Recent comments

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    We don't meal plan but I bet if we did, it would help our budget.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I do meal plan when making my weekly grocery list so I can buy certain ingredients in advance.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I have an idea what to eat every day but do allow variations and last minute going out to eat

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I do meal plan. I look at sale circulars on Monday evenings. I plan the meals around what is on sale. I also try to plan for leftover makeovers ( tacos one night and taco pizza the next, etc). I only shop once a week. Meal planning is key to staying in our monthly budget for food and meals. I do NOT shop at WalMart.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I sort of do. I shop the sales at our organic market each week and then plan around what is on sale.

  • 7 Beauty Tools That Aren't Worth the Money   10 years 20 weeks ago

    Good tips on ways to banish clutter and save money. Another way to do so is to take a good look at the products you're using. Is there overlap? Is there a product you never use but is still taking up room on your counter?

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I meal plan. A few hours of time over a couple of weekends a month make my work weeknights so much better! I also like the money that we save by using the food that we buy and not being tempted to go out to eat because I'm tired. I'm still trying new recipes to find ones that my family likes. Some are a hit....some are a miss. Pinterest has been a good resource for recipes for freezer meals

  • 8 Ways Your Smartphone Saves You Money   10 years 20 weeks ago

    With the help of smartphones you can easily find coupons. Using coupons when you go shopping for groceries and other household items can save you a significant amount of money.

  • Best Money Tips: How to Save Money in February   10 years 20 weeks ago

    The first step in taking control of finances is to construct a sensible written budget that reflects normal income and spending. It’s the best to plan for a month ahead with all regular bills accounted for. Allowing a certain amount of “petty cash” is okay as long as essential expenses can be met first.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I do meal plan a little...but really want to learn to do some freezer meals! I think it would be so great to buy more in bulk and prepare meals and freeze! Would be so nice and easy on week nights!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I meal plan for my family of 6 and it saves us a lot of money and time. I try to prep meals on weekends and make snacks too.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    Yes!! My husband and I have a routine where we grocery shop sat and meal prep Sunday. This saves us from eating out, time spent cooking or prepping the day of and gives us ease of mind not to think about what we will eat when we get home from work.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    Yes, I meal plan every week. I develop cookbook recipes and it really helps curb spur of the moment purchases.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    No, it seems to take a lot of effort for things I may or may not want to eat by the time that day comes around. We try to have a few things ready for the week, but if we feel like having something else and we have the money in the budget we eat what we want.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    Yes! I feel like it helps me stay on track with both my diet and my budget. It also makes shopping easier when I have a plan and saves me time in the store.

  • How to Clean Silver Naturally   10 years 20 weeks ago

    This write-up does not tell you how long the silver should be left in the solution. Beware that this take only a few seconds to work! After following these instructions (and guessing how long it would take) I too ruined an antique, based down to me by my great grandmother, because I left the piece in the solution too long and it stripped the silver right down to the base metal. Doing a "test" on a piece that holds no value would be a prudent thing to do. I learned that the hard way.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    Meal planning makes my life easier and my wallet happier! I love making a crockpot of beef stew or chicken soup once or twice a week and supplementing with mason jar salads or steamed veggies.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    Not very seriously. Sometimes I map out what I want to cook for the week just to organize my thinking but there no spreadsheets or NASA-like planning are involved.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I never used to meal plan but recently found out that the average household throws away 30% of their groceries, that is money wasted. I started meal planning two months ago and haven't turned back, it has changed my life! I know exactly what is in my fridge, when it expires/best before dates and it has made planning for meals each week so simple. It has also reduced the amount of money I spend on groceries, since I only use what is in the fridge or come up with recipes that only need one or two more ingredients to make a dish. Last month, I saved $60 in groceries. I build recipes around what is in season or what's on sale as well. I really enjoy the ease of meal planning.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    No I don't meal plan. I don't have kids or anything so it's just me and I don't like to make big meals.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Meal Plan?   10 years 20 weeks ago

    i sometimes do but only 1-2 days in advance

  • 12 Side Jobs for Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads   10 years 20 weeks ago

    I recommend "Medical Coding and Billing" as a wonderful work from home option. Yes, you will need training. You can't just code medical records without having proper training. However, this is a real and promising career. I used to work for "Career Step" and they have an awesome Medical Coding and Billing course.

    http://www.referral.careerstep.com/mc?ref=43233

    Their training is done online and is self-paced. You could finish the program in 4 months but 6 months is probably more realistic. They do however give you up to a year to get it all done. Their program is approved by the American Health Information Management Association and the American Academy of Professional Coders. They work specifically with a company called IOD inc. that hires their grads to work from home right out of the program.

    The average salary for this career is about $40,000. Their entire program including books, instructors and job assistance is around $3,000 and they offer sweet payment plans.

    If you want more info or have questions let me know @ katherine.b.ashby@gmail.com

  • DIY Shampoo: The Baking Soda Experiment   10 years 20 weeks ago

    my sister uses baby powder as dry shampoo, it works! just don't use a lot.

  • Encounter With a Freegan   10 years 20 weeks ago

    While I understand freeganism, I certainly wouldn't think you'd want to have kids around the lifestyle. Children aren't as resilient as adults, and would you really want to be feeding your kids sketchy food? Even though they think the food is fine to eat, along with others' opinions I say that there's a reason it's there in the first place. If it were still edible, they'd be discounting it instead of tossing. Maybe the freegans should decide to get a job and actually buy food for their kids. If you eat it, then it's not wasted, is it? I also wonder if freeganism isn't just a tad bit laziness - it's easier to take free stuff than get a job, isn't it? After all, couldn't you work and use part of your earnings to educate people about waste? People aren't thinking you're a wonderful person while they watch you climb in and out of dumpsters.

  • 7 Things Your Financial Advisor Wishes You Knew   10 years 20 weeks ago

    Is there a calculator that can see how much taxes you can save by increasing your 401K deduction?