Saving for College: How a Young Couple on One Income Helped Their Three Kids Graduate Debt Free!

We became parents while we were still in college ourselves. Both of our parents had committed to paying for our college tuition and despite the little bump in the road with an unplanned pregnancy, continued to pay for our college so that we could graduate debt free. After graduation, we quickly saw how very beneficial it was for us to not be burdened with debt and we were able to start our life on a firm financial foundation. I chose to stay at home with our children {three of them all by the time I was 26!} and despite only having one income, we lived below our means, so that we could hopefully provide the same gift of higher learning for our own kids. This is a bit of the story on how we did that. We were able to turn financial limitations into financial freedom, not only for ourselves, but for our children as well. There wasn't any magic involved, just mindset, strategy, and steady action and sacrifice. I'm not sharing any magic formula, but instead, hoping you are inspired to plan intentionally not only for yourself but for the next generation.

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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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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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Easy Off Refinishing Furniture Stripper

After remodeling our whole downstairs last year, we knew there would be some furniture we would need. If you've ever done a remodel, you'll know that you basically just bleed money for months on end. The idea of paying upwards of $3-5 thousand dollars for a table, had me reconsidering my options. I kept going back to my DIY days and thinking I could make that! Like Goldilocks, I spent last summer hunting for the perfect table that I could refinish in the raw wood finish I was looking for. I bought and sold no less than six tables in about six weeks. I ended up refinishing most of them, and kept two tables. Both of which I took to the raw wood finish look but ended up using two different methods. I already shared how I used Citristrip and bleach to finish the table in our dining room. This time, I'm sharing how I used Easy Off oven cleaner {yep...oven cleaner!} to refinish our kitchen table. A year later and I'm still obsessed with it!

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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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Top 10 Reasons to Rent Clothing

My sisters were much older than I was, so imagine the fun I had in college when I joined a sorority and had access to all of my "sisters" clothing. One of our favorite clothing items we all seemed to share were these black flared pants we called our party pants. Those pants got worn by someone anytime we were going out! Several years ago, I traveled with one of the world's largest NGO's World Vision to Bangladesh where I got a glimpse into sweatshops and child labor. While I've always been into sustainable fashion {buying second-hand clothing has always been my favorite way to shop!}, I recently was introduced to clothing rental. We all know about Rent the Runway, but maybe you haven't heard about the clothing rental membership service Armoire that's minority woman-owned in Seattle and fits your everyday needs and style. I've got a few reasons why renting clothing and joining a personalized clothing rental service makes sense. Check it out!

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Gathered and Foraged Flowers for Winter Arrangements you can DIY on a Budget

Do you have any hobbies? As I get older, the more interested I get in learning new things. It's probably because for decades I was learning constantly; from days at school, to college, to wife-ing and then parenthood. I haven't had the introduction of anything new in my life really, so it was time for a class. If you followed me on Instagram this summer you know that I took one of my raised vegetable garden beds and turned it into a cut flower bed. I planted even more flowers in it recently and I'm hoping for a bounty come spring and summer! In the meantime, I knew I needed a class on flower arranging. I cut a bunch of stems this summer, but mostly I just popped those stems in a vase and called it good. I knew I could do better! I just needed a trick or two on how to do it, so I took a flower arranging class. Friends, I took one class and now I think I'm an expert! But I'm not going to lie, I was pretty impressed with these gathered and foraged flowers I found and used to create three winter arrangements {plus a bonus upcycle on a wreath}. It was so easy, I knew I could share it with you too! Want to learn how to gather and forage for your own winter arrangements? Read more!

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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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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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How to Pay Off Your Home Loan Early

This week we will be making our final mortgage payment on our home. It's the only debt we have and at 42 and 43 years old respectively, it feels like quite an accomplishment. Sharing about this came after hours of conversations with my husband during our final year of mortgage payments. These types of conversations actually make my husband and me very uncomfortable. My grandma never wanted to talk about money. She would have rather people thought she had no money than people knowing the truth - that because of her frugal lifestyle she actually had a lot of money. 

This doesn’t come from us wanting to brag but instead comes from a place of humility and wanting to help others be financially free because being free is a pretty amazing feeling. We felt like this could be beneficial information for others to know. And as I've shared our countdown to the final payment with all of you, many of you have reached out asking us how we did it. Today, I'm going to share how we paid off our home in 10 years and are now completely debt-free. Did you even think that was possible? It is, and you can do it too!

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Can You Really Make Money With a Side Hustle? How I Made $1000 in a Month!

Side hustles are a great way to increase your income so you can pay off debt, save up for a big purchase or hit some financial goals you are falling short on. For years I was a stay-at-home mom, but I have always liked being able to help provide financially for my family when I could. I started working side hustles decades ago, but for the first time, I kept track of my side hustles in a little challenge I called Money Making March and I heard time and time again that it was everyone's favorite money challenge so far! Know what? It was mine too! I even threw in a few new side hustles to see if they helped me get to my goal faster. Want to know what I did to make an extra $1000 last month? Keep reading!

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10 Money-Making Side Hustles You Can do From Home

I am always a fan of earning more money. Whether it’s to give yourself a little flexibility in your budget or just use your time more effectively, side hustles are always a great idea! You can do so many great side hustles from home that don’t require you to leave the house or get any extra supplies. Plus, if you are looking for a way to use your time better while at home these days, making extra money is always an option! Here are the best money-making side hustles you can do from home.

New here? Want to know how to start saving money? Start here

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5 Ways to Make Extra Cash

We all could use a little extra cash right now, and if you aren’t quite making ends meet, then there are plenty of side things you can do to make some extra cash. Maybe you just want to stockpile some money for a big expense coming up. If you are looking for a good side hustle or just some extra money for a hectic season in your life, here are five ways to make extra cash.

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Wants and Needs: How to Balance Both in a Budget

Budgeting is a balancing act, and a good budget helps you create a balance between your wants and needs. However, when it comes to determining your monthly budget, you need to understand whether a category is considered a want or a need. Outside of budgeting, this goes for your purchases too. Wants and needs will vary from person to person; determining whether a purchase is or not can be tricky. Here are a few ways to help you distinguish between wants and needs.

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8 Simple Tips for Success During a No-Spend Challenge Month

Welcome to February! We closed out our monthly pantry challenge and moved on to our new challenge. This month, we will be focusing on a no-spend challenge month. Last year, I combined the two {a pantry challenge and a no spend month} and it was eye-opening. I noticed my spending pitfalls very quickly {shopping was one...but at thrift shops, so is it really that bad?} and made some changes that ended up saving my family a few thousand dollars. 
A no-spend month or a no-spend challenge is where you don't spend money in a certain area for a designated period of time. The rules are different for everyone, but the goal is to cut back on overspending and reevaluate your spending habits. Do you think a no spend month sounds interesting? Maybe something you would like to learn more about? Then read on! I've got a little no spend challenge for you with 8 simple tips that will help you succeed!

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Sneaky Ways to Save More Money -Tips from our Depression Era Grandparents

The Great Depression Era was a time when most people didn’t have much money. Our grandparents had to be frugal out of necessity and do everything they could to pinch a penny back then. To survive and help their families through this challenging time, they picked up many frugal hacks that most of us wouldn’t dream of doing nowadays. If you’re looking for sneaky ways to save more money, are some of the best tips from our Depression-era grandparents that you should try.

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5 Practical Tips for Setting Savings Goals

We are entering into the first week of our Jumpstart January challenge. I already introduced our pantry challenge. I have a $100 bill in an envelope to spend for our family's groceries for the month. Think we can eat out of our pantry and freezer and feed our family of four on this admittedly very limited budget? As part of our Jumpstart January challenge, we will also be looking at setting savings goals. Deciding to save money is often easier said than done, and my hope is that you can set savings goals that will set you up for long-term success. I've got 5 practical tips for setting savings goals. Check it out!

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The Secret Money Saving Formula No One Wants You to Know!

We are off to a strong start during our January Jumpstart. In case you missed it, start here for our first challenge. A new year means a new fresh start and it's a great time to take charge of your finances. Through a series of challenges and practical tips, I am helping you work towards those savings goals. The only way you can do that is by identifying a practical savings goal and then making intentional choices as you make small changes to achieve your goal. For our family, we will be paying off the balance on our mortgage. We took a 30-year mortgage and have been able to pay it off in 10 years with frugal living, wise choices, and clear goals. I'm sharing some of the practical tips we have used to help us through the years with you because practical is my middle name. There is no special formula to money-saving, just a lot of practical choices and those often start with a budget. I'm sharing a few of my favorite budgeting tips today.

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Jumpstart January the Pantry Challenge

Happy New Year! Can you smell that fresh start? New Year's resolutions get a bad rap, but the few I have started with intention and realistic goals, have been the ones I have kept. In fact, 12 years ago, I made the lamest New Year's Resolution {I say lame because everyone makes this one!} and I've kept it all these years later! My hope with these monthly money-saving challenges is that you will find practical ways to make small changes because small changes add up to big changes in the long run. Want to get started with our first Jumpstart January challenge? Come check it out!

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