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Why You Deserve To Relax A Little This Summer

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As a mama that’s gotten pretty great at being frugal, saving money, and generally being quite budget conscious, you may find that you get into a habit with your money. You think twice before you spend, you allocate as much money to become debt-free as possible, and you never, ever waste money. And that’s so refreshing.

Because having a healthy relationship with your money can feel incredible. But at the same time, you do need a break. Sometimes, you get so used to being frugal that you take things too far and next allow yourself a penny to enjoy. This can be just as bad as being extravagant with your money. Now that the summer’s here, you definitely deserve to relax a little more and enjoy your money. And here’s why:

1. You’ll Burn Out

First of all, burnout is real. When you’re trying to keep things together too much, and you’re constantly cutting back, something’s got to give. And what you don’t want to happen here is you to get so stressed out that you just spend too much. Instead, you need to just relax every now and again and enjoy the money that you make from time to time. When you’re constantly trying to save, it’s exhausting, and it can make you feel like you have to go without. So book that vacation or treat yourself, it’s okay when you’re really practically 99.9% of the time.

2. Your Kids Deserve The Break

You have to think about the kids. It’s the summer, and they work hard at school, that’s only fair that they get treated to a day out or two this summer. The best news is that the escape room or the zoo won’t cost you your life savings. It’s okay to have funded activities every once in a while. It’s also a great way to teach your kids about the value of money too.

3. You Can Still Get Great Deals

But relaxing a little bit doesn’t mean that you’re going to throw your money away or go wild. After all, the frugal side of you is still there. So you can always make sure that you get the best deal on everything, and that you’re saving money as you spend to get the best value.

4. Life Will Pass You By

This one sounds like a huge cliche, but it’s still very true. Life is short and you have to enjoy it. Constantly cutting back and keeping money aside for a rainy day isn’t always fun. It’s practical, and a great way to make your money stretch, but you still deserve to live a little and enjoy life. So if you have the money, book your vacation and just enjoy it. Because that’s what life is all about.

5. Everything Will Be Okay

Above all else, you need to realize that it’s okay to spend. You’re not throwing money away, and you won’t struggle. For the summer, you can shift your priorities around and rejig your budget so that you can afford to have a bit more fun. It’s as simple as that.

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Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

This post is sponsored by Glucerna but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

 

Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

For the past year and a half, I have been on a journey to live a healthier, more vibrant life. My main reason for this path of health-mindedness? I am currently living with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, one of the most common hormonal endocrine disorders for women in this country.

Living with PCOS essentially means that the hormones produced in the ovaries aren’t functioning as normal. With this syndrome hormones, our bodies chemical messaging service, regulate all physical responses needed to properly process growth and energy production.

Women are at higher risk for PCOS if they:

  • Have a mother or sister with PCOS.
  • Are obese.
  • Have a family history of heart disease.
  • Have a family history of Type-2 Diabetes.
  • PCOS can be passed down from either your mother’s or father’s side.

Over the past year, I have found a lot of affirming research that proves that PCOS symptoms can be managed by simple, fun, affordable methods at home. Here are my nine favorite personal tips for how I manage the symptoms caused by PCOS.

Researchers have found that one key to living with PCOS is managing insulin levels. Especially when you are also living as a diabetic. A 34-year-old diabetic as I am. As I am. Which means that several times a day I have to test my blood sugar levels, say a little prayer, and hope that all of my dietary, snacking, and lifestyle choices have helped me to stay within a healthy blood sugar range. This is my life several times each day. Because staying on top of my blood glucose levels at home is beyond vital for me.

To keep on top of my blood sugar levels, I test my blood sugar levels with a blood glucose system daily.

I do this by monitoring the foods I consume weekly as past experience has shown me that when I dine on carb-heavy fare my blood sugar levels experience insulin spikes. These spikes lead to changes in hormonal balance, and can greatly affect my PCOS.

To prevent these spikes, I make the conscious effort to limit carbohydrates and refined sugar-based products, such as diet sodas, candy, dried fruits, refined grains, juices, and coffeehouse drinks to between 10-12 grams per day. For me, it’s all about choices.

I also intentionally make time for myself. I make relaxing my mind and body a personal priority. I like to indulge in budget-savvy ways of rejuvenation such as a bubble bath, watching an old movie, devouring a new book, or a great afternoon snack.

(Please note that while these tips work with me, it’s important to discuss your meal plan with your healthcare provider if you are pre-diabetic or have diabetes.)

Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

Some of my favorite on-the-go snack options are 1/4 cup hummus with raw cucumber, a sliced apple with 2 tablespoons almond butter, or a chilled Glucerna® shake.

Glucerna® shakes help me manage my hunger with CARBSTEADY®, a delicious way to safely include digestible carbohydrates designed to minimize my nighttime blood sugar spikes.

Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

I like having choices and variety in my evening snacks. Just making sure to choose better, smarter meal or snacks each evening. Which is why I opt for Glucerna® Shakes, in both yummy chocolate and vanilla, gives me great, daily snacking options. Because each shake is a total protein powerhouse as each shake contains 15 grams of protein, only 6 grams of sugars, and 1 carb choice per bottle.

Another bonus? Glucerna® Shakes are specially designed for people with diabetes. With these awesome shakes, I know that I can indulge my nighttime sweet-tooth while opting for healthier snacking options that will in no way undermining my daily blood sugar monitoring success.

Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

What’s even better? Not only do these shakes have 50% more protein than leading weight loss shakes, but they contain 66% less sugar, making them a very smart choice to easily manage food cravings. They are also conveniently located in the diabetic section at my local neighborhood Walmart Supercenter store.

Now when I really want to indulge in a really luxurious treat I have other options as well. I use the Glucerna® Shakes to make a cool, creamy Strawberry, Peanut Butter & Chocolate smoothie treat!

To make this smoothie I simply blend up the following, per serving:

1 cup frozen strawberries
1 Glucerna® Chocolate Shake
2 squares of good dark chocolate
1 dollop of dairy-free, sugar-free whipped cream

Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

As you can see, these Glucerna® Shake smoothies are scrumptious and are one of my favorite treats!

No matter how you serve Glucerna® shakes they are out of this world! But what I really love about these shakes, are that they help enrich my diet with a good source of digestive supporting fiber and 25 additional vitamins and minerals. Because in the end, its all about everyday progress when it comes to managing pre-diabetic and PCOS symptoms at home!

This season, you’ve got to check out these awesome snack options the next time you are in-store at Walmart Super Centers, right in the Diabetic supplies aisle. And check out iBotta this month for new money-saving rebate offers on Glucerna as well!

So, friends, do you have PCOS or diabetic symptoms that you daily manage? Have you ever tried Glucerna® shakes? Do you have any tips for living with PCOS symptoms? I’d love to hear about it!

Healthy PCOS Living Tips with Glucerna

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7 Ways To Increase Your Savings in 2018

Please note, this post has been sponsored by MyMazuma.com. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you.

 

7 Ways To Increase & Perfect Your Savings Goals in 2018

Its hard to believe that we are in the midst of the second quarter of the year. But despite the turning pages of the calendar, there’s still plenty of time to how to for us all to save money on the biggest expenses in your budget and increase our overall savings at home. 

While most people want to improve their personal finances, but don’t know how to achieve their goals. Especially during the wanderlust of the Spring. A time when it’s easy to get sidetracked all the beautiful things one can buy for their homes during the warmer seasons of the year. 

For me, the key to making a meaningful financial improvement each season is to focus on the process and the things I can control.

Here are some steps anyone can easily take to improve their financial well-being in 2018.

7 Ways To Increase & Perfect Your Savings Goals in 2018

1. Increase Your Savings Goal

When it comes to savings, bigger is always better. Whether you’re saving for your first home or for retirement, you can never have too much in your savings account. But funding those accounts can be tricky which is why increasing your savings rate can not only improve your financial health but give you more money to funnel toward your overall savings goals.

There are several ways to accomplish this goal. First, you need to know exactly how much you were able to save last year. Then you will need to create a workable savings goal higher than your previous year’s savings.

Second, you need to determine how you will be able to fund your account. Starting with work-related contributions. If you aren’t contributing the maximum amount to your company-sponsored retirement plan, such as a 401(k), then simply increase your percentage contribution to the plan.

If you are already maxing out your company-sponsored retirement plan, consider starting an IRA, Roth, taxable savings account, or investment account. 

Additionally, you may be able to fund your savings goals by adjusting your withholdings from your paychecks at work, using a tax return, cashing in your initial emergency fund should you have more long-term savings account to date, or Spring cleaning your home and liquidating unused household items into cash savings. 

No matter how you fund your goals, seek out several means to fund your overall savings goals. Preventing the age-old dilemma of placing all your eggs in one proverbial savings basket. 

2. Regularly Track Your Spending

Once you have a small, obtainable savings goal in mind you then need to figure out ways to track your spending habits to help you meet your savings goals moving forward. With the easiest way to track your ongoing spending is to link online sites or apps such as EveryDollar or Mint.

Free services that allow you to track your spending on credit cards, bank accounts, and to have a visual reminder of your savings goals and slush funds each season as well. 

Then after tracking your spending on your platform of choice for a season’s time, you will have enough data to determine your typical spending habits. 

Understanding your spending habits will make it easier for you to plan for future financial goals. Including planning for retirement, saving for your children’s college funds, or making lifestyle changes such as transitioning to working from home or relocating your family. 

Then, once you have tracked your spending habits you can create a working spending plan and, of course, reevaluate your savings goals accordingly.

3. Automate Your Bills, Utilities, and Donations

One of the greatest financial decisions I’ve ever made was to put my finances on autopilot. Because putting your savings, bills, and investment accounts on autopilot can greatly simplify your bill paying and exponentially increase your overall savings goals.

Starting with your checking and savings accounts. Have your workplace payroll department direct deposit a portion of each paycheck directly to your accounts. Making sure to put extra funding into your investment accounts.

If you are free of all high-interest consumer debt also direct deposit funds into separate savings account to fund yourself. Afterall, if you’re not paying yourself, what’s it all for? 

Next, focus on your bills. I challenge you to find a bill that can’t be paid automatically. Everything can be paid online in an automated fashion. Including credit cards, mortgages, utilities, memberships, tuition payments, union dues, subscriptions, charitable donations, and even tithing. 

Once you have your savings and bills on autopilot, you’ll need to set up automatic investing. By making your investment deposits automated, you commit to reaching your goals in an easy, practical way. You’ll also be able to avoid the trap of trying to self-track the market each season.

4. Post your financial goals

One of the best ways of seeing your financial goals come to fruition is to publically set clean, obtainable goals.

For me as a blogger and YouTuber, I like to post about my goals for the year as well as to record update videos. For some, this might be having weekly meetings with your spouse or partner to discuss your financial future.

For others simply writing down your goals and sticking them on the fridge, pin board, or in your bullet journal can help to give you the accountability you need to make your financial goals come to life. 

No matter how you post your goals, first things first: You have to start by writing down your financial goals. 

And no, stating you want to be rich or successful as a start-up doesn’t count. You need accurate, obtainable goals. Such as, in 2018 I want to save $10,000.00. I’ll fund this goal by taking on overtime hours at work as I am able to do so, selling my second vehicle, and by skipping buying out lunches or coffee at work. Now, that’s a specific, well-formulated financial goal! 

Financial goals need to focus on 3 key terms: Time, funding, and accessibility. Without these 3 factors, it likely won’t stick! Which is why writing down a goal with an estimated date and expected cost dramatically increases your likelihood of success and helps you understand the which financial steps are most important to you and your family.

If you are stuck on creating your ongoing financial goals, match it against these questions:

  • Why is this goal important to me?
  • How much have I already saved?
  • How much can I set aside each month to fund this goal?

Answering each of these questions will give you a clear plan of action to tackle your goals. Because no matter your money goals, posting your goals will help you gain and maintain your financial footing for the remainder of  2018.

5. Reassess Your Budget

If you’re looking to increase your overall savings this year, you’ll need far more than simply cutting out lattes and lunch. Because according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 
Americans spend almost 70% of their money on housing, groceries, and transportation.

Which makes reassessing your budget each season a true necessity. Making sure to redline your budget, looking for splurges disguised as essential spending. Expenditures that are more fluff than factual. Items that may be cutting into your savings goals at home.

The bigger the budget or a slush fund, the more time you should spend there evaluating your progress. Because chances are you’ll be able to locate found money that can help you fund your short and long-term savings goals. 

Listen, you should be able to enjoy a latte every now and again. Afterall, treating yourself may very well be part of your self-care plan and can even be tied to emotions and experiences of your youth.

By making a concerted effort in cutting your big expenses, such as your housing and transportation budgets, can help you create working funds that will allow you to meet your savings goals and fund those delicious lattes you’ve been craving. And that’s something worth getting out of bed for!

6. Meal Planning

Meal planning for me is a way of life. And its something that has saved my family thousands of dollars each year. In fact, I have a meal planning mantra which is as follows: From the plan to the pan.

Without fail, I meal plan each week. I also know myself and it’s hard for me to limit dining out one meal each week. Because the more I dine out and get accustomed to all those carb-heavy favorites the more I crave them. 

Instead, I try to make meal planning at home fun. I love theme nights. Small meals that can become occasions including Meatless Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Wild Rice Wednesday (dishes that are served with rice, Thai Thursdays, Fruity Fridays (foods with a citrus twist), Salad Saturdays, and Serve-Yourself Sundays. 

I also find that meal planning helps me curve impulse buying in-store. To curb excessive grocery spending I plan my meals first by accessing my food budget (which is $65.00/week for our family of 3). I then check to see what pantry staples, deep freezer finds, and produce I have on-hand and using those finds base my weekly meals.

Meal planning has also allowed me to cut my food budget by 2/3 and to still eat healthy, organic, plant-based meals every day of the week. Last year alone, meal planning saved my family over $3,500.00. Funds that were used to fund ongoing savings goals at home. 

7. I educate myself on financial matters weekly

Like with seasons, financial climates frequently change. As do my own personal money-related questions. With my financial literacy needs changing throughout my lifetime.

For example, in my 20’s I needed to know things like: What’s a good credit score? How do car loans work? Have I saved enough for retirement? In my early 30’s I’ve needed to know about rates for mortgages and how to invest for retirement?

While my age and financial needs have changed, what doesn’t change is the need for clear, trustworthy resources to help answer those questions. Because the difference between knowing what to do and not to do, in terms of financial literacy, can equal up to a whole lot of money!

I set aside one hour per week to up my financial literacy game. Time blocking a portion of my week to reading online resources that help keep my savings goals focused. With my go-to site for learning about financial matters being MyMazuma.com. A site that helps consumers, moms and frugal savvy gals like myself understand money matters and make better financial decisions.

By providing financial education opportunities from trusted fiscal advisors, viewers are given an easy-to-navigate, one-stop-shop for all your financial literacy needs. Readers will find resources that are not only relevant to their level of money knowledge but to the decisions, they make every day.

Using 3 stages of financial education, financial literacy, fluency, and mastery, consumers are given a well-rounded means to achieving the financial education you seek at home. I cannot say enough great things about the site and I encourage you to check out MyMazuma. I’m sure it will become your favorite online resource for Financial Education too! 

So, friends, those are my 7 favorite tips to help you increase your savings in 2018. Suggestions that will help you take your savings goals to the next level! Now I want to ask, do you currently have any new savings goals in mind? Or do you currently use any financial literacy services to help you meet those savings goals? Share your goal-setting strategies below! 

7 Ways To Increase & Perfect Your Savings Goals in 2018

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5 Ways to Save When Buying Your Next Home

Please note, this post is sponsored by Diamond Links. Thank you.

It’s official, 2020 is almost over. But before the holiday season, other important goals must be met. Including moving to your next apartment, and giving your new space an intense clean. Personally, I love the idea of cleaning up many facets of my life each Spring season. And not just the proverbial sprucing up of the interior of my home but the location of my home too!

Fall is arguably the best season when it comes to the new rentals this season. And I should know. As all of my best leasing opportunities have always occurred during the Fall of the year. 

So if you too have the wanderlust for a new local, here are 5 ways to maximize your chances of moving into your new home:

gray steel 3-door refrigerator near modular kitchen

1. Be decisive

With so much economic upheaval the nation over, apartment space is at a premium. Making this a landlord’s market, for sure. But just because it’s a seller’s market doesn’t mean renters are seeking to wait exasperatingly long periods of time to entertain applicant selection this season. 

It’s also a buyers market. Which is why many homeowners are preferring to rent and not sell properties. Making them more likely to offer amenities, utility inclusion, application fee waiving, and even impromptu showings. As for cleaning, schedule disruption, and child and pet care arrangements that need to be made to accommodate potential renters.

Making it essential to be properly prepared to rent your next space this season. Including a copy of your credit report, explanations for a previous apartment/leasing-related offenses, pet disclosures, application fee money orders, and having your first and last month’s rent on-hand. Fall is not the season for hesitating when it comes to making housing offers. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold.

2. Inventory can be an issue

When it comes to renting your next space, timing is key. As the most coveted leasing properties, in the best of neighborhoods and school districts, have been on a decline since 2016 and the trend will continue this season. According to Zillow, rentable inventory declined by 10.5% in the past 12 months. 

With fewer homes being available for rental, now is the season to reassess your actual square footage needs. Gone are the days of living in McMansions and ethical, smaller footprint homes are all the rage. Which makes knowing how large a home you actually need a great asset to buyers as smaller homes will be easier to acquire at an affordable price than homes larger than 2,000 square feet in size according to Zumper and Apartments.com.

Consider that the costs of labor and millage continue to climb in the United States. Leaving landlords and leasing agents to raise the price of the home to cover the costs of land, skilled labor, building material, lack of buildable space, and density rates. This means that buyers can save money by opting to rent already constructed homes this Fall. 

2. Prepare for disappointment

In a competitive market, it’s likely that there will be several applicants for each rentable space. With bidding wars becoming the new norm for many renters. Because unless you’re an applicant with impeccable credit and renting history, you face the very real possibility of not securing your rental of choice.

One way to lessen the blow of renters’ disappointment? Accept beforehand that this may be your renter’s outcome. It’s tough when you’ve fallen in love with a location, but it happens. Always be realistic about renting. As what you love about a particular apartment is also likely to also beloved by dozens of other prospective renters as well.

3. Know your budget

The best way to prevent the apartment of your dreams from slipping away is to be able to build strong offers for leasing agents.

Generally speaking, you should allocate no more than 30% of your gross monthly income. So, if you gross $5,000 per month, the max you should be paying for housing costs, including rent, is $1,500.

Knowing the exact amount of wiggle room in your budget will allow you to avoid having your budget-tight low-ball immediately rejected in this seller’s market. Because with multiple rental applications potentially on the table, agents and landlords are less inclined to play games with renters. Sometimes you just have to leverage your dream against your instinct to frugally haggle your way to your next home.

4. Be realistic

If there was ever a time to be financially realistic, it’s during a pandemic. Again, national home prices have climbed for 23 consecutive months. And the trend of high-value property rentals will also continue. Experts say prices will continue to increase in 2021. For some people, the uncertainty of the current market combined with rising prices may make renting more prudent in your area than buying. Knowing your personal rent versus buy equation could tilt toward renting in costly markets. Making you a more sought-after renter. 

5. Get Pre-Approved

Because landlords live in the real world they know the world is full of unknowns, and have no idea about your income, credit score, or debt to income ratio. In this seller’s market, being a pre-approved renter, by way of your individual leasing agent’s requirements, will give you a leg-up in renting your next property. Reassure agents that you are are a qualified, serious renter.

All-in-all, remember that Fall is kicking up its heels making now the perfect time to start figuring out how you can best afford to buy your next home this season! But if you follow the tips outlined above, the only thing you’ll have to worry about when summer comes are tan lines and garden gatherings.

Now, friends, I want to ask, are you looking to relocate or rent your next home this season? Share your journey below! 

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7 Ways You Can Better Afford To Be a SAHM

7 Ways You Can Afford To Be a SAHM

I remember the day I decided to stay home with my family as if it were yesterday. After receiving a call from my grandmother’s neurologist informing me of her early onset dementia diagnosis, coupled with also being 5 months pregnant with my first pregnancy, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay in my work position.

I recall looking around my office and thinking, I need to go home. For good. 

While I had contemplated what my life would look like post-maternity leave I had never considered life as anything other than a woman on the fast track to eventually making a partner at work. 

But within a week of that fateful phone call, I was packing up my workstation and transitioning to working from home.

Within the next 9 months, I would find myself working full-time from home. For nearly half my original pay. Which was one of my greatest fears of all time- How will I be able to afford to become a stay-at-home wife, mother, and caretaker?

Because whether you’re pregnant and considering staying at home with your new baby, have small children, or are the caretaker of your baby-boomer parent, questions of finances will inevitably arise. 

How will we make it work financially? Can I continue to afford my grandmother’s medical expenses? Will I be able to maintain my own retirement funding and health insurance? What will the quality of my life look like if I’m no longer working outside the home? Questions I simply did not have the answers to. 

Regardless of my interpretations, I did it. I left the corporate fast-track, taking a self-imposed demotion, and transitioned to becoming a work-at-home mother too!

Before I go on I want to publicly state that I was incredibly lucky to be able to make this choice. As not everyone can afford to do so. Especially if your spouse’s income won’t cover your expenses each month at home. I was able to do so because I had a perfect storm of conditions going my way.

I was able to leverage my education, work experience, and time previously vested in my company to broker a deal with my employers to work from home. A negotiation that allowed me to not only work from home but to schedule my own hours and moonlight as needed. With the knowledge that I would never be able to reenter the workforce or make partners at my firm moving forward. 

I also had my husband’s full-time income to rely on. As an educator for nearly a decade at the time, he stepped into the role of understanding breadwinner, insurance provider, and retirement matcher, with grace and precision. And without his support, I would have never been able to work from home. 

I’m not going to lie, it was the hardest transition of my life. It was also one of the most rewarding moments of my life. Both in terms of personal growth and the even more important tasks of overhead and affordability.

With that sentiment in mind, I want to share with you 7 steps that helped me to transition to working from home that can help you get started on your own transition too:

7 Ways You Can Afford To Be a SAHM

1. Make a Plan

The moment I knew I wanted to stay home with my family I started making a transition plan. Because we were in debt, I knew that if I wanted to stay at home, I had to work from home to make the transition work financially.

For three years, I worked from home for my former employer in addition to taking on freelance writing assignments, blogger gigs, and even a shortlived MLM Scentsy opportunity. Then by the time my family was debt-free, I was ready to work from home on my own terms.

Keep in mind, you and your family might have a different timeline and variables to consider. Some of you will not have to work from home because your spouse can financially support your family. For others, simply cutting back on some basic expenses will allow enough wiggle room in the budget to make it work.

If you know you want to stay home with your child, I would advise you to start planning as soon as you’re ready to grow your family or step into the role of caretaker. If you know you want to have children in the near future, sit down with your partner to discuss how much money is ideal.

Talk about your variables. Where you will live, what schools your child will attend, your future career and mothering goals, and how these goals will impact your finances in the next year and beyond.

Discussing all financial matters and doing the mental math will help you brainstorm ways to make working from home feasible- Whether it’s having a certain amount of money stashed away in a slush fund or building a side business to a timed level. 

Because whether you’re ready to start a family or not, having babies takes time and money. And having a workable financial plan in place before you’re pregnant and throughout your pregnancy will help you to find a way to quit your job and stay home with your baby for the long haul.

2. Set Up an Emergency Fund

Once you have an exit strategy in place you need to commit to setting up an emergency fund at home.

Setting aside emergency cash is a great way to prepare for unexpected expenses down the road. Because when your family depends on one income, an emergency fund is essential for helping your family avoid debt or falling behind on your bills.

The way my family started our emergency fund was by Spring cleaning and decluttering our home. We were able to sell excess items online on Facebook local sites, eBay, and Craigslist. For items that could not be sold, we donated to a local charity shop in exchange for tax receipts to help us with our state income taxes for the following few years. 

Not only did decluttering help us jumpstart our emergency fund but it helped our family establish a working relationship with the various aspects of simplified living and helped cement our beliefs in minimalist living for years to come.

3. Pay Off Debt

Saving money is important but paying off debt should be high on your list, too. The more debt you pay off, the more wiggle room you will have in your budget. Which is especially important when transitioning to becoming a one-income family. 

You can pay off debt using many different methods, so choose the one that works best for your family. My family used the Dave Ramsey snowball method to pay off close to $75,000 in medical, consumer, and student loan debt.

We found the snowball method most useful to us because we are equally emotional and mathematical in our finances. And each time we paid off a small debt it motivated us to pay off the next debt each time. 

Moreover, we were able to become debt-free because I committed to earning $1,000.00 or more per month while working from home in addition to my salaried position. I found numerous side hustles along the way to help me pay off the last of our family debts. Everything from painting murals, to opening an ETSY shop, to selling second-hand books on eBay. I found ways to meet my goals.

Keep in mind, while it’s ideal to be debt-free when transitioning to working from or at home, you don’t have to pay off every one of your debts before you become a stay-at-home parent.  But do consider paying off a few smaller debts that can free up a few hundred dollars a month. As this could mean the difference between successfully being able to afford to stay at home or having to maintain at-home work positions too!

It’s also important to try not to take on any new debt. For our family, this meant buying new-to-us vehicles with cash, buying refurbished consumer electronics, and not going on family vacations for five years. These trade-offs helped me be able to be a stay-at-home parent and caretaker. 

4. Create a Working Budget

When we were in the process of becoming debt-free we maintained a working budget at home. A financial spending plan centered around only my husband’s contracted take-home salary each year. All extra funds initially went towards paying down debt, which was later used to fund my personal retirement accounts and health care costs. 

To accomplish this, my husband and I sat down and devised a plan for our family to be able to thrive on that single income.

With pen and paper, we painstakingly devised a line item budget that allocated every dollar of every single income source into specific budgetary categories, including housing, insurance, groceries, entertainment, car maintenance, and pet care. Funding each category by maintaining a cash envelope system for each of the before-mentioned items.

For our budget, we utilized the 60/20/20 method, with 60% allocated for essentials, utilities, insurance, and tithing, 20% for short-term and retirement savings, and 20% for personal use including groceries, clothing, and entertainment. While this method worked well for us, do your own research and find a budgeting system that works best for you.

Then, take a season to test your new budget. Preferably before you quit your job. Even if you don’t have to stick to that single salary, pretend as if you do. 

And if your bills are still too high, it’s time to start cutting expenses. For our family, this included replacing our cable service and downsizing to one vehicle at home. 

5. Consider Working From Home

As I mentioned before, the main reason I was able to stay at home with my family is that I continued to work from home from my previous position while building several digital ventures on the side. Including blogging with various digital marketing agencies, freelance writing businesses, and my ETSY shop. All of which helped supplement our total income. Plus, working from home gave me a way to stay active in the business field, just on my own terms.

There are so many opportunities that exist for stay-at-home parents. Whether you find a work-from-home job or start your own business, find what works for you. 

6. Look at your grocery receipts

One of the best ways I found to increase my saving at home when I wanted to transition from work was to streamline my grocery budget.

In the past, I would buy things without a grocery list. Purchasing items because they were new or on sale. There were weeks I was spending $150 or more for essentially little food. Plus we were eating out three times a week beyond that! 

I curtailed this spending by always having a grocery list with me at the store. I also started strictly sticking to a weekly meal planning and meal prep schedule. Which included, without fail, leftovers for lunches and everyone eating what was planned for dinner. Little people and fuzzies included. We also started cooking at home each night and transitioning to a plant-based diet. Saving our family hundreds each month.

I also stopped using all paper and digital coupons and started solely utilizing digital rebate apps, such as iBotta, when grocery shopping. While we don’t buy many processed food options, we still save quite a bit with just that one app. In fact, I generally earn enough on iBotta to fund my family’s 4-Gift Christmas each holiday season at home! I also utilize receipt scanning apps that give us a portion of our food budget back when we scan our current week’s grocery receipts. 

Finally, we started composting our food scraps to help save on Spring gardening costs and transitioning to zero-waste living. Replacing paper towels alone with reusable kitchen towels helped save us over $30.00 each month alone! All measures continue to save us to this day! 

7. Stop trying to keep up with the Joneses

Arguably one of the hardest steps in transitioning to working and staying at home was having to stop trying to keep up with the Joneses.

This included impulse buying. For me, this meant not shopping at Target for over a year. Because for me it was a money trap. Each week I walked through that store saying, “I need this” or “It’s 80% off!” and before you know it, I’d spent $100.00 dollars on non-essentials. Then the next week? I had a standing date to do it all over again. 

Now I only go about twice a year and try to keep the spending there to a minimum. Because let’s face it. I’d buy all the things if left to my own devices. And you know you would too!

Maybe Target isn’t your jam. But I bet there is at least one store in your queue that you spend a ton of money at that you don’t need to. I highly recommend not shopping there as often, when shopping using a cash budget, deleting their store app from your devices, and unsubscribing to their inbox advertisements. Whatever helps you to cut spending in-store!

I also had to get super real with myself. Finding ways to let go of the fear of missing out and letting things go. Including downsizing our home. 

This was a hard thing for us to do. We formed an attachment to our home. Loving our 3,500-square-foot home with its massive mortgage payment to boot. But with working from home, living in that home simply didn’t make sense for us while transitioning to one income at home and working to become debt-free.

We downsized our home to a more affordable 2,500-square-foot home. Allowing us to not only save money but personal time too. With a smaller home to maintain, I reclaimed hours a week previously spent cleaning and maintaining our home each weekend. Giving my husband and me back enough time for a much-needed at-home date night each week! 

All-in-all, no matter if you end up staying home or continuing to work, either away from home or at home, looking over your finances is always the best place to start. 

Because in the end if you are wanting to stay home and your spouse is on the same page, you’ll be able to find a way to make it work. If that’s your dream, there’s a way to make it happen. Now I want to ask, are you a SAHM or WAHM? What helped you be able to stay home financially? Share your story below. And do you know friends who are looking to make this transition, pin this post!

7 Ways You Can Afford To Be a SAHM
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Stop! Your Lifestyle Is Ruining Your Back!

Sure, you’re doing your best to live a lifestyle that’s both healthy and thrifty. You’re trying to ensure that your body is well looked after, exercised and nourished without it costing a fortune and disrupting your carefully planned family budget but are you really putting your back into it?

Most of us consider our lifestyle healthy (and for the most part, we’re right) but many of us are neglecting one seriously important part of our health, and that’s the health of our spine. Like any other body part, most of us take it for granted and only pay it any attention when it’s not working quite so well as it should.

Of course, like any part of our body, we can only expect it to continue to function properly as we get older by taking good care of it. The trouble is that our increasingly sedentary lifestyle makes us put our spine under pressure that it hasn’t evolved to cope with. Neglecting your back can lead not only to limited flexibility but to a range of serious health conditions.

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Serious health conditions? Spine-health can’t be that important, can it?

You bet it can! Let’s start with the obvious. Your spine is responsible for most of the mobility that we take for granted. We use it every time we do something that involves bending or twisting your body. Without a healthy spine, we can’t function. It’s really that simple.

We can’t run, lift weights at the gym or even reach over to the coffee table to pick up our phone when it rings. Neglecting your spine could lead to serious mobility problems even with the simple activities like sitting and walking that we rely on every day.

The spine is also the core of your central nervous system. It’s responsible for sending electrical impulses all over your body from your brain. Living a modern lifestyle can cause us to impede these impulses which could lead to a lack of sensation or even paralysis.

Your spine also runs parallel to your esophagus. Damage to your spinal column can press against your esophagus, or even puncture it, impeding your ability to swallow food and water.   

Even if you exercise regularly and eat relatively well (the standard by which we measure a healthy lifestyle today), the truth is that years and years of little things like incorrect lifting technique at the gym or using heavy tools incorrectly at work can slowly but surely lead to deterioration of the spinal column, wearing away at the spinal discs and joints, leading over time to degenerative diseases.

Every day our lifestyle leads us to bad habits that cause us to do our spines more and more harm. Fortunately, fixing these matters needn’t cost a fortune or involve a complete lifestyle change.

The power of posture

There’s a reason when we’re growing up our parents and teachers keep telling us to stand up straight. It’s not just because it makes us look slovenly, it’s because bad posture can lead to a huge range of health problems. It can lead to headaches, neck pain, back and shoulder pain, and even impeded lung and digestive function.

Correcting your posture takes constant diligence but the health benefits don’t take long to present themselves. Check out this guide for some everyday hints that can help you to correct your posture.

At work

Whatever your job and career aspirations, you likely spend a lot of your day sitting. You sit in your car or on the bus or train to work. You spend 8-10 hours a day sitting at your desk while at work, you sit again on the way back home and when you get home, it’s time for another sit.

The trouble is that sitting is not a configuration that our bodies have evolved to spend long periods of time in. Given that we spend around 8-12 hours a day at work (predominantly sitting) before sitting for a little longer at home. At work we’re not only sitting, we’re leaning forward to peer at the screen.

This puts a lot of pressure on our spine not to mention our vital organs. It’s no hyperbole to say that too much sitting can kill you, even if you exercise regularly. If your job requires a lot of sitting, build opportunities into your day to get up and move.

Every 30 minutes go over to grab a glass of water or check something with a colleague. It will take just a few minutes but could do a world of good for your health.

At home

Aside from yet more sitting there are other ways in which we don’t do our spines any favors at home. When we shop for a sofa we tend to go for the most comfortable option, little knowing that comfy sofas can cause back pain.

As important as our sofa is our bed is even more important. Even in a thrifty household, your mattress is not an area in which you should be a penny pincher. The wrong mattress can be disastrous to your health in all sorts of ways. It can prevent you from getting enough sleep and lead to back and neck pain that leads to more serious issues.

Your mattress should be replaced every 10 years. If you’re in the market for a new mattress don’t waste money on an uncomfortable cage sprung mattress. A hybrid mattress is great for spine health and a restful night’s sleep. What are hybrid mattresses? It’s a pocket sprung base interspersed and topped with memory foam. This gives you the perfect balance between comfort and support.

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At the gym

Whether we’re aware of it or not we put our spinal health at risk when at the gym, particularly when lifting weights, many of us neglect the all-important warm up and cool down to protect our joints and the muscle tissue surrounding them.

Never sacrifice technique for weight as lifting heavier weights with incorrect technique not only compromises your goals in the long term but can lead to inadvertent back injury.

Vigilance and the fixing of a few bad habits are a small price to pay for a healthy and supple back!

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Save Time And Money With These Simple Tips

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Two of the biggest things we have to deal with as we grow into adult life and saving money and saving time. As we grow into adulthood it seems like our lives suddenly become twice as busy and twice as expensive.

It can be difficult for young people transitioning into adulthood to cope with the amount of money they have to spend each month and not to go completely crazy. However, if this year you want some help with saving money without having to put too much time into it, here are some ideas.

Remind Yourself

Honestly, one the simplest ways you can save yourself some time and aggro with your bills is to remind yourself to pay them. All you need to do is put a reminder on your phone to either tackle your bills, forward my mailbox or to even put a certain amount into your savings account. It will only take you a minute if you have a banking all on your phone, and it will be so much less stressful.

No more waste

One of the ways that too many of us end up losing money is by throwing food away. Often we will either make up a large portion of food and not be able to finish it, or you might simply not plan out your meals well enough during the week.

The key to saving food is by freezing it. If you want to make a curry or a big batch meal, make sure you put the extra portions in the freezer right away and don’t leave it for too long in the fridge. It means that you won’t waste food and you can simply defrost and reheat the meal in the evening when you want it.

Also, remember that when looking at fresh produce- the dates don’t mean a thing. Don’t throw away your lettuce because it is a day out of date, instead, look at the lettuce and you will see whether it is rotten or not. Thinking in this way will make a big difference to the amount of food you save and in turn, the money.

Be smart about clothes

When the new season reigns in it can be all too tempting to reach for the sales and buy a ton of new tops and dresses for it, but this is exactly where you are wasting money and your time too.

Instead, think about your clothes like an investment and only buy things which you absolutely love. Make sure you buy items which are good quality because they will last much longer and they won’t go out of style!

Laundry

Make sure that you never do a wash just for the sake of it. At the end of the week, make the time to do all of your washes at once and then hang them in the garden or the radiators rather than using the dryer. Your dryer uses up a lot of energy and money, and it sometimes takes longer to dry clothes than if you have them outside!

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