Today is a wonderful day in our house. Today we became $120 a month richer!Our tax return came in yesterday. We decided to use most of it to pay off two debts. We paid off the smallest student loan. I have talked about that here and here. I did not get it paid off by Christmas like I wanted but not too far past. I am so excited!And even better.....I went in and paid off the Focus today!!! We still have a payment on the van but the car is now completely ours. :)We know have $120/month to put … [Read more...]
Thrifty Baby: Clothing
You may remember that this year I am doing a series on how it does not need to be expensive to raise a baby. Last time I went over how to save money feeding baby. This time we are going over clothing.Because babies grow so fast and tend to soil their clothes quite often, clothing can often be one of the greatest baby expensive outside the big ticket items like car seat, stroller, etc. My first tip on saving money on baby clothes is an obvious one.Buy UsedWith how fast babies grow I find it silly … [Read more...]
How to Earn Money with Swagbucks
I spend a fair amount of time telling you about ways that I save money but don't often tell you about the ways I make money. I am starting a series this year on how to make money at home without selling anything. I'm kicking off this series with my favorite, and easiest way, to earn some extra money. Swagbucks. You use Swagbucks as a search engine instead of Google, Bing, or any other. Every so often, you will earn Swag Bucks. After so many Swag Bucks, you can redeem prizes. Some are … [Read more...]
Thrifty Baby: Feeding
Babies can be expensive. But they don't have to be. There are many ways to save money on baby needs. Throughout the year I will be doing a series on how to save money on baby needs. Some of the things I will cover are feeding, diapering, clothing, and more.We will begin with feeding because hey, who doesn't like food? :)Make your own baby foodI think most people know someone who makes their own baby food but think it is a pain so they don't try it themselves. It isn't. I take a couple days every … [Read more...]
Determination Is Normal
I've been struggling with how I want to write this so please bear with me.It's a pretty well known fact that we've been struggling financially all year but really badly the past month. Lumberjack season tends to create short pay weeks multiple weeks in a row towards the end. We're usually very used to it. Unfortunately, right in the middle of those, the truck broke and the car broke...and now the van isn't sounding wonderful. Not to mention I'm still using a borrowed laptop. It really hit me … [Read more...]
Christmas Shopping Tips: Start Early and Buy Used
I get picked on because I start my major Christmas planning in September. It isn't even snowing yet and I am planning and buying gifts.I don't think it is strange at all. As most everyone knows, we live in a very tight budget. To be able to have a great Christmas, I have to plan ahead. Yes, I know that Christmas is about Jesus' birth not yummy food and gifts. But that yummy food and finding someone the perfect gift are fun and a big part of Christmas for me.This year, with the baby, Christmas … [Read more...]