Clair is an artist, so with an undependable income, she chooses to keep a hefty emergency fund with SmartyPig for those months when she needs a little extra to pay her bills. She also saves for trips or equipment to support her profession and says that right now she is, “saving up for a really big trip. Not sure where yet… hopefully Hawaii or France.”

“It’s such a great comfort knowing it’s there and I’m really proud of myself for taking care of me. Thank you for changing how I view myself!”

Congratulations from the SmartyPig team!

I pulled on a coat this week that had not been worn since last winter, and low and behold I found the means in one pocket to make me $20 richer. I decided to treat my family to frozen yogurt, but felt a ping of regret upon reading a clever article from the folks at WiseBread this morning, “10 Smart Things to do with $25.” While it wasn’t a million dollars in that pocket, should I have thought harder about how to spend my newly found funds?

Paul Michael, the article’s author tosses out tips including: starting a college savings plan, hitting the sales at the grocery store, buying some original art (Craiglist style) or exploring a new hobby, like taking a music lesson. All fun and somewhat practical ideas, but none really seem to get you what you really want; like reaching a goal that you’ve been working hard and long to save for with SmartyPig. Looking back, I should have chosen to stick the cash into one of my SmartyPig goals like my vacation to Europe this summer or my son’s second birthday party. Hindsight is always 20/20, right?

The found funds don’t always reside in a coat pocket; maybe it’s budget leftovers or a lowered bill that leaves you with a few extra bucks. It’s additions like these that help you reach your goals and get the things you really want, like that family vacation or a debt-free holiday season by saving with SmartyPig. Remember that next time some cash makes its way into your pocket!

Wishing you successful saving.

Sarah Foss, SmartyPig’s Media Mad Woman 
SFoss@SmartyPig.com

,

“Is frugality ever sexy?” Asks personal finance expert, Farnoosh Torabi. Maybe. But endearing? She says yes. To get that appeal, Farnoosh, combined with the Sophie Moura, and the other savvy folks at MarieClaire.com help us take charge of our money with a few simple criteria that all “rich” folks live by.

You all know the basics: assess what you’ve got, make a budget, and then maximize your paycheck. But how can you really cut corners and allow your savings goals to reap those benefits? “The American dream is changing: People have lost so much money buying homes. The new key is job stability and a solid savings account, not property investment.” Urges Torabi. Moura goes on to suggest small savings boosters like unplugging your appliances and adjusting your heat, keeping your grocery purchases to the essentials, and staying out of the department stores to alleviate temptation.

MarieClaire.com makes taking charge of your spending easy, and SmartyPig makes the saving part a cinch. Follow those simple guidelines and money will be scratched off your list of worries in no time!

Wishing you successful saving.

Sarah Foss, SmartyPig’s Media Mad Woman 
SFoss@SmartyPig.com

I wish I were lucky enough to say I’ve never made a financial mistake in my life. Most of us have at least one or two haunting tales; my story begins with a Jeep bought on eBay and ends with me paying someone 9 months later to haul it to the junkyard. Live and learn, right?

Misery loves company, which is why Liz Weston’s article on Yahoo Finance this past week is a must read. While Liz didn’t spend her first real-job bonus on a rusted out excuse to feel the wind in her hair, she did make a few other doozies you might find relatable. Like buying a bad-egg for a first home. Home repairs rank top 5 in terms of emergency fund uses. What about selling that home? Did you drop the price too low? Well, Liz did that too. And I bet many of you can guess her last mistake, yes, it was a poor investment.

If you’re a fan of Ms. Weston, you’ll know that despite these mistakes, she is one smart cookie when it comes to finances. And a big part of her teachings? Saving. Lots of saving. Liz encourages well thought out financial moves, like saving for your goals (easily I might add with SmartyPig) and despite her past mistakes, well thought out purchasing. Both important concepts at the pig; save now, reach your goals, spend wisely. Do you feel like adding money to one of your goals today? Take it from someone who should have closed out my eBay window to a SmartyPig one many years ago and contribute today.

Wishing you successful saving.

Sarah Foss, SmartyPig’s Media Mad Woman 
SFoss@SmartyPig.com

Today’s story is a guest post by SmartyPig saver, Emily Jones.

When my husband found SmartyPig we had just started working on some financial goals to prepare for what was supposed to be a bright future. I am forever thankful to SmartyPig for helping us reach our goals. I put myself through community college by saving for each semester, we went on a vacation to Las Vegas to relive our Honeymoon, and have a pretty healthy Emergency Fund Growing to date.

In October of last year my hours at work were cut back substantially. On top of that, we had just recently sold our second car because of the problems it was having. I decided to open a goal to start saving what would have been a car payment, with Smarty Pig. I managed to save $1150.00 before I was laid off in November, just one month after starting the goal. Suddenly that car did not seem so important, vacations were not important, just getting by was important. We closed the car goal to help with my career shift and used the money to pay bills while we waited for Unemployment Insurance to take over. I am currently changing my career path from that of Paralegal to Real Estate Investments and Financial Planning. Within less than a month I will be licensed, and starting my new career. I can then reopen my goal and save for the car that I really want. In the meantime, we are glad that we have SmartyPig paying us more than Certificates of Deposits and we can see our goals grow even when we cannot fund them during these lean economic times.

Thanks for sharing, Emily!