December 2017 - Meredith Rines

Month: December 2017

My Favorite Toddler Hacks

Posted on December 29, 2017December 28, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Hi! My name is Meredith and I am a Mom who is constantly running in circles. Like constantly. Like I fall down from being dizzy at least once a week because I have too much going on. That’s why when I find something good that makes my life a little bit easier, I hold onto it. Then I like to shout it from the nearest rooftop (but not really because I am terrified of heights) so that other Mommas can benefit too. That’s why I just love finding anything that saves me time and saves my sanity.

I’m always trying to tweak this or change that to make it more efficient. When it comes to being a Mom, I’m pretty sure we need all the help we can get. It’s hard enough to remember everything on our to-do list, grocery list and doctors appointments – if we could have just a little bit more help then we could rule the world with our eyes closed.

Recently I was talking with other Moms about things that make our lives a little easier. I came away with a ton of great idea, but realized I had a lot of toddler hacks already in place. I thought it was time to share them with you so that hopefully your life can become a little bit easier.

You can watch my favorite toddler hacks online or down below:

What’s some of your favorite toddler hacks that you’ve learned along the way? Leave a comment below!

Check out these posts for more tips and hacks:

Mess Free Baby Painting

Road Trip Hacks with Toddler

Tips For Organized Packing

My Favorite Mom Gadget

Planning For A New Year, Revising Your Budget, and Setting New Goals | December Budget Q&A

Posted on December 28, 2017December 27, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

This month’s Budget Q&A was too important to skip. With the end of December and 2017 just a few days away I realized I needed to get this months answers to your questions done.

This month has flown by, with trips to see family, holiday parties, Christmas, and so much more I’m just surprised I let this month’s Q&A slip by. I started trying to find a time to post this month’s video and realized I needed to just do it. So that’s why I’m coming at you on a day outside my normal posting schedule.

This month’s Q&A is all about how to plan for a new year to make sure your family is off on a good foot – I’m sharing with you tips on how to plan your year in advance (we do ours in 3 month intervals), why you should revise your budget, and make sure you’re on track to meet your short-term and long-term goals.

Make sure to check out this month’s Q&A online or down below:

For more help, check out these posts:

How We Plan Our Life 3 Months At A Time

How We Use Google Calendar To Stay Organized

The Easiest Budget Template Ever!

Need More Help?

If you’re looking for a great tool to help keep your family on budget, then check out out my budget spreadsheet. Each month is laid out right in front of you where you can keep track of what you budget and what you actually spend. Now you’ll know in real time how you’re doing each month.

Our Favorite Time of Year

Posted on December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Christmas is my favorite time of year. Something about the cold air, the bright lights on the Christmas tree, time with our family, and watching our son’s face light up on Christmas morning.

We love being with a family, eating good food and making new memories with our little guy. Last year, Dent was still so young that he passed out half-way through opening gifts and after an hour nap we could continue (ha!). This year, he loved it. He was showered with way too many gifts, but he loved every second of opening them. J and I stuck to our Christmas budget and was able to buy Dent a few smaller gifts just from us, which meant a lot to us.

This year I wanted to make a conscious effort to be more present. Sometimes I get so caught up in wanting to take pictures and video so that we never forget this moment, that I don’t actually enjoy myself. So this year was different. Of course I took some pictures, but I wanted to make sure I was right there with him when he opened some of his gifts. I even asked J to snap a few so I could be in them this year.

As Moms we get distracted by trying to be perfect – the perfect wrapping job, the perfect gift to be given, the perfect picture, the perfect everything. And it’s to just be the organizer of everything and let Dad be the one in the pictures and the one helping your child open each present.

But not this year!

This year, I wanted to be right along side him. Of course I still took a few pictures and J was nice enough to take a few of me with our son. I think there is a fine balance between having the pictures to remember those important memories and then making sure you’re apart of those memories, too.

Creating New Christmas Traditions

Posted on December 22, 2017December 14, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

I remember special moments from Christmas that my family did every year. My parents were amazing at making Christmas so magical for my sister and I.

My Mom gave us pajamas each Christmas Eve to wear opening gifts on Christmas morning. I’m pretty sure I still have a lot of those pajamas in my drawers (well at least the ones that still fit! HA!).

I love being able to make new traditions with J and our little boy. It’s a hard balance trying to keep traditions alive from when I was a little girl and from J’s family. And yet, we want to create our own traditions that are special to us.

Since our little guy is only 20 months old, now is the perfect time to introduce them to him.

Here are some great Christmas traditions we love:

Singing Christmas songs around the house. I was not born with any musical talent, so we usually keep our Christmas singing to the house and car where no one else can hear us. But our son loves music. He loves dancing, clapping and even jumping to it. So we like to keep music playing around the house since he loves it so much. This time of year is perfect for us to keep our Alexa turned on to some holiday stations.

Looking at Christmas lights around town. There are a few subdivisions in our town that always go above for Christmas. Plus, there is a park near J’s family that you can drive through and they decorate for Christmas with lights, different scenes and even has music playing on a local radio station. We usually pile in the car, turn on some Christmas music and drive around.

PJs on Christmas Eve. Right now, my Mom actually still gets matching Christmas pajamas for everyone in the family. We head over to my Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve and then my Mom lets us open one gift early – surprise! It’s our PJs.

Decorating cookies together. Even at 20 months having our little boy help in the kitchen is great. He makes a lot of messes, but he loves every second of it.

Watching Christmas movies together. Every Thanksgiving day we watch Miracle on 34th Street to kick off the Christmas season. Afterwards we make sure to include some of our other favorites. Now that our little boy is old enough to watch TV, but gets bored watching our movies we make sure to include some animated ones for him, too.

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions to do with your family?

How To Afford Christmas on a Budget

Posted on December 20, 2017December 20, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Christmas is a magical time. I have the best memories of Christmas morning from when I was a little girl.

Santa’s gifts were in the stockings at our house growing up. My sister and I would each have our own stocking laid out in the family room. Because of being a working Mom, my Mom just ran out of time to wrap all the gifts. So it became a thing to have Santa’s gifts unwrapped in our stockings. Now as I get older I realize just how much work Christmas can be. I love how my Mom found a way to take the pressure off of her and made it so memorable for us! I can pretty much guarantee our son’s stocking probably will have only unwrapped gifts from Santa.

One year my Dad dressed as Santa and ran out our front door with us chasing after him. My Mom barely caught us and told us to hurry to get our shoes on. We couldn’t move fast enough! By the time we got outside we followed Santa’s footsteps until they disappeared at the end of our sidewalk. They literally disappeared! My Mom dragged us back inside and there was my Dad drinking his coffee wondering what had happened. Years later we figured out Dad had jumped from the end of the sidewalk into the garage, quickly shut the door, threw the Santa suit in his trunk and ran back through the backdoor.

Those are the memories I remember as a kid – not the gifts we received, but stuff we did together. That’s what makes Christmas magical. I love being able to make Christmas such an amazing memory for our son.

How To Create Christmas on a Budget

Create a budget before buying any gifts. By creating a Christmas budget you’ll be able to determine, on paper, how much you want to spend before actually spending a dime. It’s important to have a plan for your money so it doesn’t control you. Take a few minutes to determine who you need to buy, what you want to get, and how much you want to spend.

Cut out everything that is sucking your time away from family. Your kids, your family and your friends would much rather spend time with you then have another gift under the tree. So try to be more present when you’re with them and carve our special time with each other.

Gifts for spouses. J and I don’t actually exchange any gifts between the two of us. In the past we set a $15 budget for gifts, but with J being back in school we decided it would be easier to just not do any gifts. It works. If we could spend $30 on ourselves or spend the same amount on our son then we always pick our boy. Always.

Shop smart. Make sure to activate your Ebates before doing any holiday shopping. This time of year is when we earn quite a bit of reward dollars. Ebates give you cash back for doing your usual online shopping and even a bigger bonus when you signup.

Sell anything you don’t use. A great trick to help create some extra cash flow is to go through your house and get rid of any unwanted items. You can easily sell items on Facebook Swap Shops, Craigslist, and Ebay.

Don’t be afraid of DIY Christmas gifts. There are some great DIY gift ideas you can make. You might even have everything for a great gift at your house and it won’t cost you anything.

Bake your gifts for neighbors. I love the idea of being kind to our neighbors, trash men, and mailman. However, it doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money. You can having a baking day with friends where each of you bake one or two different cookie recipes then at the end of the day you split the cookies. You can go to the dollar store and buy an inexpensive serving tray to deliver them to your neighbors.

Plan to give back. One of the biggest gifts you can give to someone is by helping them out. This time of year is a great way to help local charities and churches. When I was little, I remember my Mom having us go through our toys to donate. We learned so much from doing that and it made us feel so great. You can easily get your kids involved by donating toys or volunteering to help create care packages. Anything so they can understand the bigger picture and the true meaning of Christmas.

For more tips on how to do a frugal Christmas check out my Youtube channel where I have plenty of holiday budget help.

Need More Help?

My Secret Grocery Hack Weapon | The Mommy Hook

Posted on December 18, 2017December 18, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

Affiliate Disclosure: Please note when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link.

Here I am pulling into the garage after what feels like the longest day. I’m tired. More like beyond tired. But of course we need groceries. We like to go to the store once every two weeks and we had waited way too long this time around. We had no food, no snacks and very little milk and with a toddler that can’t happen. I barely had pulled into the garage, put the car in parked and turned it off when our son decided to start screaming. He was tired and hungry. I had a back full of groceries, a kid begging to get out of his car seat and three dogs barking to greet their boy on the other side of the door. Usually we go grocery shopping as a family, but it still seems like we need an extra set of hands. J helps carry in the heavy stuff – water, sods, dog food and then he takes the dogs outside so they don’t run over Dent when he walks in.

I try to grab as many bags as I could while wrestling our son to get him out of the seat. And of course he’s taken off his shoes and socks so walking barefoot across the cold garage floor was out of the question. It took everything I had to not drop him or drop the bags or fall walking up those steps to get inside.

Then after unloading I had to go back out for another load. This time the crying kid and barking dogs were on the same side of the closed door and I just wanted the day to be done.

What’s one thing as a Mom you wish you could have? For me, it’s an extra hand to help me carry all the grocery bags, diaper bags, work bags, and every other type of bag that you can think of.

A few weeks ago while I was traveling for work, I was sent an email from the makers of The Mommy Hook. They wanted to send me one to try out. So I did a little research and quickly typed back – yes, please! I need one of these in my life. Here’s the low down on The Mommy Hook – it’s a clip you can use to carry grocery bags, diaper bags, and store bags all with one hand. Plus, it can even clip on your stroller to help carry all of those shopping bags. Our stroller doesn’t have a big under area for storage. I can’t even fit our new diaper bag under there.

On one of our recent grocery trips I put The Mommy Hook to the test. Because of course I went close to nap time when our little guy was already tired, it was close to lunch and we were both getting hungry. So after stopping at Walmart for a few household items and then going to Aldi for the rest of our meal planning stuff it was time to haul everything inside.

J was there to help, so he carried some bags in and then went back to get Dent. Here I was trying to carry in the rest of the bags (because Moms like to make only one trip to get the job done) and here comes Dent. He wants me to pick him up since he’s just so tired. I pulled out the Mommy Hook and grabbed the rest of the bags, the diaper bag and then picked him up. It was a breeze getting everything inside.

I think it’s safe to say that I am a fan! This might be my new favorite grocery hack!

You can get The Mommy Hook on Amazon and they come in different colors, too. They are under $8.00 so they make the perfect gift for any Mom (or Dad)!

I did receive The Mommy Hook at no cost, but have not been paid otherwise for this review. All the opinions are my own.

Simple DIY Christmas Gifts On A Budget

Posted on December 15, 2017December 15, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

I love a good deal. I mean, that should come as no surprise since I am a budget strategist. During the holidays budgets can kind of take a backseat with all the stress we put on ourselves. I love the idea of a few simple DIY projects to make for people. You can find a ton of great ideas over on Pinterest that can help take some of the financial stress off you this time of year. I usually make one to two different gifts by hand for family each year. That way I can make sure to give something with meaning all while sticking within my Christmas budget.

For us, especially with J back in school this year, Christmas is more about being present with family. It’s not about the presents we give or how much we spent of our family and friends. To be honest, this year has probably been the least stressful holiday yet. We know how much we can spend on Christmas gifts and that’s it. It has made justifying what we spend (or how little we spend) a lot easier in our heads. We’re able to treat everyone equal – from his family to my family. Everyone has the same budgeted amount based on our gift guide.

Here are a few of my favorite past DIY Christmas gifts:

Personalized Oven Mitts

Easy Sharpie Mugs

Personalized Photo Frame

Front Door Wreath

Personalized Wall Art

Christmas Photo Ornaments

What are some other DIY Christmas gifts that you love to make for family? Leave a comment below!

Grocery Shopping On a Budget – 2 Week Aldi and Walmart Haul

Posted on December 13, 2017December 12, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

It’s here my best tips for grocery shopping on a budget!

I don’t know about you, but groceries are always the hardest to stay on track with. It just seems items not on the shopping list mysteriously end up in the basket. It’s so weird! But for the past few months we have been focused. We have been working hard at sticking to and coming under our grocery budget each month. It hasn’t been easy, but we have been rocking it! So it’s time I share with you my secrets to staying in and under budget.

Before we start, I want to let you know we do most of our grocery shopping at Aldi. Ever since Walmart did away with their price matching we have found ourselves shopping more and more at Aldi. I have to admit – I like it! I probably should have made the switch a long, long time ago. Now if you don’t have an Aldi or prefer another store, that’s fine! You can make this work just about any grocery store, I promise. If Aldi doesn’t carry something we need then we will run to Walmart.

I have already shared with you a quick Aldi shopping haul from after our vacation. It was a little shorter than usual and we didn’t do our typical two week meal planning. So this time around I wanted to give you the full effect of how we meal plan, make our grocery list and then stick with our budget.

The first thing we do is we create our meal plan for the next two weeks (you can even use my easy template, too). I have found we spend less money by shopping every two weeks instead of weekly. Now if we run out or need a few produce items then we may make a run after the first week, but that’s pretty rare. I have discovered we go through a gallon of milk in about a week at our house. J and I hardly drink it (I have a real aversion to cereal and it’s super hard to for me since our son loves it!) and we just don’t go through that fast. I can buy 2 gallons of milk at a time, but I have to watch the dates. If they expire before our two weeks are up then I have to only buy one and go back the next week.

When we’re creating our meal plan we always start with what we have on hand in our freezer, fridge and pantry. That way we can save money by using up what we have. Now I like to keep some ground beef and chicken in the freezer for any time we have company over or need to tighten our budget. So I do this by keeping an eye on the sale prices. If there is a good deal that week on meat then I may stock up a little more than what’s needed, but only if I have room in my budget after getting everything else we need. So I typically go to the meat section of the store at the very end.

After our meal plan is set, I take a look at what else we need around the house. I made a quick video about what all I include in our grocery budget. Basically anything that is consumed or used in our home is on the budget. So I do a run-through to make sure we don’t need shampoo, toilet paper, paper towels or cleaning products.

*I order wipes from Amazon and have them set to a monthly subscription. I automatically deduct that amount from my grocery budget each month.

Next we look at our budget. This way we know exactly how much we have to spend before ever leaving the house. I also track our spending using envelopes, which means I can take a quick glance to see just how much we can spend. It makes it fresh on our minds how much we have to spend. I also keep my phone’s calculator open so I can subtract the items I put in the cart to make sure I am not going over. This helps so much! Just make sure you leave a few dollars at the end to cover your tax!

Here is how we did this week. You can watch the video online or down below:

If you find your grocery budget a little too tight then plan on doing No Eating Out Challenge to save a little money. They work really great to make you cook at home and use up all those leftovers that usually go to waste!

Need More Help?

Tips For Packing For Your Next Work Trip

Posted on December 11, 2017December 11, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

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What happens when you have to go out of town for work? Well if you’re like me, you probably put off packing until the last minute. You try to stuff everything into a small back just to arrive at your conference with wrinkled clothes. Well … that was the old me.

The new me is all about being prepared, looking my best and only bringing what I need. And the best part?

I still pack last minute.

Yep, I sure do. Want in on my secret?

It’s all about what to pack, how to stay organized and how not forget anything! You can create an easy packing system to help you manage just what you need to bring with you – no matter how long your conference is going to be, this one tip can help with a 2 day trip to a 2 week trip.

You can watch the video online or down below:

I love sharing new tips and tricks as I figure them out. This one is no different. I travel a lot for work, so I like to stay organized. I found that it helps by creating a list before I start packing. This list serves as a reminder of everything I need to bring and then when I get there, it’s a guide to remember what day I planned to wear what. It really saves time while I’m on the road and away from home.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to sleep so good when I’m in a hotel. I don’t know if it’s because it’s nice and dark, the temperature is (usually) easy to control and for work trips I typically have the place all to myself. I find myself sleeping in until the last possible second before jumping out of bed already running behind. By bringing a list of what outfit to wear, it really helps me to not feel rushed in the mornings.

You should try it!

Check out these other helpful posts:

How To Do It All As A Mom

What To Pack For Your Toddler On Your Next Trip

Tips For Traveling With A Toddler

What To Bring On A Road Trip With Your Baby

Our November Budget Recap

Posted on December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 by Meredith Rines, MBA, CFP®

On the blog, we’re going to start something new. Each month, I’m going to record a quick video sharing with you a budget recap.

I think it’s important to be real and show you that some months are better than others. It’s okay no to be perfect all the time, but what we have found what is most important is just making progress towards our goals.

I use this very simple budgeting template to help us keep up with how we’re doing, which is great. I highly recommend to anyone trying to get their budget in check to make sure you actually know two things: how much you want to spend and how much you actually spend. By creating a starting point with your money then you’ll be able to gauge how you’re doing and what areas you are succeeding in. For instance if you budget $100 in eating out for the month and then you only spent $75 that’s a big win! On the other hand, if you budget $100 and spent $125 then you know that you need to either work on lower what you spend or up your budget.

After I create my starting budget at the beginning of each month, I then track my spending using envelopes to help me stay on track. This technique allows me to only spend a few minutes each week updating our budget template, because I go off our envelopes.

So I’m going to show you my envelopes for last month and our completed budget spreadsheet, so you can see just how good (or bad) we did. I won’t be afraid to hide our mistakes or mishaps from you. Budgeting isn’t about being perfect, it’s about making progress and working towards your goals.

You can watch November’s budget recap online or below:

How did you do for November? It never hurts to review your budget or your envelopes to make sure you’re on track. We started our budget with knowing what our big financial goals were – paying off student loans, saving up to buy some land and putting more back towards our retirement. By being on the same page when we created our budget, we understand the pressures we put on ourselves to watch our spending.

You can watch my favorite toddler hacks online or down below:

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Make sure to check out this month’s Q&A online or down below:

Need More Help?

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Here are some great Christmas traditions we love:

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How To Create Christmas on a Budget

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Affiliate Disclosure: Please note when you click links and purchase items, in most (not all) cases I will receive a referral commission. You will not pay more when buying a product through my link.

I did receive The Mommy Hook at no cost, but have not been paid otherwise for this review. All the opinions are my own.

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Here are a few of my favorite past DIY Christmas gifts:

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It’s here my best tips for grocery shopping on a budget!

Here is how we did this week. You can watch the video online or down below:

Need More Help?

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You can watch the video online or down below:

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You can watch November’s budget recap online or below:

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