Ten smart money moves for families looking to build more with less

This is a collaborative post

Let’s be honest—family life gets expensive. From school supplies and rising grocery bills to kids’ sports, clothing, and unexpected car repairs, it sometimes feels like your pay check disappears the moment it lands in your account. Add in the desire to save for the future, and it’s no wonder families often feel financially stretched.

For families living in North Dakota, these challenges hit especially close to home. The average household income is around $76,000, but many families report having only about $5,000 in savings. That doesn’t leave much room for error—or opportunity. If you’re looking to build more without adding stress, these smart, simple strategies can help you get there faster and feel more in control along the way.

Photo credit Jakub Żerdzicki via Unsplash

1. Rework the Family Budget with Real-Life Goals in Mind

Budgeting doesn’t mean giving up what you love—it just means being more thoughtful. Start by tracking what you’re actually spending each month. Are you spending $200 on takeout? $50 on unused subscriptions? Shift those dollars toward things that truly matter to you—like a home project, family outings, or emergency savings. Budgets are more likely to stick when they support your values, not just restrict spending.

2. Tap Into Your Home’s Value for Bigger Plans

When a big expense comes up—like a medical bill, home upgrade, or school costs—it can be tough to cover with cash. Instead of piling on credit card debt, some families use the value built into their homes to move forward more confidently. A great first step is checking home equity loan rates in North Dakota. It’s a flexible way to fund major goals without taking on unpredictable interest or multiple new payments.

3. Save on Everyday Expenses with Smarter Shopping Habits

You don’t have to stop buying the things your family needs—you just need to shop smarter. Use coupon apps, track weekly sales, and stick to a grocery list. Buy in bulk when it makes sense, and plan meals to reduce waste. Little shifts in shopping habits can free up more room in your budget for fun, savings, or paying down debt.

4. Rethink How You Fund Home Projects

You don’t need a massive remodel to make your home feel fresh and functional. Instead of big-budget upgrades, focus on small changes with big impact. Paint a room, upgrade lighting, or improve storage. Break projects into phases, shop sales, and consider secondhand items to cut costs while still creating a space you love.

5. Consolidate Debt to Save on Interest

Keeping up with multiple loans or credit cards can be overwhelming. Consolidating debt into one payment may lower your interest and make budgeting simpler. One due date, one interest rate—it’s easier to manage and may even help you pay things off faster without adding stress.

6. Set Up Automatic Savings for Big and Small Goals

Saving isn’t always easy—especially when you’re managing a busy household. That’s why automation can be such a game-changer. Set up small transfers from your checking account into a savings account each week or month. Even $20 or $50 at a time adds up. Label each account with a goal, like “family vacation,” “home upgrades,” or “emergency fund,” so you always know what you’re working toward. When the money moves automatically, you don’t have to think about it—and you’re less likely to spend it elsewhere.

7. Take Advantage of Tax Credits and Family Perks

Tax season may not be exciting, but it’s full of opportunities for families to save. Look into benefits like the Child Tax Credit, Dependent Care Credit, and deductions for education expenses. These can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in savings each year. Also, if your employer offers flexible spending accounts (FSAs) for health or childcare, consider using them. Planning ahead and knowing what’s available can make your annual tax return a little brighter—and help you put that extra cash to good use.

8. Plan for Seasonal Expenses in Advance

If you're not ready for them, expenses like back-to-school shopping, holidays, birthdays, or summer camps can sneak up on your budget. Try setting up mini “sinking funds” throughout the year to prepare. For example, if you know you’ll need $300 for Christmas, saving just $25 a month starting in March gets you there with no stress. Planning ahead also means taking advantage of sales and spreading out the spending, rather than relying on last-minute credit cards or dipping into your emergency fund.

9. Find Fun That Doesn’t Cost a Fortune

Family fun doesn’t have to be expensive to be memorable. Local events, free museum days, nature hikes, beach afternoons, library programs, and movie nights at home can all bring smiles without straining your budget. Get the kids involved in planning weekend outings with a “fun jar” full of free or low-cost ideas. You'll spend quality time together and teach your children that you don’t always need to spend money to enjoy life. It’s about connection—not cost.

10. Teach Kids the Basics of Budgeting Early On

Talking about finances as a family doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it can be empowering. Give kids small allowances and let them practice dividing them into save, spend, and share jars. Encourage older kids to help plan meals or track family grocery spending. Use simple apps or games that teach money skills in an age-appropriate way. These early lessons can help kids grow into confident adults who understand how to manage what they earn, plan ahead, and make smart decisions.

Smart financial habits don’t happen overnight—but they start with small, thoughtful changes. Whether it’s setting up savings, cutting daily expenses, or talking to your kids about budgeting, every effort counts. These strategies aren’t just about spending less—they’re about making more room for the things that matter. By taking control of your finances and being intentional with your choices, your family can feel more secure, more flexible, and more focused on building a better future—together.

Using AI to create images for blog posts - an update

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about using AI to generate images for blog posts. I had forgotten about it until recently, when I suddenly started getting lots of spam comments on it. It must have ended up being favoured by search engines for some reason!

Things have really moved on when it comes to AI and image generation since I wrote that post. You can now use ChatGPT to generate images, although there is a limit to the number that you can create in a day using a free account - I think it's officially three although I managed to make five in one session.

I was thinking about how much I'm looking forward to sitting in our newly landscaped garden with a book, so I decided to ask it to generate me an image which would be a suitable illustration for a blog post on that subject. And yes I know, being polite to ChatGPT makes it cost more...I just can't help myself!)

My prompts are in italics.

The blog post is about how I'm looking forward to reading in my new garden. I want a landscape image in a photographic style. No text in the image. The image should be of a lovely new garden with clean fencing, patio etc. There should be a comfortable chair which is suitable for using outdoors with lots of cushions, then a small table next to it with a pile of books, a blanket and a hot drink in a mug. No people in the picture.

I was really pleased with this result! The garden looks fairly realistic, the chair and table aren't bad (I think the table might be missing a leg but it's not too obvious) and the pile of books is pretty good without any attempt at text on the spines.

I decided to amend the image to portray a more realistic British summer:

That's perfect! Now can you create the same image but it's raining?

Again it's not bad! It's a little dark, but it's clearly raining. So I decided to cheer things up a bit. I was interested to see whether asking for changes would make them to my first image or to the amended image.

Thank you! Now can you make it a little more colourful, make the blanket striped and add some colourful cushions, make the mug blue 

It changed the second image which was what I was expecting. This image is probably my least favourite from the set because the colours are just too bright. But I wanted to see what it would look like on a nicer day.

Can you make it sunny again in the image?

This image is so colourful that I think it does look very fake. A leg is now visible on the table though, and it's interesting how the length of the blanket has changed. So I wanted something a little more subtle...

Thank you! Can you tone down the colours a little, make them pastel shades

Although I like the colour scheme for this image a lot more, I do feel that the further I went with amending the image the more fake it looks. This time it has randomly added some extras - I quite like the paints on the table and the open book but you don't typically find decorative globes in a garden, and certainly not two of them! And where did the suitcase come from?!

The quality of the images is definitely an improvement on the ones that I created two years ago. I would happily use the first image in a blog post, and I think that it could easily pass for a real image, especially when scrolling quickly. 

I'm starting to notice images like this more and more, both on social media and on business webpages, and I know that it won't be long at all before it's impossible to identify an artificially generated image. It's really important to be aware that you can't trust anything you see!

The things that I love about our orangery extension

I know that I keep going on about it, but our extension has made such a huge difference to our home and our lives. When we were in the very early stages the company that we used told us that it would change how we used our home, and they were quite right. I do still spend time in the rest of the house of course, but the vast majority of my time at home is spend in the orangery.

We have a beautiful big kitchen island which is where we eat all our meals. It's the perfect size for food preparation and eating, and I keep it as clean and as clear as I can. After a few meals we had all chosen on our favourite spot and this is mine, with a view out over the kitchen and towards the hallway. Then I can enjoy the garden view while I'm cooking dinner.

Our go to for furniture is always Ikea but when we were looking for a sideboard we just couldn't find one that matched what we were after. So we splashed out a little on this one from The Cotswold Company, along with a matching coffee table. I really love it, the wood is such a lovely shade. There are some electrical items that seem to have to live there, but it looks best with a plant and some fresh flowers.

Our new lemon tree is thriving, and we have plenty of new flowers appearing. Every time I see it it makes me feel happy, I just love the colours and over the last few days it has started to smell wonderful.

Finally our gorgeous Ikea sofa is a great place to sit and look out into the garden. The view is improving every day as our hardworking landscapers are busy working away! It's going to be amazing when it's finished and when it's warm enough to have the bifold doors open.

I was always a bit hesitant about taking on such a large project, but I'm so glad that we went ahead with it!

Things that I'm looking forward to this summer

It wasn't an easy start to the year for me. I have found that I've been struggling to get back into my old routines, especially when it comes to taking care of myself with healthy eating and exercise. But I have plenty to be grateful for, I've been enjoying the sunshine and I'm really looking forward to the coming months. 

We have some exciting things coming up, and these are just some of them.

A beautiful new garden - work is well underway and I can't wait until we are able to use our new outdoor space. Fingers crossed for a lovely warm summer!

Seeing my plants grow - my tomato seeds have become seedlings, I have some new houseplants from my Mum which are flourishing, and our new lemon tree is flowering beautifully.

It's a year of concerts - we've cut down on the holidays this year to save some money, but we have managed to secure tickets for some amazing live music. Having started off the year with the fantastic Jason Donovan, over the next few months we are lucky enough to be seeing Supergrass, Kylie, Pulp, Oasis, Blackpink and Coldplay. Buying the tickets for all of these was pretty stressful at the time, but of course it's forgotten quickly in the excitement!

An exciting holiday - we do have one holiday booked this summer which is mainly funded with Avios points and my husband's hotel reward points. We are spending a few days in both Seoul and Shanghai which are both new and exciting destinations for us. 

The end of the school year - I know that we have a way to go yet, but once the summer term starts it always seems to finish quickly. Even quicker for my son, who only has one week back after Easter before he leaves school to begin his study leave for his GCSEs! It will mean a change in routine for all of us with only one to take over to school and back, and things will change even more when he starts Sixth Form in September and makes his way under his own steam - it will be a really exciting new start for him.

What are you looking forward to in the next few months?

Ways to calm an overactive mind

I know I'n not the only one with an inner voice that is constantly narrating what's going on around me -  practising anecdotes, imagining difficult conversations and arguments, worrying about different scenarios, or worst of all repeating the same catchy lines from a song over and over again! Sometimes it's helpful, but most of the time it's just constant chatter that makes me feel more anxious and overwhelmed.

So here are some of the ways that I try to keep that inner voice at bay as much as I can:

Keeping away from social media and news websites - This is probably the biggest one for me. I often find myself scrolling, particularly Reddit or Mumsnet, to try and soothe anxiety. It can help in the moment, but over time it definitely makes it worse. If I make a commitment first thing to avoid it for the day then I find that I can keep to it quite easily, and I really do feel much better for it. I have enough going on my head already without needing to fill it with a multitude of voices and opinions from other people!

Writing it all down - I like to write in my journal, but I also find that writing a blog post can have a similar affect, although I end up going back and heavily editing it. Just getting all those thoughts out of my head and down on paper. If I'm worrying about lots of things that I need to get done or that I need to remember then I write them all down in a long list in my planner. 

Making a hot drink - I don't drink a lot of tea or coffee, but I do like a nice hot chocolate. I'm working through a stash built up from Christmas as well as some fancy varieties that my husband brought me back from a work trip. I like the process of making the drink - find a coaster and mug, heating up the milk, stirring. Then sipping it, and really focussing on the taste and the experience as well as they physical warmth. 

Photo credit Prophsee Journals via Unsplash

Going outside for a walk or a run - Although sometimes the inner monologue does follow me while I'm running, it doesn't bother me so much and I do sometimes find that it helps me to get my thoughts in order.

Reading - In particular reading something light with an interesting story that I can really get into. Concentrating on what I'm reading really helps me to focus my mind and feel calmer. 

Doing a stretch or yoga workout - I have a few exercise videos saved in my playlist that always make me feel more relaxed and calm. They aren't long, only 8-10 minutes, and feature peaceful music in a scenic setting - I find that I always switch off when I'm doing them. I've linked one of my favourites below. Although it's titled as a stretch for splits it's just a really good way to stretch out the leg muscles.

Doing a jigsaw - I'm currently a bit obsessed with completing jigsaw puzzles, I have a large one out on the dining table that I'm working on every day. The initial sort through of the pieces is really relaxing, and then building the edge so that you can see the area you are working with. My favourite moment comes about two thirds of the way through, when I'm familiar with the picture and I can easily start slotting the pieces in place. It's really satisfying every time you put a piece in place, and I can get lost in a jigsaw for ages. Even if I get interrupted, when I come back to it I always find a piece that I'd been looking for straightaway!

Lighting a candle - I don't know why but having a lit candle nearby always makes me feel relaxed. Maybe it goes back to caveman days, gazing into the campfire at the end of a long day.

Mindfulness - I've put this at the end, because it's something that I'm still working on. It's something that you really need to practice, and I need to try and work on it a little more. I've tried various apps for inspiration but I prefer to just work on it by myself. I like to imagine the inside of my mind as an empty stage, and every time a thought comes I send it off the stage and back into the wings! It's also a really good way to learn to focus on steady breathing rather than the inner voice.

Our garden project - before

At the end of last year we completed our fantastic orangery extension to the back of our house. We are so pleased with it, we spend so much time in there now and feel really fortunate that we were able to make such a lovely addition to our home. The only thing that isn't so lovely is our poor garden! It was never exciting to begin with, and after all the work it has been pretty much destroyed. 

We wanted to wait a few months before getting started, to make sure that we knew exactly what we wanted and also to get the finances in place. I know a lady who works as a garden designer, and so we commissioned her to come up with a design for our blank canvas garden. She has produced a beautiful design which really makes the most of the space, and I'm so excited to see how it looks when it's finished!

We are going to have a large patio at the back which will come out at the same level as indoors and uses matching tiles, so when the weather is warm we can open the bifold doors and it will feel like one space. There will a second paved area in the back corner for some seating, our fire pit, or hopefully a place to get our hot tub out again and a small lawn in the middle, surrounded by lots of plants and trees.

When it comes to planting I'm a bit hopeless, but I think if we can get a planting plan designed and set up then I'll be able to maintain it. We just need advice on what to plant and where to plant it!

The front garden has always been a bit of a mess. The grass doesn't get any sun, so it's mainly weeds, and the hedge is old and overgrown and looking very scruffy. I love my apple tree but it needs a bit of attention, and it's too tall now for me to easily prune it. We are going to use the same patio slabs to make more of a feature of the front entrance and to make a path leading around to the back, then use pebbles to make a beach themed planting area which should bring to mind our local pebbly beaches.

We are using the same landscaping company that we used to build our extension as we were so pleased with them. The work started with the first of several massive deliveries of building materials, I do feel sorry for our poor neighbours that have put up with all our disruption for a little while now. At least once this project is done we won't be doing any more work like this to the house for years - probably not ever!

The Benefits of a New Build Home as a Family?

This is a collaborative post

If you’re considering moving house with a family, then you might be tempted by the idea of moving into something that’s been built in the last year or so – or even something that hasn’t yet been built. New-build homes tend to offer a number of special advantages, which families, in particular, may appreciate. Let’s take a look at a few of the more important upsides.

Energy Efficiency and Lower Running Costs

New-build homes are designed from the ground up with the needs of a modern household in mind. They are well-insulated, but won’t run into any of the ventilation problems that come with insulating an older property. They also tend to come with modern boilers (or heat pumps), double-glazed windows, and secure doors as standard. As such, you won’t need to worry about paying extra for upgrades in years to come.

Modern Design and Family-Friendly Layouts

The interior layout of a new build property also tends to be shaped to the tastes of modern families. That, for the most part, means wide open spaces, and combined kitchens, diners, and living areas. This might contrast with the multitude of smaller rooms you might find on the inside of, say, a hundred-year-old cottage. If your family has the same needs and tastes as the average one, then a new build property might provide exactly the kind of interior you’re looking for.

Photo credit James Feaver via Unsplash

Lower Maintenance and Fewer Repairs

Newer homes haven’t yet had time to experience wear and tear, which, generally speaking, makes them cheaper to run. You won’t have to put money into replacing or refurbishing your interior – and you can often have a say in how the place is decorated, which will save you the time and energy that comes with making changes to the interior. As such, you’ll be able to put more money into the changes that really add value to the property, like extensions and loft conversions.

Safe, Secure, and Well-Planned Communities

Many developments filled with new homes have been designed to function as self-contained neighbourhoods. You probably won’t have to deal with through traffic, which might lower the risk of crime, and help to ensure a safe environment in which to bring up your children. With that said, there can still be considerable variety between new-build neighbourhoods, and it’s worth checking the local crime statistics to see exactly what you’re moving into.