I finally did it! As I blogged a few weeks ago or so, I was in the market via Ebay, etc., for a juicer.

After much research, I decided on the Juiceman versus Jack Lalanes Juicer.

The Juiceman ran me $52.00 including tax, no shipping, right from Target.

The other juicer was $99.00 plus tax at Target.

I tried it out this evening (four apples and two carrots). WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to play with this "toy" some more.

If anyone has any juicing receipies, please share them. Thanks and God bless.

So, I asked my wife if I could take over the shopping last week. She does so much and I, although am working with a start up company which keeps me pretty busy, I felt I was ready to take on a little more of the household responsibilities.

So two weeks ago I ordered the Couponizer. I also ordered our local paper for weekend deliveries only ($11/mo). I started clipping coupons, sorting them and preparing for my first shopping trip.

Well, I took our list, compared coupons and off I went.

I feel GREAT! I saved $56.00 between coupons and in-store sales with my bonus card. I am proud of how much I bought, including breakfast and snack items for the girls' lunches. So, I think I will be allowed to continue. Only a few things were questioned but overall, I faired pretty well. God bless.

Okay...it's not as bad as it sounds. First, out of my $32k in savings, I decided to fully fund my ROTH IRA for the sixth year in a row in the month of January. There goes 5k.

Then, I decided I was tired of writing checks every month for my truck payment so I dropped $9k and paid that baby off.

So my savings is about $18k but I expect a pretty good tax refund since I sold my company thus, I feel good about refunding my account by mid March.

Another thing I wanted to discuss tonight is how vital it is to splurge a little once in a while.

Now, I don't mean collecting doodads and silly things that we all can do without. What I am saying is we are all working hard to be respnosible with our money. To save for our future and the future of our family. To strive to be frugal for the sake of going green and 100 other reasons.

You MUST reap the fruits of your labor at times. After a long week of work and feeling a little run down and blah, I spoke with the family and decided to take everyone out for our favorite meal, sushi. My three girls love the habatchi grill and watching their food be prepared. They also enjoy sushi as do my wife and I. The cost, never less than $150.00. BIG TICKET ITEM!

But I and they are worth it. It is very thrilling and exciting to save. To take advantage of a good deal and continue to work toward retirement (fully). But what about today? What about enjoying the finer things in life sometimes.

So to all of you, get a new coat or hat. Play a little extra golf. Take your sweetie out to dinner and a movie (I have seen Doubt and The Wrestler and they both are pretty good). Buy a little thing here or there that you have always wanted. Grab a new book or CD. Reap the benefits of your hard work today. Remember, you will never get the chance again! God bless.

I can't believe the blog replies and other emails I have received regarding my "round up/round down" method for my check register. I figured I would start a new blog based on one of my replies.

Your questions and comments have been great! I understand how tough it is to keep track in a second register and/or not balancing your account every day. That said, just write the actual amount in the check written/deposit box but round out the total. This way you can balance between the actual check written or deposit made directly with the statement instead of using your register total as part of the equation. Trust me, this truly works!

Get gutsy with it. Today for example, I wrote a check to the electric company for $103.22. Wrote that amount in the check written box but then subtracted $110.00 from the running balance. That was a $6.78 savings "deposit". Just that amount alone for one year is about $72.00 Get the picture?!

I also get a monthly deposit that is about $123.00. I show the $123.00 in the deposit box but only show a deposit made in the running total of $100.00. That is another $270.00 per year.

So taking two transactions into account, one deposit, one withdrawl, I have already saved about $342.00 per year off of small transactions within my account!

Make those debit/credit notes in the boxes, forget the running total when balancing and make little notes along the way so you can see very quickly how much you have saved. God bless and good luck.

I am 37 years old. I am just over 5'10". That said, I feel I am about twenty pounds over weight. I would like to be at around 190 lbs but stand at 210.

I have been given a book on juicing. My thoughts are portion control, no sugars or processed flours, reduced carbs and not eating past 7:00 p.m.

I love ALL fruits and veggies. My question is, has anyone got substantial experience with juicing or other suggestions.

Well, even though many of you have not noticed, I have been gone for a while. Spring break came about rather quickly and thus, taking the wife and three daughters to Disney to "play" and spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa snowbird occupied a lot of time.

We all had a wonderful time and were blessed with wonderful weather, rest, golf and safe travel.

I have spent a little bit more than I would have liked over the past month or so both on vacation and other things, however, starting today, I have recomitted myself to getting back on the "mortgage prepayment" train.

Anyway, it is nice to see some familiar faces and even a couple of new one. Happy savings everyone and God Bless you all!

I was messing around online the other evening when one of those cavemen commercials came on for Geico.

I decided to try their online quotes. Well, I found out two things within a few minutes:

1. My current insurance agent who handles my home, auto, motorcycle, camper, rental and corporate insurance policies was NOT doing her job, and;

2. I saved...get this, over $700.00 a year on auto insurance. I went from paying $1200/year to about $500!!!!! I could not believe it. I knew my driving history was favorable but I never bothered to do my own homework. I thought that was what I was paying her to do.

MORAL: Surround yourselves with competant teammates, however, do your own homework as well!

Well, it is 1:00 a.m. and I am wide awake. I have been running through my head the three major purchases made on my credit card this weekend and feel very good about all of them.

First, after shopping, hunting and searching, I was able to book a flight for my wife and I and our three girls to Orlando to visit my parents and take the kids to Disney. I got it down from about 2500 to 2000, just by booking late at night?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Second, I took the whole family out to Sushi. It usually costs about $175.00 but as a nice treat, is well worth it.

Finally, I paid for my 12 month gym membership. Of the three, this was vital. I am 36 and have always been in pretty decent shape. Maintaining about 190 lbs on a 5'10" frame was perfect for me. That said, I have noticed a major decrease in my metabolism. Call it whatever you want, but when I it 200 lbs, I start snoring and that lands me on the couch. So, its off to the eliptical machine and stomach crunches. Today I weighed in at 203, down from 213 about two weeks ago so I expect in about 1 month, I will be at 190 again. Lent helps too as I give up snacks, soda, junk food, between meal eatings, food after 7 p.m. and candy.

I'll keep you all posted. Well, good night and God Bless you all!

As my wife concludes her NYC trip with some girlsfriends, I am home today with the children since they are off school this week.

I forgot a scheduled meeting with Craig, my financial advisor so I contacted my secretary and advised her to direct him to my house where we could meet.

He just left and we were able to establish a little homework for him to do.

1. ROTH IRA for my 11 year old. She assists her mother at her 13 year old dance studio, pulling down $40/week. She is also planning on taking the Baby Sitting Course in order to prepare for babysitting beginning in September. Our rules of the house clearly state that 1/2 of any/all income or gifts will be saved, the other 1/2 can be spent, saved or tithed. We are hoping this ROTH IRA in addition to the PIA account we have established for all three girls will not only establish sound saving lessons, but start them off on the right foot once they are "of age".

2. Opening an IRA Account for me. I currently max out my ROTH IRA in January every year and max out my company SIMPLE IRA. I am looking for another IRA to invest in, along with a stock broker. We are not sure another IRA is doable (because of many considerations regarding income and other holdings), so that is somthing he is going to research.

All in all, I love Craig and am very pleased with the service he provides me, my wife, my children and my company. He is a great asset to my business family. And he has become a good friend too!

One of the concepts I stress to my "teammates" is the importance of starting young along their investment path.

Although I am only 35, I understand and appreciate the value of compounding interest, time IN the market and long term vision.

As a business owner, not only do I have to monitor my personal growth and financial "moves", I must also monitor my corporations growth and financial stability as well. Both take great patience, prayer and vision. I invite any visitors to my blog to share with me their thoughts, ideas, questions, concerns and comments. Knowledge and communication are powerful tools. Let's share and learn together.