Tag Archives: dining

Marriage and Money: Resenting Your Spouse

This morning, I was busy monitoring an overly full stock pot that represents at least another two family meals that will will get out of a chicken that we bought on sale. I was boiling the picked clean bones to make some chicken stock that will then be turned into chicken noodle soup. The soup, along with a small salad and some bread will make a very frugal meal for us. As I was doing this, my eldest son came in to tell me exactly how much the father of one of his school mates makes each week. Knowing the … Continue reading →

Create Easy Outdoor Dining

Outdoor dining is a lot of fun. It is especially great for entertaining and can really set a mood. While you can go formal when dining outside, it is a lot more fun when things are casual and easy. Here are some tips that you can use to create an easy outdoor table. Create a fun and easy centerpiece with natural and found objects for a personal tough with a lot of impact. Some ideas for this type of centerpiece include shells, pretty pebbles, driftwood, pine cones, seed pods, etc. Place the objects under a glass dome or in a … Continue reading →

Are You Spending More on Your Pets than on Yourself?

I went to Costco the other day and came home with thirty dollars worth of stuff for the dogs and only ten dollars worth of stuff for me. Okay, I did specifically go to Costco in order to stock up on food and treats for the dogs. But it did make me stop and take a look at my spending habits. Money is tight these days — not just for me. And I’ll admit that when I do have to skimp on things, it’s easier to be frugal for myself than for the pups. I know gas prices are high. … Continue reading →

4 Questions to Ask Yourself that Will Save You Money

As you go about your daily life, you might want to ask yourself the following questions. These questions (and the answers) may just save you a lot of money. Being frugal doesn’t have to be hard. It does take some commitment, or at least a committed mindset. Practice and creativity always helps, too. As you live the frugal lifestyle, you’ll find yourself almost automatically making frugal choices, especially when you are used to asking yourself the following questions. 1. How can we get this cheaper? When you are looking to make a purchase for a good or service, could you … Continue reading →

Reasons We Spend Today: Social and Economic Cues

Consumers spend more today in our daily living than they did just a few short years ago. There has been a shift in priorities related to saving and spending money, making it harder than ever to be frugal and out of debt. We have been talking about some of the reasons that we spend more today. If you missed those earlier articles in this series, you can read them here: Reasons We Spend Today: Availability and Reasons We Spend Today: Buying Power. Now we will look at one of the bigger reasons that we spend today: our social and economic … Continue reading →

Reasons We Spend Today: Availability

Did you know that there are tons and tons of statistics that show that most Americans carry a good deal of debt and modern families can’t seem to keep their heads above water. And analysts predict that this is only going to get worse this year. Yes, the recession and the real estate down turn have something to do with our financial states, but most of the debt that we have incurred as individual families in a nation has to do with our spending habits. According to these statistics and analyses, we spend much more than we did just 10 … Continue reading →

Disney Restaurant: Cinderella’s Royal Table

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Cinderella’s Royal Table is a restaurant in Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. In the dining hall at Cinderella’s Castle, you’ll meet characters from Disney’s Royal Family at the all-you-can-eat Once Upon a Time Breakfast or the customized fixed price lunch or dinner. Meals here are $30-$50 per person depending upon the age of the person and the meal being served. Since this is such a popular place to eat, you should plan to make reservations up to 180 days in advance by calling 407-WDW-DINE. Be certain to mention any special dietary needs that anyone in … Continue reading →

The Forest or the Trees?

When looking at your money, there are often two basic approaches. Either you take a big picture view of the entire money “forest” or you only watch the individual budget item “trees.” In reality, you have to do both to be a good money manager. The common saying that I don’t see the forest for the trees is easy an easy analogy for families who budget every detail, but don’t really understand their money habits. While tracking and analyzing spending is good, you can easily get so lost in it that it can become counter productive. The key is to … Continue reading →

Tracking Small Purchases

One of the most frustrating aspects of money management is keeping up with the little purchases. This can be difficult if you are dealing with debit transactions or cash. It is so easy to say that the five or ten dollar purchases don’t matter, but they can add up and overdraw your account if you are not careful. Here are five ways to limit those purchases and to track them better. 1) Try to limit the small transactions by planning ahead and doing bigger shopping trips. You usually spend more money then you plan to on little stops or you … Continue reading →

4 Ways to Avoid Impulse Buying

We’ve all been there, shopping around for something when something else catches our eye. We find that although we have lived without it for a lifetime, we still need to have that thing and have it now. So it ends up in our hands or cart, and our money ends up out of our bank account. Impulse buying can really rob you of your financial security, if it goes unchecked. All of those “little” purchases can certainly add up. It is best to avoid impulsing buying as much as you can. And so, I offer the following four ways to … Continue reading →