by Jamie Jeffers | Mar 25, 2019 | Saving Money
After a lot of neglect, learning how to organize finances seems intimidating. But these 3 simple steps make it easy!
It started innocently.
First there was the stack of mail you forgot about.
So you missed a bill or two.
Then the late fees began to pile up.
Suddenly, everything seemed to snowball.
How did a few mess ups lead to this feeling of drowning?
It’s enough to make you want to quit the whole thing. There are people out there that just ignore their money, right? Nothing all that bad seems to happen to them.
Except that you do worry. Your money nightmare keeps you tossing and turning on your pillow.
And the not knowing what’s going to happen next is the worst.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Feb 7, 2019 | Secure Your Savings
Ready to buy? Before you shop new, you should always check into used stuff for sale. Here you’ll find tips to help you get the best deal and save more cash.
Gal 1, we’ll call her Sally, set a New Year’s Resolution. She’s going to get in shape this year.
So Sally looks through the ads, does some research, and picks out a couple of pieces of exercise equipment.
She’s got some money saved up, but she wants to get a deal. So, she heads for the store with the best price.
While she’s there, she picks up a couple other things and signs up for the warranty.
And sure, she had to put some of the cost on a credit card… but she should be able to pay that off soon-ish.
Gal 2, we’ll call her Lisa, also has a New Year’s Resolution. She’s going to declutter the house.
Ugh. There’s that exercise equipment she bought two years ago. It’s been nothing but a clothes rack ever since.
It still works just fine…but it’s pretty obvious she isn’t going to use it at this point.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 28, 2019 | Income, Secure Your Savings
Starting a house cleaning business isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. If you’re a reliable hard worker, the money will find you!
You may have dreams about hiring a maid. Maybe you even put it on your Christmas list every year. (Guilty!) But have you ever considered getting work cleaning other people’s houses?
You don’t have to have a spotless home to start a house cleaning business. If you’ve got a strong work ethic and know how to clean well, you can turn this idea into a money maker.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 8, 2019 | Grocery Tips, Saving Money
Have you overlooked this simple way to save money on groceries?
I scraped the remains of yet another failed recipe into the trash. I’d been pretty excited about trying the new dish I’d found on Pinterest. It looked delicious!
Although it did have a few odd ingredients.
And the recipe didn’t end up being quite as simple as I’d expected.
Turns out the family wasn’t into it. My experiment meant more time and money down the drain.
I knew there had to be a better way to put together a meal plan. I was tired of planning elaborate meals to keep things interesting. I was even more tired of wasting money every week.
Something had to change. Luckily, that “something” turned out to be a rather simple solution.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Dec 28, 2018 | Saving Money
When I became pregnant with our sixth child in June of this year, one thing was for certain… the clothing budget would have to expand. (Get it?!)
Because I tend to get HUGE with each pregnancy (it’s hard to fit 10 pound kids into my 5’1″ frame), I knew I’d probably need a lot of different sizes.
Who wants to spend a lot of money on big clothes? Especially ones you will only be able to wear for a couple of months?
Ok, I did splurge on this one shirt!
Luckily, I’d learned to get creative in my spending during our #yearsofno that lead us out of tens of thousands in credit card debt!
Flexing those money saving muscles is fun (once you’ve learned how to grow them)!
(Learn more about the path we took to get out of debt.)
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Dec 10, 2018 | Holidays
Grab some of these small cheap Christmas gifts this year. Perfect for coworkers, teachers, or that person you didn’t know was coming! (Whoops!)
Have you ever been to a Yankee Swap party? (You might call it a White Elephant exchange or Dirty Santa.)
Basically, you show up with a gift and wind up with a random gift from someone else.
There always seems to be one gift that is fought over. The gift that appeals to everyone.
It’s fun to be the winner who brings home the coveted gift. But it’s also fun to be the one who brought the gift that’s sought after.
via GIPHY
Make sure you save this list of cheap gift ideas, because honestly it’ll come in handy all year long.
Think teachers, coworkers, coaches, and whoever else you’d like to show appreciation to (without breaking the bank).
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 29, 2018 | Holidays
This year, why not host a cookie exchange? It’s such a fun way to spread Christmas cheer without the cost and hassle of a traditional Christmas party!
Hosting a Christmas party probably sounds like equal parts fun and stress. How great is it to get together with your favorite people at this special time of year!?
BUT…
It’s also expensive, time consuming, and stressful (what with the planning, cleaning, and prepping.)
Happily I have the perfect solution for you! The answer is host a cookie exchange!
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 25, 2018 | Uncategorized
Feeling a little pinched already this Christmas season? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to change that feeling next year?
If you’re ready to make big changes, you’re in luck!
Right now you can grab a copy of my book 500 Ways to Save Money: Build a Cash Jackpot for the Best Things In Life for just $3.99!
Hurry! The price will be increasing soon, and I don’t want you to miss out on this bargain!
This book is packed with all the tips we used to get ourselves out of over $20,000 in credit card debt. They’re tried and true methods that worked for our single income family of seven.
And they’ll work for you, too!
Learn more about the book and grab your copy here. (Why not gift one this Christmas to your fellow frugal friends and family?)
Click here to grab your copy of the book today!
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 13, 2018 | Holidays
From the kitchen, I could hear the kids yelling.
“Mooooom! Get back in here! The parade’s back on!!”
As I rushed back to the living room (through our walled off living space that Chip and Joanna would definitely be taking a sledge hammer to) I smiled a little.
Yeah, Thanksgiving can be a little hectic for the Mom in charge of the meal.
But the traditions are just awesome.
There’s something about the simplicity of Thanksgiving that makes me bubble up with joy.
Especially because you can enjoy so many of those amazing traditions without spending a fortune.
In fact, I bet you can save even more money than usual with just a few of the right tricks.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 9, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
This week I managed to spill coffee on the top of my head.
That’s not relevant to saving money (I mean, ok, I did brew it at home!), but after a week of being sick, that seemed like a good mental image to show the kind of week it’s been. 😉
Luckily it wasn’t all awful. I did manage to find a few ways to save money!
(more…)
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
