Budget Archives - Page 4 of 92 - Making Sense Of Cents

6 Actions To Take To Find Your First Customers When No One Knows You

May 30, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 16 Comments

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

When it comes to side hustling, one of the top questions I receive is about how to find customers. Of course, depending on your side hustle, the answer to this question will vary, but today I would like to help you brainstorm and find the right clients so that you can make more money.

How To Find Customers For Your Business - Creative Ways To Find Clients #howtofindcustomers #howtofindclients #waystomakeextramoney Launching a new side hustle can be intimidating, and there is a lot that goes into growing your side hustle business. One of the most important things to think about is how to find customers.

Learning how to market your new side hustle is extremely important, and it's a step that no side hustler should skip.

There are many ways to grow your side hustle. Whether you eventually want to turn it into a full-time business or if you just want to start making more money, growing it is possible.

When I first started side hustling, I had no idea what I was doing. And, I definitely didn't have a clue as to how to find customers/clients, but I went for it anyway.

Eventually, I found several clients and began earning enough money through freelancing that I was able to cover all of my bills. And, I started from nothing – I had no idea what I was doing! [Read more…]

How This Couple Retired at 38 and 41

May 23, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 45 Comments

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

How This Couple Retired at 38 and 41 My monthly Extraordinary Lives series is something that I'm really enjoying doing. First up was JP Livingston, who retired with a net worth over $2,000,000 at the age of 28. Today's interview is with Tanja Hester, who retired at the end of 2017 at the age of 38.

You probably know her from the amazing blog Our Next Life. Our Next Life is one of my favorite blogs, so I'm glad Tanja said yes to this interview!

In this interview, you'll learn:

How she managed to retire so early;
How she still lives comfortably in one of the most beautiful places in the world;
Her advice for retiring early no matter what your career choice is;
How she decided how much she needed to retire on;
The sacrifices she has had to make;

And more! This interview is packed full of valuable information! [Read more…]

29 Money And Life Lessons I’ve Learned

May 21, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 28 Comments

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

29 Money And Life Lessons I've Learned

I always think it’s a good idea to reflect on any life and money lessons you’ve learned throughout the years. While it helps me see what mistakes I have made, it also reminds me that I’ve made good decisions too. Whether they have been good or bad, I’ve learned a lot of valuable life lessons.

I usually just let my birthday fly by, but I realized that my birthday would be a good time to think about the lessons I’ve learned and share them with you.

I published the first of these posts two years ago, 27 Money And Life Lessons I’ve Learned, and last year I added another for 28. That’s one lesson for every year, and now I can add one more lesson, which I plan on doing for each new year ahead of me.

I really think self-reflection is a good idea because we can learn so much from the past, both the good choices and the mistakes we’ve made.

And, I've made mistakes, but I've also made some great choices. I've learned a lot of valuable life and money lessons, and now I am happier than ever. [Read more…]

Tricks To Get More Done In Less Time

May 16, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 25 Comments

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

I consider myself to be a time management BOSS! Here are my time management tips so that you can learn how to manage time and accomplish the things you want in life. Looking for time management tips?

You're not alone.

I've been able to reach a lot of my goals due to my time management skills. People have wondered how I was able to pay off my debt in seven months, how I graduated with two college degrees by the age of 20, and how I've been able to build this blogging business to where it is today without a huge team behind me. Well, it's due to me knowing how to get more done in less time.

Some may call me impatient (okay, it's probably my biggest flaw), but I utilize a lot of time management tips and solutions below because I know how much they can truly help.

Now, I'm not perfect either. I can watch a whole season of a TV show in one day, and I can easily spend an insane amount of hours on social media.

However, it's about balance and knowing when too much is too much. [Read more…]

37 Crazy and Creative Strategies To Pay Off Debt From Real People

May 14, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 22 Comments

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

As you know, learning to pay off your debt is one of the best ways to reach financial independence. And, there are some crazy and creative strategies to pay off debt, and I LOVE hearing stories from the people trying them!

I published the post 60+ Extreme Things People Have Done To Save Money awhile back, and there were a lot of crazy interesting things mentioned in that article. There was someone shaving their own head to save money, people taping their shoes together, dumpster diving, and more.

Since then, others have shared their own stories, and I’m excited to share all of these new, crazy and creative strategies to pay off debt. I seriously love hearing about them.

Because there are so many strategies to pay off debt, many of us have probably gone to very different lengths to do so.

And, by sharing the things that we do, maybe we can all feel a little less embarrassed about our most crazy and extreme strategies to pay off debt, and we might even learn some new tricks. [Read more…]

10 Delicious Summer Lunch Ideas

May 11, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 4 Comments

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

Summer is right around the corner, which means it’s time for warmer weather, more outdoor activities, farmers markets, picnics, and more! When it’s cold outside, things like stews, soups, and other hearty meals sound good. But, in the summertime, it’s all about those fresh and easy to prepare meals for your summer lunch or dinner.

With fresh fruits and vegetables in season, the summer is a great time to take advantage of fresh produce. Who doesn’t love going to a farmer’s market and coming home with delicious fruits and vegetables to add to their meal plan?

Many of these recipes would be good for more than just summer lunches as they would make great light dinners too. Some of these recipes would be perfect dishes to bring to potlucks, easy things to prepare for picnics, or great things to prepare as a quick summer lunch before or after a hike.

Also, having a meal plan is an important step in keeping you on track with your budget. These summer lunch recipes won’t break your budget, and they can spruce up a boring weekly meal plan if you feel like you’re in a funk.

If you’re ready for summer like me, here are some tasty summer lunch ideas to get you in the mood for warmer weather by having new recipes to add to your weekly meal plan.

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 summer lunch ideas.

[Read more…]

Why I Love Living In A Vehicle

May 2, 2018 BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 53 Comments

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

Why I Love Living In A Vehicle #livinginavehicle #livinginacamper #rvlife Most people probably think that living in a vehicle is not “normal” and probably a little weird, haha.

Many people even make jokes about living in a home with wheels, like it's something you shouldn't aspire to.

But, it's my life, and I really, really love it!

RVing is becoming more and more popular too. According to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association, there was a 17.2% increase in new RVs over just the previous year. That is a HUGE increase.

And, more than 9,000,000 households now own an RV, and surprisingly, the largest segment of buyers are between the ages of 35-54. More and more younger people are starting to see the appeal in RVing, and I have been hearing from so many readers who are interested in starting their own RV life.

While I know that traveling full-time and RV life isn’t for everyone, I also know that I don't want to live in a “normal” home again anytime soon. [Read more…]

Here are 10 summer lunch ideas.

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