Saving Families Money Since 2007
We stayed up way too late last night watching our #Royals win the first game of the World Series. {Woot!! Though 14 innings is a really long baseball game!}
So I slept in this morning, skipped scoping, and was thinking of skipping my workout. And then, of course, I open up the Choose Gratitude Blessings Journal that *I* wrote and here are my words staring up at me from the page.
Argh. I guess I don’t have any excuses now. 🙂
This may seem like basic budgeting 101, but if you aren’t making money, you will sink quickly. It is SO important to make sure your income exceeds your expenses.
Work hard to keep your profit margins high and your costs low. Always consider how you will work to increase your income in order to make up for a financial investment in your business.
Looking for more tips & advice? Sign up for my FREE 5-day How I Make a Full-Time Income From Home course!
Kalyn over at Creative Savings has a great post up on how to turn your favorite hobby into a profitable business. Here’s a snippet:
I always knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I didn’t want to hold a 9-5 job, sit in a cubicle all day, and do it over and over again until the day I retired, or died. I know that sounds pretty morbid, but it’s true! I literally feel like a caged animal whenever I work for someone else. That’s how desperately I wanted to be my own boss.
So it’s no surprise all sorts of business ideas popped into my head after I graduated college. Okay, who am I kidding….I actually started some of these ideas during college!
It would take forever to list them all here {yep, there’s a lot!}, but suffice it say, if I was pretty good at something, I had to find a way to make it profitable. One of these hobbies was cake decorating. I took all the classes at Michaels, and fell in love with the craft.
Today we’re talking about chapters 1 and 2 of Rising Strong by Brene Brown.
I’m only two chapters in and I’m already loving this book so much. In fact, it is exactly what I need to be reading right now.
The introduction stopped me in my tracks. Especially when she talks about how we sometimes sugar coat failure and dismiss how hard and painful it can be.
I loved this quote:
“But embracing failure without acknowledging the real hurt and fear that it can cause, or the complex journey that underlies rising strong, is gold-plating grit. To strip failure of its real emotional consequences is to scrub the concepts of grit and resilience of the very qualities that make them both so important — toughness, doggedness, and perseverance.”
This last year has been hard. It’s been full of heavy things and stretching things for me as a business owner.
I started the year with gusto. I was pumped and excited.
We had a plan. We had put some great things into place. We had streamlined some things, changed up some positions, and brought in some reinforcements in areas where we were weak. And it looked like it was going to be an amazing year.
And then things got hard. Stuff didn’t pan out like we expected. I made some big mistakes. Others on my team made some big mistakes. There were miscommunications. There was tension. And I struggled to know how to lead in what turned out to be some very difficult situations.
I can’t share the details of these situations because they involve people other than me and this is not the place or time for that, but suffice it to say, it’s been rough.
I’ve wanted to quit. I’ve wanted to walk away from it all. But I felt like I needed to stay strong, fight through, and push forward. Wasn’t that what a good leader does?
So I put on my brave face, I stuffed down those feelings of hurt and frustration, and I pressed forward… all the while reeling from the weight of it all.
But yesterday, as I read the first two chapters of Rising Strong, I felt this weight come off my shoulders. That I don’t need to try to stuff it in and suck it up. That it’s okay to acknowledge how hard this past year has been for me, how disappointed I’ve felt over the setbacks and crumbled dreams, how mentally and emotionally exhausting it’s been, and how lonely it has felt at times.
I’m writing this, not because I’m asking for pity, but because I want to share how this book is impacting me on a very personal level. And also because I think it’s easy to look at someone like me and think that, “It must be nice to be so successful.”
Honestly, the success that has come over the past few years has also brought some of the greatest pain with it. The pain of losing people you thought were your friends because they were jealous over opportunities you were given. The pain of being talked about like you’re some sort of object. The pain of people misunderstanding and criticizing decisions you made. The pain of betrayal. The pain of having your parenting choices and life choices being raked over the coals and ripped apart…
Success truly does comes with its own set of hard things.
And while I want to focus on my blessings and walk in the confidence that I am enough, Brene’s book is challenging me to also be more honest about how much some of this pain has hurt.
I don’t need to write blog posts about these things, but I do need to acknowledge this personally and to my inner circle of friends. I need to have safe places where I can be completely vulnerable — without having to feel like I need to sugar coat or stuff anything.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
I’m a firm believer in avoiding debt, especially when starting a business. Pouring thousands of dollars of loans into a business before you can afford it is never a good idea.
This is why I’m a huge advocate of growing your income before you grow your expenses. For example, when I started my online business, we could not even afford Internet. I got creative and signed up for a 3-month trial for AOL dial-up Internet.
Every time I called to cancel my service before the trial was up, they wouldn’t let me. For over two years, they let me keep my slow Internet for free. I was SO excited when the day finally arrived that I could pay for Internet!
Sure, this means there will be sacrifices to make in the beginning, but it will be so worth it later on when you don’t have a huge pile of debt to face.
Looking for more tips & advice? Sign up for my FREE 5-day How I Make a Full-Time Income From Home course!
How was your weekend? Ours was really relaxing — which was such a blessing! I’m still getting used to this “Fall weather” that allows you to wear flip-flops and shorts when there are autumn leaves on the ground!
Gratefully, it cooled down a bit on Sunday and I’ve been able to wear a sweater and boots the past two days. But I’m full preparing that I’ll need to pull out the shorts and flip-flops again later this week. Because, welcome to fall in the South! 😉
Here are my goals from last week:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Write a love note to Jesse.
2. Have an at-home Movie Date with Jesse.3. Finish reading a book with the kids.
4. Watch (or listen to!) the Royals games together. {GO ROYALS!}Personal Goals
5. Keep working on the boot cuffs I’m knitting.
6. Read through I Used to Be So Organized & blog about it every day.
7. Work on being on time for my daily Periscope shows.Business Goals
8. Don’t check email until after 12:30 p.m. every day.
9. Do a Money-Making Mom scope each afternoon at 3 p.m.(Are you joining us for this? If not, you can download the Periscope app and search for my name or @MoneySavingMom to join in live. Or, you can watch the replays on Katch.me/MoneySavingMom)
10. Send out the very first Money-Making Mom email newsletter(Want to be on the list? Sign up for my free 5-day course on How I Make a Full-Time Income from Home here.)
And here are my goals for this week:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Write a love note to Jesse.
2. Have an at-home Movie Date with Jesse.
3. Watch the Royals play in the World Series together as a family. {GO ROYALS!}
4. Have friends over for dinner.
Personal Goals
5. Keep working on the boot cuffs I’m knitting.
6. Read through Rising Strong & blog about it every day.
7. Work on being on time for my daily Periscope shows.
8. Don’t check email until after 12:30 p.m. every day.
9. Do a Money-Making Mom scope each afternoon at 3 p.m. (Are you joining us for this? If not, you can download the Periscope app and search for my name or @MoneySavingMom to join in live. Or, you can watch the replays on Katch.me/MoneySavingMom)
10. Send out the very first Money-Making Mom email newsletter (want to be on the list? Sign up for my free 5-day course on How I Make a Full-Time Income from Home here.)
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives! You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
Do you love homemade granola? If so, you’ll definitely want to enter this giveaway!
Gathering Grains is a company that offers delicious homemade granola. And I don’t say that lightly!
I’ve tried multiple varieties they offer and they are so delicious! My favorite, of course, is the Chocolate Peanut Butter kind.
Mixed in with some coconut milk, almond milk, yogurt, or milk, it’s the perfect start to your morning!
Gathering Grains Granola is made by Andrea — a mom who was concerned with the chemicals her children were eating for breakfast and went on a mission to do something about it.
Andrea started making things from scratch, reading really old recipes, creating great friendships with an Amish family, and doing some research. Eventually, she started a business fueled by her passion to bring natural food back into her home.
Her motto became: “If my great-grandmother can’t identify it, it’s not coming into our house!”
She says that her granola has been “approved by the neighbor children, encouraged by great friends, and supported by a (very) understanding husband.”
Gathering Grains Granola is handmade, with 100% non-gmo ingredients, including heart healthy coconut oil and non-pasturized Amish raised honey. It is 100% sodium and preservative free.
All orders are packed in packed in BPA-free and 100% recyclable deli containers; as good for the environment as it is for you. Special orders are available, including gluten-free and nut-free. Contact Andrea directly to place special orders (gatheringgrains @ gmail.com).
For more information, check out the Gathering Grains website or follow Gathering Grains on Facebook.
Would you like to win some Gathering Grains Granola? Andrea is providing six two 16 oz. containers of granola. She’ll be surprising you with what kinds she’ll be sending you!
Click on the link below to type in your name and email address. Six winners will be chosen and posted next week. This giveaway ends Wednesday, October 28, at 11:59 pm, CST.
Good Housekeeping has a great article up on 11 Habits to Steal From People Who Are Never Late.
It includes some great suggestions and tips on how to lead a more organized life. I’m honored (and a little amused, since this is an area I’m still really working on!) that they included a tip from me.
Kelly at New Leaf Wellness has a great post up sharing 10 easy ways to save money with slow cooker freezer meals.
Jessica at Life As Mom has a great post up on living on one income and living well. Here’s a snippet:
Fifty years ago it was commonplace for just one parent (usually dad) to work. One income was sufficient to pay the family’s bill. Today, there might be a number of reasons why a family would be living on one income.
- Mom or Dad might be laid off from work or unable to find a job.
- Mom or Dad might need to leave the workplace for health reasons.
- Mom or Dad might decide to stay home to care for the children or an aging parent.
- One parent might be in school or other vocational training.
- There might only be one parent in the family. Single parenting is a tough job, not to mention it’s difficult economically.
- You don’t want to rely on two incomes in case of health or economy-related issues arise in the future.
While our family currently earns two incomes, we try as best we can to make it living on one income, mainly because of reason #6. If one of us became unable to work or the economy took a major dive (again), we’d like to be living under our means to be able to weather the storm.
I never expected that our family would be as hard pressed as we were in 2007. We’d been living beyond our means and got ourselves in a mess of trouble. Thanks be to God, we got out of debt.
Getting out of debt and living on one income have been some of the best things we’ve ever done.
I’m wearing this on my arm as a reminder of how I want to live my life today — as a mom, as a wife, as a friend, as a writer, and as a business owner.
When I’m tempted to respond in frustration or anger or selfishness, I’m committing to chose love instead.
Need more encouragement? Read this post.
My friend, Erin, over at The Humbled Homemaker has a great post up on how being a money making mom has changed her life. Here’s a snippet:
Three years ago this month, I wrote what would turn into one of the most popular posts of this blog: Staying at Home with Your Kids When You Can Barely Afford It.
I don’t think it was the writing or even the subject matter that made this post so popular. Rather, I believe it was because I took a chance and was vulnerable on this site for the first time, sharing our family’s situation of living on a low income.
Little did I know that that post would jump start this blog into becoming a business, and, three years later, our family’s primary income source would be this blog.
My husband and I can pinpoint four main ways how being a money making mom has changed our lives…
If you missed the chance to see me speak at The Influence & Impact Summit online a few weeks ago, you can go here to watch a replay version of my presentation and interview with Michael Hyatt.
Also, summit attendees can sign up for the FREE Platform University video series that will encourage you in having more of an impact and getting your unique message out to the world.
It’s been 70 and 80 degrees here this week in TN. Say what?!?
Nashville: It’s OCTOBER. The end of October, to be more specific.
Did you miss the weather memo that this is the time of year when we like to wear leggings and boots and scarves?? I think you may have.
I’ve tried to be a good sport and wear leggings. I really have. But I give up. Because as much as I love leggings and boots, I prefer not dripping in sweat more. #StillWaitingforFall
Here are 5 things I’m loving this week:
This showed up in my mailbox last week. It was a belated birthday gift from my younger sister, Olivia. (Yes, she designed it and used a wood burner to create it!)
Not only is this one of my longtime favorite hymns, her gift came on the exact day that I so needed this reminder.
I may have only gotten to hug her neck and see her for 7 minutes in her hotel parking lot before we both had to head to our respective speaking events, but I GOT TO SEE MICHELE!!!! We’ve not seen each other since right after all her chemo and radiation earlier this year and it has been WAY too long!!
My week is now complete and I’m a happy, happy girl. Love you so much, friend!
I just got a sample of our a few of our new products that are coming soon — including this cute fridge magnet.
We created it with the hope that it would encourage women to remember: you matter. The world needs your gifts. The world needs your story. The world needs YOU!
I committed to this at the beginning of the week and it has been the best.thing.ever. Truly! And honestly not at all as hard as I thought it would be!
Read more about why I committed to this and the difference it has made here.
Once I’d had a bite or two of these roasted Brussels sprouts, I promptly reneged every last thing I’d said about how much I despised Brussels sprouts.
I was hooked. How come I had gone years of my life not knowing about this amazing-ness?? We tried a new recipe for them this week and I posted it here.
What about you? What are YOU loving this week? Tell us in the comments!
I go to great lengths to find the right person for the right seat on my team. In fact, I have actually gone over a year in the past waiting to fill certain positions until I found that perfect fit.
If you are at a point in your business where you can afford to hire an extra pair of hands or eyes, watch the video above for some specific pointers on how to find the right fit for your business.
Looking for more tips & advice? Sign up for my FREE 5-day How I Make a Full-Time Income From Home course!
