Sometimes you want to stretch your budget a little because of a big purchase you want to make or something else you are saving up for. Or maybe you just want to save some extra money for security. Sometimes you have no choice but to stretch your budget. Whether it's an income problem, debt problem, or a loss of job, you have to stretch your budget as far as you can. My father always used to say that I could rub two pennies together and make a dime. My husband once said that I could stretch a … [Read more...]
Everything You Need to Know About Budget Friendly Grocery Shopping
How often do you get to the checkout and realize you spent $20-50 more than you expected? I bet it's almost every week. What about your pantry? How often do you discover that you already had an item you thought you needed? Or you find something has already expired that you never even opened? The spending and wasting of money can be so frustrating, especially if you live on a tight budget. This post will teach you everything you need to know about budget-friendly grocery shopping. That's not to … [Read more...]
How to Refresh Your Budget in 3 Simple Steps
Certain times of the year certainly take it's toll on the budget. Christmas, stressful times, seasons of being on the go, even just summer fun can make your budget fall to the side. Taking some time to refresh your budget can seem like a big undertaking when you are coming out of one of these seasons. It's definitely overwhelming to think about but it doesn't have to be. Following these steps I can show you how simple it can be to refresh your budget in just three steps. Refresh Your … [Read more...]
Why You Need an Emergency Fund TODAY
You keep hearing it from all over the place, "you need an emergency fund." You know it's probably true but you figure you'll get around to it...eventually. Besides, you have other things you need to pay for and save for right now. Why save now for what might happen? There are lots of reason why you need an emergency fund today, and not some time in the future. 1- Emergencies happen at any time It's called an emergency fund for a reason. You never know when an emergency may happen. It may … [Read more...]
Using Your Tax Return to Fill Your Freezer
There can be many ways to use your tax return. Pay off debt, build savings, buy a car, or do something fun, just to name a few. We have done most of those over the years. One of my favorite ways is using your tax return to fill your freezer. Sure, it doesn't sound super glamorous. It doesn't even sound normal. But it can be an excellent use for some of your tax return. We tend to think about saving money in the bank when we come into some extra money but we don't always think about getting … [Read more...]
4 Steps to a Money Saving Plan
Last year was not the best year for me as far as saving money. So many things hit that it just became not as important. Or we wiped out what we had every time we saved. We put more than $2,000 into car repairs/tires as well as replaced a water heater. We ended the year in a very tight spot financially. For that reason, I have decided to attack this year and create a money saving plan. I've done a bit of a money saving plan before but this year I am kicking it up a notch. If you got derailed … [Read more...]