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Shared Jan 20, 2016 comment

3 Books I’m Reading This Week + 1 Book I Read Last Week

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

Many of you have requested that I share more book posts — what I’m reading, what I’m reading with my kids, and reviews of books that I’ve read. I can’t promise to do a post every week on this, but I’m going to try to do a better job of more consistently sharing what I’m reading — since I really enjoy getting great book recommendations from others!

3 Books I’m Reading This Week

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis — I’m about 75% through this one and am not sure whether it’s beautiful or weird…. The jury’s still out on that!

Rest Assured by Vicki Courtney — I just started this book and I think I’m going to really enjoy it and it’s going to be perfect for my Year of Rest!

All She Ever Wanted by Lynn Austin — I have really enjoyed many other books by Lynn Austen, but I’ve not read one of her books for awhile, so I’m excited to dig into another good fiction book.

What We’re Reading Aloud

Johnny Tremain — This is our read aloud for our homeschool curriculum (Sonlight) and while it took us awhile to get into it (it starts out slow and takes its time developing the story plot and characters) and there’s a bit of coarse language in it, we’re really enjoying it.

What I Read Last Week

It’s Not What You Think — This book was deep and made me really think and reconsider many different things from a new perspective. I didn’t agree with all of it, but I found so many thought-provoking nuggets throughout it.

What are YOU reading right now? What have you read recently? Any great recommendations?

Shared Jan 20, 2016 comment

We Paid Cash: A 10-Day Family Road Trip

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

A testimony from Rosanna who blogs at The Four F’s

We hadn’t been on a major vacation in seven years, so we decided to take our family on a road trip to British Columbia, this past June. We spent time seeing many attractions along the way, as well as when we got to our destination of Vancouver, British Columbia.

My husband, Bernd, and I have always enjoyed road trips, and now that our three children are getting older — ages 10, 7, and 5 , we thought we would like to attempt this with our family.

We believe in building memories with our family, but obviously these memories come at a cost. We are a one-income family and my husband is self-employed. That means that he doesn’t get vacation days or holiday pay.

That said, here are some of the things we did to pay cash for our big family trip.

1. We continued have monthly budget meetings and told our money where to go.

2. We have a sinking fund for different categories, one of which is vacations. Though our sinking fund payment wasn’t that high, we hadn’t gone on a large vacation for a long time, thus we had a head start on this one.

3. I sold items we no longer needed.

4. Every time I had extra money left in a budgeted category, I put it into a glass jar and eventually brought it to the bank.

However, our budgeting didn’t stop there. In order to make this vacation work, we needed to be careful on our trip too.

Here are some of the ways we saved money during our trip:

5. We brought most of our food along, stopping at grocery stores along the way to stock up. We only ate out for three meals, not including continental breakfasts in hotels.

6. We booked most of our hotels at hotels.com, which enabled us to get a much better rate most of the time.

7. We chose to bring our tent and gear and camped for two nights instead of using a hotel room.

8. We chose to do the activities that were most important to us, not every single available thing.

9. We were able to visit the Vancouver Aquarium for free because we went with some relatives that had a pass.

The total of our trip came in around $1800, and it was worth every penny!

We look forward to the day that we are completely debt free so that we can do these kinds of trips more regularly.

Rosanna is a wife and homeschooling mom of three. She loves writing, worshiping Jesus through song, and chatting with her husband. You are invited to follow along with her on her journey at The Four F’s.

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

Shared Jan 20, 2016 comment

500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 8

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

It’s Day #8 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge and today’s project was to go through kid’s stuff, sports equipment, and Hobby/Art supplies.

I went through our craft tubs and found quite a few items to get rid of. I was especially excited because I was able to consolidate down to one tub!

I’m thrilled that our house is really starting to look more and more decluttered! For the last few months, I’ve been meaning to get to certain problem areas and then just never made it a priority. But every time I would see those problem areas I would be reminded that I still needed to get to decluttering and organizing that area.

So it feels so nice to finally be tackling and conquering those areas — one day at a time!

Today’s total: 45 items decluttered

Total for the entire challenge: 328 items so far!

I’m keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals.

How many items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.

P.S. You can read more about the Decluttering Course I’m going through here. If you’d like to join me in going through it in January and get the videos, information, and printables every day, you can go here to purchase and get it for just $5.99 right now!

Shared Jan 20, 2016 comment

Ask the Readers: The Best Way to Sell Books?

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

Today’s questions is from April:

I just finished reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and I now have a huge pile of items I no longer want to keep!

I would like to try and get some money out of them, but having a garage sale won’t work based on where I live. One thing I thought I could do was sell my pile of books online, but it doesn’t look as easy as I thought.

Do you have any suggestions (besides ebay) on how I can sell my used books online without doing it as a business or having to pay a monthly fee?

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Shared Jan 20, 2016 comment

5 Lessons We’ve Learned from Frugally Raising our Kids

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

Guest post from Sarah of The Jelly Jars

My husband and I have three kids, and every time I hear reports about how much it costs to raise just one child these days, I wince a little (the latest data says close to a quarter of a million dollars per child). But then I remind myself that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are some lessons that I’ve learned as we try to raise our kids without spending too much money on them:

1. How to get creative with activities.

We don’t have our kids in more than one activity at a time (such as soccer, swimming, gymnastics, etc.), encouraging them to fully engage in where they are, and refusing to believe the lie that we have to push them too hard from an early age in order for them to succeed later on.

Instead, we watch Youtube videos of gymnastics or ballet, for example, and either follow along with a tutorial or turn it into a fun family activity as we pretend our living room is the summer Olympic games.

2. How to find enjoyment through experiences rather than things.

In the spaces of our lives that aren’t taken up by school, work, or activities, we tend to do things together. We will go for a family hike, take a “nature walk” down the street, make muffins, or play a board game together.

We own plenty of toys, but we also try to teach our kids that the most joy in life comes from relationships rather than objects, and model that through how we spend our time together.

3. How to find great second-hand deals.

If you look at your local library, they probably have a section where they sell their old books for a fraction of what it costs to buy a new book. I’ve bought books at our library for a quarter each, greatly expanding our home book collection.

We tend to buy board games at the local thrift store for two or three dollars rather than the fifteen or twenty they cost brand new.

I also find gently used clothes that are still on trend at thrift stores, a huge benefit when kids grow so quickly and need new clothes so frequently!

4. How to make lots and lots of lunches!

I make lunches every day, not just school days. If it’s a Saturday and I know that we’ll be out running errands over lunchtime, I think ahead and pack a quick lunch.

Stopping to eat out add up quickly and I would much rather take ten minutes to put things together at home than get stuck with a big bill because we all got hungry before we got home.

5. How to teach our children about money.

From a young age, kids can begin to understand basic money concepts. By watching the ways we save, spend, and give, they are learning how to do the same.

Our kids have 3 jars labeled “Spend, Save, Give.” When we give out allowance, the kids split it equally among the three jars. The “spend” money can be used however they choose, the “save” money is money they are saving for a specific item, and the “give” is to encourage generosity.

An additional benefit in many of our methods is that they tend to be more relationally geared, creating a special bond in our family as we do life together.

Raising a family can be quite expensive, but these are tactics that work for us as we try to be wise in how we spend money in the process.

Sarah is a mountain-loving, dark chocolate-eating, Frank Sinatra-listening, owie-kissing, truth-telling, freelance writer/blogger who seeks out a passionate life with her husband and two kiddos. She writes at The Jelly Jars.

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Shared Jan 20, 2016 comment

How to Save Money on Food Costs When Life is Crazy

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

Do you struggle with letting the grocery budget get out of control when life gets busy? If so, Jessica from Life As Mom has a great post up on how to save money on food costs when life is crazy.

Shared Jan 20, 2016 comment

Get Up Early Challenge: Day 8 (I learned a valuable lesson yesterday!)

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

It’s Day #8 of the Get Up Early Challenge and I re-learned a valuable lesson yesterday… If I over-pack my schedule and try to cram too many to-dos on my list for the day, even getting up early won’t calm the rushing, busy, frantic feeling in my heart.

So here’s the honest truth: we had a rough morning at our house yesterday. Mostly because I struggled with major Bad Attitude… And it was contagious.

I snapped at my kids, was curt with my husband, and just felt stressed about life.

I couldn’t figure out what was up… Until I looked at my to-do list and realized it was because I hadn’t given myself space to breathe in my schedule today.

I had scheduled too many commitments. I had put pressure on myself to do too many things. And I was feeling squeezed and squashed by it all.

Instead of continuing on the Stress Spiral downward, I stopped and took a hard look at my to do list. I crossed some of the non-important things off of it, rescheduled an appointment, and made a much more simplified game plan for the afternoon.

Then, I apologized to my husband for my attitude, kissed him for 15 seconds (it’s hard to kiss your man passionately and be mad at him at the same time –try it! ;)), asked God for love and calmness and patience, turned on some worship music, and drank a Green Smoothie.

The rest of the day went so much better! And I’m going into today reminding myself of this: Jesus didn’t call me to a life of busyness. He says, “Come unto me and rest.” He is not impressed by how much I do. He doesn’t need my productivity. He’s already finished the most important work on the Cross.

Today, I’m leaving room in my life for quietness and space for my soul to breathe.

I’ll be hopping on Periscope around 7:30 to 7:45 a.m. to share some Morning Motivation encouragement and to some thoughts and insights from The 5AM Miracle book. I’d love for you to join me or watch the replay (just download the app and search for @MoneySavingMom).

Are you joining me for the Get Up Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your wake-up goal this morning.

We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!

P.S. Read more about the Get Up Early Challenge here. Need some help and inspiration to use your mornings well? Download Day 1 of Make Over Your Mornings for free (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for it!)

Shared Jan 19, 2016 comment

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

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 19, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So many moms have written in and told me how they would love to get up early but they just can’t figure out how to do so because they have young children. If that’s you, this post is for you.

However, I need to preface it with this: I’m all about grace, not guilt. If you feel like you’re in a season of life where you’re not supposed to be getting up early, then this post isn’t for you. Just skip it.

Also, remember that everyone’s definition of “early” will differ, depending on life circumstances. I may be getting up at 5 a.m., but you could be getting up at 6, 7, or 8 a.m.. Everybody’s schedule is different. Do what works for you, okay?

Now that we have that out of the way, here are my tips on how to get up early even if you have young kids:

1. Cut the excuses.

We can spend so much of our life living under lies. We live under the lies that we aren’t good enough, we can’t do that, we’re not X. When we tell ourselves lies for long enough, we start believing them to be truths.

Some people truly do thrive in the morning and some people thrive in the evening. But don’t say, “I’m not a morning person” if you’ve never tried being a morning person before.

If you’ve not gotten up early for 3-4 weeks in a row, you can’t really say one way or the other what you are. So don’t tell yourself “I’m not a morning person”, if you’ve not proven that statement to be true.

Ask yourself what kind of messaging you’re telling yourself not just about this, but about all areas of life. Cut the excuses and don’t let them hold you back, because you usually have to believe that you can actually do something before you’ll really try to do it!

2. Go to bed early…if you can.

You are not going to successfully get up early if you stay up late. You have to develop the discipline of going to bed early.

What are you staying up doing at night? Is it productive or mindless? Some people get SO much done at night or they intentionally stay up to do something that they love and that refreshes them. I’m all for that!

But if you’re getting sucked into the rabbit hole of social media, or you’re mindlessly filling time just to avoid going to bed, then give going to bed earlier a try!

You might even challenge yourself to go to bed shortly after your kids go to bed. For some of you this won’t work, and I’m definitely not asking you to sacrifice your marriage and time with your husband for this, but at least consider the idea of going to bed shortly after your kids do and then maybe getting time alone with your husband before they get up in the morning.

3. Try getting up 15 minutes earlier.

Instead of feeling like you have to revamp your entire schedule and life, try making small changes over time. Even 15 minutes can make such a difference.

By getting up 15 minutes earlier, you could have time to spend thinking, praying, exercising, journaling, reading God’s word, and/or planning your day… there are so many different options! Pick one or two of these things that you are going to get up and do during the first 15 minutes of your morning.

Then, challenge yourself to go to bed 15 minutes earlier and get up 15 minutes earlier and invest a little time into something that will refresh, encourage, and positively impact your life!

4. Take a nap when your kids do.

As moms, we often think we shouldn’t nap when our kids nap, because it’s wasted precious time to be productive. But think about this: What if you were able to get up an hour earlier and really knock out your to-do list, so that you could enjoy a nap during your kids’ nap time?

Over time, I have become a big fan of napping. One morning last week, I took a nap around 9:30 a.m. because I realized I wasn’t going to be able to make it through the rest of the day.

Because I had gotten up early and I was finished with all of my important morning tasks, I was able to just lie down and take a short nap. I didn’t have any guilt, and I felt so refreshed and rested for the rest of the day!

5. Teach your kids to stay in their rooms longer.

I know this one is controversial, but as parents, we are in charge. In most cases, we can teach our children to stay in their rooms longer, so that we can have more time in the mornings to be productive. (Have you seen these Okay to Wake Clocks? I’ve had many moms rave about their effectiveness to me!)

Think outside the box. Get creative! And remember to give yourself grace and focus on the progress you are making — not on how far you might be from where you’d like to be!

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

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

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

What do you find helps you get up early each morning, even with younger children?

Shared Jan 19, 2016 comment

500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 7 (decluttering the garage, ugh!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 19, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day #7 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge and today we were supposed to clean out the garage and basement. We don’t have a basement, but I can assure you I was not excited about cleaning out the garage — especially since it is currently freezing in Tennessee!!

But I braved the icy cold garage and went out there and did it… not crazy thoroughly, but I did a quick sweep of it and found some items to get rid of — including a few Kid’s Meal toys and paint that was all dried up. And some trash. Of course.

I was pleasantly surprised that the garage was not as cluttered as I’d pictured… and most of the clutter was stuff in the donate pile that I’ve collected by doing this challenge!

Today’s total: 32 items decluttered

Total for the entire challenge: 283 items so far!

I’m keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals.

How many items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.

Shared Jan 19, 2016 comment

Get Up Early Challenge: Day 7 (the day I woke up grouchy!)

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 19, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day 7 of the Get Up Early Challenge and for some reason, when my alarm went off this morning, I woke up feeling on edge and irritable. I wanted to just crawl back into bed and try to sleep it off, but I knew I had gotten sufficient sleep, so instead I decided to get up and try spending time reading God’s Word, journaling, praying, hand lettering, and exercising.

It was so good to read about Jacob in the Genesis study this morning and be reminded of who I am in Christ — that my identity is in Him. And I can rest in that as I go about my day.

“Love through me, love of God. Make me like Thy pure air, through which, unhindered, colors pass as though it were not there.” -Amy Carmichael

I’ll be hopping on Periscope at 7:30 a.m. to share some Morning Motivation encouragement and to some thoughts and insights from The 5AM Miracle book. I’d love for you to join me or watch the replay (just download the app and search for @MoneySavingMom).

Are you joining me for the Get Up Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your wake-up goal this morning.

We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!

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Shared Jan 18, 2016 comment

3 Frugal & Simple Dinner Recipes We Made Last Week

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 18, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Need some quick and easy dinner ideas that are also easy on your pocketbook? As you well know, I’m all about keeping it simple — especially when it comes to cooking and meals.

Here are three meals I made last week that everyone in our family enjoyed (for more frugal meal inspiration, be sure to follow me on Instagram where I’m sharing what we’re eating for dinner most nights):

1. Waffles & Sausage

We love serving breakfast for dinner. It’s fast, easy, and affordable!

Here’s our favorite waffle recipe. These are freezer-friendly so you can make up a big batch ahead of time. Or, you can make the batter ahead of time and then just bake them in the waffle iron right before dinner.

2. Chicken Gravy Over Rice

This recipe is super simple, nutritious, and frugal. Plus, it’s amazingly adaptable.

Here’s how I make it: Sauté some onions in butter. Add flour and chicken stock (or half cream/half chicken to make it creamier/richer) to make a gravy. Stir in seasonings, salt, pepper, and chopped chicken. Simmer until it makes a gravy.

We serve it over rice with veggies and fruit on the side. We also sometimes serve it over mashed potatoes.

{I’m a “dump cook” and not very skilled at following recipes, so if you want measurements for this recipe, I can’t help you there… Because on this recipe, I just eye things and add ingredients until it looks and tastes right!}

3. Fried Ground Beef with Onions

This is a recipe from my childhood. We would make this when we needed a quick meal. It’s healthy, super simple, economical, and can be made in less than 15 minutes of prep time.

This past week, we just served it with Ketchup and sides of brown rice, fresh fruit, and veggies. However, to stretch it more, you can add chopped potatoes or sweet potatoes or rice, peas, and/or corn.

What are some of YOUR favorite quick, easy, & frugal recipes?

Shared Jan 18, 2016 comment

500 Things Decluttering Challenge: Day 6

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 18, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day #6 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge…

Today’s project was to go through your kitchen drawers and cupboards and find 50 things to get rid of.

I’ve already spent quite a bit of time decluttering in the kitchen with this challenge, so I had to dig sort of deep, but I found a few kitchen utensils that were broken, some duplicate Home Depot aprons, and a few rags we needed to dispense of, among other things.

All in all, I found 27 items to get rid of!!! I was so excited about it!

Today’s total: 27 items decluttered

Total for the entire challenge: 251 items so far!

I’m keeping a running total of all my items decluttered during this challenge as I thought it would be fun to not only do Daily Totals but also Overall Totals.

How many items did YOU declutter today?? Leave a comment and let us know.

Shared Jan 18, 2016 comment

5 Reasons to Become a Money-Making Mom

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 18, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Erin of The Humbled Homemaker

Being a money-making mom has changed my life and the life of my family. In three years time, I went from being a stay-at-home mom who could barely afford it, to achieving seemingly impossible goals through my at-home business.

If you’re on the fence about whether or not to start a business of your own, you might want to consider these 5 reasons to become a money-making mom.

1. To get off government aid.

This one might not apply to you, but many American families have kept afloat financially with the help of government assistance since the 2008 recession. I know because our family was one of them.

I don’t condemn the use of government aid, but I also don’t condone it as a lifestyle.

Growing up in the upper middle class in suburban America, I never dreamed my family would one day be barely making it and supplementing our meager grocery budget with WIC checks… but for three years, we did just that.

Becoming a money-making mom afforded us with the income needed to support our family without the use of government aid. The day I called the WIC office to cancel our checks was monumental!

2. To pay off debt.

I’ve witnessed many friends crippled by the weight of massive credit card bills and student loans.

Even families with sizable incomes are often burdened with so much debt that they can barely make ends meet each month.

Becoming a money-making mom can help your family pay off debt faster!

3. To give your family breathing room.

Even if you’re not at poverty level and don’t have debt, many families are still at the point of not having much breathing room after all the bills are paid.

Perhaps you simply want to increase your grocery budget, so you can eat more quality food.

Or maybe you want enough margin in your budget for little splurges. Having some “mad money” can actually help keep you from overspending.

Being a money-making mom can provide for those extras that your primary income might not afford.

4. To provide for your children’s educations.

The number one reason I started my blog in 2011, was because I dreamed of one day sending our then-2-year-old to a university-model school in our town.

Since we were living on a low income at the time, this seemed like an unattainable goal, but, still, it was worth a shot.

Fast forward a few years, and not only were we able to send our little girl to this school for kindergarten (and now for first grade), but we were also to pay the entire year’s tuition in cash!

Being a money-making mom can provide for homeschool curriculum, private school tuition, or even help fund college savings accounts!

5. To give more.

This is my absolute favorite perk of being a money-making mom.

In three years’ time, we went from barely making it financially to being able to give more than we ever dreamed possible.

Not only that, but this past summer we were also able to take a family mission trip, where we were able to help with some community outreach projects and an Operation Christmas Child distribution.

One of the first charities my business was able to give to was Hope 4 Women, International, a program that helps impoverished widows and single mothers in 3rd-world countries become money-making moms themselves!

Notice that, of the five reasons I listed, I did not include “getting rich” or “becoming famous” as reasons to become a money-making mom.

Money is not evil, but the love of money is the root of all evil. Life is more than money, and to simply make more of it for the sake of getting rich or becoming famous will leave you empty-hearted.

The heartbeat behind Crystal’s book, Money-Making Mom, is that women can learn how to earn more money in order to make a difference in the lives of others. That is the essence of becoming a money-making mom.

Erin Odom is the creator of The Humbled Homemaker, a blog about motherhood, healthy living, saving money, and homemaking. After losing her home and surviving on government aid for three years, she is passionate about extending grace to families who are struggling and helping others see there is hope at the end of financial troubles.

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Shared Jan 18, 2016 comment

Get Up Early Challenge: Day 6

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 18, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s Day 6 of the Get Up Early Challenge and today officially kicks off Week 2, Day 1 of the challenge (since we took the weekend off)!

I was asleep by 9:45 pm last night and woke up a few minutes before my 5 am alarm this morning! I think my body is starting to embrace this early to bed, early to rise schedule again!

I just finished reading God’s Word, journaling my blessings, reading the second to last chapter of It’s Not What You Think (a book that has been very thought-provoking — even if I’ve not agreed with all of it), and getting in some cardio on the treadmill.

Oh and coffee. Of course, coffee. One of the best parts of the morning! 😉

Are you joining me for the Get Up Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your wake-up goal this morning.

We’re in this together… And if you didn’t hit your goal, that’s okay! Give yourself grace, don’t beat yourself up, and know that you can try again tomorrow!

Shared Jan 16, 2016 comment

A Day in the Life of a Full-Time Working, Freelance-Writing, Blogging Mama

Published: by Crystal Paine on January 16, 2016 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Sarah of The Frugal Millionaire

As I’m sure you gathered from the title of this post, I work a full-time job, I’m a freelance writer, a blogger and, most importantly, I am a wife and mom to my two precious toddler daughters. Life is busy and full, but I love it!

One of the most common questions I get asked is, “How do you do it all?”

First off, let me preface this by saying that it is truly impossible to “do it all”. Instead, I like to say I “do my best.”

My home is not always clean, I fall behind on both work and laundry, and meals are oftentimes thrown together last minute. But, I’m doing my best and I love my daughters fiercely. My time with them is the most important thing to me.

Another question I often receive is, “Why do you work full-time, freelance, and blog?”

The answer to that is simple: I’m looking to increase my freelancing and blogging income to the point where I can quit my full-time job, and then eventually my husband can quit his job if he so chooses. I’m sacrificing my time now so I can have more of it in the future. Plus, I absolutely love writing and blogging.

Now that I’ve given some background on what I do, here is a peek into my current schedule. As a side note, my family and I recently relocated from sunny Arizona to beautiful North Carolina. We purchased our first house out here a few months ago and are really just soaking in all that the state has to offer.

We spend our evenings and weekends exploring different parks, going on walks, and playing outside. Monday through Friday is for working, and here is a typical day for me!

A Day in My Life

5:00 AM

Wake up time! Thanks to Crystal’s Make Over Your Mornings course, I am now an early-riser! I accomplish so much more each day when I can start the morning by myself — whether that’s working or just enjoying a cup of coffee in silence.

Prior to her course, I started my mornings frazzled. My kids woke me up, and it seemed to go downhill from there. Now, I’m happy to see them each morning, knowing that I’ve had some alone time.

My girls are up by 6:00 (on a good day), so I never do anything too strenuous in the morning. I typically have a cup of coffee, plan out my day, do a few sets of exercises and get ready for the day ahead. I also get started with work on my full-time job by checking emails and doing my daily tasks.

9:00 AM

My daughters are in daycare part-time during the week. I drop them off at 9:00 and then head to my office. My full-time job is 40+ hours per week, but I am able to work from home, which is an added perk. I do go into the office three half-days per week, though.

1:00 PM

Right after lunch, I pick up my daughters from daycare and we head home for naps.

The reason I’m able to work from home is because I was blessed with two amazing nappers. They aren’t the best night-time sleepers and they do wake up extremely early, but I almost always get a three-hour nap out of them each afternoon!

From now until about 4:30, I’m able to work on my full-time job, answer personal emails, and brainstorm freelance writing and blogging topics if I have time.

4:30 PM

My girls are up from their naps and my husband is just getting home from work. This is when I start making dinner, assuming I’ve planned ahead. If not, we head to the store and decide on something as a family.

My husband is a rockstar in the kitchen and loves both grocery shopping and cooking. If it weren’t for him, we’d be eating chicken nuggets and spaghetti most nights!

Other than cooking and eating dinner, we reserve our evenings for family time. We’ll go to the neighborhood park, pick up some cookies from our favorite bakery, go on a “deer drive,” or stay in and play. Unless something urgent is on my calendar, I never open my laptop during this time.

7:30 PM

The girls are almost always in bed by 7:30pm (I am a strong believer in an early bedtime). If they’re not tired, I let them read quietly in their rooms for 30 minutes prior to lights-out.

Once they’re asleep, I get to working on my side jobs — freelancing and blogging. I average about $1,500 per month on both of these combined and work roughly 10 hours per week.

Honestly, this is a part of my day that I really look forward to, and I can’t wait until my income is enough to replace my day job so I can focus more on the things that I love.

9:30 PM

Can’t forget about the hubby! My husband and I stay connected throughout the day by calling and texting each other. He is also up early with me most days so we can chat and have some time to ourselves.

In addition, we make sure to always go to bed at the same time. We head to our room around 9:30 and talk or watch TV before falling asleep. This is another favorite part of my day — quiet, relaxing time with my favorite guy.

You may be wondering when I have time to clean the house. Well, I clean every morning before leaving for daycare/work and every evening before going to bed. Spending 30 minutes each morning and another 15 in the evening keeps my house in order.

On the weekends, I’ll spend another 30 minutes or so cleaning bathrooms, washing sheets and doing other lengthier chores. I also freelance and blog when the girls are napping on Saturdays, but reserve Sundays as a day of rest.

If you’re interested in making more money, I cannot recommend freelancing and blogging enough. Not only have I been able to make a decent amount of money from my couch, but I’ve met some wonderful ladies who I feel honored to call my best friends.

I started freelancing prior to blogging, but my blog is what launched me into my niche — personal finance. So, if you’re wondering where to start, I highly suggest starting with a blog.

Yes, my schedule is busy, but we’re all busy!

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that people prioritize things that are important to them. For me, I want more time and more freedom, and that is why I’m working so hard now!

Sarah Brooks is a full-time employee, freelance writer and blogger, but most importantly she is a mom to two little girls, Cami and Maisie. She has a passion for helping moms follow their dreams and create a life that they love. Sarah and her family recently relocated from Arizona to North Carolina and they love exploring their new town. When she’s not working or playing with her babies, you can find her baking cookies, relaxing outside with a good book or binge-watching Netflix with her husband.

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1. How to get creative with activities.

2. How to find enjoyment through experiences rather than things.

3. How to find great second-hand deals.

4. How to make lots and lots of lunches!

5. How to teach our children about money.

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1. Cut the excuses.

2. Go to bed early…if you can.

3. Try getting up 15 minutes earlier.

4. Take a nap when your kids do.

5. Teach your kids to stay in their rooms longer.

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

What do you find helps you get up early each morning, even with younger children?

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1. Waffles & Sausage

2. Chicken Gravy Over Rice

3. Fried Ground Beef with Onions

What are some of YOUR favorite quick, easy, & frugal recipes?

1. To get off government aid.

2. To pay off debt.

3. To give your family breathing room.

4. To provide for your children’s educations.

5. To give more.

A Day in My Life

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