Our family of 8 recently put a small home addition (on a budget) on our home.
It was a loooong process.
While we were going through this process, I definitely spent some time online, trying to find real world ideas to help us save money and know the next steps.
But it was really hard to find anything like that, so I decided to write it up myself.
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Happy New Year!
After a lot of chaos over the past couple of years, I’m ready to have a simpler year.
This week I shared my goals for 2023, so check those out and help keep me accountable. 😉
(more…)It is totally uncool to create New Years resolutions, but doggonit, I can’t help myself.
There’s something about a fresh start that makes me want to try for something new.
So Happy New Year!
In this post, I’m sharing some before and after pics of our home addition from last year.
And I want your input on this blog! So pretty please read on and leave a comment. 🙂
(more…)Lately, when you grab a grocery cart, your stomach drops.
You already know that the prices in the store will be higher than they were the last time you stood in the same spot.
If you’re like me, that makes you think about ways you can save on groceries.
Like, some new outside the box ideas.
Because you already switched to store brand where you could. And you grab whatever coupons you can find, that’s a no brainer.
(Which is awesome, because you can definitely save by doing those things.)
But guess what? If you really want to save money on food, there are things you ought to be doing before you ever set foot in a grocery store.
Because the truth about saving money on groceries is that savings don’t begin when you’re trying to decide if yogurt is cheaper by the cup or by the tub.
It all starts right in your own kitchen.
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Our family has been taking advantage of the beautiful summer weather while we still can. Summertime is my favorite!
Mainly that means getting outside as much as possible, whether that’s doing fun stuff like swimming or jumping on the trampoline, or finally tackling long overdue barn chores.
One thing’s for sure…right now I’m a peach shake girl in a pumpkin spice world. haha
This week, I have definitely noticed one summer thing that I need to do better, as far as saving money goes.
I need to stop underestimating the amount of water we drink when we are out in the heat. We pack drinks, but it never fails that someone needs more water when we pile back into the car.
(more…)Need meatless meal recipe ideas? Here’s how to convince your family to try a once a week meatless meal (and save on your grocery bill)!
With 3 teenage sons, another son that eats like a teenager, and a husband who is a bona fide carnivore, going meatless was, for me, a monumental task.
Totally worth it, though. Because those boys have 2 sisters, and that makes for a lot of mouths to feed.
I knew I could convince this family to embrace a meatless meal just one night per week. And after years of compromises, we’ve found some meatless meals that save money without compromising on taste.
Here is a whole list of meatless recipes that your family is sure to love.
Why hello!
Long time, no type!
Well, I’m just gonna jump right in here like I haven’t been taking huge breaks from this blog for the past year and a half, ok?
So I don’t know if you’ve noticed (ha!), but the price of pretty much every single thing has gone through the roof.
Trips to the grocery store have been an adventure ever since that one big thing happened in 2020. And it’s just getting worse.
I figured the best way to do better about my spending habits is to jump back into this blog. I mean, I’ve been using this thing to help me save more money (and stay accountable to saving more money) since 2016.
And those were easy years compared to now.
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A few weeks ago, I told you about our family’s latest BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal) of saving $10,000.
This wasn’t exactly a goal we chose…rather one our old house thrust upon us. (Thanks, whoever didn’t install the windows correctly and caused all of our foundation to rot away.)
sigh
Well, after weeks of ignoring the blog again (sorry about that), I figured I owed you an update.
So here we go…
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I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. Learn more. 
