8 Easy Pets for Kids: Choose the Best Pet for your Family

Pets for Kids: 8 Different choices for Your Family!

How do you choose the best pet for kids or your family? In this article, we’ll share our experiences and a list of 8 easy pets for kids and families.

An easy pet is one that doesn’t require constant attention or nurture. And doesn’t cost a lot of money to keep happy and healthy.

We’ll give you a realistic view of the cost to purchase and keep a pet. We’ll also talk about the time commitment required for each one.

Pet ownership in America is huge! There are approximately 70 million dogs and 80 million cats kept as pets.

Of this number, about 7.6 … Read more »

Amazing Ways to Save Money & Eat Healthier this Year (13 Tips)

Save money - Healthy living healthy eating

We’re always looking for easy ways to save money & eat healthier. And to be more aware of the nutritional value of the foods we buy and eat.

Here are 12 ways can we save money & eat healthier without going to extremes.

It’s a well-known fact that some of the most common New Year’s Resolutions are to lose weight and to get finances in order.

We’re hoping that this blog will inspire you on both fronts if you’ve made either of these resolutions this year. You can lose weight by eating healthier and you can eat healthier without spending a fortune! So let’s … Read more »

19 Affordable and Fun Spring Activities for Families

A list of inexpensive Spring recreation and fun ideas

Spring Activities – if you’re looking for fun spring activities for families this is the place. Spring is a time full of awesome and affordable recreational events. It’s the time for plants and trees to come back to life. And in many parts of the country families can be outside to enjoy the more temperate weather and outdoor activities.

If we just look ahead at the upcoming calendar & holidays there are plenty of opportunities for fun on the affordable side.

EVENTS AND SPRING ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES

Are there special Spring events in your area that tourists usually attend? Well, maybe you would … Read more »

How to Find the Best Thrift Stores Near Your Location and Online

Thrift Store Deals - How to Find them Near You! #ShopThriftStores #ThriftStoreDeals

Have you ever Googled, Thrift Stores Near Me? If you have, you know that there are treasures galore at prices that will make your friends roll their eyes.

If you haven’t asked this question, get ready, because we’re going to help you find the most awesome deals ever. There are thrift stores near you, no matter where you live.

What is your favorite way to answer the question, “I love that jacket, where did you get it?”

Some people would be forced to name a regular store with a high sticker price, but if you are anything like me then the answer is … Read more »

Family Teamwork: How to Accomplish More, Faster, Working Together

Family Teamwork - working together - sisters baking

Does your family work together as a team? We raised five kids and found that family teamwork helped us accomplish things faster. It also helped build our kids’ work-ethic and confidence.

Teaching kids the value of Family Teamwork has far-reaching effects. It translates into club activities, sports, jobs, church and eventually into their own families. 

In this article, we’ll share some tools and strategies that we used for more than 25 years as we raised and released our kids.

By the way, we didn’t do it perfectly. We had some stumbles, we had some failures, but overall, our kids learned that when we work … Read more »

11 Airbnb Hosting Tips & Secrets From a $30k Super Host

Airbnb hosting tips from a super host.

Are you thinking of becoming an Airbnb host? Are you looking for expert Airbnb Hosting tips? Do you want to earn an extra $10,000 this year?

We’ve been Airbnb Hosts for 9 years. We are on track to earn $30,000 this year by renting out three extra bedrooms in our house.

Even though the travel industry struggled through Covid in 2020, we’ve had some of our best years ever as a host family. So if you’ve ever considered home-sharing, this is a great time to get started.

In this article, we’re sharing our top Airbnb hosting tips. We hope that you can turn … Read more »

Paycheck Mistake? Don’t Wait Get it Fixed Right Now!

Paycheck Problems? A red brick will with large white letters spelling out "Tax."

Did your employer make a mistake on your paycheck? Have you been shorted some money or do you have one of these other problems:

Not enough tax withheld?
Vacation time not correct?
Overtime not correct?
Hours missing?

It’s not fun finding a mistake on your paycheck. But with a little work, most of these types of problems can be overcome quickly.

We received this question from a Free Email Newsletter subscriber and thought you’d find it helpful.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Question about IRS Paycheck Withholding Shortfall2 MoneySmart Answer:3 8 Things to Do About A Withholding Mistake4 Other Employer … Read more »

Top 25 Sites Like Craigslist: Alternatives for Buying or Selling FAST!

Sites Like Craigslist. #SellUsedItems #SellSafelyCraigslist #FlipUsedItems #SellStuffMakeMoney

If you like buying and selling things online, you need to know about other sites like CraigsList. There are a growing number of websites that are Craigslist alternatives for listing items for sale, classified ads, freebies, and advertising services.

Craigslist offers great opportunities to buy and sell your stuff. Back in 1995 the platform started as a classified advertisements website and has remained one of the best ways to buy and sell things.

Although Craigslist may have been the first site to connect buyers and sellers in a community-centered way, it is no longer the only way that you can buy and … Read more »

6 Reasons Why Eggs Are So Expensive? Where to Find Cheap Eggs

Why Eggs Cost So Much and How to Buy them Cheaper

Are you wondering how to save money on eggs? In the past 12 months, egg prices have shot through the roof! And we’re getting asked regularly by friends and media people, “Why are eggs so expensive and how can I get eggs for less?”

In Arizona, we’ve seen prices as high as $10 per dozen.

Are you wondering how you can still eat eggs without going broke? Or are you wanting to find ways to still have eggs in your weekly menu, but stretch them further? Or do you want to reduce the number of eggs in a variety of … Read more »

8 Secrets to Survive an Economic Downturn or Personal Financial Crisis

How to Survive a Financial Crisis and Economic Downturn.

Are you going through a financial crisis or cut in pay? Has the Covid Pandemic created financial hardship for you?

If your income were to dramatically drop tomorrow, would you survive?

Would you spiral into a financial crisis or would you be able to keep your head above water?

Types of Economic Downturns

Over the past 40 years, we’ve seen a huge number of economic downturns. How many of these do you remember?

9 Economic Downturn examples:

Energy Crisis (Gas prices soared 50 percent) July 1981 – November 1982
The Savings and Loan Crisis in the 1980s – … Read more »

18 Grocery Stores that Offer Senior Discounts

Grocery Stores with Senior Discounts - Woman selecting fruits and veggies

Are you wondering which grocery stores offer senior discounts in your area? Do you know which days and what ages qualify for the senior discount?

Grocery shopping can be one expense that is difficult to trim down. Luckily, there are many ways to cut back on your grocery costs.

With the use of store sales and coupons, you can dramatically reduce this line item in your budget. However, these money-saving grocery tips can be even more powerful if you are able to combine them with a senior discount. 

Watch the video at … Read more »

How Frugal Living Can Help You Hurdle Toward Early Retirement

Frugal Living Helps You Hurdle Towards Early Retirement!

Can Frugal Living make a difference in how soon you retire or is it just a waste of time? We’re going to give you one example of the power of frugal living as it specifically pertains to how soon you can retire.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 How Much Money Do You Need to Retire?2 A Retirement Rule of Thumb3 Building Savings is a Huge Hurdle4 How to Clear the Savings Hurdle5 How Fast Can the Savings Add Up?6 Frugal Living Reduces Your Retirement Savings Goal!7 Cut Your Insurance Costs8 Here’s A More Reasonable … Read more »

Surviving Grocery Inflation! How to Shop Smarter and Save When Prices Skyrocket

Grocery Store produce in wooden crates.

The price of groceries is constantly changing. But how do you survive when grocery inflation drives the price of groceries in your area through the roof? Or how do you adjust when you have changes in your family size?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 A Reader Asks about Grocery Inflation and Our Grocery Budget2 How Inflated Grocery Prices have Changed our Grocery Budget3 Grocery Inflation Chart 20224 What Hasn’t Changed with Our Grocery Expenses5 What is ShrinkFlation and How to Spot It?6 What You Can Do About Grocery Price Inflation7 Our Grocery Goal
A Reader Asks … Read more »

5 Required Emergency Fund Examples to Protect Your Future

Emergency fund Examples for building emergency fund savings.

If you’re building an emergency fund, you’ll want to set some savings goals based on the five-category examples in this article. We’ll give you emergency fund examples, amounts and categories.

If you’re managing a budget and have extra money available each month, you’ll want to take note of our emergency fund examples.

We took several years to accumulate our 5 category Emergency Fund Savings account. We’ll tell you what the categories are, how much we saved and where we keep it (it’s in a special high-yield bank account).

We’d love your input on our Medical Coverage Poll below – if you have … Read more »

Molecular Hydrogen: Health Miracle or Brown’s Gas Hoax?

Aquacure - Molecular Hydrogen HHO Brown's Gas - bubbling in a beaker

Have you ever heard of the potential health benefits of drinking hydrogen water, or breathing molecular hydrogen gas (aka HHO or HydrOxy or Brown’s gas)?

Are the claims of health improvement and performance enhancement hype or a hoax?

Molecular Hydrogen has been studied and used more and more since 2016. Researchers are looking at how it can help with various diseases, brain disorders, and skin problems. Although the FDA hasn’t approved these uses yet, some alternative medicine clinics are testing and using it. Also, several companies are now selling molecular hydrogen generators.

We will share the research studies we’ve found, list the companies … Read more »

Romantic Movies: Best PG-13 Family Friendly Valentine’s Day Flicks

If you're looking for movies that have romance or romantic comedy in them, here's a great list! Movie reels with a sheer valentine heart and the title Valentine movie mania

We have watched almost all of the PG-13 Romantic Movies listed below. All of them are family-friendly and are perfect for Valentine’s Day Movie Mania night. Or any other night when you just want to snuggle up together.

If you’re looking for a movie that will warm your heart, try these. We’ve picked movies with romance in them and romantic comedies from war flicks and heartwarming stories to total suspense! We’ve combined some of our favorites with a huge list provided by our Facebook Fans!

Romantic Movies suitable for Family Viewing

You may want to preview some of the movies produced after 1970 … Read more »

Family Date Night Ideas That Are Creative, Fun and Cheap

Free & Frugal Recreation Ideas - Lovers Lane -

Are you looking for family date night ideas that are fun, but don’t cost an arm and a leg? Sometimes inexpensive Fun Recreation Ideas are hard to find.

These days it’s easy to spend a significant amount of money on date night or date day. Families often overspend their recreation budget, thinking they can’t cut these expenses and still have a good time.

But we challenge that notion. There are hundreds of ways to enjoy family time or a date night without dropping $100 to do it.

Consider what you’d pay for the following: a professional sporting event, a concert, a museum visit, … Read more »

A Written Budget: The Best Way to Build Financial Confidence

Budget with Confidence. Green countryside with a bright rainbow reaching to the sky.

If you’re looking for the best way to build financial confidence, try setting up a written budget.

We’ve spent the last few weeks describing different spending plans or budget systems.

We’ve described several options for budgeting success and the amazing key to our budgeting success.

Today we’re sharing five benefits to having a written budget like we use. And yes, we do understand that a written budget may sound less tech-savvy than using phone apps or online budget systems.

But honestly, most budgeting apps aren’t as usable as our system and the online (web-based) systems are very difficult to set up.

Our written … Read more »

How to Freeze, Safely Thaw and Cook Frozen Meat

Great Tips for Freezing Meat!

Freezing meat bought on sale is a great way to save money at the grocery store. But if you don’t properly store and protect the meat, your savings can be wasted due to freezer burn. If you follow the steps your frozen meat will save you money and you’ll rarely be disappointed.

Reader Question about Freezing Meat

How do you freeze steak, and keep it from getting dry and tough? We recently purchased filet mignon from Costco, ate two of them (they were delicious) and froze the others. When we defrosted and cooked them, they were awful. Is there is a better way … Read more »

Expired Meat: How Long Is Meat Good For After Expiration Date?

Is Expired Meat Dangerous or a Deal?

Are you concerned about food expiration dates on meat? Want to see people question your sanity? Just mention that you often purchase expired meat or meat that is going out of code.

“Code” refers to the date placed by a grocer or manufacturer on a grocery item revealing its use-by, sell-by, or freeze-by date.

We did an interview on ABC’s 20/20 with Elizabeth Vargas. When she saw a video clip of Steve selecting some discounted ham in a grocery store, she was puzzled.

She said, “You are picking up bargains on items most of us would avoid, like expiring meat.”

She continued, “Most … Read more »

Pay Off Your Mortgage Early – Mortgage Free in 9 years Calculator

Small brown ranch house with green grass and a maroon car parked out front. Paid off mortgage in 9 years

One of the pinnacles of financial stability and security is to Pay off your mortgage early. Owning your home free and clear may seem like a fantasy. But if you follow the 5 steps we took, it can be your reality too.

Some people pay their home off in 30 years, others 15. But there are a group of people who simply hate having a mortgage pay it off quicker.

We paid our home off in 9 years.

Our efforts to pay down our mortgage debt started with just one dollar extra each month . . . but quickly grew to much more. … Read more »

How to Find Places with Free Wifi Nearby: Find Fastest Internet Speeds

How to get free internet from restaurants, coffee houses and retail stores.

If you’re looking for places with free wifi near you, we have lots of options. Or are you wondering where you can get the fastest wifi connections? There are more than 92,000 locations in the U.S. that provide free internet access.

We’ve created a list of coffee shops, retailers and other places that give you free internet access AND we’ve provided the speeds you can expect too.

Internet access can be your connection to the whole world. You may use it to stay connected to friends, manage your finances, take simple surveys for cash, or find a buyer for your … Read more »

How to Get Dried Blood Out of Sheets: 11 Tested Solutions to Remove Stains

11 Ways to Get Blood out of Clothes & Sheets. We tested several different solutions and found 2 that worked amazingly well. #blood #laundry #cleaningproducts

Are you wondering how to get blood stains out of sheets?

Blood can find its way onto your sheets, clothes, carpets, and furniture in a variety of ways. Whether you’ve cut your finger, had a bloody nose or had a period mishap, we’ve got solutions.

The blood on your fabric may seem like it’s there to stay. Especially if it’s dried or been washed.

Instead of just giving up the item as a lost cause, we’ll show you how to get the stain out.

We tested 11 different methods to get dried blood out of sheet fabric.

We’ll share several different common household items that … Read more »