As a married couple with VERY different spending habits, my spouse and I have had to learn over the years how to walk that metaphorical fine line between “It’s vacation! Let’s splurge!” and “We can’t spend a fortune on this one trip!” While there are a variety of ways to save money on family vacations, we’ve found that changes to the way we eat and feed our family while traveling can be a major money saver.
How To Start A Freelance Career Without Spending Money
While I haven’t found the golden ticket to a perfect career, I have been able to create a steady flow of freelance work for the last five-ish years. My work allows me to contribute to our household income and stay at home with our twins and I am grateful for the flexibility my writing career allows. I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I’m happy to share what I’ve learned so far.
Saving Money On Food & Groceries: Episode 351
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If you feel like your grocery bill has been creeping up, you’re not crazy. Food prices have been rising for a while, and unlike other areas of your budget, groceries definitely fall solidly into the “need, not want” category. So how DO you spend less money on food when you’re feeding a family? In today’s episode, Meagan and Sarah get honest about the areas where our food spending starts to spiral out of control, as well as how we approach leftovers, generic products, pantry inventory, and family-favorite cheap-o dinners. We also share some smart tips from an actual budget expert (ahem, not us). Make sure you listen ’til the end to hear Meagan’s best tip!
Navigating Finances With Your Partner
When I was freshly engaged, I envisioned so many aspects of my soon-to-be-married life: slow weekends and sipping our coffee leisurely on our apartment balcony, double dates with friends, grocery shopping and cooking together… I was basically envisioning our life through the lens of a Crate & Barrel catalog. We touched on financial planning in our premarital counseling, but it seemed so stressful and unsexy at the time! Now, ten years into our marriage, I have seen the light and relish in a routine that we’ve instituted: monthly financial and life logistics planning meetings (while sipping our coffee or making dinner together). The longer we are married, the more value I find (and dare I say a little bit of sexiness??) in this regularly planned dialogue with my partner.
Money Saving Ideas, Room By Room: Episode 350
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With rising prices, many of us are looking for big and little ways to cut back on expenses and spend wisely in 2022. Being smart about when, where, and what you buy AND how you use it adds up to make a big difference in your bottom line. Meagan and Sarah are sharing their best, budget-friendly ideas for everything from clothing and toiletries to furniture and decor. Plus, they share a few times where taking the free advice of a professional helped them save big bucks . . . and Meagan talks about poopy laundry. (Gross, funny, but informative!) We’ll be chatting food and groceries next week, but for frugal tips on everything else, this is the episode for you.
These Resources Helped Me Start Budgeting
Starting to budget can feel overwhelming. There are so many directions to go, different systems, different accounts, and how do you know how much you’re actually spending on groceries? At the most basic level, I see budgeting as simply understanding what money is coming in and how it’s going out. Thanks to the internet, if you’re feeling overwhelmed about budgeting or finances there are some great Instagram accounts, podcasts, and apps that can help. These are some of the financial resources that I look to the most, I hope that you find something you can learn from, too!
