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Make a Meal Planning System
Meal planning can help you save time, money and maybe help you to eat healthier too. With the high cost of food these days, who can afford to let food go to waste? If you are a busy person, having a strategy can help you have nutritious meals and still get out the door in time without blowing your budget.…
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Ten Frugal Tips My Mother Taught Me
With real inflation going through the roof, you might be looking for some ways to save money. We have been spoiled with rampant consumerism and the ease of access to almost everything. My parents both grew up during the Great Depression and World War 2. They lived through rationing and adopted a frugal mindset that lasted their whole lives. Some…
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How to Do a No Spend/Low Spend Challenge
You may want to try a no spend challenge. You may have overspent a little over the holidays, or you may just have a hard time making ends meet. When you are trying to organize your finances, this can be a great way to reset or help you reach a goal. It may also help you to get to know…
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Apartment Makeover Before & After
I recently gave one of my rental apartments a makeover to make it habitable for a new tenant. My long-time tenant moved out and the massive job of cleaning and “renovating” it began. We did repairs due to water damage and uncleanliness, and general “wear and tear”, as well as minor updates and paint. You may be faced with a…
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Declutter Files – Reset for New Year-Part 2
Do you know where your bills to be paid are? Can you find an important document in less than five minutes? Despite us now living in the digital age, we are still inundated with papers every day. If you don’t have a business, the papers you need to keep will be minimal. There are many sources of paper clutter, but…
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Why Clean Your House? The True Cost of Being a Slob
As children, most of us were born slobs. Let’s face it – there are a lot more fun things to do than clean and when we were young our parents cleaned up for us. In my generation we were responsible for doing chores when we got a little older and at the very least, tidy our rooms. This was not…
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How to Have a Great Yard (Garage) Sale this Summer
Summer is finally here and you know what that means. After all your decluttering and spring cleaning you may want to have a yard (garage) sale to get rid of your unwanted, but still very useful to someone, stuff and make a little money in the process. Have a goal in mind for what you would like to do with…
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Before and After Whole House Makeover
It’s finally done! As some of you know, I have been renovating one of my rental properties for several months to get it ready for sale – giving it a complete makeover. Ninety percent of it took four months with the help of a few different contractors. Unfortunately, due to the untimely death of my mother and some other unfortunate…
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Top Ten Tips for Selling Your Home
Looking for tips to sell your home? If you are trying to sell your house quickly and for top dollar you need to present it in it’s best possible light. We tend to become desensitized to our homes because we are there all the time. We don’t see the clutter or out-dated decor or smell the smoke, pets or strong…
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“In Case of My Death” Plan
We all die someday, hopefully after a long, happy and fulfilled life. A death plan will help your loved ones navigate through when they are already grieving for their loss. It will be extremely helpful to have your affairs organized and to communicate where to find all the important information they will need to know. For Your Death Plan, you…
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Organizing Papers- Create a System that Works for You
Tax season is almost upon us. If you haven’t already organized your papers and created a system to keep track of those papers, now is the time. If you have a home-based business your needs will be a little (or a lot) more complicated than if you don’t. I like to go through my filing cabinet every year, usually in…
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Budget-Friendly Holiday Planning Tips
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas… Christmas is just around the corner. If you were really on top of things, you already started your Christmas shopping long before now. Hopefully you at least incorporated it into your budget. In a perfect world you would already have a nice, little nest egg saved up for it. For the rest…
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Top Ten Tips to Save Money on Food Anyone Can Do
Food is the second largest expense most people have after rent or mortgage. Here are my top ten tips to save money on food. Tip #1 Have a Budget and stick to it! If we have a set amount of money that we want to spend on food, we will be less tempted to make impulse buys that will just…
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Budget Binder & Monthly $ Tracking System
Make a budget binder to organize your bills and stay on top of your budget and financial goals. Whether you have a simple file folder system or a more elaborate system (like mine) it should reflect YOUR needs. My needs may be a little more complicated than the average person as I work full-time and have rental properties. Occasionally, I…
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How to Make a Budget 101
Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor. You should always consult a professional to determine what your investment strategy should be based on your needs and the laws where you live. What is a budget? A budget is merely a written guideline to help you control your money instead of having money control you, and it can transform your life!…
