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Shared Mar 8, 2016 comment

Why You Should Put Your Phone Down More

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 8, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I recently read Rest Assured, by Vicki Courtney and just loved it. It was perfect for my Year of Rest.

In chapter 3 of her book, she talks about untethering from our phones and taking a break from social media. She encourages you to ask yourself, “Do I crave connecting more online than I do connecting with God or real-life relationships?”

For those that have been watching my Periscopes, you know that I stopped using Facebook personally a few years ago. With exception of Periscope and Instagram, I don’t have other social media on my phone.

Also, I’ve chosen not to have notifications from social media, email, or my blog on my phone. This helps me to not constantly have things dinging at me and distracting me from focusing on whatever is at hand — be that a writing project, spending time reading God’s Word, cleaning my house, hanging out with my husband, talking to a friend, homeschooling my kids, or just being together as a family.

Disconnect Online So You Can Connect in Real-Life

When we’re always connected to social media, it’s easy to be disconnected from our real surroundings and stop being fully present in the relationships that matter most.

Human contact cannot be replaced by a smiley face emoticon or a text message that had LOL in it. It just can’t.

Now hear me loud and clear: I think there are many, many good things about social media, particularly when it makes it easier to stay in touch with friends and family or when it allows an opportunity for us to interact with others in an encouraging manner. However, it is important that we realize it cannot replace real-life interaction.

Stop Feeling Like You’re a Victim of Your Phone

You are not a victim of your device. You don’t have to answer every phone call, email, or text message right away.

You don’t have to be online all day long. You can set your down phone down or turn off your computer for a period of time and the world is not going to collapse.

Use the “Off” Button

Get brave and courageous. Take advantage of the “off” button on your phone. Just try it. I know that it’s not an easy thing to do, especially if you’ve gotten accustomed to checking in regularly.

Start small: choose to put your phone down for just an hour. Once you have that mastered, put it down for two hours. You can slowly increase the amount of time that you walk away from it.

You can do it! I know you can! And you’ll probably discover that there’s a whole lot of life to be lived that doesn’t require you to be tethered to your phone.

P.S. Need some encouragement to put your phone down more? I highly recommend reading Hands Free Life and Hands Free Mama.

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Shared Mar 8, 2016 comment

Why People Don’t Make Money Transcribing & How YOU Can (free mini-course!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 8, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Janet Shaughnessy

Working from home as a general transcriptionist can be a lucrative and rewarding career. However, it has somehow managed to get a reputation for being an easy way to make money from home.

Except it’s not easy. At all.

In fact, many folks find it very difficult to earn enough money for it to be worth their effort — so much so that they just quit in a matter of days or weeks.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! I’ve been earning a sizeable full-time income from home as a transcriptionist for over 10 years now. With dozens of contacts and colleagues in the industry — and many years spent training my subcontractors — I’ve narrowed it down to three major reasons why so many people fail to make money in transcription.

Reason #1: Lack of Training

Lack of training and practice is the #1 reason people don’t make money as transcriptionists.

Actually, the biggest obstacle I faced when building my transcription business was finding qualified transcriptionists. Having to re-do so many transcripts eventually led to me just training all my new hires myself!

Be very cautious of websites claiming you can easily find work as a general transcriptionist without training: that is not the whole truth. You might be able to “do” transcription without training, but no one can do anything WELL without the proper training and practice.

Yes, there are certain skills you may already possess that will help greatly — the ability to type fast is a must — but transcription involves much more than typing.

Here’s just a handful of things you need to know to perform excellent work as a transcriptionist:

How to format a transcript for each type of transcription (there’s more than one!)
What “time coding” is and how to use it correctly
When to use an em dash and when to use an ellipsis
How to properly notate sections with poor audio

And then there’s knowing how to market yourself well, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Just know that marketing yourself as a transcriptionist without training will almost certainly guarantee failure. Excellent transcriptionists get hired again and again — and those who take the time to learn, earn!

Reason #2: It Doesn’t Pay Enough

This one is kind of an excuse more than a reason. Starting out as a transcriptionist, everyone makes less money (I sure did!), but if you know what you’re doing from the get-go instead of just winging it, your excellent work will move you up the ranks much faster. Plus, you’ll feel much more confident to seek your own clients — and that’s where the real money is.

Many people stick with “big box” transcription companies that pay peanuts and end up quitting, frustrated they can’t make it worth the time spent. Thing is — and almost no one talks about this — in our digital world where almost everything is audio and video, there is a lot of transcription work out there that’s not offered by the big transcription companies, but you have to be skilled and confident enough to seek it out. Otherwise, the poor pay from the bigger companies will severely restrict your earning potential — so much so, you’ll probably quit.

Reason #3: Poor Marketing Skills

To get higher-paying work, you need to seek it out. Working for big box companies doesn’t involve a lot of business-to-business marketing, though. Many people, instead of taking the bull by the horns and learning how to market, just stay with big box companies or give up altogether.

Getting training isn’t magical, either. “If you build it, they will come” only happened in the Kevin Costner movie, Field of Dreams. You can’t just complete your training and expect people to come banging on your door.

You’ve got to get the word out about your services. This involves social media, building a website, SEO tactics, applying to various job sites, transcription companies, and lots more.

Is All Hope Gone?

Not at all! Fortunately, incredibly thorough training resources now exist that can turn you into a polished, professional transcriptionist — one who not only knows how to perform excellent work, but one who also knows how to get work. You can learn the ins and outs of transcription, how to properly market on social media, build a website, pass hiring tests, and find your own clients.

You can learn the skills you need to make more money as a transcriptionist.

Just Get Started

Transcription Foundations is our free introductory mini-course. This mini-course will help you learn more about what it takes to be a transcriptionist and help you decide if transcription is the right home-based career move for you. If you decide you want to pursue it further, we offer the most complete online training available.

Sign up for the free course here.

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Establish better work-life balance with these expert techniques and suggestions! Perfect for anyone juggling a lot at once right now!

Shared Mar 7, 2016 comment

My 5 Secrets to Maintaining a Healthy Work/Life Balance

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 7, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

“What do you do as a means to step back from the business aspect? What does work, life, and personal balance look like?” -a MSM reader

First of all, is it possible to have balance? Yes, it is, but you’ll probably need to change what your definition of balance looks like.

Balance is not that you have everything in perfect order all the time. Balance is that when you look at your year as a whole, you have invested a significant amount of time in all areas that are your priorities. It’s not all lopsided. That’s what a healthy balance is.

I’m a work in progress, and I don’t want you to think I have it all figured out. That being said, I want to share some tactics, techniques, and suggestions that have helped me arrive at what I feel like is a pretty healthy balance.

1. Surround yourself with people who ground you.

Find people who will help you remember what is important — who will not let you fall off the deep end because you’re chasing after things that aren’t a priority right now.

Our Monday evening group of friends is that for me. Most of them are not bloggers or online marketers and entrepreneurs. I love it, because they help me keep things in perspective and remember what’s important.

I love spending time with people who truly love me and don’t care about who I am on the Internet or what my stats say.

2. Get Enough Sleep

This is going to make a huge difference! When you don’t get enough sleep, it affects every area of your life. I talk about this a lot, because it’s such an important factor when discussing balance.

3. Take Time For You

I’m an Introvert, and I crave quiet because of it. I love people, but after spending 3-4 hours with them, I need a break to be by myself.

Taking time for me and giving myself permission to be by myself makes a huge difference. I also take Sundays off and don’t blog, which helps tremendously.

Make sure that you’re not only taking time to replenish yourself, but that you’re making it a priority. You will fill burnt out if you keep pouring out and never pour back into yourself.

4. Outsource As Much As Possible

I feel that outsourcing is such a vital part of a business. If you don’t outsource, you will feel run over by trying to wear way too many hats.

Keep in mind this probably won’t be possible in the beginning stages of your business. As your business grows, though, you can slowly start outsourcing. Remember to let the business grow ahead of your expenses, but outsource as soon as you can, a little bit at a time. Fiverr is a great place to start to find people to help you do small side jobs.

I remember how difficult it was for me to make my very first hire. It felt extravagant or like a waste of money. I knew I didn’t have the graphic design skills needed for my blog, so I decided to hire my graphic designer, Joy. I discovered that she can do in 15 minutes what it takes me 4 hours to do (or more!) It is SO worth every penny paid to save that kind of time.

Maybe you can outsource something in your personal life, too! Have a babysitter come over once a week so you can spend two hours working on your business idea. Ask your husband to take over bedtime duties and send you to Starbucks to work once a week.

5. Unplug Regularly

Taking Sundays off is a big way I unplug each week. I also recently made the decision to take my main e-mail account off of my phone, so that I’m not distracted by my phone while I’m out or with people.

I’ve also been staying offline for most of the morning, as well. I’ve discovered that my brain is so much calmer when I don’t check my e-mail right away in the mornings and just spend the mornings focused on my family.

By doing these 5 things, I don’t have perfect balance, but I’m able to be in a much healthier place than when I’m trying to put out fires all day long, stressing myself out constantly.

How do you maintain a healthy balance? Let’s hear it!

Want some practical help with setting up your day for success? It all starts the night before! Be sure to grab a copy of my brand-new online course, Make Over Your Evenings.

This 14-day online course includes videos, a workbook, and step-by-step projects and is designed to help you maximize your evenings in order to experience more success in your life, more order in your home, and more joy in your soul.

It’s time to stop sleep-walking through life and wake up to the amazing excitement and fulfillment that comes when you follow my simple plan to Make Over Your Evenings.

Find out more about it here.

Shared Mar 5, 2016 comment

Where I’m Headed For the Next 10 Days (2 new continents!!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 5, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

And the adventure begins!!

This morning, I said goodbye to my family and left on a plane headed for Italy and Israel for the next 10 days. I’m so honored to get to spend this time learning, experiencing, and soaking up the richness of story — God’s story — woven throughout history with the wonderful folks from The Museum of the Bible.

As you know, it’s my Year of Rest, which means I’m saying “no” to almost all opportunities, but this was one that Jesse especially felt strongly I should say “yes” to. So even though it’s a really long time for me to be gone from my family, we both felt that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.

I’ve never been to Europe or Asia before, so I’m really stoked to get to go to two new continents! And I can wait to “bring you all along” and share pictures and a little peek into what I’m experiencing and learning.

I’m going to be posting daily updates on Instagram (click here to follow me there, if you’re not already) and I plan to post a few updates here on the blog about my trip, as well as possibly Periscope a few times, too (if I can get strong enough wifi!)

In case you’re wondering, my team will be running the blog like normal with deals, etc. while I’m gone. I also have some posts pre-written on various topics that we’ll be sharing, in addition to some updates from my trip!

So even though I won’t be around here as much in the comments — except for once or twice a day when I’m able to get online — you can still expect to all the usual great posts and deals and guest posts here and on social media!

Have you ever been to Italy or Israel? Any must-see attractions or things you would recommend I make a priority if I have free time while I’m there?

P.S. I was SUPER pumped that I managed to pack for 10 days in a carry-on. I’ll have to do a post on that, if it works out and isn’t a flop. (As in, if I don’t royally wish I had packed a lot more things!)

P.P.S. I’ve been reading the book, Presence, on the plane and so far, it’s SO good! Have you read it?

Shared Mar 5, 2016 comment

Gretchen’s $44 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 5, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

1 pkg Spinach – $1.79

2 Cucumbers – $0.49 each

1 Rice Cakes – $1.29

1 Unsweetened Applesauce – $1.89

1 can Black Beans – $0.59

1 pkg Butter – $2.40

Total: $8.94

Homeland

2 dozen Eggs – $0.99 each, used $0.50 Ibotta rebate – $0.74 each after rebate

2 pkg Oreos – $2.50 each, used $1/2 printable (doubled) AND $1/2 Checkout 51 rebate – $1 each after coupon and rebate

2 Musselman’s Squeezables – $2.15 each, used 2 $1/1 printable (first one doubled) – $0.65 each after coupon

1 Lunchable with 100% Juice – $2.69, used $1/1 printable (doubled) – $0.69 after coupon

Total after coupons and rebates: $4.73

Dillons

1 Farmland Bacon – $3.99, used $0.75/1 coupon from the 2/28 SmartSource insert AND $0.40/1 Mobisave rebate – $2.84 after coupon and rebate

3 Kraft Cheese – $1.77 each

1 Thomas English Muffins – $1.59

2 Rhodes Cinnamon Rolls – $1.99, used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 1/31 RedPlum insert – $0.99 each after coupons

1 Lindt Chocolate Egg – $0.99, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon

1 Kroger Half & Half – $2.39

2 Tennessee Pride Breakfast Sandwiches – $1 each, used 2 $1/1 printable – Free after coupons

3 pkg Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies – $1.99, used 3 $1/1 printable – $0.99 after coupons (I LOVE these and this is such a great price! I was super excited.)

1 Lunchable with 100% Juice – $1.97, used $1/1 printable – $0.97 after coupon

1 Kroger Greek Yogurt – $0.70, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon

1 pkg Kroger Drumsticks – $3.73

2 Lettuce – $0.99 each

1 Green Pepper – $0.99, used $0.25 Ibotta rebate – $0.74 after rebate

1.78 lbs Bananas – $1.05

0.76 lbs Broccoli Crowns – $1.44

2 gallons Dillons Milk – $1.89 each

Total after coupons and rebates: $30.77

Total for all groceries: $44.44

Menu Plan for This Week

We still have fruit leftover from last week’s shopping trip so I will be using that up this week.

Breakfasts

Eggs, Spinach, English Muffins x 3

Cereal x 2

Cinnamon Rolls, Clementines

Breakfast Sandwiches, Fruit

Lunches

Lunchable (My son is super thrilled to try his first Lunchable this week for a special treat!), Sliced Apples

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Sliced Cucumbers, Clementines

Tossed Salad Bar x 2

Baked Potatoes, Broccoli

Leftovers x 2

Dinners

Black Bean Quesadillas, Chips & Salsa, Grapefruit

Baked Chicken Drumsticks, Biscuits, Tossed Salad

Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks, Tossed Salad

Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon

Taco Pie, Steamed Peas, Fruit Salad

Chicken & Rice, Tossed Salad

Leftovers

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Shared Mar 5, 2016 comment

3 Ways to Encourage Children to Purge

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 5, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Denise of Life With the Lid Up

Ah, consignment sale season. The time of year when the house becomes a total disaster as it gets stuck somewhere between yard sale and retail outlet.

I scour every drawer, closet, and toy shelf to collect anything eligible to go into the sale. I read articles on decluttering and downsizing to maintain my motivation. I pin and tag and sort and size — all in a valiant effort to get rid of the unwanted, the outgrown, and the unnecessary.

The army men lurking under the couch, you have been found. The size 3T footed pajamas, you’re no longer needed. You loud, obnoxious, blaring, battery-sucking toy, your time is up. Mama is cleaning house.

And then the children discover the piles. They become like hoarders. Everything is all of a sudden a “favorite.”

It could turn into a battle. However, this go around, I implemented a few methods to help ease the madness and they all involved the kiddos.

If you’re planning to purge kid’s items this year, here are a few tips to get your kids involved:

1. Give them choices.

For a children’s consignment sale, the bulk of the items you’ll be selling will be “theirs.” For clothes, size often determines what you consign; however, I still go through closets and ask about correct size, but seldom worn items, “Do you think you’re going to wear this?”

For toys and books, I asked each of my boys to find a certain number of items to consign. When we went through the games and puzzles together, I gave choices, such as, “Would you rather keep this firetruck puzzle or the dinosaur one?”

It puts the control into their hands, helping them learn some decision-making skills, as well as taking away some resentment that could arise.

2. Put them to work.

Children can help with some of the work that comes along with getting items prepared for a consignment sale. Mine helped to group and bag smaller items.

The sale I use requires consignors to print out labels for each item. My guys helped cut out the labels. Some kids may be able to help sort sizes and tape on labels.

3. Teach them during the process.

As we were getting some things together, I tried to explain why I put in the effort to a consignment sale. After all, it can be a lot of work. “You see these pants you’ve outgrown and how tall you’re getting? I’ll use the profits from the sale to help buy you some new things.”

Further motivation may come from saving the profits for a family goal, such as an outing or project. We also talked about the importance of giving items as we made piles for donations as well. Additionally, the kids heard some thoughts about being frugal and how shopping at consignment and thrift sales can be a fun adventure.

Consigning clothes, toys, and baby gear that are no longer needed or wanted is a great way to clear clutter and make a little money in the process. Getting the kids involved is an added bonus!

Denise is a follower of Jesus, full-time wife and mommy to three boys, part-time preschool teacher, and involved with a parent and youth skills building program. She enjoys cooking, watching football, and writing for her blog, Life With the Lid Up.

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Shared Mar 4, 2016 comment

How We Replaced Our Incomes By Selling On Amazon

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 4, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Jessica of TheSellingFamily.com

Five years ago, I had a dream that I would be able to retire my husband from the job that he hated. Little did I know that in less than 2 years of setting that goal, it would actually come true.

You see, I was laid off from the same company he was working for… but instead of finding another job, I replaced my income by selling new and used goods on eBay.

It was a blast! I would go to yard sales and hunt for deals that could be resold for a profit.

There was a problem though, it wasn’t scalable. I got to where I was making around $1,500 in profit each month… but, in order to bring my husband home, I needed to make more than that.

I went on a hunt for a different way to run my new business and made a couple changes…

I started using the Amazon platform and their Fulfillment By Amazon program (FBA).

This was a game-changer for my business. It meant that Amazon’s employees would handle all of the customer support and order processing for the items I was selling.

This saved me a lot of time everyday because I no longer had to ship out 10+ orders on my own.

I was also storing my products at the Amazon fulfillment centers so I wasn’t even limited by space in my office anymore!

I started buying products from regular drug stores on clearance and reselling them on Amazon.

I would go to places like CVS and Rite Aid weekly to see what new items had gone to 75% off.

I have an app on my phone called “Amazon Seller” that I can use to scan the barcode of a product and the app will tell me how much that item is selling for on Amazon, and even calculate out how much I would make on it after fees.

I could buy things like Norelco Electric Razors for $25 and resell them for $75 or more. When I found deals like this at one store, I would head to other locations of the same store and look for those same items.

I would also find lots of vitamins or lotions for $5 that I could resell for $15 or more. The key is just finding the items that sell for more than the clearance price, and have room for profit after my cost and expenses.

Less than a year after switching to the Amazon FBA system and buying my “inventory” from clearance aisles, my husband was finally able to join our son and I at home! We now have a thriving business selling products on Amazon and earning more than $3,000 a month in profit (we earned over $30,000 just in November/December!)

If you are a fan of bargain shopping, selling on Amazon could be a great way for you to add an extra income stream for your family.

Want to give it a try?

I often recommend that people interested in selling on Amazon get started with products that they have around their own homes. It’s always surprising how many brand new products we have in our possession that don’t get used for one reason or another.

Take a look in your board game closet, kitchen cupboards, and baby closets to see what things you never ended up using! Hey, even check out that coupon stockpile if you have one!

Bring any of those new items to your computer and look for them on Amazon.com. See how much they are selling for. If they are selling for more than $15, send them into the warehouse and test the waters.

Many people find that they have a few hundred dollars worth of things that could be sold on Amazon. I personally recommend just focusing on brand new items for all categories except for books. If you have gently used books you can send those in as used as well.

Here are 8 quick steps to help you get started:

1. Check your house for new items that could possibly be resold on Amazon. Unloved Christmas gifts, birthday presents, “gift closet items”, board games that looked fun but never got played, etc.

2. Bring those items up on Amazon.com and see which ones are selling for $15 or more. Remember, this is all just seed money, so it isn’t necessarily about how much more you can sell them for versus what you paid. You just want to get your feet wet and understand the process.

3. Sign up for a free Amazon Seller Account.

4. List those items for sale in your new seller account. Choose Fulfillment By Amazon as your fulfillment option. Use the current price on Amazon to decide how much to sell yours for.

5. Send those products to Amazon so they can handle the rest for you. (You will create a shipment inside of your seller account, and Amazon will tell you where to send those items. You will need a box, packing tape, address labels and a printer for this part.)

6. Once your items are checked in to the warehouses, you will get notified that your items are “live” and for sale.

7. After your items are sold and shipped to the customer, you will get an email letting you know that they have shipped.

8. Now it’s time to CELEBRATE!!

Not so bad right?

For a more visual idea of what you will be doing in this process, you can check out this post about getting started as an Amazon FBA seller. You can also sign up here for a free eCourse on how to get started started selling on Amazon.

This post was written by Jessica Larrew of TheSellingFamily.com. That is where she and her husband share about their journey of selling on Amazon to make a full time income, working part time hours. They also help Amazon entrepreneurs build successful and profitable businesses for themselves.

Looking for more in-depth advice on how to make money from home?

Be sure to check out my book Money-Making Mom: How Every Woman Can Earn More and Make A Difference, where I share creative ways to manage money, generate income and–most importantly–live a life of deeper meaning, fulfillment, and generosity than you might have ever imagined possible. This book is packed with hard-won wisdom, real-life stories, and practical tips to help inspire and motivate you!

I also highly, highly recommend Angie Nelson’s eCourse: How to Land Your First Work-At-Home Job. This step-by-step guide is packed with valuable information and tips!

Shared Mar 3, 2016 comment

How to Get Off the Hamster Wheel of Crazy & Stop Feeling So Rushed

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 3, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Do you live in such a way that you always feel rushed, no matter what? It’s like you can’t ever get caught up and stay that way for more than a minute.

A few weeks ago, for whatever reason, I woke up in a funk and I just couldn’t get back on my game no matter what.

After some serious looking at my schedule, I realized what I had done: I put more on my schedule then what was realistic. Since I’ve been working on going to bed early and getting up early, I’ve had a lot more breathing room in my schedule. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t still have to be realistic.

So this day, I just felt stressed, rushed, and overwhelmed. Like I needed to live life at breakneck speed in order to get everything done that needed to be done.

When I got into that mode a few weeks ago, I knew it wasn’t how I wanted to go through my day. So instead of continuing on the hamster wheel of crazy, these were the four things I did to stop feeling rushed:

1. Re-Assess My Schedule and To-Do’s

It isn’t easy to do this, but I re-assessed my schedule and to-do’s and started marking things off my list. I was feeling rushed, because I put too much on my schedule.

That day, I didn’t have to write multiple blog posts and clean out my inbox completely like I had put on my to-do list. Those were good things, but they weren’t absolutely necessities.

I also had an appointment with the dentist that I was dreading. It was making me feel stressed on top of an already full day, so I re-scheduled it for a day that I didn’t have anything else going on (they were super gracious to allow me to reschedule!).

When you start to feel rushed, evaluate your schedule. What can you cut or move to another day?

Is there something on your to-do list that is causing you to feel extra overwhelmed? I realized it was my dentist appointment that was causing me to feel very stressed (silly, I know, but just keeping it real here). Once I removed it from my day, I wasn’t as overwhelmed.

2. Stop Feeling Obligated to Myself and Others

In all honesty, I had put almost all of the the obligations on myself that day. I don’t know, maybe I thought I was the productivity queen when I had made my to do list or something! I had added a lot of extra things without thinking about the other things that were already on my plate.

Stop feeling so obligated to yourself or to others. Just take that stuff off your task list for the day. It will be okay. Really examine your heart and your to do list and ask, “Am I feeling obligated to myself or others to do anything on this list?”

3. Ask “What Sparks Joy?”

Even though 2016 is supposed to be my Year of Rest, I forgot about that when I was putting together my schedule on that day I felt super overwhelmed.

Instead of filling up my to-do lists, this year, I am challenging myself to really evaluate what sparks joy in my life. There are definitely going to be some things that I have to do as part of being alive and having a clean and organized home and life. But for everything that’s extra, my barometer for deciding if I should say “yes” to something starts with thinking about my genuine enthusiasm for something.

The more I surround myself with things and projects that truly spark joy, the more encouraged and refreshed I feel.

4. Make Space For My Soul to Breathe

It is so important to take time and let your soul breathe. There are times when I just need to sit and be quiet. I’ve been trying to give myself permission to feel instead of stuff my feelings. To be still instead of feeling like I need to be productive. To take care of myself instead of pushing through when I’m tired.

A question I’ve been asking myself and others is, “What does your soul need right now?” Just being aware of this can make such a difference in the actions and decisions we make.

What do you do when you feel rushed? What helps you break free from living life at breakneck speed?

Shared Mar 3, 2016 comment

Why I get up before my kids every morning…

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 3, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I love the stillness of the house in the mornings. It’s just me and time in God’s Word… And it’s worth waking up for, even if it only lasts for a few minutes.

Also, the kids finished most of that big pile of laundry yesterday (see yesterday’s video) with only a little help from me. It’s so weird and wonderful to have kids who are old enough to really help and shoulder the load.

My heart feels so grateful this morning.

(It’s Day #24 of the #GotoBedEarlyChallenge and I kind of failed at hitting my bedtime last night… But today is a new day to try again!)

How’s YOUR morning going? Did you go to bed on time last night?

P.S. Read more about the Go to Bed Early Challenge here. Need some help and inspiration to go to bed early so you can get up and use your mornings well? Download Day 1 of Make Over Your Mornings for free (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for it!)

Struggling with mornings? Read these posts:

How to Get Up Early — Even With a Crazy, Ever-Changing Schedule

How to Get Up Early — Even if You Have Young Kids

How to Become an Early Riser — Even if You Hate Mornings

Shared Mar 2, 2016 comment

The Number One Thing That is Killing Your Success

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 2, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I will admit, I was quite a bit skeptical about the 5 AM Miracle book. Because Jeff Sanders isn’t a mom with young kids, I wondered if his methods would be applicable to my life. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many helpful tips and insights in it.

I loved this quote: “Whenever I feel stuck or burdened by my circumstances, I look for a new perspective. I ask myself, ‘What am I missing? If I absolutely had to, how could I solve this problem?'”

Want to know what the number one thing is that is killing your success? It’s the belief that you can’t do it. When you believe you can’t, it paralyzes you from being able to move forward and be successful.

Success begins with your mindset. When you believe you can’t, you cheat yourself from reaching your goals.

Ask Yourself “What’s Possible?”

Don’t say:

“That’s impossible.”
“That’ll never work!”
“I can’t.”

Instead, ask yourself: “What’s possible?” and go from there. When you tell yourself you can’t do something, then you aren’t even giving yourself a chance to see if you can. Get rid of those self-limiting thoughts and open your mind to the possibilities before you.

Have Honest Dreams

When I talk about dreaming and thinking “what’s possible?”, I’m not talking about pie-in-the-sky dreams. I could say, “I’m going to believe I will win the lottery or buy an airplane”, but those things are likely not going to happen.

That’s not what I’m challenging you to do. I want you to have honest dreams that are realistic and based in what you do have the ability to do.

Surround Yourself With Cheerleaders

You need to have people around you who believe in you and believe that things are possible. When you surround yourself with people who are full of negative talk (constantly saying things like, “Life is hard. This is awful. I can’t don’t it. You can’t do it.”), it’s going to bring you down.

Some of those people might be living in your house or they might be related to you. You can’t cut them out of your life, but you can choose to bring new people into your life to counterbalance the negativity.

Develop new friendships, find good podcasts, read encouraging books, follow inspiring people on Periscope, surround yourself with cheerleaders. These might be people that you never meet in real life, but they make you feel like you can do it.

Tell Yourself the Truth

All of us have lies about ourselves rolling around in our heads. Lies that tell us we’re not good enough, we don’t have what it takes, that we don’t measure up.

When you start thinking, “I’m a failure; I failed; I’m no good” those are lies and you need to replace them with truths about yourself. You do have worth, you are good enough, the world needs your story and your gifts.

Remind Yourself of Your Successes

Take the time to think back over some of the things you have been successful at in the past. Let those wins fuel your drive to tackle the problems before you.

Also, read success stories of others. This is a great way to feel inspired and push forward in your life.

I am cheering for you! Take the next step. Do the next right thing. The world needs your gifts and your story. The world needs you!

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

Click here to download!

Shared Mar 2, 2016 comment

It’s a beautiful morning… except for my laundry pile! :)

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 2, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Good morning! The windows are open, the breeze is blowing in, the birds are singing… And um, we may be a bit behind on laundry! {Watch the video here for proof.}

Our mother’s helper was out of town on Monday (she and the kids usually do laundry when she’s here on Mondays and Thursdays) and we were gone most of yesterday, so laundry folding hasn’t happened for 6 days now. (Yikes!)

I’m only 5 loads behind right now… I think there’s still hope we’ll conquer Mount Laundry yet today before the mountain grows taller!

(It’s Day #23 of the Go to Bed Early Challenge and I did fairly well at hitting my bedtime and wake up time today. I’ve been feeling SO much more rested this month and that’s been amazing!)

How is YOUR morning going? Did you go to bed on time last night?

P.S. Read more about the Go to Bed Early Challenge here. Need some help and inspiration to go to bed early so you can get up and use your mornings well? Download Day 1 of Make Over Your Mornings for free (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for it!)

Shared Mar 1, 2016 comment

How we were successful in paying off $50,000 in debt

Published: by crystal on March 1, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

As you well know, our family has become big fans of You Need a Budget over the past year.

YNAB aims to be a different kind of budgeting software — one that will help you break the paycheck to paycheck cycle, get out of debt and save money, and ultimately help you live the kind of life you want.

When I shared earlier last year about how much we love this software, I was so happy to hear how many of you also loved YNAB. We recently partnered with YNAB to offer $100 Amazon gift cards to the top success stories we received from readers about how YNAB has changed your life.

We received so many wonderful success stories and it was hard to choose just a few to share here! Thank you to everyone who submitted entries! (The winners have now been contacted, and we will be posting the winning success stories over the next few weeks for all of you to read and be encouraged by.)

Here’s the third winning post…

How We Were Successful in Paying Off $50,000 in Debt

Guest post written by Stephanie by SixFiguresUnder.com

I have always been frugal and budget-minded, so when I read on the YNAB website that following YNAB’s four rules will result in an average turnaround of $200, I naturally assumed that wouldn’t happen for me. Sure, other people might suddenly “find” money, but not me because I knew where our money went.

Or so I thought.

After reading some great recommendations, talking to friends who used YNAB, and watching some YNAB online classes, I forked over the $60 to buy it. That was a big deal for a frugal girl like me. Despite my skepticism, I hoped that it would help us streamline our money management and use our funds most effectively.

YNAB turned out to be the best thing I ever did for our budget. To say it was well-worth the money would be a huge understatement.

I’ve been singing the praises of YNAB for two years now. In that time, we have paid off over $50,000 in law school student loans!

You’re probably thinking that accomplishment has more to do with our own efforts to eliminate debt and less to do with the budgeting software we use. While it’s true that much of our debt payoff comes from hard work (earning more) and sacrifice (spending less), YNAB has allowed us to put even more toward our debt.

Here is what YNAB taught us…

1. Track all of your spending.
Unlike some budgeting software and apps, YNAB does not just compile all of your financial accounts in one place. We are responsible for entering each transaction manually. With the app, we enter purchases in our smartphones wherever we are.
While it might sound daunting, it’s this daily accountability and awareness that keeps us in line and helps us really understand our habits.
2. Only budget real money.
The traditional way to budget is to plan how you will spend the money that you plan to get. You’re making plans for money that isn’t even in the bank yet.
You’re counting your chickens before they’ve hatched. With YNAB, you only budget money that you actually have — already earned, sitting in your bank account, real money!
3. Consider money as “spent” when you spend it (not when it leaves your account).
We don’t have to worry about bouncing a check or having enough left to pay the credit card that we faithfully pay in full each month. Even though the money is sitting in our account after we write a check or pay with a credit card, it’s “spent” in YNAB as soon as we spend it.
Before YNAB, we were never sure how much “extra” money we had to throw at the student loan debt that we’re working to pay off. We were always trying to time the bills and paychecks just right and erring on the safe side.
We weren’t putting as much money toward debt because we just plain weren’t sure how much money we actually had. Of course we knew how much was in the bank, but we weren’t sure which of those dollars were already spoken for (in the form of a bill that might come tomorrow).
4. Have a flexible budget.
Before making purchases, we check YNAB to see what funds we have available to spend. By paying attention to the category balances that we have set up in YNAB, we keep our spending in line with our priorities.
When our priorities change or something comes up that we had not planned for, we always have the option of moving money around from one category to another. Our pre-YNAB-selves would consider this a budget failure, but now we know it’s normal and healthy to adjust your budget any time in the month.
5. Start living on last month’s income.
YNAB opened our eyes to the idea of living on last month’s income, which has revolutionized our budget and our overall feeling of financial security. The idea is pretty simple. We hold on to ALL of the money that we earn each month and we don’t touch it until the next month.
We do this each month, so every month we’re holding that month’s income for the entire month, then spending it in the next month. Then, at the beginning of each month we know exactly how much money we have to work with.
It took a couple of months to get in the position of being a month ahead, but it was so worth it. With a variable income, living on last month’s income has given us stability. Even while working to get out of debt, we get a taste of peace and financial security by living on last month’s income. More than anything else, living on last month’s income has reduced my stress level tremendously.
So how has YNAB helped us pay off over $50,000 in debt in 2 years?

The accountability of recording every purchase means we spend less, so we have more to put toward debt.

Budgeting down to zero by giving every dollar a job means we can put every extra cent toward debt.

Living on last month’s income allows us to approach the budgeting scene with a calm we’ve never had before, which means we can keep our sanity while tackling our huge goal.

Having a budget that works is really motivating. And motivation can go a long way!

YNAB is more than just budgeting software; it’s a money-managing methodology that really works. Instead of looking back to see where our money went, YNAB has taught us to look forward and tell our money where to go. We’re counting on YNAB to help us pay off the remainder of our debt in 2016!

Stephanie makes her family’s personal finances public and shares money-saving, income-earning, and budgeting tips (using YNAB, of course) at SixFiguresUnder.com. Stephanie’s family of six is on a super frugal journey to pay off over $130K of student debt in a hurry. Follow along for ideas and encouragement!

This post is underwritten by YNAB. Read our disclosure policy here.

Shared Mar 1, 2016 comment

4 Steps to Create an Amazing Evening Routine

Published: by Crystal Paine on March 1, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

During the Go To Bed Early Challenge, I have really been working on winding down earlier and setting up my evenings with a good routine. I believe a productive morning starts the night before.

If you’re following along and working on an evening routine, here are my tips on how to create an amazing evening routine…

1. Make a list of all your ideas.

Write down every single thing you can think of that you would love to do before you go to bed. Brain dumping help me with stress reduction so much!

Just getting everything that’s swirling around in my head out of my head and onto paper makes me feel better almost instantly.

2. Prioritize your list.

Once you have it written down, go through the list and star the most important priorities that will make a huge impact on your life. Keep in mind that you can’t realistically do everything.

Look for what Charles Duhigg calls “keystone habits“. These are habits have a positive trickle down effect on all other areas.

One of my keystone habits is spending one-on-one devotional and conversation time with each of my kids for 10 minutes every night. It’s an opportunity for my kids to know they have my complete attention.

I want to hear my kids’ hearts, know their struggles, and listen to them. This is a keystone habit for me, because I know that it will have a lifelong impact on my children.

It also has a trickle down effect for the next day. It fills up my kids’ love tanks and helps them feel secure, and it affects so many areas of their lives.

Another habit I really want to focus on is taking my vitamins before bed. So many times, I get tired and want to skip this. When I make it a priority, though, I sleep better and feel so much better on a daily basis.

These are my top two priorities. Secondary priorities for me include a quick pick-up of the house, cleaning up the kitchen, and laying out my clothes for the next day.

3. Pick two to five things to do every night.

Decide which priorities you will choose to do in the same order every night. Make sure you put them in order of priority. Right now, I am focusing on taking my vitamins and doing devotionals with the kids every single night. If I have time and energy after that, I do the secondary priorities.

If it helps you, time blocks might even be a really good idea to make sure you stick to it and get in bed at the same time each night. Figure out your bed time, and work backwards to figure out what time you realistically need to start your wind-down and evening routine.

4. Commit to stick with it for 21 days.

When you stick with something for three weeks, it’s much more likely that it will become habit. It becomes a part of your life and something you don’t even have to think about!

What priorities are you planning to stick with for the next 21 days? Tell me in the comments, so that we can encourage each other in public accountability!

Want some practical help with setting up your day for success? It all starts the night before! Be sure to grab a copy of my brand-new online course, Make Over Your Evenings.

It’s time to stop sleep-walking through life and wake up to the amazing excitement and fulfillment that comes when you follow my simple plan to Make Over Your Evenings.

Find out more about it here.

Shared Feb 29, 2016 comment

How to Get Up Early — Even With a Crazy, Ever-Changing Schedule

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 29, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m a homeschool mom of 4 with a wonderful husband who has a weird work schedule. For three days in a row, he has to be up and out the door by 4:30 a.m. Then he gets three days off with no set wakeup time. So, we all sleep in to catch up on what we missed the previous three days.

Every two months, he switches to being out by 5:15 p.m., working all night long and arriving an hour before the kids get up. I stay up late to see him over his “lunch” break at 11 p.m. The problem is, I’m tired the next day.

It seems once we finally get a rhythm of going to bed and getting up at a regular time, it gets switched. Do you have any advice on how to get up early when we have such a weird and ever-changing schedule? -a reader

This was such a great question — and I think it’s one that probably many people struggle with and I thought it’d be great to address it in a post.

Now, full disclosure here, I’ve never had a husband who was on a second shift. However, Jesse was in school and working part-time for the first few years of our marriage. When we were in Kansas City, he had a long commute. And when we moved back to Kansas, he had ever-changing hours and night court multiple times per week as part of running his own law firm.

Now that we both work together from home and homeschool our kids and travel regularly, our schedule is always changing and no two days are alike. So, even though Jesse hasn’t worked second shift, I have experienced what it’s like to have irregular work hours and a constantly changing schedule.

With this in mind, here are a few thoughts and words of encouragement:

1. Don’t Compare

I think it is so easy for us to think: “If only I had a husband who worked an 8-5 job.” Or, “If only my kids would sleep through the night.” Or, “If only I didn’t have to work.”

It’s so easy to think that if we were in someone else’s shoes, we could get some sense of normalcy in our lives or we could get more organized or we could get on a better schedule. But here’s the truth: These thoughts will only lead to dissatisfaction in our lives and beat us down.

Embrace where you are. Stop wishing you were in a different place or had a different life. Stop waiting until you make it to a different season. Start right where you are to make changes in the right direction.

As it has well been said, “If we wait for perfect conditions, we’ll never get started at all.”

2. Get on the Same Page as Your Spouse

Learning to communicate with your spouse and getting on the same page with them is key to not only having a great marriage, but also to being able to find a routine and rhythm that works for your own unique family and situation.

Again, the comparisons have to stop. Don’t look at the way another couple is handling a situation and think, “Look how they do their life! We should do our life like that!”

I’ve done this before… and I’ve nagged and dragged Jesse into changing our schedule in a way that isn’t right for us. The end result is tension and frustration. Do what works best for YOUR family — that’s all the matters!

Hear me clearly on this: Your marriage is so much more important than having the perfect go to bed/get up schedule. Do what you can to get on the same page with your spouse and stop chasing someone else’s perfect schedule. Relationships are so much more important than schedules.

3. Focus on a Routine

I know how easy it is to stress out about having the perfect schedule. Instead of that, I want to challenge you to stop stressing over getting it perfect. Life happens, there are hard things that come up, and there are a whole lot of imperfect circumstances that are going to take place.

Stop worrying about getting up at the perfect time each day or going to bed at the perfect time each night. Instead, focus on implementing a good bedtime routine and wake-up routine. No matter what time you go to bed or get up, do the same few things before bed and the same few things when you get up.

Figure out what you want to accomplish the first two hours you are awake. Then, challenge yourself to do the same 3-5 things each morning no matter what time you get up. This can make such a HUGE difference in your day — even if you get up at completely different times every morning.

Sure, I have issued the go to bed early challenge and the get up early challenge to you all, but that doesn’t mean I expect all of my readers to participate in the challenge or be shooting for the same times that we are trying to go to bed and get up. This is what Jesse and I have determined is a priority for our family, but it may not be the season for your family to be focusing on it. Again, do what is best for your family in the season of life you are in.

4. Plan Two to Three Different Kinds of Morning Routines

Here is another place where you have to stop trying to reach perfection: Instead of trying to come up with the perfect routine that will work every single morning, come up with a few different morning routines based upon the common variations in your schedule.

Plan one morning routine for when you are on one shift. Plan one for the other shift. And so on. Then, whenever you and your family roll out of bed and get going, you can choose which routine to go with and you aren’t “off plan”.

Planning for the interruptions in life will help you deal with what life throws at you. Instead of feeling like the constantly changing schedules are constantly throwing you off, you have planned for the variations and can just roll with punches!

What advice and suggestions do you have for this reader?

Want some practical help with setting up your day for success? Be sure to grab a copy of my brand-new online course, Make Over Your Mornings.

This 14-day online course includes videos, a workbook, and step-by-step projects and is designed to help you revolutionize your productivity, streamline your routines, invest your time in things that truly matter, and find more joy and peace in the process.

If you’ve ever wished that you could figure out how to get more done, have more organization in your life, and find time to spend on things you love, the Make Over Your Mornings Course is for you. Find out more about it here.

Shared Feb 29, 2016 comment

5 Ways to Save with Suburban and Urban Homesteading

Published: by Crystal Paine on February 29, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Valerie of Our Healthy Foodie Life

First things first: You may be asking, “What on earth is suburban/urban homesteading?”

To put it simply, suburban or urban homesteading is using practical, self-sufficiency skills to create what you consume at home. This can include growing your own food, making your own shampoo and body wash, sewing your own clothes, and much more.

I first began suburban homesteading last year when my husband and I bought our house. As new homeowners, we needed to save money wherever we could.

I started by growing our fruits and vegetables, and since then, I’ve started making our own cleaning supplies, bath and beauty products, and the list continues to grow.

As a result of my efforts over the past year, we have saved hundreds of dollars, and I’ve acquired new skills and hobbies in the process. Suburban homesteading has become a hobby and money-saving technique two-in-one.

If you’re thinking of trying suburban/urban homesteading yourself, here are five ways homesteading can save you hundreds every year:

1. Grow your own garden

Whether you live in a 600 sq. foot apartment in the city, or a 2200 sq. foot home in the suburbs with a large backyard, anyone can have a garden. You will obviously be able to plant more or less depending on size limitations, but everyone can have at least a small garden.

To get the most money-saving potential out of your garden, focus on growing high-value items. For example, herbs such as mint and basil can cost $3+ for one small clamshell container at the store. When grown at home, these herbs only cost pennies for the same quantity.

2. Make your own cleaning supplies

If you haven’t already made DIY cleaning products, you might be surprised to find how inexpensive and easy it is to make almost any cleaner you need. A quick search on Google or Pinterest will lead you to plenty of DIY cleaning product “recipes.”

Another added benefit? Nearly all DIY cleaning supplies are made with all-natural ingredients. That means in addition to saving money, you’ll avoid bringing harsh chemicals in to your home.

3. Mix your own bath and beauty products

Again, one quick search online and you’ll find ideas for nearly every bath or beauty product you could want to create! Body scrub, facial toner, moisturizers, and more.

Much like I mentioned with DIY cleaning supply “recipes,” you’ll find that DIY bath and beauty products are almost always free of harsh chemicals, and they are incredibly inexpensive to make.

4. Make simple home health remedies

While there is obviously no replacement for going to the doctor, there are a lot of wonderful DIY home health remedies that you can make. One example is elderberry syrup (my favorite DIY health remedy), which is said to help support the immune system.

If you buy pre-made elderberry syrup at the health store, prepare yourself to spend upwards of $15/bottle. When I make elderberry syrup at home, I spend about $3 per batch.

5. Create your own DIY home decor items

Even if you’re not super creative, there are plenty of easy, step-by-step instructional articles on how to create DIY home decor items. This can be as simple as assembling your own picture frame, or as complicated as building your own dining room table and beyond.

No matter what you decide to make, putting together your own home decor items can save you $10’s – $100’s per project.

Suburban/urban homesteading is NOT a radical, inconvenient, all-or-nothing way of life. You can make this concept your own, and do what works best for you and your life.

Do you practice any urban or suburban homesteading techniques?

Valerie Jacobsen is the creator and writer for Our Healthy Foodie Life. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and two dogs.

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1. Surround yourself with people who ground you.

2. Get Enough Sleep

3. Take Time For You

4. Outsource As Much As Possible

5. Unplug Regularly

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1. Give them choices.

2. Put them to work.

3. Teach them during the process.

I started using the Amazon platform and their Fulfillment By Amazon program (FBA).

I started buying products from regular drug stores on clearance and reselling them on Amazon.

Want to give it a try?

Here are 8 quick steps to help you get started:

Looking for more in-depth advice on how to make money from home?

1. Re-Assess My Schedule and To-Do’s

2. Stop Feeling Obligated to Myself and Others

3. Ask “What Sparks Joy?”

4. Make Space For My Soul to Breathe

What do you do when you feel rushed? What helps you break free from living life at breakneck speed?

How’s YOUR morning going? Did you go to bed on time last night?

Ask Yourself “What’s Possible?”

Have Honest Dreams

Surround Yourself With Cheerleaders

Tell Yourself the Truth

Remind Yourself of Your Successes

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

How is YOUR morning going? Did you go to bed on time last night?

How We Were Successful in Paying Off $50,000 in Debt

1. Track all of your spending.

2. Only budget real money.

3. Consider money as “spent” when you spend it (not when it leaves your account).

4. Have a flexible budget.

5. Start living on last month’s income.

So how has YNAB helped us pay off over $50,000 in debt in 2 years?

Interested in trying out YNAB? Go here to sign up for a free 34-day trial.

1. Make a list of all your ideas.

2. Prioritize your list.

3. Pick two to five things to do every night.

4. Commit to stick with it for 21 days.

1. Don’t Compare

2. Get on the Same Page as Your Spouse

3. Focus on a Routine

4. Plan Two to Three Different Kinds of Morning Routines

What advice and suggestions do you have for this reader?

1. Grow your own garden

2. Make your own cleaning supplies

3. Mix your own bath and beauty products

4. Make simple home health remedies

5. Create your own DIY home decor items

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