Top Tips for Moving Cross Country

Moving can be challenging at any time, but moving cross country can be much more daunting than moving within city limits. Here are some tips to help you with your cross-country move.

A smooth house move process is all about choosing good cross country moving companies. This article deals with some frequently asked questions about choosing your movers to get the best possible experience.

Five Challenges You May Face as an Expat and Their Solutions

I have been an expat for the past 15 years in a non English speaking country. It hasn't always been easy, but after this much time here I've more or less gotten into the groove. However, my grasp of the language is far from perfect, even though I grew up in a household that spoke that language to some extent. I just joined a local whatsapp group where locals get to practice their English with English speakers correcting them and visa versa. 

When you move to a new country, I've heard it said, that the first year it's pretty easy since it's new and exciting so even though there are challenges you are able to navigate them because you are really motivated and excited. But the novelty wears off and the second and third year abroad can be really difficult and test your fortitude. However they say that people that are still around at the 5 year mark finally have things easy enough, figured out everything that they need, and are content with life abroad. But many understandably give up before then because of the challenges.

Here is a post from a reader elaborating on some issues that you may deal with as an expat and some solutions for these problems.

Living abroad is one of the most enriching experiences you can have in life. It can give you access to unique opportunities for professional and personal development. It can teach you resilience and adaptability. It can help you experience things that at home were unattainable. However, being an expat can be challenging. You may be dealing with a language barrier, a different healthcare system, unfamiliar social customs, and different climate.

Are you considering moving abroad? Or are you already an expat making your first steps in a foreign country? Read on to discover five challenges you may face and some possible solutions.

How Far Will You Go For Free Things?

I had a busy day recently, going to the city for a few appointments, and on the way home I stopped at the grocery store to get some much needed groceries. I did a delivery of most of what I bought, but since I didn't know when I'd be getting the delivery, I brought home the food I'd need for supper on the bus with me.

On the bus halfway between the grocery store and my house and with my phone on two percent battery I saw that a friend from my neighborhood messaged me. There was a giveaway of foodstuffs via an organization to people in need, and after they finish giving out to the needy, any extras are a free-for-all for anyone to take. This friend told me that there were a bunch of packages of gluten free tortillas available for the taking.

By the time I checked this, my phone was down to one percent. The bus I was on continued one stop further to where they were giving out the tortillas. I knew myself and if I didn't go straight there I wouldn't actually get the energy to leave the house and get them, but it was an opportunity I didn't want to miss. But the kids needed stuff for supper (they were with my neighbor) and I had them, so I thought quickly.

Save Money on Your Next Family Vacation with These Tips

I love vacationing and taking trips, all while doing it on a careful budget, and write about that a lot here on this blog. Here are some more tips from a reader on how you can save money on your trips.

Some of the best family memories are made while on vacation. With everyone’s little league schedules, dance recitals, work obligations and social engagements, it can be challenging to find the time and money you need to pull off the vacation of your dreams. 

Fortunately, family vacations don’t always have to break the bank. Read on for handy tips to help you save some serious money on your family’s next big adventure. 

What Have You Not Considered When It Comes To Your Business

Are you a small business owner? Or a big business owner? Sometimes in order to make more money or have your business work better for you, it is worthwhile to change the structure of your business. Here are some thoughts from a reader on some things you should consider.

What have you not considered when it comes to your business? The simple answer is that you probably don’t know. There are so many things that can be done with business, and when you are the one who is tasked with making decisions, it can be hard to see the big picture. We all have ideas, and we all have things that we think are right, but don’t forget that our perception is limited by what we can see. When you own a business, yours is limited further because you might have been looking for too long. In this article, we’re going to be looking at some of the things that you might not have considered for your business, so keep reading if you would like to find out more.

A Post About Rice

Confession. I've been struggling somewhat to write lately. 

I have a whole list of ideas that I want to write about, including many bullet points on each topic with the information I want to cover, and yet when I go to write the post, it doesn't flow well. Or I have to pull teeth to get myself to even open up the page, let alone to actually write. And part of the issue is my pressuring myself that it has to be perfect, that whatever I write and share here has to be Quality with a capital Q, because that is what you come here to read, and I can't write anything less than perfect. Which, quite obviously, puts a lot of pressure and stress on myself, and I don't do well under stress. I run away from stress or have my brain get fuzzy, or like I'm seeing, hearing, and experiencing the world from under water. And, honestly, is happening now as I write this. But I'm trying to not let this overtake me and have me minimize the screen and go move on to something else as my brain is telling me. "You're not good enough, no one wants to read what you have to say unless you elucidate something extremely profound that no one ever did until now, and even then maybe not." Yea, that self-doubt voice that I'm dealing with all the time. (Yay depression and anxiety).

But I decided to go ahead anyhow and tell the haters (in my brain) that they can just shut up and go away, and I'll write this post even if it isn't the most perfect, sublime, original post I ever wrote.

Taking Care of Your Family on a Budget: 4 Swaps to Make

Some frugal strategies don't work for families. Here are some tips from a reader to save money that work for families, not just for single folk.

For many of us, providing for our families is our greatest priority and our greatest joy in life. However, times have been tough for the past few months and we all know that giving our families everything they need can be hard financially.

If you’re on a tighter budget than before and unsure of how to still take good care of those you love, here are a few places you can look towards reducing your expenses to help you make sure you’ve got it all together.

Make It Meaningful: Gift Ideas for the Groom on His Wedding Day

I love gift giving. But not just any gift giving. I like giving meaningful gifts that will be appreciated, even if it means sometimes costing a little more. Getting more value for your money can mean getting something that will last a long time and be exactly what the other person would enjoy, instead of a gift that is cheaper and won't be used or appreciated. Here are some ideas for meaningful gifts for a groom on his wedding day, that aren't too expensive and will hit the spot.

The wedding day has always been synonymous with the bride, but it is an equally big and special day for the groom. Most weddings include a gift-giving ceremony between the bride and the groom. The groom will also receive many gifts from those who attend the party.

Choosing gifts for the groom is quite a challenge, especially if you don't want to spend too much on gifts. The main thing should be to make the gift meaningful, not exuberant. Therefore, even a small gift can have plenty of sentimental value to the groom.

How to Manage Your Home Maintenance Budget

There are some nice things about being a renter. You aren't responsible for much of the maintenance in your home, because that is the landlord's responsibility. But if you're an owner these can be an expensive part of your budget, and even renters may need to spend money on some repairs such as appliances. Here are some tips from a reader on how to make sure that these expenses stay manageable and within your budget.

Home maintenance is an expected part of being a homeowner. You need to take care of your property to keep it in good condition and prevent it from deteriorating. To be prepared to take care of your home, you need to have a home maintenance budget to ensure you can afford it. You should expect various home maintenance expenses, so you can plan for anything that you might need to pay for. There are also many ways you could save money on home maintenance, making it easier for you to manage your budget. If you want to be prepared and make sure that you don't spend too much, here's how you can manage your budget more smartly.

Recent Frugal Accomplishments

Every time I start to think that I'm not accomplishing much frugally in the past while, I decide to make a list of frugal things I've done, thinking that, maybe, the three or four things on my list will make me feel better about myself, but then the list expands and expands until I get something like this and I realize I'm not giving myself the credit I deserve. So here are the recent frugal things I did -- maybe some of them can give you ideas, and maybe you can make yourself such a list and feel proud of yourself.

How to Save Money Shaving

First off, I want to start off by saying that no one should ever tell you what to do with your body, including body hair. Even if something is a cultural norm, if you want to keep body hair somewhere, that is your choice. And you can change your choice at any time. I, personally, prefer to shave my underarm hair, and occasionally my legs, but it is fine to not do that either. My preferred tool is an epilator, but many people prefer to not use something that pulls out hairs, as that can be painful. If you're someone that shaves, here is how you can save money shaving, while helping the environment at the same time.

Since the early 1900s our grooming routines have changed dramatically, shifting from high-quality straight razors, balms and creams to disposable cartridge razors and shaving foam in a can! Razor companies such as Gillette would have us believe that using disposable razors not only provides a smoother shave, but it’s also cheaper. But is this actually true or can we save money and still keep our faces and legs hair-free using a more traditional method of shaving?

6 Tips for Making the Most of Your Child's Education

As parents, we can just hand our kids over to their teachers and let them do the work. But to have your child succeed there, your involvement helps. Do you want to be involved in your children's education to make sure that they have the best chance at being successful there? Here are some tips from a reader on how you can do that.

The best way to make sure that your child gets the most out of their education is to be involved. Parents play a huge role in making sure that children are challenged and encouraged, so they will want to learn more! It’s also important to set your child up with good routines which will help them to focus better and enjoy learning. These six tips for parents will help you get started:

Lemon Garlic Green Beans Recipe- Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo and Easy

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the tastiest. If you want a delicious and easy side dish recipe, these lemon garlic green beans are the perfect answer. The entire time from start to finish making them is 20 minutes.

This recipe is both vegan, gluten free, and paleo. It is free of the top 8 allergies. My kids loved this and asked me to make this repeatedly.

Lemon Garlic Green Beans Recipe- Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo and Easy