Latest Blog Posts
Money Can’t Buy Happiness… or Can It?
“Money can’t buy happiness” is a well-known saying. Research has found this to be somewhat true – money is only correlated with happiness up to a certain income level. If someone doesn’t have enough money to get by, they are more likely to be unhappy. However, once...
Car Loans, Timeshares, and Murphy’s Law – Fall Update
For all of you who are new to FM, I post an update every couple of months that shows how we’re doing on our debt snowball and other goals. A couple years ago, I shared a post called What to Do When You're Feeling Stuck. In this post, I discussed my three year goals...
The Problem With Your Problem With the “Get out of Debt Quick” Stories
“How One Millennial Couple is Paying Off $117,000 of Student Loan Debt in Three Years.” “Michigan Couple Honored for Paying Off $92,000 of Credit Card Debt.” “How One Couple is Paying Off $600,000 of Student Loans in Five Years.” What do all of these “get out of debt...
10 Ways to Make an Extra $500 Each Month
When my hubby and I decided to pay off our $117,000 of student loan debt in just three years, we knew we’d have to drastically cut our expenses. Saving money helps, but at a certain point, it’s impossible to save more. We already had a bare bones budget, so we needed...
6 Picture Perfect Fall Date Ideas
There’s something so romantic about autumn, isn’t there? It’s not just the season of pumpkin spice after all. Between the crispness of the air, the fall foliage, and that first snuggle session in front of a roaring fire, there’s nothing that spells romance better than...
How to do Project Life on a Budget
Have you ever felt frustrated with scrapbooking? Maybe you wanted to stick with it but it became too expensive or time-consuming, or you just weren't happy with how the layouts turned out. I used to feel that way. I'm not a creative person at all, and I was never...
5 Reasons to Refinance Your Student Loans
Are you struggling with student loans? I know how difficult it can be. When my husband and I got married, we had a combined total of $117,000 of student loan debt. Being buried in six figure debt is overwhelming – I felt trapped and hopeless. *Disclosure: This post...
The Top 10 Best Board Games for Adults
My hubby and I love to have board game nights with our friends. We’re currently on a three year spending ban while we pay off our massive student loan debt, so finding free things to do for fun is important for our sanity. In addition to being free, game nights are...
How to Stick With Clean Eating (When You’re Tempted to Give Up)
There are numerous reasons to start eating clean. Maybe you want to lose weight or perhaps you just want to be healthier. Whatever the reason, it can be difficult to stick with a whole food diet when you’re used to eating an unhealthy diet. I’ve been eating a vegan,...
Arizona Travel Guide: 10 Frugal Things to Do
Since my hubby and I are currently on a three year spending ban while we pay off $117,000 of student loan debt, we don’t generally travel. However, we went to Arizona last year because my step grandpa passed away and we were there for his funeral. It was a sad...
10 Things You Shouldn’t Buy When You’re Broke
Personal finance is about choices. Many frugal people continue to splurge on a couple of things that are truly important to them – because they’re frugal in most areas, they can afford to splurge on things that they value. Frugality doesn’t have to mean giving up...
Frugal Tip: Finish College in 4 Years (or Less)
Less than 20% of students at public universities finish college within four years. Some struggle with difficult courses, many spend more time partying than they do studying, and others change their majors multiple times. There was a time when taking six years to...