We wrote A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More (Ave Maria Press, 2021) for individuals and families at every stage of life. However, there are two milestones in the life of a young adult that can be particularly costly . . . and the first one is college. (The second is a wedding, and we have a separate resource for that!) Your education can set you up for future financial well-being or put you so deeply in debt that it will take years to dig out. This download is for students who are finishing their high school years (or who are going back to school after being in the workfor ..read more

 Feeding Your Family without Going Broke 2 parents + 14 kids x 3 meals a day each x 365 days a year = Yikes!  We won’t kid you. Feeding up to sixteen mouths at a time can get expensive. It’s also time-consuming: We spend about half of our day preparing, eating, cleaning up after, or planning a meal. And so, when our kids come home with leftovers after a youth group meeting, work lunch, or other event, we are thankful both for the extra food and that they have taken our “no waste” rule to heart. Dang, our kids can eat. Once they hit twelve years of age, they start eating like every me ..read more

 Weddings the Fatzinger Way\  A wedding is often a reliable test of a couple’s readiness for married life. It tells a lot about how the two of them make decisions, what they value, and who the most important people in their life are. If your child is planning a wedding, we suggest that you decide up-front what you can afford to contribute—whether it’s $500 or $50,000—and give it to the couple to budget. This will help them to discern what is important to them. Starting out, Rob and I were in total agreement over what we wanted: a big, debt-free Catholic family. We wanted a lifestyle ..read more

How to homeschool on a budget (notes from my talk at the Catholic Homeschool Conference) To give you some info about me, I am the wife of Rob for 34 years, the mom to 14 (ages 33-6), and the Grammy to 13. I homeschooled my kids till college. Thanks to a homeschool Tutorial called St Peter the Rock, (see my prerecorded talk on how to start a Tutorial).  My oldest two are homeschooling my grandkids. So, it is nice to know they don’t regret being homeschooled. My answer when people asked where my kids went to school was “homeschooling Is our lifestyle, not just our academic choice!” In 201 ..read more

 We were asked to give a talk to about 20 couples on finances. My husband and I don't  have a program or system we invented. We just had the desire to be open to THE WILL OF GOD and to sacrifice everything we possibly could to make that happen.  So I have been searching a lot on line to see other peoples programs so maybe I can share their advice to better help families meet their financial goals.  This was a helpful site call Six dollar family... Bible money matter is another site with lots of information.  Quick Navigation Ten ways to improve your financial intima ..read more

  10 years ago, when I was 43, and the last baby I gave birth to was 17 months old, I worked incredibly hard to lose weight. I was 163lb.  Mainly doing the 17-day diet and working out five days a week. I lost about 36lbs. It was hard but I felt great mentally and physically. I bought a new wardrobe and got into great eating habits, I could even cheat about once a week.   Well, 21 months ago I weighed 130 lbs. and wore a size 6. With older age, menopause, and covid restrictions, I now weigh 160 lbs. and wear a size 14. As a hugging extrovert, the pandemic really affected me. The ..read more

  This is me I love: My God My husband My kids My family My friends My parish My town I am a bad Christian, wife, mother, sister, friend, and neighbor I love to serve my God, my husband, my kids, my family, my friends, my parish, and my town I am a bad housekeeper & cook, and I have way too much clutter. I love mornings and I am a grouch in the evenings I am a sinner I have a strong personality Not everyone enjoys my temperament I make lots of mistakes, but I mean well I have a big mouth, but I usually try to use it for good I mean well, but sometimes I am misunderstood I am bold I ..read more

My husband Rob is pretty amazing! Besides putting up with me all these years he has accomplished many financial and physical goals! I heard from a radio show (pre podcast days) that it is important to write down your spouse's positive qualities, so when they drive you crazy you can read it; over and over, and over again!!! 1964: Rob born 1978 age 13: First 10 miler 1984 age 19: Met Me (yes I was 16) 1985 age 20: 10k (first and only race with ME-I was 17) 1989 age 24: Rob married Me-I was 21  1990 age 25: Our first baby was born 2003 age 39: First Marathon (just after 9th baby was ..read more

 Some days I go to bed and look over my day and wonder if I really did all that... 4:45- wake up     5:00- go to gym    6:30- go to mass   7:00- get son ready for school            8:00-tea and devotional time    9:30- parish staff meeting              10:30- pick up granddaughter            10:45- pick up free school lunches   11:00- homeschool  1:00- stop by the thrift store on the way to carpool pickup     2:20- pick up carpool ..read more

So grateful to be asked to join this team of fantastic women who are striving towards heaven!!! I am excited to share this interview with Danielle Bean   To get an All Access to this convention click here. I even get credit if you use my link.  To join conference free click here.  +JMJ+  THY WILL BE DONE ..read more