Impulse buying is generally the biggest money waster. My children often go into a store and want to spend their hard earned money on an item that will probably fall apart before we even get home. I tell them to wait 24 hours (or sometimes 48 depending on when we can get to the store next) before deciding that it… Read more »
How many times have you gone to look for something and have been overwhelmed by the amount of items blocking the way? How much time have you spent picking up toys that seem to be cluttered from one end of the house to the other? Paperwork? Needle and thread? One way I am constantly wasting money is by purchasing items… Read more »
Our generation consumes more meat than previous generations. The United States has the second highest meat eating ratio compared to other countries. I am not about to go vegetarian though. Its one of the wonderful privileges I have for living in the United States. However, meat, especially beef, can get a little bit pricey for 7 meals a week. Just… Read more »
Gary Chapman talks about the different languages of love in his best-selling book, The Five Love Language Probably the one I relate to the most is the language of gift giving. Its a tangible way for me to show my love for you by a token. Which is kinda of funny coming from me. But anyway, you can imagine what… Read more »
Now that we all know my one-weakness (cough, sputter, grimace– note of sarcasm?) aka- reading, lets talk about books. I mentioned the great resource we have in your local library where you can get free books, but there is another way as well. Using your Kindle, you can get free and discounted books. There is much research that shows that… Read more »
I have a not-so-secret addiction: books. Addiction: Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. If had to buy all the books I want to read, we would be broke, super quickly. Also there are several books that I thought I would be very interested in and never finish because they weren’t what I… Read more »
I generally don’t do a whole lot of online shopping. I use Amazon, Etsy, and a few other random sites occasionally. However, when I have some purchases to make, I want to get the most bang for my bunk. For cash back I use ebates. I know there are several others but I have had the… Read more »
When you have four children, this can get interesting. The minimalist in me wants to take everything to the thrift store when we are done and just wait until something is needed before purchasing again. However, the frugal part of me knows that the best decision I can make is to save the clothes for the next child. I actually… Read more »
Did you chuckle when you saw my tip? I admit, I would be have too. But it’s true! Saving that money can help save even more money further down the road. We have never seen it as an opportunity to take a trip or buy new furniture. By saving it each year, we have managed to replace a vehicle when… Read more »
There are definitely many pros and cons to having an Amazon Prime account. When we had 6 months free, I was definitely super happy about the free shipping option on any item I wanted and quick 2 day shipping, if needed. However, in our family, we have learned that the cost of the annual subscription does not justify the cost… Read more »
We all know how dangerous the credit card shopping is, but have you considered what you are spending on debit? Did you know that you think more deeply about purchases when you have to hand cash over? Maybe it’s just me. I am more likely to make impulse buys when I use my debit card rather than when I only… Read more »
We wash and reuse our Ziplock bags. There are plenty of times that we use Ziplocks for things like snacks, organizing, sandwiches, dry good, etc. Often you can just wash and reuse those Ziplocks and not have to purchase a box so often. It takes a few minutes to wash and dry your bags and I would even say let… Read more »
You don’t have to be the next TLC’s Extreme Couponer in order to save your family money. I have rarely met a family that was ONLY store brand. As frugal as I am, there are certain things I do not compromise on such as Starbucks ground coffee beans and CoffeeMate creamer. I do save us a whole grocery trip of… Read more »
I won’t say I have never bought juice– I know I have, but I don’t remember the last time I bought juice, or chocolate milk, or lemonade, or… the list could go on. My children drink water. Lots of free, good for you, hydrating water. We do Almond Milk for occasional cups but its mostly for recipes and whatnot; the… Read more »
How often do you buy paper towels? Is it a once a week thing? Once a month? I am pretty sure the last time I bought paper towels, was 2014. I remember lamenting spending $6, three years after our marriage because we had ran out of paper towels and I had to buy some. Now, we do use them. I… Read more »