The Clip Show

It’s hard to believe we are a little over halfway through this competition! For those who may have missed some episodes, let’s reminisce about our favorite Project Money moments so far and join the likes of classic sitcoms such as Seinfeld, Cheers and The Simpsons with a good old fashioned clip show!

• Remember when it all started? It took time to process the concept of this financial program and set goals for what I was looking to gain. Meeting with my financial coach, Patrick, and a Summit Financial Advisor were vital steps in creating a plan of action.
• It became clear that I needed to learn the rhythm of my income and expenses through budgeting. Organizing bank accounts and automating my savings were necessary steps. Summit’s Climbr® was extremely helpful with tracking.
• The whole family was pleasantly surprised to find that we have room in the budget for a charitable giving plan; we’re all excited to continue this!
• Creativity was used in reducing “medium” expenses like groceries, utilities, and phone.
• We also tackled “big” topics like mortgage refinance, IRA options, applying for a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) and reassessing homeowners’ insurance.

It wouldn’t be a proper clip show without bloopers so let’s explore a couple of missteps experienced while exploring our way through this Project Money journey:

• We’ve all probably heard the old chestnut of showbiz, “Never work with children or animals.” For the most part, my kids were very patient during the filming process with WKOW in Madison, however, getting all four of them quiet for the Q&A segment provided some challenges. Let’s hope that footage doesn’t surface!
• My family will never forget the day we discovered what the “bedding” setting on our washing machine does… it fills the entire 5 cubic foot drum with water. That was a 37 gallon-sized mistake during our effort to reduce the water bill!

Project Money has already been very eventful and I’m excited to see how this season concludes. How can I continue to tweak my family’s expenses? Can I finagle a way to generate more income? What new financial resources are there to explore? Stay tuned to find out!