by Jamie Jeffers | Mar 23, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
One of my big concerns with reaching our big goal (paying off a ton of credit card debt) was…what’s gonna happen next? Will we really be able to keep our money saving ways once we paid off debt and our #yearofno was over?
But in my next couple of shopping trips, I discovered a funny thing. Now I’m actually more protective of our money than I was before! Maybe that has something to do with the fact that every dollar I save…is a dollar I save!
Now I’m not saving money so I can ship it out to a big corporation. (Not that I have anything against big corporations, per se. It just isn’t much fun when you aren’t getting anything in return.)
We’ve been talking about this a bit in the Facebook group. If you’ve always wanted to be part of a group that gets it…no need to explain your frugal ways or the reason your celebrating saving $2…this is the group for you!
Join us at Living That #YearofNo Life.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Mar 19, 2018 | Saving Money
Keeping snacks for trips handy can save you a ton of money. It helped our family pay off thousands in debt! All you need is a list of foods that travel well. Get the free printable here!
If I had to choose a symbol for our debt payoff journey, it would be our ratty old Coleman cooler. That little guy lead the charge to break the fast food habit that loomed over our family!
Learning to make snacks for trips a priority was an important step toward saving money. But many times, we get stumped by making a list of ideas.
What makes a snack a good option? For us, it has to be affordable, easy to carry, and not too labor intensive. When we’re ready to head out the door, we don’t want to have to take an extra 20 minutes to put snacks together.
To make life easier, here’s a list of snacks for trips. Keep this list handy! Add your family favorites to your Cozi grocery list so you don’t forget to grab what you need on your next shopping run.
20 Cheap and Easy Snacks for Trips
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by Jamie Jeffers | Mar 16, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
Two weeks. I don’t think I’ve taken that kind of break from blogging since I began! But I finally carved a pocket of time to dedicate to writing.
Never mind the fact that a dead truck battery gave me this time. 😉
Last week, the big day we’ve anticipated for well over two years FINALLY happened.
WE PAID OFF EVERY BIT OF CREDIT CARD DEBT!
It wasn’t as smooth as I thought it would be. I’ll admit that we used our tax refund to finish off the debt. But it didn’t quite cover the entire bill. But I was so anxious to be done that I scraped together every bit of cash I could come up with to bring that balance to zero.
Adding that frantic movement to our last day of credit card living kind of curbed the joy I was looking for. But the sweet relief of standing on our own two feet without those bills hanging over us anymore was so worth it.
I expect that our next payday is when it will hit me that we don’t have to turn over all of that cash to a credit card company. That’s when the balloons will fall from the sky.
I assume.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Mar 5, 2018 | Big Family Life
These tips for raising large families are super easy to put into place. And once you start using them, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them!
When you’re the CEO (read: Mom) of a large family, people tend to assume one of two things about you: Either you have it all together (much more than they ever could!)…or you’re a hot mess.
The truth is that large family Moms are pretty much like the rest of the members of the Mom club. They come in all shapes and sizes.
Whether you lean more towards Pinterest perfect or lovable chaos, all of us would love to add more tricks to our bag for raising large families. So here’s a great list of quick and easy ideas you can put into place to make your life with a large family flow more smoothly.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Mar 2, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
While our #yearofno (make that two years of no) was effective at helping us pay off a chunk of debt, it wasn’t pretty. I may have inadvertently made it seem easier than it was.
We’ll be spending this year catching up on things that fell to the side for the past couple of years. This includes those non-essential things around our home that we didn’t replace or repair.
So what made our #yearofno different than a no spend month? Priorities. We’ve learned that we can live with imperfect things. We know what is most important. And we have the patience to wait to buy new when we have the cash to do it.
A no spend month wouldn’t have taught us any of those things. Anyone can tread water for a month only to go on a spending spree on the first day of a new month.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Feb 28, 2018 | Income, Secure Your Savings
Why is transcription work the best way to earn a steady income while you work from home? Find out where to get work, what the job takes, and how you can make the most cash.
Most Moms I know are always looking for ways to pad their budget a little more. They want a way to earn real money, not just little bits here and there. But they can’t commit to a regular schedule while they have young babies and children at home with them.
If you wish you could find a real job that let you work while the kids are napping or after their bedtime, you need to learn about transcription work. I did this job for a while, and I loved getting paid enough to cover our grocery bills. My sister makes a regular income from this line of work.
Whatever your ultimate goal is, if you’re a Mom looking for a flexible job, you need to learn about general transcription work.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Feb 26, 2018 | Debt
Once I learned how to find out all my debts (even though I was scared) it gave me the power I needed to take charge of my finances. Learn how you can do it, too.
When you play peek-a-boo with a baby, he thinks you’ve disappeared because your hands are over your face. He’s totally surprised when you reappear by taking your hands away.
Are you playing peek a boo, too? Covering your ears and yelling “I can’t hear you!” whenever someone uses the “d” word (debt, that is) is a ton of fun, but it’s not a game you can win.
After all, you know your debts are hiding behind your hands. But instead of a kind face waiting for you, it’s more like a clown in a haunted house.
Sorry for the visual.
But I know, because I’ve been there. I hid behind my hands for years before life woke me up with a good slap. Don’t do what I did. Living this way means that debt is running your life.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Feb 23, 2018 | Ways We Saved This Week
It’s still cold outside, but it’s already time to start thinking about summer camp. The cost of some camps are outrageous! A teacher forwarded information on one to me the other day, and the price for one week is $1,000. For ONE kid!
Hey, I’m all for kids having new experiences. And I even think that overnight camp is important. It boosts confidence and gives them so many great memories. But I’m not going to tank our savings to make it work.
If you want to send your kids to summer camp, now is the time to look into your options. Sign them up for a more affordable option before they fill up. Or look for scholarship opportunities before the deadlines pass.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Feb 21, 2018 | Saving Money
You remembered to clean the light switches and wash the range hood. But have you gone through this spring cleaning checklist? This is the list that will overhaul your budget for the better.
When you wake up to a beautiful day, you can’t help but throw open the windows to let in some fresh spring air. After a long winter of being cooped up inside, it’s time to give the house a face lift.
Most of us like to get started on some spring cleaning this time of year. It feels so good to shake everything out and start fresh.
But why stop there? This is the perfect time of year to give your finances a good shake out, too. So today, I want to show you a spring cleaning checklist that will clean out something else.
Your bills.
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by Jamie Jeffers | Feb 19, 2018 | Goals, Saving Money
If you’ve ever felt like giving up on your dreams, you’ve probably missed a couple of important steps that will get you there. Whether you want to be debt free, take a dream vacation, or start a business, this formula is for you.
Spoon in hand, I stood over the stove, frustrated. The recipe said that the sauce would have thickened by now, so I must have done something wrong. I decided I’d give it another minute and then give up.
Within several seconds, that runny milk suddenly turned into a beautiful creamy sauce. In two turns of the spoon, my recipe had gone from slop to something delicious.
As I did my little happy dance, I couldn’t help but think of other times this kind of thing happens.
The toddler that was several months behind on walking (compared to his big brother) suddenly decided in one day that walking was no longer a challenge.
On a larger level, something like the Berlin Wall. For decades it was impenetrable, until one day (out of nowhere) it was open.
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I'm Jamie. My family of 7 is living out our #yearofno while we reset our spending and conquer credit card debt. You'll find help and encouragement here. 
