Before we had our first child 11 years ago, we were used to living on two really nice incomes. We both had professional jobs and no debt other than student loans and car payments, and we really had no commitments to anyone other than ourselves. We traveled wherever we wanted, ate out at restaurants often, and didn't really give much thought to saving or scrimping because we didn't feel the need to do so whatsoever. When we decided that I would be a stay-at-home-mom when our daughter was born, we were in for a super rude awakening! I went on a long journey of figuring out the money rules of Keep Reading
2017 Money Saving Challenges to help you CONQUER your finances!
I don't know about you, but I have big plans for 2017!! I am going to challenge myself to build up my savings and make sure I am intentionally saving for big expenditures throughout the year. There's nothing worse than being surprised by the cost of something you knew was coming!! (like Christmas or vacations lol) If you want to join me, I created a few different money saving challenges we can all use. 2017 Money Saving Challenges These challenges come with printable tracking sheets to help keep you on track. 52 Week Challenge to Save $1,378 This is a really cool Keep Reading
THE 52 Week Money Saving Challenge you must do!!
Hi guys!!! I'm so glad you're here. If you're here, that means you are SERIOUS about improving your finances. There is really no reason why saving money has to be super boring & excruciating!!! I am going to do a 52-week MONEY SAVING CHALLENGE starting right now and I hope you will join me. You can join this challenge at any time. The point is that you JOIN IT AND ACTUALLY GIVE IT YOUR BEST EFFORT! Easy Money Saving Challenge If you follow this plan, you will have $1,378 to use however you'd like in just 52 weeks with very little effort on your Keep Reading
How to Teach Kids About Money
Here on WhatMommyDoes, I write quite often about personal finance from an adult perspective. How to save money for big purchases, how to meal plan on a budget, where to get printable coupons, how to make extra money on the side, how to invest your hard earned dollars..... But one thing I haven't covered much is TEACHING KIDS ABOUT MONEY. Now that my kids are getting older (they're now 8, 6, and 4), I am thinking a lot about their future. I'm thinking about all the things I have to teach them in the short time I have them in my home, and it's a daunting task! Financial Keep Reading
26-Week / Extra $1,000 by Christmas Savings Plan – Start with $26, End with $1,000 to Buy Christmas Gifts!
This Christmas Savings Plan will prepare you for the holiday shopping season! Hello! If you've never been to my blog before, let me introduce myself. My name is Lena, and I'm so glad you're here! This blog is where I share all the creative money making and family budgeting ideas that pop into my head, as well as other fun stuff like recipes and coloring pages. Today I want to share with you something I created to help us make a game out of saving money. It's a 26-WEEK EXTRA $1,000 BY CHRISTMAS SAVINGS PLAN that starts with $26 and ends with exactly $1,001. You start with $26 the Keep Reading
The Second Best Thing You Can Do for Your Finances
A few months ago, I wrote a post entitled "The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Finances." After I published it, I realized I had a whole bunch of other things to add to the financial best practices list, so I am going to turn this into a series! I think it will be nice to have a collection of my favorite financial moves. I'm not a practicing CPA anymore, but I still really do enjoy helping others with their finances on the blog. As always, my personal finance tips are merely suggestions - before you act on any of my advice, make sure to consider your exact financial situation and make Keep Reading
Experiencing Budgeting Burnout? Give Yourself a Break!
Ever wanted to cheat on your budget? Find out why it's okay! Do you ever get tired of being careful with your money? I do. I have a website about taxes, I write articles on personal finance topics, and I consider myself pretty strict with myself when it comes to spending money. But my self-discipline has its limits. Take, for instance, the time in our life (me and my husband’s) when we were socking away money in anticipation of having our first child. We were self-disciplined enough to save all (or nearly all) of my income for a year and a half before she was born. And because I was Keep Reading
5 Ways to Save on Utilities When Money is Tight – Practical Money Saving Tips
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of IGS Energy for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. At some point or another most of us have had money issues. Either we spend more than we make from poor budgeting decisions or we don't make enough to cover life expenses. Things happen. When those things happen to you, there are some things you can do to keep finances under control and get you back on track. One thing I like to do is focus on big ticket household expense like utilities. 5 Ways to Save Money on Utilities To begin, take a deep breath and remember... These do not have to Keep Reading
A Way to Pay for College When You Haven’t Saved Up Enough
If you have children, then odds are you've thought of the future expense of college. My kids are 10 and under, and it seems like I have plenty of time, but in reality I need to come up with a LOT of money starting in just 8 short years! In 8 years, my oldest will head off to college, and then 6 years after that this guy will be ready to go. Say it isn't so! He's my BABY!!! :( He still sleeps with dinosaurs, for goodness sake! But I have to be practical. So I've been thinking a lot lately about the best way to save up for college because I know the days are long, but the years truly Keep Reading
6 Healthy Lunch Ideas Under 500 Calories for Busy Moms (plus a printable water tracker!)
Thank you Healthy Choice for sponsoring this post. Visit your local retailer to pick up your own Healthy Choice Simply Cafe Steamer or Original Cafe Steamer meal today! Eating right all the time is hard stuff for me. There isn't a huge variety of foods I like and I have diet restrictions like being gluten free (mainly) and other food intolerances. For the most part I can eat pretty well, but I do find the occasional fried food a little too enticing and packing a lunch for work takes time that I am just okay at managing. Being around kids doesn't help things either, especially when they Keep Reading
How to Make Saving Money & Making Money Fun!
I often find myself worrying about money. Do you? Do you wish you could have a life where you weren’t under financial strain? I can go weeks without really worrying about our family finances, but then I realize that I’m spending too much in one area or find myself wishing I could go on a trip I can’t really afford. That’s when I realize that we’re sometimes cruising along for the ride, not really having a full picture of our finances. And then I start to get stressed about it. This stress spills over into my relationship with my husband and taints the time I spend with my kids. My Keep Reading
26-Week No Brainer $1,000 Savings Plan -Start with $26, End with Exactly $1,001
If you're anything like me, you have a habit of letting Christmas sneak up on you. I always know it's coming, and I always start worrying about it in October but for some reason I can never seem to get my act together and save for Christmas gifts ahead of time. This year WILL be different. I created this 26 week savings plan based on some other challenges I've seen out there, just in time to start it in time to save $1,000 by December (by starting in June). Week by week, if you save ever increasing amounts (by $1 increments) starting with $26, you will amass $1001 in Keep Reading
How I’m Saving Up $3,500 This Year For Our Trip to Disney World
We are going to Disney World this October, and I am already starting to plan for it. I know based on our last trip that we will easily spend at least $3,000 on this trip (more like $3,500-$4,000), so I am getting a jump start on my savings plan. I don’t mind dipping into savings for big trips like this, but I would much rather save up the money ahead of time. I kind of like knowing we have the money allotted in advance and can have fun worry-free. Last time we went to Disney World, my youngest daughter got a double ear infection on top of just recovering from pink-eye, so that was worry Keep Reading
10 Weird Ways to Make Extra Money to Pay for Christmas Presents
Every October, I print out this Christmas gift list template and write down everyone we need to buy presents for. I estimate how much I think I should spend on each person and add up the total. Then the fun starts. Because I love thinking up ways to make extra money, I have fun with our Christmas budget. It doesn't stress me out one bit - I look at it like a challenge! I like figuring out ways to make money between October and December 25th to pay for all of the Christmas gifts on my list (that, and also trying to see if I can find coupons & deals along the way so I can come in lower Keep Reading
How Much Does It Cost to Own a Dog?
My kids have been asking me for a dog lately. I thought I was prepared for the added responsibility, but one thing I'm not looking forward to? The cost! As I was researching the cost of having a dog, I came across this interesting infographic from Mint.com. I personally always had large dogs growing up, so that's my preference for our family now. But I didn't realize until I saw this that there is such a big difference in the cost of a large dog versus a small dog! If I wasn't allergic to cats, I think they're my favorite price. LOL How Much Does It Cost to Own a Dog? Do you have a Keep Reading
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