Jill Russo Foster

Tips for Successful Personal Finances

You are here: Home / Archives for Organization & Planning

Is It Time to Clear Some Clutter?


In my next life, I think I want to be an organizer. I am not a hoarder, but living in the same home for years, things and stuff just seem to accumulate. Over the past few years, I have scanned many documents, going from 3 four draw file cabinets down to 1. Gone are the paper medical records, tax returns and other paper work. Yes, I have burned up a shredder or two.

So this summer, I took a break from this newsletter. I accomplished so much. We tackled the family movies, photos and slides. We looked through thousands and saved some, but mostly gave them to family members and had the others scanned and archived. This was a big accomplishment.

Earlier in the year, we started going through the collectibles, things that have meaning or are possibly valuable, so I didn’t want to just toss them. I wanted to find a place for them and this was a lengthy process. For my dad’s sports memorabilia, we gave it to the local high school’s hall of fame to be displayed. That felt good. They are out of our home and somewhere I can go see with a visit. His leather football helmet was one of the display items at the induction ceremony.

There is still more to go but we are seeing progress. Are their items that you want to get rid of but don’t know what to do with them. Check out the Resources Page on my website, as I keep updating it with the places that we have used.

Save

Cheap and Fun Halloween Costumes

Do you want to celebrate Halloween and be frugal?

One year I wore an old pair of pants and top (any color) will do.  I took out my glue gun and glued leaves all over the clothing – I was a pile of leaves!  Creative and low cost.

Here are some other costume ideas, that could save you money.

For more tips, please visit my website.

Do You Live In One of These Nine States?

If you live in one of these nine states, you may have to have a passport for air travel within the US!  These states don’t have ID that is compliant with the Real ID Act of 2005 yet.

Is your state one of the 9? Read more.

For more financial tips, visit my website.

 

Holiday Travel

As you get ready for the upcoming holiday travel season, here’s a great article on saving money on airfare.

We specifically buy our airline tickets on a Tuesday, as it seems the prices are lowest on that day.  We recently purchased airfare for almost $200 less per person, as we watched the pricing for a specific flight go up and down.

Read here and see if you can save money.

For more financial tips, visit my website.

It’s Time To Update Your Health Insurance


It’s that time of year again for open enrollment for medical insurance. For Medicare you have until December 7 to make any changes to your secondary insurance and/or prescription coverage until December 15.

To enroll and/or make changes to your Affordable Care Act health insurance, you have from November 1 to December 22 in Connecticut. Check your individual state for your specific deadlines.

If you are coverage is through your employer, fall is typically the time to make changes as well.  Please check with your individual state or company for possible changes to the deadline date.

If you want some general questions to think about to compare your options, here are some that you can consider when making your health insurance selection that is best for you:

1.    What type of insurance is this?
2.    What is the monthly premium cost and how much am I responsible for paying?
3.     Are there subsidies available for us?
4.     Do I have out of network coverage?
5.     How much are the deductibles for both in and out of network care?
6.     How much do I have to pay to see a healthcare provider?
7.     Do I have medical coverage out of state and out of the country?
8.     Will I be able to use my current doctors?
9.     What additional benefits are included (prescriptions, dental, vision, etc.)?
10.   Are preventative visits (physicals, routine tests etc.) covered without a deductible?
11.   What is the procedure for going to a specialist and/or the emergency room?
12.   How are disputed claims handled?

Ask these and more questions to make sure you have all the information to make the most informed choice for you and your family. Mark your calendar today to do this during your open enrollment each and every year as medical plans changes and so do your needs. If you miss the open enrollment period, you can only make changes if you have a life changing event.

Getting Rid of the Clutter

After two long years of sorting of and on, we have finally sorted through all our family’s photos, slides and movies!

My mother was the avid photographer and there were many photos, slides and movies to sort through.  It took me many years to be comfortable with the idea of tossing some.  Now that it’s done, we have kept the best, most meaningful photos of all and scanned them.  The old family movies were restored and transferred to DVD by Southtree.  Really love their services as they kept us informed with emails all the way through the process.  Now, will be sending them the slides to work on. Once there done, we’ll be set.

We cleaned out 4 storage plastic tubs and a full file cabinet of family photos.  It was a thrill to relive memories and painstaking at the same time.  Another clutter project completed.

For more resources, visit my website www.JillRussoFoster.com.

Getting Rid of the Clutter

It’s summer and wedding season for us.

Our dilemma, what to wear.  You may be thinking we have a closet full of clothes to choose from and you are mostly right.  Lately, we have been getting rid of stuff.  So here’s what we have done so far this year:

Gowns and cocktail dresses – donated to our local high school for the prom

Suits – Men’s and Women’s – lots of peoples in need for clothing in good condition

Clothing – Check out your local shelter or other organizations that are in need.

Cleaning out and giving back all in one tiny action.  All this has streamlined our closets and hopefully made a difference in the life of someone else.

For more suggestions, view my resources page.

Getting Rid of the Clutter

As we continue to clean out, we have donated several electronics (old computers, printers, scanners, cameras and more) to great local organizations in need.

This is really easy to do with the help of the Cristina Foundation.  They have a website that you can search local non-profits in your area and see what they are in need of.  If you have the item(s), you connect with them for the drop off and/or pick up.  It ‘s a great way to donated and help out others in need.

For more suggestions, view my resources page.

Getting Rid of the Clutter

As we clean out stuff from our home, I wanted to share with you some great resources.  I like to give items to people or charities that can make good use of the items, instead of just tossing.

We had too much luggage.  Yes, we travel and need both small and large suitcases as well as carry-ons, but we had too much!  eBags has this great program called Trade In Trade Up.  You can donate two suitcases in good condition and in return you get a $25 credit at eBags.  We donated two suitcases in June and recently received our credit.  This weekend, we received our new eBags items.  eBags isn’t only luggage, it much more including has back to school items.

For more suggestions, view my resources page.