A bread knife is a great tool in the kitchen, but it’s caused some major loaf carnage in my kitchen. Sometimes the pressure required to slice homemade or bakery bread — especially when it’s toasty warm — can flatten a previously lovely loaf. Sometimes, wrangling the knife can make it extremely challenging to get even slices of the right thickness and a smooth cut. Even under the best circumstances though, I wind up with piles of crumbs on my counter . . . wasted bread! [Read more…]
4 Ways to Pack for a Trip at Lightning Speed
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.
How familiar is this scenario? It’s 10:00 at night, you’re leaving early to travel, and you haven’t packed a thing.
Back when I was single, my less-than-ideal approach to packing would involve miming my way through each day of my vacation to figure out what I needed to take and packing each item as I went along. Mentally walking through a long weekend though was incredibly time-consuming, and I’d still head out in the morning muttering, “I hope I remembered everything.” It was often the daily essentials I didn’t think about — comb, razor, toothpaste — that would be most likely to be forgotten.
Now with a husband — who seems to require more accessories than I do! — and a kid, I definitely can’t stick with the old approach. To keep my sanity and save a massive amount of time, I’ve whole-heartedly embraced the following tips for getting our family’s packing done in a snap: [Read more…]
Budget Leeches (and How to Stop the Bleeding): Gifts
Check out Part 4 of this series
The Problem
The holidays have come and gone, and your mind is no longer fixated on the whirlwind of shopping for and wrapping presents. Just as you settle down to relax, your December credit card bill arrives, and it’s a doozy! [Read more…]
Budget Leeches (and How to Stop the Bleeding): Cell Phone
Check out Part 3 of this series!
The Problem
Voice and data charges can be massive, especially if your plan covers more than one phone user. Even basic plans can easily run a single user $50, $100, or more per month. Are you really getting your money’s worth? [Read more…]
Budget Leeches (and How to Stop the Bleeding): Cable T.V.
Check out Part 2 of this series! Note: This post contains affiliate links. Read my policy here.
The Problem
You’ve got every channel imaginable at the tip of your fingertips. Maybe for that first year of service, you think you’ve landed yourself a pretty sweet deal for your television, phone, and Internet service! Then year two rolls around and you get the jaw-dropping bill . . . [Read more…]
Budget Leeches (and How to Stop the Bleeding): Groceries
Check out Part 1 of this series!
The Problem
In general, purchasing groceries to prepare your own meals is far less expensive than eating out. Still, are you hemorrhaging money at the supermarket without realizing you’re leaving a trail of discarded cash in your wake?
Here’s a real life example: I know that I can nab a medium cheese pizza from the local Italian place for about $10, but I can walk into my my grocery store and pick up a frozen pie for $8. I’ve saved $2, right? Not so fast. I’m still giving away my hard-earned money when I could be even smarter with my spending. [Read more…]
Budget Leeches (and How to Stop the Bleeding): Dining Out
With the new year come all manner of well-intentioned resolutions, including — for many of us — financial resolutions! You’re determined to make this year more prosperous for your family. Where do you start though? You feel as though you’ve been saving and sacrificing, but where has your money gone?!
Enter the budget leeches . . . sneaky, unobtrusive expenses that can blanch your rosy financial optimism or lead to full-blown exsanguination.
Over the next few posts, I’ll look at some of the biggest money-suckers out there with tips for prying them off of your wallet . . .
The Problem
A dinner here . . . a working lunch there . . . a double-mocha-frappucino-with-extra-whip a few times a week . . . some snacks from the office vending machine when the hunger pangs kick in mid-afternoon . . . it adds up! You might not even see how much if you’re using cash to buy candy bars, purchase coffees, buy a round of drinks at happy hour, take a spin through the drive-through, or visit the office cafeteria with any frequency. [Read more…]
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