I can't believe how easy it was.

 

Every year we buy a few loaves of Irish Soda Bread even though I have heard how easy it is to make. This year we needed to cut a few corners so we decided to try making one ourselves. I was supposed to help but rest is what I am getting so my husband took over the process and it came out fantastic. The recipe was for one loaf and this loaf is about the size of 4 loaves you get from the store. The taste is terrific and even Dennis said it tastes better than what we get from the store.We followed the recipe found here.

Learn to Budget like a Pro

 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here. 

As my husband and myself have been learning to manage our money better, we have learned that having a place to keep everything written down is important. My health isn't awesome right now or rather it never really has been but it has come time to make sure that my husband can manage our money too.

I have taught him how to pay our bills and what dates they should be paid on, where to find the information for each bill etc. Having it written in one place is much easier for him to take the reigns when he needs to and a budgeting book like this is a good place to start. 

I love that it includes a calendar, plenty of spots to keep track of things, and even has a spot with helpful hint each month, a monthly goal, and a spot for a monthly gratitude exercise. It has just about everything you need to make sure that you can start to take control of your budget.

It also comes with 8 cash envelopes and even though we don't use cash envelopes they can be a great way to save money or even divvy out allowance to your children. Some people use the envelopes to put money aside for donating or saving up for something like a Holiday, Birthday, etc. 

Check it out below for yourself. 

Official Money Guide for Couples

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It is never too late to learn how to get your finances in order. We have been married for 30 plus years and we are just beginning to get ours in line. We married young, had a ton of kids, and lived very busy lives. We just never really took the time to learn things. Sure we skated by with a couple of falls and setbacks, but we never really learned to save for ourselves, children, or our retirement. What can I say we lived paycheck to paycheck and when we had extra money we spent it quickly on things we had deprived ourselves from having the rest of the time. So here we are at the age of 49 with hardly any savings. Sure we have no debt but we don't have anything saved or to show other then our family for the 30 years we have been together. 

So like I said it is never to late to learn. Take for instance the book "Official Money Guide for Couples" this is a great book to start with if you are in relationship. There are many more to choose from but this is a good start and will help you make better choices, hopefully earlier then us but even if you are younger then us take the leap and learn more about finances not just for today or tomorrow but for years to come. 

I believe if we had some guidance all of those years before things might have worked out very different for us along the way, but we can't change the past we can only move forward from where we are today. Since the beginning of 2020 many families have felt the sting of not saving earlier. Times are hard on tons of people and even if you can't save right now this book can really put you on the right track to getting your finances in order and changing your life over time for the better. 

In the last year we have saved a little bit of money here and there so we have something in case of emergency. Now we are taking all of our money saving tips we have used over the years and are combining them with what we have learned in this book to do more with what we have. I don't think we are ready for the stock market just yet but hey it is a possibility. 

If you are interested in learning more check out the book below or even visit their site. Links at bottom of post. There are products for kids to adults so that everyone in your family can learn to take care of their money better. Here is to everyone making a change in their lives one step at a time, it's never too late. 

Find out more about MoneySavvy Generation at

Website

Road Trip Anyone?

Sponsored


Going on a Road trip can be lots of fun, but not always for the little ones who will be seated for long periods of time in between all of the exciting places they will see. Having items on hand that keep them busy, happy, and excited about what is ahead is a great idea. Treats, road games, music, videos, and books like this one from i See Me. My U.S.A. Road Trip book is just the right thing to break out just before the trip to show all of the wonderful places you might see.

The i See Me My U.S.A. Road Trip is a personalized book which makes it super special to the child or children receiving it. Filled with pages about each state and of course pictures of the child and their name throughout the book. The book alone gives a great way to pass the time by counting how many times they see their picture, their name, or even a place they are visiting. Not to mention the learning aspect of it. Learning is always best when it is fun and can be applied to real life events.

If your trip is already planned and the places are in this book you can mark those areas with a sticky note or flag so the child knows this is a stop during the trip. The map which you can choose to add on if you wish is a scratch off map so they can scratch off which states they have been too. I know when my daughter received hers she got really excited because she will be traveling to two brand new states when she goes off to camp, that I haven't even been too yet, and they were in this book so it made it more real to her.

My U.S.A. Road Trip is a uniquely personalized storybook adventure that teaches children about state names and monuments. In the book, the child receives a personalized driver's license, hops in a magical car, and drives across America to visit each US state. An entire spread is dedicated to the child's home state, with fun facts about the state bird and state flower! The book can be personalized with a child's name, gender, skin tone, hair color, birthdate, and home state. It can also be photo personalized--upload a photo of your child's face, to be incorporated into the main character. This book introduces basic US geography to young children, and encourages curious minds to explore and discover. 


The i See Me My U.S.A Road Trip book can be found here by itself or here with a scratch off Map as well.

You can find out more about i See Me on:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

YouTube

Google+

Emails for Discounts

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion with i See Me. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

For those who need to get rid of a car fast try out WeBuyJunkCarsFast.com

14 years and counting

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.

Cutting the cord is easier then you might think. For us it started out as a way to save a big chunk of change per month. After a while we didn't miss it at all. Then came streaming TV, and our lives opened up to not just DVD's but movies, shows, and then most recently to shows that were shown on TV that we can get for free the day after. Not to mention HD Antenna's which bring free broadcasting channels to you in crystal clear form. Except for when there is a storm then you just find another channel. FREE never sounded so good. 

Honestly our children's wishlist's went down by a mile when we cut the cord which was money savings we hadn't thought of until we saw the difference in our budget. Sometimes one change can really make a big difference in your life and this is one we are glad we made.

When we moved to our current home we looked at the prices of TV services and they are just too costly and most of the channels we wouldn't even watch. With Google Chromecast Streaming Media Player we are able to watch movies, shows, live TV, YouTube, and even photos streaming on all of our devices. It is simply awesome.

So easy to connect with High-speed wireless connectivity. Built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi connects to the Internet through your wireless home network (wireless router required and sold separately). Compatible with your existing HDTV. Easily connects to high-definition televisions with HDMI connectivity.

We never do this but now you can. Stream from your phone to TV. Just plug Chromecast into the HDMI port on your TV and to power and stream your favorite entertainment right from your phone with just a tap. Watch shows, listen to playlists, and more. And while streaming, you can still use your phone as you normally do. Works with the streaming apps you know and love.

Enjoy TV shows, movies, videos, songs, games, sports and more from over 2000 apps like Netflix, YouTube, YouTube TV, and HBO NOW. Find more at g.co/chromecast¹

Start streaming with just your voice. Just say what you want to watch from compatible apps and control your TV hands-free, with Chromecast and Google Home working seamlessly together.² Simply say things like“Ok Google, play Stranger Things from Netflix on my living room TV.” ¹

¹ Subscriptions are required to view some content. 

² Google Home, Chromecast, and compatible content required to cast to a TV using Google Home.

Web-based services and content require high-speed Internet service. Some services may require a subscription.

Don't Delay check out the Google Chromecast Streaming Media Player today and upgrade your TV for less. Expand your home entertainment without buying a new TV. It's so affordable you can get one for every TV in the house.

Disclosure:  MarksvilleandMe received one or more of the products mentioned above as part of a promotion. Regardless, MarksvilleandMe only recommends products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. Some of the links in the article may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive compensation.  If you would like MarksvilleandMe to review or promote a product or service please contact us at marksvilleandme@gmail.com.

Ultimate Coupon Binder Giveaway

Ultimate Coupon Binder Giveaway!

Hosted by Everyone Loves Couponing

Co-hosted by Sunshine State Savings

Couponing is one of the number one things people do to save money now days, and the key to success is being organized! Using a coupon binder is a great way to keep your coupons organized! I get a lot of messages from people who state they just simply don't know how to get their binder started! So.. Giveaway!! We're giving away one amazing, full loaded, ready to use as soon as you get it, Ultimate Coupon Binder! So, what comes is this fabulous coupon binder you ask?

Here’s what you will get:

• Purple 3-ring zippered Double Sided binder, each side has 1.5 inches, 3 inches total.
• 32 dividers pre-labeled, as well as a printable divider tabs incase you want to change up your categories
• “Coupon 101″ 2 paged Everyone Loves Couponing publication with tips and coupon lingo to get you started
• “Organizing this” Everyone Loves Couponing publication page with complete directions on how to organize your binder
• Front page category table of contents and information page
• Pretty custom made category sheets
• Coupon sleeves specifically for coupons
• A pair of nice scissors
• A calculator
• A pencil pouch to hold the tools
• 3 Coupon Policy print outs, Winner’s choice of stores
• Full month worth of coupon inserts, 4 sets a week, Already cut up and organized.
• National City Coupon Book full of coupons for local and online stores!

This giveaway will run from 3/24-4/7. We also have bonus entries you can do every single day (Such as visit a webpage, Declaring your love for Couponing with our daily freebie option, and tweeting out a message!) How would you like to win one of these to get you started on your coupon journey? Enter below and Good Luck!

Giveaway is open to US residents, ages 18+.

Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway ends April 7, 2015 at 12:00pm EST

I have been couponing for about 23 years full time and I have to say it is what gets us through the rough times. I wouldn't still be doing it if it didn't work. MarksvilleandMe wishes everyone who enters Good Luck.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I have not been compensated for this post. Everyone Loves Couponing will always provide honest opinions, beliefs or experiences on products reviewed. We will only recommend products or services that we feel are of benefit to our readers. Everyone Loves Couponing will be responsible for prize fulfillment. This event is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network. If you have any questions, please contact me everyonelovescoupning {at} gmail {dot} com. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.