Traveling on a Budget

Last week, we took a 3 day road trip to Illinois from Dallas for a job interview for the hubby. Just to let you know this is a 10 hour trip with a toddler in the back seat! Anyway, our monthly budget wasn't quite able to handle this trip but, it was something that was really important for hubby if it works out. We were actually able to pull off the trip for a lot less than I thought. Here are some ways that we cut back on expenses.

1. We drove instead of flying...yes 10 hours in the car with a toddler isn't as much fun as you would like it to be but, we were able to bring everything we needed and didn't have to worry about renting a car when we got there

2. We packed three days worth of lunches and snacks and ate at rest areas... usually, hubby and I look at road trips as a great excuse to eat gross fast food and gas station snacks but, this time I took my happy coupon self to the grocery store and made sandwiches, cookies, and packed up some fruit and cheese as well as a massive pack of bottled water that I got on sale for 2.99

3. We stayed at a cheaper hotel... I was pretty spoiled growing up and staying in nice hotels but, this time we stayed at a Quality Inn, which was pretty okay. It was less than $80 a night which was great with me.

4. We made sure that our hotel had a free continental breakfast... This is great, you don't have to worry about getting breakfast some where because it's right in your hotel, and it's free!

5. Our room had a refrigerator and a microwave... so, we could save our sandwiches for the road and any leftovers we had could be reheated if need be.

6. I didn't go out and buy new toys for C, instead I dug through his toys to find ones he hadn't used in a while... He was really excited to see some of his old toys, I did bring a few favorites though.

7. No souvenirs... since this was technically a business trip, we didn't buy and souvenirs.

8. Cruise Control, learn, love it, use it... the last car I had didn't have cruise control. It still got pretty good gas mileage and when I started driving this car I had a hard time getting used to using it. Well, I realized on this trip, cruise control really does help with your gas mileage.

We did end up eating out for both of our dinners but, we had planned that. You have to get out a little bit! What sorts of things do you do to save money when traveling??

Getting Married?

If you are getting married or have a major event requiring decorations or centerpieces coming up and you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area you HAVE to check out High Fire Designs.

High Fire Designs is owned by one of my favorite people and co-author of my other blog 2 by 2. Amanda is a very talented artist that has branched out into the world of wedding decor. The coolest thing about High Fire Designs is that they help you decide what kind of decor to use based on your color scheme and ideas and then they come up with a personalized centerpiece which you can rent from them. You give them your thoughts and they make it happen beautifully, they do all the work for you! No worrying about buying more stuff or breaking the budget for centerpieces.

You can see some great pictures of their work if you check out High Fire Designs on Facebook or you can head on over to their new blog for inspiration and money saving tips on decor.

Here We Go!

First off, let me introduce myself...

I'm Christine, a SAHM to a fabulous 16 month old boy C with Baby Girl due in August. For the last year and a half I've been adjusting to mommyhood and living on a single income. My husband is a teacher/musician and we all know what that means...living on a meager single income! Through this time, not only have I been having the most fun in the world with C, I've been learning how to become more frugal and how to pinch every last penny. I've come a long way in this journey but, still have a ways to go.

I have another blog here that I started with a friend of mine from college. We talk about the ups and downs of mommyhood and raising a toddler while being pregnant with #2. But, I started this blog for people like me, adjusting to being SAHM's and living on one income. I never realized how much money my husband and I just threw out the window until we really needed it! I am not an avid couponer, although I do use coupons most times, and this is not a crazy deal blog. What I am is a mom looking for tips and tricks to save money; whether it be cooking from scratch, stockpiling, menu planning, making your own baby wipes, or just plain old not eating out. I will show you how one SAHM does it.