Simplify & enjoy life at home with littles.
If you are exhausted by a financial mess, or not sure what the first right step is, this post is for you! You will learn exactly what to do, step by step, to get out of financial survival mode. It probably won’t be easy, and it probably will take some time. My husband …
I’ve been using this simple grocery budget tracking method for years!! It’s legitimately useful while you’re actually in the store, shopping around. (And no, you don’t need a calculator to add up every single price.) The gist of my grocery budget hack is this: Figure out the average per item …
If you have tried to budget and failed, you know what I mean when I say, budgeting can be so frustrating! We are actually avid budgeters (and have been for years, ever since we figured out what works for us). Because our friends know that, they often say things to …
Today, I’m going to tell you exactly what you need to make a cheap grocery list that your family will love. And yes – healthy options are included! If you’re tight on funds and trying to save money on your grocery bill, I can totally relate. I also know personally …
Wondering what specific questions to ask your insurance company once you get pregnant!? You’re in the right place! Our first pregnancy was the first major health event we’d ever dealt with, thankfully. But, I had NO CLUE how pregnancy & insurance worked. Since then (that was 2012), we’ve had a …
Christmas is fast approaching, and I’m already hearing people joke about putting Christmas on their credit card. In the past, I’ve written about saving up little by little over the course of a year for Christmas spending. If you’re reading this in December, it’s too late for that (for this year). …
YNAB is by far, our favorite online budgeting tool for tracking spending and money management. YNAB costs $99/ year, and the most frequently asked question I get about it is, “Why pay when there are free budgeting tools available like Mint? Is YNAB worth the money?” This YNAB review is …
People often feel like they don’t have enough money. Often, people think the solution to their financial problems is making more money… an “income problem,” if you will. While it’s possible that you do have an income problem, it’s also very possible that you have a spending problem or an expenses problem. So how …
The thing about paying off debt is – life still happens while you’re trying to get out of debt. In the first 18 months we were tackling our student loan debt, we had a 3rd baby, fixed my old car several times, replaced my old car with a used minivan, …
I recently wrote about how I got sloppy at budgeting towards the end of my pregnancy with our 3rd baby. Especially with our grocery budget! Oddly enough, even with 3 kiddos under 3.5, I have way more energy and mental stamina to think about budgeting (and blogging) again now that I’m …
My dear friends, readers & budget nerds, I have a confession to make: I have sucked at sticking to our budget the past few months. Not for lack of knowledge, mind you. Remember, that one time I wrote a post called, “How to Actually Stick to Your Budget“? I think I’ll …
If you’re accustomed to exchanging extravagant gifts with your spouse, skipping gifts for a year may seem extreme. But, hey, when you really want to get out of debt, it has to be a little extreme. Plus, it’s just one year. I guarantee that in 5 or 10 or 20 years, …
I recently read “The Power of Habit,” by Charles Duhigg. Besides being full of fascinating insight about the habits of our brains, our corporations, and our society, it also gave me some key realizations about what some of my personal habits are, and how to truly change some of them. I hadn’t …
For a long time, Ben and I would sit down at the end of every month and look at our budget. We had categories in a spreadsheet with budgeted amounts assigned. Then, we’d try to play catch up on figuring out where all our money went that month. As we categorized all …
When we got pregnant with our first baby, I was a private piano teacher making approximately $26,000/ year (before taxes) and he was a full time graduate student. Then, I landed a luxurious public school teaching job that was a slight pay increase with health insurance. (Can somebody say sugar …
This is the 5th post in an ongoing series called “Budgeting 101.” You can START THE ENTIRE SERIES WITH POST #1 HERE. I wrote a post about making a budget, and I think it’s helpful if you’re new to budgeting. But especially around this time of year, I hear so many people …
I mentioned in a recent post that I’ve grown to love meal planning and grocery shopping for the whole month at once… and while that might seem overwhelming to some of you, today, I’d like to share a few tips for those of you interested in giving it a try! …
I love this time of year. From right before Thanksgiving all the way through New Year’s. I love how simple Thanksgiving is, and I love preparing the food with loved ones. Then, I love getting out the Christmas tree the next day & watching our little ones throw all the …
Let’s talk grocery shopping. Granted, not the most exciting of topics, but something we do a lot. So, worth talking about how to make it easier… I have tried every single possible grocery planning method over the past 7 years that I’ve been in charge of feeding myself (and anyone else …
I don’t know what it is about the darn grocery budget, but it seems like something everyone wants to spend less on. If you have little kids, meal planning and grocery shopping might sound about as fun as repeatedly poking your eyes with dull colored pencils. But, this process can become …