Last year, I came across a website that offered free, small house plans, The Small House Catalog. The owners of the site at that time were building a quaint cottage called the Beekeeper’s Bungalow. Well, they finished building their bungalow and it’s now for sale in Washington.

I’m in a mad frenzy to save money and buy a home by late next fall. That gives me a little more than a year (14 – 16 months) to save up enough cash for a down payment. However, in Southern California, homes are crazy expensive! I’ve budgeted a reasonable amount for a “starter” home and am hoping to snag one for under $410,000.

I love the idea of tiny homes, but recently I wrote about the viability of actually living in one. There are plenty of people out there (just look at the popularity of the tiny house movement) who can live in a home that’s under 200 square feet, but I’m sure downsizing is the biggest hurdle.

It’s that time of year where parents are jumping for joy that their children are going back to school. Summer items are on close-out and back-to-school sales are just about everywhere. One question on many parents’ minds is, “What supplies does my child need for school?”

I think of myself as a savvy shopper. Yet, I started reading a blog a while back, Save on (Almost) Everything, and Mike wrote a few articles about cash back sites that got me thinking about ways to save more money

It’s no secret that I’ve been planning on buying a house in the “near future.” Unfortunately, that near future was further away than I had imagined. Yet, now I’m realistically looking at purchasing a house in 16-18 months from now – hey, at least I have a time frame instead of a hazy vision of the “future.”