Summer is finally here, which is great news. Like most other families in this country, we’re on a budget too. No one wants to spend a ton of money on family activities that they can’t afford. If you’re looking for family summer activities you will love that these are actually free! 12 Family Summer Activities That You Won't Believe are Actually Free! Visit all the parks in your area - Challenge yourself to visit all the parks in your area. Most communities have at least one park, if not multiple. If you don’t have a park in your area, then head to the local towns. Parks are almost always free, which is a great opportunity for family time. You can pack a lunch and just enjoy each other’s company. Splash pads! - A lot of towns are starting to set up splash pads. They … [Read more...]
Vanilla Firecracker Cupcakes
I have to say making treats for my July 4th BBQ is one of my favorite things. I think it stems from back when I was a kid my parents would host HUGE July 4th get-togethers. It was all day surrounded by friends and family and I LOVED it! That love has spread to making some killer red, white and blue treats like this one! Vanilla Firecracker Cupcakes My kids love these firecracker cupcakes. I love that my friends and family think I'm some cupcake master when I make these! Really they are super simple! My kids love these and they are perfect for pot lucks and get-togethers. PS this costing tip is perfect for other holidays too. Recently a friend of mine added pop rocks to the frosting. HUGE hit! So that is what I plan to do this year! Here is how you two can make … [Read more...]
The Most Addicting Kiwi Tart Recipe
Summertime brings kiwi's and my kids love them. My 5 year old calls them the hairy fruit! I had these Kiwi Tarts with a mixture of other fruit tarts, at a picnic one time, and LOVED them. I recreated them and have been in love with them ever since! This kiwi tart recipe is super easy and customizable! The Most Addicting Kiwi Tart Recipe Kiwi is such a fun fruit! Packed with vitamins, it's also a welcoming boost of green to your next party spread. With these lightly sweetened pastry tarts and cream mixture, guests will not be able to pass up these tasty finger desserts. To make these tarts you will need a mini muffin pan and I highly recommend a silicone mini muffin pan as they are easier to clean and make the muffins come out … [Read more...]
7 Tips on How to Save on Your Phone Bill
That phone of yours. You’re always carrying it around, but it is costing you a fortune. In today’s money-saving world, you don’t have to foot out a large bill for a phone anymore. I'm going to share my favorite ways on How to Save on Your Phone Bill. 7 Tips on How to Save on Your Phone Bill We all have a cell phone nowadays and the bills I have seen some people have are just crazy. They will pay $200 for one line! WHAT?! No way. No matter how low your phone bill is you can still find a way to save money. Check the tips below! Related: 15 Money Saving Phone Apps Downgrade your phone Are you really in need of the newest iPhone that is on the market? If you can afford it, great! However, if you can’t, then it’s time to downgrade your phone. If … [Read more...]
Top 5 Survival Tips From the Great Depression
The great depression was a desperate time where families had to go back to the basics for survival. Even the rich had been forced to make changes and learn to make do with less and learn to do things for themselves again. These basic Survival Tips From the Great Depression will help you get back to the simple things and make life easier. Top 5 Survival Tips From the Great Depression Use Less Learn to use fewer resources. During the great depression, things like water and heat that we now take for granted were not so easy to come by. Everyone had to learn to do things with less. Today you can do the same. Turn lights off when not in use. Let the sunshine in during the day. Use fans and open windows instead of running the air conditioner. Kick the heat down a notch or two … [Read more...]
11 Money Secrets of the Amish – Things They Make Instead of Buy
The Amish have something we don’t have. That is the ability to make many things on their own, which results in them saving a lot of money. When you don’t rely on the traditional way of life to earn a living, you have to be creative in what you do to save money. A lot of Amish make their own stuff to help save money in the long run. I’ve compiled a list of the different things Amish people make to save money this is one of the best Money Secrets of the Amish! 11 Money Secrets of the Amish - Things They Make Instead of Buy If you want to dive into all the way Amish saves money I suggest checking out the book Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving. I was able to take so many of the ideas and use them in my day to day life! Now on to the 11 … [Read more...]
Easy Blueberry Pancake Bites Recipe
I love recipes I can cook once and we have breakfast for a week. This blueberry pancake bites recipe fits that category! I can cook these on a Sunday and have breakfast all week while we are busy. Grab and go! I am not a morning person so these are perfect. They are part of our 150+ Amazing and Easy Frugal Breakfast Ideas Easy Blueberry Pancake Bites Recipe My kids like them because they taste sweet and I love that my kids are eating fruit! Plus they back a great after-school snack or snack to go in your kid's lunch! I am always looking for an easy snack and breakfast that hubby can take on the go with him. These blueberry pancake bites fit all those needs plus I can take a day and make a bunch and freeze them for the month! Related: Easy Overnight … [Read more...]
14 Ways to Build An Emergency Fund Without Pulling From Your Budget
If you’ve recently gotten on board to the idea of better managing your budget, then you also know how important it is to have an emergency fund in place to keep you from falling back on old mistakes and bad habits. Here are 14 ways to build an emergency fund without pulling from your budget. 14 Ways to Build An Emergency Fund Without Pulling From Your Budget Emergencies can happen at any time and cost us a lot of money. But where is this money supposed to come from when you’re already barely scraping by? We have a few ideas on how to do it, without having to pull from your budget and savings. Sell Your Stuff When you are striving to build an emergency fund quickly, one of the first places that you should start is to take a look around your house … [Read more...]
Easy Homemade Taco Pizza Recipe
Have you ever heard of a taco pizza? It's a pizza but without the sauce and with taco toppings. It's made a bit different but when you look at it it looks like a pizza and it's eaten like a pizza but it tastes like a taco. My kids love it because they love anything pizza! Read on for this homemade taco pizza recipe. Easy Homemade Taco Pizza Recipe Now, this is the most basic taco pizza recipe. It has the basic taco ingredients but you can add or change it however you want. I saw this on the menu during one of my trips an has to check it out. With no reference and never heard of such a thing I had to know. Was is a pizza in a taco shell? Was it a taco in pizza form? Did it use pizza sauce? What about all the melted cheese pizza … [Read more...]
How to Start a Blog 101 AND Make Money Blogging
I get asked so often about blogging. How to start a blog, how to make money blogging, how to create your own blog from the bottom up and the list goes on. I've decided to start blogging about it so I have something with pictures and links for people to read on their own time and follow step by step. How to Create Your Own Blog and Make Money Blogging The first decision is to decide if you want to work your blog as a business. If you want to make any kind of money on it then you need to be self-hosted and not on free blogger and definitely NOT on Free Wordpress. The reason for this the FREE Wordpress doesn't allow affiliate links and will shut your blog down for them, which means you can't make money. Blogger has been known to shut blogs down with no warning for no reason other than a … [Read more...]
Instant Pot Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese Recipe
I love really easy Instant Pot recipes. So I am always looking for new recipes to try out this Instant Pot Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese Recipe. It's a win-win in this house. My kids love mac and cheese, I can get some meat into their meal, and it's all cooked in the Instant Pot! Instant Pot Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese Recipe We are a family of 7 so when I talk about my Instant Pot I am talking about my large 8 Quart Instant Pot Duo. This one has been big enough for everything we have needed. Can I cook pasta in my instant pot? YES! and it's super easy! It depends on your recipe but in general, pasta only takes 1 minute to cook, 2 minutes if you want a softer pasta. What is the best noodle for mac and cheese? Well, this is a matter of … [Read more...]
20 Extreme Cheapskate Ideas You Can Actually Do
Do you realize how much money we as Americans throw out on a daily basis? It’s mind-boggling when you sit down and think about it. Even in your own home, there are sure to be several things that you could be doing differently to avoid wasting money. If you’re looking for easy ways to cut your living expenses, check these simple solutions out. These extreme cheapskate ideas are not only doable but extremely easy, just a little extra planning on your part. 20 Extreme Cheapskate Ideas You Can Actually Do There are so many things you can do to save money from the easy to the extreme. If you want even more ideas I suggest finding a money-saving book as they cover EVERYTHING. The tips below are what I can do as a mom of 5 kids so if I can do it so can you! Barter Goods and … [Read more...]