I’m telling you, there’s nothing like cheap fun. I’m an extremely frugal person and I like having fun just as much as the next person. So, what should you do when you don’t want to blow your budget but you still want to have a blast? You download this printable of course! Here are 50 Ways to Have Cheap Fun that will keep you entertained for a LONG time! You’re going to thank me for this. Have fun! -Lindsey The post 50 Ways to Have Cheap Fun appeared first on Big House in the Woods ..read more

This Red Pocket Review is extremely personal to me. Several years ago, my husband and I were saving money to build our dream home. We wanted to build our dream home debt free which meant that we needed to put some serious cash in our savings every day. We started analyzing our budget and cutting expenses. We decided to give our cell phone bill a hard look. The plan itself wasn’t too costly but the added “service fees” were killing us. Why was our cell phone service so expensive? All we needed was to call, text, and have some data. I mean, we weren’t trying to save the world with our cell phone ..read more

Some of my favorite times were sitting in my husband’s Grandpa’s kitchen and talking with him about the “old days.” Grandpa was born in 1928 and he was full of frugal living tips from the Great Depression that his parents had passed down to him. He knew how to stretch a dollar. He was not a cheap man. He was a frugal man and he knew the value of spending his money wisely. Old Fashioned Living Grandpa understood old fashioned frugal living. Of course, to him it wasn’t “old fashioned frugal living”…it was just frugal living! I remember one story he told about Grandma. They were a farming family ..read more

Debt-free by 25; Is that possible? Yes! How do I know? Because we were debt-free by 25! In fact, we were debt-free AND mortgage-free by 25. So many people have asked us how we did this. To us, being debt-free by 25 just seems normal but, after all the questions and comments over the years, it feels like we beat the odds. Maybe being debt-free by 25 isn’t normal. Recently, someone said to me, “You’ve been debt-free AND mortgage-free since 25 without an inheritance or parental assistance? I find that hard to believe.” Why is that so hard for people to believe? I think it’s because (after much re ..read more

Getting a VIPKid job is a great way to make extra money OR earn a full-time income. I became a VIPKid teacher to fund my blogging habit and I have loved every minute of it. Not only do I use the money to pay for my hosting and other blogging needs but it’s also just nice to have some extra cash of my own for fun things! With a VIPKid job, you can work as much or as little as you want. It’s flexible, fun, and rewarding. My husband and I have been debt-free and mortgage-free since we were 25. We are on a path to retire when we are 45. We save like millionaires and invest so we can achieve this g ..read more

Knowing how to save like a millionaire can change the entire direction of your life. When many people think of millionaires, they think of reality TV celebrities with their expensive cars, endless shopping sprees, and mansions. But that’s not real life for most millionaires. Self-made millionaires know better. If you want to be a millionaire, then you need to know how to save like a millionaire. “From my research, I discovered that daily habits dictate how successful or unsuccessful you will be in life,” Thomas C. Corley- “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life.” Business Insider Related conten ..read more

Cheap things for self-care at home? Really? Yes! When many people think of practicing self-care, they think of expensive spa days and weekly mani-pedis at the salon. But what if you want cheap things for self-care at home without missing out on anything? I’m here to tell you that it can be done because I’ve been doing it for over 10 years! Today, I will tell you about my favorite cheap things for self-care at home so you can feel like a million bucks. So, the next time you are practicing Self-Care Sunday (or any day for that matter) you’ll know exactly how to pamper yourself! Cheap Things for ..read more

I will go ahead and say it, elderberry syrup is magical! For years, during flu season our family has taken homemade elderberry syrup to help keep us healthy. (We also make sure we properly wash our hands after being in public and we try to avoid people who we know are sick.) As a result, we have NEVER had the flu, a significant cold, or an ear infection (for that matter). Elderberries have been used to improve health for many years. According to healthline.com, Ancient Egyptians used elderberries to improve their complexions and heal burns. Native Americans used elderberries to treat infectio ..read more

We have been living a frugal life since we were married. In fact, my husband started before we married. Saving money and living debt-free is something we enjoy. It doesn’t come without a price though. Believe it or not, it makes some people mad. Today I’m going to give you 8 reasons why your frugal life makes people mad and what you can do about it. I have noticed that for so many Americans, it’s hard to understand frugal people. Many Americans just aren’t naturally frugal. That’s why credit card companies are so wealthy. People spend their paycheck to the max then get a credit card. I have h ..read more

One of our “famous stories” we like to share is that when we were saving money to pay off our first (and only) mortgage, we ate pancakes three nights a week for supper because pancakes are cheap. We knew the cost of each cup of flour and I substituted water for the milk in the recipe. We couldn’t tell a difference in the taste and it made the meal cheaper. Recently, someone asked me what else we did to save money on our food bill because it takes more than just pancakes three nights a week to get you mortgage free quickly (or whatever your goal is). So, I’ll share all our meal planning secrets ..read more