59 Fun, Inexpensive & Interesting Hobbies

Fun, Inexpensive & Interesting Hobbies #InterestingHobbies #InexpensiveHobbies #FunHobbies #INeedaHobby #AffordableHobbies #MakeMoneyHobbies

Have you ever said to yourself, “I need a hobby?” Are you looking for some fun, inexpensive, or interesting hobbies to try?

Hobbies are a great way to challenge yourself, learn a new skill, or provide some extra income. And they’re especially fun if they don’t cost a lot of money to get started.

If you’re looking for something new, check out these 59 choices.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Fun & Interesting Hobbies that Became Successful Businesses2 A. Skilled Hobbies3 B. Cool Intellectual Hobbies to Enrich Your Brain4 C. Online Affordable Hobbies5 D. Popular Outdoor & Interesting HobbiesRead more »

Best Inexpensive Places to Cash Personal Checks Without A Bank Account

Writing a check with a gold pen.

Have you ever wondered how to cash a personal check when you don’t have a bank account? Or where you can cash a check right now and what the charges would be?

You might need to cash a check from a friend because you’re traveling out of state, or you could have an online bank or you may simply not have a bank account at all.

If someone writes you a check and you don’t have access to your own bank, you may have a problem.

Don’t fret, there are several ways you can cash a check without a bank account.

Here’s how you … Read more »

How Long Should I Keep My Car? When Should I Buy a New One?

How long Should I Keep My Car? - Should I Keep My Car or Sell It? 3 women pushing their black car next to a grassy field.

“How long should I keep my car?” is a question we are often asked. When things start breaking on a car many people think the only solution is to replace it with a new car. 

But is there a point in time when keeping your current vehicle becomes more expensive than selling it?

Making the decision to keep a car and repair it or sell it and buy another one is always tough. But if you follow our 3 step evaluation system, you’ll know the answer to whether it’s time to sell or keep your wheels.

A reader asked us, “How Long Should … Read more »

Meal Planning: 6 Easy Steps to Make Tasty Menus and Save Time

Easy Meal Planning to make menus

Meal planning seems to be one of the trendiest things to be doing now. Whether you’re into weight training, catering to a specific lifestyle choice (vegan, keto, paleo, etc.), eating organic or just doing menu planning to save time—this will help you eat healthier for less.

Annette and Steve started meal-prepping more than 30 years ago to feed their growing family of seven. Annette has tried many different ways of doing meal planning and has fine-tuned it to be efficient and tasty.

What the Difference Between Meal Planning & Meal Prepping

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 What the Difference Between Meal Planning & Meal … Read more »

FREE Coloring Pages for Adults Online: 25 Cool Printable Pages To Relax

A List of Free Coloring Pages for Adults that you can Print and download.

Are you looking for free coloring pages online for adults that you can work on at home? If so we’ll help you find these pages from 25 websites and companies listed below!

From mandalas to zentangles to really cool designs and animals we’ve found them all for you. Most are high-resolution .pdf files that you can download and print out in just minutes.

Even the most productive adults need some time to recharge and refresh. One way to do this is by unwinding with adult coloring pages. And the way to do it inexpensively is to find free online sources.

There are many … Read more »

A Grocery Budget Makeover? The Easy Way to Budget for Food

A Budget Makeover with Groceries is the fastest way to find cash to improve your finances.!

If you’re looking for a Grocery Budget Makeover – start by changing how you shop for groceries.

Because most of us go to the grocery store several times each week, making a few changes in how you shop is one of the fastest ways to rehab your finances.

How can I lower my grocery bill so I can get ahead on my budget?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 How can I lower my grocery bill so I can get ahead on my budget?2 Starting the Budget Makeover with Groceries3 Make a list of the meals you know how to cook4 … Read more »

Book Review: “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - Best Negitiating Book in the World

How an FBI Hostage Negotiator’s Secrets Can Transform Your Marriage, Career, and Daily Conversations

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 How an FBI Hostage Negotiator’s Secrets Can Transform Your Marriage, Career, and Daily Conversations2 Why This Book Matters for Families3 Core Principles That Transform Conversations4 Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown: Your Communication Toolkit5 Real-Life Applications Steve Uses Daily6 Using AI to Channel Your Inner Chris Voss7 Why Every Family Needs These Skills8 The Bottom Line

Steve Economides has read this book twice in the past year and uses techniques from Chris Voss almost every week in emails, conversations, and … 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 »

Used Car Buying Checklist: 7 Easy Things to Do When Buying from a Private Seller

Use Car Buying Checklist

We created this used car buying checklist to help our young adult kids evaluate their next car purchase.

With the recent rise in the cost of used cars, it’s more important now to carefully evaluate the car you want to buy. It’s more important now to carefully evaluate the car you want to buy.

We’ve always bought used cars from private sellers in Arizona. Our state doesn’t charge sales tax on cars purchased from individuals and this saves us 8.6 percent on the purchase price.

But we’re always careful when dealing with private party sales and follow the tips in this article. We … 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 »

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?

A Reader Asks about Grocery Inflation and Our Grocery Budget

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 … Read more »

Should We Have Kids or Not? It’s Incredibly Expensive to Raise a Child.

Are Kids Too Expenisve? Two baby hands counting fingers.

If you think that Kids are Expensive …. You’re right. Have you heard the government statistics about the cost of raising a child?

We raised 5 kids and spent less than 60% of what the government experts estimated. Learn how.

Kerri’s story: How one reader grew up and was taught to manage money.

Question About the Cost of Having Kids: When I graduated from high school, I paid for my own auto insurance, graduation gown, and class ring.

My grandmother paid for my class picture. My graduation gift from my parents was a cell phone with a very limited plan because it was … Read more »

6 Cheap Vacation Ideas: How to Travel on a Shoe String Budget

Camping in the Forest - Vaction on a shoe string budget

Are you looking for some inexpensive vacation ideas? Have you heard of bloggers who travel on a shoestring budget and have lots of fun?

Have you ever thought about great vacations with limited funds?

And what about this summer with Covid issues all around, could you still get away?

If you’re thinking you can’t take a vacation, think again. We’ve got lots of frugal and cheap tips to make your vacation memorable on a shoestring budget.

If your only option is to travel on a shoestring budget, you still create a fun and enjoyable memory!

Here’s how we and several other frugal … Read more »

Save Money on Prescriptions: 13 Ways to Get Pharmacy Drugs and Medications for Less

Prescription drugs spilling out of a medication bottle onto money.

Are you looking to get save on medications and get prescriptions cheaper? There are tons of ways to quickly and legally get discounts on your medication prescriptions.

Is the cost of prescription drugs making you choke?

According to the Center for Disease Control, 48% of Americans take at least one prescription drug, and 21 percent take 3 or more prescription drugs. Legal, prescribed drug use in our country, and around the world is at all-time highs.

It’s true that properly used, prescription drugs can greatly improve the length and quality of our lives. It’s also true that the cost of prescription drugs can … Read more »

Couponing for Beginners: 5 Easy Ways to Start Saving with Coupons

Couponing for Beginners - how to save lots of money on groceries by using coupons

Are you looking for tips on couponing for beginners? Have you ever wondered how to start couponing so you can begin saving some money?

Or are you just a beginner in couponing and want to up your coupon game to save even more money?

Learning how to maximize the use of coupons is a great skill. Because the retail landscape is always changing – learning about coupons will be an unending journey.

Couponing for Beginners Quick View

There are 5 Tips to becoming successful as a beginner couponer

Start Slowly – Focus on one area at a time

Set Up Your Filing System

Organize Your Coupons … Read more »

Buying Used Stuff: 7 Reasons We Love Buying To Save & Make Money

The bonuses of buying used stuff

If you buy used stuff, it’s a great way to keep money in your pocket. It also increases your buying power further than you imagined. And it can also be a great way to make money.

Buying used things is a great benefit to you, your budget and the environment.

We’ll share why we love buying used things, and where we find the best deals.

We’ll also share how we sell used things we no longer need … and the sites we use to do that.

You’re going to save a ton of money reading this article.

If we’ve missed a resource that you love, … Read more »

Head of Lettuce – What is the Best Price, Weight & Nutrition

How to get the best deal on Lettuce

Leaf or Iceberg Lettuce . . . do you know which type of lettuce costs more?

Have you ever tried to calculate the best price for lettuce? Do you know which type of lettuce is the most nutritious? We answer all of these questions in this blog.

There are several ways to save money when buying lettuce. We outline a couple of our tricks on this page.

Finding the Best Deal on Lettuce is More Complex Than You Might Think!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Finding the Best Deal on Lettuce is More Complex Than You Might Think!2 In this blog post, we ask the … Read more »

How to Get Ink out of Upholstery Fabric: 3 Easy Solutions That Work

Before and after picture if ink stains on upholstery

Do you have an ink stain on fabric or upholstery? There are several inexpensive ways to get the stain out of fabric.

We had a microfiber ottoman that was given to us. It had blue and black ink scribbles on it. In the video on this page, we show the steps we used to return the ottoman fabric to like-new condition.

In this post, we’ll share several options and show you the two that worked best for us.

Step 1: Test the Fabric

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Step 1: Test the Fabric2 Step 2: Blot and Remove The Ink Stain (3 Options)Read more »

Veterans & First Responders: Get Free Event Tickets with VetTix & 1st Tix!

Free Family Fun for Veterans, Active Military and first responders! VetTix and 1stTix

VetTix is an organization that shows appreciation to our Veterans, active duty military, and, First Responders by providing free event tickets.

And this blog will tell you all about how both VetTix and 1stTix work, and how to sign up for either one.

A Concert Deal for Military

A few months ago a friend of ours sat with his wife in the audience at Symphony Hall in Phoenix. They came to enjoy the orchestra which was accompanied by Phoenix Symphony Chorus. Tickets to the symphony usually cost between $25 and $120. But for our friend Aaron and his wife, who were … Read more »

Entitled Kids: 7 Things to Stop Spoiling & Raise Self-Sufficient Kids

Entitled Kids - how to build self reliance and sufficiency

Is it possible that our good intentions and generosity could end up entitling our kids? No parent intentionally sets out to create dependent children who expect to be given everything they desire.

If you want to raise kids who aren’t entitled but are empowered – keep reading. We have 7 ways we helped our kids to become Financially strong, fit and independent.

Kids are kind of funny. If we offer to pay for something, they’ll gladly let us do it . . . forever and ever. If we don’t pay, they’ll carry on about how “mean” and out of touch with reality … Read more »

How to Find Cheap Meat: Best prices for Beef, Pork, Ham, & Chicken

Discounted cheap meat - family sized.

Are you looking to save money and find cheap meat near your home? These strategies could save you thousands of dollars this year.

In this article, we do mention prices, but with the current inflation cycle, you’ll need to establish your own pricing table for your area of the country or world.

Putting Meat on the Table History:

Years ago, it was the man’s “job” to hunt for the meat to provide for the family. All it cost was a few days’ trudging through the forest, and some bullets or arrows. Then there was time to clean and dress the meat, a man’s … Read more »

18 Online Dollar Stores with Awesome Deals – Best Bargains

Best Online Dollar Stores in the US

Online Dollar stores are amazing places to can find things that you need for less. For most of us, physical stores like Family Dollar and Dollar Tree come to mind. But you no longer have to drive to a store to find awesome deals.

According to NBC News, Dollar Stores, discount retailers, and discount racks are gaining huge popularity. This is true amongst all shoppers and especially with Millenials.

Today you have the option to shop discount and dollar stores without leaving the comfort of your house. We have scoured the internet and found the best stores to shop … Read more »

8 Secrets to Survive an Economic Downturn or Personal Financial Crisis

How to Survive a Financial Crisis and Economic Downturn.

Facing a financial crisis, job loss, or pay cut? Whether it’s due to the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, or other challenges, you’re not alone.

Ever wondered if you could stay afloat if you missed a paycheck?

We’ve been there—job losses, pay cuts, career changes—and we’ve managed to stay debt-free. In this article, we share our journey and tips on how you can do the same. Dive in to discover our strategies for surviving tough financial times.

Take our 2024 Economic Well-Being One Question Survey Below

List of Economic Downturns

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 List of Economic Downturns2 Wallet Watch 2024: Where Do You … Read more »

How Long Can Fresh Store Bought Eggs Be Left Unrefrigerated?

How long can eggs last unrefrigerated?

Have you ever thought long and hard about the eggs we eat?

What About Questions Like:

How long can eggs last unrefrigerated and refrigerated?

Or, “How can you tell if the eggs you have are going bad?

Does the nutritional value of an egg change as it ages?

How long can eggs be left out on the counter?

In this article, we’ll answer all these egg questions and more.

Egg Storage Around the World

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Egg Storage Around the World2 Why We Care About Eggs on a Money Site3 What Are USDA Rules for Storing Eggs?4 How Long Can … Read more »