I officially have my first full-time job in 12 years. My time as a stay-at-home-mom has come to an end. We knew the time was coming soon where I would want to work more and need to work more. The perfect opportunity presented itself at their school, so I finally took the leap. I didn’t think I would feel emotional about it all until I sat down to write this post. I think back to all those days at home with my kids from birth to six. Some of those days were painfully long and lonely. Some of those days I dreamed of them being in school so I could have quiet. But most of those days were...…I officially have my first full-time job in 12 years. My time as a stay-at-home-mom has come to an end. We knew the time was coming soon where I would want to work more and need to work more. The perfect opportunity presented itself at their school, so I finally took the leap. I didn’t think I would feel emotional about it all until I sat down to write this post. I think back to all those days at home with my kids from birth to six. Some of those days were painfully long and lonely. Some of those days I dreamed of them being in school so I could have quiet. But most of those days were...WW…

Ringing in the New Year for me usually entails setting ambitious goals and kickstarting better habits. Instead, we rang in the new year with lots of vomit and a broken refrigerator. It was not ideal when the repairman said the fridge couldn’t be fixed. It was even less ideal when the appliance store told us it would take 8 days to get our new one. But, being someone who loves challenges, I decided this would be fun. It would be like camping! There are tons of dry foods we can live on! These were my optimistic thoughts on day 1. Turns out feeding four people this way is tricky. We had 2 who...…Ringing in the New Year for me usually entails setting ambitious goals and kickstarting better habits. Instead, we rang in the new year with lots of vomit and a broken refrigerator. It was not ideal when the repairman said the fridge couldn’t be fixed. It was even less ideal when the appliance store told us it would take 8 days to get our new one. But, being someone who loves challenges, I decided this would be fun. It would be like camping! There are tons of dry foods we can live on! These were my optimistic thoughts on day 1. Turns out feeding four people this way is tricky. We had 2 who...WW…

This is the challenge I have avoided for years. I love coffee so much. I love the taste, the feel of the warm cup, the little lift I get from the caffeine. Everything about coffee makes me happy. But I have been drinking it for 16 years and only took a break when I was pregnant with my son. I feel like I need a reset and a break from coffee. So September is my month to give it up for 30 days. My first cup of coffee was in December of 2005 at a diner near the Amtrak station in Osceola, Iowa. That first cup I shared with Kevin. ❤️ I had taken the train from Chicago to visit him, and when he...…This is the challenge I have avoided for years. I love coffee so much. I love the taste, the feel of the warm cup, the little lift I get from the caffeine. Everything about coffee makes me happy. But I have been drinking it for 16 years and only took a break when I was pregnant with my son. I feel like I need a reset and a break from coffee. So September is my month to give it up for 30 days. My first cup of coffee was in December of 2005 at a diner near the Amtrak station in Osceola, Iowa. That first cup I shared with Kevin. ❤️ I had taken the train from Chicago to visit him, and when he...WW…

Raise your hand if you have thrown away produce that you intended to use. Yes, I have too. And it always seems to be spinach. So one of my favorite frugal fixes is: use up what you have. All of it. Any food thrown out is wasted money, and wasted money will not help my frugal goals and does not feel good. This seems so obvious to use what we have, but it really does take intentional effort. It also takes creativity to open the pantry and refrigerator and create something out of nothing. You have to be willing to eat a few plain meals and a few weird concoctions. I was going to detail...…Raise your hand if you have thrown away produce that you intended to use. Yes, I have too. And it always seems to be spinach. So one of my favorite frugal fixes is: use up what you have. All of it. Any food thrown out is wasted money, and wasted money will not help my frugal goals and does not feel good. This seems so obvious to use what we have, but it really does take intentional effort. It also takes creativity to open the pantry and refrigerator and create something out of nothing. You have to be willing to eat a few plain meals and a few weird concoctions. I was going to detail...WW…

Sixty years ago when my grandmother was a young mom, I imagine everyone did not have everything. There was not Amazon around to instantly fill any “need” that arose. And items were relatively more expensive. Every house did not have a TV, snow blower, or microwave. I imagine that neighbors borrowed items from each other and shared often. But in our world today, where it is so easy and relatively affordable to buy items, we don’t think twice about buying. So this week’s “Frugal Fix” is: borrow before you buy. How many of us have an Instant pot or Air Fryer that we rarely use? What if we had...…Sixty years ago when my grandmother was a young mom, I imagine everyone did not have everything. There was not Amazon around to instantly fill any “need” that arose. And items were relatively more expensive. Every house did not have a TV, snow blower, or microwave. I imagine that neighbors borrowed items from each other and shared often. But in our world today, where it is so easy and relatively affordable to buy items, we don’t think twice about buying. So this week’s “Frugal Fix” is: borrow before you buy. How many of us have an Instant pot or Air Fryer that we rarely use? What if we had...WW…