It’s been a couple of weeks since my last update on our progress and plans. We’ve been having a lot of frugal family fun and working hard towards achieving our goals. Some of our money-saving strategies required time and preparation, but we’re finally seeing results from our diligence.
Maternity leave has been incredible. I feel so very blessed to have this much time to spend with my family. While we’re happily taking advantage of this opportunity, it also provides us with motivation to keep doing all that we can to defeat our debt. Only then will we be able to enjoy time together like this on a permanent basis. I strive to be as productive as possible each and every day so we can go on that cross-country road trip as a family once we reach financial semi-independence. We have completely changed our attitude about money; before we were reckless and now, we’re excited about the challenge to find new and inventive ways to be frugal. I guess that’s why this post is focused on one thing . . .
Money
I may be on leave from my regular job right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m just taking it easy. My bi-yearly tutoring side-hustle has started back up again. This is my highest earning side-hustle. I’ve taken on additional students this time around, because I’m not encumbered by the demands of my regular job. My pay is based on the number of submitted assignments so I won’t know the total amount earned until August. My hope is that this income will make up for my unpaid time off from work and, because we’re not paying for daycare, it may actually put us ahead. This side hustle is an awesome opportunity to make money from home, on my own schedule. My plan is to continue tutoring to help pay our living expenses once we become semi financial-independence.
It’s no secret that side hustles are a huge component of our strategy to pay off debt. I enjoyed this article on Young Adult Money about the benefits of side hustling.
Speaking of side hustles, have you joined Swagbucks yet? It is so easy and I earn at least one dollar a day. After signing up, download the apps: SBTV and EntertaiNow (both iPhone and Android). You can play videos on your phone to earn free gift cards. You don’t have to click on anything, just turn it on and let the videos play. On your desktop, earn credit by playing the games and watching videos (you do have to click on a new video when the one that you’re watching ends).
We recently heard a news report claiming that the average American family spends more than $4,000 on vacations each year. We’re not planning to go on any vacation this year, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be going on any excursions. For the most part, we try to find free family activities like parks, playgrounds, and beaches. We did take a “field trip” to the zoo this past week, but made sure that it cost as little as possible. We used a coupon on admission, brought a cooler with water and lunch, and found free parking just a little walk away from the main entrance. Most importantly, the kids had an awesome time. A little bit of planning can save some money, so we can easily have a fun, frugal summer.
My last Monday Medley included an update that we had finished planting our garden. While the new plants aren’t ready to be harvested just yet, they are looking very healthy. There is some lettuce coming up from last year. We were able to use some of this lettuce in tacos the other night, so we’re already saving money with our garden. The kids love tacos . . . well, who doesn’t? Tacos will likely be a thrifty staple this summer with fresh tomatoes and lettuce from the garden. Maybe I can try to make our own tortillas to save even more money. I can’t wait to pick and eat all of the other fresh vegetables.
I completed another DIY project! My kids never had one of those infant activity gyms (where the babies lie on their backs and bat at the toys hanging above them). Trey is now in that limited window of time when these gyms are useful. I remain steadfast in my belief that babies do not need that much stuff, but thought he might enjoy grabbing and kicking toys. Did I run out an purchase an expensive activity gym for him to use for two months? Of course not! I disassembled our homemade ladder golf set (PVC pipe) and tied up some noisy toys with yarn. Trey absolutely loves it and the older two like to “help” him get all of the toys. The nice thing about my DIY version is that there are toys for his hands and feet, lots of other versions only have a bar across the top of the baby’s body. Also, I can switch out the toys if he happens to get bored of the current ones.
I constantly multitask and try to make progress paying off debt each and every day, but we all need a break once in a while to keep ourselves sane. So Mr. Smith and I had a frugal date night. It was fun to spend some time goofing off, just the two of us.
Things are going well and I’m actually looking forward to totaling up our credit card balances so we can see our progress since January. I know that there is still a long way to go, but we are headed in the right direction and remain optimistic that our hard work will pay off.
Thanks for mentioning our post! I’m glad you enjoyed it. The zoo is really solid frugal entertainment, though I swear there are very few zoos where the animals actually get as much space as they need. But it does seem to be getting better. Nights in are always good dates.
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I felt bad for the bald eagles. They are these huge, beautiful birds that really should be soaring above us . . . instead of sitting inside of a big cage. However, Mr. Smith pointed out that some of the animals in captivity are disabled in some way, so they wouldn’t survive on the outside.