Peapod...Survey says...

I did not forget about my promised Peapod review.

The Fabulous One and I started using Peapod a couple months ago for two reasons:

1. To help us keep our grocery shopping held within a strict budget.

2. To save us some time as our lives were so busy we needed every hour we could get.

I must say, both of these needs were met in very large ways. We were able to plan exactly what we wanted to buy. There were no surprises at the checkout, no gravitational pulls toward the Drumsticks, and I wasn't circling the store four times to find a "small jar of capers".

After establishing our food budget, we planned on spending about 70% of it on Peapod and the other 30% was to be spent at the grocery store if we needed a quick 1/2 gallon of milk or a loaf of bread.

We found the Peapod delivery drivers to be very friendly. They showed up in the time frame that was established, and carried the bags of groceries right to the middle of our kitchen. If this seems a little too intimate and/or creepy to you, you will certainly appreciate their unattended delivery where they leave your groceries in very sturdy boxes next to your door. The refrigerated items are in an insulated cooler with ice packs and the frozen food is stored in a cooler with dry ice. I was quite impressed!

Peapod also offers weekly specials that were unexpected. One week we were able to choose one of three frozen entrees (to be cooked in the oven) for free ($12 value). It was very good and there was plenty left over for lunch the next day.

Okay, so what was the catch? The expected downside is that the prices do tend to run more expensive than the stores. I couldn't calculate a consistent markup. But you do definitely get less food for your money.

Also, the delivery charges range between $7 and $10 depending on your order amount. We simply built this charge into our budget.

Our schedules have since eased up a bit and we are not currently using Peapod on a regular basis. I do however, see us taking advantage of this service again this summer when our businesses really pick up.

That's my two cents. Are there any other opinions out there?

Understanding The Financial Credit Crisis

Here is a visual aide to help you understand how we got into this financial crisis. The political aspects of everything have been left out of this video. It is more of a visualization to explain the process that happened. Many thanks to Brandon Meves for finding the video.


The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

One Month Down

As you may recall, my wife and I have declared this the year of getting out of debt. January has come and gone, and it has been an interesting ride thus far.

I cannot say we made significant progress in decreasing our liabilities. This is mainly due to the fact that our businesses are extremely seasonal (winter being our low season). And, while our income is at a minimum, our bills and expenses continue to be the same. Add to this some advertising opportunities we wanted to take advantage of.

Therefore, this month's focus was on monitoring our spending. We only spent money on that which was necessary. We kept a very close eye on our grocery budget and only ate out (fast food) when we had no other choice.

This month we said "No" to:

A Friday fish fry (and going out to eat in general) x10
New cell phones
The Wynn's $109/night deal (not really!)
Arby's
Drumstick ice cream bars
Going to the movies
A Juicy Couture swimsuit (for Monica)
Using a really good coupon to Express for Men
Bath & Body Works hand soap
A couple books

We've found that staying out of the malls and stores has helped a lot. Even staying out of the grocery store has kept us from buying unnecessary food, thanks to Peapod.

I have been working a part-time job and am also working on a new business idea that should help us make significant strides.

This month has taught me the importance of discipline. In order to balance everything I have going on in my life while keeping a close eye on our spending, I need to keep a thorough calendar of each day's events. I'm trying the block schedule approach suggested by Liene from The Smart Planner.

It's hard to say what February's focus will be. My income will go up this next month compared to January. With this extra income, I think the trick will be deciding how much should go toward our debt and how much should be saved for future expenses.

How has your year started financially? Have you been monitoring your spending more closely?

Peapod

In an attempt at being more precise in our grocery budgeting, we are seriously considering using Peapod, the grocery delivery service. We received an offer in the mail for $20 off our first purchase and free delivery for 60 days.

We have been working on comparing prices on the website to those we normally pay at the grocery store. So far we have found that some things are more expensive and some are less.

There are delivery charges we need to factor in, but at the same time we are considering the time we will save by not making long trips to the store.

We also figure that by having a running total at the top of the screen as we add items to our "cart", we know exactly how much we are spending and won't have any surprises at the checkout line. Also, there won't be those tempting sale items or mid-shopping cravings that cause us to grab a bag of Oreos. (Tell me I'm not the only one)

We have been told the produce is very fresh so we figure we won't be throwing out as much food as we have in the past.

Peapod also has their own sales at times and also accept manufacturer's coupons.

So, why not give it a try? I'll give you the report after all is said and done. In the meantime, have you used Peapod before? Please let me know what you're thoughts are.

A Wedding B-B-B-Budget

Engagement season has passed and wedding planning season is well under way. In the beginning stages of planning your wedding, the first topic you consider should be the budget. This may sound very elementary, but it is astounding how many couples start their planning without determining even a range for their budget.

If you are currently in this situation, I highly recommend you read three blog posts that will help put things into perspective for you.

First, Money Matters Not So Much was written by Monica to explain to brides that a budget is inevitable. If you don't talk about it, you are putting yourself at serious risk. Once you set your budget, you have at least some sort of framework in which to start your planning. Prioritization will obviously be necessary with any budget. Visit Monica at The White Box of Wedding Design if you need further inspiration or ideas.

Second, The $28,000 question: Why are we all hypocrites about weddings? was written by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You To Be Rich. Ramit takes a very realistic approach in this article as to how wedding budgets escalate as the planning process progresses. His biggest point made is for those who are currently not planning a wedding, but foresee one happening in the not-too-distant future...Plan Ahead! Start saving this month if you know you are going to be paying for the wedding yourself. This applies not only to weddings, but to cars, houses, furniture, appliances...anything!

Third, Liene Stevens of Blue Orchid Designs wrote Your Wedding Budget Does Not Define You. Don't be ashamed of your budget. Work with what you have and be fabulous no matter what. Liene will show you how.

SO, the moral of the story:

1. If you're engaged, set a budget for your wedding.
2. If you're engaged and live in Milwaukee (or are visiting), check out The White Box. You will certainly NOT regret it.

Suze Orman on Oprah - Free ebook

Suze Orman will be on Oprah today as part of Oprah's Best Life series. She will be talking about how to best deal with the financially hard times we are experiencing. Orman is well known for her sound financial advice and clear-headed ways of thinking.

She also has an ebook that can be downloaded for free on the Oprah Winfrey website. Download Orman's 2009 Action Plan here.

The Smart Planner

I'm being featured today on a great blog called The Smart Planner. Liene Stevens is the founder of this blog that focuses on helping wedding planners build their businesses in a purposeful and logical way. It is already obvious that Liene has made a difference in the wedding planning industry. Even if you are not a wedding planner, you can still gain some great insight on leadership and managament from this blog and also her unique Twitter series.

I will occassionaly make guest appearances on The Smart Planner and will gear my posts toward helping planners make the best financial decisions as they grow their businesses. Check out my post today about the advantages of using QuickBooks software to manage the financial aspects of your business.