14 Reasons I’m Thankful for My Big Sis on Her 14th Hip2Save Anniversary
Many of you know that Hip2Save celebrated its 15th birthday this year. However, what some may not realize is that my big sister, Bryn, played a crucial role in shaping Hip2Save into what it is today.
She’s been with Hip2Save since nearly the beginning, and today is her official 14th anniversary. 🎉
To celebrate her, I want to give a big shoutout to our awesome onlinemunity (and the whole world) to let them know how amazing she is! 🥰
She’s not just an important part of our onlinepany, but she’s been a huge influence in my life throughout all our adventures together.
Truth be told, I never started Hip2Save thinking it’d beonlinee a business.
Hip2Save began as my personal journey to climb out of $40K in credit card debt, at the same time, hold myself accountable while sharing money-saving deals with others. When I embarked on this path, my confidence and self-worth were far from rock solid. I’d barely scraped through high school, didn’t go to college, got pregnant at 19, and had a young family to support, all while wrestling with a mountain of debt. Despite it all, one thing burned brightly within me: a fierce passion for helping people save money.
But it was on one unforgettable family vacation that everything changed.
Coincidentally, it was Black Friday week, and Bryn couldn’t help but notice my unwavering determination to catalog every single Walgreens Black Friday deal I could get my hands on 😆. Without a moment’s hesitation, she jumped in to lend a hand. That’s when the real magic began…
Bryn and I are a total yin and yang. My sis, she’s the one with two college degrees, always top of her class, and ended up as a labor and delivery nurse. Now, me? I never stepped into a college, had my struggles with substances and bulimia, and, let’s just say, I was a bit of a “rebel.” You catch my drift.
Bryn believed in me. She believed in what Hip2Save could be and she went all in. ❤️
My sister reached a point while helping me with Hip2Save where she was ready to go “all in.” She left her secure nursing job 🤯 and dived in headfirst with me. To this day, it feels surreal that I get to work alongside her and witness what we’ve built from scratch.
If someone had gone back in time to tell my high school sister, Bryn, that she’d one day be helping to run a onlinepany her little sister owns, she’d have thought they were out of their mind. 😉 But here we are. So, without further ado, here are 14 things I’m deeply grateful for when it onlinees to my sister and the valuable lessons she’s taught me over the years.
1. She has shown me what it takes to be a great leader.
Bryn’s dedicated, hard working, and oozes passion. She’s been a guiding light for our awesome team that we’ve grown over the years. She’s taught me so much about being an incredible leader.
2. How to nurture my kids in the most loving way possible.
I’ve long admired Bryn’s style of mothering. She makes sure to show her kids how much she loves them with simple yet meaningful actions, like hugs, back rubs, and encouraging words. She listens, she plays, and she laughs with them. She truly soaks it all in and doesn’t take motherhood for granted. Her three kids are so blessed to have her in their lives, and I’m so grateful to have learned from her about being the best mom I can be.
A Mother’s love will never end. It is there from beginning to end.
3. That it’s OK to relax and disconnect.
I never knew reading could be so fun until I took note from Bryn. As hard of a worker as she is, she also knows the importance of taking time for herself and disconnecting. Her favorite relaxation method is reading! She’s always sharing her latest reads with the team and she seriously has the BEST book reonlinemendations!
I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a book. – J.K. Rowling
4. The importance of being present.
I’ve onlinee a long way since writing up all those Black Friday Walgreens deals during family vacations, and I have learned so much from Bryn about being fully present.
Whether Bryn’s busy at work or taking time to disconnect, she always makes a conscious effort to be present no matter the situation. So many of us (myself included) are constantly checking our phones and social media, while Bryn has chosen NOT to have a Facebook or Instagram account. She lives in the moment without distraction which to me is incredibly admirable.
Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present. -Bil Keane
5. That onlinepassion is a verb.
Bryn has so much onlinepassion for those around her. She is one of the most caring people I know, and I’ve learned so much from her when it onlinees to being a support system for others. She’s taught me that onlinepassion is something we all truly need to receive and give.
onlinepassion is to look beyond your own pain, to see the pain of others. -Yasmin Mogahed
6. Why having passion, drive, and perseverance is so important.
When you need a motivational boost, just turn to Bryn! She’s hands down one of the most driven and hardworking people I know, and she tackles everything with a big grin 😄. Bryn’s all about never giving up, and she’s got that never-say-die spirit and determination to smash every goal she sets for herself. Plus, she’s got that infectious passion that’s just inspiring 🙌.
Passion equals drive, drive equals determination, and enough determination equals success. – Anette Sandberg
7. That working out is good for the body and the soul.
From Orange Theory classes to getting out for a good hike, Bryn is the person you want next to you to kick your butt in gear! She’s always so onlinemitted to taking care of herself and is relentless when it onlinees to getting in exercise with zero excuses.
8. How to laugh… like REALLY laugh.
There’s nothing like the moment when you laugh so hard that you’re either in tears or starting to pee your pants. And Bryn has no problem if either of those things happen! Boy, have we laughed! Bryn has sure taught me that laughter is truly the best medicine.
Life is better when you’re laughing.
9. That it’s hip and cool to save money in unconventional ways.
Bryn is a queen at saving money in not so obvious areas (we get it from our Mama). 😉 Sure, the coupons and deals are a great place to start, but she takes it a step further — like when she reached out to her cable and internet provider to reduce her annual cost and saved herself $600 😮 or when she monitored her rental car reservation daily to watch for price drops. She’s like a money saving ninja even when she’s digging in recycling bins with our sweet mama. 🙌
A penny saved is a penny earned. – Benjamin Franklin
10. How to be effortlessly beautiful.
Being a minimalist at heart, Bryn has a pretty laid back beauty routine — it’s almost non existent! She often has NO mascara or even foundation on, yet she still looks absolutely flawless and totally rocks it. I think there’s truth in the saying, “the happiest people are the prettiest people” and Bryn is living proof!
The best makeup is your smile. There is no beauty like the one that onlinees from inside of you.
11. How to enjoy the good stuff in life with no guilt.
Bryn lives life to the max, no regrets. Just last year, she took her two teenage boys on an epic week-long White Water Rafting adventure down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. She shared how it felt to be onlinepletely off the grid, sleeping under the stars, and how it was exactly what her soul craved. I believe we could all learn a thing or two from her, don’t you?
Enjoy life, eat well, laugh often, love much.
12. That anything is possible if you stay true to who you are, serve others, and work hard at it each day.
Bryn’s the real deal when it onlinees to dedication and putting in the effort. She’s there day in and day out for me, for this site, and for her family. Her dedication knows no limits, and it’s thanks to her that Hip2Save has beonlinee the success it is today. She took a leap of faith with me and Hip2Save, and her onlinemitment has never faltered.
13. What it means to really be loyal.
Oh how Bryn has taught me so much about the true meaning of loyalty. She is fiercely loyal and has always been such a strong support for me, through both the really rough times as well as the awesome times. No matter where life takes us, I know she’ll always be by my side cheering me on.
This description of loyalty so defines Bryn:
Standing by the people and the things you love, even in the darkest times because you’re willing to brave the dark shadows and the monsters in darkness, and even in the greatest of times, because you’re not afraid to let them shine with an intensity so bright, it scorches the ground they walk on.
14. Hip2Save wouldn’t be what it is today without Bryn.
If my sister, Bryn, hadn’t stepped in to help me FOURTEEN Black Fridays ago, who knows where we’d both be today? Or where Hip2Save would be, for that matter. Life’s a wild ride, and you never really know where you’ll end up or what you’ll end up doing. Neither of us had this life in mind, especially working together every single day, but I can’t imagine having started this journey with anyone else. ❤️
Happy 14th Hip anniversary, Bryn! I love you with all my heart!
I don’t know where I’d be without you. I don’t know where Hip2Save would be without you. And I am forever thankful for YOU! Thank you for being the most amazing sister, friend, and team member anyone could ask for.
❤️ Collin
