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Free Activities to do With Your Kids Before Summer Ends

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15 Frugal & Free Activities to Do With Kids Before Summer Ends Back-to-school sales are just around the corner. That means you have just a few more weeks to make some amazing memories. The pressure is on to get as much fun in as you can. You may worry about how all this fun is going to impact your budget. Well, it doesn't have to! There are tons of frugal and free activities that you can do with your kids. Here are 15 of them! 1. Go on a Nature Hike Get outside, enjoy the fresh air, and spend some time in nature. Head out and check out local hiking trails, conservation areas, and nature centers. Take a camera to capture what you see. Don't forget the sunscreen and bring along a water bottle! 2. Head to The Beach If you are lucky enough to live near a body of water, pack your beach towels and spend the day splashing in the surf. No, you don't need to live near an ocean for this. You can look around at parks and day-use recreation areas to find lakes, rivers, creeks, or s
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Keep Cool on a Budget This Summer

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Lower Your Utility Bills This Summer I have mixed feelings every time I hear my AC kick on. I'm definitely grateful to have a cool home, but I'm very aware that every moment the AC runs, I'm spending money. If you live in a hot area like I do, summer often means skyrocketing utility bills. That's just part of life, isn't it? It doesn't have to be. Try these tips to lower your utility bills this summer. Optimize Your AC Usage Your air conditioner is almost always going to be your biggest source of skyrocketing electric bills over the summer. These strategies should make a dent and help you lower your utility bills. Be Smart About Your Thermostat Don't cool your house when nobody's home. Turn the temperature up when you leave and lower it when you get back. The best way to do this is with a programmable or smart thermostat. This will take care of managing the temps for you. With a smart thermostat, you can even have the temperature adjusted gradually so yo
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When Spending is a Good Thing!

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Not All Spending is Bad! Here Are 5 Examples When you fully embrace frugal living, that means curbing your spending. That's just part of the process of eliminating debt, building savings, and living within a budget. Doing those has helped me immensely, and if I can motivate others away from mindless spending and debt, I will be a very happy blogger. That said, I don't think that all spending is bad. Some spending is healthy and important. Here are five examples of that. 1. Safety Equipment Anything that keeps you and your family safe is a worthwhile investment. This isn't a spending category that deserves to be skipped over or treated like an afterthought. This is a broad category but it includes: Bike helmets Safety goggles for DIY projects New car seats Smoke and CO detectors Don't go without these. Buy good quality items. Replace them when they wear out. This also includes supplies to keep you going in case of an emergency. It's worth keeping flashlights, candles
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10 Apps to Make And Save Money

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 10 Apps to Make And Save Money You peruse sales flyers, make shopping lists, and even plan your errands to conserve gas. Your goal is to save as much money as you can on a daily basis, and you're off to a great start. What if you could level up your efforts and reach your savings goals even faster? You can, and the key to your success is probably in your hand right now. Your smartphone is the tool you need to make and save money. Apps & Your Frugal Goals What's the best way to live a frugal life and achieve your financial goals? I think the key to success is to take advantage of whatever tools are available to help you save and earn money. That's what the apps listed below have to offer. You can use these to save money on daily purchases, or earn passive income by way of cash and rewards.  Note that the focus here is on saving money and passive income. Check out this post on side gigs and other options to actively earn additional income in your spare time . 1. Upside
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5 Side Hustles I Use to Bring in Extra Income

 5 Side Hustles I've Used And a Review of Each You're working on your budget, but the math just isn't mathing. You've got an income problem. It would be lovely if your boss would just give you a raise, but that's not likely. Time to find a side gig to supplement your income. Which one do you choose? Trust me when I say I have tried most of them. Some are better than others. Here's the low down! 1. Driving Gigs Honestly, I could write an entire post just on delivery gigs. This is one of my main moneymakers, but also one of my biggest sources of frustration. Here are the apps I use now or have used in the past. Walmart Spark This app is mostly delivering for Walmart, but also Home Depot, Sally Beauty, Game Stop, Advanced Auto Parts, and a few other stores. The vast majority of  my deliveries come from Walmart. Let's focus on those. There are three types of assignments you can get. These are shopping, delivery, and batch orders. My preference is shopping orders
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Tracking Expenses: Your First Step to Financial Freedom

Expense Tracking: Let's Get Started! Welcome! This is my first post, but I've been doing the frugality thing for awhile. As I was brainstorming frugal topic ideas, I remembered that the first step I took in my journey was simply learning to track my expenses. It's something I found immensely helpful, and I hope you will too! Why Track Your Expenses If your finances are in trouble, you need a clear picture of your current situation before you can fix your problems. Think of financial woes as the disease. Expense tracking is like the diagnostic tool that allows you to pinpoint right where things are going wrong. It's an x-ray of your finances. No Judgment: Just The Facts When you start tracking your expenses, you may find some things that make you feel guilty or even foolish. Don't let the process get you down. You are taking an important step to getting control over your finances. You should be proud of that. How to Track Your Expenses Choose Your Methods There are a
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