Prioritized Living

Master your money. Get organized. Take back your time.

Meal Planning for Beginners: How to Save Money on Your Family’s Food

Meal Planning for Beginners - How to Save Money on Your Family's Food

For average Americans, roughly 15% of their income is spent exclusively on food. And, with the average household income sitting around $60,000, the typical family spends $9000 to keep everyone fed.

That’s no small chunk of change.

But what if you could slash your food expenses? What a massive difference that would make with your money!

After all, what could you do with the extra cash if you could whittle your food costs down to 12% every single month? To 10% month after month???

That’s precisely where meal planning comes in — a simple exercise that takes just minutes a week. And doing nothing more than sticking with a meal plan can keep your food budget small while freeing up your cash for other financial goals!

And it’s great for everyone — supermoms, busy retirees, cash-strapped students, kitchen-loving dads, and anyone looking to save money and save time.

If you’re new to the scene, you may not even know how to meal plan. No worries! This guide will take you from beginner to meal planning expert in no time. [Read more…]

How to Save Money on Prescription Medications

How to Save Money on Prescriptions

Sticker shock is alive and well at every pharmacy across the country.

Prescription medication is expensive.

Plenty of people shell out continuously to cover treatment for chronic medical conditions. And, other times, getting a prescription is an unpleasant, pricey surprise. Your kid gets an infection. You’re injured in an accident. Or you face an unexpected diagnosis.

In fact, a recent survey by RxSaver found that the average American adult spends $33 each month — that’s $400 a year! — on prescription medication. And kids’ prescriptions add an additional $341 a year to your budget.

Any way you slice it, it feels like your wallet is completely at the mercy of your pharmacist.

So what can you do? How can you ensure that you have the money you need to cover your essential medical costs?

If you want to know how to save money on prescriptions, try these smart strategies for saving what you need and growing what you already have. [Read more…]

7 Laundry Hacks to Save You Time & Money

7 Laundry Hacks to Save You Time and Money

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

I’ve heard that there are people who enjoy doing the laundry . . . but I’ve never met a single one.

Odds are, you wish that you had a magical helper — a laundry fairy who would pick up, sort, wash, dry, iron, fold, and stow your family’s clothing without your needing to lift a finger.

But, failing that, it’s up to you to face the never-ending chore of doing the laundry.

But what if you could make doing the laundry faster and easier? [Read more…]

The Beginner’s Guide to Playing the Drugstore Game

The Beginner's Guide to Playing the Drugstore Game

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

The Drugstore Game is addictive.

Every time you hit your local drugstore, you challenge yourself to buy the items you need for as little as possible – or even without paying a dime!

I got started several years back after reading an outstanding and inspirational guide, How to Shop for Free: Shopping Secrets for Smart Women Who Love to Get Something for Nothing. (The book not only makes the drugstore game easy and effective but offers savings tips on clothing, electronics, groceries, and more!)

If you’re brand new to the drugstore game but want to learn and start playing quickly, here’s your essential guide to getting started and saving big at the drugstore.  [Read more…]

Why You Need a Food Processor: 10 Ways You’ll Save Time & Money

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

Sometimes it feels as though you have to pick your poison when it comes to meal prep: save time with prepared ingredients or save money by handling the food prep yourself.

But you can save time and money on food prep with a surprisingly versatile kitchen tool — your food processor.

If yours is getting dusty on the back of a shelf — or if you haven’t made the investment to buy one — here are 10 compelling reasons to fire up a food processor to get great food ready quickly and inexpensively.  [Read more…]

Should You Save for a Home or Pay Down Student Loans?

Should You Save for a Home or Pay Down Student Loans?

When you’re repaying student loans, it can feel as though you’re frozen in time. After all, if you’re buried under $10k, $25k, or $100k in educational debt, it’s easy to think you have to put the rest of your life on hold.

In fact, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors, wannabe homeowners with student loan debt wait seven years longer to buy homes than those without.

But is kicking those loans ASAP while waiting to buy a home really the smartest move you can make? Or is taking your time while amassing a down payment the way to go?

The path you should choose depends on your financial circumstances. Here’s how.  [Read more…]

17 Budget-Friendly Autumn Activities Your Family Will Love

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Budget-Friendly Activities Your Family Will Love

17 Budget-Friendly Autumn Activities Your Family Will Love

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

And now we’ve come full circle!

This year has brought us bountiful lists of winter, spring, and summer activities that are fun for the family and great for your budget!

Now that school is back in session and the leaves are just on the cusp of changing color, I’m ready to share some of my family’s favorite budget-friendly autumn activities.

Looking to enjoy some outdoor autumn adventures? Want to cozy up with some fun ideas inside on those windy, chilly day? Try out these activities for family fun that cost next to nothing!  [Read more…]

How to Store, Display, and Enjoy Your Kids’ Art

How to Store, Display, and Enjoy Your Kids' Art

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

Is your home slowly transforming into a kiddie art museum?

I know mine is.

My son’s day care teachers entertain him with a steady stream of cute, Pinterest-worthy art projects. He happily brings home crayon scribbles, clay molds, flung-paint abstract art, glitter-covered drawings (aah!), and animal drawings built around his footprint . . . which answers the question of why his heel was ever-so-slightly-tinted blue recently.

If your kids are anything like mine, they mass produce kiddie art. They draw pictures at home, finger paint at school, create mosaics in art class . . . you name it.  You want your kids to get creative and make art. But what do you do with the thousands of masterpieces your little artists crank out day after day?

Here are some fantastic ways to display, consolidate, store, organize, and enjoy your kids’ artistic creations. [Read more…]

Here’s Why I’m Not Paying for College

Here's Why I'm Not Paying for College

Let’s get one thing straight: I am 100% pro-college.

If a college education helps you get to where you want to be professionally and if you can afford it, then you go ahead and earn that college degree! I spent six years in college and graduate school and benefitted hugely from both experiences. So I’d love to see my son succeed in higher education.

But the price tag for that education … well, that’s going to be on him. Here are four reasons I’m not paying for my kid’s college costs:  [Read more…]