Keeping a budget

I am not an expert on keeping a budget. I am learning with time and experience, but I can hopefully share a few tips that have worked for us. Figure out how much of the "essentials" you have to spend. Essentials are anything and everything necessary for living. Here's what I consider to be my essentials. Depending on where you live and what you prioritize, you might make your own adjustments:

High priority:

Health insurance

Car insurance

Groceries

Gas

Rent

Utilities

Cell phones

Internet

Household necessities

Student Loans

Personal preference:

Gym

Personal allowance

Date nights

Netflix

Good to budget in:

Emergency fund

Saving up for big things in the future (car, house)

Obviously the things in our high priority list are highly recommended. Still, I'm not going to pretend that many live without the things on our high priority list. It is possible to live without a car. Some live in the city and can use mass transportation. Some simply can't afford the required car insurance or the ever-rising gas prices. Many live with the internet in their homes and utilize their school's or public library's internet. It is difficult for me to manage my life without these luxuries, but when you really think about it, cell phones, internet, and personal transportation are a luxuries. So before you decide to buy that new iPhone with the exuberant monthly data plan, first plan your real necessities.

Groceries

How much do you eat in a given month? I know, I know, your hubby is a different story. My hubby eats like Michael Phelps. If you're not on restrictive diets (and if you are, rethink the necessities of that, too!), then I'd recommend stocking up on a lot of cheap rice. My mother in law taught me this trick, and it worked for her when she raised her family of 7 kids! As always, be a wise shopper and figure out which grocery store gives you the best bang for your buck. Buy in bulk if you can. Costco and Sam's Club are worthwhile investments. You can try to piggy-back on a family member's membership, or hitch a ride with a Costco card-holding buddy. Just make sure you understand the rules of the membership, the yearly fees, and how to pay up at the cash register when you get there.

Rent and Utilities

When setting your budget, you don't have much flexibility with rent and utilities. That assumes you already have a place to live. If you are trying to find an apartment, then choose one in a safe location, a central location to work and school. If you can save a few hundred dollars a month by opting to be without a dishwasher and central air or heat, it might be worth it. Then again, using individuals heaters in the winter months might be more expensive than central heating in your apartment. It all depends on the efficiency of your apartment, the age of the building, and your ability to sacrifice. Is water free at one apartment but not the other? Look into these things.

Transportation

My husband and I are a one car family. Thankfully, our schedules allow us to function in our respective jobs and school without many issues. I have my trusty 2001 Volvo, and although it's starting to make noises straight out of Lost, I think (and hope and pray) it will last a while longer. One day we will need another car in our family. Notice how I didn't say "new car". Caleb was taught his whole life that a thing with such depreciating value, like a car, is not worth going into debt over. I'm inclined to agree at this point in our lives. When we do search for another car, we will utilize my brother's expert knowledge of cars. Do you have someone in your family who can help you find the model and make that is best for you? We'll also utilize trustworthy sites like True Car or Honk. There are a great deal of websites devoted to finding you a used car that's safe, reliable, and fairly priced. If you can hardly afford the car you have, then put your effort into maintaining it as long as you can. Try to carpool with work mates and classmates. Save on gas as often as you can!

Insurance and loans

Car insurance is a must if you have a car. Shop around for the best deal and avoid speeding tickets! Health insurance is highly recommended, especially for a married woman. Pregnancy is a possibility, and it's better to have health insurance that can cover that. If you have health insurance already, get to know your policies and what you're eligible for. More importantly, know what you're not eligible for! Is pregnancy covered? Do you have dental or eye coverage? I don't have much to say on loans yet, other than make sure you pay them on time! Students right out of college have a 6 month grace period before they have to start paying their loans.

Cell phone, internet, and other things

There is so much versatility with cell phone plans. If you can resign yourself to a basic phone plan, you can get plans fairly cheap. What is your requirement? My husband mostly texts, so we got him an unlimited texting plan with 200 talking minutes a month from Cellular South for $20 a month. I'm piggy-backing on his parents' plan on Verizon so I can get unlimited texting and free mobile to mobile with my Mom, who is also on Verizon. As much as I would love to have a smart phone, I just don't see the point of spending over $30 a month for mere data, which I can get on my laptop's internet.

Internet is a beautiful thing (unless you listen to Avenue Q). My husband and I can watch TV shows and movies on our TV through the internet, all for a mere $7.99 a month through Netflix. Why spend more money on a cable plan when you can just watch TV on the internet? You can try shopping around for the best internet plan. Nowadays cell phone companies sell DSL or U-verse internet. Negotiate with companies. Their "lowest price" is hardly the lowest for a noncommittal potential customer.

I recommend building in a small monthly budget for household cleaning items and toiletries just in case. It's often a cost people forget about.

This is plenty of information for now. In my next post I'll discuss the other aspects of the budget I outlined!

Wedding registry advice

Our American culture prizes versatility and flexibility. When a bride and groom sign up for registries in various places like Bed Bath & Beyond, Macy's, Target, etc., they are told by every bridal consultant to put on at least twice as many gift options as guests, and to have a wide variety of price options. The bride should not fear if she decides later she would rather exchange or return an item off of her registry, as you can easily do so at the store location.

This works, in theory. But brides, please be aware that many of your guests will opt to send you lovely gifts that are not on your registry at all. Others will send checks only, so as to give you the greatest versatility and flexibility in choosing what you need to make your house a home. Do not fall into the consumer's trap of "needing" every single thing off of your registry. Space is hard to come by in an apartment or home, and you will find in the future that you would rather use your space to store winter coats than an extra kitchen appliance that you will use maybe three times a year.

I recommend that you know ahead of time what items you really need. Do you really need that panini press or that waffle maker? Is it necessary to have both a blender and a food processor? Do some appliances come with several functions and save you space?

"Can you live without it?" is a question I've been asking myself this past month. My dear husband has a lot of experience living on his own, and he understands the monthly expenses and reality of living paycheck to paycheck. Every time I yearn for an item off of my registry that I did not receive, I have to take a step back and figure out a creative way to live without it.

Some of you might not receive the gifts you were expecting and aren't starting out with much. In that case, I would suggest hitting up your local yard sales, estate sales, and sites like Craigslist. People are willing to sell their decent furniture for 1/16 of the price you could find at a furniture store. My husband's mother found him a whole set of dishes at a yard sale for hardly any money when he started college, and it has served us well in our marriage. Ask your relatives if they have any extra cookware or duplicate server ware. You'd be surprised what they're willing to give up! Thankfully, many are more than happy to donate unused or unneeded items to the Poor Young Married Couples Donation Fund.

If you are blessed with an overabundance of gifts, then do your best to find a place for them. Don't be afraid to return the ones you know you will not have space for or use and get credit toward that store. A lot of stores are very versatile in their functions. You can return a duplicate wine glass set at Target and use that credit toward a Swiffer wetjet or a present for a family member in the future. People don't like to buy unromantic, un-glamorous presents for a bride and groom. Some of them want their present to hold sentimental value or last you a lifetime. Those kinds of presents should always be cherished. Your parents might be able to store some of them for you for your first year of marriage. Don't feel obligated to return everything you don't have space for initially, but do exercise caution and good judgement. Sometimes a cheese slicer is just a cheese slicer.

Centsible Living

I'm about to get married. In 9 days I will lose the ability to play dumb and actually have to tighten my proverbial money belts. This was always the threat hanging over my head when it came to post-college graduation and marriage. I love my fiancee, and I love shopping. Unfortunately, I can't have both, so I choose a life of love and minimalism. Maybe one day I can have both, but I am hoping that my journey as a wife and as a responsible adult will help me to become an even smarter shopper, a wise manager of my family's money, and a wife my husband can trust with the credit card. If you're reading this blog, chances are you'd like to improve the financial aspect of your life, whether you're a bride or not.

I chose the name "Centsible Bride" because I am coming primarily from a female perspective. I am currently a bride, and even when I am a married woman I will still be a bride in my husband's eyes and Christ's eyes. If you're not engaged or married (or you're a guy), please don't let the name deter you.

My goal for this blog:

I hope to update with wise financial tips for everyday life, as well as special posts for those brides out there who want to save a pretty penny on their wedding costs. I make no claims to be an expert and this is a learning process for me as well, but I hope to make this particular blog a haven for those who want to share in knowledge about how to wisely save and spend their money. The American society is obsessed with consumerism, and I seek to counteract that obsession in my own life as well as others who are interested.

If you have anything to add to my posts, please leave a comment! Happy savings!