In an attempt to keep myself accountable to frugality and to inspire readers, I present Five Frugal Wins. FFW is a collection of things I did in the previous week to save money. (Btw, FFW will become a regular feature ’round these parts, in case you’re interested.) Real quick though, let me declare that I […]
Cheap Homeschooling (with Several Kids)
Considering homeschooling your kids? If you worry that you’re going to spend a lot of money on educating your children properly, read on. This post shares my tips for cheap homeschooling, even with several kids. A bit of backstory if you’re new. As of late 2019, my family has two grads (21 and 18), two […]
How I’m Saving Money Lately
I used to talk a lot about frugality here. In the last couple of years, that changed. In my own life, I realized I hadn’t focused enough on earning more income. So I wrote about why frugality isn’t enough, I shared that I was reading 17 books in 2017 on personal finance. And I wrote […]
January 2019 No Spend Month
What better way to launch a new year than to do a no spend month? I love doing these occasionally. Why? Why Do a No Spend Challenge? Similar to a fast, a no spend month can reset your relationship with money. It can uncover bad spending habits (Starbucks and Target? I’m talkin’ to YOU). It […]
When frugality alone isn’t enough
Frugality is defined as the quality of being economical. I believe it’s a virtue. However, frugality alone often isn’t enough to meet our financial goals. Even though I’ve written about frugality for a long time on this blog, I’ve learned this lesson over and over in recent years. I’m a naturally frugal person. Even as a […]
Welcome MakingSenseOfCents Readers!
If you’re visiting this blog after reading my article, How We Paid off $86,000 in Debt in 5 Years – with 7 Kids! on MakingSenseofCents.com, welcome! I’m Carrie Willard, and I’m indeed a homeschooling, work at home mom of 7. Since you’re here, I thought I would point you to some other content you might […]
A Spending Fast: do you need someone to hold your hand?
On this site and in my ebook The Temporary Tightwad, I’ve spoken a lot about the power of a spending fast to change your finances forever. I even chronicled my no-spend challenge last summer here. I’ve done 3 such spending fasts in my life. The first helped me get out of debt, the second helped my […]
LipSense business: why? (and how it’s going for me)
Update Sept 2020: Yes I’m still a LipSense/SeneGence distributor and my business continues growing. 🙂 I’m more grateful for it every day! (Disclaimer: this is not a get rich scheme. Success in a direct sales business requires work and the ability to work well with people, including leading a team. Right now I have 340+ […]
Budget Meeting: The How (and Wow!)
It’s 6:30 A.M on a Sunday morning. Hubby and I stumble out of bed and trudge (quietly!) to the kitchen to start the coffee. It’s time for budget meeting! Why do we do this? Because budget meeting has been the single most important tool my husband and I have used to improve our finances. It’s […]
Amazon Subscribe and Save (and how it saves me time and money!)
I may have mentioned a hundred times a time or two that I don’t enjoy shopping and prefer to procure needed things online. (I’ve even talked about my no spend challenges and things to do instead of shop). One of my favorite ways to stay out of stores and save money, time, and hassle, as well […]