Simple Family Finance

How Much Money Can You Save By Planting a Garden – Our 2012 Results

October 11, 2012

Growing a garden is a staple of frugal living, but have you ever calculated exactly how much money your garden actually saves you? Every garden is different – costs, size, results – but I wanted to use our simple garden as an example. I’ve calculated every expense and kept track of every green bean and cucumber that we harvested. Find out if our garden really saved us money this year – and if so, exactly how much.

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An Important Lesson in Simplicity from a 9-Month Old

October 3, 2012

The fatherhood handbook states that I’m supposed to teach my child all the important lessons in life, so I’m doing my best. However, occasionally the roles reverse. Today my son taught me an important lesson in simplicity and contentment.

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5 Money-Sucking Wedding Traditions And How They Came To Be

September 27, 2012

You won’t believe how much the average American wedding costs! I can’t imagine spending that much money on a single day – no matter how special. But millions of people do. So, the obvious question is WHY. I wanted to know that too, so we’re going to take a look at the origins of some of our most sacred and expensive wedding traditions. Why do brides wear white wedding dresses? Why do we buy diamond engagement rings? Why do we design such fancy wedding cakes – why not key lime pies? You’re about to find out.

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Are You Paying Too Much For Eyeglasses? My Zenni Optical Review

September 19, 2012

I recently tried out a discount eyeglasses website, hoping to find a deal on some new spectacles. I had no idea what to expect. I mean they were offering pairs of glasses for as low as $6.95! I was just hoping that they wouldn’t be made of paper mache, I suppose. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality…and the price!! The following is a review of my experience.

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Busting the Cheap Food Myth – Eating Healthy Food for $2 A Day

September 12, 2012

This is the first update for Experiments in Frugality #2 – Weight loss. Find out how much I’ve lost so far and what kind of food I’ve been eating. It’s also time to take a closer look at the cheap food myth and bust it to pieces. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that I must be eating nothing but processed foods since I adhere to a $2 per day food budget. False. No Doritos for me. I’ll show you what I mean.

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Your 5 Biggest 401(k) Questions Answered

September 5, 2012

When it comes to retirement plans, timing is of the essence. Waiting until next year to make 401(k) decisions could cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Let’s take a look at a few 401(k) questions that we need to get straight before it’s too late.

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15 Odd Careers That Actually Pay Pretty Well

August 29, 2012

It’s time to step outside the box – in some cases, WAY out. Here’s a list of 15 careers that probably weren’t showcased at your high school’s career day. However, most of them bring home pretty decent salaries, so maybe they should have been.

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3 Tricks our Brain Plays on Us to Keep Us in Financial Distress

August 22, 2012

Usually our brain is helpful. Like when it got you through Algebra or reminded you that you had to pee this morning. However, there are 3 instances where our brain tends to play tricks on us and hold us back from finding financial freedom. In this case, your brain is the enemy. Here’s how to defeat it.

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How Do You Stack Up? An Eye-opening Look at the Average American Expenses

August 16, 2012

It’s always fun to peek behind the curtain. Admit it, we all want to be able to snoop into our neighbor’s checking account and credit card statements. However, that’s a no-no, so this is the next best thing. Let’s see what the average American spends his/her money on in order to learn a few things about our own spending habits. Plus…who can pass up a chance to see some fancy charts?!

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Experiments in Frugality #2 – Super Frugal Weight Loss

August 14, 2012

It’s time for another experiment – this time it’s personal. My belly is too bouncy and I’d like to lose 10 pounds. I know I could head to the store, get meal replacement bars and shakes, pop in the P90X DVDs and lose some weight. I’d like to find out if I can do it differently. I’d like to do it for free – no extra money spent on food (no more than $2 a day), no gadgets, no gym. I have no idea if it’ll work or not, but that’s why they call it an experiment. Click the link for the full, uncensored story.

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