Jessica from Life As Mom shows you how she planned for a week’s worth of pretty meaty meals for less than $70!
Summer Bucket List
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Shared Feb 1, 2016
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Go to Bed Early Challenge: Day 1 (I think this is going to make SUCH a difference!)
Go to Bed Early Challenge: Day 1 (I think this is going to make SUCH a difference!)
Happy Monday! It’s Day 1 of the Go to Bed Early Challenge and I can already tell that this going to be the perfect challenge to follow the Get Up Early Challenge!
I got home from my trip to WA around 9 pm last night and after hanging out/getting a little snuggle time in with everyone, I promptly went to bed — right around 10 pm. And then I let myself sleep in until 5:40 this morning.
Even though I didn’t get much sleep this weekend (I was with MacKenzie — how am I supposed to sleep when we can be solving the world’s problems together?!?), I feel quite rested and ready for the day today — yay!
Are you joining me for the Go to Bed Early Challenge? If so, leave a comment on this post to let me know how you did with your go to bed goal last night.
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 Go to Bed Early here. Need some help and inspiration to go to bed early so you can get up and use your mornings well? Download Day 1 of Make Over Your Mornings for free (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up for it!)
3 Tips to Cure “Coupon Time Creep”
Guest post from Kelly of Kelly Cox At Home:
Coupons can be a blessing and a curse. While they can save you money, they take up your time too.
Several years ago, my husband and I were trying to live on 1 income and looking for ways to save money. We learned how to coupon and literally cut our grocery budget in half. I was ecstatic, but quickly realized that I had a dilemma. Couponing began to creep in on my time in the evening and on weekends.
My goal was to continue to save money, but I didn’t want to coupon like it was my job! Family time is so precious and I wanted to free up my schedule and spend less time with coupons.
If you wish to do the same, I’ve got 3 tips to help you cure what I call “Coupon Time Creep.”
1. Realize that you can’t do it all.
We are all busy with home life, family, friends, work, church and so much more. I encourage you to give yourself grace and accept that sometimes you’ll just have to miss a deal or two. Oh well!
We can’t do (or coupon) everything, but we can set boundaries and priorities to help us save money and still enjoy spending time on what really matters.
I wanted to continue saving money but I had to limit my coupon time, which brings me to my next point.
2. Set a timer
When I first began to coupon, I would look up from my clipping, printing coupon frenzy and realize that I’d lost an hour of time. Oh my! I meant to start dinner, write an email and call a friend. Coupon Time Creep strikes again…
My solution to this (much too frequent) scenario was to set a timer. In other words, I’d give myself 20 minutes to devote to couponing and then stop. Whatever I had completed coupon wise during that timeframe would just have to do. In fact, I found that I stayed more focused because I had a looming deadline, and I wanted my time to be productive!
3. Limit yourself to one website and one store.
Couponers will sometimes visit multiple websites to compare coupon matchup lists and scour the internet for every sale or deal to be found. They will also often travel to several stores in the name of the deal. (I’m describing my former self here.)
I encourage you to save yourself time by considering one coupon website and one store. I’ve applied this concept to my couponing and now save both time and money! In fact, I’ve saved myself hours of searching and driving around because I picked just one.
If you coupon in order to save your household money, I encourage you to watch for the occasional Coupon Time Creep!
Your family, friends and household are so much more important than chasing after ever deal and coupon.
Remember you can’t do it ALL, set a specific amount of time aside, and pick one store and website to focus on.
You’ll be blessed to find you still save money and manage to preserve your time as well!
Kelly is a Christ follower, blessed wife, mom-to-be and a lover of all things home. She blogs over at Kelly Cox At Home about her journey at home and passion for debt-free living. She hopes to encourage others in that goal, while sharing tips on how to manage and enjoy all things that make up HOME!
Gretchen’s $58 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan
Aldi
2 dozen Eggs – $1.59 each
1 pkg Hamburger Buns – $0.85
1 loaf Bread – $1.39
1 Cauliflower – $1.99
1 pkg Frozen Blueberries – $2.49
1 pkg Baby Carrots – $0.69
1 pkg Snack Crackers – $1.49
1 pkg Mini Marshmallows – $0.79
1 lb Butter – $2.99
2 Cucumbers – $0.49 each
1 pint Grape Tomatoes – $0.99
2 Avocados – $0.39 each
1 pkg Dried Cranberries – $1.29
1 pkg Sliced Almonds – $2.99
1 pkg Sweet Corn – $2.69
2 Grapefruit – $0.69 each, used $0.25/1 Checkout 51 rebate – $0.57 each after rebate
1 Frozen Orange Juice – $1.19
1 Honey – $4.99
Total after rebate: $32.89
Dillons
1 V8 Fusion Energy Drink – $1, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon
1 Kroger Peanut Butter – $1.69
3 Larabar – $1 each, used $0.75/3 SavingStar.com rebate – $0.75 each after rebate
1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – $2
3 Chobani Yogurt – Marked down to $0.59 each
1 Simple Truth Almond Milk – $2.50, used $0.50/1 e-coupon – $2 after coupon
1 gallon Dillons Milk – $1.99
1 Kroger Applesauce – $2.19
1 Kroger Unbleached Flour – $1.79
1 Green Bell Pepper – $0.99
2.16 lbs Bananas – $1.27, used $0.25/1 Ibotta rebate AND $0.30/1 MobiSave rebate – $0.72 after rebate
1 Romaine Lettuce – $0.99
1 Mission Tortillas – $1, used $0.55/1 printable (no longer available) – $0.45 after coupon
1 bag Apples – Marked down to $0.99, used $0.30/1 MobiSave rebate – $0.69 after rebate
Mega Sale Items:
2 Birds Eye Frozen Veggies – $1.49 each, used 2 $1.50/1 coupon from the 1/10 SmartSource insert – Free after coupons
1 Truvia Sweetener – $2.80, used $1.50/1 e-coupon – $1.30 after coupon
1 Eddy’s Vanilla Ice Cream – $3.49
2 Chex Mix – $0.99 each, used $0.60/2 printable – $0.69 each after coupon
Total after coupons and rebates: $25.69
Total for all groceries: $58.58
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Cereal x 2
Eggs and Spinach x 4
Fruit Smoothies, Toast
Lunches
Tossed Salad with toppings x 3
Cheese Quesadillas, Carrot Sticks, Grapes
Tuna Salad and Crackers, Veggies
Pizza Quesadillas, Sliced Apples, Carrot Sticks
Leftovers
Dinners
Hamburgers, Corn on the Cob, Homemade French Fries
Chicken with Birds Eye Protein Frozen Veggies, Biscuits, Steamed Broccoli
Dinner with friends (I’m bringing dessert)
Spaghetti, Tossed Salad, Homemade Bread
Blueberry Pancakes, Eggs, Grapefruit
Chicken Noodle Casserole, Tossed Salad, Brussel Sprouts
Leftovers
Shared Jan 30, 2016
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How much do you really save on a rotisserie chicken from Costco?
How much do you really save on a rotisserie chicken from Costco?
If this question has been burning in the back of your mind for some time, be sure to go check out Laurie’s post on what kind of deal you’re really getting when you purchase a rotisserie chicken from Costco.
The 10-10-10 Analysis and How It’s Changing My Life
Do you have a difficult time making wise decisions, especially when the answer is expected within a really quick time frame? I recently discovered the 10-10-10 analysis for making wise decisions that Alli Worthington talks about in her book Breaking Busy, and I love it.
In her book, Alli talks about how important decision making is in our lives. First, she quotes Andy Stanley with this really challenging thought:
“Direction — not intentions, hopes, dreams, prayers, beliefs, intellect, or education — determines destination. I know it’s tempting to believe that our good intentions, aspirations, and dreams somehow have the ability to do an end run around the decisions we make on a daily basis. However, you and I will win or lose in life by the paths we choose.”
From there, Alli follows with her thoughts on how decision making affects our future:
“Like it or not, every single decision we make takes us down the road close to the destination that is our future. What we think, believe, hope for, study, or dream about doesn’t affect the outcome of our future. The decisions we make and the actions we take DO.”
Direction determines destination. I want to challenge you to consider what choices you are making daily that are affecting where you’re going. What things are you doing or not doing that are helping or hurting your direction and your ability to get where you want to go? The little decisions that we make throughout the day make an impact on our direction in life.
So what is this 10-10-10 analysis that Alli talks about in Breaking Busy? Sometimes, we aren’t given a very long time to think about and process information before making a decision. This is where Alli relies on Suzy Welch’s 10-10-10 decision-making process. It’s simple:
Ask yourself how you will feel about your decision after 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years.
Everything you do has impact. So when you’re struggling to make a decision, to know what direction you should take, or what your answer should be, ask yourself these questions.
That really, really challenged me. I thought it was a fantastic way to approach decision making. Sometimes we don’t have enough time to decide, but before we say yes, we can stop to ask ourselves how we would feel within those time intervals to help us decide what to do.
Sometimes we make a decision because it feels good right now, in this moment. But will it feel good or right in 10 months or years? It might be a hard and awkward no in those first 10 minutes that will save you so much misery, heartache, and stress over the next 10 months or years.
Inspired by the 10-10-10 analysis and as part of my Year of Rest, I’ve been challenging myself to not only ask myself, “How am I going to feel about this commitment in 10 minutes from now, 10 months from now, and 10 years from now?”, but then I’m going on and asking myself the following four questions before I say “yes” to any extra commitment:
- Is this extra commitment in line with my priorities and goals for this year?
- Am I absolutely, positively, and totally excited about doing this/making this commitment?
- Do I have the time, capacity, and energy to do this and maintain a restful pace of life?
- Is my husband fully on board with me saying “yes” to this opportunity?
Here’s what I’m discovering: once I’ve gone through the 10-10-10 analysis and asked myself these four questions, I am hardly saying “yes” to any extra commitments. And it feels amazing!
By doing so, I’m able to really, really give my best to those few things I’m saying yes to. I’m able to focus on them, pour into them, and give my all to them instead of giving my leftovers or what little tiny capacity I could muster up because I was stretched so thin and exhausted by all the demands of the other things I’ve committed to.
And not only that, but by only saying “yes” to a few things, it’s allowing me to be so much more fully present and have margin and breathing room for what’s most important:
- To be able to really listen to my child or pay attention as they go through all of the steps of how their latest LEGO Puzzle Box works.
- To stop and just snuggle with my husband, flirt with my husband, or have a 15-second kiss (or more!). To have an impromptu phone call with a friend who is struggling.
- To stop what I’m doing and give counsel to a friend who is wrestling with an issue.
- To write a note of encouragement to someone who could use some cheering up.
- To take time express gratitude in a meaningful way…
We only get one shot at life. I’ve spent enough time chasing and rushing and hustling. This year, instead of living life at breakneck speed, I’m focusing on breaking busy. And let me tell you, after one month of living like this and experiencing the benefits, I’m thinking of turning my Year of Rest into a Life of Rest!
The Go to Bed Early Challenge: Want to join me??
So many of you said that you really wanted to join me for the Get Up Early Challenge, but you that you needed a Go to Bed Early Challenge first.
Well, guess what? Starting on Monday, we’re doing a Go to Bed Early Challenge. I need this challenge myself, as I discovered with the Get Up Early Challenge. Because it’s so much easier to get up early and have a great day if I’ve gone to bed at a decent hour the night before!
How Will It Work?
I’m going to aim to be in bed asleep no later than 10 p.m. Sunday night through Thursday night (I’m going to give myself a pass to stay up a little later on Fridays and Saturdays!). In order to make this happen, it means I need to wind down by 9 p.m. and be in bed no later than 9:30 p.m.
I want to continue on with my habit of getting up early, too, so I’ll be posting an update on Instagram every morning around 6 a.m. and blogging between 6:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. CT with a little update on what time I went to bed, what time I got up, and how the Go to Bed Early Challenge is going. You all are going to serve as my accountability partners in this.
Would You Like to Join Me?
If you’d like to join me, here’s what I’d love for you to do:
- Choose what time is realistic for you to go to bed every evening and get up every morning. Please be sure you’re getting enough sleep and it’s a time that works for your unique needs and family situation.
- Leave a comment on this post letting me know that you’re in and what time you’ve chosen.
- Check in on my daily morning post and leave a comment to let me know how you are doing with getting up early. I’m excited to all be encouraging each other in this endeavor!
Want some extra accountability? You can sign up for the Go To Bed Challenge that my friend, Beth, is doing. She’s the one who inspired me to do this in the first place and you can sign up for 21 days of encouraging emails from her — for FREE!
Shared Jan 29, 2016
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Brigette’s $58 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Brigette’s $58 Grocery Shopping Trip and Weekly Menu Plan for 6
Aldi
2 Cauliflower – $3.98
2 8-oz pkgs Mushrooms – $1.58
1 bag Mini Sweet Peppers – $1.99
1 pint Grape Tomatoes – $1.29
3 bags Baby Carrots – $2.07
2lbs Red Grapes -$3.99
1 Cabbage – $1.29
1 bag Lemons – $2.49
1 Cucumber – $0.39
3 Avocados – $1.77
1 bag Greens Trio – $1.99
2 boxes Macaroni and Cheese – $0.78
32-oz Half & Half – $1.89
1 bag Mandarin Oranges – $3.49
2 cans Chicken Breast – $3.38
1 bunch Bananas (2.65lbs @ $0.29/lb) – $0.77
1 32-oz Cottage Cheese – $2.29
1 32-oz Nonfat Greek Yogurt – $3.69
3 dozen Eggs – $4.77
1 Gallon Milk (not pictured) – $2.19
Total: $44.19
Harris Teeter
10 bags of Frozen Vegetables – $8.70
3 bags Quaker Popped Rice Crisps – $3.00, used $1/3 Quaker Popped Rice Crisps or Cakes coupon, 1/10 RP insert – $2.00/3 after coupons
2 cans Dole Mandarin Oranges – used 2 $0.40/1 printable (doubled) – $0.40/2 after coupons
4 pkgs McCormick Taco Seasoning Mix – $2.00, used 2 $0.50/2 McCormick Taco or Chili Seasoning Mixes, exp. 2/28/16 (RP 01/24/16) (doubled) – FREE after coupons
1 bag Riceworks – $1.64 – used $1/1 Riceworks, exp. 5/14/16 (SS 01/24/16 R) – $0.64 after coupon
2 boxes Super Pretzels – $3.89, used 2 $0.50/1 printable (doubled), plus $0.50 evic – $1.39/2 after coupons
1 Silk Almond Milk – $2.97, used $0.75/1 printable (doubled) – $1.47 after coupon
2 boxes Jose Ole Taquitos – $5.69, used $3/2 printable, plus $3 evic – $0.31 MM after coupons
Total: $14.29
Weekly Grocery Total: $58.48
Weekly Menu Plan
Breakfasts
Oatmeal x 2
Cereal x 2
Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits, Hard Boiled Eggs (birthday breakfast for my soon-to-be 5-yr old; they pick out all their birthday meals – within reason! ;))
Scrambled Eggs and Toast x 2
Lunches
Almond Butter on Rice Cakes, Oranges, Carrots x 2
Baked Potatoes with Cheese, Grapes, Mini Peppers x 2
Macaroni and Cheese, Bananas, Rice Snacks (birthday lunch)
Leftovers x 2
Dinners
Lazy Cabbage Rolls (using ground venison), Drop Biscuits, Tossed Salad
Date Night (So excited for this as it’s been a long time! Thankful for dear friends who volunteered to watch our kiddos!)
Chicken Gravy over Rice, Roasted Cauliflower, Grapes
Hotdogs, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli, Oreo Ice Cream Pie (birthday dinner)
Grilled Chicken (I still have plenty of chicken in my freezer from my last Zaycon order), Roasted Carrots, Milk Rice, Oranges
Homemade Cheese Pizza, Soft Garlic Breadsticks
Leftovers
20 Frugal & Tasty Rice and Beans Recipes
If you’re trying to cut back on the grocery budget with simpler meals, you’ll love this helpful list of 20 frugal & tasty rice and beans recipes.
Shared Jan 29, 2016
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Get Up Early Challenge: Day 15 (I had a lot of incentive to get up today!)
Get Up Early Challenge: Day 15 (I had a lot of incentive to get up today!)
It’s Day 15 of the Get Up Early Challenge and I had lots of incentive to get up early today… I’m flying to Washington State for a Girls’ Weekend with my dear friend, MacKenzie. (We’ve never met in real-life, but we’ve talked on the phone and Skype and connected so much through Periscope, that I feel like I’ve totally met her before!)
I’m on my first flight of 3 today (yes, it requires a lot of flying to get from Nashville to Washington!) and am excited to have some quiet time for reading, journaling, writing, and planning!
Stay tuned for later tonight (and follow @boldturquoise on Periscope!) as I think we’ll be doing a scope or two together!
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!)
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500 Things Decluttering Challenge: My final totals!
It’s the last day of the #500 Things Decluttering Challenge!! We were supposed to clean the Dining Room.
Our Dining Room only has a table and chairs and our crate of current homeschool books in it. So it didn’t need any decluttering
Instead, I decluttered a closet that hadn’t gotten decluttered enough during the challenge — and I came up with 34 more items to declutter!!!
In all honesty, I thought it was going to be really hard to come up with 500 items to declutter during this two week challenge. Boy was I wrong!! It feels so good to have a much less cluttered, much more organized home! And I’m inspired to continue to be more vigilant about clutter coming in this year!
Today’s total: 34 items decluttered
Total for the entire challenge: 553 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 28, 2016
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Get Up Early Challenge: Day 14 (I slept in — but for a good reason!)
Get Up Early Challenge: Day 14 (I slept in — but for a good reason!)
It’s Day 14 of the Get Up Early Challenge and today, I let myself sleep in a bit since I was tired and want to be well rested for tomorrow.
(I have an early morning flight tomorrow and a very fun weekend planned — my husband is sending me off to Washington State to go have a Girl’s Weekend with my dear friend MacKenzie!! Squee!!!!!)
I spent this morning meditating on God’s goodness and faithful love shown through the story of Joseph in Scripture — as well as in our own lives. His love never fails!
I’ll be hopping on Periscope around 8:45 a.m. to share some Morning Motivation encouragement and to some thoughts and insights from Rest Assured. 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!)
How to Find More Time to Read — Even When Life is Busy
Whenever I share about what I’m reading recently, I get many questions about how I possibly find time to read, so I thought it would be helpful to share my top tips for fitting in reading as a busy mom.
I am a wife, mom of 6, and business owner. Yes, life is full, but reading is such an important part of my life that I make sure it’s a priority for me each and every week. I personally think everyone should and can try to find time to read.
I am such a fan of reading, because of how it has impacted and changed my life. I am a different person because of the books I have read. It causes me to think, challenges my mind, helps me understand other perspectives better, and transports me to different worlds to give me a break from everyday life.
My 7 Top Tips for Finding Time to Read
Life can feel like a never-ending to-do list, but even in the busiest seasons, carving out time to read is possible — and so worth it. Here are my favorite simple and practical tips to help you fit more reading into your everyday life, no matter how full your plate is.
1. Set goals for your reading.
“We arrange time for what we think is truly important.” -Gladys Hunt, author of Honey From a Woman’s Heart
You can’t just say, “I want to read more” and expect it to happen. If you don’t come up with a plan of how to make it happen, it will stay in the want category and never move over to the do category.
I know many of you are overwhelmed at the thought of setting goals, but if you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there? When you set a specific goal for reading, you’re committing to make reading more of a priority in your life.
Think about how many books you’d realistically like to read. Only think about yourself, and don’t compare yourself to others when setting your reading goal. Set a goal that you know you can reach. Maybe it will be one chapter a week or one book each month.
Once you decide how many books you want to read this year, break that down and figure out how much you need to read each day to meet your goal. Then make that a daily habit of a specified amount of time or number of pages/chapters.
Decide when and how you will accomplish this each day. Will you read for 10 minutes before bed? First thing in the morning? During a work break? Do what works for you and your season of life.
Personally, I try to block out at least a little time every morning soon after I get up for reading and then block out a longer stretch each Sunday to relax and get lost in a book. In my head, it’s blocked out as a priority each Sunday when I’m at home. It’s really important for me to take time to refresh myself, and reading is something I absolutely love. If I set aside specific times to read in my life, I know I will get through quite a few books by doing that. I’ve also found it motivating to track my reading on GoodReads as I go!
I don’t always reach my reading goals, but setting them inspires me to always be looking for opportunities to improve my mind through reading!
2. Listen to audiobooks.
Consider audiobooks as a great alternative to enable you to read and multitask. You can listen to audiobooks in the car, while you’re running on the treadmill, or as you do dishes. If you don’t know where to start, this post has some of my favorite audiobooks. Also, I love how many ways there are to get free audiobooks!
3. Read to and with your kids.
As a mom with young kids, it can be especially hard to find time to read, but including your kids in your reading time is a fun way to spend time together and a great way to model a love of reading for your kids!
You could even have family reading time for a set amount of time each evening. Put together a book basket with everyone’s book in it, and decide to sit down as a family each night after dinner and read.
When we have Book Basket Time at our house, I usually set the timer for 15 minutes and then every sits and reads — and I get 15 minutes of relative quiet to read, too! Not only does this introduce your children to reading from a young age, but it also gives your children the opportunity to see Mom setting a great example for them. If we want to raise our kids to be readers, they need to see us reading, too! Figure out a creative way to make it a part of your life!
You could also read aloud to your kids every night at bedtime. Want to know a secret? Many of the books I read to my kids are ones I’ve chosen because I want to read them, too! And I know that when I start a book with my kids, it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll finish it in good time since there will be so many pleas for “just one more chapter!”
4. Read books that interest you.
If you’re trying to make reading more of a habit, then it’s important to start out with books that interest you. This will help you make reading more of a habit from the get-go. You want to look forward to reading!
While I think it’s great to sometimes push ourselves outside our comfort zone and read things that require some mental gymnastics to wrap your head around and contemplate, make sure that you have plenty of reading that is just thoroughly enjoyable to you. If you’re trying to develop the habit of reading more, it’s so important to read books you love and don’t want to put down. Once it becomes a regular habit, then you can shift to more challenging and thought-provoking books.
When considering what you’ll read, use the KonMari method of which books spark joy in you, and most importantly, give yourself permission to stop reading a book if you don’t like it. If you don’t like it or it’s not for you, simply put it down without guilt.
I used to always feel like I should finish a book if it was a classic or it was recommended by multiple people, but there are far too many other books in the world to stick to a book to the end just because. Give yourself the freedom to do that so that you can focus on reading books you enjoy. There’s no point in wasting time reading something that does nothing for you — especially when there are thousands of other fantastic books waiting to be read!
5. Have multiple books going at once.
I know some people are one-book-at-a-time people, but I’ve found I read a lot more when I have multiple books going at once. Why? Because I pick up the book that fits my mood.
Sometimes, I’m in the mood for light reading and know I have more time so I’ll pick up my current fiction read. Sometimes, I know I just have a snippet of time, so I’ll pick up my current deeper non-fiction read. If I only had one book going, I’d likely only pick it up when I was in the mood for whatever the topic was.
One caution, though. If you’re a great starter and a bad finisher, set some boundaries for how many books you can have going at once.
For instance, I never have more than one fiction book going at once and no more than three non-fiction books going at once. I have a rule that I can’t start a new fiction book until I’ve finished one non-fiction book. This might seem silly to you, but it’s a way that I guarantee that I’m not getting in a rut and just reading the same sorts of things, but constantly reading from different genres and perspectives.
6. Keep books in multiple places.
In the same vein as having multiple books going at once, I’ve also found it’s helpful to have books stashed in different places so that they’ll be handy where I’m prone to be at different times of the day — in my purse, on the kitchen countertop, or in the car. You never know when you’ll have a chance to read. You may get stuck in line at carpool, have to wait at the doctor’s office, and countless other scenarios.
If you have to go to some effort to locate a book, you’re probably just going to skip messing with it. But if it’s right at your fingertips when you have a minute or two, it’s a no-brainer to pick it up and read a little bit while you have a little block of time.
If you don’t want to carry a physical book around, have an eBook on your phone that you can read on-the-go. You can often get a great deal on Kindle books or get the eBook you want from your library through the Libby app, and it’s a great way to make sure you always have a book handy.
7. Get some accountability.
Accountability is such an important part of goal-setting. Find a way to get accountability for your reading goals!
Join a book club, track it online, or read through a book with a friend. Reading through a book with a friend is a safe and fun way to foster a relationship as an Introvert. Post on your blog or on social media.
In addition to blogging through books here (here is my most recent list from 2024!), I also love keeping a record on GoodReads. It encourages me and keeps me accountable.
Other suggestions from readers:
I read while brushing my teeth and blow drying my hair. I’m constantly amazed by how much reading I can get done while doing those two things! -Jen {Wow, Jen! I’m impressed! You need to make a video blog on how you pull this off — I want to learn!}
When I gave up Facebook for a month I was surprised how many books I could read. Not because I spend that much time on FB but because I was spending a lot less time on the computer total. -Diane
I also keep an “emergency book” in the car for those times I find myself waiting for someone or something. -Tracy
Related Links:
- 25 Books You Should Read This Summer
- How to Get Your Children Excited About Read-Alouds
- 8 Ways to Get Books for Free or Almost-Free
- Overwhelmed With Household Tasks? Don’t Miss This FREEBIE!
- 8 Ways to Get Audiobooks for FREE
- How Reading Books Can Change Your Life & Challenge Your Mind
- FREE Time-Saving Cheatsheet: 25 Ways to Save an Hour Each Week (so you can read more)!
I also share more about what I’m reading in real-time over on Instagram stories, on the podcast, and in my personal email newsletter.
I would love to hear from you! How do you find time to read more? What are your secrets?
FREE Summer Reading Challenge Printable Pack!
Sign up below to get your free summer reading pack that includes 30 books to read this summer, tips for how to read more, reading trackers/checklists, and more!
Shared Jan 27, 2016
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500 Things Decluttering Challenge: I hit my 500 things goal!!!!
500 Things Decluttering Challenge: I hit my 500 things goal!!!!
It’s Day 13 of the 500 Things Decluttering Challenge today and today we’re supposed to clean out our cars.
I had actually done this recently, so I instead went through the sock basket… And I decided to get rid of the 31 non-matching socks in there.
(How on earth do we have 31 different socks without a matching pair?? Seriously. It’s like there is a sock-eating monster living in a closet somewhere at our house!)
Today’s total: 31 items decluttered
Total for the entire challenge: 519 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 27, 2016
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Get Up Early Challenge: Day 13 (I woke up before my alarm again!)
Get Up Early Challenge: Day 13 (I woke up before my alarm again!)
It’s Day 13 of the Get Up Early Challenge and I went to bed later than I had planned on last night… But I still woke up *before* my alarm clock this morning!!!
I think that means my body is acclimating back to this Get Up Early thing?!?!?
I’m finishing up reading the beautiful story of Joseph in my She Reads Truth study today and meditating on the fact that Christ offers us forgiveness not condemnation. Such a beautiful reminder!
I’ll be hopping on Periscope between 7:45 and 8 a.m. to share some Morning Motivation encouragement and to some thoughts and insights from Rest Assured. 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!)