How to Have a Great Day

Are you ready to learn how to have a great day, every day?!

Two things have been entering my mind lately: 1. I’m really happy at this point in life, and 2. Most of my days are exactly the same (so, why are they so good, haha?).

I have three little girls who I love dearly, but anyone with little kids knows that day-to-day life with them is pretty rough and demanding. We have a pretty set routine, which I’ll share below, and I think it’d be easy for someone with this life/routine to be… bored? anxious? wanting more? But I really don’t feel like that. Sure, I’d love to take a vacation, but I’m honestly very content with my so-called mundane life.

After thinking more about this and doing some research on what makes life good, this is what I’ve determined allows you to have the best day ever, today (and every day after).

And, my new life motto is “Great days make a great life.” How true is that?! So, instead of focusing so much on goals and what the future holds, I’m focusing on today.

10 Frugal Self-care Tips

Frugal self-care tips for moms and women. One of my goals this year (actually, my only goal) is to enjoy the moment. I’ve spent the last five years of my life hustling and running around. I’ve had three baby girls, moved across the country, was a freelance writer/editor, worked full-time, built this blog, bought a house, quit my full-time job to focus on this blog, and more. Phew, just typing that out makes me exhausted!!! So, this year, I’m saying goodbye to the never ending to-do lists and hello to freedom and doing what I want! And a big part of that is taking better care of myself. Here are 10 frugal self-care tips I’ve adapted along the way.

Frugal Self-care Tips

Make your health a priority

I recently re-joined the YMCA. While it’s not free, it’s definitely the most frugal option around here. For me and my three kids, it’s $72/month. I looked into joining a few other gyms but just couldn’t justify the $200+/month price tag. I was a member of the Y last summer and while I probably worked out a little too much, I felt so much happier and healthier. This time around, I plan on going when it works. I’m not “committing” to going every day or even three times a week. I’m simply going when it works with mine and my kid’s schedules.

If you can’t join a gym, I recommend doing 10-minute HIIT workouts or other workouts you can find on YouTube for free. Or, go for a walk around your neighborhood, ask a friend to go play tennis, or go on a hike! There are tons of ways to get your body moving that don’t cost a dime!

Put more time into meals

I think every family in America probably eats out too much, and the main reason is because we are so darn busy. Cooking becomes a chore where we rush through the process, then eat and clean up as quickly as possible so we can move on to our next “task.” Instead, give yourself the proper time to prepare a yummy meal. Turn on some music, set the kids up with a TV show or art project, wipe down the kitchen before you begin, and go! I totally realize this cannot happen every single night, but cooking can actually be a huge stress reliever if you allow it to be.

Realize it’s OK not to “do all the things”

When it comes to self-care, this one was the biggest for me. I don’t HAVE to have my day jam-packed with commitment after commitment. My girls are currently in one activity (gymnastics), and we rarely have weekend plans. I encourage you to give yourself grace when it comes to your life. If you want to skip the dishes one night in favor of a hot bath, do it! If saying “no” to a commitment allows you to live a less stressful life, by all means say no! Instead of filling your day with “must-do’s,” fill it with things you want to do.

Have a good attitude

I totally realize most of us can’t fill our entire day with things we want to do. Ha, wouldn’t that be nice! The fact of the matter is our families have to eat, we have to go to work (or somehow make money), we need to stay on top of the laundry and dishes, we need to make time for the people in our lives we love, and so on and so forth. But, instead of begrudgingly getting through the things you “have” to do in order to make room for the things you want to do, do so with a grateful heart. You’re most likely working so you can provide your family with a good quality of life. You cook and clean for your kids and spouse that you’re so blessed to have. And, you have a body that allows you to do all of that with ease. Life is good, guys, we just have to try our best to maintain a positive attitude.

Spend time in the evening doing something just for you

When I was a kid, I loved doing variety puzzles. I could spend all day going through those books. As an adult, I stopped doing them because it seemed like such a waste of time. I mean, I’m not making any money by doing them, I’m not helping my marriage or bettering my relationship with my kids, so what’s the point? Well, just last week I picked up a variety puzzle book at the store (I know, I realize I’m a huge dork) and have been spending about 20 minutes in the evening doing them. This small thing has brought me so much joy!! It’s kind of sad, actually, hahah, but I love them! Find something you like to do and make the time for it!

Pamper yourself

Let’s all admit we feel better about ourselves when we look beautiful! I’ve always done my make-up every day, but admired women who always had freshly-painted nails. I mean, who has the time for that?!? Well, this year I’m going to make the time. It really only takes 10 minutes and I can work on the computer while they’re drying. What’s one thing you could do to pamper yourself a bit more?

Don’t sweat the small stuff

Mental health plays such a crucial role in how we feel about ourselves and our lives. And I believe focusing on our mental health should be a top priority when it comes to frugal self-care tips. I am a planner by nature, and don’t like it when plans change or get messed up. A recent example is our grocery budget. I try really hard to stick to a certain amount per week – this includes groceries, eating out, Starbucks, etc. If we go over, I tend to get all flustered and stressed out. Recently, I’ve realized this just isn’t worth getting worked up over. If I spend a bit more in groceries, we’ll simply spend less in another area. Or, I can opt to work a bit more online and make up the difference. But really, spending an extra $10/week on groceries isn’t something to get stressed out about.

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Drink plenty of water

Such a simple thing, but the benefits of drinking water are huge! They include clearer skin, a healthier immune system, more energy, and a better mood! I aim to drink the recommend eight glasses per day.

If you’re not happy, make a change

Don’t like where you live? Make a plan to move. Aren’t happy in your marriage? Do the things in your power to make it better. Stuck in a dead-end job? Start a side hustle! But, know that it takes time to build a legit business or blog from home. Don’t stress yourself out over your side jobs or expect to quit your full-time job within a few months. Instead, enjoy the journey. Whatever phase of life you are in, slow down and enjoy the ride.

I’ve worked a few full-time desk jobs and hated not having control over my own time. If you want to work on your own time, two really good careers are freelancing and blogging. I’ve done both, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Freelancing will make you money immediately, but blogging will make you money long-term and once you get it going, it’s easy to keep up the momentum with significantly less work.

Take a break from social media

If you instantly want to feel better about your life, go on a social media cleanse. I quit using Facebook for a year and had never felt better. I had more time, and my brain wasn’t being filled with things and events I really didn’t need to know about. Now I use Facebook for blogging purposes, but still find myself getting sucked in. I’m hoping 2018 will be the year of less social media nonsense and more real life relationships.

What frugal self-care tips do you have? Please share in the comments!

5 Unique Ways to Make Money Every Day

Do you want to get Starbucks (or any other splurge) for free…every single day?! I’m talking un-budgeted, completely extra money in your pocket each and every day.

If you’d like to have an extra $5-$100 EVERY DAY to spend on fun stuff for yourself and your family, keep reading…

I don’t purchase Starbucks with our family money, but instead find unique ways to make extra money every day. My coffee costs $3.19/day, so I strive to make at least that per day in an off-the-wall way. (Usually I end up making more!) Below are five unique ways to make money every single day!

Easy Ways to Make Your Home More Functional

I’m brand-new to being a SAHM. I recently quit my job to stay at home with my three daughters and blog full-time. It’s been a lot of fun and a wild ride, but so far I am loving it!

Luckily, my blog really isn’t a full-time job. I started my blog 2 1/2 years ago and slowly built it up to where it’s making a relatively passive income each month. I post once a week, send a newsletter out once a week (it’s full of fun blogging tips plus a peak into my life – sign up here!) and promote older posts on social media. The rest of my time I’m at home and with my girls.

So, what exactly have I been doing with my newfound “free time?” My older girls are in preschool M-F for four hours per day. The baby is always with me, but she usually takes a two hour nap in the mornings. During this time, I blog or get my house in order. It’s been a longggg time coming, but I’m finally getting to the point where my house is exactly how I want it!

One of my huge goals has been making my home more functional. We have a relatively large house, and I didn’t want any wasted space. Here are my tips to make your home more functional.

Day in the Life of a Full Time Blogger and Mama

Two weeks ago, something pretty cool happened. I was able to quit my full-time job to stay at home with my girls and blog full-time (well, as “full-time” as one can with little kids at home!).

I loved my day job, but my three little girls needed more of my attention than I was able to give them. Since we relied on my full-time income, I knew I couldn’t just up and quit.

Thankfully, I started a blog 2 1/2 years ago and that little blog (the one you’re reading now) is now producing a part-time income. With a tighter budget and the part-time income from my blog, I was able to quit my full-time job to stay at home with my daughters.

You can read my latest income report here >>

I was also at a crossroads with my blog. With a job, kids, a husband and a house to maintain, there was only so much time I could dedicate to it. And no, I’m not one to get up at 4am to blog considering my kids still wake up at night and my baby is up multiple times. Girl needs her rest!!

In order to grow my blog and take it to the next level, I knew I needed to devote more time to it. The only way that I could create more time was by eliminating something off my plate. Since I can’t exactly pawn off one of my kids (haha), my job was the only thing that could go.

So, here I am: Full-time mama and full-time blogger, ready and anxious to see where this blog is going to take me.

I thought it’d be fun to show you a day in my life, as those are always my favorite posts to read! Without further adieu, here is a typical day in the life of a full time blogger and mama.

3 Ways to Pay Off Credit Card Debt Fast

Average credit card debt per household is creeping over $16,000. With sky-high interest rates, simply making your minimum payment every month is no easy task.

We get it. And we’ve been there.

You’re drowning in debt and you don’t see a way out. But we’re hear to tell you there IS a life after debt and you CAN get out of it – probably more easily than you think!

Here are three ways to pay off credit card debt fast.

5 Ways to Make an Extra $500 a Month

What would you do with an extra $500 every month? I personally would save half of it ($250), go out to eat a few extra times each month ($100), and put the remaining amount ($150) towards debt.

Below are five ways you can make an extra $500 a month. Combine all of them for an extra $2,500!

How to Spoil Your Husband without Spending Money

If there’s one person who deserves to be spoiled, that would be my husband. He is truly the most incredible dad to our three little girls. They love him so much that they cry when he leaves and ask for him all day long (aren’t kids supposed to be more attached to their moms?!). He spends quality time with them, reads to them before bed, wakes up with them in the middle of the night, changes diapers and more. I am incredibly thankful to have him by my side.

Today, I wanted to share a list of ways I spoil my husband without spending any money. If you’re looking for free gift ideas or just want to say “thanks” to your man, you’ll want to keep reading!!

Working Moms Morning Routine: 5 Tips to Streamline Your Morning

Being a working mom is no joke. From the moment you get up, your day is nonstop. To make your day run smoother, I firmly believe in the power of a morning routine.

I used to wake up whenever one of my children woke up (it was, and still is, always early). This started my day off on a scrambled foot. By the time I got to work, I felt like I’d run a marathon and my day was just beginning. I knew my routine as a working mom had to change.

For about a year now, I’ve been following a strict morning routine (that actually starts the night before). Below are my five top tips for streamlining your morning routine as a working mom.

Working Moms Morning Routine: Top Tips

Do as much as you can the night before

School bags get emptied out, cleaned and repacked. Lunches get made other than refrigerated items. *Time-saving tip: Make all your sandwiches on Sunday and freeze. Then throw one in each child’s lunch in the morning and the sandwich will be perfect by lunchtime.

Outfits are also selected the night before for both myself and my kids. Make it a part of your bedtime routine for the kids!

I also spend 10-15 minutes cleaning up before going to bed. This could be dishes, sweeping and mopping the floors, throwing in a load of laundry, or quickly cleaning the bathrooms. I never spend more than 15 minutes, but it’s made a world of a difference in both my mood in the morning and the overall cleanliness of my house.

Set three goals for the morning

This tip I learned from Crystal Paine’s Make Over Your Mornings course. I highly recommend her course if your morning routine is in shambles and you need a complete revamp.

Every night, write down three things you want to accomplish in the morning. You can start out with easy goals, like have coffee, fold a load of laundry and have five minutes of quiet time to check emails. Simple.

As you get in the habit of writing down and accomplishing your goals, start challenging yourself. I always give myself one thing to look forward to, such as having 10 minutes to drink coffee in peace, one thing to clean, such as tidying up the play room or sweeping the kitchen, and one thing for my side job (blogging), such as scheduling posts on Pinterest and Facebook.

Wake up before your kids

You knew this was coming, right? Truly the only way to get your mornings in order is to get up before the kids. I know, it’s hard, especially if you have early risers. My kids are up by 6:30 every single day at the latest. I make it my goal to be up by 5:30 which gives me an entire hour, though sometimes I do “sleep in” until 6.

By waking up early, I have time to enjoy my coffee, take a shower and get ready, have a quiet conversation with my husband, catch up on emails, or do some work for my blog.

By the time the kids wake up, I’m looking forward to seeing them. I can spend quality time with them rather than rushing around and yelling. My patience with them has grown tenfold simply by getting up before them.

Allow time for setbacks

Wouldn’t it be nice if mornings always went exactly to plan? Of course! But as any mom knows, that rarely happens.

I’m currently breastfeeding my six-week old baby girl. Some mornings she sleeps through our entire morning and I transfer her to her car seat and we’re good to go. Other mornings she eats on and off for a solid hour. Instead of frantically stressing out when this happens, I am able to relax because I’ve left extra time in our morning routine. I give myself about two hours in the mornings, but it really only takes about 45 minutes to accomplish all my tasks. If things go smooth, I’m able to dedicate extra time to my kids, cleaning my home, or my blog.

Give the kids a routine, too

I keep our mornings exactly the same from one day to the next. I believe this best prepares them for their day, too. They wake up and head downstairs immediately for breakfast. Breakfast is always something easy: frozen waffles, a poptart and sliced bananas, yogurt with fresh blueberries, cereal, etc. We save pancakes and eggs for the weekends in this house 🙂

Then, the kids are able to watch TV, do art or play in their rooms for about 30-45 minutes. This gives me time to get what I need to do done – whether that’s finalizing lunches, getting myself ready, or feeding the baby.

Roughly 30-45 minutes before we leave, the kids get dressed, brush teeth and I do their hair. That time always tends to fly and we are out the door before we know it!

I know mornings can seem so rushed. Trust me, I have been there. And to be honest we still have very rushed mornings with the addition of our third child.

My best advice would be to be consistent and allow yourself plenty of time. I know it’s hard to get up in the morning, but it’s worth it to start your day off on the right foot.

Are you struggling with your morning routine? Share in the comments!

Top 10 Unfrugal Confessions (of a Personal Finance Blogger)

I’m naturally frugal and naturally a saver. However, I am absolutely not extreme. Today I’m confessing all of the things I spend money on, even as a frugal person.

Some of you might not think I’m that frugal after reading this 😉 But, I should preface this by saying that my husband and I work hard at side hustles so we can live a little more freely. Just in the past year, we purchased our dream house (that we thought at the time we were “over buying”), paid extra toward new said mortgage every single month, paid off $16K on our auto loan (this will be gone next month, woot!), contributed 10-15% of our checks to retirement, and added thousands to our personal savings.

ALL of that was possible because of side hustles!

My two side hustles are freelance writing and blogging. Blogging is my main one now, as I also have a FT job. I am averaging over $1,000/month from my blog and I spend about 10 hours a month on it.

You can view my latest income report here!

Also, if you’re interested in starting a blog, you can use my “How to Start a Profitable Blog” tutorial. With it, you’ll receive my book, The Beginner’s Guide to Blogging, for free; in addition to a special discount from Bluehost to my readers only! Get started now!

Here are my unfrugal confessions (please be nice, and remember I am pregnant!):