money management

How to Start an Etsy Shop

Etsy is awesome.
What’s that, you say? You don’t know what Etsy is? Well, I’m more than happy to introduce you. It’s “your place to buy & sell all things handmade.”
I absolutely adore Etsy. In fact, I “window shop” on Etsy at least once a week.
For example, I just took a peek around Etsy and found [...]

How much does it cost to have a baby?

There’s quite a bit of talk about how expensive babies are. To be honest, I’m quite bewildered by that because a baby’s first year of life doesn’t have to be a big-ticket affair. Certainly, there are added expenses, but there are so many ways to drive down the cost.
Babies really need very little. Snuggles. Sweetness. [...]

how to save money at the grocery store

Has anyone else noticed that grocery prices have skyrocketed in the past year or two? I actually went grocery shopping today for a few necessities (milk, produce, bread) and a thing or two for a certain someone’s upcoming 3rd birthday party…and ended up spending over $100!
Oh me. Oh my.
Normally, we shop with a list. And [...]

Surprising Way to Save Money #3: Eat @ Expensive Restaurants

When our family goes out to eat, we prefer to eat at expensive restaurants. Places with all-natural ingredients and gourmet menu items, all prepared by a real chef.

I have to admit that I’m actually kind of a restaurant snob. I expect flavorful, healthful, delicious plates of food in a clean, upbeat environment with [...]

Surprising Way to Save Money #2: Exercise

Exercise is important for a hundred reasons.
It makes you look good. It makes you feel good. It makes you strong. It makes you confident.
And it saves you money.
The healthier you are, the better it is for your pocketbook. If your muscles are engaged, your body is toned, and you have a healthy BMI (Body Mass [...]

Surprising Way to Save Money #1: Buy a DSLR

It was 2006. My oldest daughter was about six months old and I had been enticed into a department store photo studio by a “FREE 8 x 10″ coupon. I got all my baby gear together, dressed my baby in her prettiest outfit, and drove to the mall. The mall was a zoo of people [...]

5 Money Management Principles

My husband and I live a contented life with our little girls in the sprawling, mountainous country of Arizona. We are happy here – restless with ambitions and dreams glistening overhead, but gratified nonetheless. I can honestly say that I don’t want a bigger house or more stuff to fill it with. My heart – [...]

Themed Weekend: Money Matters

I have heard that in most marriages one person is usually the “saver” and one person is usually the “spender.”
That is not the case in our marriage.
Actually, we sometimes joke that my husband is the “saver” and I am the “super saver.” We are both extremely “aware” of what we spend, how we spend it, [...]

On Our Way To A Paperless Life

We’re about to get rid of this monster of a filing cabinet:

Thanks to Neat Receipts, a mobile scanner and digital filing system:

Here’s how it works: You scan in your receipts, business cards, invoices, recipes, medical insurance forms, just about anything. Then, this smart little guy “identifies and extracts the important information—and automatically organizes it for you.” [...]

THAT was easy…{our taxes are done and it’s not even March}

Several years back, my husband and I went to H&R Block to get our taxes done. We dutifully brought our paperwork and sat in front of a guy in his sixties. He asked us question after question – prompted by the computer screen in front of him. The process was long – mundane – and [...]

A Coupon Queen, I Am Not

Confession time: I rarely use coupons. As in, maybe two coupons per month.
This might surprise you since I am a super saver. I’m not sure why I’ve never become a Coupon Queen. I always hear awe-inspiring stories from readers and friends who save hundreds of dollars on their grocery bill every month. And I always [...]

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane…It’s Super Saver Girl

I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m a “super saver.” In fact, my husband and I both feel strongly about wise money management. We save faithfully, invest dutifully, and strive to give generously. And we do our utmost to keep spending to a minimum.
We believe that “little things” add up and we talk about our [...]