Kelly Whalen
Kelly Whalen is the founder and editor of the Centsible Life. She started the blog in 2008 as her family faced a mountain of debt and the fixer upper they purchased became a FIXER UPPER. The website was born out of her desire to share what was working (and what was not) on her family's journey to financial security. Kelly lives in Minneapolis with her family.
Articles Written By Kelly Whalen
365 days of homecooking
- 365 Day Meal Plan with Free Templates & Grocery List
- 365 Day Meal Plan: January 28th-February 3rd
- 365 Day Meal Plan: January 21st-27th Linky
- 365 Day Meal Plan:: Week Eight Menu Plan
- December Menu Plan: Week Two
- 2014 Meal Plan and Printables
- Whalen Family Pizza dough
- Back to School Meal Plan – Centsible Life
- May 20th Menu: 365 Day Meal Plan
announcements
beauty
- How To Save Money On Haircuts And Hair Color
- HydraFacial Review: Is it worth the cost?
- Gel Manicure: Worth the cost?
best time to buy
blogging
- Starting a Business: My Story
- Moving Beyond Blogging at The Financial Bloggers’ Conference
- Digital Family Summit 2013: Family, Kids, and Tech
- Small Business Printables for Bloggers & Freelancers
- Desperate Housewives, David Arquette, and an auction — Centsible Life
- Yahoo’s Motherboard Summit — the ¢entsible life
books
centsible diy
- 7 Non-Candy Valentines
- Halloween and Fall Craft Projects Roundup
- Barn Beam Mantel
- Before & After: Family Room
- Family Penny Craft
- How to Create a Disney World Surprise Word Puzzle and Riddle
- Spooky House: Spiders, Monsters, Ghosts, oh my!
- Grout Makeover with Grout Renew
- St Patrick’s Day Roundup
- St. Patrick’s Day Craft: Leprechaun Pillow Box
- How to Help Newtown
consumer
deals
ebay 2
- Rehoboth Beach: A Family Friendly Vacation Spot
- Family CFO Interview: Kristia Ludwick of Family Balance Sheet
- 7 Ways To Reward Good Grades Without Money
- Kids and Allowance: Don’t Let Your Kids ‘Rob’ You
- How to Get Rid of Energy Vampires
- 8 Small Business Ideas For Teens
- 20 Must Stream TV Shows
- What bank is best? Where should you stash your cash?
- 12 Ways to Prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse (or any emergency)
- 7 Non-Candy Valentines
- 15 Simple Ways to Live on Less
- 6 Ways to Eat on the Go for Less
- Disney Pixar The Good Dinosaur Snack Tray
- 15 No Candy Halloween Treats For Under 25$ each!
- How To Save Money On Haircuts And Hair Color
- HydraFacial Review: Is it worth the cost?
- 5 Easy Steps to Make a Year Long Menu Plan
- 8 Ways to Teach your Kids the Value of Money
- How To Survive A Sick Day When You Have To Work
- How to Create a Disney World Surprise Word Puzzle and Riddle
- Family CFO Interview: Michelle Schroeder from Making Sense of Cents
- 2014 Meal Plan and Printables
- 10 Steps to Going Organic on a Budget – Centsible Life
- St Patrick’s Day Roundup
- 529 Day
- 7 Frugal + Easy Non-Food Party Favor Ideas
- Small Business Printables for Bloggers & Freelancers
emergencies
events
- Perfect Holiday Photos Tips & Tiny Prints
- Moving Beyond Blogging at The Financial Bloggers’ Conference
- Yahoo’s Motherboard Summit — the ¢entsible life
- EVO ’10: The Evolution of Me
family cfo series
- Family CFO Interview: Kristia Ludwick of Family Balance Sheet
- Family CFO Interview: Michelle Schroeder from Making Sense of Cents
fashion
- Everyday Winter Coat: Help Me Pick #FashionFriday
- Fashion Friday: 5 budget pieces that will make your wardrobe feel new again
- Gel Manicure: Worth the cost?
- 10 Budget Friendly Wardrobe pieces: Fashion Friday
- 10 Fall Trends on a Budget
- 10 Ways to Take Me Time: Fashion Friday
featured
- 8 Small Business Ideas For Teens
- What Should I Do With $5,000?
- What bank is best? Where should you stash your cash?
- Venta: The Smartest Way To Clean and Humidify Your Air
- 15 No Candy Halloween Treats For Under 25$ each!
- The Perfect Getaway: Hotel Hershey + Chocolate Spa
- 50 Activities For Kids When There Is No School
- Working Parent’s Guide To Snow Days
- How to Handle Financial Speed Bumps
- HydraFacial Review: Is it worth the cost?
- 7 Frugal + Easy Non-Food Party Favor Ideas
food
- 365 Day Meal Plan with Free Templates & Grocery List
- Raw Vegan Chocolate Banana Avocado Pie Recipe
- Budget-friendly Wines and Cocktails
- 365 Day Meal Plan: January 28th-February 3rd
- 6 Ways to Eat on the Go for Less
- Disney Pixar The Good Dinosaur Snack Tray
- Gluten-free Strawberry Muffins
- 365 Day Meal Plan:: Week Eight Menu Plan
- Frugal French Fries Recipe
- How to throw a fun and affordable UNbirthday party #PartyReddi
- 25 tips to slash your restaurant spending in half
- Gluten Free Nacho Avocado Pizza
- December Menu Plan: Week Two
- 5 Easy Steps to Make a Year Long Menu Plan
- 5 Simple & Frugal Tips for Packing Kid’s Lunches
- Chicken Chili Soup Recipe
- 2014 Meal Plan and Printables
- 2015 Menu Plan: Save $1,000s with Menu Planning
- 10 Steps to Going Organic on a Budget – Centsible Life
- Whalen Family Pizza dough
- Best Organic Pancake Recipe for Fall (or Anytime!)
- May 20th Menu: 365 Day Meal Plan
frugality
giveaway
- Raw Vegan Chocolate Banana Avocado Pie Recipe
- Your Money Ratios {Book Review & Giveaway}
- The Centsible Life turns 1! with over $700 in Giveaways Galore
- Giveaway: Win a $50 gift card and 1 year FamZoo membership — Centsible Life
- Backyard Safari Giveaway
good causes
guest post
- 5 Reasons to Ask your Spouse for a Money Date
- 7 Habits to Highly Effective Budgeting
- By Train, by Plane, by Automobile: Ways to Save on Travel
health
- Getting fitness back with 2 easy steps
- Working Parent’s Guide To Snow Days
- How To Make The Most of Open Enrollment + Save On Healthcare
- How To Survive A Sick Day When You Have To Work
holiday
- 5 Frugal Easter Ideas
- 7 Non-Candy Valentines
- 15 No Candy Halloween Treats For Under 25$ each!
- Perfect Holiday Photos Tips & Tiny Prints
- How NOT To Go Broke This Holiday Season
- Spooky House: Spiders, Monsters, Ghosts, oh my!
- St Patrick’s Day Roundup
- Use Popmoney for the Holidays {sponsored}
- 2012 Holiday Layaway Plans Explained
- Nook Color Review
holiday gift guides
home
- How to Get Rid of Energy Vampires
- young entrepreneurs or how I’m $40 poorer
- Venta: The Smartest Way To Clean and Humidify Your Air
- Money Saving Tips for Buying Appliances
- Halloween and Fall Craft Projects Roundup
- HomeZada: Digital Hub for Everything Home
- Fall Home Maintenance List with HomeZada
- Grout Makeover with Grout Renew
- Shoes, shoes and more shoes: what’s a mom to do?
- The Good Life for Less {Book Review}
how to 2
kids
- 7 Ways To Reward Good Grades Without Money
- Kids and Allowance: Don’t Let Your Kids ‘Rob’ You
- Animal Jam: Educational Gaming for Kids Who Love Animals
- 8 Small Business Ideas For Teens
- 7 Non-Candy Valentines
- Halloween and Fall Craft Projects Roundup
- 50 Activities For Kids When There Is No School
- 20 Things to Do on a Snow Day & Snow Ice Cream Recipe
- 5 Ways to Teach Kids to Give Back
- No TV week: How to get kids off screens and into play
- 7 tips for Smooth Travel Transitions
- 12 Tips For Feeding Picky Eaters
- 8 Ways to Teach your Kids the Value of Money
- 5 Simple & Frugal Tips for Packing Kid’s Lunches
- How NOT To Go Broke This Holiday Season
- How to Create a Disney World Surprise Word Puzzle and Riddle
- 50 Free (or Nearly Free) Summer Activities
- Top 10 Features for Parents and Kids #SiennaDiaries {Review}
- 529 Day
- 7 Frugal + Easy Non-Food Party Favor Ideas
- Digital Family Summit 2013: Family, Kids, and Tech
- How to Teach Kids About Money: Guest Post
- Shoes, shoes and more shoes: what’s a mom to do?
- Giveaway: Win a $50 gift card and 1 year FamZoo membership — Centsible Life
- Nook Color Review
- Swim lessons, and drowning fears
life
- 12 Ways to Prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse (or any emergency)
- 15 Simple Ways to Live on Less
- 20 Things to Do on a Snow Day & Snow Ice Cream Recipe
- Top 10 Features for Parents and Kids #SiennaDiaries {Review}
money
- Family CFO Interview: Kristia Ludwick of Family Balance Sheet
- 7 Ways To Reward Good Grades Without Money
- Kids and Allowance: Don’t Let Your Kids ‘Rob’ You
- How to Create Family Savings Goals
- How to Get Rid of Energy Vampires
- 8 Small Business Ideas For Teens
- What Should I Do With $5,000?
- What bank is best? Where should you stash your cash?
- Credit Scores and Credit Reports: What, why and where?
- 15 Simple Ways to Live on Less
- 6 Ways to Eat on the Go for Less
- The One Car Experiment
- 5 steps to take the boring out of budgeting
- Money Saving Tips for Buying Appliances
- How To Pay Off Debt
- 5 tips for good customer service, and how to keep more money in your wallet
- Starting a Business: My Story
- What would you do with a $1,000,000?
- How To Save Money On Haircuts And Hair Color
- Organize your finances to meet financial goals with Popmoney
- HomeZada: Digital Hub for Everything Home
- 50 Activities For Kids When There Is No School
- Keep Your Money Local with Credit Unions
- How to Handle Financial Speed Bumps
- 25 tips to slash your restaurant spending in half
- How to Budget
- 5 Easy Steps to Make a Year Long Menu Plan
- How To Make The Most of Open Enrollment + Save On Healthcare
- 8 Ways to Teach your Kids the Value of Money
- Spend Less or Earn More: Which will help you save more money?
- Track and Pay Bills with Printable Bill Checklist
- How NOT To Go Broke This Holiday Season
- Family CFO Interview: Michelle Schroeder from Making Sense of Cents
- 2014 Meal Plan and Printables
- Vick living on meager budget to pay back creditors
- February: Best Time to Buy
- 50 Free (or Nearly Free) Summer Activities
- 2015 Menu Plan: Save $1,000s with Menu Planning
- 10 Steps to Going Organic on a Budget – Centsible Life
- 7 Habits to Highly Effective Budgeting
- Budgeting Bi-Weekly Pay
- 529 Day
- What’s covered by a Flexible Spending Account?
- Use Popmoney for the Holidays {sponsored}
- iPhones: How to save on buying and using your iPhone – Centsible Life
- First comes love, then comes Money
- 5 Tips to Keep your ID Safe Online
- The Good Life for Less {Book Review}
- 5 Ways to Combat Over-Spending
- Click, Read, and Shop to Earn Money with ibotta
- Giveaway: Win a $50 gift card and 1 year FamZoo membership — Centsible Life
- Frugal vs. Cheap-Which are you?
- Give without going broke
- Bicycle to save money, go green, and get healthy
musings
organization
- 365 Day Meal Plan with Free Templates & Grocery List
- Keep The Clutter Away With 5 A Day
- 12 Ways to Prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse (or any emergency)
- 365 Day Meal Plan:: Week Eight Menu Plan
- Use Passwords for Motivation
- Organize your finances to meet financial goals with Popmoney
- HomeZada: Digital Hub for Everything Home
- Track and Pay Bills with Printable Bill Checklist
- 10 Steps to Going Organic on a Budget – Centsible Life
- How to Stay Organized when you Work at Home
- Small Business Printables for Bloggers & Freelancers
- Shoes, shoes and more shoes: what’s a mom to do?
- The Good Life for Less {Book Review}
- 5 a day clutter challenge: Wordless Wednesday
recipes
- Raw Vegan Chocolate Banana Avocado Pie Recipe
- Disney Pixar The Good Dinosaur Snack Tray
- Gluten-free Strawberry Muffins
- 20 Things to Do on a Snow Day & Snow Ice Cream Recipe
- Gluten Free Nacho Avocado Pizza
- Easy Guacamole Recipe: Three Ingredients
- Chicken Chili Soup Recipe
- Whalen Family Pizza dough
- White Cranberry Apple Cider Cosmo – Centsible Life
- Best Organic Pancake Recipe for Fall (or Anytime!)
reflection
reviews
- Venta: The Smartest Way To Clean and Humidify Your Air
- Oz the Great and Powerful Movie Review
- Your Money Ratios {Book Review & Giveaway}
- Nook Color Review
shopping
- 15 No Candy Halloween Treats For Under 25$ each!
- Everyday Winter Coat: Help Me Pick #FashionFriday
- How to throw a fun and affordable UNbirthday party #PartyReddi
- Perfect Holiday Photos Tips & Tiny Prints
- February: Best Time to Buy
- 10 Steps to Going Organic on a Budget – Centsible Life
- 10 Fall Trends on a Budget
- 2012 Holiday Layaway Plans Explained
social media
socialmedia
- Conference Sponsorship:: Social Media Saturday
- Carnival of Personal Finance #229: candy edition
- Carnival of Money Stories:Just the Facts
- EVO ’10: The Evolution of Me
spending
sponsored
- How to Create Family Savings Goals
- Animal Jam: Educational Gaming for Kids Who Love Animals
- Raw Vegan Chocolate Banana Avocado Pie Recipe
- 5 Affordable ideas for Retirement Activites
- Organize your finances to meet financial goals with Popmoney
- HomeZada: Digital Hub for Everything Home
- Working Parent’s Guide To Snow Days
- How to throw a fun and affordable UNbirthday party #PartyReddi
- 5 Ways to Teach Kids to Give Back
- Keep Your Money Local with Credit Unions
- How to Handle Financial Speed Bumps
- Five #TravelTipZzz For The Budget Traveler
- Gluten Free Nacho Avocado Pizza
- Perfect Holiday Photos Tips & Tiny Prints
- Fall Home Maintenance List with HomeZada
- How To Make The Most of Open Enrollment + Save On Healthcare
- How NOT To Go Broke This Holiday Season
- How To Survive A Sick Day When You Have To Work
- Yoursphere: Summer Fun Online – Centsible Life
- Use Popmoney for the Holidays {sponsored}
- 5 Tips to Keep your ID Safe Online
tech
travel
- Rehoboth Beach: A Family Friendly Vacation Spot
- The Perfect Getaway: Hotel Hershey + Chocolate Spa
- Road Trips with Kids-Traveling with Littles
- Five #TravelTipZzz For The Budget Traveler
- Oakhurst Inn, Charlottesville, Virginia
- How to Get Ready for Vacation
- How to Create a Disney World Surprise Word Puzzle and Riddle
- Top 10 Features for Parents and Kids #SiennaDiaries {Review}
- Digital Family Summit 2013: Family, Kids, and Tech
- Worry-Free Vacation Tips — Centsible Life
Uncategorized
- How To Get Your Kids To Do Chores
- Women and Money: Family Budgets
- Frugal & Fun Activities for Rainy Days in Summer
- Summer Sangria Recipe
- Family Room Renovation Update
- 7 Tips for Living on One Income (or Less)
- 50 Money Questions to Consider Before Marriage
- Summer Listen List: What To Listen to This Summer
- Homemade Healthy Strawberry Drinks
- 365 Day Meal Plan: January 21st-27th Linky
- Christmas Morning Preparedness Kit and #BatteryControlled
- Centsible Life Tip Printable
- Childhood Hunger Ends Here: How does it affect your community? – Centsible Life
- Cinco De Mayo: Sombrero Craft
- The Best Coffeemaker
- 15 ways to keep kids busy in the house
- 50 Stocking Stuffers for under $1
- 365 Day Meal Plan:: Week Eight Menu Plan
- Black Friday Sales 2014 – Centsible Life
- You've Been BOOED {free printable} – Centsible Life
- 7 Ways to Entertain your kids when you’re sick
- Post-Conference Action List
- Eat Organic on a Budget: 10 steps to a Food Revolution in your Kitchen – Centsible Life
- 10 ways to Green Your Finances
- Win an iPad 3 courtesy of Big Fish
- 5 Ways to Save on Fall Wardrobe #sponsored
- 13 Year-End Money Moves for 2013
- Happy Holidays!
- The Facts about College Costs and Debt
- Holiday Shopping Guide: Onionhead A-Z magnet set review
- Protein Packed School Lunches {Sponsored}
- Saving Money on Halloween
- VEXMEN Sponsors
- Snow Day Activities for all ages
- P&G Coupon insert and PUR giveaway
- Turbo Tax Home & Business 2009 Review
- Starting a Business:: My Story #WMW2012
- Best of Money Carnival: Edition #34
- Help for Haiti Fund: How you can Help
- Guest post: Nothing Comes Between Me and My Wranglers
- Festival of Frugality: 1st hosting gig!
- on clutter is procrastination
- contact
- Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel Book Review
- one car experiment: part 2
- joint finances or not?