Meat SAVINGS!

We have come across a new way of buying meat ...in bulk! We buy our meat from  Zaycon Fresh! Zaycon Fresh is a company that started in Spokane, Washington and was founded in 2009. All of their meat is 100% Hormone FREE. Their company is basically removing the middle man, and processing the meat 1-2 days before delivering to you, the buyer.  To buy from Zaycon Fresh you first sign up for free ----->  here, and then you are able to look up your area to see what is currently available for purchase and when event dates are scheduled. 

I buy my meat usually 1-2 months in advance, depending on what I need. You pay at the tone of placing your order and then wait until scheduled pick up. They are very good about sending you reminder emails or texts regarding your upcoming event. Good Morning America did a segment on Zaycon foods. Here is a video explains how Zaycon works. 

We have bought chicken and beef so far from and have been very happy with it! Two weeks ago I picked up a box of 40 lbs of 80/20 beef. If you think that is too much for one family split a box with a friend or family member!  
At this location they had the truck waiting in a church parking lot.

The nice thing about Zaycon Fresh is that you do not need to get out of the car! They load it in your car or trunk for you! As you can see today was a rainy day so that was nice I didn't have to get out of the car and load the meat! 

This beef came in 4, 10 lbs tubes of fresh beef. This time we bought 80/20 beef on sale for $2.50 per lb. They also sell 93/7 beef but went with this since it was on sale. 

It only takes Andrew and I about 30 minutes from start to finish to bag up the 40 lbs of beef. 

We use our food scale and quart size freezer bags for storage.

After we bag up we wash our hands,  seal bags,  and press the air out of them and flatten them for easy storage in the freezer.  Here you have the end result!

Zaycon Fresh is very efficient and honest company as well. As we weighed out the 40 lbs of beef I noticed I was about 1 lb off. I went to the website to send them a message telling them I was short and I already had a message that stated the count was a little off this delivery and have a credit waiting for me for next time!

I totally would recommend Zaycon Fresh to any of my friends and family. I do still buy meat occasionally at the store particularly specialty items. Check them out and let me know if you have any questions. Feel free to leave a comment if you have tried Zaycon and give us your reviews! 

~Katie 

Financial Freedom!

My husband and I were able to experience a great milestone this last week. We are proudly able to say that we are DEBT FREE (except our Mortgage). We have been married almost 10 years and it is so great to finally feel the relief off our shoulders with this accomplishment!

                                   How did we do it you ask? 

Well for years we cut back on many luxuries in our life and still do! We did not have cable, we live on a budget, and we made our debt a priority over everything else.  Did we still have some vacations?  Yes, but we camped a lot and were frugal with our bigger trips (which were rare ) What really finalized our financial freedom was we refinanced our house and consolidated the last of our debt.  Below you will find more ways on how to pay down debt and have financial freedom!

Refinancing

We bought our house in 2010 for a great price. Over the last seven years, we have since remodeled every inch of the home, in paint, new roof, new kitchen and bath which has given us a good amount of equity in this market.

This is what made refinancing the best option for us. We went through Quicken Loans and I would recommend it to anyone! The process was smooth, very fast and efficient! After refinancing we still have a lot of equity which will be great when we sell the house!

Cut back on luxuries

If you want true financial freedom, it will not come without sacrifice and hard work. Plain and simple! We have gone (and still do) without cable TV, the latest greatest phones, toys, and pampering. We watched good old movies, DVD and VHS! We did puzzles, read books, scrapbooked, draw, went to parks! Worked on our house in our spare time. We tried to limit eating out so much. I would do my own manicures, pedicures and facials at home or with sisters! The ways to save are endless and I will be posting more each week about how to save. Just go through every monthly bill you have. Ask yourself....can we live without this? Can we go without just temporarily? Can we lower this bill somehow? Even with your current car insurance you may be able to lower it with another company substantially! Go through and cut back where it's possible. This will give you extra cash where you didn't realize you had to pay off debt!

Snowball

Snowballing is a term used in paying off debt. If you cannot consolidate your debt, I recommend starting with the smallest amount first...pay as much as you can. Once that debt is gone, add that amount you were paying on the next balance you have. Which creates a snowball effect in wiping out debt. This method is from David Ramsey's book and what we used until we consolidated the last of our debt into the house. Getting out of debt should be your main focus. 

Envelope System

I LOVE this system! It may not be for everyone but I love the control it gives you with YOUR money! If you are unfamiliar with the Envelope System, it is a system in which you have personalized envelopes with specific areas of your life and amounts. For instance, I have an envelope for the dreaded car tabs renewals you get for your Birthday every year from the State! Each of our tabs usually cost around $100 each year so I set aside $20 a month for this envelope. When the bill comes, I have the cash to pay it! It's not a big bill that comes out of my monthly bills. Another example I have an envelope for our yard waste bin that is due every April for $99 I save $10 a month. Obviously that gives me $120 a yr and whatever is extra I just rotate either back in the system, or add it to a vacation envelope or something like that. I currently have 10 envelopes and here are their categories.

Envelope                                     Description                                           Amount Monthly

Gifts                                  Birthdays & Anniversary's                                      $25.00

Meat                                  We buy meat in bulk                                               $25.00

Car Tabs                            Car tabs from State                                                 $20.00

Toby(dog)                         Grooming, vet bills, medications                            $40.00

Yard Waste                        Yard waste pick up (in town)                                  $10.00

Vacation                             Camping & Other                                                  $50.00

Car Repair                         Car repair and maintenance                                    $50.00

Utilities                             Trash and water every 3 months                             $40.00

Christmas                          Presents, food, decorations activities                      $40.00

Amazon                             Amazon Prime  Membership                                 $10.00 

You can either decorate paper envelopes like I used to have,

or turn a coupon divider into your envelope system!

Either way, try starting an envelope system to help bring order to your finances!

Financial freedom already has helped us in so many ways. I have felt the weight lifted off my shoulders! It's such a relief and you too can experience this with dedication! Please feel free to share with me any ways you can add to how you or someone you know got out of debt! Also, let me know if you have any questions on anything from our financial journey! 

**I am not affiliated with Dave Ramsey or Quicken Loans and I am not receiving anything by mentioning them in my post.

A little about me

My name is Katie and I love to be frugal, save money and make the most out of what we have. My husband Andrew and I have been married for almost 10 years! We do not have any children,  but pray in the next few years, if God sees fit,  we will have a family of our own.

My husband works at a plastics factory and I work with special needs clients and also schedule from home for a financial wholesaler.

We have always been frugal,  not just because my husband is Dutch =) ...but we have always found ways to save money in almost every area of our lives. I love saving money and do see it as a hobby!  It's a passion of mine which is why I wanted to share what I've learned with all of you!

Please subscribe to my blog and also check out my Facebook page to learn more about my ways of making saving my hobby!

https://m.facebook.com/Savingismyhobby/

~Katie

Welcome!

Thank you for checking out my new blog! I am so excited to share all my secrets of SAVING money with you! I have a passion for saving in every aspect of my life. You can save money in many ways you may not know about. From remodeling your home, to buying great gifts for friends and family at 1/3 of the price. Please subscribe to my blog and/or Facebook to learn all the ways I save BIG and make saving my Hobby!

~Katie