It’s that time of year when I just want to bake anything and everything pumpkin! It makes me feel like fall is in the air — even if it’s still mostly shorts and t-shirt weather here in Tennessee!
These Easy Pumpkin Waffles are the best way to welcome Fall!
These waffles are so easy to make, they are good for you, and they are just the right blend of hearty but not too dense. I made them yesterday and they were a hit at our house! If you want to add a little fall flavor to your menu this week, try these!
Ingredients for Easy Pumpkin Waffles
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1/4 cups buttermilk (or make your own buttermilk with vinegar or lemon juice)
- 1/2 cup fresh or canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
How to make Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles
1. Preheat a Belgian Waffle maker and grease with cooking spray or butter.
2. In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients together.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, and melted butter.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended.
5. Scoop roughly 1/2 – 3/4 cup batter onto the waffle maker and bake until golden brown (most waffle makers have a light that turns green when they are ready).
6. Serve immediately with butter and syrup, if desired.
Best toppings for Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles
Butter and real maple syrup taste amazing with these pumpkin waffles — classic, but it works!
For special occasions, top them with cinnamon whipped cream, and maybe even a sprinkle of nutmeg too.
Or sprinkle with chopped pecans and slice bananas for lots of extra flavor!
Storing these Easy Pumpkin Waffles
Eating them fresh from the waffle maker is definitely the way to go! However, if you want to make a bunch in bulk and freeze them for later, you can do that too.
First, make all your waffles and let them come to room temperature on cooling racks.
Place 3 or 4 cooled waffles in a gallon-size zip-top bag, label, and place in the freezer.
To reheat, simply place frozen waffles in a microwave or toaster oven (they will be crispier in the toaster oven) and reheat.
Whole Wheat Waffles Recipe FAQs
The biggest factor in getting crispy waffles is using a very hot waffle iron. Preheat it as you make the batter and it should be nice and hot by the time you’re ready to bake your waffles. Also, make sure you use enough fat (this recipe calls for melted butter).
The common thought is that butter tastes A LOT better, but oil will actually get the waffles a bit crispier. So if you’re a butter lover, you’ll want to stick with butter. If you really want a super crispy waffle and don’t care as much about the flavor, try oil!
Yes! Many pancake and waffle recipes can be interchangeable, so feel free to use this same recipe to make your favorite pumpkin pancakes!
Whole Wheat Waffles Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp brown sugar or raw sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree fresh or canned
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat a Belgian Waffle maker and grease with cooking spray or butter.
- In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients together.
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin, and melted butter.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended.
- Scoop roughly 1/2 – 3/4 cup batter onto the waffle maker and bake until golden brown (most waffle makers have a light that turns green when they are ready).
- Serve immediately with butter and syrup, if desired.
Nutrition
Love this recipe?
Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!
More Pumpkin Recipes:
- Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Pumpkin Crescent Rolls
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Freezer-Friendly Pumpkin Bars
- Freezer-Friendly White Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
What is YOUR favorite pumpkin recipe to make? I’d love to hear!
FREE 50+ Easy and Cheap Breakfast Ideas!!
Mornings just got so much easier with this FREE list of 50+ Easy & Cheap Breakfast Ideas for Busy Weekday Mornings!
10 of the Best Experience Gifts For Kids
Guest post from Micah of Home Faith Family:
The benefits of giving Gift Experiences for Kids
For my fifth birthday, my dad gave me a choice between two birthday presents.
- A traditional gift.
- A daddy-daughter date with no other siblings to come along.
Coming from a family of seven, there was never alone time… and as a little girl, I was practically my dad’s shadow, so naturally, I chose the date with him.
Fast-forward a few decades later, my husband found himself unemployed after leaving law school, and our family finances were tighter than a knot.
Our children had birthdays coming up, and we felt guilty knowing we wouldn’t be able to buy them the toys they were eyeing at the store.
As my husband and I discussed what to do for our children so they wouldn’t feel neglected on their birthdays, the memory of my father’s date came to mind.
I shared the experience with my husband and we decided to try to give experiences to our children instead of gifts.
Our little ones had SO much fun that this has been their birthday gift ever since!
What are Experience Christmas Gifts?
Experience Gifts can be any number of activities or experiences that you gift to someone — usually instead of a physical item.
You may join them on the experience (going to a movie or on a picnic together) or send them solo (an afternoon at home without the kids, or a massage), but the idea is that you are gifting them an opportunity instead of more stuff.
Gift Experiences for Kids that cost little to no money
I completely understand that a tight budget can be tricky when dealing with experience gifts. In these situations, I’ve found that creativity is my best friend!
1. Use the seasons to your advantage.
Is it winter? Use a trash can lid to go sledding. Are you enjoying summertime? Pick wildflowers together and have a contest to see who can make the most creative headband with the flowers.
2. Have a puddle-splashing contest to see who can make the biggest splash.
This one was a hit with our little boy who loves the outdoors. Just make sure you have a lot of clean towels nearby for when you’re done!
3. Take dancing lessons together using YouTube and have a dance party at home.
Use what you have around your home to decorate the dining room or living room for when it’s time to dance.
4. Go on a nature walk and skip rocks in the river.
5. Take your child on a “tour of their life” in your local town.
Drive them to where they were born, places that have meaning to them, and share your feelings and experiences with them on how much they mean to you. If you do this option, be sure to have a recorder going so you can write these stories down to give to your child later.
More Ideas for the Best Experience Gifts for Kids
When you can budget the experiences, you want to gift your children, you’ll be able to cater to their interest and needs more.
1. Something they love more than anything.
Maybe they’ve always wanted to be a professional baseball player… go enjoy a day at the ballpark.
Or perhaps they want to be a ballerina on ice skates… take them ice skating.
2. Cooking Classes.
Sign up and take a cooking class together and then step back and let your child take the lead. You might be surprised at how well they do in the kitchen.
3. Music Lessons.
Does your son or daughter want to learn how to play a certain instrument? Sign them up for music lessons. If you can afford the lessons but can’t buy the instrument, there are places you can rent instruments from, whether this is the music store or your child’s school.
4. Museum Day Date.
Get lost together exploring the wonders of the world, learning about science, planet Earth, history, or anything else your child has an interest in.
5. Day Away With a Friend.
If your child has no interest in doing a one-on-one date, offer to take them and their friends to a trampoline park, a panic-puzzle room, or another fun, group party place where they can have a blast with their friends and family.
Why we love Experience Gifts for Kids
I promise (from experience) that children will rarely remember the gifts they receive on their birthday. But they WILL remember the time you spent with them and the memories you helped create.
Toys will eventually break and electronics will quickly become outdated, but the pictures you take and the laughter you share will be something you two can hold onto for a lifetime!
What are some of the Best Experience Gifts you’ve been gifted?
Share it with us in the comments below… as well as why you loved this gift so much!
Micah Klug loves being a mother and helping other women DIY their home on a budget, grow their faith in Christ, love their marriage, and strengthen their family relationships by living simply without losing their quality of life or sanity. She writes at Home Faith Family, where you can download your free marriage ebook, “Love Again: 100+ Conversation Questions to Strengthen Your Relationship.”
I’ve been waiting 4 YEARS to tell you this!
It’s a BIG day for me today… a day that has actually been over 4 YEARS in the making! It’s the day I get to officially introduce you to my brand-new podcast: The Crystal Paine Show!
Why I Waited 4 Years to Start This Podcast
I had toyed around with the idea of having a podcast for awhile, but was inspired actually start one about 4 years ago when I spoke at the Platform Conference by Michael Hyatt. At the conference, Cliff Ravenscraft spoke about how podcasting is a valuable way to connect with your audience.
After hearing him speak, I was SOLD and I immediately wanted to go home and start a podcast. But the timing wasn’t right and there was too much on my plate.
So I’ve patiently (or impatiently!) waited until the right time finally arrived. Here we are, and I’m so excited!
What You Can Expect Each Week
Each episode will go live on Tuesday mornings and will feature multiple segments. Each week, I’ll:
- Share a lesson I’m learning, something I’m pondering, or just give you some behind-the-scenes life updates
- Talk about a book I’m reading
- Tell you about a product or app or life hack that is “saving my life”
- Feature a guest whose life and work has impacted me deeply
- Answer a question from a listener.
- And my plan is to always keep each episode around 30 minutes (since I know your time is valuable!)
My hope is that this podcast will serve as an inspiration to your week, a pause in your day to slow down and reflect a little, a looked-forward-to part of your weekly routine, a place where we can connect on a deeper level… and ultimately, my desire is that you come away from listening to each episode feeling motivated to bloom where you are planted and take intentional steps to move in the direction you are longing to go.
Psst! For more on why I’m starting this podcast and a taste of what you can expect each week, listen to my first episode here.
Episode #1: Why The Crystal Paine Show?
In This Episode, I Share:
- The why behind the podcast
- What you can expect on every episode
- Our new morning routine and how it’s making such a difference in our home
- A book on rest that has impacted me in a powerful way
- Some thoughts answering the listener question: “What would you tell your pre-married self on expectations, dreams, and desires?”
My special guest on this episode is my husband, Jesse. He’s going to be a regular on the show, which I’m so excited about!
He and I share our unconventional love story — including how we met when we were 9 and 10 and how I thought he was sort of a jerk when we first met. We talk about what changed my perspective and share a funny story from the time he had brain surgery (yes, I promise, it’s funny even though it might not sound like it would be!)
Go here to listen to that episode and access all of the show notes and links we mention in it.
Episode #2: How to Stop Feeling So Overwhelmed (with Jennifer Dukes Lee)
In This Episode, I Share:
- Some honest thoughts for that woman who feels like, “I can’t make any friends! I try so hard, but it never goes anywhere.”
- About our brand-new Facebook Group!
- How school lunches work at our house (I talk about my big visions of how this was going to work and the reality of how it actually is working for us.)
- A fiction audiobook I recently listened to and loved.
- My thoughts on a really vulnerable question from a listener on how to stop spending so much time on your phone and actually get up and get stuff done.
My special guest for this show is my friend, Jennifer Dukes Lee. I’m so excited to introduce her to you if you don’t know her already! All three of her books have profoundly impacted me.
We talk about overwhelm and I love Jennifer’s highly actionable advice on how to stop feeling overwhelmed and how to know what you should delegate, dismiss, and do. I also play devil’s advocate and asks what Jennifer would say to a woman who’s afraid of offending someone or hurting a relationship by saying “no.” Her advice is so spot-on and convicting to me!
Where You Can Listen to the Episodes
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? Go to CrystalPaine.com or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.
Thanks so much for how excited and supportive you’ve been about this endeavor! I’m thrilled to finally be launching this into the world! I’m so grateful for each of you!
P.S. If you have suggestions for topics you’d love me to cover in the future, please leave a comment or email let me know! I welcome them because I want to serve you as best as I possibly can on this show!
Gretchen’s $62 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
Dillons
1 Half & Half – $3.89
3 Kraft Shredded Cheese – $1.99 each, used 3 $0.75/1 Ibotta rebates – $1.24 each after rebate
1 Yoplait Go-Gurts – $2.99, used $1/1 e-coupon AND $1/1 SavingStar rebate – $0.99 after coupon and rebate
2 pkg Frozen Veggies – $1 each, used $0.50/2 e-coupon – $0.75 each after coupon
3 pkg Bear Naked Granola – $1.99 each (I had 3 $0.75/1 Ibotta rebates for this and doubled checked while at the store to make sure they were still available, but when I got home they had disappeared. Ugh! Does anyone else have this happen? It’s so frustrating!)
3 Knorr Pasta – $1 each, used $0.75/3 e-coupon – $0.75 each after coupon
1 Simple Truth Mac & Cheese – $1.50, used $0.40/1 e-coupon – $1.10 after coupon
1 Cantaloupe – Marked down to $0.99
1 bag Cucumbers – Marked down to $0.99
1 bag Apples – Marked down to $0.99
1 Lettuce – $1.29
1 Epic Bar – $1.50, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon
1 Hormel Compleats Meal – $2, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon
3.04 lbs Bananas – $1.49
Used $0.25/1 Ibotta rebate for receipt
Total after coupons and rebates: $24.92
Aldi
1 bag Apples – $1.79
2 pkg Frozen Broccli – $1.19 each
1 lb Ground Beef – $3.39
1 pkg Frozen Chicken Breasts – $5.99
1 Applesauce – $1.89
1 box Cereal – $1.39
1 can Black Beans – $0.61
1 can Diced Tomatoes – $0.69
1 can Kidney Beans – $0.59
1 bag Mandarins – $2.69
1 bag Flour – $1.39
1 Spaghetti Squash – $1.96
1 bag Tortilla Chips – $1.49
1 bag Shredded Cheese – $2.49
1 lb Butter – $2.55
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce – $1.49
1 gallon Milk – $1.79
1 loaf Bread – $1.49
1 dozen Eggs – $0.58
1 pkg English Muffins – $0.99
Total: $37.63
Total for both stores: $62.55
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Cereal, English Muffins, Fruit, Pumpkin Muffins, Yogurt
Lunches
Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Tossed Salad, Cheese/Crackers, Fruit/Veggies, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Mac & Cheese, Leftovers
Dinners
Southwest Rollups, Tortilla Chips, Cantaloupe
Homemade Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks
Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli
3-Bean Chili Chowder, Tortilla Chips, Veggies
Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit Salad
Dinner with friends (We are bringing dessert!)
Out to eat
How to Listen to Books for Free
Interested in how to get free audiobooks? I listen to ALL my audiobooks for FREE — and I have for years now! Read this post to learn how!
Psst! Interested in the best audiobooks to listen to? Check out this list of my top 7 favorites!
It’s no secret that I absolutely love books. And I try to invest at least a little bit of time every single day reading.
But on really full days, fitting in reading time can be a challenge. Which is why I’m so grateful for audiobooks! They are the perfect solution to making reading a priority — even if you aren’t able to physically sit down and read a book.
However, if you buy audiobooks online, they are often quite expensive — typically more than you’d pay for the paperback or hardback copy. Which is why I’m a fan of finding ways to listen to audiobooks for FREE instead.
Stop paying: How to get Free Audiobooks
When I first started listening to audiobooks back in 2016, I did extensive research on the best paid audiobook options.
And while services like Audible offer an extensive selection of audiobooks, a great interface, and the ability to own your books…I just can’t bring myself to pay over $12-$15 per month for ONE audiobook!
Because here’s a secret I’m going to let you in on — you can most likely listen to audiobooks for FREE from your local library!
How to Listen to Books for Free
Originally, the audiobook apps that libraries used were not very user-friendly and pretty clunky to use. But now that most libraries use the Libby app, I’ve fallen in love with listening to audiobooks from the library!
There are so many different audiobooks to choose from on it and they are all at my favorite price point: FREE! In fact, I’ve figured out that by using the Libby app, I’m probably saving about $100-$150 per month!
Audiobooks For Free: How the Libby App works
- Download the Libby app and connect it to your local library card.
- Search through the app for a book or audiobook you want to check out (you can search by genre, title, author, book format, availability, and more).
- Once you find a book you want to “check out”, you either place a hold on it (if it’s not available) or choose to borrow it.
- After borrowing a book, you get to keep it in your account for 14 days. After that, it automatically is loaned back to the library for another patron to be able to check out.
One drawback: Many of the popular books have quite a long waiting list, so you might have to wait a bit to get your turn to listen to the audiobook. Also, if you don’t finish listening within 14 days, you won’t be able to pick back up where you left off until you wait on the waiting list again. However, there are many great books that don’t have a long waiting list — or any waiting list at all!
But to have access to hundreds of thousands of audiobooks for FREE is pretty downright amazing. And I love the fact that I don’t have to worry about paying late fines, because a book just expires on the app once your checkout time is up.
Plus, you never even have to make it to the library to check out or return books. You can request and download and “return” books all right from your phone in your living room!
A few tips on How to Listen to Books for Free
These are just a few tips I’ve found to be personally helpful when listening to audiobooks…
- I try to pick audiobooks that are no more than 8-9 hours in length because that’s a manageable length for me to get through before the audiobook needs to be “returned” to the library.
- I always listen to the books on 1.25 speed — you can’t tell a difference. And it means that it speeds it up just a little bit.
- Be sure to listen to a sample ahead of time. Some of the narrators are amazing and some are just annoying to me. I can’t spend 8 hours listening to a voice that annoys me.
- I’ve found that certain genres are best for listening to. I especially love great biographies and fiction. I’ve found that non-fiction isn’t as enjoyable or beneficial to listen to. I prefer to read those since I’m more of a visual learner and want to make sure I catch every word and have the ability to underline/highlight. Try different genres and figure out which you prefer!
Finding time to listen to Audiobooks for Free
The great thing about audiobooks is that you can often listen to them while your hands are busy or you’re getting something else done!
Here are some pockets of time I use to listen to audiobooks each day:
- While I’m getting ready in the morning — hair, makeup, cleaning up our room & bathroom.
- When I’m working in the kitchen — washing dishes, cooking, etc.
- When I’m driving without the kids — heading out on an errand, to school drop-off, etc.
For me, this adds up to about 30-60 minutes of audiobook listening time per day! And I can easily get through one book in 10-12 days this way!
More resources on Where to Listen to Free Audiobooks
If you don’t have access to the Libby app through your local library, here are a few other options:
Larger State Library — If your library is small and doesn’t offer free audiobook apps, consider checking into other larger libraries in your state. You may be able to get a free library card to another library in your state or area that does offer audiobooks. Or, they may offer a paid library membership to out-of-area residents. If you go through a lot of audiobooks, it may be a much less expensive option to buy a membership than to pay to download individual audiobooks from other sites.
Librivox — This site offers thousands of public domain audiobooks — for free. The audiobooks are read by volunteers so the quality isn’t always as professional as what you can download from the library. However, they are free for anyone to listen to on their computer, iPod or other mobile device, or to burn onto a CD. (Note: One of my readers mentioned in the comments that many of the classics have multiple versions available read by different readers, so try a few different versions to find the reader you like best!)
LoyalBooks — This is another HUGE directory of free audiobooks and ebooks. This site used to be called BooksShouldBeFree. It offers a wide variety of public domain audiobooks.
YouTube — Believe it or not, YouTube offers a number of free audiobooks. Some of these are illegally recorded, others are not. To find an audiobook on YouTube, search for the name of the book + audiobook to see if it pulls it up. There are a different YouTube channels that offer free audiobooks, too, such as Greatest Audiobooks and AudiobooksFree.
Open Culture — This site offers a listing of 700 different audiobooks you can download free. Most of the links are to iTunes downloads or MP3 downloads.
Free Classic Audiobooks — This site offers free audiobook downloads in mp3 and in m4b audiobook format for iTunes and the iPod. It’s a pretty old site, but it looks like they update it with new audiobooks fairly regularly.
Learn Out Loud — This site has a Free Audiobook section where they offer 3,000 different audiobooks for free. There are quite a few good selections to choose from. They list free audiobooks from across the web plus some you can download directly through LearnOutLoud.com.
Podcasts — One of my readers recommended the Sparkle Stories and StoryNory podcasts. They offer free audiobooks for kids.
Related Links:
- My Favorite Headphones (affiliate link)
- My Top 7 Favorite Audiobooks
- How to Find More Time to Read — Even in the Midst of a Busy Schedule
- 8 Ways to Get Free Books
- How I Read 15 Books in One Month
- Listening to Audiobooks with Kids 101
- How to Find More Time to Read — Even When Life is Busy
- 7 Ways to Find More Time to Read
- The Top 10 Books I Read in 2019
- 4 Top Reads from 2018
- My Top 10 Reads from 2017
- My Top Reads from 2015
- My Top 10 Reads from 2014
Do you listen to free audiobooks? If so, when you do you find time to listen to them? What are some of your favorites? I’d love to know!
TopGolf, baseball, homework, and snacks
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! ?
I wrote a post on How We Afford Snacks on a Tight Grocery Budget.
Silas pitched his first inning of a baseball game and did a great job!
His new school is really stretching him academically but in a way that motivates him, not frustrates him (well, most days!) I’ve been so proud to watch him really put his head down and work so hard on his projects and papers and homework and to see the sense of accomplishment he gets from working hard on something and completing it well.
We celebrated Jesse’s and Brian’s (our friend) birthday by going to TopGolf with friends. I’m not skilled at all when it comes to golf, but we still had a great time together!
I love watching this boy play his heart out on the ball field.
From My Heart…
They started fighting one night last week during the before dinner prayer.
One child began praying and the other child cut in upset that they weren’t getting to pray and said heatedly, “It’s MY turn to pray tonight!” And then started their own prayer.
You guys. This is life sometimes. I have visions of these heartwarming family dinners together — and then we can’t even make it through the before dinner prayer without arguing and fighting.
And of all the things to fight about… they are fighting about who gets to pray!!!
But despite the rough start to dinner, we ended up having great conversations around the table and had fun picking a new show to watch together after dinner (we’re trying out Monk — have you seen it?).
No day is perfect. Just like no family picture is perfect…
My parents hired a photographer to come take group photos and family photos when we were together in Breckenridge — which was an amazing idea.
Only thing is, we had a really full week that week and had packed at the last minute and hadn’t really had time to think through what we were going to wear for pictures to coordinate with everyone else.
So it was a bit of a mad, scramble, dash to pull off pictures! What you don’t know is that I’m hiding my shoe strap that is broken. (I forgot it had broken until I put them on minutes before pictures!) We had to run to Walmart at the last minute to find a shirt for one child who forgot to pack something for the pictures. And the girls borrowed my scarves the morning of the pictures because they didn’t like their outfits.
Despite the mishaps, there is beauty. And that is really how I’ve been trying to live my life… looking past the discouragements, the daily frustrations, the mishaps and miscommunications and mistakes… and looking for the beauty.
Because there is beauty and goodness around us, if we will be stop to take notice of it. And the more we look for it, the more we will see it in the middle of our imperfect and messy lives.
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: 58 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: 36 notes written so far this year
4. Run 500 miles.
**Progress: 358 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.
**Progress: We’ve been researching some options for this and are planning to make this happen over Fall Break. Stay tuned!
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.)
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!
Hurry and get this HOT deal at Kroger on Ritz Crackers — it ends tonight!
Hurry and get this HOT deal at Kroger on Ritz Crackers — it ends tonight!
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 wasn’t planning to do the Friday-Saturday deals at Kroger because they didn’t seem like they were really all that stellar. However, then I saw this hot tip on KrogerKrazy.com about a catalina that was printing when you bought 3 boxes of Family Size Nabisco Ritz Crackers.
So I popped into Kroger today to see if it would work — and it DID! This deal is only good through tonight, but I wanted to share it in case you have a chance to run to Kroger before the day is over with!
Here’s how to get this deal:
- Buy 3 boxes of Nabisco Ritz Crackers at $1.99 each (be sure to download the coupon to your card from the Kroger app or Kroger site)
- Spend $5.97 + tax out of pocket
- Get a $3 catalina back — good for $3 off your next shopping trip!
- That’s like paying $0.99 + tax per family-sized box of Ritz crackers!
I also picked up a few other deals at Kroger…
Saturday Kroger Shopping Trip
- 3 Family-Sized Boxes of Nabisco Ritz Crackers — $1.99 with the Kroger Digital Coupon
- 2 boxes of Raisinets — marked down to $0.19 each
- Naked Juice — on closeout for $1.79, used $2/1 coupon — they deducted it down to $1.79 = FREE after coupon
- 4 jars of Yoplait Oui Yogurt — marked down to $2.39 total
- Bananas — marked down to $0.39/lb. = $1.88 total
- Total with tax: $12.46, Got a $3 catalina back
What I’ve Spent So Far This Week
My grocery week runs from Saturday to Friday. However, I had $11.85 leftover from this past week, so I’m subtracting it from this week’s total.
Total I’ve Spent So Far This Week: $1.09
Total Left to Spend: $68.91
Cashback Earned This Week: 25 points from Fetch Rewards for scanning a receipt
A Few Recipes We Love Using Ritz Crackers:
- It’s not a healthful recipe at all, but this Ritzy Chicken casserole is one our family has loved for years. I’m guessing it’s going to be on our menu a few times in the next few weeks!
- Also, these would be great to use in one of our family’s favorite recipes to make for Christmas: Ritz Cracker Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies (we just melt chocolate chips or white chocolate chips to dip them in instead of blending the different chocolates that the recipe calls for).
What are some of YOUR favorite ways to use Ritz crackers?
Brigette’s $73 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Brigette’s $73 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Aldi
1 gallon Whole Milk – $1.36
2 64-oz cartons Orange Juice – $3.38
1 32-oz carton Half and Half – $1.59
1 16-oz carton Heavy Whipping Cream – $1.85
1 1-lb pkg Butter Quarters – $1.99
1 4-lb bag Sugar – $0.99
1 48-oz bag Frozen Chicken Breasts – $5.39
1 3-lb bag Frozen Ground Beef Patties – $8.89
1 16-oz pkg Deli Ham Meat – $2.99
1 pkg Turkey Bacon – $1.89
1 loaf Honey Wheat Bread – $0.85
1 box Pumpkin Toasty O’s Cereal – $1.99
1 16-oz bag Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – $2.49
2 16-oz bags Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $4.30
2 bags Gluten Free Pretzels – $3.50
1 pkg Rice Cakes – $1.15
1 tub Cookies and Cream Ice Cream (this got loaded into the freezer immediately instead of put on the table for the picture) – $1.75
1 jar Hot Fudge Syrup – $1.99
1 large Pumpkin – $3.79
1 pkg Romaine Hearts – $1.99
1 Cauliflower – $1.79
1 16-oz bag Mini Cucumbers – $1.69
1 bag Mini Sweet Peppers – $2.29
2 bags Baby Carrots – $1.58
1 2-lb bag Peaches – $1.50
3 dozen Eggs – $3.33
1 5-lb bag Jasmine Rice – $3.85
1 bag Chopped Pecans – $2.99
Total: $73.14
Grocery Total for the Week: $73.14
Weekly Menu Plan
We ended up with a LOT of leftover fresh produce from the past couple of weeks, so we’ll be working on using that up this week.
Breakfasts
Everyone is responsible for making/cleaning up their own breakfast. Choices include:
Cereal, Oatmeal, Fruit, Boiled/Fried/Scrambled Eggs, Veggie Omelets
Birthday Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls, Bacon, Boiled Eggs
Lunches
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit, Carrots
Rice Cakes with Peanut Butter, Cheese Sticks, Carrots, Apples
Ham Sandwiches, Oranges, Cucumbers
Pretzels with Peanut Butter, Peaches/Apples Mini Peppers x 2
Leftovers x 2
Dinners
Pakistani Kima (recipe from “More With Less” cookbook), Tossed Salad, Fruit
Hamburgers on the Grill with Homemade Buns, Baked Potato Wedges, Applesauce, Roasted Cauliflower
Taco Salad (We use ground venison instead of ground beef), Spanish Rice
Baked Chicken Breast, Creamy Milk Rice, Make-Ahead Butterhorns, Roasted Zucchini
Shepherd’s Pie, Make-Ahead Butterhorns, Ice Cream Cake (Birthday Dinner)
BBQ Meatballs, Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans, Biscuits
Leftovers
I found whole milk marked down to $1.99!!
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.
Look what I found at Kroger today?? Whole milk marked down to $1.99!! I haven’t seen whole milk marked down in a long time and it’s the only kind of milk we usually buy.
(I know some of you only pay $2 per gallon all the time, but here in this area, I never see milk that cheap unless it’s marked down.)
I also picked up this FREE Hormel Compleats meal which one of my kids was SO excited about. These kinds of meals always look super unappetizing to me… but my kids apparently disagree! 🙂
(Psst! If you have a Kroger or Kroger affiliate, go grab your coupon for a FREE Hormel Compleats Meal.)
Friday Kroger Shopping Trip
- Kroger Instant Oatmeal — $1.49, used $0.40/1 coupon Kroger sent me in the mail = $1.09 after coupon
- Takis — $1.49 when you buy 5 participating items
- 2 packages Keebler cookies — $1.49 each, used $1/2 coupon Kroger sent me in the mail = $0.99 each after the coupon
- Gillette Shave Gel — $0.99 when you buy 5 participating items
- Nature’s Own Bread — $1.99 when you buy 5 participating items
- 1 yogurt — marked down to $0.29
- 3 caramel apples — marked down to $0.25 each
- 2 Yoplait Oui yogurts — marked down to $0.79 each
- Brown Rice — $0.89
- Hormel Compleats Meal — FREE with Free Friday Digital coupon
- 1 bag of potatoes — marked down to $0.99
- 1 bag of 4 apples — marked down to $0.99
- Kroger milk — marked down to $1.99
- 4 tubs of Oscar Mayer turkey — on closeout for $2.09 each
- Total with tax: $24.94
What I’ve Spent So Far This Week
Total I’ve Spend So Far This Week: $58.15
Total Left to Spend: $11.85
Cashback Earned This Week: 170 points from Fetch Rewards for buying Oscar Mayer + scanning another receipt + $0.25 back from Ibotta for scanning a receipt
How much do you spend for a gallon of milk and where do you live? I’d love to hear!
Cheap Easy Snacks on a Budget
Looking for easy ways to stock your pantry with cheap snacks for kids? These are my best tips!
One thing I’ve promised the kids over the past few years is that any time we cut our grocery budget back, I would still find ways to buy treats and some of their favorite foods for them. So I’m always on the lookout for markdowns and deals on items that they especially love or that I know will make them excited.
These items aren’t necessarily the best deals ever, but if I can afford to purchase treats for them in our budget, then I’m all about that. Also, it becomes easier to have wiggle room in your grocery budget the more you stock up and buy multiples of items when they are at their lowest price.
How to FIND the Cheapest Snacks
Here are some of my tips for being able to afford snacks if you’re on a tight grocery budget:
- Follow KrogerKrazy.com. So many of the great deals I find at Kroger are thanks to tips from KrogerKrazy.com. I can’t recommend this site enough! It’s fantastic if you have a Kroger or Kroger affiliate. I may check it something like 3-5 times per day. Yup. I’m THAT weird girl who gets so jazzed about new deals! By the way, the Friday-Saturday/weekend sales recently have had a LOT of great deals on snack foods.
- Find a local blogger. Don’t have a Kroger? Search for the name of you local store and “deals” or “coupon blogger” to see if there’s a similar site where a blogger is covering the deals at your local store. (There are so many IHeartPublix.com, TotallyTarget.com, and many more! If you know of a great blogger doing a really great job of covering deals exclusively at one store, please leave a comment and let us know!)
- Look for markdowns and closeouts. As you know, I always walk around the perimeter of the store looking for markdowns. If I have extra time, I’ll quickly walk through the aisles looking for the white closeout stickers at Kroger. Other stores like BigLots, have clearance carts that sometimes have really great deals on snack foods. Check at your local stores to see what they offer in the way of clearance and markdowns. I know that Target often has great markdowns on snack foods, too. (Tip: Check out my post on How to Find Great Markdowns at Kroger.)
Buying Cheap Snacks on a Budget:
- Stock up when you find a great deal. This is one of those tips that I assume every knows, but when I talk to so many people most people are not stocking up when there’s a great sale. If you know it’s something that your kids love and it’s on a great deal and you can afford it in your budget, get as many as you can! That way, you won’t have to pay full-price for snacks OR you won’t have to tell your kids that there just aren’t any snacks because you didn’t have wiggle room in your budget. I try to buy ahead at least $5-$8 worth of snack type foods each week and then we always have a good selection to choose from.
- Set up a stash that the kids can’t get into. Okay, so some of you might think I’m a crazy mom to do this, but I actually have a high shelf in our pantry that is known as “Mom’s Secret Stash.” It’s not really that secret since all the kids know about it, but it’s snack foods that I’ve bought extras of that they aren’t allowed to get into until I get it down. The reason is: if I leave the snack foods easily accessible, my kids go through them at alarming rates. So instead, I will put one or two bags or packages of something in the pantry that they can get into and the rest are saved for the following week (or for whenever we are running low on snacks in the other shelves of the pantry). It’s weird, but by doing this, the kids pace themselves and the snacks last much, much longer.
While packaged snacks can be fun and my kids love them, they also love homemade snack foods, too. Here are some options that are favorites around here:
8 Homemade Cheap Easy Snacks
- Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Veggies
- Fruit
- Homemade Yogurt in the Crockpot
- Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
- Popcorn
- Homemade Crockpot Pear or Applesauce Sauce
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothies
8 Freezer-Friendly Cheap Snack Ideas
When you have a free day or a laid-back weekend, use some of that time to make meals and parts of meals to stick in your freezer. Things like homemade popsicles, homemade gogurts, homemade cookie dough, homemade muffins, and homemade smoothie kits are great to have on hand.
- Freezer-Friendly Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches
- Freezer-Friendly Banana Bread
- Easy Morning Glory Muffins
- Homemade Energy Bites
- Brown Bag Burritos
- Homemade Pizza Pockets
- Southwest Roll-ups
- Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
Best Cheap Snacks (Even More Ideas!)
- Read this post on 20+ Frugal Snack Ideas submitted by readers.
- Be sure to check out this Facebook post for a plethora of additional ideas and tips!
- You can Save Over $100 Per Year Making Your Own Snacks. (Read for additional tips and recipe ideas!)
- Check out these 10 Healthy and Cheap Vegan Snacks for Kids for some more recipes!
- This list of 8 Delicious & Healthy Freezer-Friendly Snack Ideas includes some of our all-time faves!
- These Grain-Free Chocolate Cashew Cookies Made With Black Beans are delicious and packed with protein!
- We’re HUGE fans of muffins in our home. Check out my Top 7 Favorite Freezer-Friendly Muffin Recipes!
Cheap Snack Ideas from our Readers:
Thanks to many of you for leaving comments and/or submitting your favorite frugal snack ideas!
- Yogurt and granola
- Smoothies with frozen fruit
- Cereal
- Chips and salsa
- Frozen grapes
- Produce from your own garden
- Celery or apples with peanut butter and raisins
- PB & J sandwiches
- Toast or bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter
What tips and advice do you have for saving money on snacks? I’d love to hear!
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
5 Creative Ideas to Lower the Cost of Expensive School Trips
Guest post from Karen of Lightly Frayed:
Statistics show it currently costs a quarter of a million dollars to raise a child in North America… sometimes it feels like half of that goes towards school-related expenses!
“Mom – I need $34 for a field trip next week.”
“Can you give me money for…a new agenda…pizza day…school pictures…and a yearbook?”
And the list goes on.
Everyday items can certainly add up, but one of the largest school expenses is class trips.
A few years ago, one of our boys had an opportunity to go on a three-day school trip a few hours away… for $350! We wrestled with whether we would send him, knowing it was a big-ticket item and would set a precedent for future trips for his three younger brothers.
Ultimately, we decided to pass on this trip since our youth group offered a similar outdoor experience at a fraction of the cost.
Of course, it’s not easy to tell your middle-schooler he won’t be able to go on a school trip with their friends… but after talking with another school mom who also felt the trip was too expensive, a possible alternative emerged.
Together, we organized “Camp Left Behind” for our two grade six boys. While the rest of their class was on the school trip, we did affordable and memorable activities with our boys at home.
The boys enjoyed our ‘homemade’ camp, because they could still miss school and spend time together. They even embraced the quirkiness of our camp name.
Camp Left Behind included:
- a full day at a gym and pool, using my friend’s guest passes
- an afternoon of trampolining
- lunch out at the restaurant of their choice
- 1-on-1 basketball competitions
- movie nights at each other’s houses
- memories captured in many photos
Since Money Saving Mom readers are a resourceful group, I’d love to share 5 more ideas we’ve used to lower the cost of expensive school trips.
1. Discuss Openly as a Family
We follow Crystal’s suggestion to not use “We can’t afford that” as a default response to our children.
Rather, we talk about weighing out how we spend our money, and we encourage our kids to be part of deciding how important the trip is to them.
A few times, our boys have decided to miss one trip in favor of doing a different one later in the year. This reinforces decision-making rather than focusing on a lack of resources.
2. Be Honest
Families in our school have homes ranging from one-bedroom apartments to luxurious dwellings. What is easily affordable for one family can be prohibitive to another.
The school needs feedback from families of all budgets.
One teacher appreciated my feedback that a $700 trip could be a financial strain for many.
Ask if a reduced rate might be available or inquire if group fundraising would be an option.
3. Be Prepared for Unexpected Blessings
One time, my son explained to his teacher that he would not be able to attend the planned class trip. His teacher called me later that week to offer my son a full scholarship for the trip!!!
She said she nominated him for his quiet, consistent leadership, and explained other teachers were thrilled for him to receive the allotted funds.
Not only could he attend the trip, but he learned that character can be noticed and valued.
4. Ask Your People
Do you have any grandparents who would be able to contribute? They might just be thrilled to help their grandkids have a unique experience like a trip.
Children can learn how to write a letter explaining the details of the trip, and politely ask for any contributions.
My mother-in-law told me they chuckled when our third son asked them if they would consider “investing in him”, then proceeded to talk only about the great food he would eat in Quebec.
They teased him that they expected interest back on their investment.
5. Be Creative
Since our family has committed to only pay cash for things, we often use out-of-the-box strategies to raise funds.
We sell items we no longer use at yard sales. Our boys have mowed lawns or done weeding for neighbors. One of our children sold his Lego sets online to fund his particular adventure. Another son buys vintage items at thrift stores and sells them at a significant profit.
Our children have been proud to pay for a percentage of their school trips; viewing this as an accomplishment, and a necessary part of being part of a larger family.
While it is difficult to say ‘no’ to our children, living within our means is an important life skill to weave into our family culture.
With a little brainstorming and flexibility, it IS possible to turn apparent roadblocks into life lessons sprinkled with adventures.
You simply can’t put a price on that!
Karen Gauvreau, would squeeze her four-baby-body into a cheerleader’s uniform for you to know someone is rooting for you as a Mom – cartwheeling for your victories and offering a pep talk when you feel pummelled. If you laugh in the process, even better! When she’s not saving money on school trips, she’s writing at LightlyFrayed.com.
Gretchen’s $64 Weekly Grocery Shopping Trip and Menu Plan
Dillons
1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $1.25
1 Kroger Sour Cream – $1.25, used $0.50/1 e-coupon – $0.75 after coupon
3 pkg Kroger Shredded Cheese – $1.88 each, used $0.85/3 e-coupon – $1.59 each after coupon
4.16 lbs Bananas – $2.04
1 Green Leaf Lettuce – $1.29
1 bag Marked Down Produce – $0.99
1 Pineapple – $0.99
Total after coupons: $12.08
Aldi
2 pkg Fruit Squeezies – $1.49 each
1 Half & Half – $1.79
1 bag Navel Oranges – $1.99
1 can Baked Beans – $1.39
1 Ranch Dressing – $1.29
1 bag Chocolate Chips – $1.89
1 bag Frozen Chicken Tenderloins – $5.79
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce – $1.39
1 gallon Milk – $1.79
2 pkg Frozen Veggies – $0.79 each
1 pkg Ground Beef – $6.33
3 pkg Strawberries – $0.99 each
1 loaf Bread – $1.49
1 pkg Old Fashioned Oats – $2.39
1 lb Oven Roasted Turkey Meat – $3.99
1 lb Frozen Ground Beef – $3.39
4 cans Green Beans – $0.49 each
1 pkg Roma Tomatoes – $0.99
1 lb Butter – $2.56
1 Honey – $2.99
2 Cucumbers – $0.59 each
1 pkg English Muffins – $0.79
Total: $52.91
Total for both stores: $64.99
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Cereal, Toasted English Muffins, Fruit, Eggs
Lunches
Cheese/Crackers, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Tossed Salads, Turkey Sandwiches, Fruit/Veggies, Leftovers
Dinners
Mac & Cheese, Fruit
Date night (My in-laws are watching the kids and they will feed them!)
Grilled Minute Steaks (from my mom), Homemade Rolls, Steamed Peas
Lasagna Casserole, Tossed Salad, Banana Bread
Barbecue Meatballs, Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans (I’m bringing dinner for all the adults in our Lifegroup.)
French Toast, Eggs, Oranges
Italian Chicken, Pumpkin Pecan Muffins, Steamed Corn
Costco, Tough Mudders, Crockpots, and Camping
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! ?
I posted asking you all about whether you thought I should get a Costco membership and MAN, you all delivered! There were 100+ comments on the original posts + so many other comments I got on social media and emails you all sent in! Part of me just wants to try shopping at Costco for a few months, but the other part of me thinks that many of you are very right: I won’t be able to beat the prices I currently get.
Also, I found out that you can buy seaweed at Kroger (I had no idea since I’ve never purchased it before!) and you can usually get it for less than a $1 per package by pairing coupons with sales. I also heard that it’s even less expensive at Asian grocery stores. So I guess that 10 packages of seaweed for $8.99 at Costco wasn’t such an amazing deal after all!
I am so enjoying getting on Facebook Live at 6:50 a.m. in the mornings to share what I’m cooking for dinner.
Plus, having dinner all made before our day starts makes the afternoons and evenings so much calmer! I’d love to have you join me live tomorrow morning, if you’re up at 6:50 a.m. CST!
I got this new book in the mail from my friend, Jennifer Dukes Lee. AND I got to interview her on my soon-to-be-released podcast! It officially launches next week and I am crazy excited about it and have been having so much fun learning a brand-new skillset! (Sign up here if you want to get to hear the very first episode before anyone else does!)
Jennifer sent me a copy of her book and these beautiful cards that made me smile! 🙂
On Friday, we left for a weekend camping trip with our Community Group. I brought my Instant Pot for the first time to use for dinner — and it worked like a charm!
Psst! Looking for some of my newbie camping advice? Check out my post from our last camping trip on How We Prepared for Our Very First Camping Trip.
After we got camp all set up and ate dinner, we began with a reading and prayer from our pastor.
(Kaitlynn took some amazing pictures of the lights.)
He was the only boy on the camping trip, but he did great at holding his own and having fun with all the girls!
One of the families brought their dog — and the kids enjoyed playing with him! (Not sure why Silas had one shoe on and one is missing! Who knows?!)
They made a bunch of mud creations with the clay in the lake. The girls then painted them and sold them to the parents. I thought it was quite creative entrepreneurship!
A good ‘ole fashioned game of “chicken”.
We rented a camper trailer this time around in order to try to help us sleep better, make the set up and tear down quicker (since we had the Tough Mudder on Sunday), and help our outdoor allergies not be so awful from camping like they were last time we went tent camping.
Well, it was the best thing ever! We rented it from an RV share site and got it for a day and a half for less than the price of a hotel room. And we absolutely loved it! I’ll probably be writing a complete post on our experience because so many people asked me to do so after I shared about it on Instagram Stories.
By the way, it only took us a few hours to get all packed up and out the door this time — as opposed to 10 hours last time. It helped tremendously that we already had most of the supplies in tubs and I had put together the Master Camping List last time around.
(You can read my post on the Master List of Things You Should Take Camping here.)
The four families who came (one family from our Community Group couldn’t make it, sadly!), all were each in charge of their own breakfasts and lunches, but we had Communal Dinners and everyone pitched in and brought stuff.
We did hot dogs and brats the first night (I brought all of the ones I’d gotten from various Kroger deals and markdowns the last two months — I had them in the freezer and it was plenty to feed all 20 of us!) and then we did a Taco/Fajita night the second night. This worked so well and made it so that no one had to do a lot of work.
Sunday morning, we got up bright and early for the Tough Mudder. It was our third time to participate in a Tough Mudder (see details on our first Tough Mudder here — look how tiny our kids were then!!)
I had been looking forward to the Tough Mudder so much because we had convinced some of our best friends to do it with us. It had been SO hot on Saturday, so we were worried it was going to be too hot today. But it was perfect. Warm, but cloudy and the perfect temperature.
We loved getting to hang out, walk 10 miles together, push and encourage each other on the obstacles, and challenge ourselves outside our comfort zones.
(We didn’t get any pictures on the actual course, but one of the volunteers at the finish line offered to take these pictures at the finish line and text them to us!)
I ended up only skipping one of the 23 obstacles this time — which I was super excited about since I had always bypassed three obstacles in the past. I wasn’t able to complete two of the obstacles that I tried out (both requiring upper arm strength — something I really need to improve in!), but the fact that I didn’t chicken out and went for it and tried it encouraged me.
Plus, the entire Mudder as a whole just felt so much easier and fun than the two we had done in the past. I think that the more you do hard things, the less scary and daunting they become!
If you ever get a chance to do a Tough Mudder, I highly, highly recommend it.
By the way, the tickets are expensive, but you can sometimes find them discounted on Groupon (that’s where we got ours) or you can get in free or highly discounted if you volunteer at the event the day before.
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: 58 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: 34 notes written so far this year
4. Run 500 miles.
**Progress: 348 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.
**Progress: We’ve been researching some options for this and are planning to make this happen over Fall Break. Stay tuned!
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.)
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!
A movie, an online class, and an Aldi trip
Welcome to my weekly Slow Day post, inspired by Monica from The Homespun Heart. My Word for 2018 is Slow and, in the spirit of that word, I’m taking one day each week (Wednesday) off — I’ll be unplugged and offline and plan to move at a slower pace, take time to do things that refresh me, and just really focus on being present and savoring the moment.
Each week, I’ll be sharing a photographic peek into my Slow Day. Enjoy a little peek into our lives!
I started the day attending chapel at Silas and Kaitlynn’s school.
I love getting to sit with them and spend a little time in their world on Wednesdays.
And then I headed to Discipleship Group.
We kicked off our Lesson 1 meeting by talking about stories and how each of us have a story — and how in light of the Gospel, we can see Creation, the Fall, Redemption and Restoration in our stories.
In our small group time, we each had to draw a picture of a little screenshot of where we’re at in life right now and share that with our group (how we’re feeling right where we’re at in life). This brought such honest discussion and we had really heartfelt conversations as a result.
After Discipleship Group, Jesse and I went to a movie together. (Middle of the day dates are the BEST!)
We saw Mission Impossible: Fallout — which we both enjoyed, though it made me want to go back and watch the rest of the Mission Impossible movies.
After I helped the kids with homework, I laid down and read a little bit and then took a power nap.
And then it was time for dinner and to prep for my online blogging class that I was teaching. (Brian on my team came over to help run the class and get everything set up for it!)
{By the way, I wanted to teach this class during a middle of the week evening, but the only free night that worked to do it was Wednesday. Even though it’s my off day, I made an exception and did it. And I actually really enjoyed doing it on a Wednesday since I felt like I came to the class so fresh and ready to teach after being offline all day!}
We sometimes get creative in how we set things up! This time, we used a huge stack of my coloring books to hold my computer! 🙂
When I was finished, Jesse was on his way home from picking the girls up from church.
(By the way, Jesse and Silas went to Aldi for me while I was doing the class. He said that they split up and both took half the list. Silas told me how it compared prices and made sure to get the store brand not the name brand and the best deal on everything. While it’s pretty simple an easy to do this at Aldi, it made my mama heart so happy to hear him doing this all on his own! I feel like I have accomplished a big life goal that he knows how to grocery shop on a budget and find the best deals!)
Kaitlynn finished up some homework while I worked in the kitchen.
And Silas made a bedtime snack of macaroni and cheese. (That boy loves his mac & cheese!)
Then, we all hung out and talked for awhile and then the kids went to bed and I worked on prepping for podcast interviews the next day. And then it was time to bed for me, too!
Brigette’s $62 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
Aldi
1 gallon Whole Milk – $1.36
1 16-oz carton Heavy Whipping Cream – $1.55
2 64-oz cartons Orange Juice – $3.38
1 10-lb bag Russet Potatoes – $3.89
1 bag Frozen Mixed Veggies – $0.75
2 16-oz bags Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $4.30
2 1-lb boxes Butter – $3.98
2 cans Condensed Tomato Soup – $0.90
2 cans Diced Tomatoes – $0.70
1 32-oz carton Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt – $3.29
1 pkg Fresh Zucchini – $1.49
2 pkgs Strawberries – $2.18
1 3-ct pkg Multi-Colored Peppers – $1.49
1 pkg Broccoli Crowns – $1.29
1 bag Green Grapes (2.94lbs @ $0.79/lb) – $2.32
2 heads Cauliflower – $3.58
1 pkg Romaine Hearts – $1.99
1 bag Fresh Green Beans – $1.39
2 bags Baby Carrots – $1.58
1 pkg Baby Lettuce – $1.89
1 bag Radishes – $0.49
1 16-oz bag Mini Cucumbers – $1.69
1 6-ct pkg Blueberry Applesauce Cups (sugarless) – $1.39
1 box Rice Squares – $1.79
1 bag Gluten Free Pretzels – $1.75
1 box Cheddar Crackers – $1.49
1 pkg Rice Cakes – $1.15
1 pkg Cream Cheese – $0.65
2 dozen Eggs – $2.26
1 pkg Hotdog Buns – $0.65
2 pkgs Kaiser Buns – $1.99 (I bought these because there was no sandwich bread left in the store…or at any store in the entire city. Sandwich bread is a hurricane staple in the South, y’all! :))
Total: $58.60
Harris Teeter
10 cans Green Beans – $2.90
1 Eggland’s Best Eggs – $2.00, used $0.55/1 Eggland’s Best Eggs – 9-9-18 RMN (exp. 12/09/18) (doubled) – $0.90 after coupon
1 jar Simply Ragu – $1.25, used $0.75/1 Ragu Simply Pasta Sauce – 8-26-18 SS; Includes 24 oz Only (exp. 09/23/18) (doubled) – FREE after coupon
Total: $3.80
Free Produce from a Friend’s Garden
More Freebies (and that’s a second bucket of Okra!)
Grocery Total for the Week: $62.40
Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Everyone is responsible for making/cleaning up their own breakfasts. Choices include:
Cereal, Oatmeal, Fruit, Yogurt, Boiled/Fried/Scrambled Eggs, Veggie Omelets, Smoothies
Lunches
Turkey Meat/Lettuce/Tomatoes on Kasier Rolls, Grapes, Carrots x 2
Pretzels/Cheddar Crackers, Strawberries, Cucumbers, Cheese Sticks
Build-Your-Own-Salad Bar (Chopped Romaine, Cut Up Veggies and Fruit, Nuts, Shredded Cheese, Craisins, Hard Boiled Eggs, Dressing), Kaiser Rolls
Leftovers x 3
Dinners
Eggplant Lasagna, Homemade French Bread, Tossed Salad, Green Beans
Shepherd’s Pie (recipe from a church cookbook), Steamed Broccoli, Fruit Salad
Cheesy Hamburger Potato Soup (I’ll use venison instead of ground beef), Italian Breadsticks, Fresh Veggies and Dip
Chicken Pot Pie, Steamed Cauliflower, Marinated Tomato Salad with Herbs (I grow pots of herbs on my back screened-in porch, so I always have fresh herbs to use this time of year)
Mexican Lasagna, Tossed Salad, Apples
Hotdogs (I “found” a package in the freezer that needs to be used up!), Baked Homemade French Fries, Fried Okra
Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Garlic Mashed Cauliflower, Roasted Okra, Easy Homemade Biscuits