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Showing posts from 2015

How to live like a four year old

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I was looking at a pic of my oldest son the other day and thought to myself. Look at that smile! Not a care in the world. He radiates geniune happiness and loves life. I think as adults we get caught up in making money and working at a job we often times hate. We trade our precious time for a few bucks, are on a schedule and never spend enough time, well, really living. No not existing.... But really living. And by that I mean enjoying what you are spending your time doing, everyday. Living with purpose, with fulfillment. So how do you live 'like a four year old'? #1 Don't let the little things bother you. I spent too much of my life overanalyzing stupid things like, why did that person say this or do that. I've come to the realization that the only persons actions I can control are my own. How I react to the things people do make all the difference. #2 Make time to do something that brings you joy everyday. Whether that means taking a walk after di

Dollar Tree Dinners | Week Night Meal Ideas (Part 2)

Dollar Tree Dinners | Week Night Meal Ideas (Part 2)

Dollar Tree beauty products makeup review (E.l.F, Loreal, Maybelline) Pa...

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Wal-Mart Jewelry Clearance finds Last minute Christmas Gifts 2015

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Why I'm not keeping up with the Kardashians!!!!!

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The Kardashians are a glamorized, highly publicized, and an idealistic version of the modern day 'Jonses'. Ok minsus, sex changes, alcoholism and big butts. Why do we as Americans watch this show anyway? I have watched this show a few times, I have a weakness for reality T.V. what can I say? For me the reason why I watch this show is just for the simple fact that these people have problems too. Just because they have millions of dollars doesn't buy them a free ticket to a problem free existence and that makes me in some small way feel better about my life, wow did I really just admit that!? Some of what they go through feels very staged but in a way they are just a typical family underneath it all. While we might be able to relate to them in some ways, we all can't live that lifestyle. We have what I like to refer to as 'iwantitis' we want what everyone else has. The latest iPhone, the bigger house, the more impressive car, the latest tech gad

Shop my AVON store!

Shop my AVON store! : Here's a sneak peak at some of the latest products available at Avon. Be sure to click

How to Run Your Avon Business on a Tight Budget

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DIY Orange Julius only .75 a serving!

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Time to break out the blender! After the holidays everyone is on a new health kick. Well, I'm starting it early!!! No time like the present right? Or is that it's always a good time to get presents! Or is that to always be present. lol Just kidding! During the holidays there are so many treats. Home made cookies and fudge and pies galore. I have always had a bit of a sweet tooth so I love donuts, pies and candy! Yep, I'm like a kid at a candy store, actually I go crazy in candy stores, I want to buy everything! So the point I'm getting at (believe me I have a point) is that I need to start eating healthier. I was diagnosed with a condition called fibromyalgia which is an arthritis type of condition that causes a lot of pain and discomfort. So I'm looking into more natural ways of treating this very common condition and I've started taking vitamins and supplements, as well as trying to eat healthier, duh right?! I'm going to be turning 38 this year

Wal-Mart haul video Dec. 2015 kids clothes and womens

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Dec.2015 Rite Aid Clearance Haul get ready for January....lots of beauty...

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Book Review: Blogging for Profit Without Selling Your Soul by Ruth Soukup

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For those of your who have never blogged, or bloggers that have been blogging for years. This is a must read if you are either curious about how bloggers generate income or if you would like to get started blogging but you have no idea where to start. Like the author, Ruth Soukup, I started blogging around the same time. While I have learned a lot through trial and error. I don't have anywhere near the expertise this author does. The author has a website called Living Well Spending Less which I have been following for years. I stubbled upon her youtube videos on couponing (she started as a coupon blogger just like I did). Maybe I should have started a youtube channel back then? Oh well, you live and learn. As I was on Pintrest (which I swear is my fav website ever) I stumbled upon her income reports one day and was instantly sold on this book, I went to Amazon and purchased it immediately. (She makes around $10,000 a month, actually a lot of bloggers do). Likes and dislikes ab

Getting Started selling on ebay (one stream of income)

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How To Make A Starbucks Latte At Home

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How to Make Homemade Coffee Creamer

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Portland Couple Plans Dream Eco-friendly Wedding on a Budget

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How to have an amazing Christmas on a budget

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It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....everywhere, literally everywhere you go. Is it just me or does it come earlier and earlier every year? It seems like Halloween isn't even over and you start seeing Christmas decor. So this year instead of turning my head and thinking omg, I am so not ready. I decided to embrace the thought of decorating early. (See pic, this is my house, not bad for $60 spent at the Dollar Tree right?) Yes, our tree is already up!!!! since November 8th! I did this for several reasons. First of all last year was really hard emotionally and financially. I just left my husband after being Married 16 years. Just getting thru everyday was more of a priority. I put everything off but in the end with a little help I was able to have a great Christmas for my boys. Secondly, I feel like I'm just In a better position this year emotionally as well as financially. More reasons I wanted to get it out of the way because I am going back to school and

How to have an amazing Christmas on a tight budget

Mom Entrepreneur Shows how to Start a Stay at Home Business

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12 Tested Starbucks Hacks Teach You How to Order

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Last minute frugal Diy costumes

Halloween is Saturday!!!!! Are you ready? If you need a last minute DIY halloween costume on the cheap, here are some videos with lots of inspiration. Look through your closet and see what you already have that you can work with. Grab a black tee cut open the neckline more to make it off shoulder, grab some tight black pants, black heels and you csn be Sandy from Grease. Grab a red shirt red leggings and red heels and you can be a devil. To make the ears get a regular headband cut two peieces of cardboard in the horn shape. Now cut four peices of red fabric in the same shape by tracing around the carboard cut outs. Now glue the fabric over the cardboard peices front and back. Let dry. Now cut two scrap peices of red fabric sbout 3in x 2in fold over ear hiding seams. Now fold both and sew with a seam allowance to slip headband through both horns. About 1 in seam for a regular headband. You could also be a zombie. Just dress in all white use dirt or ash to dirty things up. Look up zombie

Love your life.....now!

Recently while reading another blog I had somewhat of an awaking...it talked about enjoying the now and not always trying to base your happiness in terms of the future. I will be happy when I find my dream house, dream guy, finish my degree or land that dream job! I have to admit that I have been guilty of this. I think I kind of lived with this mindset, constantly focusing on future goals and thinking that happiness will be found within these goals. Going through divorce, nearly losing my son when he got really sick, moving, changing career paths, my other son being diagnosed with Autism and going back to school have all been eventa in my life that have occured in the past year. I realized that life is short and not everyday is a guarantee so I have made a the choice to live in the now and be happy and content today, not tomorrow because we have no idea what that day will bring, but just appreciate the moment. I feel like I have gone through hell and back so just having some calmness,

Breaking The Silence....Why I left. Throwing it all out there.

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I'm only writing this because I feel that it could help another person who is in the situation I once was. Sometimes it takes hearing others stories in order to realize what you are going through is domestic violence. Im here to tell you, there is hope and there is a way out. I know there are so many women going through this exact same situation. You want to leave but you feel trapped, you have kids, you have no resources and the abuser controls everything. Im going to tell you the signs of that you or someone you love is going through domestic violence and how to plan a way out if you are. I know someone who is going through ths righht now so it really encouraged me to help with awareness. The saddest and sickest thing about domestic violence is the manipulation. The abuser not only manipulates the person hes abusing but,they also manipulate everyone else in their lives as part of the game. You may find that your closet friends and family have turned there backs on you. Thi

Love to eat out????

Love going out to eat? What are your favs? Totally in love with Red Lobsters cheesy biscuits? or what about Outbacks clam chowder? Why not copy kat it? Have your favorites for a fraction of the cost of eating out. I usually spend around $50 for my family to eat out at a restaurant not including tip. What id you could make it yourself ans spend half that? Would you eat out less? Food... Ok let's be real here... Convienience food adds up quickly. I have really tried to cut back on these costs dramatically. I also am not going to lie, have a hard time taking my little guys tp a sit down restaurant when we do its usually pizza or buffet. Usually other places are reserved for date nights. Parents... Never ever underestimate date night. Try to take one once a month. It seriously may save your marriage. Anyway, back to the program. So I found this website Copykat.com that cracks the code on all your favs. There's a ton of youtube videos on this subject too worth checking out.

Car Payments Are NOT OK

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Store Secrets you need to know now!

Did you know that stores have tricks to get you to buy certain items? Or more than you need or want? It's true stores have their sneaky ways of digging into your wallet deeper. Here are some secrets, knowing these will save you up to 50% on your grocery bill. #1 Never buy from the end-cap. This is reserved for promo items. These are usually items the store just got so they aren't really in any hurry to liquidate these items. They put these front and center to catch your eye and get you to buy. #2 Never shop at eye level. All of the items the store wants you to buy are see to see and therfore, easy to grab. For the best deals you want to look on the bottom shelves. For example, at walmart pasta at eye level is around $1.50-2 a box, look at the bottom of the shelf and it's .87 same for bread. You could end up apending $4-5 a loaf unless you look again at the bottom of the shelf and bread is only .88 and it's not bad. It actually tastes pretty good. The quality is very g

Married to 'stuff'

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As a nation we are so consumed by 'stuff' we work for it, plan for it, save for it and shop for it. We buy, consume and store. Isn't it kind of ironic how you now see a mini storage on every block it seems these days. This is simply because...We have too much damn stuff!!! The reason why I'm writing this and I'm writing it in kind of an abrasive way is because I came to the realization the other day that (this is pretty embarrassing to admit)....I was married to stuff! So let me clarify what I mean by this. I was married for 16 years (in this relationship since I was a senior in high school). I was in a miserable marriage I really didn't want to be in but I realized the reason why I didn't leave a long time ago was simply I was afraid to lose all my stuff. I loved collecting and have grown fond of things like antiques and odd furniture. I love clothes and had a nice collection of vintage clothing, shoes and collectibles. Well, I did finally end up lea

How to Build Pallet Couches (Frugal patio furniture)

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Getting Started selling on ebay (one stream of income)

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Be the crazy one!!!!

As you probably know by now I have been following Dave Ramsey. Now I'm not taking his financial peace class but I am atudying his advice and watching his youtube videos. There was one video in particular that caught my eye. He was basically saying in order to get ahead financially you can not think like everyone else. You have to be ok with being different and doing things differently. You have to look at money, debt and really life in general from a different perspective. I'm going to call it " think like your grandma". Let's think about this for a minute, in our grandparents generation they had no credit cards, they used what they had and they did not shop fir recreation. They bought what they needed and most importantly, they were content, they lived and they lived within their means. I think if we took a step back and re- adapted our life styles to these simple concepts we could really get a lot further. Say goodbye to the Jonses too. If the people in your lif

Make $500 in one day eBay full time income

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Save up to $1000 or more a year by buying these items @ The Dollar Tree

20 things you should be buying at The Dollar Tree saving you up to $500 or more a year 1)Hair accessories, clips, barettes, ties, brushes combs 2)Shampoo conditioner and styling products 3)Socks 4)Baby wipes, baby shampoo, baby bottles, lotions, etc. 5)If u have animals pet products, leaches, collars, dog food, biscuits, bones, toys, sweaters 6)Cleaning sprays, wipes, bleach, air fresheners 7)Tupperware 8)Paper plates and paper products 9) stationary, office supplies 10) cards, gift wrap, 11) snacks drinks 12) beauty products like lotions, sunscreen, baby oil, makeup 13) vitamins 14) medicine cabinet over counter meds and bandaids, etc 15) books 16) ziplocks and garbage bags 17) phone accessories, like iphone cases, chargers 18) home decor frames, vases, flowers 19) toys, perfect for party favors, or stocking stuffers 20) frozen foods and pantry items. Some things I frequently buy in this dept...... Pasta Sauces Seasonings Frozen fruit Frozen pancakes and waffles F

The Queen of Frugal Shows You How To Save Money

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Work at home vs. working outside of the home with Sandi from Mommies Fru...

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My Kindle Publishing Blueprint $0 to $20,000 in Under a Year

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HERE'S how much MONEY I make on YouTube!

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Bringing Moms Home: Aquafina Flavor Splash Lip Balm Review Frugal Beau...

Bringing Moms Home: Aquafina Flavor Splash Lip Balm Review Frugal Beau...

Bringing Moms Home: Mommies Frugal Finds Update: My Life, divorce. etc...

Bringing Moms Home: Mommies Frugal Finds Update: My Life, divorce. etc...

Save 300-$400 a month just by doing one simple thing....

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I decided it was time to re-evaluate my budget when my grocery bill per month got to $750 a month ( yes I got a little off track). I guess with everything that I've had going on in my life (divorce, moving, son in the hospital) the stress was too much and I stopped budgeting like I should have been. I used to clip coupons, meal plan, do make ahead meals, etc but all of that took the back burner for a while. So anyhow, now it's time to put my foot down on spening too much!!!! I'm getting back on track. I have some goals in place (more on that later) and it's time to make some changes. Here are some ways I am cutting our grocery bill down. One simple thing!!!! Shopping at the dollar tree! If you don't have a Dollar Tree in your area maybe you have a .99 cent store or something similar. Just by know what to b uy here you can save hundreds. Here are some of the things that I feel are a good value and I will do a price comparison Dollar Tree vs. Walmart Cream C

What Does Success Mean To You?

As I was lying in bed I couldn't help but think about what success is, what it means to me and how we as as Americans define success. I couldn't help but think about a conversation I had a couple weeks prior with an old friend. The way she defined success didnt sit well with me. She defined success as having a mortgage she can't afford, a new car every year with a payment that she couldn't afford ( really if you are financing a car you really can't afford it let's be honest), and a recent refi to make her new house better ( move over Joneses). And heres the biggie. She slaves away at a job she hates five days a week... This is success??? Living for the weekend? Buying a beautiful house that you never use and having a family you never see. Is this really what auccess is to most of us? To me it's not. If you are happy, healthy and you have your bills paid and food on the table you are more successful than a lot of others I would say. I think we really have los

Frugal Family Fun

Dress cute on the cheap

http://youtu.be/az2yUoITW40

What the tech? The virtual interview.

Technology...you either love it or hate it. But even if you hate it, you might as well just get on board because like it or not it's not going anywhere. Hey maybe tomorrow that Delorian will be on the market...as if (oh wait that was the 90's). Anyhoo, I just wanted to tell you about a rather weird and unfamiliar experience I have had in the past two days. I am interviewing for jobs, but get this, I have had two virtual interviews. What the heck is that you say? It's a video interview that is done on platforms like skype and facetime. I also had to do interview video questions through a website called Onjobs. Onjobs (I had never heard of it) is a website where you basically create a video resume and profile and interview for the jobs of your choice. I really think this website is on to something and I feel like this is going to be the future of jobs interviews. This approach really seems like it would save companies  a lot of time and money (and isnt that what everyone need

Raining Hot Coupons Free Victoria Secret items (plus up to $1000 in free secret rewards)

http://www.raininghotcoupons.com/victorias-secret-hot-2-free-secret-rewards-cards-10-purchase-better-free-items/

These are the Coupons in the Sunday Paper!

These are the Coupons in the Sunday Paper!

Money Making Mommies

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Looking for ways to make extra money? Here are some ways that I make money at home, with no out of pocket cost, and you can too. Sell stuff. We all have stuff we don't need or want right? Why not sell it? One persons junk is a another persons treasure. There are several ways you can do this.... Ebay  (fees are a little high but still worth it) I've been using ebay for years. I once paid for our family vacation with just my ebay money) The key to ebay is take gretat pics, write an attention grabbing description and be a fast shipper. One thing I like about ebay is you have instant access to the cash when you make a sell through paypal Etsy... Do you have a knack for handi crafts? Do you sew, knit or paint? Why not sell your items on etsy? This is the ebay of handmade items. You can always find unique items in here and this is a very popular site. Craigslist....I use this website all the time. Love it. You can buy or sell with no fees attached. Always check the free se

Cut your monthly budget in half!

Ok, lets talk budgets. Yeah, there are more exciting things to talk about but let's get this out of the way to make way for some more exciting topics. As a newly single parent I am faced with a whole new set of financial challenges. Before the divorce my husband and I weren't rich my any means. We were the typical american family.  Well, maybe not totally typical. I stayed at home and earned money at home (this was our extra money) while he worked a  full time sales job to pay the bills. We did ok (more on this later on ways to make money at home), but we never felt comfortable. Let's just say there were no Hawaiian vacations...maybe one to Louisville Kentucky, lol,  but we really were just staying afloat. Now as a single parent, there are even more challenges financially so I had to give my finances a kick in the pants, and myself. Lol Here's what I had to do to cut my budget in half..... Determine what is your main expense? For most of us it's housing. This i

Divorce

Hello money saving mommas!!!!! Just wanted to give you an update on my life...the joys, the chaos the heartache.lol Ok, that sounded like the intro of a soap opera. Anyhoo, after 17 years of marriage my hubby and I decided to call it quits. I normally don't blog about anything this personal but I thought that, number one I needed to apologize for the hiatus I've been on and number two I thought it could be helpful to some of my readers who are going through the same thing. Being a single mom now of two boys under four is hard but I think I've mentally prepared myself for this for years. I really think that going through this has really taught me some invaluable life lessons. It's opened my eyes to a new world and I've learned how to rely on myself and trust my own decisions. Something that I never learned until now because I got married way too young (at 19). But the scary part is doing this alone, being a single mom is the hardest job I've ever faced. Anyway, e

10 MONEY SAVING TIPS! SWEETSIMPLIFIEDLIFE

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America's Cheapest Family— How We Live Life and Save Money

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Frugal Living: Living On A Budget In The City

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