Budget Archives - Page 2 of 110 - Making Sense Of Cents

Real Life Frugality- 20+ Ways Our Family Of 5 Is Frugal

March 28, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 20 Comments

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Real Life Frugality- 20+ Ways Our Family Of 5 Is Frugal Hi, I’m Ariel, Michelle’s sister-in-law and editor! Working for Michelle has given me the unique opportunity to not only read and learn from nearly all of the content she’s published on Making Sense of Cents over the past couple of years, but our relationship has given me a firsthand understanding of how her money making and savings tips work in the real world.

When I was 20 years old, my now husband and I bought our first house, we’ve added to our family, learned a lot from our mistakes, and we are now building a path towards financial freedom. This year is a big year for our family, as I’m about to graduate from Washington University with a degree in English Literature, and my husband will be adding a graduate degree in History.

I’ve never thought of myself as frugal, but the more and more I learn about the concept, I realize that, in a lot of ways, I am frugal.

While I have consciously grown this skill set in the past few years, some of my practices have grown out of necessity. In the past, I would rather have referred to my practices as resourceful and aware, but no matter what you call it, frugal means you are finding ways to save money. [Read more…]

Here’s How To Save Thousands For Your Next Vacation

March 26, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 32 Comments

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How To Save For A Vacation - Create Your Vacation Savings Plan Now! #howtosaveforavacation #travelfundjar #vacationsavingsplan Do you want to go on a vacation? Do you know how to save for a vacation?

The two go hand in hand!

Because vacations can be expensive, many people try to “afford” them by taking on more debt, and this is something I never recommend doing. Vacations are supposed to be relaxing, and coming back home to a pile of debt is the opposite of relaxing.

So, today, I want to help you learn how to save for a vacation. These are actual things you can do to save money for your trip and have money to spend without taking on any debt.

There are many ways to save money ON your vacation, and you can read those here – How To Travel On A Budget And Still Have The Time Of Your Life. Today's article is a little different from that, though.

With the tips in today's blog post, you'll learn how to save for a vacation by creating a savings plan that allows you to actually save all of the money you need before you leave for your trip.

I hear a lot of people say that they don't have any extra money for a vacation, and I hope that with today's advice, you can start setting aside money to finally go on that long awaited trip. [Read more…]

Your Financial Freedom Checklist

March 21, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 18 Comments

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Financial freedom.

Financial freedom. Everyone wants to reach it but not everyone puts in the effort to make that a reality. Well, today, I want that to change. Money isn't everything, but to improve your life, it can make things easier if you are smart about it. Everyone wants to reach it, but not everyone puts the same amount of effort in making it a reality.

Well, today, I want that to change. Money isn't everything, but to improve your life, it can make things easier if you are smart about it. And, having a financially secure future is one of the smartest ways to use your money.

Here’s exactly what I mean when I use the term financial freedom:

Financial freedom is when you are able to live life without constantly worrying about money. It's when you feel comfortable enough to follow your passion, instead of thinking about the income you are bringing in. It allows you to not stress about an unexpected expense because you have an emergency fund.

Financial freedom isn't about how much money you make. It's about how much you save, your financial habits, your financial goals, and more.

Depending on your situation and what you want out of life, you may be able to think of some things to add to that list.

So, whether you have a financial goal for this year, if you're creating a five year plan, or whatever your goal may be, here is a financial freedom checklist so that you can start improving your financial life. As you knock each one off of the list, you'll get closer and closer to financial freedom! [Read more…]

Would You Consider Living In A Camper To Pay Off Debt Quicker?

March 19, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 45 Comments

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What would you do to save more money and pay off your debt quicker?

One thing that I've noticed more people doing is living in a camper in order to save money.

Before we begin, I will say that RVing is funny. Some people who don't RV think that all RVers are trust fund babies, and others think the complete opposite, like that we are all truly homeless and have no money.

In reality, living in a camper has a wide range of costs, just like houses that don't have wheels do. You could live in a $1,000 travel trailer, or there are $2,000,000+ motorhome mansions. Similarly, the budget you keep while living in a camper can vary widely too.

Some people manage to spend just hundreds of dollars a month, whereas others can easily spend several thousands of dollars a month RVing.

While we don't live in an RV to save money (the house we used to own was actually much less expensive than our motorhome), there are many who have been able to pay off debt, save for early retirement, and more, all by living in a camper. [Read more…]

Why Aren’t You Paying Just $15 A Month For Your Cell Phone Plan?

March 19, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

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

The following is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

The average person spends sooo much money on their cell phone each month and each year – much more than they actually would ever need.

Your cell phone bill is probably one of the most expensive bills that you pay every month. Your cell phone can easily cost you over $100 per month, and if you have a family, then you may even be paying a few hundred dollars per month.

This probably comes as no surprise, but most people are overpaying for their cell phone plan.

Recently, I came across Mint SIM. They are an affordable cell phone service company that can help you save hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. [Read more…]

Is It Possible To Save $200 On A Car Rental?

March 18, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 6 Comments

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

The following is a sponsored post provided by AutoSlash. I personally heard of AutoSlash before they contacted me and have seen for myself that they save money! Whenever you book a car rental, I recommend going to AutoSlash as well.

What if I told you that you could save 30% off every car rental? Would it sound too good to be true?

Well it’s not!

Have you heard of this awesome website called AutoSlash? It’s a site where you can book a car rental except it’s way cheaper than booking on the rental company websites or through other online travel sites.

The reason it’s cheaper is that AutoSlash has special algorithms quickly figure out the best publicly available coupons and discount codes that apply to any rental. Their proprietary system then test each one to figure out which combinations yield the lowest price possible They also take into consideration memberships that you may be a part of like Costco, AAA, AARP and many others, saving you time from having to find and apply their codes or book through their portals. [Read more…]

How We Became Professional House Sitters In Europe & Saved Over $5,000

March 16, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 2 Comments

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Today, I have a great article from professional and trusted house sitters who have saved over $5,000 by house sitting. Enjoy!

House sitting! Did you know that you can save money and stay in beautiful mansions by becoming a professional and trusted house sitter? #housesit #housesitter #housesitting #howtobecomeahousesitter We are Brittnay & Jayden, full time roaming enthusiasts from Australia and New Zealand, respectively. Find out how we managed to save over $5,000 in 3 months, in one of the most expensive cities in Europe.

We met in the Australian Alps and quickly discovered each other's passion for travel. We were eyeing off South America as our next trip. However, one snowy Sunday afternoon we came across flights to London for $300 AUD ($220 USD). The next thing we knew we were booked and were applying for our UK work visas.

Two wild and exciting years in London quickly followed. We had managed to visit over 21 countries in Europe and Africa in that time and not ready to stop. Our visa’s expiry date quickly approaching. We scrambled, not quite ready to head home, we put our heads together, Spain was an early thought and then a friend mentioned Dublin. It was close, easy for work visas for and similar climate to the UK.

However, after deciding on this move we found out that Dublin is known as one of the most expensive cities in Europe. When we looked into rental properties, we were shocked. It was a minimum of $1450 for a room in a share house. Our recent house sitting job came to mind- we could try that there. After lots of research and applying, we landed our first house sitting job via Skype. [Read more…]

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