Money Matters @Mint... I'm obsessed!

UPDATE (3.4.15):  I noticed this post getting a lot of traffic, and I wanted to leave a quick note.  The funny thing about this post is that while it reads like "sponsored" content, it was actually just me completely fangirling over Mint on my own accord... and now, almost three years later, I am STILL using Mint to manage my finances.  I can see my 401K and investment growth, my MBA student loans, my new car loan, all of my accounts, and more.  When I get married, I will add my husband's account info here to manage the combined family budgets and bills.  I'm still obsessed... and I've converted others.  You need to try it!

I am officially obsessed with Mint.  If you are a money-conscious diva (or dude), this website/app will put you over the moon!  Seriously, it's amazing.

Before Mint, I tracked my budget on an Excel spreadsheet (i.e. only on my personal laptop) and looked at my mortgage, credit card, and investments on different websites.  I also used web/phone apps to keep tabs on my checking account.  That's a lot of different sources, right?

Over 7 MILLION people use Mint to keep tabs on their finances.  It allows you to add ALL of those accounts to one central location, completely protected (Verisign, McAfee, and Truste certified!) and honored with praise from the NY Times, Money, and more.  They guarantee bank-level security.

I'm in love.  I have everything at my password-protected fingertips, so I don't have to remember a ton of different account numbers when I'm on the go.  I can figure out strategies to invest, manage/track my budget, and even set up alerts to text message me when my balance is low or a large purchase is made.

It's the perfect tool, and it's FREE.  I love that I can see my cash, investments, and bills all in one place, with awesome graphs and even advice.  Check it out!  You may be seeing WAY more green in your future, because you're more conscious of where your money is at all times.

A sunny Savannah day...

I had a wonderful day in Savannah yesterday!

After sleeping in, I decided to head downtown to visit the Owens-Thomas House, a historic home I've been meaning to visit for a while now.  Since I'm leaving the area in the coming months (more about that later!), I've decided to start knocking things off my Savannah-area 'bucket list' in the coming weeks.

This is one of my favorite homes in Savannah.  I've been to Mercer Williams House twice, and Davenport House too.  But this one was so well-restored and decorated.  I really loved it!  And my admission ticket also gets me admission to Telfair Academy and Jepson Center this week, so I'll be headed back to town to explore those for free.  I also walked over to Tier Luxury Cakes to grab a Tahitian vanilla cupcake, but ate it before I could snap a photo of its cuteness.  I was served by Ashlee Perkins herself!  :)

Then I headed to a Shake 'n' Share Shakeology party that one of my friends was holding, and got to see some ladies I haven't seen in a while!  I linked up with LD and we headed back downtown afterwards.  We grabbed iced coffee/tea at Gallery Espresso and hailed a Savannah pedicab to check out the SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival in Forsyth Park.  It was gorgeous outside!  What a perfect day to walk around and take in the Spanish moss and atmosphere... a literal walk in the park.  We finished up the evening by joining LD's hubby PD for a delicious meal at Sam Snead's in Pooler.  It's one of our favorite places, and it's a hidden gem near the airport!

It was a gorgeous, sunny day... and I loved every minute of it.

New Jersey's Back! #RHONJ

Oh, RHONJ... it's been too long.

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The Jersey Housewives are enjoying their summer, most of them headed to the Shore!  Here's where things seem to stand...

Kathy is still boring.

Caroline has menopause, but she's trying to blame it on stress and drama.  Come on, you're still my favorite matriarch.  Embrace your change!

Jacqueline and Chris are finally giving good-for-nothing brat Ashley the boot.  She's seriously a spoiled, selfish brat that has been milking her parents/stepparents for entirely too long.  Good for the Lauritas for standing up.

Melissa and Joe are renovating their beach house, and Joe brings them there when it is totally uninhabitable!  They end up crashing with Kathy... and cousin Rosie is there too!  Cousin Rosie is awesome and hilarious.

And now... for the circus clowns.  I feel like things are pretty dull with the other housewives (except for the fact that Melissa and Joey could have their own show with guest cast the Wakiles/Rosie), so it all revolves around terrible lies and drama created by the Giudices.  Teresa is back in all her ridiculousness, Joe is still a pig, and her girls remain possibly the worst-behaved children on television.

Seriously, I wonder if Teresa goes back and rewatches episodes to listen to what a liar and idiot she is.  Her mispronunciations of things, misunderstandings, and other ramblings are just awful.  If she doesn't get her comeuppance this season, I might have to rethink watching this show at all.  Then I'll just be down to one Real Housewives show.

Save me, Andy Cohen!

P.S. What's with the pack of wolves that Joe was feeding at the Giudice house?  Guard dogs?