A lot of people marvel at how much I do. Since it’s not as much or even as hard as what some people deal with on a day-to-day basis, I don’t think of it as extraordinary. That said, I do have a few ways I utilize my time well, and one of them is my […]
Don’t Be Afraid To Negotiate Prices
Want to try the oldest form of saving money? Negotiate the price. It works for homes, cars, and other large purchases, but it also works for small and less expensive items. If you are planning to purchase a home or car, there is a ton of great advice on negotiating price, but too often people neglect […]
Keep it Simple at Christmas
This year more than ever before I’m trying to keep the holidays simple. With 4 kids you’d think we spend a lot on Christmas, but we manage to keep it cheap by using these 5 simple strategies. 1. Pay attention to what the kids you are shopping for like. Usually a few times a year I […]
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
One of the main lessons I try to teach the kids is to care. For the Earth, for each other, for themselves, and their belongings. They have really taken the idea to heart of late and have been asking me to keep items I would otherwise recycle. I’m considering adding a bin to their art […]
Organize Your Entryway In 30 Minutes
One of my pet peeves is the mess of stuff that ends up by the front door. Bookbags, purses, lunch boxes, shoes, endless dirty socks, and lots of coats! All the kids, and my husband and I, are old enough to put our things away, yet every day there ends up being a pile by […]
How to Host a Sweet Swap
I attended my new favorite Holiday Party this year. A Sweet Swap. It was organized by a friend who did a fabulous job of sending out invites, getting everyone to RSVP on time, and getting us to tell her what we were making. She hosted and fed us yummy soup, bread and salad along with […]
It’s the Holiday Saleson
This year it seems more than other holiday I’m getting a ton of emails, mail, and coupons for SALES. I get it, the economy isn’t that great, consumer confidence is down (where’s my portion of that $700+ billion?), and people are spending less. In my not-so-humble opinion that’s a good thing. Most of us were […]
Mysterious Energy Bill
Since we’ve been on a journey to financial freedom, and we consider ourselves pretty “green” (despite the 4 kids), we have been cutting back on energy and water costs as part of our overall efforts to reign in spending. I was really proud of the energy bills we’ve had for the past 6 months. They’ve […]
5 Lessons I Learned From Our No Spend Month
1. Competition breeds success. It was fun to try to spend less than my husband on unnecessary expenses. It made the challenge exciting. If you don’t have a spouse or partner get a friend or family member involved. And for the record, he won. Learn more: Surround Yourself With Success 2. We usually spend […]
How To Plan A Frugal Birthday Party
Throwing a birthday party can be an expensive endeavor but with a little planning it doesn’t have to be. Local birthday venues start at around $200 for a simple no frills birthday, and with 4 kids with cold weather birthdays that can add up fast! Instead we host frugal birthday parties at home, and use […]
