by Jamie Jeffers | May 5, 2017 | Ways We Saved This Week
Our school is doing Penny Wars this week. Have you ever done one? Each class brings in money of different denominations. Pennies and dollars count towards your class total. But silver coins take away from a class total. So if the class next to you has way more pennies than you, that’s ok. You can bomb them with silver coins and bring down their total!
It’s a fun way to raise money. But it really highlights the fact that small amounts of money add up quickly. That’s a lesson I hope the kids at the school remember for a long time!
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by Jamie Jeffers | Apr 28, 2017 | Ways We Saved This Week
When baseball season begins, we are a busy family! Four of our children play ball. My husband is not only the coach for one of those teams, but he likes to help with another. And he’s the representative for all of the baseball teams in our town. Which is added work.
I’m not complaining. We adore baseball, and we wouldn’t devote so much time to it if it wasn’t a lot of fun and a super learning experience for our children. But it does make things like grocery shopping a bigger chore than usual.
I gave up taking kids to the grocery store when my daughter (18 months old at the time) started opening every package and actually ate a stick of butter. Yep. Aside from the gross out factor, I was a little worried about her health. But I guess it’s kind of like me serving a Paula Deen recipe at home…
At any rate, I prefer to take an evening every 2 weeks or so and make my trip. This week I decided that it was too much to add to our schedule, so I treated myself to a Clicklist order. You can read my review of Kroger Clicklist (other grocery store car delivery services are probably similar). My opinion is that not picking up impulse buys with my order equals the savings I might have found in hidden in store deals. So it evens out.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Apr 26, 2017 | Saving Money
Stop that inner dialogue that says “I can’t save money!” With a few tweaks, you’ll find it much easier to become a saver, even if you’ve never been one!
The day my 2 year old broke his arm was one of my worst days ever. Thank the Lord for good hospitals full of people who can help!
It’s the kind of thing that takes up every bit of your attention.
At a time like that, no one wants to toy with those wicked thoughts that ask, “Geez, how am I gonna pay for this bill??”
When emergencies like this hit you out of the blue, it’s easy to have that thought. “No wonder I can’t save money!”
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by Jamie Jeffers | Apr 21, 2017 | Ways We Saved This Week
Earlier this week, I took my 3 year old out to run errands. We decided to try a new park, which was so much fun! They have a climbing toy in the shape of a train, which my little guy just loved.
When we finally got home after a long day of running errands, I was ready for both of us to have some down time. But as I unloaded things from the van, I saw him topple head first out of the car and into our gravel driveway. Instead of relaxing, we spent a few hours in the emergency room.
Luckily, everything turned out just fine! He was happy to get a popsicle and watch some cartoons, and I was relieved when the doctor said he looked a lot worse than he actually was.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Apr 19, 2017 | Saving Money
Planning to travel soon? A vacation savings account is the perfect way to enjoy your trip without the stress of debt. Get a free printable for fun savings!
The first time I ever saw the ocean was on my honeymoon. After the stress of planning a wedding and dealing with minute details for months, that was the most relaxing vacation I’d ever had.
We enjoyed it so much that we decided then and there that we’d be coming back within 5 years.
It was kind of a stretch for two kids in their early 20s with not much in the way of job prospects. But we made it work!
Five years and two kids later, we were back, thanks to some help from our vacation savings account.
Since then, we’ve tried to take a nice vacation like this every couple of years. A trip like this is a splurge for sure, especially with a family of seven. But with some careful savings, we make it work.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Apr 14, 2017 | Ways We Saved This Week
Do you give your kids gifts for Easter? I’ve heard of some parents that decide to gift an item they were going to have to buy the kids this time of year anyway (like boots or a folding chair for ball games). Then there are the parents that want to go all out for their kids no matter what we’re celebrating.
I’ve done both. On baby’s first Easter, he was 4 months old. But I decided he needed another fun toy to kick at during floor time. (Really? What was I thinking??)
These days I recognize the beauty in simplicity. I like the idea of keeping this holiday focused on Jesus. So even though some kids need new shoes and I’d like to get the little guy some toys for his sand box, I’m resisting. Besides, who wants to start the race where you buy something for one kid and then have to even it up for the rest of them?
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I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
