Category: budget

Sell Your Old Stuff and Find Deals on the VarageSale App

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In our ongoing quest for simplification and battle against the clutter, we often sell stuff we’re no longer using. We’ve just started using a brand new method to buy and sell our stuff online – the VarageSale app. Former elementary school teacher Tami Zuckerman created VarageSale with her husband with the goal of making a more user friendly option than classified sites or social networks. VarageSale makes it easy to list your unwanted items and simple to search for whatever you’re looking for. I love that we can search specifically in our community, and see the real identities of other members. Our experience has been really positive so far, and I think the app will continue to improve as more members join.

Right now VarageSale is active in 42 states with hundreds of local communities and millions of users. New communities are being added all the time. It is free to use through the app or desktop, and can be found at www.varagesale.com. You can find great deals with stuff being sold for a fraction of retail prices. Declutter your home by selling toys and clothes your children have outgrown, or anything you don’t use any more. You can use the app without worry because every member is approved by a local admin.

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Do you buy and sell stuff online? What platform do you use? Try VarageSale for yourself and let me know what you think.

If you are in the DFW area, click through the link below that matches your location so you can get started on VarageSale today.

Frugal Living: Tips for a Happy Halloween on a Budget

Life on a budget means making choices about spending, even when it comes to holidays. Without a plan, holidays and special days can become total budget busters. Did you know that in 2014, Americans spent an estimated $7.4 BILLION on Halloween. With only about 67% of the country celebrating the holiday, that number becomes even scarier. I love celebrating Halloween with my little monsters, and with a little planning and a few smart choices we can have a happy Halloween on a budget. Today I’m sharing my favorite tips for saving money on costumes, treats, decorations, and party supplies so you can have a spooky celebration that doesn’t bust your budget.

Tips for a Happy Halloween on a Budget

 

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Three Practical Tips for Dressing Kids on a Budget

Kids are a blessing and a gift to parents and family, but they can be expensive. There are so many ways to save money on your child’s wardrobe to help you make it through these fast growing years without breaking the bank. How many times have we had a child outgrow an outfit before they even get a chance to wear it? Very rarely do my kids actually get to wear something until it is worn out. They grow too fast! Spending a ton of money on kids’ clothes just doesn’t make sense when you are on a tight budget, but there are ways to dress your kids well without spending a ton.Three Practical Tips for Dressing Kids on a Budget

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My Best Cloth Diaper Advice After 4 Years in the Trenches

After four years in the trenches I'ms haring my Best Cloth Diaper Advice and what I'd do differently.My oldest child is about to turn 4, and his birthday always makes me reflect on all I’ve learned in these few short years of motherhood. One of my favorite parenting decisions we made was the choice to use cloth diapers. We have saved thousands of dollars using cloth diapers for our kids, and have kept tons of waste out of landfills. Besides the obvious economic and environment benefits, cloth diapers are super cute and great for my babies’ sensitive skin. Today I’m sharing my best cloth diapering advice after 4 hard fought years in the trenches so you can learn from my mistakes.

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Five Ways to Start a Mini Emergency Fund {Fabulously Frugal}

Five Ways to Start a Mini {$1000} Emergency FundThere was a time when I thought I would never be able to save $1000 for a mini emergency fund. Now I can’t imagine life without it, as well as our big emergency fund (6 months worth of expenses). If you want to set aside for emergencies, but the idea of saving $1000 is intimidating or seems impossible I’m here to help. Emergencies will come, and you don’t want to be in a panic when they arrive. Having an amount set aside that you only touch for emergencies can really give you peac of mind. Before you start to pay off debt or invest, you need to have money set aside for emergencies.

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Why We Don’t Use Credit Cards… EVER

Why we don't use credit cards... EVER. Our story of financial freedom.

Why we don't use credit cards... EVER. Our story of financial freedom.We don’t have a single credit card, and don’t plan to every have one again. Why? So many reasons. We cut up our cards over five years ago and haven’t looked back. Today I’m sharing my story with credit cards, how I got in to BIG trouble, got out of it, got in to even BIGGER trouble, got out of it again, and found freedom from the plastic cards that were ruining my life.

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Frugal Family Travel Tips: How to Take a BIG Trip on a Little Budget

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We recently returned from a 26 day road trip through the southeastern United States. We visited 11 states, drove over 3000 miles, and had an amazing time. We live on a tight budget on my husband’s teacher salary (plus the part time income from this blog and my part time job with Young Life). We live debt free and don’t use credit cards at all (thanks to Dave Ramsey‘s Total Money Makeover). So, how did we take such a big trip on a little budget? We got creative, kept it simple, and made a plan we could stick to. Read on to find out tips for taking big trips when your income is small.

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Cloth Diaper Hacks: Use {Almost} Any Cloth Diaper as a Swim Diaper

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Summer is in full swing and we are basically living in the pool. Our Pearl Girl is a total water baby and wants to kick and splash just like her big brother. We have a few specific cloth swim diapers for her to use, but I want to let you in on a little secret I learned with the Bear. Almost ANY cloth diaper can work as a swim diaper. It’s true! We have used Bummis, Bumgenius, and Softbums shells as swim diapers and they all work perfectly.

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Frugal Holiday Guest Post: Spending Less and Giving More with The Three Gifts of Christmas

Today’s guest post is brought to you by author Jamie Younker, a mom of four and contributor to the brand new SmartMom.co.  Take it away, Jamie.
  
Last night the kids and I cozied up together on the couch to watch what is possibly one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time, the old cartoon version of Dr. Seuss’s iconic tale- The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. We sat close together, watching in delight as the Whos down in Whoville, the tall and the small, celebrated Christmas without any presents at all. I felt the familiar tug of my heart strings as the narrator recited my favorite part of the story:


“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling. How could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

I remember my daughter’s first Christmas like it was yesterday. It was so fun to watch her wrestle with her presents, scratching at the wrapping paper with her chubby little uncoordinated fingers. She seemed to get more enjoyment out of the packaging than she did with whatever was inside. It wasn’t until her presents had all been opened, leaving her shipwrecked in a sea of wrapping paper, that we realized our mistake. We had been so excited to finally have a baby to enjoy Christmas with that we may have gotten a little carried away.

That got us thinking- what do we really want our children take away from the Holidays? Gifts? Toys? Santa? Christmas is so much more than that. It’s about spending time with the people we love. It’s about giving, not receiving. Most importantly it’s about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  

No, Christmas certainly does not come from a store. But that’s not what the media would have you believe. So how can we protect our families from the enticing voices of commercialism that seem to be particularly loud this time of year?

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I will tell you 2 things that have worked for us:

First, we wanted our children to spend less time thinking about gifts and more time thinking about others, so we started doing The 12 Days of Service for people in our community. As the kids have gotten older this has become one of our favorite traditions. Watching our children learn to put the needs of others before their own has been an incredibly rewarding experience.

Secondly, we came up with a plan to make it easier to resist buying unnecessary presents. When the wise men visited the Savior they brought him three gifts- Frankincense, gold, and myrrh. Frankincense was a useful herb with many medicinal purposes. Myrrh was popularly used as a perfume and burned as incense, for enjoyment. And gold was something valuable, something to be treasured.

(Now, before you tell me I’m wrong about these interpretations, please know that I’ve done a lot of research and I know there is much more to these gifts than my simple explanation. I also know that there is a lot of symbolism behind each one. However this is how I chose to break it down because it’s clear and simple, and I knew it was something my children could understand.)

We decided to implement the same philosophy in our family, so for Christmas our children get three things:

1. Something they need- A new coat, new socks, snow boots, etc…

2. Something they want- A toy from Santa

3. Something they will treasure- a homemade gift, or a family experience  

We figured if the three gifts were good enough for the Christ child then they are surely good enough for us.

And yes, you read that right- they get ONE toy. Before you feel bad for our kids, please understand, there is no shortage of toys at our house. In fact I am always shocked at the amount of gifts we accumulate during the Holidays. To my thoughtful friends and relatives who are so sweet to give my children gifts- I want you to know that we appreciate them. We honestly and truly do! So don’t feel bad when I say this- But what if, instead of giving our kids more stuff, we gave them what they really want? Us! They want our time, our attention, and our love, and it’s easier to give than you may think.

Which brings me to gift #3-Something they will treasure. This can mean so many things! Some years it’s a scrapbook documenting all the great memories we made over the past year. Sometimes it’s a coupon for a special date, where we can enjoy some much needed one-on-one time. Without fail, these are always our children’s favorite gifts. In fact, giving “treasured gifts” has been such a hit we recently carried the tradition over to birthdays as well. For example, my oldest girl is obsessed with princesses, and over the years she has collected more princess memorabilia than we know what to do with.  So for her birthday, instead of getting her another toy, we took her to The Princess Festival with her sisters to enjoy an afternoon together as family. She still talks about it being the best birthday she’s ever had! 

The reality is, years from now the majority of their toys will either be lost or broken, but the memories we create together will last forever. Our tradition of The Three Gifts of Christmas has blessed our family in many ways! We are more content to spend less. And we are able to fill our lives with relationships and experiences, instead of things. So as Christmas approaches and the store ads start popping up in your email and your Facebook feed, luring us in with their steep discounts and “Gotta have it NOW!” philosophies… just turn off the computer and turn on The Grinch, and rejoice in the wise words of Dr. Seuss. After all, there is no way that Christmas could come from a store! Because Christmas, of course, means a whole lot more!

About the Author: Jamie Younker is a contributor for SmartMom, an easy way to receive fast answers to all of your parenting questions from the convenience of your mobile device. Jamie has four beautiful children, and is married to her Superman. She’s a former Elementary School Teacher who dabbles in photography, musical theater, Zumba and baking… sometimes simultaneously 

Thanks so much for sharing your story with us, Jamie.  We are trying hard not to get sucked in to the consumer craziness of the season and stick to our Christmas budget while creating special memories for our family.  I love hearing ideas from other folks.  How do you teach your kids about giving during the holidays?  Do you keep a Christmas budget?  You can read more of my frugal Christmas tips here.
 

Date Night on a Budget: Create Your Own Instant Coffee Shop #LoveYourCup

This post is part of a sponsored campaign by Collective Bias on behalf of their client.  Have you ever enjoyed a coffee date night at home?  There’s nothing I love more than sipping a hot cup of coffee and munching on a delicious treat while spending quality time with my man.  Pumpkin Spice coffee and quality time are two of my love languages, after all.

Around here we are super busy, but long to slow down.  We have to schedule our date nights and make them fit in to our routine and our budget.  We have several methods for finding time for connection without breaking the bank.  We swap babysitting with friends, sign up for cheap Parents’ Night Out functions, and have date nights at home.

What does a date night at home look like?  Typically we put the kids to bed and then enjoy a quiet dinner together, and then maybe a movie or just time together to catch up and enjoy each other’s company.  We always try to have a little special treat on date night.  One of my favorite treats is sitting on our back porch enjoying a cup of coffee (probably decaf) and a little dessert.  Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice flavored creamer adds a coffee shop touch to our budget evening for much less than a popular coffee shop chain I won’t name.  I’m excited for the Peppermint Mocha flavor to come out for the season soon as well.

Recently we had the opportunity to try Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice powdered creamer in our Taster’s Choice coffee.  The flavor is perfect for the cool fall weather, and was such a great little treat snuggled up on the back porch.  What I love about Taster’s Choice is that in about two minutes I can have a cup of delicious coffee without having to brew a whole pot.  Just add hot water and a teaspoon of coffee and stir, then add your Pumpkin Spice creamer.  It was so warm and soothing.

To create your own instant coffee shop, you just need a few minutes of prep time.  Here’s how to set the scene… Pick a quiet spot, maybe a table on your porch.  Set a pretty table cloth and maybe a candle.  Grab two coffee cups and fill with water heated in the microwave or in a tea pot.  Take your Taster’s Choice coffee, Coffee-mate Pumpkin Spice creamer (both found at Walmart), sugar, and spoons out to your spot.  Stir up some delicious coffee and conversation.  Taster’s Choice also is great to have on hand during the holiday season for neighbors and friends who drop by.

Need a conversation starter?  Here are a few ideas:
Tell me a story from your childhood I’ve never heard before.
If you had $100 right now to spend just on yourself, what would you buy?
If you could rename yourself, what name would you pick and why?
What are you thankful for this week?
What was the best Christmas present you ever received as a kid?

How do fit date nights into your busy schedule?