Life Hacks

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By Peter Anderson 8 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited May 29, 2023.

Memorial Day is here! It’s become synonymous with being a day to enjoy family, friends and even a having a BBQ, but let’s not forget to take a moment today to remember all our fighting men and women over the years who have made the ultimate sacrifice, by giving their lives so that the rest of us might live free.

Over the years on Memorial Day I’ve had a chance to stop at my grandparent’s graves at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Bloomington, MN.

Memorial Day

While I won’t make it there this year, it is always a vivid reminder of just how much so many have given. There is row after row of graves for our military men and women, so many of them having died while fighting for our nation.

A couple of times while I was there I found the graves of Medal of Honor winners there, and it was amazing to read of their sacrifices later on when I got home via a Google search.

My Grandfather’s POW Story

Memorial Day Grandpa

Being at Fort Snelling also reminds me of just how much my grandfather gave, despite the fact that he wasn’t killed in action. My grandfather, Fred Anderson, was in the U.S. Army Air Corps, becoming a prisoner of war in a German POW camp for over a year. What he went through couldn’t have been easy, and I’m just sad that he passed at such a young age (in his 60s) due to Parkinson’s Disease and a stroke. I was never really able to get a full accounting of his experiences as I would have liked.

I recently did find out a bit more about his experience as a prisoner of war by reading a book about the experiences of many others in the same prison camp as him, called The Last Escape, The Untold Story of Alled Prisoners of War in Europe 1944-1945.

My grandfather was a replacement waist gunner on a B-17 that was shot down in February of 1944. He had flown three successful missions with his crew, but on the fourth mission during “The Big Week” (see wikipedia) they were returning from a bombing run over Leipzig, Germany, and were shot down.

The entire crew parachuted out of the plane, but were quickly captured by the Germans. They were sent to Stalag Luft 4 near Grosstychow, Prussia where 6,660 other American POWs were held.

My grandfather’s capture was first reported to the International Committee of the Red Cross on February 22, 1944, and he was imprisoned for at least 473 days (1 year and ~4 months) according to the Red Cross.

Grandpa Fred Anderson

His recollection of being liberated was in a hospital bed. He went to sleep one night in ill health as a prisoner of the Germans, and woke up to find the Russians had overrun the area. He eventually made his way to France where he recuperated, and then on home to Minnesota where he married and had a family, including his firstborn – my father.

When he left home before the war he weighed in at 180 lbs, and came home at a thin 130 lbs at the end of 1945. We’re so thankful he made it back, so many were not so lucky.

Since it is Memorial Day weekend the cemetery will be in full bloom with flags flying, and flowers on countless graves, in remembrance of loved ones.  It’s usually a very stirring sight, and I may try to make it down there the day after to get a glimpse – and to say thank you in prayer for all those brave men and women.

So on this Memorial Day weekend, thank you to our veterans, and thank you to those who have already paid the ultimate price.  You won’t be forgotten.

memorial day
memorial day

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com

Apache is functioning normally

I‘ve been finding ways to cut back our monthly expenses lately, and I shared some of those tips in a recent post titled, “How To Save Money On All Your Regular Monthly Bills“.  One of the places I thought that most people could end up saving on their regular monthly expenses was in their phone bills.

Many people pay way more than they have to for expensive smartphone plans and landline phone service. The average cell phone bill runs close to $100 every month, and if you have a landline as well that can add on another $30-60 depending on where you live, how many features you have and how many state, local and federal taxes are being levied on your monthly bill.

A couple of years ago we addressed our overly expensive cell phone plans by dumping our regular contract service, and buying prepaid cell phones from Virgin Mobile.  We now pay no more than $40-50/month for two cell phones, one of them a smartphone.

We’ve been saving a lot of money on our cell phones for the past couple of years, but we’ve still been paying for an expensive landline phone. The cost for the phone line keeps going up, and the only reason why we hadn’t dropped it yet was because we needed it for our home security system. Now that there are other options for that (cell and internet based security systems), we’ve finally decided to take the plunge and switch from a landline to VOIP service.

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Cutting The Phone Cord, Going To VOIP

When we decided to switch to a cheaper VOIP provider we looked around to find some of the better devices out there.  Among the options we found were service from Vonage (still has monthly bill), Magic Jack Plus, Google Voice and Skype.

After searching around for reviews of the different services I found quite a few favorable reviews of the Ooma phone service using the Ooma Telo device. Ryan from CashMoneyLife mentioned that he had signed up for Ooma and had been happy with it. G.E. Miller at 20somethingfinance.com talked about how he’s been using the Ooma service for years. Both were saving hundreds of dollars by using Ooma.  The reason?  There are no regular monthly phone bills if you sign up for their basic service. All you pay for is the hardware which you connect to an existing internet connection.

Save On Your Phone Bill: Ooma Review

Save On Your Phone Bill: Ooma Review

Almost all of the recent reviews that I read of Ooma were very positive. The only negatives I saw were from people having issues with their particular router or modem not working with the Ooma device, or a few people complaining about short outages.  With all that in mind we decided to jump in and purchase the Ooma Telo pictured above.

Save Hundreds By Using Ooma

So just how much money can you save by switching from traditional phone service to a device like the ones available from Ooma?  Hundreds of dollars if our situation is any indication.

Cost of our old phone service

  • Centurylink landline – $43.38/month: We pay $43.38/month after service fees, taxes, or $520.56/year.  Included on that phone is voicemail, call waiting and caller ID.

It was actually more expensive than I realized.  For quite a while I had thought we were paying somewhere closer to $30. Taxes really bump the price up a notch!

So how much will we save by moving to Ooma – where we’ll have more features available than our old phone line?

Costs of Ooma VOIP phone service

  • Ooma Telo device – $76.25: The device itself used to cost $299.99 when they originally launched, but it has dropped in the last year or two. As of this writing, the normal everyday price on Amazon is currently $76.25. We got a referral code and when we bought it the cost was $139.99 for us direct from Ooma. (You can find it for less than $100 reliably now)
  • Fees, service charges and taxes – $4.53/month: The only monthly fees you’ll ever pay are the fees associated with having 911 service on the device, and then state and local taxes.  For our zip code it came out to only $4.53/month or about $54/year. Find out how much you’d pay a month here: Ooma Tax Calculator.

Save On Your Phone Bill: Ooma Review

Save On Your Phone Bill: Ooma Review

So for us with the initial up front cost of $139.99, plus the monthly taxes and fees of less than $5/month, we’ll have paid for our unit in less than 4 months of service.  After that we’ll be saving around $40/month. That adds up quick!

Ooma has a savings calculator on their site that gives you an approximate amount you’ll be saving if you switch to them. It showed that by the end of the first year we will have saved over $288. By the end of the second year we’ll have saved over $756!

How Ooma Works

Setting up the Ooma service sounds pretty simple according to what I’ve read. For most people it takes around 15-20 minutes to setup their new Ooma Telo device.

Save On Your Phone Bill: Ooma Review

Save On Your Phone Bill: Ooma Review

Since I haven’t received and installed my Ooma yet, I can’t vouch for just how simple it truly is in practice, but it certainly sounds easy.

  • Activate your device online using the activation code found on the bottom of your Ooma Telo device.
  • Choose a phone number.  You can port your old phone number later on if you’d like.
  • Enter your contact information, including a second phone number and a physical address for 911 purposes.
  • Enter billing information to pay for fees and taxes, or for premier service if you sign up for that.
  • Account registration.

After you’ve done all that it’s just a matter of plugging in the device and running an ethernet cable to the device from your modem or router.  Once you plug it in it may need to download any necessary updates, but after that you should be set to go. Just plugin your regular old phone and go to town!

Read my post talking about setting up Ooma here.  It really is easy!

Ooma Features

So what are some of the features that you get with an Ooma account and the Telo device?  With the basic free service, you can get all that you’d expect from your regular landline service, and more.

Basic Ooma Service Features

  • Free U.S. calling.
  • Voicemail that you can access from any phone or web browser.
  • Caller ID and call waiting.
  • Great HD call clarity.
  • 911 service (despite it not being a landline) and 911 email and text alerts when someone calls for emergency help.
  • Porting of your landline phone number.
  • Online account where you can check call logs, listen to voicemail and set preferences.
  • Low cost international calls.  (I would probably just use Skype if I had to do this)

So we’ll be getting everything we had with the old service on the basic plan with Ooma, and more like the online voicemail. With the premier service with Ooma, which costs $9.99/month, you get a whole lot of other features included with your account.

Premier Ooma Service Features

  • Three way conferencing.
  • Do not disturb setting so calls roll into voicemail without the phone ringing.
  • Community blacklist access to block known telemarketers and solicitors.
  • Personal blacklist to block calls from numbers you don’t want to talk to.
  • Call forwarding so you can even forward your calls to your cell phone or another phone.
  • Ooma mobile app access to make wi-fi calls on the go with the Iphone app.
  • Voicemail to email forwarding so that you can listen to your messages in your email.
  • Instant second line so that you can make a second call without missing a beat.
  • Backup number to forward calls to in case your phone goes down.
  • Call screening to listen to a message and pickup if you decide you want to talk to the person.
  • Anonymous call blocking.
  • Multi-ring so that your phone system rings your cell phone and home phone simultaneously.

Having A Smooth Transition – Keeping Your Old Phone Number

One thing I love about Ooma is that we’re able to port our old home phone number to the new Ooma Telo device.  All you have to do once you setup your system is request that they port the number over from the old phone company.  There is a $39.99 charge if you decide to do this, although it’s free if you opt for a year of the paid $10/month premium service.  It can take 3-4 weeks or more depending on how quick your old provider moves making the change.

To check if your phone number can be ported to Ooma, go here.

Once you’ve got an Ooma home phone system your phone number can then be portable wherever you go. If you move, like we plan on doing in the next year, you just take your Ooma with you and plug it in at the new house and you’re all set to go. No turning service on and off.  You can also take it with you on vacation, or on a long trip.  Anywhere you can plug it into an internet connection you should be able to make calls.  Just make sure to change your 911 service address on your online account if you do move.

Where Can You Get The Best Deal On Ooma?

So where can you find the best deal on Ooma?

For me the best deal that I found on the Ooma right now was by buying it from Amazon.com has the unit available everyday for a price of $76.25. Costco also sells the unit and members can sometimes find specials on the Ooma system. Some people have reported getting it for as little as $50 for refurbished units.

The key is to do your homework when buying the device, find out what specials and promotions are currently available, and find the best possible deal!

 Are you already using Ooma at your house? Tell us what your experience has been in the comments!

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com

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By Melissa 2 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited January 6, 2014.

Because we’re digging our way out of debt, I’ve been on a mission to cut corners anywhere I can.

I’ve made many changes to our household including making our own laundry detergent and liquid hand soap, switching to Ooma for our home phone service, negotiating a discount on cable (only because it’s bundled with our Internet; otherwise I’d ditch it all together), and air drying all of our laundry, just to name a few.

While all of these changes have helped us find more money to apply to our debt, without a doubt, the change that saved us the most money has been just saying no to going out to eat.

Saying No To Eating Out

one change to save hundreds

one change to save hundredsThree years ago, I LOVED going out to eat.  I liked not having to cook and choosing from a wide variety of foods.  I liked the relaxation and the experience.

If you would have told me that one day I would almost never go out to eat, I wouldn’t have believed you, and I might have even cried a bit.  That’s how much eating out was ingrained in me.  Our family went out to eat at least two to three times a week.  (And it’s not lost on me that this habit is part of the reason why we have debt to pay off.)

But, one day, we just stopped eating out.  Every time we got the check at the restaurant, the experience became less enjoyable.  As we watched our credit card balances creep up, I felt guilty about my restaurant habit.

And now, three years later, we eat out less than 6 times a year.  It’s not hard.  I don’t miss it.  In fact, I actually prefer our food at home to restaurant food.

How To Eat Out Less

If you’d like to cut your restaurant habit, here are some tips to make it easier:

1.  Invest in good pots, pans and utensils.

If you don’t cook much at home now, you must have the basic materials you need to be able to cook.

2.  Be willing to spend a bit more on groceries.

I know, this sounds counter intuitive.  After all, you’re trying to eat more at home to save money.

However, from personal experience, I can say that part of the reason I loved going out was because I didn’t like the food we were making at home.  I was trying to scrimp on groceries to have more money to eat out, and couponing netted me things like canned biscuits and soups, which I wasn’t incredibly fond of.  Spending a bit more to eat foods you like at home can still save you more money than eating out and scrimping on groceries.

3.  Find easy to make recipes.

Even though I like cooking, I really hate to spend an hour on a meal just to watch my family devour it in 10 or 15 minutes.  Instead, I try to make my time in the kitchen easier.  I do this by making double of a recipe and putting the extra serving in the freezer for a fast meal later.  (This is my version of fast food now.)  I also use the slow cooker–a lot!

4.  Find recipes you love.

Thanks to Pinterest, you can find many recipes for the ingredients you have on hand.  I use Pinterest every week to find new recipes.

5.  Have variety.

There’s nothing worse than cooking the same meals week in and week out.  Every week try at least one new recipe.  You’ll appreciate the change of pace.

6.  Don’t deny yourself completely.

You can still go out.  However, make it a special occasion and something you’re mindful of, not just the default because you don’t have any food prepared at home.

Do you need to kick the eating out habit?  If so, what’s your biggest challenge? 

Or, if you’ve already kicked the habit, what changes in your finances have you noticed?

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Apache is functioning normally

By Peter Anderson 1 Comment – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited January 21, 2019.

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Later this month we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving, and for many people the Thanksgiving week is a time to sit back and reflect on all of the blessings that we’ve been given throughout the year.  For some the week is about getting together with family and enjoying all of the good food. For others, however, Thanksgiving week is all about gearing up to go out and go shopping on Black Friday, or Cyber Monday.

I don’t usually go out on Black Friday, but I’m never one to say never when it comes to finding a deal.  There have been several years where I have gone out on Black Friday, with mixed results. In years where I planned ahead, knew exactly what I wanted, and got to the store plenty early, I didn’t have any issues. In years where I just decided last minute to show up and see if I could get a deal – it didn’t work out well at all.

So today I want to go over a few Black Friday shopping tips, and look at some things you can do to prepare for the hottest shopping weekend of the year.

black-friday-shopping-tips

black-friday-shopping-tips

Don’t Just Wing It, Plan Ahead

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made when shopping on Black Friday was to not really make a plan ahead of time, and to just wing it when it came to getting a deal on the items I was shopping for. When I showed up at the store trying to get a deal, it was a complete mess. I didn’t know where the item I was looking for was going to be, others had showed up way before I did and the store in general was much busier than I had anticipated.

Here’s a video looking at my experience and the madness that ensued at Wal-Mart that night.

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View the video on YouTube

So as you can see it was complete madness and mayhem. I hadn’t planned ahead, and it was obvious others had.  I saw one family talking on walkie-talkies, coordinating their battle plan!

Websites To Research Your Black Friday Deals

As mentioned above it’s a good idea to plan ahead and to research all of the Black Friday sales ahead of time.  Track down and find the best deals on the items that you need.

So where can you go to do all your research? There are a ton of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping sites you can check out, here are a few of the better ones:

This “most wanted” list from gottadeal.com – will give you an idea of what items are most wanted at each store. Using that information you can prioritize you list and make a battle plan.

Black Friday Most Wanted Deals

8 Tips For Black Friday Shopping

Black Friday shopping starts way ahead of the early morning hours on Friday following Thanksgiving. It starts by doing your homework ahead of black friday shopping tips

black friday shopping tipstime, and making a battle plan for where you’re going to go, and what you’re going to get.

  • Make a list in the order of importance:   Make a list of things you were planning to buy this year anyway, and then prioritize them in the order that you want them the most – so you can make sure to go and wait in line for those items first.
  • Make a budget and save up the cash: Make a spending budget for the day, and save up the cash ahead of time to pay for all your purchases.  Don’t spend more than you had planned!
  • Make sure the stores don’t have advance Black Friday deals: Some stores will give you the Black Friday price on the item ahead of time, they start the sales earlier in the week.  If you can avoid going to the store on the big day, do it!  Some stores also have rewards programs and members will sometimes get a preview shopping event and get Black Friday prices earlier in the week! (for example, Sears does this)
  • See if the item is available online too: Some stores will have Black Friday deals on their websites as well, so if you can get the deal online and avoid the store, go for it!
  • Go on a reconnaissance mission:  If you’re looking for an item that’s going to be extremely popular, you may even want to go to the store ahead of time and scout out the location of the item so you know where to go. Be careful, however, as some stores will place Black Friday deals throughout the store, so make sure to get that store’s Black Friday sales plan layout.
  • Go with a friend.. or two:  If you’re looking for more than one big ticket item, you may want to go to the store with the friend so you can wait in separate lines and get both of the items you wanted.
  • Bring some snacks: If you plan on waiting in line for a long time Friday morning, bring along some snacks, and maybe even some coffee (but don’t go overboard or you may lose your spot on line when you go to use the restroom!)
  • Figure out if you need a voucher for big items:  Some stores will hand out vouchers to people in line for more popular or big ticket items to avoid a scramble once the doors open. Find out if your items need a voucher at that store, and if so, make sure to be in line super early.

So start planning for your big shopping day today, and you’ll be sure to get the deals that you wanted and save on your Christmas shopping, unlike those poor slobs like me who just show up!

Cyber Monday Is Great For Deals Too!

If you don’t get the deal you wanted on Black Friday, don’t worry.  Cyber Monday  – the Monday after Black Friday – also has a ton of great deals, mainly at online stores.  Checking the sites linked above will also give you access to a lot of the best online deals to be found then.

Also, remember that while Black Friday has a lot of hype surrounding it, it isn’t always the best time to buy certain items.

When you do finally get around to buying the things you want, make sure you’re taking advantage of all available discounts to get the best possible deal!  Also, remember, you can always go the route of buying or making frugal Christmas gifts for your family as well!

Have your own Black Friday shopping tips? Tell us what they are in the comments!

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By Melissa 1 Comment – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited November 18, 2016.

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It’s November. November!

Life is busy and full now, but I know after Thanksgiving, life will hit full on crazy because our family schedule will be so busy.

Found Money

Found Money

Is Your Busy Day As Busy As You Think?

Every night, I crash into bed and think of how busy my day was.  How I didn’t get done all of the many things I wanted to do.

For instance, one of my goals this year is to make 12 homemade Christmas presents for my family.  I set this goal in January and figured I’d make one present a month.  Manageable, right?  Now that it’s November, I should theoretically have 10 Christmas presents completed.

Guess how many I do have completed?

One.

Yep, just one.

But even though I have this supposed time shortage, I have time to check Facebook several times a day for five to twenty minutes at a shot.

Making Christmas presents with supplies I have on hand will save me a lot of money come December.  But I’m not making the presents.  I’m too busy checking Facebook.

My day is busy, sure, but I’m making it busier by wasting my precious time throughout the day.

Can you relate?  Likely you can, as “CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the average US consumer spends 40 minutes on Facebook per day” (Business Insider).

Common Time Sucks

The problem with our hyper-connected society is that there are so many ways to waste time.  There is Facebook, as we’ve already mentioned, and all the many other social media platforms—Twitter, Periscope, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.  Don’t forget blogs and online games as distractions.

With smartphones, you don’t have to limit wasting your time to home; you can waste your time on the go, too.

But it’s not just electronics that waste our time.

How cluttered is your house?  How much time do you waste just looking for things?

Our house is much more cluttered than I would like, so I waste a lot of time looking for things.  Today my husband and daughter spent 10 minutes looking for her school folder.  Last weekend I spent 20 minutes looking for the cord to our external hard drive.  I still have not found it, and because I can’t access what I need on there, I had to waste time recreating what is already on the hard drive.  That sucked another 60 minutes of my time.

Simple Schedule Changes Can Help You Save Or Make Money

Now that I’m aware of how much time I’m really wasting, I’ve decided to make changes.  I’ve set a schedule to check Facebook once in the morning and once at night.  I cannot spend more than 10 minutes total.  I’m also on a mission to declutter the house once and for all (and maybe even make a little money).

By not checking Facebook throughout the day, but only twice a day, I will easily have another 20 to 30 minutes in my day.  There are roughly seven weeks until Christmas.  Seven weeks times 30 minutes a day is 1,470 minutes or 24.5 hours!!  I could very easily complete all of my homemade Christmas presents in that time and save myself a bundle of money.

There is nothing wrong with relaxing in the evening, after you’re already tired and unproductive, to read your favorite blog or look through Facebook.  But when those things take up our time during our most productive hours, we must admit that we’re not as busy as we think.  If we make smarter choices with the use of our time, we’ll have more opportunities to both make and save money.

Have you taken the time to observe how much time you waste during the day?  Are you as shocked as I am about the amount of wasted time in your day?  If you changed your habits and created more time by limiting distractions, how could you save or make more money?

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*This article may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

One of the topics I keep coming back to on Bible Money Matters is the idea of finding ways to cut your regular recurring expenses.  One of the big ways that we’ve saved was by cutting our mobile phone costs and home phone costs.

Republic Wireless Review

Republic Wireless ReviewWe cut our mobile phone bills substantially by moving to a no-contract cell phone provider several years ago.  My wife and I both switched to Virgin Mobile pre-paid cell service. We’ve saved hundreds over the years by making the switch from our old traditional contract provider.

My wife has recently been complaining about how her old smartphone just isn’t working very well anymore. The GPS never seems to work despite being on, it’s always running out of storage and it’s  just too slow and old to run some of the newest apps.

Since she isn’t on a contract I decided to see if we could find a better deal on a phone and plan than the one we’re on with Virgin Mobile – a $35/month plan that gets her basically all she needs. One provider that keeps coming up when I research low cost no contract cell providers is Republic Wireless.  They  have plans as low as $15/month!  Today I thought I’d do a quick post talking about Republic Wireless, who they are, what they have to offer and how you can use them to save.

Save With Republic Wireless

Republic Wireless History

republic-wireless-logo

republic-wireless-logoRepublic Wireless is a wireless communications service provider and subsidiary of Bandwidth. Bandwidth is an internet and telephone service provider co-founded in 1999 by CEO David Morken in his spare bedroom.  Morken is an avowed capitalist, but also is outspoken about his Christian faith, and he talks about how his Christian values help to inform the company’s focus on integrity and service:

It’s amazing when you can have an economic alignment with a service orientation and a service heart. You don’t just tell the truth because it’s going to have an economic benefit, you have to tell the truth when it’s going to cause economic harm as well.

Bandwidth’s expertise is in telephony and VOIP services, so a consumer focused VOIP cell service like Republic Wireless was a natural outgrowth of the company.

Republic Wireless was created in January of 2010 and first launched as a private beta service in November of 2011 with 2 available smartphones.  A year later in 2012 they launched an open public beta.  Finally in November of 2013 they came out of their beta testing period and began offering several calling plans ranging anywhere from $5/month to $40/month depending on the level of service you buy.  As of September of 2017 they will have 8 smartphone options available to purchase on their store. They range from the high end Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge ($599) to the mid level Moto G4 ($179) all the way to the entry-level Moto E ($99).

Republic Wireless is an MVNO for the Sprint and T-Mobile networks depending on which plan you’re on, so they’ll have the same coverage as Sprint or T-Mobile. What sets them apart, however, is their new “Hybrid Calling” techonology that allows you to make phone calls over WiFi, or if WiFi isn’t available, via the cell networks as normal phones do.  You’re even able to do mid-call handoff from calls started in WiFi, and pass it over to the cell networks with no call interruption.

Republic Wireless carriers

Republic Wireless carriers

Republic’s idea is to use WiFi data whenever possible to make cell service more affordable, since cellular data costs so much more to use.  Here’s how they describe their service.

Our mission at Republic Wireless is simple: to make enjoying the features of a smartphone more affordable and accessible for everyone. Through Hybrid Calling technology (that’s WiFi + cellular), we’re able to offer our customers remarkable mobile service plans at unheard of rates. You see, WiFi is cheap and plentiful while cellular (especially data) is more scarce and much more expensive. By relying on our members to use the cheap and plentiful WiFi wherever it’s available, we’re making great progress on our mission—delivering a mind blowing total cost of ownership that’s leaving a lot of folks scratching their heads (happily!).

When the service first started I heard a lot of complaints about call quality, and problems handing off calls from WiFi to cell networks. Most of the more recent reviews I’ve read, however, have been much more positive about the quality of service.

Republic Wireless – How It Works

Republic Wireless WiFi Calling

Republic Wireless WiFi CallingMaking calls over WiFi is much more affordable for the wireless communications provider, so what Republic Wireless has created is a more affordable way to have cell service.

Their Hybrid Calling technology allows them to offer more affordable plans than many other providers just by giving WiFi calling priority over the cell calling. So if WiFi is available where you are, your call will be routed over the WiFi networks, and if it’s not, then calls will go over the Sprint or T-Mobile cell network (or Verizon’s network if Sprint is not available).

The more prevalent WiFi is where you typically go, the more likely you will be to choose one of their WiFi only plans, and save a ton of money!

What Phones Can I Get?

Currently there are 8 phones available for Republic Wireless, The Moto E4, Moto E4 Plus, Moto G5 plus, Huawei AScend 5W, Moto G4, Moto Z Play, Moto Z and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Available phones are always subject to change, and often do. Go to the Republic Wireless site via the link below to see current options.

View Current Phones @ Republic Wireless

So what do you get with each of the phones?

  • Motorola Moto E4 – $99: This phone sports a 5″ HD display, with 16 GB of internal memory, 2 GB of RAM,  2800 mAh removable battery and a MicroSD slot.
  • Motorola Moto E4 Plus – $199: This phone has a 5.5″ HD display, with 32 GB of internal memory, 2 GB of RAM, 5000 mAh rapid charging battery and a MicroSD slot.
  • Motorola Moto G5 plus – $299: This phone has a 5.2″ HD display, with 32/64 GB of internal memory, 2/4 GB of RAM, 3000 mAh rapid charging battery and a MicroSD slot.
  • Huawei AScend 5W – $149: This phone has a 5.5″ HD display, with 16 GB of internal memory, 2 GB of RAM, 3000 mAh battery and a MicroSD slot.
  • Motorola Moto G4 – $179: This phone has a 5.5″ HD display, with  16/32 GB of internal memory, 2 GB of RAM, 3000 mAh Turbo Charge battery and a MicroSD slot.
  • Motorola Moto Z Play – $349: This phone has a 5.5″ AMOLED HD display, with 32 GB of internal memory, 3 GB of RAM, 3510 mAh 50 hr battery and a MicroSD slot expandable up to 200GB.
  • Motorola Moto Z – $499: This phone has a 5.5″ HD display, with 64 GB of internal memory, 4 GB of RAM, 2600 mAh battery and a MicroSD slot expandable up to 200GB.
  • Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge – $599: This phone has a 5.5″ Quad HD display, with 32 GB of internal memory, 4 GB of RAM, 3600 mAh 33 hr battery with wireless charging and a MicroSD slot expandable up to 200GB.

Here is an unboxing video of our older Moto X that we received a while back (which is no longer sold, but you can still find used).

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View this video on YouTube

When it comes down to it, all of their phones are going to be good phones, it just comes down to how much speed, memory and other bells and whistles that you want.  The faster the processor, the more memory and better display, the more the phone will cost.

Available Monthly Plans

So what are the plans that are currently available on the Republic Wireless network?

Here are the new calling plans on the new Republic Wireless 3.0 plans:

republic calling plans

The plan that most people use is the unlimited talk & text + 1GB of LTE data for just $20.

It is an amazing deal, and $5 cheaper than their old Republic Wireless 2.0 1GB data plan!

They do have a bunch of other calling plans, however.  The plans start at a $15/month for a plan with no data, all the way up to a $90/month 10GB plan:

  • $15 Unlimited Talk, Text, and WiFi Data
  • $20 Unlimited Talk, Text, and WiFi Data + 1GB of Cell Data
  • $30 Unlimited Talk, Text, and WiFi Data + 2GB of Cell Data
  • $45 Unlimited Talk, Text, and WiFi Data + 4GB of Cell Data
  • $60 Unlimited Talk, Text, and WiFi Data + 6GB of Cell Data
  • $90 Unlimited Talk, Text, and WiFi Data + 10GB of Cell Data

Depending on how much data you use in a typical month, or if you use data at all, the service can be extremely affordable. I  know some people that don’t really use data that go with the $15/month plan, while others like me who use a small amount of data can go with the $20/month plan.

Switch Your Plan Up To 2X Per Month At No Extra Charge

One nice feature that Republic Wireless offers is the ability to switch your monthly plan up to twice per month. This will come in handy, for example, if you’re traveling one month and want to have more 4G LTE data access available on your phone.

So let’s say you’re on the $15/month plan with no cell data, and you want to switch your plan (right from your phone if you want!) to the $30/month 2GB data plan while you travel.  You can switch it while you’re traveling, and then when you come back switch it back to the more affordable plan again.

How is it charged? You’ll pay the daily rate for each plan, for the days that you use it.  So for the $15 plan you’d pay about $.50 a day, while the $30/month plan would be about $1 a day.  Just figure out how many days of the  month on each plan you used and you’ll figure out what your charges for that month will be. Piece of cake, and a great way to save!

Check Out Plans @ Republic Wireless

Pros & Cons

What are the pros and cons of cell service with Republic Wireless?  Here are a few:

Pros

  • Low cost – affordable: Depending on your needs your service will be anywhere from $15-$45/month.  Much cheaper than the average $96/month phone bill (according to J.D. Power).
  • Ability to switch plans up to 2x per month: If you want to switch your plan with Republic, for example, if you’re traveling and want to have 4G data access, you can do that up to 2x per month.  So you can be on the $5 plan, and switch to the $40/month plan for the month – and then switch back.
  • Good phones available: The Samsung Galaxy S7 has received rave reviews and by all accounts it’s a great phone. The other phones that are available are good mid and entry level smartphones as well.
  • Roaming on other networks available: If you don’t have a T-Mobile tower in your area, the service will roam on another network for voice calls at no added cost.
  • Make calls on WiFi – even in your basement!:  If you typically can’t make cell phone calls in your basement, or at your job – as long as you’ve got a WiFi signal you can now make calls!
  • Unlimited talk, text, data: All of the plans will give you unlimited talk, text and data if you’re on WiFi. You can also get unlimited talk and text via cell networks on the $15-45/month plans. No worries about going over your minutes or text limit!
  • Make international calls, as long as you have good WiFi: I remember paying through the nose for calling cards when my family took a cruise a few years back. Now, as long as you have WiFi you can make calls to the U.S., even if you’re overseas.
  • Port your existing number: You can port your existing phone number to the service as long as it’s compatible.  Be sure to check beforehand, I did and my number is available to port.
  • 30 day trial: You can try the phone for a no risk 30 day trial. Just be sure to read the caveats (like not opening accessories if you’re not sure you want to keep the phone, and that you’ll have to pay a $10 shipping charge).

Cons

  • Limited phone choices: There are currently only a limited number of phones you can buy on the Republic Wireless site.  They are all great phones, but if you want something different like an iPhone for an example, you’re out of luck.  Thankfully they do have some “bring your own phone” options as well.
  • Occasional phone service hiccups in WiFi/cell handoffs: Some people have noticed hiccups when moving from a WiFi connection to cell connection. This seems to have improved, however, and most people don’t have issues with this.
  • No short code support: As of this writing there is no support for short code messaging – in other words sending messages to 4-6 digit numbers services.  (Example: text 32456 for a listing of movies) This is being changed however, and they anticipate support for short codes to be added soon. UPDATE: Republic Wireless announced on October 10th, 2014 that there is now support for short codes.  One more thing to scratch off the cons list!

Overall Republic Wireless is a great non contract cell service option.  It ends up being cheaper than most of the other services that I’ve looked into, and if you have good WiFi coverage like I do, it can be considerably cheaper.  I’d definitely recommend checking it out if you’re looking to cut an out of control cell phone bill.

Are you using Republic Wireless?  How has the service worked for you? How much are you saving?

Find out more about the service and sign up via the link below.

More Details About Republic Wireless

Moble Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) Mobile Network Minimum Plan Price Free Tethering Review
Gen Mobile Sprint $5 (Unlimited Text – No Talk, No Data) $10 (300 Min Talk & Unlimited Text – 1GB Data) Discounts if prepaid for 3 months. Yes Review
Tello Sprint $5 (100 Min Talk & Unlimited Text – No Data) Yes Review
Twigby Sprint, Verizon Wireless $9 (300 Min Talk & Unlimited Text – No Data) Yes Review
Ting Sprint, T-Mobile $9 (100 Min Talk & No Text – No Data) Yes Review
Red Pocket Mobile Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile US, Sprint $10 (500 Min Talk & 500 Text – 500 MB Data) Yes
Republic Wireless Sprint, T-Mobile $15 (Unlimited Talk & Text – No Data) Yes Review
Mint Mobile T-Mobile $15 (Unlimited Talk & Text – 3GB Data) If prepaid for 1 year. Prepay in 3,6, 12 month increments. Buy 3 Months, Get 3 Free) Yes Review
Unreal Mobile AT&T $15 (Unlimited Talk & Text – 3GB Data). Prepay in 3,6, 12 month increments. Yes Review
TracFone Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile US, Sprint, U.S. Cellular $15 (200 Min Talk & 500 Text – 500 MB Data) If put on auto-renew save 5%. No
Google FI T-Mobile, Sprint, U.S. Cellular $20 (Unlimited Talk & Text – No Data) Yes
Total Wireless Verizon Wireless $23.70 (Unlimited Talk & Text – No Data) $25 without auto-pay. Yes
Cricket Wireless AT&T $25 (Unlimited Talk & Text – No Data) No
Boost Sprint $35 (Unlimited Talk & Text – 3GB Data) No
Straight Talk Wireless AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon $35 (Unlimited Talk & Text – 2GB Data) No
Visible Verizon $40 (Unlimited Talk & Text – Unlimited Data) Yes Review

Republic Wireless

Republic Wireless

Rating

8.7/10

Pros

  • Low monthly cost
  • Seamless WiFi calling
  • High quality phones
  • Unlimited talk/text
  • International calls on WiFi

Cons

  • Limited phones available
  • Unsubsidized phone price

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com

Apache is functioning normally

Balancing work, your social life, friends, family, church, and staying in shape on top of a full-time work schedule is insanely difficult.

Everyone is trying to find ways to save money, eat healthy, and carve out more time for themselves in their insanely busy schedules. 

Meal prepping is the perfect solution. No more unhealthy takeout on the way home and no more work lunches that add up to thousands of dollars a year. 

Meal prepping can help you save time, money, and help you to eat healthy along the way. 

The problem is meal prepping can be difficult if you don’t know your way around the kitchen. 

These meal prep resources can make meal prep way easier. They’ll help you to find recipes, plan out your meals, get more variety in your diet, and save you time along the way.

Some of the resources are specific to certain diets while others focus on general health while saving you money. 

Here’s a list of the best meal prep resources to use this year!  

Best Meal Prep Resources To Use

Whether you’re a meal prep newbie or looking for more meal prep resources to spice up your game, we’ve rounded up the best meal prep resources to use in 2020. Blogs, websites, social media accounts, you name it, we’ve got the resource on the list.

Read on to find out more about why each of these resources made it onto our list of top picks. 

Blogs / Websites

If you do a quick meal prep recipe search online, the results can be more than a little overwhelming. Where do you even begin when your search results yield millions of results? We’ve got a starting point for you. These blogs and websites are some of the best meal prep resources to use in 2020. 

1. Meal Prepify

I’ve spent the last 8 months trying to create the most epic meal prepping blog that exists. We curate recipes from all over the food blogging community to create resources for anyone trying to save money, eat healthy, and get more time to do what they love. 

Whether you’re looking for keto breakfast ideas, air fryer recipes, or you want to eat vegetarian, we can help you get started meal prepping. 

2. Meal Prep Mondays

Do you think that meal prep must require hours and hours of time? Then, you don’t want to miss Meal Prep Mondays.

This site is designed with busy people in mind. Why the focus on Mondays? The site creators believe that the purpose of meal prep is to set yourself up for success with the week ahead. The focus is on healthy eating at a budget-friendly price point.  

3. Budget Bytes

Budget Bytes has been around for over a decade, and there’s a reason for it. Actually, there are thousands of reasons. Beth’s site features some of the tastiest recipes we’ve seen and provides a detailed breakdown of the cost as well.

As an added bonus, the site is super viewer-friendly. It’s easy to navigate, and their Latest & Greatest feature will have your mouth watching in no time. 

4. Meal Prep On Fleek

Meal Prep On Fleek is an excellent site that even offers a meal prep master course. The purpose of the course is to teach people everything they need to know about meal prep while integrating the importance of mindset and healthy living. 

If you need one more reason to check them out, it’s their pizza chicken recipe. The dish went viral, and it’s no surprise why. It’s a super simple dish that is prepped in one pan. It’s a great go-to whenever you’re craving pizza. 

5. Renaissance Periodization

Meal prep is all about finding menu options that fit your lifestyle. If fitness is your focus, you want to get to know Renaissance Periodization. The site features templates, coaching, and even a diet app to help you meet your fitness goals. Plus, check out their advice for meal prepping on a budget. If you think healthy food is too pricey, their tips will have you reconsidering. 

6. Mashup Mom

This one is for all of our Aldi fans out there. Of course, you can find many of these ingredients at other stores, but there’s something about the magic of Aldi. And let’s not forget their fantastic prices.

Mashup Mom makes meal plans for real life, and her inspiration is the Aldi weekly flyer. Cook along with her using current sale items or dig through her archives for more Aldi-inspired meal prep. 

YouTube

Let us share a little secret with you. YouTube isn’t just a place to find funny videos. It’s actually a fantastic search engine that connects viewers to some of the best meal prep resources online. The best part is that if you find one video you love, there’s a good chance you can subscribe to the creator’s channel for similar content.

Let’s take a look 

6. Fit Men Cook 

Kevin Curry of Fit Men Cook promises healthy meals that are never boring, and he delivers on YouTube. These meal prep resources are perfect for men and women who want to focus on eating well while minding their money. ?

Each video includes links to meal plans, grocery lists, and recipes. To get a taste of his channel, check out his video on $75 meal prep using Amazon Fresh. 

7. Downshiftology 

Downshiftology is an excellent resource for everyone, especially people who are focused on following gluten-free diets. Her content isn’t exclusive to meal prepping, but she does have every season covered with meal prep ideas.

If you want to sharpen your skills with healthy basics, this is a great source for that as well. After all, mastering zucchini noodles and cauliflower rice should make meal planning that much easier. 

8. Caitlin Shoemaker

Maybe you think vegan food is boring and bland. Or maybe you think it’s expensive and hard to make. Caitlin Shoemaker’s channel is about to set you straight.

Check out her vegan meal plan videos to see everything from on-the-go ideas to tips for serving up $3 meals with Trader Joe’s ingredients. 

It’s perfect for everyone, whether you’re a long-time vegan or simply trying to test out more meatless options. 

If you aren’t vegan, but want to clean up your diet, then my friend Bethany can help you find ways to eat more vegetables even if you hate them. 

9. Mind Over Munch

Mind Over Munch is the resource for you if you want your recipes served with a side of straight talk. Alyssia knows that eating healthy can be hard, and she’s here to help.

With video names like Easy Healthy Meal Prep in One Hour, she speaks our language. Food that tastes great, is good for you, and comes together in a snap is something that we can (and do!) subscribe to. 

10. Lemonade Mom

Lemonade Mom knows that most of us are short on time. To save us all from ourselves (and our local fast food restaurants), she shares some of the best meal prep ideas on her YouTube channel. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all covered thanks to her easy slow cooker freezer meal prep videos. 

She even features ideas on how to make Dollar Tree ingredients work into your meal plans in ways that are both budget-friendly and healthy. 

Instagram accounts

Don’t let the fantastic photos fool you. You don’t have to be a master chef to consult Instagram. In fact, there are plenty of Instagram accounts that are excellent meal prep resources for people who are just getting started.

Here are some Instagram meal prep accounts that we love. 

11. Food Prep Princess 

Food Prep Princess is meal prep royalty for good reason. Her Instagram account features a ton of different meal prep ideas, and she also takes the time to showcase ingredient lists and shopping trips that make her meal prepping successful. 

Her highlights are overflowing with helping Stories, showcasing everything from individual recipes in action to some of her best prep rituals. 

12. Meal Prep Daily

What will you find at Meal Prep Daily? In addition to tons of meal prep ideas, there is plenty of advice for people who are just getting started or want to step up their meal prep game. The account also features fitness ideas and fun content. 

If you want a laugh, check them out! Plus, this account even has a dedicated Stories Highlight about meal prep basics called Meal Prep 101. 

13. The Girl on Bloor 

The Girl on Bloor is a self-proclaimed fit foodie. But don’t think that her Instagram account is only for master food preppers. There’s something for everyone. Her Highlights focus on fit foodie essentials, including meal prep tips, slow cooker recipes, instant pot ideas, one pan meals, and low carb essentials. 

She also does a terrific job proving that meal prep is anything but boring. She often spotlights ways to mix up ingredients, such as her mashed, loaded, and roasted sweet potato post. 

14. Damn Delicious

Damn Delicious is no stranger to being featured on our site. She’s churned out two terrific cookbooks, her website is fantastic, and she has a must-follow Instagram account.

Come for delicious recipes like her cilantro lime chicken thighs and stay for the most adorable Corgi content online. 

15. We Love Clean Food

We Love Clean Food is based in Dublin, Ireland and is dedicated to showcasing what clean eating and meal prep looks like in real life. In addition to getting a behind-the-scenes look at what meal prepping looks like in action, the Instagram account also takes a deeper dive into specific meal ideas and recipes.

If you love cheap and easy keto recipes, then this is the account to follow. 

Communities

What if you could find an entire community of people to brainstorm, troubleshoot, and connect with over great food? You can! Thanks to Reddit and Facebook, there are meal prep communities popping up all over the place.

Check out the ones that made our list of best meal prep resources for 2020. 

16. Meal Prep Sunday Subreddit

Don’t let Reddit intimidate you! Even if you’ve never been on the platform before, you will fall in love with this resource. Basically, Meal Prep Sunday Subreddit is a gathering of dedicated meal preppers who share ideas and inspiration with one another.

If you’ve got questions, they’ve got answers. Additionally, it’s a terrific spot to find new recipes. 

17. Meal Prep Ideas Facebook Group

Meal Prep Ideas Facebook Group is a public group that anyone can join. A quick scroll will leave your mouth watering and your mind spinning. People are very active in the group, sharing snaps of what they’re prepping for the upcoming week. 

In addition to gathering inspiration, you’ll often see people putting their own spin on recipes. This group is worth joining no matter how long you’ve been meal prepping. You’ll be surprised at the new tricks you can learn. 

Paid (But Awesome!) Meal Prep Resources

Don’t get us wrong. Free resources are ideal, and there are a lot of awesome free resources online. There are also a few excellent paid meal prep resources that we have to include on our list of best meal prep resources. The content they deliver makes them well worth the cost. We promise! 

18. $5 Meal Plans

Would you be willing to buy back your time for $5? If you answered yes, then this resource is for you. The purpose of $5 meal plans is to take the time out of meal planning.

For $5 a month, you receive a weekly hand-crafted meal plan that feeds your family healthy and tasty options for $2 per person or less. Over 35,000 people use $5 Meal Plans, and you can try it for free for 14 days!

Source: biblemoneymatters.com

Apache is functioning normally

By Peter Anderson 35 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited May 6, 2019.

Christmas time is one of the most joyous times of the year at our house, but if you’re not careful it can also be one of the most expensive times of year. If you’re trying to cut down on spending, like we are at our house, it can become a challenge to find creative gifts to give.

Today I thought I would try to put together a list of ideas for some good frugal gifts that you can give this Christmas. (The frugality of the gifts vary from gift to gift, but I’ve linked some possibilities on Amazon.  You can probably find some cheaper ways to put these things together yourself if you try.)

Check out the newly expanded list: 100 Frugal Christmas Gifts

50 Frugal Gifts

  1. Baked goods: I don’t know any guy who wouldn’t love to get a box full of cookies, banana bread and pastries!   (Hint: not good for someone on a diet)
  2. If you’ve got an old laptop, make a frugal digital picture frame out of it!:   At 14-15″ it’ll be bigger than most you buy at the stores, and cheaper since you’ll be using old parts!
  3. Personalized Calendars:  Most photo processing places will have these personalized calendars you can buy, or pick up pre-made ones in Target’s dollar bins.  Get photos of you and the person you’re giving the gift to in each season, and place them in the appropriate month/season of the year!
  4. Themed gift baskets: Give a themed gift basket.  For example, a movie night theme basket with microwave popcorn, a movie or two, and some cheapo popcorn buckets from Target dollar bin.
  5. Custom t-shirts: Create your own custom t-shirt for a family member on Cafepress. It’s cheaper than you might think!
  6. Scrapbooks: Make a scrapbook for a close friend showng moments you’ve shared together. My wife did this for a friend’s wedding.  Very meaningful.
  7. Donation to a local charity:  Give to a local charity in someone’s name.  Make sure it’s a charity that they would actually give to.
  8. Handmade Christmas ornaments: make personalized Christmas ornaments for your friends and family!
  9. Board Games: buy a board game, a gift that gets the family together and keeps on giving all year long! Even better, if you can find some board games at garage sales or on ebay, create a themed game night gift basket (see above)!
  10. Family history DVD:  Put together a family history DVD with photos, writtten family histories, video and anything else you can think of.
  11. Framed family picture:  Take a picture at a family event, frame it, and give it as a gift!
  12. Coupon Books: Make a personalized coupon book with such favorite coupons as “back rub”, “dinner” or “clean the house”.
  13. Make a blanket: make a nice fleece blanket.   Instructions here.
  14. Make some custom painted wine glasses: Make some custom painted wine glasses, and then give them along with a bottle of wine.  Instructions here.
  15. Give a magazine subscription:  My brother loves reading National Geographic and the Economist.  We gave him subscriptions as a gift.
  16. Romantic evening gift set: Candles and fake flower petals! Cheap and fun!
  17. Keeping warm gift set: Give a gift set of hat, scarf and gloves.  Add long underwear as well if you wish!
  18. Leatherbound journal:  buy a nice leatherbound journal at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble.  They make for a nice gift.  Add a nice pen if you want to pay a little more.
  19. Craft Kit:  Put together a crafting kit with things like markers, glitter, scissors, clay, crayons, glue, paper, etc.
  20. Photo Collage: If you’re handy with Photoshop or another image editing software, create a photo collage/montage, print it out and frame it!  Or if you don’t have Photoshop, print separate pictures and create a collage.
  21. Movie Tickets: Buy a pair of movie passes or a movie gift card for someone to go see a movie. Not as cheap as it used to be :).
  22. Buy a single stock:  Buy a family member a single stock to get them started, and give them a copy of a finance book like Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover (although you may want to stress that you’re giving it because it has helped you.  People can get touchy about money related gifts)
  23. Flannel Sheets and PJs:  Buy a keeping comfy gift pack with flannel sheets and pajamas!
  24. Coffee Lovers Gift Pack:  Buy some gourmet coffee and a personalized coffee cup for the coffee lover on your list.
  25. Set of soaps, towels and soap dish: Put together a nice matching set of hand towel and soap dish, and then give some handmade soaps.
  26. Big breakfast gift pack: Put together a gift pack with pancake mix, batter dispenser, syrup and pancake mix-ins.
  27. Puzzle day:  Give a gift pack of a puzzle and snacks to eat while you do the puzzle!
  28. BBQ Kit: Get some BBQ sauce from local source, and add it to a nice BBQ Utensil kit.
  29. Basket of spices and seasonings: Put together a basket of seasonings and spices from a local spice or grocery store.  Make sure to get a good mix for cooking, BBQs, etc.
  30. Netflix subscription: Pay for someone to have netflix for a couple of months.  If they have a connected device, they can even stream movies!
  31. Deck of cards and book of card games: Buy a cheap pack of cards, and a book listing the rules of different card games. Good for hours of fun!
  32. Cheap keychain digital picture viewer: Buy someone a cheap digital picture viewer keychain (around $20?) and fill it with pictures.
  33. Bath time gift pack:  Buy a nice wash clothe, some bath oils/beads and even some lotions at your local bath store.
  34. Mix tape:  Make  a mix CD from Itunes with some of the person’s favorite music on it.
  35. Botanicals:  buy a nice low maintenance plant to brighten up their day, along with a small watering can.
  36. Make a recipe box: If you’re good with wood, make a nice recipe box, and fill it with blank recipe cards.
  37. An appreciation book:  Get a nice journal, and write in it to the person about how much you appreciate them, things you love about them,  shared moments and experiences and general encouragement.  Even add a few photos.
  38. Book gift pack:  Find some books on your own shelf that you’ve already read, and put together a gift pack of books
  39. Chocolate attack!: Put together a gift pack with all kinds of chocolate. Hot chocolate, chocolate bars, truffles, etc.
  40. Car wash kit:  Put together a kit for washing the car.  Can include things like sponge, tire brush, bug remover, car soap, etc.
  41. Regifted items:  Did you get a 2nd crock pot last Christmas that you haven’t used?  Give it away this Christmas (to someone other than who you received it from)
  42. “That’s a spicy meatball” gift pack: Give them a nice italian dinner with a pasta bowl, pasta, strainer, fancy olive oil, pasta utensils and even some sauce.
  43. Give your service:  Good at cooking? Offer to come over and cook a gourment meal.  Are you a designer?  Offer your design services for free.  Good with computers? Offer free tech support. You get the idea.
  44. Wine and cheese gift pack:  Buy a variety of specialty cheeses, crackers and a bottle of wine.  Put it together and you have one gourment evening!
  45. Picnic pack:  Put together a picnic pack with a blanket, a basket, some cheap utensils and plates.
  46. Sewing Kit & lessons: put together all the sewing essentials (thread, needles, pins, etc) and then give the person lessons on how to sew.
  47. Gardening gift pack: Buy the person gardening gloves, gardening tools and some seeds. Put them all in a small bucket or waterging can.
  48. Handmade jewelry:  Make a handmade necklace or bracelet at a local bead or craft store.  Give it as a meaningful gift.
  49. Music lover’s delight: give an itunes gift card, along with a book about their favorite artist or band
  50. Beer afficionado gift pack:  Give a beer mug, snacks and gift card from a local brew pub.
  51. A Birdhouse: Give your loved one of these bluebird houses so they can relax on the porch and watch the colorful avians.

Now that I’ve given you some ideas for some frugal Christmas gifts, why don’t you give us your own ideas! Leave a comment with your idea for a good frugal Christmas gift below!

More Ideas

50 ideas not enough?  Here’s some more ideas for a frugal Christmas!

Related Posts

Source: biblemoneymatters.com

Apache is functioning normally

By Peter Anderson 6 Comments – The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited November 20, 2018.

Ok, ok. I know what you’re going to say.

Going on a European vacation is NOT frugal.

Going on a trip like this means that  you’re going to be spending a pretty penny. Traveling to Europe these days isn’t cheap, the Euro is currently worth somewhere in the neighborhood of about $1.28  U.S. dollars. That exchange rate makes the prices of a European vacation sting right of the bat!

But put that aside for a moment, let’s assume that you’re already going on a trip to Europe, what are some good ways to save money?  H

ow can you have a great time, while not spending nearly as much as you could?

tips for a frugal european vacation

tips for a frugal european vacation

Ways To Save Money While Traveling In Europe

Here are a few ways that my wife and I have found to save when we traveled in Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Croatia on a recent trip.

  • Plan ahead:  Even if you’re spending a lot of money on a European vacation or cruise like we have in the past, you can save a ton of money by booking your vacation ahead of time, up to a year or more in advance can really save you a lot of money.  It can be tempting to try and wait and to try and get a last minute deal, but often the best deals are to be had when booking far in advance.  Look the deals up as far ahead of time that you can, and hopefully you’ll find a great deal.
  • Travel during the off season: You might want to consider booking your trip during the slow season for whatever your destination is.  Rates are often far cheaper during the off-peak times of the year.  The crowds will often be smaller too!  We actually did this for one cruise in Europe, and saved a ton. It was also a perk to not have as big of crowds at the sites like the ruins in Athens.
  • Be flexible with travel: Often if you’re flexible with the days that you travel you can save some money. When booking try to see what the rates are if you book mid-week travel instead of the more popular weekend travel.
  • Try alternative lodging options: Instead of staying at an expensive hotel, consider staying at a cheaper lodging alternative like a hostel, or you could even try couchsurfing!
  • Know what you’re spending: When you’re buying something in a Barcelona gift shop or at vendor in a Roman square, it can be easy to forget just how much money you’re spending. Remember you’re buying that souvenir in Euros – not dollars!  That means you’re paying 1.28 times as much.  That $50 item is actually $64!   Take a quick pocket conversion chart or smartphone with you so that you can refer to it when buying things.
  • Set spending limits for yourself, and don’t go over!: Before you go on your trip, set up a spending limit for yourself, and don’t go over it. Once you’ve reached your limit just take more pictures as souvenirs!
  • Use a travel guide:  Using a travel guide for your travel destinations will help you to find cheap places to eat and little seen free events.
  • Some destinations offer discounts for Americans: research your destination as some European cities will offer discount packages for Americans to help offset the weak dollar.  For example, Florence, Italy has a program like this.

With all the planning, preparations and excitement in getting ready for your trip, it can be easy to forget -you’re going on vacation to relax and see the sites.  So don’t forget to have fun!

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Source: biblemoneymatters.com