Who doesn’t want more money in the bank? We asked a money expert to share the most common places his clients overspend and his top tips for creating—and sticking to—a simple household budget. A solid budget is the key to saving more each month. We also share practical, low-stress strategies for negotiating with contractors (one short sentence recently saved us $1,500). Plus, we walk through the tricky process of restoring our vintage pink stove and offer a straightforward craft to keep little hands busy.

You can download this episode from Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and TuneIn Radio—or listen to the embedded player below. Use this page to find any links, notes, or photos we referenced. Note: if you’re viewing this in a feed reader you may need to click through to see the player.

What’s New

We originally wrote about our plans for the vintage pink stove we bought for the beach house. During repairs the backplate was removed, which exposed some wiring—those photos show exactly what we had to navigate with the electrician. These wires aren’t normally visible; they were exposed only because the stove was being serviced.

If you missed our last episode about our freshly paved driveway, check out Episode #62 for more details and behind-the-scenes stories about that project.

Dr. Budgets

We spoke with Daniel Rodriguez—aka Dr. Budgets—who shared practical, realistic advice for everyday budgeting. He helps clients find leaks in their spending and creates simple systems that make saving automatic. Daniel also offers a free e-book, “Ten Ways to Save 10K,” and recommends tools like Mint.com for tracking spending in one place.

During the episode we touched on several related topics you might find useful:

• Cutting cable and the savings that can come from switching to streaming services—we covered how we handled that change in a previous post.
• Online grocery ordering services like Kroger’s Clicklist and how curbside pickup can simplify shopping while still helping you stick to a budget.
• Short-term financial challenges such as practicing a “no-spend” month to reset habits—Daniel called his version “No-Spendtember.”
• Personal challenges like trimming extra expenses: one of us is planning “Aqua-tober,” a month of drinking only water, as a small personal experiment in restraint.
• We briefly mentioned a portion-controlled diet program we tried last year as an example of how structure can help stick to goals.

We’re Digging

One fun find on our recent outing was Moonrise Jewelry’s mermaid sequin fabric wrapped around canvases. The sequins flip from one color to another—gold on one side, silver on the other—so kids can easily create sparkly abstract art or draw pictures by brushing the sequins with their fingers. The fabric was also used on the checkout counter and became an instant hit with our kids.

If you’re looking to try something similar at home, reversible sequin fabric comes in a range of sizes and colors and is ideal for wrapping a large canvas or bulletin board for a playroom. It’s an accessible, inexpensive way to add a tactile, creative surface where kids can experiment and make art.

We also recommend a compact inflatable toddler mattress we use for travel. It’s small when packed, includes a pump, and has held up well for years without leaks or rips—an easy, space-saving solution for kids on the go.

Finally, a thank-you to Thomas Avenue Ceramics for sponsoring this episode. They offer an appealing selection of tile that ships directly to your door—Sherry picked 10 favorites from their collection that we think are worth checking out. Use the promo code YHL20 for a first-order discount.

Thanks for listening. We appreciate you tuning in and hope these practical budgeting tips, negotiation tricks, and simple project ideas help you save money and enjoy your home projects more.

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