Early spring we tagged along on one of Casey’s work trip to Orlando. Each Christmas we like to do a trip in the next year as our family’s present, so for our Christmas 2018 trip we took advantage of Casey going to Orlando and we all went to Disney World! Casey and I both really enjoy Disney, but had always said we’d wait to make a Disneyland/World trip until our kids were old enough to “enjoy it.” (You pay a lot for that Disney magic, we wanted to make sure we’d get our monies worth!) We didn’t know how Rhett would do since he was so young, but he had an absolute blast! It actually changed my opinion on Disney with small kids- he may not remember, but I always will! I loved watching him experience all the sights, rides, characters and shows- it’s true what they say about experiencing magic through your kids’ eyes. The weather was actually pretty cold and rainy while we were there, but we were coming from an even colder and snowy Utah, so it didn’t stop our fun! I’ve been reminiscing on this trip a lot lately and thinking we need to compare it with Disneyland… what do you say, Casey? (;

This spring I also relaunched my shop, Baby Gowns Co, which sells knotted baby sleepers. It’s been a labor of love, especially while I was pregnant and put on bed rest! But it’s been really fun and I’ve loved being able to improve my sewing skills. I’m proud of what I’ve grown and have lots of dreams and goals for my shop and am excited (and nervous, to be honest!) to see where things go.

We grew a garden, which was definitely Casey’s labor of love (you can read about it here) and it was so much fun to watch grow and eat from it all summer and into the fall! He spent so much time tending to it and learning all about the fruits and vegetables he grew, and honestly really has a talent and true green thumb! We’ve been missing it these past few weeks since the frost came and killed everything off!

We spent a few days in McCall, Idaho, where Casey’s dad lives. My sister-in-law Sierra got married in the most picturesque wedding there on the lake. She made all of her own decorations and gave me allllll the DIY project goals! Casey’s dad walked her down the aisle and Rhett kept calling for “grandpa!” He kept doing it during the ceremony as well and couldn’t understand why his grandpa wasn’t turning around to play with him. He was being so cute and sweet, but I’m sorry it kind of ruined the ambience, Sierra! It was such a beautiful wedding and a fun trip spent with family.

The biggest event of the summer was definitely the arrival of our second son, Jack. He was induced three weeks early since I was high risk with preeclampsia. Everything went well, other than my epidural wearing off right as it was time to push- that was real fun. Not really, it wasn’t fun at all haha! He has a head of dark brown hair, which was a total surprise to us since Casey, Rhett and I were all bald babies- we didn’t know we could make a baby with hair! He also has the sweetest bright blue eyes, which none of the rest of us have, but I’m hoping they’ll stay that way! Rhett is obsessed with Jack, always wanting to hold, kiss and love on him, which I feel has helped make the transition a lot easier. He is such a sweetheart and the perfect addition to our family, we seriously love him so much!

After Jack was born I blinked and now it’s three months later. I wasn’t kidding when I said this years been the fastest! Rhett turned two, which also blows my mind! He’s at such a fun stage right now, so celebrating his birthday was extra special. He knows every word to the Happy Birthday song and looooved that everyone kept singing to him haha! We woke him up by filling his crib with balloons, which are one of his very most favorite things and we’ve decided we’ll continue this tradition with each of our kids forever haha! He is the most loved little two year old and just the best. These boys bring so much fun, joy and cRaZy into our lives.

We’ve also started making changes to our home, which is really exciting to me. We have lots of big plans for the house, so it’s fun to see things finally happening. I’d love to share our ideas, before and after’s and progress here on the blog- let me know your guys’ thoughts and if thats something you’d all be into!

I have a feeling these next two months are going to go even faster, but am excited for the upcoming festivities, holidays and fun with our two little ones!

KITCHEN

• Plates and bowls
• Utensils
• Glasses/ cups and mugs
• Pots and pans
• Baking sheet
• Serving utensils
• Mixing bowls (various sizes)
• Cutting board
• Knives
• Watcher pitcher
• Hand towels
• Paper towels
• Dish soap
• Sponge and cleaning rags
• Hand soap
• Microwave
• Fire extinguisher

BATHROOM

• Toilet paper
• Hand towels
• Face towels
• Bath towels
• Bath mat outside shower
• Hand soap
• Complimentary travel size toiletries
• Clorox wipes
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Multi-surface cleaner
• Toilet brush and plunger

BEDROOM/ Living Space

• Extra set of sheets
• Pillows
• Nightstands with lamps
• Television
• Heater/ fan
• Hangers in the closet
• Extra blankets
• Laundry hamper

I feel like there are little things missing, so I’ll be sure to update this list if I come across more items to include! I would love to hear what YOU have included in your Air Bnb or if there are items that you’ve appreciated and were impressed by in your travels! Let me know if there’s anything we should add to our list!

Costco Robes- These babies are plush, long and ohhhh so cozy. I love a good robe, especially during the cold winter months, and you just can’t beat Costco’s price! If you aren’t a member, try Amazon! OR join Costco because you are missing out on awesome products and prices there! There are both men’s and women’s robes and are cheaper in store than they are online!

New Slippers- These are also Costco finds (so seriously, RUN to your nearest store!) and are such an awesome gift! I have had my favorite pair for yeeears and am finally coming to terms with the fact that it’s time to upgrade- but they have lasted me a solid 10 years of consistent wear! Here is the link to the women’s slippers and here is the link for the men’s slippers. Trust me, these will be a hit!

Portable Charger- This one is a little on the pricier end of the gift guide, but it is SUCH good quality and comes in quite h andy! I cannot say enough good things about my Anker Charger. You can plug anything with a USB port into it, which I love, and it will fully charge my phone from dead SIX TIMES. That is crazy. Everyone needs one (or two!) of these!

Body Massager- This one is high up on my list! I watched a video about how you can use it to massage and apply pressure to spots all over your body and I am obsessed! Everyone needs a little relaxation in their life, and at just over eleven bucks, this massager can’t be beat!

Chatbooks- This is SUCH a special and personal gift, perfect for close family and friends. BUT if you don’t have pictures that you would want to compile into a book to give them, the gift of a Chatbooks gift card is perfect for them to go and create their own! Inexpensive, saves memories and will last forever- it truly is a gift that keeps on giving! You can get $10 free on your first book (which a 30 page book is ONLY ten bucks! That’s your first book free!) with the code TaraRumsey-VLJT.

Dollar Shave Club- The first box is only $5, so to me this seems like a no brainer! My husband started using their subscription and loved it, so I bought my own and have loved it as well! Dollar Shave Club razors are a great quality, very convenient and such a useful gift! 

Hello Fresh week of meals- This is another that could potentially be pricy, but you can get your first week of meals free through their site, so this gift could potentially cost you nothing! We have personally used their meal delivery service a few times and have been impressed with the quality of food and how easy they make it. Hello Fresh and fun gift idea, different from anything else they’ll find under the tree this year!

I would love to hear if you end up using any of these gift ideas this year and hope that you are having a fun (and NOT stressful) holiday season! I just wanted to thank you for being here, for engaging with us and for making this such an awesome community. We love our Fund Family friends and are glad you’re here!

First, have low expectations- it can only get better from there! I say that half jokingly, but I really think that expectations can make or break you in any aspect of life! Being able to roll with the punches is a great quality to have, so don’t plan on your little one sleeping through your drive and instead anticipate a few car seat meltdowns! Then, if they do melt down, you’ll be prepared, and it’s a major bonus if they don’t!

Second, have plenty of entertainment! This wasn’t as necessary when our baby was smaller, he didn’t really care for toys, movie, or any of the other typical road trip pastimes. Once he got a little older though it was nice to be able to have things to help keep him happy and from feeling like he was just trapped in the backseat. He loves music (especially The Greatest Showman soundtrack haha!) and that helps him stay happy, and even lulls him to sleep when we’re lucky! We have interactive toys, stuffed animals and teething toys that he enjoys playing with and they really come in handy on long drives. Since he’s gotten older we’ve been able to play movies (or at least little snippets of movies) and he thinks that’s so fun! I usually sit in the front seat on trips, but occasionally will sit in the back with him to play little games or hold his hand if he’s really upset.

Third, make stops! Casey and I used to always power through trips, stopping only to get gas, use the bathroom and grab food at a drive-thru. Babies need to be changed and eat more frequently than adults, so we have had to change things to accommodate this. If he is asleep, we power through and try to get as far as we can before stopping again, but we also plan for stops every so often to make sure he’s fed, clean and happy. We now typically eat our meals inside the fast food joint instead of in the car, which gives our baby time to stretch, play and enjoy not being cooped up! As he gets older, we plan to make stops at parks , play places and other spots where he can run around and get his wiggles out!

Lastly, be patient and understand that they don’t understand! Some babies love their car seat and will have no problem being in there for 6+ hours, but it seems most don’t find it to be their favorite thing. When they are whining or crying for your attention, they aren’t trying to drive you up a wall as you drive along, but if you start them young and make family traditions out of road tripping, it’s something they will come to enjoy and love!

Remember, it’s all about the journey. You’ll be to your destination or getting home soon enough, and sometimes it’s just everything you can do to simply make it there! But road trips are about more than just getting to your destination, you are creating life-long family memories along the way!

Vacations can be a big expense, and even the “little expenses” can add up quickly! We have a few frugal tips on how you can save on trips and travel, making it a less stressful (at least financially) experience.

Have a vacation budget and stick to it. This one is the biggest tip and should be applied in every day life, but comes in handy on vacation! You can read all about How to Set A Budget and by doing so you will be better prepared for your trip, but also won’t have to do damage control afterwards with a credit card statement that went waaay over what you could afford. We also advise using cash whenever possible as this will help you better stay on budget as well! We never went out with all of our cash in our wallet, just in case. We just bring what we think we’ll need for the day and leave the rest back with our luggage.

Plan ahead. There is something to be said about spontaneous adventures, but it is good to have a tentative itinerary to help you make the most of your trip and to keep to your budget in tact. By planning ahead you can have ideas as to what you want to see, do, and most importantly for me EAT! On our recent Italy trip we tried to pick a few attractions per day that we knew for sure we wanted to see, then fit in other little things where possible. Planning ahead helped us best utilize our time and make sure we saw the things we most wanted to see!

Get water with your meals (or bring water with you). We all know that we need to be drinking a lot of water every day, so this is not only a healthy option, but also a very frugal one as water is typically free. In Italy, however, we discovered that water does not come complimentary like it does in the states, so we would drink from the water bottles we had on us. Some people may frown on this, but we never had anyone at a restaurant say anything to us about it. It saved us a good chunk of change over the course of our trip!

Make your own meals. Eating out always seems to add up quickly and can eat away at your budget! One way to help cut down on this cost is to bring/ make your own meals. This is especially easy for meals such as breakfast, which can be made and eaten at home before you set out for the day, or even taken with you on the run. Some of our go-to breakfast ideas include cereal, oatmeal, granola bars with fruit, bagels and muffins. Lunch is another easy one that you can make before you leave and then store in your bag until you are ready to eat it later on in the day. Some simple lunch ideas include sandwiches, salads and leftovers. Along with this I would also advise bringing snacks along, whether you have kids or not! This helps keep you energized and from having to stop to buy much pricier foods to tie you over until your next meal.

Know what things cost. Have you ever wanted something, or even gone to purchase it just to find that it was much pricier than you’d expected? This is always such a bummer, especially when you could have bought something comparable for a lesser price! By knowing the cost of something, no matter what it is, it helps you to not only keep track of your expenses, but also make wise purchases.

Do research before you go. I love finding deals on things and look for them on just about everything I purchase! For example, we knew we wanted to visit the Vatican City on our trip to Rome, so we looked online in advance to see what the best way to go about this was. We were able to purchase tickets that were less expensive than if we were to have bought them there and also found other peoples’ tips and tricks on how to get around. By searching online you can find discounted tickets, special deals, and even free attractions! Plus this helps you to plan ahead which saves you time and money!

Travel by train, bus or other public transit. Depending on where you are visiting this isn’t always the cheapest option, but especially in large cities this can be a very cost effective way to get around! It was much cheaper and easier for us to get a day pass for the bus or subway rather than call and wait for an Uber anytime we wanted to get somewhere. This was also a fun way to really see the cities we visited.

Don’t buy souvenirs that don’t have a purpose. I take this approach with any purchase I make, but find it very important while traveling not to spend money just for the sake of having a souvenir. There’s a quote I love that reads, “In the end, all we have left are memories. Bits and pieces of the time we’ve spent together. No matter how long the time was, it’ll never seem like enough…” This is so true, and even though I think it can be fun to have things to help you hold onto those memories, you don’t want to end up with a house full of meaningless knick knacks! We like to take photos of the places we visit and then have them printed into a book so that we’ll actually look back on them instead of having them sit on our phones or a hard drive. We also like to create a “tradition” out of our souvenirs we do purchase by collecting certain things from each place we visit. Our tradition is Christmas ornaments, which is fun to look back over the years at all the places we’ve gone. Other ideas we’ve seen are things like fridge magnets, paintings to frame on your wall back home, postcards that are then kept in a memory book, or patches or pins that can be kept on a jacket or blanket. These are all good ways to take something home from your trip without spending a lot or acquiring shelves and shelves of unnecessary “stuff”.

Vacations, although fun and exciting, can often become stressful. Don’t let money add to that stress! We would love to hear some of your experiences and ways you like to save money while on vacation in the comments below!

Set financial goals and ask yourself Why

With any area of my life, I have found it is very important to set goals. In the case of finances, you want to make sure you have purpose behind your penny pinching. If not, you will find that you fail so much more easily because there is no purpose or reasoning behind it! When we had debt, our reason for frugality was to be able to pay off the debt as quickly as possible. Since we’ve been debt-free, our reasons have become a little more fun, such as saving to buy a home, travel and vacations, and making memories.

Create a budget and check in with it!

Use the envelope system

We have also discussed just how helpful and effective the envelope system is before, but want to reemphasize just how much it will help you to be successful in your finances! It helps you take control of your spending and be more conscious of where your money is going. There was a study done that shows consumers who pay with credit cards focus more on the benefit of their purchase, while those who pay cash concentrate more on its cost. That is because there is an emotional pain associated with handing over physical currency, as opposed to swiping a credit card where that money is out of sight and out of mind. There are so many benefits to using the envelope system and I strongly encourage you to look more into it here!

Look at every purchase as an investment

Identify your spending weaknesses and address them!

By having a budget and tracking your spending you should be able to account for every dollar. Take a look at your expenses and see where you are unnecessarily spending. For some this is picking up unplanned and unnecessary items at the grocery store, online shopping, or buying a soda every day. Whatever your weakness may be, come up with a few ideas on how to combat them. If you find yourself always throwing extra things in the shopping cart at the grocery store, maybe try ordering your food online and picking it up! This way you track your spending while you shop and can resist impulse buys. If online shopping is your downfall, try unsubscribing from the shopping email lists, or following shops on social media that make you want to spend spend spend!

Read books or listen to podcasts that will help educate and motive you financially

The first time Casey and I ever budgeted was shortly after we got engaged and started planning our wedding. We had been discussing everything that we would need to do and buy to pull off what we had in mind, like the flowers, food, photographer, decor, my dress, and all of the million little things that go into a wedding! I still remember the night he showed up at my door with his laptop in hand and a Google Doc with all of these things written out, ready to start planning and setting our budget!

I was seriously impressed that he had even thought that much into all of this, was appreciative that he involved me in all of it and that it was a joint effort! This is all such a testament to his character because he’s just so considerate and kind like that. He’s the best and I just got so lucky, but really this was so very helpful in the whole planning process and made things run so much more smoothly!

I love that we started talking about money so early in our relationship and made budgeting together a habit right from the start! One of our budgeting tools that I think has helped us be most successful over the years is using an envelope system.

We are not the first people to utilize this method and it is nothing that crazy or new, but I think there is definitely a reason it is so wildly popular! Envelope systems are meant to help you visualize and stick to your budget by using designated, physical envelopes with cash set aside for each category.

How we use the envelope system

We have an envelope for each of our budget categories, but we do not pull out cash for every single one of them. For example, our insurance is on auto-pay directly from our bank account, so it wouldn’t make sense for us to pull out that physical money. For categories like this we simply write out and account for the amount that was spent, that way we have a record and can keep track.

Categories like gas, groceries, and eating out make good sense to use cash! At the beginning of the month we pull out our allocated amount and put it in the designated envelope. When I go buy groceries, I use the money in the envelope and nothing else. This requires planning and discipline because once that money is gone I obviously can’t spend what I don’t have. I write down the date and how much I spent so that I can better track my spending and know how much is left. This has really helped us have control over our money, avoid overspending, and be more intentional about purchases.

One of the great things about the envelope system is that you can customize it to work best for you. For example, when you want to fill your envelopes with cash. We get paid monthly on the last day of the month, so it works well for us to get cash on the last day in preparation for the new month, but you could do it weekly, bi-monthly or whatever is most efficient for you. You can also use plain white envelopes, colorful ones, or whatever you prefer that will help you to organize them.

As we said earlier, you have to be disciplined. You are the only one who can make yourself stick to a budget and create success. Budgeting can be a challenge, but the more you utilize it and let it become habit the easier it becomes! This isn’t to say that you will be perfect, especially when you are just starting out. We have gone through periods where we were really diligent and good about planning our budget and using the cash from our envelopes, and there have been times where we’ve gotten lazy and turned to swiping our debit cards.

There is a surprisingly big difference in our spending and we have learned through experience that we do so much better when we use our envelopes! It has helped us recognize our spending habits and address issues and weaknesses, which in turn saves us even more money!

We know that this method works and would love to hear from you if it is something that you already use or if you decide to go try it out if you aren’t already!

There has been a lot of buzz and discussion around budgets over the past few years, which I LOVE because I know first-hand just how important they are! Some of this buzz is positive, from people like me who want others to take part and reap the benefits! But much of it seems to be negative from people who either can’t seem to stick to it, see it as keeping them from enjoying life, or don’t know where to begin! Living by a budget takes discipline, which I know sounds strict and intimidating, but this is FAR from the truth, especially if you follow my quick and easy tips for how to successfully budget and actually stick to it!

Start your budgeting session by thinking about your goals. These should be specific so you know what you’re truly wanting to accomplish. You also want these to be realistic and attainable, which will be the first step in setting yourself up for success. Think about why you want to budget- do you want to have money in savings? Live beneath your means so you stop living paycheck to paycheck? Be able to take vacations? There can be lots of reasons, but I advise that you write these down and use them as motivation and a reminder that YOU WANT THIS!

Now that you have set your goals, write down your income. This is going to be the number you will base your whole budget around, so it is important to account any and all income here! If you have a variable income where the amount of money you’re taking in every month changes, take an average of the past three to six months and use that as your “income” number. It is best to be realistic about this number and would be better to underestimate rather than overestimate if you are not sure. You need to be very clear about your current financial status and what you have to work with.

Now that you know just how much money you have to work with, make a list of expenses you have every month. You need to get very specific with this. Some categories might include groceries, rent or mortgage, utilities, home and car insurance, gas, debts or loans, etc. You should use your bank statement to help you identify some of these categories and also help recognize where your money is going. Once you have these written they can be sub-categorized into NEEDS (fixed expenses), WANTS (variable expenses) and SAVINGS (wants for the future).

With your categories written out, fill in your set expenses. For example, if the rent on your apartment is $1100 per month, you can write that in your RENT category. With that written down you can subtract $1100 from your income total. You will continue to do this with all of your fixed expenses, subtracting the numbers and recording them as you go.

Once those have all been recorded you will want to move onto your variable expenses. Let’s say after you’ve accounted for all of your fixed expenses you are left with $1550. You now want to address which of your variable expenses are most important to you. These might include things like groceries, eating out, clothes, entertainment, and savings. Groceries might be more important to you than going to a movie, so groceries would be higher up on your priority list. By looking at your  remaining categories you can kind of give an idea as to how you  want to divvy this money up. Since groceries seem to be a struggle for most people, my recommendation for groceries is $100 per person in your family per month on groceries. This can change if you live alone or there are only two of you at home, then I advise between $125 and $150 per person. You can save so much money by planning your meals and cooking/ eating at home. You can divvy your remaining money up however you would like between your remaining categories, but once the money is gone it is GONE. Be wise with what how you delegate your money! If you find that you don’t have enough money to cover each of your categories, go back and re-prioritize. If you have the opposite problem and have money left over, I advise putting this extra money towards debt! If you do not have debts, I advise putting things towards savings, but it can be put in whichever category you feel is a priority.

The beauty of a budget is that it can change month to month in your “variables” so you can make it work for you and what you want to accomplish. A budget allows you to control your money and not let your money control you. 

Here is a good Budget-Template. Feel free to download and use for your own budgeting needs! If that template doesn’t work for you, you can always get another one here