Frugally Blonde put together a list of Top Things to Stock Up On in May.
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Shared Apr 30, 2018
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This Week’s $70 Menu Plan (+ grocery shopping pictures & deals I scored this weekend!)
This Week’s $70 Menu Plan (+ grocery shopping pictures & deals I scored this weekend!)
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.
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.
It’s Week 2 of my $70 Grocery Budget Challenge and I’m excited to see how this week goes! I’m loving hearing from so many of you who are sharing how this challenge is motivating you to look for ways you can cut your grocery bill, too! That just thrills my heart!
Here’s an update on what I bought the past three days:
Saturday Kroger Shopping Trip — $15.58
- 3 boxes Ronzoni Pasta — on sale for $0.99 each, used $0.50/1 Kroger Digital coupon (can use it up to 5 times in one transaction) — $0.49 each after coupons
- Chorizo — marked down to $2.29
- Cinnamon Rolls — marked down to $1.99
- 2 bags of yellow/orange peppers — $0.99 per bag
- 1 bag of apples — $0.99
- 2 grapefruit — $0.99
- 5 packages of Keebler cookies — $0.99 per package (Saturday only deal with digital coupon)
- Total with tax: $15.58
Saturday Dollar Tree Shopping Trip — $4.39
We hosted most of the 4 families from our Community Group yesterday and I needed some plasticware and paper plates/cups for that. So Dollar Tree to the rescue! My total with tax was $4.39 — which is why I’m such a fan of Dollar Tree (read about my 25 Favorite Things to Buy at Dollar Tree here.)
Remember the Sourdough Bread I got marked down last week? Well, we used that plus some of the eggs I got marked down to make some amazing French Toast for lunch on Sunday and we have enough leftover to also have it for dinner tonight with fruit and bacon (that we got for $1.99 last week!)
And we served it yesterday with Berry Smoothies that I made with some frozen berries I had in the freezer already (from ALDI) and the frozen Cottage Cheese plus some vanilla and raw sugar and almond milk.
Monday Kroger Shopping Trip — $9.23
- Capri Sun (for school lunches) — $2
- 2 packs of applesauce cups — on sale for $2, used $1/2 Kroger Digital coupon — $1.50 after coupon
- 5 boxes of Ronzoni Pasta — on sale for $0.99 each, used $0.50/1 Kroger Digital coupon (can be used up to 5 times in one transaction) — $0.49 each after coupon
- 2 bunches of bananas marked down — $1.63 total
- 2 packages of Bic razors — $2.99 each, used 2 $3/1 coupons — FREE after coupons
- Total with tax: $9.23
Go Get Your FREE Razors!
Walmart and Kroger both have these priced at less than $3 making them free after the $3 off coupon. Do note that since the price of the item is less than the coupon, the coupon will likely beep and they’ll have to manually push it through — and some cashiers are leery of doing that.
Just be kind and polite and if they refuse to do so, just graciously ask for them to take those off your order and take the coupons back. And then you can try again another day with another cashier.
(Note: This is a 100% legitimate use of coupons, it’s just that when coupons beep, some cashiers get a little freaked out about it. It’s usually because they’ve seen coupon abuse in the past. That’s why I think it’s always so important for us couponers to be as kind and gracious and polite as possible. Let’s give couponing a good name!)
Be sure to submit your receipts to Ibotta. They usually offer one $0.25 cash back offer per week for just taking the 15 seconds to submit your receipt — no matter what you purchased! $0.25 isn’t much, but it’s something and for the time required to submit it, that’s a pretty good return! 🙂
This Week’s Super Simple Menu Plan
This menu is subject to change a little if I find some great deals or markdowns! ?
Breakfasts
Cereal, Oatmeal, Eggs, Fruit, Toast
Lunches
Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit, Veggies, Applesauce Cups, Capri Sun, Banana Bread, Fried Eggs, Salad, Leftovers
Dinners
Monday — French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Fruit
Tuesday — Sausage/Potatoes/Carrots/Onions in the Crockpot, Fruit, Rolls
Wednesday — Taco Salad, Fruit
Thursday — Dinner Out (Spirit Night for Kaitlynn’s school at a local pizza place.)
Friday — Chorizo with Eggs (haven’t decided on sides for this — I’ve never made Chorizo before, what goes with it?)
Saturday — Goulash, Rolls, Salad
Sunday — Snack-y Dinner (fend for yourself — cereal, popcorn, etc.)Total spent so far this week: $29.20
Total left to spend: $40.80 (Stay tuned for updates over the next few days if I score any great deals!)Cash back so far: $0.25 from Ibotta for submitting my receipt
In case you missed it, I spent $68.22 total on groceries last week. And here was our menu for last week.
What’s on YOUR menu this week? Have you gotten any great deal the past few days? Tell us about them in the comments!
What I Read & Watched This Past Week
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.)
What I Read This Past Week
As I told you last week, I slowly savored this book. It was really thought-provoking and I didn’t want it to end!
This book delves into racism and brings up a lot of the current issues that, sadly, are so rampant in our day and age. I think it’s a worthwhile read and will really make you think.
What I Watched This Past Week
Jesse and I watched Dunkirk and, well, I was unimpressed with it. I felt like the storyline was really lacking and it just felt disjointed and confusing.
We also watched a few more episodes of Designated Survivor. We are still really enjoying that show!
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 you really think I need to read or watch?
Shared Apr 29, 2018
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A Peek Into Our Lives This Past Week (+ an update on my goals for 2018)
A Peek Into Our Lives This Past Week (+ an update on my goals for 2018)
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! ?
Kaitlynn’s class hatched chicks this week — which was pretty exciting for everyone in the class! 🙂
I had fun going back to my roots and making some yummy recipe concoctions using what I had on hand and what I found marked down at the store.
We’re fulfilling a longtime dream of ours to have floor to ceiling bookshelves built in our library, complete with a ladder! I can’t wait to show you the finished shelves — they are supposed to be done this week!
Kaitlynn has been hard at work on her Science Fair project! She’s doing an experiment with growing spores. It’s quite fascinating and kind of gross! 🙂
I got lots of great deals at the store this past week and have had so much fun documenting them here and on Instagram Stories. I was especially excited that I stayed under my $70 grocery budget (I spent $68.22 total this week on all our groceries!)
Something I’ve Been Pondering
“If you hustle hard enough for long enough, you’ll achieve what you’re aiming for!”
I read these words recently online and wanted to reach through the screen and gently put my arm around the writer and ask, “Is it worth the cost?”
Not too many years ago, I was this writer. I could have won all sorts of awards for how driven and disciplined and diligent I was.
I basically never missed a day of blogging — I blogged when I was miserably sick, on weekends, on holidays, on vacations. I never took a maternity leave and I even live-blogged my second labor!
I often stayed up until 2 or 3 am — and this was during the years when my babies weren’t sleeping through the night and I was waking up multiple times per night to nurse them!
I was perpetually exhausted, stressed, and anxious. And I didn’t know how to stop or relax.
This took a huge toll on my health, my marriage, and my relationships. I had so little life outside of work and blogging.
But I kept pushing… because my worth and identity was wrapped up in how much I did, how successful my online work was. My worth was in my work.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m a big fan of working hard, being diligent, setting goals, and following through. But as someone who completely burned herself out chasing after more — more traffic, more income, more followers, more opportunities, more media, more recognition, more impact — I’m here to tell you that more isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
And the thing about chasing after more is that you rarely ever know when enough is enough. Because it usually never is.
These days, my life is a lot simpler… my blog traffic isn’t as impressive, my income isn’t skyrocketing like it once was, I’m not getting many calls to do national media, I’m not signing book deals, I’m rarely traveling for business, and I only work about 35-45 hours per week (instead of the 55 to 70 hours I used to work).
And I have a LIFE! I stopped chasing and hustling and racing through my days at breakneck speed, so now I have time to notice the beauty, reach out to a friend, get enough sleep, hang out with my husband, be more present with my kids, and embrace this amazing life right in front of me.
(Want to read more about this journey? Read my post on Why I Stopped Hustling and Why I Wish I’d Done it Sooner.)
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: 19 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: 18 notes written so far this year
4. Run 500 miles.
**Progress: 148 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: I’ve finished one book so far.
7. Take the kids to South Africa.
**Progress: We nailed down dates for our trip!
8. Go on a family road trip.
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: We’re getting ready to start finishing out the workout room this coming week!
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, and Make Over Your Mornings LIVE in April.
Slow Day: Week 17
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 — and I’ll let the pictures almost 100% speak for themselves, instead of giving many explanations. Enjoy a little peek into our lives!
(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 told you last week that we finally found a table we loved for our formal dining room. We wanted something that would seat up to 10 people, that was in our budget, that would take wear & tear well, that was simple and durable, and that matched with our overall look of our house.
We were so excited to find this one as it meets all of our qualifications! The leaf is built in and when it’s fully extended (as shown above), you can seat 10 people around the table. (It’s cozy, but you can do it!)
We got 10 chairs — two have different backs and we’ll use those on the ends. They are on order and will be coming in in June.
Now we just have to find some simple wall-hangings and this room is done! We’re excited to now have seating for large groups between our kitchen table, our dining room table, our covered deck, and our walk-out basement patio!
I’m still enjoying the $0.99 flowers!
Ruth Schwenk had a new book come out this past week and she sent me this air plant. I’d never even heard of an air plant before, but I am determined not to kill it! Any advice or tips for me?
Jesse and I watched Dunkirk while the kids were at school and then I went to meet a friend for lunch. I always love it when I have leftovers to bring home for lunch the next day!
They were filming something right outside where we ate lunch so I had fun people-watching before I left for home!
We picked the kids up from school and drove to downtown Nashville for a fun family outing. I got in a little reading while we drove — until I got crazy car sick! (I’m slowly savoring this book. It’s been really thought-provoking and I don’t want it to end!)
We hit up Dave & Buster’s for another Half Price Wednesday! Our whole family is quite competitive and the kids had been researching and watching YouTube videos on the best arcades to play at Dave & Buster’s. (Yes, we are those weird people that go into these kinds of things super prepared and with a strategy!)
We did another guys versus girls competition and had a blast! We girls did better this time and we decided not to cash in our winnings but to just save them on our cards so that we can get a bigger prize next time.
On the way home, I wrote a few cards to people and then I headed out to spend the evening with my Discipleship Small Group.
It was a good Slow Day! And by the way, I am just loving taking Wednesdays off! It has made me so much healthier and productive this year — and I look forward to Wednesdays every week. I especially love the fact that I can forget about my phone for a day!
Shared Apr 28, 2018
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Brigette’s $77 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Brigette’s $77 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Aldi
I wasn’t feeling well this week, so my sweet husband offered to “wing it,” and go grocery shopping without a list. I think he did pretty well! 🙂
1 pkg Brats – $2.99
1 container Premium Ice Cream – $3.49
1 gallon Whole Milk – $1.36
2 64-oz cartons Orange Juice – $3.38
1 pkg String Cheese – $1.75
1 pkg Spirals String Cheese – $1.99
1 pkg Deli Sliced Cheese – $1.45
1 12-oz bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $2.15
1 jar Deli Mustard – $1.19
1 32-oz carton Nonfat Greek Yogurt – $3.29
1 32-oz carton Half and Half – $1.59
1 can Whipped Topping – $2.65
1 16-oz carton Whipping Cream – $1.55
1 pkg Hamburger Buns – $0.65
1 pkg Hotdog Buns – $0.59
1 loaf Bread – $0.10 (!! Wish he would have bought several more to stick in the freezer at this price!)
2 dozen Eggs – $2.38
1 pkg Pepperoni – $1.95
1 Olive Oil Cooking Spray – $1.35
1 32-oz pkg Spaghetti – $1.09
1 bag Pretzels – $0.85
1 box Pure And Simple Bars – $3.99
1 1-lb box Butter – $1.99
1 Seedless Watermelon – $2.25
1 bag Broccoli Crowns – $1.45
1 3-lb bag Pink Lady Apples – $2.89
1 bag Fresh Brussel Sprouts – $1.89
1 large tub Organic Spring Mix – $3.79
2 pkgs Baby Lettuce – $3.70
1 bag Fresh Green Beans – $0.99
1 3-lb bag Sweet Potatoes – $1.59
1 bag Radishes – $0.49
1 Pineapple – $0.89
1 pkg Applesauce Squeeze Pouches – $1.69
1 Cabbage – $1.29
2 pkgs Baby Carrots – $1.30
1 16-oz bag Mini Cucumbers – $1.69
2 heads Cauliflower – $3.98
1 pkg Zucchini – $0.99
1 3-pk Multi-Colored Peppers – $2.49
1 bunch Organic Bananas (1.49lbs @ $0.41/lb) – $0.61
Total: $77.23
Grocery Total for the Week: $77.84
Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Everyone is responsible for making/cleaning up their own breakfasts. Choices include:
Cereal, Yogurt, Toast, Scrambled/Boiled/Fried Eggs, Veggie Omelets, Fruit
Lunches
Baked Sweet Potatoes, Pineapple, Cucumbers, Pretzels
Turkey and Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit/Applesauce Pouches, Carrots x 2
Build-Your-Own-Tossed-Salad (Lettuce, Chopped Assorted Fresh Veggies, Shredded Cheese, Craisins, Hard Boiled Eggs, Dressing), Apples x 2
Peanut Butter on Rice Cakes, Cheese Sticks, Carrots, Watermelon
Leftovers
Dinners
Grilled Brats, Steamed Cauliflower and Broccoli, Make-Ahead Butterhorns, Homemade Ice Cream Cake (Birthday Meal for my Husband)
Chicken Spaghetti, Bread Machine French Bread, Roasted Brussel Spouts, Pineapple
Grilled Turkey Burgers on the Grill, Grilled Green Beans, Watermelon
Shepherd’s Pie, Make-Ahead Butterhorns, Tossed Salad
Dinner Out (before my daughter’s orchestra concert – we have to drop her off early, and it’s a 45-minute drive)
Build-Your-Own-Burritos (Seasoned Venison Meat, Shredded Cheese, Shredded Lettuce, Salsa, Plain Greek Yogurt, Homemade Tortillas), Pineapple, Roasted Cauliflower
Leftovers
I only spent $68.22 on groceries this week!
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.
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and we will be compensated when click through and sign up. Read our disclosure policy here.
I’ve got some GREAT deals to report today — including some that you can do if you have a Kroger or Kroger affiliate! But first things first, last night’s dinner was delicious! I didn’t know how it was going to turn out, but I was very pleasantly surprised! Yay!
In other news, I am having so much fun challenging myself to stick with a $70 grocery budget. I forgot how fun this was to see how well I could do and how well we could eat while on a tighter budget.
I’m also loving hearing from so many of you who are being inspired by following my deal posts on Instagram Stories and am just thrilled to see that you are finding great markdowns at your stores or are looking for new ways to save!
Here are the great deals I got at Kroger last night and this morning (I went to two different Kroger stores and they both had different markdowns):
Thursday’s Kroger Shopping Trip
- Lemon juice (I use this in my daily gallon of lemon water) — $2.49
- Take & Bake Bread — marked down to $0.99
- Rolls — marked down to $0.99
- Whole Wheat bread — marked down to $1.49
- Ground Turkey — marked down to $2.49
- 5 boxes of oatmeal packets — on sale for $1.39 each, used $0.50 Digital Coupon (can be used up to 5 times in one transaction) — $0.89 each after coupon
- 5 boxes of Creamette pasta — on sale for $0.99 each, used $0.50 Digital Coupon (can be used up to 5 times in one transaction) — $0.49 each after coupon
- Total with tax: $16.10
Want to see more details on the deals I got? Watch my live un-bagging video above. 🙂
There is a GREAT deal on bacon at Kroger that I stumbled onto, thanks to a tip from Kroger Krazy!
Through Sunday, Kroger has their Private Selection Center Cut Bacon on sale for just $2.99 (some regions have it for $3.99). There is a $1 off Digital Coupon available that you can use up to 5 times in one transaction — making it just $1.99 per package!!
Jesse was quite excited that I got 4 packages of bacon!!! (I only got 4 so that I could stay under my $70 grocery budget!) I stuck three of them in the freezer to use in the coming weeks and I’m planning at least one breakfast for dinner night next week where we’ll have some yummy bacon alongside our French Toast!
Friday’s Kroger Shopping Trip
- 1 loaf of Sourdough bread — marked down to $1.49
- 3 bags of apples — marked down to $0.99 each
- 1 bag of potatoes — marked down to $0.99
- 1 bag of tomatoes — marked down to $0.99
- 1 bag of onions — marked down to $0.99
- 1 head of lettuce — marked down to $0.49
- 4 packages of bacon — on sale for $2.99, used $1 off Digital Coupon off each — $1.99 per package after coupon and sale
- 1 package cheese — on sale for $1.99, used $0.50 off Digital Coupon — $1.49
- 1 package taco seasoning — Free Friday download coupon
- Total with tax: $18.99
Want to see more details on the deals I got? Watch my live un-bagging video above. 🙂
Total spent this week (last Friday to this Friday): $68.22
Total Cashback: $1.50 from iBotta for buying the Fage yogurt and $0.50 from Checkout 51 for buying the Artisan lettuce!
How did you save today? Have you found any great deals on groceries or gotten creative in order to save money? Tell us about it in the comments!
Shared Apr 26, 2018
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$70 Grocery Budget Challenge: Tonight’s dinner concoction + $2 in cash back on markdowns!
$70 Grocery Budget Challenge: Tonight’s dinner concoction + $2 in cash back on markdowns!
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.
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and we will be compensated when click through and sign up. Read our disclosure policy here.
I didn’t go shopping yesterday, so my total for groceries spent over the past 6 days is still $33.13. I’m hoping to stop by Kroger today, though, so I should have some great deals to report tomorrow!
One of the ways that I love to save money is by getting creative in the kitchen. I like to try to come up with yummy meals based upon what we have on hand and what I was able to get on a great sale or markdown. Sometimes, this means that I make up recipes — like I did today! 🙂
I had some red peppers (that I had gotten marked down 4 for $1) plus some sausage that I had gotten marked down to $1.49 per pound (that I had browned and frozen) plus some celery and chicken broth.
So, I created a recipe with this — and added in some garlic and seasoning to it. We’re simmering it in the crock-pot today and I’m going to make some rice in the Instant Pot and we’ll serve it over rice. It smells really yummy and I think it will be good!
I did a live video while I concocted it if you want to see how I made it. 🙂
I’m not sure what to call it, but some of my Instagram followers suggested calling it Cheapo Gumbo or Stone Soup! It could also be similar to Dave Ramsey Soup. 😉
We’ll serve it with some fruit (that I got marked down!) and maybe some muffins, if I have a chance to do any baking this afternoon. I also made some refrigerator pickles with the organic cucumbers that I got marked down last week, so I’m going to serve those, too.
It might seem like an interesting meal, but my family always enjoys the creative concoctions and combinations I come up with. And hey, at least it keeps things interesting! 😉
By the way, I was excited that I was able to make $2 from Checkout 51 and Ibotta — and I got this cash back on marked down groceries!!! I wasn’t sure if they’d issue it to me since the items were marked down, but they did! So that made a great deal even better!
Here’s what I got:
- I bought Artisan Lettuce marked down to $1.49 and got $0.50 back from Checkout 51!
- I bough 2 Fage yogurts marked down to $0.59 each and got $1.50 back from Ibotta! (Note: The graphic above says Dillon’s because I used to live in Kansas where the Kroger affiliate stores there are Dillon’s so that’s what my account is registered under!)
The moral of the story on this is what you should always check your receipts to see if you purchased anything that would qualify for a rebate from Checkout 51 or Ibotta! It never hurts to make a few dollars in a few minutes on items you already bought! 🙂
How did you save today? Have you found any great deals on groceries or gotten creative in order to save money? Tell us about it in the comments!
4 Ways to Save Money on a Tight Budget
Guest post from Amy of Deliberately Here
Do you find it nearly impossible to save money?
Your budget might be stretched to the limit or maybe you tend to spend any extra money you have before it gets to your savings account.
Either way, you’ve come to the right place!
There are countless money-saving tips, tricks, hacks and ideas all around us. With seemingly endless information available on the internet these days, how do you know which ideas to implement into your life? And how do you even know if it will work for you?
Although I can’t guarantee every single one of these money-saving ideas is going to work for you, I am pretty certain you will be able to pick at least one or two out of the list to implement into your life.
Here are 4 smart ways to save money even on a tight budget…
1. Stop paying late fees.
Do you find yourself forking extra money over at the end of every month just for late fees?
Everything from credit cards to libraries charge late fees. Late fees are often overlooked because the fee isn’t usually outstanding, so it can feel like you’re just paying a few dollars. But over time that few dollars adds up to a significant amount, especially if you are paying late fees on a variety of things every month.
How can you stop paying late fees? The first thing you’ll want to do is create a bill tracker. This is something that you write down all of your monthly bills and their due dates on.
You can write down who the payee is, the amount due, and the due date. Then add a section where you can check off when you pay it, so with a quick glance, you can see when your bill is due, how much it is, and whether you’ve paid it or not.
2. Do all that you can do, then keep going.
If you’re stuck feeling like you’ve tried every money-saving trick out there and still nothing is working, keep going.
With perseverance comes growth. If you keep pushing through the hard times, keep searching for deals, keep cutting costs, and keep finding more ways to live frugally, you will start to see growth in your bank account.
It won’t be instant, and it might not even be very much, but it will be a start. If you decide to stay committed and stick with it your savings will soon start to grow, slow and steady.
If you find yourself feeling discouraged, like you will never be able to save up money, read these 3 Things to Do When You’re Discouraged About Your Finances.
3. Create a budget.
Creating a budget for your family allows you to see exactly how much of your money is being spent on different things.
With just a quick glance you can see how much money goes towards specific bills, how much money should be going into your savings account each month, and how much money you can spend on fun things like movies and treats.
4. Start meal planning.
Meal planning is a great way to save money on groceries and eliminate food waste.
When I first started meal planning, I didn’t like it. I tried really hard to get into the groove of things, but as someone who loves to cook and bake, I felt like my meal plan was restraining my creativity in the kitchen.
After a failed week of meal planning, I gave up.
About a month after giving up meal planning, I created a budget for my husband and I, and I quickly realized just how much money we were truly spending on groceries. We were spending more on groceries per month than we were on rent — for just two people!
When I saw the numbers in front of my eyes, I knew something had to change. So I gave meal planning another shot.
This time, I was determined to do whatever I had to do to make it work, while still getting creative in the kitchen.
Now, a year down the road, we’re still meal planning and we’ve even managed to cut our monthly grocery bill in half from sticking to our meal plan and eliminating the food that goes to waste.
I hope that equipping yourself with these simple and effective money-saving ideas will help you and your family save money and give you the encouragement to stick with it through the tough times — you know, the times when all you want to do is splurge and spend money.
Rest assured knowing this: Saving money doesn’t have to be complicated or complex; it is practical and just requires that you have the self-control to keep going even when you’re discouraged.
Hi, my name is Amy. I blog at Deliberately Here, where I enjoy helping people navigate a frugal and fulfilling life. My husband and I live off of one income, and I have a passion for helping wives and moms who long to stay home find ways to make it possible.
Sneezing on camera, bad hair days, and why I love live video!
I told you a few days ago how I was one of the most least likely candidates ever to fall in love with live video.
But I did and I have and I still am madly in love!
It wasn’t love at first sight, by any means. Instead, it was one of those romances that slowly developed over time.
And it really came about because I saw the fruit of live video in our business…
- Live video gave me a way to connect with my readers in a deeply personal way. I could interact with them LIVE — almost as if we were having coffee together! They could see my face and I could see their comments and responses in real-time.
- Live video allowed my readers to develop deeper trust with me. Reading words in a blog post will never have the same impact as hearing someone say the words to you in real time where you can see them and hear them. When people trust you, they are much more likely to continue to show up and listen to what you have to say.
- Live video offered the ability for my readers to see me as a real person. Ever since I’ve started doing live video, I’ve gotten a significantly higher number of emails from people who are writing in as if they know me personally. And they will often say that they truly feel that they do — because of my live videos.
- Live video gives your readers a more personal peek into your real life. You can’t be perfect on live video because there is no edit button, no Photoshop option, and no deleting. It’s real and raw and live. And people love this!
My readers have seen me sneeze on camera, have bad hair days, and realize on live video that I forgot to finish doing my makeup.
They’ve seen my kids come in and interrupt me.
They get to see different parts of my home — even parts that are messy or far from perfect.
They’ve seen me have recipe flops and embarrassing moments — and they eat it up! Because real life is not perfectly curated blog posts!
This is the power of live video. It takes someone from feeling like a bystander to a friend. And when your followers aren’t just followers, but are friends, the trust you have is on a completely different level than you’d ever have if they just read your words on a page.
This is why I’m such a huge proponent of live video and why I feel like every single person who does anything on the internet (be it blogging or Instagram or an online business or even an offline business) should be using the medium of live video.
I want to teach you how to become incredibly confident on live video and give you all of my best tips to use live video successfully to grow your business and your income — and to build that deep trust with your followers.
And that’s why I want to invite you to join me on Thursday night for my brand-new live class on 10 Strategies to Master Facebook Live.
It will be a 2-hour class where I’ll pull back the curtain and share all of my best tips and tricks and tactics for being successful on Facebook Live.
I’ll be a completely open book in this class and will likely share things you’ve never heard shared before anywhere. Because I’ve discovered a lot of things that I don’t hear anybody else teaching or talking about — and they really work!
I’ll teach you:
– How to plan and prepare for a successful Facebook Live
– How to hook viewers within the first few seconds of your live video
– How to create compelling calls to action in your videos
– The one thing you shouldn’t do when you go live
– How to fake confidence until you feel it
– The most effective types of content for live videos
– How to re-purpose content you already have for great live videos
– … and much more!
You don’t want to miss it! This is very likely the only time I’ll be offering this class this year!
>>> SIGN UP HERE! <<<
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Shared Apr 24, 2018
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$70 Grocery Budget Challenge (what I bought + our menu for this week)
$70 Grocery Budget Challenge (what I bought + our menu for this week)
Now that we’re all moved and settled in, I’m having fun getting back to deal-shopping again! And I decided to go “back to my roots” and challenge myself to see how well we could eat on $70 per week for our family of five.
I’m mostly going to be shopping markdowns and planning our menu around that, plus looking for any really fantastic deals with printable coupons. Since I changed our morning routine (and it’s going SO well!), I now have time in the morning after school drop-off to run by a store for 10 to 15 minutes to look for markdowns.
For some of you, it might feel crazy and ridiculous for me to be going to the store multiple times per week and just doing little shopping trips. For me, it’s a fun hobby that also saves us money!
In addition, I’m not wasting any extra gas or time since it’s right on the way home for me to go to Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, or Target. I’m also hoping to hit Aldi and Dollar Tree every now and then when I’m over in that part of town.
I hit the motherload of deals on Thursday (see photo above), but I’m not including that $48 total in this week’s grocery spending because that was our “big” grocery shopping trip last week.
Since I’m challenging myself to stick with a $70/week grocery budget this week, I’m allotting $10 per day to spend when I look for markdowns and deals. (I can go over, of course, if I find a great deal, but it means that I have to spend less on another day then! So it’s easier if I just shoot to spend less than $10 every day!)
Here are my grocery shopping trip purchases so far:
Friday’s Kroger Shopping Trip — spent $11.84
- Buttermilk — marked down to $1.19
- Sweet Tea — marked down to $0.99
- Lemonade — marked down to $0.69
- Dream Cow yogurt — marked down to $0.69
- 3 containers Greek yogurts — marked down to $0.49 each
- 3 Fage yogurts — marked down to $0.59 each (got $1.50 back from iBotta!)
- 2 Yoplait mixins — marked down to $0.49
- 3 bags of Red Peppers — marked down to $0.99 each
- Dannon Oikos drinkable yogurt — marked down to $0.49
- Total with tax: $11.84
Saturday’s Kroger Shopping Trip — spent $10.01
- 5 boxes of Kellogg’s cereal — $0.99 per box (Special Saturday Only Sale)
- Kroger Kettle Chips — FREE (Used Free Friday Digital Coupon)
- Organic Eggs — marked down to $2.49
- 2 bags of pears — marked down to $0.99 per bag
- Total with tax: $10.01
Monday’s Kroger Shopping Trip — Spent $9.56
- 1 gallon Whole Milk — $2.59
- 2 packages Stayfree Pads — on sale for $1.99 when you buy 5 participating items, used $2/2 Stayfree Product (Kroger Digital Coupon) — $0.99 each
- Artisan Lettuce — marked down to $1.49 (got $0.50 back from Checkout 51 for buying this)
- Potatoes — marked down to $0.99
- 2 packages of Turkey Bacon — on sale for $1.49 each when you buy 5 participating items, used 2 $0.55/1 Butterball Turkey Bacon printables — $0.94 each
- Crest toothpaste — on sale for $1.99 when you buy 5 participating items, used $2/1 Crest toothpaste (Kroger Digital Coupon) — FREE
- Total with tax: $9.56
Tuesday’s Walgreens Shopping Trip — spent $1.72
4 packages of ALL laundry tabs — on sale for $1.99 this week, used 4 $1/1 coupons (no longer available) + used $3 Walgreens Balance Rewards
Total with tax: $1.72
This Week’s Super Simple Menu Plan
This menu is subject to change a little if I find some great deals or markdowns! 🙂
Breakfasts
Cereal, Yogurt, Eggs, Fruit, Toast
Lunches
Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Chips, Fruit, Veggies, Yogurt, Fried Eggs, Avocados, Salad, Leftovers
Dinners
Monday: Pancakes, Eggs, Fruit
Tuesday: Smoked Sausage, Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli, Berry Cottage Whip
Wednesday: Meatballs, Homemade Bread or Muffins, Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Salad, Fruit
Thursday: Waffles, Turkey Bacon, Fruit, Scrambled Eggs
Friday: Sausage/Peppers/Peas/Onions, Rice, Fruit
Saturday: Dinner out (not included in our grocery budget)
Sunday: Snack-y dinner (popcorn, cereal, etc.)Total spent so far this week: $33.13
Total left to spend: $36.87 (Stay tuned for updates over the next few days if I score any great deals!)Total Cashback: $1.50 from iBotta for buying the Fage yogurt and $0.50 from Checkout 51 for buying the Artisan lettuce!
Join the Grocery Budget Challenge!
Want to join me in this challenge? Choose an amount that you are committing to spend on your groceries for the next week and then watch for my posts over the next week for you to check in and tell us how you are doing!
Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram — I’m sharing my grocery shopping savings every day on Instagram Stories!
What I Read & Watched This Past Week
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.)
Silas and I went to two different movies this past week! We went to I Can Only Imagine — which I thought was very well done. It was more raw and real than I expected and an inspirational story. Not entirely factual, but mostly factual.
Note: There are a few dramatic scenes involving an abusive father that might be scary to kids. Silas was a little scared in one part, but overall, he said he was really glad that he went to the movie.
Silas and I also went to see Sgt. Stubby — which was an animated film based upon a true story of the most decorated American dog.
I had never heard about Sergeant Stubby before and now I want to get a book on him to read to the kids. The movie — while animated and clearly for kids — was interesting and fascinating! (I found this long article that detailed a lot of the true story that would definitely be worth reading after you’ve seen the movie.)
I’m reading No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert right now. I’ve read and enjoyed some of her other books and so far, I am very intrigued by this one and have no idea how it will end up!
It touches on some really hot button topics — like race and class — and I think it’s going to be a very thought-provoking and worthwhile read. The Amazon reviews alone made me want to read it! I’ll keep you posted!
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 you really think I need to read or watch?
I was TERRIFIED of live video!
“I wish I could be as comfortable on camera as you!”
This has been said to me over and over again in recent months.
You guys, I need let you in on something… something that might surprise you quite a bit: I WAS TERRIFIED OF LIVE VIDEO when I first started.
(And yes, I’m using all caps. But that statement deserves all caps! Some people are terrified of snakes or spiders or tornadoes… Me? I would have chosen to kill a snack or spider or live through a tornado over going live on video any day!)
I Avoided Anything LIVE for Years
I avoided anything to do with live for years. Live presentations, live TV, live radio, live video… if it didn’t have an edit button, I was OUT.
I turned down lots of opportunities because of this fear. And I let it hold me back.
But, slowly ever so slowly, I decided to punch fear in the face and started getting brave and doing things like public speaking, despite the fact that it made me ill for weeks in advance. The more I did it, the less it freaked me out and the more comfortable I got with it.
I was still scared, but I had moved from the vomiting-inducing terror level to just being shaky and having a pit in my stomach.
Talk about progress! 🙂
So, with this newfound confidence, I ventured into a completely new territory… live video!
It feels like a lifetime ago, but it was actually only a few years ago (live video hasn’t been around that long, after all!)
I Worked Up the Courage to Go Live
After watching some various online entrepreneurs use live video so effectively, I challenged myself to get brave and hit the “go live” button
Now, I need you to know that this wasn’t just a decision I made one day on a whim.
Oh no! Trust me, I’m not that brave at all. In reality, it took me a full month of watching other live videos to work up my courage to actually go live myself.
And when I finally did work up the courage, my hands were shaking, I was a nervous wreck internally, and I was super uncomfortable the entire time I was live.
I Committed to Do It Every Week Day for a Month
But I had made a commitment to stick with it for 4 weeks and, so that I wouldn’t chicken out (!), I publicly told people I would go live every single weekday morning for a month.
It’s a good thing I had made that commitment, because, let me tell you, I sure wanted to chicken out!
Just like anything in life, live video takes practice to get comfortable with. But unlike many things in life, when you practice live video, you’re practicing in front of a LIVE audience! And that’s quite scary!
I Stuck With It — And I Couldn’t Believe What Happened!
But I did it… I stuck with my one-month commitment to go live every weekday morning. And I’m so glad that I did, because something big happened that month.
I started getting emails from longtime readers saying things like, “I’ve read your blog for 8 years and I’ve never connected with you like I have in the past three weeks I’ve been watching your live videos.”
OR, “I always felt like you were so perfect and I could never be like you. But then I started watching your live videos and I realized that you’re just like me! I love you so much!”
And on and on the emails started pouring in.
I’m Still in Shock at How Effective Live Video Is
Not only were the emails pouring in, but we started noticing a marked uptick in our engagement online and in our sales. When I would promote something on live video — be that a deal or one of my own products that was launching or just a link — people were responding to those types of things in droves and begging for more!
I felt like I uncovered this goldmine of possibilities for connecting with my readers in a way I never though would be possible! And, as I continued to go live, I’ve slowly fallen in love with the live video medium.
I love it not just because it’s so easy to produce content (and I can often then re-use this same content for YouTube videos or other posts!), but mostly because it’s been one of the most effective tools ever to fostering deep trust and relationship with my audience.
I Want to Help You Succeed at Live Video, Too!
I want you to discover the same incredible power that I did that live video will give you for building your audience, boosting your engagement, and increasing your income.
And that’s why I’m teaching a class on 10 Strategies to Master Facebook Live next Thursday evening. It will be a 2-hour class where I’ll pull back the curtain and share all of my best tips and tricks and tactics for being successful on Facebook Live.
Trust me, I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way… and I don’t want you to have to make the same mistakes I have!
I’ll be a completely open book in this class and will likely share things you’ve never heard shared before anywhere. Because I’ve discovered a lot of things that I don’t hear anybody else teaching or talking about — and they really work!
You don’t want to miss it! Sign up here.
I hope you can make it! And, more than that, I hope it will inspire you to find the same success and joy from live video that I have found!
What You Can Expect From This Class
I won’t be trying to sell you anything in the class! It will be two hours of me sharing my best tips, my hard-won strategies, and my top-secret tactics — most that I haven’t talked about anywhere else until now!
There will also be time for me to dive deep into your questions and give you proven help to make the most of your live videos!
Register for your ticket to this exclusive class here.
(Oh and everyone who registers will get a really cool bonus PDF with lots of extra goodies, too!)
Shared Apr 22, 2018
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A Peek Into Our Life This Past Week (+ an update on my 2018 goals)
A Peek Into Our Life This Past Week (+ an update on my 2018 goals)
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 was a much quieter week for me compared to the last 4-6 weeks. And it was fantastic to have more down time, to get completely caught back up on sleep, to have some great family time, and to get to multiple get-togethers with friends, too.
I got some GREAT deals at Kroger this week! I’ve been sharing most of them in my Instagram Stories every day (I’d love for you to follow me there if you aren’t already!)
I’ll be sharing a detailed post on Tuesday with what deals I got in the last week + our menu plan for this week. I’m loving getting back to deal shopping and planning our menus based upon what I get on great sales.
We had a water leak in our upstairs bathroom and ended up having to tear out some of the ceiling in our main floor bathroom. 🙁 We’re hoping to get that fixed this week!
Kathrynne convinced me to go with her to a Women’s Self Defense class at the place where she and Jesse do Krav Maga every week. It was my first experience in a martial arts type of class and it was definitely outside my comfort zone, but also a really beneficial and educational class to attend.
I think this is an important topic and it’s definitely something I would highly recommend all girls and women look into taking in your local area. And it made me so happy that Kathrynne is learning Krav Maga — I loved getting to see her in her element!
I’m so excited to be participating in the Just Open the Door Book Club, starting on April 30, 2018! Here are more details on it:
We’d love to invite you to join us as we kick off a book club featuring our new book — Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation, by Jen Schmidt!
Grab your neighbors and girlfriends, or get a quiet moment by yourself, and tune in to listen to Jen and a few of her friends chat their way through the themes of Just Open the Door.
Starting April 30th, we’ll share a Facebook Live video at 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CT/7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT) every Monday in our very own private Facebook group. Not on Facebook? Not to worry! We’ll email you the videos every week during the book club.
Here’s a schedule of Jen’s friends who will be joining us as we unpack the book:
- April 30th – Crystal Paine
- May 7th – Karen Ehman
- May 14th – Melissa Michaels
- May 21st – Ruth Chou Simons
We can’t wait for you to meet them! These are dear friends of Jen and some of our favorite writers and speakers. They live out biblical hospitality in their own lives, and we can’t wait to learn all their secrets!
Whether you’re a seasoned host looking for renewed inspiration or a nervous newbie not sure where to begin, Jen and her friends will give you their best practical ideas that are easy for anyone to implement! You’ll come away with tools for simple food prep, cleaning made easy, creating a welcoming ambiance with what you already have, and guiding meaningful conversations without a ton of stress.
It’s completely free to join this book club, but we need you to sign up so we can add you to our private Facebook group where we’ll share those weekly videos and other encouragement (and you need to sign up if you’re not on Facebook too, so we can email the videos to you). We can’t wait to get comfy and get real about hospitality — together!
Click here to join the Just Open the Door Book Club!
Some of you have mentioned recently how happy I have seemed this year. I’m so glad that the joy and wholeness I feel in my heart has spilled out through my posts and pictures online.
Because, y’all, I just truly can’t remember when I’ve loved my life so much.
And it’s not because everything is roses and rainbows (I’ve walked through some really sad, painful, and heartbreaking stuff the past year that I’ve not been free to talk about online).
I feel like I’ve finally stopped living under the stress of needing to make other people happy. I didn’t even realize until last year that I was living under this. And it was a huge weight on me that I carried around.
I’ve also stopped feeling like I need to apologize for or explain every little thing to people — just to make myself feel better or to be reassured by others that I’m okay.
I’ve stopped trying to hide and suppress my strong and bold personality or feel like I need to hold back my strengths as a leader.
And I’ve stopped believing that I’m not a good friend and that I’m a disappointment to people.
Instead, I feel FREE — free to love other people well and to be loved well by others, free to be okay if I disappoint someone or if my strong personality just isn’t for someone, free to be honest and real, free to try new things and fail or succeed at them, and free to lean into my gifts and embrace who I was created to be!
I’m 36 years old and I feel like my life is just really beginning in some ways… and I’m so excited for the future!
_______
Speaking of happiness… I recently had a really insightful conversation with one of my kids:
“Mom, I’m so much happier now that I stopped trying to get people to like me.”
The words tumbled out unexpectedly from my child. This same child who has struggled with relationships and agonized over feeling invisible and left out.
I realize that this child’s journey has been my own, too.
Like I alluded to earlier, I lived so much of my life worried what others thought, how they perceived me, how I would be received, how I could exceed their expectations and impress them.
Newsflash: it didn’t work. I struggled in relationships and constantly over-analyzed what I did and said, worried that I came across wrong.
My child went on to say, “I realized that when I just stop trying to fit in and be liked and do what I think other people want me to do and waste so much time worrying about what other people think of me, I have so much freedom and joy!”
I looked at my child and said, “I’m so glad you are learning this now — and not when you are in your mid-30’s! The other thing I’m finding out is this: when you show up as YOU (not the version of you that you think you’re supposed to be), then you know that the people who actually become your friends are truly your friends!”
Here’s to more of being our honest selves and not hiding behind masks or holding back out of fear of what people might think!
Register for my Facebook Live Class on Thursday!
Bloggers & online entrepreneurs! I’m teaching a class on 10 Strategies to Master Facebook Live next Thursday evening.
It will be a 2-hour class where I’ll pull back the curtain & share all of my best tips, tricks, and tactics for being successful on Facebook Live. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way… & I don’t want you to have to make the same mistakes I have!
Go here to register for this class.
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: 19 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: 16 notes written so far this year
4. Run 500 miles.
**Progress: 138 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: I’ve finished one book so far.
7. Take the kids to South Africa.
**Progress: We nailed down dates for our trip!
8. Go on a family road trip.
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.
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, and Make Over Your Mornings LIVE in April.
Slow Day: Week 16
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 — and I’ll let the pictures almost 100% speak for themselves, instead of giving many explanations. Enjoy a little peek into our lives!
(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 love starting our day with diffusing oils!
(Here’s the diffuser we have.)
I’m loving this book! I spent the morning reading and watching a movie with Jesse… it was the perfect way to spend a Slow Day!
Then, before we picked the kids up from school, we went table shopping. And, good news! We finally found a dining room that we loved and it ended up being below our budget! It gets delivered on Tuesday and I’m so excited about it!
My shoes need to be washed, but man, I just love these shoes! I have worn them over and over and over again. One of my favorite shoe purchases ever!
Silas and I headed to a chiropractic appointment for me.
Then Silas and I headed to a movie!
We really enjoyed I Can Only Imagine. Silas was a little scared in one of the parts, but other than that, it was a very well done movie with an inspirational story line that is fairly close to the true story.
We came home to Breakfast for Dinner — made by Jesse and the girls. Yum!