Category: frugal

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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Getting Rid of Cable without Losing TV Entertainment ~ Fabulously Frugal

Frugal Living Tips Getting Rid of Cable without Losing TV EntertainmentWe got rid of cable television over two years, and quite honestly we don’t miss it. We were paying over $100 a month for so many channels we could never watch. When we sat down and looked at our budget we knew something had to give so that I could quit my job and stay home with the kids. Cable was first on the chopping block. We found three easy ways to keep our tv entertainment while cutting cable, and I’m sharing them with you today as part of the Fabulously Frugal Link Party. Link up your latest frugal post below and hop around to visit the others to find so many great ideas.

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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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Five Free Field Trips for Kids Under 5 + Fabulously Frugal

5 fun free field trips for kids under 5Sometimes you just need to get the kids out of the house, right?! With 2 little ones, cabin fever set in with this winter weather and our usual neighborhood walks and nature hikes become slightly less appealing. We have to get creative to get the kids out and doing something fun without the budget taking a hit. Here are five of our favorite free field trips for kids under 5 to give you some inspiration and get you out of the house. Bonus: If you are a blogger, link up your latest frugal post to the Fabulously Frugal Link Party at the bottom of this page. You can find more of our frugal living ideas here, and our fun for preschool kids here.

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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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Four Simple Tips to Help You Do Your Own Taxes Online (For FREE)


4 Simple Tips to Help You Do Your Own Taxes Online For Free with #TurboTax #Absolute0 #adI am terrible at math and numbers and all things accounting. So is my husband. Even so, we’ve managed to file our own taxes every year with the help of TurboTax and a little determination. You can do it, too. You CAN do your own taxes online. Really you can. If the idea of doing your own taxes stresses you out, I’ve got four simple tips to help you AND save you money.

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Easy DIY Football Themed Halloween Family Halloween Costumes

easy diy football themed family halloween costumes

Last year was our first Halloween as a family of four, and I was so excited to dress our crew up in family Halloween costumes for the holiday. We go to a neighborhood Halloween parade in a friend’s neighborhood, and trick or treat in our own (mostly to meet and greet neighbors). I wanted our costumes to be simple and frugal, but still cute and made to fit a family theme. You can read about the Bear’s first Halloween costume here. When the Bear got a hand me down football jersey from his big cousins I knew I’d found it. Read on to find out how I pieced our costumes together quickly and easily.

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Super Easy & Delicious DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

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Fall is so close I can almost taste it. Oh wait, that’s the delicious DIY pumpkin spice latte I whipped up this morning. I love a coffee shop treat as much as the next girl, but a daily splurge would wreck havoc on our budget. Instead of spending $5 a day on my favorite fall treat I’m making my own this year. There are quite a few of these recipes floating around Pinterest, and I’ve tried several but not found one I just loved until now. The main difference is that I don’t add any type of sweetener, because I don’t like super sweet coffee. I normally drink my coffee with just a touch of flavored creamer, so most pumpkin spice latte recipes are far too sweet for me. Mine keeps it simple and you can sweeten it up to your taste. Best of all, in under ten minutes you can make enough for a work week’s full of frugal  treats.

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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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