Beth
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Now What?
Sometimes big events are anti-climatic. I shared in my last blog post how Fred and I recently became debt-free and compared it to my recent experience running a 5K. Both events were big for me – milestones in my life that I will look back on with pride and fondness, and yet, both events felt a bit disappointing in the moment. Don’t get me wrong – I am so glad for both of those things, and I am proud of both…
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We’re Debt-Free!
(Some of you have already heard this news, and some of you haven’t. Either way, I’m going to share some of my thoughts about our journey to becoming debt-free. Enjoy!) It finally happened. 6 years ago, when Fred and I got married and had almost $100,000 in debt, I didn’t know when we would ever be free. Despite the large amount of money we owed to both the Canadian and American government, we have paid faithfully every month, and on July…
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My Five Favourite Meat Substitutes
We all know meat is expensive. Yet somehow, most of us just keep buying it and complaining about it. I know I do sometimes. Today’s blog is about hope. About doing something about the thing we complain about. Here is the solution: do something different. Don’t just keep buying something you hate paying for. Make a change! Fred and I have been on a tight grocery budget for years as we have been paying down our enormous pile of debt.…
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Can’t Buy Me Love
I used to think that money solved everything. This is not entirely inaccurate – money can do a lot of good things like feed hungry families, buy medicine for the sick, or provide something for someone who desperately needs it. But money is just a tool, and like any tool, it can be used for good or for evil. In addition, as The Beatles reveal to us in their famous song, there are some things it just can’t buy. This journey…
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Ways I’m Practicing Thanksgiving This Christmas Season
As an American living in Canada, I have the privilege of celebrating Thanksgiving day twice (and having a wonderful reason to eat a big turkey meal with loved ones in October and November)! This year, I realized that I want to practice Thanksgiving not just on those days set aside and given to us off of work, but always. Especially with Christmas coming up. This realization came mainly as I was planning my Christmas present list. I LOVE giving gifts…
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How to Travel on a Budget (Part 2)
3 months ago I shared how to travel on a budget, particularly when it comes to trips where you do mostly driving in your own country. However, many times travel involves flying and going international. My family and friends know that I travel a lot for my job, which is great fun for me and such a privilege. In my many travels, I have learned a few things about budgeting and saving money on an international adventure, and I want…
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How to Travel on a Budget (Part 1)
This month, my husband and I went on a 23 day road trip. And we only spent $1,535 for our entire journey. We had been wanting to join my family for a vacation in Yellowstone, and we decided that driving would be the most cost-effective way to go. Then Fred decided that since we were already driving across the country, we might as well stop and see more family and some friends on the way. This week-long trip morphed into…
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How We Went to Disneyland on a Budget
Two weeks ago, we were in the magic kingdom. In my last post, I mentioned that we went on a road trip (which I will share more about in my next post), and on this trip we had the privilege of going to Disneyland for a day. I wanted to share with you some of the ways we saved money and how we were able to go while in this season of paying off our significant amount of debt. We…
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Things I’m Into – July 2015
So…it has been a while since I have written a blog (3 months and a few days, to be exact). I often have really good ideas for my blog, but life has been so busy with travel and work that I haven’t had the time to sit down and actually type them. I have two awesome blog ideas in my head for traveling on a budget (stay posted!) but today I will be sharing the things that I have been…
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Setbacks and Catapults
Sometimes unexpected things happen in life. We call those setbacks. Last month, we had a big setback. The check engine light in our car came on and the heat simultaneously went out. So, like responsible adults, we took it to our mechanic. He looked into it and we found the cause: we needed a new engine. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever had to replace the engine in your car (you’re lucky if you haven’t), but it is one of…