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.
After the whirlwind excitement of last month’s announcement (when we finally paid off all credit card debt after 27 months of hard work!), we are settling into a new normal.
The first order of business has been finding deals on long overdue updates like new kitchen towels (the ones I’ve been using look like rags!). We’re finding our footing and trying our best to take things slow. It wouldn’t do to put ourselves right back into debt!
I’m pleased that we were able to work on some of our goals last month! It’s such a treat to put our money to work for ourselves rather than sending it all in to a big company.
My middle schooler walked with me into the store and helped me lug bags of dog food this week. I paid for everything with my debit card as usual, and we left.
On the way home, he asked why I was still using a credit card. And I realized that we hadn’t talked about the difference between debit and credit in a while.
It reminded me of a talk I heard recently. A mom was imploring other women to read real books. When we read on our phones or a tablet, our kids always assume we are playing games. (After all, that’s what they do on a tablet!)
But there’s no denying a physical book.
What appearance are we giving to our kids when we spend or save money? Using cash is a better way to show them good money habits. But in a society that is getting farther away from paper every year, it’s a good idea to explain the concept of a debit card to your kids. And tell them why it’s different from borrowing money!
Inexpensive thank you gift ideas are just what you need to keep your volunteers going. They’re amazing, and they need to know it!
We all know that one person who works tirelessly to volunteer and give, give, give. If you’re lucky, several people come to mind! They don’t do it for money or appreciation. But you know what? Appreciation never gets old.
You don’t have to give them a gift card for a fancy restaurant. Little touches go a long way when it comes to brightening someone’s day.
And if you’re tasked with getting a pile of thank you gifts for everyone who volunteered at the school this year, no worries. This list should help you get the job done and stay inside the budget!
So even if you’re pinching pennies or going through a #yearofno, you can still find ways to make the good people in your life feel valued. After all, no one likes the division in people that’s in the news every day. You can bring people together, and it has to start in our small communities.
Baseball season is in full swing. That means choosing between eating supper at 4:30 (sometimes 4:00) or 9:00. (Or, if you’re a teenage boy, the answer is, obviously, both.)
Sometimes eating on the go is just a must. Using my handy snacks for trips list has helped, but I’m planning to add to my bag of tricks this year! If you have a favorite tip for eating meals on the go (and avoiding fast food or dropping $20 at the concession stand), let me know in the comments!
If you’ve struggled with money for years, putting together a money saving plan might sound impossible. But it’s just what you need to build a savings cushion! And it’s easy to get started. Here are the steps you’ll want to take today.
Ever get a windfall of money you weren’t expecting?
I mean, it doesn’t happen often enough, right?
But when it does, there’s always that moment when your brain feels a little torn about what to do with it.
It would be easy to waste it all in a hurry. You have a list a mile long of things you’ve always wanted to own and big projects you’ve been wanting to pull off for ages.
But is that the best way to use that wad of cash?
See, this is why having a money saving plan in place is such a great idea. It’s takes all the extra brain work out of the equation.
(Because sometimes extra brain work leads to a little too much thinking. Which leads to decision fatigue. Which leads to you wondering what happened to all that cash.)
Spending quality time with the individual members of your family is vital. But how can you make it a priority when you never have enough time or money? Here’s how to make it work.
Time is the “currency” of relationships. There’s no way to invest in a relationship without investing your time. ~Dave Willis
You can spend all of your money on your kids, but we all know what they really want is our time. That can be tough to do when you have a large family or a busy schedule.
And you can do this without draining your wallet on fancy events or season tickets. Today, let’s talk about spending quality time with your family in a way that won’t put you in the poor house.
Becoming a search engine evaluator can be a great way to work from home while earning a good income. Here’s everything you need to know to land the job.
Ninety-three percent of online experiences begin with a search engine. (source) So chances are that you have done a few internet searches in your day. Probably even today!
Have you noticed how much Google and other search engines have improved over the years? Once we had to sort through pages of information to find what we were looking for. Now, Google can find you the answer to just about any question in no time flat.
That’s all thanks to the work of search engine evaluators.
It’s a necessary job, and one that you just might have the skills to try out yourself! But just what does it take to land a job as a search engine evaluator? Let’s talk.
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. Learn more. 
