Planning for Success: Insert Credit Report Schedule – Day 6

January 6, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

To receive a daily e-mail around 11:00 a.m. with the new posts of each day, subscribe to my free daily newsletter. In case you miss a post in this series, I will provide the link to each day as the month progresses. 🙂

Day 1: Select a Planning Tool

Day 2: Add Your Priorities

Day 3: Print and Display Your Menu Planner – with free printable

Day 4: Record Membership Expiration Dates

Day 5: Mark Due Dates for Monthly Bills

Day 6: Insert Credit Report Schedule

With the rise of identity theft, everyone must carefully consider who gets her personal information. Even being careful with your information, hackers and thieves may still gain access. To protect your accounts and learn of issues promptly, request your credit reports throughout the year.

AnnualCreditReport.com provides one free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus each year. All three bureaus should report your information accurately. Therefore, if any new accounts have been opened, you would see that information on your report.

In our household, I request reports from different credit bureaus for Paul and I every 4 months. This way, we can see two different reports to be sure our accounts are still accurate.

My recommended schedule has worked for us. Just remember if you follow my schedule, to check the date of your prior year’s report. To get the free report, you need to wait one full year before getting a new one.

On our calendar, I have added notations to these months to check the following credit reports:

FEBRUARY

Paul – Experian

Tracy – TransUnion

JUNE

Paul – Equifax

Tracy – Experian

OCTOBER

Paul – TransUnion

Tracy – Equifax

In planning for success, insert a credit report schedule into your calendar. By checking your credit, you will find any discrepancies and catch any newly unauthorized activity before more damage is done.

A quick note in your calendar with the chosen credit bureau will remind you to review your credit report for free. Wishing that all your accounts remain free from identity theft as you check your reports often. Happy recording!

Question: How is your schedule similar or different from mine?

Planning for Success: Schedule Your Annual Home Maintenance – Day 7

January 7, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

To receive a daily e-mail around 11:00 a.m. with the new posts of each day, subscribe to my free daily newsletter. In case you miss a post in this series, I will provide the link to each day as the month progresses. 🙂

Day 1: Select a Planning Tool

Day 2: Add Your Priorities

Day 3: Print and Display Your Menu Planner – with free printable

Day 4: Record Membership Expiration Dates

Day 5: Mark Due Dates for Monthly Bills

Day 6: Insert Credit Report Schedule

Day 7: Schedule Your Annual Home Maintenance

Getting these items on my calendar is lifting the weight of trying to remember all these details. By writing them down and assigning them a day or a month, I have plan. Though that plan might change, I know that the information is documented. If I find conflicts, then I can just reschedule.

In progressing on this planning for success journey, I am adding annual home maintenance items to my calendar. If I don’t add these items to our schedule, then I will forget. These items are needed, but quickly escape my mind.

The annual home maintenance items added to my calendar include the following:

HVAC cleaning
Pressure washing
Termite inspection

Your annual home maintenance items might also include:

Lawn and garden treatments
Pest control

By adding these items to my calendar, hopefully, I will get these services completed in the correct season this year. I have had the spring HVAC cleaning done in the summer for the past two years. With the reminder on my calendar at the end of winter, I hope to get my air conditioner and furnace serviced on time this year. 🙂

In planning for success, schedule your annual home maintenance in the recommended season. With a written reminder on your calendar, you can concentrate on your priorities and address these services at their appropriate time. Happy scheduling!

Question: What annual home maintenance items did I miss?

Planning for Success: Set Your School and Work Activities – Day 8

January 8, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 1: Select a Planning Tool

Day 2: Add Your Priorities

Day 3: Print and Display Your Menu Planner – with free printable

Day 4: Record Membership Expiration Dates

Day 5: Mark Due Dates for Monthly Bills

Day 6: Insert Credit Report Schedule

Day 7: Schedule Your Annual Home Maintenance

Day 8: Set Your School and Work Activities

As the second semester of school commences, I am getting requests to take on responsibilities. Though I love our school and help as often as my schedule allows, I must keep my priorities in order. Before accepting new responsibilities, I add to my calendar all the known school activities gathered from the school calendar prior to adding optional duties.

Knowing when programs, projects, and meetings are scheduled, I can evaluate new opportunities in light of my time and my priorities. For me, my children’s classes take priority over the other classes. But when my children’s classes have adequate assistance, then I consider helping others.

Items on my calendar include the following:

Activities – field day and open houses
Assemblies – chapel and award ceremony
Competitions – spelling bee and geography bee
Days off for holidays and breaks
Fairs – science and history
Field trips
Hubby’s days off
Hubby’s office parties
Kindergarten graduation 🙂

Of course, your schedule will look different from mine, but adding your work and school activities to your schedules gives you an idea of how many more activities you can add and still maintain your priorities.

In planning for success, set your school and work activities on your calendar. Besides knowing what you need to do for the week, you will know when your plate is full.

By scheduling what you need to do, you can choose what you want to do with the time remaining. Keep using time wisely as you plan for success. Happy scheduling!

Question: Do you find putting everything on your calendar freeing or overwhelming?

Planning for Success: Highlight Contract and Subscription Expiration Dates – Day 9

January 9, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 1: Select a Planning Tool

Day 2: Add Your Priorities

Day 3: Print and Display Your Menu Planner – with free printable

Day 4: Record Membership Expiration Dates

Day 5: Mark Due Dates for Monthly Bills

Day 6: Insert Credit Report Schedule

Day 7: Schedule Your Annual Home Maintenance

Day 8: Set Your School and Work Activities

Day 9: Highlight Contract and Subscription Expiration Dates

In using time wisely, highlighting your contract and subscription expiration dates on your calendar will save you money, energy, and time. If your contracts or subscriptions expire and the services continue, you will end up paying full price. Ouch!

Since I do not like paying full price for anything, I highlight my contract and subscription expiration dates on my calendar.

Contracts Expiration Dates to Note

Cable services
Cell phones
Insurance policies
Internet services
Rental agreements
Warranties

Subscription Expiration Dates to Note

Magazines
Medications
Newspapers

With these items on my calendar, I can renew, adjust, change, or cancel these contracts and subscriptions before incurring higher costs. In checking our subscriptions, I found that our newspaper subscription expires within the next few weeks. Before the price goes up, I will call to negotiate a lower rate or cancel our subscription.

In planning for success, highlight your contract and subscription expiration dates. As you continue working to save your hard-earned dollars, keep track of these deadlines by marking them in your planning tool. Happy savings!

Question: What additional contracts and subscriptions did I miss?

Planning for Success: Download a Savings Tracker – Day 10

January 10, 2013 by Tracy

Photograph Credit: iStockphoto

Knowing that a successful year will not materialize on its own, we must plan and prepare for a prosperous 2013.

Throughout the 31 days of January, I will choose one topic each day to prepare or schedule for this year.

Without preparation, I know I will forget, miss, or overlook certain items. If you desire an organized year, then join me in this adventure of Planning for Success for a prosperous 2013.

Day 1: Select a Planning Tool

Day 2: Add Your Priorities

Day 3: Print and Display Your Menu Planner – with free printable

Day 4: Record Membership Expiration Dates

Day 5: Mark Due Dates for Monthly Bills

Day 6: Insert Credit Report Schedule

Day 7: Schedule Your Annual Home Maintenance

Day 8: Set Your School and Work Activities

Day 9: Highlight Contract and Subscription Expiration Dates

Day 10: Download a Savings Tracker

In working to save your family money, you have the most flexibility within your food budget. Though everyone would love to save 80-90% on each shopping trip, the reality is a savings between 20-50% overall.

For 2012, I chose to add household items, including cleaning supplies, diapers, toiletries, batteries, etc., to our food budget. With the additional items, I figured I would need to increase our $80 per week food allottment. To adjust, I tracked our savings to evaluate our progress.

In wrapping up 2012, I was thrilled to discover that our family of 5 spent $4,384.51 and saved $2,903.11. With a 39.84% savings for the year, our weekly budget averaged out to $84.32. In planning for 2013, I will raise our weekly food budget by $5 per week or $20 per month while continuing to practice savings strategies.

To help keep track all year, I use a savings tracker. Last year, I used a new-to-me 2012 coupon savings tracker and liked it. Since it is working for me, I plan to use the 2013 version this year. If you need to download a savings tracker, then consider these two options:

2013 Coupon Savings Tracker by Happy Money Saver – complete with video tutorial

2013 Savings Tracker by The Coupon Project

In planning for success, download a savings tracker. Though you can create your own, the above-listed spreadsheets include the formulas and come ready to start today.

While using time wisely to see how we are spending our food budget, I insert the information from our receipts into the spreadsheet, downloaded onto my computer, to watch our savings increase.

As you track your spending and savings, you can measure your progress and adjust your budget to reach your goals. Happy tracking!

Question: If you use a savings tracker, which is your favorite?

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