And Then We Saved | Page 4 of 101 | Saving Where We Can, So We Can Spend Where We Want.

Surviving Unexpected Life Events During Your Spending Fast

This is a post by Chelsea who is currently doing a Spending Fast®.

Imagine with me for a second that you are cruising along in life, adhering to your Spending Fast contract, when you suddenly lose your job. What would you do? Let’s take it a step further and say that the same day you lost your job, you also lost your house. A bit far-fetched, but just hang in there. What if in that same day you not only lost your job and your house but you also lost your romantic partner AND you had to immediately move out of the state. Your life was great and within one day, everything changed dramatically and you had absolutely no power to stop it from happening.

Welcome to the last 14 days of my life. When this article gets published, it will be exactly two weeks from the day that all of these things happened to me. My partner told me that he wished to terminate the relationship and I moved from Ohio to North Carolina. My column is about transparency and how to survive/succeed on a Spending Fast. While today should have been the day when I announce my grand totals for Month Three, life has thrown me a curve ball and the Spending Fast had to face some challenges.

How I’ve Been Surviving Unexpected Life Events During My Spending Fast…

32 comments
posted on: April 23, 2013
in Spending Fast, Struggle

tagged // budget living, change your life, chelsea overton, getting out of debt, how to change your life, how to do a spending fast, personal finance, surviving life changes during spending fast

11 Reasons to Spring Clean

We’re steadily cruising through the April showers and are on our way to May flowers. Tulips are popping up and our windows are sliding open. What does this mean for us? It’s quite simple really: Spring Cleaning. This list will motivate you to tidy things up. Save a buck, make a buck, and appreciate the Spring-Clean shine.

11 Reasons to Spring Clean. . .

4 comments
posted on: April 22, 2013
in De-Clutter, Grateful

tagged // Anna Johnson, budget living, cleaning tips, Family & Relationships, Houzz, how to have style without spending money, Lauren Mikus, Nicole Lanteri, Savvy Chic, The Art of More for Less

DIY Painted Pillow!

My couch has been feeling a little naked lately. It was looking a little drab and bare and there was really nothing to celebrate about it. You see, it was in desperate need of a pillow party, but here was my dilemma: pillows can mucho expensive! In fact, the most affordable pillow’s I could find that were bright and fun and fresh were $25.oo a piece. That would just not do. So I did what any proud DIY-er would do. I rolled up my DIY sleeves and threw myself a DIY Pillow Party! Wanna party too?

Check out this easy-peasy DIY painted pillow tutorial!…

7 comments
posted on: April 20, 2013
in DIY, Just For Fun

tagged // DIY, DIY Pillow, DIY projects, easy ways to change the way your home looks, handmade pillow, how to make your space fresh with little money, painted pillow, Pillow, room makeover, Sewing

PARTY DOWN! Spring/Summer Wardrobe Updates For Under $100

Whenever the seasons change, I always feel like I have nothing to wear. This is a dangerous feeling, because it makes me buy impulsively. But when I look at what I actually need, would get great use out of, and what I would love for a long time, I make wiser choices–and save a ton of money. These round-ups are entirely comprised of super-cheap stuff, but try to balance some items that will last a while with the more inexpensive.

How to make some cheap wardrobe updates, with easy-to-incorporate items that will lighten up your closet and stay in rotation for future seasons…
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one comment
posted on: April 19, 2013
in Practical Solutions, Style

tagged // cheap wardrobe updates, clothes, how to have great style inexpensively, how to look great on less, party down, style on the cheap, under 100

Success is Closer Than You Realize

It’s easy to feel discouraged when things don’t happen the way we want or if they don’t happen as fast as we’d like them to but please, keep going. Success is way closer than you realize.

one comment
posted on: April 17, 2013
in Motivation

tagged // how to be successful, how to get out of debt, how to stay motivated through getting out of debt process, motivational quotes, secrets of successful people, success is close

DIY Birthday Card Banner – Skip That Expensive Store Card

I hate spending money on birthday cards. Usually, they are lame and cost a pretty penny. So, say you fork out the money to actually buy the card. Then, you get to stuff it in an envelope, tape it to a gift, and watch it get glanced at for 20 seconds before getting thrown out. And that’s when you’ve actually written a nice note inside. If you didn’t write a nice note, don’t expect that card to last past a few seconds.

So why spend the money when you can make your own birthday card banner for pennies? Your kids will love taking it to parties, and the party child will be delighted when they see what you’ve brought.

How To Make a DIY Birthday Card Banner…