Tag Archives: birthparents counseling healing

Getting Your Spouse to Be Frugal

One of the most frustrating things is get your budget down significantly, only to see it blown by a spouse who is not with the program. All of the hard work and careful planning that you do to save money can be unravelled by one impulse purchase or bad decision. So how do you get your spouse or other family member on board? Read on for some tips. Address the Stigmas My friend Bonnie (not her real name because I don’t want to embarrass her) is almost ready to give up on trying to be frugal and save money. Her … Continue reading →

Getting Out of Debt: Paying Off the Car

I really can’t believe that we are going to do this. Several weeks ago, we just assumed that we had to have a car payment. When our youngest child was born, a larger car was a practical necessity because three car seats wouldn’t fit across the back of our old car. So we made a purchase and wound up with car payments. We do love this car. It has given us minimal trouble and maximum flexibility for our family. We don’t love having the car payment or paying the almost $50 a month in interest on the loan. But as … Continue reading →

Frugal Easter Egg Ideas

Don’t spend a fortune for your next Easter Egg hunt. Instead try the following ideas to make it frugal. The kids can have fun, and you can save money, too. Kids love to hunt for those plastic Easter eggs that can be filled with treats. The problem is that with three kids (and some of their friends), I have to make sure that there are enough eggs to go around and help everyone to have fun. Putting candy or toys in each one can start to affect the budget, and who needs all of that candy anyway? Here are some … Continue reading →

Father’s Day Sale at Shutterfly

Posted on by

I know you’re probably aware that Father’s Day is coming up quickly (June 20, if you don’t already know), and it’s always fun to do something special for your favorite guy. Dads are great because they do so much for you over the years and always support you no matter what you attempt. So why not make Dad something one-of-a-kind for Father’s Day this year? I’m talking about photo gifts. I talked about making them for Mother’s Day as well, but this time there’s an incentive—it’s a sale! For those of you who are frugal and love a sale (like … Continue reading →

Switching to a Single Income – Tips for Saving Money

Posted on by

For many families, deciding to have one parent stay home with the new baby is a difficult choice, and it’s even harder to carry out. It means making tough sacrifices. It’s interesting how many families say “we can’t,” when in reality what they are really saying is, “we won’t.” Are you willing to give up a few of life’s conveniences to stay home with your child? Sometimes, the first step toward being able to afford staying home with your kids is honestly dividing your expenses into two categories: needs and wants. Sometimes, the only way to live on one income … Continue reading →

Go Ahead, Be a Cheapskate!

Posted on by

Do you think you might be pregnant? There’s only one way to find out: take a pregnancy test! There are so many different tests to choose from, however, and at around $6-$10 each, it can get expensive. I’ve been down that road and I know that pregnancy tests are not unlike Pringles; you can’t just take one. Here is price comparison featuring popular tests you might find at your local drug store. (All prices are from Walgreens.com.) Accu-Clear / Type: line / Price: about $4.99 per test / hcG Sensitivity: 50mIU Clearblue Easy Digital / Type: digital / Price: about … Continue reading →

Past and Future Collide

I’ve written before about not remembering my childhood with any sort of accuracy. I’ve forgotten major vacations completely only to be reminded by a photograph that I actually did see Mount Rushmore in person during a vacation over my birthday. While this sort of memory loss is tragic and embarrassing I’ve come up with an at hand rationale for my inability to remember: I had to make room for Grad School. All joking aside, photographs have reminded me of some of the most interesting/wonderful/joyous forgotten moments of my life. Oftentimes those pictures are my primary link to things I’ve forgotten. … Continue reading →

Adapting My Clothing

Since I have been losing weight, I have had to contend with clothing not fitting me quite right. Believe me, I am not complaining. I’d rather have loose clothing than tight clothing. But because of my limited wardrobe (yes, I am the mom who still has clothing she purchased 10 years ago), I’ve been having to adapt. Why don’t I just get new clothing? Well, for one thing, I am very frugal (notice the clothing from 10 years ago). We just don’t have a new wardrobe in the budget at the moment, especially with the holidays here. The other reason, … Continue reading →

Six Ways to Save Money on Makeup

Looking good really doesn’t have to cost a fortune… though you might not know it from walking the beauty counters at a department store, or a specialty makeup store. Talk about sticker shock! (Some of those places need to keep smelling salts by the door to revive folks after they faint from looking at prices!) It’d be easy to say: skip the makeup entirely and save a ton of cash. But sometimes, a touch of makeup is the icing on the cake! The cake is pretty good already, but frosting goes the extra mile into stunning. If wearing makeup makes … Continue reading →

Ways to Save on Vacation Lodging

If you have had enough of the staycation and want to actually travel somewhere away from home, then lodging will be an expense that you will have to deal with one way or another. Fortunately, there are a lot of choices and opportunities, if you think a little bit out of the box. Here are some great frugal tips for saving money on your vacation stay. For the large family or group If you have more than four people traveling, then you are in for some issues. As part of a family of five, I know first hand. This is … Continue reading →