by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 7, 2017 | Secure Your Savings
We spent hours searching for a Cub Scout uniform. Days, even. I had already begun shopping for a new one when we finally found it. It was in the very bottom of the toy box. (What? You don’t keep clothes there?)
I can’t tell you how many times this scenario has played itself in our home. Over the years, I’ve had to purchase more things than I care to think about, all because of disorganization. It’s amazing how expensive it can be to not clean. Cleaning my room isn’t something I can always keep up with. But when I do, it saves me a ton of cash.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 6, 2017 | Goals
I’m a huge fan of creating S.M.A.R.T. goals for myself and my family. The years we write down goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timed are the years we make things happen.
And boy did we make things happen in 2016.
We set our sights on our biggest credit card debt. We decided to focus exclusively on that single debt. While others need the quick win of paying off a smaller debt, we wanted to take out the monster.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 6, 2017 | Saving Money, Secure Your Savings
Being stuck at home doesn’t have to be boring! Try these fun things you can do for free, even if you can’t get away from it all.
Stuck at home…again.
Whether it’s a lack of money, a lack of time, or icky weather getting to you, it can be tough to make the best of that feeling of being stuck.
But with just the right idea, you may find that you actually enjoy your time at home!
Try a couple of these ideas.
And who knows?? Maybe next weekend you’ll stay home on purpose! (more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 5, 2017 | Secure Your Savings
Budget meal planning can save you some major cash. But most people hate doing it! Here’s how to make this money saving idea less aggravating.
Statistics show that 97% of all households* hate to meal plan (*statistic possibly made up).
But when a chore like meal planning can save you so much time and money, it’s hard to totally ignore it.
When I hate doing something that’s necessary, I find the best way to streamline it. I cut the fat as much as possible. (Pardon the pun.)
Let’s look at some ways to make budget meal planning easier.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 4, 2017 | Secure Your Savings
Winter is drab. We don’t have to dig into the cold weather for long before I start wishing for living plants. I’ll sometimes treat myself to discount flowers while I’m at the grocery store just to lift our spirits for a few days.
But then I realized that I could lift my spirits while trying to make a buck. And that’s even better! Especially when you’re taking part in the Secure Your Savings and Find Peace in the New Year challenge.
Today’s post is a simple way to earn a few bucks. If you have a green thumb, this is going to be a cakewalk. If not, no worries. This plan is pretty foolproof.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 2, 2017 | Secure Your Savings
Welcome to day number one of the Secure Your Savings and Find Peace in the New Year series! Are you excited? I hope so, because I sure am. We’re going to change the way you see money and bills this month. And this change is going to rock your entire year.
I’m passionate about finding ways to fund your sinking fund so you can get ahead. No more worry about extra bills rolling in at just the wrong time. Learn more about what this challenge is here.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jan 1, 2017 | Secure Your Savings
Only 8% of all people accomplish their New Year’s Resolutions (source). Why do you think that is? I think it’s because they make half-hearted attempts at making a change only to quit before they really get started.
Not you.
You’re going to rock this new year! 2017 is the year you get your finances in shape. I’m here to help you through it.
Today is the start of the Secure Your Savings and Find Peace in the New Year 30 day challenge. Let’s talk about exactly what this challenge is and how you can set yourself up for success.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Dec 30, 2016 | Debt, Secure Your Savings
The money challenge that will set you up for success in paying off debt.
One year ago, my Hubby and I discovered a fatal flaw in all of our carefully laid plans. We were good at setting goals for ourselves each year, but we were struggling to meet them. Something was holding us back from everything we wanted to accomplish.
That something was a nasty habit called Debt.
We could see in black and white that nothing could really be accomplished until we knocked out our credit card debt. Only then could we make big changes in our lives.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Dec 28, 2016 | Goals
Way back in January, I published our family’s list of goals for the year. I’ve learned over time that if I don’t write down Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timed goals, there’s no point in making goals at all. We also set a BHAG (a big, hairy, audacious goal) to pay down a chunk of debt that amounted to 19% of our bring home pay. We wanted to shoot for the stars!
So how did we do? Well, we reevaluated those goals several times. We finally realized that we would have to set aside some of our goals to focus more on our BHAG.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Dec 21, 2016 | Debt, Intentional Living, Parenting & Household Tips, Saving Money
The longer I blog, the more important it is to pay attention to the things that are working. With that in mind, I wanted to know which of my posts were the most read in 2016. After all, I need to write about the things that interest you the most!
In case you’re a little curious, too, here are some of the most read posts at Medium Sized Family of the year.
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I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
