I just shared the girl’s Easter basket ideas and now sharing for boys below! Hoping this helps you with your shopping and it saves you time and headaches! Happy Easter shopping!
Continue readingCategory: Thrifty Tricks
Easter Basket Ideas for Girls 2025
Good morning and happy Monday! It’s been busy, busy, busy around here and I know the kiddos and I are ready for spring break! I can’t believe Easter is right around the corner! Such a beautiful time of year! Today, I’m sharing some fun Easter basket goodies that scream summer and spring. I like to give the kiddos things they will be needing for the upcoming seasons as gifts!
Continue readingThree Years with our Mini Bernedoodle
Hey and Happy Thursday! Today I wanted to share a little more about our Mini Bernedoodle, Nellie who just turned 3! I can’t believe how many views these posts have received – there must be an increased interest in the breed! So, if you were anything like me 3 years ago – searching for any information I could find about Bernedoodles, you’ve come to the right place!
First, I always start out by saying, we had no intention on a dog. We thought our lifestyle would be WAYY too busy for a dog, but it is crazy how you find a way to make it work. It also helps that I am a stay at home Mom, so I am around her a lot, that made us feel more comfortable with the decision. Getting a dog was one of the best decisions. She brings us pure joy. We are always fascinated by her (and the fact there is an animal living in our house).
Continue readingTip Jar: Budgeting tips for 2025
Tis’ the season! This past weekend, my husband and I sat down to do the annual exam of our household budget and savings plan for the year ahead. We thoroughly look at our budget and realistically examine potential expenses and find ways to cut/save money for the upcoming year.
The cost of living increase does make it difficult when it comes to trying to save and budget. We have a firm understanding of our budget and update an excel doc we’ve been using for years to see what has changed. One of things I cannot believe is how much our grocery and food spend has increased over the years. It’s slightly sickening!
Having a detailed awareness of your budget can allow you to prepare for future expenses (i.e. school, home projects, home maintenance issues, etc.), reconsider what items are truly important and remove things that waste money all while challenging yourself to become a better saver.
moreOur Two Year Old Mini Bernedoodle, Nellie
Happy Thursday, everyone! I’ve decided to write a post about our dog, Nellie, today! She will be turning 2 in a month (I can’t believe it!) and I’ve noticed a lot more traffic to my Nellie posts as of recent! I thought I would share a brief update as well as any information I feel could be helpful!
I’ve shared this a million time, we had no intent on getting a dog. We say it all the time, it as the best decision ever for our family. We love her so so much!
I also have shared before, I never grew up with a dog and literally had no clue how to do this dog parent thing. I read through Casear Milans’s (the Dog Whisperer) book – there was really good intel in there, but a lot we didn’t listen to. Nellie is overall a VERY good dog. She is super sweet and has come to understand certain boundaries (i.e. our property and walking without a leash).
Continue readingOur Cleveland Staycation!
Happy Tuesday my blog reading friends! As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we did our annual staycation to end winter break and I have to say it was a good one! Not only was I grateful for the things we have in our life, but I was beyond blown away at how BLESSED we are to live in such a beautiful city.
Cleveland, Ohio gets a bad wrap. Not sure why, but in the past decade at least, there have been incredible transformations to the Downtown area. I have a great pride and love for our hometown and if you chose to visit it, I think you would be shocked too.
I highly recommend making a trip to Cleveland, especially if you have kids, there are plenty of things to do!
Summertime is obviously one of the best times to visit, you have the Flats, which allows you to dine on the gorgeous riverfront. There is Lake Erie and the Lake Erie Islands, where you can spend time on the beach or near the water! There is Cedar Point, an incredible place for families, I’ve shared this before. There are world class museums, beautiful architecture, incredible history, the second best Theatre District outside of New York City AND I cannot fail to mention our awesome sports teams, ha! Basically, you should add it to your bucket list!
moreEaster Basket Ideas for Girls
Good morning and happy Tuesday! I can’t believe Easter is right around the corner! Such a beautiful time of year! Today, I’m sharing some fun Easter basket goodies that scream summer and spring. I like to give the kiddos things they will be needing for the upcoming seasons as gifts!
Continue readingOne Year With Nellie – Our Mini Bernedoodle
Hey, hey, hey everyone! Happy Thursday! We celebrated Nellie’s first birthday a month ago and ever since I was planning to share a post about puppy! So, that’s what I’m going to share here today!
We had no intent on getting a dog – in fact we had told Audrey so many times “we’re never getting a dog?” Fast forward and we both say how it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. While it’s been a bit of a learning curve, sweet girl has been amazing and fairly easy for us! There are a handful of basic obedience things we need to brush up on (she gets overly excited when she sees people – which is our fault we greet her with over excitement all the time) but for the most part, she is a very good and a total sweetheart – especially with our kids and others.
Continue readingSurviving Winter: My Household Must-Haves
Happy Tuesday! Haven’t been here in a bit! It’s always a goal of mine to be consistent on here, but at the same time, my family and mental well-being are more important! I have become better at not stressing about posting super regularly! I’m just out here trying to do my best! With that being said, I had this on my blogging calendar for today and didn’t want to miss it!
Since we are from Cleveland in Northeast Ohio, you know we’ve got WINTER experience! While we’ve had a seemingly mild winter (knock on wood) there are still things we use, do and/or need to “survive” our winters around here. Today, I’m sharing a list of my fav household items that help us “survive” winter!
Continue readingMID-MONTH UPDATE- Thrifty Thursday: 2023 – No Spend January Challenge
I shared at the beginning of the month that we are doing NO SPEND JANUARY in our household. After doing a yearly budget review, it’s a chance to reset and find the areas that put the most stress on our budget and impede on our savings plan.
If you missed it, I blogged about it last year – it was a huge success and a great reset for us!
moreLook For Less: Drug store beauty products that rock
Happy Thursday! This week is just flying right on by. We have a sick kiddo in the house and I have been using this time to think through some garden related items! What’s crazy to me is that I am about to start seeds in my basement this week. Seriously?! I’m extremely pumped to get growing again!
Today I’m sharing my tried and true beauty favs that’s I’m obsessed with! I’m not a beauty guru, but I can attest to these drug store products I’ve been using for a long time that won’t break the bank and last forever!!
Continue readingThrifty Thursday: 2023 – No Spend January Challenge
It’s that time of year again! A time that I actually love – looking ahead to a new year and setting goals and realistic expectations for our household. Budgeting is something we rely HEAVY on! When things fall off the rails, we look back and see what went wrong and how we can improve it as best we can.
Coming off a holiday break and Christmas can be a tough way to end the year in the budgeting department. That’s why I’ve decided to jump on the NO SPEND JANUARY train again this year.
If you missed it, I blogged about it last year – it was a huge success and a great reset for us!
moreAmazon Prime Time – Some Recent Purchases and my Tried & True Favs
Good morning and happy Wednesday! It has been BUSY around here, my goodness! This time of the year, I start the process of winterizing all the things! I try to button up as many outside items I can while the weather is still a little nice! I was planning on sharing some of my recent Amazon purchases and now that it’s Early Prime Deal Access for Prime holders. I thought I would share some of my tried & true favs around here.
moreJust a few of my favorite FALL things!
Happy Fall all! Honestly, it is such a bittersweet time of the year for me. I truly love our summers here in Northeast Ohio – I love the weather, the long days, gardening, being outside – all of it! Fall is an absolutely beautiful time here too, but I start to think about winter. Doing my best to embrace all that fall has to offer and forget about hibernation season.
MorELook For Less: Summer Wedding Guest Dress Round-up
I am SOO excited to share today’s post with you! I have been on the hunt for a new dress for some upcoming weddings we have. These dresses are awesome quality and won’t break the bank as well! I love them all and I hope this is helpful for you in case you are looking for a dress for any special occasion!
Continue readingPrime Time – My Amazon Favorites
Good morning and happy Tuesday! Today I’m sharing some Amazon favorites with you for Prime Day. I thought I would share some of our absolute household favorites around here that you can find for a steal!
moreEaster Basket Ideas for Boys
Happy Wednesday! I cannot believe Easter is just DAYS AWAY! This month is absolutely flying! Today, I’m sharing some Easter basket fillers for boys in case you are looking for some extra cute things to put in your baskets!
Continue readingEaster Basket Ideas for Girls
I’ve had this on my blog calendar for the past 3 weeks and of course I’m now just getting around to it! If you are last minute like me, I’m sharing some Easter basket fillers for girls today! Check back tomorrow for my basket fillers for boys!
Continue readingThrifty Thursday – Spring Clothing Haul – Creating Capsules for the kiddos
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you! Hope you are able to enjoy a beer and a corned beef sandwich, I know that’s what I plan on doing tonight! For today’s thrifty Thursday, I’m sharing (yet again!) how I shop for my kids clothing. I shared a toddler clothing capsule on Black Friday because that’s when I do a MAJOR winter clothing haul at Kohl’s. You can also check out last year’s spring clothing haul post. I absolutely love the Jumping Beans brand – it’s affordable, very basic and has ALL the essentials!
Continue readingDollar Tree Finds – Easter Basket Edition
Happy Monday! Today I’m sharing some recent Dollar Tree finds that are perfect for your kids, grandkids or niece and nephew Easter baskets! Dollar Tree has some super cute Easter/Spring items in stores right now and I recently went in to grab some things for an Easter egg hunt at our house this year!
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