Budgeting

Okay, y’all, let’s talk about buying in bulk. I personally love buying things in bulk if it will save me money. In the past, I have had some trouble with this because (a) I lived in a small apartment with no pantry and limited cupboard space and (b) our grocery budget was really tight. Now that we’re out of debt and we have a bigger kitchen, we have been buying things in bulk more and I wanted to share some…

Okay ladies, let’s talk menstruation. (Men, feel free to skip reading this post if it makes you feel uncomfortable. It’s going to get real.) We all know that buying tampons or pads can be really expensive. I’ve never added it up, but every time I was in the feminine products aisle at the store, I thought “Do they really cost that much?” Now, there is something to be said for buying them in bulk and buying off-brands, but today I…

I have traveled A LOT this year (19 flights and counting) and I have spent a TON of time (and money!) buying plane tickets this year. Airfare only continues to get more expensive, and for the vast majority of us, the price of airfare is a hindrance to travelling to see friends and family, which I think is a shame. As  I kept purchasing tickets, I started thinking that there had to be a cheaper way to buy tickets –…

We all know meat is expensive. Yet somehow, most of us just keep buying it and complaining about it. I know I do sometimes. Today’s blog is about hope. About doing something about the thing we complain about. Here is the solution: do something different. Don’t just keep buying something you hate paying for. Make a change! Fred and I have been on a tight grocery budget for years as we have been paying down our enormous pile of debt.…

This month, my husband and I went on a 23 day road trip. And we only spent $1,535 for our entire journey. We had been wanting to join my family for a vacation in Yellowstone, and we decided that driving would be the most cost-effective way to go. Then Fred decided that since we were already driving across the country, we might as well stop and see more family and some friends on the way. This week-long trip morphed into…

Two weeks ago, we were in the magic kingdom. In my last post, I mentioned that we went on a road trip (which I will share more about in my next post), and on this trip we had the privilege of going to Disneyland for a day. I wanted to share with you some of the ways we saved money and how we were able to go while in this season of paying off our significant amount of debt. We…

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes get overwhelmed trying to make dinner look like a Pinterest post. I really like Pinterest – don’t get me wrong. I love getting new ideas and seeing all of the clever DIY ideas, but I know that with our grocery budget, we value cost and health over beauty. Growing up, my mom always made simple dinners that were delicious, healthy and cost-effective. I thought that once I started making my own meals,…

Note: This is part of the “How To – On a Budget” series. Click here to read more ideas for doing life on a budget (building a wardrobe,  having a baby, and giving gifts). We’ve all heard it: “Get your 5-a-day!” But let’s be honest. Sometimes it’s hard to invest in produce when it seems so expensive. Today I’m going to share with you some of my tips and tricks for shopping for produce on a budget so you can…

This is a guest post written by my friend, Tessa Hughes. I asked her to write some tips for all of us who aspire to build a great wardrobe on a tight budget. She and her husband became debt-free last year, and she managed to keep up her fashion while paying off $19,000 in debt (and raising 2 kids)! Tessa runs a styling company out of Vancouver where she helps people build great wardrobes on any budget. Check out her business…

This is a guest post written by my good friend Kristen Foley. She blogs about her life as a nurse and mother on her blog, Scrubs and Pastries. I’m excited for her to share her tips for how to have a baby on a budget, a phase in life I have yet to experience.  My husband and I had a baby girl in January of this year. One day last summer when it was hot out and pregnant ol’ me…