Search Results for: blog around the house ways to save money

Look Around: How is the Economy Doing?

Sometimes, in order to gauge the state of the economy, you just have to look around. I check the news reports often, and am intrigued by reports about trends that will affect how my family spends and saves. For example, when there were problems with the peanut crop, I made sure to stock up on peanut butter, a staple in my household. I also like to look around at what is happening locally, in my neighborhood and community. Houses seem to be selling better than they have in a long time, and this is good. Fewer abandoned properties and homes … Continue reading →

Low Cost Ways to Party

We are planning to have a birthday party for my youngest son at our house in less than a month. We are in the middle of some chaos at the house (nothing new), so we have our work cut out for us to get everything ready. If money was no option, we might just hire things out, but as it is, we are opting for low-cost or no-cost ways to get it all done. Here are the ideas I am batting around today, as we start to make our plans. Cleaning in Pieces In the last few weeks, we have … Continue reading →

More Ways to Save at Theme Parks

Treating the family to a day at a theme park can put a huge strain on your household budget.  In some cases, paying for two adults and two children to enter, eat, drink and play some games at a reputable amusement park can total more than a month’s worth of groceries, utilities or gas. If you are pinching pennies, but still want to enjoy a fabulous summer day at a major theme park, consider taking advantage of these discounts: GROUP RATES Many theme parks around the country offer huge savings for guests visiting in groups, including companies, schools, religious organizations, … Continue reading →

Fun and Easy Ways to Go Green

Earth Day 2013 is less than a week away.  How are you planning to celebrate? Fortunately, you don’t have to spend a lot of green to go green.  All you need is a little time and some motivation to recycle what you already own.  By repurposing materials you would otherwise toss in the trash, you are not only saving money and showing your kids simple ways to save the planet, but you’re also giving them an outlet to showcase their creative energy. Placemats:  Rather than spend cash on everyday placemats, consider making your own with poster board, old magazines and … Continue reading →

Ways to Stretch Your Vacation Dollar

With spring break travel peaking and the busy summer vacation season right around the corner, now is the time to learn how to stretch your travel dollar.  The following tips don’t require a ton of effort to execute.  What’s more, once you realize how easy it is to save on travel-related expenses, you may be inspired to find a few more frugal ways to keep from going into debt during your family getaway. Timing is key:  Do a little research before you hit the road on a family vacation.  Airfare and hotel rates can jump sky high when traveling during … Continue reading →

Are You Shopping at the Right Grocery Store? Four Steps to Save 20 Percent or More

Choosing the right grocery store can save you 20 percent or more on groceries before using coupons. If you were buying a big ticket item, such as a television or a new washer and dryer, you would do some research and shop around, right? Since food tends to be the biggest general family expense after housing, it just makes sense to do your research before you step foot in your grocery store. Just spending $225 a week on your groceries, adds up to almost $12,000 a year!Imagine shaving close to $2,400 off of that total food bill, doing nothing other … Continue reading →

Affordable Ways to Combat the Winter Blues

So much for my New Year’s resolution. I’ve been consuming carbs at a frightening pace while battling severe allergies. Truthfully, I doubt the two are correlated.  Rather, I am blaming the wicked winter weather.   I’d bet a hundred bucks I wouldn’t be tempted to gorge on donuts, French toast and cinnamon buns if I were basking on a beach right now… in a bikini. Winter is brutal here in the Upper Midwest, which is why so many people suffer with seasonal doldrums.  The winter blues can strike family members of all ages, including children.  Consequently, it’s a good idea to … Continue reading →

Help Kids to Save with a Fun Fund

As adults, we often think of saving as something necessary and the responsible thing to do. We save up for things such as a new furnace or braces for one of the kids. Once in a while we will also save for something fun, such as a family vacation, but we often go about it with our usual boring adult selves–we plan, we save, we move money to a vacation account. These techniques, the ones we have learned over the years and now practice, however, don’t usually work with kids. For them, saving has to be visual and fun. Help … Continue reading →

New Year’s Eve Money Savers

Welcoming 2013 is cause for celebration.  However, if you plan to party with a house full of parents and children, a New Year’s Eve shindig has the potential to put huge dent in your wallet. Fortunately, there are ways you can preserve your family’s budget, so that you don’t start 2013 in a financial pit: Fancy Cup Tags:  Fancy doesn’t have to mean expensive.  One way to reduce the amount of money you spend on cups for a New Year’s party is to attach a pretty tag to each one.  Doing so will identify the cup’s owner and eliminate the … Continue reading →

Raising Money Savvy Children

Logan and I went to the dollar store tonight. Originally this was just to pick out some Christmas presents for some dear friends of ours, but when Grandpa heard where we were going he couldn’t resist giving Logan a few dollars of his own to spend while we were there. Logan of course was very excited to get to pick some things out, but more importantly it provided a perfect opportunity to teach him a mini lesson on some rather important topics in today’s society. While he is only four, he was able to understand that two dollars can only … Continue reading →