One of my favorite ways to make easy money is by using Swagbucks. Today I checked my Swagbucks account, and found out that I have earned 15,873 Swagbucks over the lifetime of my account. For every 450 Swagbucks I earn, I purchase a $5 Amazon gift card. So I have earned 35 Amazon gift cards, […]
Archive for the ‘Finances’ Category
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“Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without”
April 2nd, 2014 
Jessica During the Great Depression, a popular aphorism was “Use it Up, Wear it Out. Make it Do, or Do Without.” If you have spoken to or spent time with someone who lived through the Great Depression, you will notice that many consider frugality a virtue. Our grandparents learned the hard way how to make things […]
7 Ways to Save Money on Landscaping
March 31st, 2014 Jessica With the advent of spring, our family has been spending a lot of time outside in the yard. This is our third spring in this home, so it’s very satisfying to see all of our efforts from the previous years paying off. Trees, bushes, and bulbs are blooming in the right places, and our lawn […]
Why You Need to Call Your Service Providers Regularly
March 28th, 2014 Jessica One of the things I have had to learn over the years is how to be more confrontational with bill-collectors. I am not talking about being angry or mean on the phone to a perfect stranger. I am talking about politely calling a company to question a bill, and request a better deal. As the […]
3 Kids in 1 Bedroom: New Bunk Beds!
March 24th, 2014 Jessica When our family moved to California from Maryland, we knew that one of the primary ways that we could save money was by finding an affordable place to live. We planned on having more children, so that meant fitting a lot of people in a small space. When Brad saw our house, he knew it […]
How to Make DIY Shampoo & Conditioner
March 19th, 2014 Jessica Some time ago I decided to see how long I could go without buying shampoo and conditioner. I had so many free samples on hand, and so many arriving in the mail each month that I just started going through them. I started in May 2012, and last week I finally caved and bought my […]
How to Save Time & Money Packing Lunches
March 17th, 2014 Jessica As a stay-at-home Mom to three children who are also still at home, it may surprise you that I’m talking about packing lunches today. Well, this month as I learned how to use Google Calendar for the first time, I again became aware of how so much time in my day is spent on meals. […]
Why Is It So Important That I Be Debt-Free?
March 14th, 2014 Jessica When I first learned about debt-freedom from Dave Ramsey and Crystal Paine, I immediately became passionate about becoming debt-free. Why? Because we serve a big God, who has given Brad and I big dreams. In September 2009, after 17 years of dreaming, Brad had finally accepted his dream job doing full-time youth ministry. I had […]
From Night Owl to Early Bird: 9 Things That Keep Me Up At Night
March 6th, 2014 Jessica As long as I can remember, I have tried to stay up late at night. I begged my parents for one more TV show, talked with my brothers and sisters until all hours, procrastinated on schoolwork until the last minute, watched movies with my husband, and refused to be left out of any late-night fun […]
Why You Need to Save $1000 For A Rainy Day
February 10th, 2014 Jessica 16 months ago the “Check Engine” light began glowing on our truck’s dashboard. We paid a local mechanic $40 to run a diagnostic test, and he turned off the light, assuring us that our truck would be fine. However, we would need to have the small problem fixed before our truck would pass its smog […]
