Is frugality old-fashioned? Can homemaking be hip?
The other day someone left a comment on one of my Pinterest pins that I found amusing, though it wasn’t intended to be funny.
I honestly can’t even remember which blog post it linked to, just that it was about living frugally to get out of debt (I know, big surprise). I should have taken a screenshot so you could see that I’m not making this up!
The comment said something like:
Why does every pin about getting out of debt want me to live like a 50’s housewife? Why doesn’t anyone write about how to pay off debt and actually have a life?
I guess maybe I should start writing more intriguing blog posts like:
- “How my five-star restaurant habit paid my student loan bill”
- “One weird trick to pay off your debt without spending less or earning more”
That is what the people want!
Apparently there is something incompatible about being frugal and having a life. Not only is homemaking an under-appreciated job, it’s also boring and lifeless?
Not so, my friends!
Homemaking has never been cooler. At least in my book! I’m sure the 50’s were great, but we’ve got a lot now that we sure didn’t have back then.
Take Pinterest, for example. Back in the day, you had to actually think of your own ideas. Imagine that!
And then there’s Google– willing and ready to give answers to our every curiosity.
And we’ve got the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle to make life easier!
What’s that, you say? I’m so glad you asked! Sit down and I’ll tell you about this awesome project I’ve been collaborating on!
The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is a collection of 93 ebooks, e-courses and printables that were hand-picked to form one incredible digital library for homemakers on topics like:
- Organization
- Meal Planning and Recipes
- Budgeting
- Motherhood
- Marriage
- Faith (for you & your kids)
- Self-care (like exercise, weight loss, life planning and coloring books!)
- and much more…
All of the digital products (ebooks, printables, courses, audio, etc) are sold individually by the authors 365 days a year, but for just 6 days (today through Monday, May 2nd), the authors allow their works to come together to create this amazing resource. Adding up the individual prices of the bundle, its contents are worth over $1,000, but for the very short time that the bundle is available, it’s just $29.97.
That’s a pretty extreme savings!
But yes, (I hear what you’re thinking) I realize that there is no way you will have the time or interest for using all 93 of them. That is the beauty getting so many for so little. Just pick out a few of the items that you know you’ll use and love. That will easily cover the cost of the bundle, then everything else is just gravy.
Some of my top picks from the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle
Before you go see everything that’s included, let me show you my personal favorites. I’m sure it won’t surprise you that they’re ones that will help you with your finances!
Frugal Real Food Meal Plans— In January of this year, I started experimenting with these awesome meal plans. I was attracted by the $350 monthly grocery budget for real foods, and the promise of easy, nutritious food we weren’t already tired of, so I gave it a try. The faimly and I have definitely loved it. I was thrilled when I later saw that it was a part of the Bundle because I was already planning to tell you about it. I’ll share more details about it later this week. ($15)
Building a Framework: The Ultimate Blogging Handbook— If you follow the blogging side of my blog, then you’ve heard me talk about this one before. It’s one of two comprehensive blogging resources that I recommend (the other is Elite Blog Academy). I first read it after I was no longer a beginning blogger, but I still learned so much that I hadn’t seen elsewhere. ($25)
It’s About Time If you struggle with time management, this is a very thorough course to help you get a grasp on how you spend your time and set up your own personalized system so you can fit in what’s most important to you. ($49)
Sweet Life Planner The nice thing about a printable planner is that you can choose which pages you want and put them in whatever order you want. This planner has over 100 pages and comes in regular and small sizes. And it’s cute! ($35)
Slash Your Grocery Budget and Eat a Whole Foods Diet with Aldi If you have an Aldi near you, this book is for you. We’ve been four years without an Aldi and we miss it. In this ebook you’ll get lots of ideas on how to save at Aldi and also get a month of meals with weekly Aldi shopping lists. ($3.99)
The Grocery Shrink I got sucked into this one. I love hearing how other people have drastically reduced their grocery spending. If you think my $300 grocery budget is impressive, this author feeds her family of seven on $200/month. She shares recipes too! ($9.99)
Thinking Outside the Gift Box I have always been a fan of homemade gifts, so I was really interested to check out this one! It didn’t disappoint! It is loaded with ideas for awesome gifts to get your wheels turning. And we’re not talking just crafty things. There are all sorts of ideas in there. No skills and no cost for many of them. ($9.99)
Oh and my book, Frugal Fresh Start: A 28-day challenge to trim your expenses, build a budget & fix your finances is in the mix, too!
I could keep going, but I’ll restrain myself and encourage you to go see everything that’s included for yourself!
You have a full year to download the eBooks and printables and take the online eCourses, and everything you’ve downloaded becomes part of your permanent library, so you can go back to it whenever you need it.
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Rosie says
April 27, 2016 at 9:07 amMy favorite would be deliberate mothering podcast, I see stuff like that and wish I had money to buy it. Also I think the middle school mom would be good too.
Theresa says
April 27, 2016 at 11:25 amHa! That is funny. When I think of the 50’s I think of how the homemakers always seemed to be dressed up all the time! At least in 2016 we can cook from scratch in yoga pants!
Stephanie says
April 27, 2016 at 12:29 pmAmen to that Theresa! If my husband walked in to dinner on the table, me all fixed up, and the kids sitting quietly on the couch, I think he would faint. Especially that last part! 🙂
Becca says
April 27, 2016 at 4:24 pmMy mom once told me that my dad once told her, “You know, the house would run so much smoother if dinner was on the table every night promptly at 6.” She replied, “That’s a great idea. That’s such a great idea, I think you should be in charge of making dinner from now on.” Needless to say he didn’t complain about when dinner was served after that . . . .
Stephanie says
April 28, 2016 at 9:48 pmGood for her! I’m so glad that my husband is constantly amazed at what I can accomplish during the day (even if it isn’t much) while still keeping everyone alive and (mostly) happy.
Becca says
April 27, 2016 at 3:35 pmMy MIL talks about an aunt of hers in the 1950s who had the kids fed and put to bed before their father was home from work. And they weren’t allowed to get up in the morning until after he’d left for work. Weird.
Lots of great stuff here. I like the Summer Sanity Saver and the Thinking Outside the Gift Box. I’d love to win this one! But the real reason you should give it to me is that I live overseas so you’d just have to send me the digital stuff and you’d have to keep all the non-digital stuff for yourself since shipping would be too expensive. 🙂
Stephanie says
April 28, 2016 at 9:46 pmHa ha! That’s pretty crazy! I always feel bad on days when Daddy leaves so early and gets home so late that the kids don’t see him. I would never do that on purpose! 🙂
Bonnie says
April 27, 2016 at 7:10 pmMy Favorite resources would be on simplifying my life!
Lorraine says
April 28, 2016 at 1:56 amI was excited to read the title of this blog post and I wish you had gone into the subject a little more. Many people think homemaking is a lost art or they make fun of people who are good at it. There are so many memes putting down housework and articles and jokes about how you or your children could not possibly be happy or living a full life if your house is neat and clean. I for one would be a very unhappy person if my house was dirty and messy and I know my family appreciates living in a clean and clutter free home. We all have jobs, but everyone does their part which makes maintaining things fairly easy. People like to say their house has that “lived in” look. That’s fine, as long as it doesn’t look lived in by monkeys. lol As someone who works in an elementary school cafeteria, I see the mess that kids leave behind, how much uneaten food they throw away and how out of control some of them behave. It truly makes me wonder how they are being raised and what their homes look like. A cafeteria is like a microcosm of the future and sometimes it kind of scares me.
Stephanie says
April 28, 2016 at 9:41 pmOh the cafeteria! You are a brave woman Lorraine! 🙂 Bless your heart! My kids have each had a really hard time adjusting to the school cafeteria because it’s so loud in there! And I am always absolutely shocked at how much food kids throw away! It is painful to watch. Sadly the kids are not allowed to share, so everything just goes to waste.
Karen says
April 28, 2016 at 4:17 amMy favorites would be all those with recipes – I’m always drawn to new cooking ideas and strategies.
[email protected] says
April 28, 2016 at 9:12 amI am interested in the Building a Framework book, but also the bonuses – if we had extra money in the budget (which we don’t) I would definitely buy this!
Amy says
April 28, 2016 at 11:48 amCongratulations on your collaboration with the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle! You work so hard at what you do, and I’m excited to see it paying off for you!
Stephanie says
April 28, 2016 at 9:43 pmThanks Amy! I was pretty excited about the opportunity too. The Ultimate Bundles team is a really great group of sincerely good people.
Bec Cullipher says
April 30, 2016 at 6:39 amI’m wanting Think outside the Gift box, the budgeting and mostly the recipes. I hope they are ” normal” recipes and not weird stuff!
Mary says
April 30, 2016 at 5:47 pmLove them all! But favorite is simplifying my life! With three teenagers you think it would be easier? Nope 🙂
Joy Frazier says
May 7, 2016 at 6:04 amI’m usually reluctant to sign up for emails in my inbox, but you sounded interesting. I do shop at Aldi and I also shop at Fresh Market on Tuesday . They have Organic chicken and ground chuck for 2.99 a Lb. On the average I feed 8 at least 4 times a week. I make my laundry detergent,soap,kefir water,kefir milk and kombucha tea. I’m alway interested in good ideas. Thank God for post like yours and pinterest.