Savings Archives - I Heart Frugal

Savings

Are You Drowning in Debt? Learn How to Come up for Air

Drowning in Debt


Drowning in Debt

So when I was a kid, I used to swim every day. I would swim for fun! I would swim for exercise and because I grew up by a lake, I thought this made me an excellent swimmer. Daily walks to the lake entailed swimming laps and laying out in the sun. This was a way of life when you grew up a few blocks from the water. Winter was your enemy and summer your best friend.

Yet, that day in the five-foot hotel pool told a story of a different swimmer. Not the story of a swimmer that could swim laps around Michael Phelps, but of a vulnerable kid that could not get a grip. That was the day my brother started drowning. Yet, being the great swimmer that I am, I knew I could save him.

I saw it so differently in my head. I envisioned diving in, grabbing him, and pulling him to the edge. It was all so clear and I would be a hero!

However, I didn’t take into account, when the water is over your head and the other person is panicking – by the way, I’m not a lifeguard – saving them is near to impossible.

As I swam up to my brother bobbing up and down grabbing for any inch of air to fill his water-logged lungs, he grabbed me and started taking me down with him. I – the great swimmer from Michigan – started to panic myself.

Suggested Reading: No Money to Pay My Bills, Help!

(more…)

How to Score Amazing Frugal Workout Gear

Workout gear can be expensive. Find out wear to shop for great deals on your workout clothing.
Find out how to shop for frugal workout gear.

Where to Buy Cute but Frugal Workout Gear

A friend of mine is looking to go to the Barr after having her baby… No, not the bar you are thinking of! Barr class to workout… Now you see where I’m going with this. Knowing I’m into frugal fashion and running, she texted me to find out where I shop for my frugal workout gear! I immediately gave her a list of several places that have always worked out (pun intended) for me!

Most women want to look cute while working out but if you are on a budget, you aren’t going to buy Lulu Lemon, Athleta, and Victoria’s Secret workout gear. Yet, there are ways to look pretty while you are sweatin’ to the oldies. (Sorry, bad old-school workout joke!) You just have to know where to look.

Frugal workout gear is easy to come by if you use my shopping tips listed below. The best part is the list offers good quality workout gear, so you won’t be literally running back to the store to buy more. So keep up your shopping pace as you read through my list and get ready to look cute while getting into shape this year!

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. 

(more…)

How To Create a $40 Meal Plan Your Family Will Love

Plan your meals for two weeks for under $40! Your family and budget will thank you!
$40 Meal Plan Your Family Will Love

This is my third round of bi-weekly dinner meal planning! However, this time it comes with a twist! Why? A fellow frugal friend needed help. She had to find a way to feed herself and her husband for two weeks, but the kicker was she only had $35 for food. Realizing the need for low-cost meal planning, my “$40 Meal Planning Your Family Will Love” was born.

Inspired by her situation, I wondered how many others out there could use low-cost meal planning. So my challenge for this round is to keep your grocery bill around $40. Hopefully, you have some items on hand and you will spend even less, but if you do not, you will come out right around $41.

This list is a dinner meal plan so let’s see how well we can do. Be sure to read until the end and click the printable grocery list to save you time and money! My shopping for this meal plan was mostly done at Kroger.

Keep in mind, if you are saving money on your groceries, you will be able to put money away for other important areas of your budget such as an emergency fund, savings account, or retirement fund.

Cutting your food costs is one of the easiest ways to put extra money in your pocket. Not to mention, my $40 meal plan will save your sanity because you will not be rushing around your kitchen, like a crazy person, trying to throw something together when your kids are hungry. This is not a fun situation for anyone!

Suggested Reading:

(more…)

Play the drugstore Game at CVS and Save a Ton

Saving Money at CVS

Play the drugstore game and save a ton!

What is the drugstore game? Saving a ton at your favorite drugstore. When we think about saving money, most of us do not think “drugstore” as our go-to place. In fact, just walk into any given drugstore and you will find products with a high markup and you can usually find said products much cheaper at your regular grocery store or big box stores. Yet, if you play the drugstore game, you can not only save on groceries but toiletries and household products as well, and sometimes get your favorite products for next to nothing or free.

For the purpose of this post, I am going to teach you how to save at my favorite drugstore, CVS. However, you can play the drugstore game at other big drugstores such as Walgreens and Rite Aid.

(more…)