by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 13, 2018 | Saving Money
Follow a few simple rules and you won’t have to worry about living on one income. In fact, you may thrive better than you ever did on two incomes!
Life on one income can feel like a balancing act. Like you have to stay upright on a ball, even as you spin more and more plates over your head.
There are some simple things you should keep in mind when you’re living life on one income. Remember these rules and you’ll find they make everything better.
In fact, with these rules in place…you may find that life is better than ever before!
Remember, life is not all about money.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 8, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
Summer is in full swing (well, summer break, anyway). We have a long list of fun things we love to do, and most of those things are cheap or even free!
We’re taking advantage of as many of those things as we can. But the best part about summer is that we can also choose to skip any of those things if we aren’t up for it.
A slow summer of doing projects around the house, or even just doing nothing at all (gasp!) can be just the thing for busy families.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 7, 2018 | Parenting Tips
Grab your free printable chart of chores for kids by age here. And if you have your doubts about this chart working, you need these tips for success!
Is it a constant struggle to get your kids to help out around the house?
It’s true that we keep ourselves busy worrying over details that, in the long run, just don’t matter. In the chaos of life, just doing everything yourself is easier.
But is it better?
Guys. Getting your kids to learn responsibility is a fight worth having.
But don’t worry! I’ve got some tips that will make this fight a little less of a battle on both sides.
It’s all about setting realistic expectations of the right household chores for kids and following through.
Here’s how to do it.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 5, 2018 | Goals
The blog has been pretty quiet for the past month while our family trudged through the month of May. It’s arguably our busiest time of the year. There were fun days of chaperoning field trips and crazy days putting together last minute projects.
Mostly I’m just glad we got through it!
I am happy to say that we were able to work on some of our goals this month. That meant other goals had to slide. But I’m learning to be ok with that.
I tend to try to cram more things into a day than 24 hours can hold, so setting more realistic expectations is a good thing.
But I’m so happy we set these goals. Because without this monthly check in, we probably wouldn’t get things done.
Putting things off until “some day” is a strength of mine. 😉
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 1, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
It’s been quiet on the blog lately! Although I love blogging, there are other goals we’re trying to meet this year.
One of our goals is to update our house. Although our #yearofno was tough, it was so worth it! We are enjoying doing things together as a family. And I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed seeing the change you can make with a coat of paint.
After such a long time of spending absolutely no money on extra things, spending even $20 on new things for the living room feels like an incredible splurge! I’m sleeping on my purchases and making sure I’m always getting the best value for my money.
Can’t wait to show you the reveal of the before and after photos on our living room! I’ll be sure to tell you how we found the best deals on everything. Funny enough, my usual thrift store finds haven’t always been the best way to go.
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by Jamie Jeffers | May 23, 2018 | Household Tips (Chores and more)
If you’re curious about greater self sufficiency, these modern homesteading ideas are perfect for beginners! Get all the how tos for getting started on your homesteading journey, plus advice to help you afford the start up costs.
Homesteading isn’t for everyone, but everyone can implement parts of homesteading into their lives. Many of us crave a simple life in this busy world!
So today, let’s talk about some big and small modern homesteading ideas you can put into place to make at least some part of your life simpler.
Which parts of this list will help you do more with your own hands?
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by Jamie Jeffers | May 18, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
Life goes at a faster pace in May. School is a whirlwind of projects and trips. Baseball is in full swing. And with 5 kids, we often have a First Communion to celebrate in addition to a birthday!
It’s hard to save money in May, and even harder to keep up with my favorite Friday series. Which is why the blog might seem a little lonely right now! But don’t worry, building these memories with our family just gives me more material for you (my favorite readers!).
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by Jamie Jeffers | May 16, 2018 | Meal Plans
Looking for a monthly meal planner to simplify your life? This free pdf is perfect for organizing your monthly meal planning ideas! PLUS, tons of FREE meals so you can fill it out (every month of the year!).
If you are too frazzled to put together a meal plan (even though you know, you know, you can save money doing it, blah, blah, blah), this post is the jackpot!
As a mom of 5 busy kids, meal planning is the only way to stay sane sometimes. Yeah, planning ahead is a chore…but getting dinners on the table beats doing the 5:00 whats-for-dinner shuffle every time!
In this post you will find a monthly meal planner (don’t worry, it’s easier than you think!) PLUS seasonal ideas to chose from for every month of the year.
Pin this post for later so you can come back and get more ways to plan meals month after month!
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by Jamie Jeffers | May 9, 2018 | Parenting Tips
Kids are filled with a sense of entitlement these days. Luckily, the answer is a simple solution you can read about here.
Our 9 year old decided that he wants–no, needs to own a fidget cube.
My Mom had bought small fidget spinners for my older two boys, and she offered to get one for him, too. But he wanted a slightly different model for himself. Trouble is, he had spent all of his money on a giant Lego set months ago and hadn’t refilled his piggy bank since then.
Part of me wanted to plop down the money for the toy and let him have it. After all, it’s only a few dollars. Even in our #yearofno it wouldn’t be much to spend. And who can turn down a cute face asking for such a small thing?
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by Jamie Jeffers | May 4, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
This weekend our daughter will have her First Communion. I’m wondering why I thought having a party at our house was a good idea as I frantically try to clean the house between writing blog posts and cleaning pounds of baseball dirt from the bathtub.
But it’s important to celebrate these occasions! Hopefully our loved ones will overlook the state of our home and celebrate our little one on her special day.
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I'm Jamie. My family of 7 is living out our #yearofno while we reset our spending and conquer credit card debt. You'll find help and encouragement here. 
