Here’s a warm welcome to those visiting from the Hallmark Channel’s Home and Family show. We ran out of time for our “fun” fall budgeting segment, but here is a little more info on that dreaded topic – budgeting. Friends, […]
5 Ways To Spring Clean Your Finances & Save Thousands!
Mar5
Pin this for later I need this reminder because it’s that time of the year when everyone is talking spring cleaning, de-cluttering and new ways to freshen up the home. There’s nothing more freeing than emptying out all the old baggage and […]
Becoming: Creative, Purposeful, Frugal
Jan24
Mark your Calendar for Becoming 2018. I can’t believe that I am announcing that registration for our seventh annual Becoming Conference is open. I am over the top thrilled to invite you to join us!! Whether you come alone (take the […]
Are You Ready to Find the Perfect Home?
Jul27
Figuring out how to find the perfect home can be both exciting, yet overwhelming at the same time. Owning a home is one of the largest financial milestones, but with the right tips and guidance you can get there. We finally […]
We Did It!! (5 Simple Steps we took to make it happen)
Apr12
We did it! I still can’t believe it’s ours. For the last few weeks, we’ve been taking a Sunday evening family walk through the woods, strolling along leisurely trails, jumping rocks across beautiful creeks and listening to the rustling of […]
What Our Eldest is Learning about Credit Score Killers
Sep29
Parenting adult children. I can’t believe I’m actually typing that, but reality has hit. While our baby girl still has six years before she leaves for college, our eldest son is officially an adult, as in, on his own and managing incredibly well without […]
My Mom’s Crazy Money Lesson (& how it still impacts me decades later)
May12
Seventh grade cheerleading. The moment had finally come. I made the squad. Yes, thee cheerleading squad and it was time to buy the uniform. The school provided the skirt, but we had to purchase the sweater. Now during this certain […]
One Quick Money Win Today!
Mar22
Our credit card statement came this week and I saw money flushed down the invisible money toilet. Even though I often share credit card’s potential for danger, the fact that 69% of all bankruptcies filed state credit card debt as the #1 […]
Let’s Stop These Money Mistakes Now
Dec19
As the holidays greet us and this last week meets us with trips to the stores, charges on our credit cards and anxiety that shouldn’t occur during this “most wonderful time of the year,” I’ve decided to re-visit some of […]
Save Money on Buying a Car
Jun2
I remember the day well. My first car purchase. All grown up and living on my own, I didn’t know what I didn’t know and I fell for every sincere sounding bit of advice the dealer told me. He had […]
Dreaming Big: Guess What I Am Planning?
May27
Does your heart pound a little faster? Have you been kept awake at night wondering what your life would look like if this were realized? Is it a topic that you can’t stop talking about or brainstorming? Is it a […]
I’m Going There: Saving on Healthcare
Dec5
My momma used to say, there are three things nice women should never talk about in public, “Money, Religion and Politics.” Hasn’t that motto been whispered in halls across the land for generations? Well, I’ll admit, my momma never said […]
3 Ideas for Saving $500 Right Now!
Nov15
(I just posted “I’m going there: Ideas for saving on healthcare” for more suggestions on how to save.) With Christmas only six weeks away, it’s that time of year when many desire to create the “Most Wonderful Time of the […]
The Front Porch That Took 17 Years to Build (Part 1)
Nov3
Our son rolled his eyes at me, “Mom, you live like we are still unemployed. Why don’t you just buy that furniture? We finally have the money and I know you want it.” I turned to him and gathered all […]
Robbing Peter to Pay Paul: Climbing Out of Debt
Sep11
One of my goals of Balancing Beauty and Bedlam is to embrace life’s beautiful moments, many which don’t cost a cent. You can read pages and pages of my thoughts on finances, but one thing I know for certain, when […]
