Need some ideas for menu-planning while doing the Whole 30? Check out Jessica’s Whole 30 Weekly Plan.
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Shared Aug 17, 2015
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5 Things I’m Loving This Week (+ my brand-new live show on Periscope!)
5 Things I’m Loving This Week (+ my brand-new live show on Periscope!)
I had this post halfway written on Saturday night and then, when we came back to the hotel from my speaking engagement in San Diego, I was so plain tired that I went to bed before I got it finished and posted. 🙂
But here are 5 things I loved last week:
1. Socks for Just $0.33 at Dollar Tree
Dollar Tree had 3-packs of socks for just $1 per pack! All of my kids needed socks, so it was a sock deal SCORE! They weren’t the highest quality socks ever, but at $0.33 per pair, I can’t complain — especially since they usually mostly wear socks for play and sports anyway.
2. West Wing
I rarely watch TV (unless it’s politics or the Olympics or sports with my guys), but I do love me a good movie or show. So, my husband and I had been trying to find a show that we both could get into and enjoy… but that’s hard because we’re so picky.
We like depth and character development. We don’t like fluffy fluff. We’re not into cheesy drama stuff. And we’re super picky about what we watch.
So yeah, finding a good show is pretty near impossible. But Jesse suggested maybe we try West Wing since we’re both political junkies.
The first season was slow, but we loved the character development. We’re now in season two and loving it more and more all the time.
It’s a fun way for us to hang out together and have an at-home “Movie Date” after our kids go to bed.
3. Periscope
Okay, so the truth is that I poo-poo’d Periscope for a few months. It just seemed kind of pointless to me as all I saw were people posting videos of their backyard or “here’s a video of the rain outside” or “see this video of the beach at the resort I’m at”.
I just wasn’t seeing the value in this new social media platform and never thought I’d do anything with it. However, I’ve been listening to Chalene Johnson’s podcasts recently and she kept recommending it over and over again.
She convinced me to give it another look, and I’m so glad that I did. I discovered some bloggers and business professionals who were sharing some pretty cool and inspiring scopes.
The wheels started turning in my head. I kept watching scopes, kept investigating what was working for people, and started to consider if I should jump into the fray.
It took me two weeks of research, watching many scopes, talking to numerous people, and brainstorming with my husband and team, but I jumped in with both feet this morning and recorded my first ever Periscope this morning… and people actually showed up and participated!! I am quickly falling in love with Periscope and am enjoying tuning into a few quick broadcasts each day, too.
Psst! My New Morning Motivation Periscope Show!
I’m planning to do a short Morning Motivation video every weekday morning around 6:30 to 7 a.m. CT. on Periscope. You can tune in live and ask questions/participate with other readers in the comments. Or, you can watch the replay any time over the next 24 hours.
{If you’re not on Periscope yet, you can search for the app, download it, and then search for me (@MoneySavingMom) and follow me. You can choose to be notified every time I go live so that you can jump on and join in.}
Also you don’t need to do anything on Periscope or keep up another social media network. Just tune in or watch the replays. That’s one reason I love Periscope — because it’s simple and straightforward for people and doesn’t require any participation, unless you choose to participate. Best of all, there’s almost nothing to learn in order to be able to tune in — unlike social media networks like Facebook or Twitter!
4. This Article on How to Help When Someone Is In Need
This was an amazing article. Such a great reminder!
LOVE DOES things. Love doesn’t just think about doing things. Love actually does things.
5. Aldi Flowers
I’m such a fan of Aldi flowers. When we needed to buy some flowers for the filming at our house last week, Jesse picked up four bouquets for just $4 each! So we got all of these flowers pictured for $16 total!
What are YOU loving right now?
Shared Aug 17, 2015
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10 Goals For This Week (yes, I’m *finally* back to goal-setting again!)
10 Goals For This Week (yes, I’m *finally* back to goal-setting again!)
All mic’d up and ready to take the stage Saturday night at the San Diego event. While waiting, Kaitlynn tried to get a selfie with me. And well, it soon turned into a Silly Selfie Fest. I have no idea where my kids get their spunk and personality from. 😉
So, um, yeah. I kinda fell off the goal-setting wagon.
It was a little bit intentional (I was on a blogging break, after all) and it was a little unintentional (summer was just full to the brim with lots of travel and projects and fun!).
But, never fear, I’m back in the saddle again and ready to get this show on the road!
So without further ado, here are my 10 goals for this week:
Marriage/Mothering/Homemaking Goals
1. Start our fall homeschool schedule.
2. Finish reading one read aloud book with the kids.
3. Write a love note to Jesse.
4. Write thank you letters with the kids.
Personal Goals
5. Exercise at least 5 times.
6. Finish at least two books.
Ministry/Hospitality/Friendship Goals
7. Host friends from out of town for a little Blogging Retreat this weekend (yay!!)
8. Write notes to the Compassion children we sponsor.
Business Goals
9. Write an article for an upcoming piece in a magazine.
10. Get everything ready for our big Make Over Your Mornings sale next week (stay tuned for details!)
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.
5 Things We’re Not Buying (While We Get Out of Debt)
The following is a guest post by Renee of Tune My Heart Blog
Sometimes I’ll jokingly say to my husband, “when we’re out of debt, I would like to buy __________.”
Then we both say, “womp womp,” because it’s not really a joke. There are a lot of fun, extra, optional things we aren’t buying right now while we pay down student loans.
1. Books, Music, Movies & TV
The hubs and I like all of these things. If we weren’t giving gobs of our money to Auntie Sallie Mae, we’d load up our kindle accounts, buy new music, go to movie theaters, and watch cable.
Right now, however, we use the library or borrow books from family and friends. We listen to music we already own, YouTube channel playlists, google play radio with ads, or free podcasts.
2. Eating Out
We almost never eat out. There is no I’m-too-tired-to-cook-let’s-get-pizza card anymore.
For lazy nights, it’s PB and J, pancakes, rice and beans, or something that requires a similar level of energy. And yes, I said rice and beans. All 3 of my family members love rice and beans. I barely tolerate them.
3. Clothes
My husband and I each have a small amount of “pocket money,” or “blow money” every month. The only new clothes we buy right now come out of this category. Whether it’s a clothing necessity [underwear], or fun purchase [vacation outfit], it always comes out of our individual pocket money.
As someone who used to shop whenever I wanted, this is a big change. The silver lining is that it now feels like a treat (rather than an entitlement) if I do spend my monthly pocket money on a fun clothing item.
4. Random Kid Stuff
Toys, games, puzzles, clothes, whatever. We don’t buy it. Any fun treats for the kids come out of individual pocket money or Swagbucks.
We also have a very small monthly kid budget ($10) that somehow has lasted us through all the kid necessities.
Our kids have very generous friends and relatives who keep them in style and get them fun toys. Plus we love sharing hand-me-downs and toy-swapping with friends.
If the kids do need something boring like new socks, shoes, or undies, the $10 budgeted amount rolls over each month and ends up covering it.
5. Home Improvements
We rent right now, so we are not responsible for the major necessary home fixes (water heaters, air conditioners, plumbing, etc.)
It was really hard for me mathematically to justify “wasting” the money to rent when we could pay the same amount monthly toward ownership. But the thing is, it’s not the same.
Any homeowner will tell you there are always extra expenses to owning a home. The cost of renting is 100% fixed. Not to mention, we didn’t have the 20% down payment so we would have added PMI.
I’m not saying you need to sell your house in order to get out out of debt. Often that’s not a good idea. But trying to buy a home for the first time with a pile of debt can be stressful. Renting has kept our costs and stress minimal. Plus, I put no pressure on myself to decorate or have a nice home.
I love home decorating, but since our current home is relatively short-term, it’s easier for me to not decorate or paint or fix things up. The goal is to get financially free and get out of here, not make it so beautiful that we don’t want to leave. 🙂
These are just 5 of our “off-limits” purchases. I’d love to know what you do to find extra money in your budget!
Renee is a former music teacher turned stay-at-home mom blogger. She loves Jesus, people & coffee. She writes on Tune My Heart Blog about babies, budgeting, grace and everything in between.
Why Grocery Shopping More Often is Saving Me Money
Saving You Dinero has an interesting post up about how she’s saving money by going to the grocery store multiple times per week and only buying exactly what she needs for the next few days.
While this may not work for your family (I like to simplify things by fewer trips to the store!), I love her outside-the-usual-frugal-advice-box ideas!
30-Day Real Food Back-to-School Menu Plan
Laura from Heavenly Homemakers has put together a fantastic 30-Day Real Food Back to School Menu Plan.
How I Made Over My Kids’ Mornings
Guest post from Kelly of MrsDisciple.com
At the onset of Crystal Paine’s Make Over Your Morning course, she said her love for morning routines began when she was a child. She has a “lifetime of early mornings,” adding up to an effective, purposeful life.
Once I completed the course, I went back to that statement: a lifetime of early mornings.
I have three kids who are just at the beginning of the rest of their life. I decided to gift them with a lifetime of early mornings by walking them through Make Over Your Morning.
My daughters are 11 and 8, old enough to understand the concepts and young enough to set up a pattern for life.
With the start of school right around the corner, I spent the last few weeks of summer making over my kids’ morning.
Bedtime Routine
We started with the bedtime routine (Day 2). I had them come up with a few adjectives to describe a typical school morning. They used calm (what?! Whose house are they in?), chaotic, and sleepy. They listed 3-4 things they could do at night to address the chaos and the sleepy they deal with most mornings.
I took the opportunity to talk to them about the amount of sleep their growing bodies need each night. According to Dr. Archibald Hart, my girls need 10-11 hours a night. We counted back from their usual wake-up time to determine their ideal bedtime.
Some tasks on their bedtime routine:
- shower and prepare for bed
- pick out clothes
- pack lunches and snacks
- make sure backpacks are packed with everything they need for the next day
Big Rocks
The most impactful part of Crystal’s teaching was the big rocks (Day 3). Most of us have seen the illustration of putting the big rocks in the jar first so you can fit in smaller stones, sand, and water. The girls grasped the concept and ran with it. They listed out their “big rocks” and rushed ahead to map out their morning routine.
My oldest daughter binge watched the rest of the series by herself after we finished the Day 3 activities!
Big Rocks and Morning Routine
- get dressed and ready for the day
- Bible time
- feed pets
- eat breakfast
- do chores
Goal Setting for Kids
I am a big goal setter myself. I talk about my own goals with my family. Days 5 and 6 gave the girls an opportunity to set a few goals for the school year.
Claire wants to turn in all of her homework on time and read 100 books. Sarah Kate wants to complete school assignments on time and learn her multiplication facts by Christmas.
I helped them break these goals down into small action steps like putting homework in the appropriate folder each afternoon and reviewing flashcards 3 times a week. They recorded their goals in a special notebook. Writing down goals is key to reaching them.
It is also important to review their goals regularly to monitor progress and make any necessary adjustments.
The Best Part
When we finished, I asked the girls to tell me their favorite part of Make Over Your Mornings.
Claire, age 11, loved setting goals. She is a dreamer, driven to achieve everything she sets her mind to do. She is a little resistant to the idea of routine as any free-spirit would be. She did enjoy finding an app to help track her bedtime and morning routines.
Sarah Kate enjoyed writing out her schedule. She is a list-maker like me. She spent a long time perfecting her list, getting it in order, and printing it on pretty paper. She found a small notebook for her daily to-do list. Even during the lazy days of summer, she already follows her bedtime and morning routine.
As the mama, my favorite part is the possibility I see in them. Claire is so goal-driven; I have no doubt she will embrace a routine in order to reach her goals. And seeing my sweet Sarah rising early to read her Bible warms my heart.
I look forward to the next few weeks as I see them start their lifetime of early mornings!
Kelly Smith, blogger at MrsDisciple.com, is a small town girl who married a small town man 17 years ago. She has three energetic blessings, ages 1 to 11. Her favorite indulgences are coffee, reading, writing, and running. Kelly believes we are created for community and loves to connect with others.
Reader Tip: How A Simple Call Saved me Hundreds!
Jennifer emailed in the following tip:
Recently, our one-year old KitchenAid mixer stopped working in the middle of making bread. My husband suggested I call the company… I began listing the reasons this probably wouldn’t help.
1) The mixer was over a year old and, therefore, not under the manufacturer’s warranty.
2) the store where we bought it has since gone out of business.
3) I paid much less than normal (about $100 less) for the mixer since the store was liquidating.
4) I didn’t have the receipt.In his usual way, my husband (the more optimistic of the two of us) said it wouldn’t hurt just to call. So I did, and I could not believe what happened.
The KitchenAid representative was so friendly and efficient. When I told her the story, she just suggested I send a bank statement showing the purchase. She said I would hear something in about 2 business days.
I gave it a shot, doubting much more than a coupon, would come from this. Much to my surprise, I received an email from KitchenAid stating that I would receive a brand-new mixer to replace mine in 7-10 days!
What? Who does that? I could not believe the awesome service I received. What a blessing this was!
Our family is currently paying down our debt and no matter how much we love homemade bread, we would not be buying another $300 mixer anytime soon.
I guess I learned two lessons from this…
1) Never hesitate to call or email a company. You have nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain.
2) Stay positive or at least marry someone who is!
Shared Aug 14, 2015
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A Peek Into Our Week: Adult coloring books, crazy-high weeds, and booster seats
A Peek Into Our Week: Adult coloring books, crazy-high weeds, and booster seats
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a Peek Into Our Week post, so I thought it was high time I shared another one. Here’s a little look into our life the past few days:
I was positively giddy to come home from vacation to discover my new adult coloring book and colored pencils waiting for me in the mail. I may be 33 years old, but I’ll never be too old for coloring.
{Here’s the link to the coloring book I got. I’ve also seen them at Barnes & Noble and there are many free printables online, too!}
We finally got our front and back flower gardens weeded. Well, I use the term “flower gardens” pretty loosely, because basically there were just lots and lots of massive weeds growing there right now.
{I’ve always said I don’t have a green thumb, but y’all, I can’t say that any more. I clearly have an amazing knack for growing really, really impressive WEEDS. In fact, I bet my weed-growing skills can totally beat out your weed-growing skills!}
We spent most of Wednesday filming videos for a special project we’re putting together for my book launch (Money-Making Mom comes out November 3!). Those of you who would love a peek into my entrepreneurial journey or who want to start a business are going to really love these videos!
My favorite part? The videos only showed me from the waist up, so guess who got to rock her running shorts and flip flops all day despite multiple shirt and hair changes?!?
Why yes that’s a booster seat I’m sitting on!! #ShortPeopleProblems
Silas has his first loose tooth and he is very, very excited about it. He woke up Thursday morning and said: “I’m going to eat an apple!” And then has spent the last little while eating a bite, wiggling the tooth, pronouncing that it just got looser, ask everyone to feel it and verify that it is, indeed, looser.
Then he repeated this all over. The tooth really isn’t even that loose, but at the rate it’s getting wiggled, it’s going to be coming out very soon!
Today we also had mid-year executive team meetings. And as you can tell by this video of one of my managers (Brian), we were incredibly serious the entire time. Ahem.
{Actually, we ended up getting a TRUCKLOAD of brainstorming and planning done and we can’t wait to implement the various ideas so we can streamline our systems, produce more products, and better serve you all! I’m so excited for what the future holds!}
How has YOUR week been?
P.S. I’ll be in San Diego on Saturday! Do you live near there? If so, I’d love to meet you! Get all the details on where the event will be here.
15 Secrets You Need to Know Before Shopping at Walmart
Head on over to Passionate Penny Pincher for 15 Secrets You Need to Know Before Shopping at Walmart. Any other tips you’d add to her post?
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
12 Super Easy Go-To Meals
5 Simple Tips for Saving Big on Back to School Expenses
School is starting really soon (or has already started!) and that means there are probably a number of different things you need to purchase — from school supplies to clothes for your kids for fall and winter to electronics and more.
Here are five simple tips to help you save big on those back to school expenses…
1. Create a Budget.
You knew I was going to say this first, didn’t you? But it’s imperative to start by knowing how much you have to spend.
Without a budget, you won’t have parameters for what you have to work with and there’s a good chance money will just slip through your fingers like sand.
I always recommend that you consider using a cash budget. Why? Because this gives you instant self-discipline: when the money’s gone, the money’s gone!
If you don’t really have any money to work with at all, is there something you could sell to drum up some extra cash? Could you cash in some of your points on Swagbucks for gift cards you could use toward school supplies? Could you sell last year’s wardrobe that your child outgrew to fund this year’s wardrobe?
Also, consider having a swap meet with your friends to swap school supplies and clothes. Bring what you don’t need/no longer use and swap it with others.
2. Identify Needs vs. Wants.
Once you’ve determined your budget, then you need to take a hard look at what you can realistically afford in that budget. If money is especially tight, focus on the most important items first.
If your child desperately needs new shoes because the only ones they have are two sizes too small, that’s a high priority. Start with what is a true need versus just a “would be nice to have” first.
This is a great conversation to have with your children to help them understand what a need is and what a want is. It’s not wrong to spend money on wants, but help your child learn how to prioritize needs first. This is a valuable lesson for them to understand and grasp at an early age and will benefit them all their life.
3. Compare Prices
Use an app like Flipp (it’s free to download!) to price compare all of the best deals at local stores in your area. Then, either hit the store with the most deals or, stop at Walmart and price-match all the best deals at your local stores.
To do this, just check the ads, make a list of local prices, take these to Walmart, and tell your cashier what local prices you’re price-matching on the items you’re purchasing. Walmart’s corporate coupon policy says you don’t need an ad in order to price-match, however, I usually bring the ads with me in case there’s any issue or confusion about what the price is. {Flipp makes it really easy to price-match at Walmart because you can have all of the ads right at your fingertips!}
4. Buy Used.
Thrift stores, yard sales, consignment sales, and online sites such as ThredUp can be a treasure trove of bargains on back to school clothes for kids. You have to dig, but if you are patient, you can find incredible deals.
One of my favorite ways to find good deals at thrift stores is to go on the dollar days. Not all thrift stores have them, but it’s definitely worth checking into to see if your local thrift stores offer fill a bag for $5 or $1 days. Also, sign up for your thrift store’s email list to be notified of when they are having special offers and sales.
We’ve gotten amazing deals at consignment sales over the years, too. If you have extra time and energy, you can volunteer or sell at a consignment sale and you’ll usually be able to get first dibs on the deals — and possibly better pricing, too.
I’d highly recommend reading this article on how to stockpile clothes by shopping at yard sales. If you want to be even more strategic, check out this article on How to Shop Yard Sales for Free.
For more suggestions on how to maximize your consignment sale shopping experience, check out this article on Saving and Making Money With Consignment Sales and this article on How Selling on Consignment Works For Me.
5. Buy Extras.
When looking at the back-to-school sales, don’t just buy what’s on the required list from your local school. Buy extras of things such as glue, crayons, paper, notebooks, markers and other items you use on a regular basis around your home.
These sales are a great opportunity to stock up on office and craft supplies we use on a regular basis—all at the cheapest prices you’ll be able to get all year.
In addition, because many teachers have to pay for some of their classroom supplies out of pocket, how about buying extras of the great deals and donating them to your children’s’ classroom or purchasing them for a local family who is struggling financially?
How do YOU save on back to school supplies?
This post is underwritten by Flipp — an app that brings all of the weekly sales fliers from your local stores to the digital age in a dynamic and personalized way, and aggregates all your favorite circulars onto one digital device for access anywhere, anytime.
With Flipp, busy parents have seamless access to their favorite weekly ad fliers from their favorite retailers – and all the savings of each weekly circular right in their fingertips – without lugging around paper or cutting coupons!
What sets Flipp apart from other circular apps is that users can search by retailer (local groceries, larger big-box stores), or search for specific items (backpacks, notebooks, clothes, cereal), or even search for a specific savings amount, and they can create shopping lists to start the shopping experience beforehand or in the store right on their digital device.
With Flipp’s new shopping list feature, shoppers can quickly find the best deals for their weekly essentials. Once they’re in the store, users can easily check off items from their list – built right into the app! – to ensure they pick up everything they need (and also stick to their list!).
Download Flipp on iTunes or Google Play.
Live each day as though there might not be a tomorrow…
Yesterday evening she asked me, “Could we jump on the trampoline together tomorrow?”
I’m not much of a trampoline person — especially now that I’ve had kids and my bladder isn’t what it once was! — but it was a simple request and I told her yes, of course we could.
I put it on my daily list for today so that I wouldn’t forget and I’m so glad I did because it was one of the first things she talked about when she got up this morning.
“Mom! You remember what we’re going to do this afternoon, right?”
I showed her that it was right there on my list for the day and she just beamed.
We went about the morning: chores, projects, tasks, to-do’s. We have a busy week this week with filming for my book launch tomorrow, mid-year meetings with my executive team on Thursday, an event in San Diego on Saturday, and then gearing up for our fall schedule to begin next Monday.
So I had extra tasks today and was feeling just a little bit frazzled over everything that needed to get done. I had a chiropractic appointment and some errands to run this afternoon and was looking forward to a few hours of quiet by myself.
But as I got ready to go, she asked me if she could go with me. I could tell that the extra time with Mom would be really good for her — especially since I knew the rest of this week was going to be full.
So, I set aside my plans for some quiet time, and told her that if was was ready to leave in 15 minutes, she was welcome to come.
She excitedly hopped in the car with me and her enthusiasm never waned the entire afternoon. She was talkative, all smiles, and just kept mentioning how much she loved being with me.
When we got home, we worked together on pulling weeds from the gardens, cleaning out the car and garage, and finishing up some projects around the house. We laughed and joked as we worked and we got a lot done in a short amount of time.
I had some business projects I really needed to finish so I was just about ready to open up my laptop and get started on them, when she came up to me with a big grin on her face and said, “Are you ready??”
I had to think for a second to figure out what she was referring to and then I remembered my promise to jump on the trampoline with her. Honestly, at that point, I was just ready for some peace and quiet and to charge through the rest of my business and blogging to-do list for the day.
But I knew that she’d been looking forward to our trampoline time all day long, so I mustered up some excitement and enthusiasm and went out to jump on the trampoline.
We ended up having such a fun time. We laughed. We chased each other around. We played Crack the Egg. We tried to out-do each other in various jumps. And I got in a really great workout for the day.
After my 33-year-old body had gotten thoroughly worn out, I told her I was going to head inside. She said, “Thanks so much for playing with me!”
And then I went inside and saw this devastating news on Facebook.
And my heart went into my throat.
I have known Paul and Tiffany through blogging for many years. They’ve shared many deals with me that I’ve posted here, Tiffany has guest-posted here, and Paul has helped us with compiling the Walmart deals for a long time.
I’ve not ever met them in real-life, but I feel like I know them through their blogs and through our email interactions.
And there are no words to describe just how much I hurt for them.
We never, ever know what tomorrow holds. Don’t wait until it’s too late to say those “I love you’s”, to take time to play with your kids, to ask forgiveness, to be a “yes” mom, to jump on the trampoline, to set aside the to-do lists to be present… live each day as though there might not be a tomorrow.
P.S. If you would like to help Paul and Tiffany, there are a few different ideas of ways to do that here.
Shared Aug 10, 2015
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What I Did on my Unannounced Blogging Break (and a really big goal we hit this month!)
What I Did on my Unannounced Blogging Break (and a really big goal we hit this month!)
Did you miss me the past few weeks?!? I missed you all!
Okay, well I wasn’t really “gone”. I mean, I’m the only one who hits publish on all the posts here on my blog and the main person who runs my Facebook Page and Twitter, so I was here every day posting deals and guest posts and responding to comments. And I posted some real-life peeks on Instagram.
But I took an unannounced break from writing content pieces and the usual features here for the last few weeks. Why? Well, mostly because I just needed a break.
I wanted to take a few weeks to step back and evaluate where this blog is headed, plan the next six months, re-evaluate what is and isn’t working, tweak our schedule for the fall, and just take some time to be quiet and process.
It’s easy to fall prey to the “rat race” of producing content and not take enough time to step back, stop and evaluate, and make sure that I’m headed in the right direction. So I’ve been trying to be more intentional about having time to be still, to carefully and prayerfully discuss things with my husband, to fill up my soul so I can give out to others, to pray, to journal, to be creative offline, and to savor life.
The break was good for me. I have some fresh direction and perspective, we’re tweaking some things on the back-end, I’m cutting some things to allow room for new things, and I feel re-inspired and re-fueled with many new content ideas for the fall.
Also, I feel really settled. About blogging. About priorities. About what’s most important. And about who I am as a person and blogger.
The break wasn’t just all goal-setting and long talks and planning for the future, though. No ma’am.
Here’s a little peek into what we did on the blogging break:
We went to Family Camp in Michigan — and I may have exercised some of my inner child on the water slides and blob in the lake. 🙂
I attended the Storybrand Workshop, along with some other amazing people and learned so much from Donald Miller.
We played Bean Boozled with friends. You must stop right now and go watch my friend Tam’s skunk jelly bean video. It’s a classic. 🙂
Kathrynne and I traveled to Houston for me to speak at the homeschool conference there. And she was pretty stoked that we ended up getting upgraded to first class for FREE!
We traveled back to Kansas to surprise my parents for their 40th Anniversary. Read all about the surprise we planned here.
My sisters and I ran a 5K Color Run with two of our daughters.
We spent almost a week at Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas with all of my extended family.
And last, but certainly not least, WE MADE AN OFFER TO BUY ANOTHER RENTAL HOUSE and it was ACCEPTED!! {We celebrated with a trip to Dollar Tree — pretty much our family’s favorite store. Because, of course!}
Investing in another single-family home to rent out is something we’ve been researching, investigating, praying about, talking about, and saving for for many months. So this was a pretty big deal. In fact, it was one of our biggest goals for 2015 and by far our biggest financial goal.
To be honest, it’s hard to know how to share this kind of news. Part of me is so thrilled and excited and I want to share our good news with you all because you’ve been following our journey and you’re like family to us.
The other part of me wants to just quietly keep it to ourselves lest it come across as gloating or is frustrating to those of you who are really, really struggling financially right now.
Need encouragement tonight? Read the story behind this picture here.
I know what it feels like to not know how you’re going to pay the rent this month. I know what it feels like to wake up and wonder if you are EVER going to find a way to get ahead financially. I know how hard it is to not have an extra quarter to spare when so many around you are spending money like water.
I know what it feels like to only be able to buy what’s almost free with coupons at the grocery store, to not be able to pay even thrift store prices, to re-wear and re-use and re-purpose, to wonder how you’re going to be able to buy diapers for your soon-to-be born child because carving out even $10 extra dollars per month is not something you can imagine figuring out how to do on your teeny-tiny budget.
10 years ago, I would never, ever in my wildest dreams have imagined we’d be in a position to have the wiggle room to save up and pay cash for even one house, let alone be in the process of buying our 3rd house to rent out. Back then, I was just trying to figure out how to stretch $17 or $20 to cover all our groceries that week and praying that our car would start when I needed it to.
So yes, I share this news with a humble heart that hurts for those of you who may be in that really, really tight place. And I hope our story inspires you instead of discouraging you.
Keep at it, keep making those short-term sacrifices, keep stretching your money, keep thinking outside the box, and don’t give up hope. You don’t know what the next 10 years may hold for you!
By the way, for those who may be wondering:
This rental house is in Kansas. We have a really great property management company we work with there. They’ve been managing both of our rental houses in Kansas for us.
We tested the long-distance renting thing out this last year while doing a ton of research and investigation to decide where we’d invest next. We decided to stick with Kansas because we love our property management company, houses in Kansas are much less expensive than in this area in Tennessee, and the rental market is really hot in the areas we’re purchasing in. So far, it’s been a really, really good experience for us so we’re going to continue on with it!
Some of you have wondered why we are renting in Tennessee and not buying a house here. There are multiple reasons, but the main one is this: We’ve talked/looked/thought over this long and hard over the past year and the reality is that houses in the area we live in right now are about 2.5 times the cost of what they are in Kansas.
We can buy almost 3 houses in KS for the price of one in TN and then rent them out at a price that is almost double what we’re paying in rent now. So for the price of one house in TN, we’re able to invest in rental homes that cover the cost of our rent + net us a good profit every single month — and that’s including repairs to the rental homes and costs involved when tenants move out.
It’s unconventional, I know, and we haven’t ruled out buying a house in TN someday, but for now, renting has been a great option for us.
So that’s what’s been going on with us this past month. What about you? What have you been up to recently? I’ve missed you all and can’t wait to get back to regular blogging and conversations here with you!
19 Time Management Tips for Mom Bloggers
Guest post from Tanya of Blogelina.com
Have you ever followed a blog and wondered how a mom can possibly manage to find the time to run a successful blog on top of everything else that goes into being a mom? I know I have – and so I set out to find some answers!
It has been an honor for me to be able to interact with so many amazing blogger moms, and get their insight into how they manage working from home and family life!
My Biggest Take Away…
It’s really a simple concept – but one that I fail to do so often… Write down what I need to do.
So many of these mom bloggers said that the most important thing that boosts their productivity is making a list for each week and each day of what they need to accomplish that day. Having your tasks written down (and even better – prioritized!) will give you so much focus as you make choices throughout your day on how to spend your time.
Here are 19 other time-management tips from busy blogging moms!
1. Integrate Family Life With Work Life
I’ve heard of that concept before: instead of trying some time for both, it makes sense to try and integrate the two commitments one into another…
Here’s an example: When my child was a few months old, I spent a ridiculous amount of time outside (because she slept best there), so I purchased the smallest laptop I could find and worked outside.
It was both healthy and enjoyable. I still have good memories of that time and by the time we got home, I had some of my work items done.
I learned to work while she was crawling around paying attention so that she didn’t hurt herself. I’ve learned to work in my car while my husband was driving us to a family trip. I have developed lots of little habits that made combining motherhood and work actually enjoyable.
I haven’t missed a day of my kid growing up thanks to that. Yet, I was also following my passion and building my business online! – Ann Smarty, InternetMarketingNinjas.com
2. Use Your Early Morning Hours – And Don’t Over-do it!
I get up at 4 a.m. every single day (even on the weekends!) Those early morning hours are always my most productive, and by the time most people are getting started, I’ve already put in almost a full day of uninterrupted work.
I am a firm believer in written goals — yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily, and then having those goals posted somewhere I can refer to them often. Writing them down makes them real, and once they are real I can’t ignore them.
The biggest thing I am working on right now when it comes to time management is learning to say no, and letting the people I trust — my husband and team — help me make decisions on where to focus my time.
I have a habit of overloading myself and wanting to say yes to every opportunity, but becoming more vigilant about guarding my time has allowed me to stay focused on the big picture. At least most of the time! -Ruth Soukup, LivingWellSpendingLess.com
3. Watch For Time Zappers.
I’m all about streamlining processes. Whether I’m cleaning my bathrooms or working with my blog’s social media, I try to use systems that make the most of my time.
One big way that I keep my life uncluttered is to limit my time on social media. I know that, especially as a blogger, being on social media is a must, but I’ve found that if I’m not careful, it can be a huge time zapper, too.
I like to use timers. I set a timer for a set amount of time on social media and find that this really keeps me on task. I’m much less likely to end up on some tangent that ends up eating an hour of my day. – Tanya, Blogelina.com
4. Have Dedicated “Blogging Hours”.
Hands down, my top time management tip for mom bloggers is to have dedicated “office hours.” I have found that designating time to work helps me live in the present moment and get a lot more done — whether it be writing, managing the business part of my blog, or completing a load of laundry.
When I first started blogging, I worked in the cracks — in little snippets when my girls were napping or watching a movie or after they had gone to bed. While it was necessary during that season in my life, working “in the cracks” of life is not sustainable long-term.
When I stick to regular office hours, I am a better business owner and a better wife and mom. -Erin Odom, TheHumbledHomemaker.com
5. Use A Good Task Management Program
The best thing I have ever done to wrangle the issue of time management was to install a task management program (my favorite is Nozbe, but anything you like will do). I am able to enter tasks for projects and for reoccurring daily items, but the biggest plus is being able to get stuff off of my mind.
When I think of something that needs to be done, I don’t stop and do it. I simply add it to the list. This frees me up to think about the important things, without losing track of all the little details. -Kim Sorgius, NotConsumed.com
6. Create A Weekly Plan.
My best time management tip is to create a weekly plan. Schedule a time every weekend to decide your top goals and priorities for the upcoming week (self-care, family time, home management, business projects, appointments, etc.) and then schedule those tasks into your calendar.
Every night before you go to bed, review your goals and plans for the next day and then refer to them throughout the day as you work.
Having a plan relieves stress, increases your productivity and ensures that you are living your true priorities. – Kimberlee, ThePeacefulMom.com
7. Plan For More Time Than You Think…
Time management is no easy task to master with children. You always have to expect the unexpected and buffer your schedule accordingly.
The first thing I ask myself before accepting any blog work is, “How long will it take me to reasonably complete this project?” Then I add a few extra hours (or days) to ensure I can deal with the last-minute school project or tummy ache and still make my deadline. -Barb Webb, RuralMom.com
8. Batch Your Tasks
Be more productive by time chunking. In short, do like tasks together.
For example, instead of preparing one blog post from start to finish and then moving on to the next, spend one chunk of time outlining multiple posts at once. Then, carve out another chunk of time to flesh them out, and another to edit them.
Prepare your images all at once, create your social media promos at once and so forth. Think assembly line – a picture of efficiency. – Amy, AmyLynnAndrews.com
9. Delegate (aka. Don’t Try To Do It All!)
Working together for the good of the whole is a great family lesson to teach at home. This is what delegation is all about – dividing up the work to share the load.
As moms we often feel we have to ‘do it all’ which is a complete lie and will exhaust us. Determine what other family members can contribute and allow them to participate in making your house a home! – Susan Heid, TheConfidentMom.com
10. Use Your Smartphone
Take advantage of that tiny computer in your pocket!
When you get home from running errands and the kids are miraculously asleep in their car seats, when your teething newborn wants nothing more than to be rocked quietly for the next ten hours in the rocking chair, when one kid’s coloring and the other’s quietly playing with his Legos. That’s your golden ticket to knocking out a quick blog post on your smartphone’s WordPress app!
It may not be a post that’s perfectly tweaked for SEO, but it can help keep you from going ten months without writing a thing. -Steph Calvert, HeartsAndLaserBeams.com
11. Freedom@Will
Finding and keeping focus while being a stay at home mom can be extremely difficult. My quick “get in the zone” tip, is to ensure you have a prioritized daily to-do list (make this the night before). That way, when a free moment hits, you can jump right to it.
My second favorite tip is to use Focus@Will! It is designed to get you focused immediately, which allows you to tackle that to-do list in just a portion of the time. You may even complete your list before nap time is over – then you’re left with a few precious moments to yourself. Enjoy them! – Jillian, BabyDoodah.com
12. Prioritize.
Make a to-do list that prioritizes by urgency. Start with your top 3 tasks that must be completed and then any additional tasks can be carried over to another day if you don’t get to them the first day. – Janel Case, AMomsTake.com
13. Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself!
My number one tip for time management is forgiveness.
Never be so hard on yourself about not getting everything you wanted to get done in one day that it stresses you out and sets you up for a bad day the next day.
Be proud of every little bit you get done in a day and approach each day with a smile. You get a lot more done when you are in a good mood, trust me. -Eschelle, Mumfection.com
13. Eliminate Distractions (As Much As Possible)
One of the most important time management tips for me is to focus in on what I am working on at the moment. The top thing that kills my productivity is distraction.
I close all browsers that don’t pertain to that task and I turn off all notifications on my phone. It is amazing what I can get done when I am focused on one task at a time! -Kelly Hancock, FaithfulProvisions.com
14. Jot Down Memories In Your Day Planner
As a busy working mother of two, I find it nearly impossible to keep up with a baby book or scrapbook similar to what my mother created for me. Still, I think that kind of memorabilia is really important.
So, I’ve started jotting down whatever I would typically add to a baby book directly into my day planner or online calendar. It is so much easier to sit down once every six months (or even once a year) to add all that has been compiled.
It removes the guilt of not keeping up with something I cherish as a mother and takes mere seconds to do. -Karri-Leigh Mastrangelo, DirtyLaundryandDirtyDiapers.blogspot.com
15. Use Apps To Manage Your Social Media
A lot of my blog traffic comes from social media platforms, and scheduling those shares is important. However, I often get “sucked into” scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, or checking my email.
I now do all of my scheduling through apps or plugins (I use Ahalogy and CoSchedule) and try to focus only on the task at hand (no tabs open with any other websites or email). I also do this when writing blog posts. Otherwise it’s too easy to get distracted! -Ruth, VivaVeltoro.com
16. Learn To Count Backwards
If you struggle with being punctual, counting time backwards is an excellent way to get where you need to be on time. Start with the time you need to be somewhere and continue to subtract blocks of time for each individual activity that needs to happen before you get there so you know when you need to leave.
For instance, things like getting dressed, stopping for coffee, going to the bank, finding parking, texting a friend, etc. Most people make the mistake of not allocating enough time for these types of activities so be generous and give yourself buffer time too.
The more realistic you are with your time budget the more likely you are to be on time! -Laura, Orgjunkie.com
17. Schedule Specific Tasks Each Day
To manage my blogging time efficiently, I set up times for different tasks.
For instance, from 8 a.m.-9 a.m., I go through my emails and reply as needed. From 10 a.m.-11 a.m., I work on pending blog posts. I take a break for an hour or so, then for the next hour, I take photos for upcoming projects (this happens to be the time with the best lighting at my house). I take a quick lunch break and a short walk, then get back to the grind!
I break up the afternoon by hours, making sure I take a break in between tasks. I do my social media promotion, check and reply to emails emails again. -Jennifer Regan, EightyMPHMom.com
18. Get The Kids Involved!
When it comes to cleaning the house get everyone involved, have fun, and make it a contest so that the time files. With more people working it will get done faster. For example I will give each of my children a taste and yell go to see who finishes first. We always crank up the music and have fun!
When it comes to blogging, set aside specific times like work and focus on what you need to do to get it done. This lets your children know when mom is working, let her focus. When she is not working it is time to play!
If you have older children get them to help out when you can, for example I have my children do their own laundry which cuts down on what I need to do. -Colleen, ShibleySmiles.com
19. One Final Tip:
Consider taking Crystal’s Make Over Your Mornings Online Course! You will be amazed and encouraged to see how just a few little tweaks to your day can completely change your outlook on life; and how productive your day can be.
What Time Management Tips Do YOU Have?
Tanya Peterson earns a full-time income working from home as a blogger. She blogs at Blogelina.com where she follows her passion to help other moms build money-making blogs. Her popular online class, Profitable Blogging For Beginners, has helped hundreds learn what it takes to start and maintain a successful, profitable blog. While blogging on the side, Tanya is also a homeschooling mom to four little ones, loves hosting gatherings in her home, and just recently has become obsessed with her new hobby – chalk paint!