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Shared Aug 27, 2016 comment

An open letter to ALDI

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Dear ALDI,

I tried to break up with you, but I just couldn’t.

When I step into your doors I’m instantly taken back to the lean law school years when your low prices allowed us to survive on a tiny, tiny grocery budget. You’ve saved us thousands of dollars over the last 13 1/2 years.

And even though I could afford to pay fancier grocery store prices now, you continue to woo me with how you simplify my life and keep our grocery budget low.

Thank you for not offering 27 different kinds of ketchup. Or 56 types of salad dressing. Or 14 variations of Cheerios.

Thank you for not being all flashy and slick. Stay humble, small, and inexpensive. I like you best that way.

You rock.

Sincerely,
Your lifelong BFF and not-so-secret admirer

Do you want to take better control of your grocery budget? If so, you’ll want to read my newest eBook, 5 Days to a Better Grocery Budget!

This eBook will give you all the tips, tricks, and practical advice you need to create a grocery budget tailored to your family’s needs that you can actually STICK to (because that’s the key!)

In this eBook, you’ll learn:

How to create a grocery budget that fits your family’s needs and your finances!
New systems to help you keep track of what you spend at the store!
How to actually stick with your new budget and save money for years to come!
Ways to save up to $50 off your grocery bill THIS WEEK by using the 10 simple strategies outlined in this eBook!

Read to get started? Just use the form below to sign up!

[better_budget_form]

Shared Aug 27, 2016 comment

5 Ways to Save During Infertility

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Liv of LivRyan.com

Financial stress is one thing — infertility on top of it is a beast of its own! Your stress levels are forces to be reckoned with. Trust me, I know.

My husband and I went through three years of waiting for a child. We lost six babies through miscarriage and another through a failed adoption before we finally became parents of children on earth.

I remember the medical bills pouring in. I remember heading to see the Reproductive Endocrinologist for the first time and thinking, “I wonder what this is going to cost.”

You can’t put a price tag on a baby, but infertility is quite the expensive road to travel.

If you can relate, or if you are in the beginning stages of infertility, I’ve put together some ideas to help alleviate some financial burdens that come along with infertility, adoption, and miscarriages.

1. Buy CHEAP Pregnancy Tests and OPKs (Ovulation Predictor Kits)

Your local dollar store will likely have the cheapest tests around. Amazon also offers a number of different options for inexpensive pregnancy tests.

Bonus Tip: Stay away from blue dye tests. You will waste your money because they have evaporation lines that make you think you’re pregnant so then you will end up taking more tests!

2. Get Free Help and Ultrasounds When You Can

Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers (sometimes called Women’s Choice Center or Pregnancy Resource Centers) offer pregnancy tests and ultrasounds free of charge at any point for any reason.

Bonus Tip: If you are prone to loss or tend to get overly stressed about your baby, ultrasounds can offer so much peace of mind. These facilities are usually highly equipped as grief counselors, too; just in case you ever received bad news. They will sit with you and pray with you and love you well through the pain.

3. Apply for Grants

There are so many resources and grants that support families who are facing the financial stresses of infertility treatment or adoption.

4. Don’t be Afraid to Fundraise

It takes some courage, but don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. People want to help people! Consider writing letters to friends and family, selling things, or hosting your own a fundraiser.

Kevin and I put on a “Fun Family Fitness Morning” with a $10 entry fee. All food and silent auction items were donated, and so was the zumba instruction! Additionally we sold T-shirts and made over $1,500 in one morning!

We also held a fundraising garage sale. Not only did people donate items to sell, but when some shoppers learned that our garage sale was an adoption fundraiser, they donated extra money.

Go Fund Me is another awesome website you can use to raise money for any cause.

5. Budget and Save and Trust God to Provide

It can be tempting to put treatments on credit cards, but with some smart budgeting, fundraising, and intentionality, you will be able to save up for those infertility treatments in no time.

I know you are weary, sister. But don’t give up! You can and will survive this desert season. Don’t stop fighting for your marriage. Take it one step at a time. And don’t give up!

If you need some hope, don’t worry, I have plenty to share.

Liv is a Midwest gal who loves to inspire women to bear hope into the world. She is a writer, speaker, wifey, mommy, and lover of all things coffee. She survived the desert of waiting once upon a thirsty time, and lives to tell you that you will too! Her new book Bearing Hope: Navigating the Desert of Waiting for a Child was just released August 1st, 2016! It’s an inspirational companion, a “Desert Sherpa” of sorts that will make you smile, lend you courage and hope, and give you practical ways to survive (and thrive) through infertility and loss. You can get a free chapter right here.

Shared Aug 27, 2016 comment

Gretchen’s $62 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 27, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

1 bag Navel Oranges – $1.99

1 pkg Flour Tortillas – $0.99

1 pkg Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – $1.79

1 pkg Baby Carrots – $0.99

2 Cucumbers – $0.59 each

1 lb Butter – $2.69

1 pkg Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – $5.49

1 pkg Cheese – $1.69

1 loaf White Bread – $0.79

1 loaf Wheat Bread – $0.99

1 gallon Milk – $2.40

1 Pure Maple Syrup – $6.49

2 dozen Large Eggs – $0.89 each

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce – $1.19

1 pkg Red Grapes – $1.58

1 pkg Roma Tomatoes – $1.49

2 pkg Strawberries – $1.29 each, used $0.10 Mobisave rebate – $1.24 each after rebate

Total after rebate: $36

Dillons

5 boxes Kellogg’s Cereal – $1.88 each, used $3/5 printable AND $0.50/1 e-coupon AND $1/2 Checkout 51 rebate AND $0.25/1 Ibotta rebate and $0.75/1 Ibotta rebate – $0.78 each after coupon and rebates

1 Sunbelt Granola Bars – $2.50, used $0.75/1 printable – $1.75 after coupon

1 Jennie-O Ground Turkey – $1.99

2 Kroger Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate – $1 each

1 pkg Kroger Sour Cream – $1.25

1 pkg Frozen Peas – $0.88

2 Yoplait Yogurt – $0.60 each, used $0.50/2 printable – $0.35 each after coupon

1 bag Kroger Spinach – Marked down to $0.99, used $0.25/1 Checkout 51 rebate – $0.74 after rebate

1 lb Kroger Ground Beef – $2.99

1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $1.25

3 Annie’s Mac & Cheese – $1 each, used $1/3 catalina coupon – $0.67 each after coupon

2 bag Apples – Marked down to $0.99 each

1 bag Green Peppers – Marked down to $0.99

1 bag Kroger Flour – $1.79

1.64 lbs Bananas – $0.97, used 20% off SavingStar.com rebate – $0.78 after rebate

1 Pineapple – $0.99

1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99

Total after coupons and rebates: $26.98

Total for both stores: $62.98

Menu Plan for This Week

Breakfasts

Cereal x 2

Eggs and Muffins (from freezer) x 3

Oatmeal, Fruit

45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls, Orange Juice

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Tossed Salad, Fruit Salad

Salad Bar

Mac & Cheese, Carrot Sticks

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Sliced Veggies

Baked Potatoes, Cottage Cheese, Sliced Fruit

Leftovers x 2

Dinners

Lasagna, Tossed Salad, Biscuits

Easy Country French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit Salad, Orange Juice

Homemade Pizza, Tossed Salad

Chicken Fajitas, Fruit

Grilled Tilapia, Steamed Peas, Amish White Bread

Chicken & Rice, Green Beans

Leftovers

These baked egg & cheese breakfast bites are the BEST ever! They're SO simple to make on those busy weekday mornings, and they're ridiculously delicious!!

Shared Aug 26, 2016 comment

All the details on my Freezer Cooking Day + some WINNER recipes!!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 26, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I did another Freezer Cooking session on Wednesday and it was really successful!

I love that cooking and baking ahead cuts down significantly on the time I need to spend cooking and baking and cleaning up the kitchen each week!

Here are the recipes I made this week:

And here are lots of pictures, videos, and details on how it all went down:

First off, I made Egg & Sausage Breakfast Bites. I used ground turkey instead of sausage since I got such a good deal on ground turkey when I went grocery shopping and I left out the veggies because we didn’t have them.

These were SOO good. SOO good! And they were incredibly easy to make!

I shot a video here while I made them if you want to watch it. And you can see how crazy simple these are to make!

Also, I used the Silicone Muffin Cups for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with how well they worked and how easy they were to clean and wash! I’m definitely sold on using these — especially because they kept the muffin pan so clean and easy to wash!

Next up, I made the Crockpot Baked Potatoes. This was my first time to make baked potatoes this way and it was so easy, as well.

The only thing I will mention is that they took longer to bake through then the recipe said they would. This would be such a great way to make Baked Potatoes if it’s hot in the summer or you’re having a big group of people over for a Baked Potato Bar!

If you’re interested, I shot a quick video here while I was making them. You can laugh at my exercise shorts and how I got my shirt all wet while washing the potatoes!

I also made the Pumpkin Spice Waffles (and forgot to get a picture of them once they were baked!). These were good, although they were almost too sweet for me. If I make them again, I’d cut back on the amount of sugar in them.

And last but not least, I made Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken. This recipe was the BOMB. So, so, so easy. And it turned out beautifully and incredibly moist and delicious. I’d highly recommend this recipe!

I also threw together a pan of the French Toast Bake using eggs I got for $0.49 at Aldi and Bread I got marked down at Kroger. I didn’t get a picture of this, but I’m going to have to make it again soon and take pictures and share how I’ve tweaked the recipe because it is SOO good!

Did you do any freezer cooking this week? Tell us about it in the comments!

P.S. See Last Week’s Freezer Cooking Session here.

Shared Aug 24, 2016 comment

Why you might have a drinking problem & what to do about it

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 24, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

For 15 days, we’re exploring the topic of making our health and well-being a priority as part of the 15 Days to a Healthier You series. You can read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here, Day 7 here, Day 8 here, Day 9 here, and Day 10 here.

Most of us suffer from dehydration, whether we know it or not. Many times, we think we have some physical problem in need of medical attention, but the cause could be that we just need to drink more water!

Drinking more water boosts your metabolism, fights fatigue, improves your skin, encourages better digestion, relieves headaches, and might even improve your mood! Which is why it is so important that we make getting hydrated more of a priority.

Need some encouragement to drink more water? Here are five ideas:

1. Track Your Water Intake

The average adult should drink at least 64 to 80 ounces of water per day. If you think you’re currently drinking that much, track your water intake each day for two weeks. You might be surprised to realize you don’t drink as much as you think you do!

There are many ways to track your water intake — apps like the Waterlogged app, printable worksheets to track water intake, or even a custom time-marked bottle with daily goals.

Lindsey emailed me and said:

“I’ve known for years and years that I need to drink more water. The problem wasn’t that I drank soda or juice instead of water….the problem was that I simply wasn’t drinking enough at all. I used to set goals for drinking more water and then I beat myself up over not achieving them. I thought I had a will-power problem, I thought I wasn’t trying hard enough, I thought there was something wrong with me, etc.

Then one thing happened that changed it all. My husband bought me this water bottle for Christmas last year — the Hydr-8 Water Bottle.

This bottle made drinking 8 glasses of water a breeze. My husband fills the cup for me before going to work and I only need to refill it once at the office! Yes! I know exactly how much water I am drinking (it’s like the water bottle version of the Dave Ramsey envelope system…it’s very easy to track how much money or water you have left).

[The only downside is that it looks a little funny to take to office meetings … so I keep a regular water bottle on hand at my desk for those.]

The big lesson that I learned is that we are too eager to beat ourselves up when we don’t achieve a goal. In my case of not drinking enough water, it wasn’t that I was a bad person or that I lacked willpower or that there was something wrong with me — the problem was that I needed a system that put water consumption on auto-pilot; I needed to put conditions in place that made success inevitable. -Lindsey

2. Find a Cup/Glass/Water Bottle You Love

I don’t really have any scientific proof to back this up, but I’ve certainly found it to be true in my own life: when I have a cup/glass/bottle that I love, I’m much more apt to drink more water. Splurge and buy yourself a cute cup or water bottle and see if this is true for you, too!

I love to drink out of Mason Jars with ice and a stainless steel straw. TJ Maxx usually has quite a great selection of cute water bottles, glass water bottles, and mason jars. You can also check your dollar store to see what they offer. If you are willing to spend a little bit more, you might check out the following bottles: Glass Water Bottle, CamelBak Water Bottle, and Contigo Water Bottle.

I’ve found it helpful to always have a glass of water nearby me, no matter where I am. And when it’s a glass or bottle that I love, it makes me smile and makes me reach for it more often.

3. Start Your Day With Water

Most of us do not drink anything for at least 6-8 hours overnight… which means that we wake up dehydrated every morning.

Chris Bailey from A Life of Productivity says:

One of the best things you can do after you wake up: drink at least 16oz (500mL) of water. Water fires up your metabolism, hydrates you, helps your body flush out toxins, gives your brain fuel, and may even make you eat less.

Many experts recommend starting your day with Lemon Water instead of just plain water. Here are some other beverage ideas to start your day with — most that are water based.

To be honest, the thought of drinking water right as soon as I wake up is a bit much. I usually get up, get dressed in my workout clothes, and go to the garage to workout. Within about 10-15 minutes, I make myself a glass of ice water and try to start sipping on that and get down at least 8 oz. before making coffee. I can definitely tell a difference in how I feel overall when I do this.

4. Drink Water Instead of Soda

Drinking soda pop is addictive and expensive. If you drink one pop per day and you get it on sale with a coupon, that’s still close to $100 spent per year for one person. If you pay for drinks from a restaurant or vending machine and you drink one pop per day, it’s going to be closer to $150 to $250 or more spent in a year for your soda pop habit.

There is almost no redeeming value in soda pop, except that maybe it tastes good and makes you feel good. {Though it does neither for me, but I also basically never drink it — because I’m weird like that! :)} The calories in non-diet drinks can wreak havoc on your weight and the chemicals in the diet drinks can wreak havoc on your health.

So, all that to say, I’d heartily encourage you to consider cutting back on the soda habit — or maybe even get brave and ditch it altogether?

One simple way to start: Order water at restaurants when you go out. Drinks are one of the most price-inflated purchases at restaurants. Order water with lemon and you’ll cut calories and costs. Not to mention that water is one of the most healthful things you can drink.

5. Experiment With Flavored Waters

Don’t like the taste of plain water? Don’t despair! There are so many combinations for flavored water that can change things up. If you’re looking for Flavored Water Recipes, check out this post for lots of ideas and suggestions.

Earlier this year, Jesse came up with the idea to make Flavored Water for us on a daily basis. He went and found a jar at Kohl’s to use (Amazon has a similar jar available), and has been making new flavored water combinations for us. It makes me kind of feel like I’m staying at a high-end resort every time I get a glass of water! You can do the same idea on-the-go with an Infusion Water Bottle.

Other ideas for getting more water are to drink herbal tea (hot or iced) or one of the many, many variations of Good Girl Moonshine.

Day 11 Project

1. Track your water intake for at least 2-3 days to see if you’re getting enough water on a daily basis. This might surprise you!

2. Pick one of the ideas listed above for making getting hydrated more of a priority and think of a simple way you’re going to incorporate it into your daily life.

3. Leave a comment and tell us what you’re planning to do in order to drink more water. I can’t wait to hear your creative ideas!

Looking for some more practical help?

Need some encouragement? Check out these inspiring posts: 8 Ways to Drink More Water Every Day and Trick Yourself Into Drinking More Water.
This Pinterest Page has hundreds of great ideas for how to drink more water. Download an app like Waterlogged to track your water intake every day. There’s something about this form of accountability that really encourages me to hydrate myself more!
Looking for an app to track your water intake? Here are 5 different water tracking apps.

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Aug 23, 2016 comment

This Week’s $81 Grocery Shopping Trip (ALDI + Kroger)

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 23, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We went to ALDI and Kroger on Sunday night and spent $81 total. Because I’ve been buying extra deals here and there over the last few weeks, we had more to work with this week and I didn’t need to spend as much this week — which was great!

Note: If you missed my post on Why I’m Back to Grocery Shopping, Menu-Planning, and Freezer Cooking, be sure to read it here.

Our Grocery Budget

We currently budget $125 per week for groceries for our family of 5. This does not include eating out once a week (we budget separately for that).

We also get some of our expensive groceries and personal products (such as makeup) via Amazon using credit earned from Swagbucks + we get the majority of our household products (cleaners, toothpaste,detergent, etc.) via credit earned from Grove.

I only spent $81 this week, which leaves me wiggle room to buy more markdowns at Kroger if I have time to swing by there later this week to see if they have some great markdowns. If I don’t have time or they don’t have good markdowns, I’ll roll over the extra $$ to next week.

Here’s what we bought:

ALDI Shopping Trip

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts — $5.49
Dried Cranberries — $1.29
Blueberries — $1.49
Blueberries — $1.49
3 Macaroni & Cheese — $0.33 each
Quick Oats — $2.39
2 loaves of 12-Grain Bread — reduced to $0.89 each
3 loaves Wheat Bread — reduced to $0.79 each
English Muffins — $0.99
Chili Beans — $0.59
2 cans of Black Beans — $0.59 each
Bananas (4 lb.) — $0.58
2 Refried Beans — $0.79 each
Diced Tomatoes — $0.59
Peanut Butter — $1.49
Cashews — $2.99
2 dozen large eggs — $0.49 per dozen
Whole chicken — $5.23
Feta cheese — $1.79
Greek yogurt — $0.75
Half & half — $1.89
Baby carrots — $0.99
Total with tax — $42.35 (Plus, I uploaded my receipt to Yaarlo & earned a little cashback for doing so. If you haven’t signed up with Yaarlo, use my coupon code MONEYSAVINGMOM when you sign up to earn more.)

Kroger Shopping Trip

2 dozen brown eggs — $2.99 per dozen
1 carton almond milk — $1.99
1 gallon milk (submitted for $0.25 iBotta rebate)
4 packages bread/buns — reduced to $0.99 each
2 packages bacon — $3 per package
Salad mix — reduced to $2.49 (got $0.25 back via Checkout 51)
2 yogurts — reduced to $0.29 each
Greek yogurt — reduced to $0.39
3 3-lb. packages of Butterball ground turkey — $3.99 each

Total with tax: $38.45 (Plus, I uploaded my receipt to Yaarlo & earned a little cashback for doing so. If you haven’t signed up with Yaarlo, use my coupon code CRYSTALP861 when you sign up to earn more.)

This Week’s Menu Plan

Interested in what we’re eating this week? You can see our menu plan for this week here. I plan our menu based upon what we already have on hand, so I didn’t have to buy every single item needed to make everything on our menu.

Struggling with menu planning? Check out this post on How to Be a Meal Planning Mama.

How much did you spend on groceries this week? Tell us in the comments!

Shared Aug 22, 2016 comment

This Week’s Menu Plan (buying ahead saves us SO much money!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 22, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I went to Kroger and Aldi last night and was SO excited to get nine pounds of ground turkey for just $12 total! I came home and browned it and added some seasonings to it and am freezing it in 2-cup bags to use in some of the recipes this week and over the next few weeks.

We didn’t need the ground turkey for our menu plan this week, but at this price, I couldn’t pass it up. This is why I try to leave a little extra grocery money every week — so that I can use it on deals like this when I find them.

The more you focus on buying ahead — a little bit at a time — the easier it is to stick with a lower grocery budget. Having meat in the freezer that I purchased at more than half off makes it much easier to plan next week’s menu… because I already have some ideas to work with based upon what we already have on hand. Plus, it makes our menu plans much less expensive when we are basing them off of staple ingredients that I bought ahead when I found them marked down.

Here’s our menu plan for this week:

Breakfasts

Breakfasts are a big deal at our house. Not necessarily because of what we eat, but because this is the one meal we’ve committed to eat together around the table pretty much every single day.

Dinners are often somewhat grab and go or brown bagged — especially on the 3 nights a week the girls have swimming and skating. But breakfast, it’s a given. We eat, we talk, we read together, we pray together, and we linger around the table. It’s been a beautiful addition to our schedule + a great way to start the day!

Choose from:

Oatmeal

Smoothies

Bacon/Eggs

Lunches & Snacks

We’re trying something for lunches during the school year. Our extra refrigerator is going to be 100% devoted to lunch items.

We’re making up a big batch of freezer-friendly PB&J on the weekends and, in addition, I’ll have 4 different bins of items that the kids can choose one from — cheese sticks, snack packs, veggies, fruit, applesauce, chips, cookies, etc.

Each bin will have something different so that when they choose one item from each, they’ll have a well-rounded lunch. I’m hoping this makes things super simple and easy for them to put together their lunches at night.

Kathrynne helped me set this up and she took the initiative to write a board with details on how to put together the lunches. So far, we’re one week in, and I have literally done NOTHING for lunch prep other than help set the system up and make sure we had the items on hand for Kathrynne to get everything into baggies in the extra refrigerator.

And then the kids have been entirely in charge of each making their own lunch every night. I haven’t had to remind anyone and no one has yet to forget their lunch. I know we’re only a week in, but I’m pretty excited at how well this has worked so far — especially because the kids seem to be loving it!

Jesse and I are in charge of our own lunches and I’m going to have items on hand to choose from: fried eggs, toast, chips & salsa, yogurt, refried beans & cheese, salads, fruits, veggies, and/or leftovers.

Snacks:Egg & Sausage Breakfast Bites; Pumpkin Spice Bedtime Drink

Dinners

Jesse and I splitting up the cooking responsibilities for dinner this week. He’s in charge of the first two nights (since I have busier work days on Mondays and Tuesdays). I’m in charge of everything else.

Chicken & Cherry Tomato Bolognese, Fettucinne, Fruit

Hamburgers/Sausage on the Grill, Veggies, Fruit

Breakfast for dinner: Pumpkin Spice Waffles, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken, Fried Potatoes, Veggies, Fruit

Crockpot Baked Potatoes, Bacon, Sour Cream, Broccoli, Cheese

Dinner Out

Haystacks, Fruit

Freezer Cooking

I’m doing a Freezer Cooking session on Wednesday where I’m combining dinner prep with freezer cooking. This means that I’ll really only have to bake/cook one day this week. I’ll be making Pumpkin Spice Waffles, Crockpot Baked Potatoes (I won’t be freezing them; I’ll be saving them for dinner the next day.), Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken (I won’t be freezing this, either. I’ll be saving it to reheat for dinner two nights later.), and Egg & Sausage Breakfast Bites (we’ll be using turkey instead of sausage), Look for more details on how that goes later this week!

We spent $80 on groceries this week from Kroger and ALDI. Look for my post tomorrow with full details on what all we bought and how much we paid for everything!

What’s on YOUR menu plan this week? Share the link to it in the comments or tell us what you’re most excited about cooking!

5 Things I’m Loving This Week: School, a book I’m reading, a recipe I loved, plus more!

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 21, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

1. Our Kids’ New Classical School

Our kids started at a new small Classical School this year. This was a big change for them as we’ve always homeschooled.

I’m so grateful for those 7 sweet years I had to be a homeschool mom. I’m also grateful for God’s direction this year (for a long list of reasons) that a different schooling option is best for our family and our kids.

I won’t pretend it was an easy decision. It was one that we made with a tremendous amount of thought, prayer, discussion, and tears.

I will readily admit that I was scared of what the first week might be like — not just for the kids, but for me, too. We prayed and prepped and prayed some more. And, by God’s grace, it was a really good week. It was so much better than I could have imagined and there were so many different ways that God confirmed to us that this decision was the right decision.

Thank you to so many of you who were praying with us, caring about us, and who reached out to us this week. It meant the world to us!

We are so grateful for this school, for the teachers, for the educational philosophy, and for how it aligns with our family’s values, educational philosophy, and worldview. We’re also grateful for how God leads different families in different ways for different seasons.

There will be new challenges and new opportunities and I’m excited to see what God has in store as we trust Him to lead one step at a time. (The kids were excited because they had a very relaxed dress code this past week so they got to wear shorts to school! The real dress code starts this coming week!)

2. Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst

I started this book last week and it is so, so good — just as I expected it would be! If you struggle with feeling lonely, left out, or like you don’t belong, please do yourself a favor and get a copy of this book.

{By the way, if you need some extra encouragement, I shared a video earlier this week here about how to change your mindset when you’re frustrated with what you see in the mirror. I also talk about Uninvited a little bit here.}

3. Our New Lunch System

We’re trying something for lunches during the school year. Our extra refrigerator is going to be 100% devoted to lunch items.

We’re making up a big batch of freezer-friendly PB&J on the weekends and, in addition, I’ll have 4 different bins of items that the kids can choose one from — cheese sticks, snack packs, veggies, fruit, applesauce, chips, cookies, etc.

Each bin will have something different so that when they choose one item from each, they’ll have a well-rounded lunch. I’m hoping this makes things super simple and easy for them to put together their lunches at night.

Kathrynne helped me set this up and she took the initiative to write a board with details on how to put together the lunches. So far, we’re one week in, and I have literally done NOTHING for lunch prep other than help set the system up and make sure we had the items on hand for Kathrynne to get everything into baggies in the extra refrigerator.

And then the kids have been entirely in charge of each making their own lunch every night. I haven’t had to remind anyone and no one has yet to forget their lunch. I know we’re only a week in, but I’m pretty excited at how well this has worked so far — especially because the kids seem to be loving it!

4. These Flowers Growing in Our Yard

I have no idea what kind of flowers these are… I think they might even be a weed? I’m not sure. Anyone know?

Regardless, they just started growing in our backyard and I’ve been picking them and put them in mason jars to brighten up our rooms. And if they are a weed, I’m really not going to apologize… because I think they are pretty and they make me happy! 🙂

5. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I made these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes this week. De-li-cious!

As the recipe stated, the batter was very thick. But the end result was a hearty and yummy pancake that freezes and reheats really well.

(I may have eaten way more of these than I’d want to admit. 😉 They are yummy… and they make me feel like fall is coming soon! Yay!)

What are YOU loving? Tell us in the comments!

Shared Aug 20, 2016 comment

Getting Up Early When You’re NOT A Morning Person

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 20, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Hannah of Affordably Natural Life

A few years ago, I read Crystal’s book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, and was determined to make some changes.

I was coming out of what I call “baby coma”—the period of at least three months following the birth of a baby where you have no sleep, no normalcy and no idea what’s going on.

I started making daily lists, working on goals, and trying to use my time more effectively. Of course, this was interrupted by another baby, and the process started all over again! After my second “baby coma” was mostly over (and this one lasted at least a year!), I tried to get my head above water again.

What I really missed was that feeling of fulfillment and accomplishment when I had finished something or met a goal I had set… and that’s when I decided to take Crystal’s Make Over Your Mornings course.

Now, please understand that I am in NO WAY a morning person — in a perfect world, I would wake up around 10 AM every day!

The other issue for me was that my husband (a firefighter) works shifts that constantly rotate every week, so there is no Monday through Friday week for him. I work for a nonprofit ministry as a counselor, and schedule my work around when my husband is home. It’s fantastic to save on childcare, but makes it really difficult to have a weekly routine.

I started the Make Over Your Mornings course with no great expectations (sorry, Crystal). I knew I hated beginning the day with no time to myself after I was woken by my children, and I also knew I grew frustrated more quickly that way. The point was to have good time with my kids, not be annoyed and not feel behind the whole day!

So, here’s what I did (following Crystal’s direction) to change my mornings and allow me to be productive and do more than I ever imagined!

1. I made a list.

Every evening, I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish the following morning and put the list on my vanity where I would see it as I got ready for bed. I had to remember why I wanted to get up early or there was no chance I ever would.

My list started with hot coffee! I wanted to be able to make coffee and drink a whole cup while it was still warm, rather than rewarming it six times in the microwave after I forgot it while chasing the kids around. I also included time with God, time for work (emails, writing, etc.), and time to read a few pages of a book.

2. I started small.

I decided to start small with my goal. I knew if I told myself I had to get up every day of the week, I would quit. Since our work routine changes every week, I didn’t have that to help schedule things. So, I started to base my early morning schedule around my son’s preschool days.

I thought I could do three mornings a week, and that would help me be less harried in getting him to school on time. I slowly moved up from there until I was getting up early five days a week (most of the time).

3. I made good use of my time.

Crystal advocates making your to-do list for the next day the night before. I went through that list and chose the things that needed to be done early.

The priorities were time with God and coffee. Then, I started in on my list for the morning until one of the kids got up, or I reached my time limit for waking my son up for school.

If I’m going to get up early, I want to feel that I’ve accomplished something during that time!

4. I prepped the night before.

I tried to have the kitchen cleaned up, the coffee stuff prepped, and all the things I needed in one place so I wouldn’t have to spend time looking for it. It really didn’t take that long the night before, but it changed my outlook for the early morning instantly.

I always say that Crystal is the woman who has taught me how to be an adult, but what I mean is that she has given me the small steps that add up to being able to do the big things I desired to do but couldn’t figure out how.

In getting up early, I have had more time with my kids during the day because I’m not worried about that email I need to answer or stressed because I haven’t had any time to process before the day begins.

I am also much more productive when I’m not multi-tasking and trying to manage the kids while doing some work.

The results of this early morning routine have been pronounced.

I have been very productive in my regular job, have started a natural living blog on the side, have actually read some books (which otherwise doesn’t happen unless I’m on vacation!) and have been able to be more present with my kids on the days I am with them. So thankful!

Hannah Morrell lives in Colorado with her husband and two kids. She works for a nonprofit Christian ministry, and writes for the natural living blog, Affordably Natural Life. She started this blog because of her passion to help newbies figure out how to live more naturally while saving money. And coffee. She drinks lots of coffee.

photo source

Shared Aug 20, 2016 comment

Gretchen’s $36 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 20, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Dillons

I was short on time this week and only able to make it to Dillons. I still have some fruits and veggies leftover from the last couple of weeks so I’m hoping to stretch what I bought and what we have on hand to last for this next week. 🙂

2 Kroger Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate – $1 each

1 can Kroger Refried Beans – $0.89

1 pkg Tyson Frozen Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts – $6.99, used $1/1 e-coupon – $5.99 after coupon

1 pkg Kroger Bacon – $3

1 gallon Dillons Milk – $2.49, used $0.25 Ibotta rebate – $2.24 after rebate

1 Applesauce – $2.19

1 Kroger Cream Cheese – $1.50, used $0.50/1 e-coupon – $1 after coupon

1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $1.25, used $0.20/1 e-coupon – $1.05 after coupon

2 dozen Dillons Eggs – $1.39/dozen

1 Kroger Salsa – $1.49

1 Kroger Rice Crisp Cereal – $1.25, used $0.25/1 e-coupon and $0.25 Ibotta rebate – $0.75 after coupon and rebate

1 Kroger Spaghetti – $1

1 loaf Nature’s Own Bread – $1.99, used $0.25 Ibotta rebate – $1.74 after rebate

1 Green Bell Pepper – $0.79

1 can Kroger Tuna – $0.69

1 bag Kroger Spinach – $2.50

2 Cucumbers – $0.79 each

0.96 lbs Roma Tomatoes – $0.95

2 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99 each

2.27 lbs Bananas – $1.34

1 Pineapple – $0.99

Total after coupons and rebates: $36.94