Yes, it’s a real, paper calendar notebook. I write in it with a real pen. I love the computer for everything it is, but having this little notebook and taking the time to look at it because it sits right on my desk is awesome. I get such gratification from hearing the pen scratch across the paper when I get to mark something as paid. It’s great to see that I only owe say, $20 as a minimum payment, but to be able to write down a higher number like $50 or $100 next to that hash mark.

Doing this is helping me keep track of what money is due and when. I’m going to start adding the boyfriend’s bills to it too, so I can help him keep track as well. I think this is one of those all-important first steps to getting on track financially, wouldn’t you agree?

Sure, there are lots of ways to track spending, earning, bills, and so on. Spreadsheets are great for budgeting, to-do lists are great for tracking bills and payments. Email reminders, alerts on your phone, you name it.

In fact, here’s a list of some great computer/online tools for doing exactly this stuff. If you’re so wrapped up in living a technologically advanced lifestyle, that you can’t even DREAM of having a paper notebook and pen, then maybe some of these will help you.

What methods are you using to keep track of your finances? Do you have any online/computer based tools I haven’t listed here that you just can’t do without? Share in the comments!

Citizens Bank has just relaunched a promotion for their Green$ense setup. Green$ense allows you to EARN up to $120 a year for using your Citizens checking card for paperless transactions. They’ve got a promotional game giveaway going on through the month of November 2008 that helps teach you where you can save money and energy in your home, as well as a game for a chance to win $50 (you can play once per day), and then they give you details on the program.

Grow Your Green$ense (the “Promotion”) is open only to legal residents of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, or Vermont who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry.

Limit: Each participant may enter/play one (1) time per day during the Promotion Period (November 1 – November 30, 2008).

Sweepstakes Prize: ONE (1) GRAND PRIZE: $10,000 Citizens Bank or Charter One Gift Card. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): $10,000. Odds of winning the Sweepstakes Prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.

Instant Win Game Prizes: THIRTY (30) FIRST PRIZES (1 per day): $50 Citizens Bank or Charter One Gift Card. ARV: $50. Limit: One (1) Instant Win Game prize per person.
TOTAL ARV OF ALL PRIZES: $11,500.

I’ve been looking to change banks, to be honest. After getting hit with fees up the yin-yang and dealing with lazy reporting to the web service, rude tellers, too many “maintenance periods” where I can’t access my account statement, and a fee (and majorly complex process) for accessing their bill pay system, I’m thinking that Citizens might have what I need… plus I can earn $120 a year!? Shoot… I’m off to sign up NOW.

I KNOW that there are people out there complaining that with today’s US economy, they can’t afford to save anything. They’re behind on bills, so the money should go there. They’re paying $4.20 a gallon in gas, so the money’s going there. They’ve been buying organic food for so long, they can’t bear to switch back to the cheaper stuff, so the money’s going there. They don’t have the time to soak beans, so the money’s going there.

I’m tired of all the excuses, because dammit a dollar is a dollar!

Now, am I perfect? Hell no. Do I eat out more than I should? Yep. Do I drive more than I should? Probably. Do I use more laundry detergent than I need to? Yes. Do I neglect to turn the computer off when I’m not using it? Uh-huh. But I’m still saving money. I’m making deposits ALL THE TIME into my ING business savings account.

Is it a lot? Nope.
Maybe $250 a month for right now. But it’s $250 I’m not touching. I’m not spending it on clothes, or new makeup, or getting my nails done. I’m not spending it on dining out, and I’m not putting it in my gas tank. I’m also not smoking anymore, which technically saves me another $300+ every month, so that’ll eventually go in there too I’m sure.

Let’s say you make $600 a week take-home pay. My situation is extremely different, but for most working Americans, this is the case, a weekly pay.

That’s $2400 a month, or $28,800 a year, again, take home pay.

It’s not a lot of money, is it? I remember graduating from high school 14 years ago, and thinking that $30k a year was pretty damn good. Not anymore. Especially if you have a mortgage, kids, that kind of thing. So why bother trying to save, right? WRONG.

Putting just $10 a week away at the end of a year gives you $520 not including interest.
(You can find $10 in just two fast food meals, or 5 daily takeout coffees.)
Putting just $20 a week away gives you $1040 after a year.
(You can find $20 by skipping out on dinner at a restaurant one night per week.)
$30 a week? $1560 after one year.
(You can save up $30 by bringing your lunch to work every day, especially if it’s leftovers from dinner.)

The point is, at the end of that year, you have anywhere from $500 to $1500 MORE than you did at the end of the year before. If you spend that money, particularly on those things mentioned, you have NOTHING to show for it at the end of the year. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Think about it – what ways can you cut back, and put that money to better use than an buying all that coffee or pre-prepared food? How much CAN you afford to put away every week, and if you’re already doing it, how much MORE can you put away?

I went to a New York State Quit Smoking website (NY residents only) and got 2 weeks of free nicotine patches. Hopefully this is going to work! I’m already battling the physical habit of grabbing a cig, it’s tweaking me out, kind of like you hear those stories of people who lose a limb, yet they can still “feel” it itch or something… I keep thinking there’s a pack of smokes and a lighter right here by the computer. I go to pick it up, and it’s gone!

SO…

I’m wearing a 21mg/24 hours nicotine patch. You put a new one on every 24 hrs.
After spending 2 weeks NOT buying cigarettes at $5.40 per pack (when bought 2 packs at a time), I’ll have saved spending $75.60! In TWO WEEKS TIME! (Figure that for a year? $1,965.60!)

That two week total is more than enough to buy another two weeks of the patch, or very close to what it costs to buy Chantix, the newest stop smoking pill about which I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews from now ex-smokers.

I’m trying to find ways to feel even better about quitting, can you tell?

Seriously though. You can apply this thought to many of the world’s bad habits. Take fast food for example. You spend about $5 on a value meal at a fast food chain, every day (yes include weekends), and you decide to cut that out. That’s $1,820.00 a year. Sure, you need to replace the fast food with something else, but I’m willing to bet you can bring a lunch to work or eat one at home for about $3 a day, which is a total savings of $728 a year. That’s STILL plenty of money to afford a REALLLLY nice vacation somewhere!

Yeah, relating this whole thing to money makes quitting smoking make a lot of sense. But of course there ARE health benefits too.

At 20 minutes after quitting:

* blood pressure decreases
* pulse rate drops
* body temperature of hands and feet increases.

At 8 hours:

* carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
* oxygen level in blood increases to normal

At 24 hours:

* chance of a heart attack decreases

and so on… and so on… and so on!

Okay, I’m off to find things to keep myself busy (like more ways to earn/save money)!