Emails like this are such an encouragement to me:
My name is Amanda and I just recently found your website through a recommendation from a friend. I just want to thank you. I am the mother of a very active 4-year-old and hope to have another child in the next few years. My husband is a teacher and I am a social worker, both jobs that are often more than full-time and don’t pay terribly well.
We recently had a scare when the school district we both work for decided to reduce both of our positions. It would have been a cut of $26,000 in our annual income. It was a horribly scary time—we both love our jobs and didn’t want to seek other full-time employment but weren’t sure how we would keep up with our financial obligations (mortgage, student loans, daycare, food, etc.).
It was right after this happened that my friend told me about your website. I visited and was hooked. I definitely appreciate the coupons, but what I appreciated more is the atmosphere of the site. Exploring your site, I felt so much support and positive energy from the topics you cover and the posts left by other women. With your help I started to believe that I really could make it work for my family—that we could live more simply on less and be fine.I got more and more excited about my plans for growing our own vegetables, shopping at Goodwill, finding cheap/free entertainment, etc.
After about 3 weeks, our district decided not to cut my husband’s position and to restore mine to 3/4 time. Now we are not nearly as worried about our finances and probably wouldn’t have to change much.
However, now I WANT to. I WANT to live with less and simplify. Much of that desire comes from the things I’ve found on your website. Since I will have one day a week off, I still fully intend to plant that garden, search for those deals, shop at Goodwill, and hopefully even put some extra money in savings in the process!
Most of all, I’m really excited to have a little more time to focus on being Mom and taking care of my family. I just wanted you to know how you and the other women who contribute to your site brought me hope during a really difficult time, and hopefully changed my family’s lives for the better as we implement some of the money-saving, “simplifying” tips found on your site. -Amanda
A big thank you to each and everyone of you who visit here and those of you who take time to leave comments, share money-saving tips, and contribute guest posts. You might never know just what a big impact you are having on others who are struggling!
photo credit: ddsnet