Practical Tips for Saving Big So You can Afford the Life You Really Want!

Saving money can often feel like a daunting task, especially when you are dreaming of big things like traveling the world and being financially free! One of my greatest skills is stretching a dollar and because of that, we've been able to pay off our home mortgage, send three kids out of state to college with no student loans, and have lived a Nordstrom life on a garage sale budget! I can't even say a Walmart budget because sometimes even that is more than I want to spend! I'm putting together a few practical strategies so that you can save more every day and make the dreams that you have a reality. Here are some actionable tips to help you save money without feeling deprived. 

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How to Teach Budgeting to Teens in the Age of Consumerism

Admittedly, this is the most boring title for a post ever, but after raising three kids through junior high and high school, I'm telling you, this is something that will come up in parenting and it's best to have a plan. We are constantly bombarded with messages everyday tempting us to buy things we don't need. But we are adults. Teens are walking the halls of school or hanging out at sports events or scrolling social media and they are REALLY getting bombarded. They get messages that they can only be cool if they have this new pair of shoes {that cost $125}, or to look their best, they need the super special lip balm that costs $25 {and they will promptly lose it in under a week}. They see viral and trending videos with quick and easy ways to purchase BUT only for a limited time or it will run out and you will suddenly be the uncoolest uncool person in your whole school. 
As parents, how do we raise budget-minded kids in a world full of consumerism? I'm going to lay out a few practical tips that we did while we were raising our kids and hopefully, you'll get an idea or two so that you can help created budget-minded teens in a world full of consumerism.

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How to Celebrate the Holidays on a Budget

I know, I know, it feels a little early to start writing about the holidays. But friends, it's the perfect time to start thinking about the holidays. Especially if you want to celebrate without falling into the trap of overspending. I'm here to show you that you don't need to break the bank to have a memorable holiday season with your loved ones. You can be generous and frugal all at the same time! I'll be sharing creative tips and ideas on how to celebrate the holidays in a budget-friendly way without compromising the holiday cheer! The secret is to start planning now!

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Easy Tips for Saving More Money

Do you ever feel like despite your best efforts it can feel like your bills just keep going up? Life gets in the way, you need new tires for the car and before you know it, you’re back at another drive thru. The truth is, that you don’t have to have all your ducks in a row to start saving money. Here are a few easy tips for saving money that go a long way, but require very little effort.

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How to Host a Flower Arranging Party On a Budget

I love fresh flowers. It's often a splurge of mine. Several years ago, my husband built me two raised garden beds for growing vegetables, and I do love vegetables, but I love flowers even more! I turned one of them into a flower bed I can use for cuttings and it brings me so much joy! Knowing I had all these flowers growing, I decided to take a flower arranging class to learn how to arrange the flowers. I took two classes, from two different locations and I can't say that I learned any earth-shattering tips to flower arranging, but I did come away with more confidence when I'm creating arrangements. I recently hosted a flower arranging party for my mother-in-laws birthday and thought I'd share a few things so that you can host one yourself too and stay on budget!

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6 Tips for Reducing Food Waste

The amount of food waste the average family wastes each year is higher than most of us would like to own up to. Now that the teens and young adults have moved out and left the nest, it can feel like you still need to make those massive family dinners for five even though your family has shrunk. Here are my secrets to help you avoid food waste as a smaller family and help you avoid wasting both food and money!

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Cheap Eats at Disney

When visiting somewhere like Disney where you are already going to be spending a lot of money between lodging and tickets to enter the park, you probably want to save money anywhere that you can to avoid having too big of a hit on your pocketbook! One of the places that I have found is easiest to cut down on spending at Disney is on food. If you are going to power through a full day at the theme park, you will of course need to eat, but that doesn't mean that you have to spend a fortune! 

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Best Items to Splurge On If You are Generally Frugal

Whether looking for the perfect solution for everyday challenges or just finding the right product that can be game-changing, we often look for the most budget-friendly option when shopping. High-quality items that will last much longer and work better are a no-brainer, so here are some of the areas where we “splurge” and why they save us money in the long run.

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Save Money on Groceries with These Money-Saving Tips

Are you looking for one of the best places to start when it comes to buying at a discount? One of my best money-saving tips is to shop at Grocery Outlet first! They have so many great deals and resell items at their rock bottom prices. You can find name brands and seasonal items at unbeatable prices and expensive organic and natural food for a fraction of the cost! If you’re looking for some tips to help get the best bang for your buck, here are my top tips for shopping at grocery outlets.

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Is a Meal Subscription Service Budget-Friendly?

I've always been pretty budget-conscious, especially when it comes to one of our family's largest expenses: food. Food costs have gone up since the late 90's when we first got married and I started paying attention to a grocery budget, and our life has changed a lot in the past two decades since we've established our family. If you are like me, you get ads and coupons and bloggers/influencers telling you all about meal subscription services. I often entertain the idea when I get those coupons for $100 off! or 17 free meals, could you be getting a break on your food budget by using them?  I'm breaking it down for you and helping you decide if a meal subscription service is worth it for your budget-conscious family.

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DIY on a Budget

Nothing quite beats the fantastic feeling you get when you redecorate a space or make something with your hands. If you are looking to create a fresh look for your home while taking it easy on your wallet, there are plenty of clever ways that you can DIY anything on a budget! You don’t need a lot of money to do things yourself, and this post will help show you how!

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5 Money Habits that Will Turn You Into a Saver

Do you consider yourself to be a spender? Or are you a saver? When it comes to managing your finances, you likely fall into one of the two categories. I would consider myself to be a saver, but I wasn’t always this way! There was a time when I would have categorized myself as a spender. So what changed? I changed some of my money habits to make me into a saver or a recovering spender, I should say. Here are some of the money habits I developed to turn myself into a saver.

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How to Manage Your Credit Cards Responsibly

Credit cards are a powerful tool that can help you build credit and help protect you from fraud when you use them for online purchases. While credit cards are an asset if you can use them, they can become a liability and even dangerous if you’re not careful. If you are thinking about opening a credit card, here is how to manage your credit cards responsibly, so you don’t make these same money mistakes.

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5 Expenses that Are Ruining Your Budget

Do you ever feel like no matter how much your budget, you can’t seem to get a handle on your finances? Sometimes it can feel like budgeting ends up not working out because you can’t keep track of your spending. The reality is that there may be some expenses that could be ruining your budget or making it harder to stick to! Here are five expenses that are ruining your budget.

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8 {Money-Saving} Reasons Why You Should Save Your Receipts

Organization isn't my strong suit. It's just not. I like organized people and organized systems, but it's not something that comes naturally to me. My husband though, it's his thing. He loves spreadsheets and envelopes and labels and order. I appreciate that because time and time again, this one thing has come in clutch {look it up in Urban Dictionary}. For the last 23 years, I've saved crumpled receipts placing them in my husband's inbox and he smoothes every one of them, inputting the numbers and reconciling them with our bank statement before carefully putting them into a monthly envelope. Why save receipts? I've got a few reasons why this one habit could save you money!

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Fun and Free: How to Find the Best Free Resources in Your Community

Whether you’re on a tight budget, spending freeze, or just trying to save a little bit of money, there are plenty of fun, free things to do! When it comes to frugal fun, you can’t go wrong with any of these fun free resources in your city! No matter where you live, these are great options for any family. Here are the best free resources you should be taking advantage of.

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Money-Sucking Habits to Break Today!

Habits are pretty hard to break, especially bad ones that we know aren’t good for us, like drinking soda or impulse buys, but the rush of serotonin we get from those habits can make it hard to quit. Your habits, especially when associated with money, can shape your financial future. Do you want to know the secret to building wealth? It starts by cutting these money-sucking habits!

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Why Your Family Should Do a Personal Financial Audit

When is the last time that you did a financial audit? If you're still thinking, it's been too long! If you're wondering why your family should do a personal financial audit, there are so many benefits to having one done. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that everyone in the family can take an active role in understanding the importance of fiscal responsibility when it comes to your finances.

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Tips for Making Money Selling at Consignment Shops

There are a lot of reasons I like to sell at consignment shops. Not only is it a great way for me to be able to clear out my closet, but it's also a great way to make a little extra money without a lot of effort. You can find consignment shops that will sell furniture, used sports equipment, baby and kid's stuff, and clothing. Consignment shops give you a storefront to help sell your items easily and I'm sharing my best tips on how you can make money selling your used stuff at a consignment shop.

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The Number One Question Most Asked After a No Spend Challenge Month

At the beginning of the year, I decided to really focus on sharing some of my most practical money-saving tips with all of you. I started making up fun little names for each month {Jumpstart January, Frugal February, Money Making March, etc...} and each month I focused on small challenges that could add up to big change. As part of our Frugal February, the challenge month focused heavily on a no-spend challenge. Don't know what a no-spend challenge is, start here. Now that we've turned the page on the calendar and moved to the next monthly challenge {Money Making March is probably my favorite challenge month so far!}, I'm still getting this question about our challenge last month. I'm going to answer it and share all my insights from my experience. Any guesses what question people are always asking? Read on!

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