Resources
Organize Your Finances
Begin to Budget Binder
This downloadable PDF can be printed over and over again, and reused every month. Learn how to take inventory of your current finances and organize them into an easy-to-use binder; analyze where you need to make adjusts and how to set goals; and most importantly, create a monthly budget that you'll stick to - and finally become debt free!
In Case of Emergency Binder
It's an unfortunate fact of life, but everyone needs any emergency binder with all of their financial information and passwords. Luckily, Smart Money Mama has created a 92 page downloadable PDF that you can use to get your information squared away. It's a great way to keep your family in the loop if anything happens. The last thing they should be worrying about is the password to your bank account or where your will is. Read my full review here or learn more about the in case of emergency binder here.
CIT Bank
CIT Bank is a member of the FDIC and has won tons of awards. What makes it different? It's entirely digital, with higher savings rates and few or no fees. Earn one of the nation's top rates — 9x the national average with their Savings Builder account. Plus, you can deposit checks remotely and make transfers with the CIT Bank mobile app. They offer eChecking, various savings accounts, money market accounts, CDs, and more.
Save on Groceries
Grocery Budget Makeover
One area we struggled with spending too much every month was our grocery budget. Luckily I found Erin Chase’s Grocery Budget Makeover to help us figure out how to make cuts without making sacrifices in our meals. This course taught us how to meal plan, how to budget, and how to make cuts without missing out on anything. Read my full review here or sign up for a free email course here.
MyFreezeasy
We’ve recently dived into MyFreezeEasy, which is an awesome meal planning program that helps you to streamline your time and energy by creating freezer meals in bulk. It even creates shopping lists for you as well as printing them based on how/where you shop! Learn more about MyFreezeEasy
Investing & Financial Planning
Acorns
Acorns is an easy way to kickstart investing without having to learn the ins and outs of investing. By rounding up your purchases, that extra change is transfered and invested. Start or buff up your retirement funds by putting your savings and investment on autopilot. Learn More about Acorns
Qapital
Qapital is an unique savings app that allows you to set goals and rules, and even create shared goals with other users. Tropical vacation with the girls, anyone? You can also use the app for spending and investing, helping you balance between getting what you want now, and what you want most. Learn More about Qapital
Money Saving Apps & Sites
NCP Recap
With NCP Recap, earning rewards couldn't be easier. Just scan your receipts, earn points, and cash them in for Amazon.com gift cards. It's that easy! Learn More about NCP Recap
Paribus
Paribus is an app that automatically finds lower pricing on items you’ve already purchased, and files price adjustment claims for you. Just sign up for a free account at Paribus and connect your mailbox where you get receipts sent. Next, shop online as you normally would. If Paribus finds an opportunity for cash back, they file a price adjustment claim for you and you get 100% of the difference back! Learn More about Paribus
Ibotta
Ibotta is an app that gives rebates for everything from groceries to alcohol to booking a hotel room. They’ve recently overhauled the app and have expanded the stores you can submit receipts from, including some online! To use ibotta, you just unlock the rebates you want after purchasing them, scan their barcodes, and submit images of your receipt. It’s that easy! Get $10 for just for signing up! Learn More about Ibotta
Ebates / Rakuten
Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is a great cashback program for online purchases. There’s even a browser plugin so that every time you visit a site that gives cashback through Rakuten, it alerts you to both rebates as well as discount codes for that site. Rakuten offer rebates on a large variety of stores, and has recently included the ability to register your credit card so that your purchases in certain offline stores count as well! Learn More about Rakuten
TopCashback
TopCashback is very similar to Rakuten and works well. It does take a little longer to get your rebates back, but they offer some much higher rebate amounts - which makes it totally worth the wait. I usually check both sites to see which I can get the higher rebate back from before I make any online purchases. Learn More about TopCashBack
Groupon
Groupon is a great way to save on local entertainment as well as products. I’ve purchased vouchers to go out to dinner, go to museums, and even purchased a Starbucks gift card – all at a discounted rate. They often have sales as well, so the discounts can work out to be pretty hefty! Learn more about Groupon
TripAdvisor
Save up to 30% off your next hotel when you book through TripAdvisor! I love using TripAdvisor to scour the traveler reviews before choosing a hotel, rental car, or flight. Plus, they also love to give great tips on things to do in the area, making it a one stop resource for booking vacations! Learn more about TripAdvisor
Fetch Rewards
Fetch Rewards is a mobile savings and gift cards earning app that rewards you for the purchases you already make. Just snap pictures of your receipts to win gift cards and watch the rewards roll in, no more clipping coupons! Learn more about Fetch Rewards
ShopAtHome
ShopAtHome is a shopping portal that helps you to find and snag savings on the sites you usually shop at. Earn cash back at over 2,000 stores and get paid by check, PayPal or gift card. Sign up today and get $10 bonus! Learn more about ShopAtHome
Save on Utilities & Bills
Trim
Trim makes saving money as easy as logging into a website! They analyze spending, and find unused subscriptions, find better utility deals for you (cable, cell phone, internet, etc.), and can even help with negotiating medical bills and bank fees. The continue to monitor your account, and if you allow, renegotiate your bills when discounts expire. Learn more about saving with Trim
TrueBill
TrueBill is the easiest way to cancel unwanted subscriptions, track your spending, start a savings account, and easily lower bills. 80% of users save money by finding subscriptions they've long forgotten about or bills that are on autopay, but for services no longer needed. Learn More about TrueBill
Straight Talk Wireless
Straight Talk is an amazing alternative to contract phones. We’ve had their service for well over a year and love it! Straight Talk lets you bring your own phone or buy one from them, and is a month-to-month service. So if you don’t like it, there’s no contract to break. The difference between Straight Talk and services like TracPhones is that Straight Talk is unlimited talk and text every month. There are various data levels you can select depending upon your usage. By switching both phones to Straight Talk, we’re saving $60 a month / $720 a year! Learn More about Straight Talk
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile gives you everything you need at a fraction of the price. These pre-paid plans include unlimited talk and text, 4G LTE high speed data, nationwide coverage, and a free sim card. You can even keep your current number, and either bring your own phone or buy one on a payment plan through Mint Mobile. The more months you buy at once, the cheaper they are. Plans range from $25 - $45 a month when you buy 3 months. Learn More about Mint Mobile
Arcadia Power
Arcadia Power makes clean energy and savings easy. When you create your free Arcadia Power account, they connect you to clean energy and help you spend less on your power bill. We've not only seen great savings on our electricity bill, but I feel good knowing we're using cleaner energy as well! Learn More about Arcadia Power
Credit Scores
Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame provides an easy way to get your credit score, for free! Learn about the different factors that contribute to your credit score, and which ones you can work on to boost your score fast. Plus, they'll never ask for your credit card information in order to get your score. Learn More about Credit Sesame
Credit Karma
Credit Karma gives you not only a free credit score, but credit monitoring and insights so you can make informed decisions. If you want to boost your credit score, Credit Karma can help you learn how to do it, and provide step-by-step help along the way! Learn More about Credit Karma
Refinancing & Debt Consolidation
Credible
Credible offers refinancing on mortgages, student loans, credit cards and more. View offers from multiple lenders at once, and apply at once - all in under 2 minutes! Learn More about Credible
Prosper
Prosper helps you comparison shop on personal loans, helping you to snag the best offer quickly without affecting your credit. Repayment terms vary from 3 to 5 years, and there's no penalty for paying the loan off early. Learn More about Prosper
A forty-ish web designer/developer by day, a budget & financial fanatic by night. I’m a mom, wife, avid reader, and DIY enthusiast who’s tracking our journey to debt freedom. Read More