March Savings

Husband and I switched our money management over to Mint.com this month. It's nice to be able to see everything updated so quickly! We also decided that it would be best for our budget to deposit the cash that I have set aside when I use the credit card so that our numbers are a little more accurate. I deposited what I had on Monday and will get cash out on April 1st, so we'll see how it works.

This is what I was able to save this month:

• I signed up for Offermatic at the beginning of the month and they sent me two great offers: one for $15 off a $30 purchase on Amazon (hello diapers!) and another for $10 off a $20 purchase at Target. I took advantage of both of those offers, adding $25 to my vacation fund!
• My mom paid me back for the birthday cake I picked up for my grandmother's birthday last month. I decided that I'd add it to the fund since I already took it out of my grocery budget. That adds $16 to my fund.
• I got a $20 check from Toluna for completing surveys.
• $20 in cash from what I took out of last month's budget overage.

That's a grand total of: $81.00! Nice!

I did cash in my coins this month, but I decided that since I already made my bank deposit this month, I would add it in to next month's savings deposit.

So...that brings my amount saved up to $447.05. That's 3/4 of the way there!

How is your vacation savings going?

Places to take the Kids: Vacation Edition

Husband and I are planning a vacation for our little family. Actually, we have two trips planned and I'm excited to report back to you when we return. One is a short visit to Sacramento (we'll be going with some of my siblings, their families, and my parents) and the other is a trip to Napa. Since my babes are still really little, I'm trying to find some ideas for places to go, things to see, and places to eat.

I'm putting out a call for Vacation Ideas with kids, espcially in the Bay Area. What are some fun things to do while vacationing in this great state of California? We are so lucky to have so many wonderful things nearby: mountains/camping, beaches, wine country, urban life, etc. Frugal/inexpensive ideas would be great!