Our garden is not manicured beautifully for a magazine or social media, but it is functional and very productive! Growing our own fresh organic produce year round helps to supplement our grocery budget. Not only do we have fresh fruits and vegetables nearly all year round, we have plenty to can, freeze, dehydrate, and freeze […]
August 2022 Family Budget Update
August was a super busy month for our family. Instead of being busy as a family like we were all summer, now everyone is busy going their own direction. We are now in a really good routine. We’re one step closer to having solar installed. The trenching and hole-digging is done. The pallet full of […]
How to Get the Best Deal on Everything– My Detailed Strategy
I very rarely pay full price for anything. I usually pay much, much less than full price. I realized that I have a pretty systematic strategy for finding the best deals on everything we buy. I have always shopped with this strategy, but it was especially helpful during the years we were working on our […]
The Best Chocolate No-Bake Cookies– A fast and frugal favorite
One of the very first recipes I learned to make as a child was Chocolate No-Bake Cookies. I found it in a children’s cookbook that my grandma had given me. It quickly became a family favorite. We simply called them no-bakes. To this day when my mom comes over (which is only once in a […]
7 Sneaky Ways Clutter is Costing You– Get Organized to Save Money!
In the range of frugal folks we have minimalists who are frugal by needing (and having) little, all the way to hoarders who show their frugality in the way the save (and hold onto) anything that might be useful. Chance are you are somewhere in the middle, like me. I’m not a minimalist. Nope, not […]
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
During the beginning of our debt payoff, we had a strict Sunday-only policy for cold cereal. On the other six days of the week we would have a hot breakfast of pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, cream of wheat, or eggs. When I began to feel sick while pregnant with my youngest, we started having cold cereal frequently again. […]
4 Secrets for Successfully Budgeting a Variable Income
I’ve heard all sorts of budgeting excuses. One of my favorites is, “I can’t budget because my income is variable.” This is just not true! You can and should budget, even if your income is always changing. In fact, you can budget well and have financial security even when your income fluctuates. But, I get it. Not having […]
How to Camp For Free– Free Camping Hacks
My husband and I both love camping, so it’s not surprising that our kids do too. We go camping as often as our schedules allow. Some people’s idea of camping is a 20 foot by 20 foot space with a paved parking spot, fire ring and a picnic table, with some trees in sight. Not […]
Fast and Frugal Taco Soup
Taco soup is known for being a quick meal to throw together. Most people make it by dumping some canned goods into a pot with some meat and spices. I’m all for a quick meal, but I do mine a little different than most people. And the best part is it’s even cheaper than the […]
Why income is a taboo topic
Talk of money, especially as it relates to us personally, can really be a taboo topic. Whether it’s asking how much your friend’s new purse cost or telling your neighbor how much you bought your house for, we’re afraid to ask and we’re afraid to tell. Are we worried about what others will think? Depending on who […]
10 Little things you can do to save electricity in the summer
Electricity bills in the summer can be brutal! Our summer rates are double and triple what they are in the winter. If you’re lazy about conserving electricity in the winter, there is some serious motivation to buckle down in the summertime. When we moved into our new house earlier in 2017, I signed up for […]
Monthly Grocery Shopping August 2022
My monthly grocery shopping trip didn’t go as planned. I always try to combine errands since the stores I shop at are a half hour away. I had to drive a child to a practice that was near Winco so it was going to work out perfectly to do the shopping while I waited for […]
How to Afford College– 6 Practical Ways to Avoid Student Debt
My husband and I met in college. We got married a few months after I graduated and he still had a few classes left. We managed to walk away with two bachelor’s degrees and no debt. We paid our own way and didn’t have full-ride scholarships. It wasn’t easy, but we did it. With the cost […]
4 Best Places to get Audiobooks for Free (& why we love them)
Nothing compares to snuggling up with a good book and smelling the real paper pages. For convenience, though, audiobooks are pretty darn close to as good as the real thing. Audiobooks let you be well-read even when you don’t think you have time to read. While it’s true that you’ll make time for what’s important to […]
Homemade Strawberry Jam (and Buying Pectin in Bulk)
I was thrilled to find strawberries for $.98/lb this year and have it be at a time when I had room in my schedule for a couple of jam sessions. If you looked at my schedule you wouldn’t think I had room, but a recruited all of my helpers and made time. With prices rising […]
July 2022 Family Budget Update
And just like that the summer is over! School starts in a week. July was a pretty good month for our budget. There weren’t any major surprises. We took a trip to Yellowstone for a week and our gas spending was actually less than June’s (still over $800, though)! That was a pleasant surprise. Since […]
Make Money Renting Your Extra Storage Space
The idea of renting out an extra room on Airbnb isn’t new, but did you know you can do the same thing for storage space? Instead of overnight guests, you host people’s stuff– like household storage, business inventory, or vehicles– in your spare room, garage, shed, attic, or driveway. I’m excited to tell you about […]
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’m excited to share with you my favorite cookie recipe: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies! Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are the perfect cookies for any occasion. They’re fancy and delicious enough to bring out for a special treat, yet simple enough for everyday. I always get requests for this recipe when […]
Understanding Sunk Costs– A Life-Changing Secret
As an undergraduate student I took an economics course from an extraordinary professor. He was so good that after I had completed the course, I sometimes went back to sit through his lectures again. That economics course provided more and better decision-making tools than many of my MBA courses on business decision-making. One literally life-changing […]
5 Reasons to Stock Up on School Supplies
Is it just me or does anyone else have a hard time resisting a box of new Crayola crayons for 25 cents this time of year? Or how about a package of markers for just a little bit more. Then there’s glue and scissors and notebooks, oh my! In July, August, and September, the deals […]
How To Cook and Freeze Dry Beans
As an inexpensive source of protein, beans are a dietary staple for a large portion of the world. Beans come in many varieties and are quite versatile. I’ve enjoyed beans in main courses, side dishes, salads, soups, and even desserts! We eat our fair share of beans, but rarely get them from a can. Years […]
5 Smart Financial Moves We Made as First Time Home Buyers
After living in rented spaces for the first decade of our adult lives, my husband and I were eager to buy our first home. Comparing the cost of renting versus the cost of buying a home in the Midwest where my husband Mike attended law school, we decided there was no reason not to buy […]
Our secret to saving money on a long-distance move
When we were planning our move of 1,500 miles across the country to go to law school, I looked into just about every possibility of getting our stuff from point A to point B. We weren’t surprised that a full service moving company was out of our small budget. As frugal DIY-ers, we didn’t mind […]
Cheesy Squash– A Simple and Delicious Zucchini and Yellow Squash Dish
Anyone who has planted zucchini (or is friends with anyone who has) knows that zucchini is prolific. During the summer months we have no shortage of zucchini and yellow squash. Like any good zucchini grower, we have lots of ways to fix this versatile squash. One of our most favorite ways to eat them is in […]
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