The following is a guest post. 
As a stay-at-home mom of three boys ages three and under, it is VITAL that I get some time to myself. It helps me establish my identity outside of being a wife and mom and it makes me a better spouse and parent.
In the early months of my new stay-at-home mom status, my “Me-time” was spent bargain hunting and garage sale shopping in town by myself. (In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a nerd who enjoys getting good deals!)
But now going to town is an $8 expenditure. My days of “bumming around town” are now …read more

I have a very close friend (no names, you know who you are ) that consistently over does it.  She volunteers at her oldest child’s school once a week, for holidays she does goody bags for the students at both of her children’s schools, she goes on field trips, takes her son to soccer, takes her daughter to activities at the community center, volunteers for children’s church, . . . I could go on and on.
All these things are great and I’m thrilled that she is an involved mom, but as you can imagine, she is also consistently stressed …read more

Sometimes being frugal with your time means taking time away. I learned this morning as I sat and looked out over the mountains and watched a couple of squirrels play in my trees. We as parents work so hard all week. We make sure our little ones get a nap, whatever the cost, because we know that they need some down time. So why do we think we loose that need once we become parents? This morning, my daughter is sleeping in. I should take advantage of that and do the same but I …read more

Char at Weary Parent posted a list of 13 things we need to teach our children.  Here are a few that I like:

We all make mistakes and can learn from them. [I'd like to add we can learn from other's mistakes too!!!]
Not all gratification is instant.  Some things are worth the wait.
How to deal with bullies, mean people, and rude people

I think Char has a pretty good list.  To the list I’d like to add, “The world does not revolve around you.”  That may sound harsh, but in my years of teaching I have met quite a few along the …read more

I recently had a close friend tell me that she wasn’t sure if a bad situation had been resolved or not.  She thought it had on her end but the other person hasn’t called back like they said they would.  I have long since subscribed to the whole idea that it takes too much of my energy and time to stay mad at someone so I just get over it really quickly.  Probably a little too quick in some cases but oh well.
However, I have lived by this definition of forgiveness for years and I have never been failed by …read more

Remember that cold I had a few weeks ago?  Well, it developed into a sinus infection.  I really didn’t want to go to the doctor.  That would mean money out of pocket for the visit and the medicine.  I decided to look online first for some remedies.  I was surprised at what I found. 

I visited the Earthclinic website and found that their #1 recommendation for sinus infections is organic apple cider vinegar.  They actually recommend taking it at the start of a cold to prevent the infection, but I decided to give it a shot.  If it didn’t work, then …read more

Doctor Wants to Help Patients Save Money – Sometimes doctors don’t know which prescriptions will be cheapest for you.  When you go to the doctor, take a list of prescriptions that your insurance covers.  See the article for other tips.
5 Do-It Yourself Home Repairs – The Charlotte Observer tells us how to fix some common household problems.  Some tips include how to relight a pilot light, how to install a toilet, and more.
Thanks to Simply Thrifty for the tips.

Tonight at church we began our Financial Peace University classes.  This is a series by Dave Ramsey.  I am excited about the things we will be learning from the classes.  Of course I can’t share everything that I am learning, but I can give you some pointers.  Until then, I have a question I’d like your comments on:
Why do you think Americans have so much debt?
I look forward to your responses.
I got this from Dave Ramsey’s website.  It will give you something to think about:
Debt is dumb. Most normal people are just plain broke because they are in debt up to …read more

When it comes to car repairs I am fortunate because my husband was a mechanic for many years.  That doesn’t mean that he knows everything about cars, but he understands how they work and he is good at finding a reliable mechanic that won’t take advantage of us.
If you or your husband don’t understand the terminology that mechanics use, then you won’t know if you really need the repairs they suggest.  I remember a few years ago we took our van to a a local dealership and they suggested all sorts of repairs for our van.  It was going to cost somewhere around $800!  …read more

Homemade Heat Pack – Tips for making homemade heat packs.
Free Coffee Creamer – Just go the coffee-mate website for your free coupon.
Herbal Home Remedies – This site gives herbal ways to help with different problems you may have.