By now most deals seekers would of heard of mrsjanuary.com, a blog that offers personal finance and is dedicated to bringing the best frugal living tips! We had the pleasure to interview the blogger behind mrsjanuary.com – Cassie Howard, an expecting mom (any day now) as well as a mom of one little toddler. Cassie was willing to share how she started her blog and why it has become extremely popular amongst Canadians looking for a simple and more frugal ways of living.
How did you get started with http://www.mrsjanuary.com and what’s your favourite part of running your business?
Mrs January was originally started as a personal diary (the name came from my birthday – I was born in January) back in 2007. My favourite part about the website is the community that has formed around it. I love that I get to interact with so many other frugal minded people. We share many money saving ideas and tips and tricks for using coupons and scoring great deals.
Why did you start this website?
Once I found out about couponing and started to use coupons myself, the site slowly turned from a diary into a place where I now teach thousands of other Canadians how to use coupons and live a frugal lifestyle.
Apart from being known as a mom, how would you like our moms to know you?
I have been referred to by many as a “frugal living expert”. I love to encourage others to live a life of simplicity and enjoy the things that really matter without spending a lot of money. Saving money is important and I love that I have the platform to teach others how to do it – easily.
What’s your secret to balancing career and family?
A schedule is very important. With a toddler and full time business to take care of (not to mention a new baby coming in less than one month!), it’s imperative that I follow some sort of routine in order to get things done. I make sure to include free time in our schedule as well – you never know when you will get an unexpected phone call or guest at the front door!
In your opinion, what are some of the greatest financial challenges parents experience when raising a family?
I believe that education is a financial challenge for many parents – school can be expensive! My recommendation is to start saving as early as possible to avoid having to save larger amounts of money down the road.
When it comes to saving money what is your tip for parents that you have learned along the way?
Buy used whenever possible – it will save you so much money!
As a parent what do you find to be the biggest wasted financial expense?
Toys. Many parents feel as though their children need to have piles of toys all over the house. In reality, when you give a child too many options of what to play with, they will ultimately choose none and will just make a mess. Bring out one or two toys at a time and you will find your child is much more likely to sit and enjoy them.
There are numbers of things you can do to help ensure a secure financial future for your child, what is one suggestion that you can pass along to our readers?
Teach your kids about money right away. It’s never too early. I started teaching my son about coupons before he was even a year old! I mentioned them all the time, especially when cooking. Now he knows that you only buy (most) food if you have a coupon and you never pay for something that is not on sale! If your children are a bit older, give them an allowance and teach them about saving, giving and spending.
What is your favorite part about being a parent?
Knowing that someone will always love me unconditionally, no matter what.
Any last words of advice for our mom audience?
If you’re having money troubles, try not to feel discouraged. Things will get better if you put in a bit of work. Make a plan to embrace frugality and enjoy a life of spending less and saving more!
Motherhood is a profound experience that calls for some deep soul searching. Being a mom requires more work, energy and effort than a 9-5 day job with little time to spare for down time.
This series “Interview with Supermoms” will provide you with some experience from moms that are balancing both a career and family. We have put a list of questions together to share with our readers how these moms manage with their tips on managing the finances and budget.
If you would like to be featured in the upcoming interviews, please email lina@babyalerts.ca with “Interview with Supermom Submission” in the subject line.
- Your full name.
- Your URL
- A short bio.
Baby Alerts Canada does not offer monetary compensation for guest posts at this time.
