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5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 96

5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 96

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!

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When I Hate My House, It’s Time To Do These 3 Things

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 can’t sell.  Or a friend bought a nice new house, and yours suddenly feels old and full of problems.

You may have even just bought a new house yourself, only to regret it the instant you moved in.

No, 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!

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5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 96

5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 95

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

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October Check In: SMART Goals and a BIG Debt Payoff Plan

October Check In: SMART Goals and a BIG Debt Payoff Plan

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.

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5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 96

5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 94

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!)

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10 Easy Make Ahead Cold Lunches That Aren’t Boring

10 Easy Make Ahead Cold Lunches That Aren’t Boring

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!

The kids are on their way out the door when you remember, again, that you didn’t get their lunches packed.

You make a mental note to check their school accounts to make sure they have enough money to buy instead.

(That’s more money down the drain.)

As you hustle through your day, you suddenly realize that it’s 1:30 and you haven’t had one break to eat anything.

So, yet again, you find yourself hitting the drive thru or cafeteria.

(It’s a little embarrassing that the guy at the counter knows you as the one who always gets a number 2 with a sweet tea, hold the tomato.  But…uh, at least you’re making friends??)

The problem is that getting lunch together every day is hard!

You have to find the time to pack something.

Then you have to remember to have food on hand.

And frankly, you’re all tired of the sandwich routine.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you had lunch ready to go?

Well, maybe the right list of make ahead cold lunches would do the trick.

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5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week 96

5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week #93

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.

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How to Choose Which Type of Debt to Pay Off First

How to Choose Which Type of Debt to Pay Off First

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.

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