Coffee Spice

To say that I love coffee is a massive understatement; like most people I can't start my day until I have a hot cup of coffee in my hands.  Because I drink so much of it I can't justify spending money on the more expensive brands of coffee at the grocery store so I resort to the generic options.  Honestly, the coffee isn't bad but it is most definitely lacking...until now!  This week I tested a bunch of different spices (and sugar) to see what impact they had on my daily cup (err cups) of joe.

Monthly Money Check In

The new year is great motivation to get your finances in order and set goals for the upcoming year. I am sharing the spreadsheet that my husband and I use to keep track of  our investments each month.  It's a pretty simple concept but I find it helpful to understand where you sit financially each month so that you can make the best decisions around spending. 

	INVESTMENTS	Jan-15		Feb-15		Mar-15
SHORT TERM	Capital One 360	1000.25		750	-250.25	813.94	63.94
MID TERM	Fidelity	1500		1500	0	1575	75
LONG TERM	401k	10752.65		10250.89	-501.76	10498.75	247.86
COLLEGE	NYS 529	750		765.78	15.78	783.25	17.47
	TOTAL	14002.9		13266.67		13670.94
	SHORT TERM	1000.25	7%	750	6%	813.94	6%
	MID TERM	1500	11%	1500	11%	1575	12%
	LONG TERM	10752.65	77%	10250.89	77%	10498.75	77%
	COLLEGE	750	5%	765.78	6%	783.25	6%

We have been tracking our investments for four years now and it is really interesting to see our savings patterns!!

Amazon.com Subscribe & Save

I will admit that I am thoroughly obsessed with Amazon.com which results in a panicked dog barking at the door almost daily as my packages are delivered.  My online obsession has included purchases ranging from printer ink to the must have little black dress.  Recently I have discovered the subscribe & save feature on Amazon.com which allows you to purchase a variety of items at a discount.

Quick Facts:

• Review eligible subscribe and save items on Amazon
• Select items that you use on a regular basis
• Determine delivery date and frequency of deliveries (options range from 1-6 months)
• Order can be changed or canceled at any time

Savings:

• In order for an item to be eligible for subscribe & save there has to be a minimum of a 5% discount
• If you sign up for 5 subscribe & save items you receive an additional 15% off you entire purchase.  Please note that all items have to be delivered in the same shipment.
• Free shipping!!

Below are some inexpensive add-ons to receive additional 15% discount listed below.  If you already have a couple items started adding these might save you money or end up being free.

*Prices include 15% discount
Colgate Kids Cavity Protection Toothpaste $2.84
Garnier Shampoo- $2.37
Lipton Green Tea- $1.82
Barilla Pasta- $1.88
Planters Creamy Peanut Butter- $2.26
Dial Liquid Soap - $2.18
Suave Professionals - $2.74
Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn (3 pack) - $2.07
Keebler Pita Crackers- $2.37
Special K Nourish Hot Cereal- $2.53

Happy Saving!

Squirreling Away Cash- Acorns App Review

I'm a numbers person and I love saving money! The Acorns app is a new tool to add to my arsenal of savings methods.  When I was working outside the home my husband and I were able to save in a much different way than we are now.  I have had to take a new approach to budgets, spending and saving which has led me to work hard to save every penny we can.

The Acorns app is a program rounds up your charges to the nearest dollar and deposits the change into a portfolio of your choosing (conservative, moderate or aggressive).  For example if you spend $1.85 on a coffee then $.15 would be placed into your savings account. Per Acorns the portfolios are automatically adjusted to align with your targeted level of risk. The concept is great because it allows for continuous and painless savings.  It isn't going to produce enough cash for you to send your kids to college but it might pay for the books.  The app includes a projected portfolio value tool that helps take the guess work out of the account value based on investment and time.

I've been utilizing the application for a month with a moderate portfolio and have seen a rate of return of 1.60%.  Within the same time period the S&P has had a rate of return of 5.38%.  This is just a jumping off point as a month hasn't really allowed enough time to fully evaluate the returns.  If you download the app you can view your net return with the History tab. 


 How it works: 

-Synch up credit cards, debit cards and bank accounts of your choosing.  You will need to provide usernames and log in information so that the application can connect to your accounts. 
-Set up automatic round ups or select the expenses you want to round up**
-When the total round up meets or exceed $5 your bank account will be debited and the funds will be placed in a savings portfolio

 
Quick Facts:

• Available on ios and Android/US Only
• Rounds up each purchase and withdraws from your bank account
• Invests based on set of portfolios (conservative, moderate, aggressive)
• There is a monthly fee ($1) as well as .25 - .5 % a year.  Take some time to review the detailed fees page.

**In the beginning you will want to pick the round up expenses as it tends to add up quickly.  The application preloads a few weeks back so the initial debit amount would be large if it was not monitored.

I think I have found an app that I love...stay tuned!