by Kati | Oct 7, 2019 | Debt
Many factors play a big role in your credit score including your debt ratio. When it comes to your finances, your debt ratio can ruin even the best financial situation. It can ruin even more than that. Your debt ratio will not just affect your ability to spend, but it...
by Kati | Oct 6, 2019 | Budgeting, Meal Planning
Budget meal planning for families can be a challenge. Convenience foods loaded with empty calories and extra fats are so tempting to feed our families in the chaos of a hectic schedule. Yes, prepackaged foods are convenient, but we know deep down they are not good for...
by Kati | Oct 4, 2019 | Spend Less
It’s so important to build an emergency food supply kit, let me tell you why. When my cousin was getting married in 1998 we flew out to Nashville for the wedding. Little did I know that there were a bunch of tornadoes in the area. Yikes! The pilot safely landed the...
by Kati Kiefer | Oct 4, 2019 | Spend Less
It may seem like an impossible task to organize a home and keep it organized. Though it would be ideal to invest in the perfect “Pinterest worthy” organizational contraption, it is not always financially reasonable. I'm looking for cheap storage. Luckily...
by Kati | Oct 4, 2019 | Freebies, Spend Less
Last year, I was using the now retired Fuelperks app to regularly get cheap gas and a free tank about once every six months. When the Fuelperks program ended, I needed to research new options to continue saving on my fuel costs and how to get cheap gas. Much to my...
by Kati | Oct 3, 2019 | Spend Less
Is your milk about to expire? If you don't know how to use it up, start by making yourself a bath with this Soothing Milk Bath Recipe! While we sometimes can go through a gallon of milk in a day, there are days when we won't finish a whole gallon and it just sits...
by Kati Kiefer | Oct 3, 2019 | Budgeting
When creating personal budget categories for your family, most people will start by either revisiting a previous budget they put together or by making a list of all their bills to figure out where money needs to be distributed. Budgets that are created based solely on...
by Kati | Oct 2, 2019 | Freebies, Spend Less
Buying good quality makeup can get expensive quick. Finding affordable or free makeup can be an enjoyable hunt. I remember seeing a mascara that was $60 once, yikes! The truth is that you don’t need to be spending hundreds of dollars on makeup to have quality products...
by Kati Kiefer | Oct 2, 2019 | Budgeting
The cash envelope system is a spenders godsend when it comes to budgeting. This easy way of budgeting will keep you from going over budget, and help you stay accountable and on track with your budget. While using a paper envelope to keep your money in each month might...
by Kati | Oct 1, 2019 | Spend Less
Typically the words “healthy food” and “saving money” don't go hand-in-hand. So it surprises people to learn that I keep my food budget really low, while still being able to eat mostly organic foods. You know that I love to save money on...
by Kati | Oct 1, 2019 | Spend Less
This is my personal story about how to save money on cable by CUTTING IT OFF!! When James and I moved into our first house and we had to move the cable from our apartment to our new home, I got into a price war with the cable company. And I can be stubborn. So we went...
by Kati | Sep 29, 2019 | Spend Less
We've all done it those crazy bulk buys. At one time or another most of us have taken the bulk buying plunge, vowing to set our family on a new path to saving mega bucks with those crazy bulk buys! Brimming with excitement and armed with good intentions, reusable...
by Kati | Sep 29, 2019 | Budgeting
You may not be thinking about buying a house for a few years, but a down payment on a house could end up being thousands of dollars. If you’ve already started thinking about saving up for a down payment, you might feel just a little overwhelmed. Unlike retirement, the...
by Kati Kiefer | Sep 28, 2019 | Spend Less
When you’re in the middle of a no spend challenge, it can start to feel like the days are endless. Time, when you used to spend out shopping, eating out, or being out on the town, is replaced with days in the house and evenings wondering what to do with your free...
by Kati | Sep 28, 2019 | Freebies, Spend Less
Buying books was my kryptonite until I found out how to get the best free books! For many months, I drained my “fun money” budget each month on books. I was spending nearly $50 a month on books, and most of them have still not been read. I loved having a...
by Kati | Sep 27, 2019 | Spend Less
It may sound shocking to hear that you can save $500 this year when you simply compare food prices. But the best news is that you can save that much without even cutting any coupons! That notion may seem odd coming from me, a hard-core couponer, right? Yes, I know....
by Kati | Sep 27, 2019 | FOX Channel 13, Freebies, Spend Less
Who doesn’t love a trip to the movies? Whether there’s a new movie out that you’ve been anxious to see, or the idea of a bucket of buttery popcorn that gets you into the door, movies can feel like a little slice of heaven. The thing that’s not so heavenly about movies...
by Kati | Sep 27, 2019 | Spend Less
Dollar General is one of those stores that can be a treasure trove for great Dollar General deals. You just have to know the Dollar General secret savings for scoring those deals. A lot of coupon success depends on the individual store, even the individual store...
by Kati | Sep 26, 2019 | Spend Less
When it comes to saving money, it might not sound like paper roll products could put you over. However, many times it’s the small expenses here and there that start to bust our budget. If you are looking to start creating a stockpile for your family, or just stop...
by Kati | Sep 26, 2019 | Spend Less
One question we get asked frequently is “How can I save money on meat?” Meat is one of the most expensive items we buy at the grocery store and coupons for meat are rare. But you can save money on meat and never pay full price for it again! Because saving doesn't...
by Kati Kiefer | Sep 26, 2019 | Spend Less
Remember when cell phones used to be simple flip phones that you could fit in your pocket? Now, it is rare to see someone who is not carrying a smartphone in their pocket, if it will even fit in their pocket. Cell phone bills have gone through the roof over the past...
by Kati | Sep 26, 2019 | Budgeting, Featured Articles
Creating a budget breakdown and sticking to a budget was and is by far the hardest part of gaining control of your finances. For us, we spent so much money outside of our budget that we ended up carrying balances on our credit cards. And then paying them off using...
by Kati Kiefer | Sep 26, 2019 | Budgeting, Featured Articles
Frugality is often confused with being poor or cheap and spending only the minimum. But I've found that living a frugal life isn't about sacrificing and feeling deprived. Being frugal is learning to live smarter so that you can afford to live the life you want. It's...
by Kati Kiefer | Sep 25, 2019 | Spend Less
Whether you see each other every day or haven’t seen each other for months, having a weekend with your girlfriends is a must no matter how busy you are. Just think about the idea of having your husband watch the kids for a weekend, no grocery shopping to do, and all...
by Kati | Sep 25, 2019 | Spend Less
Do you realize that you typically purchase the same 20 items for your family over and over again each week? The milk, the meat, the Kraft Singles. And yes, those items do go on sale, which saves you money every so often. But that doesn't alert you to stock up to have...
by Kati Kiefer | Sep 25, 2019 | Debt, Vacations
You may be looking at your budget and feel like all your money is going toward paying bills. Sure paying your mortgage, student loans, car loans, and credit cards are all necessary payments, but if you are in debt, it can feel like all you’ll do with your money is put...
by Kati Kiefer | Sep 24, 2019 | Spend Less
Less than half of all households don’t have at least three month’s worth of savings. Out of all the homes that don’t, 89% are employed, and 25% make incomes between $56,000 to $91,000 each year! Is it time for living simply? I can tell you there is never a bad time to...
by Kati Kiefer | Sep 24, 2019 | Budgeting
There are two types of people who want to live on $2,000 a month. There are the people who only have $2,000 a month, or there are those who want to live on less by living on $2,000 a month and saving the rest. I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum, so I know what...
by Kati Kiefer | Sep 23, 2019 | Spend Less
A no spending month might sound like more hassle than it’s worth. If you have a difficult time controlling your spending, a no spend month challenge might sound like setting yourself up to fail. One of the biggest reasons most people won’t do it is because they’re too...
by Kati | Sep 23, 2019 | Spend Less
One of the most common questions I get asked is how I manage to stock my pantry full of handy pantry staples without blowing my grocery budget. Pantry staples can get quite expensive if you’re not careful, and if you don’t plan your trip well, you could end up...
