Hello, Friday! 😎
Fall is upon us and whether you’re clinging to the last heat wave or ready for the leaves to change, there’s something in our budget tool kit everyone can use!
What to Include in September’s Spending Plan 📝
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School lunches & fees. Do you have children in school? The average school lunch costs $2.75 – $3.00. This adds up quickly, and let’s not forget activities, technology, and registration fees that are tacked on at the beginning of the year.
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Transitional clothing. As temps start dropping 🥶 Make sure to create a line item in your budget for things like sweaters, jeans, and other cool-weather clothes to embrace the new season.
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Fall Activities. Apple picking, football games, & haunted hayrides are some of the top activities to do in the fall, but we have to make sure we plan for them. Remember to implement values-based spending when you’re invited out!💯
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Books. Cloudy fall days are the perfect time to spend the day in bed with a good book! Speaking of good books, Jen & Jill’s book, Buy What You Love Without Going Broke is available for pre-order now!
Plus, when you pre-order, you get access to monthly live webinars with Jen and Jill on different life skills that will help you reduce the amount of times you ‘buy your way out of a problem’. Fill out the form on the site above after pre-ordering and you’re in!
What’s on Sale in September 📢
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Large Appliances. It’s Labor Day blowout season! Big ticket items like washers & dryers, refrigerators, and grills are all on sale or clearance right now.
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Laptops & Computers. School is now in session, and that means students everywhere need new equipment. Labor Day & Back To School deals will work in your favor if your current laptop is on its last leg. Be sure to also look into student discounts.
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The FREE virtual Get Organized Summit is happening the week of Sept. 9th. Mark your calendars and join us along with 100+ speakers talking about home and schedule organization, wellbeing, and all the hacks we need for more peace and less chaos this Fall!
September’s Big Money Move 📝
After negotiating our internet on Wednesday, we’re all fired up to tackle the rest of our bills, right? 😉
Here’s some of the top bills to negotiate and a few tangible tips to help make the process a breeze.
What to Negotiate:
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Cell phone bill. 📱
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Medical bills. 💊
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Car insurance. 🚘
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Monthly Subscriptions. 🔔
Our Top 3 Negotiation Tips:
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Research. Come prepared. If you know what you want and what discounts the company offers, the likelihood that you’ll receive what you’re asking for is higher.
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Be Kind. When you’re kind to others they’re more likely to go the extra mile for you and give you what you asked for – or better!
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Write a script. Calling customer service agents can be confusing. Having a pre-planned script will help you stick to what you want & give you the confidence to go for it!
What to Cook👩🍳
We love to focus on seasonal ingredients and and September begs for some hearty meals, like this sheet pan chicken recipe
AND it’s never too early for pumpkin spice! If you want a light dessert or snack that will be a winner after school, try out this pumpkin mousse. 🎃
On Tuesday, Jen & Jill broke down the latest trend! Check out Underconsumption Core 101 (Ep 436) for all the details on what it is & how to practice it.
Today’s episode is an interview with our friend & expert Jess Massey from The Hustle Sanely Podcast on 5 Daily Habits to Help You Kick Burnout to the Curb (Ep 437).
Tune in wherever you get podcasts and let us know what you thought of the episode over on our latest Instagram post!
Sincerely,
Kim
⭐️⭐️ P.S. Want to share all this goodness with your friends AND earn cool Frugal Friends merch?
**Means this is a sponsored or affiliate section. We may earn a small fee or commission when you choose to try one of our sponsor or affiliate partners. But opinions are still 1000% our own.