Personal Finance Blog | Money Management Blog | Financial Help

Recently I read a post on Laura Rowley’s Money and Happiness Blog about losing weight and getting rich. Since I am hoping to do both of those things, I thought I would try out the theory of creating a “Diet Diary.” The diet diary is supposed to help you be more aware of what you are eating. The same goes with your finances - the more aware you are of where your money is going, the more likely you are to save, invest, pay off debt, etc.

So, here is what I want to know – in addition to helping me lose weight, will recording everything that I eat also help me reduce my spending? I think that it just might! I already realized very quickly that paying $1.06 for a 32 oz coke was not only costing me 4 times the amount I pay for a can of Coke (which is $.25 if I buy a 12 pack on sale), but it’s also more than double the calories! Obvious, I know since it’s 32 oz compared to 12 oz, but I just hadn’t ever really thought about it until I saw it written down in my diet diary. So, here is what I started doing… if I plan to be in my car for a large portion of the day, I pack a little cooler with cans from home. I find that I usually drink a 12 oz can in the same amount of time that I would have, in the past, had the 32 oz fountain drink. I quickly and easily reduced my calories and my spending.

Of course, saving $.81 on Coke isn’t going to make me rich, but as they say, “every little bit adds up!” I wonder where else I will find an easy solution for cutting back on both money and calories. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Jennifer Streiff, Business Development

We’re excited to announce the new Finicity site (www.finicity.com) is officially live as of this morning. It’s been a fun journey over the past few months getting our social money management site ready for primetime.

It all started when we emailed you (our customers) a survey asking what you wanted, here’s what you told us:

First, you were interested in having personal finance experts on the site to provide articles and tips. So we’re excited to announce Laura Rowley (Yahoo! Finance columnist and well-known author) as our first expert on Finicity. Laura has a great approach to finances and to life, so we’re glad to have her on board. We’ll be announcing new experts very soon so stay tuned.

Second, you told us you wanted an online community where you could connect with other users, share success stories, offer advice and tips, and read more information on personal finance. We hope what we’ve added is a good start (support groups, user forums, money tips, money mistakes, etc.).

Third, you told us you wanted a Mentor program (experienced users helping other users). As we’ve been putting together this program, I’ve been impressed by your willingness to volunteer and help others reach their financial goals. I think this is one of the things that makes Finicity so unique…your willingness to help and support each other. When you think about reaching any goal in life, you need the right tool(s) and support system (whether it’s a coach, a mentor, a team, a support group, a friend, etc.). That is what makes what we’re doing together so powerful…so thank you and enjoy the new site!

Corey Davis, Marketing