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Shared Dec 7, 2015 comment

How I Find Time to Listen to Podcasts

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 7, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

After posting about my 4 favorite podcasts to listen to, many of you have asked me when I find time to listen to podcasts.

First, here are two things that help me not have information overload:

1. Only subscribe to your absolute favorites.

There is SO much great information out there, but you can’t consume it all. Don’t feel like you have to even try! Just subscribe to your absolute favorites and don’t worry about what else you might be missing out on.

Not all podcasts are for everyone. Find what feeds you, find what inspires you, find what you love and enjoy and stick with those — even if it’s different than what

2. Only listen to topics that interest you.

I stick to listening to podcasts on topics I find inspiring or that I’m interested in learning more about. This changes from time to time and that’s okay.

Focus on the information you need right now for where you are. If I find that a podcast is making me feel like I need to add a bunch of extra to-do’s to my list, I usually take that as a sign that I need to stop listening.

Here are some simple and practical ways I find time to listen to podcasts each day:

Listen while you’re getting ready in the morning. I usually always listen to something while getting ready (showering/blow drying my hair/putting on makeup, etc.) each morning.
Listen while you’re working out. When I’m exercising, my brain seems to come alive. It’s a great time to stimulate it!
Listen while you’re cleaning. I have started to love cleaning, because I get to listen to podcasts while I’m doing it!
Listen while you’re doing simple tasks online. If I’m doing something that doesn’t require a lot of brain space — like scheduling posts on Facebook or pinning pins — I can listen while working.
Listen while you’re driving. I often sit my phone in the seat next to me and listen while I drive.
Listen while you’re doing handwork. I love adult coloring books, knitting, and embroidery. It’s so relaxing to turn on something to fill my mind and feed my soul while I do these things that make me happy and relaxed.
Listen while you’re going to sleep. This is one that wouldn’t work for everyone. I feel like it’s better to go to bed quietly and not stimulate your mind. However, if I have trouble going to sleep because my mind is racing, I’ll often listen to a podcast that will relax me or shut my brain off so that I can fall asleep.

How do you find ways to listen to podcasts throughout the day? I’d love to hear!

Shared Dec 7, 2015 comment

How to Prevent “Budget Meltdowns”

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 7, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Kelly of Kelly Cox At Home:

Have you ever felt tired (exhausted?!) with your budgeting efforts? Me too!

Have you ever had an absolute “Budget Meltdown?” Sigh…yeah, me too.

However, I want to remind you that budgets ROCK and are your friend! A budget is simply a written plan to will help you achieve your financial goals and to be a good steward of your family’s resources. Don’t throw in the towel on budgeting too soon!

Here are a few tips to help anticipate, and perhaps conquer, that occasional “budget meltdown” before it derails your efforts.

Have Accountability

Budgeting can be tedious… and a little accountability goes a long way.

Find someone to help talk and pray you through your budget journey. If you are married, then try to budget as a couple. If you are not married then consider a family member or friend to help you be accountable for your decisions.

No need to share all your financial information but rather, just have someone to chat with if you begin to waiver. We all need encouragement, and accountability will help us stick to our budget.

Set Attainable Goals

Set goals that stretch you but are still attainable.

If your goal is not reasonable, you’ll often feel disheartened or overwhelmed. Personally, my husband and I need a clearly-defined goal with a potential date or timeframe to work toward. Our budget gives us vision and sets expectations.

For example, we are in the process of adopting a baby (YAY!) and plan to do this debt free. While this is a lofty goal, we have a clear, written plan to pull this off (with the Lord’s help)!

Set goals that are reachable and then celebrate as you pull them off.

Tackle Debt

Debt is restrictive and can be difficult to conquer; however, a budget helps you to both plan and then track your success.

According to Dave Ramsey, a budget tells your money where to go. I encourage you to write down all that you owe and then decide what you can afford to put toward debt each month. “You eat an elephant one bite at a time”, as the saying goes.

Paying down debt is not fun; however, it’s worth the effort to gain financial freedom, no matter how long it takes.

Stay the Course

Often, my husband and I feel tired of saving toward our goals. Our budget keeps us on track when we get complacent or unmotivated.

I remind myself that saving for our goal will last only for a season, it is worth the wait and that patience is a virtue. In other words, stay the course, be patient and work heartily toward your goal because it is worth seeing it through to completion.

Budgeting is essential in our home, despite the occasional frustration AKA “budget meltdowns”. We budget as a couple and believe that a written plan helps to run our home more smoothly and debt free.

Don’t give up on your budget, but rather stay the course and be blessed as you see the fruits of your labor.

Kelly is a Christ follower, blessed wife, mom to be and a lover of all things home. She blogs at Kelly Cox At Home about her journey at home and passion for debt-free living. She hopes to encourage others in that goal, while sharing tips on how to manage and enjoy all things that make up HOME!

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Shared Dec 6, 2015 comment

5 Things I’m Loving This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 6, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

1) An Essential Oil Locket

I’m so excited about this new essential oil locket that was in the mail when we got home from our trip early this morning. You put 1-2 drops of essential oils on the little leather disc inside the locket and supposedly the aroma will last for 3-5 days!

2) Local Community

This is what love and community looks like.

I texted a friend on Monday to say we were going to stay home from Monday Group tonight because we had gotten home from the airport at 3 am this morning and our kiddos needed a crazy early bedtime as a result.

I didn’t say anything about how tired I felt. Or how much laundry we had to do. Or the fact that I’m leaving tomorrow for another trip and was a little bit overwhelmed by my to do list for the day.

My friend didn’t know any of that. But something prompted her to text back and say, “I’m bringing over dinner tonight.” It was like a love note directly from God to me through this friend. And it blessed me in an amazing way. It was like God saying to me, “I’ve got this. Trust me. I’m going to carry you through this day.” And He did — and it ended up being such a good day.

And it was topped off with this delicious and fun dinner dropped off by friends who didn’t know how much their gift encouraged us today.

If you’re prompted to do something for someone else, do it. You never know just how much they might need your love today. Or how your kindness could transform their entire day.

3) My In-Home Hairstylist

I have become a hair model. Or that’s how it feels. And I don’t mind it one bit!

Every single day, Kaitlynn (8) wants to try a one (or 5!) new hair style ideas out on me. This was one of her newest hair styles to attempt.

Thanks to YouTube, I doubt she’s ever going to run out of inspiration!! I love watching my kids trying new things and discovering their interests, passions, and gifts. It’s one of the most rewarding things as a parent! (I was reading a really good book when she snapped this picture and didn’t even know she was taking a picture! So excuse the intensely serious look on my face!)

4) A Special Vacation to Fripp Island

I was so blessed to get to spend the last few days on beautiful Fripp Island, SC with three of my dear friends. We enjoyed deep conversations, shared lots of laughs, cooked good food, watched funny movies, took time to read, walked on the beach, watched the sun rise and set, and planned for our lives and businesses for 2016.

5) Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

On the first day of vacation, I had Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for breakfast with coffee and devotions. At noon. Because I’m on vacation sans kids. Don’t judge. 😉

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are one of the few non-homemade treats I absolutely adore. And I can’t keep them at our house or that could be dangerous. But on vacation, I’m all about doing a little splurging!

Bonus: I may be a wee bit excited about these limited edition #ChooseJoy sweatshirts!! Look for a special offer coming in a few days!

What are YOU loving this week? Tell us in the comments.

Shared Dec 5, 2015 comment

How I Became a Stay at Home Mom in a High Cost Area

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 5, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Aileen of Aileen Cooks

I never thought I would be a stay-at-home-mom before I had my first child. I took pride in working and did not feel the need to change anything.

My husband had mentioned the idea of my staying home once we had kids, but I never thought we could afford it. In fact, we couldn’t afford for me to stay home — I was bringing in almost half of our income!

We live in the San Francisco Bay Area — an extremely high-cost area — and we had an expensive mortgage. There was no way it would work for me to stay home. I had to keep working.

Then, my son was born.

Boy, did my mind-set change!

I could not imagine the thought of leaving him, but I also didn’t think there was any way we would be able to survive on a single income.

When my son was 3 months old, I went back to work part-time. However, even with a part-time schedule, I was unhappy.

I mentioned this to my husband a lot, almost daily. I did not want to work anymore — I wanted to be home with our baby. I felt like I was missing out. So, we made a plan.

First, we figured out what our bills would need to be in order to survive on a single income. We would need to make a lot of changes, but we were both determined to make it work.

Here’s what we did:

Cut out the non-essentials. No more trips to the nail salon or daily trips to Starbucks.
Contacted every company I thought would work with us and requested a lower rate (Internet, Cell Phone, TV) and most worked with us.
Cancelled our home phone.
Ate out less and started bringing homemade lunches to work.
Made more meals from scratch (homemade stocks and soups are a huge money saver).
Purchased second-hand clothes and toys. You would be amazed at the high-quality clothes you can find for children.
Refinanced our mortgage. This was huge for us – we were able to lower our interest rate and drop our mortgage insurance.
Paid off our credit debt.
Saved as much as we could from my part-time income, so we would have a cushion for emergencies.
Said NO to pricey house projects. If it didn’t have to be done, we didn’t do it. An outdated bathroom was a small price to pay for the ability to have one of us stay home with our son.
Continued to drive older cars. Our cars are not the newest and prettiest cars, but they get us from point A to B and they are payed off, so we don’t have to worry about huge car payments.

After 7 months of saving and cutting back, I quit my job!

My son was 10 months old and had just started walking. He is now 3 years old and we welcomed a second child last year.

Quitting my job was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I am extremely grateful to my husband for his continued support.

We recently cancelled cable and continue to look for ways to cut back on our monthly expenses. I still make my husband’s lunch every day and try to make as much food from scratch as I can. I take the kids to the library and participate in free or inexpensive children’s programs run by our local YMCA and First 5 Center.

Sometimes, money is pretty tight for us. If I don’t have enough gas in my car, we say no to that play date. I scrounge together meals from our pantry until pay-day. My husband and I plan a lot of at-home dates. We buy small birthday and Christmas gifts. All of these things make a difference for us.

If you are struggling to make ends meet or are trying to transition to one income, keep at it! Every little bit will help you reach your goal!

Aileen is a stay at home mom of two living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She blogs at Aileen Cooks where she shares family-friendly recipes, tips on cooking with kids, and money saving tips.

photo source

Shared Dec 4, 2015 comment

How to Turn Your Passion Into a Profession

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 4, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Veronica of Vintage Meet Modern Living

“Never let anyone dull your sparkle”, the saying goes. But in the summer of 2011, I couldn’t see any sparkle at all. Just sadness and financial ruin. I was the single mom of two young girls, and my child support payments had been reduced to almost nothing when my ex-husband lost his job.

Then, my aunt passed away. A spinster, she’d left no one behind to tidy her affairs, so my family was faced with the task of cleaning out her century-old home, a place full of memories, heirlooms, and… clutter.

Six of us tried sorting through the chaos she’d bequeathed us. Save. Donate. Toss.

We toiled for days in the summer heat. But amidst the mess, I discovered pieces of jewelry scattered throughout my aunt’s house. A few of them were my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s jewels, but most were costume pieces, or “fabulous fakes”. I tried some of the jewelry on and found that wearing rhinestone earrings makes the job of cleaning a little more fun.

I asked my Dad what to do with all those sparkly treasures. “You keep it,” he answered. Sentimentally, I dragged boxes and boxes of jewelry home with me.

Around this time in my life, I had discovered MoneySavingMom.com and Dave Ramsey. One of Dave’s teachings made immediate sense to me: to raise cash, sell what you can now, because you can always buy it back later. So, in between teaching preschool and raising my girls, I began selling my aunt’s jewelry online. I chose the Etsy platform because it seemed seller-friendly.

Each week I listed a few pieces of jewelry for sale. It was slow going at first. Then one afternoon while teaching preschool, my phone went “cha-ching!”, and I said to a co-worker, “Hey, I just had a sale on Etsy!” Soon the cha-chings were more frequent, and some weeks, my jewelry sales were higher than my teaching paycheck!

While wrapping jewelry orders one night, I said to my then-fiancée, Chris, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could keep this going? Help pay for our wedding? We have good success online, but other people seem to make sales more regularly and in some cases for more money.”

Chris said, “Well, let me take a look,” and he compared my Etsy listings with those of other sellers. He concluded, “It’s your pictures, they are pretty terrible. From now on, I’ll take your pictures. We’re a team.”

Chris was a professional film editor who had studied photography. With his focus on taking jewelry pictures, I was able to concentrate on listing, selling, and online networking. Our inventory grew, and I enjoyed daily online sales. I also began doing local appearances and pop-up shops. So what happened next surprised even me: it was no longer just about the items, but about the whole experience.

Vintage Meet Modern Life.

Everything old was literally new again. Those tiny sparkles began to bring a lot of happiness to me, and to my clients. I began to hear things like,

“I love this, my grandmother had one just like it.”

“This will be my ‘something old’ on my wedding day, but I will treasure it forever.”

“I have been looking for the earrings to match this set for years!”

And, my personal favorite: “This is vintage? Really? I love your style. Where can I get something like it?”

I frequently get asked about being a “mompreneur” and about how I got established. Well, it did not happen overnight. Faith, love, and support were critical not just to success but longevity in business. Being true to yourself and looking inwards can help start your journey.

Here are a few key things to consider.

Embrace your calling:

You know that little voice that just won’t shut off in your head? Not the one that says, “Mom, I can’t find my socks!” but the one that says, “THIS IS WHAT I WAS MEANT TO DO!”

Gratefully, I had that “aha” moment, and it shone brightly. I realized that, while I liked teaching preschool, I loved selling and styling jewelry. It brings me joy, and it brings joy to other people.

Embrace opportunities:

Not everybody inherits boxes of costume jewelry like I did. But I thank God for the opportunity it gave me at the right time in my life. I could have easily dropped the boxes at Goodwill. But I saw this treasure as a unique chance to jump start my own online store.

Embrace your fears:

Early on, I had my doubts. I could barely work a computer, I am not a talented photographer, and what would we do when we ran out of jewelry?

I had to make peace with my fears. When our supply of jewelry dwindled, I got a call from a previous client who was downsizing her collection, and would I be willing to buy or consign it? I had never attended an auction or an estate sale before, but I quickly learned that these were great places to restock our jewelry supply.

Embrace the help of others:

I succeed because of my family: my daughters help at shows, and my husband is my photographer. But I also succeed because of online support. Don’t be afraid to look to the Web for advice. Many of my early business questions were answered by other moms online.

Blogs like MoneySavingMom.com inspired me, too. I’ve discovered vintage jewelry support groups, people worldwide who help me identify my rare jewelry finds. Today, I moderate an online group of entrepreneurs called Vintage Modern Now, where women can share their stories – both good and bad – and promote each other’s businesses and help each other achieve goals.

Always Sparkle.

My mantra. I wanted to give up many times. We all have the ability to sparkle, and on the days when you feel you can’t, just put on a vintage brooch or some fun earrings. I assure you someone will stop and say, “Wow that’s beautiful!”. Just like you.

Veronica Staudt owns Vintage Meet Modern, an Etsy shop specializing in vintage jewelry. She is also a wife, mother to three, and a stylist. Veronica organizes collaborative photo shoots showcasing the talents of other women entrepreneurs. You can read about her adventures on her blog, Vintage Meet Modern Living.

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Shared Dec 4, 2015 comment

Brigette’s $54 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6

Published: by Brigette on December 4, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Aldi

10lb bag Russet Potatoes – $3.49

2 1-lb bag Baby Carrots – $1.98

1 bunch Bananas (2.95lbs @ $0.38/lb) – $1.12

1 head Cauliflower – $1.99

1 3-lb bag Oranges – $2.49

1 2-lb bag Lemons – $2.49

1 20-oz pkg Zucchini – $1.99

1 pkg Artisan Lettuce – $1.99

1 3-ct bag Romaine Hearts – $1.99

1 bag Mini Sweet Peppers – $2.29

1 3-lb bag Honeycrisp Apples – $3.99

1 Pomegranate – $0.59

1 dozen Eggs – $2.59

2 cans Green Beans – $0.98

2 16-oz cartons Egg Whites – $5.18

1 bag Nacho Cheese Chips – $1.19

1 8-oz can Baking Cocoa – $2.19

1 gallon Milk – $2.99

Total: $41.42

Harris Teeter

5 boxes Cereal – $10.00, used 2 $0.50/1 printable (doubled), plus $0.75/1 printable (doubled), plus $0.50/1 evic – $6.00/5 boxes after coupons

1 Dawn Detergent – $1.00, used $0.30/1 printable (doubled) – $0.40 after coupon

2 cans Dole Mandarin Oranges – $2.00, used 2 $0.40/1 printable (doubled) – $0.40/2 after coupons

1 carton Progresso Broth – $1.29, used $0.75/1 printable (doubled), plus $0.75/1 evic – $0.75 MM after coupons

1 8-oz Challenge Cream Cheese – $1.79, used $1/1 printable – $0.79 after coupon

2 59-oz jugs Simply Orange Juice – $6.00, used 2 $0.75/1 printable (doubled), plus $0.75/1 evic – $2.25/2 after coupons

2 pkgs Mission Flour Tortillas – $4.58, used 2 $0.75/1 (doubled) – $1.58/2 after coupons

2 boxes Yoplait Gogurt – $4.00, used $0.75/2 printable (doubled), plus $0.75/2 evic – $1.75/2 after coupons

Total: $12.48

Grocery Total for the Week: $54.00

Weekly Menu Plan

Breakfasts

Cereal x 2

Oatmeal with Fruit (from the freezer) x 3

Yogurt, Toast

Cinnamon Rolls, Scrambled Eggs

Lunches

Cheese Quesadillas, Apples, Carrots x 2

Rice Cakes with Almond Butter, Oranges, Yogurt x 2

Baked Potatoes with Cheese, Mini Peppers, Bananas x 2

Leftovers

Dinners

Oven Fried Chicken Chimichangas, Spanish Rice, Tossed Salad

White Chili, Cornbread, Carrot Sticks

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza, Tossed Salad

Venison Roast in the Crockpot, Mashed Cauliflower, Roasted Zucchini, Homemade French Bread

Grilled Marinated Chicken, Grilled Homemade French Bread, Tossed Salad

Leftovers x 2

Shared Dec 3, 2015 comment

My 4 Favorite Podcasts

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 3, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

In addition to listening to scopes regularly, I love listening to podcasts. It’s a great way to fill my brain while my hands are busy.

Here are my 4 favorite podcasts:

1. The Laura Ingraham Show

I have been listening to Laura Ingraham for a really long time. She is a conservative talk radio host and part of her show is turned into a podcast every day.

I love Laura for two reasons: she makes me think, and she makes me laugh! I don’t agree with her on a lot of things, but I love that she challenges the status quo. She really makes me examine why I have the beliefs and opinions that I do.

2. Build Your Tribe by Chalene Johnson

Chalene has two podcasts — one more on life, and one more on business. Sometimes they overlap and she puts the same podcast on both shows. Both are very good, but I personally love the Build Your tribe podcast the best.

Chalene has SO many great things to say and she really challenges me to think outside the box when it comes to my business.

This is the one show that I do skip a lot of episodes, so that I do not feel overwhelmed with information overload. I look and check out the title, and if it’s a topic that is going to make me feel like I need to do more in an area that I know I don’t need to prioritize right now, then I just skip it.

3. Sorta Awesome by Megan Tietz

I don’t agree with every idea or recommendation on this show, but I have picked up SO many great tips and ideas from this show — in all areas of my life! I especially love the first part of the show where they talk about their “awesome of the week.”

I really enjoy when Megan’s co-host Rebekah comes on, because I know her personally and she is so much fun to listen to! I love how real Rebekah is, and how she always remains true to who she is.

4. Cultivating the Lovely with MacKenzie Monroe

You all know how much I love MacKenzie’s periscopes, so I’m thrilled that she just started the Cultivating the Lovely podcast a few weeks ago and it’s quickly becoming one of my very favorite podcasts. I’m so honored to be featured on this week’s podcast. You can listen to my podcast with MacKenzie here.

What are YOUR favorite podcasts? I’d love to hear!

Shared Dec 2, 2015 comment

3 Ways to Get Over a Bad Attitude

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 2, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We went back to Kansas last week for Thanksgiving — which was wonderful! — but getting home ended up being quite the adventure!

We had been in Kansas all week, spending time hanging out with family and friends and it was such a good week. But by the end of the week, we were all kind of cranky (including me!)

Then we got to the airport and we discovered that our flight had been delayed by an hour. It was sort of icy outside, so I wasn’t surprised. We decided to make the most of it, and we colored and I taught the kids how to play one of my favorite games: Dutch Blitz.

The flight then got bumped to an even later time. So we sat and waited and waited some more.

And then finally, the flight got cancelled altogether. It was still early in the day, so I figured we’d be able to get on another flight.

Jesse went back down through security to wait in line to talk to a gate agent and also called American on the phone at the same time. I stayed up at the gates to see if I could come up with any other Plan B for us.

We waited and waited and no flight options were opening up. We finally found a flight that was going to Dallas and they thought they’d be able to get all 5 of us on. But after waiting until everyone on that plane had boarded, they told us, “I’m sorry, this plane is full.”

So after hours at the airport, we were told that they soonest flight they’d be able to get us all on would be 8:55 p.m. on the following evening and the flight wouldn’t arrive back in Nashville until 2 a.m. in the morning!

In that moment, we had a choice. We could choose either to just to say, “This is terrible! I can’t believe this!”

Or, we could choose to say, “You know what? We did our best, we tried as hard as we could to get on a flight today and we couldn’t. This is out of our control. So let’s just make the most of this unexpected situation.”

If you find yourself in a situation where you have a bad attitude or want to have a bad attitude, here are 3 things that helped us have a better attitude:

1. Prioritize Self-Care

I realized that the reason I had a bad attitude and was feeling cranky was that I was tired and needed sleep. In fact, we all needed to prioritize self-care.

We needed quiet. We needed down time. We needed time together with no pressing to-do’s.

My body was just craving quiet and rest. And so, that’s what we did. We got a hotel with some credit we had and we took 24 hours to just have quiet, rest, and sleep.

The kids ended up sleeping for 13 hours!! No wonder they were having crabby attitudes. Clearly, they were super tired!

In addition to sleeping, we watched a few movies, we played games, we read books, and we just hung out. It was so nice and it was exactly what we needed!

2. Find the Funny

When we figured out that we were going to be stuck for another 24 hours, we decided to just find the funny in the situation. This is what my friend Tam always says and I love it!

My kids said a couple of things that were so funny and we laughed and laughed about it. We also watched some YouTube clips and laughed over them together.

Instead of saying, “I’m so irritable and I’m so frustrated,” we looked for the funny. Because there’s funny all around you if you look for it.

Best of all, when you find something to laugh at it, share it with someone else. Because funny is more funny when you share it with someone else.

3. Notice the Good

There are a lot of frustrating things that can happen at the airport. The delays can be frustrating, they can mess up your schedule and mess up your day.

But here’s the thing: most of the time the people who are working at the counter at the airport are not the people who are responsible for those delays. There are often things that are way outside of the control of the airline — like weather or mechanical malfunctions.

We decided that instead of being frustrated by the situation at the airport and taking our frustration out on the airline employees, we actually talked to as many gate agents as we could to tell them, “Thank you so much! This is such a hard situation and you guys are being so patient. You’re doing such a great job and we just really appreciate you helping all of these people and trying to get us on a flight.”

We went out of our way to say thank you because they were hearing from a lot of annoyed customers, but this situation was entirely out of their control.

We chose to notice the good. To say thank you for their professionalism. To express gratitude to them for having such a great attitude in such a hard situation.

We also looked for the good in the situation as a whole: we didn’t need to get home on Saturday. We had credit to get a hotel. And we were able to have needed downtime as a family.

When we looked for the good, we started noticing blessings all around us! There’s always, always, always something to be thankful for.

How do you get over a bad attitude? What helps you? I’d love to hear!

Shared Dec 2, 2015 comment

We Paid Cash: A New TV

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 2, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

A testimony from Sally

In 26 years of marriage, we had never owned a brand new television. Our home worked like a giant magnet, pulling in used TVs from friends and family… and we got what we paid for!

One day, we discovered we had saved $93 in coins without even trying. We were inspired. Over dinner that night, we dreamed about what to put this money toward. Something responsible, like a home repair? Or something frivolous, like a new fancy flat screen TV.

Can you guess which we chose? Yep. The TV!

Initially, we guessed $300 would pay for a reasonably-sized television with a quality image. But, one walk down the TV aisles at Sam’s Club revealed otherwise — a TV that didn’t look like a large desktop monitor, would cost $500.

Our new purchase felt far away.

We didn’t know how long it would take to “find” $400 more (frivolous) dollars, but we had one rule: the money for the TV must be “found”. No dipping into budgets.

This is how we “found” another $400 in 6 months:

1. We Made An “New TV” Envelope

We slid the first $93 into a large manila envelope labeled “New TV”. Each time we found money from any of the methods below, we added it to the envelope.

2. We Continued to Save Loose Change

Since routinely adding ALL our spare coins to the quart-size mason jar worked as an effortless way to save, we stuck with it. Over the next 6 months, we collected another $85.

3. We Redeemed Soda Bottles and Cans

We diligently collected and redeemed aluminum, plastic, and glass bottles, totaling $100.

4. We Sold Books and Household Items Online

All commissions we earned from selling books and household items through Amazon.com went into the TV envelope. We added another $100 this way.

5. We Used My Wellness Product Sales

I earned $125 passive income from my Garden Valley Essentials wellness store. It all went into the envelope.

Then An Amazing Thing Happened

Just as we reached our $500 goal, a Sam’s Club sales flyer arrived in our mailbox showcasing a full-featured $700 Samsung TV for $499 with free shipping! We’d written off this model before as “out of our reach”… but, now it was affordable!

With the cash safely deposited in the bank, we ordered the TV the next day. Seven days later our new high tech television arrived at our home!

We realized that we were more likely to reach our goal since we were in it together. We agreed on a purpose for the money, we worked together to reach our goal, and we celebrated our accomplishment.

Sally Olson is a writer, blogger, wife, and battle-proven homeschooling mom to sons. God, good words, good coffee and honest country living refresh her soul. She blogs about apples and country life at Garden Valley Homestead.

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Shared Nov 30, 2015 comment

How to Actually Start That Business Idea You’ve Been Dreaming Of

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 30, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

You’ve said you don’t even know how to set multiple alarms on your phone and have mentioned several times that you are not a very tech-savvy person. Other bloggers have said similar things. I’ve recently started a new blog after writing in other spaces over the years. I’m determined that this one will be successful! However, I don’t know how to do everything.

My question is: how did you actually begin? I assume you couldn’t afford assistants right away to do the tasks you don’t understand? What advice can you share for conquering this hurtle without having to practically get degrees in several new areas? – Betsy from The Betsy Beat

Hi, Betsy!

Let me first encourage you by saying that I actually don’t hold any degrees and didn’t attend college. This often surprises people!

I think that college is a great choice for many people and degrees can certainly be very necessary and helpful for many people and professions. However, I don’t regret my decision to not go to college.

I’ve always had a very entrepreneurial spirit. I started a few part-time jobs in high school (teaching violin, working as a mother’s helper, and waitressing) and loved those so much that I decided that I wanted to devote more time to these and being involved in volunteer work instead of going to college.

I did get my paralegal certification when I knew I was going to be marrying a man going to law school, but other than that, I never pursued any higher education. After we got married, I continued working in multiple part-time jobs and also started working on all of the business ideas swirling inside my head.

After multiple attempts at different entrepreneurial ventures, I ended up discovering blogging — which ultimately led to to allowing our family to be full-time self-employed entrepreneurs.

To answer your question, here’s my advice on how to actually get started on that business idea you’ve been dreaming up:

1. Be an Avid Learner.

When I was just starting out as an entrepreneur, I went to the library almost every week to check out stacks of books on all sorts of subjects related to business. I read about starting a business, managing a business, and successful business owners. These books not only inspired me, they gave me practical suggestions to turn my business ideas into a reality.

Back when I started, technology wasn’t anywhere near what it is today! Now, in addition to books, you can get access to so much motivational and valuable information through blogs, online courses, podcasts, Periscopes, and audiobooks. There is something for everyone — even those who hate actual reading.

I encourage you to become an avid and lifelong learner. Read good books. Listen to inspiring podcasts. Ask great questions from more experienced people. Read blogs by successful entrepreneurs.

Pick one new area every 3 months to focus on and then set aside an hour or two every week to learn all you can on that particular subject.

For instance, I recently have been devoting time and effort to learning more about Periscope. This means, I’m devoting a little time each week to reading blog posts about it, watching other successful scopers, and experimenting with a variety of different types of scopes myself.

2. Watch What Others Are Doing.

Want to be successful? Find successful people and pay attention to what they are doing right.

In the beginning, I found a handful of successful blogs online — bloggers who were making a part-time or even full-time online. I scoured their posts, I watched what they were doing, I looked at how they set up their blogs, and I asked myself what they were doing to be successful.

There’s so much we can learn from others. And honestly, pretty much all of the ideas that I have come from inspiration I find from others. I’ll see an idea that I think is really brilliant and then I ask myself how I can take that idea and make it my own.

It’s important to note that when you watch what others are doing, make sure that you don’t just go out and copy their ideas. The world doesn’t need any more copycats. But there is PLENTY of room out there for you to be you! Because you are the only you in existence.

So be inspired by others and then apply your own unique perspective and story and fresh ideas to what you learn from others.

3. Jump Out and Try!

So many people gather ideas, map out business plans, and study what works for others…but they never end up actually starting. If you want to be successful, you have to get brave and press publish, send that email, or make the first phone call.

Don’t just collect a bunch of information; go out and apply what you’ve learned. Start small and be financially smart, but jump out and do something. Even if it feels like just a tiny little step forward. Doing anything is almost always better than doing nothing at all.

I remember when I first jumped out and started MoneySavingMom.com in 2007. I didn’t have money to pay for a designer or anything fancy on that first site. Instead, I went to Blogspot and set up a Plain Jane blog with an all-white background and a text-only header. It was simple. It didn’t look all snazzy. But it was enough to get the job done and it was what I could do at the time.

Over time, I slowly learned how to tweak things and write better content and I slowly brought on a team of people to help improve the site design and usability. I also learned from constructive feedback.

I’m continuing to learn, to improve, to try things, and to make changes. It’s never exactly how I want it to be and there are things I’m constantly working on or wanting to change, but I’m determined not to let that hold me back from jumping out and pressing forward. Because if we wait until we get things exactly perfect, we’ll probably never start!

4. Don’t Be Afraid To Fail.

This is probably the most important piece of advice I can give you. You are going to fail. It’s inevitable. It’s part of the process of improvement.

But guess what? When you fail, you have a choice. You can choose to see yourself as a failure and you can run from ever attempting anything new again. Or, you can choose to see it as part of the learning process and a way to grow and improve.

Honestly, there are many times when failure has made me want to quit. But my mantra has always been to force myself to stop and ask, “Why?” Instead of groveling and wallowing in frustration over failure, I want it to be my teacher. So I ask myself, “Where did I go wrong?” “What can I learn from this?” “What will I do differently next time I’m faced with a similar situation?”

When you focus on what you can learn from failure, it actually becomes a valuable part of your success. As I often say, any success I have is the result of standing on a pile of failures and choosing to view those failures as building blocks and the foundation for eventual success.

By the way, when you download my free 5-day course, you will learn all about my first big business failure. As embarrassing as it was to fall flat on my face, I am truthfully so, so grateful for that failure, because it was the catalyst to where I am today.

What advice do the rest of you have for Betsy? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. Be sure to download my free 5-day course to learn the 5 keys to success that I’ve learned through business failure and success.

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Shared Nov 30, 2015 comment

5 Things I’m Loving This Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 30, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

1. A Vacation from the Usual Responsibilities

This past week, we were in Kansas to spend the week with family and friends. It was SO good to have a break from the normal responsibilities of life and just enjoy a week most “unplugged”.

Kathrynne took this picture of the moon and clouds one night and I thought it was such a fitting close to a really refreshing day.

2. Fun Times of Memory-Making With Family & Friends

We had many fun times with family and friends this past week — including a rousing round of Limbo and Yard Stick High Jump. Even I got in on the fun (see video proof here).

The kids also got to decorate the Christmas tree at Grandma & Grandpa’s house.

It never ceases to amaze me that I have three kids who are 10, 8, and 6!! I still feel like I’m 22, and then I look at my kids and realize that I may be a bit delusional when it comes to my age.

I’m so happy that even though my babies are growing up, they are still young enough to revel in the wonder of Christmas.

3. A Good Book: The Art of Losing Yourself

I finished The Art of Losing Yourself this week. If you like Christian fiction that tackles real-life brokenness and doesn’t have Hallmark endings, I’d highly recommend this book.

I loved the character development and it reminded me that everyone has hard burdens they are carrying, and that hurting people need our love not our judgment, ostracizing, or criticism. (Thanks to Lisa-Jo for recommending this book!)

4. Playing Games as a Family

While waiting at the airport to try to fly back to Nashville, I taught the kids how to play one of my favorite games: Dutch Blitz.

They caught on quickly and, after lots of rounds played over the last two days, they can now almost beat me!! It’s always fun to find games that our whole family can really get into and enjoy together!

5. Opportunities to Choose Joy in the Midst of Unexpected Hiccups

We were supposed to fly back to TN on Saturday afternoon, but after a few hours of delay, our flight was cancelled. After making multiple phone calls to American, waiting in multiple lines, and trying to get on other flights tonight to no avail, we just gave up on getting back to Nashville on Saturday.

After exploring a bunch of alternatives, we finally just decided to get tickets on the next flight they could get us on — which left at 8 pm on Sunday night! The joys of winter traveling and ice storms! It’s always an adventure, eh?!

While waiting, we practiced our frowny face selfies, because my kids said I need to work on getting a better frowny face selfie (is that a good thing that I’m not skilled at frowny faces??) Every time we took a picture, they’d be like, “Nope, Mom. Not good. That looks like you’re getting ready to throw up!” 🙂

Saturday morning hadn’t started so well (lots of grumpy and cranky people in this here family — including me!), but I wanted to finish out this trip well. Choosing love. Choosing joy. Choosing gratitude. And choosing to see unexpected travel hiccups and delays as adventures. 🙂

While we really would have loved to make it back to TN on Saturday night like we were scheduled to, Sunday was an unexpected quiet family day and it ended up being the perfect way to finish out such a good Thanksgiving week. The kids all got 13+ hours of sleep (!!) and Jesse and I got to sleep in, too!! All that sleep meant everyone had much better attitudes today — including Mom.

And we finally made it back to Nashville at 1:45 a.m. this morning (Monday morning). And we just got home, put the kids to bed, and now I’m headed to bed myself! What a week!

What are YOU loving right now? Tell us in the comments!

Shared Nov 26, 2015 comment

I’m so grateful for you all (plus, a little surprise!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 26, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Over the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about this past year and all it entailed. This year has been filled with a lot of unexpected stretching things for me personally. But it’s also been filled with so many blessings.

One of those blessings has been you all. I’m grateful for each of you who read here, who comment, who send encouraging emails, who tell your friends, who pray for our family, who get excited about our new products, and who are such amazingly loyal readers.

When we started MoneySavingMom.com in 2007, I could have never dreamed what God had in store for us through this blog. I love this community here. I love the opportunity I have to get to earn a living doing what I love. And I’m so grateful and humbled that the income and opportunities from this blog allowed my husband to be able to come home full-time and that he and I get to work as a team to homeschool and run the business.

You mean so much to us! Thank you for the impact you have made on our lives. Thank you for how you constantly bless and encourage us. We love you all!

Also, we have a little Thanksgiving surprise we’ve been working on and I’m so excited to get to share it with you today! We were able to get in more stock of our brand-new Choose Love Bracelets, PLUS we also are offering free shipping on all U.S. orders when you order 5 or more Choose Love or Choose Gratitude Journals!

The journals are just $9 each right now — which makes them a fantastic gift! And when you order 5 or more this weekend, you’ll automatically get FREE SHIPPING on your entire order!

Go here to check out all the great products in our shop.

P.S. Want to know the story behind the Choose Love Bracelet? Watch this video here.

Shared Nov 24, 2015 comment

Gretchen’s $2.44 CVS Shopping Trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 24, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

CVS Shopping Trip

Transaction #1

1 Advil – $5.99 (Buy 1, Get $3 ECBS)
Used $3/1 coupon from the 11/1 RedPlum insert

1 Colgate Toothpaste – $2.99
Used $0.50/1 coupon from the 11/22 SmartSource insert
And used $2.50/1 CVS coupon from the in-store machine

1 Twix Candy Bar – $0.79 (Buy 1, Get $0.79 ECBs)

2 Green Giant Canned Veggies – $0.99 each (Buy 1, Get $0.99 ECBs)

Used $5 ECBs from previous shopping trip

Total after coupons and ECBs: $0.76, Received $5.74 ECBs

Transaction #2

1 Extra Gum – $0.99 (Buy 1, Get $0.99 ECBs)

1 Stride Gum – $0.99 (Buy 1, Get $0.99 ECBs)

1 CVS Cleaning Wipes – $0.99 (Buy 1, Get $0.99 ECBs)

1 CVS Pantiliners – $0.99 (Buy 1, Get $0.99 ECBs)

1 CVS Gummy Vitamins – $0.99 (Buy 1, Get $0.99 ECBs)

1 Ocean Spray Pact – $1.50 (Buy 1, Get $1.50 ECBs)

1 Luden’s Cough Drops – $1 (Buy 1, Get $1 ECBs)

Used $5.74 ECBs from Transaction #1

Total after ECBs: $1.68, Received $7.45 ECBS

Total for both transactions: $2.44, Plus $7.45 ECBs leftover

Shared Nov 24, 2015 comment

Gretchen’s $6.81 Target Shopping Trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 24, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Target Shopping Trip

1 Black & Decker Tool Belt Set – $10.39, used 20% off in-ad Target coupon AND 50% off Cartwheel coupon – $3.11 after coupons (Yay for a cheap Christmas present for my son!)

2 Bic Soleil Glow Razors – $5.99 each (On Sale Buy 1 Get 1 50% off), used 2 $2/1 printable AND 25% off Cartwheel coupon – $1.37 each after coupons

4 Viva Paper Towels packages – $3.99 each, used 2 $2/1 Target printable AND 50% off Cartwheel coupon – $1.49 each after coupons

Used $5 Target gift card from previous shopping trip

Total after coupons and gift card: $6.81

Shared Nov 23, 2015 comment

Choosing Gratitude Has Changed My Life

Published: by Crystal Paine on November 23, 2015 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Expressing gratitude doesn’t require money. It doesn’t require much thought or effort, but it can change our whole outlook on life.

I say this, because I’ve experienced it personally.

Three years ago, I started keeping a Gratitude Journal — a small notebook where I recorded a few blessings from each day. I was going through some health problems at the time and feeling really discouraged and weary from going to doctors, trying various treatments, and not seeing any improvement.

After I began the habit of writing down my blessings each morning, I noticed a marked difference in my attitude — even while struggling with pain and discomfort. I started noticing little blessings that I had taken for granted before. I realized how much I had to be thankful for that I hadn’t been paying attention to because I was so focused on the pain and discomfort.

Truly, the simple practice of writing down my blessings each day transformed my perspective. Instead of focusing on everything that seemed to be going wrong, I started being so grateful for all that was right in my life.

Once my health problems were finally resolved, I had found such benefit in writing down my blessings every day that I decided to continue doing it.

Since I’m all about keeping things simple, I love the concept of a having a journal where there’s just a little space to write in every day. I don’t usually have 15 minutes to journal every day, but I can find a minute or two to write down a few things I’m thankful for.

My mom bought me a journal for two years that was a line-a-day gratitude journal. I loved using it and as I’ve talked about it here on the blog, many of you have asked where you can get one, too.

I started dreaming about the possibility of creating my own gratitude journal — one that was pretty, clean, simple, and inspiring. Soon after this, a company approached us about possibly publishing a journal or gift book for us.

When I had my first phone call with them, I knew exactly what journal I wanted them to help us create — a simple Gratitude Journal! We launched these in 2014 and have loved the response we’ve gotten from so many of you who have used them and been inspired to adopt the daily practice of counting your blessings!

The Choose Gratitude Blessings Journal will inspire you to look for blessings in your every day life. It’s simple (just two lines for every day!) and doable for even the busiest woman.

Each month, there is a theme and each month’s pages have quotes and encouragement to go along with that theme. There are also a few extra pages for journaling or doodling if you’d like to include some extra thoughts or blessings.

You can get one Choose Gratitude Journal for $10, or save when you buy the two-pack of Choose Gratitude Journals for $15 — just $7.50 each!

I also created this Choose Love Mother’s Journal last year to serve as a constant reminder to moms to live and mother out of love — even on the hard and difficult days. Loving our children well not only reflects Christ’s love to them, but it’s a beautiful gift we can give them.

This journal has one line for every day of the calendar year. You can use it to record things you love about being a mom, funny stories or things your kids did or said that day, quick lessons you’re learning as a mom, special memories, or even just blessings.

The Choose Love Journal provides quick and simple way to stop and take time to record things you might otherwise forget to write down. And at the end of the year, it’s such a fun exercise to go back and read over what you’ve written from that year — reminding you of blessings, struggles, and memories shared together.

2hr Cleaning Checklist