A vertical vegetable garden can be the mind-blowing solution to your desire to grow your own food but the problem of a distinct lack of space. Sometimes, you need to look at a problem from a different angle and, when it comes to growing vegetables, that means looking up. Not every vegetable is suitable for …
30-day challenges are in vogue right now. There’s everything from decluttering to eating paleo to attempting a spending freeze being wrapped up in a 30-day challenge. You can focus on your mental health, weight loss, your health, or mindfulness. Aim for that six-pack with a bodyweight workout challenge or read every day. It makes sense. …
By now, you’ve all heard of side hustles. They can be a great way to make some extra money on the side while also learning some new skills, but maybe it sounds complicated. Below we explore seven reasons why everyone should have a side hustle! Â Why have a side hustle? The number one reason …
A well stocked pantry is valuable for many reasons, right? Trouble is, lots of people don’t know where to start when they decide to build their own pantry stockpile. It can be expensive and confusing. But, it doesn’t have to be. Let me show you how to build your pantry stockpile. Plus, why you need to have …
Welcome to the latest blog income and traffic report for Smart Money, Simple Life; where you’ll learn about my efforts making extra money via a self hosted blog. Unfortunately, this blog as been in a bit of a holding pattern for the last few months. I’m hoping that’ll change soon but, like everything else in life, there are …
Smart Money Secrets from the Great Depression It’s easy to be lulled into believing we live in a time of great (and increasing) prosperity. And, on the surface we do appear to be living easier, more comfortable lives than our parents or grandparents. Time and labor saving devices like dishwashers and drive-thru car washes are …
Living on one income can be a challenge. Living on one income and being a single parent can turn that challenge into an ever present source of stress and anxiety. Sure, the basics are the same: Track your spending Create and stick to a budget Build an emergency fund, and Work on paying off your …
Welcome to April’s blog income and traffic report for Smart Money, Simple Life. Sharing this information still feels a little odd but I know the value I get from reading others’ blog income and traffic reports so I’m hoping my monthly report can, in turn, help others who are just starting out or maybe just started …
Freedom and fulfillment. Two words that define success for Hal Elrod, me and quite possibly many of you, too. Freedom is the external hallmark of success for me. Freedom to choose how I spend my time, my money and my energy. Fulfillment is my internal hallmark of success. I look for and need fulfillment in the …
Got a secure job and don’t think you need an emergency fund? Here are 13 reasons why you might want to rethink that position. According to Pew Charitable Trust’s The Precarious State of Family Balance Sheets (Jan, 2015) “The typical household at the bottom has access to less than two weeks’ worth of income in checking and …
Assessing your vulnerability to risk is a relatively quick and simple process. Determining how to build resilience into your lifestyle so you can either reduce the risk or lessen its impact, is a little trickier. The topsy-turvy economy has got me thinking about the potential risks to my financial well-being. A lot. One of the key …
What is a simple life? Is a cabin in the woods (like Thoreau in Walden) necessary for you to live simply? Do you need to turn your back on all modern conveniences, worse yet, technology? Luckily, there are no hard and fast rules dictating what defines a simple life. Each of us comes to a …