Although I’m not nearly as frugal as I was 10 years ago, I still try to use our money wisely, get the best value, and save when it’s not too much of an inconvenience.
One of the ways I save quite a bit (without sacrificing much time, effort, or quality of product) is by simply asking the right questions to the right people.
Sometimes, I think we get sucked into thinking that all busyness is bad, unnecessary, and something that could or should be avoided — like if our lives are busy, we’re doing something wrong.
But in reality, busy times are often just part of life. They are not always avoidable, nor are they always bad…
So often, we talk about “maintenance mode” in a negative way — as in “I’m so busy, I have no time for anything. I’m simply in ‘maintenance mode’ trying hold the pieces together.”
That is NOT the type of maintenance mode I’m referring to today though — I’m speaking of it in a much more positive light, as a current goal for my business!
As I’ve done for many years now, I’ll be taking the week between Christmas and New Years as a short blogging break. It’s such a nice time to step away from my computer and social media for a few days, and I always come back after the New Year with so many blog post topics and ideas!
Today I’m sharing our 2016 Christmas card, and a little bit about what I hope to do (and not do) over our Christmas break!
I’ve recently been asked (multiple times) for any tips or ideas I have to “get back to normal” after big life-changing events.
Unfortunately, based on my own experience, it’s often not possible to truly “get back to normal” — especially after a big change. Instead, I feel it’s more fitting to focus on EMBRACING A NEW NORMAL.
If you’re looking for an extremely simple, super delicious treat to bring to a holiday party, or just something fun to do with your children or grandchildren over Christmas break, I don’t think you can go wrong with these yummy pretzel candy bites!
The gooey caramel + crunchy pretzel + sweet chocolate + salty pretzel is one of the best combos I’ve had in a bite-sized snack in a long time!
Making assumptions without knowing all the facts has the potential to make us look like idiots… however, have you ever considered WE might be the ones who are negatively affected by falsely assuming our friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and social media acquaintances are better or superior to us based on only half the story?
Today I’m sharing one fairly simple concept that could free you from lots of unnecessary guilt.
I am often asked to share about how many electronics we have in our house, how we organize them, and how we handle our kids using electronics… but I’ve never felt like I had a lot to say about these topics since our kids are still relatively young and really have no idea how to use any of our electronics.
So today, I’m sharing a bit about how we manage our electronics, in hopes that those of you with older children (or no children) share what works for you too!
Although I was fairly certain we would get a live tree once we were living out on our own, Dave and I have been using a thrift store artificial Christmas tree for the past 11 Christmases 🙂
Every year I have some sort of internal debate about if we should keep using our artificial tree or go buy a real one…
One of the least favorite spaces in our home has always been the “blue bedroom” upstairs… however, we recently transformed this space into a “kiddie wonderland” complete with an elaborate road system for our Little People cars, a cubby for our baby dolls, and a fabulous walk-in closet devoted to our growing collection of dress-up clothes!
We didn’t spend one penny transforming our ugly spare bedroom into the perfect indoor play area for the upcoming winter months!
A couple months ago, I read a book that encouraged me to think about what I do for myself (a.k.a. “me time”). And for the last 2 months, I’ve consciously considered what activities bring me joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment.
What I realized is that despite being home with 3 young children all day, I actually enjoy quite a bit of “me time”. Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite me time activities… and why I’m able to be so productive as a result of these activities.
Since I get SO many questions about how I store and organize my digital photos, and since most people take a bazillion photos over the holiday season, I figured it was time for a blog post dedicated to digital photo organization.
Today, I’m sharing my relatively quick and simple 3-step process to store, organize, and backup all my digital photos.
Scarves are my most favorite accessory… and over the past 5+ years of wearing scarves almost every day, I’ve come up with a fairly simple system to keep them neat and organized.
It takes up very little space in my closet, it costs almost nothing, and it requires very little (if any) tools to put into place!
Last week I was telling Dave how I couldn’t believe I have been doing these Favorite Things posts for almost 4 years now — and I don’t think I’ve repeated anything!
I have a few more goodies to share this month… as always, be sure to check out some of my favorite things from past months and share your favorite things in the comments!
Anyone who’s read my blog for any amount of time knows I’m a huge advocate for buying secondhand whenever possible — and if I can save a bunch buying secondhand online, I’m even happier yet!
Today I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to shop and save ONLINE with thredUP (and I have a great discount coupon for new customers too!)
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