This year is all about saving money every day while trying to increase your income potential. If you did one thing each day that could save as little as $5 over the course of a year, you could have an extra $1800 in your pocket at the end of the year. Not all of these tips may apply to you, so to keep it fair, not all of them will apply to me.
So I already told you guys I’m burned out. I’m not burned out on writing the blog, and I really love everyone’s comments and kindness. I’m burned out on my tenuous existence. I haven’t had a day with my husband in I don’t remember how long. I’m coming off of a nasty head cold and I can’t seem to stay well, probably in part because I’ve been running on my husband’s schedule and mine. I just feel beat by the universe. So when the universe kicks you in the arse, you say, “Kiss my arse, I’m going to the beach.”
My husband and I decided to go celebrate our 5 year anniversary this weekend with a nice stay at the beach instead of the educational anniversary (we’ll do that later this year). It wasn’t a budgeted vacation (we weren’t saving up for it), but we had available cash. It was unexpected money that we were considering putting the money towards paying down a credit card, but decided that we needed the break, and we needed to do something for our anniversary.
So I reserved our rooms online to get the best deal. The next day I was checking my bank statements and found two authorizations on our credit card, one for $150 over our stay! I called the front desk and asked them if they could remove one of the authorizations. (I’m assuming that the $150 may be a refundable deposit as we’re bringing our dog.) No problem. I have to wait for the night auditor to resolve this, but even if it’s not taken care of by the weekend, I have a heads up. In my experience, hotels generally just complete the authorization. Since I don’t want to be charged twice for all stay, I’ll remind them of this, and check my statement the next week.
You might be surprised how many times something is authorized to your card. It’s easy for these to become permanent, and every dollar adds up. Whenever you place your credit card information in someone’s hands, follow up in the next week to make sure you’ve been charged the right amount.
365 Days of Saving Money: $3197 Annually (Running Total)
