This post about how to plan for your retirement has been sponsored by GuidedChoice. All opinions expressed here are my own. When my husband and I first moved to Atlanta, we were in our late 20's. I was 7 months pregnant with our first child and we were broke. After 7 years as a graduate student, my husband had his first real job. Every single penny we owned went into our first mortgage. We also had a car loan, a home improvement loan for some required fixes, and all the costs associated with a new baby. Add in the fact that I was a stay … [Read more...]
Waste Free School Lunch Tips to Save Money and Reduce Trash
July 19, 2017 by · 2 Comments
I know....you are in the middle of summer vacation and don't want to think about school lunches, right? Well, my kids go back to school in 3 weeks so I am thinking about what they will bring to eat this year. Sending a waste free school lunch is important to me but it definitely takes a bit of planning. One of my favorite tips to save money is to ditch the disposables. No sense throwing your hard earned cash in the garbage can, right? If you want to cut down on lunch costs this year, here are a few school lunch tips that might … [Read more...]
Tips for Saving Money on Clothing for Teens
May 3, 2017 by · 8 Comments
This post about saving money on clothing for your teens has been sponsored by Groupon. All opinions are my own. Last month, while planning our Florida vacation, my daughter came to me and told me that only three pairs of her shorts fit her from last year. Great. Three days before we leave and she has barely any summer clothes to wear! While teens tend to grow slower than smaller children, they still outgrow their clothes. Whether it is a growth spurt of a couple of inches or a broadening of the shoulders, my teens still need new clothes … [Read more...]
What to Look for in a Financial Advisor Before Your Hire Them
April 26, 2017 by · 1 Comment
From the time my husband and I first moved in together after college, we have had financial goals. We started saving small amounts of money very early in life, even when we were struggling to pay the bills. We bought our first house at the age of 27 and when our first child was born that same year, we opened a college savings account as well. While we have had financial goals our whole lives, we have never spoken to a professional about our finances. We decided it was time to bring in a financial advisor and we have an appointment with one … [Read more...]
Creative Ways to Save for a Vacation and Why Your Family Needs to Take One!
April 14, 2017 by · 4 Comments
Family vacations aren't always cheap but they are a great way to relax and reconnect with your family. Vacations don't always need to be expensive to be one of the best times of your life. You don't actually need to go to a 5-star hotel and eat only in the most exclusive restaurants. Some of the best memories you can make with your family will be on a family vacation. Your child won't remember the quality of the hotel you stayed at but they will remember the card games, trips to the beach and all that togetherness that you enjoyed. That … [Read more...]
4 Examples of Personal Financial Goals I have Added to My To Do List
January 20, 2017 by · Leave a Comment
Our personal budget has been stretched fairly thin for the last few months and I'm researching examples of personal financial goals to help me save money. After the slightly out of control holiday spending came a trip to London (not cheap!) and a few first of the year expenses (darn you Home Owner's Association!) and now we are looking at a very slim balance in the bank. With two teens who one day soon will want to go to college, we need to learn how to save money in ways that don't involve me giving up my organic food or my iPhone. A girl … [Read more...]
Holiday Budget Tips for Fewer Post Holiday Bills
November 18, 2016 by · 4 Comments
Are you pinching your pennies and searching for a few holiday budget tips? The holidays are fast approaching and with them comes a serious amount of shopping. Gifts for friends and family members, holiday baking supplies, wrapping paper and pretty clothes for Christmas Eve church service are all on my list of things to buy this year. I will be shelling out an awful lot of money over the coming months and have started looking for some holiday budget tips to help keep my spending under control. If you are anything like me, you have trouble … [Read more...]
Good Ways to Save Money on Youth Sports
February 19, 2016 by · 17 Comments
This post about good ways to save money on youth sports is part of a paid partnership with TeamSnap but all opinions are my own. When you first have children, you read all these statistics about how much money it costs to raise them to adulthood. The number is rather staggering and I don't doubt it for a minute. Of course, I think that number would be significantly higher if people factored in the cost of youth sports! Getting your child involved in sports can put a serious dent in your budget. And when your child chooses to play more … [Read more...]
How to Read More Books for Less Money
February 15, 2016 by · 5 Comments
If you ask me how I want to spend my free time, the answer will always be reading books. Ever since I was young I have tried to figure out how to read more books on a limited budget. I had a very worn out library card and multiple book cases filled with favorites that I couldn't bare to part with. As an adult, rarely do you see me go anywhere without a book or my iPad in case I get a free 15 minutes with nothing to do. If you are as much of a bookworm as I am, I figured you would like to know how to read more books and spend less money on … [Read more...]
Financial Wellness Checklist: 5 Financial Tasks to Tackle NOW!
December 14, 2015 by · Leave a Comment
As the new year moves closer and closer, you should consider working through this financial wellness checklist to ensure financial security in the years to come. For most people, money is in limited supply and the demands on finances are fairly high. Gas must be purchased regularly if we want to continue driving to work and kids need to eat. And they generally eat a LOT. Unless you sit down to tackle a few financial tasks occasionally, you won't truly be financially 'healthy'. Long term expenses like a mortgage, a child's college … [Read more...]
