Six Figures Under

Family Budget Update– January 2017

February 13, 2017 by Stephanie 13 Comments

January was not at all what I expected. I started January all geared up to have a no-spend month. The first week or so went well. Then I got sick. Really miserably sick. It was all I could do to feed my kids some days. Baking bread and making thoughtfully planned meals was out of the […]

3 Quick Tips for Filing Your Own Taxes

January 23, 2017 by Stephanie 13 Comments

For over a dozen years, we have filed our own taxes. It’s not as hard or intimidating as you might think! I’m excited to show you how we have kept it simple and manageable all these years, even through many changes in our income and family situation. Flashback to college. After several years of my […]

5 Lessons I Learned Paying Off Debt– Guest Post by Krystal

January 16, 2017 by Stephanie 10 Comments

I have a special treat for you today! You have all heard my family’s story of paying off debt (you probably watched it unfold here on the blog), but I’m excited to bring you a fresh perspective from a reader who also paid off loads of debt! I am always inspired to hear other stories […]

December 2016 Budget Update

January 9, 2017 by Stephanie 12 Comments

It’s time once again to make personal finance public as we share what we earn, spend, and save each month! Three and a half years ago we started sharing our family’s financial details to keep ourselves accountable and motivated as we paid off a whopping six figure student loan debt. The feedback we’ve received over […]

The FOUR Best Financial Moves We Made Last Year

January 3, 2017 by Stephanie 15 Comments

Happy new year friends! I’m excited about the good things coming up in 2017 and will be talking about goals and plans soon enough. In the meantime, I want to take a quick look back at 2016. We had a monumental year in regards to our finances! Definitely a year worth celebrating! It didn’t just […]

November 2016 Budget Report

December 5, 2016 by Stephanie 6 Comments

For over three years we’ve shared our family’s complete, transparent finances. A lot has changed in that time. We started out with six figures of student loan debt and a much smaller income. Now that we’re done paying off debt, we’re focusing on saving for a house. That’s a little daunting considering the house prices […]

Frugal Feats Flops & Funnies– Road Trip Edition

December 2, 2016 by Stephanie 9 Comments

Usually I’m pretty good at getting prepared and packed for (and sometimes over-packed for) a road trip, but this time was slightly different. It seems like I always have a hundred loose ends to tie up before heading out of town, but this time there must have been a hundred and one. Or maybe it […]

Are you giving your kids too many gifts?

November 30, 2016 by Stephanie 46 Comments

Is it possible to give too many gifts? As parents, could you be over-gifting at Christmas time? Will giving too much spoil your child or set a precedent you can’t keep up? For our oldest daughter’s first Christmas, like any new mom, I was eager to buy her lots of cute and fun things. Of […]

Is Blue Apron meal delivery service worth it?

November 21, 2016 by Stephanie 16 Comments

For those of you who haven’t heard of Blue Apron, it’s a meal delivery service similar to Plated or Hello Fresh. The subscription service sends you the measured ingredients to make gourmet meals at home. As you can imagine, it costs more than your normal home-cooked meal. When Blue Apron contacted me, I was reluctant […]

Frugal Feats, Flops & Funnies– Secondhand gifts edition

November 18, 2016 by Stephanie 12 Comments

Have you ever looked over your week and made an assessment of your frugal successes and failures? Sometimes a thing or two might stand out without having to ponder too hard. Other times you really have to think to come up with your frugal wins and flops. This week’s frugal line-up includes thrifty but thoughtful […]