Thriftism

We have been talking budgets quite a bit lately. The start of a new year brings a bigger budget meeting at our household and since keeping the budget and high levels of savings are on our goals this year, the budget is especially important. This allows us to know where we have available money to spend (for trips, entertainment, house projects, etc.) and helps us track where our money is going. Overall, the budget helps us focus on the things that are important to us - travel, financial security, hobbies - and keep us from spending too much money on items that aren't important to us - eating out, general "stuff". By seeing what we can do with our money, it prevents us from wanting to keep up with the Jones' since we see a better future ahead. Some of our videos mention numbers and many times people do not believe the dollar amount we are throwing out there. For this reason, we decided to start sharing our monthly budgets with you. We will post updates and show that i...

Happy 2018!! Another new year is here and with that comes a clean slate for setting goals once again. If you aren't familiar with our goal series, be sure to check out our posts: New Year, New You: Swap Resolutions for Goals Part 1 - Importance of Goals New Year, New You: Swap Resolutions for Goals Part 2 - How to Set Goals New Year, New You: Swap Resolutions for Goals Part 3 - Achieving Your Goals 2017 was an amazing here and we did fairly well with our goals, but we are stepping up our game in 2018 with more detailed goals. With the more detailed goals comes more goals since we broke them down further. We also categorized our goals this year (see why at the bottom of the post). So without further ado- Happy New Year and here are our 2018 goals! Financial Goals Gain employment (Race) Race was laid off early in December. While this put a few of our financial goals on hold for the time being, it also cemented our confidence in the Thriftism lifestyle. We didn...

Time for our monthly goal check-in! Here's where we at Thriftism stand: Take 6 Courses Online✔ A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment on Coursera (6/27/17) You and Your Money (7/15/17) Spanish Vocabulary: Careers and Social Events (Completed 11/30/17) Learning to Learn (Completed 11/2/17) Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential (Completed 11/30/17) Spanish Vocabulary: Careers and Social Events (Completed 11/30/17) Install Bathroom Heater✔ DONE!! So nice to have a warm bathroom. Stain/Finish Captains Bedframe No progress here, this one seems to be a challenge for us.  Read 12 Books✔ Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown The Summons by John Grisham Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen  Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen Mansfield Park by Jane Austen A Convenient Marriage By Georgette Heyer Emma by Jane Austen Persuasion by Jane Austen The Magregors, Grant Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen Angels and...

Banana creme pie is a classic no bake dessert that is quick to put together for short notice entertaining. It can also be customized to be healthier or to fit any diet than more typical pies - substitute sugar free pudding or switch to lactose free milk. What You Will Need 2-3 Ripe Bananas 1 Graham Cracker Crust  - Click Link for Recipe 1 Package of Vanilla Pudding (Can be Regular, Instant or Sugar Free) 2 C Milk (Can be Skim, 2%, or Whole) 9" Pie Pan While any brand and type of pudding works for this pie, we recommend using cook and serve pudding for best consistency. The cook and serve type sets up better than instant pudding. If you like, banana pudding can also be used. Vanilla is typical though as it serves as the cream flavor of the banana cream pie. Your choice of milk may also be used. We recommend 2% for best pie consistency, but anything from skim to whole milk or even heavy cream can be used to fit your family's needs and desires. Heavy cream creat...

Winter is upon us and nothing warms you up like a nice hearty soup. While soup in general is an affordable option, you can save even more money by making your own. If money isn't enough of a motivator for you, store bought soups are often high in sodium, lacking quality ingredients, and tend to leave you feeling hungry within a short period of time. By making your own soup you can control the ingredients and make it exactly to your liking. Soups are also great to make ahead and freeze for the future. Split pea soup is one of the heartier soups and will keep you full for hours. This budget friendly recipe is high in protein and fiber for only $0.42 / serving. It also freezes wonderfully since it is a creamy soup to start with - no need to worry about losing textures. The best part about this soup? It has only three ingredients and is a set it and forget it recipe. No time to cook?  Try this recipe in a  crockpot ! For full cost and nutrition facts, scroll to the bottom...

What You'll Need 1 Package Graham Crackers (~10 Crackers or 1&1/2 C) 1/3 C Sugar 6 Tbsp Oil or Butter Makes one ~9" Pie Crust Begin by pulverizing the graham crackers and sugar using preferably a food processor or mechanical blender. If without, place graham crackers in a zip bag and smash with a stout object. The grind has a fairly critical role on the final graham cracker crust, think of the dessert you are preparing and consider the role you would like the crust to play. In delicate, more intricate dishes like a cheesecake the graham cracker crust should be a thinner crust, think background accessory player providing all reasonable benefits without any risk of detracting from the starring role of the cheesecake. However, in many other desserts such as a blueberry crumble or banana creme pie the graham cracker crust plays a much larger role and due to the natural instability these filling a thicker, sturdier crust is essential. Alas I digress, simply pulveri...

As December quickly approaches, the window for making changes to insurance plans is closing. This can be a stressful time of year for a multitude of reasons, but the healthcare debacle hasn't helped lighten the load. While we cannot make your decision for you, we will provide you will some information that should help make your options more clear. We'll start will a common confusion first. HSA vs. FSA Similarities Both the HSA and FSA are both accounts that can reduce your income tax liability by allowing you to pay for medical expenses pre-tax. That means if you're in the 25% tax bracket you could potentially save $2000 on taxes by using one or both of these accounts. It's important to be familiar with how each can be used. Both accounts can cover expenses for your family. Eligible Expenses: Copays and/or Deductibles Qualifying Prescriptions Some Medical Equipment A full list can be found on the IRS website under Publication 502 . Differenc...