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Budgeting tips: What are sinking funds??
Budgeting. The dirty word that nobody wants to talk about, but EVERYBODY wants to excel at innately or learn through some sort of magical osmosis. But then month after month and then year after year we spend our hard earned money and have no clue where it goes. ORRRR we work really hard on our budget, and rock it’s socks off for a month until a holiday or birthday or field trip or soccer uniform pops up and throws a wrench into our perfectly laid plans. AND THEN we deviate from the budget a little…and then a lot…and then we throw the budget out the window and go back to…
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Money Saving Monday: How to use cash envelopes
If you have been around this blog for a while, you know that I love to talk about budgeting and cash envelopes and ALLLL things thrifty, but wanna know a secret…I DO NOT CARRY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS OF CASH AROUND WITH ME WHEREVER I GO!! This is the NUMBER ONE question I get asked about a cash envelope system…so today I am going to tell you HOW to use cash envelopes WITHOUT carrying tons of cash. How to use cash envelopes without carrying cash… Start off small. If you are just beginning your cash budget journey, you do not have to jump into the deep end. Instead of using cash…
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Money Saving Monday: Printable Cash Envelopes
Creating cash envelopes has been on my to-do list for over a year…maybe even two years!! BUT I FINALLY DID IT…and the best part…they are perfectly vintage and adorable. I think that is what was holding me back. I didn’t JUST want to make some cash envelopes, I wanted to make MY KIND of cash envelopes. SOOOO for those of you who asked a year ago about cash envelopes…TADA. Adorable printable cash envelopes to help you stay RIGHT ON BUDGET!! Seriously though…isn’t that little sheep just the CUTEST!!! I created this set as a group of envelopes to use for my sinking funds (If you do not know what sinking…
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Money Saving Monday–How to cut your grocery bill
Are you always wondering where the heck your money goes each month?! I really did not have a good grasp on HOW MUCH my family was actually wasting on groceries until I started to track my spending. I WAS SHOCKED!! I was WAYYYY overspending on food, but we were eating it…so how was I supposed to cut out anything?!?! We HAVE to eat…right?!?! Well yes…but also no. There are lots of ways to cut back, but let me tell you how I have managed to cut our grocery bill BASICALLY in half. How much should I budget for groceries?? There are lots of facts and figures floating around about what…
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Money Saving Monday–Creating a Christmas Budget WITHOUT credit cards!!
Are you ready for Christmas yet??? We are currently hitting highs over 100 degrees here in eastern Washington, so it is hard to believe that Christmas is coming up fast, but there are only 150 days left until Christmas Eve…less than 5 months…21 weekends!!! Do you have your Christmas budget ready?? Last September I explained ALLLL about how I try to plan ahead by using sinking funds to be prepared for extra expenses, but what if it is now July and you DO NOT have sinking funds set aside for Christmas?? We all know 2020 has started off really crap-tastic and ALL planning has LITERALLY gone out the window. SOOOO…
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How to survive a spending freeze
Today was our FIRST day of the October Spending Freeze and I already got lots of messages about…what do I do?? how can I last for a whole week??? What now?? SOOO I thought I would quickly go through and answer a few of the FAQ about HOW TO SURVIVE A SPENDING FREEZE. First things first: WHAT IS A SPENDING FREEZE?? And WHY?? A spending freeze or spending ban is simply choosing a period of time to go without spending money. You intentionally go without spending, then set the money that you WOULD have spent aside for savings, sinking funds, debt, etc. This is a great way to pay off…
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15 ways to find EXTRA money in your budget??
Last week I talked ALL about SINKING FUNDS and how to plan ahead for upcoming expenses like holidays, back to school etc. BUT what if you DIDN’T plan ahead and now it is nearly October and you do not have cash squirreled away for Christmas?? ORRR what if you still have some debt in the back of your mind that you would like to get a jump on?? Or better yet, what if you just want to add some extra cash to your savings?? Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you squeeze some extra cash out of your already tight budget. ORRR just help you start…
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5 ways to save money on groceries
I think we can allllll agree that spending all of our money on groceries is SOOOO disappointing. We dream of going on fun vacations, buying a boat or a lake house or a new car. We want to fund our kids’ college funds and save for retirement. BUTTT we have to spend money on food. Every. Single. Month. The average American household spends between $550 and $900 each month on food. That is $6,000-$11,000 each year. Wouldn’t it be nice to have something more fun to show for that $11,000 than a chubby tummy??:) So for me, when I am trying to save money and rein in my spending, I…
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Fall Inspiration Blog Hop
Fall is my FAVORITE time of year for decor, food, weather, activities, footwear…haha…you name it!!! I love the leaves and the colors and the baked goods. OHHH THE BAKED GOODS!! But what I do NOT like is that the fall decorating season coincides with both BACK TO SCHOOL shopping AND CHRISTMAS shopping. So in the season where I want to buy ALLL THE DECOR, I have to make the responsible choices. Over the years I have learned some easy tricks on how to decorate for fall (or any holiday/season) on a budget. Start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day…and your home cannot be either. It is soooo hard in…
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Weekly Marriage Meeting
Among my resolutions this year is ONE goal that I am REALLY excited about and which has been on my heart for a while. I am dedicated to giving some MAJOR thought and time to my marriage in 2020. I have a few mini-goals to help me along the way, including more frequent date nights, quick trips (with and without the kids), being more intentional with my time at home, and holding a weekly marriage meeting…and that is the one that I think is going to be the real game-changer. Why have a weekly marriage meeting?? Before having kids, I was a teacher and a coach and I gave EVERY-thing…