Saving Money

Cheap and Natural Remedies for Seasonal Allergies

June 2 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: Health, Saving Money

I’ve been having a beast of a time with my allergies these past few weeks. I’ve dealt with seasonal allergies and some mild asthma for years now and find myself getting sinus infections every once and awhile, but nothing compared to this year.

Two weeks ago exactly I felt perfectly fine when I woke up, but then all of a sudden started getting facial spasms on the left side of my face, which then turned into tingling and that side of my face becoming numb. Scary, right? At first I brushed it off as maybe being dehydrated or something minor, but then my hubby urged me to go into immediate care in case I was having a stroke or something more serious that was going on. [Read more…]

10 Ways to Stop Emotional Spending

May 18 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: Saving Money

If you’re familiar with some of the money-wasting habits I’ve given up, you know that I’ve struggled with emotional spending in the past. I would often use shopping as a crutch to briefly make myself feel better about whatever was making me feel down in the dumps.

I didn’t go into debt over it or anything, but it certainly didn’t allow me to be saving as much money as I could. And I definitely didn’t find any fulfillment in the purchases I was making through it.

[Read more…]

8 Easy Ways to Save Money on Baby Expenses

May 6 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: Family, Saving Money

We have so many friends and family members expecting babies in the coming months, it seems we’re in a baby boom around here lately! Many of them have due dates in September, and I cannot wait to meet all of the precious little ones on the way. Needless to say, I’ve had baby fever. Funny how that works when I actually have a baby of my own who wakes up quite frequently during the night still. Alas, I’ve learned a lot about how to easily save money on baby items in the past year or so, and wanted to share the top 8 ways that we save money on baby expenses in our house. [Read more…]

My 17 Favorite Uses for Coconut Oil

May 4 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: Health, Saving Money

Do you remember in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding how the Dad was obsessed with using Windex as a solution for everything? Well friends, coconut oil is my Windex 😉 . Every time my husband tells me about an ailment, my first response is typically me asking if he wants some coconut oil for it, hah! It’s safe to say I’ve developed an obsession with it in the last few years. It all started when I was first pregnant with Little Miss and was looking for more natural ingredients to incorporate into my beauty routine. It really blossomed from there and now I use it for pretty much everything. [Read more…]

Pros and Cons of Living at Home During College

April 20 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: My Life, Saving Money

My college experience was probably very different than the typical college student’s. For the majority of my time in school, I lived at my parents’ house and commuted. There are some definite pros and cons to living at home during college, and I wanted to share my experience to help any soon-to-be college students that are trying to figure out if living at home might be the right decision for them. College was really hard and I’m really glad I found websites with college thesis papers for sale. These really helped me out and furthered my learning. [Read more…]

How I Bought a House at 22

April 6 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: My Life, Saving Money

We just recently passed the 3 year anniversary of when we purchased our first (and current) home, and it’s crazy to think how quickly that time has passed by. It got me thinking about the experience we had purchasing our home as young adults and how we managed to pull it off while also planning our wedding at the same time.

When my Husband and I purchased our home, I was 22 and he was 23. Many of our friends and family were intrigued by how we were able to buy a home at such a young age, and while we were both working full-time when we purchased our house, there was much more to it than having a decent income coming in. After all, plenty of lottery winners and millionaires go broke!

[Read more…]

Frugal vs. Cheap: What’s the Difference?

March 4 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: Saving Money

There is a big difference between being frugal and being cheap. In my opinion, a line has been crossed when you go from trying to be thrifty and saving your family a bit of money, to being a complete and total cheapskate.

[Read more…]

34 Frugal and Fun Date Ideas

February 18 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: Family, Saving Money

You don’t have to spend a fortune to have some great quality time with your significant other. There are plenty of things you can do for cheap or even free!

I’ve come up with a list of frugal and fun date ideas to inspire your next date night/day! Depending on the weather, I’ve separated the ideas by whether they can take place indoors or outdoors. [Read more…]

How to Save Money on Groceries Without Coupons

February 4 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: Saving Money

Truth be told, I really dislike cutting coupons for groceries. Although I use coupons for other purchases, groceries aren’t one that I seek them out for anymore.

I mentioned this when I discussed my money-wasting habits, but I find the entire process pretty cumbersome and tend to get so caught up in the “deals” that I find myself clipping coupons for items I normally wouldn’t even buy. The area I live in doesn’t have any stores that will double them either, so the opportunities to save money by couponing are pretty limited to begin with.

Have no fear though, as I’ve discovered plenty of ways to save money on groceries without using coupons, and I’m excited to share them with you!

[Read more…]

Non-Clutter Gift Guide: Valentine’s Day

January 28 by Christina Tiplea Filed Under: Clutter-Free Gift Ideas, Saving Money, Simple Living

Can you believe Valentine’s Day is only a little over two weeks away? I love holidays (even of the Hallmark variety), and the chance to give gifts to my loved ones. Perhaps this isn’t the most minimalist approach, but I take great joy in finding gifts that I think they will enjoy and put to good use.

The worst kind of gift to me is one that ends up turning into clutter because it just sits around. I tend to gravitate towards consumable items as gift choices since they can either be used up or eaten within a matter of a few months, so they don’t leave a footprint in the receiver’s home for too long. My one exception is for items that aren’t necessarily consumable, but would prove to be extremely useful or very much enjoyed.

I have decided that if there is a good response to this post, I would really love to start up a whole series of non-clutter gift guides for each holiday as the year progresses. I really had a fun time putting this together 🙂 . Please share your thoughts and opinions with me after reading, as I’d appreciate any feedback!

For Valentine’s Day, I’ve put together a list of gift ideas for your Valentine(s) that goes beyond the typical flowers and box of chocolates (not that those wouldn’t be very much appreciated). You won’t find a single stuffed animal or useless knickknack on here. Who really needs more of those? Best of all, each and every one of these gifts ideas are under $10. [Read more…]