According to statista.com the average American spends about $371 per child on toys. Now, if I were to translate that into what we would be paying for our household, it would be approx $1500. I can you right now, that even the twice a year we buy toys (if we do that even) we have never even come close to… Read more »

I thought this was fitting to follow my previous post. Finding a food co-op in your area can help save you quite a bit of money, especially if you want to buy some of the more specialty flours for gluten-free baking. Azure Standard is the one we locally use. Generally you can put the word out among your local ears… Read more »

One of the common statements I get about being gluten-free is how expensive it is. If you are trying to replace everything you have been eating in the past with the gluten-free option, I quite agree with you! Gluten-free chicken nuggets are expensive; boxed cookie mixes are very expensive. However, if you rethink the way you are eating and making… Read more »

Making a budget is not a once and you are done kind of thing. Often times it needs to be re-accessed every 3-6 months. Things can change quickly and amounts need to be re-adjusted, family habits change, and so on. You can actually waste money by not keeping an updated budget. It is very important that you know where your… Read more »

Instead of settling for a cheesy $1 card just to avoid buying the $5 card or biting the bullet and spending the $5 for a greeting card, take the time to write a note to the person. You can make someone’s day with a few lines letting them know you appreciate them, you love them, what your day is like,… Read more »

We have all heard the saying, “When you leave the room, turn off the lights”; according to one source, “if you look at it one way, you could have an hourly wage of $35.88 by taking a couple minutes to ensure the lights are off” (paraphrased). That being said, lets look at it from a different angle. What if you… Read more »

This isn’t exactly what you think it is. Do you take children out on a treat? Each birthday my children get to go to Starbucks and get one of their smoothies. One way I don’t spend $20 on smoothies for all of us, is to ask for 2 smoothies split into 4 cups– two for the price of one, or… Read more »

Food is one of the biggest ways of American’s waste. The Washington Times reported that Americans waste food more than any other resource, and another source stated that we waste up to 40% of our food. Strangely enough, most people would say that groceries are one of their biggest money pits. One way you can save money is by watching… Read more »

Rent Vs. Buy.  When is a good time to rent and when it is more thrifty to buy? If you know you will love a movie and will want to see it many times over, then you know it would be cheaper to save the pennies and buy. However, if you only shampoo the carpets once a year or two,… Read more »

I know this is one you hear a lot, but don’t ignore it–I did for a whole two months and while I knew I was saving money by line-drying, I had no idea how much. Our gas bill went up about $10-$15. Since we use a wood-burning stove, I know I can attribute the rise cost to the constant use… Read more »

Nothing will help you save $$ more than having a goal set for yourself. Whether it’s to save $50 a month on groceries to going to Disney land this summer on cash not credit, set yourself a goal. Write it down somewhere where you can see it often. Make a simple chart and watch that color fill itself in. Cut… Read more »