Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Saving $$$

I'm on a saving kick.  If we ever want to get out of our townhouse and into a single family home, we need to save for a decent down payment.   Don't get me wrong, I really like our townhouse, but we already need more space.  I'm also sick of dealing with people who insist on parking in our spots.  Jerks.

So, in the spirit of saving money, we traded in both of our cars and bought one car.  To make a long story short, K has a company car, so he really has little need for a car of his own.  My car had a ton of miles on it because of my ridiculous commute to college (50 miles each way - twice a week for 2 years.  Barf).  Downsizing to one car reduced our monthly car payment and our insurance.  It feels good to save... but it feels even better to drive a new car!  I like new things.  Especially when they save us money.

Source
We ended up with a 2011 Nissan Rogue.  I've always loved this SUV, ever since my BFF in Florida bought one 3 years ago.  It has a lot of room, but it's a crossover, so it rides like a car and it's not quite as large.  Bonus: Nissan is running a 0% financing promotion right now.  That's the main reason we went with this SUV, as opposed to the Hyundai Tucson, which I also really liked.  You can't beat 0% !  Sorry, Hyundai.

In the spirit of saving and spending wisely, I've also signed up with Mint.   Mint monitors your spending and budgeting through your online banking and credit card accounts.  It also keeps track of your loans and retirement accounts.  Mint will use your account information to tell you when you've exceeded your budget, when your bills are due, and how to meet your financial goals.  It's free and easy to use.  I swear I'm not being paid to endorse Mint, I just really like it.  Although, if Mint wants to throw a check my way, I'm not going to say no.

Have you guys ever used a website or program like Mint to monitor your spending habits?  It's pretty eye opening!  For one, we spend WAY too much money on food.  We need to stop buying lunches and being lazy about dinner.  My waistline would appreciate the effort as well.
Posted by Christina at 12:07 AM

7 comments:

  1. steph cJanuary 26, 2011 at 8:57 AM

    We're looking into getting a new SUV, and the Rogue and Tucson are actually two of our top choices! Hearing that you really like the Rogue is encouraging.. I'm not quite "sold" on it yet, but also haven't given it a test drive.. or much else really. Point is: hooray for 0% financing and new cars!

    I used to use Mint but got out of the habit of checking it.. I really should get back on that!

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 26, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    I am definitely going to check out Mint! DH and I are going to give up eating out for lent. And hopefully carry that throughout the year in an effort to get in shape, stay in shape, and save (a lot) of $$ along the way.

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  3. JessicaJanuary 26, 2011 at 9:16 AM

    AAHHH!! When I saw your FB pic, I couldn't tell if it was a Murano or a Rogue, I love it!

    Now it's settled, I must have one. Car twins for the win.

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  4. JillianJanuary 26, 2011 at 9:57 AM

    I am in the market for a new car now that baby is on the way... can't wait to find one!!!

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  5. MariaJanuary 26, 2011 at 11:25 AM

    Everyone I know who's gotten a Rogue has LOVED it so I'm sure you're gonna have fun driving your new ride :D I've heard great things about Mint but like Steph says, it makes it one more thing I gotta check :P so we'll see. Yay for new car!

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  6. BigAppleNoshJanuary 26, 2011 at 9:15 PM

    Yay, congrats on your new car!

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  7. AnonymousJanuary 30, 2011 at 3:49 PM

    I love the car! I have a Nissan Murano and love it...the Rogue is very similar. Also, we use Mint to keep track of our spendings and it helps a lot!

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