About Ada County, ID

It took a bit of work - but we have upgraded our website: http://www.43re.com

Please take a look at the new site layout and let us know what you think! We have lots of information on our site - but it was overwhelming before. hopefully it is easier to get around now.

Are You Financially Fit? Give yourself a Financial Physical

Just like an "annual physical" with your doctor, it is equally as important to get a "financial physical" to make sure you are using your money to your optimum advantage. The following observations and questions are designed to get you thinking-thinking about how you can reduce your living expenses, improve your cash flow, pay down debt, or put money away for a rainy day.

Every household budget has some room for improvement but they can vary based on your needs, family size, lifestyle, etc. First, start by reviewing your monthly expenditures to find areas where you can trim some fat.

Recently I looked at my monthly budget and found several ways to reduce my monthly expenses and thus, create more opportunity for reallocating this extra cash flow for optimal usage. I examined my utility bills and decided that I could save quite a bit of money by reducing certain services. I saved $50 per month by reducing my family cell phone plan. I found that I had not been using as many minutes as I was paying for and in fact was "rolling over" 3-4000 cell minutes every month. As long as I keep an eye on monthly usage and don't go over my limit, I should be able to maintain this savings.

Next, I cancelled my home phone land line, which was primarily used to send faxes. This saved me about $40 per month. Now, I simply scan the documents that I used to fax and email them. I also found that by reducing my cable TV plan to a lesser package I could save another $30 per month and not miss a thing. I then reduced my home Internet service from a "super high speed" package to a standard high-speed package and saved an additional $25 per month. Truth is, I never noticed the difference in Internet speed anyway....

Natural Gas costs have been reduced in our area recently and, together with reducing the thermostat a degree or two, I expect to save an additional $25-30 per month. So far, the total monthly savings for my family amounts to about $180-$200 depending on the month. I have put this extra cash flow towards paying down debt and thereby reducing my interest charges every month (thus saving more money!). I just made $200 magically appear in my budget!

There are a few areas in my family's budget that I hope to address in the near future (namely, our health club membership that costs $75 per month and no one in the family really uses). I will have more on this topic in the coming weeks because I am seemingly addicted to finding new ways of saving money.

What can you do to reduce your living expenses and optimize your monthly budget? If you have any ideas about saving money, please share them with us!

Author: Randall Filbert, MPA www.LendingIdaho.com www.FamilyGuideToFinances.com

This blog's intention is to provide inspirational stories as well as historical accounts and insight into matters concerning the mortgage and real estate markets. These are my opinions and should not be regarded as factual data.

SOLD! - 2892 Kandice, Meridian, Idaho

Delivering results is what this business is all about. We managed to get this house under contract in 7 days! My client was able to relocate without haveing to worry about supporting two households. Hassle free and happily we handled all the details remotely and closed on time.

Hearing the relief in her voice when I called to let her know we had funded and recorded was a great feeling.