Budget Archives - Making Sense Of Cents

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

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

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 - 10 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…]

Is Your Job Costing You Too Much Money Each Year?

March 6, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 18 Comments

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

Is Your Job Costing You Too Much Money Each Year? #dreamlife #career Having a job is an essential part of being an adult. Some people may love their jobs and others may hate them. You might work full-time or part-time and maybe you’re even thinking about starting a side hustle. Either way, jobs pay the bills, help you save money, and can help you grow on a personal level.

But, have you ever added up how much money your job is actually costing you?

Yes, your job may be costing you money.

In certain situations, your job might cost you more than it's worth.

That probably sounds a little crazy, but when you take how much you are bringing home and subtract the cost of keeping that job, you might be surprised by how little you have left each month. [Read more…]

The Very Honest Truth About Going Full Time With My Side Hustle

February 27, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 22 Comments

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

Hi, it’s Ariel, Michelle’s editor. Over the past couple of years you’ve seen me here on Making Sense of Cents talking about real life frugality, living in a small house, and writing and editing strategies. Part of being here is that I work as a freelance editor for her, and I recently turned that side business into my full-time job.

Even though I started side hustling as a freelance editor three years ago for Michelle, it wasn’t until about six months ago that I took the plunge and decided to go full time with it. That’s actually what I’m going to talk about today – the very honest truth about turning my side hustle into a full-time job.

For full disclosure, I know Michelle on more than just a professional level. She’s my sister-in-law, and we’ve known each other for nearly 15 years. She and Wes actually rented a room from us years ago, where she spent hours every night working on side hustles, while Wes and I stayed up way too late watching Lost on Netflix. [Read more…]

Save More At The Store By Avoiding These Common Sales Techniques

February 25, 2019 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 3 Comments

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

Save More At The Store By Avoiding These Common Sales Techniques #salestechniques #savemoney Stores use different types of sales techniques to get you to spend more money. Knowing the various retail sales techniques and tricks can help you keep more of your money in your pocket.

I'm not talking about scams or anything like that.

But, it is true that retail stores, online retailers, and many other companies use these sales techniques to get you to spend more money, which boosts their revenues.

Their goal is usually to get you to buy more of their products and/or make them seem like a better deal.

While even the smallest advertisement, placement, pricing, and so on may seem insignificant to you, companies know what they are doing. They have done thousands of hours of market research in order to make more money, and they know which sales techniques work best.

These are businesses after all, and their goal is to make money.

But, my business is all about teaching you how to keep more money in your pocket 🙂 So, today’s post will explain various sales techniques as well as my tips to avoid falling for them. [Read more…]

Here are 10 easy and affordable meal prep ideas.

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