the ultimate budget tool

hubby and i had to pay for a pretty decent chunk of the wedding expenditures. for the past year it's been really hard to save because of that and now that the wedding has come and gone, we've decided to create and stick to a fairly strict household budget.

i exported our checking account data from January - August and analyzed it in excel, created a budget and was so happy with myself! then yesterday, i found mint.com. i'm still really glad i did all of the work because it was eye-opening ($160 on coffee per month!) and educational, but mint.com makes everything sooo simple!

you give mint.com all of your account data and it organizes, analyzes and trends it all for you. at any given point you can log in and see how much you've spent in certain categories. you can either use the budget that mint.com suggests based on your past spending, or create your budget. it's easy to categorize and move things around as needed. because you can see all of your accounts (credit cards, bank accounts, student loans, 401k) in one spot, it's a great way to truly measure net worth and to see the financial "big picture."

trust me, when you see how amazing this site is you will fall in love (again!). it's a great tool for newlyweds that are trying to join finances and really take hold of their future. hubs and i have been living together for four years and sharing accounts for one and mint.com has given us, for the first time, a really clear picture of where we stand. love it!

keeping it old school

my husband and i are pretty old school when it comes to writing thank-you notes, letters, congrats cards, etc. we both believe that nothing can really take the place of a handwritten card or letter.

i'm a sometimes-designer, so i'll be making our new couples note cards, as well as personal stationary for us both (and really, really chic thank you cards for the wedding gift-givers)...BUT, that doesn't stop me from browsing one of my favorite sites, etsy.com, to scope out all of the delicious paper goods out there. here are some of my favs that I've tagged over the past couple of weeks.


totally loving this letterpress birthday card from the paper peony. this shop's goods totally rock my world. they are so modern, yet wonderfully sophisticated. what i love is that you can buy lots of different single card designs and keep them on hand for special occasions that arise.


i would be remiss if i didn't also share this GORGEOUS card, also from the paper peony. how chic is this?


now, this one isn't totally my style, but it doesn't mean i can't think it's super cute and fun. i have a friend for whom this card set is PERFECT. in fact, i've also favorited it so i can buy it for christmas for her! this set is just one of many chic, classy and fun products from etsy user avie.


i love this simple, yet bold design from enJOY design.


every time i think the bird motif is overdone, i see something adorable like this. it makes me think that the bird motif, when used creatively, is absolutely charming. this card is courtesy of armato designs and press.

when you see just how much cute stuff is out there, you realize that letter/card/thank you writing doesn't have to be a chore. it can be really fun!

btw, i'm an etsy junky, so expect more where this post came from!