Thanks for visiting Ultimate Money Blog! If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Minimalism really speaks to me for many reasons.  Living with less is truly gratifying if it’s something you are interested in. A few of the reasons I like the idea of minimalism is because I save money by not buying new things, my existing things don’t cost as much money as if I had the upkeep of more items, and I’m not contributing to the consumerism.  I hate supporting large companies that don’t care about their workers, the environment, or anything other than their bottom line. I love the idea of not keeping things in my home that aren’t useful or that I love.  If it’s not something that I use on a regular basis, it’s gone.  If I don’t absolutely love it, it’s gone.  Of course, some things (like holiday decorations) are excluded but not exempt.  This year I went through my Christmas decorations and donated some items that I had been hanging onto just because I had the room. [...]

The past six years have been a financial roller coaster for us, and we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (finally!).  When we moved to this state for my hubby to go to school, we incurred moving expenses.  Then I was the only one working while he went to school so our income was pretty low.  In addition, culinary school ended up costing over $36,000 so we took on student loans. After culinary school, we continued to live frugally to be able to pay down our consumer debt.  We ended up paying off that debt this year and it couldn’t feel better. Fortunately, (or unfortunately) I’ve continued the mindset of OMG we need to save as much money as possible! and I’m getting tired of it.  Not to mention, I feel sometimes like it’s hindering my happiness.  Now, I know that money doesn’t buy happiness, but what I am saying is that maybe being a little less stingy with our money would result in more happiness.  I received a comment the other day that [...]

Last year I questioned whether or not secondhand gifts were acceptable.  My reasoning behind that was that I wanted to purchase my niece some clothes for Christmas, and I could purchase a lot more when I shopped at second hand clothing stores.  In the end, I ended up purchasing new clothes for her on sale.  I just didn’t want to create an awkward situation.  I will say that if someone gave me a gift that they really thought I would like that came from a thrift store, I would definitely not be offended.  There are many times people have given me things that were used that were unique and I ended up loving. This year I want to focus on making gifts for people, as I do every year.  I’ll end up purchasing gifts for some people on our list, but I’d rather make things as a creative outlet, to show people I really care, and to help save money.  I really like when I make someone a gift that while I’m making it, I think about them.  I think [...]