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5 Things I’m Thankful For

You guys, Thanksgiving is less than a week away. This year has really just flown by. Last year was the first year John, me and the girls celebrated all by our lonesome. I took the girls to the park in the morning while John prepared the turkey, and then he watched them in the afternoon while I made the side dishes. We had a lot of fun, even if it was just the four of us (for new readers, we recently moved across the country and no longer live near family).

This year, some wonderful friends that we made here in NC invited us over to their Thanksgiving dinner. They also aren’t from here, so we figured we may as well celebrate together. I couldn’t be more excited at their generosity!

Here are five things I’m thankful for this year.

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/ Filed In: Holidays, Life
Tagged: family, life, marriage

How I Get in the Holiday Spirit

Happy Friday!!! Fall is officially here; meaning the holidays will be here before we know it! This is my absolute favorite time of the year, especially now that we are living in beautiful North Carolina. And, my girls are 3 and 2 so they are finally learning just how awesome the holidays and all the traditions that come with them are. I cannot wait to celebrate with my little family this year!

So, in light of the upcoming holidays, I thought it would be fun to back away from the freelancing/blogging/crazy-life-I-lead posts and share a more lighthearted post on how I plan to get in the holiday spirit this year.

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/ Filed In: Holidays, Life
Tagged: decor, fall, life

My Bills Went Up, Now What?

Have your bills recently increased and you’re wondering how you’re going to make ends meet? Though it’s good to be working our way OUT of debt, sometimes life happens and we end up getting more into debt or our bills increase for some other reasons (such as sending your little one to preschool or dance class).

In the past year since moving from Arizona to North Carolina, our bills have increased significantly. Our mortgage has more than doubled, our utility bills are higher thanks to said mortgage, and we’ve added full-time daycare for our girls to the mix now that I’m back to working full-time. Between those three things, it’s safe to say our bills have increased well over $2,000 per month.

Today, I wanted to share what you can do when your bills increase, whether it’s by $100 per month or thousands per month, like us.

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/ Filed In: Bills, Income, Life
Tagged: bills, income, life

Our New House: What We Want to Remodel

We just moved in three weeks ago, but there is already a long list of items that John and I want to update on our home. For any new readers, John is a general contractor/handyman. He owned his own handyman company here in Charlotte and he worked for himself when we lived in Phoenix as a sort of jack-of-all-trades. While I’m lucky that John can do a decent amount of updates himself, he can’t do everything and there are some areas where we’ll need to hire out (coughelecticalworkcough).

So, here’s what we’re planning on doing to our home over the next few years.

New House Remodel Checklist

Paint the entryway. This is something John will, thankfully, do on his own. The walls were a yellowy color (which you can see in the photo) and I wanted them to be a blue/grey like we had in our rental house. Yeah, the color I chose was a LOT darker and more blue than it looked in the store. Unfortunately, we purchased 5 gallons of this color and most likely won’t use any of it. We bought samples of two other colors this past weekend (both natural tans) that I hope will look good. John’s deadline for this project is the end of October (when my parent’s are visiting!). I’ll make sure to post an update once this is done.

Blue entryway…not what I had in mind

Update: We chose a color and John painted over the blue!! Yay! The entryway looks good now, but we still have a long way to go. The ceilings are super high by the front door (which you can’t see), plus we’ll need to paint the upstairs foyer because all those walls are connected.

Fresh, new entryway!

Fix the gas stove. We have a gas stove that I actually really like even though I thought I’d hate it. Unfortunately, about a week ago the electrical part blew out. John tried fixing it but just can’t get to the bottom of the problem. If you turn the stove on, gas comes out but it doesn’t light. So for now we’re using a lighter to light it when we need to cook. My dad might be able to fix this problem, but if not we will rely on Contractor Connection to hook us up with someone who can get the job done. Contractor Connection connects consumers to quality professionals for any of your home remodeling needs. Estimates are free and quality is guaranteed. You can’t beat that, especially for people like us who are new to the area.

Remodel the kitchen. This is a project that will be done within the next 2-3 years. Kitchen remodels are expensive and we need to save money before diving into this project. Luckily, I do like the layout of the kitchen, so all of the changes will be strictly cosmetic. We want to change the back splash, add granite countertops, remove the wallpaper, repaint the kitchen, and get new appliances (everything except the fridge). John can do some of the work (wallpaper, painting, and installing new appliances), but the rest we’ll have to hire out. While John technically could do it by himself, he really does not have the time with working FT and having the kids. I do not want to live in a construction zone (especially in the kitchen!) for any longer than I have to.

If you are also in need of a kitchen remodel, call Contractor Connection to get a free quote. Preferred contractors come with a 3-year workmanship warranty.

Paint every other area of the house. The paint colors in here aren’t necessarily bad, but they’re not our taste. Eventually, this whole house will be painted. The entryway is first on the list because the yellowy color was just something that I couldn’t get on board with. Everything else will be completed within two years, hopefully. Again, John will do all of the painting but it’s just a matter of finding the time.

Furnish the house. Does this count as remodeling? I’m saying “yes” simply because it could probably cost us as much as a kitchen remodel (just kidding, sort of). Our house is furnished for the most part, with the exception of three rooms: the formal living area, the bedroom attached to the master, and the screened in porch. The screened in porch is our first priority and the only reason we don’t have it furnished now is because it’s really hard to find patio furniture this time of year in Charlotte. We will probably order something online from Home Depot within the next few weeks, though. Next up will be the formal living room. I want a simple couch, a rug and a coffee table. Finally, we’re turning the room attached to the master into a media room. The homeowner before us used this room as an office, but it has a tiny tiny window, is far from the rest of the house and there’s already a room I can use as an office downstairs (plus let’s be real, I work on the couch). So, after much debacle on what to do with that room, we finally agreed on a media room. Realistically, we probably won’t furnish this for 3-5 years as it’s definitely not a priority.

Redo the flooring. The carpet is brand new – yay! And I’m a weirdo who actually likes carpet in the bedrooms. It’s cozier to me and I kind of like vacuuming. The rest of the house is light hardwoods. While I don’t mind them, I prefer dark hardwood floors. This is something John can hopefully refinish instead of replace, which would save us a ton of money.

How to Save Money on Home Improvements

Insource whatever you can. Small projects and things like painting can normally be done by yourself. There’s no need to hire someone to do something you can do on your own, especially if you’re on a budget.

Outsource when needed and do so strategically. John worked in the construction business for more than 15 years and we can both tell you that it is HARD to find good, quality work. There are many contractors out there who will take significantly longer on a project than they originally told you, or they just won’t show up one day, or they’ll end up charging you a lot more than you originally thought. It can be a mess. If you have to outsource, interview a good amount of potential candidates before deciding. Ask friends and neighbors for referrals and use trusted sites like Contractor Connection to find the right contractor for the job.

Save up money and pay in cash. Unless the project is absolutely necessary (such as flood damage, mold, a foundation issue, etc), save up for it and pay in cash. John and I are currently rebuilding our emergency fund. Once that’s complete, we will save up for our remodeling projects. Going into debt for granite counters or new furniture is never a good idea. And if you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know I’m all about enjoying life! However, that doesn’t mean financing non-necessities that really won’t add that much happiness to your life.

In your current home, what is it that you want to update?!

This post was sponsored by Contractor Connection. However, all opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the frugal millionaire blog through posts like these!

/ Filed In: Budget, Home, Life, Saving Money
Tagged: budget, home, life, new house

10K per Month in One Year Challenge

Hi everyone! How is everyone’s week going? It’s Friday, so that’s a good sign 😉

My week has been great! A week full of work with a little bit of fun mixed in (a trip to The Fresh Market for pumpkins, fresh coffee and dessert!) – nothing better. Tomorrow I’m working from home and plan on relaxing this weekend with my family. My girls have been so tired all week after daycare, so I haven’t seen too much of them and I want to make up for it this weekend with lots of quality time. Cami, my 3-year-old, has actually been asking to “go rest” when she gets home from daycare, and she usually ends up falling asleep for the night 🙁 This is at roughly 6pm, by the way. (Perhaps this is why she wakes for the day at 5am, haha.)

Today I wanted to elaborate a little bit more on my “Life Update” post from earlier this week regarding my goal of increasing my freelancing and blogging income to $10K a month within one year.

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/ Filed In: Blog, Careers, Freelance, Goals, Income, Life
Tagged: blog, financial goals, freelance, freelance writing, income, making money, making money online, self employment, work from home

An Update: How Freelancing and Working Full Time is Going; Plus, a HUGE Goal

This past Monday marked two months at my new full-time job. I’ve still been freelancing on the side and have been able to bring in around $1200 – $1500 each month on top of my full-time job (you can read my income reports here). I thought it’d be fun to provide a sort of “life update” if you will to let you all know how it’s been going managing both.

freelancing and working fulltime

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/ Filed In: Careers, Freelance, Life
Tagged: day in the life, family, freelance, freelance writing, life, time management, work from home

Here’s Why We Upsized Our House

We recently purchased a house – a big, beautiful home in an awesome neighborhood with an incredible lot. We by no means maxed out our budget, but this was at the very high end of what we wanted to spend. We’ve been here roughly two weeks now, and I can honestly say that this was a great decision for our family.

upsized our home

When we first moved to Charlotte, our goal was to downsize and simplify our lives. All the talk nowadays seems to be on downsizing and living simply. Trust me, I can get on board with that and understand why people want less bills, less stuff and less to take care of. In just our two weekends here, we’ve been swamped with errands and chores. But honestly? I like that! I still relax, but I kind of enjoy the fast-paced lifestyle of working FT, freelancing on the side, being a mom and wife, taking care of the house and more. I’m never bored, and that is a huge blessing!

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/ Filed In: Bills, Budget, Home, Life
Tagged: budget, financial goals, home, life, making money, motivation

Frugal Birthday Ideas for Your Husband

Today (August 21st) is a special day for us – it’s the day we first started our cross-country drive from AZ to NC last year. The day symbolized sadness as to what we’d be leaving behind, but hope for the future of our little family. Suffice to say, we love living in NC and are very happy with our decision, yet we do miss all our family and friends back in AZ dearly.

Delicious birthday cupcake on table on light background

John’s birthday is August 24th and I’m so excited to celebrate my husband turning a year older! Last year, we were on Day 4 of our drive, so we didn’t do anything for his birthday. I got him a card and we went out to dinner, but we were also completely exhausted from being on the road for four days with our little ones. I think a week after his birthday I made him a cake…but that might have been the year before, I honestly can’t remember.

This year, we are doing something completely out of the ordinary for us.

We are hiring our first babysitter for the girls!

My mom and sister are the only people who have ever watched our girls, so this is a big first for us. I will admit that I prefer to be watching my girls myself, but the lady who’s watching them is actually one of the women who works at the girls’ daycare, and the girls LOVE HER (like more than me, seriously) so I know they’ll be in good hands. And it’s not even that I don’t “trust” anyone – it’s more that I don’t want to subject anyone to the life that is my little ones 😉

If it was my birthday, we would not be hiring a babysitter. Instead, we’d make dinner and watch a movie together after the girls went to bed. However, it’s John’s birthday, and he wanted to go out on a date with me (can’t say I blame him…hahaha, jk). We’ll probably spend $50 on the babysitter and $50 on dinner, but some alone time with my husband sounds perfect right now, so it’s money well spent.

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/ Filed In: Gifts, Life
Tagged: birthday

The perfect weekend

perfect weekendHappy Monday 🙂 In light of it being Monday, and me being back in the “real world” as far as work is concerned, I thought it’d be fun to write about what a perfect weekend looks like to me. Now that I’m no longer home all day everyday, I treasure weekends more so than I ever have before. When I was freelancing, I still preferred weekends to weekdays because my husband was home, but now weekends take on a whole new meaning.

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/ Filed In: Life
Tagged: life, weekends

5 Reasons Why Millennials Need Life Insurance

Lifebuoy for drowning man in sea or ocean water. Insurance concept.Today I have a guest post from Jeanna. Jeanna is a content writer for Quotacy, an online life insurance agency for the modern consumer. When not at work, she enjoys writing for her own personal beauty, fashion and fitness lifestyle blog, volunteering for a local dog rescue, traveling and spending time with family and friends.

You’re young, healthy, and living the dream, or at least starting to build your dream.  Life insurance probably isn’t as exciting to think about as finishing your favorite Netflix series or planning your next vacation, but it certainly is something you should be thinking about.

What if you were to die tomorrow, would anyone be affected by the loss of your income?  Chances are the answer is “yes”.  That’s one big reason to consider purchasing a life insurance policy.  Here are a few more considerations:

1. People depend on you

Whether you have children or not, you probably still have people that depend on you.  A spouse or significant other is a dependent.  Their lives would be hugely affected if you were to die.  Not only would they be dealing with grief, but financial stress because of the loss of your income.  Will they be able to pay the bills, mortgage, car payment, medical bills?  You don’t want to leave your loved ones with more stress than they will already be dealing with.  Life insurance can offer you peace of mind knowing that your family and loved ones are taken care of.

2. Costs are lower

Because you are young and healthy, you may be considered a low-risk client for a life insurance carrier.  Low-risk means better rates.  Life insurance can be inexpensive when you are young, healthy and a non-smoker.  The longer you wait, the more prone you will be to serious medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes, which can drive insurance premiums up.

3. You have debt and/or cosigners

A big reason why millennials need life insurance is student loan debt.  If you don’t have student loans you are fortunate.  Those of you that spent time earning that degree are now spending your hard earned money paying it back.  If you have co-signers on your loans, they would be expected to pay the loans back if you were to pass away.  You want to protect your loved ones from having to be responsible for your debt whether it’s loans, mortgage or even credit card bills.

4. Funeral expenses

Even if you aren’t married, someone will still have to cover the costs of your funeral.  Funerals can cost your loved ones between $5,000 and $15,000.  That’s a considerable amount of money to burden your family with.  Life insurance can cover these costs and take the financial stress off your loved ones.

5. Your employer’s insurance may not be enough

That’s great that you have a job that offers you the benefit of life insurance.  Having a policy through work does offer some peace of mind, but what if you were to become sick and unable to work?  Your work policy is generally only effective if you are working at that company.  It’s always a good idea to purchase your own policy in the event you were to become terminally ill or pass away unexpectedly.   You may not be able to secure a policy if you are diagnosed with a serious medical illness.  The last thing you want to do is leave your family with your medical bills on top of everything else.

There are many reasons and benefits to purchasing a life insurance policy while you are still young and healthy.  Curious about how much term life insurance would cost you?  Quotacy offers free and instant quotes with the freedom to window shop without giving away personal contact information.  We will only need this information once you decide to apply.  It doesn’t hurt to look, and term life insurance is affordable peace of mind.

/ Filed In: Life
Tagged: life insurance

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