Discretionary spending. Fun money. Call it whatever you want, it’s an important part of any budget. Last week, I highlighted all the luxuries that masquerade as needs on grocery lists. This week, I thought it would be fun to talk guilty pleasures. There’s no way any of these are needs, but that doesn’t seem to … [Read more…]
Last year, my side hustle dreams came true. After several years of developing a client base and building my reputation as a dependable and effective after-school tutor, I crossed the $1000-a-month mark in extra income. My side hustle was more than enough to cover our mortgage payment for the month. My side hustle was almost … [Read more…]
Did you hear the flurry of personal finance bloggers simultaneously clicking unfollow on Twitter? I just admitted to owning a $700 pair of shoes, and I had the gall to say that purchase wasn’t wasteful. Someone take this blog away from me, right? I know that designer shoes aren’t for everyone. I’m also confident that I … [Read more…]
I’m starting to learn that blogging is an exercise in talking out of both sides of my mouth. No sooner do I wax poetic about my meager grocery budget and call out the many luxuries that are wont to crop up on shopping lists, then I indulge in the biggest luxury of all: I waste … [Read more…]
“Wine is a grocery, not a luxury.” No, Richard Betts, you’re wrong. Last week, I was in the midst of catching up on my favorite podcasts, when I stumbled across that sound bite courtesy of Richard Betts on the Tim Ferriss Show.* While I most certainly understood his point — in his experience, the table … [Read more…]
It started with a spice cabinet. In my desperate attempt to free my kitchen of all its clutter last month, I found a jar of Cajun seasoning that had been gifted to me along with other spices when I got engaged. I had used the Cajun seasoning exactly twice in two years. In my flurry … [Read more…]
On most days, I have the perfect excuse for not going out for lunch: I do cafeteria supervision. That’s right. I eat walking around in the company of 400 preteens. Still, there are some occasions that find me out of the building for full-day meetings, in-service trainings, and whatnot. Sure enough, when the noon hour … [Read more…]
The call of dollar stores is irresistible to some. Others insist on adhering to the you get what you pay for adage. I probably fall squarely in the between both camps. Overall, my shopping forays have taught me that not all dollar stores are equal. Now, it’s Dollar Tree or nothing. While Dollar Tree will not … [Read more…]
Last month, we slashed our grocery budget–including household items–to $200. At first, it seemed like an ambitious, if not unlikely, goal. However, with some strategic planning and careful shopping, we came in at just under $193 for two people. For an entire month of groceries. One of the best strategies I used throughout the month … [Read more…]
Happy Saturday, Frugal Friends! I’m so excited to co-host with the amazing ladies at BrokeGIRLRich and Disease Called Debt for another round of #FinSavSat. I hope you’ll join the link-up below. Welcome to Financially Savvy Saturdays, the savviest personal finance blog hop on the planet, created specifically for personal finance writers! We welcome all things … [Read more…]