Ever since we finished paying off our massive debt, we’ve been eagerly looking at houses. Even though we aren’t really in a buying position right now, we’re getting a feel for the market (and getting excited about homes that will inevitably be sold by the time we’re in a position to make any offers). We actually […]
September 2016 Budget Report
For exactly three years now, we have shared the details of our family’s budget with the world. Making personal finance public has kept us motivated and accountable for reaching our financial goals. Even though we’re debt-free now, we plan to continue sharing our family’s real budget as we work toward other financial goals. If you’re […]
Frugal Feats, Flops, and Funnies– Travel Edition
It’s time for our weekly story time where we share the highlights (and low-lights) of our frugal adventures. Saving money really can be an adventure, can’t it?! Whether you’re just starting to trim your expenses or you’re thrifty through and through, you’ll have some wins, some fails, and some funny times in between. I had […]
Is home canning worth it?
Is home canning worth it? The answer is emphatically and absolutely “YES!” Or “NO!” Or “It depends.” Preserving your harvest can be rewarding but it’s also lots of work! Between growing or acquiring the produce, gathering and preparing the equipment, canning your produce, and cleaning up the mess afterwards, you definitely rack up hours in […]
How we traveled internationally for free
Today I have a guest post from a couple who is working to pay off over half a million dollars of student loan debt. Amber from RedTwoGreen.com is sharing how she and her husband were able to travel internationally for free when they were newlyweds! The hardest part about buckling down and tackling our $590k of […]
Frugal Feats, Flops, and Funnies– Cheesy Chicken Bread Edition
Frugal Feats of the Week Cheesy Chicken Bread I had a kitchen experiment that went really well this week. We were having leftovers for dinner to make use of what was in the fridge, but I decided to make some soft French bread to go along with it because, well, it’s really yummy. I made […]
Why I switched from Mad Mimi to ConvertKit for Email Marketing
About six months ago I made the switch from MadMimi to ConvertKit. Since I share the details and breakdown of my blogging income and expenses, I’ve had lots of people ask why I made the switch. After all, MadMimi is significantly cheaper, and I’m known for blogging on a budget. Hopefully this post will answer […]
How to SAVE when you’re a SPENDER
Have you ever noticed that saving money seems to come easier to some people than others? In some ways, saving money is just like any other skill or talent. It’s a combination of natural ability, learned practices, and well-formed habits. My husband and I, for example, both came from families that valued thrift and frugality. […]
Life is worth living, even with debt
I remember learning about the Great Depression in middle-school. I vividly recall a black and white photo of a man ready to jump off of a building because he “lost everything” in the stock market crash of 1929. It blew my mind and broke my heart to think of the family he left behind. His wife became a […]
Frugal Feats, Flops, & Funnies: Take a hike!
A frugal life doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, sometimes being frugal means you choose the more adventurous road. Each week I like to reflect on some our frugal successes, failures, and times that make us laugh. I love hearing your experiences too! Today’s post represents two weeks worth of frugal excitement since we missed […]
7 Ways to Talk about Money in Marriage (without fighting)
We’ve all heard statistics pinpointing money problems as one of the major reasons marriages end in divorce. In fact, you probably have some anecdotal evidence showing that financial stress and fights about money ruin relationships. I don’t know about you, but I value my marriage more than any amount of money. I imagine that’s the case with […]
August 2016 Budget Report
Did you notice that the title of my monthly report is now “Budget Report” instead of “Debt Repayment Progress Report.” I’m pretty excited about that. If nothing else, it’s a shorter title! Even with our debt paid off, I’ll still be sharing with you all our monthly earning and spending. It really does keep me accountable. I […]
6 Fun Ways to Lower Your Grocery Budget
Mary Poppins spoke the truth when she said, “In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. You find the fun…. and snap! The job’s a game!” I love games and I’m always up for a challenge. Though my husband and I never fight, we can be very competitive when it comes […]
Frugal Feats, Flops, and Funnies– Tires, Cereal, & Birthday Hacks
Every day this week has felt like Friday to me. I’m glad Friday is finally here so I can finally know what day it is! I’m really enjoying thinking back on the week to discover some frugal gems that would otherwise be lost in the busy-ness of everyday life. I would love to hear about […]
Are You Doing the Financial Potty Dance
My three older kids were all potty trained right around their second birthday. It’s actually pretty wonderful (and it saves money too)! Once they get the hang of doing their business when they need to, they start to get a little lazy. Or maybe they are just over-confident. Either way, they don’t want their business […]
Frugal Feats, Flops, and Funnies– Cranberry Crazy Edition
Paying regular price, buying everything new, and having exactly everything you need would be so boring, don’t you think? Frugality is definitely an adventure that keeps life interesting. Okay, maybe a splurge would be fun every now and then too, but if you’re living the frugal life either by choice or by circumstance, you may as […]
Frugal Feats, Flops, and Funnies– Wild Grapes Edition
In an effort to share more of our day-to-day frugality (like many of you requested in my reader survey), I started on a new Friday series: Frugal Feats, Flops, and Funnies. You can hop back and read last week’s edition if you missed it. I would love for this to become an opportunity for you to […]
Why I changed my mind about freezer cooking
I was a teenager the first time I tried out freezer cooking. I set a goal to make a month’s-worth of meals for my family (I grew up in a family of six). I dusted off the Once-a-Month Meals cookbook that lived on the bookshelf with other rarely opened cookbooks and dove right in. I […]
Frugal Feats, Flops, and Funnies– U-Pick edition
After reading all of the wonderful ideas and suggestions that you shared in my reader survey (it’s still open, hint hint!), I have decided to start a new Friday series to share more day-to-day snippets of the frugal life. I’m calling it Frugal Feats, Flops, and Funnies. I am all about alliteration. I’m excited to have a place to share tips and […]
July 2016 Debt Repayment Progress Report
Today’s report is going to be a little anti-climactic, as I already announced the big news! Waiting for nearly a month to tell all of you may have killed me, so I let the cat out of the bag early! In case you missed it, we are now 100% debt free as of the beginning […]
What’s next? Our goals now that we’re debt-free!
In case you missed it, we finished paying off our six figures of student loan debt! In the end, we paid $144,046 in principal and interest for the JD/MBA that my husband finished in 2012. We’re so glad to have that behind us and move on to other goals. As much as we love living in […]
How do you find time to blog (or start a business on the side)?
One of the most common questions I get when people find out that I blog (or when readers find out I have four young kids) is, “How do you find time to blog?” That is a totally valid question! One of my biggest hesitations in starting a blog was that I wouldn’t have the time to […]
How to Save Money on Sunscreen
Sunscreen. The white gold of summertime. When I was single, I never worried about the cost of sunscreen, but now that I have six fair bodies that need to be slathered in sunscreen as we swim at least a few times every week this summer, it’s a different story. With my (and my kids’) fair […]
We’re Debt-Free! –A behind-the-scenes look at our journey to pay off $144,000 of debt!
“Shoot for the moon and even if you miss you’ll land among the stars.” That was my attitude when we set our goal to pay off over $130,000 of law school student loan debt. I wasn’t sure how it would happen, but I knew that by setting an audacious stretch goal we would end up […]
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