Monday, December 30, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Functional Bedroom Touches (On a Budget): Master Bedroom Makeover (Part 2/3)
For Part 2 of my Master Bedroom Makeover, I wanted to highlight a few things we did to save space and make our room a little more functional (Part 1 was about how we made it brighter).
Pin this post for later--> http://www.pinterest.com/pin/195765915026226299/
(1) Sconces
I chose these sconces from Restoration Hardware (I know, I'm a little RH-obsessed), waited for a sale (I'm always on a budget), and then bought them. They are just as beautiful in person as they were in the catalog. I opted for the linen shade (for its classical element) and the polished nickel (for its modern touch).
Thursday, December 5, 2013
How to Lock App in iPhone or iPad so Kids Have to Stay in an App
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My little guy using my iPhone. That OtterBox case has paid for itself MANY times. :) |
Monday, December 2, 2013
What You Should (AND SHOULD NOT!) Insure
So here is my take on what you should and should not insure. It can be summed up in one brief sentence: INSURE ONLY WHAT YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE.
What do I mean by that?
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Holiday Shopping: Four Money-Saving Websites You Should Know About
It's that time of year again. In honor of Black Friday, let us show you how to do your holiday shopping, Money Hip Mamas style. :) Here are four money-saving website your should know about and how to use them to their full advantage.
1- Ebates - Get Extra Cash Back for Shopping Online
Monday, November 18, 2013
Money Hip Chat: Budgeting for Groceries
Monday, November 4, 2013
DIY Christmas Ornament Ball Wreath Tutorial - Cheap and Easy
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http://bit.ly/173wvUI
Although I was a little concerned about what kind of internet browsers would be brought to this page by labeling this tutorial "Cheap and easy," there is no other way to describe this project. A lot of Christmas Glass Ball Ornament Wreath tutorials are a little spotty on the details, so I thought I'd throw another one out there for people like me who need very specific shopping lists and instructions (basically, "Crafting for Dummies").
Note: The number and size of ornament balls depends on the look you're going for. These instructions are for a wreath like mine pictured below.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Date Night Series: Dinner and a Movie for Cheap (Babysitting Included!)
My sister-in-law once mentioned that she and my brother have made date night a priority. "It may be expensive, but it's cheaper than marriage counseling!" Seriously though, spending time together as a couple is important, especially when you have little munchkins. They say the best way to have happy, secure children is to have a happy, secure marriage. But really, for me, it's just nice to have a meal in which my table companion doesn't end the meal by dumping his bowl of Cheerios and milk all over himself and the floor. But what's a couple living on a tight budget to do? Enter Money Hip Mamas. We're starting a series of posts about how to do Date Night for cheap (subscribe by e-mail or like our Facebook page for updates). So let's start with the classic dinner and a movie. Here are some ways to save some of that precious moo-lah you've worked so hard to earn:
(1) FREE BABYSITTING: DO A SWAP
This is key. Where we live, babysitters run $
Monday, October 21, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
Arguing About Money? Two Things That Could Save Your Marriage
Marriage-Saver #1: Have a Fun Fund or "Mad Money" Account for Each Spouse
Our own MHM author Lauren addressed this issue months ago and she was dead-on. One of the first conclusions drawn by one of the study's co-author's Sonya Britt: "When one partner makes more money than the other partner, the couple has to decide if they each get to spend equal amounts of money on personal preference items." So how does a Fun Fund work?Marriage-Saver #2: Have a Monthly Budget Meeting
To quote Sonya Britt again, "Couples should set times where they talk about the budget and if changes need to be made to the way they are allocating their money." She continues, "This advice remains the same no matter how long the couple has been married. Our preferences change all the time, so it is important that how the couple is spending money reflects changing preferences."If Your Response Is, "Aww man...but I don't wanna budget.":
How much time per week would you be willing to dedicate to preventing the #1 predictor of divorce? If your answer is at least 30 minutes, then you have officially committed yourself to budgeting.
Have you ever heard that successful marriages take work? Well, this is exactly the kind of work they were talking about! Budgeting may be a pain at times, but it's a *whole* lot easier than dealing with the fallout from not doing it. Budgeting doesn't have to be hard (see our "How To Budget" here) and it doesn't have to be perfect. It's about putting something together that is good enough to facilitate that monthly discussion revolving around:
- How are we currently spending our money?
- How do we want to be spending our money?
- What changes do we need to make to reach those goals? (e.g. "How can we lower our gas expense?" "Do we need to allocate more money to groceries?")
Getting Started
Our marriage isn't perfect (Bryan won't play card games with me anymore--I'm kind of a sore loser). But despite our shortcomings, we don't argue about money or finances, largely due to our commitment to making a budget AND sticking to it. Even if you've never budgeted before, throw something together and adjust later as needed--it will never be perfect (it doesn't need to be), but you'll find it gets easier over time. Plus with all the free budgeting programs out there (as mentioned in Step #1 of our budgeting post), most of the work is done for you. Keeping your budget up to date may just be a matter of setting up your accounts and checking back on a regular basis to correct any errors the program may have made. By having a budget, the discussion about finances is when everyone is cool and you are logically making decisions based on needs and wants instead of pointing fingers and being accusatory about the spending habits of your spouse.I'd suggest "tuning up" your budget (making sure the transactions get downloaded and correcting any mistakes) on a weekly basis, preferably around the same day/time each week so you don't forget.
Real Life Example
Every Sunday night, my husband and I spend about 15-30 minutes updating our budget. Once a month (usually on the first Sunday of the month so we can review the previous month) we have a "budget meeting" to review how we did and make adjustments as needed. Some months are smooth and it's a happy, 5-minute "looks good" discussion. Some months we realize certain expenses have gotten out of control and it takes 30 minutes to figure out how we're going to deal with it (e.g. "Maybe we need to take money from our entertainment budget and increase our grocery allowance" or "Ugh...time to cut back on eating out. Our dining out budget got slaughtered this month.") Sometimes it’s important to think about your major recurring expenses, as these can become too much for any budget for a variety of reasons, and it can be important to consider if it’s time to search for new Apartments for rent. It's a time investment, but because those discussions happen regularly in a productive and structured setting, we spend little to no time outside of those meetings discussing money and virtually no time arguing about it. It's a beautiful thing.If you and your spouse argue about money, you're in the majority. But decide now to do something about it by taking these two steps towards a healthier relationship (and healthier finances!). It takes a bit of work, but the payoff is huge. Consider it an investment in the most important relationship in your life.
How have fun funds and budgets helped your marriage?
Monday, October 7, 2013
My Favorite Things: Save on Diapers from Target, Power Salad Recipe, etc.
I've had this puppy for over a year now and I am a FAN. I bought this to replace my son’s nap/bedtime sound machine that was nosily hobbling along on its last leg. I decided to spring for one with a projector and boy was I glad. This thing is awesome. The projector is
Monday, September 30, 2013
10 Money-Making Jobs for the Stay-At-Home Mom
#1: Bookkeeper - Own a 100% Virtual Bookkeeping business.
#2: Blogger - Start your own blog!
#3: Start your own business
Monday, September 23, 2013
Welcoming my new Money Hip Baby! (My Favorite Things for Pregnancy, Labor, and Newborns)
A little over a week ago I had my second baby, my first totally natural birth (to a 9-pounder, no less). It has been a beautiful experience. I am about 1,000 times less stressed this time around than I was with my first. So in celebration of this beautiful new baby, I thought I'd throw together a list of the things that have helped me the most throughout my pregnancy, labor & delivery, and recovery with a newborn.
I hope you enjoy (and that you'll add your own tips in the comments section)! By the way, if you haven't already liked our Facebook Page, please do so now!
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My new little sweetie @ 5 days old. As you can imagine, I am completely smitten |
-------PREGNANCY/PREPARATION-------
1. The Waiting Game
I know due dates areMonday, September 16, 2013
My Favorite Things (#7) -- Kitchen and Cooking Tips
1- Clean/Dirty Dishwasher Trick
Is one of your most commonly uttered household phrases, "Are these dishes clean or dirty?" Or, worse, have you ever emptied half of the dishwasher before realizing, ew, those were dirty. Nevermore. And you won't even have to put one of those homemade signs or kitschy magnets on the door of your dishwasher. I learned this trick from a college roommate, made my husband learn it when we got married, and my own parents even adopted it after visiting me a few years ago.The trick: IMMEDIATELY after emptying a clean dishwasher, before closing the door again, put the dishwasher soap/tab in the dispenser and close it.
Think about it: If the dishwasher soap dispenser is closed, you always know the dishes are dirty because as soon as the dishwasher runs and cleans the dishes, it will open and remain open until the dishes are emptied and a new tab is added and the dispenser is closed again. It takes a week or two to get in the habit, but once you do, you always know:
2- Easy way to dispose of grease
Am I the onlyMonday, September 9, 2013
Saving For Kids' College Education—What You Need To Know: TOP 10 FAQs about 529 Plans
Monday, September 2, 2013
How to Host a My Favorite Things Party
(1) Pick a Theme
We did a basic twoThursday, August 29, 2013
How to Cheaply Decorate a Kid's Room When You're Renting
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I used regular paper on the "is for guitars" because I was lazy. Not a good idea-- note the curling. Stick with cardstock or at least construction paper. |
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I finished off with some numbers around the faux "Mondrian" I made with painters tape. I did have to make a couple holes to hang that one... |
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Also, please note that C is holding a financial calculator. |
Tell us -- How do you decorate when you're in a temporary living situation?
Monday, August 26, 2013
Basic Guide To Getting Out of Debt (the SNL way) and Are You Prepared For a Financial Emergency?
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Money Hip Friends: Budgeting with a Plan
Paige, Lisa, and I are good friends from the BYU accounting program. She's a young mom of two little girls (2 ½ and 7 months), so life is busy, but having a budget and financial plan in place really helps her to simplify. She also loves to help others with their budgets and help them gain the peace of mind that comes from being in control of your finances.
From my experience, one of the main reasons that people fail at budgeting is because real life doesn’t always fit into an identical monthly mold. After you have worked and drawn up your first budget draft, there are three things to consider to make sure that you have a real, complete budget and sound financial plan:
Monday, August 19, 2013
DIY Fabric Headboard with Nailhead Detailed Arms
This post has been moved to my new blog, MoneyFitMoms.com. Find it here:
How to DIY Fabric Headboard with Tufted Buttons — Save Money!
More DIY Projects
- You can have these FREE Printable Adult Coloring Pages
- I also have Flower Mandala Coloring Pages
- Check out these Body Paint Ideas and more Stay-At-Home Date Ideas
Or check out these Financial Articles
- By the way, check out this post if you're looking for how to save money fast.
- How Cash Planning can help you INVEST MORE! 📈
Monday, August 12, 2013
Best Birthday Freebies
For you frugal people out there, you know the best part about birthdays is the never-ending stream of freebies! To take full advantage, you need to sign up far enough before your birthday to make it into their databases in time. I signed up around my birthday last year, so this year I just had to sit back and wait for the freebies to roll in. And now for y'all, I've compiled a list of the best of the best. You're welcome.
Pin this image to remind yourself to sign up:
Note: Before signing up, you need to have an older e-mail account that
Monday, August 5, 2013
Introducing Money Hip Mamas & $50 Amazon Giveaway
Welcome to Money Hip Mamas!
![]() Welcome–I’m excited you’re here! My name is Lisa Schader. I am a Financial Coach and a MAcc (Master of Accountancy). I’ve been hooked on money management ever since my husband and I took a personal finance class together in graduate school. We learned the essential lesson of wealth creation: living lean and budgeting are NOT enough. We needed to pack money away in retirement and investment accounts and make strategic career decisions–which we did–and it paid off! The day we realized we were on track for early retirement was an amazing day. |
Hello!
Join the FREE Money Fit Challenge!
You’re more likely to accomplish financial goals if you have a supportive community and step-by-step instructions
(1) Join the supportive @MoneyFitMoms community (Instagram and Facebook)
(2) Get FREE step-by-step instructions and tools to accomplish all the Top 10 Money Fit Moves. (e.g. budgeting, pay off debt, investing, retirement, create a will)
Also, check out this article to see How to calculate your Financial Freedom Number
Or check out your Retirement Contributions and Income Limits
Monday, July 29, 2013
Budgeting--Are you doing it right?
How to budget in three easy steps:
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
DIY Home Makeover: Living Room
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
DIY Home Makeover: Bathroom
Such a huge project for such a small room, but we're not talking putting in a new vanity and mirror. The floor had water damage down to the subfloor and it only had a tub (no shower), so we ripped out *everything* and started from scratch. No professionals whatsoever. Just my husband Bryan, my father-in-law, and me. It was unbelievable. When we started, I barely knew how to use a screwdriver. Now Bryan and I know how to demo, install a new construction window, stucco, remove a bathtub, plumbing (sewer and copper), repair a subfloor, install a new bathtub, install new drywall, texture, tile, wire a light fixture, install a toilet, vanity, etc.
This story is best told through pictures. I'd do just the before and after, but you really can't appreciate the after unless you at least glance at what it looked like in between.
Before.