Finance Archives - Busy Moms Helper

Top 3 Ways to Cut Food Costs at Walt Disney World

July 11, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

When you buy a Disney World Vacation, you get a room and some park tickets. If you’re lucky, you get a free dining plan, as well. But for most people that’s it, and buying a dining plan is not a viable way to save money. During your stay, you encounter all varieties of tiered service options, price ranges and more. You can easily rack up a heavier vacation tab then you expected if you’re not careful. To help, here’s our Top 3 Ways to Cut Food Costs at Walt Disney World.

This fall will be my first time ever trying the Disney Dining plan – and it’s only because we got the free dining special. As I was preparing our park plan and dining reservations, there was so much to look into – and I remember how hard it was figuring out a food budget in previous trips there. I don’t want you to have that stress, as well! So, here are three cost cutting measures you can take while on vacation in Disney World.

Leverage Counter Service

Quick Service is a substantially lower cost way to dine in the parks at Disney World. The entrees are less expensive and there is no gratuity attached to the meal. So, immediately you save money when you choose counter service over table service.

Even after that there are a few more things you can do to leverage the cost of your meal.

1. Drink ice water. Ice water is served for free. You don’t even need to buy anything. Keep that in mind when staying hydrated on hot Orlando days and definitely use this to your advantage when meal time comes around.

2. Purchase shareable entrees. Some quick service locations serve entrees that can easily be shared. It’s a great way to save on meals for guests with smaller appetites. Also, adults can order kids meals for themselves if they don’t want an adult size meal. Some kids check meals are very similar to offerings on the adult menus.

3. Toppings Bars. Some counter service locations have toppings bars. Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn and Cafe is one example. You can augment the already sizable portions with as much of the toppings as you like with no added cost to you. You can even make a side salad out of it. It’s a thing.

Leverage Breakfast

You can go two ways on breakfast to make it work for you:

1. Skip it (as far as eating out goes). Or bring small snacks from home to eat in the hotel room before you start the day. This will cut down on meals by 1/3. You can schedule your lunches earlier to help cover the difference.

2. Fill up. This is a good strategy if you are capable of loading on the calories in the morning and not having another meal until dinner time. If your accommodations include a continental breakfast this can really save you money. You can even pack away some snacks for later. Even a buffet, like one of many character dining experiences around Disney World such as Tusker House, can save you money. Of course that depends on how much you would be likely to spend on lunch, how much a smaller breakfast would be, and how that sum compares to the buffet price.

Be prepared…

There are pros and cons of planning. Planning is meant to make things easier. Life is unpredictable, though and sometimes plans fall through. So, be prepared to change your mind. Preparedness is good, like bringing water and snacks into the park to save money, or planning your next meal to stay on schedule. One thing you definitely don’t want to do is follow through with meal plans if you aren’t really hungry.

When you have a reservation, it’s a little bigger of a deal and there may be a fee involved for cancelling, but generally speaking don’t spend money on food if you aren’t hungry just because it’s what you had planned. It might sound weird, but its really effective. When you get caught up in “we have to do this next” stop and ask yourself if it’s what you really want. This little thing can save hundreds of dollars over vacations for a few years.

I hope you liked these tips and found them insightful. Was there anything you expected to find but didnt? What are your favorite ways to save money while you’re in Disney World. What tips do you plan to use?

How do You Save Money in Disney World?

How to Save Money on Kids’ Clothes

March 23, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

It’s no secret that kids are expensive – like REALLY expensive. I definitely believe it’s worth it – but it is a struggle to manage finances for the majority of families, whether you have a few kids or several. One of the costs with our family that I’ve found a good, consistent system with helping our budget on is the clothing. While this doesn’t work quite as well for adults, here’s a great idea that I’ve come to rely on for How to Save Money on Kids’ Clothes – and since y’all love printables, I’ve even included a handy chart to help you, as well!

When I had my daughter, I received so many cute clothes from grandparents, and hand-me-downs from some relatives that I rarely had to buy any type of clothing for her. That lasted until she was about six, actually! When we had the twins, and then my youngest 18 months after them, it was a new story, though. I knew I needed to find a way to cut that cost, so tried out something new. It took me awhile to really get good at it, but it’s since saved us HUNDREDS on that part of our budget!

The main idea to save money on kids’ clothes: buy them while on major sales/clearance for them to grow into. That way you’re not limited to the size they’re in just right then, and maybe what they currently need won’t be on sale at the time you need it. Let me explain in more detail…

I kept a chart of each child, the types of clothing (tshirt, long sleeved shirt, pants, shorts, pajamas, shoes, etc.) and had rows next to it like in this chart so I could keep track of HOW MANY of each item they had in WHAT SIZE. Here’s an example of using the printable to track it all….

I found that I could get awesome deals on clothing and shoes, but often it wasn’t what size they needed at the time. So I stopped planning for the moment and starting shopping for the future. I’d check the sale and clearance racks, check for coupons, and utilize end-of-season deals to find the best prices on clothes, then looked at my chart to see what sizes they still needed of that item. If they had plenty of tshirts in size 6 already, I didn’t worry about buying it. But if I found a great deal on pants in size 7, and they only had one or two pairs already, I’d nab it and mark it down.

One thing to keep in mind, especially for really little kids that may go through multiple sizes in a year – keep in mind what SEASON they’ll need a certain size. There wasn’t a point in getting my twins any 6 months clothing that was ideal for winter, since they’d wear that size during the summer months.

What got me into some trouble at first, though, was that I’d forget to KEEP TRACK of what I had in the various sizes! So I’d end up with way more shirts for one size, and not enough pajamas. It’s not saving you money if you’re buying way more than they really need, so it’s CRUCIAL that you mark down what you have and keep a record of it. That’s why this printable is so helpful! I list out different clothing such as TShirts, L.S. Shirts (long sleeved shirts), Pants, Shorts, D. Clothes (dress clothes), Pajamas, T. Shoes (tennis shoes/athletic shoes), D. Shoes (dress shoes), Sandals – and leave some empty spots to fill as you’d like! Along the top of the rows is where you can put the size.

Let’s break it down into steps to make sure everyone understands how to do this:

Get a chart (like the printable I’m sharing) and mark down what clothing/shoes each child has in what sizes. Mark the season, if needed.
Decide what you think is a good amount of each item to have. Are they fine with 3 pairs of pajamas, or do they need more? Maybe 7 tshirts is perfect for your kid, or maybe another kid needs more athletic-type pants than others. Make a note of this somewhere (maybe to the side of the chart) so you can know when you hit your ‘happy number’.
Regularly watch for sales, check clearance racks, etc. and see if any items are a great price on there. If so, check on your chart if you still need that item in that particular size for your child. If so, consider getting it. If not, ignore it.
Occasionally (I do about 1-2 times per year, depending on how fast they’re growing) check for their current sizes so you can mark that down to keep in mind at the stores while you’re looking through clothes. (on the printable, there’s space at the bottom to track that)
Store the ‘grow into’ clothes in a tote that’s clearly labeled. Pull it out a couple of times a year as they’re needing to switch out sizes and seasonal items. Maybe mark on the storage container what ‘season’ those clothes are, as well, to make it even easier and quicker to go through.

The Kids’ Clothing Tracker printable is one of our subscriber exclusives, so sign up below to get this fun free printable chart plus our other awesome subscriber-exclusive printables!

It’s ultimately a very simple idea, but you have to keep track and actually implement the idea of planning ahead. Like I said before, you could end up spending MORE money if you don’t keep track of things and buy too many of something or not enough of another. But as long as you keep record – and remember where you store all the clothing for them to grow into – it’s a great way to save money on kids’ clothes! After all, we could all benefit from saving major money in our budget, right? 😉

What’s YOUR best tip for saving money on kids’ clothes?

Announcing the Busy Mom Bundle!

March 1, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I’ve been working like crazy behind the scenes creating something for all my fellow busy moms out there to make your lives a bit easier, and maybe even more organized. I’m thrilled to finally announce the Busy Mom Bundle! We’ve taken several of our most popular products and are offering them as a complete set for all the parents out there – whether you need help organizing your families important files, want meal plans already done for you for a YEAR, love Disney activities, need a reliable planner, or help planning the best summer camp ever – this Busy Mom Bundle has practically EVERYTHING to help out!

From getting all your important files, documents & information together with the Family Home Binder, to having a whole year’s worth of weekly meal plans (with the recipes, of course) already done for you. Keep track of your schedule and tasks with our beautiful planner. You can even earn money hosting an awesome summer (or Spring Break) camp for kids with our FOUR different themed camp kits – or just enjoy them as bonus activities for your own kiddos!

Plus, both the Disneyland-California AND generic versions of our Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books – perfect for that upcoming Disney trip, or just a great booklet for Disney lovers.

These fabulously fun and helpful books and kits sell individually for $2-$10 EACH (except the planner, it’s always free), but with the Busy Mom Bundle you can nab the whole set for just $8 – that’s less than the cost of ONE of the summer camp kits or the meal plan pack alone!

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So let me break it down a bit so you can see exactly what’s included in this incredible printable bundle pack…

Family Home Binder

4 Cover Designs
Weekly Tasks and To Do Spread
Page for listing household Utilities & Services information
School Information
Weekly Menu & Shopping List
Medical Forms
Family Emergency Plan, Map (fire escape route) & Contacts
Emergency Contact Sheet
Monthly Budget – one blank and one with some general expenses filled in
Babysitter Helper Sheet
Birthday List

2018 Printable Calendar & Weekly Planner

also includes 8 different covers (4 styles, each with the option for the stylized ribbon strip or without it)
This is normally a free printable anyway, so we’re just including in here since it’s also a helpful resource for busy moms

Summer Camp Kits – a great way to earn some extra cash!

The 4 themes include: Arts & Crafts, Wizard (aka Unofficial Harry Potter), Science and Superhero
Don’t want to do a camp? They still make great preschool themes, party plans & ideas or just awesome kid activities!
Each has:
- a cover
- tips and ideas for planning & organizing your camp
- themed food ideas
- activities, games, crafts and/or expiriments
- access to LOTS of free printables to assist in your camp, such as invitations, sign in/out sheets, name tags, coloring pages, photo booth cut-outs, banners, drink labels, food cards, etc.

Both Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books (Disneyland-specific, and the generic version)

Pages for keeping memories and records from your Disney trip
Coloring sheets, games & activities
Plenty of styled & themed autograph pages (also work great for photo pages)
Disneyland version includes ride lists & height requirements

Meal Plan on a Budget

52 Weeks (a whole year) of weekly meal plans already done for you
Breakfast, lunch AND dinner
Recipes all included with page numbers for easy reference
Daily food costs average to less than $5 per person per day!
Blank shopping list for easy grocery list planning

Like I said, the Busy Mom Bundle will be only $8 – such a great savings from buying the printable sets individually! But here’s the thing – we’re celebrating this awesome kit by doing a TWO DAY SALE when it’s live – by selling it for just $7! Yup, when it becomes available in our shop next Tuesday, March 6th at 6am until Thursday, March 8th at 8am you can nab the ENTIRE kit for just $7 – that’s less than a single summer camp kit set or the meal plan book all alone.

So mark your calendars, because this amazing, parent-sanity-saving set will be available starting next week and you can save more by purchasing the first two days. WOOT WOOT!

Don’t want the whole bundle? Check out our other products HERE

Family Home Binder

Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books

2018 Planner & Calendar

Summer Camp Kits or Kid Activity Packs

A YEAR of Meal Plans with Recipes – on a Budget!

Which of the printables would YOU most like to have?

Family Home Binder Printables

February 22, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

Isn’t it such a pain to sort through a ton of documents and files to find the information you need, especially when you’re in a rush? Now you can keep all your family’s important info in one, easy place with these Family Home Binder Printables! We’ve got everything from medical forms and emergency contacts, to shopping lists and babysitter sheets, plus budgets and more to make your life as a busy mom much easier and organized.

After lots of asking around as to what people preferred, we made our home binder printables simple and clean-looking, while still being stylish with some pops of color. It goes perfectly with our 2018 Free Printable Planner, as well as our awesome 52 Weeks of Meal Plans (with recipes) Book! We tried to include the majority of lists and documents that a busy family would need, helping you keep track of everything in one, convenient place. Once you have the PDFs, you can print off as many as you’d like (such as with the monthly budget sheet or weekly menu and shopping lists) – for personal use only, of course 🙂 We even included several cover options, so you can print off whichever you like best.

What’s included in the Family Home Binder Printable pack?

4 Cover Designs – front and back (front has choice of ribbon decor or plain in that blue label piece)
Weekly Tasks and To Do Spread
Page for listing household Utilities & Services information
School Information
Weekly Menu & Shopping List
Medical Forms
Family Emergency Plan, Map (fire escape route) & Contacts
Emergency Contact Sheet
Monthly Budget – one blank and one with some general expenses filled in
Babysitter Helper Sheet
Birthday List

Family Home Binder Printables

That’s a LOT of pages, but super important to have handy when your family needs them. You can nab the entire set now for just $1.99 – what a deal!

Let’s talk about the individual sheets now, shall we? Since many of us need help getting our tasks organized – otherwise we try to keep all our to do’s in our head – here’s the Weekly Tasks & To Do’s spread:

It has the days listed out along the top, and then to the left it’s divided into AM, PM or Eve (evening) so you can spread it out a bit by times, as desired.

One that many people forget to have on-hand is a list of their utility companies, contact information and account numbers – because we don’t really think about it until something happens and we need it RIGHT THEN. Now you can have them all neatly listed out on this sheet. We pre-filled some of the lines with the general types of utilities many people have, but it still has plenty of lines for adding in others as needed.

I never really thought to have a sheet of all my kids’ school information until we took a ‘parents only’ vacation and my uncles were watching them for almost 2 weeks.

Now you can print off a sheet for each school child, and have everything on there – from their homeroom teacher’s info, to their schedule (including bus) and more.

Along with having that easily accessible when you have a sitter, how about a BABYSITTER HELPER sheet? You can add the details for that particular time, plus things like what they should eat and what times. So useful!

For a long while I was using plain, boring paper to write out our family’s weekly menu – now it’s much more fun (and not such an eye-sore on my fridge) with this cute weekly menu that I can fill in.

This is the same design I use in our Meal Plan on a Budget Book, along with the fun shopping list page.

I’m crossing my fingers and knocking on wood right now as I type this (you know, just in case I jinx myself) – but we’ve only had to take a child to the emergency room ONE TIME. With 5 kids, that’s such a lucky blessing! When that did happen, though, I wish we had this medical form so I could have all of his information in one spot to take with us instead of trying to dig it all out and call hubby back home to find the stuff I just didn’t remember. Super stressful!

You can even use it when going to new doctors and such, since you can put all of their allergies, medications, past surgeries and the like on there. This page alone would’ve been well worth the mere $1.99 cost when we had our ER ordeal – and you can nab the whole set for that cost! Woot woot!

To go right along with that form – other emergencies can, unfortunately, happen to our families. Times like this, we don’t have a moment to spare – so it’s extremely important to have a plan. These emergency pages allow you spots to input your family’s emergency plans…

…including a sheet of more emergency contacts. We also included a mostly-blank page where you can draw out a rough idea of your home escape plan, for instances such as a fire.

This is great to practice with the kids regularly, so they know what to do should the worst happen.

Okay, now that we’ve covered those very urgent, hopefully-won’t-be-needed forms, let’s move on to something a little more fun – a place to put all those birthdays we try to keep in our minds constantly! Whether you just track your immediate family’s special days, or include every aunt, uncle and second-cousin-twice-removed, there’s spots for each month!

I know not everyone likes keeping a budget (I’m actually in love with budgeting, so for me it’s fun), but in case you do there’s a sheet to track all of your monthly finances!

We’ve included a sheet that’s partially filled in with common expenses, but also have one blank in case you really want full control over the items and order 🙂

Phew, that’s quite a ton of papers – but when you’ve got an entire family and household to care for it can be SUPER helpful to have all that information in one place. You can either put it in folders, staple it together, place it in a binder, or even just spiral-bind the packet yourself. Whatever you choose, this family home binder printable set is great for any busy mom, dad or family!

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This is included in our Busy Mom Bundle, along with other fabulous printable packs!

Check out our other products HERE

Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books

2018 Planner & Calendar

Summer Camp Kits or Kid Activity Packs

A YEAR of Meal Plans plus Recipes – on a budget!

Ideas for Affordable Date Nights

February 1, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

We received a vehicle to try out for the week, but all opinions are ours alone.

It’s happened so many times during my marriage – we *finally* get a night without the kiddos, but the budget just isn’t large enough to something big or fancy. Not that we mind, because we can still have an incredible time together. If you’re not sure what to do for wallet-friendly adult time, these great Ideas for Affordable Date Nights should help. After all, spending time with your special someone doesn’t have to cost a fortune, and you can spend nothing while still having adventures and making memories together!

Check for Local Deals

Restaurants, movie theaters, local entertainment venues – they often have deals or specials that can save you some money. While the 20% off may not save much, sometimes you can find the Buy 1 Get 1 Free promotion at a great place for dinner or other activity. If you get the Valpak, Weekly Newspaper Ads, or just check online at the venue you’re interested in going to, be sure to check for savings.

Squeeze in ‘Mini’ Dates

You can still do a ‘date’ without spending enough time for a full meal or movie. Sometimes it can save you tons to just do a 30-minute trip to get drinks or frozen yogurt together! Hubby and I sometimes do this right after school drop off in the morning – driving nearby to grab drinks (enjoying the heated seats in the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport during the cold months, plus the smooth ride for our drinks!) and listening to music WE want to hear for a change. It doesn’t take long, doesn’t require a babysitter or extra planning – it’s just a short chunk between morning drop off and heading to work that we can spend some time.

Don’t Go the ‘Normal’ Times

It’s definitely more convenient for the majority of people to go on their dates in the evenings and weekends. If you’re able, try to fit in a lunch on a weekday instead. Maybe take a shorter lunch at work one day so you can go longer the next with your significant other. This way, meals are often less expensive, wait times are shorter, you avoid most crowds – and if all your kids are in school, you skip the cost of a sitter. This goes along really well with our first idea of searching for deals – many more options are available at the less popular times. This also works great to catch an early matinee instead of a full-price evening movie. As an added bonus – usually less traffic!

Bring Your Date From Home

You can still ‘go out’ without paying for restaurant foods or entertainment. Whip up something tasty at home and bring it along for a picnic, or pack a comfy and large blanket to snuggle in the back seat while reading a book together. A hike is another fun activity – plus exercise, so I guess there’s that bonus. Heck, you could even pull up a movie on Netflix on your phone if you wanted to!

Enjoy a Nice Ride, Music & Conversation

One of the very first dates hubby and I had, I went to meet him late at night when he got off work at a local restaurant. Not many places were still open, so we drove to a park and sat in the car listening to fun music and comedians, and enjoying some great conversation. It’s one of my favorite dates, actually!

We still do this occasionally, like recently when we got to use the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport for a week. The sound system was AMAZING, and we loved the ability to hook up our phones via bluetooth so we could turn on OUR music. It was plenty roomy for snuggles, and had USB plugs for when the battery on our phones got low. It was also neat having a moon/sun roof – a feature which the kids especially loved when they got to ride in it!

Make Running Errands a Couple’s Chore

I know, doing your grocery shopping for date night doesn’t sound especially amazing – but it can still be quality time together AND you’re saving money by saving time. While you’re at it, pick out a special dinner, dessert and/or drink to share later when you get home, so then it’s even like a double date! Plus, when hubby goes to the store with me, he appreciates me more because he realizes how hard I work to fit shopping into my schedule AND to keep our budget costs down. And don’t forget to take out the car seats ahead of time if you’ll be picking up a LOT of things – like us picking up several bags of salt for our home water filter.

Luckily, the Mitsubishi Outlander had plenty of trunk space – plus a cover so you can’t see that there’s stuff inside when you close the trunk (so we didn’t have to unload it right away)!

Service Projects

This is one on my list for when our lives aren’t QUITE so hectic – volunteering at our local animal shelter together! It’s fun times and memories, plus you’re doing good service for others. Go rake someones leaves, serve food at a homeless shelter, or put together kits to send to troops or those in need. A date doesn’t HAVE to be focused solely on you two, it can be you two also doing good for others.

Hit the Gym

If you go to the gym – or want to start – make it a good time TOGETHER. You can help support and encourage each other, plus maybe have a few laughs at your honey in aerobics class or you attempting a new piece of equipment in the weight room. Friendly competition doesn’t hurt, either.

Have a Date Night ‘In’

This happens the most for us – we just can’t afford/find a sitter, so we get the kids to bed then have a date night at home. We aim to do this at least 1-2 times a week, because it’s quality time together that doesn’t have to cost a single penny extra! We enjoy watching shows together, playing video games, even doing some housework while chatting. What matters is having that time with your special someone, to strengthen your friendship and love together and keep the memories alive.

Babysitter Swap

By the way, an AMAZING way to save money on dates is to take turns with other parents (who you trust, obviously). One night you take your kids AND theirs while they go out, then swap another night. It’s really great if you can get 3-4 (depending on how many kids that would entail) so you rotate more with less of YOUR turns, and then you can even double date!

What’s YOUR favorite affordable date night?

5 Grocery Budget Tips

January 16, 2018 by Danielle Leave a Comment

I hear so many other moms that are just as frustrated with grocery shopping as I am. We not only have to plan the menu, shop for the food, prep & cook the meals, then hope everyone likes it. Don’t even get me started on dishes! With all that to worry about, we shouldn’t be stressing about breaking the bank, too. Hopefully these 5 Grocery Budget Tips can offer a little help as you try to save money AND feed your family quality meals.

Plan your meals in advance – Meal planning is the #1 way to save money on your family’s food. When you have a plan, you can shop in advance, buy in bulk, and buy to sales when available. Don’t forget to ‘shop from your pantry’ to not only save the grocery budget, but also help rotate your food stores before items expire. If meal planning isn’t your thing, check out our Meal Plan on a Budget book – it has 52 weeks of meal plans WITH recipes for you!
Write/type your meal plan on paper – What happens when you get busy and forget what the plan was? Or what if you get sick and someone else needs to fill in? Always put your meal plan on paper. Also, don’t forget your SHOPPING LIST! It does help to organize it on paper by the aisle/area of the store it can be found in – this helps prevent random wandering and potential ‘splurge’ purchases.
Clip coupons – You don’t even have to do it the old-fashioned way anymore. There are coupon apps, digital coupons and other great ways to save coupons for groceries. I’m not a fan of this generally, but every now and then there’s one for something I know I’ll be getting. Every little bit helps!
Shop for sales – You can buy what is on sale on a particular day or week and plan your meals around that. Wait to plan your menu until you see the weekly circular ads. You should also shop for fruits and vegetables that are in season to save more money, and even buy extra then wash, cut and freeze for later on.
Don’t ignore generic products – there are a few things I do prefer getting ‘name brand’ because we can either taste the quality, the ingredients are better and/or the price point just doesn’t make a different. In general, though, we stick to off-brand items – especially if the grocery store you shop at has it’s own ‘brand’ of things – these are often much less expensive!

With these tips, hopefully your grocery budget can not only be less stressful to deal with, but maybe you can even find ways to cut it down and help your finances somewhere else in your budget! Don’t forget to take a look at our Meal Plan on a Budget – affordable, family-friendly recipes already organized into 52 weeks of meal plans (breakfast, lunch AND dinner) with all the recipes there for you!

Car Buying Made Easy

May 23, 2017 by Danielle

When I was little, I remember adults always complaining about all the life changes and such, and wondered why the big deal. Now that I’m ‘adulting’ the best I can, I realize how stressful it is that life throws so many changes our way, and we do the best we can to keep up with it. A big one for us was our plan a year ago to adopt 3 or 4 children into our family, so we got all prepared with a large, 12-passenger van to fit the whole crew. Fast forward to now, we’re adopting 1 child – meaning that vehicle was more space and money that we needed! Luckily, Car Buying was Made Easy thanks to Capital One® Auto Navigator®, and we found the perfect loan AND vehicle for our family – before we even hit the dealership!

As you can probably guess, we’ve been super busy and overwhelmed with everything the past year, so the last thing I wanted was a big hassle for buying our new van. I didn’t want to feel pressured by sales people, or be unsure about which vehicle was right for us. I’m sure you’ve been through all that before, too – the car buying process can sometimes be a nightmare! The Capital One® Auto Navigator® was a lifesaver for us- seriously, it was developed to simplify car buying and financing! This great tool adds transparency to the confusing process of car-shopping by allowing consumers to pre-qualify for auto financing and SEE their financing terms even before visiting a dealer!

Not only can you see if you pre-qualify for auto financing prior to heading to the dealer, but it doesn’t impact your credit score. In other words, no risk! It was also a really quick application process, then once we were pre-qualified we were able to browse – online, in the comfort of our own home with NO sales person pressure – over 3 MILLION vehicles from more than 12,000 participating dealers throughout the country. In other words, we had plenty of options 🙂

Here’s some things to consider as you’re browsing for your new vehicle:

What payment are you COMFORTABLE with, and what would you PREFER
- Just because you’re approved for up to a certain amount doesn’t mean that payment is what’s best for your budget
What are the HAVE TO aspects of your vehicle, and what are just NICE TO HAVE features
- You may not be able to find every single feature you’re wanting, but focus on the have to things then go from there with ‘nice extra’ things – for example, I really would’ve loved a lighter colored interior, but it wasn’t a necessity. I did get all my ‘have to’ points as well as several of my wants, though!

You’ll come to the dealership prepared with your pre-qualification from Capital One® Auto Navigator®, so you don’t have to worry about as much pressure – you’ll also already have some vehicles picked out that you’re wanting. And thanks to Auto Navigator, you already got to see dealer ratings, car reviews and even access to car history reports, so you can be confident in your purchase instead of just relying on sales people to be fully honest and not just focused on making a good sale.

Just because a life change put you in need of a new vehicle, doesn’t mean you have to deal with extra stress and hassle of car buying – because now it can be MUCH less stressful and even FUN when you get pre-qualified beforehand, and even ‘shop’ for your vehicle before leaving your house!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

20 Tools & Charts to Help Kids Save Money

May 9, 2017 by Danielle

Good financial sense is so important, and can have a huge impact on your adult life. A lot of that knowledge and good money habits starts when we’re young, though, so it makes it super important to teach our kids about finances and how to best manage theirs – including saving. To make it a bit more fun, here are 20 Tools & Charts to Help Kids Save Money!

It’s no surprise that my personal favorite are the superhero money banks, right? I also love the board games, the printable checklists and even the job charts for earning extra money.

1. Cashflow Board Game [Two Boys One Girl and a Crazy Mom]

2. Kids Responsibility Money Management Printables [Modern Messy Parents Messy Kids]

3. Guidelines For Teaching Kids About Money [Thirty Hand Made days]

4. Teach Kids About Money Responsibilty Checklist [A Bowl Full Of Lemons]

5. Money Management Skills For Kids [Hay Hay Life]

6. Teaching Kids to Manage Money [Organize Your Stuff Now]

7. 5 Personal Finance For Kids [Everything Finance Blog]

8. Mom I Need Money Job Chart [One Good Thing By Jillee]

9. Fill The Piggy Bank Game [The Kindergarten Connection]

10. Helping Children To Save Plus Free Printable [The Inspiration Edit]

11. Teaching Kids The Value Of Money [Love More Live Blessed]

12. Mini Accountabilty Binder For Kids [Thirty Hand Made Days]

13. DIY Save Spend & Give Jars [Creative Savings Blog]

14. 365 Day Savings Challenge And A Free Printable [Fun Happy Home]

15. Teach Your Kids Money Smarts Chart [The Suburban Mom]

16. My Savings Goal Visual [Educator 101]

17. Mason Jar Superhero Banks [Fireflies and Mudpies]

18. Printable Savings Chart For Kids [Temecula Blogs]

19. Teach Kids To Budget and Free Printables [Kids Money Lessons]

20. Kids Chore Chart With Money [Gridgit]

What money saving idea for kids is your favorite?

Who’s the Hero of Your House?

April 27, 2017 by Danielle

We’re glad to partner with StarTex Power, a subsidiary of Constellation, to bring you this fun quiz & see who’s the hero of your house! Thanks for sponsoring this fun post! #HeroOfTheHouse

There’s so many ways you can be a hero – by helping others, being brave, caring for animals, the list goes on and on. Another way you can be a hero is by helping your family to save money – so when you keep that particular type in mind, who’s the hero in YOUR home? We’ve got a fun quiz to help you find out!

If you want to skip right to the quiz because you just can’t wait to find out who the hero of the house is, then you can TAKE THE QUIZ HERE.

I took the quiz, and was thrilled at my results – I’m the hero of my house! Woot woot! When talking with my kids about some of the questions, I realized I need to do better at teaching them ways they can help the family save energy – thus saving us money, as well. Here’s some great tips from StarTex Power to help out:

Save on Heating & Cooling Your Home:

That bright sun blaring in, or that snow-chilled wind in the winter, can really affect the temperature in your home. Use curtains – especially blackout ones – to help keep that heat or cold outside. If the evenings cool down quite a bit, you can open the windows during that time to help naturally cool the temperature in your home.

This was one I didn’t know – but makes perfect sense! Planting trees in the right spots in your yard can provide shade not only for when you’re outside and getting a bit hot, but for helping keep your house more cool by blocking some of those hot sun rays.

Watch Your Appliances & Tech:

This is one we do – we skip the dry cycle in the dishwasher. We have a rack & area on our counter where we can empty the clean, wet dishes to then they just air dry. This can save quite a bit of energy, especially if you have a big family that uses a LOT of dishes, like us!

Especially with how common technology devices are nowadays, the power for running and charging them can really add up. I work from home, so my computer takes up quite a bit during the day – but I try my best to turn it off when not in use to cut down on power usage. Using a power strip makes it much easier – plus gives you more outlet space than a wall outlet anyway 🙂

Leave Some Water for the Fishes:

Please tell me I’m not the only one who use to be told ‘save some water for the fishes’ when I’d shower too long, or drank a lot at the water fountain! But it’s true – saving water can really make a difference, especially to your utility bills. Cutting your shower time to 5 minutes can really add up – even one minute less can save up to 5 gallons of water. Times that by the 7 people in my house, and that’s a LOT of saved water!

So – are YOU the true hero of the house? Find out now, and see who can save the most energy after utilizing some of these awesome tips!

Take the Quiz Now

Meal Plan on a Budget: Feed Your Family for Less than $5 Per Person a Day!

September 8, 2016 by Danielle

Nobody wants to spend a ton of time or money at the grocery store, right? Yet it can be frustrating each week creating a meal plan! Now we’ve got you covered with the Meal Plan on a Budget: Feed Your Family for Less than $5 Per Person a Day! A Full 52 weeks of meal plans WITH recipes on a budget!

Contains affiliate links that help support this blog at no extra cost to you. See our Disclosure for more info.

PDF: $8 – that’s less than $1/month for a complete meal plan!

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That’s right, a WHOLE YEAR of weekly meal plans right at your fingertips, with all the recipes! Talk about easy, right? The weekly plans average to less than $5 per person per day – well, technically under $4 per person per day, but that leaves you room for buying snacks, drinks, desserts, etc.

The meal plans rotate, so you get a large variety of meals and it doesn’t get repetitive. No, you won’t be having steak for dinner every single night, but you won’t be eating ramen noodles every week, either. It’s all about balance – and that’s where this is super helpful! The work is already done for you, so you just need to make your shopping list, get the supplies, and create the tasty recipes according to the plan.

Available here as a PDF Download – only $8

Also Available here on Amazon as a printed book

This is designed for 8.5×11, so the text and photos are beautiful and large. The printed book has a shiny soft-cover, perfect binding. Nab your copy from Amazon or a PDF download today!

This is included in our Busy Mom Bundle, along with other fabulous printable packs!

Note: prices were based on averaging a few regular grocery stores, without coupons or big sales. Your price may vary on store, season, and preferences (generic vs. brand name, organic, gluten-free, etc.) This is not nutritional or allergy advice. Use your own best judgement when feeding your family.

Check out our other products HERE

Family Home Binder

Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books

2018 Planner & Calendar

Summer Camp Kits or Kid Activity Packs

Join me at The Pinners Conference

July 8, 2016 by Danielle

I’ll be presenting a class during The Pinners Conference – as such, I receive an affiliate rate when you use my code to purchase a class/ticket. You also receive a 10% discount using it, so it’s a win-win situation!

Do you love Pinterest? Have you always wanted to sit down in a class to learn some of the amazing crafts, recipes, finance tips, shopping ideas, style tutorials and more? Then you’ve GOT to Join me at The Pinners Conference on September 9th & 10th in Arlington, Texas!

There’s SO MANY great classes being offered – you can check them out here. I’ll be teaching on Easy Meal Plans on a Budget! Check out my little bio on the site…..I feel all ‘professional’ looking at it 😉

Be sure to use Promo Code: BUSYMOM for 10% off your ticket!

Some other great ones are:

Natural Beauty From the Kitchen – by Amy Greene
Simple Science Experiments for Kids – by Rachel Miller
How To Create A Family Budget – by Carrie Elle Lindsey
Get Ready for your Trip to Disney – by Shannon Schmid & Autumn Reo
Watercolor Techniques with Markers – by Jennie Garcia
Creating Really Awesome, Free, Kids Crafts – by Jamie Dorobek
Upcycled DIY Succulent & Herb Terrariums – by Randi Dukes
#HASHTAG Tote Bags – by Samantha Conner
Crafting with Crap LIVE (and Interactive)! – by Holly Homer & Jamie Harrington
Kid Cooking Made Easy – by Toria & Juian Frederick
Easy Recipes for Busy Families – by Crystal Van Tassel-Lopez

And so many more!!! Party planning, home decor, money saving, hair styles, fun crafts, yummy and easy recipes, parenting or kid activities – seriously, there’s something (or a FEW somethings) for everyone! I can’t wait!!!

Head over HERE and use Promo Code: BUSYMOM to save 10% on your ticket – then join in the fun with us September 9th & 10th at The Pinners Conference!

Easy Ways to Cut Your Budget

April 17, 2016 by Danielle

Have I ever told you that I love finances? Weird, I know – but I actually ENJOY working on a budget, figuring out plans for reaching our goals, and playing with the numbers. What makes it even more fun is finding easy ways to cut your budget!

Hubby and I made a lot of financially unwise choices at the beginning of our marriage, and had kids early while still in college which assisted us making even MORE bad money choices. Years later, we’re now making the right money decisions, and slowly making progress to dig out of the hole we put ourselves in. One of the best ways we’re doing that is by lowering our budget – leaving more money free to save, pay off debt, and use towards our goals. Here’s a bunch of wonderful ideas on how to save money, lower your expenses, and make progress towards YOUR financial goals!

#1: Cut Your Utility and Housing Costs

Move to a lower cost area, if realistic
Rent out a room of your house to help with your mortgage payment
Refinance to a lower interest rate – just make sure your savings aren’t outweighed by the refinancing fees
Compare cellphone plans closely – doing a prepaid may be the best option
Do you really need data on your phone? If not, cut out that cost, and get a cheaper phone
With Netflix, Hulu and other services, cable is much easier to cut out
Internet – can you settle for a slower speed at less cost? Or try calling different internet companies to get the very best rate
If you have a reliable cell phone, do you need a home phone?
Cut your heat and cooling bills by setting the thermostat a little bit lower/higher. Do you really need it 70 Degrees in the middle of summer?
Compare electric companies and look for the best deals in your area/situation – such as Payless Power here in DFW
Also save on heating/cooling by turning the thermostat up/down when you won’t be home
Turn your hot water heater down to about 110-120 Degrees – you don’t need it scalding hot
Don’t forget to replace your air filters regularly, as really dirty/clogged ones can affect your utility usage
Use your windows – in the summer, if it cools down at night open up your windows to let the breeze cool your house
Depending on your budget, slowly work on replacing the light bulbs in your house with LEDs – they can really save energy costs in the long run

#2: Spend less on Groceries and Food

Shop in your own pantry/cabinets before the store
Make a list, and stick to it!
Plan your meals around the season so you’re playing less for fresh fruits/veggies
Eat less meat, and look for cheaper cuts
Clip coupons – if that’s your thing (I pretty much refuse to do this, but do great at keeping our grocery budget low without them)
Don’t be afraid to shop around – certain things are cheaper at certain stores. Just make sure it’s worth your gas/time driving around
Buy in Bulk – often (but not always, so check) it’s cheaper per oz/lb to buy larger quantities at a time
Leftovers are your friend – it can save a bundle if you don’t throw out extra food, or let it go bad
Don’t eat out, or at least do it rarely
Pack a lunch to work instead of eating out
Buy produce when it’s in season, then freeze it for later in the year when it’s more expensive
Generic is USUALLY cheapest

#3: Free or Cheap Entertainment

Skip the gym membership – but still stay healthy and strong by working out at home, at your neighborhood park, or running with a friend. Zumba DVDs or Xbox Game are my personal favorite!
Date night doesn’t have to cost a ton – there’s plenty of free date night ideas you can search for that are just as fun as an expensive place, if not more so!
Instead of going out to a movie, see if Netflix or Hulu or Redbox have a great one you haven’t seen
Search for local museums or places that have a discounted/free day

#4: Shopping for Less & Random Expenses

Amazon Prime is one way I save tons – by ordering stuff online (for the same or cheaper than in-store) I save gas money, time AND don’t get tempted by other things while at the store
Groupon (or other similar places) can help you save about 50% or more on things from pilates class, restaurants, movies and even hair services
Go through your closet – do you REALLY need a new shirt? If so, still try to save money and shop at consignment or hand-me down type stores
Are you spending a fortune on credit card interest fees? Call to see if you can lower it, especially if you’ve made regular on-time payments. If they won’t, try to find a card with a lower rate/annual fee and look into doing a balance transfer
Don’t buy things JUST because they’re on sale!
For big purchases, don’t rush – give yourself a 24-48 hour MANDATORY WINDOW to think it over. You’ll be surprise how many things I realized I shouldn’t/couldn’t/didn’t really want to buy after taking time to consider it
Learn to do some basic repairs yourself instead of hiring out the work
When you DO need to hire out work, shop around for rates and be sure to get references

#5: Insurance

Compare companies/agents – and often! What was once the best/cheapest plan for you may now be more expensive than others
Don’t be afraid to call and ask for a lower rate, especially if you haven’t had many claims
Don’t hesitate to protest your property taxes if you think they’re too high

#6: Increase your Income

I’m not going to list the zillion things people say you can do to increase your income – you can search on Google or Pinterest for those and find plenty 🙂 For me, this blog has helped to increase our income and is helping us work toward the goal of Nerd Dad working from home – our dream!

Leverage Counter Service

Leverage Breakfast

Be prepared…

How do You Save Money in Disney World?

What’s YOUR best tip for saving money on kids’ clothes?

Summer Camp Kits – a great way to earn some extra cash!

Both Unofficial Disney Activity & Autograph Books (Disneyland-specific, and the generic version)

Don’t want the whole bundle? Check out our other products HERE

Which of the printables would YOU most like to have?

Family Home Binder Printables

This is included in our Busy Mom Bundle, along with other fabulous printable packs!

Check out our other products HERE

Check for Local Deals

Squeeze in ‘Mini’ Dates

Don’t Go the ‘Normal’ Times

Bring Your Date From Home

Enjoy a Nice Ride, Music & Conversation

Make Running Errands a Couple’s Chore

Service Projects

Hit the Gym

Have a Date Night ‘In’

Babysitter Swap

What’s YOUR favorite affordable date night?

What money saving idea for kids is your favorite?

Save on Heating & Cooling Your Home:

Watch Your Appliances & Tech:

Leave Some Water for the Fishes:

PDF: $8 – that’s less than $1/month for a complete meal plan!

Available here as a PDF Download – only $8

Also Available here on Amazon as a printed book

This is included in our Busy Mom Bundle, along with other fabulous printable packs!

Check out our other products HERE

Be sure to use Promo Code: BUSYMOM for 10% off your ticket!

#1: Cut Your Utility and Housing Costs

#2: Spend less on Groceries and Food

#3: Free or Cheap Entertainment

#4: Shopping for Less & Random Expenses

#5: Insurance

#6: Increase your Income

Other Great Posts…