It's not about the money, money, MONEY!

 

How many of you have heard the statement, "Money can't buy happiness"? And how many of you believe that statement is true?

 

Right now, my husband and I are hosting a Bible study in our home about financial freedom. On one of the first video sessions, the teacher stated that most people think that if they could have just a little bit more money, then everything would be okay. When asked how much was a little bit more, no matter how much the people made, each person interviewed said that about 10% more than what they made would be sufficient. Quite interesting, don't ya think??

 

As Dave and I have been working to get out of debt there have definitely been times that I have thought, "Just a little bit more money would be so nice right now!" However, even with more money, I would still have to use the dreaded "d" word...DISCIPLINE. More money without discipline would still have me stuck in the other dreaded "d" word- DEBT! Money without discipline often times leads to debt. And that is someplace I don't want to be!

 

However, finding ways to make more money while being disciplined with that extra income will bring about a great "d" word....DECREASE! Discipline with extra income can help cause a decrease in your debt and put you on the path to becoming a frugal millionaire!

 

As a full time Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse, I don't have time to pick up another job. However, I have found ways to make a little extra income in my spare time that are quick, easy, and actually a little fun! I have included the hyperlinks to each website so that you too can get on the path to a little extra income!

 

 

One of my favorite websites (and it is also an app) is Checkout51. This app posts new items every Thursday that they will give you money for buying. And all you have to do is upload your receipt with proof that you bought that item during that week! For example, this week if I buy a pumpkin for carving, a gallon of milk, and bananas and upload my receipt to their website, they will credit my account with $1.00. Once your account hits $20, they will send you a check in the mail! I haven't received a check yet, but I should hit my $20 by the end of the year!

Another site that I have recently started using is SavingStar. Here, you register your reward cards for different stores- like CVS, Walgreens, Shoprite, etc. Then, they have a list of about 50 items with a reward amount attached to them that change periodically. You go through and activate the items you think or know you are going to purchase. Once you purchase that item at the store and swipe your rewards card, the information is transferred to your account on SavingStar and the money for that item is added to your account. For example, I chose Ziploc bags, cereal, and Progresso soup because I had coupons for these items, they were on sale at Shoprite and I knew I was going to buy them. If I purchased the Ziploc bags, the website gave me $1; the cereal, $0.75; and the soup, $1.00. Once I purchased the items at Shoprite and swiped my rewards card, two days later I had $2.75 in my SavingStar account. When you hit $5, they will either deposit the money into your checking account or give you Amazon.com credit! I am more than half way there!!

There are other apps that I have heard of and not used like Ibotta, the CartWheel app for Target, and the Walmart Savings Catcher. Each of these sites and apps have different ways of saving you money and are definitely worth looking into!

The final way I have started making a little extra money is through surveys. My husband has done a few that have paid upwards of $125 for 2-3 hours of his time and a little traveling. I don't have the time for those kind of surveys, so I have started using a website called Inbox Dollars. Their surveys pay anywhere from $0.25 to $1.50 a survey. However, they are quick and easy to do and I can sit and do a few when I have some down time. They payout when your account hits $30 with a check sent to your home or a gift card. So far, after only a month of doing a few surveys here and there, my account is already at $15! Also, as a side note, if you eat out from time to time (i.e. Chick-Fil-A) check the bottom of the receipt for quality surveys. They usually only take a few minutes and you will more than likely receive free food for doing them! Our dinner tonight consisted of free Chick-Fil-A sandwiches thanks to a couple short surveys!

 



These methods aren't going to make you a millionaire overnight, but they can help you make a little extra while still having a fun time doing it. Remember, frugal can be fun! You wouldn't throw a quarter away, right? Uploading that receipt, taking a short survey, or using a coupon are all ways you can save a few pennies, dimes, and quarters that eventually will add up to dollars and decreased debt!

Yes, I do believe that money can't buy happiness, But, a few extra dollars every now and then can make me one happy girl!

A spoonful of sugar!

I hate taking pills.

In fact, I can't even swallow ones that are bigger than an M&M! I believe I inherited it from my father.

Not being able to swallow pills can pose problems for me. Like the time I broke my ankle and had to ask for Lortab in liquid form! I think the poor doctor had to think back to medical school on how to convert miligrams to milliliters!

There are other pills in life I have to swallow and those aren't easy either. Like the bitter pill of discontentment. That's a pill I daily have to try and swallow. Sometimes, I get it down easily. Sometimes, I choke it down with thoughts of the future. And sometimes, I spit it right back up and become a bitter, griping, discontent person who is no fun to be around!

This pill of discontentment likes to show up when I am tired of living on a budget. When other people around me are buying new cars, new clothes, new houses, going on lovely vacations and I am eating leftovers, fixing used cars, and buying clothes from Goodwill, that little pill becomes harder and harder to swallow. Sometimes, I just want instant gratification.

 

 Back in 2012 and 2013, I had the amazing opportunity (twice!) to go to Kenya, Africa on a medical mission trip. Talk about eye-opening!! Not only did I learn new medical terminology and diagnoses, I also learned what the face of poverty looks like. People in Kenya (except for a select few) have literally nothing. And yet, in spite of their poverty, they live with so much joy. It was truly unbelievable to see the smiles of gratitude and feel the hugs of thankfulness as I washed a scraped knee, gave Tylenol to a throbbing headache, and found answers for tearful parents. I had never seen anything like it.

 

Then, I went to an orphanage.

 

These children truly had nothing. They had lost their parents in a civil war. They lived in shelters fit for livestock- no heat, no air, no running water. They slept on paper thin mattresses. They ate 2 meals a day- if they were lucky. And yet, as our van pulled up to their compound, they cheered and smiled and sang songs of thankfulness. It was overwhelming.

So, today as I swallow my pill of discontentment, I remember the faces.

Faces of people who truly have nothing and live like they have everything. And here I am, when I have everything, and will complain like I have nothing.

I have so much to be thankful for. Being on a budget is the biggest thing I have to be thankful for, you know why? Because it means I actually have something...enough of something...to budget its use. I am truly blessed.

A spoonful of sugar...I mean, reality helps the pill of discontentment go down and hopefully stay away!



Trick or Treat!!

 

Fall is one of my favorite times to bake!

However, the budget doesn't always accommodate for all of my baking desires! So, I have come up with one of my staple favorites that is super easy to make and SO delicious to eat!

Pumpkin Spice Cookies (or muffins...or cupcakes!)

What you will need: yields 12 cupcakes/muffins or 24 cookies
1 Box of Spice Cake Mix (got a box of Duncan Hines on sale for $0.99 at Shoprite)
1 can of pumpkin puree (1 can at Aldi is $0.89)

To add a topping, you will need:
Cream Cheese icing (again, at Aldi for $1.29- the amount is good for 24 cupcakes or 48 cookies)
Pumpkin Pie spice to sprinkle on top (already in the cupboard!)

Mix the box of spice cake and the can of pumpkin puree together in a mixing bowl.

Once thoroughly mixed (will look like cake batter) you can either: 1) put into a greased cupcake tin without cupcake liners, 2) use cupcake liners, or 3) make drop cookies on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Let cool and either 1) eat plain (super delicious) or 2) top with cream cheese icing and sprinkle with Pumpkin Pie spice (absolutely amazing!)

I have taken these to Thanksgiving dinner, our church's Fall Fest, and just as an after dinner dessert and everyone LOVES them!

 



A new favorite in our home this fall are roasted pumpkin seeds!

After carving our pumpkin, my sweet husband rinsed all of the pumpkin seeds and laid them out to dry overnight.

The next day (after about 12 hours of drying), he placed them on a cookie sheet, sprinkled them with salt, and baked them at 350 degrees for 25 minutes- flipping them every 10 minutes.

 And, voila, homemade roasted pumpkin seeds that are absolutely delicious!

What are some of your favorite Fall treats...or tricks?!

Frugal Millionaire Moments for the Fall

I love Fall.

I especially love Fall up north! (I never thought I would say that!)

Fall is a wonderful time to get outside and enjoy the beauty of creation- the changing colors, the chilly mornings and evenings, bonfires- mmmm, yes, I do love Fall!

With Fall, also comes some great frugal moments! Here are a few of our frugal moments in the month of October!

As I have said before, Dave and I love to garden! Back in August, Dave planted another garden for the Fall. Even though we have had our share of pesky squirrels that ruined our radishes, we have had a wonderful harvest of tomatoes, peppers, and soon, our snap peas! Yum!

One of my coworkers is very frugally-minded as well! She picks up left-over bagels from a Jewish bakery in Philadelphia every Saturday and Sunday night and brings them into work! And it is not just one or two! She usually brings in huge trash bags full of bagels that were just made that day! I will pack away 6-10 bagels, bring them home and freeze them! Wonderful for breakfast or snacks!

In order to save money on dates, my sweet husband and I will take walks! Taking walks in the Fall are especially fun! We talk about life, the future, the homes we pass (which ones we like and don't like), and comment about little critters, like squirrels, bunnies, and birds, that we happen to see on our walks! Quality time is so important!

And last but not least, my weekly couponing! Had a few great deals at Shoprite this week. Spent $12 and saved $47! I also got a great deal on vitamins this week at CVS- spent $13 and saved $30! Fall is a great time to stock up on canned goods and baking supplies! They are usually on sale, they won't go bad, and you will always find a use for them!

What are some ways you like to save money during the Fall season?

911- We have an emergency!!

 

I am totally ignorant when it comes to electronics.

 

 

I am not very smart when it comes to cars either.

 

I am the person who can pick up the remote and all of a sudden the TV won't work. I am the person who logs onto the computer and it freezes. I am the person who picks up her husband's smartphone and an app won't work. I am THAT person! My poor husband....

 

HE (my husband) is very tech and car savvy- which I am extremely grateful for! Without his help, I would still be sitting waiting for my computer to start!

 

The other day, I was extremely thankful for his knowledge of cars.

 

I was headed into work for the night and got in the car just like I have done hundreds of times. I started the car, put my seat belt on, and put the car in reverse. That's when the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree! All of a sudden, all these icons and green and yellow lights started flashing!! "Uh oh!" I thought, "How am I ever going to get to work now?" In a complete panic, I called my husband from my cellphone (while sitting in the driveway), "Honey, you have GOT to come out! Something is wrong with the car. I don't know if I am going to be able to drive it to work!" While I am in a complete panic, he meanders out to the car, opens the door, takes it for a spin and says, "It should be fine. Just be careful stopping quickly 'cause your ohusdfhusdhufsdjsdfkjhdfskjh isn't working. I will take it to the mechanic in the morning." And with that, I thanked my sweet husband, got back into the car and drove off to work. Then, the next morning came...

 

Dave took the car to the mechanic. But before that, he warned me that he thought the repair could be upwards of $800.00! OUCH!! My frugal millionaire heart about had a heart attack! That was a lot of money! But, we needed the car fixed. And, so, I prayed. I prayed it would be under $200. Not sure why, but $200 it was.

 

Dave arrived home with the car and I woke up to prepare for another nightshift at the hospital. Still half asleep, I asked, "How much were the repairs?" "$129.00," he said. WAHOO!! The problem wasn't as big as we thought and all that had to be replaced was the battery! I was beyond thankful!

 

 

 

But, you know what? It would have been okay if it was $800. You know why? 'Cause we have an emergency fund. A key step, and actually the first step, in Dave Ramsey's 7 Baby Steps to getting out of debt is to have an emergency fund. You never know when those hard times are going to come or when your car will light up like a Christmas tree! So when they do, you need to be prepared.

 

Having $1000 in an emergency fund should be a priority before getting rid of the debt. If you don't have the emergency fund and an emergency arises, you will just be putting yourself into more debt. Remember, debt is a bad 4 letter word and this frugal millionaire ain't sayin' that anymore!

 

911- we have an...oh wait, crisis averted, we have an emergency fund!!