This is What Happens When You Give a Teen an Allowance….
So, this afternoon I had a fun shopping trip with my 13 year old daughter. I happen to love shopping (yep, frugal AND a shopping lover!) and I love quality time with my kids, so it was a GREAT day! However, shopping trips with my daughter tends to bring some stress (for me) and anxiety (for her). You see….once my kids reach the age of 13 they are required to pay for all of their own clothes, along with a few other expenses. We have decided instead of mom and dad deciding what clothes are in the budget, we would give her an allowance so SHE can decide how to…
A Month of School Lunchbox Ideas
After writing A Month of After School Snacks, I decided to start documenting our daily packed lunchboxes. These are all very basic lunches, nothing fancy here. but this is our real life. Real talk from a busy frugal mom who is trying her best to save money and raise great kids. I am able to save roughly $350 per year simply by packing a lunchbox for my kids to bring to school. It is one of the ways we cut unnecessary expenses from our monthly budget. My parenting philosophy is always, “Keep it Simple. Keep it Frugal.” This article will not show you fancy ways to prepare your kids foods or…
A Frugal Family Valentines Day
“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” If you’ve been following me on Instagram you’ve probably learned quickly that my philosophy on parenting (and basically life) revolves around easy and cheap! Our Valentines Day Celebrations are no different. I read the other day that the average person spends just under $140 on Valentines Day. This shocked me! I understand that it’s fun to splurge a few times a year and I am a big fan of celebrating…
How to Slowly Restock Your Pantry after Completing a Pantry Challenge
“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” I recently completed an intense Pantry Clean out Challenge. The goal was to cut my regular monthly grocery budget ($400) in half. By doing this we would focus on eating the items I already had stocked in my freezer and pantry. I was fortunate to have had many friends on Instagram join me in this challenge. I loved watching all of the progress and having a group to encourage each…
Whole Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe
My friend shared this whole wheat banana chocolate chip muffin recipe with me years ago and I have been hooked on them ever since! We eat them for breakfast, for after school snacks and I add them in my kids’ school lunches. These muffins are quick and easy to make, fairly healthy thanks to the whole wheat. They are also super easy to make a large batch to freeze for later….and my ENTIRE family LOVES them. So, basically just a win all around! I will usually double the recipe and put half of them in the freezer. To freeze you simply place the baked muffins in a ziplock freezer bag…
Stock Piling your Freezer: How to freeze Pancakes for a Quick Frugal Breakfast
“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” I really think my mom was supermom. Granted, I didn’t think that when I was growing up….but now that I have become a mom myself, I am able to look back and realize just how hard she worked for our family. I feel fairly confident when I say that many of you are supermoms as well. You wake up early, spend all day serving your family, and go to bed…
25 Completely Free Family Winter Activities
Sweet Frugal Life is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com I absolutely love the snow! I love to snowmobile, sled, and snowboard. I love waking up to a fresh blanket of new snow and the sparkle it makes in the sunlight. The only negative about the snow is that it’s so cold!! Unfortunately, I live in an area where it stays cold for many many months! We all get a little stir crazy around here being cooped up for so long. I’ve learned to get creative…
Easy Hot Cocoa Mix Recipe
Hot cocoa is such a fun staple to have in your home during these cold winter months. My kids will spend hours playing outside in the snow and the first thing they ask for when they come inside is some hot chocolate! Back in my “spender” days I use to buy hot chocolate mix at the store like it was nobody’s business! Once I started learning how to save and live a frugal life I learned how to make hot chocolate mix from scratch and I have never looked back! Not only does making your own hot cocoa save you money, it is also so quick and easy to do. …
Teaching Kids to Help with Family Chores: Including free chore chart printable
Teaching my kids how to work is a huge priority for me. In today’s world with busy schedules and so many kids focused on screens, it’s hard to find the right way to instill a hard work ethic. I’ve tried so many different methods to try to encourage my kids to be hard workers. Many of those methods have failed, but the method we are using right now has been going strong for 5 years. That’s definitely a record in my house! I don’t know if it is teaching them the hard work ethic I desire, but I know it has been teaching them a lot about household chores and…
Christmas Tree Cookie Recipe
“We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” One of my favorite Christmas Traditions as a young girl was my mom making these delicious Christmas Tree Cookies! I knew it was Christmastime when I came home to these delicious treats after school. My mom is no longer living, so I have continued on the tradition by making them for my kids. They are SO easy and I love the hint of almond flavor! One of the best parts…