Saving Money

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…

8 years ago, I hosted my first Thanksgiving. It was such a great time, but it was stressful because there were 19 people in our small basement suite! I had helped make a Thanksgiving with my mom while I was growing up, but it was my first time making a turkey on my own. No pressure, right? There were no disasters (thankfully) and that was where my love for cooking turkey began. My love for turkey has only continued to…

It’s pumpkin season! (In case you didn’t know.) People all around are posting about making pumpkin EVERYTHING – not just pie, but muffins, bread, chili, pasta sauce, coffee, etc. etc. So today I’m going to give you a quick little tutorial about how you can make your own pumpkin puree, which will save you money and will be healthier than what you can buy in the stores. I’ll also link up some money-saving pumpkin recipes at the end. Ready? (Note:…

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.…

3 months ago I shared how to travel on a budget, particularly when it comes to trips where you do mostly driving in your own country. However, many times travel involves flying and going international. My family and friends know that I travel a lot for my job, which is great fun for me and such a privilege. In my many travels, I have learned a few things about budgeting and saving money on an international adventure, and I want…

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…

Some people have been using one of the best free resources out there. I wasn’t one of them. I knew that the library was awesome, and that there were a lot of great things that you could check out, but I didn’t quite believe it or utilize it. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t go out and buy a bunch of books or movies, but I was missing out on the cornucopia that was available to me. When we…

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…