiencing with our little 2.75 year old.

i had intended on leaving this post as just this simple: "here are two pictures of my adorable child" post. just couldn't do it i guess. i have been struggling. quarter-life crisis? wait, i may be too old for that now. crap. i mentioned on twitter that i was having a "what color is your parachute?" type of day yesterday. i just feel so worthless sometimes. like i'm not really great at anything. not looking for pity or flattery, just keeping it real. why can't i just be satisfied to be a part-time working mama? whenever i can feel myself striving this happens. a big wake up call from God telling me i can't do everything on my own. totally not living in the now. being challenged in that area BIG time.

sometimes i can't wait to have some me time (aka naptime) and then once it comes i feel so. lonely. is this normal? also, been wondering why i put so much energy in to this blog. sometimes it just seems silly. that's all, but then i get an awesome email from someone telling me they want to change their lifestyle and that makes me happy.

sorry for the rambling/complaining.

rebuilding your temple: week twelve

1./2.

movie- sugar: the bitter truth (part 2)

to be honest with you this movie was a bit over my head. this guy is a genius, but so much of the info was science related and i need for things to be simple. i tried to "dumb it down" for myself and hope that you can learn from the info too.

a few things about fructose and how it works:

fructose does not suppress the hunger hormone (leptin). this in turn causes people to eat and eat and eat, but never feel full...that is until your stomach hits capacity (read food coma). fructose also slows insulin production, which can further lower leptin levels and over time can result in a metabolic syndrome. metabolic syndrome results in: obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular problems. fructose consumption increases production of uric acid, which raises the risk of gout. we have a hypertension epidemic because of fructose.

about gatorade: gatorade originally tasted very unsavory. then gatorade was purchased by pepsi in 1992. they added high fructose corn syrup to make it sell. then they came out with gatorade am. shudder. it's totally targeted towards kids to gain a part of the gatorade market share. no athletes are drinking this.

exercise is important to obesity because it improves skeletal/muscle insulin sensitivity, it's the single thing that reduces stress, and burns off unhealthy things that turn in to fat.

fyi did you know that eating a paleo diet can cure type 2 diabetes in a week? WOW.

i know that a lot of you have probably seen supersize me, but isn't it alarming that mcdonald's meat and even mustard have high fructose corn syrup in them?!

i ate really bad last week and felt it in my energy level immediately. the great thing is that it can be undone quickly. just eating lots of fruits and vegetables today has made me feel so much better!

this week's intention: NOW

1./2./3./4.
"when you are present, you can allow the mind to be as it is without getting entangled in it. the mind in itself is a wonderful tool. dysfunction sets in when you seek your self in it and mistake it for who you are"- power of now
this week's intention is inspired by this book. i've been reading it every morning and learning more and more about how to train my mind to live in the present. i have to constantly remind myself not to be in waiting mode or to dwell on things of the past. even though this is something i've been working on for years, i want it to be the sole focus of this week. i've caught myself being super negative the last few days. crankosaurus really. i don't want to miss out on the beauty of thunderstorms or my daughter's sweet voice because i'm preoccupied with feeling sorry for myself or worrying about things i have no control over.
the other day at book club (i'm a terrible member and have failed to read one book, but this was the book of choice) i felt completely present and so happy. it felt so good to be surrounded by fun girl friends and to be able to gab and gorge on jennifer's amazing spread of appetizers. specifically we were sitting on jen's back porch, which i've always loved. there are strewn lights everywhere and vines and lots of places to sit. the girls were taking turns reading their favorite parts of the book and i caught myself being totally and utterly present. it felt so magical to just be in the moment and not in my head.
when i'm practicing living in the present sometimes blasting this in the background helps.

june 13+ in review

images top to bottom: 1/2/3

this week's intention taught me my new favorite thing: downloading. so simple, yet totally effective for getting things done and keeping me from being stressed. i'm really excited about next week's intention even though it's a tough one for me.

we talked about sugar and how it's not always your friend. that being said i do think it's important to eat clean 80-90% of the time, that way when you do have sugar you can really see how it affects you. i love icecream, so i eat it once or twice a week. i just eat this kind.

happy father's day to all of you dads out there! i'm incredibly lucky to have a wonderful father who has taught me so much. looking forward to celebrating him and sam who is just the best dad to matilda. i also have two wonderful grandfathers, so cheers to the men! read about what every father should teach there children here.

i've been enjoying my running so much. i need some new jam recommendations. my favorite pandora stations right now are justin timberlake and fergie ferg.

have a great weekend!

money school: nine things a father should teach

4. Those who believe in personal responsibility control their own destiny.
5. Slow down — life is a marathon, not a sprint.
6. Violating the natural order of life can be costly.
7. The harder you work, the luckier you’ll get.
8. You won’t be young forever, so take advantage of youth while you can.
9. Always strive to spend less than you earn.

in lieu of father's day this sunday i wanted to share this great list from len penzo. i can't decide which one is my favorite. probably #1 or #7. hop on over to his site to read more.

i also wanted to pass along this inspiring post lindsay shared with me about living in "dutchie" for a year with her new husband to pay off their debt. i love that they decorated their new home and owned it. they paid off all of their debt and in turn have an incredible story.

would love to hear other stories like this. either comment below or email me!

in real life: the playground

we were able to squeeze in some park time before sam's show on friday. matilda was especially excited about "playing soccer." please don't judge us that we have an almost 3 year old drinking out of a bottle. her cups were dirty. ok?

overheard on the playground by an 8 year old to a 6 year old:

8: "did you tap that?"

6: "yea. i did a little tap tap and a squeeze sqeeze."

8: "did you see nicole in her bikini?! i was like doiiing!"

i'm terrified.

rebuilding your temple: week eleven

clockwise from top left: 1/2/3/4

movie - sugar: the bitter truth

i realize that trash talking sugar in the blogosphere may not be cool. however, you will look and feel a million times better if you scale back on it. that's reason enough to keep reading right?!

we all weigh 25 more lbs than we did 25 years ago. we are all eating more. why? because our leptin is no longer working because we're eating so many carbohydrates. specifically fructose. beverages are one of the biggest culprits. that's right. put down the coke, juice, sweet tea. one soda a day= 15.5 lbs of fat per year.

coca-cola conspiracy- ingredients: caffeine, salt. caffeine makes you pee and salt makes you thirsty. pee more drink more. then add the sugar... highly addictive.

high fructose corn syrup is one part glucose + one part fructose. high fructose is sweeter than sugar and is used in higher doses. it's used because it's CHEAPER. check out this bs: sweet surprise. fructose is a poison.

a little history lesson:

richard nixon had food taken off of the political table to get better ratings. the way to do this was to decrease the price of food. then high fructose corn syrup was invented in 1965 by the japanese, introduced to us in 1975. it was half the price of sugar. it's so cheap it has found its way in to everything from hamburger buns (i'm looking at you mcdonalds) to infant formula. we are now consuming 141 pounds of sugar a year.

we were told to stop consuming fat to lower our risk of heart disease. this did not work, it's actually on the rise. we are still consuming boat loads of sugar.

1972: pure, white, and deadly discusses how dangerous sugar is

q. what do the atkins diet (high protein/low carb) and the japanese diet (high carb/low protein) have in common? they both work...why?

a. they both eliminate the sugar fructose

from paul's notes:

"not all sugar is created equal. a calorie from glucose, such as potato or bread, is vastly different from a calorie from sugar (which is a 50/50 mix of glucose and fructose, or in the case of high fructose corn syrup, a 45/55 mix). this is because they are metabolized differently, and hence they affect the body in different ways. fructose (whether from regular sugar of HFCS) is metabolized primarily by your liver, whereas glucose is metabolized in every cell of your body. making matters worse, when you consume fructose in liquid form, such as soda, the effect is not only sped up but also magnified. your liver converts the majority of this fructose in to FAT."

homework: keep your sugar intake below 25g a day. i've talked about my fitness pal before, but this is a great tool to keep track. this will drastically reduce your risk for cancer, disease, obesity, diabetes, and alzheimers.

scripture: proverbs 25:27

this week's intention: "the challenge"

motivational images from here.

how was your weekend? we had some neighbor porch time and we were able to go to church on pentecost which is pretty cool because that's where the whole church thing began. we attempted to make it through matilda's second ever movie in the theater. we came armed with raisins to go see kung fu panda 2. we made it through most of it...:/

edit for claire: "I wish you'd told the whole story of Matilda in the theater cause I laughed about it all afternoon, seriously. HA!"

we decided half way through the movie that matilda could no longer keep shoveling raisins in to her mouth, so being the responsible parents that we are, we got some popcorn. everyone was enjoying said popcorn and then matilda had enough. she did not want to share. "that's TILDE's" then she began screaming hysterically and sam took her out. they didn't come back so i knew we'd lost the battle.

i wanted to start a new series that will kick off each monday to sort of inspire the week. i plan on setting an intention and then focusing on that each day.

my first intention is inspired by lara casey who is the publisher and editor-in-chief of southern weddings magazine, among a host of other talents. she put together a really motivating week/month/year long challenge (depending on how fast you plow through it). you can feel her drive and passion through each challenge and as i was scanning through it i thought it would be something i could really use right now.

i've been in self-discovery mode. at heart i'm an entrepreneur. that being said, even with working a wonderful part-time job and being full-time wife+mom, my heart still longs to "own" something. do something that is just mine. i'm trying to channel what that is and make it work in my life.

part of seeing things clearly means getting rid of clutter (figuratively + literally). i'm working to tidy up my thoughts and to home in on what makes me happy.

feel free to join right along!

ps i revamped homemade grits, so if you're in your reader... ch-ch-check it out.

coming up with $600 a month

chalk piggy bank found here.

on my last post i shared with you that we need to be putting away an extra $600 in to our loan principle each month.

just a few things we've done to find that magical number:

called comcast and threatened to leave because of the high cost. payment dropped from $100 for internet/cable to $70 savings=$30

fine tuned our phone bill with att. i was going over on my texts each month (oops!) resulting in $20+ in fees. we are paying $5 a month more for texts and lowered our minutes. savings=$40

we were paying $100 a year for xbox live to stream our instant netflix. little did i know that xbox is the only gaming console that requires a subscription service. we're thinking about getting apple tv which is a ONE time price and then free after that. future savings=$100 a year

packing our lunches every day we work and making our own coffee. savings=$100+

we automatically withdraw $50 a week in to savings. savings=$200

total savings a month with minor changes= $380

we also have a way 2 save account which fluctuates based on how much we use our debit cards.

i just ordered dave ramsey's total money makeover and smart couples finish rich per your suggestions. i used my reward points to pay for them. we're trying to make our credit card work for us. we have a gold card with american express and we put all of our mandatory bills on there so that we automatically get points for things we would be paying for regardless. the trick is just making sure to pay them off every month.

are you liking these money school posts?

interest only

when sam and i bought our first (and current) house we were wide-eyed, naive newlyweds. we loved the street, the idea of a renaissance movement in my hometown, easy access to the highway and the square. we loved the people that we met when we were shopping the neighborhood. there was so much history and charm.

all of these reasons still hold true for us. we could not ask for better neighbors, we even went on vacation with 2 of them! we brought matilda home from the hospital to this house, we've experienced major loss in this house, we've had hundreds of happy moments in this house. we wouldn't change what this street has meant to us for anything.

we bought at the top of the market in 2006. months in to living on our street the builder went bankrupt, we lost several neighbors to the recession, and we were stuck.

like so many other people in our same situation we fully financed with an 80/20 interest only loan. truth be told we couldn't have afforded the house otherwise at the time and we thought for sure that we would only be here for a few years (read: tiny bungalow). we are already approaching the 5 year adjustable mark for one of the loans. learn from our mistake, just say NO to interest only loans. what can we say other than it seemed like a good idea at the time. we are not alone, all of our neighbors were urged to purchase their homes the same way.

BUT there is hope. i hope.

sam went and met with a financial advisor yesterday who told him three important things:

1. that we should stop putting money in to our savings (we set up an automatic weekly withdrawal which would still be helpful in putting that money aside) and put it towards the principle. we were given the goal of $600 a month. egads, but what doing this does is it allows us to chip away at our loan and ultimately lower our interest that we're paying each month in the process.

2. to raise the percentage in sam's 401k from 10% to 15%. sam's company matches a percentage of his 401k and that's free money folks.

3. we should not take a loss and come to the table with the difference at closing. say we are upside down 50,000 (optimistic) and we paid the difference, in doing so we are ultimately sacrificing millions in the long run of what that money could be doing for us in stocks and/or savings. compounded interest is a serious thing. take this simple math for instance:

this example is from green arrow investments:

"So what exactly is compound interest? Say you have $100. You put that money in a bank that promises you a 5% annual return. After one year you will have $105 ($100 plus the $5 interest). The next year you will once again receive 5% return. However, now that your account has grown by $5, you will be getting 5% return on $105. At the end of the second year you will have $110.25 ($105 plus $5.25 interest). You have gained an additional $0.25 in added interest from the previous year."

so that's the plan. to pay off this loan until we can break even. our hope is that in the next few years the value will rise and we can keep our shirts.

run.

found here

i'm on my second week of training for a 5k. this has been incredibly helpful. if you don't have a smart phone, my beautiful friend jodi recommended this program. for as long as i can remember i have always admired runners, been in awe of their discipline (so many people running in the mornings at the beach), and obviously impressed with their hot bods. i don't know what has kept me from trying to be a runner other than fear. my face gets bright red when i exercise and redheads are known to faint easily, but darnit i've been running in the late evening heat and although i've felt like i might puke i've kept going. each day has gotten easier and every day is different. sometimes i take guinness with me which results in pulling him away from stray cats, running in place if he has "to go." yesterday i ran while every neighbor on my street had their sprinkler on. it was exhilarating.

i know i've been talking a lot about goals and i think it's because i feel like i've woken up from this heavy fog and i just want to make life amazing. i hope that you too will challenge yourself to push beyond the status humho of the everyday. i've been reading two books in the morning that are also helping to quiet my inner critic. the first being recommended by the lovely osayi, the power of now talks about not letting the past dictate and rob you of your future. i'm learning to not focus on "the thinker," secondly i read a chapter every morning of taste and see to reaffirm with scripture the beauty of each day and the power of our awesome God. i wake up at the crack of dawn and drink my coffee while i'm reading outside. it's a little piece of bliss.

i wanted to take a second to thank everyone who commented on this post yesterday. it pained me to read about some of the financial struggles that you guys have gone through but i'm so proud of the steps of action that you are taking towards financial freedom. i wish each and everyone of you many years of "sand-between-your-toes."

money matters...

i've been thinking a lot about the future lately and where i see us in 10, 15 years and pondering more and more on how to achieve our goals. money is such a dirty little word. it's complicated. no one really talks about it. we all have debt of some kind wether it's credit card debt (i just had to have that bag that i'm still paying for 2 years later) or you're upside down on your house (party of 3). where to even begin on dragging ourselves out of the financial pit?

we recently opened an account with mint.com which i think is an amazing (and FREE) way to chart all of your statements in one place, as well as set up budgets and goals and to get a realistic view of what you're "worth." clearly i think we are all so much more valuable than some number that sums up our spot on the food chain, but it's important to not be tuned out either. speaking of tuned out, i have definitely taken more of the "ignorance is bliss" role in our marriage when it comes to money matters. i think that sam has been carrying this heavy load without me for six years and that really is SO not fair.



i've been working on learning more about finances. holy tomato roth ira. i am so clueless. we watched a little of suze ormon's money class and i like how she makes these foreign concepts easier to understand. according to suze a roth ira is the best place to save for retirement unless your company matches a percentage of your 401k. we have also been thinking already about saving for matilda's college. you can check out this website for more info, but suze recommends a 529 and to make the savings account under your name and not your child's.

just a few things i thought were interesting. i want to share things that i learn and hope that you'll share with me. would love to hear about any books that you found to be helpful when it comes to managing your money as well as tricks and tips for saving. what works for you?

second image: dollar redesign project

vacation detox

after eating things like red velvet donuts, gelato every day, best bbq nachos on earth, and stuffing my face with sushi and this beer i knew i'd have to whip my butt in shape when we got home. nothing like wearing next to nothing to also motivate!

five day plan:

tuesday-

breakfast:

sprouted grain english muffin with peanut butter and strawberry preserves

lunch:

veggie 6" sub from subway (only because we were traveling, i wouldn't normally do bread twice in one day)

dinner:

amazing salmon patties from whole foods with grilled veggie kabobs over spinach

started my couch to 5k program with this app plus abs

finished under my calorie goal thanks to my fitness pal.

wednesday-

breakfast:

plain cabot greek yogurt (there are 18g of protein per serving!) with strawberries and blackberry preserves, sprinkled with cinnamon

lunch:

leftover salmon patties and veggies over spinach with a cup of butternut squash soup (thanks katie!)

dinner:

deli meat and chesire cheese with rasberries

restorative yoga with my mama. got the schedule mixed up and we ended up at a meditation class. no yoga, great story.

light yoga plus abs

thursday-

breakfast:

yogurt breakfast again

lunch:

romaine hearts filled with deli meat, sliced raw cheese, spicy mustard

snack:

raw cashews

dinner:

taco salad

2nd day c25k

friday-

breakfast:

fried egg and turkey bacon

lunch:

one romaine+turkey "sandwich" and mixed greens with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes (i like soy ginger dressing)

dinner:

bbq chicken with broccoli and mixed greens

yoga after dark

saturday-

breakfast:

scrambled eggs with turkey bacon and english muffin with raw butter

lunch:

leftover grilled chicken over greens

dinner:

veggie plate

3rd day c25k

snacks usually consist of nuts (raw) with the occasional cacao bar broken into quarters.

after eating well for the past 10 months, with detox my body is now able to re-rev its metabolism. pretty dang cool.

holiday weekend

this past weekend sam turned the big 3-0 which just so happened to coincide with jessie's 30th birthday surprise from her awesome husband travis (a week at the beach + a long weekend with friends). who could say no to that?

we spent three glorious days on the gulf coast which began with a hilarious night in PCB. who knew it could be so bad. you grow up sort of laughing about panama city, but experiencing it first hand was a completely different story. johnny cash cover band at the holiday inn? done.

the rest of the weekend we holed up in an incredible house at seacrest beach with such fun people. we ate a ton of incredibly yummy food (i gained a lb per day we were there), danced to gaga, laughed about shannon's "deepy" belly button, and spent sam's birthday at an outdoor concert in seaside. such great memories.

after an incredible adults-only weekend retreat we headed home to see this little angel. i think she's mad at me for leaving her. it's been a really hard day. mother's guilt never dies.

ps what the freak is up with this?