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SmartyPig®: April 2009 Archive

The following posts were made in April 2009. You may subscribe to the RSS feed for this archive if you would like to take your time reading through our posts.

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April 29, 2009 • Posted by Erica Adams

Man On a Mission

There's something very personal and very optimistic about setting a financial goal using SmartyPig (or any goal for that matter), whether it be a weekend vacation, presents for holidays, an emergency saving account or the down payment on a new home. No matter the size, the goal belongs to you. You created it for a reason - to get from here to there without the heavy burden of debt.

We're sincerely touched to read testimonials and receive phone calls from SmartyPig users letting us know just how the site has positively affected their lives. From the parent overjoyed that their child finally understands the importance of saving money, to the soldier overseas who cannot wait to get home, to the happy just-married couple who are starting life in better financial shape than they'd hoped, these stories are more than uplifting and make us strive to make SmartyPig everything it can be.

Recently, though, one story we read was of particular interest to us. A gentleman named Sam Mahlstadt has started using SmartyPig to change not only his life but potentially the lives of many others. Recently married, Sam and his wife moved halfway across the country to Winston Salem, North Carolina to ensure that his goal becomes a reality.

See, Sam is helping to build a church in his community and he knew that SmartyPig and its use of social media could help him reach his goal faster. Sam said that rather than a "big ask" of reaching out just once to friends and family for money, he could link his goal to the social media sites he frequents and to his blog where others could continue to read about and potentially contribute to his goal.

Sam, like many of our users, has an uphill battle. But we don't set goals that are easy. We set goals to make our lives better, to push ourselves. Sam's goal will affect many for years and years to come because he has been able to participate in something that he values greatly: the helping of others. Understanding that it is always easier to accomplish something when there's a common cause is the secret to our social way to save. Hearing a story like Sam's, well, that makes it all the more sweet.

 

 

Tags: smartypig   •  saving money   •  goals

0 Comments | |

April 23, 2009 • Posted by Michael Ferrari

New "Lower This" Feature

Many of you may have seen this feature but I saw a tweet the other day from a customer who just came across it and thought I would do a quick post. There may be times while saving for your goal, that you receive contributions from friends and family or you choose to add additional funds to your goal in addition to your recurring monthly contributions. These "extra" funds actually put you ahead of schedule. At SmartyPig we're looking out for you. And when situations like this arise, we will tell you when you can safely lower your monthly contribution and still hit your goal by the date you originally specified.

So go ahead and "lower this" should the opportunity present itself. It's kinda like giving yourself a gift! Well, sort of...


Mike Ferrari, co-founder

 

Tags: smartypig   •  new feature   •  lower this

3 Comments | |

April 23, 2009 • Posted by Erica Adams

April Twitter Contest Winners Announced

This month, we asked you what the address is for the new SmartyPig mobile site and the answer is: m.smartypig.com

We had over 140 responses, with a lot of new players!

Here are the winners:

Congratulations to infocuspartners, JenniferRyther, and  MIphotography! Please make sure to DM us your address via Twitter so we can send your $100 SmartyPig gift card!

Here are those that made it into the top 20 - thank you for playing and better luck next time! thirtynholding, gretchasketch22, egglng, lisa_lewis, merrylake, lynndro, afalker, RitaYangLu, urvile, jessc098, nelswadycki, bagmomma, kateschneider, sweetjean, AmandaZinger, joshgroth, chasehunter.

Tags: smartypig   •  online savings account   •  twitter   •  contest   •  smartypig gift cards

1 Comment | |

April 21, 2009 • Posted by Erica Adams

April Twitter Contest

Let the savings begin! SmartyPig will be giving away three $100 gift cards through our monthly Twitter contest - Thursday, April 23rd at 11 CST. We will tweet a question and give our followers 15 minutes to reply to us.

The format:

1. After 15 minutes, we will be picking 20 random people with a number generator from the pool of correct answers.
2. We'll be bringing back a trusted method in selecting three gift card winners.
3. We'll post the process here on our blog, so everyone can follow along!

Make sure:

1. You're following us on Twitter.
2. We'll ask the $100 question on Thursday, April 23rd at 11am CST.
3. Answer the question correctly for your chance to win!

Remember: if you don't already have a SmartyPig account, it's free to set one up! Winner must be in the US.

Good Luck!

Tags: smartypig   •  saving money   •  twitter   •  contest

3 Comments | |

April 17, 2009 • Posted by Erica Adams

Dream House

After hearing about SmartyPig through a friend, Shannon Swilley knew our site was something she had to check out. Established in her career and recently engaged, she and her fiancee understood registering for gifts at a department store wasn't something they were looking to do. They wanted to jump into life both feet first and buy a home. When they came across SmartyPig, they knew it would work for exactly what they wanted. Swilley was delighted that friends and family could contribute to this goal knowing that she and her fiancee were saving for the house as well. It was the ultimate gift - a life changer. Seeing SmartyPig as a total package, she set up a public goal and added the SmartyPig widget to her blog for readers to see.

As home mortgage rates dip to all time lows those interested in purchasing a new home have never found a better time to do so. But being financially prepared to purchase that new house by having enough money socked away is paramount to a successful start - especially in a market like this. So we've made it simple for you to save for a down payment on a house like Shannon by adding the new category, House Down Payment. Even better, with the social twist of SmartyPig, your friends and family members can help out!

It's likely the second biggest decision Shannon has ever made. Using SmartyPig made it a bit easier. We congratulate her and all of our first-time home buyers!

 

Tags: smartypig   •  house   •  downpayment   •  saving   •  money

4 Comments | |