Save Money on a Road Trip

Road trips are so much fun! Especially when they’re with the right people - or person! I cannot tell you how many miles of highway we’ve covered over the last ten years, but it is a very high number. We’ve become pretty good at road tripping, and even better at saving money while doing it. It took a little trial and error, but here are our tips so that you don’t have to go through that part. Let us know at the end what your best road trip money saving tips you have!

Set a budget

The first step in saving money for anything is setting a budget - an exact amount that you can spend, or should not spend over. When we budget for road trips, we consider how many miles we will be traveling to decide on how much to allot for gas, and how many days we will be taking. Another thing to consider is whether you will be driving your own car, or renting a car, and what the possible charges for that will be (don’t forget to look if the company limits your miles!).

Prep your own snacks for along the way 

Not only will prepping your own snacks save you money, they will save you time as well! If you’re anything like me, you’d probably like to save the money you allotted for eating to eat out once getting to your destination rather than doing it along the way. Prepping easy, and healthy snacks will keep your prices down and save you time along the way that you would have used for stopping and ordering and the like. Another plus? You can use this opportunity to pack healthy snacks that will keep your energy up!

Use gas buddy to find the best gas prices on the road

Since you have to buy gas anyway, why not do a quick 10-second check to see where you can get the best deal along your route? It’s sometimes worth it to check prices along the way! I use an app called Gas Buddy to find the best deals around me frequently, and it has definitely paid off at times.

Consider alternate lodging along the way

Rather than staying in a nice hotel along the way, consider alternate lodging. Do you know a hospitable friend in the area you could stay with? Are you a camper? Oftentimes setting up a tent along the way is inexpensive. What about AirBNB? The possibilities are pretty much endless.

Get the most out of your gas 

Before you leave, make sure your tire pressure is where it should be to get the most out of your mileage. Using cruise control also helps!

Consider Parking

Scout out the parking where you are going. I can’t tell you how many times I hadn’t even thought of that and found out parking was a crazy amount of money when I got there. Look ahead of time and see if you can find cheaper or even free parking nearby. Once, we got to our destination and the parking was OUTRAGEOUS. Some planning ahead would have saved us a headache.

Avoid getting a ticket

Avoiding traffic tickets will save you big bucks. Make sure to follow all road signs, including speed signs and traffic lights on your road trip. Be familiar with the rules of the road where you are going, as they do sometimes vary!

Calculate Tolls

Don’t forget about tolls! You may want to consider using a toll calculator to estimate how much you will be spending on tolls. Be aware that some tolls are now cashless and require some kind of tag transponder to avoid a surcharge. It might be worth it to get the system required where you will be traveling. Another option is to avoid tolls all together. You can make sure your settings in Google Maps avoid tolls to do this.

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What are some ways you save money on road trips?

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How we paid off $92,170.21 of student loans in 4 years

We are finally debt-free! Well, not entirely. We do have a mortgage, but it doesn’t seem like debt since we would be paying rent if we didn’t have one. But anyway. I’m talking about student-loan free! I actually had a goal to have it completely paid off by the time I was 30, and I made it with over a year to spare! 

I had student debt of $92,170.21 CAD (about $70,600.00 USD) in loans. I didn’t really want to make this a “how-to post.” Instead, it’s a “how-we” post. I’m just sharing how we were able to get $92K plus interest (yikes...so.much.interest) paid off in 4 years and one month (on small incomes!). I don’t think we celebrate these things enough, nor talk about them nearly enough. I feel like this was an accomplishment in my life - finally paying for the education I got, so hence the post. 

A little bit of background: I would have never taken so many loans had I been educated on them. They told us about credit card debt in school, but never about student loans. Anyway, you already know I took them out. When that six month grace period was over and we needed to start paying loans back, I was not able to work. Because we were living out of the country, I was not allowed to submit that I was unable to work to hold off the interest incurring. That was a huge bummer, but we sucked it up, and started making payments - freshly married and living on one small income. Exceeeeept, they weren’t really payments. We were only able to afford barely above minimum payments, which meant we didn’t get any principal paid off. Year two rolled around, and I was finally able to work, however, I was barely making enough for groceries, so not much changed in the paying back area. I finally got a full-time job after that, and we knocked them out in 2 years after that.

So what did we do?

Well,

We faced the numbers

I feel like student loans are made complicated when it comes to paying them back. I mean, I could not get a straight number on the statements they were sending. Setting up a login so that I could see everything in depth and even making a few phone calls to the loan agents made life so much easier easier. Sure, it wasn’t pleasant seeing that huge number on the computer screen, but once we knew exactly what it was and what the numbers broke down into (principal, interest, etc.), we could come up with a solid plan. Using a loan calculator helped us make a goal and set how much we would need to pay off each month in order to succeed. That also was a little scary considering the salaries of a private school teacher and a pastor are already tiny, but we buckled down and accepted it.

We paid well above the minimum

Minimum payments are kind of a cruel thing. You basically pay the interest and don’t really end up paying anything off after months and months - even though you swear money is going in some kind of pot. Unless you are paying above the minimum, you are really not paying off the loan. My student debt was actually broken between 3 separate entities and during our repayment time, we always paid above the minimum for all three loans. How? Well, 

We lived off one income

Once I finally started working, about 85% of what I made (after tithe and charitable donations) went into paying off loans. On top of that, a percentage of what the husband made also went towards loans. So nice of him, considering he had zero student debt. That meant that we continued living as we always did - on one very small income. And it meant that we were putting almost $3,000 into our loans each month. I’m so glad we had this opportunity - it definitely gave us a leg up.

We Used the Debt Avalanche Method

As I mentioned, my student debt was from 3 parties. We took an evening to do some intense math and decided to pay off the one with the highest interest first, while still putting some into the other two. It just happened to be the largest one. Sure, it took a while, but after that, it was easy to knock out the other two in that descending order as well. We had also looked into the snowball effect, but for us, doing the opposite was better, since we were determined anyway. Plus, we hated that we were paying so much interest and wanted to minimize it as soon as possible.

We budgeted

A budget was key to paying off loans quickly. With two full-time incomes, it was tempting to put the extra money toward something else instead, but we both knew we wanted freedom from the debt that was just getting larger the longer we took to pay. There was one point that we started paying a little bit less in order to save up for a downpayment on our house, but we maintained paying over the minimum payments, and by that time, the largest $40K loan had already been paid off. A budget that allowed us to save a bit was necessary. We had to get creative sometimes to stay within budget, but that’s another post for another time. 

We did not incur more debt

Aside from the mortgage we got in year four, we refused to take on more unnecessary debt (of course, the mortgage was not unnecessary but more on that in a different post). For example, instead of buying a car from the lot with a payment plan during that time, we saved up for one year and purchased a used vehicle with cash instead. This saved us a lot and our car has served us well! Another thing we used was a credit card with cashback. We have never paid interest on our credit card because we never spend more than we actually have. As a result, cashback really is cashback, and we took advantage of that.

We took advantage of bonuses and gifts

Christmas bonus? Loan. Birthday cash? Loan. You get the idea. The extra amounts earned or given we were able to put in helped speed up the process of knocking the loans out. 

We celebrated wins

You had better believe there was dancing involved when we hit milestones in our repayment journey. We pumped ourselves up and celebrated - because how dang exciting is getting closer (and actually seeing that you’re getting closer) to your goals!? Extremely.

We gave

We are fully of the opinion (and I think fact) that God takes care of us when we are faithful. We decided from the very beginning to be faithful and return a 10% tithe on everything we earned. There were so many times the numbers in our bank account didn’t make sense; it seemed like we had more than we should many times. And it still is that way. Jesus’ math doesn’t make sense sometimes, but I am grateful!

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Did you take out a student loan? How did you approach paying it off when the time came to do so?

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I Switched to a Menstrual Cup and Here is What Happened

Word of caution: if you are squeamish, you may want to skip this post. I went back and forth with writing this post but finally decided to. With Earth Day this last weekend, it turned out to be pretty much perfect timing, even though I didn't intend it that way. I'm not one to talk to the world about traditionally private issues, but my life has changed so drastically, that I can't keep silent! This is just one post that I plan on writing about this topic, so stay tuned! By the way, there are affiliate links used in this post, but know I only suggest products I've tried and love!

As you know, I'm constantly looking for ways to save money, to create less waste, and to eliminate as many toxins from my lifestyle as I can. Feminine hygiene was never something I thought to even consider, but it turns out I was wrong, and I'm okay with admitting that to the world. 

First off, I had no idea that there were so many potentially harmful chemicals used in the manufacturing of pads and tampons. Chemicals are used to bleach the product white, and even aid with absorption. Of course, there natural, chlorine-free and 100% cotton products available, as well as cloth options, but my next concerns were cost and also waste production.

According to a quick Google search, most women use a lifetime estimate of 11,000 pads or tampons! That is a lot of trash! If you think that you are just one person, think about the billions of females on earth who each menstruate for about 40 years of their lives...that sure adds up to hundreds of pounds of disposable products in landfills all over the world. These products also contain plastics that do not break down very easily if at all.

I toyed with the idea of a feminie hygiene cup for over a year before taking the plunge. I could not get my head around a cup going in places the sun doesn't shine (sorry). I went back and forth, watched countless Youtube videos (the ones where they put the cup in a glass tube, haha!) and read a plethora of articles about all things menstrual cups.  I actually think I informed myself a little toooooo much, because this went on for so long. I even tried other eco ways that didn't involve the silicone goodness (more on those experiences later!!) Finally, I just decided it was time to jump in with both feet. I walked into a drugstore with the sole purpose of buying one of those silicone babies (upon reflection, I'm not sure why I didn't just get one online...), found my size (there is a pre-baby and post baby option), put down my money, and walked right out.

I didn't expect to love it right away, but I did. While there definitely was a learning curve, I stuck it out, stayed persistent, and it paid off. After just one cycle of use, I was already convinced and [almost] looking forward to the following one. I never thought any sentiment even close to that would happen, but it did, and I was sold. 

“Most women use a lifetime estimate of 11,000 pads or tampons! That is a lot of trash!”

TWEET IT!!

After a few months, my convictions stayed the same. I love how easy it is to use, how there are no risks for things such as Toxic Shock Syndrome, how there is no smell (!!!!!!!), and the fact that the trash can has not once been overflowing with waste.  

Some Things You Should Know:

There are many different brands of cups. I have personally only used Diva Cup, however, I really want to try some others. If you have no success with the first one, that's fine - pick another brand and try again! There are all sorts - including a collapsable one that fits right into your purse!

There is a learning curve. But don't give up! Give it at least 3 months before you completely throw it to the side.

Make sure you know how to dispose of your cup. Depending on the material your particular cup of choice, each manufacturer offers a suggested way of disposal. Diva Cup (made of healthcare grade non-absorbant silicone) suggests cutting up your cup before throwing it into the trash, while some cups are able to be recycled. The good news is that with proper use cups may last quite some time before you have to worry about that. 

Get ready to save money! While the cup was more money up front (and most cost between $20 and $40), it only took a few months before it paid for itself. Of course, it depends on what products you typically purchase, but eventually, it all evens out (and is it just me, or is the price for tampons and pads going up?!).

Some people say that cramps will go away with menstrual cup usage. I have not found this to be even remotely true :) 

Depending on your flow, you can keep the cup in for 12 hours - with no leakage risk! No more gross tampon string or diaper-feeling pad. I'm grossed out just thinking about it. This also is a tremendous help in my case as a teacher, since I can't leave every 4-8 hours to make changes in my life... Just saying. Confession: I've had mine in for 24 hours with not even a slight issue. Just depends!

You may still need a backup. Especially when you're still perfecting the art of the cup. You could still use a liner, or if you're like me and feel accomplishment in a low-to-no-waste week, something more eco-friendly like period underwear (more on that in another post). 

Menstrual cups are easy to find! I got mine at the drugstore, but you can get them pretty much anywhere - and they're cheapest online (Grab one from Amazon here). Bonus: they come with a cute carrying case for in-between cycles!

This is not a paid ad. I just love the cup that much! Of course, if you choose to use my link to purchase your own cup, I will get a few cents - but really, I just felt the need to share the wonderful thing that is the menstrual cup!

In Conclusion,

I have had an awesome experience with a menstrual cup: I feel better about having less waste production, I love knowing that there are no harmful chemicals leeching into my body, no risk of leaks and embarrassment and that I'm saving a whole lot of money! There are tons of reasons to switch to a menstrual cup!

Diva Cup Size 1 | Diva Cup Size 2 | Diva Wash

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What's your "green" way to deal with red times of the month? Let me know below! Any questions?

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Clean Up Your Budget This Spring

Of course, the title of this post is about cleaning up your budget, so it is assuming you have already have one, but if you don't have one and want to use your money intentionally, you definitely need a budget (post on that coming)! It's never too late to make one and never the wrong time of year to clean it up a little bit. 

Evaluate your spending and make a list of your expenses.

Ideally you've been tracking all of your spending already, so take a look at your numbers. Make a list of your necessary expenses - the nonnegotiable ones that you can't change such as rent/mortgage and other bills. Assess your spending.

Clean Out Your Un-Needed Expenses and reorganize:

Maybe you can cut back on your gas and electricity consumption, or perhaps you decide that your monthly manicure isn't completely necessary. Maybe your life situation has changed since you last created your budget and you can cut back in different ways. Here are a few other ideas:

Make Your Own Lunch: Leftovers work great for this - make a little extra the night before and put it in a container for the next day right away. Not into leftovers? Make a fresh salad or a sandwich - or something completely complicated, but fresh!

Skip the Daily Coffee Shop Visit: While your daily visits for coffee won't make you broke, you can save hundreds of dollars a year by making your own! Buy a reusable coffee mug that keeps your beverage of choice hot (or cold) for a long period of time. I make myself some herbal tea every morning before heading off to work, and my mug is a permanent fixture on my desk. If it’s not there, I have very concerned students who ask if I had a rough morning…

Quit a Subscription: Whether it’s Netflix, a gym membership, or a magazine, you may want to reevaluate the value of some of your subscriptions.

Start to Meal Plan: Save on your grocery bill by meal planning and shopping what you already have in your fridge and pantry. Save money AND keep food from spoiling!

Related: Cut Down on your Grocery Bill Without Cutting Back on Food

Make Goals

Now that you have cleaned up your expenses and hopefully have some left over, go ahead and start thinking about what your goals are! Maybe you can set aside that extra cash to save up for something you really want or need, or pay off a large chunk of debt you have.

 

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Did you add your budget to your Spring Cleaning list? It's never too late!

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Poor Man's Lentil Soup

It was one of those months where we needed to get creative with what was in our pantry. It happens a few times a year where what we have needs to stretch out as long as possible - not necessarily always because we're short on cash, but especially when we have a new goal (like a trip or a larger purchase) that we want to aim toward. There are also times where we feel it a good idea to "clean out" our pantry by making sure we eat what we have to avoid spoil.

Usually, we purpose to not spend a penny during these times, relying on canned and frozen vegetables to accompany our other staples, but this time around, we splurged and were able to score some inexpensive, and fresh produce at the farmer's market!

I love soup and have never associated it with not having money, so it's always a welcome dish to me. However, it is also one of those things my husband does not anticipate to fill him long enough, so I always purpose to make it hearty. I, however, enjoy more brothy soups, so this was a great in-between. The lentils fill us, but the broth is so yummy, and perfect for some bread to soak up. 

The fresh kale makes it even more enjoyable - I love the texture and colour that this soup has; the bright oranges and greens! 

This soup is not only extremely inexpensive to make - it is also flexible (use beans or potaoes or whatever you have in the pantry/fridge instead of lentils) and amazingly easy to make. 

Poor Man's Lentil Soup

What you need:

• 1 TBSP olive oil

• 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 stalk celery roughly chopped

• 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

• 3 TBSP homemade vegan chicken-style seasoning

• 2 tsp salt

• sea salt to taste

• 1/2 cup dried lentils

• 4 cups water

• 4 cups vegetable broth (try this homemade version!)

• 1/2 bunch of kale, roughly chopped

• Your favourite vegan sausage (optional)

What to do:

1. Cook carrot, celery and onion with 2 tsp salt in olive oil in a heavy stock pot or dutch oven

2. Add vegetable stock, water, garlic, seasoning and lentils

3. Simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are cooked

4. Add kale and allow to turn a deep green and wilt a bit before stirring into the soup.

5. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve hot!

(good in the fridge for 4 days)

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What are some of your go-to meals when cleaning out your pantry? 

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