Define Your Budget
Setting goals is essential to living a successful life, and this is especially true when it comes to paying down your debt! If you want to find financial freedom, you have to define (and refine) your budget.
Spring Cleaning Made Easy
Break out the rags and sponges! It’s spring cleaning time. While some people dread spring cleaning, it can be quite invigorating, especially when done with frugal products that WON’T leave your house smelling of chemicals.
How I Paid Off $10,000 in Two Months
Looking for ways to pay down debt quickly? Whether you’re in a financial bind or simply looking to get back on track to financial freedom, this will help!
Before we begin, can I tell you a secret? My household debt totals nearly $200,000.
Yep, you read that right, there are five zeros there.
I want to share another secret with you, though and that’s how I’ve paid off over $10,000 of my debt in the last two months and my journey toward financial freedom.
How to Pay Down Debt Quickly
Things I didn’t do: win the lottery, sell a kidney (or a child), rob a bank, or become a drug lord.
In fact, our household only nets $4,000/month between our two “real” (out of the house) jobs. Despite this, we are well on our way to becoming debt-free!
Over the course of a week I shared a new tip every day so you too can get a huge jump start on your adventure to get out of debt!
Check out the sections here:
- Part 1 – Why I’m Anti-Dave Ramsey Snowball
- Part 2 – Maximizing Your Tax Refund
- Part 3 – Developing Additional Income Streams
- Part 4 – Making Credit Work for You
- Part 5 – Identify Why You Buy
- Part 6 – (Re)Define Your Budget
Share with me in the comments below:
What would your life look like if you had $10,000 less debt?
Top 10 Time Saving Tips for New Parents
Time saving tips for new parents aren’t hard to find, but who has the time to actually Google and implement the best ones! That’s why today we’re sharing out best tips on how to live a more efficient life without sacrificing any more of your precious energy.
Time Saving Tips for New Parents
Disclosures: The links in this post may contain affiliate links through which I can receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase after clicking on my link
Productivity Tips
Always have Dry Shampoo on hand! Even if you manage to find the time to shower, goodness knows the 2 year old will be pulling the curtain aside before you’ve got time to wash, rinse, and repeat.
This one might seem a bit “duh” but seriously – Shop online whenever possible. Not only can you save money (hello, Rakuten!) but you’ll save time and money. You won’t be as tempted by impulse buys!
Overwhelmed by the clutter? Develop a cleaning cheat sheet of your own. Better to spend 10 minutes tidying up each evening than 4 hours each weekend. Plus you’ll eliminate that time waste of pondering what to do next!
Along those lines, make lists for everything you can! We have a white board in our two biggest rooms that have “one minute tasks” on them – got a minute? Help tidy up! We also keep a board on our fridge to help us remember what’s going on each day so there’s no last minute rush to the door.
You should also get the kids involved. Even my one year old helps clean up before bed time. Give them a clear, consistent task and you’ll see a difference in no time. You can also make it fun by having them “race” to see who can pick up X number of items in X number of minutes.
Ban the burnout
Just keep moving. If you have a seemingly insurmountable amount of dishes to do, just keep moving and you’ll get through them. Just tell yourself to keep moving (and maybe put a little music on to help).
And while it may seem counter-intuitive, make use of your lunch hour. I know, it can be super tempting to spend 45 minutes playing Pet Rescue Saga while you enjoy your sandwich, but those 45 minutes can be better put to use paying bills, scheduling out the week, or making a meal plan.
Another favorite time saving tip for us it to prepare an entire week’s worth of quick and easy breakfasts on Sunday. Then it’s one less meal you have to worry about during the week.
Stay Strong
If you want to save time as a parent, you have to learn to say no. And I’m not talking about just to your kids! Being able to say no to someone goes a long way in getting yourself out from under the overwhelm. It’s much worse to force yourself to add yet another task to your list that you don’t enjoy versus the (possible) sting of telling someone no.
Lastly, pay off your debt! The more debt you have, the more stress you have. The more stress you have, the less energy you have. You see where I’m going here.
Create a budget, build additional income streams when you can, and find the motivation to pay down debt faster.
What is your biggest battle when it comes to time management as a parent?
I’d love for you to comment below and let me know!
Baby Must-Haves (That No One Told Me About!)
Ask a mom about her must-haves for baby and the list will almost always be different from any other mom you ask.