So you failed in your monthly budget
Budgeting
Sarah Brumley

So You Failed in Your Monthly Budget, Now What?

We’ve come into the beginning of April and it’s easy to see some of those goals that we made back in January fall to the wayside as we push toward summer. For those of us who are still working hard at our goals, it’s becoming a bigger struggle to stick

Read More »
April Savings Challenge: A Little More Attention to Detail
Monthly Challenges
Sarah Brumley

April Savings Challenge: A Little More Attention to Detail

As we enter the second quarter of 2019, I’m so excited about the possibilities it brings. My hope is that these savings challenges help motivate you to do a little more when it comes to achieving your financial goals. April Savings Challenge: A Little More Attention to Detail For the

Read More »
Our Debt and Savings Recap: March Edition
Financial Goals
Sarah Brumley

Our Debt and Savings Recap: March Edition

We are one quarter of the way through 2019 and I’m so excited to report our progress for the month of March. So much took place over that 31 days and I can’t wait to share it all with you. Our March Debt Recap Sometimes it can be fun to

Read More »
Encouragement Challenge: Bring on Happy
Monthly Challenges
Sarah Brumley

Encouragement Challenge: Bring on Happy

Full disclosure: I am not the cook in our home. In fact, my family all groans a bit when I am responsible for meals, which typically involve one of two things: leftovers from the fridge or something related to tacos. I am a decent baker, though, but there is nothing

Read More »
cash envelope system
Budgeting
Sarah Brumley

How to Use the Cash Envelope System to Budget Your Money

Sure, we’ve talked about using the cash envelope system as a method to save additional money, but the concept is still, according to comments and Facebook private messages, a foreign concept to many, and with good reason. While this incredibly effective method may seem like a simple process at the

Read More »
focus on appreciation and smiles
Monthly Challenges
Sarah Brumley

Encouragement Challenge: Focus on Appreciation and Smiles

When I worked as an Administrative Assistant, one of the best weeks of the year was Administrative Appreciation week. Not only did it always seem to catch me off guard, but it was the time when all of the people I worked with would make an effort to show the

Read More »
caregiver for someone you love
Family + Personal
Sarah Brumley

The True Cost of Being a Caregiver for Someone You Love

I’m excited to welcome Holly Bird from Holly’s Bird Nest to share a bit of her story with us today. Holly and her husband, Tim, were blindsided early on in their marriage with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and, later on, dementia. Since that time, she’s taken over as the

Read More »
How to get your whole family doing chores
Family + Personal
Sarah Brumley

How To Get Your Whole Family Doing Chores

It’s no secret that my entire family participates in household chores. Just the act of family working together has played a huge role in achieving our long-term goals, but more than that, it’s instilled a feeling that we are all in this together, through the highs and the lows. Of

Read More »
How to put together a real life budget
Budgeting
Sarah Brumley

How To Put Together a Real Life Budget the Simple and Easy Way

I’m not going to lie. Sometimes the idea of putting together a new monthly budget can seem intimidating. Often it’s because there’s not enough money coming in for all of the things we want to do. Sometimes, though, it’s because we have a little extra money and have to figure

Read More »
sacrifice for gain
Monthly Challenges
Sarah Brumley

Encouragement Challenge: Sacrifice for Gain

Sure, you’ve already created your monthly budget and you are happily moving forward. Today, I’m going to throw a bit of a wrench into that, with the hope that you will be able to save even more than you already planned to. Encouragement Challenge: Sacrifice for Gain Pick a small

Read More »
how to create your first successful zero-based budget
Budgeting
Sarah Brumley

How to Create Your First Successful Zero Based Budget

If you had told me 12 years ago that I’d be tracking each and every penny that came in and out of our home, I’d have thought you crazy. Seriously crazy. At the time I was running our budget off of whatever scrap piece of paper was at my disposal

Read More »
March Savings Challenge: Exciting Ways to Save a Little More
Monthly Challenges
Sarah Brumley

March Savings Challenge: Exciting Ways to Save a Little More

As we approach this third month of this year, it’s getting more and more fun to have these savings challenges motivate us throughout the months. I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am. March Savings Challenge: Exciting Ways to Save a Little More For the month of

Read More »