Archives for January 2020

The Ups and Downs of Reinventing Your Life At 43 With Kids

January 31, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 15 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hey everyone! Please enjoy this great guest post from Joe and Kristin DiSanto. This is all about how they made the drastic decision to change their life and try something new – they went from chasing success to seeking fulfillment. I know that many people have felt “stuck” at times, and this can be a great read to help push you out of your box.

So…Hello!

We are Joe and Kristin DiSanto, a former executive producer/business owner and a former film/commercial editor from Los Angeles. Since meeting and marrying in Los Angeles, we spent many years and grueling hours climbing to success in the advertising, film and television industries.

We went from often working for free, to building a post production company with our best friends that brought in millions of dollars, won Emmys, and fulfilled our lofty career goals.

AND THEN WE KISSED IT ALL GOODBYE to start a new life.

At the ages of 38 (Kristin) and 43 (Joe), we left our stressful big city careers and relocated to a charming Florida beach town where we knew no one, but had the freedom to raise our 3-year-old son full-time—and redefine our “dream life.”

We traded in time spent on work, for time spent together as a family.

Kristin is now able to be a full-time mom and part-time blogger. Joe is a part-time bookkeeper and small business consultant and part-time blogger. [Read more…]

10 Healthy Bowl Recipes – You Will Love These Delicious Meals!

January 29, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 9 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Today, I have 10 of the most delicious and healthy bowl recipes out there, and I am so excited to share them with you!

Bowl recipes or meals in a bowl has become one of my favorite ways to eat these days. There is something that just feels so much easier about putting your entire meal in a bowl, haha.

Because I’ve been loving to eat my meals this way, I wanted to share some of the healthy bowl recipes that I have been enjoying.

These recipes are even great for meal prepping because you can put your meals together in individual serving containers and just grab them out of the fridge when you need a healthy meal.

This is great for busy weeknights or for bringing your lunch to work.

There are healthy bowl recipes that are great for dinner, ones that are vegetarian, vegan bowl recipes, gluten-free meals, and more. [Read more…]

40 Ideas That Will Help You Learn How To Live Your Best Life

January 27, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 5 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Are you feeling like life isn’t going the way you want? Would you like to learn how to live your best life?

If your answer is YES, then it’s time to start making a change for the better.

Now is the time to start challenging yourself, taking care of yourself, changing your mindset, and start living the best life possible.

However, many people are scared to make any real changes.

But, why stay stuck in a job you hate, in a bad relationship, or living with what feels like neverending financial stress?

These kinds of situations can cause you to feel scared, depressed, like you can never get ahead, and more.

No one should feel like that when you have the power to change your life. [Read more…]

How I Made Money in 2019 With My Blog – Annual Wrap Up

January 24, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 36 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Welcome to 2019’s annual business report where I show you how I made money online.

If you’re new to Making Sense of Cents, you may be wondering why I would want to publish my business report each month.

This all started out as my extra income report because, in the beginning, it was all about the money I was earning from my side jobs. In my side income reports from the beginning, I included all of the income I made except for what I made at my day job.

However, I left my day job as a financial analyst in October of 2013 and now my monthly business reports consist of the many ways I earn a living with my business.

Many have asked why I would ever want to publicly talk about what I’m working on each month. Some think I’m crazy, whereas some are glad I’m open about what I’m doing. Whatever you think, I enjoy publishing my monthly business reports and I share them publicly for three main reasons:

Before I started blogging, I knew nothing about side hustling and making money online. I didn’t think side jobs were worth the effort and I thought the only way to significantly increase your income was through raises at your full-time job. If it weren’t for others publishing their monthly income reports, I don’t know if I would have ever tried side hustling. I want to help show others the positives in side hustling and how it can change a person’s life. There are many different ways to make money online, and I like to share my story each month to help motivate others to improve their financial situation by making more money.
Secondly, I like to publish my business blogging reports because it’s a way for me to look back, learn from my mistakes and actually see what areas need improvement. I use my monthly blogging reports as a way to track how I’ve done and it helps to keep me accountable.
Lastly, I like to show others that making side money is possible and that there are many legitimate ways to make money from your home.

I know I say this every month, but it’s the truth. Life is great now that I’m my own boss and a full-time blogger. I look forward to each and every day and it’s a wonderful feeling. I truly love waking up every single morning. [Read more…]

Here Are 50+ Of The Best Ways to Save Money In 2020

January 20, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 9 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

How much money do you save each month? Would you like to learn about the best ways to save money in 2020?

If you’re looking for some of the best ways to save money in the new year, then this post is exactly what you need to start saving even more money. There are tons of ways to save money, and you are going to learn about over 50 different ideas.

Teaching people about the best ways to save money is one of my most favorite things to talk about because I have firsthand experience with how it can help you reach your goals.

When I was working towards paying off my student loan debt, I used many of these tips. And, that’s what helped me pay off nearly $40,000 in student loans before I was 25.

There are lots of reasons for why you might be looking for the best ways to save money. You may want to:

Stop living paycheck to paycheck
Pay off your debt
Go down to one income
Save for a vacation
Put more in your emergency fund
Start investing more

Or, maybe it’s as simple as wanting to stretch your income so you have a little more flexibility in your budget. [Read more…]

How I Saved $149,000 for Retirement by 30

January 17, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 10 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Hello! Here is a guest post from a reader of mine, Alberto. Alberto is sharing his story on how he saved $149,000 for retirement by the age of 30. Enjoy!

Sometimes I can’t believe I actually saved that much for retirement before I even hit my 30s. It’s surreal to me thinking how far I’ve come in building my net worth.

What’s even crazier is I didn’t even have a full time salaried job until two and half years after I graduated!

Even when I did get a job, I didn’t know the first thing about 401k plans nor did I even give retirement a second thought. I was just relieved to have a job!

It’s hard to imagine without any context going from a measly $9,215 in Roth IRA savings from my parents making me save a few bucks over the years from birthday or Christmas money, to at 30 having a total of $149,000 in a span of 7 years.

But trust me, if I can do it, so can you.

Related content:

[Read more…]

How Do Credit Cards Work? I Answer The Most Important Questions

January 15, 2020 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - Leave a Comment

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

How do credit cards work? Surprisingly, there are many people who don’t understand how credit cards work and how to use them responsibly.

I have heard so many false things and myths about credit cards even though they have been around for decades.

So today, I want to clear everything up for anyone who has ever asked the question, “how do credit cards work?”

When you know how they work and use them responsibly, there are some great benefits of having credit cards — a higher credit score, cash back, airline miles, rewards, etc.

Those benefits are why I love using credit cards, but I understand that they aren’t for everyone.

A family member of mine once struggled with credit cards, and they found that using a cash only budget was the best way to stay out of credit card debt. Fortunately for them, they were able to recognize their credit card mistakes and found a way to make sure they weren’t adding any debt. Part of that was being proactive and noticing that they had an issue early on.

However, others are not as lucky.

I’ve heard many stories about people who continue struggling with credit cards and keep adding to their debt. And I’m always shocked when I find out it’s simply because they don’t understand how credit cards work. [Read more…]

Archives for January 2020

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