Family Balance Sheet

APRIL 9, 2021

Many years ago, my husband and I faced what we thought was an insurmountable hurdle– six figures of non-mortgage debts. These were loans that we knowingly took on and looked great on paper, but they became a weight on our shoulders. Stressed out, we ventured into Dave Ramsey’s online Financial Peace University home course for help. Prior to FPU, we thought we were doing well financially and never considered that we had too much debt.

Debt 130

Debt Emergency Fund 2019 Debt Free 130

Family Balance Sheet

APRIL 2, 2021

Finding extra money is a game for me. Over the years, I have found money through rebates, refunds, online sales, and even the ground. Yep, I found a $20 bill while running on the beach! I have used the extra money to pay off debt, fund family trips, or build up our Christmas savings. January and February were stellar months with finding money. I found $1681 and $3433.68, respectively.

March 130

March Money Donation Credit Cards 130

Family Balance Sheet

MAY 6, 2020

We have hit uncertain times and this pandemic has felt like a wall that is unscalable. For many households, their finances and budgets are in limbo. Businesses have shut down, manufacturers have paused production, and many people have been laid off or furloughed. Life, as we knew it came to a halt for so many of us in mid-March, and life going forward will forever be known as pre-pandemic or post-pandemic.

Debt 130

Debt Emergency Fund 2007 2020 130

Family Balance Sheet

MARCH 23, 2020

Governors across the country have ordered many of us to stay home. Shout out to the health care workers, grocery store workers, restaurant workers, cleaning and sanitation workers, truck drivers, military personnel, journalists, and everyone else on the front lines. Thank you for your service! Personally, to pass the unexpected free time, I’ve cleaned out closets and cupboards, taken walks, spent way too much time on social media, baked, cooked, and eaten way too many snacks.

Credit Cards 162

Credit Cards Zoo Museum Education 162

Family Balance Sheet

FEBRUARY 29, 2020

Frugal living is NOT about feeling deprived. Frugal living is being intentional with our money and creative with our resources, so we have more to put towards the things that are important to us. We want to live WELL on LESS Money. Frugal Kitchen in February: Curbside Pick-up: I continued my new grocery routine in February. I cannot stress enough how much this has saved me time and I really think money too.

February 208

February 2020 Frugal Thrift Stores 208

Family Balance Sheet

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Ebates is NOW Rakuten! Same great product, just a new name! This is my honest review. All links to Rakuten are to my referral link. When you join, you will also get a referral link to share with your friends to earn additional cash back. If you do any shopping online, whether it’s at a department store, discount store, travel, or vacations, you are leaving money on the table if you’re not shopping through an online portal, such as Rakuten.

JC Penneys 147

JC Penneys Old Navy Airline Money 147

Family Balance Sheet

MAY 25, 2019

Welcome to the 2019 Christmas Savings Club. The club is open to anyone who wants monthly accountability to save for a cash Christmas. On the 25th of every month from January to November in 2019, I will hold a virtual meeting on the blog to give updates on our progress, motivate one another, and help all of us save for a cash Christmas. My monthly goal is $100.

2019 100

2019 Club Christmas May 100

Family Balance Sheet

MARCH 25, 2019

On January 25, 2019, I started the Christmas Savings Club. The club is open to anyone who wants monthly accountability to save for a cash Christmas. On the 25th of every month from January to November in 2019, I will hold a virtual meeting on the blog to give updates on our progress, motivate one another, and help all of us save for a cash Christmas. .

March 100

March Club Christmas Budgeting 100

Family Balance Sheet

JANUARY 11, 2019

In previous years, I would create a long list of financial goals, only to have little accomplished by the end of the December. Too many shiny quarters and not enough focus gets absolutely nothing accomplished. I almost stopped writing goals down altogether. In 2018, we decided to focus on just 2 main financial goals and before I share my 2019 goals I thought I would give you a recap on 2018.

Financial Goals 100

Financial Goals Goals 2019 Health Insurance 100

Family Balance Sheet

OCTOBER 19, 2018

Looking for ways to use leftover Halloween Candy? I’ve got you covered! I’m a big fan of all things sweet and chocolate, so I look forward to Halloween candy. As a child, I grew up on a road that didn’t have a lot of houses, so while trick or treat was fun for me and my brother, we only came home with a handful of candy. My favorite memory of trick or treat was that my great Aunt Alice who lived 2 houses down from us gave out FULL sized Clark bars.

Leftovers 100

Leftovers Halloween Used Cookies 100

Family Balance Sheet

OCTOBER 12, 2018

Frugal Friday: A recap of how we frugal-ed our way through the week. so that we have more money to put towards our financial goals. Our mission: Live WELL On LESS Money. What We Ate this Week: I make an effort each week to serve my family delicious food but still stick to the budget. Every Sunday afternoon, I plan the meals and do my grocery shopping for the week.

Frugal 100

Frugal Freezers Friends And Family Sale Financial Goals 100

Family Balance Sheet

OCTOBER 8, 2018

It happened. I turned 49 last month. I survived…but my mom’s homemade birthday cake had a lot to do with it. Now I’m on the road to the big 5-0! Half of me is in such denial that I want to hide in bed under my covers. The other half of me wants to punch 50 in the face and show it who’s boss. This is 49! It’s an odd place to be.

Birthday 100

Birthday Kids and Family Homemade Cake 100

Family Balance Sheet

JUNE 16, 2018

Here’s a list of what we ate this week. For the first time this summer, I grilled pizza, one of our favorite things to make on the grill. It’s so easy and you’ll find my method below. This week’s dinners: Sunday: Spaghetti night! I also served garden salad and garlic bread. Monday: Leftover night. Tuesday: Shredded pork sandwiches, wild rice, garden salad, homemade applesauce.

Homemade 100

Homemade Gardening Garden Leftovers 100

Family Balance Sheet

APRIL 5, 2018

On Facebook? I started a closed Facebook group, Family Budgeters Unite! I envision the group to be a place to find and share tips, motivation, encouragement, and inspiration about family finances and budgeting. We’ll talk about what works for us and doesn’t work for us when it comes to saving and budgeting our money. I have a lot of plans for the group and I hope you’ll join me.

Budgeting 100

Budgeting Budget Family Motivation 100

Family Balance Sheet

MARCH 9, 2018

I’ve been working behind the scenes on a tool that I personally use to track and organize our finances: Family Budget Spreadsheets. This package of 9 Microsoft Excel spreadsheets is designed to help you organize your finances, plan for major purchases, create a budget, understand your cash flow, and track your net worth. Many years ago, we could say yes to the questions in the above graphic.

Budgeting 160

Budgeting Budget Family Property Taxes 160

Family Balance Sheet

OCTOBER 20, 2017

Welcome to my weekly series, What We Ate this Week on our Budget. Grocery spending can get out of hand quickly, so I post our weekly menu to ensure that I am planning it weekly. Our monthly grocery budget for my family of 4 is $500. It’s a tight budget and I failed miserably recently, but we have lots of financial goals, so I need to get it back in line.

Budgeting 100

Budgeting Budget Leftovers Daughter 100

Family Balance Sheet

OCTOBER 16, 2017

October is a big month for me. I met my husband in October. We married in October. Family Balance Sheet , the website, turns 9 in October 2017, but Family Balance Sheet, the spreadsheet, turns 14. Back in October 2003, I left a corporate career as a department store buyer with a nice reliable paycheck and benefits– including health insurance –to join my husband in the land of self-employment.

Family 100

Family Financial Goals Debt Calculators 100

Family Balance Sheet

AUGUST 9, 2017

This post is sponsored by GIANT Food Stores. It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Parents across America are humming this tune as they load up their carts with back to school supplies. One of the most coveted school supplies in my house is the lunch box. My kids agonize over which one to choose, and I agonize over what I’m going to put inside.

Lunch 100

Lunch Lunches Kids and Family Daughter 100

Family Balance Sheet

JULY 12, 2017

Love to camp? My family does! We bought a used pop up camper about 4 years ago and have been enjoying it ever since. One of our most favorite camping trips is to Avalon Campground in New Jersey. Avalon Campground is family friendly, full of amenities, and very close to the beach. Avalon and the neighboring beach, Stone Harbor, are my two favorite beaches on the east coast.

Family 100

Family Kids and Family Daughter New Jersey 100

Family Balance Sheet

MAY 1, 2017

Did you save BIG in April? I’m constantly trying to optimize our spending to find ways to save money, but still live quite comfortably and well. In April, we saved quite a bit of money by comparison shopping, and choosing thrift first. The big hitters this month saved us about $500. That’s money that stayed in our accounts. We Shopped for New Home Owners/Auto Insurance.

April 100

April 2017 Washer and Dryer Daughter 100

Family Balance Sheet

MARCH 17, 2017

This is NOT a sponsored post. However, all links to Medi-Share are referral links. I only suggest products that I believe in, but note that we are still very new consumers of Medi-Share. This is my honest opinion so far and I will be making updates through out the year. Health insurance is a touchy subject and everyone has a different point of view depending on their own life experience.

Health Insurance 164

Health Insurance Insurance Health Bills 164

Family Balance Sheet

DECEMBER 6, 2016

This post and giveaway are sponsored by GIANT Food Stores. Tis the season for parties and entertaining. To make your life easier, GIANT Food Stores has launched their Limited Time Originals Holiday Inspired Collection in time for your first holiday celebration or to just add some holiday flavor to your day. Inspired by the spirit of the season, there are over 30 products on the shelves in 3 new flavors: Peppermint, Gingerbread, and Holiday Spice.

Gift Cards 100

Gift Cards Collectibles Giveaway Holiday 100

Family Balance Sheet

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

It’s Frugal Friday: A recap of how we frugal-ed our way through the week so that we have more money to put towards our financial goals. Our mission: Live WELL, On LESS Money. What We Ate this Week: Monday: Burrito Bowls with leftover chicken from last week. Tuesday: Easy Lasagna , steamed broccoli. Wednesday: Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas with my homemade fajita seasoning.

Frugal 100

Frugal Cheap Fridays Win 100

Family Balance Sheet

AUGUST 10, 2016

This post and giveaway are sponsored by GIANT Food Stores. The kids are heading Back to School! YAY!! Reading, writing, arithmetic…and the school lunch. My kids have a love/hate relationship with their school’s cafeteria. What sounds good on the school menu, doesn’t always look or taste so good, so they end up packing their lunch about 4 days a week.

Lunch 100

Lunch Lunches Gift Cards Building 100

Family Balance Sheet

JULY 13, 2016

I am a big Dave Ramsey fan and I often listen to his show while I’m cooking dinner. So I’m thrilled to bring you today’s story, because I actually watched this couple’s debt free scream when it was live on the show. Please welcome Drew & Farrah. They write a personal blog, Where Love Takes Us. Drew & Farrah’s Debt Free Story. 1.

Debt 100

Debt Debt Free Finds Home 100

Family Balance Sheet

APRIL 12, 2016

Today’s Debt Free Story is from Jessica. She owns Every Single Dollar , an online financial resource dedicated to helping single women make informed financial decisions and set themselves up for financial success. 1. Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? What do you for a living? What are your hobbies? I was born in West Palm Beach, FL. My childhood was split between Florida, Ohio and Minnesota.

Credit Cards 100

Credit Cards Debt Debt Free Student 100

Family Balance Sheet

APRIL 6, 2016

This post and giveaway are sponsored by GIANT Food Stores. April 22 marks Earth Day, the one day a year that we set aside to celebrate what’s best for our planet. However, there are simple things we can do every day that help Mother Earth by using less energy, sending less trash to the land fills, and conserving our natural resources. And the bonus to starting these new habits is that you can save quite a bit of money too.

Saving Money 100

Saving Money Gift Cards Money Giveaway 100

Family Balance Sheet

MARCH 18, 2016

Every week, I share what we ate for the week on our budget. Our current monthly grocery budget for my family of 4 is $500. A note about side dishes. For convenience, I frequently serve steamed vegetables and my homemade sugar-free applesauce as side dishes and you will see it often in our menu. And yes, we get bored with frozen vegetables at times, but it’s an easy way to get our vegetables.

Budgeting 100

Budgeting Budget Daughter Leftovers 100

Family Balance Sheet

MARCH 11, 2016

This Week’s Dinners: Saturday: Easy Lasagna , garden salad, bread. Sunday: Leftover lasagna from Saturday. Monday: Meatloaf, smashed potatoes, summer corn, and cantaloupe. I had the meatloaf in the freezer from a few weeks ago. I love prep once, cook twice meals. Tuesday: Easy Sausage Skillet. I found this recipe as I was flipping through a magazine and I had some sausage in the freezer.

Budgeting 100

Budgeting Budget Leftovers Freezers 100

Family Balance Sheet

MARCH 5, 2016

Have you ever blown your budget in four days? Last weekend, my girls had a two day swim meet. My oldest daughter had to be in the pool for warm up at 7 am on Saturday morning. She raced all morning and qualified for the finals in one event. Yay, her! The finals started at 5:30 pm. My other daughter swims in a different age group and they raced in the afternoon.

Budgeting 100

Budgeting Budget Home and Garden Daughter 100

Family Balance Sheet

DECEMBER 22, 2015

Thank you for another awesome year here at Family Balance Sheet. There is so much noise online and I truly appreciate that you stop by and read my little corner of the web. From my family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a rockin’ New year! I’ll see you in January 2016. Kristia. The post We Wish You a Merry Christmas & a Happy 2016!

2016 100

2016 Christmas January New Year's 100

Family Balance Sheet

DECEMBER 11, 2015

It’s PARTY time. The holidays are a fun time to get together with friends and family. Everyone is in a festive mood and these get-togethers don’t happen too often during the rest of the year. It’s not too late to pull a holiday party together for Christmas or New Year’s and you don’t have to blow your budget. Follow these holiday entertaining tips to relieve some stress: Your home will most likely be decorated for the holidays, so cross that off your list.

Christmas 100

Christmas Budgeting Budget Swap 100

Family Balance Sheet

DECEMBER 9, 2015

This is my third installment of Free (but Thoughtful) Christmas Gift Ideas. I LOVE the ten ideas listed in this post (#5 & 7 are my all time favorites), but be sure to find 20 more ideas in the two posts linked to below. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. This series is proof that you don’t need to spend a lot of money on the people you gift to if you use your time, resources, and creativity.

Christmas 100

Christmas Gifts Wall Art Home and Garden 100

Family Balance Sheet

DECEMBER 2, 2015

My children have been blessed every year with outstanding teachers and at Christmas time I want them to feel appreciated for their time and commitment to my kids. We include teacher gifts into our Christmas budget every year, but I also want my children to be part of the gift giving process, whether they craft a card, make an ornament, or write a poem.

Thankful 100

Thankful Holiday Recession Student 100

Family Balance Sheet

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving. We had a beautiful and delicious day. My oldest daughter and I started our morning with the Turkey Trot 5k. The weather on Thursday was perfect. It was sunny and in the low 60’s. We spent the rest of the day with my extended family and after Thanksgiving dinner I browsed the sales circulars and decided that I would venture out around mid-morning on Friday.

Fridays 100

Fridays Kids and Family Daughter Thanksgiving 100

Family Balance Sheet

NOVEMBER 20, 2015

How I Saved this Week: I picked up my free turkey that I earned at Giant. On top of getting the turkey for free, I also received $1 cash reward at Snap by Groupon app –my referral link. A neighbor gave me several green peppers back in September, so I chopped them all up and put them in a freezer bag. I used those chopped peppers in Monday nights dinner.

Budgeting 100

Budgeting Budget Leftovers Freezers 100

Family Balance Sheet

NOVEMBER 16, 2015

This recipe tastes like something you’d only make and serve for Sunday dinner, when you have more time to spend in the kitchen. But this dinner only takes a few minutes to prep and 45 minutes to roast and you will use only ONE PAN. During the roasting time, I have helped with homework, tidied up the house, and even flipped through a magazine. Roasting bone-in chicken will make a delicious gravy and the sweet potatoes come out creamy.

Dinner 100

Dinner Leftovers Baking Recipes 100