Another month is done and summer is unofficially here.  Most public schools in our area our out this week and it will really seem like summer no matter what the calendar says.

Two important entities in my life are turning one next month.  My grandson Alex will be celebrating his first birthday and a couple of weeks later is the first anniversary of Bucksome Boomer’s Journey to Retirement.  Plans to celebrate are in the works for both.

Spending

We didn’t have any large unexpected expenses last month.  My car tag registration was due but I put 1/12th away every month so that was budgeted.  Medical expenses were higher than planned due my bout with bronchitis but nothing excessive. 

Blog Stats

I had the highest daily number of hits ever last month (222) thanks to a guest post on 5 Ways to Save While Dining Out at The Dollar Stretcher.  Visits for the month were up 27% over April and page views were up 32%.  Thanks to the Yakezie network, my Alexa ranking is at 130,645 today and I started at 448,950 a couple of months ago.

Special thanks to the top referrers last month (excluding social media and search sites):

1. The Dollar Stretcher
2. GraceFUL Retirement
3. The Frugal Girl
4. My Pretty Pennies
5. Credit Card Chaser
6. Wise Bread
7. Financial Samurai
8. Family Balance Sheet
9. No More Spending
10. Yes I am Cheap

  How was your month? I hope you have a moment to reflect on it and share.

photo credit: Clintus McGintus 

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Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009-2010.  All Rights Reserved.

February is a funny month because it’s so short. Mr. Boomer said he liked that his hourly wage that month was the highest of year (salaried employee).  That’s not what appeals to me.  It’s knowing that Spring is just around the corner  that I like.  Okay, Valentines Day is kind of fun too.

I have a new theme on my blog so it should look different (those that click through to the actual website will see it).  Stay tuned as I continue to refine the look this month.  You will also noticed that I’ve added a couple of ads.  I will do my best to balance monetization efforts with easy access to content.

Spending

My goal of not spending more than $50 on unplanned expenditures was met. The only large purchase to replace the wheel rim bent by the pothole but it met the criteria of existing item that was unrepairable.  It did require a little dip into the emergency fund but that’s why we have it.

 I also applied $900 to my debt snowball so it’s going down every month (bit by bit).

Blog News

My motivation to keep writing is again renewed with a second month in a row of increased stats.  Visits were up 42% and page views increased 3% over January.  I’m happy considering it was a short month!

In case you missed them the five most popular articles in February were:

6 Expenses for Man’s Best Friend
4 Steps to a Faster PC
Do Baby Boomers Know How to Job Hunt
4 Steps to Successful Gift Giving
Time to Make A Change

A big thank you to all bloggers that share bucksomeboomer with their readers. The top 10 referral sites in February were:

1. Graceful Retirement
2. Dollar Stretcher.com
3. The Frugal Girl
4. Len Penzo Dot Com
5. Enemy of Debt
6. Pragmatic Environmentalism
7. Ultimate Money Blog
8. Passive Income Now
9. Wise Bread
10. Think Your Way to Wealth

  How was your month?  I hope you have a moment to reflect on it and share.

photo credit: liliferret 

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009-2010.  All Rights Reserved.

photo credit: The Gift of Gifts 

It is hard to believe the first month has ended ( over a week ago!).  I’m not even used to writing 2010 yet.  Are you still on track with 2010 goals or resolutions? 

North Americans were reminded of our blessings when viewing the devastation and tragedy in Haiti.  It was heartwarming to see so many people pull together (again) for a common purpose.

Online Income

This weekend I will post three items on EBay.  I’m going to try clothing for the first time.  We’ll see how that goes.  I didn’t participate in any surveys as I’ve been focusing more on my blog and if it’s between catching up on the DVR or doing surveys guess what wins! (It is the last season of Lost after all.)

Spending

Tomorrow I’ll share the news of our one unplanned expenditure.  Don’t worry it was to replace an existing item that was unrepairable.  I haven’t broken the hiatus!  Other than this expenditure it was a quiet month which was greatly appreciated.

Blog News

Confession time… I was starting to get disheartened about blogging after December’s stats.  Well, that’s been turned around because there is more activity.  Bucksomeboomer.com experienced a 12% increase in visits and 76% increase in page views compared to December.

A big thank you to all bloggers that share bucksomeboomer with their readers. The top 10 referral sites in January were:

1. Graceful Retirement
2. Yes I am Cheap
3. Ultimate Money Blog
4. Out of Debt Again
5. Enemy of Debt
6. Darwins Finance
7. Funny About Money
8. 20s Money
9. Dough Roller
10. Mid Life Bloggers

  How’s the New Year going for you? 

photo credit: The Gift of Gifts 

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009-2010.  All Rights Reserved.

Let’s sing along with Andy Williams, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year“.  Yes, I’m in the camp that loves the Christmas season.  The best thing about it is that although we associate the holidays with spending large sums of money it’s not a requirement.

Other than the religious aspect for many of us this season there are really four main holiday categories which are gifts, food, decorations and entertainment.  Like many this year, we’ve trimmed our gift list both in number of recipients and dollar amount.  To the regret of Mr. Boomer and our kids, I’ve never been a baker so we don’t have much additional food costs other than the main holiday turkey meal.

We’ve gradually added to our holiday decorations over the years to the point that the collection is complete.  In our community holiday entertainment can range from classic Nutcracker performances to comedies involving reindeer and a grandma and ticket prices have just as large a range.  There are many ways to enjoy seasonal entertainment at no cost.

Church Programs

My church has several non-worship events going on this month including Christmas tree fantasy open house to seasonal music concerts to breakfast with Santa Claus.  These are all open to the public and are not unique.  Check out the churches near you to see what’s available the next few weeks.

Friends/Family

One of the best things about holidays is spending time with friends and family.  Invite people over to watch a favorite television special or movie.  Mr. Boomer’s favorite is “A Christmas Story” which we watch without fail every year.

Another idea is to gather a group to go out caroling.  If you want to get out of your neighborhood call local retirement or nursing homes to see if they’d welcome being serenaded.  It’ll bring joy to you and your audience.

Decorations

In San Diego, you can view professional holiday decorations from the comfort of your car at the local race track.  Nice idea but at $14 a car, it’s not cheap or free.  Why pay when many people deck out their homes to celebrate the season?

Just about every city has a block or street that goes above and beyond with the decorations.  Some even choreograph the lights to seasonal music for extra entertainment.  Check your newspaper for listing information or Google your city to find the best holiday light displays.

Malls

In order to attract and keep shoppers longer many malls offer free entertainment in addition to the traditional Santa Claus.  Enjoy musical, dance and theatrical performances in the warmth of an indoor shopping center.

When my kids were little the holiday season included at least one trip to the mall for the annual visit with Santa Claus.  The boys would be so excited as we prepared for the trek.  The best part (other than seeing their happiness) was the price tag.  Don’t forget to have someone join you to snap a photo and avoid pricey pictures.

Parades

Holiday parades start Thanksgiving Day and I never tire of the spectacle.  The holiday parade season opened here with the Mother Goose parade (pre-Thanksgiving) and finishes with the Holiday Bowl Big Balloon parade December 30th.  Just like the holiday lights, kids of all ages seem to enjoy the bands, floats, balloons and more.

Take advantage of these and more free holiday entertainment options.  As you can see cutting back monetarily this year doesn’t have to mean cutting back on fun.

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcel030nl/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

Another month has come to an end and we’re now getting into full holiday mode.  Did you do any Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping?

Mr. Boomer and I took advantage of Black Friday and bought (drum roll please)….sheets.  Yep, that is what we needed of all the items on sale so that’s and Target had a good price on 700 thread count sheet sets.  Did you find something you needed? 

I’ve eliminated (for now) the need for one of the three electronics I drool over by downloading the free Kindle for PC software from Amazon.com.  After installing I downloaded some free e-books and had plenty of reading material for my recent travels at zero cost (except for the Netbook of course).

Blog News

I jumped tiptoed on the social media bandwagon for this blog.  Follow @Bucksome on Twitter or if you like Facebook better, friend Bucksome Boomer.

My page visits are slowly growing and subscription number is gradually on the increase.  Thanks for listening.  The top 10 referral sites in November were:

1. Graceful Retirement
2. Enemy of Debt
3. Gather Little by Little
4. Being Frugal
5. Domestic Cents
6. Blogging Away Debt
7. Wise Bread
8. The Skilled Investor
9. Yes I am Cheap
10. Finance for a Freelance Life

Online Income

Income from Half.com was only $1.5o, but I’ve been making some money with surveys.  I’ve started to keep track of the ones I take and don’t qualify versus the ones that are completed so I can tell which companies give me the best results.  The big payout this past month was $50 instant win from Opinion Outpost.  This is one of the selections presented when you don’t qualify.

Spending

A lot of money went out this month for larger non-routine expenses.  Mr. Boomer and I decided on our vacation plans for 2010 and put a deposit down on a April cruise– cha-ching for $900 (10-day sailing).  We also bought a washer and the previously mentioned netbook.

The good news is no new debt and I’m still on target to pay off  the car early.  Budgeting is a wonderful thing! 

How was your November?  Here’s hoping you met your financial goals and are heading into the December holidays strong.

 Photo by The Suss-Man / CC BY 2.0

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009.  All Rights Reserved.

The last week of November means more than turkey day… or at least it should.  In between holiday events and activities make time to take care of these four financial deadlines.

1. Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).  Many employers offer a medical FSA and/or dependent care FSA.  If you have either of these make sure you spend the funds on or before 12/31/2009.  Any unspent funds are kept by your employer.  

It’s also time to select the amount to have withheld from your pay for 2010.  Mr. Boomer and I learned last two weeks ago that we have to spend $1100 in health care costs before the end of year.  Previous years we had high dental costs and had spent the full amount before summer’s end.  Fortunately (I guess) we didn’t need as much work this year.  My advice is to estimate conservatively. 

2. Donations.  If you plan to make donations do so  before the end of the year.  Why?  Well, depending on your chosen charity there is a higher demand for help this holiday season.  There are more families needing food assistance than in recent memory.  Additionally, if you itemize taxes remember to include monetary contributions in your 2009 return.

3. Taxes.  Speaking of taxes, it is unfortunate that many people (including yours truly) have property taxes due in December.  In the holiday rush don’t forget to make your payment.  Missing the due date here results in a 10% late fee immediately.

It’s also time to make any transactions that will impact your 2009 tax situation.  Contributions to 401K or 403B must be made by December 31st but you have until April 15th for IRAs.  Other financial transactions that can have tax implications include stock trades and cash gifts.

4. Budget.  Although we think of budgets in terms of a monthly document you should also have a annual budget.  Review the past year and look for trends.  How well did you meet your goals?  Are you on track?

Take this information and use it build your 2010 budget.   When making your plans for the year stretch yourself.  You are capable of more than you might think. 

Your financial task list may include different items.  Just remember to keep on financial track while enjoying the holidays.

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

Everybody loves a good deal, right?  I sure do, but have become pickier about which ones to jump on as I focus on becoming debt-free.  That pesky student loan has got to go!

I’ev shared bargains with coworkers, friends and family but realized I left out an important group – you!  (Yes, I do have readers that aren’t coworkers, firends or family.)  Let me tell you about five of my favorite sites and why.

1. Slickdeals. This is my favorite website for finding bargains, freebies and coupons. Before I buy anything, I search this site to find the best price or a coupon code. At one point, this was my browser home page but there are too many enticing deals. I save money by only using this site when I’ve already made the decision to buy.  Does this make me a recovering shopaholic?

2. Woot.This site features a new deal every day. The operative word is “a”. There is only one and when they’re sold out..that’s it until the next day. I don’t buy here often, but visit anyway for the entertaining descriptions of the sale item. There are now woot spinoffs for wine, t-shirts (love the creativity) and kids.

3. Travelzoo. Travel is one of my loves and we’ve found many travel and entertainment bargains here. My mom traveled to meet the new great-grandson for $15 each way thanks to a Travelzoo email alert.  Sign up for the weekly top 20 email and you’ll soon be enjoying the finds.

4. The Freebie Blogger. This site lists free items, giveaways and weekly deals at major retailers. Wendi isn’t the only blogger in the niche but is the first one I found so I have a special fondness for this blog.  Plus, it doesn’t focus on moms (I am a mom, but good deals appeal to more than moms).

5. Money Saving Methods. This is the site where I learned about survey companies and mystery shopping.  Carrie knows them all and gives you the pros and cons.  This site also lists freebies, bank offers and rebates among other ways to save or earn the bucks.

Did this list include your favorite deal website?  If not, please share.  If you have to buy something, you should get the best deal possible.

Photo by US Government (public domain) 

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

Last week I received an email from Amazon introducing Amazon Payphraseand inviting me to create my own Payphrase.  It sounded so simple and useful.  As they noted in the first sentence, I’m “a frequent Amazon.com shopper”. 

I wasn’t happy about that point since I’ve really cut down my online shopping the past six months.  But I was curious as to what this new service meant. 

Basically, you come up with a phrase you’ll remember and link it to your stored payment method and shipping address information.  Then use the payphrase and PIN on the payment screen at Amazon.com and six other online retailers.  The benefits according to Amazon are privacy, quicker checkout and parental controls. 

Sounds good, right?  Well, I have serious concerns about he first two claimed benefits.  How is it more private for Amazon.com to know your spending patterns at the other retailers?  It’s not any of their business but they would be able to track this information and market to you accordingly.

Yes the other websites won’t have your credit card information but these are reputable retailers as trustworthy as Amazon.  It seems a little to big brother to me.

Now let’s talk about the second benefit which is easier checkout.  I guess the easy part is because you don’t have to enter your credit card information and shipping address. However, you can create accounts and enter this information only once (like I do at Amazon…remember I’m a frequent shopper).

I must admit the third benefit is pretty cool and will be really beneficial to parents of college students.  If you have kids that can buy their own items it would be convenient to set up a spending limit and give them the payphrase with corresponding PIN.  You don’t have to worry about going over-budget if you set the amount to cover textbooks only.

For now, I’m not going to use the Payphrase feature as the negatives outweigh the positive.  Is this something you’ll use?

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

Most of the time I’m proud to be a Californian.  Not so much this year.

My last paycheck was lower than normal.  A benefit of being salaried is there there isn’t much fluctuation with pay and I didn’t have a pay cut.   It wasn’t a surprise because my company warned us.  I have the State of California to thank for the decrease. 

The state decided employers had to withhold 10% more than usual for all wage-earners.  It’s not a tax increase because our annual tax bills don’t change.  When Mr. Boomer and I file our tax return next year we’ll either get a bigger return or a lower taxes owed bill.  However I, and others, interpret this as a forced interest-free loan to the state. 

It seems pretty chicken shit  of our government to take more even for a few months while so many are suffering.  Only 3 states have a higher unemployment rate in the nation and many families are struggling to make ends meet. 

Although I find this tactic annoying the few dollars a payday don’t impact my budget much.   I am outraged for those that may have to give up one day of driving a week or have one more meatless meal a week.  People are making real sacrifices due to job loss, higher prices and upside-down mortgages.  I don’t see the state making any.

This interest free loan to the state is on top of city and state cutbacks resulting is less services (parks, teachers and libraries to name a few).  The state budget is still awash in red ink.  Where and when will it end? 

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.

 Wednesday is Veterans Day which is an annual day to honor and remember those who have served in the US Military.  This day was formally identified as a holiday in 1919 to note the one year anniversary of the end of the “war to end all wars”…World War One.  Unfortunately this was not the war to end all wars.

This year’s ceremonies will include extra sadness based on the recent workplace violence at Ft. Hood, Texas.  Please take some time on this Federal holiday to remember those who have served our country especially those that made the ultimate sacrifice.

Okay, shake off the somber mood and let’s get on with some interesting reads this week. 

Editor’s Picks

 1. What’s Your Financial Profile?  Read Brad @ Enemy of Debt’s article discussing good, bad and ugly (okay that is one of Mr. Boomer’s favorite movies) financial profiles.  I think I’ve transitioned from well-off but broke to comfortable, generous and stable.  What about you?

2. 50 Christmas Gift Ideas: Make Your Own Personalized Gifts. For those of us on a budget this holiday season (and who isn’t) Craig @ Money Help for Christians provides 50 ideas for those gifts we all cherish…homemade.

3. The Great Big List of 75 Budgeting Tools, Finance Software and Iphone Money Apps. Peter @ Bible Money Matters one-ups Craig’s number and gives us 75 various tools to use in managing your personal finances.  I have IPhone lust (which you’ll read about later this month) and would love to give those apps a try.

4. Should You Purchase A Cheaper Product or Upgrade to a More Expensive Product?Craig @ Moolanomy Personal Finance makes a good point about buying a entry level product instead of one with all the bells and whistles that may end up not being used. I bought a Microsoft Zune at a great price a couple of years ago to see if I would use it before going with an Ipod. The verdict is that yes I use it, but it meets my needs so I don’t need an Ipod yet.

5. 12 Ways to Use Up Leftover Halloween Candy. If you still have any Halloween candy left over you probably just want it to go away. Jenn @ Frugal Upstate has 12 great ideas on how to put it to good use. I must say the leftover candy cake sounded appealing!

Carnivals

Carnival of Financial Planning – Edition #114 @ The Skilled Investor
Baby Boomers Blog Carnival Twelfth @ Baby Boomers U.S. (The Blog)
Carnival of Money Hackers #89 – My Favourite Coffee Edition @ The Financial Blogger
Carnival of Money Stories @ Christian PF

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009. All Rights Reserved.