budget Archives • Family Finance Mom

How to Calculate How Much House I Can Actually Afford

First time homebuyers, and even experienced homebuyers who may be buying in a new area or buying into a higher price point, often ask me how much house they can really afford or how much of their income their mortgage should be. The key to answering these questions is understanding that the total cost of…

Your Average Family Budget Breakdown FAQs

When I first published the example of a family budget based on the Consumer Expenditure Survey data, I knew there would be questions, requests to dig into various parts of the data more, and the need for clarifications. Here are the questions I’ve been asked most often about the average family budget breakdown, and the…

What Does the Average Family Budget Look Like?

When it comes to an example of a family budget, there is no one size fits all answer. I frequently get asked “What are the average monthly expenses for a family of 4?” or “What does the average family spend on groceries every month?” And that is the data I went searching to find and…

3 Simple Tips to Big Holiday Savings

I received complimentary product from Burt’s Bees Baby to facilitate my review. All opinions presented are 100% my own. #BurtsBeesBaby #Holiday Holiday savings sounds like an oxymoron, right? But the holidays don’t have to be a budget-breaking extravaganza. Today’s holiday post is the first in a multi-week series featuring holiday savings tips to celebrate the season…

25+ Best Ways to Save Money

25+ Best Ways to Save Money Everyone always wishes they had more money. The truth is everyone has access to at least an extra $500 in their existing family finances; you just have to know where to go look for it. Today, you’ll discover just that: the 25+ best ways to save money, each one…

7 Secrets to a Successful First Home Mortgage

This post was sponsored, and paid for, by SunTrust. All opinions are my own. “We are pre-approved for WHAT?!?!” I will never forget nearly falling out of my chair when my husband (then boyfriend) and I went to get our mortgage pre-approval to buy our first home over a decade ago. We still had student loans, car…

Cutting the Cost of Cable

Last month, you made your budget, and (gasp) realized how much you actually spend! You might be thinking, I pay HOW MUCH for that?!? I know the first time I went through the exercise one line item that jumped off the spreadsheet for me was cable. I remembered signing up for the ‘Triple Play’ to save all this money,…

6 Holiday Gift Giving Ideas for Big Holiday Savings

We can’t play Santa to everyone during the holidays. While our shopping list might seem as long as his, we don’t have unlimited funds, an army of elves, and a workshop in the North Pole cranking gifts out all year. From extended family and friends, to teachers, neighbors and co-workers, the list to buy for seems…