This is a collaborative post. All opinions are my own.

This year, I have a big goal of saving enough for a downpayment on a rental house. I've been looking for extra ways to increase our earning in my "free time" with the kids (that's a post for another day). But just as importantly, I've been looking for ways to decrease our spending and get super frugal. The most common idea I hear is to save the $5 that would've gone to your latte, and sure that makes a difference if you're getting lattes every day. But actually, the lowest hanging fruit that can cut down your household expenses is the spending you don't even realize you're doing. It's the money you're literally wasting on things you don't notice at all. These are the easiest and least painful things to cut out of your monthly budget, leaving you more money for saving, spending on necessities, or getting the luxuries you actually crave.

Expense #1: Heating

Obviously I'm not saying you should never turn on the heat. But this is a big area where many of us are wasting money. How many times have you had the heat on and still felt cold in your home? How many times have you heated your entire house, even the rooms that you don't set foot in?

Tip: If your home feels cold, despite having the heat on, there might be areas of poor insulation. Instead of cranking the heat up to no avail, check your doors and windows for any air coming in and seal any gaps. And consider loft insulation to stop the heat escaping through the roof. When your home is better insulated, you might not need to have the heat on at all; at least not until later in the day when it might get chillier.

Next, don't heat the rooms you aren't using. Turn off radiators and close off vents in little-used rooms like guest rooms. And consider a newer thermostat with home automation. Rather than leaving the heat on while you're on vacation, you can schedule it to come on when you're on the way home, using your phone or other smart devices. Home automation also lets you manage the heat around your house, turning the temperature down in certain rooms while raising it in others when needed. The energy-saving advantages can outweigh the initial cost of setup.

Expense #2: Movies and television 

We are spoiled for choice these days, with so many shows and movies on cable, as well as through the gazillion streaming services. There's Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, and I hear Apple is planning to get in on streaming too. But the more services we have, the more shows we're tempted to watch. And that's not only bad for our budget, but also for our time and brain cells. The more shows we watch, the more time we spend in front of the box trying to catch up with everything on our watchlists. And the more choices we have, the longer it'll take us to watch trailers and decide what to see on movie night. That's money wasted and time wasted!

Tip: For starters, consider ditching cable. While basic cable isn't very expensive, your bill might be higher if you have added premium channels such as HBO and Cinemax. If you are subscribing to one of the many streaming services, your favorite television shows will arrive on one or more of them at some point, so do you need cable at all? There will be loads of channels you don't actually watch with your cable subscription anyway, so why pay for them? It's a waste! Then consider the streaming services you subscribe to. If there are any that you rarely use, cancel your subscriptions. Then renew them when there is actually something you want to see. And then reduce your watchlists. There are too many things to watch, to be honest, so stick with the must-watch films and shows, delete the rest, and then use any free time you then have as a consequence to do something else with your time, such as a hobby that may have been neglected.

Expense #3: The cheapest options

Does this one surprise you? I'll admit it, cheap isn't always best. Cheap batteries generally run out faster than the more expensive varieties. Cheap tools are not only a health and safety hazard, but they tend to break faster than the more expensive alternatives. A cheap 90-cent bulb from your grocery store will die faster than the more efficient LED variety. And the knockoff toys you buy for your kids are guaranteed to break more easily than the more expensive models. I understand the temptation to go for the cheapest alternative, but it's often not the best choice in the long run. You will have to replace things when they fail, so you might end up paying more money than you would have originally.

Tip: When it comes to such things as tools and toys, do spend more, as not only will they be more durable, but they will pose less hazards to you and your family. When it comes to light bulbs, opt for LEDs or CFLs, as not only will they last longer, but they are more energy-efficient too. In such cases, spending more is a worthwhile option. And then consider those items where it's okay to spend less.

Expense #4: The expensive options

In some cases, as I just pointed out, paying the extra dollar is perfectly reasonable. Quality matters, especially when it comes to safety or a product's longevity. However, we can also waste money on items that are, let's be honest, ridiculously overpriced. Sometimes the cheaper generic version is 99% the same as the marked-up name brand. In particular, I'm looking at medications, breakfast cereals, groceries in general, and cleaning products. Designer clothes are also a big one. We associate the higher price with quality, but this isn't always the case.

Tip: When possible, try and avoid branded products. You might trust a name of a product you're familiar with, but before you automatically place it in your cart, see if there's a generic product that's almost exactly the same. Check the labels on the packaging, and opt for the cheaper version if there is little difference. And when it comes to cleaning products, you may not need to buy them at all. You can clean your house with DIY alternatives that save you money and reduce the chemicals in your house!

P.S. Along those lines, sometimes the biggest difference could be the store itself and not just the items. It might be convenient to go to the closest grocery store, or it might be more fun to shop at Whole Foods...but you'll save a lot (and I mean A LOT) if you make the effort to shop at the store with the best prices. Here is Washington, I tend to shop at WinCo and Costco, and sometimes Grocery Outlet. I can get the same exact items, for often about half the price.

Expense #5: Monthly subscriptions

There are so many subscription services nowadays: everything from makeup and razor blades, to groceries and wine. They often start with a free trial or introductory price that draws us in, then we forget to cancel or get lazy and used to the convenience. But here's the thing: that convenience comes at a price. Consider whether you're really using the products as they arrive, or if you're accumulating more than you need. If it's something that doesn't go bad, wouldn't it be easier just to stock up when it's on sale at the store and build your own supply that way?

Even worse than the subscription boxes, are the subscription services that get automatically billed. When something doesn't physically arrive in the mail every month, it's easy to forget about. Is there a subscription to an online magazine you don't actually read, or an annual fee for a service you've stopped using? Cancel those immediately!

Tip: Do a thorough audit of your expenses every month. If you have multiple cards, make sure to look through each one. Is there anything you don't recognize or totally forgot about? By ignoring the line items and only focusing on paying off the totals, we might be missing a "small" subscription fee of $12/month that's gone unnoticed for over a year, giving us zero value. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have three lattes a month than a subscription to something I never even use.

Final thoughts 

This barely touches the tip of the iceberg, as each of us has different ways that we waste money on a regular basis. Personal finance is, after all, personal. So, only you can do the hard work of cutting down your expenses. Take a look at your receipts and bank statements and look at each line item critically. Then ask yourself two questions. 'Could I be paying less?' and  'Do I need this item/service at all?' Have a think and then adjust your spending accordingly.  

This is post is written in partnership with RugPadUSA. All opinions are my own!

Did you see our kids bathroom remodel? I'm really proud of it. The last finishing touch I added was this plush Moroccan rug--and the water-resistant rug pad underneath. I like rugs in every room of the house. But in the bathroom, where there are a lot of cold, hard surfaces, rugs are especially nice. They add warmth, color, and softness underfoot. And since you only need a small size in front of the vanity, bathrooms are a place where getting a rug that you LOVE is totally affordable.

You're likely going to stand in bare feet in front of your vanity every morning and evening, so a thick rug will be appreciated over and over. But what kind of rug pad is right for under the rug? RugPadUSA breaks it down by flooring type. You can browse the right rug pads for tile floors, for wood floors, and for laminate--hopefully you don't have carpet in the bathroom ;). From there you can decide which option is best for you. You might need something with high grip, to prevent slips. Maybe you need a thinner rug pad, so the door can clear it easily. Or maybe you want a thick pad for added plushness. I decided on the water-resistant SpillTech rug pad, to protect our floor from spills.

This made-in-the-USA rug pad is a collaboration between RugPadUSA, Scotchgard(TM) and technology innovator 3M. It's cushy and water resistant, to prevent liquids from reaching your floors. 

We have rugs in all three of our bathrooms, so we got three of these rug pads.

Here's the one in our guest bathroom (and a cute almost-one-year-old).

I love the pink rug in this room. It adds some color and pattern and ties the room together.

And here's our master bathroom! You can probably guess, this room is on our list to remodel eventually. In the meantime, the blue rug adds a little color to the otherwise-drab room.

Hope this helps you figure out which kind of rug pad to use in the bathroom--or in any space! RugPadUSA is my go-to source for quality rug pads at a fair price.

I'm a big advocate of traveling with little kids. It's entirely possible to take a baby on vacation and have a great time (we've taken our kids all over the country and to Iceland). But admittedly, kids do add cost and complications, and let's be honest, sometimes they're exactly what you need a vacation FROM. We've been considering taking a trip with just the two of us, but it's kind of nerve-wracking. Even if we leave them with grandparents, there are still so many "what-ifs" and worries. I think we'd miss them a lot. But a good place to start is with a small trip, nearby, in our own state. And luckily for us, Washington is full of beautiful getaways! I rounded up eight of my favorite hotels for trivago magazine. Each one would be a perfect home base for a memorable and romantic getaway in Washington state. Have you stayed at any of these? And if you have kids, have you ever left them at home and taken an adults-only vacation? What age were they when you did that for the first time?

This photo is from Treehouse Point in Issaquah. The entire property is adults-only, which means we could only stay there if we leave the kids behind. Doesn't it look so cozy and romantic?

This post is in partnership with Signature Hardware & Riad Tile. All opinions are my own.

Back in February, we did a quick remodel of our kids bathroom. You can see the before pictures here. My goal was to refresh and update this room aesthetically without spending a ton of money. To make our budget stretch as far as possible, we decided to leave the layout the same, and keep the tub surround. A plastic tub surround wouldn't have been my first choice, but I have to admit it's easy to clean and it makes sense for a kids bathroom. I had considered doing a really budget-friendly, DIY version of this: painting our old vanity, switching out the countertop, and painting the old floor tile with patterned stencils. But after mulling it over for awhile, I wasn't confident that I'd be happy with the result. If I'm going to put the time, effort, and money into a remodel (even a small cosmetic one), I want it to last a long time. I'm the kind of person who would live with something ugly for years, rather than "waste" time and money on something I'll end up tearing out and doing over. I want to get it right the first time. So when I got the opportunity to partner with Signature Hardware, I knew it was meant to be! They have beautiful, quality vanities that will stand the test of time. I love the vanity we chose and I'm keeping it as long as we live here!

It's a gorgeous, deep blue called "vintage navy." I thought navy would be a good mix between adding color and keeping it classic. Signature Hardware lets you customize the vanity to exactly your preference. You can choose the top material (quartz, granite, marble, or no top if you want to add your own). You can select the faucet holes (8" widespread or single hole). And you can choose the type of sink you prefer: undermount, semi-recessed, or vessel. You can even customize the color of your sink, everything from white to hammered copper. I went with classic choices that I love: a chunky Carrara marble top and a white rectangular undermount sink. I debated whether marble was a good choice for a kids bathroom, but in the end I went for it. Marble is my favorite...I'll just have to seal it periodically!

Besides the new vanity, I knew floor tile would make a BIG difference. I found this beautiful cement tile from Riad Tile. They have great reviews, and their prices are reasonable. Especially for a smaller bathroom, nice tile is a worthwhile place to "splurge." You might be surprised at how affordable it is for a small amount of square footage!

I wanted the kids bathroom to "flow" with our downstairs guest bathroom, without being matchy-matchy. I like when a house feels cohesive, but it's really boring to just rinse and repeat the same things in every space. If a house is like a family, then I wanted the guest bathroom to be the older sister, while this kids bathroom would be the younger brother...more playful, but still closely related.

To achieve that goal, I chose some similar elements that would tie the two bathrooms together: a marble vanity top, chrome as the main metal, a modern gooseneck faucet, and brass for the light fixture and knobs. I also used a base of grey and white like we did downstairs. Instead of white on the walls, though, I went with a light grey paint color that ties in perfectly with the tile: Sherwin-Williams Repose Gray.

The shower curtain is an opportunity to have some fun with color and pattern in a very low-commitment way. It's like an accent wall, only you don't even have to repaint it--you can just buy another $20 shower curtain if you get sick of the first one. I hung one we already owned with phases of the moon and, to go with that theme, a print that says "I love you to the moon and back." Instead of using a regular straight-across shower rod, we bought a curved shower rod that gives you a little extra elbow space. It feels like we upgraded this room's shower experience, without spending hardly anything!

The final step to completing this bathroom was hanging those two wood shelves above the toilet. We can store toilet paper there, or place little baskets with our kids' toiletries, washcloths, and bath toys in them. That way (hopefully) we won't have a bunch of stuff cluttering the top of the vanity.

Because it's always fun to see the transformation, I thought I'd end with a before & after. This little bathroom has come a long way!

I really LOVE this makeover. I spent a lot more time agonizing over the decisions in our guest bathroom...I read tons of reviews, made Photoshop moodboards, and asked my friends what they thought about every little thing. With this room, I was a lot more decisive and I planned it really quickly. Yet even though I didn't stress it, I think everything came together perfectly!

Let me know if you have any questions. I hope you love this bathroom too!

Sources: Vanity / Faucet / Mirror / Light fixture / Wall shelves / Floor tile / Grout / Showerhead / Curved shower rod / Shower curtain