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Money Saving Mom

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Saving Families Money Since 2007

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Shared Feb 4, 2019 comment

A Peek Into the Month of January at Our House (photo overload!)

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A Peek Into the Month of January at Our House (photo overload!)

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every month in 2019, I’ll be sharing a photographic peek into the previous month. I thought this would be fun to give you a behind-the-scenes look at our month and recap some of the highs and lows and special memories of the month.

Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and we will be compensated if you click through and sign up. Read our disclosure policy here.

I started January 1, 2019 with my commitment this year to begin every day with 30 minutes of time in God’s Word (I’m reading through the New Testament using the She Reads Truth Bible plans at the beginning of each book of the Bible.)

We then hosted friends for New Year’s Day Brunch and games. The guys made breakfast for us while the moms sat and drank tea and coffee. It was the best!

After Brunch, we spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing games — including learning how to play Unstable Unicorns.

I’ve been loving using the Organize in 5 system for doing different organizational projects this year — including cleaning out my cookbooks.

I love tea and in January, I shared some of my very favorite teas.

This checklist system has been working SO well for me and is really helping to keep me on track with my daily habits!

We spent a lot of time in the bleachers at Kathrynne’s basketball games this past month. It was so fun to see the progress her team made and how well they did. And we often stayed and cheered on her friends in their games, too. (And I loved seeing Kaitlynn and Silas hang out with her and her friends while we cheered on the other teams from her school!)

(On the other hand, I’ll admit that it’s going to be nice that her season is over in a week so that we can have more dinners at home and evenings where we’re not out late!)

I read Deep Work as the first book I read in 2019. It was a fantastic read and I’ll be sharing more about it in my book update post in the next few days.

I wrote a post in January sharing the Top 4 Books I Read in 2018. In case you missed it, you can read it here.

I bought these NYX Lip Glosses in January and love them!

I heard from so many of you who say that you love this brand, too.

Well, after 5 weeks of pain after my car accident, many chiropractic visits, many x-rays, and an MRI, we finally found at that my hand/wrist was indeed fractured.

While I wasn’t excited that meant I’d need to wear a cast for 4 weeks, I was so grateful for a diagnosis that explained all the pain! A big thank you to my chiropractor who pushed me to go to the specialist and was sure that there was something fractured that all the x-rays weren’t showing.

Y’all, I have such new compassion for people who deal with chronic pain! I honestly cannot imagine what it would be like to deal with incessant pain like this for years and years — as I know many people do.

Also, I am grateful for modern technology and cool FastForm casts that are waterproof and can be taken off so I can wash my hair. How times have changed since I broke my wrist as a young girl!

In other happy news, we also bought a new-to-use car to replace the car that was totaled in the accident. We were so grateful to get everything taken care of with the insurance!

The car accident was about three seconds total, but those three seconds have meant hours and hours and hours of doctor’s visits and insurance phone calls and research and car shopping, incessant and sometimes excruciating pain, sleepless nights, working through a lot of anxiety that resurfaced as a result of this accident, and juggling one car for the past few weeks.

And yet, I keep thinking how much I have to be thankful for. How much worse it could have been. How so many of these things are just a small inconvenience compared to what so many others are going through.

This has been such a good opportunity for me to practice what I preach — that you can’t always choose your circumstances, but you can always choose your attitude!

I had so much fun shopping and getting great deals in January!

I wore this outfit so many times in January. I just love it!

I bought a Fitbit for myself for Christmas and I absolutely love how it is motivating me to move more and take better care of myself!

I shared this on Instagram in January:

Instead of trying to squeeze in and fit in, let’s build new tables in 2019… where we welcome those who are lonely and hurting and misunderstood. Those who might be sort of on the outside, the fringes. Those who might not be seen as the “cool kids”. But those who just may be desperately longing for friendship and might be some of the best community we’ve ever experienced.

Thank you for sharing this #truthbomb from Dana Vivian White, @momadvice!

I’ve been waking up earlier in the mornings to read my Bible and write and it’s been so beautiful to get to watch the sun rise!

I loved this jewelry that I am borrowing for free from Rocksbox! It was PERFECT to go with my dress for a Ball we attended in January. (Find out how to get your free month of Rocksbox here.)

Our friends invited us to go with them to a Ball in January. It was so fun to get all dressed up! My dress was this one from Amazon.

I shared how Silas fell in love with reading this month. If you missed this post, be sure to read it here.

I’ve been sharing my salads every week day on Instagram to inspire you. It’s inspired me to get a little more creative and to make my salads a little prettier.

Silas’ class performed Black Ships Before Troy this month… which was so fun to get to watch!

This girl. Man how we love her!! And it’s hard to believe she turns 14 this week!

She has the most caring, compassionate heart. She’s deeply loyal. She has such a heart for Jesus and others and she’s always looking out for the underdog.

She’s also full of spunk and life and sarcasm… and if you need a meme or gif to make you laugh, she’s your girl!

She’s grown up so much the last two years — both literally and figuratively — and yet, she still thinks I’m cool (except when I wear those one shoes) and loves to hang out and talk with me!
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Also, she’s a girl after my own heart — all on her own, she decided to sign up for a bunch of birthday freebies that different stores and restaurants offer. We ALL got to benefit when one of those freebies was a coupon for a completely free dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kreme.

I love our movie nights and late-night talks (even if it means I don’t get as much sleep these days!) and one of my favorite parts of the week is our Sunday morning coffee dates.

I don’t know what the future holds for this girl, but I can’t wait to keep standing on the sidelines and cheering her on… and I might wear those ugly shoes, just to embarrass her!

Kathrynne celebrated her birthday by a little family birthday party, lunch out with Jesse, and going to a movie with me. She also had a fun night with a few close friends. I love this picture that I got of them all making themselves at home in our house. It makes me so happy when people are comfortable enough at our house to just climb up and sit on our countertops!

One of Kaitlynn’s school projects this month was to create a diorama of a dream world. This was part of it in the making. I didn’t get a picture of the finished project but it was so adorable!

I finally went through my books and picked out the 40 books I plan to read in 2019.

I also organized underneath the bathroom sink and my purse. And I’m happy to tell you that I have kept them organized for 5 days!

One of my favorite Instagram posts from January:

Last night, she asked me who my best friends were. I listed off a few and then she said, “What about me? Am I one of your best friends? Because you are totally one of my best friends.”

Y’all. THIS. This is what it’s all about.

I know some parenting experts would say you shouldn’t be friends with your child. And my kids aren’t grown and gone so I still have plenty of parenting to do and things to learn and ways I’ll fail — and you probably should listen to the experts and not to me.

BUT, after years of changing diapers and midnight nursing and waking up every two hours and potty training and cleaning up spills and working on teaching the same thing over and over again, I can tell you that it’s pretty downright amazing to now have kids who love to hang out with me, who need very little help from me, and who ask for my counsel and advice (they don’t always follow it, but they do ask for it!)

Oh yes, we have rough days and hormones are a real beast at times, but we have so many beautiful, hilarious, and ridiculous moments and memories to make up for it.

Also, my kids love to take selfies with me where I’m being a dork. They laugh and laugh and I’m happy to oblige.

All you mamas of littles: your day with backseat corny selfies and laughing with your very self-sufficient older kids is coming. And it’s AMAZING!

What were some of YOUR highlights from January? I’d love to hear!

P.S. In case you missed it, How I Did On My Goals in January.

Shared Feb 3, 2019 comment

We spent $66 on groceries this week!

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We spent $66 on groceries this week!

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m currently challenging myself to stick with a $70 grocery budget for our family of five. This includes almost all of our breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners + most household products (toiletries, laundry soap, etc.).

For live updates, be sure to follow my Instagram Stories. See all posts on my $70 Grocery Budget here.

Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and we will be compensated if you click through and sign up. Read our disclosure policy here.

I was so happy with all of the groceries we got this past week. And I was especially excited to realize we now have 25 pounds of meat in the freezer and a pantry that is really, really full. All that has been stockpiled a little bit at a time on our $70 grocery budget.

An Important Note for Those Who Are Feeling Frustrated

Some of you have been frustrated recently that I share my groceries because you don’t have Kroger. Here’s what I want to encourage you with: instead of being frustrated, focus on what you CAN do. I’ve lived without a Kroger and been able to still have a small grocery budget. It just takes a can-do creative attitude… and a willingness to do the best you can with the time and resources you have.

A few tips for beginners:

  • If you’re new to trying to cut your grocery bill, start by having a grocery budget, working on sticking with it, and planning a menu based upon simple, inexpensive meals.
  • Then, step it up, by planning your meals based upon what is on sale at the store and what you have on hand.
  • Next, pay attention to why items are at their lowest prices and start setting aside a little bit of your grocery budget to stock up on items when they are at their lowest prices.
  • The more you do this, the easier it will get to lower your grocery budget and slowly build a stockpile of food that you got at a discount!

Here’s what we bought at the grocery store this past week:

Kroger Shopping Trip #1

  • Romaine lettuce — marked down to $1.29
  • Spinach — $2.99
  • Lemon juice — $2.59
  • Loaf of bread — marked down to $1.29
  • Milk — $2.49
  • Total with tax: $8.85 

I spent $3 on this Harry’s Shaving Bundle (I forgot to add this into my grocery budget last week, so I’m adding it here.). I was super impressed with the razor and have been using it all week.

Walgreens Shopping Trip

Kroger Shopping Trip #2:

  • 3 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios — $1.79 each when you buy 6 participating items, used $1.50/3 coupon that printed last time I went to the store = $1.29 each after coupon
  • 4 tubs of Fage & Simple Truth yogurt — marked down to $0.49 each
  • 3 tubs of Moose Tracks yogurt — marked down to $0.19 each
  • Pita bread — marked down to $1.29
  • Land O’ Lakes butter — $2.99
  • Pork Roast — marked down to $4.99
  • Cousin Willie’s Kettle Corn — $0.99 each when you buy 6 participating items
  • 2 half gallons of Apple Cider — marked down to $0.50 each
  • Baking Powder — $1.19
  • Ocean Spray Pink Grapefruit Juice — $1.99 when you buy 6 participating items, used $1/1 Kroger Digital coupon = $0.99
  • Total with tax: $22.29

Kroger Shopping Trip #3

(I was almost out of lettuce for my two salads a day, so Jesse ran by Kroger when he was out and found two bags marked down for me!)

  • 2 bags of Kroger Romaine — marked down to $1.29 each
  • Total with tax: $2.74

Speaking of salads, I’ve gotten a lot of comments and messages about the fact that I’ve mentioned that I eat two salads a day in recent weeks.

So I decided to show people practically what this looks like for me. I’ve been posting my lunch salad on Instagram stories — and I’m loving that it’s inspiring so many of you to also eat more salads!

Wondering how I make my salads? It’s usually a bed of Romaine or dark greens I’ve gotten marked down at Kroger (these are pre-washed and ready to go so I literally just stick them on my plate) topped with whatever odds and ends I find in the fridge (other marked down veggies, fruit, leftover steamed or roasted veggies from dinner the night before, a hard boiled egg —we make a batch in bulk in the Instant Pot each week, or leftover meat from last night’s dinner.)

It typically takes me no more than 3 minutes to put together my lunch salad. Who says eating healthfully has to take a bunch more time?

And then for dinner, I usually just put the main dish on a bed of lettuce. That might sound gross to you, but I’ve gotten so used to it that it doesn’t bother me at all.

I feel so much healthier and energetic when I eat a lot of salads and fresh fruits and veggies, so I’ve worked to find creative ways to make more salad eating possible without spending a lot of time and money to do so.

Also, for those who are wondering, I rarely ever use dressing. Yes, I know, that might sound crazy but it’s true!

Kroger Shopping Trip #4:

  • Capri Sun — $1.79 when you buy 6 participating items, used $0.60/1 coupon Kroger had sent me recently, $1.19 after coupon
  • Bananas — $1.30
  • 5 cans of Red Gold Tomatoes — $0.39 each when you buy 6 participating items
  • 1 bag oranges/apples — marked down to $0.99
  • 18-count Simple Truth Cage Free brown eggs — $3.49, used $1/1 Kroger Digital coupon = $2.49
  • Cabo Guacamole — $2.99 when you buy 6 participating items, used $3/1 coupon = Free after coupon
  • 2 bags of Goldfish — $0.99 each when you buy 6 participating items
  • 3 boxes of Creamette pasta — $0.49 each when you buy 6 participating items, used $1/3 coupon that Kroger sent me recently = $0.47 for all three
  • Kroger Purified Water — $0.79
  • Total with tax = $12.13

Kathrynne and I made Homemade Pizza for Friday night and I showed her how we used to make pizza when Jesse was in law school and we’d only buy one bag of chicken every other week most weeks (that would typically be the only meat we’d be able to afford in our budget), so we’d just put a tiny bit of meat on the pizza usually (see example above).

It was good to remember those days. I never want to forget and I want our kids to know this part of our story.

What We Ate This Past Week

Note: When you see the meals below, please remember this: I buy ahead often. Which means that when I find a great deal on something I know we’ll use, I buy as much as I can afford in our budget to have on hand.

This means that you aren’t going to see all of the groceries my shopping trip that I used to make all of the meals we ate.

Please also remember that I’m putting this out there and it’s not a perfectly balanced menu. This is just really what we ate — and I hope that it encourages you to see the real-ness and lack of perfection here. ?

Breakfasts:

Lunches:

  • Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Cheese Quesadillas, Cheese/Crackers, Hard Boiled Eggs, Salad, Leftovers, Clementines, Cookies

Snacks:

Dinners:

  • Sunday — Fend for yourself (snack-y dinner)
  • Monday — Cracker Barrel for dinner for Kathrynne’s birthday
  • Tuesday — Pork Roast, Oreida Fries, Roasted Broccoli
  • Wednesday — Baked Chicken, Peas, Pineapple, Twice Baked Potatoes
  • Thursday — Kielbasa, Peas, Twice Baked Potatoes
  • Friday — Homemade Pizza, pineapple
  • Saturday — Leftovers

Total spent on groceries: $66.12

Psst! Need some help with cutting your grocery budget? Check out my series: 5 Days to a Better Grocery Budget.

Cashback earned this week: 125 points for submitting my receipts to Fetch rewards + $1 back from iBotta for buying bread, milk. water, and scanning a receipt.

Shared Feb 2, 2019 comment

Brigette’s $89 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

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Brigette’s $89 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

1 large canister Quick Oats – $2.39

1 5-lb bag All-Purpose Flour – $1.15

1 4-lb Sugar – $1.54

1 canister Salt – $0.35

1 5-lb pkg 73/27 Ground Beef, reduced – $5.49

1 gallon 1% Milk – $1.31

1 gallon Whole Milk – $3.38

1 16-oz carton Heavy Whipping Cream – $1.55

2 64-oz cartons Orange Juice – $3.38

1 box Honey Nut Oats – $1.15

3 cans Green Beans – $1.14

1 can Garbanzo Beans – $0.49

1 can Stewed Tomatoes – $0.35

1 large can Organic Diced Tomatoes – $1.35

1 large can Baked Beans – $1.25

1 6-ct pkg Unsweetened Applesauce Cups – $1.19

2 pkgs Baby Carrots – $1.50

3 Avocadoes – $0.75

1 large tub Organic Spring Mix – $3.49

1 3-lb pkg Sweet Potatoes – $1.69

1 pkg Fresh Green Beans – $1.39

1 pkg Broccoli Crowns – $1.39

1 Cauliflower – $1.39

1 head Cabbage $1.39

2 pkgs Mini Cucumbers – $3.38

1 5-lb bag Grapefruit – $2.99

1 bag Spinach – $1.19

1 3-lb bag Pink Lady Apples – $2.79

1 3-lb bag Organic Pink Lady Apples – $3.99

2 bags frozen Riced Cauliflower – $3.78

2 pkgs Fresh Blueberries – $4.38

1 pkg Plain Rice Cakes – $1.15

1 pkg Flour Tortillas – $0.65

1 loaf Sandwich Bread – $0.65

1 pkg Hamburger Buns – $0.65

1 pkg Gluten Free Pretzels – $1.75

1 kar Almond Butter – $3.49

2 boxes Macaroni and Cheese – $0.50

1 pkg String Cheese – $1.65

1 32-oz pkg Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – $2.49

3 cans Biscuits – $2.25

1 3-lb bag frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – $5.79

1 pkg frozen Wild Caught Salmon – $3.99

4 dozen Eggs, reduced – $2.00

Total: $89.96

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Everyone is responsible for making/cleaning up their own breakfasts. Choices include:

Cereal, Toast, Fruit, Smoothies, Oatmeal, Fried/Boiled/Scrambled Eggs, Veggie Omelets

Lazy Monkey Bread, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese (birthday breakfast choice for my 8-yr old)

Lunches

Cheese Quesadillas, Apples, Cucumbers x 2

Almond Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Applesauce/Blueberries, Cheese Sticks, Carrots x 2

Macaroni and Cheese, Grapefruit, Carrots (birthday lunch choice)

Leftovers x 2

Super Clean Broccoli Salad with Creamy Almond Dressing (for me – I’ll make a few alterations to the recipe based on what I already have in my pantry)

Dinners

Freezer Friendly Barbequed Meatballs, Tossed Salad, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

Pakistani Kima, Rice, Make-Ahead Butterhorns, Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake with Ice Cream (birthday dinner choice)

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken and Potatoes, Tossed Salad, Roasted Cauliflower

Super Bowl Snacks – Buttery Soft Pretzels, Homemade Guacamole/Chips/Salsa, Fresh Veggies, Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

Hamburgers on the Grill, Baked Potato Wedges, Steamed Broccoli

Grilled Salmon, Cauliflower “Fried Rice” Recipe, Easy Whole Wheat Muffins

Leftovers

Shared Feb 1, 2019 comment

How I Did On My 2019 Goals in January

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How I Did On My 2019 Goals in January

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s February 1, 2019. And it’s time to check in on our goals! How are you doing on the goals you set for 2019?

I spent some time today reviewing January and reflecting on the blessings of the past month and the lessons I learned. I also looked at my goals and made not of how I was doing in each area. (If you missed My Goals for 2019 post, read it here.)

In order to keep myself accountable (and because I know some of you really enjoy these posts) I’m going to be sharing a goals update post at the beginning of each month. I hope that this will not only motivate me to be focused and intentional this year, but I hope it might also inspire you in the goals you set for 2019.

So here’s my goals update for February 1, 2019:

Personal Goals

1. Read 40 books I already own. (I’m using GoodReads to track my reading this year!)

Update: I finished 5 books in January — 2 were books I already own and 3 were audiobooks I got free from the Libby app. Look for a Book Update post in the next few days where I share more about my thoughts on the books I finished.

2. Slowly read through the New Testament using the She Reads Truth Bible reading plans at the beginning of each chapter.

Update: I finished Matthew and am halfway through Mark.

3. Listen to 2 audiobooks per month. (I use the Libby app to get these for free.)

Update: I listened to 3 audiobooks in January.

4. Complete all of the Organize in 5 Diary tasks to get our home more organized and set up better organizational systems. (Psst! Did you get yours? It’s just $9 right now.)

Update: This has been going so well and I’m happy to report that I have been 100% keeping up with this. YAY! You can see two posts I did on some of my organizing projects: Cleaning Out the Cookbooks & Organizing My Purse & Bathroom.

5. Stay offline for 4 hours per day, 5 days per week. (I share more about why I chose this goal here.)

Update: This has been going well and I hit it at least 5 days per week every week in January!

6. Leave my phone in the basement every night. (I talk more about what inspired me to make this goal here.)

Update: I did this every night but two nights in January!! It has made SUCH a difference and I plan to do a full post on this and just how much it has impacted me. Stay tuned.

7. Go to bed before 10:30 p.m. 5 days per week. (I’m using this little spreadsheet I made to track most of my personal goals)

Update: I didn’t do this perfectly, but I did a MUCH better job of going to bed earlier in January and am happy to report that I went to bed before midnight every single night in January — which is definitely progress for me since I have a tendency to stay up really late on weekends and then sleep in and that throws off the whole week! I’ve been a lot more consistent in my bedtimes and wake up times and it has definitely made a difference!

Marriage Goal

8. Go on an overnight trip with Jesse without the kids.

Update: We got a trip booked to Destin, FL at the end of April!! We’re renting an AirBNB with two other couples and are so excited about it! We also are looking at possibly doing one other weekend trip later in the year. We’ll see!

Motherhood Goal

9. One-on-one time with each child at least 3 times per week. (I am planning to dedicate 40 minutes per child after dinner each evening at least three nights per week to hang out and spend time with each child individually.)

Update: This has been going so well! And I’m thrilled to report that I hit this every week in January!

Family Goal

10. Take the kids to at least two continents and 4 states we haven’t traveled to. (We’re hoping to travel to Europe in the summer and South America at some other point during the year. I have travel alerts set up to track the best prices for flights and am hoping to find a great deal to snag in the next 4-6 months!)

Financial Goals

11. Pay cash to redo our room and renovate our bathroom (we have to pull out the shower and put in a new one because it was installed incorrectly and is leaking and ruining the floor/wall and we want to do a few renovations while we’re at it + we want to finally decorate our room — we left it really bare when we moved in and decided to wait to prioritize it in the budget).

Update: We had a contractor come over and chat with us and take measurements. We’re waiting on an estimate.

12. Pay cash to paint the main floor of our home.

13. Fully fund our Emergency Fund (This is a carry-over from 2018 and we are hoping to have this done in the next few months).

Business Goals

14. Redo/set up a much more intentional customer acquisition experience for all three of our email newsletters.

Update: We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes working on this and made some BIG progress in January already!

15. Finish launching the rest of our beginner Your Blogging University courses. (If you want to start a blog, be sure to check out my other site, Your Blogging Mentor.)

Update: I’m working on my next course, Monetize Your Blog, and it’s going to be a bigger/more comprehensive course than I’ve ever done but I hope to have it ready to launch at the end of March! Stay tuned!

16. Launch a Blog Coaching/Accountability Group membership. (I’ll be opening this up to a very limited number of people in January of 2019. Stay tuned!)

Update: We launched this to 100 people at the end of January and it is going SO WELL and I am just loving it already. We’ll be opening it up to more people in a few months!

How are YOU doing on your goals for 2019? I’d love to hear about your successes and struggles. Tell us in the comments!

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

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Shared Jan 31, 2019 comment

Organizing My Purse & Bathroom (this is embarrassing) + a giveaway!

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Organizing My Purse & Bathroom (this is embarrassing) + a giveaway!

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I told you all that I’m using the Organize in 5 Diary in 2019 to whip my house in shape. It’s a digital download that gives you a 5-minute organizational project for every day in 2019.

Each of the projects (that can be done in 5 minutes or less) help you work through your entire home and set up better systems and habits. It covers almost all aspects of your life:

Psst! If you haven’t purchased the Organize in 5 Diary, you can get it for just $9 here.

I tackled two decluttering projects yesterday — one that was part of the Organize in 5 Diary and one that I was inspired to do because of the Organize in 5 Diary…

Yikes! I’m embarrassed to show you this. But here’s some real-life for ya!

I see this every morning when I open the cupboard to pull out things to get ready in the morning and every night when I pull out things to wash my face and get ready for bed.

And every day, I think, “I really should make time to organize it.” And every day, it doesn’t happen.

Until yesterday.

I was supposed to go to the kids’ school for morning chapel and then to discipleship group at church, but school was delayed due to weather and discipleship group was cancelled due to weather.

So I got inspired and tackled this mess of a cupboard!

I pulled everything out, put things that didn’t belong where they needed to go, put some stuff in the Goodwill tub in the garage, threw some stuff out, and re-organized what remained.

SO much better! And it made me so happy to open up the cupboard last night and this morning and see the above.

I even brought Jesse into the bathroom to show him how amazing it looked. (Please tell me I’m not the only weird person who shows off their accomplishments to their spouse like that!!)

Next up, I tackled the Organize in 5 Diary upcoming project (I’m a little ahead on the projects right now!) to clean out my purse. Er, diaper bag.

But let’s pretend it’s a purse. (I almost always carry a big bag because I often am lugging my laptop in it, too! Well, and I may also be a Boy Scout type personality and go for the “Always Be Prepared” slogan in most of life, too.)

I dumped everything out, wiped out the inside of the purse, and went through the contents. I put the items away that didn’t belong, I threw out the items that were trash, and found a few surprises along the way (see below!)

And then I made sure I had all of the essentials and put everything back in in a much more organized fashion…

That feels so nice to have my purse re-organized. And maybe it will last for a few weeks — or longer! We’ll see! 🙂

Want to Win My $100+ Rite Aid Gift Card?

Giveaway is closed. The winner is Terra (frogger353@) Terra, check your inbox for an email from me!

I discovered a $100+ Rite Aid gift card in my purse that I had completely forgotten about (along with some great coupons that I can’t wait to use!). Rite Aid had sent it to me to make purchases for a post I did with them quite a long while ago.

The card still has $100+ on it and I’d love to gift it to one of you since Rite Aid is way out of the way for me to go to and I’d rather bless one of you with it!

To enter to win, just leave a comment on this post telling me what you’d spend it on. I’ll choose a winner on Monday and will send you the gift card!

Were poor money management habits passed down to you from another generation? This is SUCH an encouraging post!
Shared Jan 30, 2019 comment

How We Changed Our Financial Blueprint

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How We Changed Our Financial Blueprint

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Were poor money management habits passed down to you from another generation? This is SUCH an encouraging post!

Guest post from Hope of Under The Median:

Whether we realize it or not, the way we handle money is primarily a result of a template, set in childhood and reinforced by our parents. In other words, we tend to spend and save money much like our parents did.

This financial blueprint is a strong force in our lives, and if it’s not a fiscally strong one, it can take a moment of crisis to overcome it. This is my story.

My mother was widowed at the age of 42, with four children and no idea how much money was coming in or where it was all going. When I was 18, she told me tearfully one day that she and my father had never lived with a budget. He just made money every month and they paid the bills. There always seemed to be enough money. She was terrified!

Even though I watched her go through this experience, I didn’t live with a written budget (or any spending plan) until I was well into my 20’s. I worked with the only blueprint I had ever known — much like my parents, I just made money and hoped that there would be enough to go around.

Two moments of terror stand out in my mind.

The first, when I was 20. I had moved out of my mother’s home and was living with two roommates. One evening, my bank account dipped to just $25 and the ATM would not let me withdraw any money. My gas tank was nearly empty. I prayed every day on the way to work that week that I would make it there and back without the car dying. I got paid at 4pm, and by 4:15pm I was at the gas station!

The second incident occurred when I was 24. My husband and I had been married for just two months and our checkbook indicated an almost zero balance. My stomach plummeted into the pit of my stomach. My mind reeled as I realized we had spent nearly every penny of our wedding cash gifts in just a few weeks. If we didn’t make immediate changes, we would be in big trouble in a very short time.

That’s when the light went on!

I worked at a Christian radio station and a man named Larry Burkett had just begun a daily program called “Money Matters.” It was the first generation of live Christian money management call-in programs. I listened carefully and began to implement Larry Burkett’s suggestions.

Within weeks, I had plugged into some great authors and teachers. I read a lot of books. I figured out what ideas I could implement right away, and created a list of ideas to consider for the future. I learned to cook from scratch and how to track my expenses.

We focused on one or two areas at a time. When we had those areas streamlined and under control, we move on to another couple of areas.

Over the next thirty years, we rewrote our family’s financial blueprint.

We gained financial traction as we lived within our means. Although we made a salary which was significantly under the national median income, we paid off our first mortgage in five years. We brought up four sons in our tiny two bedroom bungalow, while saving money to pay cash for our second home.

I won’t tell you that it was easy… because it wasn’t!

At times the road seemed long. But, now I see my 20 and 22 year old sons living on a written budget, paying cash for automobiles, planning for the future, and sharing financial principles with their peers.

I realize that our change wasn’t just for us. It was also for them!

I’m Hope Ware, married to Larry since 1988. We’ve raised 4 amazing sons debt-free on an income which averaged under the national median. I blog over at Under the Median. In my spare time I teach in the high school department at our local homeschool co-op and I sing second soprano in a semi-professional ensemble.

Shared Jan 30, 2019 comment

Gretchen’s $76 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

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Gretchen’s $76 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Dillons

2 boxes Cheerios – $1.79 each, used $1/2 e-coupon – $1.29 each after coupon

1 box Honey Nut Cheerios – $1.79, used $0.50/1 printable and $0.25/1 Ibotta rebate – $1.04 after coupon and rebate

3 boxes Annie’s Mac & Cheese – $0.99 each

1 bag Kroger Shredded Cheese – $2.99

4 pkg American Beauty Pasta – $0.49 each

2 cans Red Gold Tomatoes – $0.49 each

1 Sweet Baby Ray Hot Sauce – $1.99, used Free e-coupon – Free after coupon

1 Green Leaf Lettuce – $1.69

1 Ronzoni Pasta – $0.49

1 bag Oranges – Marked down to $0.99

1 bag Apples – Marked down to $0.99

1 Kroger Sour Cream – $0.89

1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $0.89

1 Simple Truth Maple Syrup – $4.99, used $1/1 e-coupon – $3.99 after coupon

2 Pineapples – $0.99 each

2 pkg Back to Nature Cookies – $1.99 each, used $1.50/2 catalina coupon AND 2 $1/1 Ibotta rebates – $0.24 each after coupon and catalina

1 Kroger Ranch Dressing Mix – $0.59

1 Dried Onions – $1

1 Oregano – $1

1 Zia Pasta Sauce – $1

5.02 lbs Bananas – $2.46

Total after coupons and rebates: $30.96

Aldi

3 pkg Strawberries – $1.49 each

1 loaf Bread – $1.39

2 Half & Half – $1.79 each

1 Unsweetened Applesauce – $1.89

1 pkg Frozen Peas – $0.79

2 cans Refried Beans – $0.79 each

1 lb Butter – $2.88

2 pkg Tortilla Chips – $0.99 each

1 pkg Fruit & Grain Bars – $1.39

1 pkg Fruit Squeezies – $1.49

1 can Chicken Breast – $1.99

1 pkg Mini Cucumbers – $1.99

1 pkg Green Grapes – $2.58

1 pkg Crackers – $1.39

1 Yeast Packets – $0.89

3 pkg Flour Tortillas – $1.19 each

1 gallon Milk – $1.49

2 dozen Eggs – $0.58 each

Total: $38.99

Walmart

I ended up having to run into Walmart to grab ground beef and enchilada sauce because my Aldi was out.

1 lb Ground Beef – $3.44

1 can Enchilada Sauce – $1.96

2 Gogo Squeeze Blasts – $2.94 each, used 2 $1/1 peelie coupons AND 2 $1/1 Ibotta rebates – $0.94 each after coupons and rebates

Used $0.25 Ibotta rebate for the receipt

Total after coupons and rebates: $7.03

Total for all stores: $76.98

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Eggs, Toast, Fruit, Cereal, Granola Bars

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Tossed Salads, Cheese/Crackers/Fruit, Mac & Cheese, Leftovers

Dinners

Brown Bag Burritos, Chips & Salsa, Fruit Salad (We’re having company for dinner this night. Plus, I’m taking this as a meal to a friend who suddenly lost her dad last week.)

Chicken & Rice with Gravy, Pineapple

Pancakes, Eggs, Oranges

10 Minute Baked Ziti, Biscuits, Steamed Peas

Grilled Steaks (from my mom), Butterhorns, Baked Potatoes

Super Bowl Party – We are having a party at our house and everyone is bringing fingerfoods. I’ll be making Mac & Cheese, Chicken Crack Pinwheels, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Leftovers

Shared Jan 29, 2019 comment

Infertility and Why We Chose Open Adoption

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Infertility and Why We Chose Open Adoption

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m doing something I’ve never done on my podcast before this week… I’m doing an entirely interview-driven episode.

I usually try to keep interviews with guests to around 15 minutes and then we devote the other 15 minutes of the podcast to other segments. But as I was prepping for this particular interview, I just had this feeling that I needed to go longer in the interview. That in order for you to really hear the story well, I needed to allow the entire 30 minutes for the interview.

So that’s what we did — and I hope that this story and interview blesses you deeply. I truly believe it will.

My guest on this podcast is Rachel Nielson. She and I first met when she traveled with me and a small team of blog readers to South Africa (you can read about her thoughts on our time there and see a few pictures here.)

Rachel is joining me today to share her incredible story of infertility and adoption. But more than that, she’s going to share how she walked through learning to love someone when it was hard to love them and how she will never regret that decision.

Even if you don’t struggle with infertility and even if you’ve never considered adoption, I believe her story will powerfully resonate with you — and it didn’t turn out like you would expect, but I think you will be inspired and challenged by her words.

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In This Episode:

[02:05] – Rachel takes us back to the beginning of her marriage and shares her thoughts on motherhood from those days. She shares why they ended up deciding to do fertility treatments AND pursue adoption at the same time and the struggles and hard things they went through during such an emotionally taxing and physically exhausting time.

[05:41] – I asked Rachel if she felt lonely during this time… and I wasn’t prepared for how honest her answer would be. She talks about the deep loneliness she felt in her marriage and what helped her to walk through that (she gives some spot-on relationship advice that you don’t want to miss!)

[08:11] – Rachel shares really vulnerably what it was like to be in the middle of fertility treatments and she shares encouragement and some practical advice for those who are going through them.

[13:37] – The story of how Noah’s birth mom found Rachel and her husband and asked them to adopt Noah is pretty incredible! 

[17:11] – What was it like for Rachel to be in the delivery room as her adoptive son was being born? She shares how it was a holy moment and how strong and brave Noah’s birth mom was.

[19:26] – Navigating an open adoption had its challenges — especially as Noah’s birth mom grieved and walked through some of her own hard times. Rachel talks about how this was a challenge to know what to do, but she ultimately decided to choose to love instead of pulling away. (If you only have a little bit of time, please listen to this part of the episode. It has convicted me so deeply!)

[24:53] – Rachel shares the next steps of the story after the first few years of Noah’s birth, including an unexpected and tragic turn of events. She ends the episode sharing about how the story is still being written, but she’s so grateful for the fact that her body didn’t work and she wasn’t able to get pregnant like she wanted, because God had something much more beautiful in store than she could have imagined!

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player we’ll include in the show notes of each episode. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

Shared Jan 28, 2019 comment

We Spent $70 at Walgreens, Publix, and Kroger last week

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We Spent $70 at Walgreens, Publix, and Kroger last week

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m currently challenging myself to stick with a $70 grocery budget for our family of five. This includes almost all of our breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners + most household products (toiletries, laundry soap, etc.).

For live updates, be sure to follow my Instagram Stories. See all posts on my $70 Grocery Budget here.

Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and we will be compensated if you click through and sign up. Read our disclosure policy here.

A number of you have been asking if I can go to stores other than Kroger… and so I’m going to try to make that happen, if it works out in our schedule and there’s a good enough deal warrant going to Publix or Walgreens or CVS or Sprouts or Aldi. We’ll see!

(As most of you know, I drive by multiple Kroger stores on an almost-daily basis. So it makes it SO easy to pop in there. Most of the other stores require going out of my way a little to shop at them, so that’s why you don’t see me shop at them as often. Plus, I’m just so familiar with Kroger and usually find such great deals there, that it’s hard for me to sometimes want to go to other stores!)

This week, Jesse and I were right by Publix and Walgreens one of the days and I had a few minutes, so I ran in to get a few deals. Plus, I went to Kroger three different times.

Here’s what I bought:

Kroger Shopping Trip #1 (pictured above):

  • Back to Nature Cookies — $2.99 — used $1/1 printable + $2/2 coupon that had printed for me at Kroger recently = $0.99 each + submitted for 3 $1/1 Ibotta rebates = free after coupons and rebates
  • Bai Bubbles — free with Free Friday coupon
  • 3 bags of Simple Truth organic tortilla chips — $1.49, used $0.50/1 Kroger Digital Coupon (can be used 5 times per transaction) = $0.99 each
  • Lemon Juice — $2.49
  • 1 bag Simple Truth frozen veggies — $1.29, used $0.50/1 Kroger Digital Coupon (can be used 5 times per transaction) = $0.79
  • 1 bag of apples — marked down to $0.99
  • 1 bag of peppers + radishes — marked down to $0.99
  • 1 bag of sweet potatoes — marked down to $0.99
  • Total with tax = $12.56

Kroger Shopping Trip #2:

  • Colgate MaxFresh — $1.99 when you buy 6 participating items, used $2/1 Kroger Digital Coupon = Free after coupon
  • 5 packages of Cheese — $2.99 each when you buy 6 participating items
  • Kroger half & half — $1.79
  • Natural Bliss Pumpkin Spice Creamer — marked down to $0.29 (I don’t think I’ve ever tried this before and I am loving it in my tea, especially at this crazy price!)
  • Kroger Unbleached Flour — $1.49
  • Kroger Whole Wheat Flour — $1.99
  • 5 cans of Simple Truth Organic Refried Beans — $1.19 each, used $0.40/1 Kroger Digital Coupon (can be used up to 5 times per transaction) = $0.79 each
  • 4 pounds of ground turkey — marked down to $1.99 per pound
  • Romaine Lettuce — marked down to $0.50
  • Dole Salad Kit — marked down to $0.89
  • Sweet Baby Ray’s Hot Sauce — free after Kroger Digital Coupon
  • 1 bag of tomatoes — marked down to $0.99
  • Total with tax: $37.28

Pineapple and blackberries are just $0.99 at Kroger right now!

I was super excited to find these tomatoes just $0.39 per can when you buy 5 participating items at Kroger!

Publix Shopping Trip:

Hershey Gold & Pretzel Candy (10-ounce bag) – $4.19
Buy One, Get One Free Sale
Used 2 $2/1 printables
$0.10 each after sale and coupons

*Note: If you don’t live in the land of true BOGO, you can buy just one bag at $2.10 and get it for $0.10. If your store is true BOGO, you’ll have to buy two bags and use two coupons to get the price of $0.10 per bag!

Publix Shopping Trip Total with tax: $0.60

Walgreens Shopping Trip:

3 Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent – $1.99
Used 3 $1/1 printable
$0.99 each after coup

Walgreens Shopping Trip Total with tax: $3.55

Kroger Shopping Trip #3:

  • 2 bags of clementines — marked down to $0.99 each
  • 2 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios — $1.79 each when you buy 6 participating items, used $1/2 Kroger Digital Coupon, $1.29 each after coupon
  • 4 cans of Red Gold tomatoes — $0.39 each when you buy 6 participating items
  • 1 can Bumble Bee tuna — $0.79 when you buy 6 participating items
  • 1 carton of sour cream — marked down to $0.49
  • 1 pineapple — $0.99
  • 3 boxes of Creamette pasta — $0.49 each when you buy 6 participating items
  • 2 bags of Goldfish crackers — $0.99 each when you buy 6 participating items
  • Kroger sandwich bags — $1.49
  • Kroger gallon bags — $1.99
  • Total with tax: $16.36

Kathrynne signed up for birthday freebies since it’s her birthday week and when she signed up for Krispy Kreme she got a coupon for a completely free DOZEN doughnuts!! Needless to say, we’ve all been enjoying those! I may or may not have had one for breakfast! 😉

What We Ate This Past Week

Note: When you see the meals below, please remember this: I buy ahead often. Which means that when I find a great deal on something I know we’ll use, I buy as much as I can afford in our budget to have on hand.

This means that you aren’t going to see all of the groceries my shopping trip that I used to make all of the meals we ate.

Please also remember that I’m putting this out there and it’s not a perfectly balanced menu. This is just really what we ate — and I hope that it encourages you to see the real-ness and lack of perfection here. ?

Breakfasts:

Lunches:

  • Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Cheese Quesadillas, Cheese/Crackers, Hard Boiled Eggs, Salad, Leftovers, Clementines, Cookies

Snacks:

Dinners:

  • Sunday — Frozen Pizza, salad
  • Monday — Leftovers, apples, chips & salsa
  • Tuesday — Baked Chicken, mashed potatoes, Roasted Broccoli
  • Wednesday — Brats, Sweet Potato Fries, salad
  • Thursday — Refried beans with cheese, chips, lettuce (sort of a meatless build-your-own taco salad)
  • Friday — Dinner at Chipotle for Kathrynne’s birthday (we had some of her friends over), brownies
  • Saturday — Snack-y dinner (fend for yourself)

Total spent on groceries: $70.35

Psst! Need some help with cutting your grocery budget? Check out my series: 5 Days to a Better Grocery Budget.

Cashback earned this week: $3 from Ibotta for buying Back to Nature and 150 points for submitting my receipts to Fetch rewards.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!
Shared Jan 26, 2019 comment

40 Books I Plan to Read in 2019

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40 Books I Plan to Read in 2019

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I plan to read these 40 books from my bookshelf in 2019!! What's on your list?

One of my goals for 2019 was to read 40 books I already own. I finally had a chance to go through our bookshelves today and pick the 40 books I want to read.

For those who are interested, here are the books I chose (please note: I have not read these books, so by sharing them here, I am not endorsing or recommending them):

  1. Secret Daughter
  2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
  3. The Choosing
  4. Paris Letters
  5. Becoming Mrs. Lewis
  6. How to Walk Away
  7. A Gentlemen in Moscow
  8. Before We Were Yours
  9. Beneath a Scarlet Sky
  10. The Austen Escape
  11. Come Matter Here
  12. It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way
  13. Bearing Hope
  14. A Severe Mercy
  15. In the Secret Service
  16. Brave Love
  17. The Wondering Years
  18. Etched in Sand
  19. Embrace the Suck
  20. As Many Reps as Possible
  21. Forgiving God
  22. Daring to Hope
  23. Thirst
  24. Off the Clock
  25. Slow
  26. Everybody Always
  27. Begin Again
  28. The Healing Compass
  29. Book Girl
  30. So Good They Can’t Ignore You
  31. Dare to Lead
  32. Life on the Vine
  33. Preach to Yourself
  34. The Ministry of Ordinary Places
  35. Sacred Ground, Sticky Floors
  36. Parenting
  37. The Path Between Us
  38. Fierce Marriage
  39. Whisper
  40. Only Love Today
  41. When People Are Big and God is Small (whoops! I guess I actually picked out 41! I guess the last one is a bonus!)

By the way, I’m tracking the books I read this year on GoodReads and I’ll be doing a monthly update on what I read and a little review of each book!

Have you read any of these books? Which one(s) should I read first?

Shared Jan 26, 2019 comment

Brigette’s $69 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

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Brigette’s $69 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

2 64-oz cartons Orange Juice – $3.38

1 10-lb bag Russet Potatoes – $3.79

1 32-oz box Elbow Macaroni – $1.09

1 16-oz pkg Deli Sliced Turkey – $2.99

1 3-lb bag frozen Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – $5.39

1 pkg Turkey Bacon – $1.89

2 cans Chicken Breast – $3.10

2 6-ct Applesauce Cups – $2.38

2 bags Frozen Corn – $1.50

2 bags Frozen Mixed Veggies – $1.50

1 pkg Mini Cucumbers – $1.69

1 large tub Organic Spring Mix – $3.49

1 bunch Bananas (@$0.37/lb) – $1.36

2 pkgs Fresh Zucchini – $2.98

1 pkg Mini Sweet Peppers – $2.39

2 pkgs Broccoli Crowns – $3.58

1 Baby Carrots – $0.75

2 pkgs Strawberries – $2.98

1 8-oz pkg Sliced Deli Cheese – $1.15

1 16-oz bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $2.15

1 pkg String Cheese – $1.65

3 boxes Honey Nut Oats – $3.45

1 1-lb box Butter Quarters – $1.99

1 24-oz carton Cottage Cheese – $1.59

1 pkg Flour Tortillas – $0.65

1 loaf Sandwich Bread – $0.65

1 pkg Hamburger Buns – $0.65

1 pkg Plain Rice Cakes – $1.15

1 bag Pretzels – $1.75

3 dozen Eggs – $3.21

Total: $66.27

Harris Teeter

I ran into Harris Teeter since I was already driving past it, and found these things reduced.

1 bag Spinach/Argula, reduced – $1.00

1 bag Lemons, reduced – $1.00

1 bag Bananas, reduced – $1.00

Total: $3.00

Grocery Total for the Week: $69.27

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Everyone is responsible for making/cleaning up their own breakfast. Choices include:

Oatmeal, Toast, Fruit, Cereal, Fried/Boiled/Scrambled Eggs, Veggie Omelets, Smoothies

Lunches

Pretzels with Peanut Butter, Cheese Sticks, Bananas, Carrots

Turkey/Cheese Sandwiches, Bananas, Carrots x 2

Cheese Quesadillas, Strawberries, Cucumbers x 2

Leftovers x 2

Dinners

Paleo Chicken and Broccoli, Rice, Tossed Salad

Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon

Chicken Gravy over Rice, Steamed Mixed Veggies, 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins

Freezer-Friendly Barbequed Meatballs (I make these using a mixture of ground venison, ground beef, and ground turkey), Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Tossed Salad

Cheesy Hamburger Potato Soup (I’ll use the last of the ham from my freezer instead of hamburger), Biscuits

Pulled Pork Sandwiches (from my freezer – leftover from last week), Baked Parmesan Zucchini, Corn

Leftovers

Shared Jan 23, 2019 comment

My Favorite Decaf Teas to Drink

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My Favorite Decaf Teas to Drink

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Trying to quit coffee? I gave up coffee a couple years ago, and these are my favorite decaf teas that keep me from missing coffee every day!

As most of you know, I stopped drinking coffee a few years ago… and it’s been the best thing ever! My anxiety is so much better, I sleep so much better, and I’m just all around healthier.

Instead of drinking coffee, I have fallen in love with decaf teas. Many of you have asked for me to share what my favorite teas to drink are, so I thought I’d list them here, for anyone who is interested.

In my Decaf Chai Latte post, I shared a few teas I like and I wanted to share a few more:

1. Tiesta Tea Relaxer: Cocoa Mint Chill (this is a loose tea)

2. Stash Decaf Vanilla Nut Cream

3. Stash Chai Spice Decaf

4. Rooibos Tea (I bought the one shown when we were in South Africa.)

5. Roastaroma (this is a really bold tea and a great coffee replacement)

6. Decaf India Spice Chai

7. Fireside Vanilla Spice

8. Mint Magic

9. Honey Vanilla Chamomile

A few tips to loving tea more — especially if you’re trying to drink instead of coffee:

  • Make the tea stronger. (I often use two bags instead of one.)
  • Use honey or maple syrup to sweeten it. (If you’re used to having a sweetener in your coffee or just to make it really delicious!)
  • Use half and half. (I loved half and half in coffee and have discovered that it makes tea that much better. Don’t have half and half? At least use a splash of milk!)
  • Drink it in a cute mug. (This just makes it so much more enjoyable!)

Want more details on this journey? You can watch my video on Why I Stopped Drinking Coffee and read about How I Drink a Gallon of Water Every Day.

What are YOUR favorite decaf teas? Any recommendations for me? I’d love to hear!

Shared Jan 23, 2019 comment

Gretchen’s $53 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

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Gretchen’s $53 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

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Aldi

1 lb Butter – $2.88

2 cans Green Beans – $0.49 each

1 pint Grape Tomatoes – $1.49

1 Cantaloupe – $1.29

2 dozen Eggs – $0.58 each

1 box MooTubes Yogurt – $1.55

1 bag Brown Sugar – $1.69

1 bag Chunk Cheese – $1.99

1 pkg Flour Tortillas – $1.19

1 Unsweetened Applesauce – $1.89

2 Cucumbers – $0.49 each

1 Soy Sauce – $1.29

1 box Fruit Squeezies – $1.49

1 pkg Cream Cheese – $0.99

1 bag Red Grapes – $1.80

1 pkg Frozen Boneless Chicken Breasts – $5.99

2 lbs Ground Beef – $3.39 each

1 Half & Half – $1.79

1 Yeast Packets – $0.89

1 lb Oven Roasted Turkey – $3.99

1 gallon Milk – $1.49

1 pkg Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $3.39

1 pkg Shredded Italian Cheese – $2.59

2 pints Blueberries – $1.79 each

Total: $53.15

I will probably also run into Dillons some morning this week to check for markdown items and grab lettuce and bananas since I don’t like Aldi’s.

Menu Plan for This Week

We have a lot of assorted fruit and bread leftover from the last few weeks that is going bad so I’m going to try and use that up this week.

Breakfasts

Eggs, Toast, Fruit, Panera Bagels (I got the free daily Panera bagel this month and have been treating one of my kids to it most days!)

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Rice Cake Sandwiches, Turkey Sandwiches, Cheese/Fruit/Turkey/Crackers, Salad, Hard Boiled Eggs, Leftovers

Dinners

Out to eat at Papa John’s (using a coupon deal!)

Barbecue Meatballs, Twice Baked Potatoes, Make Ahead Butterhorns (We are having company for dinner and they are bringing salad and dessert.)

Chicken Fajitas, Fruit Salad

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Sliced Apples

Chicken & Rice with Cream of Mushroom Soup, Steamed Veggies

Lasagna (using ground venison), Rolls, Green Beans

Homemade Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks, Salad (Can you tell we love pizza?!!)

Shared Jan 22, 2019 comment

The Hardest Year of Our Marriage

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The Hardest Year of Our Marriage

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(Jesse and I at a Ball on Saturday night! It was so fun to get all dressed up!)

Jesse is joining me for another really honest episode on The Crystal Paine Show where we share our more of our story. This time around, we dig into one of the harder seasons of our life, when Jesse was still in law school and we had just had Kathrynne, our first daughter.

We talk really candidly about one of the hardest years of our marriage and how stress caused such a toll on all areas of our life — and ended up landing me in the hospital. 

At the time, it felt like our world was falling apart. But we look back and see how much good came unexpectedly from hitting rock bottom… and how never would be where we are today if it weren’t for that very rough season.

We’re over halfway through January and I know this is a month where many people are thinking of setting up new routines and better systems for this coming year. If you’d love to feel less frazzled and more organized in the mornings, I put together a completely free 5-day challenge for you called 5 Days to a Better Morning.

When you sign up for this challenge, I’ll send you a short email every morning with a simple project for you to complete that day to help start your day well. Each of the projects are simple but straightforward — and I can guarantee they will make a big impact.

Plus, you’ll also get access to an exclusive Facebook Group with daily videos from me just for those who are going through this mini course, so we can all keep each other accountable to follow through with our daily projects.

Want to join the 5 Days to a Better Mornings Challenge and start your days more successfully? Just go here to sign up. It’s free and you can start immediately after you sign up.

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In This Episode:

[02:30] – This week, what’s saving my life is a commitment I made for 2019 that has already made such a big difference.

[04:18] – The first book I read in 2019 is likely going on my Top 10 list of books read in 2019 because it was just that good.

[06:08] – I was so excited to get my first checkbook and write my first check. Do you remember that thrill too? If so, check out this episode’s amazing sponsor, Checks Unlimited!

[07:53] – Jesse is back! We joke about our competition to say “happy anniversary” first and talk about the year I forgot our anniversary.

[10:28] – Jesse talks about the time of our life when he was still in law school and we had just had our first daughter. It was the year we both look back on as the hardest year of our marriage (so far).

[17:36] – We talk about how shocked we were when his boss lost the election and how a lot of our hopes and dreams died that night… and he was going to be out of work really soon, too.

[19:31] – He ended up getting a new job that required a very last-minute move when I was in the middle of morning sickness. We had hopes for this job… but it ended up being incredibly stressful. The stress of the job trickled down to me and my pregnancy and ended up landing me in the hospital.

[23:55] – They thought I had something severely wrong and I was tested for just about everything under the sun that they could come up with. It was a scary time — and it was multiplied by the fact that we had just recently moved to Kansas City and we didn’t have a lot of support.

[27:08] – This difficult season of our life got even harder after Kaitlynn (our second daughter) was born, because I had postpartum depression and Jesse had to find a new job… and he couldn’t find one. Our marriage was on the rocks, we felt our world crumbling around us, our bank account was nearing empty, and our pride was dashed to pieces. 

[29:53] – I close out the show by sharing about my word I chose for 2019… I didn’t mean to keep you all waiting so long before I shared it!

Links and Resources:

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