Traveling to Hawaii is expensive. Add Disney’s Aulani Resort (twenty-one acres of Disney magic on O‘ahu’s western coastline) to the mix, and we are talking about crazy money. Having been there, I can say that it’s worth it! You don’t have to spend as much as you think, as there are a lot of ways…
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How to Become a Financial New You
This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own. Money can be a tough subject for some people. A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck. Others have disasters or unfortunate events befall them (family death, divorce, natural disaster, etc.), some go through a time of incurring additional expenses (marriage,…
How I Get My Toddlers to Do Their Own Laundry
I have regularly involved my children in doing laundry for over a year now. Starting at about age 2 their laundry duties have gradually increased. Now that they are 3 and 5, they are doing the majority of their own laundry every week. Their duties include: Putting dirty laundry in the hamper. Helping me load…
Should I Have a Second Child? 7 Reasons Why Two Kids Are Better Than One
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of P&G. The opinions and text are all mine. My friends are just about to welcome their second baby. The first was quite an adjustment for them (as it usually is for most). They are a little nervous and apprehensive that this second one…
10 Ways to Save Big on Halloween Costumes
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love dressing my kids up and attending parties, carving pumpkins, and eating caramel apples. Although many costumes can be expensive, here are 10 ways to save big on Halloween costumes. 1- Borrow costumes from a friend. Ask friends if they have any old costumes that they’d be willing to…
How to Upgrade Your Dishwasher to Stainless Steel for Around $100.00
I was upgrading my friend’s home and he loved the dishwasher he currently had—the only problem was it was out of date/black. All of his other appliances were stainless steel. We searched around and the equivalent dishwasher in stainless steel would have cost him over $450.00. I decided to see if we could change the…
Flipping an Older Cabin into Your Luxury Vacation Home
We all dream of a luxurious vacation home where we can bring our family and friends to make memories for years to come. Unfortunately, luxury homes come at a premium that most of us are not able to afford. But you don’t have to give up your dreams of owning a fantastic vacation home. Consider…
Financial Illiteracy—Why It’s a Problem and How to Avoid it
“Financial illiteracy is not unique to any one population. It affects everyone; men and women, young and old, across all racial and socioeconomic lines. No longer can we stand by and ignore this problem. The economic future of the United States depends on it.”—President’s Advisory Council. Below you will find tips and links to resources…
7 Extremely Effective Ways to Save Money Booking a Disney Cruise
Today, I welcome my friend and Disney Travel Expert Danielle who shares 7 extremely effective ways to save money booking a Disney Cruise below. The phrases “Disney Cruise” and “saving money” don’t typically go together! As a seasoned Disney cruiser (I’ve done 7) and as a busy, active travel agent I have…
How to Smoke a Papa Murphy’s Pizza
I was compensated for this review of Papa Murphy’s. All opinions are 100% my own. #DealsAt425 #Ad My boyfriend and I have a combined six kids. Eating out with 8 people is not only very expensive, it can also be somewhat disruptive to those around us. Although we all really love a variety of food and flavors,…
Why Financial Literacy Is Not Enough
This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own. When I started back to college after a four-year-break, I struggled. I could understand the literature and topics but my grades were not doing well. On my mid-term report card I was averaging a C across the board. After seeing my…
15 Ways to Save Hundreds and Get Free Food At Kroger
This post is sponsored by U.S. BANK and Kroger. I love to shop at Smith’s Food and Drug Store aka Kroger. There are many reasons why I love to grocery shop at Smith’s, but the main one is that the savings opportunities are awesome! There are so many ways to save and many opportunities to…
3 Easy Ways to Avoid Solicitors and Impulse Purchases
Solicitors often convince us to buy things we don’t really need, want, and/or items we often haven’t budgeted for. They are extremely effective, very convincing, and are usually hard to say no to—or don’t like to take ‘no’ for an answer. The very best way to avoid being solicited and impulsive purchasing is just avoid soliciting and…
Why You Should Have an Estate Plan for Those You May Leave Behind
Financial guru, Dave Ramsey, notes that the mortality rate for human beings is 100%. Death is what you might call an “unavoidable” inevitability. But thankfully, because we know our ultimate fate, we can plan for it and avoid problems that otherwise result from it. Often loved ones are left with a lot to handle: sadness,…
Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not)
I had the book Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not) by Beth Kobliner show up on my doorstep the other day. I sat down in my living room and began to read through it. As an author of a financial book myself, I was excited to read another money guide for parents…
14 Easy Ways to Save Big on Prescriptions
Most American families have at least one prescription. In fact, studies show that Americans spend over $400 Billion on prescriptions a year. That breaks down to $1,300 a person! That number is mind boggling to me. Luckily, my family is blessed with great health so we don’t have to fill prescriptions regularly. However, at times I do…
Freebies & Coupons You Can Get for Your Birthday
This month I am celebrating my birthday and I’ve been receiving a lot of freebies, discounts, and coupons. Last night I was able to enjoy a meal at a good discount because of my birthday. In the food department, I’ve received over $75 worth of free food vouchers/coupons/offers. Granted most of these I have to buy another…
An Innovative New Way to Purchase Items Online & Build Credit Without Using a Credit Card
With credit card debt reaching historical highs, some debt experts are encouraging consumers to ditch the credit cards and just use cash. Credit card debt can be a vicious thing. Interest rates often run very high and compound, the credit card itself may have an annual fee, there may be late fees, deferred interest, etc. Yet…
Top 9 Tips for Saving Money at Disney World
A lot of families consider traveling to be too expensive for them. Mention the words “Disney World,” and most scoff at the idea of ever being able to take their family there. It isn’t going to be cheap, but planning and budgeting for such a vacation can make it attainable! Besides booking with my friends…
5 Tips to Help You Stay Digitally Connected Without Draining Your Budget
In the age of technology, electronics are a necessity. Devices like smart TV’s, computers, and music players and Bluetooth have become a part of everyday life. With new products coming out daily, keeping up with the latest trends can become an expensive habit. The truth is, you don’t have to go broke buying electronics. Take…
11 Ways to Save and Make Money When Shopping Online
Shopping online is extremely convenient and usually not only saves me time, it also saves me money. Here are 11 things that I usually always do to save and make money when shopping online… 1- Use a cash back rebate website. A new one that I’ve been really impressed with is called Splender. Splender allows you to…
Garage Sale Haul 3
My daughter just hit a growth spurt and grew out of her 18 month clothes. I was looking online for garage sales that were selling girl clothes and came across this one. When I arrived, I found that they were selling high-quality girl clothes for .25-.50 cents each!!! This is one of the BEST deals…
Advice from My Mom: Practical Ways to Teach Your Children to Control Money
My mother has always been a great example of fiscal responsibility. She would often say, “Anita, control your money, don’t allow it to control you.” It reminds me a lot of the famous quote penned by P.T. Barnum, “Money is a terrible master, but an excellent servant.” My mom taught me by example this principle…
26 Energy Saving Tips
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of IGS Energy for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. Energy is a big expense. When I say energy, I’m referring to power/electric and gas. These bills can be very high if you own a home in a less temperate area. It makes sense to…
Garage Sale Haul 2
One Saturday morning, I was scanning the local classifieds for promising garage sales to attend. I use strategy when searching out yard sales. I found two amazing ones in the same neighborhood. I was super excited to find all the stuff listed below and ultimately saved over $1,375.00! (Note: I will mention a lot of brand and…
Garage Sale Haul 1
Early one Saturday morning I was searching on the local garage sale classifieds for good sales. I saw an ad from a lady who was selling, “a lot of designer clothes, bags, home decor, and more.” She mentioned she was a shopaholic and getting rid of clothes (many were still new with tags) at ‘garage sale’…
How to Save Thousands on a Bathroom Remodel
Most DIY bathroom renovations cost upwards of $10,000.00—especially when they include new plumbing and installing a shower, tub, vanity, toilet, and flooring. Here’s how I did mine for under 9% of that figure. The guest bathroom needed an entire ‘gut remodel.’ There was no tub, shower or plumbing for it. And no flooring. Everything was outdated and old. This is the…
17 Inexpensive Family Vacationing Tips
I love to travel. I know many other people love to get out and vacation as well. Often money is the largest travel-hurdle for a family with kids. Here are 17 ways to save thousands on family vacations. 1. Travel in the off-season. One thing I do is try to plan trips in the off-season. We go to…
How to Have the Honeymoon of Your DREAMS on a REALITY Budget
Today I’ve asked travel agent Danielle to write a guest post. She booked my family’s cruise to Alaska and was just awesome at everything she did. She is very communicative and helpful. She changed multiple reservations (there were 28+ of us going) with a smile. She knows her stuff. I’ve asked her to share ideas…
Vaseline Beauty Hacks
Growing up, my mom seemed to use Vaseline—aka Petroleum Jelly for a ton of different things. It wasn’t until after I moved out of the house and I began trying other products, that I realized not only how inexpensive it is, but how powerfully effective Petroleum Jelly really can be! Although there are probably hundreds of different uses…
