Distracted Driver Awareness Month

FTC disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.


U.S. Cellular offers a FREE PRINTABLE Parent Child agreement to help you discuss safety of the Internet, cell phone usage, limits, and courtesy with your teen or tween.  You don't even need to be a U.S. Cellular customer to access this, although I have been for 10 years and highly recommend them. 


Right before my husband and I met online, his car got totaled.  Because it wasn't worth much, but he had just made the last payment on it, he wasn't able to keep driving it.  Instead, he immediately had to take out another car loan. Buying a used car also includes having to get everything fixed that the previous owners didn't do that caused them to sell the car.

What does distracted driving have to do with him having to spent over $3,000 for a used car?  He was driving through town, and was at a stoplight.  He looked in his rear view mirror and he saw someone speeding towards him with her fact looking down at a cell phone.  She readily admitted she was texting.

I can't tell you how often we think back and wish her text could have waited.  Instead of having a car that was paid off and an asset, we have had so many car expenses.  In retrospect, it would have been better for him to have bought a better car as many times as his has been in the shop.  Yet, I know we are lucky that the only cost to us because of a distracted driver was financial.

How to Save Money on ANYTHING

FTC disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

Every couple of months I receive an e-mail asking, "How can I save money on going to Disney World?"  I've received the same question about XBox Ones, PS4s, flights to Hawaii, and more.

Did you know you can save money on anything?   Well, kind of.  So often I see people who only want to save towards big purchases and don't think about the smaller ones.

Here are a few tips.

Book Review: The Mexican Slow Cooker Cookbook

FTC disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.  All opinions are my own.  This post does include affiliate links.


I love Mexican food.  I don't have a lot of time.  But I do have a slow cooker.  Add in Deborah Schneider's book The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites it doesn't take long to get something started for dinner and then let it simmer all day!

Because I grew up in a rural area in a family that was all "meat and potatoes", as much as I enjoy Mexican food, I tend to stick to favorites.  I never learned to make such wonderful things such as tamales, but  also I had no idea there are so many different variety of tacos.

Some of the ingredients would be difficult to find where I live in West Virginia.  (prickly pear cactus anyone?)  While this cookbook says it is readily available at Mexican markets, we don't have one anywhere near I live, so some of these recipes aren't things I can make, at least not at this time.

I also very much appreciated the many photos in this book because I might not have any idea what Puchero de Res is, but I can look at a photo and think how delicious it looks.

This cookbook is well on its way to becoming a staple in my kitchen!

Five Myths I believed about Student Loans

I realize graduating from college almost 20 years ago makes my experience with student loans totally different than what today's kids are facing, but here are a few things I wish I had known.

I though the future was so far away I'd never have to pay back my loans.  I know this sounds silly, but when I took out my first student loan at age 16 (I graduated high school at 15.), I didn't really comprehend this.

Tips for planning ahead for recurring expenses.

Did you know that with some bills if you pay the year in full you can get a discount?   I do this with my house insurance, and I'm working towards being able to do it with my car insurance.  Here are some tips when you decide you want to go this route.

* Sit down and figure out what your expenses are such as income and property taxes, costs associated with Christmas, back to school, and even your family vacation.

Why I love Kindle Unlimited

FTC disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

I absolutely love Kindle Unlimited.  You can sign up for 30 days for free, and then after that it is $9.99 a month.

The reason I love it so much is because I love reading three types of books that are very highly represented in Kindle Unlimited.

Gift ideas for the senior citizens, the elderly, or people who have everything

FTC disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

Postage stamps -- even better if you order from Zazzle and put a photo on it.


Playing cards -- either large ones if they have difficulty seeing or add a photo to the back

Five Simple Ways to Improve your Password Safety Habits

FTC disclaimer:  I am a member of the U.S. Cellular Blogging Brigade.  This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.  I only recommend products I believe in.

U.S. Cellular offers a FREE PRINTABLE Parent Child agreement to help you discuss safety of the Internet, cell phone usage, limits, and courtesy with your teen or tween.  You don't even need to be a U.S. Cellular customer to access this, although I have been for 10 years and highly recommend them. 

I have always been frugal.  As that evolved into the digital age, I found myself having so many online accounts I couldn't keep track of them all, let alone the passwords.  I am a member of so many different points rewards programs and frequent flyer programs that I don't even know what all I have signed up for until I go to sign up again and it tells me I have an account.

One of my biggest headaches online was when my e-mail got hacked.  I thought I was safe using a foreign word as my password, but obviously there are people all over the world who use the Internet.

3 Tips for Fast, Easy, and Fun Scripture Memorization

FTC disclaimer:  This post contains referral links.

When I was in high school, I memorized the entire book of Matthew.  All 28 chapters.  Every verse. (There are 1,071 of them, by the way!)  Needless to say, I was the top Bible quizzer in my part of the state, and in the top half in our region of the country.  But it wasn't always easy for me to memorize Scripture.  I had to find the way that worked for me.

How to Create a School and Office Supply Stockpile on a Budget

FTC disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links.

Have you seen prices on notebooks and crayons in February?  They certainly aren't on sale by any means! If you ran out of glue when your son was working on his science fair project, you likely ran to the store and could have kicked yourself for not buying another bottle when it was on sale during back to school sales.  You had the hassle of going to the store, and you also had to pay more than you would have in August so he could cover Saturn with copious amounts of glitter.

The first thing you need is a storage spot.  A shelf in a closet, a bin in the garage, a box under the bed in the guest room.  Just somewhere heat won't melt crayons and no musty smells will get into paper.

First, decide what you need.  This will vary depending on if you have children or are stocking for your home office (or both!).  Then it will depend on how old your children are.