Blogging Away Debt

Ask the Reader: Frugal Kid’s Birthday Party Ideas

My younger two share a birthday party every year, and that time is coming up in just a couple of months. We’ve had combinations of paid party locations: Chuck E Cheese, local inflatables, Paint on Pottery, etc. as well as at home in the back yard type parties over the years. I am definitely guilty of going overboard, but I have always rationalized and said that since it’s for two kids, it’s okay to spend a little more.

This year, that is NOT happening. Both kids have been told we are cutting back and I’ve asked them to start thinking of ideas for their party this year. Here are the possibilities I’ve come up with:

Homemade pinata – paper mache project we could do as school project for pretty much nothing so the only cost would be to fill it with goodies.
Homemade water slide – big tarp laid down in our slightly sloping front yard with an adult spraying a water hose.
Homemade cup cakes which everyone gets to decorate themselves – saves the cost of a “professional” cake/cupcake, but would require several frosting and some sprinkles
Meet at the local park, invite the friends and just have a big playdate
Invite one friend each to go to Rebounderz or Bounce House or a movie
Buy a small canvas for each friend and having a painting party in the back yard with snacks (kids weren’t keen on this one at all)

I guess the birthday party is the one part of their lives I have not let go of the “magical” childhood thing and it’s cost me plenty over the years. I am determined to no only be frugal this time around but even CHEAP! I have made it clear to both of them that I want to hear their input and desires, but I have to balance that with a very tight budget. So I’m here asking for your help….

What frugal, yet magical ideas do you have for a child’s birthday party? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.

Ashley’s Top 5 Favorite Blogs

by Ashley

I’ve been an avid blog-reader for years. I have lots of different “genres” that I enjoy reading about (e.g., personal finance, healthy living, mommy blogs, etc etc etc).

But I want to share my…

Top 5 Favorite Debt-Repayment/Frugal-Living Blogs

5. Zero Waste Home. Technically not a finance/frugal blog, the purpose of this blog is to document a family who lives a life with no waste (they don’t have trash cans or anything!) I love the message of making do with less and the ideas for recycling (or “upcycling”) items. She has some cool tips about clothing (which she purchases all second-hand) and how she can wear a single outfit a TON of different ways so she can have fewer total wardrobe items. The website is a little bulky and I don’t like how there’s no “search” box (I wanted to link to a favorite post and I couldn’t find it!), and I’m more of an intermittent rather than daily reader, but still think its a great and inspirational resource for thriving with a more simplistic lifestyle.

4. Blissful and Domestic. A stay-at-home Mom’s homemade-cooking and frugal-living tips.This is another one I don’t check daily, but love to browse the archives. My favorites are the menu plans (and her ideas about how to plan rollover meals and grocery shop for a month at a time), homemade recipes, and thrifty living posts. It’s incredibly encouraging. This family of four lives on $14,000 per year and have no debt at all (owning their vehicles and home outright)! If they can do it, anyone can do it, right?

3. Blogging Away Debt. Okay, okay, I had to give BAD a shout-out. But for real, I have loved this blog for a long time (been a reader since the days of Beks) and really enjoy being able to read and follow along with the other bloggers’ journeys, too! It’s so motivating to be a part of this community! A big shout-out to YOU (the collective readers) because I have already learned a TON from you guys in the comments! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Keep the comments coming!

2. No More Harvard Debt. He’s actually well beyond his debt-reduction journey at this point, but its fun to read the archives of his story (this is how I did it). I love hearing about the great lengths he went to in order to make some extra money (pedi-cab driver! landscaper! taking on 2 roommates!), and the sacrifices he made along the way (selling his vehicles! foregoing friends’ weddings! staying home – alone – instead of traveling for Christmas!) He really went all-in and I admire his enthusiasm (and his financial transparency).

1. The Fun Cheap or Free Queen. Another stay-at-home Mom who blogs about frugality. She’s got some great budgeting tips, and is really encouraging. Her tagline is “where frugal gets a facelift.” She’s got a bubbly, contagious personality (she does lots of video how-to’s and live streaming Q&As) and talks about how you can live frugally and within a strict budget, and yet not feel deprived! I don’t know about you, but it feels more sustainable to live a super-frugal lifestyle long-term if you find ways to still sneak indulgences by fitting them into your budget! This is the only one of my top 5 (other than BAD) that I read almost daily. Love!

I have lots of other personal finance blogs I enjoy too (Mr. Money Mustache, The Simple Dollar, Money Saving Mom, Saving Money in Your 20s, and Frugal Beautiful, to name a few). It’s hard to narrow it down to only 5 and I wanted to give a good mix of smaller/less-well-known blogs and larger ones, from the areas of debt-repayment and frugal living so hopefully everyone was able to find one or two new-to-them blogs that you can enjoy in addition to your daily BAD fix.

What about you? What are your favorite debt-repayment/personal finance/frugal living blogs? Anything fantastic I need to check out?