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It’s Financial Literacy Month! Check out these Personal Finance Video Blogs

April 12, 2012 By 2 Comments

Steve at Money Plan SOS has been doing an awesome series of videos for Financial Literacy Month. Here is Steve telling a little more about it:

April is National Financial Literacy Month, that time of year we set aside a few minutes to learn how money really works and apply new-found lessons to our financial lives.

This year I have gathered together with over a dozen Personal Finance Bloggers to promote financial literacy with 2-minute videos about a variety of topics such as Kids & Money, Roth IRA, or what do you do with a room that has no room?

I was featured on the April 12th video, and my topic was the time value of clipping coupons. Take a look here and leave a comment and let me know what you think!!

Filed Under: Blog, Budgeting, Coupons, Featured Main, Personal Finance

Giveaway! Let’s Get our Green Back Together – Today Only!

April 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

A few months ago, I did a give away for 2  invites to ImpulseSave. I know at the time when I was writing about the giveaway, I had a hard time actually explaining what ImpulseSave really is. Unless you actually DO it – it’s sort of hard to understand!!!!

Well today I’m back with another giveaway!! And this one is even better for you! Today, and today only, invites to ImpulseSave are open all day especially for The Jenny Pincher readers!!! Yep – you read that right, invites all around! Let’s get our green back together!!!

So you may be excited but then wondering, wait…what exactly is ImpulseSave?!? How do I do it?!  Ok well I’m glad you asked, because I’m gonna tell you about it! Check out this awesome video that the gang at ImpulseSave put together that will explain it better that I can:

 

Don’t like videos?! Ok – here’s an infographic that illustrates how ImpulseSave works!

 Excited yet?! ImpulseSave is a fun and cool way to start saving money. Just like I always preach to you that the little expenses add up over time and have a huge impact on your spending, it works in the opposite way when you start saving money. I’ve painlessly been able to save nearly $300 over the past 3 months by just saving money here and there instead of spending it.

I promise you, you will really enjoy ImpulseSaving!!!

The Impulse Save Mission

Our goal is to make saving as easy, fun and rewarding as spending; and to transform saving from a mundane “if-I-get-to-it” into a creative, collaborative and impulsive part of your daily life!

Stats and Facts:

So what does this mean for you? Think about it this way – say you have a goal to go on vacation this summer, but the thought of spending a large chunk of money seems impossible. Not with ImpulseSave! You can start saving a little bit here and there and before you know it, your going to have that money built up in your ImpulseSave account and you can finally go on vacation! It becomes addictive after awhile!

Is ImpulseSave Safe?

ImpulseSave employs the same high-grade encryption used by financial institutions and government agencies. All your financial information is encrypted in transit, and in storage. We meet or exceed all industry standards to safeguard your data. Your money is held in your new FDIC insured savings account.

The short answer: Yes. The long answer: We are built like Fort Knox. Your financial information is so secure that even our own servers can’t read it.

ImpulseSave Features:

Specific Goals: instead of a nebulous “emergency fund” now you can save towards your vacation, a wedding or whatever you want separately in one savings account!
ImpulseSave: You can impulseSave via SMS text, via Instagram, on the ImpulseSave site and soon via iPhone App. (Sidenote: Saving via Instagram is so freaking awesome!!! To do it follow these instructions: Once you are a member of ImpulseSave, go to Go to Me, Account, click on link instagram account to link your account. Then make sure you add a caption (not comment) under your picture with the dollar amount (as $5) and the tag #instagram. So it would look like  ”Save $10 #impulsesave – didn’t buy that latte!”. If you are on instagram follow me at “thejennypincher” and I’ll follow you back!!!
Autosave: Weekly autosaves ensure that you’re ALWAYS making progress towards your goals, even if it’s only $5 a week (less than $1 a day)
Success Driven: We send you weekly updates on your goal progress and encourage you every time you make a save! (These are a huge help!!)
Socialize: Comment on a funny save, encourage those who are making good decisions - be inspired to save yourself! (I love reading other people’s ImpulseSaves!!)

What can you do with ImpulseSave?

Go On Vacation!
Jessica works hard and knows she deserves a vacation. But this year, instead of putting it on the credit card, she’s going to Paris with the cold hard cash she saved in her ImpulseSave account!

Kill Credit Card Debt!
Brad LOVES the autosave feature because it ensures that no matter what this month brings, he’ll pay off his balance.

Plan a Wedding!
Christine and Torey ImpulseSave for their wedding. No matter what they’re doing – whether they’re grocery shopping, or cake testing, they can make sure they’re prepared for the Big Day!

What Do ImpulseSavers Say About ImpulseSave?

Below are real quotes from real users taken from Facebook Twitter and the ImpulseSave site.

  • “I cannot stop saving! ImpulseSave has turned me into a save-aholic! :) ”
  •  “I have saved more with@impulsesave than any other avenue I’ve used. I love it!
  • I’ve saved $92 in 27 days with ImpulseSave! Patting myself on the back!”
  • “Saving with ImpusleSave is so easy! It’s amazing how easily I forget the $ in a separate account.”
  • Thanks to @impulsesave I’ve officially become a saveaholic. Definitely better than being a shopaholic!
  • “If you’ve always had trouble getting motivated to save money – you NEED to try @impulsesave – it’s AWESOME. #save-a-holic

Behind The Curtain: Straight talk – no angels here

What’s the deal with the ImpulseSave mobile app?
We started development on a mobile app April 2nd – so when we say it’s coming soon, it’s coming soon.

Why do users have to autosave?
We allow you to autosave a minimum of $5 a week (that’s less than $1 a day). Why? Because if you can’t do $5 a week – it’s never going to happen. It also makes the experience more encouraging because no matter what you’re always trending upward and that makes a huge difference.

Why are you guys a private site?
ImpulseSave is an exclusive site and there is a good reason behind it: We want everyone to have the experience – they deserve. We want you to know us, trust us and understand that your security is our number one priority.

My Final Thoughts and How to Sign Up

ImpulseSave is one of those things you have to DO to actually understand how fun and addictive it becomes! It’s amazing when we start thinking about those impulse purchases we make and start saving that money and having it to use later for something we want, instead of something we won’t have to show for later!! It’s fun, it’s addictive and it’s really changing the way people save money!

I am addicted to Instagram (for iPhone) and I LOVE that I can ImpulseSave via Instagram. Adding a photo makes it all real and reminds me of the stupid purchases I’m glad I didn’t buy!! I’m currently saving towards building a deck onto my house and I can’t wait to reach my goal!!

Excited?! Wanna try it! Ok but you gotta act fast! Today only from 9 am – 9 pm EST the invites are open to all readers of my blog. Usually this is invite only so GET IN NOW while you can!!

Click here for The Jenny Pincher ImpulseSave invites

Good luck, when you sign up come back and leave me a comment and let me know what you are saving towards!

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Main, Personal Finance, Saving

Car Insurance 101

March 20, 2012 By 2 Comments

A car is a significant investment and a necessary part of daily life for most people. Vehicle insurance, offered by third-party insurance companies, can protect that investment and cover you in case of an emergency. But how do you know which car insurance company to choose, or which coverage is right for your vehicle? Use this simple guide to find out why vehicle insurance is important, which options are available and how to choose a provider.

Why do I need car insurance?

Most states (49 out of 50, plus Washington, D.C.) have laws that require minimal vehicle insurance coverage. So, at the very least, you must buy car insurance to ensure compliance with your state’s laws and regulations. Also remember that vehicle insurance provides benefits beyond helping you avoid a traffic citation. Damage to your vehicle resulting from an accident can cost thousands of dollars to repair, and in some cases your vehicle may not be reparable at all. Car insurance is designed to help you avoid sudden, large payments for the repair of your vehicle or other vehicles involved in an accident. For a low monthly fee, insurance companies will cover the cost of damage that results from an accident (minus your deductible), so you can avoid a huge, unexpected out-of-pocket expense.

What are the types of vehicle insurance?

There are seven primary types of car insurance. Each serves a specific purpose, but it’s unlikely that you’ll need all seven.

  1. Liability insurance – This is the type of insurance coverage most commonly required by state law. Liability insurance covers damage to other cars, buildings or property during an accident, as well as medical bills that may result from injuries. Liability insurance usually has an upper limit of coverage, and may not cover your car in the event that you were at fault in an accident. Liability insurance is typically supplemented with other coverage plans, such as collision insurance.
  2. Collision insurance – Collision plans will cover the cost of your car repairs if you’re in an accident. This type of insurance is usually required by banks or lending agencies when you take out an auto loan or lease a car.
  3. Comprehensive insurance – Collision and liability insurance cover damage to your car as the result of an accident. Comprehensive insurance coverage is helpful if your car is stolen, broken into, damaged by the weather or in a collision with an animal.
  4. Uninsured motorist protection – If a motorist is uninsured or underinsured (i.e., his or her vehicle insurance does not cover the total cost of your repairs), uninsured motorist protection can help cover the difference between the full cost of repairs and the money contributed by the fault party.
  5. Medical/personal injury protection – This coverage will cover medical expenses regardless of which party is at fault. A good health insurance plan is usually preferable to personal injury protection, but be sure to evaluate cost and coverage before making a decision.
  6. No-fault insurance – No-fault insurance is currently available in 12 states, and covers damage to your car whether or not you are at fault. This alternate insurance model can be more expensive, and should be considered only in some states.
  7. Gap insurance – If you’re still making payments on your vehicle, this coverage can help protect your investment. If your vehicle is totaled, gap insurance covers the difference between the vehicle’s value (as determined by your insurance appraiser) and the amount you still owe to the bank or lender.

How do I choose an insurance provider?

The most important step in finding a vehicle insurance company is to shop around. Be sure to get quotes from multiple providers, and ask questions about coverages and costs so your needs are met. Online ratings and reviews are a great place to begin your search for car insurance company information. By doing your homework, you can be confident in your decision in picking the right insurance coverage.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Bar, Personal Finance

3 Productivity Apps to Help you Get More Done

March 5, 2012 By 12 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I dropped my HTC Evo Android phone into water. I really did a number on this phone because it was going through some sort of short circuit thing and I actually had the andriod man dancing across the bottom of the screen! I didn’t even know that was possible!

This happened the night before I was getting ready to go out of town for the weekend so I didn’t have time to mail the phone in under the insurance plan I had so faithfully paid for but was now useless. Since Sprint acquired the iPhone and became all haughty with what they do and do not offer now, I was laughed at when I asked if Sprint still did loaner phones! HA. Apparently that went out with the rotary phone, how outdated was I.

After spending 2 hours in the Sprint store and negotiating with them, I walked away with a brand new iPhone 4S, a second line (in the event this happens again) and a lower phone bill (how I did all that is a different story for another day!).  I was planning to switch to the iPhone in 52 days anyway when my contract was up so I just ended up getting it a little sooner.



Now that I’ve had some time to get used to the iPhone (I love it by the way) I wanted to share 3 productivity apps to help you get more done. These apps have actually been quite life changing for me. They work like they say they do and I don’t have to worry about losing anything (like I did with my Evo that never wanted to sync to gmail even though they are both Google products?)

3 Productivity Apps to Help You Get More Done

Calendar - Yes the standard calendar app that comes with the iPhone is amazing. One thing I could never figure out about my Android phone was why it could not sync appointments I set in my Google calendar with my phone?! The built in calendar with the iPhone works flawlessly. I am able to sync my gmail calendars (yes all calendars) & work calendar in one place. Before having my iPhone, I still kept a paper calendar because the syncing between my calendars was too unreliable. Now that problem is solved! I love having everything in one place.

Seize the Day – I’m a huge fan of lists and I’ve always got scraps of paper everywhere to remind me to do something. Seize the Day has eliminated my lists and now I have everything in one place. One of my favorite features of this app is that I can add items to my list with out a due date and categorize them as “at some point…” that way if I have an idea for something for this blog or think I need to buy something that I probably don’ t need, I can add it to my list to follow up with at some point. Then I can look back at that list after I’ve had more time to think about it and decide if that idea was really as good as I thought or if I really need to buy what I thought I just HAD to have!

This is especially useful when I’m working on my blog. I have tons of ideas and in the past, my ideas have caused me to skip finishing something because I move on to the next “thing” that I want to do. This app lets me capture that idea so I don’t forget but I don’t feel the urgency to drop everything and do it now.



When I used a paper calendar, my to do list was a mile long and I always had to rewrite everything to carry it over to the next day,week or month. Seize the day carries all these items over for you and puts them at the top of your list, so handy!!

Seize the Day Home Screen

There are two things this app is missing. The ability to add pictures to a task (sometimes I’d rather take a picture of something I’ve written down to remind me) and to be able to use the voice to text option. But even without these two things, this app was still life changing for me.

There are many other features to this app which including viewing your tasks on your calendar, syncing with gmail tasks, adding notes, & tagging your tasks. If your an organizing junkie like me, it’s worth exploring! The app is free to use or $3.99 if you want to remove the ads.

Seize the Day list view (with ads)

Note Master – In addition to having an ongoing to do list, sometimes I need more organization with my to do list (yes I know, this is probably taking organization to the next level!). Note master  has that missing element from Seize the Day of being able to add pictures, but it is also so much more! Here’s a screenshot of my Note  Master homepage:

My Note Master Homepage

 

I keep a running list of my meal plan ideas, my weekly menu, my shopping list (grocery store, costco etc), blog ideas and just general things I want to remember like good quotes or other ideas I want to have in one place. This is so handy to use when I’m in a hurry because I can add check box lists, images, & drawings. It’s a pretty cool app! Here are some more screenshots:

Note Master Example 1

 

Note Master Example 2

 

These three apps have allowed me to get my thoughts better organized and is allowing me to get so much more done. I find that if I sit down for a “power hour” I can work through my list quickly and efficiently and I don’t carry a lot of “to-do’s” over to the next day!

What are your favorite productivity apps & why? Feel free to share them in the comment section!

 

Image Credit

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Main, Misc, Personal Finance
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