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Ways We Save

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AllWays We Save
How To Create SMART Financial Goals 2

How To Create SMART Financial Goals

April 2, 2021
Goals. It’s what we all are attempting to achieve throughout...
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How To Create A Budget Routine

How To Create A Budget Routine

March 26, 2021
Getting your finances in order is not something that happens...
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15 Budget Categories You Forgot In April

April Budget Categories

March 3, 2021
It's crazy to think that April is right around the...
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March Budget Categories

March Budget Categories

February 12, 2021
March is almost here, and it's time to start looking...
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February Budget Categories You Forgot 2

February Budget Categories

January 29, 2021
With February right around the corner, it’s time to start...
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January Budget Categories

January Budget Categories

January 15, 2021
A new month, new year, and new a chance to...
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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Bars

October 6, 2020
I am a lover of quick bread. It’s like the...
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How To Freeze Blueberries

How To Freeze Blueberries

July 8, 2020
Every summer, the kids and I patiently wait until the...
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How To Use A Budget Calendar

How To Use A Budget Calendar

May 13, 2020
Utilizing a calendar is a crucial step to help you...
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How To Complete A Budget Review

How To Complete A Budget Review

May 1, 2020
Reviewing our budget is a crucial step to making sure...
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How To Make Strawberry Jam - with Canning Tutorial

How to Make Strawberry Jam

April 28, 2020
There are few things that taste as good to me...
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Your Complete Guide To Using A Cash Budget

Your Complete Guide To Using Cash Envelopes

April 24, 2020
Whether you want to start using cash envelopes, or someone...
Read More
Items We Stopped Wasting Money On

Over 30 Items We Stopped Wasting Money On

April 17, 2020
As we began our journey into frugality, I quickly realized...
Read More
How To Track Expenses

How To Track Expenses

April 3, 2020
I've talked about how to start budgeting here before, but how...
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What To Buy At Aldi 2

What To Buy At Aldi, And What To Pass On

April 12, 2019
I'll admit, when I started working my tail off to...
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How To Make Cash Envelopes

How To Make Cash Envelopes

April 5, 2019
The biggest game changer for our budget was when we...
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April 2019 Meal Plan

April 2019 Meal Plan

March 26, 2019
April in our family for the last 3 years has...
Read More
Why Your Budget Needs Sinking Funds

What Are Sinking Funds

March 15, 2019
What if I told you that there was a budget...
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March 2019 Meal Plan

March 2019 Meal Plan

February 26, 2019
March is a welcome sight in this house.  All February...
Read More
Five Money Saving Apps You Need To Use Today

Five Money Saving Apps You Need

February 22, 2019
I am forever looking for ways to save money, but...
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How To Freeze Fresh Herbs

How To Freeze Fresh Herbs

February 19, 2019
One of my favorite things about summer is the fresh...
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How To Save On Groceries 2

How To Save On Groceries | 4 Tips To Save Before The Store

February 15, 2019
It's payday.  There's nothing left in the fridge or pantry,...
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February 2019 Meal Plan

February 2019 Meal Plan

January 29, 2019
Every month when I make our monthly meal plan, I...
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January 2019 Meal Plan

January 2019 Meal Plan

January 8, 2019
Hands down, the easiest time I have making my monthly...
Read More
How To Reach Your Savings Goals

How To Reach Savings Goals

November 30, 2018
I'll be honest, before we started budgeting, we had no...
Read More
December 2018 Meal Plan

December 2018 Meal Plan

November 27, 2018
December in our house is a hectic craze before the...
Read More
How To Make Jalapeno Jelly

How To Make Jalapeño Jelly

November 13, 2018
This year was a really weird year for our garden. ...
Read More
November Meal Plan

November 2018 Meal Plan

November 6, 2018
November for us brings an end to the chaotic soccer...
Read More
How To Can Spiced Peaches

How To Can Spiced Peaches

October 9, 2018
This summer, one of the things we accomplished was to...
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October 2018 Meal Plan | Frugal Living | Feeding A Family of 5

October 2018 Meal Plan

October 3, 2018
After my whirlwind summer, I figured it was time to...
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May 2018 Meal Plan

May 2018 Meal Plan

April 25, 2018
May is right around the corner, and it's time to...
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Frugal Spring Fun

Frugal Spring Activities

March 30, 2018
Spring time brings the end of winter, and a big...
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April 2018 Meal Plan

April 2018 Meal Plan

March 26, 2018
With a new month around the corner, it's time for...
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Simple Steps Save Money Groceries

Simple Steps To Save Money On Groceries

March 14, 2018
When we started our debt free journey and I was...
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March 2018 Meal Plan

March 2018 Meal Plan

February 26, 2018
With a new month around the corner, it's time for...
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How To Can Tomato Sauce

How To Can Tomato Sauce

February 21, 2018
Every year when we plan our garden, tomatoes top the...
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Frugal Pantry Staples

30+ Frugal Pantry Staples

February 14, 2018
If you've seen any of my recent posts on Instagram,...
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February 2018 Meal Plan

February 2018 Meal Plan

January 29, 2018
February's meal plan was based around one thing... trying to...
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January 2018 Meal Plan

January 2018 Meal Plan

January 10, 2018
If you've been here before, you'll know that I'm a...
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Apple Peel Jelly

Apple Peel Jelly

December 13, 2017
There's something so satisfying creating something from scratch.  It's almost...
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52 Week Savings Tracker

52 Week Savings

December 8, 2017
Once upon a time, we had very minimal savings.  I'm...
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December 2017 Meal Plan

December 2017 Meal Plan

December 4, 2017
I got back into creating monthly meal plans for our...
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No Spend Month

No Spend Month

December 1, 2017
If you've been researching how to save money, you've likely...
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November 2017 Meal Plan

November 2017 Meal Plan

November 27, 2017
This November, I had a harder time trying to come...
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How To Freeze Sliced Peaches

How to Freeze Sliced Peaches

October 18, 2017
Hello again all!  Sorry I wasn't around on Monday to...
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How To Can Fresh Peaches

How to Can Fresh Peaches – with tutorial!

October 11, 2017
For as far back as I can remember, canned peaches...
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How To Cook Freeze Dry Beans

How To Cook and Freeze Dry Beans

December 7, 2016
Beans are one of our favorite frugal foods not only...
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Must Haves Packed Lunches

7 Must Haves for Packed Lunches

November 17, 2016
For the last 6 years, I've packed lunches for my...
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Homemade Laundry Detergent

Homemade Laundry Detergent

November 9, 2016
Throughout the past few years, I've been researching on how...
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Habanero Jelly

Habanero Jelly

October 13, 2016
Ever have so many habanero peppers that you don't know...
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Homemade Applesauce with Canning Tutorial

Homemade Applesauce – With Canning Tutorial

October 6, 2016
If you follow me on Instagram, you know that one...
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How To Freeze Corn In 6 Easy Steps

How To Freeze Corn in 6 Easy Steps

August 24, 2016
Hub's favorite time of year has got to be when...
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Homemade Banana Chips

Homemade Banana Chips

January 20, 2016
Last year, Hubs and I bought a dehydrator {we bought...
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DIY Foaming Hand Soap

January 18, 2016
With it being in the middle of winter, and everyone...
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why i bought a sam's club membership

Why I Bought A Sam’s Club Membership

December 1, 2015
As we started into our journey of debt freedom, I...
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makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Only you can determine what your financial goals a Only you can determine what your financial goals are. If that means you're adding money to your savings account, or contributing to your retirement, while you are paying off debt, then so be it!⁠
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Do what looks right for you and your personal finances.⁠
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#budget #budgeting #savingmoney #savings #cashbudget #cash #cashisking #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogress #makingcentsmatter #financialfreedom #debtfree
The trick to meal planning is to make it predictab The trick to meal planning is to make it predictable. But predictable doesn't mean the same thing week to week. You could have a chicken meal, a soup meal, a pasta meal, a leftovers meal, a family favorite meal, and so on.⁠
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We always try to go with themed days, but some weeks are so hectic the theme is literally "fast". Thankfully that hasn't been the case lately.⁠
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#mealplanning #mealplan #budget #budgeting #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #cashbudget #cash #cashisking #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogress #makingcentsmatter #financialfreedom #debtfree
I can only hear about my extended warranty I never I can only hear about my extended warranty I never purchased so many times. 😣⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #budgets #monthlyincome #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #payingoffdebt #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom
March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠ .⁠ House: $51 March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $0 – this has a residual $3 in interest charges since payoff, due in April⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $600⁠
Explorer: $336.27⁠
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Total Paid in 2021: $8,258.84⁠
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Extra Payment: There isn’t one this month since we were $25 away from zeroing out the budget for our February 15th monthly paycheck. That $25, and monies left from our January 15th paycheck, covered our OOP costs for Hubs’ filling. We also have some savings goals coming up that need to be met, making our debt payments a little lower for the time begin.⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #payingoffdebt #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom⁠
The battle for who can charge what tonight is abou The battle for who can charge what tonight is about to begin. 😬⁠
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My kids run off with my charger, plug it into one outlet 5 feet from where they found it like that particular outlet is the only one in this house, and then proceed to fight over who can charge their device first at night.⁠
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Then they get grumpy when it's their turn and it's not the proper input cable. #itwasmychargerfirst #dontlikeitgofindyourown⁠
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#parentingteens #parentingtweens #momlife #realife #budget #budgeting #savingmoney #cash #frugalblogger #frugalmom #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogress #makingcentsmatter
A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a bit in our February Budget Check-In about how much of this I think we'll owe, and you can check that out on my YouTube channel if you're interested, but I wanted to say here...⁠
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To the mother with little kids struggling to get your finances in order, it will get better. I wish I could have heard those words years ago.⁠
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Nearly 10 years ago we were facing a $1,400 out-of-pocket portion for A's Phase 1 orthodontic work (I looked it up after I uploaded the video... we had a $1,400 portion).⁠
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It was a lot of money for us at the time. Our kids were 6, 2, and 3 months old. I don't think we even had $500 in savings, and I just left a part-time teaching job because it wasn't paying the part-time daycare bill, so paying our portion in full was just a dream I didn't think was achievable.⁠
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I was even stressing about the monthly $100 payments. We were so strapped. It was our breaking moment to start cutting costs and budgeting more effectively. We've learned a lot in that time period.⁠
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What we've learned is that it does no good to stress about it all the time. Life happens. All you can do is try to plan ahead, and if it's something that's unplanned, readjust. It won't always be easy, especially at first, but it will be worth it.⁠
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Nearly 10 years later, we are still paying off our debts. Student loans suck. But I see this bill as a reminder of how far we have come. Seeing a bill like this doesn't stress me out like it used to, and I know we can easily create a plan that can get it done and out of the way.⁠
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Will it delay our debt-free date more? Yes. But it's not worth stressing over. Life happens, readjust, and continue on down the path. It's called a journey for a reason.⁠
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#wisdomteeth #personalfiannce #personalfinancetips #financialgoals #budgeting #budgets #savingsgoals #savings #cashbudget #zerobasedbudget #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #adulting #lifehappens #realife #realbudget #makingcentsmatter
It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budget It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budgeting categories are working out for the pay month.⁠
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Food is looking good this far into our paycheck, probably because miscellaneous - which includes eating out - took a hit with unexpected purchases. Pet is low for this time of the month, and Household is spot on.⁠
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Fuel looks like it'll be lower than last month (yay for weeks of snow days & delayed school starts), and Therapy had one more appointment than initially planned.⁠
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Garden, Dental, Medical & Propane are not included in these estimates so far because those expenses are coming from sinking funds. Once we're done with the month and review the budget, I'll move over the total amount spent from those sinking funds.⁠
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How's your paycheck budget coming along?⁠
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#realbudget #monthlyincome #monthlybudget #budget #budgetupdate #budgeting #savingmoney #variablecategories #savingmoney #savings #debtfreecommunity #debtfreejourney #cash #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #frugalliving #frugalblogger #budgetblogger #makingcentsmatter
Automating your finances makes saving money and bu Automating your finances makes saving money and budgeting more convenient, and therefore easier on you. Out of sight, out of mind, right?⁠
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What's one thing you can automate this week to make your finances easier?⁠
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Me? I'm going to set up our sinking fund transfers to automate every payday (the 15th of every month). Our bank set up a feature on their app where we can schedule savings transfers now, and I'm going to take advantage of it!⁠
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#personalfinance #personalfinancetips #budgeting #budgettips #personalfinancemadeeasy #savingmoney #savings #sinkingfunds #cash #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogess #financialfreedom #makingcentsmatter
Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone a smidgen overboard this month!⁠
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I foresee a goal for March's paycheck to at out less than twice. That's where this category went awry. $99.16 of it went to eating out. 😑 Some of it was avoidable, but not all of it. Having to drive to multiple appointments in one day during snow squalls and rearranging our whole day was one of those unavoidable instances.⁠
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Tracking our expenses - much like a budget review - is vital to sticking to your budget!⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #budgetcategories #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom #expensetracking #budgetfail
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