by Jamie Jeffers | Oct 18, 2017 | Holidays
Inside: Get a totally free printable Thanksgiving potluck signup sheet along with plenty of recipes and ideas for filling it up. Happy Turkey Day!
Ah, Thanksgiving. A day filled with amazing food and relaxation. Well, it’s relaxing for some of us.
Unfortunately, someone has to take care of all of that food! Don’t leave Mom, Grandma, or Aunt Sara to do everything alone. A potluck is the perfect way to simplify a huge meal. Each person can bring a recipe they are comfortable with, and no one person is left with all the work.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Oct 13, 2017 | Ways We Saved This Week
I am one lucky duck. Early last week my nephew was born. And late in the week, one of my bestest friends had a son, too. How often do you get to cuddle a brand new baby at either end of a stressed out week?? It was wonderful, and I absolutely love those little bundles of joy.
In between cuddles, we’ve been cleaning and mending in preparation for cold weather. There’s no sign of cold in southern Ohio right now (how about you?), but we all know it’s coming! Better to be the ant than the grasshopper.
Grab a free checklist to help you get ready for the winter!
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Oct 11, 2017 | Household Tips (Chores and more)
Inside: You can’t stop thinking “I hate my house. I hate my house!” These tips will make your home lovable in no time! (No moving required!)
Have you ever felt like the walls of your home are closing in on you? Maybe your family has outgrown the starter home you thought you’d have sold by now. Or a friend just bought a nice new house, and yours suddenly feels old and full of problems. You may have even just bought a new house only to regret it the instant you moved in.
You can’t buy a new house every time you get the whim to move. But staying in your current home feels too hard.
Even if you’re in a place where you can’t spend much (or any!) money on your home, you can still find a way to escape those “I hate my house!” thoughts. In fact, if you do just 3 things, you might find that you enjoy your old home more than ever!
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Oct 6, 2017 | Ways We Saved This Week
After riding the struggle bus for a good couple of months, we finally had some good news this week. We’ve paid off credit card number 2!!! Only imaginary balloons fell from the sky, but it was good enough for me!
What a relief to no longer have to divide our attention. From here on out, all extra money will be devoted to one cause only: the last credit card. This one is a medium sized guy… actually half the size of the first one we tackled. So we’re hoping it falls fast! We’re projected to be debt free in March. Keep pushing us! We love your cheers and encouragement. <3
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Oct 4, 2017 | Debt, Goals
Inside: Setting monthly goals is important when you’re paying down debt. Peek at the steps we’re taking each month to get closer to freedom from debt.
This post contains affiliate links, so if you buy through them I’ll earn a small commission at no cost to you. I never promote anything I don’t love. Thanks for helping us get debt free!!
August was a rough month for bills, but then again so was September. I’m starting to think we’ve entered a new normal. Or, probably, that I need to review our spending and make sure there aren’t leaks. After all, crushing your spending for 20 straight months isn’t easy. It’s only natural that we’d lose some of our speed.
What we really need is a little victory in our debt fight! Today’s the day we check in and see how that’s going this month, along with the other goals we’ve set for our family.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Sep 29, 2017 | Ways We Saved This Week
I call myself a stay at home mom, but between volunteering at school, keeping up with our family’s schedule, and running a blog, “stay at home” has a pretty loose definition. Like always, when things get busy you can expect even more things to go wrong. Busy begets busy.
So I’m making it a point to take at least one walk per day and literally blowing off steam whenever I can. This article has some good ideas that I intend to try today! (Good thing I have bananas on hand!)
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Sep 28, 2017 | Debt
Inside: With everything going wrong, it probably seems like the perfect time to give up and just stay in debt forever. Learn why that instinct is exactly WRONG.
Paying off debt is like riding a roller coaster. I mean, sure, it has its ups and downs. But the analogy goes deeper than that.
I’m talking about the anticipation of the ride. (That mix of excitement and dread!) Once you’re on the ride, you can’t always see what’s coming ahead. There’s a lot of screaming (maybe it’s joy, maybe it’s regret). And at the end, you’re happy to get your feet back on solid ground.
Let’s not talk about the people who excitedly get in line to ride it again.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Sep 25, 2017 | Recipe
Inside: With the right recipes for make ahead cold lunches, you’ll save a ton of cash without using up too much of your time. These recipes are perfect!
You hand the cashier your debit card and get that familiar twinge of guilt. Yeah, you know you shouldn’t be buying lunch every day. Someone even tried to convince you to do the math and see how much money you’re spending on lunches every year. (Like you need even more guilt!)
It all sounds good, in theory. The problem is that getting lunch together every day is hard! You have to find the time to pack something. And frankly, you’re tired of the sandwich routine.
As someone who would “friend” the snooze button if it had a Facebook profile… I get it. My mornings are always rushed, and getting lunch together for the kids and Hubby is not something I have the time (or brain power) to do. But in our #yearofno, splurging on bought lunches isn’t on our approved list.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Sep 22, 2017 | Ways We Saved This Week
When times get tough, the first place to start cutting costs is on food. I’ve spent a lot of time this week cooking from scratch so we can stretch the grocery budget.
Having food ready to go makes life easier for the whole family!
Our family has spent 20 months paying off debt. One thing that helps us get through is weekly check ins. So on Fridays, I like to think about all the things we’ve done for the week to save money.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Sep 20, 2017 | Debt
Inside: Ready to pay off debt, but not sure where to start? Let’s look at your options!
Medium Sized Family readers, give a welcome to Jacob from Dollar Diligence! He’s going to give us his perspective on debt today.
A few years ago, I paid off $25,000 of student loan debt in just 15 months. This was a HUGE feat for me and I am so glad that I did it. If I did not, I would still be living in the minimum payment world with a payoff future date of 10 or more years from now. Not what I wanted.
When it comes to debt, whether you have student loans, credit cards, or even an auto loan, you want to make sure that YOU choose what debt is paid off first. If you do not choose, then your money will not be allocated properly and you will remain in debt for longer than you needed to be, which means wasted money in interest payments.
(more…)
My family is clawing out of debt, one un-bought fast food bag at a time. When I'm not sharing frugal tips, you’ll find me indulging a sweet tooth, juggling our 5 kids’ activities, or playing Rescue Bots (though the preschooler always insists I'm doing it wrong). Hope you'll join the fun and chaos at Medium Sized Family! 
