Tips & Tricks

  • Amazon Prime: All the reasons why it's worth every cent

    Is Amazon Prime Worth It? Heck Yes!


    32 Comments

    When I was preparing to write this post, I asked Johnny, “When did we become Amazon Prime members?” His response: “I don’t know. . . [thinking] . . . I really don’t.” And I don’t either. It’s changed our lives so much that we can’t remember a time without it.…

  • 10 Things Every Investing Newbie Should Know


    39 Comments

    Is there any better way to get pumped up on a Monday morning than reading about investing principles? Joanna just told me that “every imaginable way” is better. She also just told me that it’s sentences like the one I just wrote that keep me from having any friends. My 650 Facebook…

  • Ready to save $50/month on your cable bill? Cut it like a BOSS!

    The Ultimate Guide to Cut the Cable TV Cord


    55 Comments

    For seven years of our marriage, cable was always part of who we were. No matter our circumstances, we were willing to cut back pretty much everywhere in our budget except that one. Cable was untouchable. And then something happened. As we prepared to move back to New York City last month, we…

  • All I want for Christmas is $$$.

    How We’re Saving Money on Christmas Shopping This Year


    23 Comments

    How is it November 19?! Thanksgiving is next week, and then fa-la-la-la-la it’s Christmastime. For the first time in years, I haven’t yet started my Christmas shopping! Johnny always procrastinates his Christmas shopping. But this year? Well, I’m joining his camp apparently. I knew I wasn’t being my normal self…

  • How to Keep Your Toddler's Clothes Stain Free

    How to Keep Your Toddler’s Clothes Stain Free


    25 Comments

    Because the thrift stores in Utah are picked clean of wearable toddler clothes, Johnny and I have resorted to buying the majority of Sally’s clothes new, although highly discounted. I typically stick to mega sales at Old Navy and Gap and occasionally buy pieces at H&M and at an on-sale Zara.…

  • Holiday Shopping Already??

    Ready, Set, Here Comes Holiday Spending


    19 Comments

    From the months of October to December, it seems our spending gets a little cray. We always budget out our spending for Christmas gifts, but there’s a lot more to holiday spending than just the gifts. There’s the decorations, the food, the parties, hosting family, traveling, sending out cards, and…

  • Graduation

    What I Wish I’d Known About Money in College


    30 Comments

    This time of year always makes Johnny and me nostalgic for starting a new school year. Buying new pens and a planner, spending $500 on textbooks… each. We loved school, but financially it was kind of rough. Here’s what I wish I’d known when I was a student. It’s okay…

  • Getting Started With Freelancing

    How to Start Freelancing


    9 Comments

    We’ve had a lot of questions about how my freelance work is going now that I’ve quit my full-time job. There were a few factors that influenced my decision to quit working full-time. Obviously, Sally was the number one factor since I’d still be working if she wasn’t in the…

  • How to Turn Your Finances into a Robot

    Automating Your Finances


    11 Comments

    At the end of the day, we don’t sit down and say, “Gee, I wish I had more to do.” It’s quite the opposite. It seems kind of counterintuitive that we’d have to work hard to keep our lives simple, but such is the world in which we live. Some…

  • How to Fly Happily with a Toddler

    How to Fly (Happily) With a Toddler


    15 Comments

    We recently posted about how we planned to survive a four-hour flight with Sally, the busiest 18-month-old we know. Well, folks, we did it. Many of you assured us that it wouldn’t be as bad as we thought, and you were right. That said, we had a few precarious moments…