I need your help with an experiment!!

Good Evening!
Over the last couple of weeks Jody and I have been doing an experiment to see if we can save money on having our kids bring homemade lunches.  The girls had been having school lunch for the past 3-4 months and it's been very nice because we don't have to shop for lunch food or make lunches which makes it easier.  I suggested to Jody, why don't we do a real test and see if having the girls bring their lunches from home would save money.  Jody's a terrific sport in trying to make things work that I suggest.

The first week we tried it.  Jody bought some lunch food and before we knew it Jody had spent $40 even before we had enough food for lunches.
The second week was similar and it seemed like in order to have lunch for 3 children with a variety it seemed to cost about $50.

We are looking for things our readers have done to keep the costs down for lunches and made it more cost effective than buying lunch.
What have you done to keep your lunch costs down and have you made a decision to feed your children school lunch or homemade lunch?

I'd like to get your thoughts on what you've done to feed your kids homemade lunches on less and still give them a variety.  Please make a comment in the comment section and let me know how you've beat the homemade lunch game.

Thank you,
Greg and Jody Roche
Be Frugal Live Wealthy

Greg and Jody's vacation tip 3 - H2O is great for you-and for your wallet!!

This is one of Jody's great ideas.  One of the things that we did as part of our pre-vacation food purchases is bought a couple of gallons of water and got the girls water bottles for the trip.  This did a couple of things, it saved us money on drinks plus it didn't allow them to continually sip on juice and pop the entire trip, thus saving long-term on dentist bills.

There were times when they would get tired of water and so we would splurge and purchase a soda or juice but if you keep it cold with ice it seems to work better.  Usually when you fill up on gas you can fill up on ice to refreshen your H2O.

Send us your vacation tips that helped you or your family.  We look forward to hearing from you,

Thank you,

Greg and Jody Roche
Be Frugal Live Wealthy

Greg and Jody's Vacation Tip 2 - Mommy, Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom

You're on vacation and you've just stopped and filled up with gasoline, maybe got a few snacks, "got the wiggles out" and you're back on the road getting closer to your destination with every turn of the tires.  You've been traveling a while and you're in a hurry to see your family and relax for a while.  Then from the back of the car you hear, "Mommy, Daddy, I have to go to the bathroom."  In your mind you're thinking and might even blurt it out, "Why didn't you go when we were at the gas station?"  "I didn't have to go then." comes the hesitant answer.  What should you do now?

In a time like this and other times, instead of having to stop at a gas station or mini-mart and buying snacks you can stop at a rest area for a break.  This will take away the temptation of having to spend a fair amount on snacks.  In a mini-mart, especially one right off the freeway some products will cost you double what they do in a grocery store.  I've attached a link to a study and money traps that compares the difference between  shopping at mini-marts and grocery stores.

This thought came to mind after we had just spent $10-15 at a mini-mart.  We drove by a rest area and I realized that the rest area is not just a place to take a break but it's a place to save you money on vacation.  If you have more vacation tips please send us a comment to our blog.

Thank you,

Greg and Jody Roche

Be Frugal live wealthy

Greg and Jody's Vacation tip 1

Here's our first Vacation Tip
Before we left Jody had a great idea.  She gave the girls some money so they'd have some money to spend however they chose.  This was so we didn't have to continue entertain their questions like, "Mom and dad, can you buy me this?" or "Can I get that?"  This gave us the option to answer, "Sure, you have money, you can buy it." One of the requirements to have this money was to track it in their check register which Jody had given them.  This encouraged them to write in their register and track their expenses.

Another twist to encourage them to keep track of their expenses, I gave them a couple of reminders and then if they had purchases that weren't entered in their register I started to take some money back from them.  This lead to them not just letting money go through their hand but actually managing their money.

This worked great because it helped them to see a big picture of their expenses and helped them to manage their money more effectively.  Stay tuned for vacation tips coming in the next couple of days.  Have a great day and enjoy planning for your summer vacation.

Greg and Jody
Be Frugal Live Wealthy

Cheap things to do for Spring Break

I spent 2 years serving a church mission in Japan.  One of the things I can remember is how beautiful the cherry blossoms were in springtime.  The colors were so full and rich and real pleasing to the eyes.  I notice we're seeing those beautiful cherry blossoms which is a sign that spring is around the corner.  And with spring around the corner that means Spring Break for the kids and college students.  What are you and your children going to do for Spring Break?  What is the financial situation like?  Have you spent all of your tax refund?  Some of you may be looking for some fun things to do for Spring break.

It seems like we've always had to find things to do on a smaller budget and here are some of the things we've done with the kids:

•  Go on a hike - Going on a hike is a great way to be in the out of doors, get exercise, and enjoy spending time together.  Leave the electronic devices at home and I think you'll find this a great way to reconnect.

• Contact your local library - Your local library is a great resource and they may have added extra activities in their schedule that kids will enjoy.
• Eating out - When you're out the family will get hungry and you'll need to have lunch.  A couple of ways to negotiate this is to put a spending limit on the meals according to your budget.  If you're able to go on a hike you can bring a picnic lunch
  
  I did some research and I found some more websites giving you ideas for all members of the family to do to keep them engaged on a smaller budget.
• Here is a site mainly for college students or young adults
• This is for staying in town: 
• This is great for families:

We hope you have a great and fulfilling Spring break and you can get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and reconnect with your families.

We are in the middle of a vacation, we took our kids on a road trip to Idaho and Utah this Spring break. Stay tuned for my daily entry on how to save money while on a road trip.

Greg and Jody
Be Frugal Live Wealthy

How can I save money on a wedding!!

"Mom, we're getting married!" one of your children comes home and says with great excitement!!  You knew this day would come but you weren't expecting it so soon.  You have a little bit saved up but what are you going to do about the rest?  You want to make it memorable but don't want to break the bank.  According to http://www.costofwedding.com/  on average, US couples spend $24,066 for their wedding. However, the majority of couples spend between $18,050 and $30,083. I checked other sites and they estimate about $20,000 on the low side and about $40,000 on the high side.  Also, on http://www.costofwedding.com/  I took a wedding survey.  Let me tell you what I found.  In my hometown, if I were to plan a wedding it would cost me between 28,000 and 47,000.
Do not fret!!  There are several ways to pay for yours or your children's nuptuals without breaking the bank.

Do you have to be extravagant to make your wedding day memorable or are there some things you can do to cut the costs of getting married?

We spent between 3000 and $5,000 on our wedding and here are some of the things we did it.

• Jody worked at a print shop and she made our wedding announcements.  Not everybody has the luxury of working in a print shop but you can buy announcements and make your own.    $25

• Jody's mom made the wedding cake and did a great job!                                                 $30 
• We reserved our church and decorated it with some decorations we purchased.               $50
• We had a friend who was studying photography who took our pictures                             $200
• We asked a friend of ours who worked in horticulture to arrange our flowers                    $200
  
• Knowing you looked for and found ways to scale back on the price of your wedding      Priceless

Some of these options may not be available for you but if you seek for other options instead of the easy idea of calling an expensive shop you'll be able to find ways to cut down on the price of your wedding but still have an elegant and beautiful day.

This is an important day, one which you should enjoy and be proud of, but don't get caught up in the line of thinking, "This is a once in a lifetime event and you need the best".  If you do you may be paying for a long time with a lot of interest.

You can either spend a lot on your wedding or scale back significantly and use some of the money and put  a down payment on a house.  This will pay you in the long run as you begin to build equity.  May you have a wonderful day filled with love, friends, and family.

Thank you,

Greg and Jody Roche
Be Frugal Live Wealthy

PS.  Next week we'll discuss Inexpensive Activities you can do for Spring Break

A note of caution when donating money to important causes

Japan has experienced one of the most challenging natural disasters in the last century.  Most of you have seen footage of the powerful 23-foot waves come in from the western shore of Japan mowing down whatever was in its wake including homes, large buildings, businesses etc.  Our heart goes out to the many thousands of people who have lost their lives and the families and friends that were left behind.

With the thousands of deaths and damages that accompanied the disaster many causes will pop up on the internet, grocery store counters, email requests, etc. with opportunities to donate to the cause of the people in Japan.  Just a note of caution, be careful to choose reputable causes to which to donate your hard-earned money.  Make sure and read their prospectus and financial statements, and do other research which may be required.

With many telemarketers calling requesting donations to one charity or another I have found that donating to my church gives me comfort.  I've seen the causes that they donate to and I trust the administrator of the money, and these are some good criteria to use when choosing a charity.

I found a great site that helps us determine to whom to donate our money.  Here are some of the tips which they give:

• Wait and See how the charities will donate
• Designate your investment-You can designate your donation to go to this particular crisis
• Be careful of email solicitations-Be Leery Of People That Contact You Online Claiming To Be A Victim
• Consider The Nature Of The Charity’s Work-Not every charity responds in the same way

May you find peace and comfort donating to good causes which will benefit the lives of many who are suffering through a disaster.

Thank you,

Greg and Jody Roche
Be Frugal Live Wealthy