Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, Author at Making Sense Of Cents

Less Stuff, More Freedom

March 20, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 21 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

It's been a few years now since we got rid of the majority of our belongings and moved into an RV (and now boat). Becoming a minimalist (and living with less stuff) wasn't a goal at the time – it just naturally happened.

When we sold our house and moved into an RV, we had to give away a ton of our stuff so that we could start living minimally in a smaller space.

We gave a lot of stuff to family members, had neighbors come by and take whatever they wanted, Salvation Army came to our home to do a big pickup, and more. We didn't sell a single thing, instead we gave almost all of it away.

I know some people will think I'm crazy for not selling anything, but that's not really the point of this blog post. The point is that living with less stuff is possible. And, there is already so much waste in the world, and now that we're sailing, we're seeing so much of it in the water – and it is truly disappointing. [Read more…]

50+ Crazy Things People Have Done To Save Money

March 18, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 21 Comments

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50+ Crazy Things People Have Done To Save Money #howtosavemoney #moneysavingtips It’s been five years since I published the blog post 8 Ways To Be An Extreme Cheapskate, which was inspired by a TV show called Extreme Cheapskates – there were some even too extreme for me! That post made me want to hear what frugal living tips other people had for saving money.

So, I asked my readers to share some of the craziest things they’ve done to save money, and I was able to put together a list of 60+ Extreme Things People Have Done To Save Money.

I loved everything on that list and wanted to hear more, so I asked readers in my Making Sense of Cents Facebook Group about their extreme frugal living tips and got even more amazing tips to share with you.

Now, some of these things are going to sound crazy, but remember that saving money often means going to great lengths. You might feel embarrassed or ashamed by what you’re doing to save money, but when we share the extreme things we’ve done, maybe we can all feel a little less embarrassed. [Read more…]

10 Easy And Affordable Meal Prep Ideas

March 14, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 14 Comments

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Food is one of the budget areas that many people overspend in. That’s because cooking dinners and making lunches can feel like a lot of work when you are already busy. But, finding delicious and easy meal prep ideas can keep your budget (and maybe your diet too) in shape.

Meal prepping works so well because you do all of the work ahead of time. You cut the vegetables, cook everything, and then portion the meals into individual containers. Then, you have a meal all ready to go.

You can grab these meals before work so you don’t spend money on lunch. You can also use these meal prep ideas to make dinner time easier.

In this list of budget friendly recipes you will find something for nearly every diet out there too – from Keto to vegan.

I’m getting really excited to try some of these meals, especially the nourish bowl!

Other recipe roundups to check out:

Note: If you're looking for easy weekly meal plans that are full of budget recipes, I recommend $5 Meal Plan. $5 Meal Plan is a meal planning service that sends you a delicious meal plan and shopping list every week for just $5 a month.

Here are 10 easy and affordable meal prep ideas.

[Read more…]

Make Extra Money By Learning How To Teach English Online

March 14, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 12 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Learning how to teach English online has become extremely popular these days and for many good reasons – it’s flexible, there’s a high need, and it pays pretty well.

You may have even heard me talk about it before here on Making Sense of Cents. I have even had one of my readers talk about online English teaching jobs with VIPKID – Janice Cook talked about how she teaches English online from home and earns around $1,000 a month doing it part-time.

Surprisingly, you don't need to be a teacher to learn how to teach English online. You also don't need to speak more than one language – you only need to speak English.

Those things make teaching English online a really great side hustle or online job for almost anyone. [Read more…]

Here Are My Tips For Filing Your Taxes

March 13, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The following is a sponsored partnership with H&R Block.

Filing taxes, especially for a newbie, can be so hard! There are so many factors that can go into your tax return, and taxes in general, that it can cause people an enormous amount of stress. However, with these tips, I'll help you to make filing your next tax return a breeze.

Taxes are due on Monday, April 15th, 2019 after all, which is less than two months away!

I have been filing my own taxes since I was 18 years old, and I used H&R Block for years – they have always made it so easy for me to file my own tax return each year. [Read more…]

What makes you a good candidate for credit repair?

March 10, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - Leave a Comment

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.

The following is a sponsored post with Creditrepair.com.

Your credit score and credit history are so very important. There is a very small percentage of people in which ignoring their credit score may work fine for them.

However, for the majority of people and families, your credit score is something that you probably need in your life.

This is important to realize because many people think that their credit score and credit history only impacts them getting a loan. This is simply not true!

Your credit score can impact so many other areas of your life, which may have completely nothing to do with a loan. [Read more…]

How my family of five went from the “American Dream” to nomads

March 8, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 10 Comments

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Hello! Today, I have a great guest post from Ashley. She guides parents through identifying their strengths – and also their triggers – to live with intention and not simply reaction to the chaos of an ever-growing family. Through her podcast, blogging, coaching and personality “snapshots”, she provides tools and action steps to aid families in creating a life they love to come home to. Find out more at 90 Day Family Roadtrip.

Ah, success – that thing we all aim for, and yet…

Have you dreamed of success, yet so far have felt like it’s not quite attainable? Sometimes, our vision of success isn’t even fully discovered, much less something that is simply an end goal. My story of success is my own; unique to my personal situation. Yet the six principles that shifted my mindset may help you, too, see success in a new light. [Read more…]

Here are 10 easy and affordable meal prep ideas.

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