2024-04-22 16:21
After months of excited planning, I recently started growing vegetables and flowers in a grow room in our basement. Overall, it has gone well and we will have lots ready to plant in th… Read More
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4 Winning Ways To Stick To A Budget & Build Up Your Nest Egg Blog
creatingmykaleidoscope.com
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Unless you win the lottery or become an instant celebrity somehow, there is no easy way to turn into a millionaire overnight. However, there are things that you can do that will make you one over a longer period of time. No matter how deep in debt you are or how little you are earning, these winning ways will make it possible for you to stick to your budget and build up a healthy amount of savings.
2024-01-30 16:26
My daughter started tagging along with me to craft fairs this past year, and I think she’s hooked. Ms. Tornado is excited about earning and saving up money. In anticipation… Read More
2024-01-03 17:19
Happy New Year from Our Kaleidoscope Homestead! We hope your holiday season was filled with joy and happy memories, and that you’re feeling refreshed and motivated for the wonder… Read More
2023-11-14 15:15
Greetings from our homestead! In the near decade since this blog was born, I’ve worked diligently to achieve better balance between work and so many other passions. Now, I have two w… Read More
2023-10-06 20:49
Welcome to my very first crochet pattern. I started doing a few craft fairs as a side hustle, and an excuse to crochet more! One of my biggest lessons learned, was that people re… Read More
2023-09-15 14:32
Back in 2016, we had just started on our journey to destroy our debt, while mapping out a plan to achieve financial semi-independence. A lot has changed since then, including the addit… Read More
2023-08-15 03:45
When we purchased our new home, with 16 acres, I was very hopeful that we would be able to forage some free food for our family of seven. There is now a garden with lots of delicious v… Read More
2023-07-19 00:53
In February of 2020, we took our five kids on an epic RV road trip all over California. Our trip started off with a visit to my sister, near Los Angeles, and then it was time for the r… Read More
2023-07-11 03:01
Happy Summer! It’s time for a little update on our family’s journey to build a homestead that will support our dream of financial semi-independence, and all the things we e… Read More
2023-05-09 18:19
It’s been a while since I’ve posted about side hustles on this site, but we’re still always looking for ways to earn extra money. Frugal living only goes so far towar… Read More
2023-05-02 00:36
We took all five kids on a month-long RV adventure in California back in February of 2020. The process of coming up with the route and itinerary for the trip was quite the process.&nbs&hell…Read More
2023-04-18 13:48
Now that all five of our children are attending public school, we’re receiving a lot of birthday party invitations. Sometimes, there isn’t much notice for the parties, or t… Read More
2023-04-04 03:14
Greetings from Our Kaleidoscope Homestead. While it has been a eventful winter that kept us busy, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the next season at our new home. Here is you… Read More
2022-11-29 01:59
Time for an update on our progress in Creating Our Kaleidoscope of a life: even though our family is mostly settled into the new home, there is still more work to be done towards our next go… Read More
2022-11-04 15:24
It can be tempting at times, to focus on your accomplishments, and decide that you’ve done enough. We have been working so hard for the past decade. After paying off our de… Read More
2022-10-10 18:25
Finally closing on our forever homestead felt like so much more than just buying a house, because it represented an arrival at the destination we had been dreaming of through a long journey… Read More
2022-10-06 18:00
My Crochet Projects – With Links to Free Patterns
Hope You’re Inspired – More To Be Added
Willow Block Wedding Blanket
Granny Square Baby Blanket – My Very First… Read More
2022-06-12 19:01
Just one month ago, we were making adjustments and accepting that it may take a bit longer than expected to move to our forever homestead. My most recent blog post was even about this… Read More
2022-05-16 19:58
We have been ready to move to our forever homestead for some time now, but the right property has yet to hit the market. At the same time, it’s impossible not to notice the ris… Read More
2022-04-27 18:43
Learning about the FIRE movement was one of the driving factors behind our family’s decision to pursue new goals and take drastic measures to improve our finances. It&rsq&hellip…Read More
2022-03-03 04:39
After years of hard work, and surviving pandemic quarantine with five kids in a 1,300 square foot home . . . We are finally ready to move into our forever homestead! There is a down… Read More
2022-02-17 17:33
My father passed away last month. He had been in the hospital since the beginning of December, after suffering a head injury, due to a fall. The rollercoaster ride of the past few months h… Read More
2022-01-04 05:37
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year from our family to yours! This “season of giving” always seems to highlight the struggle between being true to your fina… Read More
2021-12-03 03:50
Now that we’ve survived the shopping frenzy associated with Black Friday and Cyber Monday (the younger sibling), I have a question for anyone that attempted to find some good deals thi… Read More
2021-10-12 17:27
We have been laser-focused on repairing our finances throughout the life of this blog, so it makes sense that there would be many, many posts about frugality and side hustles. However… Read More
2021-09-28 06:02
How it started? Frustration. It was over six years ago when I started this blog as an outlet, a way to brainstorm, and for some accountability. My days were mostly spent… Read More
2021-07-13 03:50
In February of 2016, I posted about my journey of not buying any new clothes for three years. The post really appears to intrigue readers, who still comment about being impressed by this s… Read More
2021-02-28 20:21
In February of 2020, we explored California in an RV with our five kids. We had been discussing a cross-country road trip with the family for years, so deciding to take a smaller RV ro… Read More
2021-01-05 04:29
This pandemic has clearly affected the finances of people very differently. While some are struggling to pay their bills, others are finding themselves with extra time at home and stimulus… Read More
2020-08-02 02:56
This blog has been fairly quiet over the past few years and I do hope to change that and share many updates on our family’s journey in the near future. As we progress to the next… Read More
2020-01-05 23:46
And just like that . . . 2019 is over. Everyone seems to be discussing resolutions and reflecting, not only on the past year, but the last decade. As we enter the New Year, my th… Read More
2019-12-31 03:56
Living on a single income isn’t easy.
Even if you consider yourself to be a frugal person, the increasing costs of various bills today mean that it’s incredibly difficult to make… Read More
2019-03-01 16:23
What a fun and frugal family adventure! We used the President’s Day school break to take a road trip down to Virginia and visited Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown Settlement, Vir… Read More
2019-02-11 04:58
The typical American household will spend $2,100 every year on home maintenance costs, according to the American Housing Survey. However, failing to check your home for repai… Read More
2019-02-06 04:07
Greetings from The Smith Family! We hope that 2019 is going well for you so far. This blog is quite overdue for an update on our progress with finances and everything else that h… Read More
2018-12-18 03:52
Few things in life offer families a unique bonding opportunity the way road trips do, and seeing as this year one in three Americans will be on the road (the highest ever recorded)… Read More
2018-11-19 18:54
If your idea for a family holiday of a lifetime involves traveling abroad, you’re not alone: 33 percent of American families took trips to international destinations last yea… Read More
2018-11-12 19:31
As the end of 2018 approaches, I wanted to give everyone an update on the Smith Family. There are a number of reasons why it’s been pretty quiet on this blog lately, including th… Read More
2018-11-06 17:15
Greetings from the Smith Family! I have a long update post coming soon, but here’s a small spoiler: our financial situation has drastically improved. You will be able to re… Read More
2018-09-13 03:45
In looking back over my blog posts over the past several years, they always seem to be a bit more spread out over the summer. It makes sense, because we’re on the go more during the wa… Read More
2018-08-07 02:20
I hope you are having a great summer! We have been a little too busy over the past few months, but continue trying to make the most of our time by focusing on family, frugal living, an… Read More
2018-06-19 03:26
I must start off by apologizing to my dear readers, as it has been quite a while since anything new has been posted here at Creating My Kaleidoscope. Everything is fine, great actually… Read More
2018-05-02 02:09
Frugal parenting come with many different types of challenges. A reader and Instagram buddy reached out to me about how we pay for birthday party presents. I agree with her that dropping the… Read More
2018-04-19 13:36
Many are calling us “brave” for taking five kids (including almost-one-year-old twins) on an adventure to Washington, D.C., but it was the perfect trip for us right now. We… Read More
2018-03-27 02:13
For the past couple of years I’ve been mentioning my “bi-annual tutoring side hustle.” I couldn’t say much more because it would have given away my occupation. As eve… Read More
2018-03-20 02:48
I still can’t believe we’re almost done with March. This year is flying by – but in a good way! My job switch has made such a big difference in the focus of my… Read More
2018-03-13 00:33
The following is a sponsored post for your reading enjoyment.
Perhaps the understatement of all time is that life as a parent is stressful. Finding ways to reduce the stress inv… Read More
2018-02-26 17:18
I guess we’re never taking the family on a trip to Disney. That was my reaction to reading about the recent increase in ticket prices for the theme park. It’s not like we h… Read More
2018-02-12 05:28
I still feel guilty saying that I hated my old job. It was engaging work for a great law firm, with lots of wonderful co-workers. The job just wasn’t a good fit for me.&nbs&hell…Read More
2018-01-25 02:47
The easiest, most obvious way to reduce stress related to debt is to pay off everything that you owe. As we continue to improve our finances, the mood around here has definitely improv… Read More
2018-01-23 02:37
We’re already well into the New Year and doing our best to make the most of every day. One of my “resolutions” was to make sure to provide more updates on our family… Read More
2018-01-20 02:38
I often tout the benefits of side hustling. There are so many different options and hustling is a great way to use time usually spent watching television. Additional income can s… Read More
2018-01-18 04:07
We increased our principal debt payment from $20,000 to $25,000 last year. It might not seem like a lot, but our income was lower due to having twin boys in May. One of the ways… Read More
2018-01-16 15:21
It’s that special time of year for personal finance bloggers – time to update your debt payoff and/or net worth numbers. While commenters often say it’s nice to read… Read More
2018-01-10 04:36
Welcome to 2018! I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been very good about sticking with New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I’ve found success in setting… Read More
2017-12-29 20:24
After celebrating Christmas more than thirty times, it seems that each year brings special lessons. Some carry more significance, like the first one without Christmas Eve dinner at Grandpa a… Read More
2017-12-19 05:10
Yes, you read that correctly. Mr. Smith and I finally attempted a date night out of the house about seven months after having the twins. We kept it a frugal date night, but it wa… Read More
2017-12-13 04:32
When it comes to money, and most other things in life, you have to force yourself to think outside the box. As we continue on our journey out of debt and to financial semi-independence… Read More
2017-12-07 04:53
The following is a sponsored post.
Getting a bad credit score happens to the best of us. But just because you fell into the hole, doesn’t mean you can’t get out of it.&nbs&hell…Read More
2017-12-05 00:59
It is truly amazing how much life can change in just a few months. Finding a new job with more flexibility has allowed our family to regain a sense of balance and catch up on life.&nbs&hell…Read More
2017-11-24 19:49
It’s Black Friday, the biggest shopping holiday of the year. While us frugal folks like to encourage DIY Christmas presents, odds are that you can’t get away with making your own… Read More
2017-11-21 04:52
Only the second week into my new job and things at home are already feeling much more manageable. The twins are now six months old and just making it this far seems like an accomplishm… Read More
2017-11-14 04:16
The past few years for our family have been dominated by extreme frugality, side hustling, and having babies. We usually head to the family cabin in Maine for a frugal family vacation… Read More
2017-11-07 03:34
I have never disclosed my occupation on this blog for a variety of reasons, including concerns about anonymity. There have certainly been discussions about work-related things over the… Read More
2017-11-05 21:34
I’ve got a huge reveal coming tomorrow, but for today let’s talk about buying property. Owning a home is one of those standard expectations that goes along with being an ad… Read More
2017-10-31 02:53
Every October we see reports on television about how much the average consumer is spending on Halloween. They buy costumes, candy, and decorations. But instead of going on about better uses… Read More
2017-10-24 03:58
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a book review. As readers may already know, one of my time management strategies is to listen to audio books during my commute to and fr… Read More
2017-10-15 04:37
In the FIRE community, there is a lot of emphasis on side hustles. Sometimes referred to as moonlighting, this extra work can help you earn more money towards your goals of paying off… Read More
2017-10-12 04:08
We’re still in the process of making some big changes in my career and our plans for the future. While I believe that babies are not that expensive, they do grow up to be childre… Read More
2017-10-03 05:34
We want our kids to grow up with a better quality of life than our own. We want to spare them from many lessons that were learned the hard way, but still help them to become happy, hea… Read More
2017-09-26 03:52
As I announced in my last post, it’s time to finally accept that my employment situation needs to change as soon as possible, for the well-being of my family. Which means that I… Read More
2017-09-19 02:33
I’ve reached a breaking point which has forced me to embrace this uncomfortable truth: career success is meaningless to many mothers. And I am one of them. For us, time dev… Read More
2017-09-01 14:17
Working moms are very busy, but I truly believe that almost everyone can find some time for at least a little side hustling. Maybe you want to earn a little extra money to pay off debt… Read More
2017-08-15 03:42
This summer has been pretty low-key due to arrival of the twins. We have been trying to do some fun activities with the older kids, especially before I returned to work last week. Wondering… Read More
2017-08-07 03:08
Starting and growing our family has been one of the most incredible experiences. Life has renewed purpose, bringing about a huge shift in priorities. You find yourself responsibl… Read More
2017-08-04 03:10
With my maternity leave coming to an end, it probably comes as no surprise that I’ve been feeling sad and anxious about returning to work. My last day at the office was back in M… Read More
2017-08-01 03:38
We all want to have a family and home life which we can enjoy as much as possible. It can often be surprising, not to mention a little upsetting, how much money can get in the way of t… Read More
2017-07-25 16:14
I suspect that we all suffer from a bit of impostor syndrome from time to time. As someone who blogs about frugality and battling debt, there’s no escaping the realization that w… Read More
2017-07-13 03:46
Great news: my clothes fit again! Well, at least some of them fit me again. I had a lot of trouble finding clothes to wear during the end of my twin pregnancy, but I didn’t… Read More
2017-07-11 04:46
Our pediatrician is a mother of twins, and she warned us that the first year after they are born goes by in a blur. I have a feeling it will be the same way with us. Days and nig… Read More
2017-07-07 02:32
You’ve no doubt already heard the advice to give up lattes and cable in order to pay off debt. What about after you’ve tried all of the basic approaches and still find yourself u… Read More
2017-06-27 13:54
Hopefully everyone recently enjoyed celebrating Father’s Day. My own father hasn’t come up very much on this blog, but our relationship was an instrumental part of my forma… Read More
2017-06-14 17:20
The American government’s actions over the last few months certainly have increased concerns for the future of our environment. We have a special guest post today about simple wa… Read More
2017-06-12 16:48
What a journey it’s been so far! This is the 200th post on Creating My Kaleidoscope, a little blog I started up at the end of 2014. My original intent was to document our journey… Read More
2017-05-30 03:43
I hope that everyone enjoyed the long weekend, at least everyone here in the United States. Welcome Summer!!! The twins are a couple of weeks old now, so we’re starting to… Read More
2017-05-27 04:06
I hope that everyone enjoys their long weekend (please do try to remember the reason for this holiday). This is just a quick post about two nice little books I recently received in exchange… Read More
2017-05-23 04:03
The twins have finally made their arrival and it still amazes me that we actually came home with two babies instead of one. I do love a great deal. While I’m still recoveri… Read More
2017-05-17 05:12
While I’m working on a very special post about the arrival of our twins, please enjoy this book review. I recently received a copy of How To Be Everything in exchange for sharing… Read More
2017-05-01 15:49
Career breaks are never easy. Yet, they can be the best thing you ever do. My time off from work (due to being very pregnant with twins) has given me quite a few opportunities, including the… Read More
2017-04-27 03:06
Sarah Robb O’Hagan has experienced some amazing successes in the marketing business, but she’s also made some embarrassing mistakes along the way. Her book, Extreme You, is… Read More
2017-04-26 02:53
With Mother’s Day approaching, you may be thinking about how to make your mom feel valued and loved, without killing your budget. Don’t we all want to give mom a special gi… Read More
2017-04-18 04:17
I’ve been out of work for a couple of weeks now. Thankfully, life is taking on a slower pace as this pregnancy continues to wear on me. I did manage to complete one go… Read More
2017-04-06 01:45
“You’re going to have five kids?!?” This is what I’ve been hearing a lot of lately, in conversations that usually start with, “Is this your first?”… Read More
2017-04-01 04:25
Our family is always looking for new ways to save money, so we can continue to pay off debt and invest towards our future goals. I’m definitely not wearing much makeup these days… Read More
2017-03-30 16:31
It has been a very strange week. I have not reported to the office, but I’m not on vacation or at home recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn. My doctor took m… Read More
2017-03-16 03:09
We gave quite a bit of thought into whether we should add to our family again, with three fairly young children already. One of the reasons why we decided to “go for it” wa… Read More
2017-03-12 04:37
The last few weeks of work have been really rough, even worse because I’ve now entered the third trimester of this twin pregnancy. Before we decided to pursue early semi-retireme… Read More
2017-02-21 04:56
Our financial focus over the past few years has been on how to pay off debt. One of the most effective ways we’ve found to lower our debt is by increasing our income with side h… Read More
2017-02-16 07:05
Being healthy seems to be the focus of many as we get into the full swing of the New Year. I’m already looking forward to regaining my shape once this last pregnancy is done… Read More
2017-02-14 04:01
We started off January with a lot of big goals for this year, then multiple illnesses slowed us down. We’ve finally been healthy for a few weeks, increasing our productivity… Read More
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