A vast majority of families still do not know what’s for dinner by 4pm each day. This lack of planning can result in costly restaurant meals and unhealthy and expensive take-out food. By planning family menus each week or each month, not only can your family eat healthier, but you can save a lot of money. Freezer meals are a great way to plan ahead without frequent trips to the grocery store or food spoiling.
Tuesday, for those of you who may not be paying attention or haven’t set an Outlook reminder, is Valentine’s Day. For some, it’s a gift-giving occasion. For others, it’s a dinner out. For those who are in a long-term relationship, it may even be a challenge to come up with an original gift. To paraphrase Don Cheadle’s character in the movie Ocean’s 13, you never run the same gag twice. One of those “challenges” may be heading out to dinner with your significant other. Your budget can survive Valentine’s Day dinner if by considering some a variety of options.
Saving money is like getting dressed- we all need to do it, but there are hundreds of ways that it can be done. Most people can benefit from a complete look at what they spend every month in order to see where they can cut back. Most of us don’t know where every penny goes, and it may be shocking when you see just where much of your discretionary income is being spent.
It’s coming! Valentine’s Day is only a few days away. Have you decided what you may be getting for your significant other yet? Don’t worry if you haven’t – you’re not alone. Valentine’s Day can sneak up on you when you least expect it – and when you can least afford it.The Holiday bills, if you are lucky, have just been mailed, leaving the money jar empty. However, unless you have an agreement in place with your mate regarding not spending money or a spending limit, someone might be disappointed with the outcome. Valentine’s Day gifts can be budgeted with some careful planning.
Here we are already at the end of the first month of a new year, with February coming on fast. And, as most of us have already “discovered,” we left our New Year’s goals of trimming down & getting fit way back along the trail somewhere between the end of the college football bowl season and the first few days of playing catch-up at work after the holiday season. Your intentions to get to the store to get some new workout gear for the gym has been challenged by the Holiday bills rolling in, and your opportunities to actually get to the gym have been swallowed up by a new project or three. So, how do we tackle these challenges? And how to we get ourselves back in shape? And how do we get in shape without falling farther down the rabbit hole of debt? Here are a couple of ideas to help trim dollars off your plan to get in shape.
As a work at home, homeschooling, mother of two, and wife of a military man, my days are packed with “To Do’s”. Because of this, it’s very easy to fall into the same few meals, over and over again! That’s why I love Recipe swaps.
With the New Year among us, many are looking at how to make this year even more successful, than last. This may be on a business level, a personal level or even a family level. When you have so many ideas, bouncing around in your mind, it’s often hard to get started.
It’s a new year, so it’s time for new beginnings. Another year has passed by and, maybe like me (but hopefully not!), your savings account suffered enough mini-crises during the past year that it appears the concept of savings is more of a myth than reality. So, let’s talk about starting over. Or, actually, let’s just talk about starting. Often, we work on the savings plan without ever starting to save. For the New Year, let’s start saving and work our way towards continuing to save.
For most of us, the gift-giving Holiday has finally come and gone. In its path, it leaves a variety of food leftovers, shreds of gift wrap strewn across the floor, and toy & electronic boxes to carry to the curb or dumpster. The Holidays also leaves behind a bevy of gifts that may be unwanted, don’t fit, or are the wrong version of the item. Here are a couple of quick tips learned through experiences in the after-holiday return lines.
Knee deep we are, in the stretch run of the Holiday shopping season. And as I continue to review the Holiday sales advertisements for great gift ideas at the best value versus over priced ones, venture out in the trenches to see whether or not all my hopes & dreams are answered in gift availability, and wait in lines to purchase what I hope will be the next-best thing to sliced bread in someone’s eyes, I also continue to work on my shopping savings strategy. In the midst of the season, a new strategy emerged from my experiences. Instead of just tallying the money I am spending, I’m also counting the money I’m not spending. Counting the money you don’t spend on holiday gifts can help you cash in on savings.