Wholesale Clubs: What’s A Warehouse Club? Do They Really Save Money?

Author | May 23rd, 2023 | Shopping, Miscellaneous
What is a Warehouse club and do they save you money?

The concept of shopping in a wholesale club or warehouse and buying directly from a distributor is an appealing idea for money-saving-minded people. But do today’s warehouse clubs really save you money or are they merely a carefully marketed retail store that has lots of stuff in it, designed to separate you from your money?

We’ll discuss the pros and cons of shopping at the warehouse clubs AND we’ll tell you how you can do it without buying a pricey membership.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 What is a Warehouse Club?2 The History of Warehouse Clubs3 Warehouse Clubs in the … Read more »

Save on Lactose Intolerance: Costco vs Sams vs Lactaid® which is Best?

Author | May 18th, 2023 | Medical / Health
Kirkland Lactase - lactaid package

Are You searching for the best lactose intolerance pills? Are you wanting a cheaper option that really works?

Have you tried different solutions for your digestive issues?

The National Institute of Health estimates that about 68 percent of the world’s population has lactose malabsorption issues. That’s a lot of people who need help digesting lactose.

We’ve tried a number of natural and pill solutions for lactose intolerance.

We also did an in-depth comparison with Costco Lactase (Kirkland) or Lactaid® brand pills. You’ll be surprised by what we found.

If you have lactose intolerance, finding a solution so you can enjoy dairy is not an easy … Read more »

Pets on a Budget: Ultimate Guide to Caring For Pets for Less

Author | May 17th, 2023 | Pets
Pets on a budget - Why you should have them & how much they cost. #PetsBudget #PetsSick #PetsTime

Do you need to have your family pets on a budget?

We are talking about the family pet.

Pets are viewed as best friends, companions, family necessities, nuisances, and trainers for children. Do economizers have them, and if so, do they think of them differently than other people do?

Our Pet History

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Our Pet History2 Pets Bring Companionship3 The Reason for Having a Pet4 Pets Can Bring Security5 Where to Get a Pet When You’re on a Budget6 The Real Cost of Pets7 Pets Need Time8 Sick Pets and a Budget

We … Read more »

30+ Creative Crockpot Recipes, Ideas & Uses—Crazy! (Soap?)

Author | May 16th, 2023 | Grocery--Cooking
An amazing collection of creative uses for your crockpot - making soap . . . really?

If you’re looking for creative crockpot recipes and cooking ideas we’ve got answers. If you want lots of delicious and favorite recipes and some really outrageous uses for a slow cooker, you’ve also come to the right place!

The slow cooker or Crockpot is one of the most versatile time and money-saving tools we have in our kitchen. We use them so much that, over time, we now have three of them. They help us on our once-month cooking day and for other daily needs.

Related Article: $3400 in CrockPot Savings A Year

Traveling with a Crockpot?

Years ago … Read more »

Unclaimed Money Secrets: How We Found $142K in Missing Money

Author | May 11th, 2025 | Budgeting, Make Money
How we found $140,000 in Missing Money

Do you know anyone who has received a cash windfall from MissingMoney.com? We have …because it was us!

Have you ever wondered if there’s money out there with your name on it? It turns out that more than $49 billion in unclaimed funds are being held by state governments and treasuries across the United States. Even more surprising, approximately 1 in 7 people have money waiting to be claimed!

After Steve’s father passed away in 2019, the family went through the difficult process of settling his estate. While researching an article he was writing in 2020, Steve stumbled upon something unexpected – … Read more »

11 ways to Save Energy for Kids and Your Electric Bill

Author | May 12th, 2023 | Utilities / Phone, Kids & Money
Hand holding a light bulb trying to save electricity.

We taught our kids to save money on electricity … and everything else. When we received this question from a website visitor from Australia, we thought we’d put our ideas in writing so you could learn to save energy for kids too.

Question about how to get my kids on board with saving money

Do your kids save electricity? How do you get your kids to appreciate ever-increasing electricity costs and to turn off lights and appliances? Mine just seem to walk away and have no care that Australian electricity costs are rising and rising and we now pay a carbon tax … Read more »

How to Manage a Financial Windfall: What to Do with Sudden Money

Author | May 10th, 2023 | Budgeting, Free Stuff
Financial Windfalls - How to manage them.

What is a financial windfall?  Is managing a windfall something you are prepared to do?

Winning the lottery, a TV game show, a large inheritance or sweepstakes are all windfalls. What about smaller windfalls – like a tax refund? Have you ever been faced with managing sudden money?

How could this money help you? How would you manage it?

Have you ever thought of creating a plan for a financial windfall?

Will a Windfall be Coming Your Way?

What if you won the lottery? What would you do if you have $50 million dumped in your lap? Many of us would be able to quickly … Read more »

Creative Vacation Souvenir Ideas That Are Clever, Cheap, and Fun

Author | May 6th, 2023 | Recreation/Fun, Vacation/Travel
Vacation Souvenirs that are clever and frugal! Cheap Travel Souvenir Ideas!

Discover unique and inexpensive vacation souvenir ideas to help you remember your travels in style. From classic keepsakes to quirky finds, we’ve got you covered. Let’s dive in and explore the world of vacation travel souvenirs and mementos!

We’ve broken this list into the following categories:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INEXPENSIVE SOUVENIR IDEAS2 COLLECTABLE SOUVENIRS3 SOUVENIR FOOD IDEAS4 LOCAL ART AND ARTIST SOUVENIRS5 WEARABLE SOUVENIRS6 CHRISTMAS SOUVENIR IDEAS7 BOOKS AND ALBUMS SOUVENIR IDEAS8 MISCELLANEOUS SOUVENIR IDEAS9 UNIQUE PLACES TO FIND COOL SOUVENIRS10 CONCLUSION ABOUT VACATION SOUVENIRS

INEXPENSIVE SOUVENIR IDEAS

These cheaper souvenir ideas can … Read more »

54 Productive Things To Do When You’re Bored

Author | October 4th, 2023 | Recreation/Fun, Budgeting, Miscellaneous
Productive Things to Do When You're Bored

There are LOTS of blogs written about fun things to do when you’re bored.  So, we wanted to put a new twist on that, and offer you a list of productive things to accomplish in this season of staying home more than normal.

We’ve broken this list of productive activities into 9 categories:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 1) Money Activities (5 ideas)2 2) Outdoor Activities (6 ideas)3 3) Organizing Activities (13 ideas)4 4) Things to do with Your Computer (5 ideas)5 5) Cleaning Activities to do When Bored (7 ideas)6 6) Kitchen Activities (5 ideas)7 … Read more »

Easy! How to Save Money Cutting Glass at Home DIY

Author | May 3rd, 2023 | Housing, Crafts / Home Decor
How to Cut Glass and Save Money - A glass cutter, cutting a piece of glass.

Do you know how much it costs to have a piece of glass Cut?

Do you think that cutting glass at home is too hard, or dangerous?

Getting a piece of glass cut from a hardware store has become harder and much more expensive than 20 years ago.

Years Ago: We had 6 small pieces of glass cut for the outside lights/lanterns on our garage. We bought a large piece of glass for about $15 at Home Depot and they cut it for free.

Things have really changed since then.  We were looking at a $20 charge for 3 small pieces of glass.

Keep reading to learn … Read more »

Use a Crockpot for a Year and Save $3400!

Author | April 27th, 2023 | Groceries, Grocery--Cooking
Crockpot Savings - Use a Slow Cooker for a year and Save $3400

Using a crockpot for a year could save you a ton of money. But even if you used it just a few days each week, it could still save you more money than you ever imagined.  We’ll show you how this works and give you some other tips too.

This is the third of a 5-part Kitchen Tools series that will empower you to save thousands of dollars on your food budget.

What’s at stake when it comes to feeding a family?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 What’s at stake when it comes to feeding a family?2 The Savings from a Year … Read more »

10 Student Loan Forgiveness Programs: Get Debt Eliminated Legally

Author | April 26th, 2023 | College & Education, Debt Reduction
9 career choices that could result in student loan forgiveness.

Do you have college loans? Are you looking for a list of student loan forgiveness programs? Are you wondering if you can get loan forgiveness?

Student loan forgiveness isn’t available to everyone, but it is a great way to pay off student loans that have already been accrued!

We’ve scoured the loan forgiveness landscape and found 10 different programs that might benefit you.

College Prices Have Skyrocketed:

Over the past 40 years, gas prices have increased by about 300% and Gold has risen more than 1200%. However, the cost of college has outpaced them both, skyrocketing more than 1600% higher than it was in … Read more »

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

Author | March 3rd, 2024 | Make Money
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 »

Pack a Lunch in Glass Bowls: How I Saved $40,000 Bringing My Lunch

Author | April 20th, 2023 | Groceries
Here's a lunch time hack that could save you $1000 per year?

If you pack a lunch consistently you’ll be surprised how much money you can save.

Glass Bowls Provide Lunch Values

Having Glass Bowls so you can bring leftovers for lunch, is the second of our Kitchen Tools series. It will empower you to save thousands of dollars on your food budget.

Why glass bowls?  When it comes to feeding a family, there is a lot of money at stake. The average family spends $270 per person each month on groceries. That means that a family of four will spend nearly $13,000 on food this year! And using glass bowls for lunch can help … Read more »

Why We Love Junk Mail? Here are 3 Things You Can Do With Free Paper!

Author | April 19th, 2023 | Office/Computer
Why do we love junk mail? Find out how we save the planet and stretch our budget all at the same time.

We love junk mail. How ’bout you?

We love junk mail, especially insurance agents who send us unsolicited quotes on white paper printed only on one side.

Why? It’s simple.

They’ve just provided us with free paper for our printer.

How we use Free Junk Mail to Save Money

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 How we use Free Junk Mail to Save Money2  A Funny Story about the Junk Mail Brother Printer3 Bottom Line for Recycling & Resourcefulness4 More Strategies for Dealing with Junk Mail5 What’s the value of all this effort?

We have a Read more »

29 Free or Cheap Places to Get Copies Made (Near Me)

Author | April 18th, 2023 | Office/Computer
Copies Near Me: Over 20 free or inexpensive options to choose from.

Copies Near Me is a popular Google Search! You never know when you might need to make a Black & White or Color copy. And finding a place to do that inexpensively, especially if you don’t have your own printer can be challenging!

Even though the world is increasingly paperless, there are going to be times when you’ll need a crisp, clean paper document in your hands.

If you find yourself in need of a copier, then browse this list of 29 different places (in 4 categories) for the best free or cheap copies that will make your life easier!

TABLE OF … Read more »

What is a Spoonula and How Can It Save You Money? Kitchen Tool #1

Author | April 13th, 2023 | Groceries, Grocery--Cooking
Clean up in your kitchen by using SpoonULas, they save time and money.

If you’ve never heard of a spoonula, hang on because you’re going to love it. In this article, we’ll tell you what a spoonula is and how it can save you money and we’ll introduce our kitchen tool series.

5 Kitchen Tools That Will Save $6000 #1 Spoonula

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 5 Kitchen Tools That Will Save $6000 #1 Spoonula2 What’s at stake with Kitchen Savings?3 What is a Spoonula? How Spoonulas Help to Scoop It Out:4 How Much Can You Save Using a Spoonula?

Saving money on groceries could revolutionize your family budget! Really, it’s no hype. … Read more »

Allowance for Chores? How the 5/50/500 Rule Applies to Your Kids

Author | April 12th, 2023 | Kids & Money
Should I pay my kids for chores?

Should you give your kids an allowance for chores?

“NOOOOO!” … that was our first response.

But years later we reconsidered this decision because we discovered the 5 / 50 / 500 money rule.

There are rules that govern our lives, our world, and the universe. There are also rules that govern the earning, saving, and spending of money. Knowing how to operate within the rules usually means success and a more peaceful existence. Violating the rules has the opposite effect.

Preparing your child to live a financially independent life may not be on the top of your to-do list. But if … Read more »

How to Live On One Income: 5 Tips for Parents Who Want to Stay At Home

Author | April 6th, 2023 | Budgeting
Mom with two kids and a dog in the forest. Can we live on one income?

If you’ve ever wondered how to live on one income or whether your family can afford to do it or not, the following 5 email questions should help you get your answer.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 1. One Income for a SAHM Wannabe2 2. Convincing Your Wife to Live on One Income3 3. Living on One Income When Illness Hits the Family4 4. Living on One Income after Bankruptcy5 5. Living on One Income, Drowning in Debt & No Fun6 One Income Wrap Up

1. One Income for a SAHM Wannabe

First I would like to say … Read more »

4 Places Where You Can File your Taxes for Free

Author | April 6th, 2023 | Budgeting, Free Stuff
A block wall with a sign that says "Pay Taxes Room 108."

Finding free tax help and filing your taxes doesn’t have to be expensive.

If you’re a lower-income family, just starting out after college, a senior, military or former military family, there are lots of options for getting your taxes filed for free or for almost nothing. We’re hoping that you’ll check out these three options and be able to save a boodle! We’ve personally used two of the three services, and Steve’s dad was a volunteer with the last one.

Filing your income tax return doesn’t have to be a taxing (or expensive) proposition

Filing taxes is an annual ritual that most of … Read more »

How Frugal Living Can Help You Hurdle Toward Early Retirement

Author | February 20th, 2024 | Budgeting, Debt Reduction
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.

How Much Money Do You Need to 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 … Read more »

10 Great Places to Buy Quality Used Cell Phones & Save

Author | April 2nd, 2024 | Utilities / Phone
Best Places to buy used cell phones samsung galaxy s8+ and iPhone 8

If you’re in the market to buy a used cell phone, try some of these sites to save a ton of money and get a quality phone.

To make your research easier, we’ve included pricing for a couple of the most popular used cell phones. We’ve also listed the number of phones each site had available at the time of publishing.

Our strategy was to focus on these two phones to get an accurate estimate of platforms that cell phones for less. Our research should apply to other makes and models of cell phones. 

In this article, we researched 8 different places where … Read more »

Once A Month Bulk Cooking to Make Easy Freezer Meals

Author | March 30th, 2023 | Groceries, Grocery--Cooking
Discover the Freedom that once-a-month cooking brings to your life

Have you heard of Once-A-Month Cooking—where you prepare a month’s worth of meals in one day?

How about Bulk Cooking where you prepare large batches of several meals that are divided and stored for later? 

Or lastly, freezer meals which are essentially the same as Once-A-Month and Bulk cooking, with all meals being stored in the freezer.

Do these ideas sound impossible or just too overwhelming? We’re talking about making meals super efficiently so that you can experience Cooking Freedom! 

Well, Annette felt completely overwhelmed with the idea of Once-A-Month cooking when Steve first mentioned it to her more than 30 years ago. But … Read more »

14 Cheap, Easy & Quick Snacks for Kids—Homemade & Store Bought

Author | March 27th, 2024 | Groceries, Kids & Money
12 inexpensive and healthy snacks for kids.

Are you looking for some more affordable or cheap snacks for kids? This list of 14 different easy-to-serve snack foods should do the trick. Some are homemade and others are store-bought, but all are inexpensive.

These snack options have been time-tested with our five kids and should do well for your family.

Do you ever feel like you’re feeding a bottomless pit?We’re talking about those kids or teens with “hollow legs.”

Remember when they were babies and we fed them every two hours?  Well, the two-hour feedings start all over again in the pre-teen and teen years.

You want to provide nutritious and healthy snacking … Read more »