Life Archives - Page 2 of 8 - the frugal millionaire

2 Guaranteed Ways to Stop Stressing About Money

We’ve all been there: bills are due, things around the house keep breaking, a child gets sick, we of course need to eat, and basically the expenses just don’t stop rolling in.

I would say our “low” point was right after our first daughter was born (this was about four years ago). I had quit my full-time job when she was born and was just starting to break into freelancing. My husband was working for himself in construction and remodeling. We had just gotten back from a week-long family reunion (that my parents so graciously paid for or else we would not have been there) which meant my husband missed an entire week of work. We had savings, but for a few months, we were forced to make so many withdrawals that we were practically down to nothing.

I hated that feeling. Every day I woke up with a pit in my stomach. We lived in a very, very modest house (we purchased our first home for less than $150K), we ate pasta with sauteed onions for dinner multiple times per week, we didn’t go out to eat, and we by no means went shopping for fun. We were on a super tight budget, and even then we were still just scraping by.

Can anyone else relate to this?

Stressing about money sucks, period. And heck, I’ll say it, being on a tight budget sucks, too!

Fast-forward four years later (now), and we’ve completely changed our situation. I can honestly say that I haven’t been stressed about money (in that sense) in a while, and it feels incredible. I’m sleeping better, I’m happier and have a healthier outlook on life, my relationship with my husband is better than ever, and I’m truly enjoying life.

Want to know what I did to stop stressing about money? Grab a cup of coffee, this one’s a long one…

Day in the Life of a Full-time Work-from-Home Mama

I’ve done a few Day in the Life posts before, but haven’t done one this year I don’t think. Figure I am due! And, I don’t know about you, but these are my absolute favorite posts to read. Just nosy I guess! 🙂

A little background: I have two daughters (ages 4 and 2), another little girl due in October, a full-time job, and I freelance/blog on the side (minimally).

My FT job is flexible and most of it is done from home. I AM FOREVER THANKFUL FOR THIS!! I do stick to a 9-5 schedule for the most part, but there are definitely times where I’ll work on a Sunday afternoon to get my week started on the right foot, and then maybe end a few of my weekdays around 4:00 pm when my 2-year-old wakes up from her nap.

The girls go to daycare five days per week part-time. Daycare has been life-changing for not only my work schedule, but for me as a mom. I LOVE being a mom, don’t get me wrong, but I also love having something that’s just for me. This transition has been so good for my girls and it’s made me a better mom. Even if I didn’t work FT, I would keep my girls in their part-time daycare schedule.

Ok, let’s get started…

Tips on Streamlining Your Life and Business

Mamas!

Do you feel overwhelmed at times? Whether you work or stay home, having kids while maintaining a house, cooking, cleaning, running errands, keeping up with school functions and more can take its toll. Add in working full-time or working for yourself, and you’ve most certainly got your hands full.

I’m a working mom of two toddlers (and one on the way!). While I’m incredibly thankful that my schedule is flexible and allows me to mostly work from home, I do still put in a good 40 hours per week at the ‘ol office job. I also try my best to keep up with this blog, make sure my kids have clean laundry and get food on the table each night. If I were to be completely honest, the dinner part is my biggest struggle. We always eat, of course, but I don’t always have a plan and we sometimes have eggs, chicken nuggets, yogurt, or a combination of the aforementioned.

Eventually, I would like my blog to become my full-time business. With a baby on the way, this probably won’t happen for a few years, but I’m hopeful nonetheless. I wanted to provide anyone who might be in the same situation with some tips on how I am currently streamlining my life and my business for future (and current) success.

Announcing…Baby #3!

If you read my post last week, you knew I had a surprise announcement coming up! Well, that day has finally come 🙂

We are expecting (surprise!) Baby #3 on Halloween and couldn’t be more excited! I’ll be honest, we have gone back and forth on whether or not to have a third child. Our first two are finally a bit more independent, it’s way easier to go places, I have a full-time job, and life just works. Adding a new baby to the mix is certain to stir things up, but this was clearly meant to be since our new little bundle was not planned (in fact, at the time, we had of course decided we were done having kids). Funny how life works and how God has a plan all of His own 🙂

Rodan + Fields and Other Multi-Level Marketing Companies

I’m sure by now you’ve all seen Rodan + Fields products blasted all over Facebook, along with It Works, Isagenix, Shakeology, Avon, Mary Kay, Scentsy and others.

I wanted to get your input on what you think of these products (if you use them) and what you think of multi-level marketing companies in general. Have you tried it before? Were you successful at it? I have a few friends on Facebook who seem to be doing really well, but you never really know (I don’t know them close enough to ask them!).

I have never personally attempted to sell any kind of product or service, other than through my blog and all of those products are blogging and freelancing related. I will admit, though, that I am tempted by some of these companies, most specifically – Rodan + Fields.

A blogging friend sent me some samples of the product and it made my skin extremely soft. My skin isn’t necessarily “bad,” but I do have some acne scars, some uneven spots, a wrinkle in between my eyebrows, etc. I definitely wear foundation every day, and I’ve heard Rodan + Fields can make your skin so good that you don’t even need to bother with foundation. I currently spend $50 every six(ish) months on either Naked or NARS foundation. Yes, Rodan + Fields is significantly more money than that, but if it did actually improve my skin and make it so I didn’t need foundation, I’d be stoked.

So, I am actually placing an order later this week. I plan on posting some before and after shots (assuming the product works) about a month after I start using the product.

Another question for you readers – Would you personally find it annoying if a blogger started trying to sell a product like that on their blog? Or would you just dismiss those posts and move on? I’ll be honest – if I DO like the product and decide to sell it, I would definitely want to use my blog as a way to connect with others interested in the product. I don’t use FB too much, so I wouldn’t post much on there. This blog would basically be my means of selling the product, but the last thing I would want to do is turn off my current readers.

Thanks for your input! I’d appreciate any feedback I can get! 🙂

Big News: I’m Starting a New Blog

I’ve been blogging here at the frugal millionaire for more than a year! I absolutely love this blog and the opportunities that it has given me (See How Blogging Changed My Life), but…I also have a huge passion for blogging about topics beyond personal finance. Lately, between my blog, freelancing and my full-time job, it seems as though I live and breathe finance. That’s not a bad thing, but I want more.

I debated adding more categories to this blog, but the truth of the matter is I am just not feeling this blog name anymore and I want to start from scratch. I’ve learned so SO much this first year of blogging and I want to apply all that knowledge to a new, exciting small business/blog I’m creating.

18 Ways to Beat the Afternoon Slump and Be Productive

Whether I’m working from home or in the office, the afternoon slump is inevitable. It also doesn’t seem to matter how much sleep I’ve gotten the night before or how much caffeine I’ve had.

Even though I would love nothing more than to take a nap come 3:00 pm, that’s just not an option on the weekdays. So, I’ve been experimenting with different ways to beat the afternoon slump and be productive. And I found 18 of them. Hopefully, at least a few of these will work for you 🙂

I’m Still Alive!

Hi everyone!

I had planned on posting November’s income report today, but life has gotten in the way. That is one of my favorite things about blogging – you really can set your own schedule and take time off when needed. And to all you bloggers out there, DON’T feel guilty for doing that!! My pageviews have stayed the same, I’m still getting comments and new readers, and the world is still spinning 🙂

So, in case anyone is wondering what I’ve been up to lately, here is a quick recap:

Maisie, my 2-year-old, got a high fever last Tuesday that lasted through Thursday. She was stuffed up all weekend but otherwise was acting fine.
One of my bestest friend’s in the whole wide world came to visit me from Arizona! She flew in on Wednesday and left on Monday. We had such an incredible time and it was SO good to catch up and take some much-needed time off work. If there’s one thing I learned from her stay (other than how awesome friendship is), it’s that I need to take more time for myself to relax and enjoy life. I love my life, but I’m realizing that I’m trying to do too much and I need to slow down. Especially with the flu/cold season among us…which brings me to my next point:
Maisie got another fever yesterday afternoon. She didn’t sleep much last night, and by this morning she had a rash all over her face and was screaming that her “mouth hurt.” I called the doc and took her in, certain she had strep throat. Turns out, it’s just a virus but she does have impetigo on her face, so she was prescribed antibiotics. I feel like it is something more serious (not the rash, but just her illness in general) and am hoping the antibiotics kill whatever it is.

A little venting here, but today was H.A.R.D. Sometimes being a mama is not fun, and today was one of those days. Maisie didn’t nap and wouldn’t let me out of her sight. She screamed and kicked at the doctor’s office, screamed the whole time in the car, and has really been testing my patience. So, the income report will wait, my work will wait, and cleaning the house will wait. Right now, Maisie needs me.

I’ll be back hopefully on Thursday or Friday with my income report, and resuming to my normal posting schedule next week if all goes as planned!

Hope everyone is doing well and taking time off when needed 🙂

12 Things Happy People Do Every Day

Hi everyone!

I am so excited about today’s post. Lately, I’ve been reading some interesting articles on what makes people happy. Is it our environment? Our family situation? Or does it come from within?

I used to believe that happiness truly came from within, and while I do believe that still to an extent (I think people can be happy for the most part regardless of their circumstances), I now also see how our environment (and our family and what’s going on at home) can play a role.

I’ve been lucky enough to always consider myself a happy person (hence believing it came from within). I haven’t had the easiest life, by any means, but I’ve always been “happy.” I don’t really know why, haha.

But you know what? When we moved from Arizona to North Carolina last year, my level of happiness increased tenfold. I didn’t even know that that was possible, but I just LOVE where we live now. I miss my family and friends terribly, but this to me is “home.”

As a fun, light-hearted post, I thought I’d share some things that happy people do each and every day. If you’re struggling in this area, perhaps you can work a few of these things into your daily routine 🙂

Why Do You Want More Money?

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, everyone!

I’ve been thinking recently a lot about the “why” behind doing what I do. For any new readers, I am a wife and mom to two toddler girls, I work full-time, I freelance write and I blog. Not to mention cleaning the house, running errands and all that. To be honest, I don’t feel like it’s too much, but I do have very little downtime. When I’m home, I’m normally doing something productive (I count playing with my kids as productive, haha) except after 9:00 pm. Then, I watch a show with John and we go to sleep. I really love my life, but the busyness of it all recently got me asking “Why?