by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 25, 2016 | Income
Today’s guest post is by Emily Jividen from John & Jane Doe Guide to Money & Investing.
Most of us have things we need to get rid of or no longer use. You have a few options: keep, give away, discard or sell.
I want to talk about selling your stuff, particularly selling your unwanted items to a reseller. Secondhand shops and consignment stores can be a good way of unloading your extras for cash or turning them in for trade for things you do want.
Selling items yourself has one big advantage over selling to a reseller: You cut out the middleman. Secondhand shops and consignment stores need to make a profit to stay in operation, so you won’t get the full amount that the end customer is going to pay. You’ll usually get a substantially lower price. So why sell to a reseller?
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 22, 2016 | 7 Days of Finding Money for Christmas Presents
This is the first day in the 7 Ways to Pile Up Christmas Money Series.
Today let’s talk about something I mention often, because it is my number one tip for saving money. Plan ahead.
[Tweet “The number one way to save #money in almost any situation is to plan ahead. Here’s how.”]
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 20, 2016 | 7 Days of Finding Money for Christmas Presents, Holidays, Saving Money
If you struggle each year to find gift money, don’t wait for Christmas to sneak up on you again. Try these 7 ways to fill your Christmas savings account.
Christmas money? Now? Why should I worry about Christmas money in the middle of summer or early fall? I have bigger fish to fry.
Well, you should worry about it. Because it’s coming, friends.
Many of us treat Christmas purchases like unexpected expenses. December comes along, and we find ourselves putting gifts on a credit card. After all, we want to get gifts for loved ones and we can’t find another way to do it. We’ll just pay the bills later.
It’s a habit that never ends well. Honestly, I’ve even done it myself a time or two. (That’s just another reason why we had to learn how to get out of debt.)
But there’s another way.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 18, 2016 | Meal Plans
Late July in our house means it’s time to get ready for our county fair. It’s a busy time, and that requires simple meals.
During the fair, we will end up eating out of the back of our van quite a bit. We do a lot of PB&J sandwiches.
We will also likely eat at the fair at least one meal. (My kids show animals all day long on Monday!)
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 15, 2016 | Ways We Saved This Week
We made it to another Friday. Some weeks, that’s a real success. Am I right?
Our last baseball player ended his tournament this week. So we have wrapped up yet another ball season. And just in time to get our 4-H critters to our county fair!
Life as mom isn’t boring, that’s the truth.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 13, 2016 | Grocery Tips, Saving Money
If your grocery budget has you wondering how to get more out of your already cheap grocery list, give these tricks a try.
Grocery shopping was a chore even before the price of everything doubled.
But now, it’s annoying and stressful.
If you wonder how you can possibly squeeze more out of your already tight grocery shopping list, I have tons of ideas for you right here.
These are things I do in my own kitchen so I can afford to feed my family of eight on a tight budget.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 11, 2016 | Parenting & Household Tips, Saving Money
Does your budget for back to school shopping have to stretch further every year? Here’s how to save big money on all the little things you need for school.
On the last day of school, my daughter came home and tossed her backpack aside.
As she ran off to find a snack, I started sorting through her giant pile of stuff.
A big manila envelope caught my attention. Inside I found the name of her 2nd grade teacher, a welcome letter…and a school supply list.
It’s already time to start thinking about next school year!
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 8, 2016 | Ways We Saved This Week
It’s a whole new week around here! Happy Frugal Friday. I hope you’ve had some successes in your spending (or more importantly, your saving!) this week.
Last week I had to admit that we’d had a rough, expensive week. We gradually fell off the wagon throughout June, and by last week I didn’t have much to celebrate in the way of savings.
The good news is that we recognized what was going on, and were able to make changes to get back on track with our #yearofno. We spent this week making sure we weren’t wasting hard earned money that had a job to do.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 6, 2016 | Goals
We had an expensive June. In fact, I had to trade out one of my usual 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week posts for its opposite; a post called 5 Ways We’ve Blown Money This Week.
Eek!
Not how I wanted to reach the halfway point in our #yearofno journey. But I guess it’s not totally unexpected. It’s hard to stay motivated for the entire length of a debt payoff journey. The important thing is to climb back in the saddle when you fall off, rather than wallowing in guilt.
So we’re moving on.
In the meantime, let’s do a check in and see how we’re reaching our goals.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 4, 2016 | Meal Plans
Welcome to meal planning Monday! If you’re one of the happy few people who enjoy meal planning, that’s excellent.
Hopefully my ideas will spark some new ideas for you.
If you don’t enjoy meal planning (put me in this category), try to do it anyway.
Future you will thank present you for putting in the work now rather than making all of those decisions day in and day out.
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I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
