8/25/23 - Friday

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Howdy!

It’s the last Friday of August and you know what that means…

It’s budget weekend! 💸

No one here, hopefully.

Don’t know where to start? We’ve got you covered.

Here’s everything you need to make your September budget.

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What to Include in September’s Spending Plan

🎃 Halloween. While you should wait until October to think about Halloween candy, you should have your costumes acquired in September. As the saying goes, the first to the thrift store gets the best costume (well, that’s what I say.)

💍 Weddings. Believe it or not, October is the #1 most popular month to get married. My own wedding anniversary is coming up on October 3rd. Now’s the time to check those Save The Dates hanging on your fridge and budget for bridal showers, bachelorette parties, gifts, and wedding transportation or lodging.

🎻 Fall Festivities. Do you want to take cute pumpkin patch pictures to post on Insta? Are you a sports ball fan planning to tailgate? Looking to redeem yourself by not getting lost in the corn maze and crying until a staff member finds you? You will need to plan for these expenses.

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September’s Big Money Move:
Subscription Negotiation Marathon

We recommend you negotiate your subscriptions at least once a year. This is the month to look at the subscriptions/ bills/monthly dues/fees/etc. that you have coming up for renewal in the next 3 months and schedule time to get on the phone and negotiate all of them.

Knocking them all out at once (or over several days) is like batching. You take an undesirable recurring task, get several months done at once, and live happily without stressing about it for a while.

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What’s on Sale?

Labor Day weekend offers the best time outside of Black Friday for deals on big things. Here are some of the top things to save on in September.

🛏️ Mattresses. Year after year, September is the best time for mattress sales.

🍎 iPhones. Apple often announces its latest iPhone lineup and other products in September. The unveiling is usually followed by a drop in prices on the models that have been around for a while. IF you don’t see a drop in price after the announcement then you may have to wait until Black Friday.

🔌 Appliances. Expect a series of blowout deals in the week leading up to Labor Day, including promotions on appliances big and small.

September is a shoulder season for summer so you’ll also save on summer apparel and activities. Check out this article from Offers.com on what to buy (and what to avoid buying) in September.

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What to Cook

When you design your meal plan around what’s in season you’re sure to capitalize on your savings. Check the Seasonal Food Guide to see what’s in season in your area all year long. Here are a couple of our favorite things to add to our September meal plan.

Catching up with us this weekend?

Let’s dive into the concept of The Radical Middle & How to Live It and normalize a less restrictive and more achievable budget. We’ve got you in this episode. 🙌

And if you ever wondered What to Do with a Windfall or Unexpected Money, check out our Friday episode where we talk about making the most of unexpected financial blessings.

Tune in wherever you get podcasts and let us know what you thought of the episode over on our latest Instagram post!

Jen’s picks for a stellar weekend.

✅ Watch This: Only Murders in the Building (Hulu). I’m on a 30 day free trial of Hulu just to watch Season 3 of Only Murders. A totally unrealistic look at what it’s like to run a podcast but I still love it!

✅ Listen to This: Chillhop Music. When I work I usually have Chillhop on in the background. It streams ad-free on YouTube (with a cute raccoon) but you can also find it on Spotify.

✅ Read This: Jean Chatzky is the real money OG. Subscribe to the HerMoney newsletter if you want another good personal finance newsletter.

✅ Eat This: Those chocolate muffins I mentioned in Monday’s email are actually packed with spinach and great for meal prep! We call them Ninja Turtle muffins.

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What are you most excited to do in September?

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Until next time,

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