Let Me Introduce The Team…
Welcome!
My name is Dannelle:
I started this site in 2010 when I was starting my mission to save $40,000 and we did it in less than a year! I now share ideas to help other families save money where they can, so they can splurge where they want.
They can pay off credit cards, home loans, bills or put money away for retirement and kid’s college funds. Simple, Small Steps really DO add up!
I am a professional chef who used to have a restaurant and catering company…it’s a natural tie in to how you can save money by simple meal planning.
Being savvy in the kitchen means I am a brand ambassador for several different companies. You will see a lot of product reviews and honest opinions…I tell you what we really do, or don’t like!
Besides writing, I am very active in my church, our local Homeless Ministry, a big supporter of food pantries, shuttle my daughter around to lots of activities, am a craft junkie and lecture on various money saving topics. Oh yeah, I’m a published author too…
I often hear “How can you do all that you do?”
Easy, I have great bunch that I work with!
They help out behind the scenes to make all the great deals, fun projects, neat reviews, tasty recipes and more pop out every day. I literally couldn’t do it without them!
Meet Ann, Our Senior Editor:
She is mommy to two adorable little girls and a fellow frugalista.
I actually met her at one of my classes and kept running into her at different family friendly events.
(It was like having this really cool stalker!)
She is in charge of a lot of things kinder — if it is something meant for little hands in the kitchen, she is all over it! She also helps with product reviews, her and her kilt wearing hubby.
She has a great sense of humor (I asked for a picture and got this back), is married to a guy who proudly wears a kilt, and does very cool projects with her girls. You will see reviews on items for younger children from her. She also has her own site: Ann In A Jam
Meet our Culinary Editor Josh:
He knew he wanted to explore the culinary field the day his daughter was born and that was 7 years ago.
When he entered this world of cuisine with all its spices, techniques and fundamentals he knew he made the correct decision. One evening at the Wonder Bar where he was a sous chef he had the opportunity to prepare a meal for the “Walking Dead” cast. I am totally a fan and jealous of him!
He has had the pleasure of guiding fellow foodies in their own experiences of learning to prepare a variety of cuisines at Sur la Table, as well as working with the elderly to provide them with nutrition, their own sense of creativity and a fun filled time together. His next endeavor is working at Madison College where he had the opportunity once again of sharing his knowledge and love for food.
Josh says “Becoming a Professional Chef is the best choice I could have made. For this experience has given me a love for food, new friendships, time together with my daughter where we can enjoy being creative in the kitchen together”.
We are delighted to bring his expertise to our team of writers.
Meet Our Toddler Editor Elizabeth:
A BUSY working mom to infant boy and girl twins. She can relate anything to Disney, and enjoy vacations there on a regular basis. The babies’ first trip, right before they turn two, has been in the works since she found out she was expecting. She literally “Ain’t got time for that” and is constantly looking for ways to save time, so that she can spend more with her family. She’s very active in her church, on her college’s alumni board, and is passionate about raising funds for the American Cancer Society.
Meet Our Review Editor April:
She’s mom to 3 cool kiddos and helps with product reviews and giveaways!
She LOVES to cook, because making meals for your family is like love on a plate. Often found doing “once a month cooking” or batch cooking “freezer meals”, that is actually how we met. We were in a meal swap and kids play group together and just hit it off.
Meet our Film Editor Joseph:
Joseph is a student at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studying Film. He enjoys all film genres but his favorites are animations and children’s movies. He is currently a freelance film maker working making advertisements for companies as well as working as a
videographer for weddings. His favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast and his current favorite cartoon is Steven Universe.
Meet our Baby Editor Jessica:
Jessica has been writing and reviewing products for 5 years. She loves connecting and learning about new brands and she has a family of 8 that love to help review the products with me!
Deal Editor Ashley:
She fills out my weak links. I usually only shop Amazon, Restaurant.com or Kohls.com and am oblivious to the world of Internet shopping. She scopes out a lot of the great bargains that are out there and brings them to us Monday – Thursday.
I don’t know about you, but she has helped me find a few things that were on my wish list – at an amazing price! She also helps keep things like Pinterest organized for me and more … she’s the wiz of the keyboard and makes me the envy of some blogger friends with her on my team.
She has her own site HERE
Meet Our Pet Editor Angela:
This lady is not only a momma to 4 kiddos (and even more non-humans), she is married to a hot guitar playing rock star! A fellow thrifter, she is always on the hunt for a fun bargain and I swear her car automatically pulls over when it sees a garage sale sign. She currently has and it connected to the Herpitological Society. You will see her talking about pets, pets supplies and anything we can find new in the world of fuzzy/scaly/crawly out there.
Meet our Toy Editor Katrina:
This lady is a military wife and momma to 4 boys under the age of 8. You will see her working on product reviews. Seriously, if her boys can’t break it, it must be a great product, LOL!
She also has a passion for photography, so she often plays with her camera and collecting all of those great childhood memories on film.
You may remember Klauer’s Review?
That was her and we are happy to have her back doing reviews, but on our team.
🙂
Meet Miss Sarah:
She is our official 6 7 8 9 year old toy tester!
She also has a goofy food allergy so she can’t eat fresh fruits or vegetables…so we love trying new things that lets her add those to her diet. So far she has tried/reviewed:
Fruit Squish’ems, Outshine Bars, Fruchi, Z Bars, Enjoy Life Snacks, Pure Pantry and more!
Did we mention that she does modeling and radio/tv commercials too?
( I know, those big green eyes just pop out! )
Miss Sarah also helps with toy reviews for my Wisconsin Parent articles and TV segments…it’s a rough job, but she constantly lets me know that she is up to the task!
She is the 9-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin and rapidly growing a following on her own- which is the reason we launched www.SarahLynGay.com in March of 2016. It’s an educational site to help other families get the best education for their kiddos as possible as you follow her own journey.
Her current favorites are animated movies, anything from Frozen and My Little Ponies…at least that is true this week.
We are VERY PR friendly, love reviewing products and playing in the kitchen. If you wish to know more, just send us an email: op40k@aol.com