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Happy New Year!

Last Updated: December 31, 2013 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 8 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! I just wanted to pop in and say Happy New Year! We haven’t done too much because we are both recovering from the nasty and unpleasant stomach flu, but we are of course happy to just be able to relax.

In case you are bored today, here are some of my popular posts from the past year. Click on the headings below to read more. Enjoy!

 

Pursuing What I Love Or What Brings In The Stable Money

This is a post that I published on my birthday that really made me think. If you are thinking about making the switch to your passion, definitely read it.

Other posts that I published related to self-employment include:

  • I’m 100% Self-Employed – My Plans For the Future
  • Being Defined By Your Job or Career
  • My Motivation For Side Income

 

I’m No Longer An Anonymous Blogger

For around 1.5 years, I was a semi-anonymous blogger. I used my real name, gave out my Facebook profile and so on, but I never posted many pictures of myself directly on my blog. However, that changed and now I am completely public. It does stink a little because I have to be a little more careful about what I publicly share (such as with exact financial amounts).

 

My Student Loans Are Gone

I eliminated ALL of my student loans in 2013, and to this day it still doesn’t feel real. I’m glad that we could get rid of them so quickly because I really hated having them hang over my head.

 

Should I Pay Off My House Early? – Pros and Cons

Earlier this year we were debating whether or not we should pay off our home early. We were in the process of possibly buying another home, but we have put that on hold for now.

 

How To Make Money Blogging

There are many different ways to make money blogging. In this post I detailed the various ways that you can! Also, if you are looking for other ways to make money, I also created the post Ways to Earn Extra Income.

 

Is a Business Degree a Waste?

I have three business related degrees, and I don’t regret a single one!

 

8 Comments
Filed Under: holidays, Life Tagged With: Holidays, Life

What I’m Thankful For

Last Updated: November 27, 2013 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 35 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.

What I'm Thankful ForHey everyone! With tomorrow being Thanksgiving in the U.S., of course I had to create a post about all of the wonderful things that I am thankful for.

I know that this is a personal finance blog and that I talk about money A LOT, but life is not all about money.

Yes, being able to pay your bills and save for retirement are both important. However, money can’t completely control your life.

Life is about what makes you happy.

Life is about all those little things in your life that you may forget about. Life is about all of those awesome moments that you think about later on and smile for.

Here’s what I’m thankful for:

 

I’m thankful for my family.

I don’t have a large family, but I am thankful for the family that I have in my life. I’m thankful for all of the awesome moments that I had with my dad, and little things still remind me of him every single day. My dad was a great man.

I’m thankful that I have W. He is awesome and I’m of course happy with the over 7 years that we’ve been together.

I’m thankful for my sister. We weren’t always the closest, but it has been awesome with her living with us, and me pretty much raising her. We constantly joke that she is our daughter, and that’s how it truly feels. I know that she reads my blog, so, hey Lexy!

I’m also thankful for my dogs (I’m a crazy dog momma!), the rest of my family, as well as W’s whole family (I definitely consider them my own family). Reconnecting with my dad’s side of the family back in October was great as well. I’m so glad that I jumped at the opportunity, even though I was so nervous!

 

I’m thankful for my friends.

I’m thankful for my wonderful friends for many reasons. They have always been there for me and I’m glad that we are still able to have fun nights, like we will be having tonight!

 

I’m thankful for my career.

I couldn’t say this enough, but I am so thankful for my business. I never could have imagined that I would be where I am today. Every single day I wake up and wonder if this is all real. Self-employment has been great! I’m very excited to see what will happen within the next year.

 

I’m thankful for the trip that we are planning.

We have been slacking with finalizing any plans for our long trip, but I am thankful that we can even do this. Being able to work while taking a trip of a lifetime? I couldn’t ask for anything better!

Also, we received our passports the other day. It only took one WEEK to get them. Isn’t that crazy fast?

 

I’m thankful for the blogging community.

Everyone in the blogging community is amazing and I have made so many friends, and I’m so thankful that back in August of 2011 I started this blog. My life has changed for the better, and I think a lot of it has to do with making blogging a hobby (and then into part of my business).

 

What are you thankful for?

I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving!

 

35 Comments
Filed Under: Goals, holidays, Life Tagged With: Goals, Holidays, Life

Halloween on a Budget

Last Updated: September 25, 2021 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 39 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.

Halloween is right around the corner. I still can’t believe that we are nearing the end of 2013. With the end of the year being near, we are approaching several holidays. The topic today (and that also relates to the giveaway below) is how to enjoy Halloween while being on a budget.

Usually we buy Halloween costumes every single year, but this year I don’t think we will be doing that. We probably used to spend around $50 to $75 on each costume every year.

There are many ways to save on Halloween costumes.

You can re-wear costumes from past Halloweens (which is probably what we will do since we have so many). You can also trade costumes with friends – this way you get to wear a new-to-you costume and it’s FREE.

Also, you can buy a costume, but wait until there is a coupon! Costume stores almost always send out a 20% or 30% coupon if you are on their email list.

Candy is also pretty expensive when it comes to Halloween. You might spend $4 or $5 a bag, and you most likely need more than one bag. I have heard of people spending well over $100 on Halloween candy, which just seems crazy! What we usually do is just fill up one big bowl full of candy and whoever the first kid is at our door scores the whole bowl. Their face always kills me and makes my day.

This year we won’t be passing out candy, we will be going over to W’s family’s home and celebrating there.There’s usually a pretty big block party and it’s always a lot of fun since their neighborhood is full of historic homes from the 1800’s and early 1900’s, so it really helps with the Halloween vibe.

Halloween will be pretty cheap for us. We bought some pumpkins, and might go to a pumpkin patch soon also. I sadly haven’t been in probably over 15 years!

To completely switch the subject, what about winter holidays? How much do you usually spend on the winter holidays? Give me your best holiday savings tips below! They can be Halloween or Christmahanakwanzika related.

39 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, holidays Tagged With: Budget, Holidays

Happy Fourth of July!

Last Updated: August 9, 2022 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.

Happy Fourth of July everyone! I think we are having a small get together/BBQ at our house, and then going to watch fireworks tonight. Should be fun of course. I have today and tomorrow off, and that’s always nice! W has to work both today and tomorrow, so I do feel bad for him.

Don’t forget to read $10,192 in June Extra Income – Side Hustles!, my latest monthly income report, if you haven’t yet. I also made a post on my new blog about how much time I spend on my side hustles. I talked about it a little bit in last month’s extra income post, but I decided to expand on it since some of you still had questions.

I also have a $480 giveaway that went live this week. Enter now!

Have a great day!

9 Comments
Filed Under: holidays

Ways to Spend Christmas Cash

Last Updated: August 6, 2017 BY Jordann - 49 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.

Find out how to effectively spend your Christmas cash. This is a great list!Yet another Friday has come. Enjoy today’s staff post by Jordann.

Well Christmas is officially behind us! I received some great presents this year but one of the things I’m most excited about receiving was a bit of Christmas cash from my Mother.

I love Christmas cash, whether in the form of gift cards, mall money, or plain paper money. I love it because it’s flexible and allows me to buy something I’ve really been wanting, something I could really use, or something that the gift giver might not have been able to come up with.

I only have one problem with Christmas cash, and that’s my temptation to do something responsible with it. With any extra cash, I’m tempted to throw it towards my almost $20,000 of debt.

I know that every dollar toward my debt counts, and it’s these little wind fall cash finds the really makes the difference between a debt free date that’s a few years or a few months down the road.

So, as much as I’d like to spend my Christmas cash on something awesome, I have this little niggling voice in the back of my head saying “You should really put that towards debt!”

This is one instance, however, when I’m not going to spend this found money on debt. Yes, windfall money is a great tool to eradicate debt early and it should be used as much as possible, but Christmas money is intended as a gift, and should be treated as such.

Christmas cash, whether in the form of a gift card, or plain cash, is a great opportunity to reward yourself for a year of hard work at debt repayment, savings or whatever your current financial goal is.

Rewarding Yourself Is Important

Debt repayment can get exhausting, there have been a ton of times during this past year when I’ve wanted to throw my hands up and give up my aggressive repayment plan. I’ve been tempted to blow a whole month’s extra debt payments on furniture for my house, or a new computer. Somehow though, I’ve kept at this crazy plan of mine, and I’ve managed to stay on track and pay off almost $17,000 worth of debt this year.

For that, I think that I deserve to be rewarded, and spending my Christmas cash is the perfect way to reward myself. By taking advantage of this Christmas gift, I can spoil myself just enough to keep up my enthusiasm for my debt repayment schedule in the new year, and hopefully eradicate the rest of my student loan debt.

Get Creative

Even though I’ve decided to spend my Christmas money on myself and not on debt, I’m still tempted to spend it on something responsible. Like paint for my bedroom. Or getting my car professionally cleaned. This is another one of my problems, I manage to take something exciting and full of possibilities, like free money, and turn it into something boring and not remotely rewarding.

So, this year I’m purposefully trying to find something truly fun to spend my Christmas money on. I might even try some music or acting lessons. I haven’t come to a decision yet, but whatever I decide to buy, I’m going to make sure I get maximum enjoyment out of it.

Spend the Money…Within Reason

Now, I’m an advocate for spending your Christmas money, but there’s a limit to everything. If I were to somehow get $1000 for Christmas, I would absolutely allocate some of it towards debt repayment. Not all of it, mind you, but definitely a good portion of it. However, since my Christmas cash gift is closer to $100, I’m not going to worry about debt repayment this time around.

Sticking to your financial plan is important, and taking advantage of windfall cash is a key component to achieving goals ahead of schedule. However, once in awhile, treating yourself is even more important. After all, life is about the little pleasures, and while long term goals are essential to achieving what you want out of life, remaining sane long enough to enjoy those goals requires a bit of indulgence.

What do you do with extra cash?

Would you use it for bills/expenses or buy something that you’ll enjoy?

49 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, holidays Tagged With: Budget, Extra Money, Holidays

Merry Christmas!

Last Updated: December 22, 2012 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 11 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.

Merry Christmas everyone! And if you don’t celebrate Christmas, then of course I still hope you have a great day. Hope you all still enjoy my dog fail above.

We aren’t doing much today. Opening presents and maybe going to the movies. All of our Christmas parties and festivities with W’s family were this past weekend and also next week.

P.S. Not looking forward to working tomorrow! ARG I should have taken tomorrow off 🙂

Have a wonderful day!

11 Comments
Filed Under: holidays Tagged With: Holidays

Christmas and the Costs

Last Updated: October 1, 2020 BY Jordann - 27 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.

I love Christmas.

I love the festivities, I love spending time with family, and I love the food. To me, spending an evening with family and friends around a table laden with dips and appetizers while sipping on rum and apple cider ranks in the top five of my favourite activities.

Unfortunately, the kind of merriment comes at a price, and it’s usually around the area of your waistline and your wallet.

New gym memberships spike (there are plenty of ways to save money and be healthy) and consumer spending slows in January for a reason. Luckily, this phenomenon doesn’t have to affect you like it affects everyone else. Here are a few simple suggestions to help you get through Christmas (relatively) unscathed.

[Read more…]

27 Comments
Filed Under: Budget, holidays Tagged With: Budget, Holidays

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Hello and welcome!
My name is Michelle and I'm the author/owner of Making Sense of Cents. Learning how to save money and make more money changed my life. It allowed me to pay off $40,000 in student loans, start my own business, and I now travel full-time.

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