There are some bills you have no control over, like your electric bill. Yes, you can turn the air conditioner off and not use as many lights, but you are still at the mercy of what the power company charges per KWH.
However, there are some bills you can negotiate down with your service provider.
Read MoreIt's no secret that I LOVE Amazon. Let's face it, I love any opportunity to shop and not have to put on real pants.
Three years ago my husband and I decided to dish the dish and opt to use Netflix and Amazon Prime. I wasn't convinced Amazon Prime was worth the money, that was because I didn't understand ALL the benefits.
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Bills are a part of life. You know they are coming. You know you have to pay them, but it doesn't make it any less pleasant.
Bills are a huge chunk of your monthly budget, but you have more control over them than you might think.
Today I wanted to share with you how our family has been able to lower some of our bills and add more margin to our budget and decrease our spending by $1,500 a year.
Read MoreOh look! Another blogger writing about meal planning. Zzzzzzz....
No. Today I am going to talk about combatting the sky rocketing price of groceries by following a few simple meal planning strategies.
Read MoreIs it expensive to eat healthy? I would argue no. In fact the weeks I run to the grocery store to pick up produce and milk are the weeks I spend less even though I buy the same in volume.
Today I am going to share some tips on saving cash on produce.
(Side note: I am not claiming to be the healthiest of healthy eaters here. Don't get me wrong. But I am learning and I have made major life style changes. Baby steps, y'all!)
Read MoreLet's face it, major appliances can be a major expense. Our family has purchased three large appliances in the past 12 months and without a preparation, planning and thought there is no way we could have pulled off those purchases.
Because we are a cash only family we paid for each of these appliances using our own savings. Today I will share some tips on how we save the MOST money.
Read MoreI got a pretty heartbreaking note from a reader. I am not going to go into the details because it was so deeply personal, but she was scared, tired and overwhelmed. There is simply no money for gifts this year.
And in her message it was clear that this woman was trying to create a special Christmas for her family and friends in spite of her situation.
Read MoreChristmas is a wonderful season of hope and the reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. But Christmas can easily become a season of stress.
Read MoreOkay, so you have probably figured it out by now but... I LOVE SAVING MONEY!!! And as I have mentioned before, we live on a budget. And one of the few places where you have the most control over your budget is in the grocery department.
The problem I have is that we buy a lot of fresh produce, milk and eggs. And there aren't many coupons for that. But then I learned about Checkout 51! It was so exciting. One of the girls on my YouTube asked if I had heard of Checkout 51 and I hadn't. So I looked it up and I was instantly hooked.
Read MoreA brand new month starts on the end of the week. I don't know why, but I love it when a new month starts on the weekend. It's like you don't have to process as much mental paperwork because it's the weekend. Maybe that's just sign 8,324 that I am strange.
Starting Friday we are beggining another No Spend Month. For the month of August the Senn Family has committed to not spending money outside of our basic obligations.
Read MoreMy college roommate is getting married! I am so excited. The last time I was this excited about a wedding, it was my own.
And Karen, the upcoming bride, was one of my bridesmaids. I really love her and I am just thrilled for her.
This past weekend I attended a bridal brunch and being committed to a frugal debt free life, I wanted to give her something nice, but also inexpensive.
Read MoreLife happens. Lots of life happens. And sometimes life happens all at once. We can't always prepare for life's disasters. But we can be prepared to deal with the financial fallout the best we can.
Read MoreI wanted to talk to you today about how to control your spending. This is still something I am working on, it's work.
But you see, in order for us to get out of debt, it took some behavior changes. I had to really become intentional in my spending. That was difficult for me. If that's not something you struggle with, great. But for many, it is.
Read MoreDollar Trees are popping up all over the country and giving larger stores a run for their money. I used to think that it was just a place to buy cheap plastic toys and candy. But the Dollar Tree has stepped up its game!
Read MoreI have seen a lot of coupon blogs talking about the Ibotta app. But I couldn't figure out what the big deal was, until I started saving money on milk and oranges. And by money I mean they give you a cash rebate for these purchases.
Read MoreToday I want to talk to you about priorities. Having a list of where your money is going, of where your spending your hard earned cash, is like a black and white picture of your priorities. Obviously you have to pay your mortgage or your rent. You have to put gas in your car, clothe your kids and feed your family. But where are some places you could cut back.
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Let's face it, diapers are a way of life when you have babies. And they stink. And you have to dispose of them.
The costs of all these things add up. Here comes the diaper pail
So I am forever grateful for my diaper genie
I am cheap. So I decided to hack my Genie and create my own refills for pennies!
What you'll need:
Your diaper genie
A pack of garbage bags - A pack of 28 for $1 at The Dollar Tree
Take out the insert of Diaper Genie bags. Wrap the garbage bag around the insert.
Pull the garbage bag through the hole.
Feed the bag through the Genie!
Toss the rest of the roll of bags in the bottom of the Genie. I also recommend sprinkling a little baking soda in there.
Voila! Pennies!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Meaning, if you click the link and make a purchase I do earn a portion of the purchase. I am not asking you to buy anything, I am just being upfront with you guys.
Our home is filled with hand me downs. The bed my husband and I sleep in, my oldest son's crib, our dining table. The very desk I am sitting at as a type this is a hand me down.
This morning I dressed my children in hand me downs and we went outside to play on hand me down slide.
Read MoreYesterday I shared with all of you our journey to becoming debt free. Today I wanted share with you five things our family does to save money.
These are pretty basic and you are probably already doing them. If not, maybe this will inspire you.
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We threw away half our food last year. We wasted $165 billion. (source) By we I mean the United States.
I am guilty of throwing things out, I shove then in the freezer with good intentions and then months later I toss them in the trash can.
I talk a lot about meal planning here because it saves time and money, but it also reduces waste.
I had been thinking a lot about this last week. I reached my hand into the cupboard to find an empty peanut butter jar. I got frustrated and went throw it out when I realized it wasn't empty. There was still a whole serving in there, I just had to get out my rubber spatula and scrap it out of the jar. Peanut butter is on average $.13 a serving. That $.13 wasn't going to make or break me, but it was principle.
Sometimes saving something isn't about the money we save. It's about being grateful, not being wasteful, being good stewards of our resources and remembering that there is a person in the world for whom two tablespoons of peanut butter is a luxury.
Frugal Debt Free Life is a blog for those looking to get out of debt, stay out of debt, save money and live a more simplistic life style.
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