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Money Saving Mom

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Saving Families Money Since 2007

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Shared Oct 22, 2018 comment

The one book I read this past week

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The one book I read this past week

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

Welcome to my weekly Book-ish post where I share what I’ve been reading and watching recently. If you missed it, you can see my Reading Goals for 2018 and 44 Books I Plan to Read This Year. 

(Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, and we will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.)

Emily P. Freeman — host of one of my favorite podcasts, The Next Right Thing, has a book coming out in April titled (you guessed it!) The Next Right Thing.

I got to read a pre-release copy of her book on my flight to Wichita and back this weekend and I really enjoyed it and underlined many different quotes. If you are a listener of her podcast there is a lot of overlap between the content, but it was so wonderful to read it in book form and to be reminded of so many of the valuable words of truth in it.

The Next Right Thing is a book you can go back to again and again and each time it will hit you in a new and fresh way. Each short chapter is heartfelt, thoughtful, powerful, and impactful… and leaves you with intentional but simple action steps to take and insightful questions to help you gain more clarity for right now and for your future.

If you struggle to make decisions, you’re in the midst of a big life change, you’d just love some quiet guidance to be more intentional with your days, or you love Emily’s writing and podcast, this book is for you!

When I Find Time to Read

People are always asking me how I find time to read. Honestly, it’s because I love to read, because I’ve chosen to prioritize it, because I don’t have a lot of other hobbies, and because I can’t not read. Also, when you love something, you usually can find ways to get creative to find time to fit it in — even if it’s in the little nooks and crannies of life.

I wrote a post on 3 ways to find more time to read — even when life is busy. And here are 7 more ways to find time to read.

What did you read this past week? Any books you really think I need to read or watch?

Shared Oct 22, 2018 comment

A Kansas wedding, a bachelorette party, salads, and coffee shops

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A Kansas wedding, a bachelorette party, salads, and coffee shops

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

Welcome to my weekly post I share a peek into our lives, talk about things I’m loving, share links to interesting articles or helpful ideas I’ve collected throughout the past week, and just talk about whatever is on my heart! ?

This post contains affiliate links and we may be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.

I flew to Kansas on Wednesday for my sister’s wedding. (I read a pre-release copy of The Next Right Thing on the plane!)

All of my siblings were in the wedding and we had fun plans for Thursday and Friday that I didn’t want to miss out on! (Jesse stayed back with the kids so they wouldn’t miss school and then they flew out on Friday evening.)

My sister, Gretchen, and our good friend, Susanna, had planned a fun bachelorette party for all the bridesmaids. We started out by getting pedicures and then did a Photo Scavenger Hunt.

(If you couldn’t tell, we were all supposed to wear PJ pants and some sort of pigtails!)

This photo made us laugh so hard. It was supposed to be all of us standing in the street. I thought they were all standing and posing for multiple shots… but apparently I was the only one doing so! Whoops!

Olivia had to pull out a photo idea from a basket and then we’d have to figure out how we were going to make it happen. This one was, “Hug a Teddy Bear” — which we went into a Hallmark store and they graciously let us do! 🙂

(I still had on my pedicure paper thin flip flops because I had forgotten to bring flip flops and didn’t want to put on my regular shoes until I was sure that my toenails were completely dried!)

Susanna and Gretchen made this amazing salad dinner with all of Olivia’s favorite salad toppings. It was cold at the park where we ate, but Susanna had brought blankets for all of us (she’s one of those amazing people that basically always is thinking and planning ten steps ahead!)

After more funny pictures (including one of us all trying to balance on a teeter-totter at the park!), we went back to Gretchen’s house for a yogurt bar and mud mask facials and gifts.

On Friday, we all went to the church to help out with wedding prep. Some of my sister’s friends were there doing an incredible job, so we mostly just hung out and helped as we could.

The church where the wedding was at was in Hesston, KS — where my youngest brother goes to college. So he and I decided to take a break from wedding festivities and he took me around to show me two of the local coffee shops.

The first one was called Lincoln Perk and it was super cute! I got a Kansas Sunset Chai that I had them made like a London Fog (with syrup and steamed milk). It was SO good!

The next place we went to was the Hesston Bakery  — it only recently opened and is in an assisted living facility. It was such a great place to hang out and the staff was so nice!

My brother bought me this maple twist which was only $1.50 and was SOOO yummy!

We headed back to the church for the rehearsal. Since there are 7 kids in our family + 13 grandkids and everyone played a part, there were a lot of moving parts and we had to rehearse some sections multiple times — especially the timing of the processional.

The kids patiently waited during the rehearsal!

The next morning, we had to leave around 6:30 a.m. to be at the church in time for all of the things that needed to happen to get ready in time for pictures. There ended up being quite a few hiccups, but it all came together and everyone was ready in time for pictures and the wedding!

My whole family (yes, I’m the shortest!)

The girls with Mom.

All my siblings!

They’re married! Welcome to the family, Michael!

(I’m bummed that I didn’t end up getting almost any pictures of the bride and groom. They didn’t see each other before the wedding and then after the wedding, it was kind of crazy and I didn’t have my phone with me any of the times I could have gotten a good shot. Oh well — at least they had lots of professional shots taken and at least I did get a few like this one!)

2018 Goals Update

Personal Goals

1. Read 100 non-self-help books that will build me up/encourage me/inspire me/recharge me. (Fiction/story driven/biographies /inspirational living books/devotionals.) See the list of 44 books I plan to read this year.

**Progress: 66 books read so far this year

2. Read through the entire Bible.

**Progress: I’m using the Robert Murray M’Cheyne plan and am all caught up— yay!

3. Write one handwritten note to someone every week.

**Progress: 39 notes written so far this year

4. Run 500 miles.

**Progress: 393 miles run so far

Marriage Goal

5. Go on an overnight trip with Jesse without the kids.Jesse and I went to NYC together in January.

Family Goals

6. Read 10 books aloud with the kids.

**Progress: We’ve finished three books so far.

7. Take the kids to South Africa. We took this trip in July. What a memorable experience!

8. Go on a family road trip. While we didn’t get to go on as long of a road trip as we wanted to, we made the most of our Fall Break Road Trip to LA, MS, and AL (and checked off a few more states from our States We Haven’t Visited Yet list!)

Financial Goals

9. Save up to pay cash to finish off an office for me and workout room for Jesse and me in the basement in our new house.

**Progress: The workout room is DONE and the office is almost done!

10. Replenish our Emergency Fund (we dipped into it to replace my car when it got totaled because of the carpet beetle infestation.)

**Progress: We’re halfway to having this fully funded. We are hoping to finish this out before the end of the year — we’ll see!

Business Goals

11. Increase our gross income from the business by 8%.

12. Launch 5 new courses.

**Progress: We launched 4 Weeks to a More Productive Life launched in January, Content Creation 101 in February, 4-Week Blog Coaching Program in March, Email List Setup 101 in March, Make Over Your Mornings LIVE in April, the Facebook Live Masterclass in May, and we launched Build Your List 101 in June!

Shared Oct 21, 2018 comment

What We Spent On Groceries (and what we ate)

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What We Spent On Groceries (and what we ate)

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.

Thanks for your patience with me as I was mostly offline Friday and Saturday for my sister’s wedding (see a picture from the wedding here). I had planned to get this up on Friday and then was busy with family stuff and wedding stuff and it didn’t happen. And then I was gone from 6:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. on the day of the wedding and only cracked my computer open for a few minutes!

But here I am with our grocery update — even if it’s two days late! 🙂

This was another weird grocery week again because we got home from our road trip on Sunday night and then I left on Wednesday for my sister’s wedding in Kansas and then Jesse and the kids flew down late Friday night (after school was out) to meet me in Kansas for the wedding on Saturday.

So once again, I didn’t do much grocery shopping and we mostly ate from the freezer and pantry when we were home. But I did pick up a few markdowns from Kroger.

We’ll be home for the next two weeks, so I’ll likely be doing quite a bit of stocking up while we’re home so that our pantry and freezer is filled back up again now that we’ve sort of eaten it down because of not doing much shopping the past few weeks.

Here’s what I bought:

Kroger Shopping Trip

By the way, yes I’m that woman who brings pretty much most all of my own food when I fly. Not only does it save a lot of money… it also means that I eat healthier!

What I Spent This Week

Total spent: $19.37

Cashback Earned This Week: 75 points from Fetch Rewards for scanning my receipts

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. And  it also means we didn’t use all of these groceries up this week — because some of them will be saved for later weeks!

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. ?

What We Ate This Week

Breakfasts:

  • Cereal, Oatmeal, Scrambled Eggs, free breakfast at the hotel (Everyone is on their own for breakfast!)

Lunches:

  • Hard Boiled Eggs, Best Bran Muffins, Avocados, Salad, Grapefruit, Cottage Cheese, Apples, Pumpkin Pancakes, lunch with my family for the wedding (Jesse & Me)
  • Turkey Sandwiches, Fruit, Veggies, Yogurt, Cookies, Capri Sun (For the kids — They are in charge of their own lunches.)

Snacks:

Dinners:

  • Saturday: Dinner Out on our road trip (we used extra grocery money that we hadn’t spent for this)
  • Sunday: Leftovers/Fend For Yourself
  • Monday: Sausage/Peppers/Onions in the Crockpot, brown rice
  • Tuesday: Lasagna Casserole (from the freezer) Salad
  • Wednesday: Meatballs from the freezer, mashed potatoes
  • Thursday: French toast
  • Friday: Dinner Out (Jesse and the kids were flying out to Wichita for my sister’s wedding; I ate dinner with my family at the rehearsal dinner.
Shared Oct 18, 2018 comment

10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Freeze

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10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Freeze

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

 Make some room in your freezer because after you read this list of 10 things you didn’t know you could freeze, your life—or at least your refrigerator and your grocery budget—is about to change for the better!

I’ve been freezer cooking for years and I’ve experimented with freezing just about anything I can. Some were major fails, but I’ve discovered that you can actually freeze a wider variety of items than you probably realize!

I decided to put together this list of 10 out-of-the-ordinary things you can freeze. I’ve tried all of these and they have all worked for me! Just follow the links below to find the freezer tutorial for each item.

Here’s my list of 10 things you probably didn’t know you could freeze…

1. Cottage Cheese

Frozen cottage cheese doesn’t taste great plain once it is thawed, due to it being a little watery. But I love freezing cottage cheese to use later in my smoothies. It works perfectly!

I usually like to divide the containers into smaller bags so I can just thaw out a little bit at a time as needed. This also allows me to freeze them flat in plastic bags to save space in my freezer!

2. Taco Meat

Taco meat is one of my favorite things to make during a freezer cooking session. You can whip up a huge batch of taco meat at one time, and it’s SO versatile!

Taco meat can be used in all kinds of different recipes and it thaws really quickly, so it makes for a great last-minute dinner idea if you forgot to pull something out from the freezer earlier in the day.

Go here to see how I like to freeze taco meat, some of the frugal ways I stretch it to feed more people, and some of our family’s favorite recipes!

3. Milk

I’m often able to find organic milk on clearance that’s close to the expiration date. We use what we can until the expiration date and then I freeze the rest. By buying it on clearance, we’re able to buy higher quality milk without spending a fortune to do so.

While I don’t recommended using frozen and then thawed milk for drinking (due to the changes in consistency and flavor), I do freeze milk frequently for all kinds of other uses! For example, it works beautifully in pancakes, waffles, french toast, or other baked goods.

I’ve never had a problem freezing it in a cardboard container. It will expand some when it freezes, so you might want to drink or use a half cup or so before freezing. But otherwise, just stick the milk in the freezer in the paper carton!

When you’re ready to use it, you can thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. Or, you can stick the carton in a sink full of cold water for 15 or 20 minutes.

4. Waffles

While I know that some people like pancakes and waffles fresh, I’ve found it’s so much more convenient to make a big batch of waffles and then freeze them for breakfasts later in the month!

This is one way we make sure we have filling, healthy breakfasts on busy mornings. We love trying different varieties and mix-ins, such as Carrot Cake Waffles, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles, Gluten-Free Waffles, or even Red, White, & Blue Waffles!

5. Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches

I first happened upon the idea of freezing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when Jesse was in law school and we were eating a LOT of PB&J.

While it doesn’t really take that long to make PB&J, it can still help speed things up a bit when your time is really crunched in the morning. Plus, it’s nice to have sandwiches at the ready if you end up needing to go somewhere unexpectedly and no one has eaten any lunch yet.

Our family loves homemade breads, and one of the easiest ways to speed up the process of bread-making is to make the dough when you have time and freeze it to bake later!

There are all kinds of different doughs I’ve experimented with freezing, but these 3 recipes are my favorite: Pizza Dough, Cookie Dough, and Biscuit Dough.

This pizza dough recipe has been my go-to recipe for years. Keep it on hand and pizza night will be a breeze.

Even if you’re not a fan of most freezer meals, I encourage you to try making cookie dough and freeze it! I can almost guarantee you won’t be able to tell a difference between frozen cookie dough and fresh cookie dough.

It makes it so easy to make a batch of fresh-baked cookies when you have drop-in guests or need to bring a dessert or snack to some event at the last minute. It’s also very handy for those times when you get a late-night craving for chocolate! 😉

These chocolate chip cookies are SO good and the dough freezes beautifully!

This biscuit recipe is quick, easy, inexpensive, and so practical! Say goodbye forever to canned biscuits with this winner recipe — especially when you freeze the dough ahead of time to make it even easier.

Freeze fresh herbs with this quick and easy method!! They'll never go to waste again!

7. Fresh Herbs

This a super simple way to preserve fresh herbs so that they don’t go to waste before you have a chance to use them! Frozen herbs work especially well in sauces, stews, and soups.

8. Avocados

I decided to try freezing avocados when I found clearance bags of avocados for just $0.99 at Kroger. I couldn’t pass up that price, so I bought 6 bags and was determined to not let them go to waste once I got them home!

It was a little hesitant to try freezing avocados… and I honestly didn’t love how they turned out when I thawed them. However, I have heard from many readers who have had great success with freezing avocados. I froze mine with salsa and lime juice since that’s the way I love to eat my avocado. You could experiment with all kinds of different seasonings and flavoring, though. (And if you’ve found a great trick for freezing avocados, let us know!)

9. Onions

I really do not enjoy chopping up onions (does anyone?), but I do love how they taste in recipes, so I often chop them in bulk and freeze them for later use. It’s such a time-saver!

10. Cooked Beans

Dried beans are much more economical than canned beans. Unfortunately, since they need to be soaked and softened, they can be inconvenient to prepare them on the same night you want to use them in a recipe.

Freezing them ahead of time is a huge time-saver — especially if you freeze a bunch of different types in bulk at one time!

Looking for more ideas?

Be sure to check out this post for a list of 15 more surprising things you can freeze!

Enjoy experimenting with some of these freezer-friendly foods on this list, and you’re sure to see a reduction in food waste and an increase in the amount of money you save!

What crazy food items do you like to freeze? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments below!

Shared Oct 16, 2018 comment

Courtship Rules + Our First Kiss (a really vulnerable podcast episode)

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Courtship Rules + Our First Kiss (a really vulnerable podcast episode)

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

I loved your responses to last week’s podcast episode on hospitality! You all inspired me by how you shared various ways you are committing open up your home.

And some of you even told me you were going to get brave and join me in my commitment to open our home up every week! That just made me so happy… and so inspired to continue on opening up our doors.

(That’s us during our courtship, in case you couldn’t figure it out! Jesse with his too big jeans on because he was so skinny that they didn’t really make jeans small enough for his waist and me with my home-sewn jumper and thrift store Birkenstocks and too small sunglasses that looked like goggles. Also, were we supposed to be posing or walking in this picture? I’m not sure! ;))

Speaking of getting brave, I’ll be honest and tell you that this week’s episode is a little vulnerable for me to put out to the world. In fact, after we recorded it, I had to set aside my fears and insecurities of what you might think when you listen to this.

Like I told you in Episode 1, our love story is unconventional… and today’s episode where Jesse and I share more of our story certainly proves that! (And it’s okay if you think it all sounds weird or crazy after you listen!)

But I hope it gives you more of a peek into our history and background… and might help you get to know us a little bit better!

Powered by RedCircle

In This Episode:

[01:02] – Want to know a secret? I was really scared of having older kids, especially teenagers. It hasn’t been at all how I expected!

[03:56] – I’ve fallen in love with the Libby app — and I’m not even much of an app person! I tell you why I love it so much and how I use it (including my tip for listening to books a little faster!)

[07:32] – Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron is a book I can’t stop talking about. Even if you don’t care a thing about CrossFit, you should read this book!

[10:12] – In the first episode of my podcast, my husband, Jesse, joined me as my guest. He’s back today to share the story of our unconventional courtship and engagement!

[14:41] – Jesse and I discuss the rules our parents set for our courtship, the pros and cons of a long distance relationship, and how we wished we could have gotten married sooner.

[22:41] – We talk about how weird it was to not have a parent chaperone with us at all times after we got married.

[24:45] – Our first kiss was on our wedding day… but technically not really at our wedding ceremony. You’ll have to listen in to hear the whole story!

[25:52] – I usually answer a question at the end of the podcast by myself, but today, I have Jesse help me answer a question about how we make our marriage a priority with our kids and businesses.

Links and Resources Mentioned in the Podcast:

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.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

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Curious about reading Hillbilly Elegy? These is a great, honest review!!
Shared Oct 15, 2018 comment

My Honest Thoughts on Hillbilly Elegy

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My Honest Thoughts on Hillbilly Elegy

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

Welcome to my weekly Book-ish post where I share what I’ve been reading and watching recently. If you missed it, you can see my Reading Goals for 2018 and 44 Books I Plan to Read This Year. 

(Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, and we will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.)

Curious about reading Hillbilly Elegy? These is a great, honest review!!

I’ve seen Hillbilly Elegy mentioned over and over again by various different people online and in podcasts. I didn’t plan to read it because the premise didn’t really interest me that much.

But then I saw that it happened to be available on the Libby app, so I went ahead and put a hold on it just because so many people had recommended it.

I started listening to it and almost didn’t continue because there was so much language in it (seriously! Do not listen to this with kids around — there are a LOT of curse words!)

Here’s the part of the premise of the book from the back cover:

From a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, a probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class through the author’s own story of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town.

Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of poor, white Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for over forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. In Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hanging around your neck.

I thought the book was surprising, pretty fair and balanced (I expected the author to lean strongly to one side of the political aisle or the other — and that the book would be more politically charged as a result), and a very insightful look into how our upbringing can affect our life trajectory in such a powerful way.

While I wish there weren’t so much crass language and cussing in the book (though I think it’s likely just the author being truthful and honest to how his family actually talked), I think the book is worth reading — if you can stomach all of the f-bombs in it.

I would be curious to hear from other people who were raised in this same region and social class — to know their perspective on the things he shares. It’s the type of book I’d love to read with a Book Club because I found it caused me to have so many thought and questions and things I wanted to discuss with others who had read it.

Have you read it? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought — whether you liked it or totally disliked it.

When I Find Time to Read

People are always asking me how I find time to read. Honestly, it’s because I love to read, because I’ve chosen to prioritize it, because I don’t have a lot of other hobbies, and because I can’t not read. Also, when you love something, you usually can find ways to get creative to find time to fit it in — even if it’s in the little nooks and crannies of life.

I wrote a post on 3 ways to find more time to read — even when life is busy. And here are 7 more ways to find time to read.

What did you read and watch this past week? Any books or movies or shows you really think I need to read or watch?

Money Saving Mom
Shared Oct 15, 2018 comment

Bloggers: I want to critique your blog for you!

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Bloggers: I want to critique your blog for you!

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

Today is the last day to get The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit — an amazing bundle of 77 different high-value blogging resources.

To sweeten this incredible deal even further, I’m offering something I’ve never offered before to every single person who purchases: I will personally critique your blog or website! {More details on that offer at the end of this post!}

Is This Really Worth the Money?

I’ve gotten a number of questions from you about the Toolkit and some of you have asked me whether it’s worth the investment. I love that you are thinking critically and carefully about how you spend your money.

First off, let’s talk about what you get for the price: This Toolkit is a collection of 15 eBooks, 41 eCourses & videos, 9 printables & workbooks, 10 templates & stock photo packages and 2 membership sites — over $5,800 worth of products for just $97.

When you purchase, you’ll get resources with step-by-step instructions to get started, how to grow your email list, the best ways to monetize your blog, and so much more. It’s basically a comprehensive collection of products from some of the most respected voices in the blogging space on all things blogging.

This year's most up-to-date collection of blogging resources at a no-brainer price.

I’m Overwhelmed! Help!

I know that there is a LOT of information in this Toolkit — and it can make you feel like it’s just too much!

Before you start feeling all overwhelmed by the time it might take to try to complete all the courses or read through all the ebooks, STOP! Instead, I want you go through the list of products and choose at least 3-4 eBooks or eCourses that will give you huge benefits right where you are.

Common sense wisdom might tell you that you should go through every single product in a bundle like this. But here’s the thing: I want you to focus more on doing and implementing rather than on just reading about what to do or collecting more information.

So, I want you to just focus on those eCourses or eBooks and decide that are the top priorities for you to dive into right now. You can always go through other courses down the road (you have a YEAR to sign up for them/download them), but start with those that are going to make the most immediate impact in your life and business.
The Genius Blogger's Toolkit

Where Do I Start?

If you need some suggestions on which courses you should focus on, here are some lists of resources I put together that might be pertinent to your individual situation and needs (obviously, these are just suggestions! Feel free to make your own list based upon what resources in the Toolkit jump out to you!):

I want to succeed as a beginner…

If you’re just getting started blogging, consider prioritizing going through:

I want to increase my traffic…

If you’ve been blogging for awhile and want to increase your traffic, you might prioritize going through:

I want to make more money…

If you want to figure out how to make more money from blogging, you might prioritize going through:

I want to manage my time better…

Perhaps you need help with managing your time as a blogger, so you might prioritize going through:

This is just a small listing of all the courses available in this Toolkit… there is truly something for just about everyone. I’ve been blogging for over 13 years and I downloaded quite a few different courses from it and am so excited to go through them myself!

The Genius Blogger's Toolkit

Would You Like Me to Critique Your Blog?

Because I want you to succeed as a blogger and because I want you to buy this fantastic Toolkit and actually USE it and benefit from it, I am offering something I’ve never done before: I’m offering you the opportunity to get a completely free blog critique from me personally if you purchase the Toolkit and take action on it.

Yes, that means I’ll go to your blog and personally give you pointers on ways you can improve it, ideas I have for ways you can increase your traffic, and suggestions for how to better monetize it.

Here’s how to qualify for a FREE blog critique from me:

  1. Click here and purchase The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit, if you haven’t already.
  2. Look through all of the products in the Toolkit and send me an email ([email protected]) and tell me what 3-4 resources you are going to commit to going through in the next two months.
  3. Go through the 3-4 resources you committed to go through by December 15, 2018.
  4. Shoot me an email once you’ve gone through them and send me your blog address and I’ll personally go through your blog and give you a customized critique and feedback specifically for ways you can increase your traffic and income (or I’m happy to give you critique/feedback on specific topic if you’d prefer that!

The Genius Blogger's Toolkit 2018

Time is Running Out!

Today is your last chance to get this fantastic Toolkit for just $97 + get a FREE Blog Critique from me. If you wait to take action until tomorrow, this deal will be over with.

Are you in?

>>Yes, I want to buy the Toolkit and get a FREE personalized blog critique from Crystal.<<

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Shared Oct 14, 2018 comment

An amazing deal on eggs, Oreo Cheesecakes, and a road trip to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana

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An amazing deal on eggs, Oreo Cheesecakes, and a road trip to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana

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

Welcome to my weekly post I share a peek into our lives, talk about things I’m loving, share links to interesting articles or helpful ideas I’ve collected throughout the past week, and just talk about whatever is on my heart! ?

This post contains affiliate links and we may be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.

I got the best deal on eggs I think I’ve ever gotten this week. Check out the details here.

Speaking of saving, I was also excited this week because I earned 436 points on Fetch Rewards for my second shopping trip! If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, I highly recommend signing up and scanning your receipts. It’s such an easy-peasy way to earn free gift cards!

(Want more details on Fetch Rewards and how it works? Read this post on How I Earned $5 in Free Gift Cards in 3 Weeks — just for scanning my grocery receipts.)

Since Kaitlynn was off school this week, she had fun doing a number of different crafts and also tried her hand at making Oreo Cheesecakes.

She brought the finished cheesecakes down to me while I was working one day.

They were yummy!

On Tuesday night, Silas had a baseball game and got to play pitcher position most of the game!

We had planned to leave on Tuesday and to go to Florida and New Orleans… but then the hurricane hit and Kathrynne had a lot going on at school and didn’t want to miss any days (her Fall Break was only for Friday through Monday whereas Kaitlynn and Silas got this whole past week off), so we moved the road trip to just be Thursday night through Sunday night.

It wasn’t the week-long trip I had hoped for, but I decided to just be grateful for what we could make happen and to try to make the most of it!

As some of you know, we have a big bucket list goal of traveling to all 50 US states and all 7 continents with our kids by the time Kathrynne turns 18, so we got to cross a few more US States We Haven’t Visited Yet off our list with this trip — yay!

BIRMINGHAM, AL: The Birmingham Civil Rights Museum was sobering… and we have had many good discussions as a result of our time there and at 16th Street Baptist Church. (Note: We thought the museum was over-priced, but I think the $$ goes to the Civil Rights Institute.)

Have any of you been to the Jackson, MS or Memphis, TN Civil Rights Museums and this one? I would love to know how they compare.

The Botanical Gardens were incredible — and we still can’t believe that they are free. We took so many fun pictures together and laughed so hard while trying to get good shots. (We enjoyed our time there so much and would highly recommend it… so much so that I’ll likely do a separate post dedicated to more details on it.)

Saw’s Soul Kitchen was a hopping place (thanks to the follower who recommended it!) and the food was unique and yummy!

WEST MONROE, LA: We finally made it to the Duck Commander headquarters — something Jesse and Silas had been hoping to make happen for a few YEARS.

We did the Duck Commander Tour (we got our tickets on Groupon) and it was interesting to get to hear the backstory to the Robertson family. If you are big fans of the Robertson’s and their TV show, Duck Dynasty, you will likely enjoy this tour.

Personally, I thought it was overpriced, but Jesse really enjoyed it! 🙂

We got to make our own Duck Calls.

And then the kids went outside and tried them out with the little duck pool they have (I’m sure these poor ducks have to endure hearing a LOT of duck calls!)

We also stopped by Miss Kay’s… but were sad to discover that it was too late in the day and had already closed.

The Realities of Traveling as a Family…

While you see lots of smiles in these photos above, I want to be honest and tell you that traveling isn’t always roses and rainbows. Take Saturday morning, for instance: We had driven to Jackson, MS, the night before and had gotten in late only to discover that the fully booked hotel we were supposed to stay in had put us in a smoking room that smelled so pungent we couldn’t even walk into it.

(Silas and I have asthma and can’t be around secondhand smoke, so we spent a long time waiting for them to find a new room for us… Three cheers for the incredibly gracious staff at this hotel!)

We were so grateful to finally crash into bed around midnight. But then, my head cold got a lot worse in the night and I spent much of the night awake and completely miserable.

I didn’t want to get up in the morning because of my pounding head… but I also didn’t want to miss out on this family road trip. So I pulled myself out of bed and went to workout — only to come back to the room to discover that two of the kids had woken up with terrible attitudes.

There was arguing and fighting. There was complaining. (“We don’t want to be on this trip! We just wish we could be HOME!”)

And then traffic was really bad because of Homecoming and we couldn’t find any parking (people were parked on the sidewalk and in the turn lanes on the street!!), so we gave up on doing anything in Jackson and drove to West Monroe.

I wondered if we made a mistake in working so hard to make this road trip happen (we had to rearrange a lot of things because our initial road trip plans fell through due to the hurricane and Kathrynne’s school schedule).

But by some miracle, the day ended well. Jesse got me some meds (I felt like a new woman!), the kids’ attitudes turned around, we had a fun time at Duck Commander, and the kids wanted to pose for this photo above and willingly smiled!

Traveling as a family always has its rough patches and sometimes we wonder if it’s really worth it, but then we end the day with practicing ball room dancing in the hotel room, laughing over silly things, and piled together watching Monsters University… and Jesse and I remember why we prioritize this.

From My Heart…

I’m a world class fixer. Give me a problem and I will move heaven and earth to find a solution for you.

While this can be a great skill when it comes to running a business, it’s not a great skill when it comes to friendship.

Because relationships aren’t projects. People want to be seen and heard and loved — not added to your to-do list as something needing to be fixed.

I’m writing this more to myself than anything… because I desperately need the reminder. If you share your struggles with me, I can immediately jump into fix-it mode. I want to give you a website to check out, a book to read, and the next three simple steps you need to take.

In fact, just a few days ago, a friend who is going through a hard time texted me and said, “I don’t want counsel; I just want to share what I’m feeling.”

Ouch. That stepped all over my toes in a powerful way.

People are not problems to be solved; they are human beings to love.

Yes, sometimes loving well looks like helping to tangibly provide solutions. But many times, it means just listening and providing an empathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on, and a safe place to confide in… all without any long-term agenda or plan for anything other than to love generously and well.

Let’s stop fixing and start extravagantly loving. I think it will probably be a lot more effective! Who’s with me? ❤️

Graphic made by my 11-year-old, Kaitlynn. Quote from @jessicahonegger

2018 Goals Update

Personal Goals

1. Read 100 non-self-help books that will build me up/encourage me/inspire me/recharge me. (Fiction/story driven/biographies /inspirational living books/devotionals.) See the list of 44 books I plan to read this year.

**Progress: 65 books read so far this year

2. Read through the entire Bible.

**Progress: I’m using the Robert Murray M’Cheyne plan and am all caught up— yay!

3. Write one handwritten note to someone every week.

**Progress: 39 notes written so far this year

4. Run 500 miles.

**Progress: 385 miles run so far

Marriage Goal

5. Go on an overnight trip with Jesse without the kids.Jesse and I went to NYC together in January.

Family Goals

6. Read 10 books aloud with the kids.

**Progress: We’ve finished three books so far.

7. Take the kids to South Africa. We took this trip in July. What a memorable experience!

8. Go on a family road trip.While we didn’t get to go on as long of a road trip as we wanted to, we made the most of our Fall Break Road Trip to LA, MS, and AL (and checked off a few more states from our States We Haven’t Visited Yet list!)

Financial Goals

9. Save up to pay cash to finish off an office for me and workout room for Jesse and me in the basement in our new house.

**Progress: The workout room is DONE and the office is almost done!

10. Replenish our Emergency Fund (we dipped into it to replace my car when it got totaled because of the carpet beetle infestation.)

**Progress: We’re halfway to having this fully funded. We are hoping to finish this out before the end of the year — we’ll see!

Business Goals

11. Increase our gross income from the business by 8%.

12. Launch 5 new courses.

**Progress: We launched 4 Weeks to a More Productive Life launched in January, Content Creation 101 in February, 4-Week Blog Coaching Program in March, Email List Setup 101 in March, Make Over Your Mornings LIVE in April, the Facebook Live Masterclass in May, and we launched Build Your List 101 in June!

Shared Oct 13, 2018 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

1 12-pk Belle Vie Grapefruit Sparkling Water – $2.39

1 gallon Whole Milk – $1.35

2 64-oz cartons Orange Juice – $3.38

1 box Honey Nut Oats – $1.15

1 large jar Unsweetened Applesauce – $1.89

1 10-lb bag Russet Potatoes – $3.49

1 6-pk Strawberry Applesauce Cups – $1.15

1 pkg Zucchini – $1.45

1 large tub Organic Spring Mix – $3.99

1 pkg Romaine Hearts – $1.79

1 3-pk Multi-Colored Peppers – $2.49

1 16-oz bag Mini Cucumbers – $1.69

1 Cauliflower – $1.79

1 pkg Broccoli Crowns – $1.19

2 pkgs Baby Carrots – $1.58

2 3-lb bags Gala Apples – $3.38

1 3-lb bag Pink Lady – $3.59

1 bag Red Grapes – $0.02 (these were on sale for $0.79/lb – according to my receipt, I bought 0.02lbs of grapes – obviously incorrect! But I didn’t catch this until reading my receipt just now)

4 dozen Eggs – $4.52

1 12-oz pkg Cheese Sticks – $1.99

2 16-oz pkgs Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $4.30

1 16-oz pkg Deli Sliced Ham – $2.99

2 1-lb boxes Butter – $3.98

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

2 single-serving cups Greek Yogurt – $1.18

1 32-oz carton Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt – $3.29

1 pkg Plain Rice Cakes – $1.15

1 pkg Hamburger Buns – $0.65

1 pkg Hawaiian Sweet Rolls – $1.79

Grocery Total for the Week: $69.02

Weekly Menu Plan

I’ll be out-of-town with my children for part of the week – in KS for my youngest sister’s wedding!! – so I didn’t plan a full week’s worth of meals. 🙂

Breakfasts

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

Oatmeal, Cereal, Fruit, Scrambled/Boiled/Fried Eggs, Veggie Omelets, Yogurt, Fruit

Lunches

Grilled Ham/Cheese Sandwiches, Grapes, Carrots x 2

Baked Potatoes with Broccoli and Cheese, Apples x 2

Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter, Applesauce, Cucumbers

Leftovers

Dinners

Out to Dinner – Cracker Barrel with Friends

Pizza Casserole (Recipe from “Trim Healthy Table” Cookbook; This was on the menu for last week, but I didn’t end up making it as we ate leftovers for one more meal than I had planned for)

Hamburgers on the Grill, Grilled Cauliflower, Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes, Tossed Salad

Lentil Soup, Buttery Cornbread, Apples

Build-Your-Own-Burrito (Seasoned Ground Venison, Shredded Lettuce, Salsa, Plain Greek Yogurt, Shredded Cheese, Homemade Tortillas), Steamed Carrots

Leftovers

Shared Oct 12, 2018 comment

We Spent $56.49 on Groceries This Week (+ here’s what we ate)

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We Spent $56.49 on Groceries This Week (+ here’s what we ate)

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 got back from my girls’ beach trip on Sunday night and we left last night (Thursday night) for a family road trip to AL, MS, and LA. We are staying at hotels that offer free breakfast and then we brought much of our food and snacks, so we don’t plan to spend that much extra on food on this trip.

However, we’re under-budget again this week, so I’m using the extra $39 we had in grocery money last week to cover an extra dinner out for our road trip.

Note: When you see the groceries and 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 in these shopping trips that I used to make all of the meals we ate. And  it also means we didn’t use all of these groceries up this week — because some of them will be saved for later weeks!

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. ?

Kroger Shopping Trip #1

Kroger Shopping Trip #2

  • 5 dozen Simple Truth Eggs — marked down to $0.49 per dozen
  • 2 bags of cinnamon/raisin bagels — marked down to $1.49 each
  • 3 Simple Truth yogurts — marked down to $0.49 each
  • Oui Yogurts — marked down to $1.19 each, used $0.30/1 Kroger digital coupon
  • Artisan Lettuce — marked down to $1.49
  • 2 bags of grapefruit/oranges — marked down to $0.99 each
  • 1 bag of apples — marked down to $0.99
  • Stayfree pads — $1.79 when you buy 5 participating products, used $1/1 Kroger digital coupon, got $0.50 back from iBotta rebate = $0.39
  • 4 Suave Shampoo/Conditioner — $1.99 each when you buy 5 participating products, used $3/2 Kroger digital coupon + $1/1 coupon that Kroger had sent to me (I should have just bought 3 bottles — for some reason, I got mixed up and thought it was a $1/2 coupon… oh well!) = $0.99 each
  • 2 Speedstick deodorant — $0.99 each when you buy 5 participating products
  • 2 Gillette Shave Gel — $0.99 each when you buy 5 participating products
  • Colgate toothpaste — $1.99 when you buy 5 participating products
  • 2 Suave Kids’ Body Wash — $0.99 each when you buy 5 participating items
  • 2 Huggies Baby Wipes — $0.99 each when you buy 5 participating items, used $0.50/2 Kroger digital coupon = $0.74 each after coupon
  • 2 Honey Nut Cheerios — $1.79 each when you buy 5 participating items, used $1/2 Kroger digital coupon = $1.29 each after coupon
  • 4 packages of Goldfish — $0.99 each when you 5 participating items
  • 8 boxes of Quaker Granola bars — $0.99 each when you buy 5 participating items
  • 2 packages of Oscar Mayer lunch meat — $2.79 each when you buy 5 participating items
  • Used $10/$40 coupon that Kroger mailed to me recently (make sure you always have your address correct on the Kroger site — they often mail out great coupons!
  • Total with tax: $39.84

The best deal of the week by far (at least to me!) was the Simple Truth Cage-Free Eggs for $0.49!!!!! I have never seen cage free eggs this inexpensive and was so excited for this deal!

Since we already had 4 dozen eggs from recent deals, I shared two dozen with a friend and we plan to have lots of scrambled eggs, fried eggs, and hard boiled eggs over the next 2-3 weeks.

I don’t usually freeze eggs, because we can easily eat through 3 dozen in a week, but I will be making French Toast or Egg Casserole if we really need to use them up and aren’t seeming to eat through them quickly enough. I never have had any issue keeping eggs in the fridge for 2-3 weeks past their sell by date, so I’m not too worried about us being able to use them before they go bad.

I was also excited because I earned 436 points on Fetch Rewards for my second shopping trip! If you haven’t signed up for Fetch Rewards yet, I highly recommend signing up and scanning your receipts. It’s such an easy-peasy way to earn free gift cards!

(Want more details on Fetch Rewards and how it works? Read this post on How I Earned $5 in Free Gift Cards in 3 Weeks — just for scanning my grocery receipts.)

What I Spent This Week

Total spent: $56.49

Cashback Earned This Week: 461 points from Fetch Rewards for scanning my receipts + I earned $0.60 back from iBotta for scanning my receipt and purchasing Stayfree.

What We Ate This Week

Breakfasts:

  • Cereal, Oatmeal, Scrambled Eggs, Banana Bread with Peanut Butter (Everyone is on their own for breakfast!)

Lunches:

  • Hard Boiled Eggs, Avocados, Salad, Grapefruit, Cottage Cheese, Lunch out with a friend (she insisted that she pay for my lunch!), Apples, Pumpkin Waffles (Jesse & Me)
  • Turkey Sandwiches, Fruit, Veggies, Banana Bread, Granola Bars, Yogurt, Cookies, Capri Sun (For the kids — They are in charge of their own lunches.)

Snacks:

  • Banana Bread, Oreo Cheesecake (that Kaitlynn made), Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Fruit/Veggies, Cookies, Hard Boiled Eggs, Turmeric Milk

Dinners:

  • Saturday: Jesse and the kids went over to our friends’ house for dinner since I was gone
  • Sunday: Leftovers/Fend For Yourself
  • Monday: Sausage/Peppers/Onions in the Crockpot
  • Tuesday: Fend For Yourself (Silas had a baseball game) — The kids had cereal, I had a muffin, egg, and apple, Jesse can’t remember what he ate!
  • Wednesday: Pumpkin Pancakes (recipe coming this next week on the blog — these were a hit!)
  • Thursday: Lasagna Casserole (from the freezer) Salad
  • Friday: Dinner Out

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

Click here to download!
Shared Oct 12, 2018 comment

Gretchen’s $63 Grocery Shopping Trip and Menu Plan

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Gretchen’s $63 Grocery Shopping Trip and Menu Plan

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

Aldi

I have put off going grocery shopping for almost a week now and was starting to have to get super creative in what we were eating. I finally made it to the store though and stocked up on lots of staples!

2 pkg Frozen Broccoli – $1.19 each

2 dozen Eggs – $0.58 each

1 pkg Frozen Chicken – $5.99

1 pkg Frozen Peas – $0.95

2 jars Spaghetti Sauce – $1.49 each

1 Unsweetened Applesauce – $1.89

1 can Pineapple Chunks – $0.95

1 pkg Granola Bars – $1.59 (I bought this before seeing the sale at Dillons…oh well!)

1 gallon Milk – $1.78

1 pkg Roma Tomatoes – $0.99

2 Half & Half – $1.79 each

1 pkg Baby Carrots – $0.99

1 loaf Bread – $1.49

1 pkg English Muffins – $0.99

Total: $27.71

Dillons

1 Nabisco Ritz Crackers – $1.49

2 Cascadian Farms Cereal – $1.99 each, used $1/2 e-coupon and $1/2 SavingStar.com rebate – $0.99 each after coupon and rebate

1 Private Selection Ice Cream – $1.99

2 Sargento Shredded Cheese – $1.99 each

1 Trolli Candy – $0.50

4 Black Forest Gummy Bears – $0.50

1 Kroger Turkey Breast Tub – $2.49

1 pkg Danimal Smoothies – $1.49

3 Quaker Granola Bars – $0.99 each

1 bag Kroger Corn Chips – $1.25

1 pkg BumbleBee Tuna – $1, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon

2 cans Bush’s Chili Beans – $1 each, used $1/2 e-coupon – $0.50 each after coupon

1 can Simple Truth Beans – $1

1 Green Leaf Lettuce – $1.29

1 lb Ground Beef – $3.99

1 pkg Cream Cheese – $1.19

1 pkg Kroger Cheese – $2.19

1 can Kroger Diced Tomatoes – $0.49

1 pkg Butter – $2.99

2 Kraft Salad Dressings – $0.99 each

2 Cucumbers – $0.89 each (Aldi was out of cucumbers so I had to get them at Dillons.)

Redeemed $0.25/1 Ibotta rebate AND earned 234 Fetch Reward Point (like $2.34)

Total after coupons and rebates: $35.45

Total for both stores: $63.16

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Cereal, Toasted English Muffins, Eggs, Banana Muffins (Using bananas from the freezer)

Lunches

Turkey Sandwiches, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Turkey/Cheese/Crackers, Fruits/Veggies, Leftovers, Hard Boiled Eggs

Dinners

Chili, Biscuits, Sliced Apples

French Toast (using old bread from the freezer), Eggs

Spaghetti, Homemade Bread, Steamed Peas

Chicken Noodle Casserole, Steamed Broccoli, Banana Muffins

Hawaiian Haystacks

Homemade Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks, Tossed Salad

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili, Corn Chips, Carrot Sticks

Shared Oct 11, 2018 comment

A Beginner’s Guide to Your First Tough Mudder (and how to do it for FREE!)

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A Beginner’s Guide to Your First Tough Mudder (and how to do it for FREE!)

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

Nervous about your first Tough Mudder Race? Here's everything you need to know -- SUPER helpful!!

Thinking of doing a Tough Mudder? Here are tips and tricks I’ve learned from doing three different Tough Mudders in the last few years…

1. Embrace the Mud

My very first Tough Mudder was scary. I wondered if I would make it to the finish line. Could I really do a 10-mile, 23-obstacle mud run?

I worried that it would be too hard. I was scared I should have trained for it (I signed up on a whim a few weeks before). And I was worried that I would hate the mud.

You see, I hate mud. I hate the un-showered feeling. In fact, I have to shower and shave my legs every day to feel human and sane.

So I wondered if I had lost my mind to be signing up for something where the whole entire event was about walking and crawling and “swimming” in mud.

But I completely surprised myself by not really being bothered by it at all. In fact, after the first obstacle on that 10-mile obstacle run — one where you ended up covered in mud (see below), I just went with — and it was a blast!

Yes, I definitely was happy to take a shower when I got home and yes, it took multiple showers before I was finally mud-free, but I didn’t mind the mud at all during the event. And during my next two Tough Mudders, I actually welcomed it. Bring on the mud!

Note: You will get very, very muddy. It’s inevitable. Be prepared for mud to be in every orifice of your body — and for it to take a few showers and multiple hair washings to get it all scrubbed off!

2. Ask for Help

The Tough Mudder was specifically designed to be a team event. I can’t imagine doing it on my own or by myself. In fact, some of the obstacles cannot be completed on your own; the only way to get through them (or climb up or over them!) is to have help!

Willingly accept help. Don’t try to go it alone or be a macho. Accept that outstretched hand or the person offering to give you a boost so you can climb the high wall. That’s part of the experience — and I think it’s one of the best parts.

Tip: If you’re planning to do a Tough Mudder, find at least another friend to do it with you. It makes for such an amazing memory to share together AND you’ll never have to worry about being left to try to tackle an obstacle on your own. We just recently finished doing a Tough Mudder with two other couples we are close friends with. It was such a fun adventure — and it deepened our relationship to do it together!

3. Wear the Right Clothes & Gear

One of the best ways to improve your experience at the Tough Mudder is to wear the right clothes and gear. It could mean the difference of you being miserable or actually loving it!

Here are some things I would suggest:

Wear fitted spandex clothing. Don’t wear anything that is bulky and could easily get caught in barbed wire (which there will be quite a lot of that you’ll need to crawl under. Ladies, I recommend wearing spandex capris to protect your legs better as you are crawling under and over things.

Wear fingerless gloves. You are going to be using your hands a lot to grip things and gloves will make that easier, plus they will prevent your hands from getting scratched and scraped. I always use fingerless weight-lifting type gloves.

Bring sunglasses. If it’s sunny, you will be glad that you did. You can set them on the side of any obstacle that involves potentially dropping into water.

Wear shoes that are fairly tight on you. Your shoes will get soaked and you will be walking through waist deep mud and water. If you wear shoes that are loose, you’ll have a hard time keeping them on.

Wear sunscreen. Even if you don’t think it’s going to be sunny, you’re going to be outside for at least 4 hours at this even and the last you want to do is come home muddy and sunburned!

Wear a hair band. If you have longer or thick hair, a hair band can be a lifesaver so that you don’t have muddy, wet hair in your face. At the end of the race, you get a finisher’s head band and these work well for your next Tough Mudder!

Use shoe wraps. You will likely get a lot of little pebbles and rocks in your shoes without shoe wraps/gaitors. We got ours on Amazon (see above photo) and love them!

Don’t bring anything else. You are going to be traipsing through all sorts of mud and water and crazy obstacles… leave your phone or valuables or anything else you don’t absolutely need behind (they offer a bag check, but it costs $10, if I’m remembering correctly). They offer various water and snack stops along the way so you don’t need to bring any food or drink with you.

Tip: Bring a big plastic trash sack, a change of clothes, a change of shoes, and towels for when it’s over with. They have showers where you can shower off, but you’ll want to throw all of your clothes into a trash sack and it’s really nice to have towels dry off at the end!

4. Have a Blast!

Seriously! The more you are ALL IN for the event, the more fun it will be! Do your best. Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t complete an obstacle (you can skip any obstacle you don’t feel comfortable doing) and go out and have fun!

You will challenge yourself. You will likely stretch yourself. And you will probably realize that you are a lot stronger than you thought.

Also, you just might fall in love with Tough Mudders and surprise yourself — just like I did!

How to Do a Tough Mudder for FREE (or at a discount!)

While the price of a Tough Mudder is quite expensive (you’ll pay $99+ for a ticket + $20 for parking at the event), there are a few ways to cut down on the costs — and even get in for FREE!

  1. Volunteer — If you volunteer at the event for half a day, you’ll get 80% off the ticket price. If you volunteer for a full day, you’ll get in completely free. You may still need to pay for parking on the day you participate in the event.
  2. Find a Deal on Groupon — We found a deal this time around on Groupon and were able to save a significant amount off the ticket price by doing so! Check Groupon for your area to see if they are offering this — it showed up a few months before the Tough Mudder event.

Note: This post is in no way, shape, or form sponsored by Tough Mudder. Though if they wanted to sponsor me in some way, I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with that! 😉

Shared Oct 10, 2018 comment

Bloggers: Be sure to read this!

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Bloggers: Be sure to read this!

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

(Note: The links in this post are affiliate links, and we will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.)

I have gotten a LOT of emails from you all recently telling me that you wish you could have more customized help as a blogger…

  • Some of you would like help getting your blog up and launched.
  • Some of you want to know how to get more people to ready your blog.
  • Some of you would like to feel more confident when it comes to the technical aspects of blogging.
  • A number of you want to learn how to take better photos for your blog.
  • Many of you would love to be more successful on social media.
  • And pretty much all of you would like to figure out how to make more money as a blogger!

I wish I could offer customized coaching for each and every one of you… and we’re actually working on some projects for the future to allow me to do more of that.

I Want to Help You TODAY!

But many of you aren’t wanting to wait around for that — you’d like help TODAY! And you don’t have to wait, because guess what?

For the next few day only, an amazing bundle of fantastic blogging resources is available that offers courses on just about every single aspect related to blogging.

It’s called The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit and it boasts 77 different products and is worth $5,867.88!!

No matter whether you need help with writing better blog posts, setting up your email list, becoming proficient at marketing, creating products that sell, managing your time better, or making more money as a blogger, this toolkit has you covered.

Wait, For REAL??

Yes, when you purchase The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit, you’ll get access to 41 eCourses, 15 eBooks, 9 printable packs & workbooks, 5 templates, 5 stock photo packs, and 2 membership sites.

Basically, it’s an entire blogging education from a number of blogging professionals to help you confidently tackle whatever blogging struggles you are facing.

All of the courses and ebooks can be downloaded and gone through at your own pace. You can start them today or, if it’s a topic you don’t need right now, you can download it and save it for later.

Or, if it’s not a topic you need at all, you can just skip it and move on to the courses that you really need to focus on. Why? Because you are paying a fraction of the price that each of these would cost if you bought them individually.

You Won’t Believe This Price!

That’s right! If you went to the different influencer’s and blogger’s sites and bought each of these courses separately, you’d pay $5867.88! But for the next few days, you can get all of these courses in one big bundle for just $97 total!

Many of these courses are very comprehensive and they individually sell for more than $97 for just one course! So this is a STEAL of a price!

There is a Catch, Though…

I know you’ve likely been waiting for me to tell you what the catch is and it’s actually two-fold:

1) This is only a great deal if you’ll actually USE these courses. Please don’t buy this bundle with great intentions and then not actually go through the courses. Otherwise, you wasted your money. I only want you to invest in this toolkit of resources if you promise me that you are going to go through at least 3-4 of them. They have the power to change the trajectory of your business — but only if you will take the first step to purchase and then go through and learn and implement what you learn!

2) This offer is very limited time only. Most of the people who sell these courses cannot afford to have their course discounted deeply like this on a longterm basis. So this toolkit is only available at this price through Monday, October 15, 2018. After that, the toolkit won’t be available and the only way to get these resources will be to buy them individually at the much higher prices.

This is your chance to get the help you need to grow as a blogger — and to get it at a crazy low price!

Click here to purchase The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit for just $97!

P.S. I downloaded my own copy of the toolkit and will be telling you about which courses I’m most excited about over the next few days. If you have any questions or aren’t sure if this is for you, leave a comment and ask. I’m happy to help you out!

Shared Oct 9, 2018 comment

How I Got Over My Fear of Hospitality

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How I Got Over My Fear of Hospitality

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

Okay, so it’s hard for me to pick favorite episodes of my podcast… because that kind of feels like picking a favorite child. BUT, I have to say that this week’s episode is probably going to be one of my very favorites. Because the message of this episode is one that has personally transformed my life in such a big way.

You see, I used to be so scared to invite people into my home. Hospitality felt like something I just wasn’t good at.

In fact, I told myself for a long time that I’m an introverted person who is a homebody and who doesn’t host things or initiate. And by telling myself this, I had convinced myself that hosting and initiating weren’t my gifts or my personality.

It was safer to wait to let other people do the inviting. It was safer to convince myself I wasn’t the type to step out, step up, initiate, or lead.

But all that changed when I read Just Open the Door by Jen Schmidt. It’s a book written specifically for people like me who feel so awkward about the whole hospitality thing.

Jen sent me a pre-release copy of her book in December of 2017. I remember getting that copy and planning to just quickly read it while we were driving to Kansas to visit family for Christmas.

She had asked me to endorse it and I had said yes just because Jen is a longtime friend and I wanted to support her.

But as I read the book, I felt like I was being called to do much more than just write an endorsement for the book — I felt stirred to step way outside my comfort zone and commit to opening up our home every single week in 2018.

I had no idea how that was going to transform my life! Listen to today’s podcast to hear the whole story…

In This Episode:

[02:04] – Why we let our daughter get a phone when she was 12… and why we might not let our other two kids get one until they are older.

[04:53] – I share about my very favorite mascara — and tell you my crazy journey to how I stopped wearing eye makeup.

[08:18] – I talk about my book pick for this week, and share my experience with it and why it was so powerful for me (as well as a few critiques of it — because you know I can’t help but be honest!).

[09:42] – Hospitality used to feel like something that I just wasn’t good at. That changed when I read Just Open the Door by today’s guest, Jen Schmidt!

[12:11] – What motivated Jen to write a book on the topic of opening one’s door?

[16:14] – Jen gives some ideas and suggestions for people who feel like they can’t afford to host, their house isn’t big enough or clean enough, or they don’t cook well enough.

[21:01] – Jen shares her words of wisdom for a woman who wants to open her door but doesn’t even know where to start.

[24:47] – This time, I’m going to change things up a bit and close the show by telling you about the commitment I made for 2018 to open our door every single week and give you a challenge, if you’re brave enough to accept it (and I hope you are!)

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.

Sponsor Spotlight

Today’s episode is sponsored by Twigby — a company dedicated to providing fantastic phone service at great prices. As I mentioned in the podcast, if you are looking for a great deal on a phone for your teen (or yourself!), I’d highly recommend checking out what Twigby has to offer.

Unlike traditional cell phone companies, they give you the ability to create your own custom, prepaid plan — without a contract or an unnecessary activation fee.

You don’t have to mess with going to a store and picking out a phone plan. You just go to their site, pick your phone plan and either switch your current phone over or get a new phone, and they get it all set up for you.

My favorite part about their service (in addition to their great prices!) is that they offer plan flexibility with the ability to change plans or phones at any time for free. You’re not locked into an expensive contract that has activation and termination fees.

They also offer Free Overage Protection, so you can rest easy in knowing that you will never be charged for overages without your go-ahead! You have complete control.

Special offer! Want to save 25% off your first 6 months of Twigby? Click here.

Links and Resources Mentioned in the Podcast:

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Shared Oct 8, 2018 comment

2 Books I Read This Past Week

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2 Books I Read This Past Week

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

Welcome to my weekly Book-ish post where I share what I’ve been reading and watching recently. If you missed it, you can see my Reading Goals for 2018 and 44 Books I Plan to Read This Year. 

(Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, and we will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Read our disclosure policy here.)

Here are the 2 books I finished this past week:

1. White Picket Fences

I had really enjoyed listening to The Shape of Mercy (by the same author), so that was why I borrowed this title for free from Libby. Unfortunately, I thought White Picket Fences was just an okay novel.

For me, there wasn’t enough character development and the plot was kind of weird and unbelievable. And I didn’t think it had a really deep meaningful conclusion. So this is not a book I’d highly recommend.

2. Imperfect Courage

I picked up Imperfect Courage based upon the recommendation of a few people I trust… and I almost didn’t read past the first few chapters because I had trouble following them and felt like they skipped around too much in her story. But I kept reading — and I’m so glad I did!

The second half of the book is SO good! I loved her thoughts on friendship and community and how to live out love to others — even when things are messy and hard. If you struggle with finding and building community, I think these chapters are so worth reading.

When I Find Time to Read

People are always asking me how I find time to read. Honestly, it’s because I love to read, because I’ve chosen to prioritize it, because I don’t have a lot of other hobbies, and because I can’t not read. Also, when you love something, you usually can find ways to get creative to find time to fit it in — even if it’s in the little nooks and crannies of life.

I wrote a post on 3 ways to find more time to read — even when life is busy. And here are 7 more ways to find time to read.

What did you read and watch this past week? Any books or movies or shows you really think I need to read or watch?