budget

Kid-Friendly Holiday Decorating Tips

November 26, 2019 by Rachel 31 Comments

This post has been sponsored by Big Lots. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Does anyone else feel like for all of the Christmas songs there should be at least a couple tunes for Thanksgiving? I, for one, am beyond excited to have our family over for our first Thanksgiving in our forever home. Our century-old farmhouse is the perfect place to host and decorate for this special occasion.

In our family, Thanksgiving officially kicks off the holiday season. We all have to be separate places on Christmas morning, but for Thanksgiving, we are always together. This years’ total attendance will be 6 adults, 5 (young) children, and 3 dogs.

I picked up all of the necessary decorations and table settings at Big Lots. They’re both adorable and kid-friendly — on a budget. The rustic holiday look with buffalo check, burlap accents, and red vintage feel was exactly what we need to keep the farmhouse-feel.

Kid-Friendly Holiday Decorating Tips:

Limit the breakables.

Instead of trying to keep breakable decorations away from my littles, I just eliminate them almost entirely. The items I’ve decorated with are sturdy, inexpensive, and made of soft or plastic materials. No glass here!

Get them involved.

Want your kids to respect the items you decorate with? Have them help you pick out the items at Big Lots! Getting them involved in the process gets them excited to have the items displayed in your home.

Also? Kids love holiday chores. Get them excited to have company over by enlisting their help setting the table! My kids treat it like a craft project. They get to ‘put together’ all of the seats, plates, and settings.

Don’t take it too seriously.

I know so many people who take their holiday decorating to a whole other level. That’s great, but it also can set you up for major disappointment when something is out of place or doesn’t look right.

Instead, have fun with it. Do you want to put your tree up now? Go for it! You don’t want to stick to one theme? Then don’t! The holidays should be a fun and happy time for everyone. So let it be.

If decorating farmhouse chic isn’t your thing, Big Lots also has a super gorgeous blue and gold line of decor as well as a colorful line! So something for everyone!

What’s your favorite holiday decor trend this season?

Saving Money in the New Year // Direct Energy Savings in Ohio!

January 14, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Winter has hit us in Ohio, finally! Last year was especially cold. And even though El Niño helped to delay winter this year; it’s definitely, definitely here. And we refuse to let our energy bill skyrocket because of it.

And one way of doing so is by reevaluating our electricity rates and finding if we can, first and foremost, save there.

Compare costs. Ohio residents should contact Direct Energy this month to see what special offers they have available. Save up to 14%* over DP&L’s electricity rate, and up to 10%* over Duke Energy’s electricity rate. There’s more! Save up to *5% over The Illuminating Company’s electricity rate, and up to 3%* over Ohio Edison’s electricity rate!
Make sure your windows and doors are energy efficient. If they aren’t, look into replacing them in the Spring! But in the meantime, use window shrink film to keep as much heat in your home as possible!
Unplug appliances when not in use. Guys. This is a major one in our house! We have something plugged into nearly every outlet in our home. Are these things always on? Absolutely not. But they are still using energy!

We’ve definitely been actively doing these things in hopes of saving a few bucks this winter! In addition, we use our wood burning stove when we are home — and we only burn Eco-bricks, which are made up of sawdust, are CO2 neutral, and burn longer than wood. It also helps that Direct Energy offers a fixed-rate energy plan: so our electricity rate won’t fluctuate throughout your contract term. They’re also the only energy provider to be a part of Plenti. You can earn rewards every month with Plenti!
Just go to their website and plug in your zip code!

*All savings refers to the current difference between Direct Energy’s fixed rate offer and the Utility’s current Fixed Rate for Basic Service as of January 8, 2016, and does not include any other component of the electricity bill. Utility rates are subject to change and there may be no savings following the respective official utility rate change date. Direct Energy’s fixed rates include electricity supply charges only and excludes delivery/transmission charges, taxes, and all other utility-related charges. Offer is limited and valid for new residential customers only.

Budget Friendly Valentine’s Day Date Ideas For Parents //

February 4, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Valentine’s Day takes on a much different feel when you are a busy parent. To be honest, Valentine’s Day is, and always has been, just another day. It’s especially easy to see it this way as a parent. Which is why this year it’s extra important to me to at least make this day a little bit special. It’s way too easy to get wrapped up in everyday life.

Here are 5 budget friendly Valentine’s Day date ideas with parents in mind:

1. Movie Date Night In. Put a firm time on the kids’ bedtimes for just this one night. Make it non-negotiable. Rent a Redbox movie and some popcorn from the local theater (you heard me — go into the theater just to get popcorn! Sure this seems silly; but it will make your at-home date feel a little bit more like an actual date); pick up your favorite fizzy beverage at the grocery store and head home for a movie-theater-esque date!

Honestly, we try and do this on the regular. We are both huge movie buffs and the addition of actual movie theater popcorn really make these nights feel more like dates. We used to go to the movies at least once a week; but since Ari was born we rarely make it.

2. Game Night. In fact, have a couple of friends that are new parents? Invite them over, too! Chances are there Valentine’s Day is going to be even more low-key than yours is planned to be. You can keep that tiny baby entertained while everyone plays a few rounds of Cards Against Humanity.

We very rarely have a chance to sit down and have fun together at home. When we’re home there’s always something that needs to be done; something that needs to be tended to; a child that needs your attention. Set it all aside for game night. Laugh with your spouse and your friends.

3. Canvas painting and wine session! One of my favorite things to do is go to wine and canvas painting classes. But those: 1. pricey; and 2. require a sitter. So create your own at home! All you need is a vision (which you can find instructional painting videos on YouTube), two canvases, some paint, and a bottle of wine. After the kids go to bed, you have your own studio set up!

4. Have an old-school video game match. Think Nintendo 64’s Wave Race or Mario Kart. Or even a Just Dance match! It’s a great way to challenge your spouse in a little friendly competition.

5. Cook a meal together and have a romantic late-night dinner. With intention. That’s the key. I don’t mean just cook dinner; cause as a busy parent that really just means rushing to feed your kid in the evening. Feed your kids, obviously; but after the kids are asleep, actually cook together — with purpose. Then, enjoy your delicious creation with a little living room floor picnic. No cell phones; no TV; no distractions. Just conversation and a good meal.

the good, the bad, and the budget.

January 6, 2012 by Rachel 7 Comments

The good: this year is going to rock. I can just feel it.

The bad: I somehow have the stomach flu again. Yuck.

The ugly: last year I pretty much ignored my budget. And I can’t afford to do that again this year. Blah.

But in all seriousness, I’ve had a goal for a while to pay off as much debt/student loans as possible. And I’m not saying that I didn’t make a dent, but I know that if I had buckled down I would be in a much better position than I am today.

But I didn’t. We ate out a lot {and of course our tastes are for one-of-a-kind, non-chain, a bit pricey type restaurants}, fell victim to the daily deals {thanks, Groupon; I swear this is where most of my money went}, and so on. So fast forward to today.

It’s no secret that a great deal of my stress comes from the fact that I am afraid of losing my job. It’s become a serious source of anxiety for me. Mostly because I think “Holy crap. I wouldn’t be able to pay on any of my debt.”

And that’s a terrifying thought. And I’m tired of living like this.
So I’m officially 100% doing something about it.

How:

No purchase goes unjustified. — Before I choose to purchase something, it has to be a necessity.

Work as much as possible. — Overtime offered? I’m in!

Stick to the plan. — Track my purchases using Mint.com. Also, keep as little cash in my pocket as possible {and yes, I know this goes against many of the no-debt plans, such as Dave Ramsey, but I have my reasons}; if I have cash, stick it into my locked safe, and don’t touch it! That way all of my purchases and progress are tracked on mint.com.

Eat out no more than 2 times a month. — That includes lunches! I’m tired of throwing my money away on food that not only is bad for my wallet, but bad for my health. I’m over it!

Take advantage of more free services {and fee-free services}. — Like the library. And Amazon Prime kindle lending. and community yoga classes.

So what are your tried and true stick-to-budget, pay-things-off methods?? Sharing might be able to help me {and others} out! 🙂