by Jamie Jeffers | Aug 16, 2017 | Debt
Money worries feel like they control your whole life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Learn four steps that can change everything.
The cart was nearly full as I turned down the last aisle at the grocery store. I eyeballed the foods I had selected to feed our family.
Money worries were always on my mind, and I carefully chose foods that would keep our budget down.
But prices had been rising steadily for months.
In fact, the cost of food seemed higher this trip than they were just a week ago.
Gas prices were through the roof and everyone I knew was struggling in one way or another. There was a recession. Plus I had just quit my job, lowering our income just as our third child was born.
The timing wasn’t perfect.
As I pushed the cart along, I couldn’t help but wonder if the cost of food would continue to climb until we’d find ourselves unable to feed our small family.
A terrible feeling washed over me, and I frantically dug through my purse, looking for my phone.
As I called my sister, I knew I was having a heart attack.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 22, 2017 | Debt
I won’t lie. Paying off a lot of debt can be a brutal process. But you’ll find a strange strength in the middle of your journey. Learn how to get it done here.
I think it was the open window that did it.
My daughter and I were sitting down to play cards. (She’s becoming quite the card player at the age of 7. We may have a card shark on our hands!)
It was a pretty hot day, so we were spending the afternoon inside.
We aren’t real big on air conditioning here. Our old drafty house doesn’t usually get too hot, so an open window or two is good enough for me and the kids.
But since Hubby spends his day in an air conditioned building and then rides home in an air conditioned car, the house doesn’t feel cozy to him when he finally gets home.
So I try to turn on our window units and close up the house a little before he leaves the office.
On this day, I started the air and then did some chores. When I sat down to play cards and noticed that the window was still open, I closed my eyes and let out a big sigh.
Money was floating right out the window, and I had no one to blame but myself.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 12, 2017 | Debt, Saving Money
Why use a monthly budget when you get paid every other week? This Google Sheets bi-weekly budget template is just what you need. But watch out for 3 mistakes that will bust it!
You get paid every other week…but all of the budgets out there are broken up by months.
I mean, even if you squish two paychecks together, that’s 28 days of pay…
and you’re going to try to budget that into a 30 or 31 day month?
Does this make sense?
No!
Then why does everyone insist you make a monthly budget when you get paid bi-weekly?
And heaven forbid we compare those months when you get 3 paychecks instead of 2. Sure, they call that a “bonus” paycheck. But the last time I checked, we still need at least food and gas for those “extra” 14 days.
There must be a better way!
Well of course there is! It’s called the bi-weekly budget template, which I’ve created just for you.
As a bonus, it also makes those 3 paycheck months easier to factor into your money saving plan!
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jul 3, 2017 | Debt, Goals
Happy July! Summer is in full swing, and life is finally calming down a bit. You may have noticed that there was no June check in on our goals. Whoops!
The truth is, life was absolutely crazy in all of May and a good chunk of June. But I did miss the accountability of this post, and I’m really happy to get back to it this month.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Jun 14, 2017 | Debt
Inside: No one wants to have a life of regrets. So should you take a vacation if you’re in debt? Take this quiz to help you find the right balance.
When my family proposed that we take a vacation this year, I was immediately against it. A vacation right after such a successful #yearofno? We’d corrected our bad spending and were doing so well paying off debt. It didn’t make sense to postpone our debt free date so we could have a family vacation.
Then again, I’m a pretty boring person. I’ve always been the type to set goals and bend over backwards to reach them. And while my more playful husband aggravates me sometimes, his viewpoint is an important counterbalance to my own. It keeps me from missing out on the fun things in life, and I usually end up appreciating it in the long run.
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by Jamie Jeffers | May 17, 2017 | Debt, Saving Money
Advertising makes you feel like you need one of everything! The key to controlling your money is knowing the difference between need and want. Use these tricks to tell the difference and watch your money grow!
I read a chapter from Little House on the Prairie to my daughter like we do most nights, when there’s a little extra time before bed.
In the book, Pa was recovering from malaria.
Since he couldn’t get out to work, he decided to hand make a rocking chair for Ma. It was just a fun side project for the Ingalls family.
Aside from the fact that Pa’s skills were pretty amazing, I’m often struck by the stark contrast between wants and needs in the “Laura books”.
I mean, most of us stop by the store if we run out of salad dressing.
Pa didn’t even go when he ran out of nails for building the house! He just made pegs from wood and worked a little slower. On their shelter.
Even the most frugal people I know would put “shelter” on their short list of needs.
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