While I got some good information from the counselor, I was turned off when he talked about the monthly fee I was going to be assessed as a result of using his service. It was something in the neighborhood of $15-25/mo. This struck me as odd – “don’t you know I have no money to give you?“, I thought to myself. Little did I know that his service would be negotiating on my behalf to save me hundreds of dollars in interest. But, when you’re in pain, you usually don’t see the whole picture. I didn’t end up using his service, I can now better see the value of his offering.

SpringCoin

While they are not a debt management company, I do want to introduce you to a neat website, freshly minted, that seeks to help those who were in a similar situation like I was in 10 years ago. Basically, those who have finally “come to” and are overwhelmed with their current debt crisis and don’t know where to turn.

I was first introduced to SpringCoin in its development stage, by co-founder, Kevin Yu. He wrote me a really genuine email just asking for my two cents about their initial interface and what readers of TTG might be looking for in a program to help people get out of debt fast and effectively.

Since then we have kept in touch and they have now launched their service to the public. I’ve been able to take it for a test drive and have found it very easy to use and helpful. Here are just some of its features:

• SpringCoin can help you negotiate terms and rates on your debts
• Educational resources to help you become more financially fit
• Alerts to let you know when bills are due
• Quick glance of all your accounts in one place
• Rewards and incentives for completing weekly challenges and completing quizzes
• Personalized spending insights (you’ll be able to compare what others are spending in your area in their next release)

While Kevin is quick to point out they are not a debt management company or debt settlement company, they do work with counselors and settlement companies to offer the best rates available. And, if you do have a loads of debt and want to them to negotiate for you – they can provide you with a rate and you can choose to accept it or deny it. You aren’t obligated to take it.

This is one of the things I like best about their service. They are transparent, not pushy and they put you in better control of your debts and show you how to better your financial picture.

Now, their service is not for everyone and it’s not for free. If you are having trouble with your debt and/or have loads of it, I think SpringCoin is worth a try. If you are on top of your finances and have little debt – its’ probably not for you. Their niche is helping to get those deep in debt, out of debt faster and cheaper.

3-month Trial Offer

SpringCoin is offering a special offer to all TTG readers that you may want to take advantage of, if you fit the preceding profile. You can get 3-months of their service for free, just by clicking on this link and heading over to their site. The whole set-up process is pretty simple and if you do run into problems, they are available to help by email or phone.

After your 3-month trial, you’ll be set-up with a monthly plan starting at $8/mo. Now, do consider that many counselors or debt settlement firms can charge in the neighborhood of $50-120/mo, so this is well within reason. Plus, factor in the fact you could be saving a fair amount of money in lower rates.

Finally – for disclosure purposes – Kevin and SpringCoin are not paying me to write this. However, TTG will receive a commission should you choose to stay on-board after your 3-month trail period.

Please – let us know your thoughts about SpringCoin or if you have any others questions! I’m sure Kevin will be glad to answer some as well.

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How much interest will I have to pay over my lifetime?

With all these “opportunities of debt” have you ever sat down and really considered the real costs? How much interest am I paying per hour? Per day? Per week? Per month? Per year? Here are few categories to start adding up your interest?

• Home Loan
• Student Loans
• Car Loans
• Credit Card Interest
• Credit Card Fees (late fees & penalties)
• Pay day Loans
• Banking Fees (overdrafts & ATM fees)

Once a year (maybe around New Years) it is a good idea to add up your interest payments and calculate how much you are paying. This helps give you a bench mark of how much more (or less) is going to pay other people. Once you have your totals added up then here are some equations to put things into perspective of how much interest is costing you.

• Hourly Income Going Towards Debt
• Hourly Income – (Total Interest/2080hours) = Interest Per Working Hour
• Tithe vs Interest
• Yearly Giving – Yearly Interest Paid = Net Difference
• Will help you see how much interest could be going towards tithing and furthering God’s kingdom. This might even shed some light on whether you are paying more than 10% of your total income towards debt.
• Yearly Interest Change
• 2011 Interest Paid – 2010 Interest Paid = +/- Difference
• Question this will help answer: Am I making a difference in paying off principal or am I adding more debt from year to year?

Like most things in finances, calculating your total interest paid can take some hard work and time, but it may prove affective for you. It just might help you confront head on how much interest is really costing you.

Applicable Verse
Do not owe anyone anything-except to love one another. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. – Romans 13:8

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But, through these frustrations – I’ve learned a few things about finding the best online deals before I hit the purchase button. And, I’d like to share those with you.

Enewsletters- Be sure and sign-up for your favorite online retailer’s e-newsletter. In it, they will oftentimes have coupons and codes that you’ll want to click on directly – which will take you to their offer page.
Coupon books – I’m sure you’ve heard of the Entertainment coupon books that you can get every year? They now have a section devoted to online coupons offered by various retailers. Use the codes offered there to save money. (I usually get one of these books a month or so into the new year, as they are typically discounted from their suggested retail price).
Coupon sites – There are a lot of em out there now. I typically visit sites like Coupon Cabin, RetailMeNot and Coupon Chief for coupon codes that I can for online deals.
Here, I’m at Coupon Chief. All you need to do is click on the code and it will be copied to your pasteboard. Hit CTRL-V to paste it in the promo box when checking out.
Google search – I also will do a quick search at Google before checking out. You never know what might pop-up and if there is another coupon I have missed or a better deal.
Use those Apps! – Have a smart phone with a RedLaser or another price-matching app? This is also a must – to be sure you are getting the best deal out there. Type in the name of the product you are looking for and it’ll do a quick price match for you – online stores as well as brick-mortar retailers.

Many online retailers will have a box to put the promotional codes when checking out. At Amazon.com, it looks like this:

Use this box to put in your coupon or voucher code* to be sure you are getting the best deal.

Do you have other ways to be sure you are getting the best online deal?

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What first got me thinking more about retirement in a new light – was an article in US News & World, entitled, “11 Health Habits that Will Help You Live to 100“. Quite an interesting post title huh?

Guess #1 on their list? Ready?

1. Don’t retire.

Not exactly good news huh? At first, I didn’t think so either – until I kept reading.

“Evidence shows that in societies where people stop working abruptly, the incidence of obesity and chronic disease skyrockets after retirement,” says Luigi Ferrucci, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

So, I guess the number one reason why I probably won’t retire is pretty simple. I don’t wanna die early.

Now, I hate to be a Debbie Downer here – and that is certainly not my aim in writing this. My purpose is to show retirement in another light. Maybe one that you (and I) haven’t really considered.

While the definition of retirement is a pretty broad one. My stereotypical vision of it is playing golf all day long and then going for a swim in the retirement village pool. Is yours close?

But I think retirement is meant to be so much more important and transformative. I don’t think we should all sit back and chill. I think it’s a time where we start giving back.

In his book, Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance, Bob Buford talks about how the first “half” of our lives is spent taking or accumulating (money, success, etc). He proposes the second half of ones life ought to be spent on giving or significance.

Something feels right about what he is saying. And so, I decided to start a list of some things I may consider doing in my non-retirement years.

Consult
This will no doubt pay some bills – but at the same time – I’ll be able to give back by way of transferring my expertise that I’ve learned over my lifetime to folks in my field (provided they wanna hear from an old fart).

Become a mentor
I think I would really enjoy this one. So many young folks are just aching to have an older adult take them under their wing and provide direction.

Become a philanthropist
Why not? Two of the world’s richest men are. I think it would be fun to see the money I’ve earned being provided to fund people and organizations that are near to my heart.

Volunteer
There are so many places to offer ones service / time.

Work part-time
I could see having a part-time job in retirement. And, I don’t think I’d mind it much. Right now I’m thinking of Wal-Mart greeter or cutting grass at a golf course.

Or even – start a second career
I love what I do now – but I have other things that I’d also like to devote my time to that are more (what’s the best way to say this)… serving the greater good? I think people in ministry and social service are good examples.

There is something about having purpose and mission in life. And – I think – too often those things go missing in retirement.

So, during my last half – I hope to be warming hearts – instead of warming a couch.

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I’m an avid coupon clipper, but you’ll never see me on Extreme Couponing. I’m not interested in walking into a store and walking out with 70 containers of free mustard because I know that no one needs that much mustard, even if it is free.

I am interested in stretching my grocery and household budgets, and my coupon clipping habits have allowed me to do that.  I easily save 25 to 50% on my shopping trips by using coupons to save money on things my family needs.

It’s simple enough to get started saving with coupons.

The first thing you want to do is build your collection of coupons. Buy the Sunday paper or get a friend or relative to give you their coupon inserts from their newspaper. Print coupons with your computer from reputable places like Coupons.com, SmartSource.com, and RedPlum.com.  Watch for coupons in stores, with your receipts, attached to packages or inside the packages.  These coupons are usually manufacturer coupons, produced by the companies that make the products.

Many retailers have their own coupons, too.  They’ll be clearly marked with “store coupon” on them and can be found in newspaper circulars or online at their store websites.   These store coupons can be paired with a manufacturer coupon to save you even more money.  Just this week, I stacked a manufacturer coupon for $1.25 off Alexia products with a printable Target store coupon for $1 off Alexia potato product to get a $3.09 bag of Alexia Sweet Potato Fries for just 84 cents.   Combining store and manufacturer coupons is a great way to get products for free or cheap.

Once you’ve acquired a good collection of coupons, make your shopping list, and check the store circulars.  Your goal is to match store coupons and manufacturer coupons with a store sale to get rock bottom prices.  There are many blogs and websites that do all of the coupon match-ups for you (just do a Google search).  I especially like AFullCup.com and HotCouponWorld.com. Their forums are excellent and their shopping lists are extremely helpful.

A few other tips to consider when using coupons:

• Abandon store and brand loyalty.  You’ll be able to get much better deals if you are willing to try different stores and new brands.  If for some reason, you don’t have coupons for a product you need, consider buying the store brand to save money. Many of the store brand products are just as good as the name brand products (some are better), and they cost a lot less. In addition, most store brands come with money-back guarantees.
• Pay attention to unit cost.  Learn to figure out how much products cost per pound, per item, or per ounce, etc.  Usually you save more by buying in bulk, but not always.  Sometimes if you have a coupon that says $1 off any item with no exclusions, you’ll find you can get the smallest size for free or nearly free.
• Get to know store policy.  Get to know the coupon policies of your favorite stores and follow them.  Be friendly to the cashiers and don’t hesitate to ask to speak to a manager for clarification if a coupon is rejected.
• Don’t buy things just because you have a coupon.  You aren’t saving money if you’re buying things you don’t need. And don’t clear a shelf of all of it’s product, just because you have the coupons to do it for free.  Save some deals for other people.
• Have a plan for your coupon savings.  Dedicate those coupon savings to a vacation fund, paying off debt, or saving for a new gadget.  When you have a goal for the money you save with coupons, you’ll be much more motivated to hunt for deals.

Saving money with coupons does take time, but I love that I’m able to use the money I save on groceries for other things.  I spend about an hour a week clipping coupons and planning my shopping trips, and for that, I get a pantry full of affordable food and household goods, and the freedom to do what I want with the rest of my money.

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We hope they give you nice feelings:

• Qdoba
  They’re giving away a free entree today with the purchase of another. All you have to do is kiss someone at the register. Preferably,  your special someone and not a stranger. That would be awkward.
• Quiznos
  Staying with the Q’s – Quizno’s is giving away a free cookie. All you have to do is bring in this coupon (valid only at participating locations).
• Bath & Body Works
  The ladies are gonna like this one – bring in this coupon for free travel sized item of your choice – no purchase necessary. Ends 2/20.
• Boston Market
  Get a free dessert with the purchase of a meal and drink with this coupon.
• Redbox
  Here you get to share the love – by sending a valentine to a friend or family member via Facebook from Redbox’s page – they’ll get a free rental good for today only.
• Ben & Jerry’s
  Get a free scoop of Americone Dream (Stephen Colbert’s mix) at participating locations.
• KrispyKreme
  I heart doughnuts. Today they are making their signature heart doughs. With every dozen purchased, you get 12 valentines day cards. Each of these cards is good for one free doughnut of choice!

Do you know of any other happenings out there today?

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How many of you young parents can relate to this? It’s a constant reminder of not only how much attention our young children require of us, but also the importance each couple has the need of a good babysitter to get a break. Here are a few options that might help you find a great babysitter, and provide you and your spouse a chance to go on a much needed date night.

• Church – being plugged into a good church can be a great opportunity to find a babysitter. A couple of good options might be either a teenager in the high school ministry, which are always looking to make a few bucks. Or maybe ask the children daycare ministries that are already serving your kids on Sunday mornings. Kids that are already helping out (in taking care of your kids) is a great opportunity to see how they handle kids, and already care about your kids needs. On top of all that, finding a babysitter at church is also good to find someone who has similar beliefs to you, which can help be a big impact into your kids lives as well.
• Neighbor kid swap – do you have neighbors a round that have kids of similar age?  In our neighborhood we have a neighbor who has a 2 year old who we swap babysitting services with all the time. It not only provides a break for each of the families, but it a a free service to each of us. In addition, it nice not having to drive a babysitter back home or having to drive to a different neighborhood to pick up your kids. This way you can spend more quality time together and less time on the road.
• Co-worker – do you have any co-workers with kids that have kids that are 13-18 years old that are looking to make a few bucks? One option for you might be tapping a co-worker for asking if their kids could babysit yours for a few hours. It never hurts to ask…
• Family – back in the 1920′s and 1930′s I don’t know how people survived without babysitters, but from talking to my Grandparents they always stressed the importance of relying on family members to provide a break. In today’s age I think our pride gets in the way of us asking our parents or siblings to watch our kids for us. Most often though they are more than happy to do these acts of services for each other. It also stresses the importance of asking of inserting ourselves in their family’s lives too, and volunteer to watch their kids as well. I know for Christmas, my parents gave us a one of the best gifts in an Olive Garden gift card, and a certificate for one whole night of watching the kids. For my wife and I this will provide us an opportunity to have a break and also plan out what we want to do with and for our kids in the next few months. Sometimes its just great to get away, and clear your heads too.

I hope these options for finding a babysitter will be helpful for you, but more importantly I’d like to hear from our readers on how you find a great babysitter. What are your ideas?

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