Last week David decided to cash in his last vacation for this year without talking to Charlie or I. I was so upset because that money is how we pay for Christmas. But then I decided not to worry about it because I have my website and there is apps that help me save money.
I thought I would share “How We Saved Money This Week: Real‑Life Wins After a Week of Chaos” which shows you we are just like you part of Real Families. Real Budgets. Real Life. Putting one foot in front of the other as I keep the Circus and the Monkes inline while keeping the circle unbroken.
Some weeks, saving money feels easy. This was not one of those weeks.
This was the week of:
- A day trip to Hobart so C could propose to Mikalya and stay a while.
- A tiny truck with three grown people squeezed in like Sardines.
- Walmart shopping to see what they had for Mother’s Day.
- Eating lunch with Charlie and of course he had to bring Mikayla
- Dropping C off not fun and cue the tears and not wanting to leave
- The engagement ie proposal we weren’t able to be a part of.
- The emotional goodbye which I still say shouldn’t have happened.
- Coming home to clean the kitchen and check on Gerald and the dogs and cook.
- Rearranging the front porch
- Rearranging the dining room
- Rearranging the washroom
- A donation run to Lisa Marie Birds
- Trying to build a coffee bar which still isn’t done and at the rate we are going may never get done.
- Not making dinner because there as no, way we could cook from all the stacking so we could rearrange the house.
- Calling Bradley for help and yes, he did come
- Gerald disappearing because there was stuff to do
- And the phone company messing up our phones AGAIN and spending hours dealing with them.
And yet — even in the middle of all that —I still found ways to save money, earn money, and stretch what we have.
Because that’s what real families do. We make it work. We find the cracks where the light gets in. We find the corners where the savings hide.
So today’s Save & Earn Friday is not about perfection. It’s about real‑life wins, the kind that happen between chaos and exhaustion.
⭐ 1. HOW WE SAVED MONEY ON THE HOBART TRIP
Even though it was a big emotional day, we still made smart choices.
✔ 1. We took Larry’s truck– Even though it’s small and the back isn’t the safest place for electronics which it might rain it is gas‑friendly. Reliable. Already available. No rental. No extra cost. Charlie’s car needs breaks which we didn’t have the time to put on or the money for them.
✔ 2. We ate somewhere affordable– Comfort food. Good prices. No fancy bill. No stress. A hole in the wall Hamburger Stand. David bought 2 Energy Drinks and I brough Water, so we didn’t have to purchase Snacks or drinks saving us money.
✔ 3. We shopped smart at Walmart
We stuck to:
- Snacks
- Drinks
- Essentials
- Things Charlie actually needed
No impulse splurges. No “we’re already here, let’s grab this too.”
✔ 4. We combined errands– One trip = multiple tasks done. That’s gas saved. Time saved. Energy saved.
⭐ 2. HOW WE SAVED MONEY AFTER WE GOT HOME
Even though we were exhausted, we still made choices that helped our budget.
We cooked dinner when usually we will grab something and bring it home.
✔ 1. We cleaned and rearranged instead of buying new– A clean space feels new. A rearranged room feels fresh. A decluttered porch feels peaceful. And it cost nothing. It looks like we spent a million dollars on a new front porch, back porch and Coffee Bar.
✔ 2. We donated instead of dumping– To Lisa Marie Bird to help families just starting out.
✔ 3. We used what we had for dinner (even if dinner didn’t happen)
Leftovers. Snacks. Simple food.
No takeout. No extra spending.
✔ 4. We fixed what we could ourselves
David and Bradley handled:
- Moving furniture
- Lifting heavy items
- Rearranging
- Cleaning
No handyman fees. No extra costs.
Although we blessed Bradley with $25 to help with his rent because he has other things he will be helping us with while David is out of Town.
⭐ 3. HOW WE SAVED MONEY WITH THE PHONE COMPANY DISASTER
While I worked on my blog David went to pay our phone bill but the phone company messed up — AGAIN. But here’s how we turned it into a win:
✔ 1. We didn’t accept the first answer– Companies count on people giving up. We didn’t. I will share a full post soon explaining what all happened.
✔ 2. The gentleman we usually deal with asked for credits and we got them. Because when they mess up, they owe you.
✔ 3. I checked our plan– Sometimes were paying for things we don’t need. We made sure we weren’t which wasn’t true we were being overcharged and I will share more soon.
✔ 4. We documented everything– Names. Times. Dates. Screenshots. This protects you later. David learned this the hard way this week. Charlie and I’ve been doing this forever.
⭐ 4. HOW WE EARNED MONEY THIS WEEK (EVEN WHILE TIRED)
Even in chaos, we still earned.
✔ 1. Reading apps– I signed up for OnlineBookClub and have one book to review this week then I will also join these sites Fiverr Reedsy. Swagbucks reading tasks I need to research.
✔ 2. Walking apps– I plan on checking these out there apps Evidation Sweatcoin StepBet HealthyWage tonight to start using them tomorrow. Even walking through the house can earn us money.
✔ 3. Dieting apps– I need to research these apps DietBet HealthyWage Evidation and when I begin my SlimFast and Hydroxycut use these app which I will share with my friend Debbie Finney Sutton and my sister Debbie.
✔ 4. Gaming apps (C + David)– David has been wanting to learn how I earn extra money I plan on signing David up for the following apps Mistplay Rewarded Play Twitch YouTube Discord
✔ 5. Side jobs (David) All the time David and Charlie have been looking for jobs I never thought about using websites to help them, but I plan on signing them up for TaskRabbit Handy Marketplace flips Field Agent this week.
✔ 6. Pet income– Rover Wag Chewy affiliate links if I have to purchase the dogs food they should help us make money.
✔ 7. Blogging income– Affiliate links Reviews Sponsored posts Series content Traffic boosts
Even small amounts add up. Even tired families can earn.
⭐ 5. HOW WE SAVED MONEY WITH CLEANING & REARRANGING
This is the part people forget:
Cleaning = saving. Rearranging = saving. Decluttering = saving.
Why?
Because:
- You find things you forgot you had
- You stop buying duplicates
- You create space instead of buying storage
- You feel better without spending money
- You use what you already own
This is budget magic.
Along with one man’s trash is another women’s treasure.
⭐ 6. WHAT WE’RE DOING NEXT TO SAVE MONEY
Here’s our real plan for the weekend:
- Check all receipts which is easy since we didn’t shop this week but I’m sure my friends and family did so I will ask them for their recipes which I will upload to Fetch & Ibotta and Swagbucks.
- Do a pantry inventory which needs done so I can check dates for items that are expired or we don’t plan on using.
- Plan meals from what we have which I will be creating a grocery list for this week, so we don’t buy things we don’t need.
- Freeze leftovers that aren’t used for next day’s lunches.
- Compare phone plans done and we have the best one for our area. Do you?
- List items on Marketplace I would have but it was easier to donate and get them out of my home than wait for something to sell.
- Do a Swagbucks run if there is anything I need to purchase which will save us time and money as I will do this when we go grocery shopping.
- Do a StepBet check‑in which I will be joining tomorrow.
- Do a HealthyWage weigh‑in
Small steps. Big impact.
