The Jungle Of Savings Has Gone Mobile

We don't just appreciate your time during office visits, we appreciate your time outside of our office as well. We know how hectic life can be and how crazy schedules can get. Sometimes our clients tell us that it's not that they don't intend to sit down and hammer out their budget, it's just a matter of time. This is why we have come out with an app for your mobile devices that will help you out. Consider this app a time machine in a sense. It gives you time to budget out your shopping budget that you might not have had otherwise. How can it possibly do that you ask? Great question! This app is designed to find any product that you have on your shopping list within the selected area of your choice and tell you what stores carry it as well as the price that they charge for it. This means you don't have to go from store to store to find the product you are looking for and not know until you get there how much you are going to spend for it. How cool as that? To top it off this app also gives you reviews on these stores so you know what kind of shopping experience you can expect before even going to this store. One other feature of this app that we find pretty awesome is the scanner feature. This gives you the ability to set your budget for your shopping visit and then you can scan the bar code of each item you put in your cart. After scanning each bar code the app deducts the amount of the item from your assigned budget. It will tell you when you have reached your assigned budget for that shopping visit.

As you can see it's a time saving tool that helps you keep right on track with your budget. It definitely lives up to its name, Shopping Survivor. The feature that we think our customers might appreciate the most is that it's FREE. With that being said, we understand if you want to stop reading this blog post and go download it now. We are not offended, we would do the same thing! We really hope you enjoy this app that we have created for you and please feel free to give us feedback.

The Most Important Piece To This Puzzle

Taken from Google images

This week we didn't want to center our blog around budgeting or saving tips and advice. This week we wanted to focus our attention on the most important piece of the puzzle, you as a customer. We don't just like our customers, they mean everything to us. Without you we wouldn't be able to make our dreams a reality on a daily basis, to be able to educate people on how to reach their financial goals and make our communities stronger.

We thought amongst ourselves what the best way to thank our customers could possibly be. After thinking about who our customers really are as individuals we think we have come up with a perfect way to tell you that we appreciate you. Watch the video below to see a message from Will, our CEO as he tells you what we came up with.

On top of the gifts you will be getting in the mail we would also like to extend our gratitude by having lunch be on us for any customer that stops into our office any day next week. Does this seem a little over the top? If it does then we have accomplished what we have set out to do, to really show our customers that they mean the world to us. Thank you so much from all of us at Have Budget: Will Survive, we truly value your patronage and look forward to meeting and exceeding all of your budgeting needs. As always, if you have any questions and you would like to get a hold of us please contact us via social media on our blog or Facebook or you can call or stop in to our office and we would love to help you in person!

Clean, Green, Saving Machine

This week we are going to talk about saving. How's that different than any other week you ask? In this sense of the word we are talking about saving the planet. The month of April is Keeping America Beautiful month and it is meant to create awareness on what each and every one of us can do to keep our communities beautiful for generations to come. There are so many things from a small to a large scale that you can do to make an impact on keeping America beautiful. It can be anything from picking up litter on the side of a road, park or parking lot and throwing it away or making sure you recycle to organizing a volunteer event for a mass cleanup. If you want to learn more about how you can support this cause go to: http://www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=programs_home.

Picture taken from Google images

Here at Have Budget: Will Survive we are donating 10% of all our proceeds for the month of April to support Great American Cleanup. This is an organization that educates people on how they can continue to keep America beautiful and green, along with organizing volunteer events to put it into action. We would also love it if you showed us what you do to support Keeping America Beautiful. Again, it doesn't have to be anything big, Confucius says that the person who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. For anyone that submits pictures or videos to our Facebook, we will give you 30% off consultation services this month. We look forward to seeing all of your pictures and videos and have fun saving the planet!

Check out our new commercial which you can find at the top page of our blog and tell us what you think! We had a lot of fun producing it. As always, we are here for all of your budgeting needs. If you have any questions and you would like to get a hold of us please contact us via social media on our blog or Facebook or you can call or stop in to our office and we would love to help you in person!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Image taken from Google Images

Here is the post that you have all been waiting for. In the next couple paragraphs you will find out how to not only get free budgeting advice, but also your next grocery bill on us! When creating a budget there are very few variables that you can control, one of the few include how much you spend on groceries. The savings every month can be pretty significant if done right. We want to help you experience these significant savings by not only helping you with tips on how you can have a lower grocery bill every month, but also by giving you a chance to put the new found grocery budgeting skills into action as we take you on a grocery shopping spree your next shopping trip.

What can you do to try and be that lucky winner? It's simple. There are two easy steps to get your name in the drawing for this awesome giveaway. The first thing you have to do is come up with your most creative budget friendly meal idea and take a picture of it after it's prepared. Then post the picture to our Facebook page. In the Facebook post tell us what ingredients are included in the meal and how much it cost to make. The second step of this giveaway is taking a picture of your last grocery receipt and emailing it to havebudgetwillsurvive@gmail.com. Entries need to be submitted by this Monday March 30th at 9 p.m. Central time. The winner will be announced on Tuesday March 31st on our Facebook and Twitter page. 

The lucky winner will get a free consultation in our office on budgeting advice and their next grocery bill on us. We will accompany the winner at any grocery store of their choice so that we can give them tips on getting the best bang for their buck with their grocery budget. The shopping trip cannot exceed over $200, which should be more than enough after hearing our awesome budgeting advice on grocery shopping. We can't wait to see what creative meal ideas you have for us and look forward to deeming one of you our lucky winner!

Financial Freedom Has Never Felt More Free

Image taken from Google Images

Let's face it, we all love saving money. What is even better though is saving money while learning about how to save even more money. You can experience this by securing your tickets early to next weeks seminar at a discounted price!  Next Thursday evening Have Budget: Will Survive is holding a seminar in the Zorn Arena at UWEC. The focus of the seminar will be how to become financially fit. The staff of Have Budget: Will Survive is excited to share their knowledge and stories of challenges, road blocks, and lessons they have learned along their journey to financial freedom. We hope that you are excited too. If you purchase your tickets online or at our downtown Eau Claire location anytime between now and tomorrow at 7 p.m. you can enjoy savings of 40% off the regularly ticketed price. This means that instead of paying $15 you will only be paying $9 to gain knowledgeable insight that will guide you through your savings journey. We hope to see you there!

If you would like to get a sneak peak of what it means to be financially fit, check out our podcast which can be found at the bottom of our blog page!

If you have any questions about next weeks seminar or would like to ask us any other questions you can get a hold of us by contacting us through social media on Facebook, Twitter, or here on our blog. You can also always call us or stop on by our office and we would love to talk to you in person. 

When Savings Go Social

Have you ever wondered if there is a social network out there to talk with other people about finances? Stop wondering, because we've found it! We have recently come across a social network that provides that exact type of community to join. They share some of the same values that we strive to communicate to our clients on a daily basis! It is called WalletHub. We believe in the mission of this new and upcoming network so much in fact that we are going to sponsor them! This way they can continue to be a great tool for people to make better financial decisions. 

Photo taken from Google Images

This network is great for consumers and small business alike. Any local small business that is in the finance industry would benefit from joining this site in order to reach their customer base more effectively. By joining and reaching out to the community of individuals that come here for advice, financial experts not only can reach out to people who are seeking advice from them, but also establish credibility to members of the WalletHub community. 

If you have further questions, we will be hanging out at WalletHub and you should be too. Like our new friends would say, your wallet will thank you! Be sure to check out our video we have created to introduce you to this site and just some of the great things it has to offer. Check out the video here: http://screencast.com/t/ivzC9faOOcn

Book Your Trip To Savings

This week we are teaming up with Bri's Book and Wine Bar to be able to offer you a special promotion! Next Saturday, February 28th between 2 and 6 p.m. our staff will be hanging out at Bri's Book and Wine Bar to provide a free budget and saving consultation to anyone who purchases a book that day. If you aren't familiar with Bri's Book and Wine Bar, it is a local up and coming business in Eau Claire. This is a place where you can come to unwind and have some fun, whether it be with a good book, a glass of wine, or both.

Photo taken from the blog of Bri's Book and Wine Bar

So if you are a book lover come down to this hidden gem of Eau Claire next Saturday and relax with a good book and great budgeting advice. Getting to pick from a large selection of award winning wines to fill your wine glass with doesn't hurt in the relaxation process after a long work week either. We can't wait to see you there and if you would like to learn more about Bri's, check out their blog at http://bbbookandwinebar.blogspot.com/.

Don't forget to check us out on our other social media pages by clicking in the top right corner of our blog page. We have added Pinterest to our social media circle this week.

Treat Your Budget To Home Cooked Savings

   A huge part of why we find ourselves stepping outside our budget is, because everywhere we go our taste buds are being tempted. Going out to eat is convenient, fulfills a craving fast, sounds better than cooking something at home and a lot of times tastes a lot better too. Going out to eat is nice, but think of all the cash that you are throwing away when it could be going towards a practical savings goal. That is what budgeting and savings goals are all about: Sacrificing something today in order to reap much better benefits tomorrow.

   When you find yourself thinking about going out to eat and forking over between $12 and $40 out of your pocket on your favorite dish, think twice. Why not make your favorite dish at home? In today's digital world the recipe for any of your favorite entrees can be found with the click of a button right at your fingertips. This way you will know exactly what ingredients are going into what you are consuming, you will see your savings account grow, people will be impressed when they see you cook them a meal rather than order from a restaurant and it can be a lot of fun too! If it's about convenience, then cook the meals ahead of time and freeze them for later. Just like most things in life, planning ahead for things can be so much more rewarding.

   Save going out to eat for very special occasions in order to reward yourself or romance that special person in your life. It will be a lot more special and believe me, it will feel a lot better handing over your hard earned cash in exchange for the dining experience. Don't let the temptations of today get in the way of pursuing your financial dreams tomorrow. We challenge you to treat your budget to home cooked savings and see the difference that it makes! Our very own CEO of Have Budget: Will Survive, Will Purcell is an aspiring chef so if you are looking for advice on budget friendly meals you can cook at home feel free to message us on our blog, Twitter, or Facebook.

                                                              

This image is from Google.

                                                               

Brighter On A Budget

   Be sure to check out our latest twitter post for a step by step guide in creating an awesome budget. To easily access our Twitter and keep up with our feed we have created a link on the top right hand side. We have also linked our feed right to our blog if you just want to scroll through while viewing our weekly blog posts. That can be viewed on the bottom right hand side.

   If you haven't gotten this from our about the business section, we at Have Budget: Will Survive are big on the idea of people feeling rich and good about themselves no matter what their income level. This is why good budgeting and living within your means is so important. One of the many ways that people feel good about themselves is by having a healthy radiant smile. This shouldn't have to be attained only by writing a big check to the dentist or going to big box stores and purchasing expensive whitening products. Our friends at Barth Dental Associates would like to share some natural home remedies to whiten your smile without breaking the bank. You won't even have to break your coin jar- we promise. Give yourself the smile you deserve and stop on by their blog to check out how that's possible on a budget-http://barthdentalassociates.blogspot.com/. For more tips or advice on how to maintain a healthy smile stop on by Barth Dental Associates office to consult with a friendly member of their staff or follow them on twitter at https://twitter.com/bdentalassoc.

Photo from Barth Dental Associates Blog

 We hope this post gave you something to smile about. Please feel free to comment below with your thoughts or questions. Have a great week!

 

   

SAVE The Date!   

Photo from Google Images

                                                              
Hey everyone! This is Will Purcell from Have Budget: Will Survive and I would like to personally invite you to our open house event for our new Eau Claire Wisconsin branch on Saturday February 7th. It will be held from 3-6 p.m. in our new office building located at 401 Graham Avenue in downtown Eau Claire. The list below is what we have included in our budget for all of you lucky attendees.

• Appetizers (Gluten FREE included)                                                     
• Refreshments
• Fun and games (with prizes for the winners)
• Giveaways (so be sure to register!)
• FREE consultation with staff for money saving tips and advice
• Special guest speakers
• Door prizes for the first 50 people through the door. 

If the word FREE didn't get your attention then maybe this next part will. I am so dedicated and passionate about helping people find financial freedom and living life how it should be lived. This is why I would like to personally take on one client at no charge for as long as it takes for them to experience this first hand as part of one of the giveaways mentioned above. Don't forget to bring your little ones as we have teamed up with RCU to be able to introduce your kids to $chool $ense to start them off with financial literacy early on. I assure you this is one event you don't want to miss, so swing on by the branch in downtown Eau Claire this coming Saturday.  I hope to see you there!

Don't forget to check us out on our Twitter page at: https://twitter.com/HaveBudgetWS

Out To Save The World One Budget At A Time

   The time that I spent working as a loan officer was an eye opening experience. It's hard to look past the fact that there are so many people out there that could use guidance in money management. Before taking on that job I was pretty oblivious to how many people actually were struggling, not because they didn't make enough, but because they didn't have the knowledge or experience in allocating their resources efficiently.

   I didn't grow up learning how to save or how to spend wisely. In fact, my parents were horrible at money management. We grew up in the backwoods of the Ozarks in southern Missouri. My siblings and I had no running water or even plumbing for that matter and spent our days from sun up to sun down exploring the forest to pass the time. Don't get me wrong, that is how a big part of childhood should be spent instead of sitting inside all day on expensive and mind numbing gadgets. My siblings and I turned out just fine and I have no regrets. However, it's the growing up as a child with nothing and having to watch your parents struggle for the most basic of necessities that wasn't how a childhood should be.

   At a young age I vowed to myself that I would be smart with how I spend, even in times where I might not make as much, so I won't be as hard off as my family was growing up. I kept that vow and continue to practice smart spending choices today, as well as setting savings goals and having fun achieving them along the way. I love being able to share my knowledge and experiences with others so that they may practice the same habits in order to accomplish their goals and live as worry free as possible. My motivation for this blog and for my business is to be able to create a positive impact within my community by offering financial guidance, and providing my clients with the money management skills that will help them to achieve their savings goals.