For several years now, I’ve been taking a summer break from homeschooling. So, you’d think I would learn. The first couple of weeks, I let the kids enjoy some lazy downtime. They sleep late. They lay around on the couch reading, building with LEGO, watching movies. We go to the pool. They Kik and WhatsApp […]
What I spent, what I saved
Updating on the No Spend Challenge progress. What I spent the last couple of days: – $2 at the dollar store for nail polish remover. When you have 5 girls in a house, this is a necessity if you want peace. My fingernails are bare, but my girls are always painting theirs and their younger sisters’ […]
My favorite books on radical frugality
Since I’m doing a No Spend Challenge, I’ve been reaching for some of my favorite books on radical frugality to inspire and motivate me. I believe that wise money management is 40% head knowledge and 60% getting the emotions right. If you can get excited about frugality, if you can view it as a fun, […]
No Spend Summer: Update #3
Short backstory: We launched a No-Spend Summer to boost our efforts to save for a down payment on a home. The first post in this series is here: No Spend Challenge. This is an update of my super-frugal efforts. My beloved carton of OxyClean ran out. Instead of buying a new one right away, I […]
No Spend Summer: What I’ve Already Done
As I wrote here, I’m embarking on a No Spend Challenge. I promised to share the strategies I’m using to avoid spending, and when it’s necessary, to spend as little as possible. A few things I’ve been doing so far for No Spend Summer: 1) I warmed up my coupon game muscles today. Two […]
No Spend Challenge: This summer it’s ON
I am embarking on a No Spend Challenge this summer. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about frugality, it’s this: it is far, FAR easier to curb one’s spending if one has a strong, powerful goal. Frugality for its own sake isn’t sustainable for most. But it can become an exercise in creativity (which makes […]
Five Frugal Things
1 – I said “no” to fast food requests this week from kids. Although, I did cave and spent $5 on popsicles at the pool from the ice cream truck. Because summer! 2- The next week at ALDI, my 15-year-old son saw the same popsicles we bought from the ice cream truck (where they had […]
5 Frugal Things (and food waste fail)
1 – Took advantage of a Starbucks coffee deal (Target offered a $5 gift certificate if you spent $20), and I used two coupons, total around $4 a bag. 2 – I have been using only cold to wash my clothes after years of thinking it was warm or nothing. I can’t tell the difference! […]
Parenting Lessons: 18 Things I’ve Learned In 18 Years of Parenting
Parenting is not something you “figure out”. I’m learning as I go. As my kids grow and change, I change with them – out of necessity for their needs, but also because I’m changing. Still, I’ve learned some things over the past 18 years with these seven children. Here are 18 parenting lessons. My oldest […]
How grocery shopping more often is saving me money
Grocery shopping more often isn’t a strategy I would have thought to employ in order to save money on food. Most people would advise you to stay out of the stores in order to save money, and I would have agreed. Until… It all started with a broken fridge. Last year, my refrigerator suddenly refused […]